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A NEW UNIVERSAL HISTORY
OF THE
Religious Rites, Ceremonies and Customs
OF THE
WHOLE WORLD;
OR,
A COMPLETE AND IMPARTIAL VIEW OF
ALL THE RELIGIONS
In tl)e various Nations of the Universe;
BOTH ANCIENT AND MODERN, FROM THE CREATION DOWN TO THE PRESENT TDII..
INCLUDING THE '
Jews,
Egjptiaiis,
Cartliagiiiians,
Druids,
15ra)niu$,
Anci€7it and Present State of Religion amongst the
Assyrians,
Babjlouians,
Meilcs
Persians,
Chinese,
Japanese,
Africans, and all the
other Idolatrous and
Pacian Nations,
Mahometans,
Greeks,
Christians,
Romish Clinrch, with thf
various Orders of her
Commiiuiun, &c. &c.
TOGETHER WITH
THE HISTORY
OF THE REFORMED CHURCHES;
Lutherans,
Moravians,
Dissenters,
Presbi/terians,
Calvinists,
COMPREHENDING THE
Arminiuns,
Methodists,
Independents,
Baptists,
Arians, ■
Socinians,
Quakers,
Nonjurors,
Sandetnanians,
Aniinomians,
Universalists,
Ilutchinsonians,
Millenarians,
Szeedenborgians,
j\li/stics, Sfc, £(c.
BY WILLIA31 IIURD, D.D.
TO WHICH IS ADDED,
A GEOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION
OF THE i'
Various |^art0;
The Religious Rites and Ceremonies of whose Inhabitants are faithfully described.
PniSTlD ASD PUBLISBED JSY J. CLEA,E, C3, ALFOKT-STnELr. Dl:
AtiSCATE.
1811.
INTRODUCTORY PREFACE.
JLT has been acknowledged by the wisest men in all ages and nations, that knowledge,
properly improved, is the grand ornament of human life, as religion is of the rational
faculties. Knowledge distinguishes us from the irrational creation, and Religion places
lis in a rank far superior to many of our o^^ n species. We are not able to comprehend
all the secrets of our own nature — we are often lost in admiration, at the consideration
of the actions of our fellow-creatures; but nothing so much excites our attention as
religious rites, ceremonies and customs! That men in different ages, and throughout
the universe, have paid adoration ta almost every animal and r^tile on the face of the
earth, cannot be denied ; that their idolatrous practices have been ridiculous to the
highest degree is equally true ; nor is it less so, that many of them have been a disgrace
to human nature, even in its corrupted state ! God made man after his own image, but
he has sought out many inventions ; there is a strange propensity in the human mind
to deviate from the truth, and to the divine simplicity of holy ordinances mankind are
too apt to join something very pleasing to their own imperfect ideas ; to captivate the
mind, without tending either to improve the morals in this life, or make the soul wise
for happiness hereafter. The more we know of all the religions of different nations,
the more we are led to inquire, what could induce some men to act so inconsistent with
the dignity of their nature? — but this cannot be done unless we attend to the following
particulars —
I. We must inquire into the causes which gave rise to those forms and ceremonies of
human invention, and by comparing them with the state of mankind, and the attributes
of the Divine Being, we shall be in some measure enabled to account for their existence.
II. We should attend to what were the sentiments of the people who embraced them,
concernipg that grand question in divinity, " The terms of acceptance with the Deity,"
which in some measure may be considered as the leadifig principle of religion in general.
III. We must describe such ceremonies as are absurd and inconsistent in themselves,
to the reader, that he may see the difference between them, and the simplicity of the
true gospel ceremonials, which, as a revelation from God, were calculated to make
men virtuous in time, and blessed in eternity.
Lastly, We must draw such practical inferences from our accounts of every different
religion, as will serve to lead the reader to the practice of morality and piety, as the
greatest ornament of human life, the rule of manners, and the sure title to eternal felicity.
iv. INTRODUCTORY PREFACE.
Such is the general plan of the present work, but it is necessary we should say some-
thing more concerning its extensive nature.
All the religions of the various nations in the world, are here displayed in a plain,
easy, concise manner ; and while the author has adhered to truth, he has not suffered
himself to be biased by any party prejudices, in favour of any particular opinions ; for
in delineating these important subjects, he has sometimes found things simple in their
own nature, and really praise-worthy, which, at the same time, were joined w ith such
rites of human invention as disgrace the memory of those who invented them. While
he relates the follies of many of his fellow-creatures, he does it in pity; not doubting,
but had lie lived in those countries, and in those ages, he might have been an idolater
himself.
At this time, when people in general are engaged in the most laudable of all pur-
suits, that of religious investigation and free inquiry after truth, nothing it is presumed
can be more acceptable to the public than this impartial History of the Religious
Ceremonies and Customs of all Nations, on the most liberal and extensive plan. —
This volume will exhibit a particular account of the diversities of opinions that have
prevailed respecting the Object of Divine Worship in every part of the world, and of
the sects and parties which have been formed in consequence of those opinions from the
beginning of time to the present JEra. The Ceremonies and Customs of the Idolatrous
Nations will be pointed out, the gradual growth of Idolatry, and the absurd and super-
stitious notions, which by degrees have been introduced amongst the various Savage
and JBarharian Cuimtries.
The Jewish and Christian Churches are also noted in a very particular manner ; and
the most satisfactory account given of the various denominations of Religion in America
and Europe, particularly in these kingdoms. The gradual increase of the Pap«Z power
and influence is traced ; together with the policy, interest, and government of the Roman
Pontiff's; and a view of the prophecies relating to them, and the different opiniotis of
the learned concerning those prophecies.
There is no other book in our language, nor indeed in any other, on so enlarged a
plan, that blends i?istruction with entertainment. This work will lead mankind to set
a proper value on the great truths of the Protestant Religion; and it is hoped the
author's sincere endeavours to diffuse useful knowledge amongst all ranks of people, will
meet with general approbation and applause.
h\ Avriting concerning the Ancient Jeivs, he has taken the whole of his materials from
what we find recorded in the sacred Sciripture, confirming these accounts by the testi-
mony of .losephus : and with respect to the Modern Jews, he has consulted the liturgy
used in the public Synagogues, and availed himself of the confession of faith which
they daily repeat.
INTRODUCTORY PREFACE. v.
The Religious Rites and Ceremonies of the Ancient Heathens have been taken from
the best authors extant ; and much assistance has been given to the writer by some of
the greatest men in the present age, particularly those who have made such subjects
their favourite study. In writing of the heatiien rites and ceremonies, we meet with
many things whicli seem to liave a resemblance to tiie Old Testament dispensation ;
such as Sacrifices, the observations of Days, Months, Sabbaths^ and New Moons, but
still the difl'erence is great. All the Rites and Ceremonies used by the Jews, as pre-
scribed by the law of Moses, were calculated to make them a peculiar people from all
others in the world ; and it is remarkable, that although they often plunged themselves
into the grossest idolatry, yet many of them adhered to the worship of the true God,
and even laid down their lives rather than blaspheme his name.
The accounts of the Religious Ceremonies and Customs of the Chinese, the Japanese,
the Persians, the inhabitants of the Coast of Guinea, the Druids, the Laplanders, the
Hottentots, and the Savages in America, Sec. &c. will afford much matter of entertain-
ment for the reader, who, perhaps, never attended to these tilings before.
In the account of the Religious Ceremonies of the Greek Church, the author has
been assisted by materials communicated to him by a gentleman lately deceased, who
resided many years as Consul for his late Majesty in the Levant; at Smyrna, Alleppo,
Constantinople, and Alexandria ; and in this part of the work, some curious particulars
have been taken notice of which other historians have entirely neglected.
The origin of the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of Rome, their progress from
time to time, and a view of them as they appear at present, have been carefully attended
to ; and the reader will find a comparison drawn between them and genuine Chris-
tianity. The same care has been attended to in giving an account of the Rites and
Ceremonies used by the different denominations of Protestants in Europe ; and as the
author resided some years on the Continent, so he considers himself as master of the
subject ; having been present at most of their public assemblies, where he made him-
self acquainted not only with their /ewe/5, but also with thext ceremonies ; which must
serve to throw a considerable light on this part of the work.
In speaking of the different denominations and sectaries in these nations, he has joined
candour and truth in such a manner, that the most rigid cannot find fault, nor will the
libertine have reason to exult over what he may consider as enthusiasm and weakness.
Diversity of tempers, and a variety of circumstances which human prudence could not
foresee, have often rendered men enemies to each otlier. while it was their duty to act
as disciples of the blessed Jesus, and where they thought their brethren were deceived,
or in any manner led into an error, to draw a veil over their weakness, and exhort them
to a proper use of the apostolical injunction, viz. " Prove all things, and hold that which
is good." Although convinced of the importance of the subject, the author cannot ex-
pect the approbation of all, however he may have exerted his utmost endeavours to de-
1- n
vi. INTRODUCTORY PREFACR
serve it. But there are many men who delight in acquiring knowledge, who seek
wisdom in humility, and would desire to be an ornament to their age and country. —
And there are many young people who have not had an opportunity of attending to these
things, but wish to receive information concerning matters of so much importance. By
persons of such benevolent sentiments, the following work will be well received ; a
careful perusal of it will lead them to consider the great difference between all the
Heathen religions and those of the Jews and Christians. As for Mahometanism, it is
a compound of many heresies, first embraced by enthusiasts, and then propagated by
force. There are many other Religious Rites and Ceremonies, which will be taken
notice of in the course of this work ; such as the Arminians, the Bramins, the Banians,
and the Ethiopians; which last was communicated to the author by one of the most
extraordinary persons of the present age. Throughout the whole, a strict attention
has been paid to Chronology; a science which but few are acquainted with, although it
is well known, that without it, we can never undei-stand history.
Upon the whole, there is little doubt but this arduous undertaking will merit the
thanks of that generous public for whose benefit it was undertaken ; and the author,
who has no mercenary views, will, at least, receive the thanks of his fellow subjects. —
Consistent with human nature, he is anxious for the public applause, but not at the
expense of truth; many years have been spent in bringing this work to a state of per-
fection ; and with respect to all the various religions in the world, it will be found an
useful family library, necessary to be perused by all ranks of people, of great pervice
to youth in general, and such as the man of learning may read without deviating from
the dignity of his character in the literary world. The author has excluded from the
whole every thitig disgustful in controversy, representing men and things as they really
are; and drawing a veil over the frailties of human nature, he has modestly pointed
out the improprieties and errors of the prejudiced.
It is remarkable, that although we have some useful and valuable books published
ju numbers, and some of these on Religion, yet this is the first ever attempted on an
enlarged and liberal plan. And the author doubts not but from the perusal of this work,
the rising generation will be agreeably instructed, and the man of experience entertained.
WILLIAM KURD.
UNIVERSAL HISTORY
OF THE
Religious Rites, Ceremonies and Customs
OF THE
lilljole laaorlt.
The History of the Patriarchal Religion, and that of the Ancient Jews.
HAVING taken notice of the general plan of
our work in the preface, we think it unneces-
sary to say any thing more by way of introduction,
but will inunediately begin with the Patriarchal
Religion, which may be divided into two parts ;
first, respecting its state before the deluge ; second-
ly, with regard to its situation from the time of
Noah till the calling of Abraham. With respect to
the first, we must be directed by what we find in
the sacred history; for we have no other authorities,
besides some traditions of the heatiiens, which are so
much blended with fable that no confidence ought
to be placed in them. To love God without con-
sciousness of sin was the business of our first parents
in a state of innocence, when there was no faiJt to
deplore; but no sooner did sin take place in the
world, in consequence of their disobedience, than
every thing was changed, and the earth was cursed
for their guilt.. Dreadful, however, as that curse
w'as, God did not forget the work of his hands ;
he looked in compassion on those who had offend-
ed, and he pointed out a remedy, in promising, that
in time, a most glorious person, who, according to
the flesh, was to descend from Adam, should make
an atonement for the suis of a guilty world. Al-
thougli the sacred scriptures do not point out all the
particulars of tlie promise, yet there can be no doubt
but God had told our first parents, that the seed of
the woman, the promised Messiah, was to offer
himself up a sacrifice for the sins of his people. —
It is, therefore, from the fall of man that we must
date the origin of sacrifices ; which were enjoined
to point out the great sacrifice which was to be made
on Mount Calvary, for the sins of a guilty world.
That such was the practice during the life of
Adam, will appear evident to any one who peruses
the account of Cain and Abel (Gen. iv.) for sacri-
fices are there mentioned as^the principal part of
religion. It is true, the form and manner in which
they were oflfercd up is not mentioned ; nor does it
appear that any thing of a particular nature was
required. Cain, as a person who cultivated the
ground, brought, as an ofl'ermg, the fruits of the
earth : And Abel, who was a shepherd, presented to
the Lord some of the best lambs of his flock : they
came, however, with different dispositions ; the one
was accepted, the other rejected. The temples for
these sacrifices, in those early ages, were the ^vorld
at large, and the canopy of heaven was the roof
which covered them. The altars were no more
than clods of earth, or turf, laid up in heaps; for
architecture was then httle known. When the
sacrifice was laid upon the altar, if it was approved
of by the Divine Being, he sent down a miraculous
fire to consume it; and this was considered as a
mark of approbation and acceptance. Fire pointed
out the sufferings of the Divine Redeemer, w ho was
to endure, in his own person, all the w rath of God
for sin ; and the consuming of the sacrifice, that he
was to make a complete and final atonement, 'iliat
this was the practice during the remainder of the
Antediluvian world, cannot be doubted ; for we are
told tliat Noah, after the deluge had subsided, built
an altar to the Lord ; which w as no more than what
RELIGION OF THE ANCIENT JEWS.
he had learned before God destroyed men for their
wickedness. At that time, every man, tiie father ot
a family, was a leoishitor and a priest ; there was no
sacerdotal ordinations ; and it is probable, that till
the confusion of tongues at Babel, all the descen-
dants of Noah were of one religion.
The sentiments of those men who lived soon after
the deluge, seem to be plain, artless, and simple ;
they looked upon God as their maker, they trusted m
his providence, and their views were directed for-
wards to that glorious person, who was to make an
atonement for their sins. It appears evident that
soon after the dispersion of the children of Noah, by
the confusion of tongues, many human inventions
took place in religion, which occasioned the calling
of Abraham, that, in his family, he might preserve
the worship of the true God. ^, , ,
Abraham lived in the land of the Chaldeans, since
called Persia, and like most of the people of that age
beino- a shepherd, it was no difficult matter for him
to remove from the place of his nativity; for landed
property was not then known. During the whole
of his history, we rind him at different times, and
in different places, erecting altars to the true God,
and offering sacrifices upon them. These altars
were what we have already mentioned, namely, little
hillocks of turf heaped upon each other; and the
person who offered the sacrifice, walked round the
pile till the holy fire came down from heaven to
consume it, taking care to drive away from it all
sorts of birds and beasts, because it was sacred to
the Lord of creation, providence and grace. Of
this we have a striking instance in Gen. xv; where
we are told, that when tlie birds came down upon
the sacrifice, Abraham drove them away.
It seems plain, that br^fore the deluge nothing
was more common than to olfer in sacrifice the
fruits of the earth ; but after that period, living
creatures only were to be sacrificed : and this is what
the Apostle "Paul says (chap x.) in his Epistle to
the Hebrews, without shedding of blood, there was
no remission. Isaac, as the son of promise from
whom the Messiah was to spring, was given to
Abraham in a miraculous manner; beyond the
power of man to conceive, and contrary to the or-
dinary course of generation. This will" account in
the clearest manner, why his father so cheerfully
complied with the Divine command, in submitting
to offer him up as a burnt offerin<j. The circum-
stances of the narration are affecting, but they are
instructive. Abraham himself was the priest; he
\\as to cut the throat of that son who had been given
him on the sacred word of promise from the Divine
Being, not doubting but he would raise him up to
him again. Abraham was the priest who was to
offer up the sacrifice, and his only son was the vic-
^lim ; which may ser\e to shew, that there was at
that time, a sacerdotal as well as civil power, lodged
in tlie master of every family. It does not, indeed,
appear, that the patriarchs of old ever offered their
slaves in sacrifice ; but the case of Isaac was of a
peculiar nature, and no way applicable to the com-
mon state of affairs in this world, which would put
an end to the existence of civil society.
During the life of the patriarch Isaac, as well as
that of his father Abraham, there seems to have been
but little difierence between the religious ceremonies
of the heathens and those of the patriarchs ; only,
that the one worshipped the true God, the others
were idolators. The person who swore to perform
anv commanded duty, put his right hand under the
thigh of his master, and then invoked the Great
Jehovah to be witness of his fidelity. Altars still
continued to be made of stones and turf; for as the
people wandered from place to place, consequently
they could not have temples erected where they
might regularly attend on divine worship. It was
much the same during the life of the patriarch Jacvib,
who supported his family by keeping his flocks in the
wilderness ; and so it continued till Joseph was sold
as a slave to the Ishmaelites, who carried him into
Egypt. There is no doubt, but that during the time
the children of Israel were in Egypt, they were little
better than idolators ; and it appears that they were
there at least two hundred and thirty years. All
those who went into Egypt were dead before Moses
was called upon to lead their successors to the
land of promise; audit seems probable, that when
he led them across the red sea, they had little know-
ledge of the true God; or rather, that they were
idolators, who worshipped the gods of the hea-
thens.
Soon after the Jews, or children of Israel, were
delivered from Egyptian slavery, Moses, their leader
delivered them alaw which he received from God
on Mount Sinai. This law was delivered in the most
marvellous and miraculous manner, and consisted
of precepts relating to their duty both to God and
to each other; but such were the corrupt notions
of those people, that while Moses remained in the
mount, they actually made to themselves the image
of a golden calf, which they worshipped as the true
God ■'and this was done in imitation of what they
had seen in Egypt. They danced and sung round
the idol till the holy messenger of God returned
from the mount, and then they were chastised for
their disobedience. It was therefore necessary, that
many rites and ceremonies should be observed by
that people, who seem to have been hard-hearted
and stiff-necked from the beginning. The most
distinguishing of all their ceremonies was that of
circumcision; and this was always performed on
the eighth day after the birth, to distinguish them
from some of the heathens, particularly the descen-
Fa^c t7.
r
w,j,r.,-
RELIGION OF THE ANCIENT JEWS.
danls of Islimael, who made it a fixed rule to cir-
cumcise their children in tlieir thirteenth year. The
seventh d:iy of the week was to be kept sacred; but
this was no more than tlie revival of an ancient in-
stitution, as appears from Genesis ii. Sacrifices
were enjoined, to point out the necessity of tlie fjreat
sacrifii-e which the Divine Kedeemer was to offer up
in his own person on the cross. A distinction was
made between clean and unclean animals; which
seem to have been rather political than religious;
for had swine's tlcsh been eaten in the wilderness,
or even in the land of Canaan, it might have been
prejudicial to their health. It is true, another reason
has been assigned for this prohibition ; namely, to
make a distinction between them and all other na-
tions in the universe.
At the celebration of their grand solemnities per-
sons were to bring the victim to the priest, who laid
his hand upon its head, and then read over to the
congregation aloud, all the sins which the parties
confessed. The victim was then slain, and when all
the blood was extracted from the body, the fat was
burnt to ashes, and the other parts remained the pro-
perty uf the priests. During the time the children
of Israel remained in the wilderness they had no
temple, because they had no fixed place of residence;
but, to supply that deficiency, God commanded
Moses and Aaron to make an ark, or tabernacle,
which was carried by the Levites from place to place.
However, durhigthat time, Moses drew^ up to them
a body of laws, dictated by unerring wisdom, than
which we find that nothing could be more consistent
with the divine attributes, or more suitable to the
genius and interests of the people.
But of all the ceremonies imposed on the Jews,
none serves more to point out the notion of an
atonement by the blood of Christ, than that of the
" .Scape Goat." ' This cereyiony was performed
once in every year, and it was done in the follow ing
manner.
The goat was taken to the tabernacle, and, in
the hearing of all the people, the priest read a list of
the sins which had been confessed. The people
acknowledged their_guiit, and then, taking tlie scroll,
he fixed it upon the goat, which .was immediately
conducted to the \\ ilderness, and never more heard of.
This being over, tlie messengers returned, and then
the people received absolution. This served to point
out, that the sins of men were to be laid upon Christ,
the promised Messiah, who was to remove them for
ever, and finally bring in an everlasting righteous-
ness. The law delivered liy Moses to the Jews, and
which v\as given under the sanction of divine au-
thority, contained not oidy directions for the manner
in wliich sacrifices were to be ofiereil, and indeed
the whole service, first of the tabernacle, and then
of the t«mple; but likewise a complete system of
1.
moral precepts, nay morality itself ; whether we ap-
ply the word to Ethics, Giconoinics, or Politics, 'llic
distinctions of persons, according to the ditVereni
ranks in life, were clearly pointed ont; women were
not permitted to wear the same habit as the men,
for this plain reason, that had the diftcrent sexes
been permitted to dress indiscriminately, many dan-
gerous and even fatal consequences would have
taken place; ua}', 'it might have happened, that the
most unnatural crimes would have been committed ;
and the God of order, who seeks to promote the
happiness of his creatures, would have been blas-
phemed as the author of sin. Young persons were
commanded to stand up in a reverend manner be-
fore the aged, and tr) treat them with every mark of
respect. This was in all respects, consistent with
the first principles of natural religion; for the re-
spect we oMe to the aged, points out the duty we are
bound to discharge to that glorious Being, by whose
^^■isdom we were formed, by whose goodness we
have been preserved, and by whose grace we have
been redeemed from the power and guilt of sin.
Their law was to be of an uniform nature, and the
same justice was to be done to strangers as to free-
born subjects. No stranger was to be chosen king
over them, far this reason, that as they were sur-
rounded by heathen nations, so a stranger, having
the civil power in his hands, might have led them
into idolatry. They were permitted to lend money
to strangers upon usury ; but when they lent any
thing to their brethren, nothing but the principal
was to be demanded. They were commanded not
to abhor, nor treat with contempt, the Edomites,
because they were the descendants of Esau, the el-
der brother of Jacob. These Edomites were a cir-
cumcised people, and, although in latter times, we
find them commencing idolaters, yet, in conse-
quence of their descent from Abraham, and the ten-
derness which Esau himself shewed to Jacob, they
were to be treated as brethren. Nor were they to
treat the Egyptians widi cruelty for the following
reasons. First, their ancestors had been once ten-
derly treated by the Egyptians. Secondly, the
children of Israel had been kept in a severe state of
bondage by those people. The consideration of the
first, was to keep ali\ e in tlieir minds sentiments of
gratitude. The second, to humanize their natures,
by teacliing them charity, benevolence, compassion,
mercy, and all those other virtues vihich can adorn
the human miiKl, and make men ornaments of civil
society.
Slavery was permitted by the law of Moses, but
slaves or bond-men were not to be heated with
cruelty: and the reason assigned was, that the chil-
dren of Israel had themselves been slaves in the land
of Egypt. Every widow, and every orphan, were
to be considered as objects of compassion; ai.J
io
HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT JEWS.
those who treated them with cruelty, were to be
considered as objects of the divine displeasure.
J^ay, it was further threateiud in this divine law,
that those who oppressed the widow and fatherless,
should die an ignominious death ; that their widows
should be exposed to want, and their children sub-
jected to all the hardships of an injurious, unfeeling
world.
The duty of charity was strongly inculcated by
the Mosaic ceconomy ; for whatever was left of the
fruits of the earth in the field, they were not to go
back to gather ; it was for the poor and needy : the
slaves were to enjoy it, and so were the widow s and
fatherless. The tribe of Levi, to whom the priest-
hood was confined by law, were not to have any
local inheritance, but they m ere to dwell in the pre-
sence of their brethren, and one tenth part of the
fruits of the earth was to be set aside for their sub-
sistence. These Levites, however, were commanded
to relieve tlie widow and the fatherless ; and in con-
sequence of their actions, being in all respects con-
sistent with the purity of the divine law, they
■ vere either to be acquitted or condemned.
In every city, town or village, some of the most
respectable of the inliabitants, or elders of the peo-
ple were to be appointed judges, and in the admini-
stration of justice, they were strictly commanded
to act impartially. No respect was to be paid to
the characters, or ranks of persons ; and a dreadful
cui'se was pronounced against such as should take
bribes. These judges sat in the gates of the cities,
which practice still prevails in many of the eastern
nations. The origin of this practice is of great
antiquity ; but the end and design of it has never been
properly accounted for, which is the more surprising
because the thing itself is very emblematical and
expressive.
Judges sitting in the gates of cities, point out,
first, that justice and equity are the most secure
guards and safety of a people. Secondly, that justice,
in its executive part, should be in that place which
divides citizens from those who inhabit the country.
Lastly, it was, that justice might be public, that all
those who were going to, or coming from the city,
might be impressed with a proper sense of the laws,
the nature of rewards and punishments, the neces-
sity they were under to obey them, the force of
moral obligation, and above all, the fear and lo%'e of
God. There was, however, an appeal from these
inferior courts, whether relating to matters of a civil
or a criminal nature. And this appeal was very
solemn: the party who thought himself injured,
entered his appeal before the supreme judge or the
king, who called to his assistance the whole body
of priests and Levites, and the majority of the votes
determined the affair. If either of the contending
parties refused to abide by the final decision, he was
condemned, to suffer death ; for not to acknowledge
such a solenm judgment, was to deny the authority
of God himself, who had delegated his authority to
the judges, priests and Levites.
The person who spoke disrespectfully of a judge,
was considered as a blasphemer ; and if he was
found guilty, by the evidence of two or three wit-
nesses, then he was to be put to death, for to revik
a judge was to revile God, he being considered as his
representative on earth.
The natiue of servitude among the Jews, has
never been properly attended to, and the INIosaJc law
has often been ridiculed, merely because the weak
could not, and the wicked would not understand it.
If we consider the state of a people living without
commerce, confined to agriculture, we must natu-
rally believe, that many persons would be often out
of employment; and had many of those persons
been set at liberty, they would have perished for
want of subsistence. The Jewish slavery was two-
fold, and arose from a variety of circumstances.
When men v\ ere reduced to poverty, it was in the
power of their creditors to sell them : but they were
not to be treated as strangers ; they were to be treat-
ed in the same manner as we do hired servants ; and
when the year of jubilee took place, they and their
^^'ives, with their children, were to be set at liberty,
and they were to return to the possessions of their
ancestors. These persons who were purchased, or
in other words, took into a state of servitude, were
not to be sold by their masters, nor were they to
be treated with any sort of severity. When a ser-
vant was discharged, his master was to give him as
much corn, wine, oil, and other necessaries, as he
and his wife and children could carry home to their
houses. This was done to keep them in mind of
the slavery they had suffered in the land of Egypt,
and the liberal manner in which God, by an act of
his almighty power, delivered them from bondage.
In the patriarchal age, the power of masters over
their servants was unlimited, for they had a right to
put them to death whenever they pleased ; but after
the children of Israel had returned from Egypt, this
yiower was confined within proper bounds ; for there
is a wide difference between a state of nature, and a
state of society. Such as engaged for a limited time
were to have leave to go out at the expiration of it,
and if he was married when he entered into servitude,
his wife and children were to bo set at liberty ; but
if his master gave him a wife, both she and the
children M'ere to remain the property of the master.
This circumstance, however, seldom took place, for
the law had provided a remedy.
It frequently happened, that when the terra of
servitude expired, the servant having no prospect
of procuring a subsistence, and, at the same time,
unwilling to part with his wife and children, told
HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT JEWS.
11
his master lie would serve him during the remainder
ol" his lite. In such cases, the masters took him
before tlie eldtrs, or judges, and in their presence,
an awl was bored through his ear, and lixcd to a
post in the gate of the city, and he and his wife and
children were to serve the master till their deatiis.
It was tlic same with women-servants, w ho were
bound by the same obligations. Much has been
said and written on the nature of this ceremony,
and by some it has been considered as extremely
cruel. To this it is answered, that when we con-
sider in what manner the cars of our women are pre-
pared for the use of rings, which seldom puts them
to much pain, then there does not appear any cruelty
in it. From the humanity that runs through every
part of the Mosaic law, we may naturally and rea-
sonably conclude, that the servant himself was not
put to much pain, but that the ceremony was rather
formal than cruel. With respect to strangers, or
the people who came from other countries, they
were, at all times, permitted to redeem themselves,
and this was to be done in an equitable manner be-
fore the judges. All the arrears due to them were
to be paid, and if the time of their servitude was
not expired, then they were to make a proper de-
duction, so that the master should not receive the
least injury.
The cliildren of those who lived in the heathen
nations, were to be treated by the children of Israel
as slaves, they were to be bought and sold as private
property, but they were to be treated with tender-
ness. This practice was not wholly contined to the
Jews, for we find many instances of it in the his-
tories of other nations. The heathens, who lived
around the land of Palestine, were divided into small
tribes, under chieftains or commanders, who led
them out annually to rob and plunder; and during
these excursions, it often happened, that many inno-
cent persons were made captives, and sold as slaves.
These persons were transferred to all those who pur-
chased the estate upon which they resided, and
they were to remain slaves for ever, unless they could
redeem themselves. It was common to assign some
of those slaves as a marriage-portion to a bride, and
of this we have maay instances in the Greek and
Roman history. Nay, w-e may add, to the disho-
nour of Christians, the present age affords us many
melancholy examples of this inhuman practice. Mr.
Ciranville Sharp, one of the greatest ornaments of
the literary world, has made it appear almost to a
demonstration, that as the Jewish commonwealth
was abolished, in consequence of cruelty to slaves
and strangers, so the slave trade, as was formerly
carried on by the iidiabitants of this country, would
at last bring destruction upon us.
When a master struck his servant, and the wound
proved mortal, so that the servant died within the
compass of a day or two, then the crime was to be
considered as capital, and the master was to suffer
death for it; but if he lived beyond that time, then
the master was to be discharged, because the slave
was his property. It is needless to make any cora-
,, ments on this part of the .Icwish law, because the
circumstances of the times required some sort of se-
verity ; and the children of Israel being a hard-heart-
ed people, it was necessary that their minds should
be properly impressed with the nature of rewards
and punishments in this life. When a master struck
out the eye or the tooth of his servant, then he was
obliged to let him go free ; because in such an i'.>-
stance, the master exceeded the bounds prescribed by
the law, and inflicted such cruelty as was inconsistent
with the dictates of natural reason and religion.
It w-as in the power of parents to sell their daugh-
ters ; a practice which has taken place in the eastern
nations, from the most early ages of time ; but when
the master seduced a damsel, he was not permitted
to sell her, because he had not acted towards her
consistent with the nature of moral obligation. —
However if the master betrothed the young woman
to his son, she was to be treated as a free-born sub-
ject ; but if the young man took another wife, then
he was to deliver up every thing belonging to the
slave, and she was to be free to act in what manner
she pleased.
When a slave ran away from his master, he was
not to be reclaimed by him, but was to remain
with the person where he chose to settle ; and this
was a rational principle, for we natiually suppose,
that in those ages, and in that nation, no servant
would have left his master, unless he had been treat-
ed with cruelty.
The power that fathers had over their children
was great ; but it was suited to the circumstances
of the times and place. If a son refused to obey
his father or mother, or treated them with indignity,
they were to chastise him ; and if no reformation
took place in his conduct, then he was to be taken
before the elders, or judges of the city, who upon
hearing such evidence as served to prove his guilt,
he was delivered over to the common executioners,
who immediately ordered him to be stoned to death.
None of tlie children of Israel were pemiitted to
sell their daughters as common prostitutes, because
purity was enjoined by the divine law. It was the
custom of the heathens to boil kids in the milk of
their dam; but by the Mosaic law, this was for-
bidden; because the practice itself was unnatural,
so that it was utterly prohibited for any person to
seeth a kid in his mother's milk. T'he >Iosaic law
was a transcript of the law of natme ; it was de-
signed to point out the state of fallen man, Avith the
character of the divine attributes, from this, ancf
from this alone, can our state in this world be known..
'V2
HISTOHY OF THE AXCIEXT JEWS.
As will appear in the course of this work, many
•of the heathen nations lived in the most incestuous
manner; but this practice was not tokrated under
the law of INIoses. The degrees of consanguinity
■were so strictly attended to, that no person was to
break through them ; and a table of those degrees
•has always been prefixed or afiixed to our English
.translations of the bible. This was in all respects
.extremely necessary ; because had it been otherwise,
Tconfusion would have taken place, parents would
not have attended to the duty they owed to their
children ; and cliildren, in many instances, would
.have been ashamed to acknowledge their parents. —
A man was not to marry two sisters, lest it shouhl
have created family dissentions ; but in all things
were to act consistent with the duty they owed to
.themselves, to their families, to the community at
large, and to God.
if a man died without having children, and if he
had a brother alive unmarried, then the bachelor
•was to espouse the widow, for the two following
jeasons : first, tliat by descendants the name of the
family might be kept up ; but the tirst born child
.was to succeed to the name and estate of the tirst
husband. Secondly, it was done to prevent them
from intermixing with the heathen nations, which
-might have been the means of introducing idolatry
among them.
As notliing was more odious among the Jews,
ihau for men or women to live unmarried, so if the
brother-in-law refused to marry his sister-in-law, to
preserve the name of his family, the widow was to
go before the judges in the gate of the city, and
ihere exhibit her complaint. This being done, the
brother-in-law was called before the judges, and
examined concerning the nature of his objections ;
and when it v.'as found that lie absolutely refused to
marry the woman, then she was called in, and the
refusal intimated to her ; the judges then were to
tell her to act according as the law of Moses direct-
ed : and she stooping down, unloosed the shoe from
oif his riglit foot, and spitting in his face, declared
her abhorrence of the man who refused to perpetuate
the name of his family, and the name of his bro-
ther; and from that time forward, he was called
" The inan whose shoe was loosed in Israel."
A woman was not to marry into any tribe but
that to which her father belonged; and this seems
to have been done to keep up the grand distinctions
among the twelve tribes, especially that of Judah ;
from whom, ac-cording to the flesh, the Messiah
was to come to enlighten a darkened world.
Previous to their going to take possession of the
land of Canaan, they were commanded to- destroy
ail the different tribes of those idolatrous nations ;
they were not to shew any mercy to them ; and if
^hey were sufTered to remain alive on the borders of
the countiy, they were not to suffer their children,
whether sons or daughters, to intermix with them
by marriage : and the reason assigned for this was,
that they might not be led into idolatry ; because
nothing v.ill sooner change the inclinations of men
with respect to religion, than an attachment to a
beautiful woman.
Dr. Spencer, in his laws of the Hebrews, makes
some just remarks on the nature and practice of di-
vorces among the Jews ; and this is necessary to be
taken notice of here, because divorces between mar-
ried persons are generally attended with some un-
happy circumstances. So the deists have objected,
that it could never make a part of the divine law.
To this it is answered, that divorces did not take
place in the patriarchal ages; for in the beginning,
God created but one of each sex ; and our Saviour,
disputing with the Jews concerning the legality of
divorces, told the pharisees, that from the beo-in-
ning it was not so.
However, as the Jews had resided many years in
Egypt, and learned many of thee ustoms of that idol-
atrous nation, so Moses, their great law-giver, by
authority of divine inspiration, permitted a man to
put away his wife, and both parties were allowed to
marry again. But if a husband divorced his wife,
and she married a second husband, who afterwards
died, then the first husband was not to take tlie wo-
man again. This was done to discourage divorces
as nuich as possible; for although God may permit
many things, in consequence of tlie hardness of
peoples' hearts, yet we have the testimony of our
Saviour to prove, that the divine Being does not
take pleasure in such tilings.
Every man was exempted from going to war,
and from all public business during the first year of
his marriage ; and the reason was, that there might
not be too many young widows or fatherless children
among them. The law of Moses allowed a man
to make a vow, to give for tlie service of the taber-
nacle any part of his goods or money, so as he did
not injure his family; but he was not obliged to do
any thing of that nature, contrary to his own incli-
nations. However, if he did once make the vow,
which was done in a solemn n\aimer before the altar,
then he was obliged to abide by it, and to perfbrra
what he had promised.
It is evident from several passages in the old testa-
ment, that women were permitted to make vows,
on condition of obtaining the consent of their fathers
and husbands. If the fathers or husbands were
present when the vow was made, and did not object
to it, then the woman was IjouikI to tlie performance.
On the other hand, if either the father or husband
objected to the vow, then it could not stand good,
and the priests were commanded to see that it was
not performed. But all widow s, and such womea
RELIGION OF THE ANCIENT JEWS.
13
as liad been divorced, and lived single, were obliged
to perform their vows, otherwise they were to be
treated as persons guilty of sacrilege ; and this seems
to pohit out, that God would not have his creatures
to part w ith any of their property in a trifling, un-
guarded manner.
In military affairs, the law of Moses was well
calculated to promote the interest of the common-
wealth, and altogether suitable to tlie genius, times,
and circumstances of the people. Every family w as
obliged to return to the chiefs of the tribes a list of
all the males, upwards of twenty years of age, lit
to carry arms. When the return was made, which
was done in the most regular manner, the males of
each tribe were called together, and the following
questions were asked them, one by one: Has any
raau built a house, and has not had time to dedicate
it ? Has any man planted a vineyard, and not yet
eaten of tlie fruit of it ? Has any man betrothed a
wife, and not yet married her? Is any man fearful
or faint-hearted to go against the enemy; Then
let all those return home and attend to their domes-
tic duties.
That nothing might be wanting in the divine law,
the great Jehovah ordered, that Moses should teach
the people the bounds of that authority they were
to have over the irrational creatures. Birds were
permitted to be taken when found in nests, but the
dam or mother was not to be retained ; and tiie rea-
son assigned was, that tiie species might not be ex-
tinguished, which might have been the case in
their contined territories, had both the old and the
young been taken together. Another circumstance
in their law was, that no cattle were permitted to
gender with those of a different species. But here
an objection has been started, namely, that mules
were in great use, and mucii esteemed among the
Jews ; and it is well known, that they are gendered
between two creatures of different species. To
this it is answered, iirst, that altliough the Jews
were commanded not to permit creatures of different
species to gender together, yet it was not always in
their power to prevent it. From the most early ac-
counts we have of the Jews, they kept vast Hocks
of sheep, oxen, horses, asses, goats, &c. and as
only a few persons were sent to attend and watch
these flocks, it must have frequently happened that
creatures would gender together during the absence,
or neglect of the shepherds.
In the methods of war, there was sometliing in
the Jewish lav.' both humane and majestic. When
they attacked a city, they were to oft'er terms of
peace to the inhabitants, upon condition of surren-
dering themselves up prisoners of war, and submit-
,ting to the will of the conqueror, which was, that
they should pay a certain tribute. But if the citi-
zens refused to accept of the offered terms, tlien the
place was to be attacked, and if taken, all tl-.c males
were to be put to the sword. The women and
children were to be sold as slaves, the cattle and all
the goods were to be taken and distributed equally
among the soldiers, after which the city was to be
reduced to ashes.
But this privilege was not to extend to any of
tliose cities among the Canaanites, whom God had
devoted to destruction, lest, that by suffering pagan
captives to remain among them, their minds nnght
be seduced from the worship of the true God, and
idolatry embraced by a people, who had always a
strong propensity to the worship of false gods.
They were permitted to eat the fruits of tiie trees
they found in the land of an enemy ; but the trees
were to be cut down in order to raise bulwarks
against the next city which they should have occa-
sion to besiege.
All the lands taken by conquest, were to be di-
vided by lot among the soldiers, but each was to
have his share, according to the rank he bore jn the
army. The Levites, as they were obliged to at-
tend the sei-vice of the tabernacle, so they were ex-
empted from every duty of a civil or military na-
ture ; and this was appointed to exist throughout
all generations : although we meet with many devi-
ations from it in the latter times of their history,
particularly after they returned from the Babylonish
captivity. Great regard was paid to succession,
in order to keep the proper distinction of families.
If a man died without leaving a son, then the in-
heritance w as to pass to his daughter ; and if there
was no daughter, then it was to go to the brothers ;
and if there were no brethren, then it was to ascend
upwards to the brothers of the grandfather, and to
all the collateral branches, according to their con-
sanguinity.
As polygamy was permitted among the Jews,
great care was taken that no abuses should happen,
in consequence of a too fond partiality taking place,
in favour of the children of the second or third wife,
in preference to those of the first. It was ordered,
that although the first w ife should be despised, or
even hated by her husband, yet her first-born son
should succeed to the inheritance ; and the judges
were under the most solemn and sacred obligations
to see tiiis part of the law properly executed. Pro-
vision, however, was made for the rest of the chil-
dren, and amongst them the personal estate was di-
vided, without any partial respect ; but if there was
no personal estate, then two-thirds of the real estate
was given to the first born, and tiie third divided
equally among the rest.
The houses in the eastern countries of Asia were,
in consequence of the heat of the climate, built with
battlements around the upper parts of the roofs ;
and as it often Iiappened, that in consequence of the
14
RELIGION OF THE ANCIENT JEWS.
ignorance or negligenre of the architect, stones fell
down, by which passengers ^\•ere killed ; so it was
strictly enjoined, that care sjiould be taken in the
construction of the fabrics ; for the public safety was
a great object of the law, as it ought always to be
in all nations in the universe.
The Jews were permitted to lend money upon
usury to strangers, but not to any of their own
brethren, nor were they to sleep one night with
their brether's pledge. This notion was inculcated,
that they miglit learn the great duty of humanity,
and that benevolence to their fellow creatures should
regulate every part of their conduct.
If an estate was mortgaged, the person who held
it wiis obliged to restore it at the end of seven years,
upon condition of receiving the money he had ad-
vanced, but he was not under tlie same obligation
to strangers. And if a man borrowed a beast of his
neighbour, and an accident happened to it, so as it
received any injmy, then he was to make good the
loss, unless the owner happened to be present. This
was enacted, that no injury should be done to indi-
viduals ; for if a man borrows a horse from his neigh-
bour, it is but just that he should take proper care of
it ; but if the proprietor goes along with it, to see
in what manner it is treated, and is witness to the
accident that happens, then it must be suppiosed that
he knows in whose power it was to prevent it.
With respect to fidelity in keeping any thing de-
livered to a person, the Jewish law discovers striking
marks of its divine authenticity. Thus if a man de-
livered any thing to another to keep, and it was
stolen, the thief, if found, was to pay double ; but
if the thief was not found, then the person to vhom
it was intrusted, was to be brought before the judges,
to declare npon oath, whether he had injured his
neighbour, by making away with his goods, or hav-
ing been privy to any transaction of that nature. The
oath of the suspected person was to be supported by
such evidence as he could produce ; and that was
to be opposed by what the prosecutor could ad-
vance.
The matter having been heard with calmness, the
judges were to consider of it in a deliberate manner ',
and if it appeared that the accused person was inno-
cent, then he was acquitted ; but, if through his
own neglect the goods were stolen, then he was to
return double to the owner. 'I'his was enjoined,
that men should carefully preserve the property in-
trusted to them ; and, certainly in all civil societies,
such things should be attended to. If tlfere was no
evidence produced by the person accused, nor any
to support the accusation, then the judges were
to decide, according to their own wisdom and dis-
cretion.
Among the Jews, there were several tilings ex-
empted from being pledged ; amongst which were
mill-stones, for this reason, that such things were
necessary towards preserving the lives of men, be-
cause wheat would have been of very little use un-
less it had been ground to Hour. VVhen a pledo-e
was deposited, tlie person who advanced the money
was not to go into the debtor's house to demand the
money, but he was to stand \\ ithout the door until
it was brought to him. Tiiis was ordered to prevent
family disputes, and to keep peace among a body of
people who were commanded to live together as
brethren. The clothes of widows were not to be
taken in pledge ; and the same degree of humanity
was to extend to the strangers, to tlie fatherless, and
the slaves. Great regard was paid to their standard
weights and measures; for, although the people were
extremely numerous, yet they were all obliged to
have the same measures, and the same weights, so
that in their common dealings, justice should be
equally distributed.
Every sale or bargain relating to the conveyance
of estates, was of a conditional nature ; and if any of
the descendants or relations of those who assigned it
away, produced the money advanced for it, at the
end of forty-nine years, then it was to be restored ;
for the possession of it during that time, was consi-
dered as an ample recompence to the purchaser.
On such occasions trumpets were to be sounded
in all the towns and villages, that the people might
have proper notice that the jubilee was approaching.
Then, dunng the fiftieth year, all servants or slaves
were to be set at liberty ; and an opportunity was
offered for persons to redeem such estates as had
been sold. In the redemption of estates, an ac-
count was taken before the judges concerning the
nature of the improved rent, during the time they
had been in the possession of the purchaser, and the
overplus was delivered up, either to the person who
sold them, or to his relations who made the claim.
All houses in walled cities, namely, such as were
fortified, could he redeemed within the compass of
one year, but they could never be redeemed after-
wards, not even in the year of jubilee ; because the
person in possession was under the highest obliga-
tion to lay down his life in support of its rights and
privileges. It was different with respect to the
villages which were not walled round, because they
were considered as part of the country at large, so
that they were permitted to be ledeemed in the year
of jubilee. However, the houses of the Levites
were not to be sold without redemption, whether
they were in cities or villages: for, trifling as their
possessions were, yet they were considered as of a
sacred nature ; and all those who enjoyed them,
were the immediate servants of the most high God.
The Jewish law was so strict with respect to
humanity, in the conduct of masters to servants,
that when they were hired by the day, they were to
RELIGION OF THE ANXIENT JEWS.
15
receive their wages before siin-set ; and the reason
assigned for it was, that because the })oor man
wanted his hire, consequently he wouki set liis litart
upon it, that is, hunger, and the regard he had for
his poor wife and children, wotild nrake him unwil-
ling to return home. This lunnane provision serves
to point out, that if God made choice of llie child-
ren of Israel from among all nations, to commit to
them the knowledge of his uaiuo, he, at the same
time, mixed the divine law with such principles of
private and public virtue, as must be of great ser-
vice to society ill all succeeding generations.
However odious the term slavery may appear to
us who live in a conunercial land of real liberty, yet
it was not so among the Jews. As there was a ne-
cessity that poor persons should procure a subsist-
ence by way of servitude, so God in his infinite wis-
dom, provided that none of them should be treated
with cruelty ; nor was t!;is compassion confined to
men. ottly, the divine Being looks beyond the state
of his rational creatures.
Thus we find, that the ox, who contributed to-
wards cultivating the fruits of the earth, and who
assisted in treading out the corn, should not be muz-
zled, but should be suffered to eat as much as he
could while he w as employed. In Asia, corn is not
thrashed as in Europe ; but a stone, like a millstone,
is drawn round a circle by oxen, much in the same
manner as tanners in England bruise their bark ; and
Dr. Shaw tells us, that this practice prevails in all
those countries which he visited near the Levant.
It has been asked, by several of the late deistical
writers, particularly such as have lived in France,
why Moses appointed one day in seven to be set
apart for the purpose of religious worship ? To this
it is answered, that here our adversaries furnish us
with a fair opportunity, and a just right to beg the
question by asking another, \\ hy have the inhabit-
ants of most of the illiterate barbarous heathen na-
tions set apart some time for the service of their
idols ■ As there never was a nation in the universe,
where the inhabitants refused to acknow ledge one or
more beings to whom they ascribed divine honours,
so all those nations had their stated festivals.
It is said, six days slialt thou labour, and on the
seventh thou slialt rest. Now, if we consider the
beautiful regularity in this distribution of time, it
will appear that human wisdom could not point it
out. Every man, even the most unenlightened must
acknowledge, that some part of his time should be
set apart for tiie adoration of that Being whom he
worships : But what human wisdom could point
out the detinitive number of days ? Six days the
Jews were to labour for - the subsistence of their
families, and on- the, seventh day, in order to keep
alive in their minds the flame of divine knowledge,
they were to commemorate . the great works of cre-
ation, and all the providential circumstances which
God had wrouiiht in their favour.
As covetousiiess was forbidden by the Mosaic law.
so theft, its inseparable companion, and natural
effect, was punished in such a manner as points out
marks of divine wisdom. Cattle being stolen and
disposed of, so as to be irrecoverable, the thief, on
conviction, was to make a tive-fold restitution ; but
if the cattle were found alive with him, then he w as
to restore them and pay double. Every person was
empowered to kill a house-breaker if he was found
in the fact during the night, but if in the day, then
he was either to make restitution, or be sold for »
slave.
In walking through a vineyard, every stranger
was permitted to pull what fruit he chose to eat, but
he was not to carry any away, and nothing could be
more unreasonable ; for certainly if men's circum-
stances are not very opulent, then it is sufficient that
they relieve the innnediate wants of their fellow
creatures, without doing any thing more for them at
the expense of duty, and the obligation they are
under to their own families. It was the same with
respect to fields of corn, w here every man was per-
mitted to pull as much as he could eat, but he was
not to put in a sickle to cut down so much as one of
the stalks.
That they might live together in a state of bro-
therly love, it was ordained in their law, that nui-
sances, by w hich men's lives or properties could bo
injured, should be removed ; or if an accident hap-
pened in consequence of neglect, a proper recom-
pence was to be made to the loser. Thus, if a man
left a pit uncovered, and his neighbour's beast fell
into it and was killed, or any ways disabled, then
the person guilty of the neglect, was to make up the
loss. In the same manner, if any man killed the
beast of his neighbour, he was either to restore an-
other equal in value, or pa\ the price.
All those who found cattle wandering astray, were
to take them to their own folds, and keep them till
they were clainifd by the owners. It w as the same
with respect to every thing lost, for whoever found
it, and did not embrace the first opportunity of re-
storing it, was considered as a thief, and punished
as such.
Justice, mercy and compassion were, by this law,
carried still higher than any thing yet mentioned, for
the people were commanded not only to-fe* compas-
sionate to their enemies, but it w as furthfeir enjoined,
that if they 'saw their enemv's ox or ass fall into a
pit,- then they were to do all in their power to save
its life. This may serve to prove, that the law of
Moses was not such a barbarous one as has been
represented by the Deists, but rather a complete
system of political humanity.
If fire happened through negligence, the person
IG
llEUGIOX OF THE ANCIENT JEWS.
■wlio neglected to take proper care, was to make res-
titution to the injured person ; and the same was to
be done where a man suffered his heast to eat the
corn in llie field of his neighbour. If a man or wo-
man happened to be killed by an ox, then the ox
was to be stoned to death, and his ilesh was not to
be eaten ; but if sufficient evidence appeared to the
judges, that the ox was a vicious animal, accustomed
to push at every person who came in his way, and
the o^^ ner did not take proper measures to restrain
him, tlien the ox was to be stoned, and the owner
was to be put to death. It was, however, permitted
for the owner of the ox to redeem liis own life, by
paying a certain sum of money to the widow or cliild-
ren of the deceaseil.
When an ox killed a slave, his owner was to pay
to the master of the slave thirty shekels of silver ;
and if it liapi>ened that one ox hurt another, the live
ox was to be sohl along with the dead one, and the
money equally divided between the proprietors.
To prevent the commission of injuries is one of
the grand principles in all civil societies, and we tiud
the Jewish law guarding against it with that wisdom
which points out its divine original. Thus the land-
marks, as the boundaries of civil property, were not
to be removed ; wanton cruelty was not to be exer-
cised in laying stumbling blocks before the blind ;
nor was the deaf to be mocked.
Wilful murder « as to be piniisbed with death :
for thus it was written in the Slosaical law.
And if he smite him with an instrument of iron
(so that he die) he is a murderer: the murderer shall
surely be put to death. And if he smile him with
throwing a stone, (wherewilli he may die) and he
die, he is a murderer. In the same manner, if he
smote him with an inslrinneiit of wood, so that he*
died, he was a murderer ; but still no crime could
be called murder, unless there was malice in the
oifending party. In all such cases, the nearest of
kin had a right to ])ut the murderer to death with
his own hands, unless he made his escape to the
city of refuge.
Tlie difference between murder and manslaugh-
ter was po'mted out, and a straight line of distinction
drawn. Thus, if there had been no malice between
the contending parties, and it happened that one of
them killed the other suddenly, then the aggressor
was to flee to the city of refuge, where he was kept
m a state of safety, until the judges had enquired
into the affair. This was done in a very solemn
manner, and what is remarkable, the evidence was
delivered in the hearing of all those who lived in
the district where the affair happened. And from
that we may learn, although there are now many ar-
bitrary governments in the world, yet in ancient times,
all trials were in one shai>e or other by juries.
': When a solemn enquiry was made, and it was
found that the aggressor entertained malice against
the deceased : then he was delivered up to the aven-
ger of blood to be put to death. But if it was
found that no malice had existed between the par-
ties, then the judges were to see the offender safely
conducted to the city of refuge, where he was to
remain as an inhabitant, till the death of the high
priest. During that time, if he ventured to go out
of the city of refuge, the avengtr of blood had a
right to put him to death ; but when the high priest
died, he was restored to the peaceable enjoyment
of his temporal possessions.
When it happened that a pregnant woman was
injured, so as to occasion her miscarrying, then the
husband was to demand a fine from Use offending
party, and the judges were to deteiniine how much
was equitable. It was common in the eastern coun-
tries, for dissolute persons to steal children, and sell
them to be brought up as slaves ; but the law of
Moses absolutely proliibited this practice, and the
offender was to be put to death.
In some cases, offenders were permitted to take
shelter on the horns of the altar, the place to which
the victim was bound ; but if he was a murderer and
found guilty by the judges, then the executioners
had a right to drag him from the altar, and put him
to death; but we shall have occasion to enlarge
more fully on this practice, in our account of the
Roman Catholics.
As the Jewish state was that of a theocracy, or
an immediate government under the most high God,
so every violation of the law, delivered to Moses,
was punished as high treason. The people were to
be considered as guilty of high treason, when they
worshipped any of the idols of the heathen nations;
and as no human being can, in this life, behold God
in his glorious majesty, so it was high treason to set
up an image of him. So strongly did God, by the
month of Moses, prohibit the worship of images,
that he threatened to inflict the severest punishments
on such as were guilty of it.
In particular, thej^were strictly commanded not
to worship the sun, moon, or the stars, and for this,
two reasons were assigned ; first, because these
were the most tempting objects of worship to a car-
nal mind ; secondly, because they were worshipped
by heathens.
\\ hat we in this country call misprision of trea-
son, was punished capitally among the Jews. Thus
if one man saw another go to worship in a heathen
temple, and did not reveal it to the judges, then he
was to be put to death ; for to conceal treason, was
considered as approving of it.
In all cases the traitor was punished by stoning,
and the witnesses, or witness, were obliged to per-
form the execution. Nay, so strict was the law,
with respect to treason, that if one person adsised
RELIGION OF THE ANCIENT JEWS.
17
another to idolatn', then the person advised, had a
right to kill him. If ail the inhabitants of a city
became idolators, then that city was to be razed to
the ground, the people were all to be put to death,
and the place was to remain a heap of ruins for ever.
It frequently happened, that some impostors rose
up, under the characters of prophets ; but if such
enticed the people to commit idolatry, then they were
to be stoned to death ; nor were their highest preten-
sions to inspiration to screen them from punishment.
All those who pretended to be wizards, who had
familiar spirits, who could reveal the knowledge of
future e\enls, were considered as traitors, and they
were to be put to death. Every one, whether man
or woman, who spoke irreverently of the name of
God, was to be put to death ; from which principle
making such a great part of the Mosaic economy,
we may learn, that the great end God had in view
was, to separate the children of Israel from all na-
tions in the imiverse, to preserve tlie knowledge of
his name, and tlie purity of that religion he had re-
vealed.
If a man and woman were taken in the act of
adultery, both were to be stoned to death ; and the
same punishment was inflicted on the man who se-
duced a betrothed virgin previous to her marriage ;
and the virgin herself was to die along \^'ith the se-
ducer ; but this was only done when the crime was
committed in a city, for when it happened in the
fields, then the man alone was to sutier, because it
was presumed that he had ravished her.
T.liat every man should suffer for the crime he
committed, we find, that, consistent with the nature
of the divine perfections, a father was not to suffer
for his son, nor a son for his father. This was, in
all respects, just and equitable ; for in these latter
ages, we have seen many innocent children ruined
because their fatliers had been rebels. When the
punishment was such as permitted a power in the
judge to order a criminal to be scourged, then he
was to command him to lie down in open court,
and forty stripes were to be given him, but he was
not to exceed that number ; but according to the
practice, they seldom exceeded the number of thirty-
nine. If more than forty stripes had been inflicted
on the offending party, he would have been consi-
dered as infamous ever after, and by only inflicting
thirty-nine, it was done from motives of humanity,
kst the party should be in danger of losing his life.
The accused person lay down on his belly, and
the stripes were inflicted on his back, and generally
with some circumstances of severity, but much less
than our punishments inflicted upon soldiers in the
army, 'llie judges, !io\\ ever, weie strictly charged
not to pu'.iish any man till they had the clearest proof
of his guilt, and this is what should be attended to
in every nation in Europe, and in the world. In-
deed, the equity of the Jewish law has laid the
foundation of all the benefits we enjoy, in conse-
quence of our municipal institutions, for all that in
good in our law, has been derived from that of the
Jews.
The law, relating to incontinency, was consistent
with the rules of civil society ; for it was enjoined,
that if a man seduced a young woman who was not
betrothed, he was either to marry her, or allow her
the common marriage portion given to virgins, ac-
cording to her rank. If a man lay with a woman
who was a slave and betrothed, the woman was to
be scourged and the man was to ofl^er a ram as a
trespass offering ; neither of them were to be put to
death, because the woman was not free. IJastards
were not permitted to enjoy the same privileges, as
those w ho were born in wedlock ; and that incon-
tinency might be discouraged as much as possible,
this prohibition was to attend, even to the tenth
generation ; from which principle, the emperor Jus-
tinian ordered, that all consanguinity, or relation-
ship among Christians, was to expire in the tenth of
the descending line.
This order or statute, however, did not prohibit
bastards from worshipping the true God, either in
the tabernacle or temple ; for they were treated in
the same manner as the heathens, v\ho renounced
idolatry, namely, as proselytes, who worshipped
God without the veil of the temple, and in many civil
respects, they were not considered as members of
the Jewish community.
That no injury should be done to yonng women,
but that the tender sex should be treated with de-
cency, and protected from violence, it was ordered,
that if a man lay with a virgin who was not be-
trothed, then he was to pay to her father fifty shekels
of silver, as part of the composition for the injury,
and at the same time he was obliged to marry her,
nor could he, on any account whatever, obtain a
divorce from her, because in the act of seduction he
had first set her a bad example.
With respect to a witness giving evidence in a
court of justice, the law of Moses provided in the
Inost sacred manner against perjury, and it would
be well for mankind, that the same rule had been
attended to in modern European nations. It was
absolutely necessary, that there should be either two
or three witnesses to prove the truth of every crimi-
nal accusation, because two individuals can swear to
a single fact. In case a man, who appeared as a
witness against an accused person, should have been
suspected of delivering false evidence, then both par-
ties \\ ere to appear in the tabernacle before the judges
and the priests, and they were to consider of the mat-
ter in tlie most deliberate manner. Jf it appeared
to the judges, that the witness had perjured him-
self, then they were to order that the same punish-
V8
RELIGION OF THE ANCIENT JEWS.
ment should be inflicted upon hiin, as would have
been inflicted upon the accused person, had he been
legally convicted.
The practice of making the witnesses the execu-
tioners of the criminal, had something in it sacred,
solemn and majestic ; for a man may swear falsely
in a court of justice, from interested or sinister mo-
tives, but if he has the least spark of conscience
remaining within him, he must shudder at the
thoughts of becoming the executioner of the man,
who, by his evidence, was illegally condemned. Re-
taliation made a great part of the Jewish law : thus,
he who put cut the eye of another, was to have his
own put out ; he who struck out the tooth of another,
was to have his own tooth struck out ; he who
disabled another, was himself to be disabled ; and
whoever burnt down the house of his neighbour, was
to have his own house reduced to ashes.
To what has already been advanced, we may add,
that all punishments among the Jews, M'ere consi-
dered as adequate to the crimes with which prisoners
were charged. Equality of guilt, and adequate pu-
nishments should always go hand in hand together ;
but such is the imperfection of human nature, that
a deviation often takes place. As the Jews were a
peculiar people, chosen out of the other nations of
tlie world, and separated from them ; so it was ne-
cessary that they should live in a peculiar manner.
If it should appear, that the punishments they inflict-
ed on criminals were inconsistent with the dictates
of humanity, let us only consider what humanity is.
Kvory act of humanity is to extend to God's crea-
tures at large, aiid therefore those who M'ould, by any
means whatever, oppose the Mosaic law, are under
an iudispensible obligation to prove, that their no-
tions are superior to those of natural religion.
There is not a want in human life, nor an injui'y
that could linppen, btitwhat was guarded against by
the law of Moses. It was consistent with the nature
of the divine attri-butes, and suitable to the state of
mankind.
What we have alluded to with respect to the chil-
dren suffering for tiie sins of their parents, was com-
mon among the heathen nations, and that senti-
ment has prevailed too much in the nations we now
inhabit. But the Jewish law made a distinction,
by pointing out, that the sons should not die for
the sins of their fathers, nor the fathers for those
of their children, but every man should answer for
his own guilt.
We find the whole of the Jewish law was a system
of equity ; solemn in its own nature, an honour to
that God by whom it was framed, happy for society,
and beneficient to the poor.
If a man was found guilty of a capital offence,
and condemned to be hanged, his body was not to
remaiii after sun-set on the tree, but (says the divine
law) thou shah bury him that day ; that thy land
be not detiled : for he that is hanged is accursed of
God. Deut. xxi. -2(2, 23.
This shews that the punishment was not the same
with Roman crucifixion, for they nailed men aliv*
to the cross, and there let them expire ; but this was
only hanging up their dead bodies, and exposing them
to open shame for a time. Set; 2 Sam. iv. 12.
Such was the nature of the ancient law of the
Jews ; and if we view it with attention, we shall
find, that coiisiileiing the times when it was pro-
mulgated, the circumstances of the people as attach-
ed to the Egyptian rites and ceremonies, their hard-
ness of heart, their proneness to unbelief, and tiieir
strong desire to return to idolatry, every precept \\ ill
appear consistent with the divine attributes, and
suitable to the stale of those cUsobedienl people. It
is probable, that during the time they remained in
captivity in Babylon, they acquired some knowledge
of the Chaldean religion; and from that we may date
the origin of those sects, by which they were dis-
tinguished about the time that our Saviour made
his appearance in the world. The Pharisees, the
Sadducees, and the Essenes, were the chief sectaries,
but there were many subordinate ones ; nor indeed
are the Essenes so much as mentioned in the New
Testament. Of these sects we shall proceed to give
a proper account, and then point out the principles
of the modern Jevvisli religion.
The most respectable sect among tlie Jews, were
the Pharisees, whether we consider their number,
their learning, their pretentions to religion, or their
influence over the lower classes of the people. The
doctrine of the immortality of the soul was embraced
and believed by them ; and from the law of jNloses*
they inferred, that there was a future state of rewards
and punishments. They adhered to all the false
glosses put upon the pure and genuine sense of
the law, by the Rabbies ; and to use the words of
our Divine Redeemer, "they made the word of God
of none effect by their tradition, teaching for doc-
trines, tire commandments of men." They pretended
to high degrees of sanctity ; they made an ostentatious
display of religion in its exterior forms; they looked
down with sovereign contempt on all those who
differed from them in sentiments ; they fasted
often ; and gave alms to the poor in the streets, to
be seen of men ; and yet our Lord told us, that they
devoured widows, and for a pretence made long
prayers, for \\hich they were to receive the greater
condemnation.
Next to the Pharisees, the Sadducees were the
most mnnerous sect among the Jews ; but so far as
we are able to judge of their tenets, they were much
the same as the Epicureans among the heathens.
They denied the immortality of the soul ; they
mocked at the doctrine of angels and spirits ; they
RELIGION OF THE MODERN JE\YS.
19
rejected a particulur providence; they believed the
soul ta be material; and they taught that all hap-
piness was eoiilined to this lilo. Notions of such a
carnal nature, calculated to lull the conscience into
security, to reniove tlie force of moral obligation,
nnd to reduce niea to the same state with the beasts
that perisli, were readily embraced, and relislied by
such as had no regard for the divine law. It is re-
markable, that some of them were high priests, and
rnany of them sat as judges in the Sanhedrim at J e-
rusalem. IJoth they aiid the Pharisees attended l!ie
temple service ; which may point out to us, that
at the time of our Saviour's appearance, religion was
at a low ebb among the Jews.
Herodians are often mentioned in the New Tes-
tament ; but they appear to have been rather a po-
litical than a religious sect, who took part with the
Romans against the general sense of their country-
men, in conformity with the practice of Herod the
Great and his successors, who left nothing undone
to enslave the body of the Jewish people, at that
time struggling under a great load of bondage.
As to the Essenes, they appear to have been an
austere, though an innocent people, whose notions
gave no di^tuibance to the community at large ; but
ueitlier in Josephus, nor in any other writer, do we
find that tliey were admitted to places of ti-ust or
emolmnent. They rejected several of the Levitical
ceremonies ; they refused to bear ai-ms, or pay tithes ;
but we do not find they were concerned in any of
the conspiracies which too often took place in the
Jewish commonwealih, during the time our Saviour
was on earth. Probably, they had become extinct
before that time, otherwise there is reason to believe,
we should have found some arcount of them in the
Evangelists, and in the Acts of the Apostles.
The Jesuits, Le Compte and Du Halde, have
both told us, that there are Jews in China, and that
in their rites and ceremonies, they differ from all
others in the known world. 'I'hat there might have
been, and still are, Jews in China is not ijnpossible,
although very improbable ; but if so, little regard
must be paid to the evidence of men, who, like ail
othei- Roman Catholics, are interested in the event
of the sentiment which they espouse.
Of the Modern Jews.
By the modem Jews we are to imderetand, not
only those who live at present, but also their pre»ie-
cessors, who lived in different ages and nations,
since the time that their city and temple were de-
.stroyed. The tlestruction of the temple, and the
dis]>ersion of the people, are a remarkable cpocha
in civil history ; for while it serves to confirm the
truth of the Christian Religion, it should point out to
the Jews the effect of their impenitence. Afflicted,
and cruelly persi-<;uted, as those people have been
for manv ages, }el they are still sullered to exist a.s
a living monument of the divine veracity. They
have not, properly speaking, any li.Ked habitation hi
this woild ; they are, as it were, outcasts from all
nations; and yet the Divine Being seems still to con-
sider them as a people wliose darkness he will one
day enlighten, and whom he will in the end make
objects of his mercy. Many have treated them with
indignity, who were ignorant of their tenets and
sentiments ; but from what we shall now relate, it
will appear, that except in rejecting the gospel, and
in the obsei-vance of a few ridiculous rites and cere-
monies, they are, in all respects, entitled to the pro-
tection of the civil power.
To begin, therefore, with the fundamental prin-
ciples of their religion, we shall present the reader
with a summary of their faith, consistuig of thirteen
articles; and, excepting that which relates to the
coming of the Messiah, they are such as may be
subscribed by a moral Heathen, and even by a
Christian.
The tlurteen Creeds.
I. I believe, with a firm and perfect faith, that
God is the Creator of alt thuigs : that he doth guide
and support all creatures : that he alone has made
every thing ; ami that he still acts, and will act dur-
ing the whole of eternity.
II. I believe, with a firm and perfect faith, that
God is one, there is no unity like his : he alone hath
been, is, and shall be eternally otir God.
III. I believe, with a firm and perfect faith, that
God is not corporeal, he cannot have any material
properties ; and no corporeal essence can be com-
pared with him.
IV. I believe, with a firm and perfect faith, that
God is the beginning and end of all things.
Y . I believe, with a tirm and perfect faith, that
God alone ought to be worshipped, and none but
him ought to be adored.
^T. I believe, v>ith a iirm and perfect faith, that
whatever hath been taught by the prophets, is true.
VH. I believe, with a firm and perfect faith, the
doctrine and prophecy of Moses is true : he is the
father and head of all the doctors that lived before,
or since, »r shall live after him.
VIII. I believe, with a firm and perfect faith,
the law that we have is the same as was given to
Moses.
IX. I believe, v.ith a firm and perfect faith, that
this law shall never be altered, and God will give
no other.
X. I believe, with a firm and perfect faith, that
God knowetli all the thoughts and actions of men.
20
RELIGION OF THE MODERN JEWS.
XI. I believe, with a firm and perfect faith, that
God will reward the w orks of all those who perform
liis commandments, and punish those m ho transgress
his laws.
XII. I believe, with a firm and perfect faith, that
the Messiah is to come ; although he tarrieth, I w ill
wait and expect daily his conung.
XIII. I believe, with a firm and perfect faith,
the resurrection of the dead shall happen when God
shall think lit. Blessed and glorified eteniail}' be
the name of the Creator.
Before we proceed to mention their religious wor-
ship, with their other rites and ceremonies, it will
be necessary to describe the nature and structure of
their synagogues, and point out the time when they
were first erected.
After the return of the Jews from the Babylonish
captivity, many of them went and settled in differ-
ent parts of the world ; and as they could not at
stated times, attend the temple service at Jerusalem,
and, as it was necessary that the knowledge of the
law should be preserved, therefore, in every city or
town where they were dispersed, synagogues, or
j>laces of worship were erected. Tliose synagogues
were at first erected in the suburbs of cities, sur-
rounded w ith trees ; but in latter times they were
built in cities ; with this difl'erence, that they were
always raised above the height of common houses. —
Sacrifices were not to be offered up in them. In all
their synagogues, the door must be opposite to
Avhere the ark stands, and that is generally in the
East
llicy are not to ■con\erse of any business while
they are in the synagogue : they must be modest in
their deportment, and refrain from sleeping.
Their synagogues art 'consecrated with great so-
lemnity, as will apjjear from the following account
of the consecration of the Portuguese synagogue,
at Amsterdam. In the morning, the most consider-
able jK-rsons among the Jews, with the law carried
before them, walked in procession to the new-
erected synagogue, where they performed several
solenm acts of devotion ; and repeated it during
eight successive days. On each day, they had pieces
of sacred music sung, and several sermons pleach-
ed, suitable to the solemnity. A large collection
was made for the poor, and some flattering orations
delivered in praise of the Prince of Orange, who
had generously granted them a toleration. This sy-
Bagogive, which is a fine piece of architecture, stands
(on the east of the city, and is able to contain up-
ivards of two thousand persons.
In most countries, adjoining to their synagogues,
they have schools, where the law is explained, ac-
cording to the glosses put upon it by the Rabbies or
Doctors, and many things of very little importance
jye taught. So strict are the Rabbies in observing
their oral traditions, that the scholars must go into
the academy in haste, ^nd leave it with seeming re-
luctance.
These Rabbies are men acquainted with the law
of Moses, and they are both the teachers of the
people and the instructors of youth. Great respect
is paid them, and they have the privilege of deter-
mining in all points of controversy, particularly with
respect to what things are allowed, or forbidden in
the law. They are ordained by imposition of hands ;
a ceremony of great antiquity, as appears from Deut.
xxxiv. when Moses, just before his death, laid his
hands on the head of Joshua.
When the Jews enter their synagogues, they put
on the Taled, w hich is a white square veil, and they
either cover their heads with it, or twist it round
their shoidders during the time of worship, in imi-
tation of Moses, who was obliged to put on a veil
when he descended from Mount Sinai, to conceal
the glory of the Lord which shone from his counte-
nance. The strings and tassels belonging to the
Taled are called Zizith, and each string has fivo
knots in it, according to the number of the books
of the Pentateuch. When they put it on, they say,
" Blessed be God who hath sanctified me by his law,
and ordained me to wear the Zizith." Six hundred
and thirteen precepts of the Talmud, are bound up
in the Zizith, and it is considered by them as entitled
to the most sacred respect.
Such of the Jews as are religiously disposed, wear
upon their arms, and on their foreheads, two pieces
of parchment, called Tiffitin, containing the ten com-
mandments; but they are not allowed to be worn
by the women, nor by the men when they attend a
funeral, or come near a dead corpse.
The Jews are enjoined to praise God as soon as
they arise from bed in the morning, and on sabbaths
and festivals ; when they enter into the synagogues,
tliey bow to the east, and repeat several passages
out of the psalms, beginning with the following :
" How goodly are thy courts, O Jacob! and thy
" tabernacles, 0 Israel ! and I come hito thy house
" in the multitude of thy mercies, and in thy fear
" will I worship towards thy holy temple. Lord, I
" have loved the habitation of thy bouse, and the
" place where thine honour dwelleth ; and I worship
" [bow down and kneel] before the Lord my maker.
" My prayers are imto thee, O Lord ! in an accept-
" able time. O God! in thy mercy, hear me in the
" truth of thy salvation."
W hen the reader goes into the desk, he repeats
aloud, " The Lord of the world that reigned before
" any thing was formed or created, who, at the time
" wlven all by his will was made, then King his name
" was called ; and after every thing ends, alone he
" will end tremendous. He hath been, he is, and
" will be with glory." Many prayers and thanks-
RELIGION OF THE MODERN JEWS.
*i
givings are added • but as most of them are taken
out of the Psahiis, so it would be altogether need-
less to repeat tliem here.
Having read part of the law, every one present
stands up, and goes three steps backward, while the
Chazani, or Choir, chant the eighteen Benedictions,
consisting of so many verses from the Psalms. Then
each person says a siiort prayer by himself, which
is done standing, with his feet equally joined toge-
ther. They then bow their heads, and agahi retire to
their own private devotions. During the whole of
divine service, they have belts girt round their bodies,
to separate the heart from the lower parts, and their
hands and faces are to be washed clean. They kee|)
their heads covered, and they must .spend one hour
in secret prayer, before the public service begins. —
Whatever part of the world they are in, they first
turn their faces towards Jerusalem, with their hands
on their hearts, and their eyes fixed on the ground.
When they open the door of the art, the people
say, " And when the ark set forwards, Moses said,
" Rise up, Lord ! and let thine enemies be scattered,
" and let them that hate thee, flee before thee ; for
" from Zion came forth the law, and the word of the
" liord from Jerusalem."
W^heu the law is lifted out of the ark, they say,
" Blessed is the Lord that gave the law to his people
" of Israel in its holiness." When the law is taken
out, it is given to tlie reader, who, holding it under
his arm, says aloud, " Magnify the Lord with me,
" and we will exalt his name together ;" and the
people say, " Unto thee, O Lord, is the greatness,
and the strength, and the beauty, and the conquest,
and the majesty of all that is in heaven, and on eartli :
unto thee, O Lord 1 is the kingdom, and the raising
■of every thing to preferment." While the reader
Avalketh from the ark to the altar, with the law in
.arms, the people say, " we will exalt the Lord our
" God, and we will bow do\\'n before his footstool,
" for he is holy : we will exalt the Lord our God ;
" and we will bow down to tire mount of his holi-
" ness, for holy is the Lord our God." W' hen the
law is laid on the altar, and unrolled, the reader
?ays, "And lie shall a.ssist, and he shall remember,
and he shall save all those who trust in him."
Ilien the reader calls dift'ercnt persons by their
names, and reads part of the law to each of them.
He then calls another person, who, on coming to the
altar, says, " Praise ye the Lord, who is blessed ;"
and the people answer, " Blessed is the Lord, who
" is blessed for ever and ever." 'Oicn the person
called to hear the law, says, " Blessed art thou, O
" Lord our God ! King of the world ! that has choseli
" us out of all nations, and has given unto us thy
" lavy, blessed art thoa, O LortH the giver of the
" law."
After the reader hath read part of the law, the
person called up, says, " Blessed art thou, O Lord
"our God! King of the world! Thou hast given
" unto us the true law, and the life of the; world
" tliou hast planted among us: blessed art thou, O
" Lord ! the giver of the law." If the person has
escaped an accident, or arrived from sea, he says,
" Blessed art thou, O Lord God! King of the world,
" who granteth good deeds, even to the guilty ; for
" thou hast granted unto me all goodness." 'Chen
the congregation say, " He who hath performed
" unto thee all goodness, he shall perform ail good-
" ness unto thee for ever."
Then the person called up, puts money into a box
for the poor. Then a chapter for the day is read,
and the law is lifted up, when the peojde say, " And
" this is the law which Moses set before the chiid-
" ren of Israel, fiom the mouth of the Lord, by the
" hands of Moses. The tree of life she is to the
" keepers of her, and her support is worthy. Her
" ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths
" are peace : length of days is in her right hand, and
" in her left hand riches and honour. The Lord
" desircth, for the sake of his righteousness, the
" aggrandizing of the law, audits strength."
When the law' is carried from the altar, to be put
into the ark by the reader, he says, " They shall
" praise the name of the Lord, for he is a defence
" with his name alone !" And the people answer,
" Give praises of maje^y on the. earth, and in hea-
" ven, and there shall be exaltings to his people ;
" applaudings to all his gracious ones ; the children
" of Israel, the nations near to him, praise ye the
"Lord! Hallelujah."
They must walk out of the synagogue very slowly,
and before they lose sight of the ark, they must put
up an ejaculatory prayer; nor must they fix their
eyes on any beautiful object lest it should make
them forget the sacred service they have been en-
gaged in.
Tlie Jews confess their sins to their Rabbles, and
the pe^Jal^ee, or punishment, is according to the na-
ture of the guilt. It is common for the Jewish de-
votees to lash themselves ; but they are uot to give
themselves more than thirty-nine stripes ; and one
tievbtee generally inflicts it on another. During the
flagellation, the penitent lies on the ground, with his
face to the north, and his feet to the south ; but he
must not lie from east to west, for that would be con-
sidered as a profanation. The person who scourges
the penitent, repeats the following words from
Psaim Ixxviii. 38. " But he being full of compas-
" sion, forgave their iniquity and destroyed tljcm not ;
" yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and
" did not stir up all his wratli :" and at each word
gives him a stroke ; so that there being thirteen He-
brew words in the verse, it is repeated three times,
which makes the number thirty-nine.
Qfi
RELIGION OF THE MODERN JEWS.'
The Jews deal iii t!ic most liberal manner with
their poor; they supply the wants of such as are
industrious, although reduced to distress ; but when
they find any who are able to work, and will not
follow some employment, they totally discard them.
In the morning, they are obliged to wash themselves
in batlis ; but this is not attended to by any but
lliose wlio are rich, or rather, by such' as are devo-
(ecs. Vvhile they remain in the bath, they must
look either to the north or south ; (but not to the
east or west) these being the places whei'e God
resides.
In their ecclesiastical censures, the Jews are re-
markably strict ; which they follow, in conformity
with the practices, of the Pharisees of old. Some of
the offences which brmg upon them the vengeance
of the elders, are not proper to be mentioned, be-
cause they might give offence to a modest reader.
Adultery is more severely punished than any other
crime. The offender is plunged into cold water,
several days together, in the depth of winter ; and
if the water is frozen over, the ice must be broken,
and he must stand up to the chin, till an egg is boil-
ed hard. If the crime is committed in summer he is
stripped naked, and for several days exposed to bees
and ants.
The Jews have likewise their forms of excommu-
nication ; one of which is called the lesser ; and the
other the greater. The lesser must not exceed
thirty days ; and it is generally infHicted for neglect
of attending the synagogue, for treating the doctors
with disrespect, and for many other trifling things
not necessary to be mentioned. As for the greater
excommunication, it is of a different nature, and in
its form and manner more dreadful than can be well
expressed. It is inflicted for mocking the law, or
laughing at any of their rites and ceremonies. They
curse the offender by heaven and earth ; they devote
him to the power of evil angels ; they beg that God
would destroy him soon ; to make all creatures
})is enemies ; to torment him with every disease ;
to hasten his death ; and to consign him to utter
darkness for ever. No one must presume to ap-
proach within six feet of him, and all human assis-
tance is denied him, even if he should be perishing
for the necessaries of life.
They place a stone over his grave, to denote that
he ought to be stoned ; no relation must go into
mourning for him, but they are to bless God for
taking him out of the world.
The respect the Jews have for the sabbath, is
.<!uch, that it exceeds the bounds of moral obligation.
The sabbath commences on Friday evening, half
an hour before sun-set ; and at that time every Jew
must have his lamp lighted, although he should beg
the oil from his neighbours. The women are
obliged to light the lamps, in memory of Eve, who,
by her disobedience, extinguished the light of the
world. On Friday, every Jew is obliged to pare his
nails, in the following manner. They begin with
the little finger of the left hand, and then go on to
the middle finger; after winch they return to the
fourth finger, and so on in retinn to the thumb.
In the right hand they begin with the middle finger,
and then proceed from tlie thumb to the little finger.
The parings must either be buried in the ground, or
burnt in the fire. Previous to the commencement
of the sabbath, they have a feast, which the master
of the house blesseth, and while he is repeating the
blessing he looks towards the burning lamps. On
the sabbath one of their Rabbies preaches a sermon,
for the most part full of unintelligible jargon; but
they never say any thing against the civil power.
But that they are loyal subjects will appear from
the following prayer, which is read in their syna-
gogues every sabbath day.
" May he that dispenseth salvation unto kings,
" and dominions unto princes ; whose kingdom is
" an everlasting kingdom ; that delivered his servant
" David from the destructive sword : who maketh
" a way in the sea, and a path through the mighty
" waters ; bless, preserve, guard, and assist our
" most gracious sovereign lord king George the
" third, our most gracious queen Charlotte, and
" all the other branches of the royal family : may
" the supreme King of kings, through his infinite
" mercies, preserve them, and grant them life, and
" deliver them from all manner of trouble and danger:
" may the supreme King of kings aggrandize, and
" highly exalt our sovereign lord the king, and
" grant him long and i)rosperously to reign ; may
" the supreme King of kings inspire him, and his
" council, and the state of his kingdom, with bene-
" volence towards us, and all Israel our brethren ;
" in his and our days may Judah be saved, and Israel
" dwell in safety ; and may the Redeemer come unto
" Zion ; which God, of his infinite mercy grant ;
" and let us say. Amen."
The Jews pay much regard to the New Moon ;
but it does not appear that they consider it as an
object of divine worship, but only as a proof, that
God is the author of all things in nature; and that
the return of the seasons are effected by his wisdom
and power. In our month of August they confess
all their sins, and resolve to amend their lives ; and
this ceremony is announced by blowing a horn in
the synagogue, in imitation of the horns being blown
in the tabernacle, in the wilderness, when Moses
went up the second time to Mount Sinai. They be-
lieve that the sound of the horn drives away the
devil, and this is the reason assigned for coiisecratiiig
it before the person blows it. The person who
sounds the horn, stands in the place where the la<v
is read, with all the congregation standing,, around
RELIGION OF THE MODEUX JEWS.
C3
him in the most devout posture, with tlieir hands
lifted up, and their eyes fixed on the eartii. They
use a rani's horn, in imitation of" Isaac's ram, and
they have it crooked to point out the state of the
sinner, and posture of humiliation. It is, proba-
bly, because tiiey have no hmd of their own, that
they neglect the cei-emony of the Scape-goat, and
instead thereof, shake their clothes over a pool of
Water; making use of the following Mords, out of
the prophet Micah, chapter vii. 19. " He \\ill tinn
" again, he will have compassion upon us, he will
" subdue our iniquities, and thou wilt cast all their
" sins into the depth of the sea."
The first ten days of the year are spent in acts of
humiliation, for they believe, that on the first nine
days, God searches into their hearts, and on the
tenth day he passes judgment upon them, by entering
the uanies of the penitent in the book of life, and the
impenitent in the book of death.
They have another ceremony which although
very common formerly, is now but little practised.
The father of every family made choice of a white
cock, and every woman of a hen ; but such as
were pregnant, took both a cock and a hen. With
these fowls they strike their heads twice, and at
each blow the father of the family said, " Let this
" cock stand in my room ; he shall atone for my
" sins, he shall die, but I shall live." This being
done, the necks of the fouls were twisted round,
and then their throats were cut, intimating that
every sinner ought to have his blood spilt. At first
they gave the fowls to the poor, but afterwards
reflecting that it was improper to eat creatures loaded
with so many sins, they distributed the full value in
money.
Their feast of expiation is observed with great
solenmity, and the evening previous to it, all those
who have had any difference must be reconciled.
Each man carries a lighted candle to the synagogue,
and the women light up others at home. They are
so superstitious, that they prognosticate good or evil,
according as the candle burns ; which notion, one
would imagine, they had borrowed from the hea-
thens.
During this feast, all the sins committed the pre-
ceding year are forgiven by the Rabbi stretching
out liis ■ hands, and repeating the benediction of
Moses, whilst the people keep their faces covered
in imitation of Moses, who covered his face when
lie came down from the Mount.
The feast of the Passover is observed with more
solemnity than any of the others, nor is it to be
wondered ;'t, when we consider what miracles God
wrought in their favour, in the land of Egypt. They
prepare the corn of which they make their bread, at
■least tliirty days before ; a saddle must be on the
horse's back who carries it to be ground, lest it should
be heated. On the sabbalh, pre\ious to the passover,
they have a sermon preached in the synagogue, on the
l*aschal liamb; and two duNS afterwards, all tiieir
furniture must be washed clean. "^J'hey search their
houses, that no leavened bread be found. Most
conmionly, the master of the house makes the bread,
and if any of the leaven falls to the ground, the dogs
and cats arc not suft'ered to eat it. It must be kneaded
in a place where the sun does not shine; and the
cake which used formerly to be given to the priests,
is burned to ashes.
They are obliged to sit down at tablelike persons
in haste, to begin a journey, in memory of their
departure out of Egyi)t. The master of the family
sits down with his children and- domestics, when
some cakes, and part of a lamb are set before them.
They are then served with a composition of fruits
in a pie, made in the form of a brick, to put them
in remembrance of the bricks made by their ances-
tors in Egypt. During theeating of the passover,
they lean with their left arm upon the table, thereby
pointingout the liberty they enjoyed, when delivered
from Egyptian bondage. I'hey afterwards eat bit-
ter herbs, to put them in remembrance of the bit-
terness of the Egvptian slavery ; and the shoulder of
a lamb being held up in a dish, the master of tlie
house repeats the following words. " Behold the
" bread of sorrow and opjjrcssion, which our forc-
" fathers did once eat in Egypt ; let him that is hun-
" g'T) draw near and eat ; this is the sacrifice of the
" Paschal Lamb." The shoulder is held up to re-
present the jjowerful arm of the Lord, by which
they were delivered from bondage. This ceremony
being over, a hynui is sung by all the company pre-
sent; and when they come to that part, relating to
the ten plagues of Egypt, they pour a little wine on
the ground, wishing that those plagues may be far
removed from them. Then they drink off the wine,
and finish the hymn. The master of the house then
washes his hands in clean water, and breaking one
of the cakes, presents a part of it to each of the
guests. I'his being over they begin to eat the
lamb, and what is left must be burnt, and the cere-
mony concludes with drinking a glass of wine.
Formerly, they eat the passover without shoes, ami
having their loins girded round ; but now they have
dropped that ceremony, because the daily sacrifice
is removed from Jerusalem, and the city and temple
which were once their glory, are now destroyed.
The feast of Penticost is obser\ed as a time of
thanksgiving for gathering in the fruits of the earth;
and although the season does not agree with the
time of harvest in our European nations, yet the
Jews still adhere to it, believing that they shall be
one day restored to the possession of the land of
Canaan. During this festival, the book of Ruth is
read by five different persons, and the people regale
-24
RELIGION OF THE MODERN JEWS.
tbemscJves with all sarts of dainties, made of Riilk,
which they say is emblematical of the law, on ac-
count of its whiteness and sweetness. They adorn
their synagogues with lamps, and spread herbs and
fiowers around the desk where the law is read.
The otlier great festival, is that of the feast of
tents, or tabernacles, kept up in memory of their
living in tents, in the wilderness. During tliis
festival, w hich lasts eight days, they d\\-ell in tents
adjoining to their houses, but there must be neither
roof nor tree over them. They go to the synagogue
-every day, each having in his right hand one branch
of palm, three of myrtle,' and two of willows, all
tied up together; and iu their left a branch of
citron, with its fruits. When they come to the syna-
gogue, they turn the branches round, first to the
east, then to the south, then to the west, and
lastly to the nortli. Tiiese ceremonies are allego-
rical; the palm is an emblem of hypocrisy: the
myrtle points out good works ; tlie willow is an
image of the wicked, and the citron of tlie righ-
teous.
On the seventh day of this festival, tlie people
walk round the desk with the branches, and the
prayers are repeated in the most precrjiitate manner,
in commemoration of the afflicted and unsettled state
they were in, while they travelled tlirough the wil-
derness. During the wiiole of the ceremony, they
give such a loose to wanton jollity, that their wor-
ship has more the appearance of a ridiculous farce,
than of any thing that bears the name of piety or
religion.
The festival of the law is kept on the twenty-third
day of September, being tlic ninth day after the
feast of tabernacles. On the evening preceding the
nhith day, all the books of the law are taken out of
the ark, and carried in procession round the desk ;
during which time the people continue singing and
making loud acclamation.
The feast of lights, or lamps, was instituted by
the Rabbles, in commemoration of the famous
Maccabees, and it is celebrated eight days succes-
sively because of the circumcision, which was sus-
pended during the reign of the emperor Epiphanus.
The feast of Purim, which signifies Lots, continues
two days ; and it was first instituted in memory
of their deliverance from destruction, when Haman
instigated Ahasuerus to put them all to death. In
the morning they give bread to the poor, and in the
evening they repair to the synagogue, where the
whole book of Esther is read over, and explained
to the people at large.
During the reading of this lesson, the reader
kneels, vi hercns he is obliged to stand when he reads
the law, and he repeats three prayers, wherein he
blesses God for having delivered th.em from the plot
fonne<^l against them by Hamao. Prayers being
over, they indulge themselves in all sorts of luxury ; ■
so that this may be justly called the Jewish car-
nival.
When a person professes his inclination to become
a proselyte to the Jewish religion, the governora
of the synagogue examine him strictly in order to
find out tlie motives of his resolution ; and if they
find it proceeds from interest, they refuse him ad-
mittance among them ; but if otherwise, then they
circumcise him, and after lie is healed, they wash
him all over with pure water in presence of the
elders, and then he is looked upon as a perfect Jew.
At present the Jews are not fond of admitting pro-
selytes, for they content themselves with living as
a distinct people, attending to trade and business.
When their women bathe, in order to purify them-
selves, they must have other v^■omen along with
them, who are to swear that they have been washed
all over, lest any uncleanness should remain about
them ; for no women, labouring under any female
disorders, can be admitted into the tabernacle ; but
the German and Portuguese Jews differ much con-
cerning this ceremony.
The J€v\'s are very strict in the education of their
chiltiren ; from their most early youth, they are
obliged to go with their heads covered, and to wear
a girdle, to separate the heart from the lungs. In
the morning he must repeat, " Blessed be God, who
hath girded Israel with strength." They must not
pronounce the name of God irreverently, and they
are strictly 'enjoined to observe all the precepts of
the law, and all the rules of the synagogue. Every
child is declared to be of age, when he is thirteen
years and a day old, after which his father is not
answerable for his conduct. From eighteen to
twenty is the time allotted for their marriage, and
those who neglect it, are never much regarded by
their brethren.
In ancient times, the Jews had a plurality of
wives : but that custom seems to have been disused
ever since their return from the Babylonish captivi-
ty ; and at present with respect to wedlock, they live
in the same manner as Christians. The espousals
are made before witnesses, and the bridegroom, put-
ting a ring upon the finger of his intended bride, says,
" Be thou my spouse ;" but sometimes, several
months elapse before the consummation takes place.
Tiie marriage articles being settled, eight days are
spent by the relations in all sorts of pleasure, and
on the evening of the eighth day, the bride, ac-
companied by women, washes herself clean in a
bath.
Tlie bridegroom gives the bride a girdle with sil-
ver in it, and the bride returns him one with gold.
On tlie morning of the wedding-day, both bride
and bridegroom dress in the most gaudy manner
possible ; and tlie bride is conducted to the house
RELIGION' OF THE MODERN JEWS.
where the miptials are to be celebrated, attended by
her female relations, whether married or unmarried.
She walks bai'e-headcd, and when she arrives at the
house, she is seated between two aged matrons,
while her young relations dress her hair and put
on her veil in imitation of Rebecca of old ; for the
bride must liot sec her intended husband till the
rtiarriaofe is 6ver. Tlius dressed she is led to a
throne, or platform, erected either in a garden, or
in the largest room in the house, where the Rabbi
pronounces the nuptial benediction ; and when the
bridegroom approaches, all that are present cry out,
" Blessed be the man that conieth." Then the
young persons, holding torches in their hands, sing
the marriage-song. Ilie song being finished, the
bride walks three time's round the bridegroom, and
he twice round the bride ; which they gi-ound upon
Jer. xxxi. 23. " A woman shall compass a man."
These ceremonies, howerer, differ in some coun-
tries ; for in Holland and Germany, the guests
throw handfuts of corn at the new married couple,
telling " them to mcrease amd multiply." In some
places the bride stands on the right-hand of the
bridegroom, according to Psal. xlv. ver. 9, " Upon
thy right hand did stand the queen ;" and in other
places the Rabbi puts the taled or veil with which
the bride is covered, over the head of the bride-
groom ; in imitation of Boaz, who threw the skirts
of his garments over Ruth. Ruth iii. 9- After
this wine is brought to the new married couple, of
which they drink a little, and throw the rest on
the floor.
The wedding dinner is as sumptuous as their cir-
cumstances will permit ; and, amongst other things,
they always have foN\ Is. A roasted hen, with an
egg is first presented to the bride, who eats a little
of it, and then gives the remainder to the guests.
The hen denotes the fruitfulness of the bride, and
that she shall be delivered with as much care as a
hen is of an egg. After the marriage is consum-
ijlated, the husband does not come near his wife for
a certain number of days, which custom seems to
have been practised of old.
Divorces among the Jews are not so frequent at
present as they were when our Saviour was on earth,
which in some measure is owing to the obligations
they are under to conform, as much as possible, to
the laws of those countries where they reside. How-
ever, when it does take place, it is conducted with
the following ceremonies, in Germany, Holland,
and in most other parts of the world.
Tlie woman, being accused on the evidence of
two witnesses, is ordered to attend the synagogue,
to answer the charge exhibited against her. The
chief Rabbi stands at the door, attended by two
other Rabbies, a Notary, and the two witnesses.
The husband stands beside the Notary ; and the
woman faces the chief Rabbi : the Rabbi then asks
(he husband sitch questions as are necessary ; con-
cluding, by demanding whether he is determined to
leave off all maimer of connections with his wife.
Having answered the last (juestion in the affirmative,
the Rabbi reads the bill of divorce allowed; and
then asks the Notary whether he wrote it, and the
witnesses whether they subscribed it. In the next
place the wife is examined ; and «hen she receives
the bill of divorce, her rings must be pulled off, and
her hands open. 'l"he Rabbi folds up the bill, and
gives it to the husband, who delivers it to the wife,
and she puts it into her pocket, or somewhere under
her clothes. The Rabbi then looking stedfastly at
the womiTrt, deman<l9 the writing, and reads it over
a second time, and again examines the husband,
Notary, and witnesses. This cautious manner of
proceeding is truly commendable, for the Marmih
of irregular passions, and the force of jealousy,
often lead people to do that in an unguarded hour,
which embitters the remainder of their lives, and
spoils all the comforts they Can expect in this world.
When there is no opposition made, the Rabbi
pronounces the sentence, and tells the woman that
she must not marry again in less than three months ;
after which he cuts the bill into the form of a cross,
and keejjs it ; while the Rabbi pronounces the sen-
tence, the \\oman must have her face uncovered.
The ancient ceremony of the brother marrying the
sister-in-law, is still kept up among the Jews, and
the ceremony is as follows ; The widow, with the
brother-in-law, comes to the reading-desk in the
synagogue, where the Rabbi asks several questions,
such as, whether the husband has been dead three
months.? Whether the widow is full twelve years
old ? Which last question can be but seldom asked,
because few of them marry sooner than the people
among whom they live. Whether the deceased and
him to whom the widow lays claim, were children of
the same father .' And whether the widow be fasting .''
For this ceremony is performed in the morning. If
the brother-in-law covenants to marry the widow,
then they proceed in the same manner as M'as men-
tioned before ; but if he refuses, the shoe of the
deceased is put upon his right foot, while he leans
against the wall : then the woman comes forward,
and takes off' the shoe of her brother-iu'-law with her
right hand, holds it up, and then throws it upon the
ground with every mark of contempt.
She then spits on his feet, and he is hissed out of
the assembly. If the woman's right hand is disabled,
she must pull oft" the shoe with her teeth, and ia
that manner dash it on the ground.
It does not appear from any part of the sacred
scriptures, that ever the Je«s, in their most cor-
rupted state, worshipped angels ; nor do the modern
Jews do so at present, but they anciently did, and
«6
RELIGION OF THE MODERN JEWS;
still do believe in the ministry of angels, a doctrine
which was embraced by the primitive fathers, and
by many Protestant divines. When a Jew travels
into a country where he cannot meet with any of
his own people he repeats a prayer every morning,
with his face towards Jerusalem, begging that God
would send an angel to direct him in his way ; and
this notion is founded on the following passage in
Exod. xxiii. 20, 21, 22. " Behold, I send an angel
before thee to keep thee in the way, and to bring
thee into the place which I have prepared. Be-
ware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him
not ; for he w ill not pardon your transgressions :
for my name is in him. But if thou shalt indeed
obey his voice, and do all that I speak ; then I will
be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary
unto thine adversaries."
We have several instances of the ministration of
angels, both in the Old and New Testament ; but
whether the Jews are right, when they invoke their
assistance in prayer, seems rather doubtful ; for it
is certainly the duty of every man to pray to God,
and leave the Divine Being to appoint whatever
means he thinks proper.
When a Jew is first taken ill, and it is supposed
by his relations that, his disorder will prove mortal,
the Rabbi comes and reads to him Psalm xx. xxxviii.
and xc. after which he pmiys with him, and gives
him absolution, while he is expiring ; they who
come to visit, him tear off pieces of his clothes,
which they keep in memory of him, and all who
are present salute him, as taking their last farewel ;
which custom is not peculiar to Jews, for we find
many instances of it, both in ancient and modern
times. As soon as the breath is departed from the
body, they close the eyes of the deceased, cover his
face, and wrap him up in a sheet : the thumb is bent
close to the palm of the hand, and tied with the
strings of his taled ; for he must enter into eternity
covered with his veil. The Jews say, that the thumb
being thus tied up, preserves the deceased from the
devil's clutches ; but in all other respects his hand is
open, thereby pointing out that he relinquishes all
claims to wordly goods.
While the attendants are washing the body, as a
sign of purity, an egg is put into a bason of wine
burnt, and the head of the deceased is anointed
with it. They are buried in clean linen ; and such as
were not reconciled to the deceased before he died,
must touch his great toe, and ask pardon, lest he
should accuse them at the tribunal of God. When
they carry the body out of doors to be interred,
those who remain at home, throw a brick after if,
thereby pointing out, that they cast oflF all manner
of sorrow, and at the grave a funeral oration is
pronounced by a Rabbi, in which is declared their
firm behef of the resurrection of the body.
The coffin is not nailed down till they come to
the grave, and then ten of the nearest friends or re-
lations walk seven times round it, offering up prayers
for the repose of the soul of the deceased. When
the coffin is put into the grave, every person present
thro^^•s a handful of earth over it, after which it is
closed up and the mourners return home. The Jews
never mourn for such as have laid violent hands on
themselves, nor for those who die excommunicated ;
but they put a stone upon their graves, thereby
pointing out, tliat they ought to have been stoned
to death for their crimes. During the whole time
of their mourning, they eat their victuals barefooted
on the ground. Their friends come every day, to
pray and condole with them, and to beseech Al-
mighty God to have mercy on the soul of the de-
ceased. After seven days spent in this manner, th.,
mourner goes to the synagogue, and gives money
to the poor ; but it is thirty days before he is per-
mitted to bathe, and, during that time, particular
prayers are to be repeated every day. From this
circumstance, it appears, that the Jews believe in
something of an intermediate state, resembling that
of the popish purgatory ; for all these prayers are
for the repose of the soul of the deceased person ;
cont: ary to the belief of Protestants, " That as death
leaves us, so judgment will find us." Some of the
more zealous devotees among the Jews, go frequent-
ly to say prayers at the tombs of their deceased re-
lations; which may serve to shew, that although
they do not worship images, yet their religion con-
sits of many superstitions.
Such is the state of religion among the modern
Jews, and it is proper that we should close this ar-
ticle with such reflections as are most likely to make
a lasting impression on the mind of the reader, to di-
vest him of partiality, and to lead him to consider
the ways of Divine Providence, as in all respects
equal ; consistent with the attributes of the Divine
Being, and the state of fallen man. The Mosaic
oeconomy was a law of carnal ordinances, suitable,
to the then state of the Jews, who were a hard-
hearted stubborn people ; and since their dispersion
among the gentile nations, their successors have'
added many rites and ceremonies, which were un-
known of old. But this leads to two considera-
tions ; first, the present state of the Jews, and
secondly, the manner in which they ought to be
treated by us.
And first, with respect to their present state, we
must look back to what was foretold should happen
to them by their great prophet Moses; who, in
many instances, was a type or figure of that glorious
Messiah, whom they not only rejected, but still
continue to despise and treat with contempt. In-
deed, the more we attend to the prophetic writings,
the more we shall be convinced, that Jesus of Naza-
RELIGION OF THE MODERN JEWS.
2y
reth was the Messiah promised of old, and that the
sole reason vhy the Jews rejected him, when he
made his appearance on earth, was, that he did. not
come with all the grandeur of a temporal prince and
governor.
Moses, by divine inspiration, a little before his
death, looked forward to the state of his beloved
countrymen ; and seeing that they would disobey the
divine commands, foretold what punishments God
would inflict upon them ; and dreadful as those
tlireatenings were, yet they have, in every respect
been literally fulfilled. They were to be taken cap-
tive by a fierce people, whose language they were
not to understand ; but whose idols they were to
worship. Now this was fulfilled, when they were
led captive by Nebuchadnezzar, khig of Babylon,
who dispersed them as slaves in different provinces ;
where many of them became idolators, and were
treated with the utmost cruelty by their rigorous
task-masters. They were to be hooted, and laughed
at by every one, they w-ere to hear their God blas-
phemed in a strange land, and see their wives and
children torn from them. Tliis took place during
the Babylonish captivity, of which we have a most
beautiful, though mournful account in Psalm
cxxxvii. They were to be besieged by a people
from afar ; their city was to be blocked up ; they
•were to be reduced to famine ; and women were to
eat their own children. This took place when the
Romans besieged Jerusalem ; for, according to Jo-
sephus, they not only eat the flesh of horses, dogs
and cats ; but even mothers, the most sympathizing
part of the creation, killed their own children, and
eat them as the most delicious morsels ; so true are
the words, " My council shall stand, and I will do
all my pleasure."
They were to be sold as slaves to all \Aho would
purchase them, and we are told by St. Jerome, who
himself was a Jew, that those who sold our Lord
for thirty pieces of silver, were sold by the Romans
for thirty a penny, which in our money, amounts
to a little more than one farthing each. They were
to be scattered among all nations, they were to be
outcasts from human society, and they were to find
no rest, but to be driven from place to place, as if
they had been unworthy of a residence in this lower
world. And has not this been literally accomplished ?
Are they not now considered as the olF-scourings and
refuse of the world ; as vagabonds, who have no
settled habitations, but are obliged to take shelter
where ever the lenity of civil government will grant
them permission ? With respect to their having no
rest, no man, acquainted with history, will dispute.
The emperor Adrian caused many thousands of
them to be massacred, and he ordered that no Jews
should reside in any of the cities of the Roman em-
pire. They •, ere exposed to the inclemencies of the
seasons, and thousands of them saw their wives and
children perish for want of the common necessiiries
of life. God was to set a mark upon them, by which
they were to be distinguished from all other persouK
in the universe, and what man can look upon a Jew
without knowing that he is such ? The person who
beholds a Je^', and denies divine revelation, must be
an intidel indeed. They were to be cruelly treated
by all those people, among whom they were to be
scattered ; and of this we have many striking instan-
ces in history : such indeed as are a disgrace to hu-
man nature. In Spain, in France, and indeed, in
almost all nations, thousands of them have been
murdered in a day, and England has shared in the
guilt.
The Jews being prohibited from purchasing land,
had recourse to usury and commerce for a subsist-
ence, which often brought many miseries upon them.
Always dependant, and always in danger, had thev
refused to lend money, they would have been massa-
cred as infidels : and when they did lend it, and de-
manded payment, such was the conduct of their
merciless unprincipled debtors, that they stigmatized
them with the name of usurers, and let k)ose upon ■
them the whole rage of the civil and ecclesiastical
power. Of this we have many striking instances in
our history, and such as will ever bring dishonour
upon those concerned in the persecution.
During the coronation of Richard I. 1189, above
six thousand Jews were massacred in the city of •
London. And although several of the rioters were
deservedly put to death, yet that was but a small
compensation for the loss of so many persons, who
had not given any oflTence to the civil power. A few
years afterwards, above two thousand of the Jews
\\ere burnt to death in one house at York ; and Ed-
ward III. stripped them of all the property they
were possessed of, under the stale pretence of their
being usurers.
To give some sort of sanction to these cruelties,
it was said, that the Jews, on Good-Friday, cruci-
fied a child, and drank of his blood. This fable is
not new ; for the heathens, under the Roman em-
perors, accused the Christiaiis of the same crime.
There is reason to believe, that tricks were put up-
on the Jews ; and, because of their industry, they
were accused of crimes they never committed. It
was no difticult matter for a person, who had bor-
rowed money from a Jew, and who was either
unable, or unwilling to pay him, to take a dead
child out of the grave, and nail it to a cross, near to
where one of the Jews lived. This stratagem an- -
swered the end proposed ; for the villainous debtor,
not only got absolved from his obligation, but he,
at the same time, brought such an odium upon the
people, that they were put to death without mercy.
It is more than probable, that the Jews were never
m
RELIGION OF THE MODERN JEWS.
guilty of any siicli ciimc, as that oF crucifying chil-
dren : and as for tlitjir diinkiug the blood, it is con-
trary to their own law, even to taste the blood of ani-
mals. But all these false accusations were brought
against them, by permission from God, in conse-
quence of their having transgressed against his com-
mandments, broken his law, despised his sacred ordi-
nances, and rejected that glorious Messiah, M'ho was
the sum and substance of all their ancient prophecies.
Having thus taken a view of the many afflictions
■which the Jews suffered, in consequence of their
disobedience to the divine law, and their rejecting
the Messiah ; let us, in the second place, consider
in what manner we, as Christians and Protestants
should treat them. This is, indeed, a serious con-
sideration, and such as should sink deep into our
hearts. God made choice of tJiem from among all
natioiK of the earth; to them were committed the
divine oracles, the giving of the law and the pro-
mises ; from tliem, according to the flesh, the glori-
ous Messiah came: whose kingdom shall be an ever-
lasting kingdom, and of whose dominions there shall
be no end. AVhile our ancestors were worshipping
idols, and offering up human sacrifices, tlie Jews
were adoring the true God, and waiting for the
consolation of Israel. In the fulness of time, God
made manifest to them his purpose of saving a lost
world, and although they could not comprehend the
nature of tlie gospel covenant, yet we received in-
estimable benefits from their unbelief; and our dark-
ness was turned into light, in consequence of their
lamp of knowledge being extinguished. The nations
who sat in the region and shadow of death, saw
great light, and upon the ignorant, knowledge was
poured out.
When a favour is conferred upon a man, gratitude
becomes a duty, and when a Christian is injured,
his religion obliges him to forgive. We have, in the
dispensation of the gospel, received such favours
horn the Jews, as if properly improved, \\ill bring
us to everlasting happiness. Have they done us any
injuries? as Christians, we are obliged to forget
them. Did they put our divine Redeemer to death .?
Let us remember that he died for our sins.
Each of our sins became a nail ;
And unbelief the spear.
Do the Jews labour under a most stubborn hard-
ness of heart i Are they aliens to the commonwealth
of Israel, and strangers to the covenant of promise ?
Then what great objects of pity should we consider
them ? Do we consider their souls as of everlasting
value, and shall we not pray incessantly, that God
would remove the veil by which their understandings,
are darkened ? Has their disobedience brought upon
them the divine displeasure, and shall we be the ex-
ecutioners of Almighty vengeance ? God forbid. —
II is remarkable, that those who have oppressed the
Jews in different ages and nations, were the worst of
men; and shall we follow their example ? No; our
divine master has given us a lesson of a very differ-
ent nature. By precept, and by example, we are
to teach the pure doctrines of the gospel, and thus
convince the unbelieving Jews, that we wish for no-
thing more than their salvation. Do v\e behold them
as cast out of the society of men ? Let us remember,
that there was a time m hen they were highly favoured
of God, while our ancestors were abominable in
his sight. Do we hear them accused of crimes ?
Let us look to ourselves, and inquire, wliether under
all the privileges we enjoy, we are not njore guilty
than they ? From those to v\ hich much is given,
much will be required. Undoubtedly blindness in
part has happened to Israel ; but let us not b^high-
minded, but fear : for when the fulness of the Gen-
tiles is come in, then all Israel shall be saved ; God
will make known to his ancient people, the nature
of his promises, and they will embrace that gospel
which they have for many years rejected.
Let us, therefore, consider the Jews as our elder
brethren, according to divine revelation ; let their
state ill the world serve as a proof of all we read in
the sacred history of the Old and New Testament :
let the afflictions we have heard of their labouring
under, in different ages and nations, teach us not to
abuse our privileges ; and let the benefits vxliich have
been transmitted to us through them, teach us to
treat them with tenderness and benevolence ; with
compassion and charity.
Every sincere believer desires to have an evidence
of his religion ; and can the Christian ever obtain a
greater than that of the present state of the Jews ?
God, however, has not left us that evidence to be
trampled on or abused ; we are to improve it to a
proper advantage, and nothing can be more proper
than shewing mercy to those unhappy people, whose
hearts at present are clouded with darkness. It js
not in our power to form any notion concerning
their sentiments of toleration, supposing they had
the civil power in their hands ; but this we know,
that Christians have no right to persecute ; for the
weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty,
through God, to bring every soul in subjection to
Christ. By cruelty and persecution, we may force
the Jews to blaspheme; but we can never make them
believe, by any coercive means whatever ; our tender-
ness, our benevolence, our humility, and our com-
passion, joined to our affectionate instructions, may
lead them to admire, to love, and to worship their
Messiah, who alone can procure them eternal hap-
piness. The goodness of the Divine Being is best
displayed in the charitable disposition of his crea-
tures ; and those who are most convinced of their
own imworthiness, will be the first to forgive such
as differ from tliem in sentiment.
RELIGION OF THE EGYPTIANS.
29
RELIGION OF THE EGYPTIANS.
J.N order to understand, in a proper manner, the
ancient religion of tJie Egyptians, it will be neces-
sary to take a retrospective view of what happened
before Jacob and his children went down into
tliat coiintn . Abraham, the fatlier of the failliful,
was called away from liis native country, somewhat
less than three hundred years after the dehige, which
naturally leads us to inquire into the origin of idol-
atrj'. Abraham, as a wanderer and sojourner in a
strange countr}-, had not been above ten years ab-
sent from Ur, of the Chaldeans, when a famine
obliged liim to go into Egypt, at that time a very
flourisiiing monarchy. That Egypt should have had
a regal form of government within three hundred
years after the deluge, has been objected to by many
of our deistical writers ; bnt wlien attentively consi-
dered, we camiot find any thing in it, of an extraor-
dinarv nature. People in those early ages lived in the
most fiugal mamier, and few of them died before
they had attained to years of maturity ; so that there
is no reason for us to be surinised, w hen we find
the children of Mizraim founding a monarchy, in
the fertile plams of Egypt, as soon as a sufficient
Humber of tlie human species had been collected
together.
It does not, however, appear tliat these people
were idolaters, in the strict sense of the A\ord, al-
though it is more than probable, that in many in-
stances, tliey deviated from tlie worship of the trite
God, according to rts original purity. Pharaoh, the
king of Egypt, at that time, calls the Gvd of Abra-
ham, Jehovah and Elohim, both of which are
the highest tides that can be ascribed to the Divine
Being, because they include all his inconceivable
attributes.
There is no doubt but idolatry was then beginning
to take place in the nations of the universe ; but still
they had not lost the knowledge of the true God.
From the time of Abraham's return from Egypt, we
have no account of that country transmitted to us,
till Jacob with his family went down there, at the re-
ijuest of his son Joseph. '1 bat they were not gross
idolaters, at tliat time is evident, from the king of
Egypt's mentioning, with the highest respect, the
God of the Hebrews; and that Egypt was at that
time no more than a small colr.ny of emigrants, will
appear evident, when we consider wha± was said
by iheir king to Jacob.
The patriarch being asked where lie v^oiild desire
to settle, maile choice of the land of Oosher, and
his request was complieU with, because he had flocks
to maintain ; but had there not been much waste
ground in tlie countrj', his request could not have
been complied wiih. From this circumstance, we
may learn, that there were l)Ut few- people at that
time in Egypt, otherwise the king could not have
had it in his power to make a grant of such a large
tract of ground to strangers, with whom he was in
a manner l)ut little acquainted. But still it does not
appear, that the Egyptians were at this time gross
idolators, though the knowledge of the true God
was beginning to vanish from the earth ; and tlierc
is too much reason to believe, that after the deatii
of Joseph, his kingsmen, the children of Israel, be-
came idolators in Egypt, in compliance with tho
connnon custom.
A levolution, the paiticulars of which we are left
unacquainted with, took place about the tune of Jo-
seph's death ; and an Ethiopian usurper being placed
on the throne, the Jews were reduced to the utmost
hardships, which naturally leads us to inquire into
the state of the Egyptian religion at that time, and
its progi'ess, till it was totally abolished.
That the Jews were idolators, during their caj>-
tivity in Egypt, cannot be doubted by any person
who has read the sacred scriptm-es ; and who upon
inquiry, it va ill appear, that before Moses came to
lead them from that countiy, idol temples had been
established, othei-wise they would never have made
a molten calf in the wilderness, which gave so much
offence to the great Jehovah, that he threatened
to destroy them from off the face of the earth. Thus
St. Stephen, in his celebrated speech before the Jew-
ish Sanhedrim, says, " And they made a calf in those
days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol ; and re-
joiced in the works of their own hands. Then God
turned, and gave them up to worship die host of
heavens, as it is written in the book of the prophet.
(See Amos v. 25.) O ye house of Israel, have ye
offered to me slain beasts, and sacrifices by the space
of forty years in the w ilderness r Yea, ye took up
the tabernacle of Moloch, and the stai- of yom- god
Remphaji ; figures which you made to worship
them : and I will carry you away beyond Babvlon."
From these emphatic expressions, some notion may
be i'ormed of the nature of the Egyptian idolatry, in
ancient times : but we shall now proceed to descrilje
it in a more particular manner, as conveyed down
to us by Herodotus, and many other celebrated
authors.
In Egvpt, the priests held the next rank to kings,
and from among ttiein wer€ chosen the great officers
II
so
RELIGION OF THE EGYPTIANS.
of state. They enjoyed many privileges; and,
among others, that of having their lauds exempted
from the payment of taxes, of which we have a
remarkable instance, in Genesis xlvii. 26, where
we read, that, " Joseph made it a law over the land
of Egypt, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part;
except the land of the priests only, wliich became
not Pharaoh's." As they had the sole management
of the religious rites and ceremonies, so they were
at the head of all the public seminaries of learning ;
and to their care was committed the education of
the youth, especially such as were designed for high
employments. That the progress of idolatry was
very rapid after the deluge, cannot be doubted ; and
yet the Egvptiaus pretend, that tliey were the first
people who instituted festivals, sacrifices, and pro-
cessions in honour of the gods. These festivals
were held in the most celebrated cities, m here all
the inhabitants of the kingdom were obliged to at-
tend, unless prevented by sickness ; and when that
happened, they were to illuminate their windows
with torches. They sacrificed many different sorts
of beasts ; and at every sacrifice, the people drew
near, one by one, and laid their hands upon the
head of the victim, praying that God would inflict
upon that creature, all the pimishment due to him
for his sins. Then the priest stabbed the victim, part
of which was burnt, and part eaten ; for no person
was thought to gain any benefit from the sacrifice,
who did not taste less or more of it.
The Egyptians believed, that the souls of men, at
death, went into other bodies ; such as had been
virtuous, going into such persons as were to be
happy in the world ; but the vicious, into the bodies
of such as were to be miserable, and sometimes into
those of serpents. In that state of punishment,
ihey were to remain a certain number of years, till
they had been purified from their guilt, and then
they were to inhabit more exalted beings. The
priests had the keeping of all the sacred books,
whether relating to religion, or to civil polity ; and,
therefore, to the common people, every thing was
delivered in a mysterious emblematical manner.
Silence, with respect to their sacred rites, was
pointed out by a figure called Harpocrates, resem-
bling a man holding his finger upon his lips ; inti-
mating, that mysteries were not to be revealed to
the vulgar. They had likewise, at the gates of all
their temples, images of a similar nature, called
Sphinxes; and every thing in their religion was
symbolical : the figure of a hare pointed out atten-
tion, or watchfulness ; because that creature has
been always esteemed as one of the most fearful in
the universe. A judge was painted without hands,
■with iiis eyes fixed on the ground, thereby intimating,
that a magistrate should judge with impartiality,
without considering the characters or stations of the
persons who are brought before him.
From attending in a careful manner, to the peru-
sal of the Egyptian histoiy, it would seem, that while
idolatry was in some measure cultivated by the
neighbouring nations, there it flourished in a state
of perfection. The number of their idols was end-
less ; but those who seem to have been most regard-
ed by them, in ancient times, were Crisis and Isis,
which we have much reason to believe were the
sun and moon. These, however, were only the
general gods of Egypt, and such as were worship-
ped by the king and iiis courtiers ; for almost every
district had its particular deity. Some worshipped
dogs, others oxen, some hawks, some owls, some
crocodiles, some cats, and others ibis, a sort of
an Egyptian stork. The worship of these animals
was confined to certain places ; and it often hap-
pened, that those who adored the crocodile, were
ridiculed by such as paid divine honours to the cat.
To support the honour of their different idols,
bloody wars often took place ; and whole provinces
were depopulated to decide the question, whether a
crocodile or a cat was a god ? And yet it is remark-
able, that although they disputed concerning the
attributes of their idols, yet they all agreed in this,
that every person was guilty of a capital offence,
who injured any of those animals, whose figures
were set up in their temples ; of this we have a re-
markable instance in Diodorus Siculus, who was
an eye witness to the fact which he relates.
A Roman soldier, during the time of Mark
Anthony, having inadvertently killed a cat, at Alex-
andria, the populace rose in a tumultuous manner,
dragged him from his house, and murdered him.
Nay, such was the respect the Egyptians had for
these animals ; that during an extreme famine,
they chose rather to eat one another than to hurt
them. But of all the idols worshipped by the
Egyptians, the Apis, or Bull, had the preference ;
and it is undoubtedly from his figure, that the Jews
formed the golden calf in the wilderness. The
most magnificent temples were erected for him ; he
was adored by all ranks of people while living, and
when he died (for he was a living bull) all Egypt
went into mourning for him. We are told by
Pliny, that, during the reign of Ptolemy Lagus,
the Bull Apis died of extreme old age, and such was
the pompous manner in which he was interred, tliat
tlie funeral expenses amounted to a sum equal to
that of twelve thousand pounds sterling. The next
thing to be done, was to provide a successor for this
god, and all Egypt Avas ransacked on purpose.
He was to be distinguished by certain marks from
all other animals of his own species ; particularly
he was to have on his forehead a white mark, resem-
bling a crescent ; on his back, the figure of an
eagle, on his tongue, that of a beetle. As soon as
an ox answering that description was found, mourn-
ing gave place to joy j and nothing was to be heard
RELIGION OF THE EGYPTIANS.
sr
of ill Egypt, but festivals and rejoicings. The new
di.scovered god, or rather beast, was bronglit to
Memphis, to take possession of liis dignity, and
there placed upon a throne, with a great number of
ceremonies. Indeed, the Egyptians seem to have
given such encouragement to superstition, that not
content with worshipping the vilest of all reptiles,
they actually paid divide honours to vegetables.
For this they are severely and justly ridiculed, by
Juvenal, iu his fifteenth satire.
Who has not heard, where Egypt's realms arenam'd,
What monster-gods her fertile sons have fram'd ?
FFere Ibis gorg'd, with well-grown serpents, there.
The crocodile command religious fear ;
Where Memnon's statue, magic springs inspire
With vocal sounds that emulate the lyre ;
And Thebes, such, fate, are thy disast'rous turns,
Now prostrate o'er lier pompous ruins mourns ;
A monkey god, prodigious to be told !
Strikes the beholder's eye with burnish'd gold :
To godship here, blue Triton's scally herdj
The river Progeny is there preferr'd ;
Through towns Diana's power neglected lies.
Where to her dogs aspiring temples rise :
And should you leeks, or onions eat, no time
Would expatiate the sacrilegious crime.
Religious nations, sure, and bless'd abodes^
Where every orchard is o'er-run with gods.
That such absurdities should have taken place
among a people, justly celebrated for their know-
ledge of the sciences, is what we are hardly able to
account for : but that it did so, we have the greatest
authorit}- to assert, from the whole evidence of an-
tiquity. To read of animals, and vile insects, ho-
noured with religious worship, placed in the most
pompous temples erected at a most extravagant ex-
pense ; that those who killed them should be put to
death, and that those animals were embalmed after
death, and treated with divine honours, is what a
sober heathen would hardly believe, and yet we
have it from the testimony of the most sober heathens.
We may add further, that to hear that leeks and
onions were worshipped as deities : nay, were in-
voked in all cases of necessity, are such surprising
instances of the weakness of the human under-
standing, and the corruption of the hiunan nature ;
that we have reason to bless God for the times, and
the places v.'here we were born. Lucian, a profane
heathen poet, who lived about the middle of the
third century of the Christian rera, seems to have
liad very just notions of the ridiculous rites and cere-
monies of the Egyptians in his time. His words
are, " You may enter into one of their most mag-
nificent temples, adorned with gold and silver ; but
look around you for a god, and you behold a stork,
an ape, or a cat."
It is, therefore, proper that we should inquirii
what motives could induce those people to act in-
such a manner ; but here we are led into a large
field indeed. The ancient Egy))tians had a tradition,
that, at a certain period, men rebelled against the
gods, and drove them ^out of heaven. Cpon this
disaster .taking placRj tha gods Hed into F^gypt,
where they concealed themselves under the form of
diflfercnt animals ; and this was the fust reason as-
signed for the worship of those creatures. But there
was another reason assigned for the worship of these
animals, namely, the benefits which men often re-
ceived from them, particularly in Egypt.
Oxen, by their laliour, helped to cultivate the
ground, sheep clothed them with their wool, dogs,
among many other services, prevented their houses •
from being robbed ; the ibis, a bird, somewhat re-
sembling a stork, was of great service in destroying
the winged serpents, with which Egypt abounded ;
the crocodile, an amphibious creature, was worship-
ped, because it prevented the wild Arabs from
making incursions ; the ichneumon, a little animal,
was of great service to them in different ways ; he
watches the crocodile's absence and breaks his eggs,-
and when he lays down to sleep on the banks of the
Nile, which he always does, with his mouth open,
this little creature jumps out of the mud, and leap-
ing into his throat, forces his way down to his en-
trails, which he gnaws, then he pierces his belly, and
thus triumphs over this most dreadful animal.
The first Christian fathers ridiculed the Egyptian
idolatry^ and painted the absurdity of it in the most
lively colours ; and asked the heathen priests how
they could dishonour the great God of heaven and
earth, by offering sacrifices to the vilest, and most
contemptible animals and reptiles ; such as snakes,
crocodiles, serpents, and cats. Indeed, God, in his
righteous judgment, gave them up to a reprobate ■
mind ; and whilst they professed themselves to be '
wise, they became fools, for having changed the
glory of the incorruptible God into an image, made '
like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed •■
beasts, and creeping things.
The funeral ceremonies of the Egyptians deser\'e
particular notice ; for no people, of whbm we have
any account transmitted us, ever paid so much re-
gard to the bodies of their departed friends. Of this
v\e have a striking instance, in w hat still remains of
pyramids, the most stupendous buildings that ever
were erected to perpetuate the memory of their'
princes. This ostentation, like most other customs,
originated first in the courts of their kings ; but in
time was imitated, as far as lay in their power, b^
the lower ranks of people.
AMicn any of their relations died, the whole family
quitted the place of their abode ; and during sixty or
seventy days, according to the rank and quality of
RELIGION OF TIIE EGYPTIANS.
the deceased, abstained from all the comforts of life,
•excepting such as were necessary to support nature.
They embalmed the bodies, and many persons were
employed in performing this ceremony. The brains
were drav.n through tiie nostrils by an instrament,
and the intestines were emptied by cutting a liole in
the abdomen, or belly, with a sharp stone I after
-wliich, tlie cavities were filled up with perfumes,
and the linest odoriferous spices ; but the person
viho made the incision in tlie body for this purpose,
and who was commonly a slave, was obliged to run
away immediately after, or the people present would
have stoned him to death ; but those who embalmed
the body, were treated with the utmost respect.
The interior parts of the body were filled wth all
sorts of curious spices, which they purchased from
the Arabians ; and after a certain number of days had
expired, it was wrapped up in fine linen, glued to-
gether with gum, and then spread over \^ith the
richest perfumes. The body being thus embalmed,
was delivered to the relations, and placed either in
a sepulchre, or in their own houses, according to
their rank, and ability. It stood in a wooden chest,
erect ; and all those who visited the family, treated
it with some marks of respect. This was done, that
those who knew tliem while alive, should endeavour
to imitate their conduct after death. Of this we have
a striking instance in the account of the funeral of
Joseph, in Egypt, and the regard that was paid to
his remains, long after his decease. The Egyptians
would not suifer praises to be bestowed indiscrimi-
nately upon every person, let his rank be ever so
elevated ; for characters given to the deceased, were
bestowed by tlie judges, who represented die people
at large. The judges, who were to examine into the
merits of the deceased, met on the opposite side of a
lake, of which there were many in Egypt ; and
while they crossed the lake, he who sat at the helm,
"was called Charon, which gave rise to the fable
among the Greeks, that Chanin conducted the souls
of deceased persons in the Elysian fields, or the
infernal regions. When tlie judges met, all those
who had any thing to object against the deceased
person were heard ; and if it appeared that he had
been a wicked person, then his name ^^as con-
demned to perpetual hifamy ; nor could his dearest
relations ferect any monument to perpetuate his
memory.
This made a deep impression on the minds of the
people ; for nothing operates more strongly than the
fear of shame, and the consideration of our deceased
relations being consigned to infamy licrijafter. Kings
themselves were not exempted from this inqua-y;
all their actions were canvassed at large by the
jvidges, and the sanie impartial decision took place,
us if it had been ujion one of the meanest of the
subjects. Of this we have some, instances in scrip-
ture, where ^ve read, that Xvicked kings were uot
suffered to be interred in the sepulchres of their an-
cestors. Happy for mankind, that this was more
attended to in our days ; then wicked princes and
sovereigns would learn, that notwitlistanding their
elevated rank in life, yet tiie justice of their country,
which they often trample on, will scrutinize, with
severity, their actions, M'hile their bodies are con-
signed to the silent tomb.
If no objection was made to the conduct of the
deceased, then a funeral oration was delivered in
memory of him, reciting his most worthy actions ;
but no notice was taken bf his birth, because every
Egyptian was considered as noble. No praises were
bestowed, but such as related to temporal merit ;
and he was applauded for having cultivated piety to
the gods, and discharged his duty to liis fellow crea-
tures. TTien all the people shouted with voices of
applause, aud the body was honourably interred.
The Egyptians, however, believed much in the doc-
trine of the transmigration of souls ; and likewise,
that for some time after death, the souls of the de-
ceased hovered round the bodies ; ^^'llich among;
many others, was one of the reasons why they defer--
red the interment of their relations so long.
That the ancient Egyptians had some notions of
the resurrection of the body, cannot be denied ; but
their endeavouring to preserve human bodies from
a state of corruption, was one of the most absurd
thouglits that could ever take place in the mind of a
rjitioual creature. " Dust thou art ; and unto dust
thou shalt return." And, certainly, those who be-
lieve tliat God Almighty, by his omnipotent power,
could create all things out of nothing, can have no
manner of doubt concerning his ability, to bring, iu
one moment, together the scattered atoms of our
consnmed bodies, antl raise them up to glory, honour,
and immortality.
From what has been said coacerning the idolati-y
of the ancient Egyptians, we may learn many im-
portimt truths : first, the origin of idolatry ; for it
is certain, that the worship of images took place
sooner in Egypt, than in any other countiy in the
world. To what is tliis to be ascribed ; to the
fertility of tiieir soil, which surpassed all others.
Shockhig abuse of heavenly mercies ! For shall the
IHvine Being shower down mercies upon us, that
we may make beasts of ourselves ? Shocking consi-
derations ; but not more shockuig than true.
But secondly, God often works by means to
whicli we are utter stranger's ; and while we see a
people endued with so much of human learnuig, as
to have been the admiration of all the world beside,
M\d at the same time destitute of every religious prin-
ciple, Ave shoidd look down npon their conditions,
with pity, and rest satisfied, that it is the will of
God it should be so. We are equally uBacquainlod
RELIGION OF THE CARTIIAGENIANS AND TVRIAXS.
with Oie secrets of nature, of provitknce, and grace ;
therefore we should study liuinility, aiul consider it
as no dishonour to acknowledge our ignorance of
sucli things as are beyond our comprehension.
Thirdly, as the grand design God had in view
was to prepare the world for the reception of the
Glorious Redeemer ; so he made choice of but one
family, or nation, to keep up tlie knowledge of liis
name, leaving all otiiers to die freedom of their own
wills; aud shocking, indeed, was the use tliey made
of it. But eveu with resi>ect to tliose infatuated ido-
lators, God did not leave himself without a witness.
With respect to temporal things, lie bore witli tlieii"
provocations, and as an earnest, that one day they
would embrace tlie gospel, the Divine Messiali
was, almost as soon as he came into this m orld,
sent to reside sometime among them. It may be
further added, that many flourishing churches were
established in Egypt, in the most early times of
Christianity ; and Uiere it was tliat the great Atha-
lusius lived.
Lastly, Christians are too ready to give up those
heallicus to perdition, who were never favoured
with a Divine Revelation, 'ilie learned and pious
bishop Wilkins, says, "That the mercy of God,
like all his other attributes, is a great depth ; and as
God has not told us what he will do w ith the hea-
thens, is it proper that we should instinct him ?"
The law- of nature, written on their hearts by the
linger of God, was, m every sense of the word, a
Divine Revelation ; and according to the apostle,
(see Rom. i. 1<J, 20.) they will be judged by that
law. If it should be objected, that there is no sal-
vation in any other but Clirist Jesus; we must an-
swer, that he Mas the LamI), slain from the foun-
dation of the world ; and how do we know but
God might, by means unknown to us, communi-
cate his grace aud favour to those people, whom
we are loo apt to consider as objects of his displea-
sure ? Let us conclude, in die words of Moses,
(see Deiit. xxix. Q.9.) "The secret Unngs belong
unto the Lord our God : but those things which
are revealed, belong imto us, and to our children
for ever, that we may do all the words of this law."
RELIGION OF THE CARTHAGENIANS AND TYRIANS.
An civing an acccH.mt of tlie religions of ancient
nations, we must be directed by two guides ; namely,
sacred and profane history. The former gives ns a
general view of their abominations ; the latter lays
open all that now can be known concerning (heir
nnblic and private rites and ceremonies. Phoenice,
T}Te, and Carthage, were all peopled by the sons
of Ham ; diey had the same form of religion, spoke
the same language, encouraged the same arts and
sciences, used the same instruments in war, and in-
flicted the same punishments upon criminals. Thus
their civil and religious history is so blended to-
gether, that we cannot illustrate the latter, without
taking some notice of the former. The Phajnicians
were a remnant of tlie ancient Canaanites, who
were suffered by the Divine Being to remain un-
extirpated, that they should be a scourge upon the
children of Israel, as often as they relapsed into ido-
latrv. In scripture they are often mentioned, as a
warlike people, under the name of Pliilistine.s, for
the word Phrenica is Greek. They inhabited diat
part of Asia adjoining to the Mediterranean sea, and
worshipped an idol named Dagon, much in the same
form as a mennaid is represented by the fabulous
writers ; a human body from the navel upwards, and
the lower part dip.t of a fish. Tlie figure itst-If was
von." expressive ; for it pointed out, not only their
3
situation near the sea, but likewise that Uiey were
connected, both with sea and land. Invaded in
their continental territories by the neighbouring na-
tions, they setded in an island nearly adjoining, w hich
they called Tyre : and they remained in possession of
it till the time of Alexander the Great. As a trading
people, tliey sent colonies into difterent parts of
Africa ; but most of these were comprehended un-
der the name of Carthagenians ; and such regard
had Tyre and Carthage for each other, that when
Cambyses resolved to make war upon the latter, the
Pha?nicians refused to accompany him ; alleging,
in excuse, that they could not fight against their
brethren, which obliged that prince to lay aside his
design. Nay, die Carthagenians sent an annual
tribute to the Tyrians, part of which was for the
support of the gorvermnent, and part of the main-
tenance of the priests and religion.
The religion of the Carthagenians, which was
the same as that of the Tyrians, Phoenicians, Phi-
listines, and Canaanites, was most horrid and bar-
barous ; and so regular were they in practising what
will ever dishonour human nature, that Christians,
in attending to their duty, may take an example
from them. Nothing of any moment was under-
taken without consulting tlie gods, which they did
■by a variety of ridiculous riles and ceremonies.
34
RELIGION OF THE CARTHAGENIANS AND TYRIANS.
Hercules was the god in whom they placed most
confidence, at least, he was the same to them, as ■
Mars was to the Romans, so that he was invoked be-
fore they went upon any expedition ; and when they
obtained a victory, sacrifices and thanksgivings were
offered up to him. They had many other deities
whom they worshipped ; but the chief of these was
Urania, or the Moon, whom they addressed under
different calamities; such as drought, rain, hail,
thunder, or any dreadful storms. The Christian
fathers, having attained to the knowledge of the
truth, often in their writings ridicule these imaginary
deities, particularly St. Austin, who was a native of
Hippo in Africa, and cousequently had reason to
point out the absurdities of their idolatry. Urania, or
the jSIoon, is the s;tme which the prophet calls the
queen of heaven, (see Jer. vii. 18.) and there we find
the inspired writer, reproving the Jevvishwomen for
offering up cakes and other sorts of sacrifies to her.
Saturn was the other deity whom the Carthage-
nians principally worshipped ; and he was the same
with what is called Moloch in scripture. 'J'his idol
was the deity to whom they ofi'ered up hmnan sa-
crifices, and to this ve owe the fable of Saturn's
having devoured his own children. Princes and
great men, under particular calamities, used to offer
np their most beloved children to this idol. Private
persons imitated the conduct of their princes ; and
thus, in time, the practice became general ; nay,
to such a height did they carry their infatuation, tliat
those who had no children of their own, purchased
those of the poor, that they might not be deprived
of llie benefits of such a sacrifice, which was to pro-
cure them the completion of their wishes. This
horrid custom prevailed long among the Phoenicians,
the Tyrians, and the Carthagenians, and from them
the Israelites borrowed it, although expressly con-
trary to the order of God.
I'he original practice was to burn those innocent
children in a fiery furnace, like those in the valley
of Hinnom, so often mentioned in scripture,, and
sometimes they put them into a hollow brass statue
of Saturn, flaming hot. To drown the cries of the
unhappy victims, musicians were ordered to play
on different instruments, and mothers (shocking
thought !) made it a sort of merit to divest themselves
of natural affections, while they beheld the barba-
rous spectacle. If it happened that a tear dropped
from the eyes of a mother, then the sacrifice was
considered as of no eifect ; and the parent who had
that remaining spark of tenderness, was considered
as an enemy to the public religion. This savage
barbarity, which will for ever remain a disgrace to
corrupted nature, was carried to such an height,
that even mothers, divesting themselves of that ten-
derness peculiar to their sex and character, -would
often embrace their children, and then cheerfully
commit them to the flames. In latter times, they
cpntented themselves with making their children
walk between two slow fires to the statue of the
idol ; but this was only a more slow and excruciat-
ing torture, for the innocent victims always perished.
This is what in scripture is called, the making their
sons and daughters pass through the fire to Moloch ;
and barbarous as it was, yet those very Israelites, in
whose favour God had wrought so many wonders,
demeaned themselves so low as to comply with it.
It appears from Tertullian, who was himself a
native of Carthage, that this inhuman practice con-
tinued to take place long after the Carthagenians
had been subdued by the Romans. That celebrated
father tells us, that children were sacrificed to Sa-
turn, or Moloch, down to the proconsulship of
Tiberius, who hanged the sacrificing priests themy
selves on the trees which shaded their temple, as on
so many crosses raised to expiate their crimes, of
which the soldiers were \\ itnesses, >\ho assisted at
these executions. In all times of pestilence, they
used to sacrifice a vast number of children to their
idols ; and thus, by endeavoming to atone for their
sins, they only increased the nimiber. Sometimes
they cut open the bowels of the victim, and then
threw it into the fire, but the most common practice
was to burn it alive.
Diodorus relates an instance of tliis more than
savage barbarity, w hich is sufficient to fill any mind
with horror. He tells us, that when Agathocles
was going to besiege Carthage j the people, seeing
the extremity to which they were reduced, imputed
all their misfortunes to the anger of their god Saturn,
because, that instead of offering up to him children
nobly born, he had been fraudulently put off with
the children of slaves and foreigners. That a suf-
ficient atonement should be made for this crime,
as the infatuated people considered it, two hundred
children of the best families in Carthage were sa-
crificed, and no less than three hundred of the citi-
zens voluntarily sacrificed themselves, that is, they
went into the fire without compulsion.
Such was the religion of the ancient Carthage-
nians, the Phoenicians, the Tyrians, and indeed the
Philistines, who were, as we have already observed,
a remnant of the Canaanites. In our account of
the Egyptian religion, we have taken notice of their
ridiculous absurdities ; but here we are presented
Mith an account of barbarities unknown to the
people of Egypt, and so far as we know, abhoi red
by the Greeks and Romans. A great man, now
alive, states the question : what could induce men
to offer up the most valuable of their species, to
please their gods ? ^\hat notion could they form of
that being, who took pleasure in cruelty ? his lord-
ship answers, that perverted minds unenlightened
with knowledge, consider the object of their w or-
RELIGION OF THE DRUIDS.
33
ship cls a being like tiiemselvcs ; or to use the words
of the Psiilinist, thev thought God was such a one
as themselves, and did approve of their sins, (s'ee
Psalm I. '2'2.) They imagined, that the more va-
luable the victim saeriticed, the sooner would the
gods be reconciled to them. Of this we have a
striking instance in tlie conduct of the king of Moab
(^ Kings, iii. 0.7) who offered up his son as a sacri-
fice, in order to procure that victory which he never
obtained. There is a strange propensity in the minds
of men to translVr their guilt from each other, and
appoint a substitute in their room. Vicarius sacri-
fices are of great antiijuily, and to this Homer alludes
in his account of Agamemnon's having taken aw ay
by force the daughter of the priest of Apollo, w hich
created dissention between him and Achilles, and,
in the .end, almost occasioned the destruction of the
whole Grecian army. Mr. Pope's translation of
the above passage, is extremely beautiful.
Latona's son, a dire contagion spread,
And fill'd the camp w ith mountains of the dead :
The king of men, his reverend priest defied,
And for the king's offence the people died.
Plutarch, one of the wisest of all the heathen
philosophers, writing concerning the offering up of
human sacrifices, delivers his sentinients in such a
manner as would do honour to a Christian. " Can
we (says that great man) be said to entertain au
honourable notion of tlie gods, while we suppose
that they are j)leased with slaughter, and thirsty for
human blood .'' Religion is placed between two ex-
tremes ; infidelity on the one hand, and superstition
on the other. The one teaches us to doubt the truth
of every thing, and the other induces us to believe
the grossest absurdities. Impiety hiduces us to be-
lieve that there is no God to reward or punish, while
superstition, in order to appease the agonizing pains
of a guilty conscience, ' teaches us to forge new
gods, and to ascribe to them unheard of attributes."
Such were the sentiments of a sober, wise, and
learned heathen, and such should be those of every
Christian who believes in Divine Revelation. God
is- honoured, in consequence of the notions we form
of his attributes ; but we dishonour him, when we
offer up to him such sacrifices as he never required
of us.
RELIGION OF THE DRUIDS.
*vJ'F all the ancient heathen systems of religion,
the Druidical comes nearest to that of the Cartha-
genians ; but then it w ill be naturally asked, how,
or in what manner did the ancient Britons become
acquainted with the religion of a people, who, in
point of locality, were situated at a vast distance
from them ? To answer this question, the follow-
ing things must be attended to : first, the Druidical
religion was not confined to the British isles, it was
publicly professed and taught among the Gauls and
Germans. Nay, it may be added, that long before
the destruction of Carthage, all those northern and
western nations, w hom the Romans called Transal-
pin Gauls, had the same deities, tiie same religious
ceremonies, and they differed but little in their mart-
ners and customs. Secondly, it is evident, that the
Druids retained among them many of the religious
rites and ceremonies, which had been embraced by
the Canaanites soon after the deluge, and much
about the time of the calling of Abraham. To- a
thinking person, tliis will afford much instruction,
because it will serve to convince him, that the ac-
count of the dispersion of Noah's children, as re-
lated in Genesis x. is genuine; and that ail idolatry
originated from the mistaken notions which men
embraced, after their dispersion ou the face of the
earth, when they vainly attempted to build the
Tower of Babel. Lastly, the Carthagenians, or
Phoenicians, carried on a very extensive commerce
with the natives of Britain ; a circumstance which
could not easily have taken place in those barbarous
ages, unless their religions, manners and customs had
nearly resembled each other. That they did so, we
have many evidences remaining in Britain, particu-
larly in Devonshire and Cornwall ; and to support
this assertion, we have the testimony of the best
Greek and Roman historians.
The Druidical religion was at first extremely
simple ; but such is the corruption of human nature,
that it was soon debased by abominable rites and
ceremonies, in the same manner as was practised by
the Canaanites, the Carthagenians, and by all the
heathens in the other parts of the world.
The following were the leading principles of the
Druidical religion :
1. — They were to honour the Divine Being as the
supreme maker and governor of the miiverse ; but
under him they were to seek the assistance of subor-
dinate deities, who were supposed to act rather as
messengers than as having any power of their own. .
2. — They taught the people to believe, that the
souls of men were immortal, but that they passed
SG
RELIGION OF THE DRUIDS.
from one body to anolher ; a sciUiment which could
never have taken place, had they been reconciled to
the events of Divine Providence : for they could not
comprehend how virtue and vice went unrewarded,
and likewise unpunished here below.
3. — lliey taught, that all such as had been found
"uilty of notorious blasi)iiemy, should be put to
death ; and in such cases the priests were the sole
judges.
4. — That men should do unto others as they
would be done by ; neither to wrong their neigh-
bours, nor to uijure themselves.
5. — ^That it was highly criminal to eat flesh, milk,
or eggs, because it was supposed that human souls
might have inhabited those animal bodies.
6. — That the first appearance of the new-moon,
■was to be attended to v ith reverence ; as it was sup-
posed that that planet had great influence on the
actions of men here below.
7. — ^Women were common among them, but the
man who first defloured the virgin was the respon-
sible father.
Lastly, Those who did any thing unj\ist, while
in human bodies, \vere to be tormented in the bodies
of snakes, or other sorts of reptiles, till such time
as they liad made an atonement for their sins, ac-
cording to the directions of the priests.
Such were the theological, or rather mythological
■sentiments which the Druids tau^t their followers
long before the gospel was Joiown in any of the
western parts of the world ; and notwithstanding,
some of them are extremely erroneous, when com-
pared with the Christian system, yet they do not
appear in such a liorrid disagreeable light, as the
Refinements of the Greekcs, and the masterly policy
of the Romans. But the principal thing we have
in view is, their rites and ceremonies, which were
most horrid indeed ; and considering, that such was
, the religion of our ancestors, we may be supposed
as more nearly connected with it than we are, or
ever could be witli the heathenish religions of other
nations.
In the more early ages, the Druids worshipped
their gods in groves, and under tall oaks ; which
ceremony seems to have prevailed among all those
nations, who were subdued by the ciiildren of Israel,
when they took possession of the land of Canaan :
and yet those Israelites soon learned to follow the
example of those idolators whom they had con-
•quered. That many abominations took place in
these grox'cs, is evident from the testimony both of
Caesar and Tacitus. The high-priest, or Arch-Druid,
lift every great festival, appeared under a tall vene-
xable oak, dressed in fine linen, with a cope or mitre
on his head, and attended by the priests of a subor-
iUiiate rank. Pris-oners taken in battle were sacrificed
«o the gods ; and barbarous indeed was the manner in
Mhich it was done : the victim, stripped naked, and
his head adorned with flowers, was chained with his
back to an oak, opposite the place where the Arch-
Druid stood ; and \^ hile music of all sorts, then in
use, was playing, the Druid, having invoked the
gods to accept of the sacrifice, walked forward vvilli
a knife in his hand, and stabbed the victim in the
bowels. The music prevented his cries from being
lieard by tlie people ; it was sometimes four or five
hours before he expired. The people danced to tlic
music ; and the sacrificing Di-uid pretended to relat*
future events, from the manner in which the blood
flowed.
The Druids, in common with the Carthagcniaiis,
Gauls, and Germans, ofl'ered up to their idols many
of llie prisotiers whom they took iu war ; and thi«
practice was attended with some of the most horrid
circumstances of barbarity. The unhappy victims
were, by hundreds at a time, inclosed in a M-icker
machine, to which the Arch-Druid, attended by his
inferiors, set fire, and they were all reduced to ashes.
During this ceremony, the priests sung, and the
people danced around the pile ; the cries of the suf-
ferers were drowned by tlie music ; the infernal
deities were supposed to be pleased ; and the people
became daily more and more barbarous in tiieir
manners.
But notwithstanding the Druids paying so much
regard to sacred groves, yet we have many moiui-
ments still remaining in Britain, which may serve
to shew, that their rites and ceremonies were not of
an unifottn nature. In the more barren parts of the
country, where there are few woods or groves,
they erected pillars each of one stone, with a broad
base, and a spiral top. These stones were placed,
so as to form a large circle, and one of them more
conspicuous than the rest, was appointed for the
Arch-Druid to stand at ; and opposite to him, chained
to another pillar, stood the victim, who was sacri-
ficed in the same manner as in the groves.
The Druids had such regard for the mislfetoe,
which grows on the oak, that when the season for
its appearance approached, persons were sent out to
procure the most early intelligence ; when the Arch-
Druid, assisted by his inferior priests, cut it off with
a golden bill, or knife ; and then it was carried to
the principal grove in triumph. The misletoe was
considered as a sovereign remedy for all diseases, and
a preservative against apparitions, or any thing that
could be done by evil spirits. It was supposed to
have many other virtues ; and it was considered as
sacrilege in any person to cut it besides the priests.
During all their ceremonies of a public nature, tlie
priest stood looking with his eyes to heaven, and his
face towards the east. This ceremony was peculiar
to all those heathen nations who lived westward of
the Hellespont, as well as the ancient Britons; and
RELIGION OF THE ASSYRIANS.
37
although they had all formed the most unworthy no-
tions of the Diviue Being, yet the liopes of a great
person being born in the east, seems to have pre-
vailed every wliere among them. This undoubtedly
was handed down to them by tradition ; and there is
great reason to believe, that they expected he would
rectify all the abuses that had crept into their reli-
gion, and that he would reign for ever among men.
Thus in every nation we meet with something of a
traditional hope of the coming of the Messiah, al-
though some are ignorant of the character ho is to
assume.
Some traces of the Druidical religion remained in
Gaul and Germany till the time of the emperor
Constautine the G reat ; but in that part of Britain,
now called England, it was totally suppressed, in
consequence of the following incident, in or about
the year 09., the Romans having cruelly oppressed
the Britons, who were at that time subject to them
by conquest, the latter took up arms, and massacred
uiany of tlieir invaders. News of this having been
sent to Rome, Suetonius, a gallant commander, was
sent over to Britain, in order to subdue the insur-
gents, and the whole body of the Druids, calling in
the aid of superstition, retired to the island of Mona,
since called Anglesey, in North Wales. To that
island the Roman general pursued them ; and such
were the hopes that the Druids had of success, that
when the Romans made their appearance, they
lighted up tires in their groves, in order to consume
tliem. The Romans, however, put most of the
Britons to the sword ; and having taken tlie Druids
prisoners, burnt them alive on their altar, and cut
down their consecrated groves.
From that time we have but few accounts of the
Druids in the southera parts of Britain, although
there is the strongest reason to believe, that both in
the western partSj and likewise in Ireland, their re-
ligion continued much longer. Some of their piiests
were extremely ingenious, and made amulet, or rina?
of glass, variegated in tlie most curious manner, o4'
which many are still to be seen. They were worn
as we do rings on the linger ; and having been con-
secrated by one of the Druids, they were considered
as charms, or preservatives against witchcraft, or all
the machinations of evil spirits. From what remains
of these amulets, or rings, they seem to have been ex-
tremely beautiful, comj)osed of blue, red, and green,
intermixed with white spots ; all of which contained
something emblematical, either of the life of the per-
sons who wore them, or of tlie state to which they
were supposed to enter into at death.
The funeral rites according to the Druidical reli-
gion, had something in them lx)th majestic and de-
cent. The warlike instruments used by the men,
were buried along with them ; and along with the
women were interred such things as they had con-
sidered as objects of worship while alive. Some-
times stones were set up in order to jWrpetuate the
memory of the deceased, but more commonly a
hillock of earth was raised over the grave.
There cannot remain the least doubt but they be-
lieved in the doctrine of the immortality of the soul,
although they had confused notions concei-ning it ;
and this should teach us who live in the present age,
to bless the Divine Being that the light of the gos-
pel has been made public to us. T\\e barbarous
idolatry of the Druids served only to harden their
minds, and deprive the most tender parent of human
feelings ; but our holy religion, by throwing aside
the veil of darkness which overshadowed the eyes of
otn- ancestors, has brought life and immortality to
light by the gospel, and pointed out the way to
heaven, in such a clear manner, that the weakest
may easily discover it.
RELIGION OF THE ASSYRIANS.
JLN treating of the religion of the ancient Assyrians,
we must be partly directed by sacred history ; but
more particularly by what has been transmitted to us
by Pagan writers. It is, in general, allowed that
Nimrod, the great grandson of Noah, was the first
founder of idolatiy ; and there remains no manner
of doubt ImU he was the same, who was afterwards
^vorshipped tmder the title of Belus, which, in
the eastern language means strength. He is in
ioripture called a mighty hunter before the Lord,
and different opinions have been formed concerning
the singularity of this very extraordinary character,
but the whole may be reduced to a very narrow
compass.
The descendants of Noah soon forgot the know-
ledge of the true God, and plunged themselves into
the grossest idolatries ; but as the passions of men
are often made subservient towards promoting the
ends of Divine Providence, and, as the worst inten-
tions of men often become beneficial in the end, so
38
RELIGION OF THE ASSYRIANS.
Nimrod by his ambition, laid the foundation of an
empire, whicli existed for many years after his
death ; and, in the end became a scourge to those
people whom God made choice of. Tiiat he was a
mighty hunter, cannot be doubted, and under that
character he displayed his political abilities in two
respects. The country in whicli he lived w-as in-
fested with wild beasts, and therefore he acquired
popularity by delivering the people from the ravages
made by those furious creatures. And secondly,
by hunting, he trained up the youth in all sorts of
martial exercises, and inured them to all sorts of
hardships. He formed them to the use of arms
and discipline, that in a proper time he might make
them subservient to his purposes, in extending his
power over his peaceful neighbours. That he re-
sided for some time at Babylon, or rather at the
place whicli has since obtained that name, cannot
be doubted, but Nineveh was the grand seat of his
empire. This city was built on the eastern banks
of the river Tigris, and it was one of the largest
ever known in the world. It was above sixty miles
in circumference, the walls were one hundred feet
high, and so broad, that chariots could pass each
other upon them. The walls were adorned with
fifteen hundred towers, and each of these two hun-
dred feet high, which may, in some measure ac-
count for what we read in the book of Jonah, that
Nineveh was an exceeding great city, of three days
journey.
Her lofty towers shone like meridian beams,
And as a world within herself she seems.
Fortified within such an extensive city, and re-
gardless of the duty he owed to the great parent of
the universe, Nimrod gave himself up to all manner
of 'debauchery ; and while he continued to trample
upon the rights of his fellow creatures, he proceeded
to the highest degree of impiety, namely, to set up
idols in temples which he had built, and even to
worship the works of his own hands.
From what we shall learn in the course of this
w ork, it will appear that the most ancient species of
idolatry, was that of worshipping the sun and moon.
This idolatry was founded on a mistaken notion of
gratitude, which instead of ascending up to the Su-
preme Being, stopped short at the veil, which both
covered and discovered him ; had those idolaters
considered things in a proper manner, they would
have been able to distinguish between the great
God himself, and such of his works as point out
his communicable attributes.
Men have, in^ all ages, been convinced of the
necessity of an intercourse between God and them-
selves, and the adoration of God supposes him to
be attentive to men's desires, and, consistent with
his perfections, capable of complying with them.
But the distance of the sun and moon, is an obstacle
to this intercourse. Therefore foolish and incon-
siderate men endeavoured to remedy this inconve-
nience, by laying their hands on their mouths, and
then lifting them up to their false gods, in order to
testify that they would be glad to unite themselves
to them, notwithstanding their being so far separated.
We have a striking instance of this in the book of
Job, vliicli properly attended to, will tlirow a con-
siderable light on ancient Pagan idolatry. Job was
a native of the confines of Assyria, and being one
of those who believed in the true God, says, in his
own vindication, " If I beheld the sun while it shiiied,
or the moon walking in brightness : and my heart
hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth had kissed
my hand, &c." "job xxxi. 26, 27.
This was a solemn oath, and the ceremony per-
formed in the following manner:
The person who stood before his accusers, or be-
fore the judge's tribunal, where he was tried, bovied
his head and kissed his hand three times, and look-
ing up to the sun, invoked him as an Almighty Be-
ing, to take the highest vengeance upon him, if he
uttered a falsehood.
As the sun, moon, and other heavenly bodies
were the first objects of worship among the Assyri-
ans, so, inconsistent with the corruption of hu-
man nature, they adored the fire as their substitute,
and that sort of adoration was common among the
Assyrians and Chaldeans, as will appear from the
following passage in Eusebius, who lived in the
fourth century.
" Ur, which signifies fire, was the idol they wor-
shipped, and as lire will, in general, consume every
thing thrown into it, so the Assyrians published
abroad, that the gods of other nations could not stand
before theirs. Many experiments were tried, and
vast numbers of idols were brought from foreign
parts ; but they being of wood, the all-devouring
god Ur, or fire, consumed them. At last, an Egyp-
tian priest found out the art to destroy the reputation
of this mighty idol, which had so long been the
terror of distant nations. He caused the figure of an
idol to be made of porous earth, and the belly of it
was filled with water. On each side ef the belly,
holes were made, but filled up with wax. This be-
ing done, he challenged the god Ur, to oppose his
god Canopus, which was accepted of by the Chal-
dean priest ; but no sooner did the wax which stop-
ped up the holes in the belly of Canopus begin to
melt, than the water burst out and drowned the
fire."
Adremelech was another idol belonging to the
Assyrians: but his supposed power seems to have
been confined to some of the more distant provinces ;
for we read, that when Salmanessar took captive the
greatest part of the ten tribes, he sent in their room
RELIGIOX OF THE ASSYRIANS.
39
fhe inhabitants of a province called Scpharvaiin ;
and tliese people were niost liorrid ami barbarous
idolators, for lliey burnt their children alive, and
committed such other abominations as are not pro-
per to be mentioned.
In the latter times of the Assyrian empire, before
it was joined to that of Babylon, Nisrock was the
eod worshipped in Nineveh ; and it was in the tem-
ple of this idol, that the Great Sennacherib was
murdered by his two sons, Adramelech and Sha-
nezzar. Both the ancients and the moderns at^ree,
that this idol was represented in the shape of a fowl,
but they differ much conceming the species ; some
think it was a dove, and others an eagle. The
Jewish liabbies tell us, that it was made of a plank
of Noah's ark, which had been preserved on the
mountains of Annenie.
Our great poet Milton considers this idol as one
much esteemed among the heatlien nations, and as
a principal speaker in the council of the rebel an-
gels :
-In the assembly next upstood
Nisrock, of principalities the prince.
Paradise Lost, b. 6. v. 447.
Among the Assyrians, as well as many other
eastern nations, some worshipped the fire, aiid
some images ; but both agreed in sacrilicing their
children to their idols. In time, the number of their
idols increased, till at last Esrahaddon removed the
seat of empire to Babylon ; soon after which the
citv and temples of Nineveh were neglected, and
their magi, or wise men, who had been long in es-
teem among them, followed the court.
As it was the universal practice of the ancient
heathen nations to worship their idols in groves
before temples were erected, it may be proper here
to inquire what gave rise to that notion ? It is a
principle acquired by experience without reading,
that in every act of devotion the mind should be fixed
on the grand object of worship. Every one who has
walked in a grove, will acknowledge, that there was
more than a common reverential awe upon his mind,
which must be owing to the small number of objects
that presented themselves. We may justly call them
the haunts of meditation ; but still, it cannot be de-
nied, that many abominable crimes were committed
in them ; some parts near their altars were set apart
for secret lewdness, and even for such unnatural
practices as not ought to be related. Strange, that
men cannot nse things properly without abusing,
them ; or, as the poet says,
— Ah! how basely men their honours use.
And the rich gifts of bounteous heaven abuse :
How bctlcr far to want immoderate store
Of worldly weallli, and live serenely poor :
To spend in peace and solitude our days.
Than be seduc'd from sacred virtue's ways.
Mitchell's Joiiah.
It is remarkable, that none of those eastern nations
Inirnt the bodies of their deceased relations, although
they offered in sacritice those of their living ones.
They buried the dead bodies in the earth ; and this
they did • in consequence of a tradition common
among them, that the first man was buried.
Their marriages were civil contracts between the
parties, and polygamy, or a plurality of wives, were
universally allowed. In their temples, discourses
were delivered after the sacrifice was over, consisting
chiefly of explanations of some of their mysteries,
and exhortations to the people to be obedient to their
sovereigns. That the idolatry of the Assyrians had
been great, we have the evidence of many of the
prophesies, and all these prophesies have been literally
fulfilled. It is true they repented, for some time, at
the preaching of Jonah, but they soon relapsed into
the practice of their former enormities ; and God has
now, in his infinite justice, left nothing of them be-
sides the name. So true are the words of sacred
scripture, namely, that " righteousness exalteth a
nation, but sin is a reproach to any people."
Let the following considerations, therefore, sink
deep into the hearts of our readers :
First, that the least deviation from the truth is
dangerous ; for such is the corruption of human na-
ture, such is the propensity of man, to every thing
evil, that he seldom knows where to stop. All
idolatry was originally simple, but its professors soon
added to it rites of the most odious and horrid na-
ture.
Secondly, let every person learn to form worthy
notions of the divine attributes ; for the want of that
is one of the causes of idolatry, and of false religion
in general. Let us once imagine God to be such a .
being as ourselves, and then we shall assuredly offer
ban up such sacrifice as is unworthy.
Lastly, while we bless God for the purity of re-
ligion, let us fear to offend him, lest he should de-
prive us of the many privileges we enjoy.
(^^ajassS
40
RELIGION or THE BABYLONIAIs^S.
RELIGION OF THE BABYLONIANS.
Ti
HE city of Babylon owes its origin to the vanity
and madness of those people who built a tower on
the spot, and not to ^^imrod, as many ancient
heathen writers would have us to believe; for Nim-
rod was alive at the time when the confusion of
languages took place, and tiierefore, we cannot
reasonably imagine, he would boldly set himself at
.defiance against lieavcn, after he had seen such a
signal instance of the divine displeasure. Thus we
Biay naturally conclude, that wiiat was left of the
tower, W3S some years after enclosed within a wall,
but the exact time of its being enlarged, so as to de-
serve tlie name of a city, cannot now be known. In
time, however, it rose to grandeur ; but idolatry en-
creased so fast in it, that many of the prophets de-
nounced the most dreadful judgments upon it. Like
thp Assyrians, they worshipped the iire and images,
of which we have a striking instance iii the book of
Daniel, cbapter iii. Like most other ancient na-
tions, the Babylonians had strange notions concern-
ing the origin of their empire, and likewise concern-
ing tlte first promulgation of their religion. Whether
they worsjiipped tire or images, yet tliey indiscrimi-
nately gav« the names of Bell, or Belus, to their
•deities. This idol was the same with what is called
Baal, in the old testameat, and always signifies
strength. Some are of o|)inion that it was Ninirod,
but more probably his son Ninus, who, according to
aucient testiuiouy, founded the city and kingdom of
Babylon. Berosius, a very ancient writer, tells us
that tiie god Belus having but the chaos of daikness,
divided the Ijeavea and earth from eacii other, and
reduced the world into proper order ; but seeing that
thjsiie were lio people to inhabit it, iie commanded
oafi of the godsfto cut ofl" his own head, and mix the
eartli with the blootl, from whence proceeded men
rviih die several species of animals, and Belus re-
giilatedthe piotions of the sun, moon, and stars, with
all the rest of tlie heavenly boilies.
Tijis idoil. Bell, was of such repute among the
j>eopie of Babylon, that a most magnificent temple
was erected for lumon tlie ruins of tliefaaious tower,
which was burlt by the descendants of Noah, in
order to perpetuate their name upon the earth. This,
we are told by Herodotus, was one of the most mag-
nificent temples in the world. It was adorned with
many curious statues ; among which was one of
gold, forty feet high, and the rest of the furniture of
the temple amounted to eight hundred talents of gold.
It is probable, nor indeed has it ever been disputed
amongst the learned, tliat this famous image was the
same which king Nebuchadnezzar set up in the plains
of Babylon, and commanded all his subjects to wor-
sliip it.
It is not our intention to consider any of the books
called Apocraphycal, as written by divine inspiration,
and yet we cannot see w liy the same degree of credit
should not be paid to ijiein as to othei human com-
positions, if the evidence by which tliey are support-
ed, is rational. And let us now appeal to every un-
prejudiced person, whether tiie history of Bell and
the Dragon has not a more rational appearance than
some things related by the best heathen authors. —
Nothing was more common than for the Pagan
priests to make riieir votaries believe, that all the
sacrifices offered in their temples, were eaten up by
their idols, although the priests sold them in the mar-
kets. The story of Bell and the Dragon is as fol-
lows : Cyrus, having taken Babylon, like most of tlie
ancient conquerors, worshipped Bell, or Belus, tlie
god of tlie country ; but the rites and ceremonies
not being so simple as those in Persia, where he
had been educated, he began to entertain some
doubts concerning tliem. Daniel being, without dis-
pute, at that time, prime minister to Cyrus, and tlie
king, being a man of an inquisitive turn of mind,
naturally entered into conversation with Daniel, con-
cerning the religion of the Jews. In this tliere is
nothing at all surprising ; for first, the Jews were a
people difJerent in their manners, customs and reli-
gion, from all otiiers in the world; and, secondly,
they were then about to return from captivity.
The great fame of Daniel had undoubtedly pro-
cured him admittance into the temple of Belus, not
to worship, but to discover the knavery of the priests.
Zlealous to promote the worship of the true God, he
nientioned to the king the circumstance of his being
unposed on by the priests, and pointed out the way
to detect them ; namely, by causing the fltwr of the
temple to be sprinkled with ashes. The priests,
who were seventy in number, desired the kijjg to
seal up the door, which was done ; but they had a
private passage under the table or altar, through
which they, with their wives and children, passed
and eat up the provisions set before the idol, and
what was not eaten up, they carried away. In the
morning, tlie king, accompanied by Daniel, went
to the temple, where he found the door sealed, but
on going in, saw the marks of feet on the pavement.
The king being much incensed, ordered thepriests
RELIGION OF THE BABYLONIANS.
41
to shev,' him the privy door, and as soon as he had
extorted from them a confession of their guilt, he
ordered them all to be massacred, with their wives
and children ; a practice very connnon in that age,
and in other periods of time, of which many exam-
ples will be given.
Nor is the account of the Dragon less probable ;
for, besides Bell, the Babylonians had many other
idols whom they worshipped ; and what serves most
to support the truth of the narrative is, that a great
insurrection took i>lace in Babylon, on account of
the king's partiality to the Jews. It is true, Cyrus
was prophesied of, above two hundred years before
he was born, as a great prince, who was to deli\er
the Jews from captivity ; but the means to be used
by him were not pointed out. God, in his all-wise
government of the world, often produces great events
from causes which we look ujx)n as trilling. But
here we meet with something striking and natural,
and consistent with all those rules by which the evi-
dence of history has, in all ages, bcttn regulated.
Cyrus had not been brought up in the religion of
the Babylonians ; and although as a political prince,
he complied v ith their outward form of v\orship,
yet no sooner had he discovered the tricks practised
by their priests, than he let loose his vengeance upon
tliem, and granted many privileges to the Jews. —
The only objection that can be brought against any
part of this narrative is, that the author mistakes
some names and facts, wliich is not to be v\'ondered
at, vhen we consider tliat the best historians of
antiquity have done so.
The Babylonians had a most horrid practice with
respect to the promiscuous use of women; and pros-
titution was not only tolerated, but enjoined as an
article of religion. The temple of Mylitta, a god-
dess resembling Venus, was a common brothel. On
a certain festival, once in every year, all the young
women in the city were obliged to attend in the tem-
ple, and submit to public prostitution ; and not only
in their temples, but likewise in the streets and on
ihe highways.
Baruch says, chap. vi. 43, " The women also,
with cords about them, sitting in the ways, burn
bran for perfume : but if any of them, drawn by
some that passelh by, , lie with him, she reproachetli
her fellow, that she was not thought as worthy as
herself, nor .her cord broken" Well might the poet
say,
Here adoration to the stones is mjide,
There guilty lovers in>the streets ai^e laid.
Mitchell.
Aaother idol worshipped in sBabjlpn, was called
ISIerodach ; of wliomwe read, "Babylon is taken,
Bell is confounded,. Merodach is broken ,in jweces,
4ier idols are confounded, .her images arc broken in
pieces." Jer. 1. 2.
3
It is not certain who this Mcrodacli was, but
jirobably he was an ancient king of Bab} Ion, why
having performed some wonderful exploit, was after-
v.'ards considered as a deity ; as was conmion among
other heathen nations. Several of their kings seem
to have been named after him ; such as Evil-^Iero-
dach, and Merodach-Baladan ; which last began to
reign about seven hundred and .seventeen years be-
fore the birth of Christ.
Succoth-Benoth, was another idol worshipped by
the Babylonians, as is evident from what we read
in 2 Kings, xvii. 2'J, 30. " llowbeit, every nation
made gods of their own, and the men of Babylon
made Succotli-Bcnoth."
The Babylonians who worshipped this idol, were
a colony sent to Samaria ; and the image represented
a hen and chickens, lliereby pointing out fertility.
There was a temple erected for this goddess, where
all the young women w ere obliged to submit to pros-
titution once every year: for the truth of which we
have the testimony of Herodotus.
The Babylonians buried their dead in the same
manner as the Assyrians, namely, by laying the bo-
dies in the earth ; and dark and confused as their
notions were in many respects, yet tliey believed in
a future state of rew'ards and punishments. This is
the more to be wondered at, when we consider that
their religion was little more than a system of crimes ;
but then let us reflect, tliat the people knew no bet-
ter: they had forgotten even tradition itself, and
were become slaves to the worst of all passions.
Having said this nuicli concerning the relig;ion of
the ancient Babylonian.?, we shall now proceed to
describe in what manner- that magnificent city was
destroyed; which, were we to omit, would be ut-
terly inconsistent with the pla^ we have laid down.
This, indeed, is one of the most remarkable evtipts
upon record, and serves to point out tlie wisdom
and justice of the Divine Being. Here let the profli-
gate tremble, and the deist hide his face ! That the
children of Israel should be taken captives to Baby-
lon, w as foretold Jong before the event took place ;
but the same prophets, who pointed out their afflic-
tions, predicted at the same time the .fate of tliis
haughty city. Nay, it was promised, ^th^t at the
end of seventy years, the Jews should , be dclive;-ed,
and tliat God wpuld b.ri'ig everlasting -destruction
upon Babylon. We mortals are too apt to be filled
with pride, w hen we consider the yic^ories obtained
by conquerors, who although iustrumeuts in the
hands of God, to accpr^iplisli the, designs of Provi-
dence, yet are considered by lum in fhe most dimi-
nutive point of view ; or rather, as most illustrious
robbers and murderers, as .scourges for men's im-
pieties, and sucli as God will in his vengeance cut
off. _
The causes which brought on the destruction of
4i
RELIGION OF THE BABYLONIANS.
Babylon were many ; but they may be all comprised
in the three following:
First, her pride : she believed herself to be invin-
cible; she said, I am the queen of nations, I shall
remain for ever; for no power is equal to mine. I
shall never know either barrenness or widowhood,
for the gods shall protect me for ever.
Secondly, her cruelty. When God suffered his
chosen, but rebellious people, to be led into cap-
tivitv, he designed to chastise them, in the same
manner as a father dolii his children, but not to have
them used in a barbarous manner. But so far were
the Babylonians from confining themselves to treat-
ing the Jews as common slaves, that they would not
sutler their dead bodies to be buried, and actually
dashed out the brains of their children against the
Stones. Of this we find shocking instances in the
book of Tobit, and in Psalm cxxxvii. all which is
confirmed by the testimony of Joseplius.
Lastly, their sacrilegious iniquity, especially in
Belshazzar, the last of their kings. That dissolute
monarch, to all the wickedness of his ancestors, ad-
ded such impiety as seemed peculiar to himself. It
was not sufficient for him to blaspheme the great
God of heaven and earth ; he carried his wickedness
still further, and considered himself as able to tri-
umph over his maker. Having invited his nobles to
a feast, he sent for the sacred vessels, which had
been taken during the siege of Jerusalem, and in them
drank to his idols ; which provoking circumstance
brought down the vengeance of heaven upon him.
It had been prophesied long before, that this great
city should be taken by the Medes and Persians, un-
der the command of Cyrus ; and that it was to be
attacked in a very extraordinary manner. They
reckoned their strength to consist in the river Eu-
phrates, and yet that river proved their folly, by be-
ing the means of their destruction. The city was to
be taken in the liight, during a great festival. Their
king was to be seized in an instant, and so was Bel-
shazzar, when Cyrus took their city. Lastly, their
king was to have no burial, and Belshazzar's carcase
was thrown to the dogs. See Jer. 1. 51. with many
other passages in the prophetic writings.
Cyrus having besieged the city of Babylon up-
wards of two years, contrived to cut a vast ditch, or
canal, to draw off the stream of the Euphrates, and
just about the time he had got it completed, he was
told that there was to be a solemn feast in the city,
and he availed himself of that circumstance. During
the night, the inhabitants of Babylon were lost in all
manner of debauchery, and the king, as if intending
to mock the great God, sent for the sacred vessels
which had been brought from Jerusalem; but mark
the justice of God, at a time when men forgot him.
During the feast; a hand appeared, writing the fol-
lowing words on the wall. Mcne, Meiie, Tekel
Upharsin. Daniel v. 25.
The king being much terrified, sent for the ma-
gicians, desiring them to interpret the meaning of the
words, wliich none of them could do ; for they ^vere
writteu in those characters which are now called
Syriac. The king, not knowing what to make of
this extraordinary circumstance, was desired by the
queen to send for Daniel ; and this queen, whom the
Greeks call Nitocris, must have been either the mo-
ther or grandmother of Belshazzar; for she had
been long acquainted with Daniel, and he was at
that time a very old man. Daniel explained the
words to the king, but he was too much lost in
drunkenness to pay any regard to them.
In the mean time, Cyrus opened the sluices of his
canals, which draw ing off tlie water of the river at
two different parts, his army marched into the city
without opposition. Belshazzar, roused from the
stupidity into which his wine had thrown him, came
out to meet his enemies ; but was soon killed, with
all those who attended him, and all who were found
in the streets. Such was the end of the city of Ba--
bylon, after it had flourished many years ; and Cyrus
having removed the seat of empire to Shushan in
Persia, it soon became a desert, and the place where
it stood, is not now exactly known. Alexander the
Great attempted to rebuild Babylon ; but that the
purpose of God might stand, and that the prophecies
might be fulfilled, the ambitious tyrant was taken off
by death before he could complete his design. It was
prophesied, that Babylon should become the habita-
tion of wild beasts, and that at last it should be
turned into pools of water. Let us now see how
this was literally fulfilled.
When it was first deserted of its inhabitants, the
Persian kings turned it into a park for hunting, and
there they kept their wild beasts. When the Persian
empire declined, the beasts broke loose, so that when
Alexander the Great marched eastward, he found
Babylon a perfect desert. He intended to have re-
stored Euphrates to its ancient channel, but that only
served to complete the ruin of the place ; for the
design not being completed, the river overflowed its
banks, and the greatest part of that once celebrated
city became a lake or pool of water. Theodorus,
who lived about four hundred years after Christ, tells
us, that Babylon was the receptacle of snakes, ser-
pents, and all sorts of noxious animals, so that it was
dangerous to visit it. Benjamin of Taledo, a Jew,
who visited it in 1112, tells us, that few remains of
it were left, nor were there any inhabitants within
many miles of it. Rawolfte, a German, who travel-
led into the east in 1572, found it very difficult to
discover the place upon which it stood, nor could
the neighbouring inhabitants give him proper direc-
RELIGION OF THE MEDES AND PERSIANS
43
tions. Many latter travellers Have sought for her si-
tuation ill vain, particularly Mr. Ilanway, who visit-
ed that part of the world about thirty-four years ago.
That f^reat and good niau tells us, that he spent
several days to find out the situation of Babylon, but
eould not, although he had every assistance a mo-
dern traveller could procure. Nay, so uncertain
was he of its ancient situation, that the more he in-
quired, the more he was left in the dark. It was
once a nest of vile idolaters, and afterwards became
a cage for unclean beasts, but now we have nothing
left but the name. Let this consideration strike deep
into the heart of every British subject, and let us
learn wisdom- and piety from the vices of those who
have lived in ages before us. Let us learn to carry
a holy jealousy with us in every part of our conduct,
and never forget that sin, as an offence against God,
will, at all times, bring doM n upon us the divine
vengeance. If we, as Britons, should follow the
Babylonians in their sins, we may expect to share iu
their punishments. That almighty power which
turned Babylon into a desert, is able to deprive us
of all the invaluable blessings Ve so much boast of,
and too much abuse. We can never form right no-
tions of Divine Providence, without attending to such
historical events as are here recorded ; but if pro-
perly improved, they may be of great advantage to
us in time, and infinitely so in eternity. As inhabit-
ants of the same kingdom, and as fellow-subjects,
let us never forget, that national calamities are
brought on by national sins.
RELIGION OF THE MEDES AND PERSIAN>S.
Jl HE ancient kingdoms of Persia and Media were
so nearly connected by a variety of concurring cir-
cumstances, that they cannot be separated in this
article. Na}-, it is much better that they should be
kept joined, especially as they were many ages un-
der one sovereignty. During the continuance of the
Assyrian empire, the Medes had no regular form of
government, but lived in clans or tribes, much in
the same manner as the ancient Britons. At last
Deyoces, the son of Phraortes, a Mede by birth,
projected the scheme of bringing them all under one
monarchy. He was a man of great prudence, and
much esteemed by his countrymen ; he had beheld
with concern, the many disorders which had taken
place from the jarring contentions among petty ty-
rants, and he resolved to avail himself of such favour
able circumstances. His reputation was so great,
that the people of his own district made him their
judge, and his decrees were so much approved of,
that his popularity encreased every day. The next
part of his plan was-, to pretend that he could not
neglect his own domestic affairs to serve the public,
and therefore desired to retire from business. Then
it was that the good effects which had fiowed from
his wise administration began to be sensibly felt ; for
no sooner was it known that Deyoces had resigned,
than all sorts of licentiousness took place among the
lower orders of the people.
Tliese disorders, which threatened destruction to
the state, occasioned a meeting of the chiefs to be
held, and Deyoces having sent his emissaries thither,
a motion was made, that a king should be chosen,
and the election fell unanimously on him. De-yoces
obtaining the end of his ambition, set himself about'
reforming abuses, and polishing the minds of his
subjects. For this purpose he set about building a
city and palace ; for before that period, the people
lived in huts in the woods. This city was called
Ecbatana, and it was most magniticent and beautiful .
It was built in a circular form on an eminence, from
whence there was a most delightful prospect over a
plain, diversified with woods and rivers. His next
business was that of composing a body of laws for
his people ; and from what he read in ancient history,
they were well calculated towards promoting order
among men, who had not till then been under a re-
gular form of government.
Persia had been long under the government of its
own kings, and continued so till the reign of Cyrus
the Great, who united them, not by conquest, but
by right of succession. Shushan, the royal city,
seems to have been built long before the times of Cy-
rus ; for we find it mentioned as a flourishing place
about the time that great prince issued his order for
the Jews to return to their o\\ n country. The re-
ligion of the ^ledes and Persians was of great anti-
quity, and probably taught by one of the grandsons
of Noah, who planted colonies in those parts, soon
after the confusion of languages. Noah had taught
his children the knowledge of the true God ; and
that they were to trust in his mercy through the me-
diation of a Redeemer, who was to be revealed to
them at a future period of time ; for the necessity of
a mediator between God and man, was a general
notion from the beginning. But as no clear revela-
tion was then made of this Divine Person, the peO'
44
HELIGION OF THE MEDES AND PERSIANS.
pie began to cliusc mediators for thetnsfelves, from
among the heavenly bodies, such as the sun, moon,
and stars, whom Ihey considered as in a middle state
between God and men. This was the origin of all
the idolatry in the heathen world ; and at tirst they
voishipped those orbs themselves, but as they found
that they were as often under the horizon as above
it, they Avere at a loss how to address them in their
absence. To remedy this, they had recourse to mak-
ing images, which after their consecration, they be-
lieved endowed with divine power, and this was the
origin of images worship. This religion first began
among the Chaldeans, and it was to avoid being
guilty of idolatry that Abraham left that country. In
Persia, the first idolators were called Sabians, who
adored the rising sun witli the profoundest venera-
tion. To tliat planet they consecrated a most mag-
nificent chariot, to be drawn by horses of the greatest
beauty and magnitude, on every solemn festival. The
same ceremony was practised by many other heathens,
Viho undoubtedly learned it from the Persians, and
other eastern nations.
In consequence of the veneration they paid the sun,
they worshipped fire, and invoked it in all their sacri-
fices. They carried it before their kings, and none
but the priests were permitted to touch it, because
tliey made the people believe that it came down from
heaven. But their adoration was not confined to the
6un ; they worshipped the water, the earth, and the
winds, as so many deities. Human sacrifices were
offered by them, and they burnt their children in
fiery furnaces, appropriated to their idols. These
^ledes and Persians at first worshipped two gods,
namely, Arimanius, the god of evil, and Oromasdes,
the giver of all good. By some it was believed,
that tlie good god was from eternity, and the evil
one created ; but they all agreed, that they would
continue to the end of time; and- that the good
god would overcome the evil one. They considered
darkness as the symbol of the evil god, and light
as the image of the good one. They held Arima-
nius, the evil god, in such detestation, that they
always wrote his name backward. Some ancient
writers have given us a very odd accovmt of the origin
.of this god, Aramanius, Mhich may serve to point
out their ignorance of divine things. Oromasdes,
(say they) considering that he was alone, said to
himself, " If I have no one to oppose me, where
then is all my glory ?" This single reflection of
his, created Arimanius, who by his everlasting op-
Iposition to the divine will, contributed against in-
IclinatioHs to the glory of Oromasdes.
We arc told by Plutarch, that Oromasdes created
several inferior gods, or genii : such as wisdom,
goodness, justice, truth, tlie comforts of life, and
all lawful enjoyments. On the other hand, Arima-
ams created as many devils, such as lies, wickedness,
and all sorts of abominations. The former likewise
created twenty-four devils, and inclosed them in au
egg ; the latter broke the egg, and by that means
created a mixture of good and evil. This doctrine of
the origin of good and evil, bears such a striking re-
scinblance to that of God and the devil, that it must
have been borrowed from the tradition concerning
the fall of angels, which -was undoubtedly known to
the ancient Persians ; or it might be taken from the
account which Moses has transmitted to us, con-
cerning tlie creation of light and darkness.
The religion of the Persians underwent a variety
of very remarkaWe revolutions ; for the Sablaas hav-
ing fallen into disgrace, they were succeeded by
another sect, called (he Magi ; who, on account of
their pretensions to superior knowledge and sanctity,
became extremely popular among the vulgar. Kay,
such was the respect paid to them, that no king could
take possession of the throne, till he had been first
instructed in their principles ; nor could they deter-
mine any affair of importance, till it had received
their approbation. They were at the head both of
religion and philosophy ; and the education of all
the vouth in the kingdom was committed to their
care.
It is the general opinion, that the founder of tsse
Magian religion was one Zoroaster, who lived about
the year of the world C900, and it continued to be
the established religion of the country for many years
after. They kept up continual fires in their temples,
and standing before these fires with mitres on their
heads, they daily repeated a great number of prayers.
The nameof their chief temple was Amanus, orlla-
manus, which signifies the sun ; and is the same
with what Me find under the name of Baal in scrip-
ture. Their great reputation induced people to
visit them from all parts of the known world, to
be instructed by them in the principles of philosophy
and mithology ; and we are assured, that the great
Pythagaras studied many years under them. They
believed, M'ith the Egyptians, and many other hea>-
then nations, that the soul passed from one body to
another ; and this sentiment daily gaining ground,
gave way for the propogation of others of a more
pernicious nature.
The chief priest of the Magi was called Archima-
gus, or worshipper of fire ; but, in latter times, the
kings of Persia assumed tljat dignity to themselves :
but there was an inferior order of priests called Har-
bards, who were obliged to have very long beards;
their caps were round, falling over their ears ; and
they had a girdle with four tassels, to remind them
of four established maxims. First, that there is but
one God. Secondly, that they were to believe all
the articles of the'Magian religion. Thirdly, that
Zoroaster was God's true and faithful apostle. And
lastly, that they must never be weary of well-doing,
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RELIGION OF THE MEDES AND PERSIANS.
45
as the only thinp; tliat could promote their honour
in time, and their happiness in eternity.
While they washed themsehTes, or sat at meals,
they observed the most strict silence, no person be-
ing permitted to speak a word ; and this probably
gave rise to some of the sentiments tauglit by Pytha-
goras to his scholars, that they were to be silent in
school, and always to adore fire.
Tiie religion oV the ancient Magi fell into con-
tempt, both in Media and Persia, in consequence of
the priests of that order having usurped the su-
preme authority upon the death of Cambyses ; and
the slaughter which was made of the chief men
among tlicni, sunk them so low, that they never rose
to their original greatness : but still the affection
w hich the people had to a religion which had pre-
vailed among them upwards of six hundred years,
w as not to be easily rooted out ; and therefore an
impostor, under the name of Zoroaster, undertook
to revive and reform it.
Having seen the mischievous effects of adoring two
Gods, this artful impostor introduced one superior
to both ; and the learned Dr. Prideaux is of opinion,
that he took this hint from what wc read in Isaiah
(Chap. xlv. 7.) " I am the Lord and there is none
else ; I form the light and create darkness ; I make
peace, and create evil." In a word, Zoroaster held
that there was but one supreme God, who had un-
der him two principals, one good and the other bad;
that there is a perpetual struggle between them
^vhich shall last to the end of the world ; that then
the angel of darkness and his disciples shall go into
a world of their own, where they shall be punished in
everlasting darkness ; and the angel of light and his
disciples shall go into a world of their own, where
they shall be rewarded in everlasting happiness.
lliis Zoroaster was the first who built temples for
the worship of the tire ; for before this time, the
Magi performed their devotions on the tops or sum-
mits of hills, in the open air, by which they were
exposed to all the inclemency of the weather, which
often extinguished their sacred fires. This second
Zoroaster pretended to have received fire from hea-
ven, which he placed on the altar of the temple of
Xis in Media, from whence the priests gave out, it
Mas sent to all the other cities and temples in the
Median and Persian empire. The Magian priests
kept their sacred fire with the greatest diligence,
watching it continually without ever suffering it to
go out. They fed it with w ood stripped of the bark ;
and they were prohibited from blowing it with their
breath, or with bellows, lest it should have been
polluted ; and to have done either w as death by their
law. The Magian religion, as reformed by Zoroas-
ter, seems to have been, in many points, copied
from that of the Jews ; and this is not much to be
wondered at, when we consider that Zoroaster lived
3.
at the time w hen the Jews were captives in Babj'lon,
and where he had an opportunity of conversing with
them. The Jews had a real tire from heaven, and
the Magi pretended to have the same, from all which
it is evident, that during the time the Jews were in
captivity, much of their religion was known to the
Persians, and some of their latter systems founded
upon it.
The Magian priests were all of one tribe, like
those among the Jews ; and none but the sons of the
priest could be ordained of their order : Nay, so
strict were they in keeping the priesthood among
their families, that rather than mix with the rest ot
the people, they trampled on one of the most sacred
laws of nature, by conunitting incest with their sis-
ters, and (horrid to mention) with their mothers.
Thus the Roman poet ridicules them :
Tlie Magi must from the incestious mixture spring
Of sons and mothers : so the Magi sing.
The Persians praise the monstrous breed, nor blame.
And screen foul incests with religion's name.
The ^lagian priests were divided into three orders,
the arch-priests, their deputies, and the inferior ones ;
who, for the most part, resided in the country. The
second Zoroaster had the address to get his religion
establised in the Persian empire ; and there it con-
tinued to flourish till the Mahometans, by force of
arms, established their own on it ruins.
He compiled a book for the use of the priests, who
were to explain it to the public at large, who at-
tended the sacrifices. This book was called the
Zend, a w ord which signifies a knidler of fire, be-
cause it was for the use of those who worshipped
the fire ; but the allegoiical meaning was, to kindle
the fire of religion in their hearts. The first part of
this book contains the liturgy of the Magians ; and
although Mahomitanism is now established in Persia,
yet there are still some worshippers of fire among
them ; for the truth of which we have the testimony
of Mr. Hanway, who was present on the spot, where
he saw the nature of their service. When Zoroaster
had finished this book, he presented it to Darius Hys-
taspis, bound up in several volumes, making, in the
whole, twelve hundred skins of parchment. In this
book there are so many passages taken out of the Old
Testament, that some learned men have supposed the
author was a Jew . He gave almost the same account
of the creation of the world as we find written in the
book of Genesis ; and of the ancient Patriarchs as
recorded in scripture. He injoins relating to clean
and unclean beasts, the same as was done by Moses,
and in the same manner orders the people to pay
tithes to the priests, llie rest of the book contains
the life of the author; his pretended visions; the
methods he used in order to establish liis religion ;
and concludes with exhortations to obedience. But
M
•46
RELIGION OF THE ANCIENT CANAANITES, SYRIANS, ?cc.
notwithstanding such striking similarities between
the Zend and the Law of Moses, yet it will not fol-
low from hence that he was a Jew. The Jews had
been seventy years in captivity, and many of them
being men of learning, no doubt but such a great
man as Daniel, or such an illustrious queen as Esther,
would get them placed at the head of their seminaries
of learning. Josephus tells us, that the great fame
of Daniel in revealing and interpreting the dreams of
Nebuchadnezzar diffused itself throughout the whole
empire. The Chaldeans and Persians were an in-
quisitive people, they even sent students to India and
Egypt ; and finding the Jews in a state of captivity
among them, they would naturally inquire into the
mysteries of their religion. That Zoroaster was not
a Jew, will appear from the following considera-
tions.
First, the Jews were not idolaters, neither did
they pay divine honours to the fire. Let any per-
son peruse Psalm cxxxvii, where in the midst of an
idolatrous nation, the Jews refused to sing even one
of their songs to the heathens.
Secondly, The Persians, long after the death of
Zoroaster, continued to hate the Jews, and mocked
at their religion ; a circumstance which could not
have taken place if Zoroaster had been one of those
people. Many heathens observed rites and ceremo-
nies similar to those of the Jews, but we always find
them mixing idolatry with them, which may serve
(to shew that they were not of a divine original.
Lastly, The Jews were very tenacious of their law,
and rather than profane it after their return from
captivity, many of them suffered the most excruciat-
ing tortures under the tyrant Antiochus. Now Zo-
roaster only abridged some parts of their laws, so as
to suit his own purpose : and probably with a view
of making proselytes among such of the Jews as had
settled in Persia, after the great body of that people
had returned from captivity. Upon the whole,
it seems evident, that Zoroaster was a native Persian
and an idolator; but having received some part of his
education under some learned Jews, he knew what
part of their religion would suit his coimtrymen ; and
mixing those rites with idolatry, he laid the founda-
tion of that system which continued many years after,
and of which there are still some remains.
In considering every system of ancient idolatry,
new reflections present themselves to our minds.
Thus in Persia, two ancient systems of Idolatry took
place, and, at last, an artful impostor established
another on it ruins. But although it might not be
so gross as some of those that went before, yet still
it was idolatry, which may serve to shew that, with-
out divine revelation, no man can come to the know-
ledge of the truth. Abraham would have been an
idola'or, had not God called him from Ur of the
Chaldeans ; and when Christ came in the flesh, he
found the whole world lying in wickedness. How
wretched then must the condition of those persons be
who reject the gospel of our Saviour ! Well might it
be said of such persons that they love darkness rather
than light, because their deeds are evil.
RELIGION OF THE ANCIENT CANAANITES, SYRIANS,
ARABIANS, &c.
jIiLLL those nations, who inhabited the land after-
wards called Palestine, were descended from Canaan
the son of Ham ; for although we find many sub-
divisions among them, under as many different names,
yet the general one was that of Canaanites : and
here it is necessary that we should answer a deistical
objection made by Lord Bolingbroke, and some
others, against a passage in the sacred scrip-
ture ; and this we the more readily comply v. ith,
because many weak, though otherwise well-meaning
persons, have been led into an error by those de-
signing men.
In Genesis ix. we read of Noah having got drunk
with the fruit of the vine, and that while he was in
a state of intoxication in his tent. Ham, his young-
est son, came in and beheld his nakedness ; but
Shem and Japhet went backward and covered him.
When Noah awoke, and found how different the
behaviour of his sons had been, he said (verse 25)
" Cursed be Canaan ; a servant of servants shall he
be unto his brethren." Now Canaan is no where
mentioned the aggressor ; but there cannot remain
the least doubt, but he was, at that time, along with
his father, and like Ham, mocked at the aged pa-
triarch; a crime attended with many aggravating
circumstances.
But the deistical objection is this, " It was in-
consistent, say they, with the goodness of God, to
inflict a curse on a nation in latter ages for the guilt
of an ancestor." Now let every unprejudiced reader
attend to the passage, and then he will find that the
whole was a prediction, and not an imprecation.
RELIGION OF THE ANCIENT CANAANITES, SYRIANS, 8cc.
47
Noah, by the spirit of prophecy, foreseeing that the
descendants of his son Ham, wouKl commit the
grossest idoliitries, only foretold what would happen
to them in latter times, and that their names should
perish from oflf the earth. That all this happened
in the manner that Noali foretold will appear from
the following narrative.
prom some circumstances, it appears, that when
Abraham came to sojourn among these people, they
were not all equally cornipt ; and we do not read of
any images among them ; but as images will be often
mentioned in the course of this work, we shall here
say something concerning their original.
The lirst images or statues were made in honour
of great men, who had performed extraordinary ex-
ploits ; and these being set up in particiJar places,
great veneration was paid to them, which, in the end,
turned to religious adoration. It appears, from
Plinv, that those statues were at first made of brick,
such as that used in building the famous tower of
Babel.
But to give beauty to those eastern statues, they
painted them over with various colours. Next to
eardi, wood seems to have been most commonly used
in the construction of images, as appears from what
we read in the prophet Isaiah (xliv. 14.) who re-
proves the idolators of those times for making to
themselves graven images of cedar, cypress, and oak.
In process of time, as the arts were more cultivated,
thev began to make their images or idols of richer
materials, such as silver and gold, many of which
they adorned with precious stones. It is, however,
certain, that many of the more learned and wise
among the heathens, neither worshipped images, nor
did they acknowledge a plurality of gods. They
considered them as subordinate mediators, always
looking up to one Supreme Being, as the Sovereign
Lord of all things. This, however, was no better
than idolatry ; of which we shall have occasion to
.«peak largely hereafter. It begot a thousand unna-
tural crimes, not proper to be mentioned ; of which
we have a melancholy account in the conduct of the
men of Sodom, who for their abominations were
justly destuoyed, by fire and brimstone being rained
down upon them from heaven.
The tribes of the Canaanites were never united
under one form of government, every little district
having a chief of its own, and every district had its
particular god. Thus Baal-zebub, or Achor, was
called the god of fli*"S ; the priests having given out
that no tlies dared to come near his altars, while the
people attended on sacrifices. This idol was in great
repute, as appears from Ahaziah, king of Israel,
sending his servants to inquire at his oracle, whether
he should recover from a fall he had from a window.
2 Kings i.
Baal-Berith, or lord of the covenant, was an idol
worshipped by the Sechemitcs, and many of the
idolatrous Israelites erected altars to him. To him
human sacrifices were oft'ered ; and it was conmion
to appeal to him as a witness and judge in all matters
of controversy : and especially when promises, cove-
nants, engagements, or treaties of peace were en-
tered into. The Moabites and Midianites, who
lived near the borders of the Canaanites, worshipped
Baal-Peor; for we are told that the Israelites joine<i
themselves to him, and that the great king Solomon
built him an altar. Who this Baal-J.*eor was, we
are not certainly inforn\ed ; but all the Jew ist Rab-
bles agree, that he was the god of lewdness, and
that the most abusive rites were observed in his
temple.
He had groves planted, and altars erected, on the
top of a mountain in Moab, called Peor, from which,
proi)ably, he took his name; for Jupiter is often
called Olympius, because his first temple stood on
that mountain. It is certain that his priests oftered
human sacrifices ; and what was still more unnatural,
they eat of the victims that were sacrificed. Thus we
read in Psalm cvL " They joined themselves unto
Baal-Peor, and eat the sacrilices of the dead."
Baal-Zephon was another of their idols ; and it
seems to have been originally set up as a maik, or
boundary, between Egypt and Canaan. Eusebius
supposes it to have been upon the borders of the
northern parts of the Red Sea, where the children
of Israel crossed ; for we read, tliat the children of
Isr-ael came to Baal-Zephon, on the third day after
they left Egypt. The Jewish Rabbles have a tradi-
tion concerning this idol, which is not unworthy of
our notice. They tell us, that when the destroying,
angel passed over Egypt, all their idols, excepting
this, were demolished ; whereupon the Egyptians
formed a high notion of his power, and went in
crowds to worship him, Woses, observing that they
went in crowds thither, petitioned Pharaoh that he
too might be permitted to take a journey to the place
along with his counlrymen the Israelites.
Pharaoh complied with his request ; but as the
Israelites were employed on the shore of the Red Sea
in picking up the precious stones which the river
Phison had carried into the Gihon, and from thence
were conveyed to the Red Sea, whereby they wene
thrown upon dry land, Pharaoh surprised them ; but
deferring to attack the Israelites till next day, and
offering in the mean time sacrifices to Baal-Zephon,
they passed the Red Sea and escaped. This tradition
may serve to shew, what wretched notions the Jew-
ish Rabbies endeavoured to inculcate into the minds
of their people ; but this is rejected by the Jews of
the present age. That Moses the servant of the true
God should sacrifice to an idol, is such an absurd
idle tale, as does not deserve refutation ; it carries-
confutation along with it.
48
RELIGION OF THE ANCIENT CANAANITES, SYRIANS, &c.
Ghemosh was another idol worshipped by the Ca-
naanites, and also by the Moabites, and he had his
temples on mountains, surrounded with groves of
tall oaks. As the Moabites seem to have been idol-
. ators from the beginning, and as they were the off-
spring of an incestuous intercourse between Lot and
his daughters, so we need not be surprised to read,
that incest was not only tolerated by them in their
temples, but even commanded as a duty.
A powerful body of these people were called Phi-
listines, and inhabited the sea coast of the Mediter-
ranean, near where Tyre was afterwards built. They
consisted of live tribes, under the command of so
many chiefs ; and it appears from scripture, that they
were not routed out by the children of Israel ; but
remained to be a check and scourge upon them, as
often as they relapsed into idolatry. The name of
their chief idol was Dagon, called by the Greeks,
Azotus ; and the image represented a man upwards
from the navel, and all below resembled a fish.
He was the same with the god Jupiter, or supreme
deity of the heathens, although worsliipped under a
.different name. The Egyptians worshipped him un-
der she shape of a fish; because, in Tryphon's wars
with the gods, he concealed himself in the sea, under
that form. This has induced some to believe, that
Dagon was Venus ; because Diodorus Siculus re-
lates, that at Askelon a famous citiy of the Philistines,
Venus was worshipped in the shape of a woman up-
wards, and a fish downwards. After all these con-
jectures, probably none of them are right ; for this
idol is mentioned in scripture, in the masculine gen-
der. When the Philistines had taken the ark of God
from the. children of Israel, and brought it to Ash-
dod, they placed it in the temple of Dagon, close by
the image of that idol ; but the next morning, when
they came into the temple, they found Dagon fallen
on his face on the ground, with the head and hands
broken off. This idol had a t€mple»at Ashdod so
late as the times of the Maccabees, for Jonathan,
having beaten the army of ApoUonius, Demetrius's
general, they fled to Ashdod, and entered the temple
of Dagon ; but Jonathan set fire to the town and
consumed it, and the temple with all those who had
taken refuge in it. Milton places him among the
fallen angels, when he says,
Dagon his name ; sea monster ! upward man,
And downward fish ; yet had his temple high,
Rear'dip Azotus, dreaded through the coast
Of Palestine, in Gath, and Askelon.
Upon attending to the nature of the ancient my-
thology, it will appear that the Philistines had their
idol in the form already mentioned, because they in-
habited the sea coast, and were among the first wlio
•carried on commerce with distant nations, by means
•pf the watery element. In the city of Gaza^ now
called by the Turks Gazera, in Palestine ; al)ouf one
half of the temple of Dagon still remains, and tliis
temple was built on the ruins of that destroyed by
Sampson.
Another idol \yorshipped in common by the Phi-
listines and Syrians, was Derceto, supposed to be
the same with Venus. Diodorus gives us tlie follow-
ing account of it. In Syria, there is a city called
Askelon, near which is a deep lake, abounding \\ ith
plenty of different sorts offish. Not far from the
lake, stands the temple of the famous goddess Der-
ceto, the mother of Semiramis, who has tlie face of
a vyoman and tlie rest of her body resembling a fish;
for which the Syrians assign the following reason :
Venus having conceived a hatred against Derceto,
caused her to fall in love with a young Syrian, by
whom she conceived a daughter; but being ashamed
of what she had done, she murdered the young man,
exposed her child in the woods, and then threw her-
self into the lake, where she was transformed into a
fish ; for which reason the Syrians eat no fishes, but
worship tl>em as gods. Thus the poet says.
The Syrians hence revere the scaly brood, I
Nor dare to make the hallo w'd fish their food. »'
Elagabalus, worshipped by the Syrians, as well as
some of the Canaanites, was no other than the sun ;
but the meaning of the name is not easily known.
But the most probable opinion is, that it means the
god of the mountain ; for the image represented a
large stone on the top. of an artificial mountain.
This idol is often taken notice of by the poets.
Thus we read :
In the mid plains fair Apamea stands ;
And next Emessa, on the neighbouring lands :
These to the sun their adorations pay.
And victims bleed to the bright god of day ;
His fame with tow'ring Libanus contends.
And in the clouds its glitt'ring summit ends.
It is remarkable, that Antonius Varius assumed the
name of this idol, because he had formerly been
one of his priests ; and he ordered a temple to be
erected for him at Rome, where he was worshipped
under the form of a pyramid.
The Sidonians, who were a sect of the Philistines
and very gross idolaters, worshipped a goddess whom
they called Ashtaroth, which, in the Syrian language
signifies sleep ; and this idol is often called the
queen of heaven. Some believe the moon was
adored under this name ; and we find that Solomon
introduced the worship of it, to please some of his
concubines, w-ho were natives of Sidon. Jezebel,
the queen of Ahab, king of Israel, had altars erected
to this idol throughout every part of her dominions ;
and she had, at one time, upwards of four hundred
priests to attend her. She was always worshipped
RELIGION OF THE ANCIENT CANAANlTES, SYRIANS, &c.
4U
under tlie character of a woman, l)iit in dilVorcnt
forms of dress, according to the diftcrcnt nations
wliere divine honours, and religious worship were
paid lier.
For the most part she was represented with horns
in the form of a crescent, and many have believed
that ))y iier was meant Rachael, the beloved w il'e of
Jacob, her name signifying sleep in the Hebrew.
She is said to have consecrated the city of Tyre, by
depositine in it a fallen star ; I'rora whence came the
report, that a star often darted upon her temple,
which the people believed to be Venus. Her chief
temple was on mount Lebanns, which was actually
a perfect sink of lewdness, a sclwol for mo.st beastly
lusts, which were permitted here because \'eni»s was
said to havvi had her first intercourse in this place
with her beloved Adonis. This is the same deity
which was worshipped by the Israelites uniler the
j)amo of Asttire, or Astrea, of whom 0^'id makes
mention wheii he says,
'When justice ceas'J" arid liumari blood was shed.
From earth to heaven divine Asfrea fled.
Moloch was another god worshipped by those an-
cient idolators, particniarly by the Ammonites, the
incestuous oftspring of Lot and his daughters. VVe
are told in scripture, that the children of Israel, as
an aggravation of their impiety, caused their children
to pass through the fire to Moloch, which brought
upon them the divine displeasure, and at last Al-
mighty vengeance. There have been various opi-
nions concerning this species of idolatry, some be-
lieving tliat the children only jumped over a fire,
and others, that they passed between t^vo slow fires
to the image.
Both these notions, however, are contradicted by
the clearest testimony of scripture ; for we are ex-
pressly told, that the Ammonites, and, after them,
the children of Israel, burnt their children alive to
Moloch ; and Moses prohibits the people from ador-
ing this deity, under the severest penalties. Solo-
mon bnilt a temple to the idol Moloch on mount
Oliver, and Manasseh, the most impious of all the
Jrings of Judah, made lus childrmi pass through the
fire to Moloch. AVe are not told in scripture, whe-
ther Moloch was worshipped in groves, in valleys,
«r on hills, by the Ammonites ; but certain it is, that
the idolatrous children of Israel appropriated the
valley of the son of Hinnom for this impious service.
This valley lay eastward of .lerusalem, and was the
same place wherein all the filth of the city was burnt
■at tte time our Saviour was on earth.
We siiali here iascrt what the Kabhies have tokl
us concerning this idol. Tiiey say it was made of
brass, the body resembling that of a man, and the
head that of a calf, with a royal diadem, and the
arms extended. They add, that when children were
to lie olfered to him, they heated the statue, and pui
the miserable victim between his arms, whore it was
soon consumed by the violence of the tlame. We
are further told, that this idol had seven temples, or
chapels. All these altars, temples, or chapels, w ere
appropriated to the different sorts of sacrifices that
were to be offered. Thus he who offered a bird,
went into the first chapel ; he who offer a lamb,
into the sccoikI ; he who presented a sheep, into the
third ; he who brought a calf, into the fourth ; he
who brought a bullock, into the fifth ; he who
brought an ox, into the sixth ; but the seventh, the
grandest of all, was destinctl for those who brought
their own children. From the whole of this we may
learn, that human sacrifices were the most acceptable
at the altars of Moloch ; w hich, undoubtedly, made
our great poet Milton rank him among the infernal
deities, as one of the fallen angels, and as one vvho
was to be a curse to the idolatrous w orld.
Another god of the Syrians and Canaanites is cal-
led Rimmon, and he was chiefly worshipped at Da-
mascus. He is mentioned but once in scripture,
namely, in the arcoui\t of Naaman, the Syrian general,
when he came to the prophet Elisha to be cured of
the leprosy. Rimmou, in the Hebrew, signifies a
pomegranate, which fruit being sacred to Venus, some
are of opinion that they were one and the same; but
this cannot be, because Venus is in the feminine
gender, whereas this idol is always in the masculine.
The Syrians had an idol which they worshipped
under the name of Adad, which, in their language,
signified one. By him was meant the sun, and they
gave him the earth to wife ; for they painted Adad
with rays shooting downwards, and the earth with
rays shooting upwards, to shew that all earthly pro-
ductions were owing to the inflirence of the sun.
Josephus thinks this idof was worshipped in memory
of Bennadad ; but that is not in the least probable,
because that prince lived long after the whole mass
of idolatry was formed, and reduced into a system.
Babia was another go(kless of the SiTiaus ; and
worshipped under the image of an infant ; for it was
common amongst them to call their children Ijy its
name, especially such as they intended to dedicate to
the priesthood. Young children were offered up in
sacrifices to this idol, and mothers, without relenting,
heard the cries of their tortured offspring.
But of all the gods of the Syrians and Canaanites,
none were honoured so muclr as Baal, who was no
other than the Bekts of the Chaldeans, and the Ju-
piter of the Greeks. It is probable the sun was
worshipped under this name ; for Josiah, w ilKng to
make some atonement for the sins of his father
Manasseh, in worshipping Baal antl all the host of
heaven, pnt to death the idolatrous priests tliat burnt
50
RELIGION OF THE AXCIEXT CAXAAXITES, ASSYRIAN, Stc.
incense unto Boal, to the sun, and to the moon, and
to the planets, and all the host ot heaven. He like-
wise took away the horses that the kings oi Judah
had given to the sun, and burnt the chariots of the
sun with lire.
This idol Baal is often mentioned in scripture in
the plural number, Ballim, and always implies um-
versal power, wisdom and knowledge. His temples
\rere built within enclosures, for which reason they
were called in the Hebrew and Syriac languages
Chamaiiim, and perpetual lires were kept buruing ui
them. Mr. Muundrell, in his journey from Aleppo
to Jerusalem, tells us that he saw many of the re-
mains of them, but most of the statues were defaced.
The Mahometans have a strange tradition concern-
ing this idol, which for the use and amusement of
the curious reader, we shall set down in this place.
They say, that before Abraham left Vr of the
Chaldeans, he took an opportunity to break in pieces
all the idols except Baal, about whose neck he hung
the ax with which he had accomplished his design,
that the people might fuppose Baal himself was the
anther of all this mischief. Such is the manner in
■which the Mahometans relate this story, but the
Jews tell it somewhat different.
They say that Abraham performed this exploit in
his fathers shop, during his absence, and thatTerah
retuniing, and demanding the occasion of this dijor-
der, Abraham told him that the idols had quarrelled
about an offering of fine fiower brought them by an
old woman, and that the strongest of them (.Baal)
had got the better of the rest, and broken them to
pieces. They add, that Terah, falhng into a violent
passion, carried his son before Nimrod, who gave
fajin a severe reprimand.
Such were the principal idols worshipped by the
Canaaaites, and bad as idolatry is, yet had they con-
fined themselves simply to the practice of imase
■worship, possibly God might have suffered them to
remain in their possessions till the fulness of time,
■when the Messiah was to enlighten all mankind by
his sospel. But their horrid abominations were such
that they called aloud for vengeance from heaven.
Murder, rapine, and all sorts of cruelty, were but
trines when compared with human sacrilices, and
unnatural crimes w hich ought not to be njendoned.
Thus God, in his all-wise and holy providence, de-
stroyed them, according to the prediction of Xoah,
to make room for his chosen people.
The Arabians, of whose religion we shall here
ffive some account, vrere the descendants of Ishmael,
the son cf Abraham, by his concubine Hagar ; and
thev are, in some respects, even to this day, the
most remarkable people in the -world. The angel
told Eagar that her son should be a wild man, and
the Arabians remain uncivilized even to this day.
His hand was to be agaiust every man, and every
man's hand against him ; and so it is to this day. for
the Arabians live by plundering, not only such as
travel from this part of the world, but even the Tiu-ks
themselves, who pretended to be their masters. He
was to live in the midst of his brethren ; and it is
very remarkable, that the Arabians were never yet
conquered. In vain did the great monarchs of the
east attempt to subdue them, they still remain what
they were three thousand years ago.
After the de:ith of lihmael they multiplied ex-
tremely fast, and became a great nation ; for we find
them a trading people at the time Joseph was sold
into Egypt. Like the rest of the eastern nations,
they were idolators and worshipped the sun, moon
and stars under different names, the chief of which
was Allat, in the city of Tayef. and it was held in
such esteem, that when Mahomet ordered it to be
destroyed, the people lamented most bitisrly.
Another of the Arabian idols was Aluzza, wor-
shipped by several of their tribes under the shape of
an Egyptian thorn. At first it was adored in the
open fields, but in time temples and altars were
erected to it ; it remained till the time of Maliomet,
who caused all its temples to be demolished, and
slew the priests who officiated in them. The Ara-
bians, who lived mostly towards the east, worshif*-
ped Assaf under the shape of a calf, which they
probably borrowed from the Egyptians, with whom
they traded. They had a goddess named Beidia,
and probably the \'enus of the Greeks. They kept
three holidays in the year to this idol, and the altars
whereon they sacrificed were at the gates of their
temples. The Sabeans, mentioned Job i. were the
principal worshippers of this goddess, and they made
a point of conscience to carry part of their plunder
to her temple. The leading principle in the religion
of the ancient Arabians, w as their fixed belief in
Fairies or Genii; they believed that these Genii at-
tended people through life, that every man had two
waiting upon him, the one good and the other evil,
that all evil actions were committed at the instigatioa
of the evil spirit in the absence of the good Genii,
who sometimes went on a message to heaven. They
believed further, that these two angels, or Genii,
were continually at war with each other, and this
the people considered as the cause of tiie contending
passions in their minds. They were worshipped bv
the ancient Arabians as the companions or friends of
God, and they believed that they appeared to them
in their sleep. The principal Genii was called Ha-
fedhah, and when the people went on j«jumevb to
plunder, they prayed he would send some strong
Genii to protect them, and some woae ones to direct
them in their journey.
But although the Arabians worship idols, yet
they believed there was one supreme God, to whom
they ascribed the most sublime attributes ; such as
RELIGION OF THE ANXIENT C.^\'L\NITES, SYRIAlvS, Sec.
51
etermtv, omnipotence. iDcomprehensrbility, fccc.
■wkjch will appear from the f oiiowine verses :
" ^^'hr ^ould we seek to comprehend vfkat cannot
be corapr^ended r
" It is a tree -which hath neither root, trunk, nor
branches for thought To lav hold of.
" It is a riddle in which we can neither find a
■ataffai nor a metaphorical sense, and of which there
is no sa.tiabcborv ei;piication.
" Got is ■fiMJIi Ij sbave the capacity of onr un-
deratandingB, and -we always lose ourselves \t'hen we
would oaaappthftod, or ^ess at what he is: let it there-
fore st£Btx OS to adore him with a respectf ulsiience.''
Aii tiiose aacaent heathen nations had temples,
bat it does not appear that any of them w^re verr
lagatfceBt, that sort of grandeur haviDg been re-
served for the Greek, of whom afterwards. In the
mean tkne let us say something concerning their
afaars.
In the most early ages of the ■world, the Pagans
made their alfirs of earth or turf, and they w ere,
for the most part, in groves or on hills, and besides
c^ering up sacii&ces to the gods, they were used
for several other purposes. Ail alliances with foreign
princes were ratified on the altars, that the gods
might be witnesses of the faithful pferfonnaBce of
tfaeaa ; of this we have many instances both in an-
cieot history and poetry. Thus, Hanulrar made
his son Hannibal lay his hand on the altar and swear,
never to make j>eace with the Romans, and thus a
poet says :
I touch the sacred altars, touch the flames.
And all those powers attest, anJall their names :
^Tiatever chance befal on either side,
?vo term of time this union shall di^ide.
Another use of altars was to be an asvliun for
sach as were in danger of bemg punished. It was
reckoned a sort of sacrilege to drag anv person from
the aitar, let his cmnes be ever so eDormous ; be-
cause he wa? considered as under the immediate pro-
tectioH of the god to whom the altar was dedicated.
Romulus, in order to brinr people to Rome, order-
ed many altars to be set up, that such as were
obliged to abscond from the neighbouring towns
might find refuge there.
In latter times, altars were made of stone, and
their heights were regulated according to the titles
of the deides to whom they were consecrated. Tlie
celestial gods and goddesses had their altari? built
^ ery h%h : but the terrestial ones had theirs not
above a foot from the earth, and for the infernal
gods, they dug boles in the earth. The name of
the god x^ as inscribed on the altar, sometimes in let-
ters, but morecomiDonly in hiero2^1^ phics. pointing
out his qualities or attributes. We have no accouirt
of ^tars before the dehige : but that must be owine
to the want of records. After the flood, Xoah
built an altar and offered burnt offerineE upon it,
and in the patriarchal ages, the altars ■« ere generally
built near some groves sacred to solitude, a^ place*
prof>erly calculated to inspire devotion, and lead the
mind up to the contempiatioi] of heavenly things.
But as this jrave rise to idolatry, the Jews -nere for-
bidden, under tbn severest penalties, to v. orship God
in gr-OT es or on hdls, nor v ere ihey to plant any
trees near the place where the true God wat wor-
shipped. Thus God says to Moses:
" An altar of earth sbalt thou make unto me, and
shalt sacrifice thereon, thy Taumt-offerings, and thy
peace-offerings, thy sheep and thine oxen. And ii'
thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shall not
build it of hewn stone, for if thou lift up thy tool
upon it, thou hast polluted it. Nerdier shalt thou
go up by steps into my altar, that thy nakedness be
not discovered thereon."
The reason why the priests were not to go up
steps to the altar, was, because they wore short
sarments like petticoats, which upon stooping,
would have discovered their nakedness; and thu
precept was enjoined to distinguish them as the wor-
shipfiers of the true God, from the heathens, who
used the most odious indecencies in their religious
ceremouies. In the temple of Jemsalem there were
several alttrs, the £rst of which was that for burnt-
offerings, made of Shittim wood, nine feet square,
and about four feet high. It was overlaid with
brass, and at each comer there was like a horn or
spire wTought out of the same piece of wood with
the altar itself. The use of these horns was to bind
the sacrifice to the altar, and it was placed in the
open air before the entrance into the tabernacle,
that the smoke might not suQy any oi the sacred
vessels. This altar was constructed in such a man-
ner, that it could be carried by the priest from one
place to another.
Within the tabernacle, they had the altar of in-
cense, but we know no more of it, but fbat it was
overlaid with pure gold. Every mommg and even-
ing the oSciatinxr priest offered sacrifices upon it,
while the j)eople stood witbout prajing, of which
we have an instance in Luke i. This was the altar
w-hich the prophet Jeremiah hid, when he found that
the city and temple were to be destroyed.
Among the Greeks and Romaas, altars were erect-
ed on the most conspicuous parts of the highways,
and even in the market places in their cities. Thus
we find thai when Paul w as at Athens, he passed by
and saw an altar with this inscription, "To lie
unknown God."
In the earK ages of christiamty' -diere w«« no
akars, and the communion table was not called by
that name till about the beginning of die £fdi cen-
tnrv, of which we shall have occasion to take itotke
RELIGION IN ETHIOPIA, AND ADJOINING NATIONS.
in tite subsequent part of this work. The church of
England, in conjunction with the Lutherans, are
the only Protestants who give the name of altar to
that place where they commemorate the death of
our Divine Redeemer; but it was not so when the
Reformation took place, for at that time it was or-
■dered, that the sacrament of the Lord's Supper
should be administered in the most convenient part
of the church, chapel, or chancel, according to the
circumstances which might be necessary to regulate
the conduct of the minister.
Wherever there is an altar it is implied there
should be sacrifices ; but the Christian kno\vs no
sacrifice but that of Christ, who offeied himself as
an atonement for the sins of wicked men — for tiie
guilt of an offending world.
When we contemplate the fate of those ancient
nations, whose sins brought down upon them the
divine vengeance, we should naturally be led to con-
sider, in «hat relation we stand to die great Lord
of providence and grace. To use the words of the
most accomplished divine that ever wrote since the
apostolic age (archbishop Leighton) all our pursuits
are vain, unless directed to a proper end. God
looks down with contempt upon conquerors, as
scourges in his hand to punish disobedient chil-
dren, while he sheds the dew of his blessing on
the humble and lowly of heart. Those heathens
became wise, or rather they became foolish in their
own conceits; and the eternal God, by whom they
were made, was treated with the utmost indignity,
and to the dishonour of their nature, they worship-
ped the work of their own hands. Well might God
have given them up to dark delusions ; for those that
honour him, he will honour, and those that despise
him, shall be lightly esteemed. Let this consideration
sink deep into the mind of every reader, and let them
consider true religion as the grand ornament of human
life. This will secure their peace of mind in time ; and
will make them happy throughout all eternity.
RELIGION IN ETHIOPIA AND ADJOINING NxlTIONS.
JLN treating of tliis extensive empirei, and (he other
provinces adjoining to it, we shall first consider
W'hat it was before the promulgation of the gospel,
and secondly, what religion the natives at present
profess. Here the author considers himself as very
highly favoured, in having had an opportunity of
conversing with the only gentleman, who, during
the present age, has visited those unfrequented de-
serts. Not that they are really deserts, many of
them being well inhabited ; but that they are little
frequented by Europeans, who, for want of proper
information, consider the people as savages, with
whom it is dangerous to have any connections.
Ethiopia is situated to the soufli of Egypt, and
between the kings of that country and the Egyptians,
..there were continual wars. Nay, it often happejied,
tliat the Ethiopians took possession of Egypt, and
placed some of their princes upon the throne of
that extensive and fertile kingdom. This will ap-
pear the more evident, when we consider that the
Ethiopians often invaded the borders of Palestine in
vast numbers, which they could not have done, had
, not they either been in possession of Egypt, or nearly
allied to the people ; for there was no possibility of
.their passing into Asia by land in any other manner
y=vyliQtever.
'] The Ethiopians, originally a colony of the Egyp-
jtians, observed the same rites and ceremonies, in
.tfeeir religious worsliip ; and the difference between
their languages was very immaterial. Accustomed
to live ill the most frugal manner, little notice was
taken of them, till the boundless ambition- of the
Romans, trampling upon all human rights, disturb-
ed their repose, and brought some part of the coun-
try into a state of subjection. This, however, was
a happy event in the course of Divine Providerjce,
because it opened a way for the promulgation of the
gospel. The Jews, after their refuri. from the cap-
tivity, settled in many parts of the habitable world,
for the benefit of commerce ; and some of them in
Ethiopia. The purity of their religion induced
many converts to join them, and those went up
every year to Jerusalem to \\'orship. Of this we
have a striking instance in Acts, chap. \iii. where
we find the prime minister of the queen of Ethiopia
coming up to Jerusalem, to worship at the time of
our Saviour's crucifixion. This man had been well
instructed in the Jewish religion, for upon his re-
turn home through part of the wilderness. Pliilip
the Deacon found him sitting in his chariot, reading
the prophet Isaiah, chap. liii.
Eusebius, and all the ancient church historians,
tell us, that this great statesman went home and
converted the queen his mistress, and that she sent
to Jerusalem for Some of the disciples of the apostles
to come and preach the gospel to her' subjects. —
This, however, must have happened after the con-
version of Cornelius the Roman centurion ; for be-
RELIGION IN ETHIOPIA AND ADJOINING NATIONS.
SS
fore tliat time, tlie gospel was preaclied only to
those of tlie circumcision, whether Jews or prose-
lytes. But certain it is, that soon after the conver-
sion of the eunuch, the Christian religion spread so
far throughout Ethiopia, that bishops from tiiat
country attended councils held at Alexandria. Nay,
such was the success of the gospel in those early
ao'cs, that many of those nations where heathenism
prevails in Africa, professed the religion of Jesus,
and some of them submitted to sutlbr the most cruel
torment, rather than blaspheme their Lord and Sa-
viour.
At present Ethiopia is called by tliree names, viz.
Nubia, Abyssinia, and the Lesser Ethiopia ; but the
relin'ion is the same in all. Their affinity with Egypt
has made way for tlie introduction of Mahometanism
in some places, and in others the inhabitants are
Pao'ans; but the main body of the people are
Christians; although, properly si>eaking, neither of
the Greek nor Roman Catholic persuasion.
They believe the scriptures to be the only rule of
faith, and they have manuscript copies of them ;
but thev know nothing of what we call the Apostle's
Creed, for in the room of it they use the Nicene.
With respect to the incarnation of Christ, they be-
lieve there is but one nature; that all that was hii-
Hiah was swallowed up in that which is divine, so
that no distinction could be made. This is what is
called tlvc Eulychian heresy, which made great
noise in tlie tifth century, and was condemned at
the council of Chalcedwn, 451. As it had been
taught in Egypt, so we need not be surprised at
finding; it making its way into Ethiopia, where it is
held in much repute by the priests, but the people
are grossly ignorant. They deny the Papal supre-
macy, and indeed most parts of the Popish doctrine,
particularly transubstantiation, purgatory, prayers
in an imknown tongue, images, auricular confes-
sion, relebacy of the clergy, and extreme unction.
They have joined part of the Jewish and Christian
ceremonies together, for they observe as holy days
both Saturdays and Sundays, and their children are
both circumcised and baptized. They eat no swine's
flesh, and abstain irom several other sorts of meat
forbidden in the law of Moses. They pull off theii
shoes when they go into their churches, and during
the whole of their service, sit upon the bare ground.
Their service consists in reading the sacred scriptures,
particularly the gosyeis, and receiving the eucharist,
after whicii the priest reads an homily, translated into
their language from the v. orks of one of the ancient
fathers. In the last century, the Romish missionaries
ever assiduous in promoting their religious tenets,
went from A-lexandriu to Ethiopia, and obtained
leave from the emperor to settle in his dominions ;
but the people were so unwilling to relinquish the
•eligion of t+ieir ancestors, that icany insurrections
4.
happened, so that the emperor was obliged to banish
all the missionaries out of tlic countiy.
The Ethiopians have several sorts of monks, but
they are upon a footing quite different from those of
the Roman Catholics. One of those sects which is
now almost extinct, was, in ancient limes, called
Rembolh, and they lived in the most populous cities,
without being confined to any other rules, besides
that of doing all the good offices they could for the
poor, and visiting the sick from house to house.
These men were not ecclesiastical, but they observed
a most rigorous discipline. They fasted often, and
the garments they wore were such as pointed out
their contempt of the world. Indeed, every thing
about them was afl'ected ; they wore loose sleeves,
wide stockings, coarse cloth, sighed often, and
made daily visits to the Virgin Nuns. They in-
%'eighed bitterly against the established clergy, but
they themselves were gluttons and drunkards, as
often as they had an opportunity.
The bread used in the eucharist, is by the Ethio-
pians called the Corban, which signifies a gift, be-
cause it is purchased with the money which they
receive as the offerings of the faithful. It is com-
posed of fine wheaten flour, and it must be baked
the same day on which it is intended to be used ; for
if it should happen to be stale, it is considered im-
proper for use. The person who makes the bread,
is obliged to repeat seven psalms during the operation,
and the oven must be within the church. Upon each
loaf of bread there must be twelve impressions of
crosses, and each of the crosses must be within a
square. The middle cross is larger than any of the
others, and is distinguished by the words of Ishbo-
dicon, which signifies, belonging to the Lord, it
being appropriated for the use of the priest who per-
forms divine service. Roimd the whole of the loaves
an inscription is impressed, which in English signi-
fies " Holy, holy, holy is the Lord."'
AmoDg the Ethiopians there are still to be found'
.some monks, called Coptics, M'ho first flourished in
Egypt, but by no difficult sort of gradation made
their way into Ethiopia. They profess the utmost
contempt for all worldly things, and look upon
themselves as a sort of terrestrial angels. They are
obliged to part with all their possessions before they
can enter uj)on a monastic life ; they must like-
wise renounce marriage for over, live in deserts, be
clothed in wool, eat no flesh, employ most of
their time in prayer and labour, be continually
thinking upon God, and apply themselves to the
reading of the sacred scriptures.
They sleep on a mat laid on the ground, and be-
fore they lay themselves down to rest, they stretch
out their hands one hundred and fifty times in the
form of a cross. They divide the day into three
parts; one for labour, one for refreshment, and
54
RELIGION IN ETHIOPU AND ADJOINING NATIONS.
one for prayer. All their monasteries are situated
in deserts, and to prevent them being molested by
wild beasts, most of them have no doors, but the
monks are let out and brought in by a machine fixed
to one of the windows.
There are among the Ethiopians another sort of
monks called Corrupticole, which is rather an op-
probrious name given them, because they assert
that the body of Christ was subject to corruption ;
\vhich being one of the opinions embiaced by the
Eutychians, there will remain some reason to be-
lieve that the doctrines of that heretic were taught
in Ethiopia, during the first ages of Christianity.
It is very remarkable, that even in the island of
Madagascar, there are some remains of the Chris-
tian religion ; and when we consider the navigation
of ancient ages, we can only ascribe the first plant-
ing of it in such a remote part of the globe, to an
intercourse kept up between the inhabitants and
those of Ethiopia. Their manners and customs are
almost similar, but it is much to be lamented, that
while they are acquainted with the name of the true
God, they have forgotten the most essential princi-
ples in religion.
As the eunuch, who was prime minister to the
queen of Ethiopia, was one of the most illustrious
converts to the truth of the gospel, it is necessary
that consistent with our plan, we should lay before
the reader every thing concerning the sacrament of
baptism. Baptism implies the washing away of all
impurities ; and certain it is, this rite was always
attended to both by Jews and heathens long before
our Saviour came in the flesh. Thus we read, that
Aaron and his sons were commanded, previous to
their consecration to the priosthood, to be washed in
water at the door of the tabernacle. To this may
be added, that the learned Spencer proves that long
before our Saviour's time, all the heathens who be-
came proselytes to the Jewish religion, were previ-
ously baptized. There are some indeed who consider
(his ceremony as invented by the Rabbies who lived
after the Babylonish captivity ; but when it is con-
sidered, that the Jews always held the Christians in
Uie utmost abhorrence, it will appear highly proba-
ble that this ceremony was borrowed from them,
consistent with the practices of their ancestors. Every
(Jhrislian must acknowledge, that the sacrament of
the Lord's Supper comes in place of the Jewish pas-
saver; and, by parity of reason, baptism is to
Christians the same in effect, as circumcision was
to the Jews of old.
The learned Grotius is of opinion, that baptism
was observed by the ancient nations ever since the
tleluge, ill memory of the world having been des-
troyed by water, and none but Noah and his family
saved, Spencer lays it down as a probable suppo-
sition though not as a positive proof, that the Jews
received the doctrine'of baptism from the neighljour-
ing nations, who always used ablutions or washings
wlien they admitted proselytes among them. In con-
firmation of this opinion, Spencer takes notice, tirst,
that there is not in the Mosaical law, a single pre-
cept for the baptising of proselytes, God having en-
joined only the rite of circumcision'for the admission
of strangers into the Jewish religion. Secondly, that
among the heathen nations, it was customary that
those who weve to be initiated into their mysteries
should be first purified, by washing in water, as a
sign of their being cleansed from all impurities.
Lastly, Spencer observes, that Christ, in the insti-
tution of his sacraments, paid a peculiar regard to
those rites which had been borrowed by the Jews
from the heathen nations. All this may be true,
and yet there is somewhat ambiguous in every expres-
sion made use of by the learned Spencer, which we
shall endeavour to elucidate, and lay before the rea-
der in the most clear and comprehensive terms.
That baptism was used by the J ews long before
the coming of Christ cannot be denied ; for when
John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness,
his conduct was not considered as an innovation, but
as what had been long practised ; for the popular
manner in which he was treated, arose from his
humility, self-denial, the purity of his doctrine, and
above all, his calling himself the forerunner of Jesus,
who, at that time was earnestly looked for by the Jews.
It was a ceremony pointing out the corruption of
human nature, and the necessity that men should
be under when they left their former profession, to
live and become new creatures, like a person who
has been washed from the impurities of body in
water.
In the primitive ages of Christianity, the bishop,
or pastor of a congregation, generally baptized such
as made profession of their faith ; but still in liis ab-
sence, it was permitted that any of tlie faithful might
perform the ceremony, so that it was not done by
women. There are too things to be considered
relating to baptism, first, the age of the person to be
baptized ; and secondly, the place where the cere--
mony was performed.
Those who argue against infant baptism, urge,
that no persons whatever are to be baptized till they
make profession of their faith in Christ, and pro-
mise to be obedient to all the rules laid down in
his gospel ; and they ground this part of their ar-
gument upon the silence of the New Testament
concerning the ceremony of infant baptism, and
likewise upon the words of Christ, when he com-
manded his disciples to go and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Now, say they, it
appears from these words, that no person could be
baptized until he was first taught ; and it is ccrtainj
RELIGION IN ETHIOPIA AND ADJOINING NATIONS.
56
that children are not capable of receiving instruction
in such momentous points upon whicli their ever-
lasting- salvation depends.
To this it is answered by tliose who contend for
infant baptism, that as the Lord's Supper is acknow-
ledged by all denomination of Christians, to come
in the room of the passover, so baptism comes in
the room of circumcision. To illustrate this, let us
only attend to the following circumstances. Tiie
passover was instituted to commemorate the deliver-
ance of the children of Israel from Egyptian bon-
dage ; the Lord's Supper to commemorate our deli-
verance from the power of guilt and sin. The
passover was established on the evening of tha^day
on which God intended to signalize his wonderful
power and mercy to his chosen people; and the
night that Jesus Christ was betrayed, he instituted
the Lord's Supper. The passover was to be cele-
brated annually by the Jews, and the Lord's Supper
is to be observed by all denomination of Christians
till the end of time. Let us now consider how far
baptism comes in the room of circumcision, and we
shall make use of arguments on each side of the
question. Circumcision was a rite pointing out, that
the Jews were distinguished from all other people iu
the world, and so was baptism among Christians.
Every male child among the Jews was, in ■ conse-
quence of circumcision, entitled to all the privileges
of the commonwealth of Israel ; and in like "manner,
the son or daughter of a Christian parent, is entitled,
through baptism, to all the blessings of the new cove-
nant. As children must always be considered as
passive, having no will of their own, so the Jews were
obliged to promise, in the act of circumcision, to
bring them up in the principles of the Mosaic law.
In the same manner, parents under the New Testa-
ment dispensation, are either in their own persons,
or by sponsors, obliged to promise that as far as lays
in their power, their children shall be properly edu-
cated in every Christian duty. Every circumcised
child among the Jews, was considered as one who
was to have no connection with the heathen nations
around them : and every child baptized in the name
of the sacred and ever blessed Trinity, becomes a
sworn soldier of Christ Jesus, and he is to fight
aganist all the enemies of his Divine Redeemer.
Having thus in the most faithful manner, stated the
arguments made use of by each party, we shall
leave the reader to judge who is right or who is
wrong ; and let every person search the scriptures,
that he may be able to give an account of the hope
that is in him.
The utility of what has been here -said coiKerning
baptism, will appear the more necessary, when we
consider that the Ethiopian Christians mingle toge-
tlier the Jewish and the Christian ceremonies. This
practice of tlusirs is not of a criminal nature, for it
was followed by many of the primitive Christians.
When the Apostle Paul went up to Jerusalem, he
submitted to some parts and ceremonies of the law
of Moses, nor does he condeinn any for adhering to
it, but those Jewish converts who sought to impooc
it upon the Gentile proselytes. That Christ was tin;
end of the law for righteousness to every one that
believed, we have the highest testimony of scripture,
for when he expired on the cross, he said it is finisiied,
and the veil of the temple w as rent, thereby inti-
mating, that the law was no more of an obligatory
nature, either as the condition of salvation, or as
a rule of conduct. But still in compassion to the
weakness of many jiersons among the Jews, they
were allowed to observe their own rites and ceremo-
nies, so as they did not trust in them for salvation,
noriimpose them upon others. It was in order to
elucidate this subject, that the Apostle Paul wrote
his famous epistle to the Galatians, and tiio.se w ho
will attend to it with care, w ill find that he does not
direct the force of his argument against those who-
observed the Jewish ceremonies, but only against
those who imposed them.
With respect to the place of baptism, it was at
first unlimited, and the ceremony was frequently
performed in a pond, a lake, or a river, but always
as near as possible to the place of public worship.
About the latter end of the second century, they be-
gan to' build fonts, or rather they made pits, w hich
they filled with water near the front doors of their
churches ; afterw ards they removed them into the
church porch, and at last into the church itself.
When grow n persons were to be baptized, they were
first examined by the bishops concerning their belief
of the Christian faith, but if an infant, then his pa-
rents or sponsors were to vouch for him. It does not
appear that sponsors w'cre allowed for children till
towards the latter end of the second century, and
that which gave rise to it was, sometimes the mo-
thers were heathens. In performing this ceremony,
the usual custom was to dip tlie whole body over in
water; for as St. Barnabas saysj-" We go down in-
to the'^water full of sin and filth, but we ascend bear-
ing fruit in our hearts." And that all occasions of
scandal and immodesty might be prevented in so sa-
cred a ceremony, the men and women were baptized
in different apartments, the women having assistants
to undress and to dress their.
They were anointed with oil, and the form of the
cross was marked on their foreheads ; but, as will
appear in another part of this work, this ceremony
did not take place till the beginning of the fourth
century. After being anointed, the candidate for
baptism had a white robe j)ut on him, to denote his
being washed from the defilements of sin, or perhaps
in allusion to the words of the Apostle, " As many
as are baptized into Christ, have put on Christ." It
SCi
RELIGION OP TIIE ARMRyiAXS, GEORGIANS AND CIRCASSIANS,
u'ae from tins custom that the name or word of
Wliit-Sunday t</ok itij rise, \»hi';h is now one of the
great f^jfetivajn in th<! Chriirtian churcli. \\ Iten fwp-
tiwn wax over, the ^\hite garnient was laid up iti tJje
church, that it miglit be an r:v[<i<mrx against K«ch as
d/niied tliat faith wliicli they Wi mad<; a soJemn pro-
fisisl'm of; of tliiji we have a remarkable instance
under duj Arian persecution in Africa. Kipiiiopho-
m», a citizen of Catthaj^e, Jiad livefi mwiv yearx in
communion with the faithful, hut having joined him-
self to the Arian-<, be^jame a mottt cruel pf^r^cjmUtr.
Among others v. Iiotn he put to the rack, wa« one
Milita^, an aj^cd v<nierabk- Deacon, who, previoux
to the torture, palh^i out th« white garment in w hich
Klpidophoru'i had been baptized, and witli tears in
bin eyes, thuK addreriijcl him before all the p'Xiple:
" The»>e, Klpidojihonw, ihou rnmiutiir of error,
are tlw; garnientii tliat shall a/.cu»e thee, wlien thou
f>halt appear before the majexty of the great judge ;
tlieiM; are they, which girl thee, when thou canieut
pure out of the holy font : and the»«; arc tliey which
(AaU bitterly pursu* thee, when thou shall l>« ca*t
into the place of flauiei) ; be<,au»e thou bath dothcsd
thyself with cunning a-s v.ith a garment, and hast
ca«t off the sacred obligation of thy baptism."
Sprinkling first came into use in corwequciice of
some people beinjj c/Miverted on Uieir deatli beds,
which oftcii happerid; for wlratever the heathens
&aid of the primitive Christians, yet thfnr faith and
exefri|)lary conduct put them to- the blush, and they
were glad to take pait witti ihfrfn in the hour of A,-atb.
So much for the origin of baptisrn in the Chris-
tian church, and we shall, in the progress of this.
work, point out the ceremonies used in different
parts of the wfn-ld. The f^ily inference we would
hwe draw is, that men ought not to be too forward
in asserting the belief of what they may consider t<y
be true ; nor let tlunn be too hasty in condemning
tliose who differ frmn them. We are but fallibhr
creatures, and many things will be reveale<l to us in
a future state, which wr; do not at |»re»ent compre-
licnd.
KELIGION OF THE ARMENIANS, GEORGIANS AND
CIRCASSIANS.
Jl HI'^SE an';ient natiorwhavc been long celebrated
in history, b'/th sacred and profane, although under
a variety of names. Sometimes they made a part of
the Persian and Median empire ; but when Rome
declined in her glory, they s<-t up princes of their
own, som<? of whom have still descenrlaiits among
them. In general, they are at present »id>j(-ct to the
'J'nrks, and it is from these countries, that the seraglio
of the grand sei<{nior is sujiplicd with beautiful
women.
Armenia is a very extensive country, and gene-
rally divided into the greater and lesser, but taking
botli together, they are bounded in the following
maimer. It bn> CJeorgia on the north; on the south
fnoimt 'J'anrns, whieti divides it fi<)in MeH0[)ot:imi3,
on the west th<; liver i'-uphrate^t, and on the east by
the Ca«piai) niouiitains.
Georgia has the (Caspian Sea on the east, the
finxine Sea on th<! west, on the nortli Circassia, and
on the south part Armenia. 'I'he river (^iir, or
Cyrn«, so called from ihe eirif)eror <;f that name,
runs throu!.di it, dividing it into two e((iiid parts.
(/iicussia is patted Iroiii (Georgia by an oiith't of
the HIack Sea, and mount (yocassis; on the north by
the great riv<* Don, rm the east by the Caspian Sea,
sfiu! the mouth of thf Wolga, and on the viest by
tlie Streighta of CofTa. It is divided into several
principalities, and sometimes they do homage to the
Turks, but most commonly to the Russians.
'I'he inhabitants of these countries ; like all others
except the Jews, were, at the time of our Saviour's
incarnation, heathens ; and we are told by several
ancient authors, that tliey worshipped Noah under
the name of Janus, on a< count of his having invent-
ed the use of wine, and his wife yAretia, whom they
called Vesta, or the (;arlh. 'I'here is no doubt but
both Noah and his sons were worshipped after their
deaths, when idolatry began to prevail in the world ;
but as these nations are situated so near Persia and
Assyria, we may naturally <;oiicltide, that there was
but very little difFerciice Ixitween them.
'I'he (christian religion was taught liere soon after
our Saviour's ascension, and probably by .St. Peter
or some of his disciples ; for we. find in Kusebius,
that they had many fhiiirishing churches before the
reign of Constantine the Great. Like the other parts
of th«; Christian norld, they adinilted useless rites
and ceremonies, and embraced notions contrary to
the simplicity of the sacr«'d scriptures. Their most
leading notions are the Collosving :
1. — Like the Greeks, they assert that tlie Holy
Ghost proceeds from the father alone.
RELIGION OF THE ARMENIANS, GEORGIANS AND CIRCASSIANS.
C. — ^Tliey belief ihat when Christ descended
into hell, he granted a reprieve to all damned souls,
which is to continue to the end of the world, when
thev are to be sent again into eternal flames.
S. — They assert that the souls of the righteous
shall not be admitted into everlasting happiness till
lifter the general resurrection ; and yet they burn
lamps before their images, adore them as objects of
■worslii|), and pmy for their assistance.
4. — Thev confess their sins to the priests, nuich
in the same manner *s in the Greek church.
j. — 111 baptism, they plunge the cliild three times
in the water, and make the cross on its forehead with
consecrated oil.
6. — Thev give the cup as well as the bread to the
laity, and they observe a vast number of festivals.
They have monks who follow the order of St.
Basil, and they have several nunneries for religious
women. The monks wear the same habit as the
■Creeks, anil instead of spending their time in idle-
ness, some of them dress their gardens, others per-
form divine service, while the more aged and in-
lirm instruct the children in the villages. The
nuns have great privileges ; for they are permitted
to baptize, and to cross the child witli the holy oil.
Thev wear a loose black robe, and are always veiled
when they appear in places of public worship ; but
they are not permitted to visit company, nor to con-
verse with men besides their priests, when they
come to hear their confessions.
Throughout the whole of these extensive conn-
tries, there is to be found an order of monks called
Jacobites, from one .laci)b, a Syrian, who lived
about the middle of the sixth century, but they are
divided in ditVerent sects. Some of them follow the
rites c>f the Roman church, others follow those of the
Greek, and a third deny the authority of both. They
have generally two rival patriarchs, and each pre-
tend to be endued with infallibility, so that they are
constautiv disputi\ig and tjuarrelling. As to their
belief, thev hold that thireis but one nature in Jesus
Christ, and with respect to the (nirgalory and
prayers for the dead, they are of the same opinion
with the Greeks, iind the other »astern churches,
"which may serve to shew that they were once one
and tlie same people in their religious sentiments.
Thev do not admit that auricular coutession is of
divine institution, and they use leavened bread in
the eucharist. They perform j>art of their service
in the Chaldean language, but jiart of their mass is
said in Hebrew. They believe in transubstantia-
i;on, and they administer the eucharist in both
kinds, both to grown persons and to children.
\\ hen they administer tliis ordinance, they make a
large cake, and when it is cut into small pieces,
they distriluite it to the people in comnuMnora-
tiou of Christ's body mni soul having been sej>arat-
4
ed by deatli on the cross, to make an atonement
for sin.
They have written oftices of devotion, for the art
of printing is yet unknown amongst them ; but with
respect to the history of their religion, it is convened
by the priests to the people, in the way of narrative,
traditions, and legends.
Legends consisted originally of the lives of saints
and martyrs ; and it was the practice in the fourth
century, to read these in Christian churches. As
every church was dedicated to some particular saiut,
so the priest availed himself of keeping a list, or re-
cord of their actions, of which we shall mention the
following instances.
The golden legends written about the year VIQS,
contains a collection of the most ridiculous stories,
said to have been read in the eastern churches after
the time of Constantine the Great ; but even the
Roman Catholics are now so much ashamed of it,
that it is seldom used but in the most obscure coun-
try churches.
The priests at Mentz in Germany, have a legend,
which is sincerely believed by the people, namely,
that one day a pri)tligato fellow swore he would
kill the first man he met, and a crucifix being
carried through the streets in procession, he struck
at it with his sword, which brought blood from it.
Immediately the fellow sunk up to the knees in
earth, where he stood fixed till the magistrates ap-
prehended him ; he was condemned, and burnt alive
at a stake.
At Landsberg, a considerable town in Bavaria,
there is a crucifix in the church of the Franciscan
friars, placed over the altar, and the person who
shew s the chun-h, tells travellers, that a fellow once
spewed upon this figure, upon w hich the devil maiie
his appearance, and carried him through the south
wall of the chancel ; and to commemorate this re-
markable event, there is a round window made in
the breach with an inscription over it. in the cathe-
dral church of Milan, they have a legend, that
while St. Ambrose was bishop of that city, there
was a bloody battle between the orthodox and the
Arians ; and the good bishop prayed for a sign from
heawn, wlieieby he might distinguish tlieir bodies.
That sign was granted him ; for as the legend says,
he went among the slain, and all the orthodox lay
with their faces upwards, and the Arians with their
faces downwards.
At Akin ill Gern>any. there is a legend of a very
extraordinary nature, transmitted down tVom one
generation to another. — Travellers aresliewn a large
pair of brass gates, one of which has a crack, oc-
casioned by llie following circumstance : when
Charles the Great, commonly called Charlemagne,
had given orders for the building of this cluirch,
the devil came one dav aud asked him what Ll in-
58
RELIGION OF THE ARMENIANS, GEORGIANS AND CIRCASSIANS.
tended it for ? To which the emperor answered,
for a gaming house ; and the devil went away,
seemingly well satisfied. A few days afterwards,
the devil came again, and seeing some altars erect-
ed, asked what they were for i" The emperor an-
sweied, for gaming-tables, which encouraged the
devil to lend his assistance towards the building.
Accordingly he brought a large pair of brass gates
on his shoulders ; but happening to see a crucifix,
he flung them down and took to liis heels, and one
of the gates received the crack which is still shewn.
This story is related by the priests in as serious a
manner as if it was part of the sacred history.
In Calabria is a city named St. Agatha, where
the priests belonging to the church shew piece of a
pillar, kept in a glass frame, which they tell you
shincd when Paul preached in that place. The Je-
suits wanted to remove this relic to their college ;
but although only a few pounds in weight, yet
twenty men were not able to move it, though one man
carried it to the place -where it now stands.
Another legend, equally extraordinary and ridicu-
lous, is the following, related by the people of Mal-
ta, and firmly believed by them. Three young gen-
tlemen, knights of Malta, having been taken pri-
soners by the Turks, were brought before the grand
seignior, who ordered one of his priests to convert
them to the Mahometan religion, but they conti-
nued stedfast in their opinions. Being brought into
the seraglio, the grand seignior's daughter fell in
love with them, and told her father, that if lie
would permit her, she would convert them. Ac-
cordingly she was admitted to them ; but tiiey told
her they had taken an oath never to marry, promis-
ing at the same time to shew her an exact represen-
tation of the Virgin Mary. This they attempted to
do on a piece of carved wood, but not being pro-
perly skilled in the art, they prayed for assistance
from heaven, which was inunediately granted ; for
the image of the Virgin appeared, and the young
princess having made her escape along with the
knights, arrived at Malta, and entered herself in a
uunnery.
In Armenia, Georgia and Circassia, there are
many such ridiculous legends ; and indeed almost
every church has a feigned history of the saint to
whom it is dedicated. This will not seem strange,
when we consider how ignorant the people are of
the first principles of religion ; nay, they are now
little better than barbarians ; sentiments they have
few, and their ceremonies are ridiculous. In their
marriages they vise the ring, which seems to have
been the practice of the most early ages, it being
an emblem of eternity.
The priest performs the marriage ceremony in
the church, and he anoints both the bride and the
bridegroom, by pouring consecrated oil on their
heads, and marking the sign of the cros.s on their
breasts. The relations of both parties come dresse<J
in white, and tlie young wonien accompany tlie
bride with natural, or artificial garlands, according
to the season of the year ; and when the ceremony
is over, they place them under their feet at the
church door. On their return home, songs of love
are sung before the new married couple, and the
evening is spent in every sort of festivity. During
these feasts, they still retain some Pagan customs,
such as oftering plates with corn and wine to the
bridegroom, thereby pointing out, that the duty of
man consists in all temporal things to cultivate the
fruits of the earth, and the women to prepare thenj
for proper use. That this was a practice observed
by the heathens, will appear in the subsequent part
of'this work ; but still we have some instances of it
among the Jews, where we are told by the prophet,
that corn shall make the young men cheerful, and
new wine the virgins. This may serve to shew:,
that there is, and always has been, a sort of aflinity
in religious sentiments, among all ancient nations^,
althougli they were not always placed upon the pro-
per object, nor directed to the proper end.
They have many ridiculous ceremonies in burying
their dead ; but when we compare some of them
with wiiat we find in our own country, perhaps we
are as ridiculous as they. They hire people of both
sexes to attend funerals, all of whom are dressed
in white, and w ithout any connection with the de-
ceased, they utter grievous lamentations, because
he has been removed by deatli. And is it not
equally ridiculous in we Protestants to hire men to
appear in black, at the funeral of our deceased
relations. When the body is put into the ground,
holy water is poured, or rather sprinkled upon it,
and the priest tolls a small hand bell, conjuring all
evil spirits to keep away from the corpse. The re-
lations cover the grave with baskets of flowers, in-
timating thereby, that as vegetation will create the
beauties of the earth at the return of the season, so
God will raise the dead body when Christ makes
his second and glorious appearance to judge the
world in righteousness. They visit the burying
grounds from time to time, where they repeat seve-
ral prayers for the repose of the souls of the depart-
ed ; for it is their fixed opinion, that they, although
removed by death, yet are well acquainted with the
aft'airs of this world. This is not a new sentiment,
nor is it easy for mortals to forget those who have
been dear to them in this world, and the memory of
whom they cannot forget.
Great regard, and the most reverential respect
are paid to the bones and ashes of the deceased ; and
when graves are opened, they make enclosures, and
pile np the remains, that no indecencies may be of-
fered to them. Once iu the year, they sprinkle the
PAGAN RELIGIONS IN THE EMPIRE OF THE GREAT MOGUL.
69
boiies wirii holy water, and pray to their titular
saiuts to hasten the time of their restoration to a
blessed immortality. Perhaps there is somcliiing
iQore eitpressive in this part of their conduct than
many are apt to attend to, for if we will seriously
consider the natural temptations and dispositions of
men, ^^e shall find that a principle is implanted in
every human mind, by which we are led to pay
some rcpect to the dead ; and indeed it may be ad-
ded, that tho-se who treat the remains of the dead
with any marks of indignity, will never shew com-
passion, nor exercise acts of benevolence to tlie
living.
In considering the religions of those people we
have now been treatmg of, compared with what
went before, namely, the Abyssiniaus or Ethio-
pians, several tilings present themselves to our con-
sideration, which ought to be attended to with care,
and properly improved by all those who live under
the gospel dispensation, who profess their belief in
Jesus, but who perhaps, at tlie same time, set too
low a value upon their privileges.
And first let us learn, that ignorance leads the
mind astray from the purity of religion, and then
the most monstrous acts of barbarity will take place,
in consequence of embracing erroneous sentiments.
Erroneous principles will at all times lead to im-
moral practices, and those who deviate from the
ways of virtue, seldom know whcii or where to
stop.
Secondly, it is dangerous to mix human passions
with divine institutions, for God is not such as our-
selves ; his nature and his attributes are perfect, but
we are poor, weak, imperfect creatures. In all
actions, wc should consider our dependance on the
Divine Being, and unless we look daily for the in-
fluences of his holy spirit, we may naturally con-
clude, that he will leave us to our own vain imagi-
nations, and then we are ruined.
Lastly, let us always remember what we are,
lest we should sink into tlie same wretched state as
those people whom we have just now mentioned ;
and instead of adherring to tlie pure doctrines of the
gospel, we may degenerate down to a state of bar-
barism, and entail misery and infamy upon our
children, our relations, and our dependents.
HISTORY OF THE DIFFERENT PAGAN RELIGIONS IN THE
EMPIRE OF THE GREAT MOGUL.
I
N treating of this subject, much matter presents
itself to our consideration : but we shall divide the
whole into the following heads, under which we
shall consider every thing necessary to be known,
for the instruction and entertainment of the reader.
First, the extent and situation of the Mogul's em-
pire. Secondly, an account shall be given of the
Bramins, their gods, their sentiments, and worship.
Thirdly, the Banians, and all the otlier tribes inha-
biting that country', excepting the Mahometans, &.c.
who will be treated of in their proper places.
Tamerlane, a very extraordinary person, who
■rose from an obscure original, availing himself of
the confusion and anarchy which reigned in his own
country (the eastern part of great Tartary) put him-
self at the head of an army of chosen men ; and
having quelled the disturbances that had long infest-
ed the state, the emperor of great Tartary gave him
his daughter in marriage, and from that connection
the present race of Mogul emperors are descended,
.and with wliom many European nations have great
commercial connections.
The people of the eastern parts of Tartary were
called Moguls, and Tamerlane being their country-
man, marched at the head of a pow erful and well-
disciplined army into India, where, having subdued
several of their ancient princes, he laid the founda-
tion of that ancient empire about the year l'K)0. In
one of his expeditions against the Turks, he took
prisoner the famous Bajazet, sultan of the Otto-
mans, whom he treated at first with great humanity,
but Bajazet was so insolent, lliat Tamerlane shut
him up in an iron cage, where he dashed out
his own brains.
Tamerlane lived many years in great splendour,
but his successors having given themselves up to all
sorts of licentiousness, the empire was reduced to
the lowest ebb, when a great hero arose to restore
it to its ancient splendour. The name of this illus-
trious person was Aurenzeb. He was born a little
before the middle of the last century, and finding
that it was his father's intention to disinherit him,
he siuit the old emperor up in prison, where he was
treated with tenderness, but his son got himself
proclaimed in his room.
He restored peace to the empire ; and although
he embraced the religion of Muhomet, yet such
was his generosity of sentiment, that he granted a
GO
PAGAN RELIGIONS IN THE EMPIRE 07 THE GREAT MOGUL.
free toleration to all tlie heathens who inhabited his
dominions, and most of their rites remain to the
•present time.
The extent of the Mogul empire is great indeed :
it contains all those provinces within the Ganges,
besides many more beyond the bounds of that once
celebrated country. Some parts of his dominions
reach as far as tlie borders of China, and other
-parts to tlie English settlements at Madras. It is
generally allowed, that the dominions of the great
Mogul are the richest in the universe, but those
riches consist chiefly of diamonds, and such other
things as have been always considered, by wise
men, as articles of luxury rather than utility : the
-use of them by Europeans, has tended much to-
wards the corruption of our morals, and the enhanc-
ing the prices of provisions by the exhorbitant value
set upon landed estates. How far this madness may
extend itself, God only knows, so that we shall
not at present say any thing more concerning it,
but proceed in the second place, to take notice
of those gods or idols which are worshipped by
the people.
In treating of the gods or idols of the Indian na-
tions, we shall confine ourselves to the best ac-
counts that have been transmitted to us by those
■who iiave visited the different places, and written
•what came under their own observation; and here
the author is very happy in acknowledging himself
indebted for some part of his materials to a learned
German, who resided many years in India.
All those heathen Indians, when divided into
tribes, have each a separate god, but they form
such notions of his attributes aud perfections, as in
some cases, are not w'orthy of the meanest of tiie
animal creation. They have books of considerable
antiquity, containing rules of faith and duty, but
they contradict themselves so often, that it appears
"evident they were written at difterent times, and by
tiifferent persons. Some of them worshipped boiled
rice, because it is the food they chiefly subsist on ;
■hnt to understand their notions aright, we must
give an historical account of their origin, and from
that it will appear, that they have all along had
some notion of a Trinity in the godhead, which pro-
bably was conveyed down to them by oral tradition,
although now much obscured by darkness and fable.
Their writers say, that in the beginning God
created a woman, whose name was, " Pai axacti,"
which signified sublime power, and this woman had
three sons, the first of whom was born witli five
heads, and was called " Bruma," which signifies
knowledge, and he was endued with the power of
cieatiug all inferior beings. The name of the se-
cond was " Vixnu," and he was to be the lord of
■ providence, by preserving all things as they came
Hfiom the hands of " Bruma." The third son was
named " Rutrem," and he had power given him to
destroy all things which his other two brothers had
made and preserved.
This "Rutrem," like his brother "Bruma,"
had five heads, aud the three brothers agreed to
many their mother. It is related of Bruma, that de
sirous of taking his own daughter to wife, he assum-
ed the form of a stag, and pursued his daiighter
till she got into a forest, w here he lay with her ; but
liis brotliers, in an assembly of thirty thousand mil-
lions of gods, having heard what he had done, re-
solved to punish him by cutting off one of his heads.
This punishment was inflicted by Rutrem, who,
having found Bruma, tore off one of his heads
with his nails, and since tliat time he has had only
four heads.
But Bruma, not being satisfied with having mar-
ried, or rather ravished his own daughter, took
Saiassuadi, another woman to wife, who was re-
puted to be extremely learned, and she is still held
in great veneration among the Indians. According
to the notions of those heathens, the god Bruma
writes upon the forehead of every new born child,
an account of all that shall happen to him in this
world, and that it is not in the power of God or
man to prevent these things from taking place.
Thus we find that the doctrine of fatality has taken
place in the most early ages, and even in the most
barbarous nations, but this subject must be consider-
ed afterwards.
Again it is related by the Indians of Vixnu, the
second son of Paraxacti, and also one of her hus-
bands, that he married Laximi, who for many years
after, was worshipped under the form of a cow, and
sometimes a horse. The Indian women wear the
name of Laximi in a ribbon, tied round their necks
or arms, and it is considered as a charm for the cure
of all sorts of diseases, and likewise to preserve them
from all sorts of accidents. It is said of this Vixnu,
that he metamorphosed himself several times, which
probably gave rise to the notion of the transmigration
of souls, so commonly taught, both in China and
many parts of the Mogul empire. It is added, that
he first assumed the form and nature of a fish, and
although no reason was assigned for this transmig-
ration, yet it appears evident, that the whole re-
presents the power he is believed to have over the
waters. The second form he assumed, was that of
of a tortoise, and, indeed, for a very whimsical reason.
The Indians believe that there are seven seas in the
world, one of which is of milk, of so delicious a
nature, that the gods eat butter made of it. Accord-
ingly it happened one day, that when the gods
wanted to feast on the butter according to custom,
they brought to the shore of the sea of milk, a higli
mountain of gold, which the heathens believe sup-
ports the fourteen worlds, whereof this universe is
PAGAN RELIGIONS IN THE EMPIRE OF THE GREAT MOGUL.
(ji
composed. The uppermost part of this mountain
served them for a resting place, over which they
brou<?ht an adder of a monstrous size, having an
hundred licads, vvliich at all times support the four-
teen worlds. The gods made use of this adder as a
rope, in order to get at the butter more easily, but
while tliey were attempting to procure the butter,
the giants, who have a continual hatred against tiie
"ods, drew the adder on the other side with so much
violence, that it shook the whole frame of the uni-
verse, and sunk it so low, that Vixuu, assuming
the form of a tortoise, placed himself under it, and
supported it. In the mean time, the hundred-headed
adder, being unable any longer to endure the pain
tlie gods and giants had put him to, vomited upon
ihfe giants something of a poisonous nature, which
killed many of them on the spot.
'Die next form assumed by V'ixnu, was that of a
beautiful woman, and such of the giants as remained
alive, fell desperately in love with her. By this ar-
titice, he amused the giants till the gods had eat all
the butter, and then he vanished away in a moment
and left them.
In his third incarnation, he changed himself into
the form of a hog, in consequence of the following
incident. One day a contest arose between the three
gods, Bnima, Vixuu and Rutrem, concerning the
extent of their power. Rutrem undertook to go and
hide himself, and, at the same time, promised to
submit himself to him who should first discover his
head and feet. But if they could not tind his head
and feet, then the others were to acknowledge him
as the supi-eme god. Bruma and Vixnu having
given llieir consent, Rutrem immediately vanished,
and hid his head and feet in places at a great distance
from each other, where he imagined they could not
be found. In the mean time, Bruma set out in
search of the head, and that he might the more easily
succeed, he transformed himself into the shape of a
swan ; but finding that he could not see any ap-
pearance of it, he resolved to return home. But
Just as he was going to give over his search, he met
with a thistle-flower, which came and saluted him
in a very courteous manner, and slwwed him the
place where Rutrem.had hid his head. Immediately
Bruma ran to the place, where he found his brother's
head, who was vexed to think that what he imagined
to be impossible, had been discovered. Rutrem, ex-
asperate against the flower, pronounced a curse
upon it, forbidding it ever to come into his presence;
and this is the reason why his followers will not per-
mit thistles to be brought into tiieir temples in any
part of the East-Indies.
The next thing to be done was to fmd out his
feet, for which purpose \ ixnu transformed himself
into a hog, and ran up and down from place to place,
digging into tlie bowels of the earth, but all to no
purpose ; for he came out of the earth like a hog as
he went in. He is, however, still worshipped under
the form of a hog, and divine honours are paid to
him, as to a celestial being.
The next forms that Vixnu assumed, were those
of a man and a lion at the same time, the circum-
stancx's of which we shall relate as they have been
transmitted to us. Kutrer» conceived a strong friend-
ship for one Iranien, a mighty giant, and granted
him the singular privilege that no one should kill
him either by day or by night : but tbis extraordi-
nary grant, instead of having melted the giant into
gratitude, had quite a dift'erent effect, for it made
him proud, haughty, and insolent, and he even in-
sisted upon being worsjiippcd as a god. To punish
the giant, \ ixnu had recourse to a stratagem, he
rushed out in the form of a cloud, and appeared
siuldenly before the giant in the shape of a monster,
half man and half lion. This Mas towards evening,
when Iranien was standing at the threshold of his
door, Vixnu, throwing himself upon him, tore him
to pieces, pulled out his bowels, and drank the last
drop of his blood ; but this had such an eftect upon
Vixnu's brain, that he has remained stupid ever since.
His fifth transformation was into a dwarf, of which
the following account is given. During an early
period, Magapelixacravanti, an enormousgiant, was
the only king upon earth, and a most blood-thirsty
tyrant. The people addressed themselves to Vixnu,
to be delivered from his tyranny, and he had com-
passion upon their afflictions, and resolved to destroy
the detestable tyrant. Accordingly he transformed
himself into the shape of a dwarf, and went to tlie
city where the tyrant kept his court, begging of him
a grant of three feet of ground to build himself a
house. Tlie tyraut was going to have granted a re-
quest of so trifling a nature, when tlie morning star,
which attended him under the character of secretary
of state, suspected there was some treason in the
case. It was common when requests were granted,
for the king to take water iai his mouth, and pour
some of it into the hand of the suppliant, and there-
fore the secretary, by the assistance of magic, slip-
ped imperceptibly down the prince's throat, in or-
der to prevent the water he had in his mouth from
coming up again.
The magic, however, had not the desired eflfeet ;
for the king finding something in his tliroat, forced
a sharp instrument into it, vUiich j>ut out one of the
secretary's eyes, and the water gushed out upon the
head of Vixnu. Vixnu, willing to take possession
of the place granted him, changed his form, aud
became so large that the whole earth was not suffi-
cient to afford room for liis feet. He tlieu said to
the king, you have given me three feet of earth, and
yet the whole world can scarcely contain one of my
feet, where am I to place the other ? The tyrant
64
PAGAN RELIGIONS IN THE EMPIRE OF THE GREAT MOGUL.
being sensible of his guilt, laid his head down before
Vixnu, who, with one stroke, kicked it into the
lowest abyss of hell. This wretched tyrant, finding
himself condemned to hell, begged pardon and
mercy of Vixnu ; but all the favour that could be
shewn him was, that one day's respite should be
granted him annually, in order to assist at some par-
ticular ceremonies, to be observed in commemora-
lion of that event, and which is still kept up by his
I'ollo^vers, during the month of November ; but ex-
cepting that day, once in the year, the tyrant was to
be punished in hell for ever.
His sixth form was that of a man, and he was
<"alled Ramcni by the people of the east, for the fol-
lowing reasons : he subdued a great number of petty
tyrants, and washed his hands in their blood, nor
did he desist from fighting against them until they
were totally destroyed. In the same form he de-
stroyed many dreadful giants, some of whom had
carried off his wife, and he had recourse to a most
extraordinaiy stratagem, to discover the place where
she was concealed. He ordered all the apes in the
country to attend him, and these animals were so
much oveijojed to meet with such an opportunity
of doing service to Vixnu, that they assembled in a
numerous body, and joined him with their reinforce-
ments. Through the power of Vixnu, and the dex-
terity of the apes, the giants were overcome, sub-
dued, and destroyed; and Rameni, or Vixnu, re-
gained his wife.
The last form he assumed was that of a black
man,
of which the foUowino; account is given :
There was a great tyrant named Campsen, a vicious
prince, and a violent persecutor of all those who
professed religion, and he had a sister named Exudi.
It happened, that the soothsayers, having consulted
the stars, told the king that Exudi would have eight
children, and that he, the tyrant, would be killed
by the youngest. This enraged him so much,
that he destroyed seven of the children the moment
they were born, which barbarous treatment threw
the princess into the most violent agonies ; but
notwithstanding her affliction, she became preg-
nant of the eighth child, who was no less "a per-
son than the god Vixnu, who had artfully con-
veyed himself into her womb. This circumstance
she was ignorant of, and not doubting but this
child \\ould be murdered in the same manner as
the others, slie begged of her husband, that as soon
as she was delivered, he would carry the child
iato some desert place, there to be preserved from
the fury of the king. But the king had so many
spies, tliat he placed them every where, in order to
murder the young prince. In this, however, he
was disappointed ; for the father escaped with the
child, and committed him to the care of shepherds,
whom he enjoined to instruct him in every thing
necessary, and to conceal the knowledge thereof
from the king.
'I'hcse ])oor shej)herds performed their duty M'ith
secrecy and care ; but at last the king found out
where the child was concealed, and went and laid
hold on him, in order to muider him with his own
hands. At that instant the child vanished, and in
his room appeared a little girl, whom the tyrant at-
tempted to kill, but all his efforts proved in vain.
It is impossible to express the rage of the tyrant,
which was considerably increased by the girl disap-
pearing, laughing at his menaces, and tiiumphing
over his folly. A'ixnu had so much knowledge,
that in order to prevent the tyrant from finding out
the place of his concealment, first sucked out all the
milk from his nurse's breasts, and then sucked her
blood, so that she died. He afterwards assumed the
form of a shepherd, and one day having stolen a
quantity of butter, he was detected and tied to iT
tree, where he was severely whipped ; but growing
up to a slate of maturity, he raised an army and
defeated the tyrant Campsen, whom he slew with
his own hands. He afterwards married two wives,
but neither of these pleasing him, he espoused six-
teen thousand shepherdesses as concubines : but lest
he should have been scourged by them in the same
manner as was done by their fathers and relations
while he lived amongst them, he multiplied himself
in such a manner, that he lay with them all at one
and the same time, making each of them believe
that he was a single person, and thus he secured the
love of the whole.
One day, while he was standing by the side of a
pond, he saw a great number of beautiful \^'omen
bathing themselves, and on a sudden took up ail
their clothes and carried them to the top of a tree
which stood very near the pond ; so that the \\c)-
men began to consider themselves as under the ne-
cessity of exposing their nakedness, and walking
home in the same attitudes they came out of the
water, to the scandal of their sex, and as a chastise-
ment for their imprudence.
Finding themselves in such a state of perplexity,
and not knowing what to do, they perceiVed large
leaves growing in the water, which they plucked,
and having bound them round those parts whidi
should be concealed, they all approached the tree
where Vixnu was, begging he would restore their
clothes. This he refused to comply with unless
they would lay both their hands on his head ; and
when they had done so, the leaves fell off, and they
appeared stark naked, which was just what lie
wanted, and the only motive for carrying oft' their
clothes. Bad as the god was, he restored the
clothes, and the women went home in triumph ; but
still the people believe he will yet assume another
form. They imagine he is to come iij the shape
PAGAN RELIGIONS IN THE EMPIRE OF THE GREAT MOGUL.
63
of a horse, but till such time as that metamor-
phosis shall take place, he is to wallow in a sea
of milk, laying iiis head in the most delicious man-
ner on a beautiful snake, which at the same time
is to serve him both as a pillow and a bed. There
are many other ridiculous stories told concerning
Vixnu, which are not necessary to be repeated ;
but from the whole history of his transactions wc
may learn, that carnal notions of religion lead to
carnal notions of God, and that those who can as-
cribe the worst of passions to those objects whom
they worship with a religious veneration, are even
beneath the dignity of those who profess uo more
than natural knowledge.
An account of the Indian god Rutrcm.
■ Rutrem, the third son of Paraxacti, is much re-
spected by the people of that country ; and yet
from the accounts of him that have been transmit-
ted to us, he must have been rather an object of
detestation than of worship. He married Parvardi,
daughter of a king of the mountains, with whom he
lived a thousand years ; but his two brothers, Bruma
and Vixnu, having disapproved of the match, ga-
thered together the thirty thousand millions of gods,
andj went in search of him. Accordingly he was
found, and being dragged away from his wife, wan-
dered up and down the world, spending his time in
all sorts of lewdness. One day as he was walking
along, the earth gave him a son with seven heads ;
but as there was no nurse to be procured, the seven
stars undertook the office, and the monster was cal-
led Camarassuammi, which signifies " the son of
the Lord." Parvardi, disconsolate for the loss of
Rutrem, went every where in search of him ; and
one day while she was Ijatliing, she begged the
gods would give her a son ; wliich request was
coiTiplied with, for a child dropped out of the sweat
of her forehead, .whom she named Vinayaguien,
the meaning of which was, " he had no God." In
the mean time, Rutrem returned to his house, and
finding the child, whom he knew not to be his own,
became excessively enraged ; but when he was told
of the miraculous manner in which he was born,
his hatred was turned into love, and he resolved to
treat him as if he had been his own son, or rather
to make him a god.
The king of the mountains made a solemn feast
and sacrifice, to which the gods were invited; but
Rutrem, his son-in-law, was not, which agorravated
him so much, that he went to the place where his
fatlier-in-law was regailing his guests, and laying
hold of one of the gods, he tore off from his head
a handful of hair, which he threw upon the
ground, and immediately a giant of an enormous
wze started up. The momeut the monster appear-
ed, he reached up his hand to the firmament, and
struck the sun with sucii violence, that he knocked
out all his teeth; for which reason the Indians olfer
nothing fo the sun but what can be eaten without
teeth, such as butter, milk, ri])e fruits, p;ip, &c.
But not satisfied with knocking out liie teeth of the
.sun, he likewise bruised the moon in such a man-
ner, that the marks arc visible at i)resent. He then
killed several of the guests, among vhom was
joung Vinayaguien, whose head was cut off and
thrown to tlie dogs. Rutrem afflicted to find that
the giant was one of his own natural cliildren, and
finding that it was not in his power to replace the
head of Vinayaguien, lie cut off the head of an ele-
phant, and fixed it so artfully on the shoulders of
Vinayaguien, that the life was restored, and Rutrem
immediately ordered his son to go and rove up and
down through the world in search of a wife, upon
this condition, however, that he should not marry
till he could find one equal in beauty to his beloved
mother Parvardi.
For this reason, the East-Indian Pagans always
represent Vinayaguien w ith an elephant's head ; and
they tell us, that he has never yet found a woman
in beauty equal to his mother. Sometime after this,
Rutrem, by the command of the gods, set out in
search of his brother Bruma, who had transformed
himself into the shape of a stag, and cohabited with
his own daughter in the forests, in a most scandal-
ous manner ; and at last meeting with him, he cut
oft' one of his heads, which had such an efl'ect upon
him, that for some time he became distracted. In
the midst of his afflictions, and in order to aft'ord
him some consolation, Rutrem married the river
Ganges, which was represented under the form of
a beautiful woman ; but he had no children by her,
because he was castrated.
At that time there w as a giant named Paimejuran,
who for several years had undergone a severe pe-
nance, for having offended Rutrem ; but becoming
sensible of his folly, desired to be absolved. This
favour was granted him, with the privilege of re-
ducing e\;ery thing to ashes upon which he laid his
hands ; a circumstance which gave Rutrem great
uneasiness; but his brother Vixnu came at that
moment to his assistance. Vixnu assumed the shape
of a most beautiful woman, and the giant fell despe-
ratelv in love with her, and forgot all thoughts of
Rutrem, who was enjoying himself in a peaceful
manner.
The amorous giant, not apprised of the snaro
that had been laid for him, went to bathe himself
in the Ganges ; but no sooner had he raised his
hands to his head, than he was reduced to ashes.
Vixnu, who had performed this exploit, quitted
the shape of a woman and assumed his usual form ;
but at the same time told his bruthtr what he had
64
PAGAN RELIGIONS IN THE EMPIRE OF THE GREAT MOGUL.
done towards his preservation. At that instant Eu-
trem came out of a nut shell, where he had con-
cealed himself, and told his brother he would be
more circumspect for the future. He begged his
brother would appear to him under the same form
as he had done to tiie giant ; but this part of his
request was denied, because Vixnu was no stranger
to his amorous disposition. This however did not
satisfy Rutreni ; for his brother was obliged to ap-
pear before him in the form of a beautiful woman.
At the sight of so lovely an object, he forgot all his
fortitude, and seemed to be entirely absorbed in
love. Just at that instant a child appeared in the
arms of Vixnu, which was to be considered as the
son of Rutrem. This may serve to shew what are
the leading principles among the heathen nations in
the East-Indies ; and now we shall go on to describe
their practices in a more particular manner.
These idolators are divided into many different
tribes, or casts, and some of them differ consider-
ably in their religious worship, but all their priests
are called Bramins. They are divided into two sorts,
first, such as attend their temples, to offer up sacri-
fices ; and, secondly, those who live single, and af-
fect great austerity. All the children of these In-
dians are considered as unclean ten days after their
birth. On the eleventh day, they cleanse all the ves-
sels in the house. On the twelfth day, they light the
s>acred fire Horaam, and repeat certain prayers, after
which tbey give the child its name.
In their marriages they are very superstitious, and
pay much regard to omens. The consent of the pa-
rents being obtained, and a fortunate day appointed,
the parties meet, w ith the relations, when the bride-
groom throws three haniifuls of rice on the head of
the bride, and she does the same to him. Then
they are washed, and the Bramin )>ronounce3 a
blessing on them. Part of the ceremony is per-
formed by the father's putting water in the bride's
hand, with a piece of money, telling her, she is
now become the property of another, and he has no
more power over her. The bridegroom hangs a
ribbon to tl>e bride's neck with a piece of money
at the end of it, during which ceremony the Bra-
min prays ; and in the evening the parties are,
by torch light, carried home in a sedan by four
men, when the whole is concluded by music and
feasting.
When a person is taken ill, a Bramin comes and
prays with him. They believe that two spirits, one
good and the other bad, attend at the hour of death ;
and if the person has been good, he is carried away
in a flying chariot, but if he has been wicked, the
evil spirit carries him away to be judged according
to his works. He is then sent back to rove about
tlic earth ten days in the shape of a magpye ; and
ior tlij-s leasoa, these people always after the death of
their relations feed a magpye ten days, imagivaiig
that a human soul may be in it.
The instant a man dies, his beard is shaved, his
whole body is washed clean, lime is put into his
mouth, and the women rub his face over with rice.
Then a Bramin preaches a sermon to the relations,
and asks the widow of the deceased whether she is
willing to be burnt along with her husband. If she
refuses to be burnt, then she is not forced to it; but
in a religious sense, she is considered as an impostor,
and in temporal things she is discarded by every one,
so that she has no prospect before her besides that of
dying for want. When she consents, she is visited
by the Bramins, who tell her, that she will meet
with her husband the moment she expires, and that
they will be eternally happy together.
Near the house where the decease(i lived, a vast
heap of w ood is piled up, and tlie body laid upon it.
The woman is then conducted to the funeral pile,
accompanied by her relations and some Bramins;
and if she is fearful, they say all they can to encou-
rage her. When she arrives at the pile, she washes
herself in a pool of clear water, and then her jewels
and ornaments are taken off. The Bramins pray
with her, and she gives them money, after wliich
she wraps herself up in a yellow shroud, and walks to
the place \\ here her deceased husband's body lays ;
she takes in her hand a j>ot of oil, which she pours
upon her head ; and then the wood being set fire to,
faggots are thrown over her, and the whole soon
reduced to ashes. It is difficult to find out when this
horrid practice first took place; but that wliat is
here related is matter of fact, will appear from the
testimony of those of the European nations, who
have visited India within these few years.
In mourning for the dead they have various cere-
monies, the principal of which is, shaving the beard;
and all the slaves of the deceased are to comply
with this custom. Tlie ashes of tiie deceased are all
carefully gathered up and thrown into the Ganges ;
for the waters of that river are considered as having
something in them of a virtuous and holy nature. If
the persons burnt were of an elevated rank, pagods
or temples are frequently erected on the place where
the pile had been reared.
The secular Bramins are obliged to observe seve-
ral ceremonies, such as getting out of hetl two hours
before the sun rises, and repeating several prayers to
their gods, after which they wash themselves, and
sit down on a carpet with their faces turned to the
east or to the north, but never to the west or south.
TTie reason why tliey turn to the east is, because the
sun rises in it, and towards the north, because they
Ijelieve that some of tlieir gods have their residence
in that quarter of the heavens, so that those places
are always considered by them as holy, and that they
ought to be respected-
PAGAN RELIGIONS IN THE EMPIRE OF THE GREAT MOGUL.
The first part of their worship consists in singing
some hymns to the praise of their gods, and bathing
themselves either in the Ganges or in some other
consecrated river ; but if thcv have not time to go to
the river, thov bathe at home. Being dressed, they
again sit dow n, and pour some spring water into the
hollow of their hands, and throw it upon their
mouths. This being done, they repeat tlie twenty-
four names of their gods, at the same time touch-
ing so many parts of tlieir bodies. Such are the
most common ceremonies of the secular Bramins,
or in other words, the common officiating priests ;
but in the second place, those of their regulars or
hermits, are so austere, that had we not clear
proofs of the truth of it, we would be apt to doubt
whether such a body of people ever e.xisted in the
world.
These regular Bramins are a set of men, who, un-
der pretensions to the most superior sanctity, inflict
on themselves the most severe corporeal punishments,
believing that this will obtain the favour and appro-
bation of their gods. Some of them make a solemn
vow to walk with a square grate, or collar of iron
round their necks, weighing twenty-four pounds,
nor is it to be removed, either day or night, till such
time as they liave procured, by begging, as much
money as will build an hospital.
Others of them erect a pole, almost in the form of
a gibbet, to which they tie themselves, and swing
over a slow fire, during the space of a whole hour,
taking care to have the tire constantly fed with fuel.
This is done in honour of an idol, called Eswara,
who is believed to have great rewards to bestow in a
future state, on all such as cheerfully submit to
austere rites of that nature.
A third sort get themselves chained to the foot of
a tree, and remain in that position during the rest of
their lives, being supplied with herbs and a bottle of
water daily, from the neighbouring villages ; for the
people consider them as beings, far superior to com-
mon mortals.
A fourth sort walk in pairs together, carrying
heavy iron chains, one end of which are fixed to
their legs, and the other to their shoulders. Some
have nails struck through the soles of their shoes,
and notwithstanding the severity of the pain, they
will often walk with them several days tojrether.
The inhabitants of all nations in the universe be-
lieve in the necessity of an atonement for sin. before
men can be justified by the Supreme Being ; and
although very unworthy notions have been formed
concerning the existence of such an essential point
in religion, yet it does not follow that the principle
itself is false. Nay, it ratlicr proves the contrary,
for there is something in even.' man's conscience
which points out to him that he has oflended God,
and that sot. 2 atonement must be made, either by
5
himself or by another. Now these heathens in In-
dia believe, that an atonement has been made for
their sins, and they are to have the choice of en-
joying the benefit of it on two conditions : either
they are to visit several holy cities at a vast distance
from each other ; or secondly, they are declared to
be absolved, in consequence of their repeating the
names of their gods twenty-four times every day.
Such as visit the holy places, ofi'er up a sacrifice ;
and on the tail of the victim is written the name of
the penitent, with the nature of his offence. This
practice seems to have been universal in ancient
times ; it was so among the Greeks, the Romans,
the Carthagenians, and the Jews ; and the prophet
Isaiah alludes to it, when he says of Christ, •' Sure-
ly he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows."
Isaiah liii. 4.
The Bramins believe, that there are in heavea
fi\e different states or degrees of glory, to which
the souls of virtuous persons are conveyed after
death. The first cf these mansions is called Xoar-
cam, where the king of the gods resides, with a
great number of wives and concubines. The se-
cond is Vaicundam ; and there Vixnu resides with
his wives, and a certain bird, somewhat like a
hawk, upon which he rides as on a horse. Tlie
Bramins teach, that all the virtuous followers of
\'isnu go into this habitation when they die, and
where their natures are changed, so as to resemble
that of their god.
The third mansion is Cailasam, and this tliey be-
lieve to be a very high mountain of silver, situated
towards the north, and inhabited by Rutrem, with
his wife and all his concubines, and a bull upon
which he rides. The Bramins teach, that all the
worshippers of Rutrem go to this place when they
die, where they are for ever happy in beholding
the countenance of their god. Some are employed
in cooling him with fans, others in holding gold
spitting-boxes to him, some in holding lighted
torches during the night, and others in bringing him
whatever necessaries he wants.
The fourth mansion of glory is called Brumalo-
gam ; and there Bruma resides with his wife Saras-
suadi, attended by a large swan, on which he rides
abroad ; for tliis god is said to be much addicted to
travelling.
Above all these, is the fifth seat of glory, where
the first principle of all things resides. All those
who have lived the most innocent and exemplary
lives, are wafted hither after death, where they are
for ever united to their god.
With respect to hell, the Indians believe that it is
situated at a vast distance below this world, and tliat
there is a president in it called Yhamadar, who has
a secretary, named Xitragupten ; who during the
life of a man, writes down all his good or bad ac«
66
PAGAN RELIGIONS IN THE EMPIRE OF THE GREAT MOGUL.
tions, and presents his memorial to tlie president,
the moment the soul of the deceased comes before
him. This infernal president is said to be very just
and equitable, and distributes rewards and punish-
ments, according to merits or demerits. Some souls
are, according to their notions, sent back to inhabit
other bodies in this world, while others are tor-
mented in the most cruel manner in hell. If a dy-
ing person takes hold of a cow by the tail, and the
Bramin pours a little water into his hand, and re-
ceives a small sum of money; then when he comes
to cross the dreadful fiery river, which separates
earth from eternity, the cow will, by his laying
hold of her tail, cari^ him safe over.
It is considered as incumbent upon all those who
would be considered as faithful Bramins, to go
frequently on pilgrimages to the temples of their
gods ; and when they arrive, they are enjoined to
perform several penances of a very austere nature.
Some of them slash themselves iu the most unmer-
ciful manner with knives, to make an atonement
for their crimes, imagining that will be the utmost
satisfaction to their gods. Others confine them-
selves in cages, which are placed on the top of a
pole, and the penitent, having no room to turn
himself, is tortured with the most excruciating
pain. In his sight are placed the figures of two
idols, whom he is obliged to adore all the time he
remains in that painful situation. Some are to
spend their whole time in feeding birds, it being g'c-
nerally imagined that souls reside in them. Some
plunge themselves into the Ganges, in hopes of
being devoured by crocodiles ; and others murder
themselves at the altars of their gods.
Great part of their religious service consists in
dancing, a practice of very great antiquity. In
(heir temples, the men and women dance together,
using the most indecent postures, which serve as a
stimulation to all manner of debauchery ; but this
is exactly consistent with the notions they form of
the attributes of their idols. They adore serpents in
the most religious manner, because they believe
them to be inhabited by departed spirits, and they
foretel great success in consequence of meeting them
on a journey. Many of their children are named
after particular sorts of serpents ; and when they
find adders in their houses, they offer them milk,
and beg of them to depart in peace ; but w hen the
reptiles do not obey, they send for all the Bramins
in the neighbourhood, who ofl'er up prayers to
their gods to take them away ; it being contrary to
their law to do them any injury.
When they pitch upon a field where they intend
to build a pagod or temple, they turn a cow loose
in it towards evening, leaving her to range at large
till the morning. As soon as the sun rises, they
seuich narrowly around the field to discover the
place where the cow laid herself down, and on that
spot they erect their temple.
In all their temples, cow's dung is spread over
the floor, for they have such a veneration for that
animal, that in all their sacrifices they pour some of
its milk on their altars. Their priests, like the
heathen Greeks and Romans, pretend that their gods
have oracles, by which they can foretel future
events, and this notion is believed by the people.
When several persons have been suspected of steal-
ing any thing, but the guilty cannot be fixed on,
the priest write the names on difi'erent pieces of pa-
per, and lay them down before the altar in a circu-
lar form, after which they invoke the oracle, and
withdraw, having locked the doors, that no person
can get in. When they return, and find any of
the papers removed, that person whose name is iip-^
on it, is declared to be the criminal. It is common
for their priests when they address their oracles, to
feign themselves in convulsion fits, and remain in
seemingly great agonies some hours. Then after
some groans, they stand up and tell the people what
was revealed to them by the oracle.
They observe several festivals, particularly a sort
of carnival which lasts several days ; during which
they assemble in vast crowds together, and dance to
all such tunes as they are acquainted with. The
Bramins attend in their garments, having tlieir heads
covered with something like horns standing up-
right. This feast lasts twenty-four days, and be-
sides it they have a feast of eleven days each month.
They are on these feasts to eat only a handful of
beans, pease, or fruits, with about a spoonful of milk,
and this they must take towards the evening.
With respect to learning among the Bramins, it
consists in teaching the pupils a language named
Hanscrit, which not being known among the lower
orders of the people, may be considered as the
learned languages are to the Europeans. The book
written in this language is called holy, and is ex-
actly the same to them as the bible is to us. The
Bramins say, that this book contains the first lan-
guage ever spoken in the world ; yet although it is
acknowledged to be of very great antiquity, it can-
not, by any means, reach so far back as the time
of Moses.
Having made themselves masters of this work,
which is extremely difficult, because they liave no
good grammar, they next proceed to study the
purnance, w hich is a sort of commentary upon it,
containing many things that have been handed down
by tradition.
As there are different sects among the Bramins
in religion, so they have six .sects of philosophers,
and one of these is considered in the same manner
as we do atheists. They have no skill in anatomy,
and as to their tables of astronomy and chronology,
RELIGION OF THE CHINESE.
67
tliey are not wortli mentioning. AVlien the moon
is eclipsed, tlu>v believe she is fighting with a black
ugly devil. Thev imagine the night is created by
the sun's witiidrawing himself beliind a mountain,
where lie retires to rest, and in the morning makes
his a|)i>carance.
Such is the religion of the principal tribes who
form tlie vast empire of the Great Mogul ; and
when we consider the deplorable state to which they
are reduced, with respect to tlie kuowledge of the
true God, it must till ns with sorrow to reflect, that
so many of our fellow-creatures are still unacquaint-
ed with the gospel. During the last century, the
pious Mr. Boyle procured a person at a great ex-
pense, to translate the new testament into their lan-
guage, and had many printed copies of it sent over
to the European settlements in the East Indies. The
kings of Denmark have been at a great expense in
sending missionaries among them ; but it does not
appear that ever the right methods were attempted.
It is long since we have had settlements in difier-
ent parts of the East Indies ; but our merchants
have been too intent in-acquiring immense fortunes,
to use any means towards promoting the salvation
of thousands of immortal souls, who are still sitting
in darkness, and in the region and shadow of death.
It would be much to their honour, and equally so to
their interest, to have books translated into their
own language, that the people, seeing the purity of
our religion, would not only embrace it, but would
enter into a commercial state of friendship with us.
This would be a more glorious action than sul^duing
an empire, or acquiring as much money as would
purchase one.
Wherever the arms of heathen Rome subdued
the people with tlie loss of their liberties, they re-
ceived a double advantage. First, they became po-
lite, and acquijed the knowledge of the arts and
sciences : and secondly, after the reign of the empe-
ror Constantine the Great, they embraced the Chris-
tian religion. The Jesuits have made many converts
to popery, among the heathens in different parts of
the world ; but the Jesuits are not properly qualified
for making converts, and the rites and ceremonies
of the churcli of Rome cannot make much im-
pression on those who have ceremonies as gaudy of
their own.
Upon the whole, this is a very serious, a very im-
portant subject, and ought to be attended to, espe^
cially by those persons who have acquired opulent
fortunes in the East Indies. Would they enjoy a
blessing upon them, and transmit them to their
children, let them do something towards enlighten-
ing the minds of those persons who, if properly in-
structed, might become ornaments of society, of
human nature, and of Christianity.
RELIGION OF THE CHINESE.
V^HINA, one of the most extensive empires in
the world, is situated in the northern and eastern
parts of Asia, and has been long famous for the
knowledge of many curious arts with which we
Europeans are still but little acquainted. Tliey pro-
fess to have an exact uninterrupted genealogy of
kings during a series of twenty-four thousand years,
which is upwards of eighteen thousand years before
the Mosaic account of the creation. For this, how-
ever, they have no other authority besides tradition,
and it is well known, little regard should be paid to
what is not supported by written evidence.
It is true they have books, containing the whole
accounts of these genealogies; but these books were
compiled in latter times, uor should any regard be
paid to them. That they are a people of great an-
tiquity, little doubt can remain, and probably a co-
lony was settled there soon after the deluge, altho'
we never find them mentioned in ancient history,
but perhaps they are spoken of under auolhtr name.
Some have supposed them to be a colony from an-
cient Egypt, because of their religious rites and
ceremonies being in many respects tiie same; but
this is altogether improbable, when we consider the
vast distance there is between Egypt and China. —
Similarity of religious sentiments is no proof; for
in ancient times there were but few differences
among idolators, concerning the nature of worship ;
some of them were more gross than others, but all
of them were bad enough.
Eusebius says, that Christianity was first preached
to the Indians, by St. Thomas the Apostle ; and the
Jesuits say, that there are still some remains ot itiu
China, at least that they have a traditional account ;
but if ever that apostle was in China, and preached
the gospel, it was either rejected or not mucii re-
membered afterwards. At present, and for many
years, the Chinese have been gross idolators, and
pay divine honours to mony gods, particularly to
Fo or Foe, who for Lis great aud illustrious actipns.
RELIGION OF THE CHINESE.
nas deified and worshipped above a thousand years
before Christ's incarnation.
The account the Chinese give of this Foe, is, that
he was born in that part of their empire which they
call Chung tien Cho, and that he was the. son of a
king, that his mother, ^hile she was with child of
him, dreamed that she had swallowed an elephant.
As soon as be was born, he stood upright, and
walked seven paces, pointing with one hand to hea-
ven, and with the other to the earth, uttering, at
the same time, the following words, '' There is
none in heaven, or on earth, that ought to be adored
but myself." When he was only turned of seven-
teen, he married three wives ; and two years after-
wards retired to a solitary place, where he put him-
self under the direction of four philosophers ; under
their tuition he learned all they could teach him,
and at. thirty, being divinely inspired, he considered
himself as a god. He soon after began to work the
most wonderful miracles, of which tlie Chinese re-
late a great number, and they have wliole volumes
giving an account of them. He is said to have, in
the compass of a few years, gained over to his no-
tions eighty thousand disciples, ,whom he sent to
teach his doctrines throughout the empire of China.
Ten of those disciples were of a much higher rank
than the, others, and it is said, that they published
upwards of five thousand volumes of their master's
works. Finding himself near death, he told his dis-
ciples, that till that moment he had concealed the
truth of his doctrine, but now he would make it
public to them, " Learn then (said he) that the
principle of all things is emptiness and nothing ; from
nothing all things proceeded, and into nothing all vvill
return, and this is the end of all our hopes."
However, some of his disciples adhered to what
he had formerly taught them, and the doctrine they
now teach is directly opposite to Atheism. The
rest of his disciples abode by this impostor's dying
words, which laid the foundation of many of those
ridiculous ceremonies which now prevail in China.
Many stories were told after his death, namely,
that he had beenborn eight thousand times, that his
soul had passed through the bodies of many different
animals, and that he had appeared in the shape of an
ape, an elephant, a dragon, &c. In consequence
uf these ridiculous stories, all those animals through
which his soul was said to have passed, were after-
wards worshipped as gods.
In every province in China, there are temples
erected on mountains, where the people go in pil-
wrjniage to worship, and some of these are held in
greater esteem than others. When these pilgrims
arrive at the foot of the mountains, they kneel down,
.and do so at every step as they ascend. During the
whole of the procession, they sing hymns in honour
^»f Foe; but a.s there arc two sects among them,
violent enemies to each other, so it often liappen
that they quarrel before they reach the temple.
The rirst doctrine taught by Foe, is called the ex-
terioi", and consists of some very good rules of mo-
rality,, namely, that there is a great difference between
good and evil, and that there are rewards and punish-
ments in future state : tliat the good J'oe, \^ as born
to save the world and expiatu the sins of.men; that
there are five precepts to be observed, namely, that
no living creature is to be killed ; not to steal any
thing from another ; to abstain from all sorts of im-
purity ; the fourth prohibited lying ; and the fifth
forbad the drinking of wine. To these they added
the doctrine of the transmigration of souls, and this
is still believed by the generality of the people.
With respect to the interior doctrine, very few are
suffered to be made acquainted with its mysteries. It
is the same as that taught by Foe, in the last moments
of his life, and which some of his disciples have
endeavoured to propagate. As was said before,
they teach that nothing is the principle of .all things.
That beings differ only according to their shapes and
qualities ; and, that in order to become like the first
quality, we must accustom ourselves to do nothing,
and to desire nothing, to see nothing, and to think
of nothing. That all holiness consist in being re-
duced to one original nothing, when all the faculties
of the soul shall be dissolved. They add further,
that when a man has once attained to this happy
state, he will be perfect without being in want of
any thing.
Some of those who pretend to knowledge among
the Chinese, having embraced this stupid senseless
system of atheism, and among others the emperor
Kao Isong resigned his crown to his son, that he
might have an opportunity of studying it in order to
be like the god Foe.
Another of the Chhiese idols is called Chim Hoam,
and always worshipped as the guardian of cities.
There is an ordinance in China, that all public ma-
gistrates, when they enter upon office, shall go in
procession to the temple of this idol, and sacrifice to
him candles, perfumes, wine, flowers, and the flesh
of different animals. This ceremony they are like-
wise to repeat twice every year, upon pain of incur-
ring the emperor's displeasure, and being suppended
from their offices. And when they take possession
of their places, they are obliged to swear, before
this idol, that they will do justice to every man,
otherwise they are to be severely punished.
Chines, is a name given to a great number of idols
in China, which are not in the shape of any living
creature, but as temples built in the form of a pyra-
mid. The Pagans have such a veneratiou for these
idols, or rather pyramids, that when they purchase
a slave, they carry him before one of them, and pray
that if he shall desert the service of his master, that
RELIGION OF THE CHINESE.
Cp
Ite may be devoured by tygcrs. This keeps the poor
wrefches in much awe, for althoii<:;h tliey are often
cruelly treated, yet they are afraid to run away.
In the province of Takien, near the walls of the
city of I'oliien, is one of those chines nine stories high.
It is built in the form of an octagon, and its perpen-
dicular height is nine hundred cubits. It is adorned
"with several curious iigures, and the whole of the
outside is faced with porcelain. There is at every
story a colonadc of marble, surroinided by an iron
balustrade, which gives the whole a most splendid
appeariincc, and on the top is a gilt idol.
The Chinese, like the ancient Creeks and Romans,
have gods whom they imagine superintended all their
public affairs, each having his own department.
Thus Ti-Can is considered as the supreme director
of their treasures, and who conducts the dispensing
of their riches, ilis image is placed on a very high
altar, with a crown on his head and a sceptre in his
hand, the whole being gilt over; so that it makes a
most glorious appearance when the sun shines.
Eight images, as his attendants, stand around him,
all dressed and decorated in the snne manner ; and
on the walls of the temple are displayed the punish-
ments of the d;imned in iiell. Above the idol is in-
scribed in letters of gold, " He wlio shall humble
himself, and say his prayers a thousand times before
me, shall be delivered from these torments."
Kam, a god much worshipped by the people of
China, is greatly esteemed by those of a lower rank.
It is said that while on earth, he was a noted perse-
cutor, and made so many converts to the doctrines
of transmigration, that, after his death, he was ho-
noured as a god. It is further added, that he passed
tlirough no less than four-score thousand ti'ansmi-
grations, in the last of which he appeared under the
■ shape of a white elephant, and by that symbol he is
now worshipped in all his temples. It is generally
believed, that he w as one of the chief disciples of
Foe, in the exterior form of doctrine, because all
his followers profess those sentiments. His temples
are for the most part in the country, and the sacri-
fices offered up to him consist of the fruits of the
earth, milk, vegetables, and such other things as
the seasons will produce.
As all ancient heroes were deified among the hea-
thens, so the Chinese tell us that Qnante-Cong,
their first prince and law-giver, was, for his great
actions, made a god. He was the first who intro-
duced among them the fashion of wearing decent
apparel ; for before his time thev were accustomed
to go almost naked. He brought them under some
sort of a regal fonn of government, and prevailed
upon them to build towns and cities. For this rea-
son, in all tlie temples dedicated to him, he is re-
presented under a most gigantic form, and sitting on
a table, willi a taper placed before him. On the
table several books are placed, and behind him stand,-,
his attendant Linchevu, in appearance equally as
f(.irniidable as himself.
(Jaug-y is worshipped among the Chinese as the
god of the lower heavens, and it is believed by them
that he has the power of life and death. He has al-
ways three ministering spirits to attend him ; the
first of whom sends down rain to refresh and nou-
rish the earth ; the second is the god of the sea, to
whom all their navigators make vows, and perform
them upon their return home ; and the third presides
over births, and is called the god of war. It is pro-
bable that some ancient astronomer among the Chi-
nese Was, and still is, worshipped luider this name,
especially when we find liinj represented as tlie god
of the lower heavens.
The religion and philosophy of the Chinese aix:
so blended together, that there is no such thing as
separating them ; they partake of each other, nor
is there any great difference, as will appear from
what we are now Koins; to relate coiwierninir a sect
among them, w ho seem to have been a sort of epi-
cureans, that did not pay much regard to moral du-
ties. This sect is iramed Tao-ssee, and owes its
rise to one Lao-Kuin, \\ ho according to the account
delivered to us by his disciples, was not born till
forty years after his conception. He is said to have
been an eminent philosopher, and there are many
books of his still extant, replete with the finest
maxims of morality ; and yet those who pretend to
be his disciples, are considered by many of the
(Chinese as no better than atheists or epicureans.
They boast that they can make a liquor which will
make them immortal, and are persuaded that by the
assistance of spirits vvht)m they invoke, they can
obtain all things. Some of the Chinese mandarins
were so stupid as to believe that they could avoid
death, and several of tlie emperors gave countenance
to that notion. This sect (iourished many years in
China ; but unless it be among the vulgar, they have
now fallen much into disrepute.
The Chinese worsiiip a goddess whom they call
Puzza, and of whom their priests give tlie following
account. They say that three nymphs came down
from heaven to wash themselves in a river, but
scarce had they got into the \\ ater, before the herb
Lotos appeared on one of their garments, with its
coral fruit upon it. They were surprized to think
from whence it could proceed : and the nymph, up-
on w hose gamient it was, could not resist the temp-
tation of indulging herself in tasting it. But by
thus eating some of it, she became pregnant and
was delivered of a boy, whom she brought up, and
then returned to licaven. He afterwards became a
great man, a conqueror and legislator ; and the
nymph was afterwards worshipped under the name
of Puzza. She is represented as sitting on the
■^0
RELIGION OF THE CHINESE.
flower Lotos, and lias sixteen hands armed vvidi
knives, swords, hulberts, books, fruits, plants, wheels,
"oblets, vials, and many other things needletis to be
mentioned.
Phelo, another of their idols, is worshipped be-
cause he first discovered the making salt ; but his
imgrateful countrymen not making him that recom-
pence which his merits entitled him to for so useful
an invention, he left them in great indignation, and
never was heard of afterwards. They have a festival
in honour of his memory, in the beginning of June,
upon which occasion they adorn their houses with
boughs of trees. At the same time they lit out ves-
sels, in which they sail roimd the coast, singing
hymns, and calling aloud for their beloved Phelo.
Besides the sects and gods already mentioned,
there are many others in China, particularly the
sect of Laotun, who is said to have been born six
hundred years before Christ. Iliis impostor boast-
ed himself to be the offspring of heaven ; and in
order to make his disciples believe this story, he
said that he had lain concealed in his molher'j
womb fourscore and one years, and that the moment
before she expired, he issued out of her, through
a passage in her left side, made by himself. He
soon gained a great number of followers, because
he taught them many things agreeable to their lusts
and passions.
The principal parts of his doctrines were, that
God was corporeal, and that he sat at ease and peace
in heaven, governing the world by subordinate
deities. He taught that all happiness consisted in
pleasure, and was confined to this life. This no-
tion induced his disciples to do every thing they
could imagine to prevent death, by prolonging life
till the latest period. It was this that first induced
them to study chemistiy, as the grand preservative
of life, and for some time, tliey were so vain as to
believe they would never die. But instead of pro-
longing life, they shortened it, by giving themselves
up to drunkenness, uncleanness, and every sort of
debauchery they could think of.
The morals of the people of China having been
shockingly corrupted by the errors and blaspiiemies
of these impostors, a person arose to reform all the
abusesthat had crept in, whether relating to govern-
ment, religion, morals or philosophy. This illus-
trious person was Confucius, a man, noble by birth,
of a sweet natural temper, and adorned by a liberal
education. According to the best accounts, he was
born about four hundred and fifty years before the
incarnation of our Saviour, and we shall here relate
what is said concerning him.
The Chinese priests told the Jesuits, that as soon
as Confucius was born, two dragons came to guard
him against all sorts of harm ; and that the stars
bowed down to salute him. When he was about
seventeen years of age, he made a most judicious
choice of the best ancient authors, and made an ex-
tract from them of every thing that was valuable to-
wards improving his mind. When he was about
twenty, he married and had a son, but soon after
parted with his wife, lest she should interrupt him in
his studies.
Having acquired a large share of knowledge, he
was solicited to act as a civil magistrate ; but not re-
lishing that employment, he opened a school for the
instruction of youth, and we are told he had no less
than five thousand pupils. These he divided into
classes, seventy of whom assisted him in teaching the
higher classes, and one hundred and fifty instructed
the younger ones. He laid down excellent precepts
for the regulation of their conduct in the practice of
virtue, whether civil or social, and he prevailed with
the women not to wear any thing ungraceful, or un-
becoming their sex.
In study, and in the practice of every virtue, pub-
lic and private, this great man lived till he was
seventy years of age, and at last died of grief, when
he beheld many corruptions that had taken place
among his disciples. But although little regard was
paid to his precepts when alive, yet the highest ho-
nours were shewn to him after his death. The
whole empire went into mourning for him.
He left many books behind him, which, consi-
dering the time and place, ^vhen and where he lived,
and besides that he was a heathen, one will be
surprized to find in them so many fine sentiments,
respecting moral duties. These pieces, or extracts
from them, are to be found in the first volume of
Duhald's history of China.
It is generally allowed that the Chinese, like all
other heathens, acknowledge that there is one uni-
versal Supreme Being ; but they admit that there
are many demi-gods who act under him. We have
already given an account of the sect of Foe, some
times called Xekia, and we shall now proceed to
describe the manner in which they offer up sacri-
fices to Confucius, and in geueral to the rest of
their idols. There are several temples erected for
this illustrious person, and all those temples are
built in the form of obelisks or pyramids.
The governor of the city where the temple stands,
is always the sacrificing priest, and he is assisted by
all the learned men in the neighbourhood, who
meet the evening before the sacrifice is performed,
and provide rice and all sorts of grain, which are
set on a table before the altar of Confucius. A table
is placed in the court before the temple, illuminated
with wax tapers, fire for the sacrifice, and rich
perfumes. He then makes choice of hogs, and
such other beasts as are to be sacrificed, by pouring
wine on their ears, and if they shake their heads,
they are deemed proper objects, but if otherwise.
RELIGIONS OF THE CHINESE.
then they are rojec«ed. Before the hog and the
other beasts are killed, the priest makes a reveren-
tial bow, and then they are slain in his presence.
When their throats are cut, they make a second re-
verence, after which the hair is scraped off, and the
entrails tak-eu out, but the blood is preserved till the
ensuing day. As soon as the cock crows in the
morning, a signal is given, and the priest with his
assistants, light up the tapers, and throw perfumes
into the cciisers. Then the master of the ceremo-
nies orders the choir to sing, and the priest standing
before the altar, says, " Let the hair and the blood
of the dead carcase be offered up in sacrilice." Then
another of the priests takes up the bason, in which
the blood and hair are intermingled, and the master
of the ceremonies says, " Let the blood and the hair
be buried." Immediately the priests carry it out,
and bury the bason with the contents in the court
before the chapel. This being done, they un-
cover the flesh of the sacrifice, and the master of
the ceremonies says, "May the soul of Confucius
descend upon it." The sacrificing priest then takes
up a chalice filled with wine, and pours it upon the
image of a man composed of straw. The image of
Confucius is then placed on the altar, and the fol-
lowing ejaculation repeated. " O ! Confucius, thy
virtues are godlike and inimitable ! our emperors
themselves are obliged to thee ; for it is by thy un-
erring principles that they regulate their conduct.
All our obligations to thee are pure and perfect.
O ! let thy enlightened spirit descend upon us, and
assist us by its presence."
When the priest has repeated this short prayer,
the people fall down on their knees, but in a few
minutes rise again. When the priest washes his
hands and wipes them with a towel or napkin, one
of the inferior priests supplies him with a bason, a
towel, and a chalice full of wine, and then the mas-
ter of the ceremonies chants aloud, " Let the priests
go near the throne of Confucius." Upon that the
sacrificing priest kneels down, and presents a piece
of silk and a cup of wine to Confucius. The silk
is then burnt in a fire-pan, while all the people
kneel down ; and then the priest addresses himself
to Confucius, in the following words : " Thv virtues
surpass those of all the saints that ever lived before
thee ; our oblations are but trifles ; all we beg is,
that thy spirit would vouchsafe to hear us."
This part of the ceremony being over, the master
of the sacrifice says, in. a chanting tone, "Let us
drink the wine of blessing and true happiness," or-
dering at the same time, all the people to kneel
down. After this, the officer attending puts into
the hands of the priest a chalice full of wine, and
the master of the ceremonies chants again, " Drink
the wine of true happiness," and the priest drinks it.
Then the officer puts into the hands of the priest, a
piece of the flesh, and the master of the ceremo-
nies chants aloud, " Partake of the flesh of the .sa-
crifice." This being over, the priest says, " When
we ofler this sacrifice, we live in expectation of re-
ceiving thereby all the comforts of this life." The
remainder of the flesh is distributed among all the
people present; and consistent with the ancient and
general notion of sacrifices, all those who taste it,
believe that Confucius will be gracious unto them.
The last ceremony is that of re-conducting home
the soul of Confucius, which they imagine was pre-
sent and assisted at the sacrifice. This is done by
the priest's repeating the following prayer: "We
have oft'ered up our oblations to thee, with the ut-
most reverence and respect, we have implored thee
to be present at our sacrifices, of a sweet smelling
savour, and now we accompany thy soul to heaven."
During this ceremony they kneel, and it is an es-
tablished rule, that those of the highest rank should
be present.
When the sacrifice is over, what remains of the
food is distributed among the people, and they are
at liberty, either to carry it home or to eat it in the
temple. These remains of the flesh are given to the
children in hopes that the virtue they are endowed
with, will one day make them celebrated persons ;
and the remains of the silk oft'ered to Confucius,
are distributed among the girls to dress babies with,
imagining, that while they preserve those precious
relics, they will be preserved from every danger.
On the 14th of August every year, they have a
solemn sacrifice, in commemoration of their ances-
tors, and it is performed in a temple in the follow-
ing manner : — the priest being seated on a carpet
with two of his attendants, one on each side, in the
middle of the square before the temple, the master
of the ceremonies orders the sacrifices to begin.
The people then fall down on their knees, and in-
stantly rise up again in the most decent manner.
Round the w-alls of the temples are many inscrip-
tions in memory of their ancestors ; and towards
these the priests, followed by the people, approach
with decent reverence, and perfume them with in-*
cence. Then the master of the ceremonies orders
the bread and wine of blessing and true happiness to
be offered up. The priest then takes up the chalice
and pours out the wine. At the same time he deli-
vers the follo\\ing speech to the people : — " Let all
those who have assisted at this sacrifice be assured
of receiving some particular favours from their an-
cestors, in return for all those grateiul oblations
which you have in this public manner now made
unto them. You shall be honoured and respected
by all men, live to a good old age, and enjoy all
the blessings this life can afford." After this they
set fire to the sacrifice, which consists of the flesh
of difftrcDt auimals ; and then having saluted the
72
RELIGION OF THE CHINESE.
walls of the temple tliree times, and fetched three
groans, they depart. It has been asked, with what
propriety can the Chinese pray for their dead, seeing
they believe in the transmigration of souls ? This
question would be unanswerable, were it not that
we are assured they have very confused notions of
a theological nature. But they believe that such
souls as have been virtuous are to go in the trans-
migration, and many of them are at a certain time
taken up to heaven and placed among the gods.
That the doctrine of the transmigration of the
soul hath a strong effect on the minds of the Chi-
nese, will appear from the following anecdote in
father Le Compte's history of China. That Jesuit,
w ho resided upwards of twenty years in the country,
and made some converts to Popery, was one day
sent for by a dying man, whom he found in great
agonies, because his priest had told him that his
soul was to go into a horse, and that the horse be-
ing a stubborn one, would be whipped so severely
that lie would die, and then lie was to pass into that
of a toad. The Jesuit endeavoured to convince him
of the falsity of such doctrines, and having baptized
iiim, the man died in peace. The Chinese have a
notion that every one who kills a dragon or a giant,
ought to be worshipped as a god, but as they have
already a vast number of gods, so they imagine that
most of the dragons and giants have been already
destroyed. These sentiments are not new, for even
in this island we find stories of giants and dragons
in Geoftery of Monmouth's British history. It is
remarkable that Voltaire, one of the greatest deisti-
cal writers in the present age, often t^lls us, that
the government of China is the best in the world,
but had he attended to what is related by his coun-
trymen the Jesuits, he would never have made such
a bold assertion. Can that be a well regulated go-
vernment where the people are in a manner devoured
by impostors, who rather than work for an honest
.subsistence, go begging from place to place ? and if
the people refuse to give them alms, they immedi-
ately tell them that their souls shall go into the bodies
of rats and mice, snakes, toads, serpents, and other
reptiles. Their bonzes or monks, go two and two
together ; and, according to Le Compte, they are a
parcel of idle, dissolute fellows, who herd together
like swine, and live apon the wages of the industrious.
It sometimes happens, that the people eiflier can-
not, or will not relieve them ; upon which the idle
impostors assume the characters of penitents, and
perform several acts of austerity, which have too
often the desired effect on the minds of the vulgar.
.Some of them go from house to house, dragging
heavy chains after them, anil when they come to the
<loor, they cry out in a canting tone, " It is by these
austere penances that we make an atonement for
jour sins." Some place themselves by the sides of
the highwajs, and when they see a traveller come
up, they fall down and knock their heads against
stones. Otiiers put some particular drugs on their
heads, and set fire to them to excite compassion ;
for the people, imagining them to be in great pain
and torture, generally give them something. These,
however, are no more than the tricks of artful im-
postors, who by studying chemistry, can easily de-
lude the vulgar, by making them believe they are in
real torment, when in truth they feel no pain at all.
Father Le Compte tells us, that one day he acci-
dentally met \\ ith a young bonze or monk, in the
market-place of a country town, whose air and de-
portment were graceful, sweet, and modest. He
stood upright within a sedan, thick set with long
sharp-pointed nails, fixed as close by one another as
coxdd be, in such a manner that it was impossible
for him to turn to the one side or the other without
having his body pierced. Two fellows hired for the
purpose, carried him from house to house, \i'here he
begged the people would have compassion on his
miserable condition. " I am (said he) confined in
this chair for the benefit and advantage of your
precious souls, and I am determined never to stir
out, till I have sold every nail you see in it, which
are ten thousand in number, and all I demand for
one is only ten-pence, though each is worth its
weight in gold." This induced some of the people
to buy as many of them as they could afford ; and
within a few days afterwards he sold them all.
There are in China another set of vagabonds, who,
we many respects, resemble our stage mountebanks
in Europe ; and some of them are so artfnl that they
will get upon the backs of tygers, tamed for the
purpose, and ride from town to town, without being
under the least apprehension from those ferocious
animals, although they are neither bridled nor muz-
zled. These impostors have always along with them
a large retinue of beggars and penitents, that bestow
on each other a considerable number of lashes, to
excite the compassion of the people. They have
another sort of beggars, who under pretence of de-
votion, live in caves in the woods and the rocks, and
are supported by the contributions of the people,
who, looking upon them as saints, consult them
from time to time in every thing of importance, for
what they say is considered as coming from God
himself.
Some of these friars live together in convents, in
the woods, and are supported at the expense of
government^ bat in general they are collected from
the very dregs of the people, and one part of their
employment is to attend the funerals of the deceased.
They are divided into four orders, namely, the white,
black, yellow, and red ; and they have one principal
who resides always at court, several deputies being
appointed to act under him. They take a vow of
RELIGION OF THE CHINESE.
73
chastity, but when it is found that they break it,
then they are punished in the following manner :
They bore a hole in his neck with a red hot iron,
,and thrust a chain through the wound, of about
sixty feet in length, and in that deplorable condi-
tion, and naked as lie was born, lead him all over
the city, till he has collected a particular sum of
money for the use of the convent to which he be-
longs. Another monk follows him, and whips him
severely, when he attempts to lay liold of the chain
to mitigate his pain. They have also nuns in China,
but their number is very inconsiderable, in com|)a-
rison with that of the monks ; tliey have their heads
shorn quite bare, nor are they suftcred ever to go
abroad.
The feast of lanthorns is one of the most remark-
able among the Chinese, and is celebrated on the
tifteenth day of- the first month every year. Every
person is obliged, on the evening of that day, to
set out a lanthorn before his door, and these are
^ of various sizes and prices, according to the difter-
ent circumstances of those to whom they belong.
During this festival, they have all sorts of entertain-
ments, such as plays, balls, assemblies, dancing,
music, and the lanthorns are filled with a vast num-
ber of wax candles, and surrounded with bonfires.
During the whole of the festival, it seldom happens
that any irregularities take place ; for, excepting the
monks already mentioned, the people are in gene-
ral very sober, and obedient to their laws.
The Chhiese ascribe the origin of this festival to
the following melancholy occurrence. One even-
ing, as the daughter of a mandarin was walking
by the side of a river, she fell in and was drowned.
The disconsolate father, in order to recover the
body, put out to sea, attended by all the people in
the neighbourhood, each carrying lanthorns; but
after a fruitless search, they were obliged to return.
The mandrin was much beloved by the people,
and therefore, upon the annual return of the day,
when this unhappy circumstance took place, all
those who had known the young woman, went
with lanthorns to the sea side, so that in time it be-
came an established custom.
But there are some others of the Chinese, who
a.scribc the origin of the festival of lanthorns to a
quite different cause. They say, that many hun-
dred years ago, one of their emperors proposed to
-shut himself up along with his wives and concubines,
m a most magnificent palace he had erected on pur-
pose, and that he caused every window in the build-
mg to be grandly illuminated with wax candles in
lanthorns, that he might have the pleasure to be-
hold, as it were, a new sky as a canopy over his
head. This occasioned an insurrection among the
people, because tlie emperor neglected the aft'airs
of government, and they demolished the costly pa-
lace. That this shameful part of his conduct might
never be forgotten, they hung out lanthorns all over
the town, and the practice has been kept up ever since.
They have another festival, at the time when the
fruits of the earth are gathered in, and on that oc-
casion llic most solemn sacrifices are oiTered. Iii
every town throughout the empire, the chief magis-
trate, being crowned with flowers, marches out of
the eastern gate, attended by musicians, and a vast
concourse of people, provided with flambeaux, co-
lours, streamers, and other ensigns of dignity.
Several persons follow him, carrying figures or
images, representing the invention and progress of
agriculture, and the streets arc adorned with trium-
phal arches, hung with tapestry. The magistrate
advances towards the east, as if he intended to meet
the new season, and before him appears the figure
of a cow, made of burnt clay, and of such an enor-
mous sise, that forty men a re hardly able to bear it.
On the back of the cow sits a beautiful boy alive,
representing the genius of husbandry, with one leg
bare, and the other covered with a thin buskin. —
The boy lashes the cow, and several peasants march
behind, carrying with them the implements used in
husbandry. All these are emblematical ; the lashes
the boy gives the cow, point out tlie necessity of
labour in cultivating the fruits of the earth, and his
having one leg bare, and the other covered, is the
symbol of hurry and diligence, which scarce affords
to the industrious time to dress.
When the procession arrives at the emperor's pa-
lace, all the flowers with which the cow is dressad,
are taken off, and then her belly is opened, when
several little cow's come out, and are distributed
among the people by the ministers of state, in order
to remind them of the care and industry attending
husbandry, and to admonish his subjects never to
let any piece of ground lie fallow.
The goddess Quonin presides over all their;hou.s-
hold aft'airs, and the fruits of the earth. She is rcr
presented w ith an infant on each side of her, one of
whom holds a cup in his hands, and the other hxs
his hands closed one within the other. The goddess
whom the bachelors worship, is called Chang-ko,
and is held in great esteem by their learned men, as
Minerva was by the Greeks and lionums. ; , ,
The first day of the new year is celebrated with
great pomp and splendour. There is a total cessa-
tion from business, the courts of justice are shut up,
and the ports arc stopped. Every oue tiieu makes
merry, and partakes of the general joy. Solemn
sacritices are oSercd throughout the empire, and
their gods are brought out and placed before their
doors. It must, how ever, be observed, that these
are houshold gods, and not such as are placfc- d in
their temples, for the latter cannot be brought, OUV
without leave of the emperor.
74
RELIGION OF THE CHINESE.
Their most celebrfeted teffiples are built upon
mountains ; for although groves were the original
places for Viorship, yet vie find that when societies
^f men were fbrnied, they changed the ancient
customs, probably that their pride might be the
more gratified by setting forth the grandeur of thei>-
temples. To these temples, the devotees resort in
great numbers, some \\alkjng on foot, and others
mounted on horseback, or drawn in chariots, ac-
cording to the nature of tlieir circumstances. The
female sex aie remarkably fond of going on these
j>ilg1-images ; but as father Le Compte obser\'es, de-
votion is not the sole motive. They are ambitious
of being seen in jiublic, and of freeing themselves
for a time, from the restraints laid on them by their
hu.^bands.
In all their temples, which are built in the form
of pyramids, the idols are placed on altars, and the
cloisters are inhabited by monks, or bonzes, much
in the same manner as the cloisters of collegiate
churches among the Koman Catholics. The altar
is illuminated by a vast number of lamps, whicii
burn day and night, and the idol being riclily gilt,
the whole has a most splendid appearance. 'J'he
idol is always of a gigantic size, and he has some
stnaller ones standing around him as his guards. On
each side of tiie altar stands censere, in which in-
cense is continually burning, and at the foot of it
is a wooden bowl to receive the oblations of the de-
votees. The altar is painted all over with a most
beautiful red, that col6ur being appropriated only
to such things as are sacred.
Before the image of Ti-can, the god of their trea-
sures, stand several hideous devils, ready to execute
ihcir master's orders, 'llie torments of the damned
are repiTscnted in the most hideous figures, one of
which always represents a sinner in a pair of scales,
with his iniquities in the one, and his good works in
the other. We meet with several such representa-
tions in the Grecian mythology as will be taken no-
tice of afterviards, when we come to treat of the
religion of that once celebrated country.
Besides those vagabonds and cheats, whom we
liave already mentioned, there are many others of a
lower order in China, who, to the dishonour even
of their own idols, and the scandal of religion, go
about the country like impostors as they are, and
pretend to foretel events, beyond the power or com-
prehension of any human capacity. Some of these
wretches pretend to instruct women how to have
children, tlie particulars of which the author has in
his possession, committed to him by a learned Ger-
man who resided above tvio years in tire interior
parts of Cliina, but which are too obscene to be
'rtientioned. Others of them pretend to sell the wind
and air, and these always go in couples together. —
One of them witli a very grave and demure counte-
ftance, carrying on his shoulder a bag in vhich his
airy goods are deposited, and out of which at a cer-
tain price, he delivers to the credulous as large a
quantity as they can afford to purchase. In his left
hand he carries a hammer, with which he strikes
the ground three times, in order to make the genius
of the wind appear ; and if credit is to be given to
these impostors, the wind will appear in a certain
number of days, borne on the wings of a bird.
Another of their tricks is to consult domestic idols,
for, as was said before, every house has its god. —
In such cases, the juggler takes two little sticks, and
ties them fast together with a thread, and having
made the most humble supplications to the domestic
idol, they throw the sticks down before it, in full
assurance that their petitions will be graciously heard
and answered. As one side of each of the sticks is
flat, and if by accident they happen to fall on the flat
side, they then expostulate with the god, and pro-
ceed to try a second experiment. If, oil the second
repetition they prove again unsuccessful, they have
recourse from words to blows, and knock the idol
two or three times about the head, to teach him to
be more propitious for the future.
However, they are seldom discouraged, for they
continue throwing the sticks till they fall in a proper
position, and the greater trouble they are put to,
they impute it to the obstinacy of the god. For this
juggling trick they receive some money from the
credulous, who are vain enough to believe them ;
just in the same manner as our fortune-tellers do ia
Europe. To treat these villains with contempt, or
to refuse them at least something, would be consi-
dered as sacrilege, for they are authorized by the
priests, in order to keep the people in a state of
ignorance.
There are in China many female devotees, who
observe the strictest austerities; and father I^
Compte gives us an account of one of them, whicli
is very extraordinary. Tlie Jesuit had often been
told of her piety, and therefore he thought her a
proper object to be converted to the Christian reli-
gion. Being introduced to her, he found, that be-
sides observing the austerities of the sect to which
she belonged, she had not tasted animal food for
the space of forty years. She was, by profession,
one of those who delighted in long prayers, and a
member of a society that belongs to a temple fre-
quented by pilgrims from all parts of the empire.
These pilgrims, upon their arrival at the foot of the
mountain upon which the temple is built, fiill down
on their knees and crawl up to the top. Lc Compte
found this woman too much M'edded to her own
opinions to embrace his religion, so that he was
obliged to leave her a heathen, in the same deplo-
rable slate as he found her.
Polygamy is tolerated in China among all ranks
RELIGION OF THE CHliNESE.
7J
of people, but the woman fii'st married is cousitlercd
as 9ii])erior to llie others. 'J'hc Cliinese are so jea-
lous ot" their uives, tliat they will not permit lliein
to be seen b_v any besides fhenisclves ; even Uieir
own relations are denied admittance to their apart-
ments, unless the husband is along with them. In-
deed their apartments are contrived in such a man-
ner, that they cannot be seen by any one, and when
tliey are indulged to go abroad, it is in a close car-
riage, hidden from every one.
In the article of marriage, neither party are per-
mitted to consult their own inclinations, but the
match is made up, either by the relations, or by old
women employed for that purpose, and ^\ho make a
trade of it. The wedding day being fixed, the bride
is carried in a sedan, followed by the bridegroom
and their relations. The bride brings no other por-
tion besides her wedding garments, a few other
clothes, and some household furniture ; for in China
the men give money for their wives, instead of re-
ceiving it with them. Tlie bridegroom attends the
bride to his own door, when he opens the sedan,
which before was shut up, and conducting her into
a private apartment, recommends her to the caie of
se^Tral women, who have come to attend the vi'ed-
ding, and who spend the day in feasting and rejoic-
ing, while the bridegroom does the same among his
male ftiends and acquaintance.
As the bridegroom is never permitted to see the
bride, whom he has purchased, till he opens the
chair, so if he finds himself deceived with respect to
her beauty, he innnediately shuts it, and dismisses
her home to her relations, chusing rather to lose the
purchase-money, than to marry one whom he can-
not love.
The solemnization of the marriage is nlways pre-
ceded by three days mourning, -during which time,
all the relations abstain from ever)' sort of amuse-
ment. The reason assigned for this practice is, the
Chinese look upon the marriages of their children as
a presage of their own deaths. Ilie purchase and
sale of wives are much more common among the
lower sorts of people, than among those of an ele-
vated rank ; for the latter always take care to have
one lawful wife, and to treat her in a manner be-
coming the rank in which she was brought up.
The day after mairiage, the bridegroom and bride,
•or rather the new married couple, repair to the next
temple, where they offer up sacrifices to one of their
gods, and have their names enrolled among those of
their ancestors. Then the priest bestows upon them
the solemn benedictions, and declares that nothing
can part them till death.
AVhen one of the princesses of the blood royal is
to be married, twelve young men of high rank, are
brought into an apartment in the palace, where they
can be seen by her, although they cannot see her.
They are ordered to walk round the apartment wliilc
she surveys them, when she makes choice of two,
who are |>resented to llie emperor, and he nominates
whom he thinks proper. This is perhaps a much
better, and more rational way of disposing of a
daughter than that of the European fathers of prin-
cesses, concluding marriages, without giving tiieir
daughters an opportunity of so nuich as seeing the
object of their afleclions. A woman who cannot
pick a husband out of twelve lovers, must be nice
in her choice indeed !
When a Chinese dies, an altar is immediately erect-
ed in some particular room of the house, which for
the most part, is hung with mourning. The image
of the deceased is laid upon the altar, and the corpse
behind it, in a cofiin. Every one who approaches
it, is to pay his compliments of condolence, and
bow his knee four times before the image ; but j)rc-
vious to these kneelings, they offer up their perfumes.
If the deceased lias any children, they stand aroimd
the coffin, dressed in deep mourning; and his wives
and relations weep aloud with the female mourners,
who are hired, and who stand concealed behind a
curtain. Wien the body is laid in the coffin, the
mouth is filled with ae much corn, rice, silver and
gold, as circumstances will admit of; nails and scis-
sars, tied up in purses, are likewise put into the
coffin, in order that the deceased may cut his nails
as often as he pleases.
The day on which the funeral is to be solemnized,
all the relations and friends of the deceased meet to-
gether at the house of the deceased, dressed in mourn-
ing, who, together w ith the priests, form the fune-
ral procession, which is attended by the images of
men, women, tygers, elephants, and various other
sorts of creatures, which are to be burnt, in memory
of the deceased, and for the repose of his soul. The
priests who are to make a funeral panygeric, walk
behind the procession. In the front, several persons
walk with brazen censers on their shoulders. The
children of the deceased walk immediately behind
the corpse en foot, leaning on sticks, as an expres- •
sion of sorrow and concern. After the children,
come the wives and tlie more distant relations of
the deceased, in a close litter. Handfuls of red sand
are thrown upon the coffin, during the procession,
which is a symbol of the body's returning again to
its native earth. Musicians, playing the most me-
lancholy tunes, walk in the midst of the procession,
till they come to the place where the corpse is to
be interred, which is always without tl»e city in an
open field, set apart for that purpose. The body is
laid in the ground, and the priest pronounces a fune-
ral oration, after which all the mourners return
home.
Such was the ancient, and such is the modern
state of religion in China, and upon an impartial
76
RELIGION OF THE CHINESE.
consideration, M'e shall find much to commend and
much to blame. The deists have represented the
Chinese religion as the most perfect in the universe,
but upon a strict inquiry, it appears to be a system
of barbarism and heathenism. That they are well
acquainted \\ ith some of the fine arts, cannot be de-
nied; but their religion is of such a nature, that
unless some reformation takes place in their system,
they will remain as they have hitherto done, a peo-
ple secluded from the rest of the world ; and indeed
out of the way of improvement. To deduce any
. other interferences is altogether unnecessary ; for
those who know the value of the blessings they enjoy
imder the gospel, where life and inunortality are
brought to light, will look with an eye of pity on
the highly reputed natives of China, and wish those
people to share with them in happiness.
Before we dismiss this article concerning China,
'•it may not be improper to say something concern-
ing burying-grounds, especially as the right under-
standing of that subject will serve to remove some
prejudices which too many labour under.
The ancient Greeks never suffered a dead body
to be buried within the walls of their cities : they
had fields appropriated for tliat purpose, at a consl-
..derafole distance, and at tlie public expense.
The primitive Christians coviid not buiy their dead
within towns or cities, for they, being subjects of
the Roman emperors, were obliged to comply with
all their edicts, in things of a civil nature ; It there-
fore remains for us to inquire at what time, and
for what reason this practice iirst took place? So
far as ecclesiastical history will direct us, it seems
to have been towards the middle of the fifth cen-
tury, owing to the veneration the Christians had
for the remains of the martyrs. Those they picked
up and piled round their churches ; and others, who
were professing Christians, desired to have their bo-
dies interred near the remains of those who Ivad laid
down their lives for the truth. Superstition was
then beginning to gain ground in the Christian
church, and the less than non-essentials of religion
were considered as of a greater importance than the
.articles of faith and duty, upon which man's salva-
tion depends. Corrupt priests found it conduced
towards promoting the dignity of their characters,
and considerable emoluments arose from It, in con-
sequence of the fees that were paid. This practice
has continued ever since in the church of Rome ;
and we have several instances in the reign of Henry
the Eighth, of people having been committed to pri-
son, where tliey died miserably for no other reason
but that of refusing to pay money for the fiuieral
rites.
Soi»e of the greatest men, both in the last and
the present age, have earnestly wished, that fees for
ihc burying of the dead had been long since abolish-
ed, especially in Protestant churches ; but we wish
for reformation Ipng before it takes place. How-
ever, with respect to things of a religious nature,
they are not what we have at present in view ; in-
stead of them we look towards utility, and the pro-
moting of public safety.
Whatever may be the consequences of bullying
bodies in church-yards, certainly the practice of in-
terring them in churches must be of a very perni-
cious nature. In Italy, the smell arising from the
corrupted bodies, often interrupts the devotions ; nor
need we be much surprised if the plague, or some
such epidemical distemper, was to break out in the
country. In the original judgment pronounced upon
our first parents, we find the words, " Dust thou
art, and unto dust thou shalt return ;" but such is
the vanity, such the pride of mortals, that they can-
not bear the thoughts of their near relations being
consigned to the silent grave. Elke the Egyptians
of old, they would have them kept above the
ground ; but alas ! they cannot preserve them fron^
corruption. Nay, it will, and frequently does hap-
pen, that the churches in which they are buried,
fall to the ground, and the author of this work has
seen whole cart loads of dead bodies taken in their
coflSns from vaults, and thrown down in a promis-
cuous heap in the fields.
Would it not, therefore, be much better to have
afield purchased at the public expense, near every
town and city, to deposit the. dead bodies of our
dearest relations ? Surely It would ; but here we
must state a partlniilar objection :
Those who stand up in defence of the buryinw of
dead bodies in church-yards, being fairly beaten out
of all the assistance they vainly imagined to procure
from the Greek and Roman historians, have had re-
course to what they call a natural principle. They
tell us, that men desired to have their remains depo-
sited near the spot where they offered up their pray-
ers and praises to the Divine Being. In proof of this,
they produce the practice of the ancient Druids,
who buried their relations near the confines of tlieir
temples. Plausible as this objection may seem, yet
it VA 111 not require much force of argument to over-
throw it.
The temples of the Druids were piles of stones,
set up in a circular form, far from towns and cities,
and the bodies being buried deep in the earth, no
evil consequences could arise from a noxious smell;
but many of our burying grounds are in the most
conspicuous parts of our cities, and thousands of
coffms, with their mortal contents, are left above
ground, to the disgrace of humanity and civil po-
lity. But allowing the argument to hold good, let
it be granted that the Druids did so, what has Chris-
tians to do with it ? Life and immortality being
now brought to light by tlie gospel, we have an
RELIGION IN CARNATE, GOLCONDO, BISNAGAR AND DECAN.
77
assurance tliat our bodies will be raised at the gene-
ral resurrection, and tlieii what does it signify to ns
where they were deposited. It is nothing to the
Christian whether his body is cast into the sea, or
laid uj) in a monument of Parian marble, whether
it is trodden under the feet of men, who are a dis-
grace to humanity, or enshrined behind the altar of
a cathedral church. That respect should be shewn
to the ashes of the dead, is certainly consistent with
all those grand ideas we form of the divine benevo-
lence ; because m;m is the image of his divine Maker;
but that it should be exercised at the expense of the
living, is contran.- to moral justice and common sense. '
From the whole, we may draw the following
conclusions. First, that it is our d<itv to deposit
the dead bodies of our fellow creatures in a decent
manner. Secondly, that to lay their dead bodies
in vaults above ground, is contrary to the original
order of God. Tliirdly, that the having burying
grounds in towns and cities, may be attended with
very dangerous consequences ; and lastly, that it
is the duty of the state to have common burying
grounds m every part of the nation, and that no
fees should be exacted from those who are unable
to pay.
RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES OF THE INHABITANTS OF CARNATE,
GOLCONDO, BISNAGAR AND DECAN.
JLHESfi ancient nations, of which history is in
many respects silent, worship the same gods, though
under diti'ercnt forms, as those adored by the Bramins;
and in general their religion is called Banian, and
the people Banians. This is not a term of reproach,
but a word that signifies gravity, reverence, or strict-
ness, in allusion to the great austerities they observe,
both in their temples and in their private lives.
And first, of their hermits, for they are much es-
teemed in those parts. This sect was first founded
by Hhcvan, whom the god Ram deposed, to re-
venge the indignities offered to his wife Sita, and
he became their patriarch. These hermits are called
Faquirs, which signify holy recluses, or such as
have denied to live in human society. They live
retired in woods and caves, feeding on roots, herbs,
fruits, &c. and sometimes the shepherds bring them
a piece of bread, for they must not, on an) account
whatever, eat flesh.
They are in such repute for their sanctity, that
de^•otees will sometimes travel two or three days to
ask them questions ; and so far are many of the wo-
men divested of shame, tliat they will even kiss their
privy parts. A gentleiiiail \\ho visited these parts
about ten years ago, actuallv saw this done by a
lady, after she had travelled above three days to en-
quire of the hermit whether she should have chil-
dren. Strange and incredible as this rrtay appear,
yet there are many persons alive who can witness
the tmdi of it ; nay, and many things more extrava-
gant, ridiculous, and abominable in their natnre.
Their pagotls, or altars, where they worship their
idols, are for the most part, built under tall trees,
and thd name of one of them is Mamanira, shaped
6
in a monstrous form. To this idol, the votaries
bring their free-will offerings of rice, millet, and
several sorts of fruit, and \\hoever comes to offer
up their sacrifices before their god Mamaniva, are
marked by the hermit on the head with Vermillion.
The moment they receive this tincture, they ima-
gine that the devil can have no power over them,
and that all mannei' of temptations will be rendered
ineffectual.
In the same grove, and at a small distance, stands
another pagod or altar, dedicated to the god Rain,
whose image is represented under the figure of a
cow. At all these places, the hennits receive gifts
from the people, who come in great numbers to
worship. Some of these hermits, or faquirs, retire
one after another into the most gloorny caverns,
where no light can come, but through a small cre-^
^'ice, and there they stand in one posture from day
to day, during a whole Meek, without tasting any
sort of refreshment. Others spend whole years to-
gether, without so much as reposing thertiselves ou
the ground ; for when sleep overpowers them, they
lean against a cord, fixed by each end to the
branches of a tree. Some of them do penance, by
standing ten or twelve hours a day, with one foot
extended, and their eyes stedfastly fixed on the sun.
At the same time, they liold a censer in their hands;
filled with burning incense ; and others sit squatting
on their posteriors, witli their legs under them, and
their anns m reatlted over their heads in a variety of
frantic postures.
It has been gencrallv allowed, that these Indlart
devotees would sink under the force of such |H?nance,
1 were it not foi* some assistance from art, for unless
rs
RELIGION IN CARNATE, GOLCONDO, BISNAGAR AND DECAN.
the senses were lulled to sleep, the torments would
be too great to endure. But we are assured tliat
they drink water^ with opium infused into it,
which is of such an intoxicating nature, that for
some time it turns their brains. During the time
they attend their sacrifices, they hang small round
stones about their necks, as an emblem of eternity,
which has induced some travellers to believe that
they are descended from the Egyptians, who in an-
cient times, painted eternity in the form of a circle,
having neither beginning nor end.
Another god, much esteemed and worshipped by
these people, is called Perimal, and his image is that
of a pole, or the large mast of a ship. The Indians
relate the following legend concerning this idol. At
Cydambaran, a city in Golcondo, a penitent having
accidentally pricked his foot with an awl, let it con-
tinue in the wound for several years together ; and
although this extravagant method of putting himself
to excessive torture, was displeasing to the god Pe-
rimal, yet the zealot swore he would not have it
pulled out till he saw the god dance. At last, the
indulgent god had compassion on him, and danced.
and the sun, moon, and stars danced along with
him. During this celestial movement, a chain of
gold dropped from either the sun or the god, and the
place has been ever since called Cydambaran. It
was also in memory of this remarkable transaction,
that the image of the god was changed from that of
an ape to a pole, thereby intimating, that all religious
worship should reach up towards heaven, that hu-
man affections should be placed on things above.
At Samorin, a considerable city, is a chapel, and
in it is a statue seated on the throne, and young
children are sacrificed to it. It is made of brass,
and when heated from a furnace underneath the altar,
the child is thrown into its mouth and consumed.
There are certain days set apart for the worship of
this idol, and he is washed in consecrated water,
every morning, by the Bramins. Flowers are scat-
tered upon the altars, during the sacrifices; and
they steep some herbs in the blood of a cock, which
are afterwards thrown into a censer, with a large
quantity of frankincense, and with this they perfume
the idol. During the whole of the ceremony, the
priest tinkles a little bell to animate the people in
their devotions, a practice common in many heathen
nations.
The first part of the sacrifice, namely, that of
destroying an innocent child being over, the priest
cuts the throat of a cock, with a silver knife, dipped
in the blood of a hen, and holds the cock with the
knife over a chafiin dish, in the middle of the altar.
The altar is pompously illuminated by wax tapers,
and at the close of the sacrifice, the priest takes a
handful of corn, and walks backwards from the
altar, keeping his eyes stedfastly fixed upon it.
\\'hen he comes to the middle of the chapel, he
throN^ s the corn over his head, and returning to the
altar again, removes every thing from it.
There is a pagod near Naugracut, a considerable
city between Indus and the Ganges, and in it is an
idol, which the Bramins honour, by cutting off part
of their tongues. This, however, is but done once
durhig their lives, and it is reckoned the highest act
of devotion they can perform, and such as submit to
it are considered as saints.
It is remarkable what veneration these people have
for the river Ganges ; in it they wash, out of pure
devotion, and often throw into it, as offerings, pieces
of gold and silver. Vast numbers of pilgrims are
continually visiting this celebrated river, and while
they bathe in it, they hold a short slraw between
their fingers. The pilgrims having washed them-
selves with great ceremony, are received by the
Bramins, who conduct them to a pagod, where they
offer some money and rice. During these ceremo-
nies, the pilgrims repeat several prayers, and every
one is said to have his sins forgiven, when he has
been washed in the Ganges.
Quilacara, a celebrated town on the borders of the
Indies, is remarkable for a Jubilee, celebrated there
once in twelve years. On the morning of the fes-
tival, the rajah of the place, who is both sovereign,
high priest, and civil governor, mounts a scaffold;
and, having stripped himself naked, is washed all
over by his attendants. He then makes an oration
to the people ; telling them, that he is to offer up
himself, a free-will offering to the gods. The peo-
ple shout applause, when the rajah pulls out a sharp
knife, and cuts off his nose, lips, and ears, and pre-
sents them to his idols, and he closes the ceremony,
by cutting his throat.
Horrid as this ceremony may appear to us, yet
there are others more barbarous still ; and in the
same province. Some of their devotees go in scores
together, to visit the most celebrated temples ; and,
standing before their altars, cut off their flesh by
piece-meal ; using the following words ; " Thus da
I mortify myself for the " sake of my god." When
they can endure the torment no longer, they say,
" Out of love to thee, O my god, do I offer up
myself a cheerful sacrifice !" Then they stab them-
selves, and their bodies are immediately reduced to
ashes. These precious ashes are sold by the priests
for a considerable sum, to the deluded people, and
are considered as preservatives against all sorts of
diseases. During the month of May, these people
observe a remarkable ceremony ; and it is at the time
when the pilgrims come to bathe in the Ganges.
They erect a pile of c6\v dung, on which they put
several baskets of rice, with herbs, roots, and all
such vegetables as can be procured. To the whole
is added a quantity of butter, and several piles of
RELIGION IN CARNATE GOLCONDO, BISNAGAR AND DECAN. 79
•wood, wliich they set fire to ; and dming; the time
it is burning, they pretend to discover what sort of
a harvest will ensue.
In Visapoiir, at seed-time, they have a festival,
which they ci'iel)rate in the follo\vin;» manner. The
priests lop of all the branches of one of their tallest
trees, except those at tlie top, and with these lopped
branches, march in grand procession, singing hymns,
attended by a vast concourse of people, to one of their
pagods, where they rest before the gate, and salute
the idol. The peojile repeat loud acclamations, and
walk three times round the temple, and the arch-
priest digs a hole in the ground, and pours into it
some water brought from the Ganges, mixed with
the urine of cows. In this hole, the branches of the
tiee are fixed, and while the fire is consuming them,
the arch-priest pretends to know from the attitudes
of the flames, what w ill happen, . during tlie remain-
der of the year.
In all their ceremonies they sing a great number
of hymns and psalms, which seems to have been a
very ancient practice, even among the most idola-
trous nations, botli in Asia, and in other parts of the
world. That it was used in Egypt, while the chil-
dren of Israel were in a state of slavery, cannot be
doubted; for we read that when Moses went up into
the mount to receive the law from God, the peoj)le
made a golden calf, and danced before it ; and, un-
doubtedly, they had music. Nay, there is not an
ancient nation, or indeed any of the moderns, where
music, of some sort or -otlier, does not make a part
of their religious service. The Greeks and Romans
were of opinion that music appeased the anger of the
gods ; thus the poet says,
'Tis pious duty now to praise/
With incense, songs, and sacred lays,
And with a promis'd heifer's blood.
My Numida's kind guardian god.
For this reason, the Pagan devotion was generally
attended with vocal and instrumental music ; and it
was the custom to turn into verse, and sing in their
temples, the heroic acts of their gods. But without
taking any notice of the music made use of by the
primitive Christians, which will naturally occur, in
its proper place, we shall here only observe, that even
those barbarous people whose religion we have been
treating of, are no strangers to music, and although
they may not know the rules of art so well as the
Europeans, yet we find that they have what is fuf-
ficient to satisfy their taste, and from that single cir-
cumstance we may learn, that music is an universal
science.
\V hen the devotees among those people convert
any young persons to become proselytes to their
austerities, they prescribe a rule for their conduct,
hj attending to which their sincerity is known, aud
this is to last during six months. I'he reason they
protract the time so long, is, that they may not
reveal their secrets to novices, till such time as
they are in a manner certain, that they will not de-
sert them.
This term of their noviciate, or trial, is called
their regeneration; aud during the first three months
tljey are obliged to eat one pound of cow's dung,
mixed with rice, every day. During the last three
month, the quantity of dung is gradually lessened,
and the reason why they eat the excrements of this
creature is, because they believe there is something
in them of a divine and purifying nature, both for
the body aud the soul.
All marriages among them arc concluded and
solemnized when they are young, aud this is done
to prevent every sort of suspicion concerning impu-
rity ; although the men are allowed a plurality of
wives, according to the nature of their circumstances,
yet except in cases of barrenness, they seldom
have more wives than one. Their priests notwith-
standing their attachment to idolatry, and their
many ridiculous ceremonies, as well as criminal sa-
crifices, arc such friends to human society, that
they do all they can to discourage polygamy, or the
having more wives than one. In support of this
setrtiment, they point out to the people, that where
there are a plurality of wives, there will be a vast
number of dissentions and jealousies, as the conti-
nual consequence of divided love. If the husband
treats the one with tenderness and indulgence,
which may frequently happen, then the others are
sure to repine ; and what man of human sensibility
can bear the thought of such contending passions.
It must distract his soul ; and while he provides for
the offspring of one woman, the children of the
others are in a manner totally neglected.
The evening before the solemnization of their
marriages, the bridegroom, accompanied by all his
relations, goes to the apartment of the bride, and at
his first admission puts a pair of bracelets on each
of the legs of his intended spouse; thereby intimat-
ing that she is his captive, and that it is her duty
never to depart from him. The next day there is a
grand entertainment at the house of the bridegroom,
and tow ards the evening the bride makes her appear-
ance accompanied by her relations. Several priests
attending, lay their hands on the heads of the par-
ties, and repeat several prayers ; after which they
are both sprinkled with water, as an emblem of pu-
rification. Several dishes of the richest fruits are
then served up, and the company having eaten, the
priest asks the bridegroom, ■ w hether he will pro-
mise, by his industry, to provide for the woman as
long as he lives; to screen her from want, and bring
up her children.
This part of the ceremony being over, the wholt
80
RELIGION IX CARN\\TE, GOLCOXDO, BI5NAGAR AND DECATs.
compainr ride out oa elephants, and towards inid-
nisht. when they return home, bonfires and other
illuminations, serve to grace tlie soieoioity. One
of the most extravagant expenses attending these
marriages is, that although the parties should hap-
pen to live above an hundred leagues from the
Ganges, yet thev are obiiged to have some of the
■water of that celebrated river. Hiis the priests takes
care to furnish them with, for they keep it in jars
for that purpose,; which brings them in a consider-
able revenue. This costly liquor is always kept till
the latter part of the feast, and the more liberal the
Iwidecroom is in the distribution of it, the more ge-
nerous he is esteemed, and the more respected in tlie
neighbourhood where he lives. Last of all, the
priest puts a cbapiet, or crown of flowers, on the
heads of the bride and bridegroom, declaring them
to be husband and wife, and they are conducted to
the haram, the place appropriated for the women.
In their fur.exal ceremonies, they are not so rigid
as ti.-ose who lite under the direction of tiie Bramins,
in the conntries we have already described, subject
to the great Mogul, but still there is a strong simi-
larity. Such oi the women as are religious devo-
tees, often bum themselves aloiig with the bodies of
their husbands : but if they refuse to coniplv with
that horrid, unnatural ceremony, then they are
obliged to submit to the ignominy of having their
beads shaved, and to go without a covering as long
as they live. Sometimes the chief magistrate of the
place refuses to grant them the indulgence <if it
may be called so> to bom themselves, and in such
cases, thev- are to lead a life of p>enrtence ever after-
■wards. If they have money, they are to sive the
greatest part of it to the poor, and they are to re-
peat a certain number of prayers ever\' dav. Thev
are also to go barefooted to one of their Pagan tem-
ples, on the day of every solemn festival ; but ttev
are not to be admitted as worshippers.
In coBsidering this circimastanee, the goveraor
acts in a very political manner; and if there is anv
crime in the woman, the penance is not volantar?
but constrained. ^Ht while he refuses tnem the pri-
rilege to bum themselves alive, along with the dead
bodies of their husband);, be ougtt to take care that
they are protected from iasuits. Perhaps the civil
power B weak, and relisioHS prejudices strosg, and
as eatfausiasm or rehgious prejudices operate with
the greatest strengtb on the nainds of the vulgar,
aad as the vulgar are always the most numero«s in
all commimities, so it is often dangerous for the ma-
gistrate to interfere with tkem.
When a person is Cv«sidered as in a dying con-
ditioo, the body is ca?ri'?d oat to the river or brook,
where it is dipped till the water comes np to his
.mouth ; and this is done, that both bodv and sotil
^ay be purged froto ait iisparities. If it happens to
j be near the Ganges, they tie the hands of the dving
I man to a cow's tail, and make her drag him into
the water. If the cow emits urine upon the dying
person, it is considered by the people as the most
i salutary puriricatioo, and he is believed by the
} priests and all his relations to be washed from all im-
perfection. If the luiue flows plentifiJ upon him,
; his friends make loud acclamations of joy, and con-
! sider him as ranked among the number of d:e bles-
' sed ; but v hen it happens that the cow is not dis-
posed to make water, then the relations are discon-
; solate, aad consider the dying man as going into a
i state of punishment.
I If it appears that the patient's life is not abso-
j Itttely m danger, then he is brought into the temple
I of one of taeir idols to be cured, and left all night
! before the altar, not boubting but liis god will grant
' him a respite. If he dies, all his relations assemble
: at his house, and put the body in a coffin, deco-
j rated with figures, pointing out the circumstances
' of his death. The corpse is then carried to the fu-
'; neral pile, attended by a vast concourse of people,
j and there it is reduced to ashes. During the proces-
j sion, they sing several hvmns, and repeat a great
j number of short collects or prayers, and when they
j approach the place, the priest rings a little bell, in-
timating to the people, that it is their duty to pray
; for the soul of the deceased. The body is always
i washed with pure water, before it is put upton the
pile, and that part of the ceremony being over, fire
I is set to the wood, and the whole reduced to ashes,
i while the priests continue singing hymns.
I A question may here naturally be asked, viz.
Why do those heathens in the East-Indies, in con-
formity with the practice of the Romans, burn the
bodies of their dead ? There have been several
conjectures concerning the origin of this barbarous
practice, as first, many of the eastern nations ador-
ed the fire, and therefore they considered it as an
acceptable piece of devotion, to offer np the dead
bodies of their relations to it. Secondly, their pride
might induce the most celebrated heroes, and tL-e
most beautiful women, to desire to conceal from
tiie world, what poor, helpless creatures they were
while alive. Thirdly, they beheld man\' indigni-
ties offered to the dead, and they were wiiling, nay
deOT-ous, that nothing of that nature should happen
to their relations. Lastly, they might do it in order
to prevent a contasionjcfetemper, which often takes
place from the noxions smell of dead bodies. AVhe-
tber any, en- all of these coHfectures may be founded
in truth, we leave the reader to judge, but certain
it is, the practice itself, is contrarv- to natural reli-
gion, as well as to divine revelation. Natural reli-
gion points out, that as man was formed out of the
earth, so at death his body should be consigned to
it, " Dtist thou art, srad unto dust thou sliait re-
RELIGION IN ASEM, AVA AXD AKACAN'.
ei
(urn." Divine revelation teaches us that as Christ 1
laid down his head in the grave, so the bodies of I
those who are his faithful followers, should be de- 1
posilevi in the eartli, to rest till that awful period,
when he shall come to judge the World is righteous-
ness.
Let U3 pity heathens, who have none of those
consolations, which our holy religion holds out to
us ; let tu daily pray for their cooTeraion ; let us
not be afraid to lay dowTi our beads in the silent
grave ; let us not reilect much on the indigtuties that
may be offered to our bodies after death ; for our
Divine Redeemer has gone before us, he has made
the grave sweet unto us, and by his almighty power,
he vvill raise us up at the last day.
RELIGION OF THE PEOPLE OF ASEM, AVA AND ARACAN.
The history of mankind would be one of the
most pleas'mg studies in the iuiiver»e, v\ ere it not
often attended with the most humiliating, the most
melancholy considerations. By studviug human
nature, we are led to consider in what manner we
were fonued by our aU-wise Creator ; what we
have made ourselves in consequence of our disobe-
dience to the divine law ; what we may be through
divine grace ; and then what we shall be in glory.
Principles of this nature, should strike deep into our
jii'md, when we consider the state of the heathen
world, and, at the same time, reflect on the many
blessings we enjoy. In vain do we pride ourselves
in anv of our endo\vments, in vain do we pretend to
superior attainments; for if our affections are as
much attached to earthly objects as those of the hea-
tliens, then we are much more inexcusable than
thev. We have all the truth of the gospel laid oj)en
to us, while they remaJa in a slate of ignorance,
worshipping the works of their own hands. Nay,
worshipping even reptiles and uisects, offering hu-
man sacrifices, shutting up their bowels of compas-
sion, and trampling upon every moral obligation.
This naturally applies to what we are now going to
relate, for the dignity of our holy religion never
sliines so bright, as when contrasted with heathen
superstition. Pagan idolatry, and every thing else
that can dishonour our nature.
The provinces, or nations, we are novf to give
some account of, particularly with respect to reli-
gion, differ in some few things from those already
(.escribed in this part of the world. Like the oilier
l.eathens around llu;m, they have inauy gods or idols;
Lut die sovereign and supreme one over all the others,
is Qaiay-Paragray. To his honour they have seve-
ral temples erected, and on particular festivals they
1 ave grand processions, in which not only d.t priests,
but likewise all tl.e jjeopie in the neishbourbood
attend. ITiey carry him iu a triumphal cliariot
(hrough tlieir cities attended by ujuety priests, all
6
dressed in yellow satin, .and the devotees fall dowv
on their knees as the procession marches aloag.
Nav, some of the devotees prostrate themselves be-
fore the chariot, that the wheels may run over tbetn,
while others rush against sharp spikes fastened to the
w heels of the chariot, which tear their flesh in pieces,
and is considered as the most meritorious actioa
they can f>erform. It often happtens that these de-
votees become martyrs to their enthusiasm, for their
bodies being torn by the spikes in the wheels of the
chariot, they often mortify, and death ensues. In
such cases, the people esteem them so much, that it
is considered as an honour to be j>ermitted to touch
them ; even the spikes of the wheels are deemed sa-
cred, and the priests lay them up as precious relics
in their temples.
This idol sits on a pedestal, cross-legged, and every
day the prince of the country sends him a most mag-
nificent entertainment. The devotees prostrate
themselves before this idol, in order to be cured ot
various disease?, it being their firm opinion, that it is
in his power to perform every tiling supernatural ; but
m this there is nothing at all surprising, because all
those who acknow ledge a supreme power, must ho-
nour the perfection of his atuibutes.
The grandest temple dedicated to this idol, stanls
i in the island of Muuay, and in the same bland is
another god, who is said to preside over the four
winds. All their temples, like those in China, are
built in the form of pyramids, but some of tfcem
are much higher than others. In the winter tlse-ie
Pa^nns cover their gods, lest they should catch cold,
pravins, at the same time, that they will, a: .~ome
futiue^eri.'d, reward them for their duty an-J ;-f ty.
Thev ha\e a great number of priests, and over
all these is one who acts as sovereign ponntt, and
decides in all religions matters. He is uui^Lrsallj^
respected by all the people, and the kmg ghes liiok
tlie right hand, nor does he ever speak to liim but
viUi the profoundest reverence and veueratiou.
Tneir inferior priests, who aie also (.o..-;iic:c<i as
33
RELIGION IN ASEM, AVA AND ARACAN,
the physicians of the country, are divided into tlnee
classes, or orders, and distinguished by as many
names. They are all dressed in yellow satin with
their heads shaved, but their chiefs wear a cope, re-
sembling a mitre, with a peak falling down behind.
They are all obliged to take an oath of celibacy, and
if they afterwards marry, then they are degraded and
reduced to the same state with the laity. Some of
them reside in monastries, founded by illustrious per-
sons, some live in deserts, and others act as school-
masters to the youth, and when they find a young
man 6f a more than ordinary capacity, they endea-
vour to persuade him to enter himself among them.
Those who have nothing to subsist on, are supported
at the royal expense, but most of them live by beg-
ging from the people.
\\lth respect to the nuptial ceremonies in the
kingdom of Aracan, they are rather different from
.soine of the others. The king is to have the pre-
ference of all the young women in the country, and
for that purpose every governor or chief magistrate
of a district chases twelve virgins, once in the year,
who are educated at the king's expense, till they are
twelve jear of age, when they are sent to court,
dressed in fustian gow ns, and exposed to the heat of
the sun, till the sweat runs through the garments.
These gowns are next day carried to the king, who
is so curious as to smell them all over, and such vir-
gins as appear to have nothing disagreeable about
tliem, are reserved for his own private amusement,
and the rest are given to his servants.
In the kingdom of Asem, every man marries four
wives, but lest any family disputes should take place,
every woman is to bring up her own children. When
they are first taken sick, they send for one of their
priests, who breathes upon them, and repeats several
prayers, and if there does not appear any hopes of
their recovery, the priest directs the sick person to
sacrifice to Chaor-boos, the god of the four winds,
and the sacrifice consists of certain number of fowls,
according to the circumstances of the patient. This
sacrifice is offered four times, according to the num-
ber of the winds ; but if no success attends it, and
tlie patient becomes worse, then they have recourse
to another expedient, which has been long in use
among them, probably from the most early ages,
because they have not among them the least traces
of its original, nor by whom it was first taught.
The principal room in the house is adorned with
tapestry, an altar is erected at the upper end, and the
image of an idol is placed upon it, and the priest,
with the relations of the sick person, meet together,
where they are sumptuously entertained ; but the
most ridiculous part of the ceremony is, that the per-
son who conducts the entertainment, is obliged to
dance as long as he can stand upon his feet; when
he can stand no longer, he lays hold of a linen cloth,
which is fastened to the ceiling for that purpose, and
by that slender assistance, continues to dance till he
has no strength left, and then he falls down in a
swoon. Then the music begins to play, and ever^
one present envies his happiness, being fully per-
suaded, that during the time he was in a trance, he
was conversing with the idol. If the'patient happen.*
to recover, he is conducted to the next temple, and
anointed with oil before the altar : but if it happens,
that notw ithstanding all their endeavours he dies, the
priest assures them, that what they have done has
been highly acceptable to the gods, and although
they thought proper to remove the patient from this
lower world, yet that act was the result of infinite
goodness and compassion to make him liappy for
ever.
When a person dies, he is laid out in the middle
of the house, and some of the priests walk round the
body, repeating several prayers, while others are
employed in .sprinkling the room with frankiucense,
and all sorts of aromatic flowers. The coflins have
the figures of different beasts painted upon them, all
serving to point out some of the actions of the de-
ceased.
^Vhile the priests are performing these ceremo-
nies, the servants keep tinkling on instruments of
copper, in order to keep away the evil spirits, whom
they imagine are surrounding the corpse. They be-
lieve, that if an evil spirit should happen to go over
the body of the deceased, the soul would return, and
then lie would be deprived of all that happiness into
which he was entered. Before the body is carried
away, several persons in the neighbourhood are in-
vited to attend, and if they neglect to come, the
whole company present are much troubled ; their re-
fusal being considered as an indication, that the de-
parted soul is gone to hell. The last part of the
ceremony is to convey the body into the fields,
where it is burnt to ashes, and all the relations are
dressed in white, which is the common fashion of
mourning in that country. The priests set fire to
the funeral pile, and during the time they are doing
it, several hymns are sung in honour of their gods.
I'hese ceremonies, however, are confined to the
lower classes of people, and particularly to the laity ;
but when an arch-priest or pontiff dies, something
of a more exalted nature takes place, of which we
shall give the following account from those who
were witness of it. As priests in all nations are
considered as at the head of religion, so we need not
be surprised to find, that when they die, they are
attended to the grave or the funeral pile, with the
most pompous ceremonies ; and this is done in order
to keep alive that flame of superstition and enthusi-
asm, which, unless guided by reason, will always
lead into captivity the human heart.
A few years ago, the supreme pontiff died, and
RELIGION IN ASEM, AVA AND ARACAN.
83
an account of his funeral will serve to shew what is
common to others of the same rank and character. —
llie moment he expired, the lires were all extin-
guished, and every one of the inhabitants shuts up
their windows as a sign of mourning, the temples
TVTcre crowded with penitents, and in the streets, not
a single individual was to be seen. The body of
tliis high priest was exposed three days to the pub-
lic, with all llie solemnity that can be imagined. It
lay on an altar in the chief temple, and there were
upwards of a thousand priests attending, with tapers
in their hands, singing hynms around the coffin. —
Above five hundred young children went naked to
the funeral, each girt round the middle with cords
and chains of iron, and each carrying a bundle of
sticks on his head, and a knife in his hand. During
the whole of the procession, they sung the most
dismal songs that can be imagined, sometimes in con-
cert, and sometimes one after another.
They were divided inta two classes, and the first
sang, " O thou, who art going to partake of th»
joys of heaven, forsake us not in this our imhappy
exile ;" and the other class answered, " That we
may be made partakers with thee of those heavenly
blessings." After this all the people fell on their
knees, while an aged priest made a funeral oration.
The oration being ended, tliere was a second pro-
cession of young men, who paid their honours to
the deceased as they marched along, and drew their
scimitars as they surrounded the coffin, in order to
drive the devil away, and confine him home to his
house of smoke, there to live for ever, and suffer
for the many crimes he had committed, both against
God his Creator, and likewise against those laws
prescribed for regulating tlie conduct of the children
of men.
These ceremonies being over, the body of the so-
vereign pontiff was laid on the funeral pile, and six
young persons of considerable rank, submitted to
be burned along with it. Next day, a priest made
an harangue before the king, expatiating largely on
the virtues of the deceased ; and when the oration
was finished, the ashes of the pontiff, and those of
the young men, who had been burnt along with
him, were distributed as precious relics among the
populace.
The peoi)le of Ava do not burn their dead, although
in most other religious respects, they differ but little
from their neighbours. They biuy all the dead
bodies of their relations, and are of opinion, that,
after a life spent in doing good, they will enter into
eternal happiness. But if they have injured their
neighbours, or lived in a profligate manner, then
they will be tormented hereafter with hunger and
thirst. Wiien they carry the body out to be buried,
some of their idols are carried in procession, and
some provisions are put into the gra\c.
In the funeral ceremonies of their kings, there is
something shocking to Inmian nature. When tlie
bo<!y is carried out to the sipuh hie, hynnis arc sung
by several persons hired for that jjurposes ; and, as
soon as the corpse is laid in the grave, or tomb, all
his wives, ccmcubincs, ministers of state, and such
Others as had their dependanco on him, drink a glas.s
of poison each, and it is generally so strong, that
they expire w ilhin an hour afterwards. These are
all laid into the same grave w ith the king, in order
to accompany him to the other world ; and along
with him, are likewise burred, six horses, twelve
camels, an elephain, and twenty hunting hounds,
with which he is to divert himself, when he comes
into a state of bliss.
We have already taken notice, that the heathens
above described, make use of copper vessels, instead
ol bells, to frighten away such devils its may want
to disturb the repose of the dead. This naturally
leads us to inquire into the antiquity, and use of bells
in churches. The heathen Greeks and Romans,
knew nothing of bells, and, with respect to the
Christians, during the three first centuries, they
were obliged to meet in their assemblies, in the most
private raarHier. Baronius is of opinion, that there
was a certain person, belonging to every congrega-
tion, appointed to go round to every member, am!
give notice of the time of meeting, nor is this at all
improbable.
During the fifth and sixth centuries, we find, that
in Egypt and Palestine, trumpets were used to call
the people together for divine service ; but, in the
monastries, the monks took it in their turn, to go
about to the doors of the cells, and knock at the
windows with a hammer. In a nunnery erected at
Jerusalem, in the fifth century, by Paula, a Roman
lady, the usual signal was given by singing Hallelu-
jah ; but in other parts of the east it w as by striking
one piece of wood against another.
It is not certainly known at what time bells were
first used in the western church, but it is generally
supposed to have been about the begimiing of the
seventeenth century; althongh the Popish writers,
particularly cardinal Bona, have attempted to make
them as ancient as the time of Constantine the Great;
because the heathens in that age used small bells in
their temples, to put llie people in mind of devo-
tion ; but this author is not countenanced in his opi-
nion by any v riter of repute.
When the Turks became masters of Constanti-
nople, they prohibited the Greeks from making use
of bells, for which reason those poor affiicted people,
hung upon trees bent plates of iion, like those on
our cart wheels, with holes in thcni lengthways,
and upon these plates they chimed with little iron
hammers, to call the monks together to prayer. In
the Romish church, tliere is mucli superstition prac-
M
RELIGION IN PEGU.
tisod in the use of bellj, aud they are said to repre-
sent the duration of the gospel, the sound of Mliich
is gone out into all lands. They likewise represent
the faithful praising God, and the ministers preach-
ing the word. A bell cannot be used in a Roman
Catholic church till it has been consecrated in the
following manner :
The bell is hung up, and disposed in such a man-
ner as to leave room for certain persons to walk
round it : having previously prepared a pot of holy
water, another of oil, and one of salt, Vvith incense,
xnyrrh and cotton, with a piece of bread, the priest
begins the procession, attended by the principal per-
sons in the parish, particularly those who contri-
buted towards furnishing the church with a bell. —
The procession begins at the vestry, and the priest
who officiated, having seated himself near the bell,
delivers a discourse to the people, concerning the
nature of the ceremony. He then mixes some salt
M'ith holy water, and repeats a prayer in Latin, beg-
ging that God would make the bell efficacious in the
driving away evil spirits, in, exciting people to de-
votion, to prevent tempests, earthquakes, and in a
word, all those natural afflictions which men are
subject to in this life. He then dips a brush, or
sprinkler, in the holy water, and sprinkles it three
times over the bell, saying, I baptize thee in the
jrame of the Father, the Son, and die Holy Ghost.
Then the vessel containing the oil is opened, and
the officiating priest dips the thumb of his right
liand into it, and applies it to the middle of the bell,
signing it with the sign of the cross. Then the
iwenty-eighth psalm is sung, and the bell is crossed
seven times, and dedicated to a particular saint. —
Last of all, the bell is perfumed with myirli and
frankincense, and the whole is concluded by a prayer,
which is called " the dew of the Holy Ghost."
According to the Romish writers, these ceremo-
nies point out some particular mysteries. Thus the
consecration of the bells, points out the duty of pas-
tors ; the washing with holy water points out the
sacrifice of baptism ; the seven crosses, that pastors
should exceed all other persons in the graces of the
holy spirit; and that as the smoke of the perfume
rises in the bell and fills it, so a pastor, adorned v/ith
the graces of the spirit, receives the perfume of tlie
vows and prayers of the faithful. But some of
their writers have carried the mystical meaning of
bells still farther. Thus they tell us, that the metal
signifies the strength of the preacher's understand-
ing, and the clapper his tongue ; the stroke of the
clapper, the tongue's censure of vice ; and that which
holds the clapper, the moderation of the tongue.
The wood to which the bell is fastened, denotes
the wood of the cross; and the parts to which the
wood is fixed, the oracles of the prophets. 'l"he
iron by which the bell is fixed to the wood, points
out the preacher's attachment to the cross of Christ.
There are likewise several mysteries in the bell ropes ;
thus the three cords of which the rope is made,
points out the three senses of the scriptures, viz, the
historical, moral, and allegorical. In the same
manner the heathens discover mysteries in their bells,
but the Turks will not suffer a bell in their places
of worship.
AN ACCOUNT OF THE RELIGION IN PEGU.
Jt EGU is one of the provinces situated beyond the
Oanges, and the established religion is Paganism. —
In their sentiments, the people hold the same belief
as was professed by some of the Christian heretics,
jvarticularly the Manicheans ; for they affirm, that
there are two supreme powers, the one good and
the other evil. For this reason they sacrifice to the
devil, as the author of all evil, and not to the good
Being, becanse they believe he cannot or will not
hurt them : thus they adore the devil, to procure his
favour and indulgence, and to him, though under
different images, they offi;r up their vows and prayers.
They believe in an eternal succession of worlds, and
•that as soon as one is burnt up, another springs out
,af its ashes. They have such an exalted notion of
the sanctity of crocodiles, that they believe such as
are devoured by them are carried up to heaven. —
They believe that apes have human souls, and that
they formerly were men ; but to punish them for
some crimes they had been guilty of, the gods trans-
formed them into their present shape. But the crea-
ture most adored by them is the white elephant ; and
one of the king of Pegu's titles is, lord of the white
elephant. All these creatures are served in dishes
of silver, curiously gilt, and when they are led out
for an airing, musicians play before them on different
sorts of instrriments.
As they walk along, six persons of distinction
hold a canopy over them, and when they return, one
of the king's gentlemen ushers waits with a silver
RELIGION IN PEGU.
8)
bason and washes tlioir A ct. The temples in Pegu
are called V^arellas, and are all built in the form of
pyramids, having the basis very broad ; and it is re-
lated, tliat in one of them are no less than one hun-
dred and twenty thousand idols ; but probably many
of these are small, and perhaps some of them are
no more than hieroglyphics, vvhitli is customary
throughout most parts of the east. As there are
many pilgrims who visit these temples, so most of
them are endow ed with great riches, and in the porch
i$ a large font,' Mhere they wash their feet. Their
iirst act of worship is to lay their hands on their
lieads, as a sign of reverence due to the object of
their adoration. ]5esidcs these temples, which in
.some sense may he called their cathedrals, or capital
churches, they have many smaller ones, which an-
swer the same end as parish churches, and these are
called Kiacks ; but they are only the great ones that
are visited by the pilgrims, for in them alone the
grand sacrifices are offered, the chief idols have their
altars, and the priests of the highest reputation reside.
As the devil is the grand object of their worship,
so they have many altars erected in honour of him,
and these are adorned with flowers, and sacrifices
are daily offered on them, to appease his wrath, and
obtain his favour. When they are seized with sick-
ness, they make solemn vows, that if they recover,
they will erect altars, and offer up sacrifices upon
them ; and some of their devotees run through the
streets of their cities, in the morning before day-
light, w itii torches in their hands, and carrying bas-
kets full of rice, exclaiming, that they are going to
supply the devil with all sorts of provisions. Their
intention in this is, to prevent the devil, for that day,
from roving about seeking whom he may destroy.
If a dog happens to follow at the heels of one
of these devotees, then they sincerely believe that the
devil has given him a commission to devour what
they were carrying to the altar, and without farther
ceremony, they throw it on the ground. Others
never taste their victuals till they have thrown some
part of it behind them, which is either eaten up by
the dogs or by devils, as they imagine ; for they be-
lieve that dogs are sent as ambassadors from the
devil. Nay, it sometimes happens, that when a fit
of devotion seizes the master of a family, he will
retire from his house for a whole month, taking his
wife and children along with him, and leave the
possession of it to the devil ; and in all cases of that
nature, the house is left very clean, and genteelly
furnished.
Throughout the whole of this kingdom, Monday
is set apart for religious worship, and on that day
their priests, whom they call Talapoins, preach ser-
mons to the people in their temples.
They have several solemn festivals, one of which
is called Scpan-Giache, and is a kind of pilgrimage,
6
which the king and queen, with all the royal family,
and a great concourse of people make to a place-
about twelve miles from the capital. On the n)oru-
iug of this festival, the king and queen set out in a
triumphal chariot, so elegantly adorned with jewcln
and precious stones, that it dazzles the eyes of the
spectators, who behold it with silent a<lmiration. —
Another of their festivals is called Sapan-Catena,
and consists partly in making small pyramidicai
figures to please the king and his wives. As the
king is to be the judge of every artist's performance,
so they all conceal themselves in different apartments,
that none may see each others' works before they arc
presented to the sovereign. Such of the per-
formances as are approved of, the king takes along
with him, and this the artist considers as one of
the highest honours that can be conferred upon
him.
Another feast is called Sapan-Daiche, and it is
properly one of their water festivals. The king,
with all the royal family, sprinkle themselves with
water, in which roses have been steeped ; and all
the civil, as well as the military oflicers, follow
their example. Some of this water is thrown out
of the windows upon the heads of the populace as
they pass along, but many of them are so regardless
of it, that they keep themselves within doors. All
their solemn festivals are regulated by the change of
the moon, and they have one called Sapan-Donon,
on which day their watermen, or those who ply
at their ferries, row for a prize, and whoever ob-
tains it, receives a robe from the king, which he
wears ever afterwards, when he attends sacrifice in
the temple.
Their priests, or talapoins arc not admitted into
orders till ihcy are upwards of twenty, and till they
arrive at that age, they are brought up in proper
schools, according to their own system of learning.
Previous to their admission, they are strictly exa-
mined concerning the progress they have made in
learning, and with respect to every article of their
faith. They are obliged to swear that they will
renounce all the gaities of this world, and live in a
state of celibacy, and this examination they go
through several times. When the novice has gone
through his examination, and obtained the approba-
tion of his superiors, he is mounted on a fine horse,
and led along the streets in triumph, with drums
beating and music playing. This is tlielr last fare-
wel to all tlie pomp and vanities of this world ; and
as soon as they have put on the habit, they are
conducted to a place resembling a convent, sUuat-
ed at a small distance from the town. This con-
vent consists of a long row of cells, built on the
side of the road, and each of them is about seven or
eight feet high, but some of them are built in the
woods.
86
RELIGION IN PEGU.
These priests eat but one raeal in the day, con-
sisting cliiefly of fruits and roots, all which they
purchase with the money given them by devotees;
for all our travellers tell us they never beg. They
have small buildings in the form of chapels, where
they celebrate the change of the moon, and at that
time the people send them what provisions they can
afford. They liave their heads shaved as well as
their beards, their feet and right arms are naked,
but they make use of an umbrella to screen them
from the heat of the sun, or from any inclemencies
of the season.
When one of these priests die, they keep his body
several days, and make a public entertainment to
his honour. The body is exposed upon a scaffold
erected for the purpose, and the priests standing
round it, perff)rm several curious ceremonies, which
may properly be called the funeral service. After
this odoriferous wood is piled round the scaffold,
and the body reduced to ashes in the presence of the
spectators. Such pieces of the bones as remain in
the ashes, are carefully picked up, and buried in an
earthen urn, behind the cell were the deceased re-
sided, and the ashes are thrown into the river.
In their marriage ceremonies, they are like the
heathens in many other nations, that is in general,
for in some particulars they differ. The bridegroom
is obliged to purchase the bride from her parents,
and lay down the money before he receives her ;
but as divorces are common among them, so the
money must be returned if a separation takes place.
In such cases the husband sends home the wife to
her relations, without any sort of formality, or so
much as assigning a reason, and then the purchase-
money is retiuned. The estates of those who die
without issue, are seized by the king, and he is en-
titled to one third of the estates of those who have
children. Some of the richer sort of persons in Pe-
gu, purchase for a small sum the daughters of the
poor, if they are handsome, and although they are
only kept for a short tune, and then sent back to
their parents, yet this does not in the least prevent
them from procuring husbands.
Their customs are much more equitable than
what takes place under the government of the great
Mogul, who seizes the estates of every one of his
subjects at their deaths, m ithoiit making any provi-
sion for their wives or children. The king never
marries but one wife, but he keeps a great number
of concubines, sometimes upwards of a thousand.
When the children in Pegu are born, they lie a
little bell round their necks, and within the bell
they put the tongue of a snake, and although this
may at first be painful to the infant, yet custom and
use render it familiar, and when they grow up, it is
considered as an ornament. They likewise infuse
paint, of a bluish colour, into the skius of their
children, which instead of making them appear beau-
tiful has quite the contrary effect, and spoils their
complexions.
Ilie priests in Pegu, as in other heathen nations,
act as physicians ; and when a person falls sick, one
of them is selected to attend him, and he is called
the devil's father. I'his person being much esteemed
for his knowledge, both of human and divine things,
pretends to know what will be most agreeable and
acceptable to the evil spirit, and he instructs the
patient how to appease his auger. A grand entertain-
ment is made for the devil, and the people dance to
all sorts of vocal and instrumental nuisic. They be-
lieve in the transmigration of souls from one body to
another : but at the same time, they imagine that
when they have passed through several bodies, they
will enter iiUo a state of everlasting happiness.
When the king dies, two boats, with gilded roofs,
in the form of a pyramid, are prepared, and in the
middle between them, a stage- is erected, on which
the body is laid, and exposed to public view. Un-
der the stage they kindle a fire, the materials of
which are coinposed of the most odoriferous woods
that can be procured. They throw into the lire line
herbs, so that the whole has the most fragrant smell
that can be imagined. After this they let the boats
sail down the river, and while the lire is consuming
tlie body, the priests or talapoins sing hymns, and
repeat several prayers, which they continue doing
as long as the lire burns. The lire being extin-
guished, they temper the ashes v\ith milk, and hav-
ing moulded the whole into a solid mass, throw it
into the sea at the bottom of the river ; but such
pieces of the bones as are picked out of the ashes,
are buried in the tomb erected to the memory of the
deceased.
With respect to the funerals of the common peo-
ple, there is a distinction made between them and
the king. A funeral pile is erected in a field, ad-
joining to where the deceased resided, and the corpse
is laid on a stage, in the middle of which is a dome,
and sometimes a small pyramid. The stage or litter
is then covered artfully over with gilt cane, and
carried by sixteen men to the funeral pile. The re-
lations and friends of the deceased follow the corpse,
and after the fire has consumed the body, they make
the priests some recompence for their trouble, and
return home, where they have an entertainment that
lasts two days.
At the close of the feast, the viidow of the de-
ceased accompanied by the relations, repair to the
place where the body was burned, and shed tears
over the ashes. After which they gather up such
pieces of the bones as have not been consumed to
ashes, and bury them with every mark of sorrow
and lamentation. The mourning of the women
' as well as of the men, consists chiefly in shaving
I^ET.TGTON IN PEGl^.
87
dieir heads : -w hittli mark of respect for the niemory
of tlie decoased, is reckoned the greatest that can
be shewn, because nothing is so much esteemed by
them as tine hair.
Much iiaving been said concernin<T these idolaters
worsl>i|>|>ing th* devil, we shall here nay something
concerning; what notions the ancients entertained re-
specting that being, who is considered as the grand
adversary of mankind. Daemon.?, or devils, are al-
ways by Christians taken in a bad sense; and for
this we have tlie authority of our Lord and all his
apostles. The heathens believed tiiat devils had bo-
dies as well as souls ; and that although immortal,
yet they iiad the same passions as men. Tiiey be-
lieved further, that they had power to foretel future
events, and that all dreams happened iu consequence
of their superintending providence. They were to
convey the prayers of men to heaven, aiid bring down
the answer frt)m the gods.
The Christian fathers had confused notions con-
cerning demons or devils, for Justin Martyr olteu
ascribes to them such actions as could not have been
performed witliout a body. He says, that some of
the angels, having received from God the govern-
ment of the world, soon corrupted his law, and by
the connnerce they had with the posterity of Adam,
they begot w hat we call devils'; and iu this sentiment
he is followed by many of the rest of tl:»e fathers.
The Jewish Kabbies have strange notions concern-
ing devils, and they say that the worship of them was
the last species of idolatry. Some of them are of
opinion, that there were a sort of devils, w ho often
appeared to the children of Israel in the wilderness,
under the shape of goats; but we have no proof that
the Jews ever worshipped them, even at the time
they were sunk into the gros.sest idolatry. If ever
they did worship devils in the shape of goats,
they must have learned the practice from the
ancient Egjtians, who considered those animal as
sacred.
Minucius Felix, an ancient Christian writer, ac-
knowledges the existence of devils, which he seems
to have taken from the poets ; but he adds, that
among philosophers, this was a matter of dispute.
Socrates believed this doctrine, for he had always a
diemon or devil to attend him. The Magi in Persia,
and other parts of the east, pretend to perform all
their operations by the assistance of the devil, and
they imagine that those unclean spirits lie concealed
under images erected in their temples. Sometimes
these daemons or devils, are called genii, and they
are considered, not only by the Pagans, but like-
wise by the Mahometans, as being employed to con-
duct the affairs of this lower world ; and particular
providences are (say they) intrusted with them.
Plato gives us the following description of the
genii. " They are spirits (says he) who never in-
4mbtted bodies, ffnil one of them is app<iinted to at-
tend every man up^vn earth, to be a witness of his
actions; and that, when the man dies, llie geniuc
conducts his soul into the ntlur world, and doli\ers
in his evidence before the judge." Thus Horace
sa}s,
Tlic genius only knows, that's wont to wait
On l>irth-day stars, the guider of our fate ;
Our nature's God, that doth its inHuence shed,
Easy to any shape, or good, or bad.
The ancients had their genii for provinces, as well
as for particular persons, nay even for trees, foun-
tains, the sciences and forests. Sacrifices were of-
fered annually, and sometimes ofteuer, to these ima-
ginary beings, and many of the offerings w ere extreme-
ly costly. IVom a passage in Plutarch, it seems to
have been a notion among the Greeks and Romans,
that eveni- man had two spirits to attend him. That
justly celebrated writer tells ns, that tiie evening be-
fore the battle of Philippi, while Brutus was sitting
melancholy in his chamber, a monstrous horrid be-
ing appeared to him, and being asked what god or
devil he was, the apparition answered, " I am thy
evil genius, Brutus ; thou shalt meet me at Philippi."
Brutus, not in the least discomposed, answered, " I
will see thee there ;" ami next day he lost the battle,
and put an end to his life. It is ceitain, that Plu-
tarch was not a credulous writer, but what truth
there may be in this story, we shall not presume to
say.
The Mahometans believe, that the w orld was in-
habited by genii, many thousands of years before
Adam was created, and that Elias was sent down
from heaven to drive tliem into a remote corner,
That ever since they have been employed as minis-
tering angels to attend on men, to preserve them from
danger, and to conduct them through life.
\\ hen we read an account of so many people,
both in ancient and modern times, believing in the
existence of spirits, we cannot assign any other rea-
son for the universality of such a notion, besides
that of tradition : we are taught in the sacred scrip-
tures, to believe in the existence of angels, both
good and bad, although we are commanded not to
worship them. Thus we read in Revelations, xix.
10. " And I fell at his feet to worship him : and
he said unto me, see thou do it not ; I am thy fel-
low servant." And again, with respect to the minis-
try of angels, we have a clear proof, in Psalm xci.
11. 12. "He shall give his angels charge over
thee, to keep thee in all thy ways : they shall bear
thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot
against a stone." Many other passages might be
adduced, but these may serve to shew, that the ex-
istence of spirits is a notion universally embraced by
Jews, Christians, Mahometans, and Pagans. And
-58
RELIGION IN SIAM,
It may serve to shew, that the doctrine of the im-
•raorlality of the soul was never denied by any col-
lective body of people in the universe, that it has
been always an established principle, and that all our
hopes, and all our fears, are regulated by our ex-
pectations of it.
RELIGION IN THE KINGDOM OF SUM.
This
S very extensive kingdom, is situated be-
yond the Ganges, but their religion is, in many
respects, the same with those already described in
that part of the world. In some things, however,
they differ, and these are what we must now attend
to. They comprise the whole of their moral law in
five negative commandments, viz. " Thou shalt not
kill ; thou shalt not commit any manner of unclean-
) ness; thou shalt not lie; thou shalt not steal; and
thou shalt not drink any intoxicating liquor." Most
of these precepts are the same \\ith what we find
written in the law of Moses, which may serve to
shew, that natural religion is always the same, in
all ages and nations, although often debased by rites
and ceremonjes of human invention.
Their priests, like those in Pegu, are called Ta-
lapoins, and they are the sole keepers of the haw,
of which they are so tenacious, that; they refused to
explain any passages in it to some French Jesuits,
who visited Siam, in order to convert the people.
Tliey reproached the Jesuits for exposing to public
-view, the images of their saints, and for saying mass
with irreverence, and inattention. It is probable,
the Jesuits never imagined to give offence to these
heathens, but the latter, not comprehending the Ro-
mish ceremonies, might probably consider that as
irreverent, which the Jesuits looked upon as sacred.
The grand object of worship in Siam is Sommo-
na-Codom, of whom they give us the following ac-
count : They say he was born of a virgin, through
the influence of the sun ; and, that when the virgin
found herself with child, she was so much affected,
that she went and hid herself in a desert, in order to
conceal her shame from tlie world. There, on the
banks of a lake, she was delivered of a most beauti-
ful child, but haling no milk, wherewith to suckle
-tiim, and unwilling that he should die, she jumped
into the lake, and set him upon a flower which
■blowed of itself, for his more commodious reception,
and afterwards inclosed him in a cradle.
From the moment he was born without the assist-
ance of a tutor, he instructed himself, and acquired
-a perfect knowledge of all things relating to heaven,
curth, paradise and hell, with all tlie mysteries of
nature. He taught the people to believe that angels
•yjyStd hini, as he sat under a tree, and that they
worshipped him. But, although Tie was born in such
a miraculous manner, yet they tell us, he had a bro-
ther named Thevatat, who being jealous of him,
conspired his downfal ; but Somniona-Codom pre-
vailed, and Tiievatat was sent to be tormented in
hell. They tell us further, that the guardian angel
of the earth, whom they make a female, endeavour-
ed to prevail with the enemies of Sommona-Codom,
to adore him as a god ; but they refusing, she
squeezed her watery locks, and poured forth a de-
luge, which destroyed them.
Before Sommona-Codom began to aspire at the
godhead, he had appeared five hundred and fifty
times in the world, under various forms, and always
assumed that which was the most beautiful at each
period. He frequently laid down his life for the
good of his people, and accustomed himself so much
to mortification and penance, that he suffered a Bra-
min to take his son and daughter from him, and put
them to the most exquisite tortures before his face.
He was so charitable, that he once gave his wife to
a poor man who implored charity. Whatever an
European may think of this benevolent action, we
are assured, that the people of Siam consider it as
one of the most illustrious virtues in his life.
After he had renounced the pomp and vanities of
the world, he applied himself to all the austerities
of a devotee. He fasted, prayed, and performed all
the religious duties common in the coimtry, and
rose to such strength of body, and perfection of
mind, that he overcame, in single combat, a saint
of consummate virtue. He had the power to work
miracles, and he could make himself hivisible, in
order to know \\hat secret thins;s were transacting
m the world. He flew as s\\'ift as the wind, from
place to place, in order to preach virtue and morality,
but one day forgetting himself, he killed a man, for
which he was put to death. The person whom
Sommona-Codom murdered, was, what the people
of Siam called, a heretic ; for these idolaters iiave
heretics among them, as well as we Christians. It
was not long before Sommona-Codom made his ap-
pearance again in the world, and the first thing he
desired was, to eat the flesh of a hog into which the
soul of him whom he murdered had entered, in order
to be revenged on his murderer.
RELIGION IN SIAM.
69
Accordingly, as he was teaching his disciples one
day, a piece of the flesh of this hog was brought
him, and he eat a part, but being taken ill with it,
he told his disciples to build temples and altars to
his memory, and then died. Ever since his death,
he has eiijojied perfect tranquillity, being subject to
no sort of pain, trouble, or sorrow.
He left the print of his feet in three different parts
of the world, viz. in tiie kingdoms of Siam and Pe-
gu, and in the island of Ceylon. To those places,
whole crowds of pilgrims resort annually, where
they offer up their prayers to him. These pilgrims
are permitted to see the bones of Sommona-Codom,
but they shine with such resplendent lustre, that they
cannot behold them a minute at a time.
Sommona-Codom had two favourite disciples,
whose images stand behind him on his altars, but
they are not so large as iiis. The one that stands
on the right hand, once, at the earnest solicitation
of the damned, turned the earth upside down, and
he took into the hollow of his hand all the fire of
hell ; but notwithstanding all his endeavours, it was
not in his power to extinguish it. He therefore
implored Sommona-Codom to do this charitable
office ; but tlie god refused to comply with his re-
quest, telling him, that should mankind once shake
off the fear of punishment, they would grow aban-
doned, and most abominably wicked. There is in
thLs sentiment something in all respects consistent
with natural religion, and the notions that we mor-
tals form of right and wrong.
The people of Siam have a strong persuasion,
tliat Sormnona-Codom will once more return to
visit them, and they expect that he will come under
tlie form of an idiot, for v\hich reason, whenever
they see a stupid fellow, they treat him with divine
honours. They relate many strange stories con-
cerning the jealousy that took place between Som-
mona-Codom and Thevatat; but they are not agreed
whether they are brothers, or only near relations.
Thevatat having entered into the order of priest-
hood, pretended he had it in his powder to work
miracles, and to assume whatever form he pleased.
He had such an implacable hatred against Sommona-
Codom, that he did every thing to vex and afflict
him ; but the sublime virtues of Sommona-Codom
were such, tliat Thevatat soon lost many of his
followers ; and thus abandoned, he resolved to
make his peace with him. To effectuate this pur-
pose, he sent the follow ing proposals to Sommona-
Codom, viz. that his scholars should retire into the
most solitary deserts ; to live upon the charity and
benevolence of well-disposed persons, to be clothed
in rags, to reside no more ui convents, but live day
and night under trees in the open air, and not to
eat any sort of animal food. To these proposals,
Sommona-Codom returned him this answer, that
6
such austerities ought to be the result of freedom
and choice, and that those who acted otherwise,
were no better than liypocrites, and consequently
he would not advise any of his disciples to follow
those rules.
But notwithstanding all this precaution of Som-
mona-Codom, Thevatat led away above live hun-
dred of his disciples, for which, w hen he died, he
was condemned to endure the following torments :
His head was thrust into a large iron cauldron,
made red hot w ith the fire of hell. His feet hung
down into the flames, and his whole body was im-
paled with an iron spit lengthways, and crossed by
two others. They believe that these torments are
not to continue for ever, but they are to end with
the regeneration of the sinner.
Tlie people of Siam observe many festivals, par-
ticularly one in honour of their rivers, from which
the fertility of their country flow s. At such times
they have boats on their rivers illuminated, and sa-
crifices are offered to Sommona-Codom. Tliis
practice is in all respects, consistent with die idola-
try of the ancient Egyptians, who once every year
observed a festival in honour of the river Nile.
And as the Greeks borrowed their religion from the
Egyptians, so we find many other heathen nations
imitating their example. The Chinese have tlieir
goddess Puzza, the Egyptians had their Isis, and
the Greeks imitated them in the worship of that
imaginary being. In the same manner, the people
of Siam have an annual feast in memory of the har-
vest, when they offer up thanksgivings to their
idols, and march in procession from one place to
another accompanied by their Talapoins, or priests,
who have books of sacred music, which they sing ill
concert with such of the people as are able to join
in the harmony.
They have so many pagods, that one cannot tra-
vel above a league without seeing one, and near
them are always convents for their priests to reside.
It is computed that there are above fourteen thou-
sand pagods in the kingdom of Siam, but the prin-
cipal, or metropolitan one, deserves a particular
description.
Siam, the chief city of the kingdom of that name,
has a most magnificent temple, in which there is
an idol, dedicated to the honour of Sommona-
Codom, made of massy gold, and said to be worth
upwards of five hundred thou'^and pounds, and the
king goes tliere to worship, on all solemn festivals.
The form of the structure resembles a pyramid,
which seems to have been the custom of many of
the eastern nations, during the remote ages of anti-
quity. Tliey have convents among them for wo-
men, and each of these is under the direction of a
priest, to whom great respect is paid. Every priest
who is head of a convent, is called a sancrat, and
so
RELIGION IN SIAM.
in some respects, has an affinity to bishops among
the Europeans, for they ordain the inferior priests,
and exercise ail the high offices of the clerical or-
der. When they are first advanced to that rank,
which is always by order of the king, they are ho-
noured with a new title, and receive a fine sedan, in
which they are carried from place to place. But
the highest mark of distinction conferred upon them
is an umbrella, which they are obliged to carry
along with them wherever they go. These um-
brellas aie made of the leaves of palm trees, and
the plaits are lied with a thread near the shank, and
the shank itself is twisted into the form of an S, and
they are called Talapats.
It is remarkable, that all these priests, are sup-
ported by the bounty of the public, and by practis-
ing many austerities, they impose upon the deluded
vulgar. When tliey preach to the people, they
take a text out of the wise sayings of Sommona-
Codom, of which they have a large collection, and
it is called the Word of God, and the perfect truth.
In the sermon the priest expounds the mysteries of
their religion to the people ; and always concludes,
by deducing some practical inferences, pointing out
the nature and obligation men are under to practise
moral duties. The men sit on one side of the tem-
ple, and the women on the other, and whenever a
passage is quoted from the sacred oracles, they stand
up in the most reverend posture, believing that the
words are delivered by the Divine Being.
The natives of Siam have many fasts, but parti-
cularly when their rivers overflow their banks, and
on these fasts, the rule is not to eat any thing after
mid-day until next morning. After the harvest is
over, the priests retire to the fields, where they lie
all night under huts, made of the leaves of trees,
and in the morning they return to their temples,
where they offer up sacrifices and perform their
devotions. Their prayers are offered up with all
the appearance of the most unfeigned devotion ;
they sit upon the ground with their hands lifted up,
and clasped together, taking no notice of any other
object besides the idol whom they adore. This
idol, which is the figure of Sommona-Codom, sit-
ting cross-legged on a table before the altar, is on
all such occasions, adorned with flowers, and per-
fumed by the priests, who consider this as one of
the chief articles of their religion.
A Jesuit having asked one of the priests, where
their god resided, the priest answered, " That for
two thousand years he had been in a state of happi-
ness, and takes no notice of our affairs in this lower
world."
To this the Jesuit replied, "If your god is in-
dulging himself wholly in pleasures, it is a seeming
contradiction to suppose that he is at leisure to listen
fo your prayers." *'God, said the Talapoiu, or
priest, " has commanded us to pray, and by that act
of devotion, we testify our obedience to his divine
will."
All these priests are obliged to have their heads,
lips, and eye-brows shaved, and this operation must
be performed at the times of the new, and full moon.
When the moon is at the full, llie priests wash the
images of their idols, and sprinkle them over with
the richest perfumes.
This ceremony is not confined to their temples,
for the priests also go to the private houses of indi-
viduals, and wash and perfume both the houshold
gods and the people. In all cases of that nature,
modesty is forgotten, and every sort of reserve is laid
aside, which may serve to shew, that the manners
and customs of the people of Asia are almost the
same they were three thousand years ago.
It is a fixed rule with these priests, to get up i»
the morning, as soon as they can see the veins in
their hands, lest i»i the dark, they should kill some
insect, for they believe that all these creatures have
human, rational souls within them. As soon as they
get up, they meet their superior, and go with him
to the temple, or pagod, where they pray upwards
of two hours, and the laity sing psalms, or hymns,
without the assistance of a book, having learned
them by heart.
All the people sit cross-legged in their temples,
and at going in, and coming out, they prostrate
themselves three times to their idol ; and this prac-
tice is attended to, both by the priests and the laity.
When the morning service is over, the Talapoins,
or priests, go from door to door, to collect as much
money as they can procure from the people. They
stand at the door, without asking for any thing, and
if no notice is taken of them, they retire quietly.
When they return home to their convents, they
have breakfast set before them, but before they taste
so much as one morsel of it, they offer up part to
their idol. The remainder of the forenoon is spent
in prayers and meditations, and in the afternoon they
instruct their pupils in the principles of their religion.
Towards evening, they retire about two hours to
rest, and previous to their going to bed for the night,
they sweep and cleanse the temples of their idol.
Every man is at liberty to take upon him the office
of a Talapoin, or priest, and he may resign it when
he pleases, but a severe punishment is inflicted on
every one who does any thing to oppose such as seek
the sacred office.
When a young person desires to be admitted to
the priesthood, he applies to the superior of a cor-
vent, and he, having examined him, presents him
to the sancrat for his approbation ; when the young
person is admitted, all his relations walk along with
him in procession, singing hymns, and playing up-
on musical instruments. They likewise dance^ and
RELIGION IN SIAM.
91
the whole is a scene of jollity, mirth, and sometimes
confusion.
As they march along, they make several stops and
pauses in singing, and as soon as they come near the
gate of the temple, the young candidate is conducted
in along with the priests, but the women, and other
relations are prohibited from entering the place, it
being considered as too sacred for them. ^V'hen the
candidate is brought into the temple, his eye-brows,
head, and beard are shaved, and the sancrat, or chief
priest, gives him the habit of the order, which he
puts on, having first thrown away all those robes
which he wore, when a secular or layman. On
such occasions, the sancrat, or chief priest, uses
some mysterious words, which are not understood
Ijy any but the candidate and the priests, and then
the young novice is conducted to the convent where
he is to reside, accompanied by his friends and re-
lations, who met him at the door of the temple. A
few evenings afterwards, the relations give a grand
entertainment to the priests in the convent, but the
young one is not permitted to be present, nor on any
occasion of that nature, till at least one year after-
wards.
Their nuns have some privileges which the priests
do not enjoy. Thus, if a priest is guilty of incon-
tinency, he is burnt alive; but when a nun suffers
herself to be seduced, she is only sent home to her
friends, and to see her severely whipped, after which
she is discarded from the convent for ever. From
what we can learn of these people, it appears evi-
dent, that they are much under the direction of their
priests, who seem little better than a parcel of Pha-
risees and hypocrites ; they endeavour to blind the
people's understanding, and triumphing in their
weakness, establish their own grandeur, promote
the interests of their families, and procure consider-
able emoluments.
In swearing, in order to the performance of any
stipulated agreement, each of the parties drink out
of one glass, but if it is of a very sacred, and more
than common nature, then each of them has a vein
opened, and they drink of each other's blood. Like
all other superstitious persons, and consistent with
the ignorance which prevails in most nations, the
people of Siam pay much regard to the groans and
cries of wild beasts, and always prognosticate some-
thing of importance from them. This is a species
of superstition, not confined to those Indian hea-
thens, for we have too much of it among ourselves,
although it is a dishonour to our nature, and below
the dignity of our religion.
In all their temples or pagods, they have great
numbers of images, and they bestow much time and
pains in decorating them, for they consider them as
endowed with divine power, and they have likewise
some in tlieir houses. When their wives have lain" in
about a fortnight, they liglit a fire in the house, and
smoke the walls all over, which fire is kept burning-
five days together, and this is called tlie purificatiou
of the wife. This ceremony being over, ail the re-
lations are invited to a grand enteitainment, and the
child is named by one of the Tala))oins, after he has
been washed clean in a river. The Siamese, like
the Chinese, are contiiuially seeking out some
antidote against death, for they really believe it is
possible for some people to live always, although
daily experience might convince them to the con-
trary.
The Siamese imagine that elephants arc perfect,
rational creatures, and w hen the king sent a present
of three of them to the king of France, a tbrmal
leave was taken of them. The king of Siam, at-
tended by his great officers, whispered in the ele-
phants ears, and wished them a good journey, and
a successful voyage, entreated them not to be any
way uneasy, but to divert themselves with tlie
thoughts that they would soon have the honour to
appear before the king, and enter into the service of
a most illustrious prince, who would treat them witli
the greatest respect. They believe that the souls of
elephants once inhabited the bodies of some illustri-
ous heroes, and after a certain number of years, they
will return to them again.
But this is trifling to the respect they have for the
white elephants, for tliey are fully persuaded their
souls resided formerly in some of their princes ; and
thus we find the kings of Pegu and Siam, both stiled
kings of die white elephant. They look upon
them as saints ; and some of them are of opinion
they ought to be worshipped. There have been
many bloody battles between the kings of Siam and
Pegu, concerning their rights to the title of the
white elephant, and all this seems to be owing to
their belief, that the last form assumed by Sommona-
Codom, w as that of a white elephant.
All the maidens are kept closely confined, with-
out ever being permitted to come into the company
of the young bachelors, till tlieir wedding day ;
but notwithstanding all the restraints they are kejrt
under, yet they will often have interviews, and fre-
quently make a very bad use of them.
In all their treaties of marriages, the relations of
the man make the profvosals to tliose of the woman,
and for the most part, some discreet old matrons
direct the young ones in their conduct. Three days
before their marriage, the relations of both parties
meet the bridegroom, and in his presence they fix
what fortune he is to have with his spouse. I'he
marriage being thus agreed upon, and the day fixed,
they have a feast at the house of the brides father,
in a hall erected for that purpose, but at the ex-
pense of the bridegroom. After this, the young
couple are conducted into a dark apartment adjoin-
94
RELIGION IN SIAM.
ng the house, where they remain some days, being
visited only by their relations. The men are allow-
ed to have concubines, but never any more than one
wife at a time. Divorces are permitted in Siam,
when tlie parties cannot live happy together, but
the wife's fortune must be returned, and the chil-
dren are divided between them, if the number be
even, but if there is an odd one, it is given to the
mother.
The men and women are punished with death
when they commit adultery ; the man is stabbed
by his own relations, and the woman is strangled
by her's.
As soon as the man dies, they inclose his body in
a wooden coffin, finely varnished over. Sometimes
they make use of a leaden coffin, and it is always
placed on a large table, in the middle of the house,
and surrounded by the relations. In this manner
the coffin is kept several days, and in the evening
the Talapoins meet around it, sing hymns, and
light up a great number of wax-tapers. The sub-
stance of their hymns consists of moral reflections
cin death, and they pretend to have the power to
direct the soul of the deceased in his way to ever-
lasting glory.
The body is then carried out to a field near one
of their pagods, where it is burnt, and the ashes
are inclosed within a fence made of small canes,
embellished with figures, drawn on small slips of
J>aper, pomting out the most remarkable actions in
the life of the deceased.
These funeral ceremonies are always in the morn-
ing, and the corpse is followed by the relations,
all dressed in white, and shewing marks of the
sincerest sorrow. When the relations return home,
they begin an entertainment which lasts three days,
during which time they give alms to tlie poor ; when
the plague rages among them, they bury their dead,
but when the flesh is consumed by the worms they
take up the bones and burn them.
The Talapoins, or priests, are buried in the fol-
lowing manner: the coffin in which the body is in-
closed, is finely decorated with a variety of figures
relating to the actions of the deceased, and laid on
a funeral pile, round which they erect four columns,
composed of wood, and richly gilt. There are se-
veral lesser pillars, and the whole fenced round with
a high enclosiu-e of canes, with small images hang-
ing to thiem. The processions on these occasions
are by water, in a vast number of balons, or boats,
tilled with Talapoins, and a prodigious number of
the magistrates and people of rank. It is an article
in their religion, that the more costly they are in
their funeral exfifcjises, the more advantageous will
the sotd of the deceased be situated in heaven, or in
the body of -ftne of the greatest monarchs on earth.
in b^'iief of tt»is notion, they often ruin ilicmsijlves
to procure an expensive funeral. They are very siu-
cere in their mourning, for none of them ever
weep, except such as are really affected with the
loss of a friend or relation.
They have many romantic notions concerning
spirits, and they often imagine themselves tormented
by them. It is plain, that they consider the soul
as immortal, but still they have some notion of it
consisting of reiined matter, far superior to the
body, and that it has some shape or form, though
they do not define what it is. They believe that
when souls have passed through a vast number of
bodies they become pure from all manner of sin,
and they are taken up into the mansions of everlast-
ing happiness. They believe that there are two an-
gels in heaven, who register all the actions of men
here below, and read them over to Sommona-
Codom.
Before we conclude this article, it is necessary
to say something concerning their pagods, or tem-
ples, in which they worship their idols. The word
pagoda, is Persian, and properly signifies a temple,
where sacrifices are offered and idols worshipped.
These pagods consist most commonly of three divi-
sions The first, is a large entrance under a vaulted
roof, supported by stone columns, and all ranks
of persons are permitted to go into it. Tlie second
part is open in the day, and shut at night ; but none
are permittcil to go into it, except the priests. It
is filled with a great number of figures of men>
with many heads and arms, but the outer porch is
adorned with figures of elephants and other animals.
The third, which may be called the most sacred
part of the temple, is shut up with a very strong
gate, and in it the image of the god is placed, adorn-
ed in the most gaudy manner, and illuminated with
a vast number of lamps. Some of these pagods,
particularly on the coast of Malabar, are built ojf
marble ; but those in Coromandel, of large stones
cemented together.
The pagods in Malabar are for the most part cor
vered with plates of copper ; and some of those on
the coast of Coromandel, are endowed with vast re^
venues, particularly at a town called Ramanakoil,
and it is visited by many thousands of pilgrims an-
luially. All these Indians, before they go into their
pagods to worship, pull off their shoes and stock-
ings, and wash their legs and feet in reservoirs,
placed in the porch of the temple. In Calicut, the
priests present holy water to all those who go in,
for great part of tlieir religion consists iu a;blutions
or washings.
But besides these, great numbers of small ones
are erected in the fields for the use of the peasants,
who are obliged to attend to the duties of their st.i'-
tions, in cultivating the ground. Many of these
pagods aie erected near the places w here .they bum
RELIGION IN LAIES LANGIENS, OR LAOS.
93
the bodies of their deceased rehitions, and all of
them have priests, who are supported by the free-
will-offerings of the people. In ancient times, the
kings of India considered it as meritorious to build
pagods, and settle revenues upon them ; but one of
those princes, named Veincapati, being iu great
want of money, made free with the sacred treasure
of the pagod of Eswara, promising to restore it as
soon as his circumstances would permit ; but his
euccessor, Rama-Develo, having attempted to seize
a crown of gold from off the head of one of the
idols, the persons who gave him this wicked coun-
sel, died at the foot of the mountain on which the
pagod stood, and soon afterwards the king himself,
according to their tradition, perished miserably.
Some persons have ran into a mistake, concerning
the word pagod, by imagining that the idol is meant,
whereas ui all places in the East Indies, it im-
plies a temple, nor do the natives ever call their
idols pagods.
RELIGION OF THE PEOPLE OF LAIES, LANGIENS, OR LAOS.
HE inhabitants of these countries believe, that
there are sixteen terrestrial worlds, and that
heaven is situated above them. They imagine
that heaven and earth are eternal, only the former
never was subject to any change ; but that the earth
has undergone a variety of revolutions. They say,
that about eighteen thousand years before the reign
of Xacca, or Xequia, the lower world of the six-
teen, was destroyed by water, when a most holy
mandarin of more than human extraction, descended
from the highest of the sixteen worlds, and with
one stroke of his scimitar, cut a certain flower
which floated on the surface of the water, and from
that flower sprung up a most beautiful damsel, with
whom the pious mandarin was so much in love,
that he resolved to marry her; but her inflexible
modesty rendered all his addresses ineffectual.
The mandarin was too generous and just to force
the beautiful maid to a compliance, and yet he
knew not how to live without her ; he therefore
placed himself at a small distance from her, and ad-
mired her beauty from morning to evening, gazing
upon her with all the tenderness of love ; and by
the miraculous force of his tender glances, she be-
came the most joyful mother of a numerous off-
spring, and yet continued a virgin. When the chil-
dren grew lip, the mandarin considered himself as
under an obligation of making some provision for
them, and for that purpose, created that beautiful
variety of beings which now replenish the earth,
and then ascended into heaven, but could not ob-
tain admitt;mce till he had duly qualified himself by
penance.
Before the earth was restored to its original state,
four gods were appointed to preside over it, but
three of them growing weary of the important task,
returned again to heaven, in order to enjoy uninter-
■«• lupted peace aad tranquillity. Xaca, the only sur-
7 2 a
viviHg god left behind, reigned some thousands of
years, and then sunk into a state of rest. But he
took care to instruct the people to erect temples to
his memory, promising that he would fill them w ith
his spirit, which would make an ample amends for
the want of his personal appearance ; and that he
would breathe into their gods such divine influences,
as would enable them to work all sorts of miracles.
They add further, that those images, or statues, par-
ticipated of the divine nature of Xaca, according to
his promise when he left them, and from hence the
worship of images, among the natives of the East
Indies, took its rise.
They do not fix upon the number of years that
the religion of Xaca shall continue established, but
they believe that another god will arise and demolish
their temples, break down their images, and burn
their sacred writings ; after which he shall establish
new laws, and a pure form of worship. They like-
wise assert, that there was a good understanding be-
i\veen Xaca and the god of the Christians. That
the former made choice of the east to teach his sen-
timents, and the latter the west, to establish his
religion.
From this it appears, that they have some tradi-
tions concerning Christ; for some of their priests
told the Jesuits, that the god of the Christians
made but a poor figure in the world, although his
religion prevailed in many parts : and this is every
way consistent with the gospel account of our Re-
deemer.
These people are very much addicted to supersti-
tion, and on some particular days, the statue of
Xaca is brought out of the pagod, and exposed to
the people, on a stage erected for that purpose, and
there the devotees assemble and pay Uieir adoration
to it. Every worshipper must bring something
along with hiau, which the Talapoins convert to
94
RELIGION IN LAIES, LANGIENS, OR LAOS.
tfieir own use. Sacrilege, or the robbing of temples,
is looked upon as the most horrid crime that can be
committed, nor is any person permitted to speak ir-
reverently of their gods. It is probable they have
some traditional account of the fallen angels, for they
believe that evil spirits once resided in heaven.
Their priests are called Talapoins, in the same
manner as in Siam, and they are not permitted to
enter into orders till they are turned of twenty-three
years of age, at which time they are very strictly
examined, and if approved of, they are admitted
into the order, with several very pompous ceremo-
nies, which in some respects differ from those of
the neighbourino: nations. The novice sets out
from the convent, dressed in the gayest habit that
can be procured, and mounting himself on an ele-
phant, rides in solemn procession to the pagod, or
temple, where he is to make his last vows. En-
tertainments of a very luxurious nature, are kept
up during the space of three days, but notwithstand-
ing all that formality and ceremony, these priests
have a right to lay down their habit whenever they
picuse, and return again to the state and condition
of laymen. The Jesuits, who never could gain any
of these people over to be proselytes to popery,
have represented them under the most odious colours,
such as hypocrites, epicureans, and persons of the
most abandoned characters.
The king is the sole judge of these priests, and
when any of them commit odious crimes, they are
condemned for life to wait upon his elephants. But
still the king of the country is much afraid of them,
because was he to treat them with too much indig-
nity, they would at any time have it in their power
to stir up a rebellion among the people ; so popular
are they in their public discourses, and such is the in-
fluence they have over the vulgar. On the fourteenth
day of every new moon, these priests confess their
sins, one after another, before their idols, beginning
■with the seniors, and ending with the juniors, and
they wash themselves with consecrated water, in
order to cleanse them from all their impurities. Part
of their worship consists in presenting their idols
i^•ith rice, flowers and perfumes ; and besides these
free-will offerings, they pray before them with
beads in their hands, and light up wax tapers upon
their altars.
These priests or Talapoins, are divided into two
classes ; first, the seculars, and secondly, the regu-
lars. The seculars are those who attend on public
■worship, in the cities and towns, and the regulars
are a sort of monks, or hermits, who live, some in
convents, and others in the woods, where they ac-
quire great reputation for their sanctity, and the
purity of their morals. The king regulates all their
fasts and festivals, and decides in all such matters of
eoDtroversy as take place among them. The mo-
rals of these monks, like those of the priests in tJic
kingdom of Siam, are regulated by five negative pr&-
cepts, namely, " Thou shall do no murder ; thou
shalt not lie ; thou shalt not commit adultery ; thou
shalt not steal; and thou shalt not drink any wine,"
But notwithstanding the severity of the last precept,
yet it is at any time dispensed with, in order to pro-
cure a sum of money from the person who solicits
for it.
The people in these countries are allowed a plura*
lity of wives, but those are best esteemed, and most
respected, who, by subduing their passions, and.
bringing them under the govermnent of reason, cout
fine themselves to one. As for their nuptial cere-
monies, they have nothing very extraordinary in
theni.v Their chief care is to have their solemn en-
gagements signed and attested by witnesses, and
these must be persons of characters, who have lived
many years in the marriage state, in the most sa-
cred bonds of inviolable love and true friendship.
The people believe in witchcraft, and that all
disorders can be cured by magic, for which reasoa
they have their inchanted plasters, ointments, mys-
terious terms, and many other things of a surprizing
nature, according to their account of them. The
priests sell these things at a most exorbitant price ;
but this is never objected to by the people, who
considered them as endowed with sovereign virtue,
either to prevent or heal all manner of diseases.
The priests are likewise very expert in casting
people into a profound sleep, and by that means to
strip them of all they have about them without
being discovered. This is done by the power of an
intoxicating draught, and the people have such an
opinion of its divine, or heavenly nature, that when
restored from their slumber, they often give all they
have to the priests. It is common with the priests
to send ah old ragged cloak to one of their patients,
who has such an opinion of its sanctity, that he
wraps himself in it, and believes that he will soon be
restored to health. If he happens to recover, then
he sends his best clothes to the priest, that his holy
word may sanctify them, so as to have the same eflS-
cacy as that of the old ragged cloak ; but when all
these means prove ineffectual, then the priests say,
that the patient was destitute of faith.
In their funeral ceremonies, they differ in nothing
from the people of Siam, and they all believe that
the soul will transmigrate through many bodies for
a vast number of years, after which it will be trans-
lated to heaven. It is not to be doubted but they
worship Sommona-Codom, the god of Siam, be-
cause most of their ceremonies are the same, parti-
cularly their funeral rites, and indeed almost every
thing else.
With respect to magic or witchcraft, there is,
perhaps, not one single nation in the universe, where
RELIGION OF THE TONQUINESE.
95
some belief of it cannot be found. We find it strictly
prohibited both in tlie Old and New Testament,
and yet it is much to be feared, there are too many
that live under the gospel dispensation, who believe
in its existence. Tlie ancient Pagans had a method
of inquiring into the knowledge of future events, by
addressing themselves to oracles in their temples ;
and they imagined the answer they received, was
delivered by the soul of one of the deceased friends
or relations. These addresses to oracles in order to
procure an answer from the dead, might be delivered
in any temple whatever, but some were considered
as more sacred than others, and to these many pil-
grims resorted. The whole seems to have taken its
origin from the pride or vain curiosity of men, who
sought to know future events, which Providence
has wisely concealed from them. Men would be
wretched creatures indeed, were they to be informed
of all that is to happen to them in this world. Tiiey
would sink under the terrors of the evil, tliey would
neglect their duty as beings, whose dependence
should be on God, and every thing here below would
return to its original state of confusion. Those who
believe in magic or w itclicraft, give up the whole
providence of God, by seeking to know what he has
concealed from them, and by imagining that a finite ■
being can pry into the secrets of infinity.
RELIGION OF THE TONQ.UINESE.
Ti
. HE people of Tonquin are divided into diffe-
rent sects, but they are all heathens, and their
worship agrees, in many things, with that of the
nations already described. Some of them acknow-
ledge Confucius, the celebrated legislator of China,
to be their religious father, and to him they offer up
sacrifices with other divine honours ; but the fol-
lowers of this sect, are only those who are most es--
teemed for their learning in the sciences. The com-
mon people are, for the most part, followers of Xa-
ca, whom some call Chaca, and others -Chacabout.
They give a different account of this Xaca, from
what related in the preceding description of the reli-
gion of Laos, for they say that he concealed liimself
six years in a desert, where he compiled that form
of religion which he afterwards taught his disciples.
He attempted to persuade them that there was not a
Divine Providence, that the soul was mortal, that
there was no such thing as a future state of rewards
and punishments. In order to imprint upon the
minds of the people a reverential regard for his ciia-
racter, he boldly asserted, that two angels or dae-
mons inspired him with those doctrines he was
obliged to teach for the benefit of mankind.
Xaca likewise asserted, that all such as aspired to
tlie highest state of perfection, should renounce the
pomps and vanities of this world, to have compas-
sion on their fellow creatures, and to relieve the
poor under all their distresses. Tliey were to spend
may hours in prayer and meditation, and endea-
vour, as much as in them lay, to subdue their lusts
and passions. He also taught, that all those who
obeyed his precepts, although their souls were of a
material substance, yet, after death, they would pass
intD other bodies, in which they would enjoy many-
pleasures to which they were strangers before ; and
this doctrine is so much like that of the philosopher
Pythagoras, , that probably they are both of one
original.
There is in Tonquin, a considerable religious set,
called Lanthu. This Lanthu was a native of China,
and a magician. He had so much art as to assert,
that he never had a father, and that he was seventy
years in his mother's belly, who yet was a spot-
less virgin, and his disciples taught that he was the
creator of all things. To the errors of Xaca, Lan-
thu added several of his own, but he gained the love
and affection of the people, by his many acts of cha-
rity and benevolence, and by founding and endow •
ing temples and hospitals.
They have in Tonquin three idols, for which they
have a more than ordinary veneration. The first is
the god of the kitchen, composed of three stones, in
commemoration of three persons, w ho burnt them-
selves to ashes on the same hearth. The second
presides over all the liberal arts, and is worshipped
in the dress of a Chinese, probably in memory of
some learned man from China having first taught them
the sciences. This idol is called Tien-Su, and such
respect have the people for him, that no man will ■
bind out his son as an apprentice to a trade till he
has sacrificed to him, and put the boy under his
protection; nor are any contracts or agreements
signed, without appealing to him. The third idol,
knovMi by the name of liuabin, is the god of build-
ings ; and all structures, whether public or private,
are committed to his care. He is to protect the
houses from fire, lightning, thundtr, ^ind, raio^
96
RELIGION OF THE TONQUINESE.
or any thing by which they, or their inhabitants
may be injured.
But besides these idois, the people of Tonquin
"worship the heavens, with the sun, moon, and stars,
the four cardinal points, and the centre of the earth.
When they worship the north, they dress tliemselves
in black, and their tables, altars, sacrificing instru-
ments, and indeed every thing they use are of that
dismal colour. When they worship towards the east,
they are dressed in green ; when to the south, in
scarlet ; when to the Avest, in white ; and yellow
when to the centre of the earth. They likewise
worship the meanest things on earth, as will appear
from the following ridiculous circumstance :
Some fishermen having one day seen a billet of
wood thrown on shore, believed that it was inhabited
by the soul of some great person ; they lifted it
into the boat and carried it home, where it was wor-
shipped, and temples were erected to its memory and
honour. They traced its genealogy, and foimcl that
this log was no less a personage than the daughter
of one of the emperors of China. Tliis pious prin-
cess had thrown herself into the sea, in order to be-
stow her ro3al benedictions on the people of Ton-
quin, and to accomplish her good intention -witliout
I being discovered, she metamorphosed herself into a
•wooden billet. Daola, one of their idols, presides
over travellers, and indeed they have their titulaiy
gods for the protection of every tlmig.
The Tonqiiinese have as many pagods, or temples,
as they have country houses, and each of those has
at least two priests to offer up sacrifices, but some
liave upwards of forty, and all these are supported by
the bounty of the people. They profess much hu-
mility, never begging for relief, nor do they accept
of any thing besides what is absolutely necessary.
If they have any thing to spare, they give it away
to the poor, and maintain several widows and chil-
dren out of their own collections ; a noble exam-
ple for those of the purest religion to copy after.
Tliey have grand festivals on the first and fifteenth
of every moon ; but, besides, they observe several
holy days in memory of the dead. In the sixth
month, they celebrate the festival of their idol,
Tham-no, who is the preserver of their corn, in the
■same manner as the Greeks believed that Ceres w;is.
In all solemn festivals thev perfume their idols, and
illuminate their altars. They believe in the art of
divination, and nothing of importance is undertaken,
without first consulting the magicians, who compose
their looks and gestures in the most artful manner,
111 order to procure the respect of those who consult
them. Before he attempts to answer any of the
questions proposed to him, he opens a book in a very
formal manner, containing circles, characters and
v;himsical figures, and then demands the age of the
person who comes to consult him. He then tosses
up into the air, two or three small pieces of brass,
with characters on one side only, and if the sides
with the characters fall towards the ground, then it
is considered as a bad omen ; but if they turn up,
they denote some degree of success. If there ai-e
only two pieces, and if they fall the reverse of each
other, it is considered as an indication of something
very successful. For the most part, these magicians
are so artful, that tliey can throw the pieces so as
to give hope to the person who makes the applica-
tion ; a practice common among the ancient
heathens.
In this country, there are witches who pretend to
have a familiar acquaintance with the devil, and
that, by his assistance, they can reveal what arejthe
conditions of the souls of particular persons in the
other world. These M'itches pretend to conjure up
the souls of deceased persons, by the sound of a
drum, and they have the art to counterfeit a strange
voice, which the people believe is the soul speaking
to them. These fortune-tellers, who appear to be ar-
rant impostors, devote their own children to the devil,
and they teach them to throw themselves into seenri-
ingly strong convulsions, to make the people believe
they are possessed.
When a man is taken sick, they ascribe his mala-
dy to the first devil who entered into his thoughts.
An attempt is then made to appease the devil, by
sacrifices; but if they dont succeed, they have re-
course to compulsion. The friends of the sick man
take up arms, and surround the house, in order to
drive the devil out of his quarters, and they believe
that when he is driven out, he is confined, close
corked i!p in a bottle of water. When it is ima-
gined that the sick man's disorder is occasioned by
the malice of the ghost of one of his dead relations,
the magician uses several charms to conjure the
spirit to him, and when he has laid hold on him,
he puts him up in another bottle, and places him
beside the devil. ITiere they are both confined for
ever, if the patient dies, but if he recovers the ma-
gician suffers them to escape. From this part of
their ridiculous superstition, it is evident, that al-
though in many respects they believe in the doctrine
of the immortality of the soul, yet they consider it
as some way material ; for if the soul is not material,
it could not be confined by matter, or which is all
one, corked up in a bottle.
When one of the natives of Tonquin returns home
from a journey, in which he has met with some
singular deliverance; or when any of them return
home sick, wounded, or indisposed, they carry the
upper garments of the persons to a cross way, and
hang them upon a pole, then they offer seven little
balls of rice to the genius, or titulary god of the
place, after which the balls are eaten by the persons
in whose favour they were offered up. This prac-
RELIGION OF THE TONQUINESE.
97
tice was much attended to by the ancient Greeks,
uho believed that some of their gods presided over
the highwaj-s, in order to protect travellers. They
have a very remarkable way of celebrating the an-
niversary of jtiieir birth-days, particularly that of
the king's, of which the following is a faithful
account :
Seven days before the festival, the chief musicians
repair to the palace, and form a choir of vocal and
instrumental music, which continues till the feast
commences. Several of the bonzes, or priests assem-
ble, and they begin with the chief priest's pronoun-
cing several prayers, and then conjures the king's
soul in the following words to inform his body : —
" Let the three souls of our monarch," says he,
with an audible voice, " assemble together and
" make one soul to animate his body." After that
they cast lots witli two pieces of brass, and when
they think the souls are arrived, the chief bonze
fastens them to the end of a stick, for the three
souls to perch upon. At the same time they inform
the king, that in a short time he must go to receive
Lis soul, and prepare a lodging for it. The king
then pulls otf the clothes he has on, and having
dressed himself in ever}' thing new, ascends a mag-
niticent throne, while two thousand soldiers, as many
horses, and twelve elephants are ordered to conduct
his soul.
This numerous retinue conducts the soul to the
throne, where the king receives it, as one risen from
the dead. All his courtiers congratulate him on
his resurrection, and the festival continues seven
days. This is, perhaps, one of the most remarkable
festivals in the world, and probably took its rise
from a notion, that on the annual return of birth-
days, new souls, endued with the most sublime vir-
tues, come to reside in the body.
On the first day of tlie new year, every house-
keeper erects a long pole before his door, and fixes
a basket to the top of it, embellished all round with
fine paper, gilt and painted. The reason for this
ceremony iSj'the Tonquinesc believe that the painted
paper has the power to drive away the evil spirit,
but were they to neglect so necessaiy an article in
their religion, the evil spirit would to»ment them
during the whole remainder of the year. On the
last day of the year, allthose who have had any dis-
putes are reconciled, and they begin the new year
in a state of friendship. In marriages, tkey must
have the consent of their parents, if they are alive,
but if they are dead, then they must apply to the
nearest relations, and the marriage engagements
must be signed, and confirmed before the judge, or
governor of tht- place. They may marry as many
wives as they please, but if they cannot support them
from being a burthen to the community, then they
are liable to pay a fine. On the eveaing of the
wedding day, the relations of the bride conduct her
home to the house of the bridegroom, wliere the
first thing she does is to go into the kitchen and kis?;
the heartii, after which she prostrates herself on the
ground, to acknowledge her humility and obedience
to her husband.
The entertainments at their marriages, generally
last nine days, unless the parties are extremely poor,
and then three days are considered as sufHcient. The
law permits a man to put away his wife, but this
privilege is not granted to the woman, and if a wo-
man procures a divorce, it is attended with many
difficulties. When a woman is found guilty of adul-
tery, she is turned out into an inclosure among ele-
phants, where she generally starves, but for the same
crime, the man can compound by paying a fine.
The ceremonv of a divorce in Toncjuin, h.ts some-
thing in it very novel to Europeans. When a man
is inclined to put away his wife, he takes the stick.s
which they used at their meals, instead of forks, and
breaking them in twain, each party takes one half,
and wraps it carefully up in a piece of silk slidV; after
which the man is obliged to return his wife all the
money he received with her, and give security that
he will take care of all the children they had while
they cohabited together.
The clothes they w ear at their funerals are always
white, but no part of tliem must be silk. A fa-
ther, or a mother, mourns for a child twenty-seven
months ; widows wear mourning for their husbands,
three year ; but a husband mourns no longer for his
wife, than he thinks proper. Brothers and sisters,
mourn for one another, one whole year, llie lowest
sorts of the people commemorate their deceased re-
lations, and their ceremonies are according to the
nature of their circumstances. For such as have
done great things to serve the public, they erect al-
tars and temples, on which they offer sacrifices, and
they even celebrate the memories of such as ha\e
raised disturbances, fomented rebellions, and tram-
pled on the laws; but this is not done for their ho-
nour, but to hold them out as objects of detestation,
to all those who shall live in future ages.
But nothing can exceed the funeral rites of their
kings, in splendor and pomp they even exceed ima-
gmation. They first embalm the body, and then
expose it on a bed of state for sixty-five d.nys toge-
ther, during all which time, he is attended and served
with as ranch splendor as if he was really alive,
and the victuals, as soon as conveyed away from
him, arc given to the priests, and to the poor. Every-
one of his subjects is obliged to appear in mourning.
All the officers of state are obliged to remain in
mourning three years, nor are any public games al-
loMed during the mourning, except such as are
common when a king mounts the throne, in the
room of his predecessor. The dishes served up at
98
RELIGION OF THE TONQUINESE.
the new king's corronation, are all varnished black,
and he cuts off his hair, and covers his head with a
straw hat. All the great officers of state do the same,
and three bells are kept tolling incessantly, from the
death of a king, till his body is put on board a
galley, in order to be interred among his ancestors.
On the sixty-sixth day, after the death of the king,
all things being prepared for his interment, by a
proper officer appointed for that purpose, the pro-
cession begins, and the ground is strewed with
flowers. The procession continues sixteen days, and
at every quarter of a league, they make a halt near
some huts, erected for the purpose of supplying the
people and horses with provisions, and with fire to
light their pipes. Two gentlemen of the king's
chamber, march in the front, and as they go along
they proclaim the king's name with all his pompous
titles ; each of them carries a mace in his hand, the
head of which has a lighted torch in it, and twelve
gentlemen of the king's galleys draw a mausoleum
after them.
Next comes the grand master of the horse, at-
tended by two pages who are followed by twelve
sumpter horses, richly caparisoned, and led by pages,
walking two and two. The elephants come ne.\t hi
the following order ; the first four are mounted by
standard bearers, the next four have castles on their
backs, filled with soldiers, and the last four have
cages on their backs; these cages are made of lattice-
work, finely gilded and glazed. The car, or chariot,
which contains the mausoleum, in which the king's
body is deposited advances next, and is drawn by
twelve stags, each of whom is led by one of the
captains of the life-guards.
The new king, with his brothers, and all the
princes of the blood, walk behind the car, dressed
in long white robes, with straw hats on their heads ;
and they are followed by the princesses, with the
king's musicians ; and each princess has two ladies
to wait on her. These princesses carry each a hand-
ful of the provisions that are to be used at the enter-
tainment. The four principal governors of the pro-
vinces follow the ladies, each carrying a staff on his
shoulder, and a purse at his waist, tilled with gold
and the riches perfumes. In these purses are con-
tained the presents which are to be given to the de-
ceased king, in order to defray his expenses into the
other world. The governors are followed by eight
coaches, loaded with ingots of gold, bars of silver,
«.loth of tissue, and the richest silks, from a persuasion,
that the deceased is to carry all these along with
him.
The procession Is closed by all the nobility and
persons of rank, some on foot, and some on horse-
back ; and as soon as they arrive at the brink of the
river, there is a galley to receive the king's body,
with many others to atteud it. In the first of the
two which immediately follow the corpse, are sucll
of the great men of the kingdom wlio have consented
tq be buried along with their sovereign ; and in the
other, which is closely shut up, are the favourite
court ladies, who have submitted to the same fate.
The other galleys are transports, to carry all sorts of
necessary provisions, with equipages and treasures.
All these galleys are rowed from one creek to another,
till they come to tlie most solitary place they can
find, and the most difficult of access ; for no per-
sons are to know where the king and his illustrious
victims are buried, except six eunuchs, who are
sworn to secrecy in tlie most solemn manner.
When they come to the place appointed for the
funeral service to be performed, several of the priests,
who are indiscriminately named Bonzes, Bramins, or
Talapoins, approach, dressed in their white robes,
and repeat several prayers. After this they sing
hymns, v\ hile tiiose w ho have voluntarily consented to
die with their king, are employed in washing them-
selves, and preparing for their passage into the other
world. The priests attend the funeral pile, upon
which the king's body is laid, and on piles inclosed,
built of wood, are the nobles, the ladies, elephants,
liorses, and treasures. Fire being set to the piles,
the priests sing several hymns, and as soon as the
whole is reduced to ashes, there is a deep pit made,
and the contents are thrown into it ; but no monu-
ment is erected in the place, lest the ashes of the
dead should be disturbed.
It would be impossible to hear the cries of those
victims without horror. Mere we not, at the same
time, to consider how strongly prejudice operates on
the minds of men, in favour of some particular sort
of superstition, which has been in a manner deified
by its great antiquity. But to this we may add, that
the priests take care to employ so many musicians
during the burning of the funeral pile, that the cries
of the sufferers are drowned.
It was a just remark of the celebrated Paschal,
that in all ages and nations, m.en are more attentive
to false than to true religion. Whence does thia
contradiction arise ? The answer is obvious : God
hath made man upright, but he hath sought out
many inventions. In nothing does the corruption of
hiunan nature appear more conspicuous, than in the
regard men pay to false religion, while they consider
that which is really pure as imworthy of their no-
tice. This general accusation will not, however,
hold good in all its parts, when applied to the hea-
thens we have been writing of. They never heard
the joyful sound of the gospel ; they never saw the
pure simplicity of Christian worship ; nor did they
ever hear the perfections of the divine attributes
explained. It is true, they have the same law of
nature, by which all the heathen world will be
judged, yet we find how meanly they have degraded
RELIGION IN COCHIN-CHINA, CAMBODIA, &c.
99
it : but let us consider, that whatever punishment
the Almighty may inflict on them hereafter, yet
Hreadfiil will be the condition of those nominal
Christians, who, having the means of grace put
into their hands, and the hope of glory presented to
them, forget their God and their Redeemer, and
trample upon all his mercies.
RELIGION IN COCHIN-CHINA, CAMBODIA, &c.
A. HE kingdom of Cochin-China, is situated
without the Ganges, and the religion of the natives
differs but little from what we have already described
in Tonquiu. They are gross idolators, and worship
the meanest reptiles, and even inanimate things.
The first article of their religion consists in paying
adoration to the souls of those who, in this life,
were distinguished for some meritorious action, and
their temples are adorned witli their images. These
images are artfully placed, some being high and
others low, much iu the same manner as the pipes of
an organ. This is done to point out the merits of
the persons, and according to the height of the
image, the degrees of worship are regulated, for
those who are short are not to be treated w ith so
much respect as those who are tall.
Between each range of these images, there is a
dark opening, but no person can see how far it
reaches. This their priests say, is the place where
the eternal hivisible God resides, and that he cannot
be seen by the human eye. Being asked by a Jesuit,
why they erected images, seeing they believed in
one true God r they answered, that they did not set
np the images as makers of heaven and earth, but
they kept them to put them in memory of the vir-
tues of great men, who could hear their prayers, and
intercede with God for them. Through the whole
of the country there are such a number of pagods,
and in each of them several different idols, that one
would be apt to imagine every family had two or
tliree for themselves ; but this is of great advantage
to the priests, who are constantly employed in acts
cf devotion, in sacrifices, and other ofHces in those
temples.
Such of the Cochin-Cliinese as live near the moun-
tains, have preserved a greater purity in their wor-
ship, for they have no temples crowded with idols,
but offer up their sacrifices on hills, or in groves, un-
der the canopy of the heavens, and they pay great
respect to the memory of the dead.
The natives of Cambodia, are, in many respects
like those of Siam, for they adore the soul of the
universe as the true God. They have a celebrated
temple at Oneo, in this kingdom, and to it devotees
resort from many parts of the east ; and the priests
who ofKciate in it,- pretend to give answers to the
most difficult questions proposed to them. There are
different orders of these priests, but all of them are
distinguished by their dress. Some of them make a
vow of poverty, and live only on the charity of well-
disposed persons ; while others, v\ho chuse to accept
of salaries, spend great part of their time in visiting
the sick, and healing, by magic, different sorts of
diseases. Some go from place to place, instructing
the ignorant, and in doing all sorts of good offices
to those who want their assistance. The medicines
they give to their patients are extremely simple, and
they are so nourishing, that they want no other sort
of subsistence until they recover. When they think
a patient is incurable, they tell him so, and desire
him not to load himself with medicines ; but when
they think there are any hopes of his recovery, then
they bid him not despair, as they have a medicine
will cure him, and recover him to liis former state of
health. Tliey accordingly administer their medicines,
which they always carry along with them, and if
the patient recovers, the priests arejiighly honoured ;
but if he dies, then his death is imputed to the anger
of the gods, for some secret crime.
There is but little difference between the natives
of Cochin-China, and those of Cambodia, nor indeed
between them and those we have already described,
concerning their marriages and funerals. Both ad-
mit a plurality of wives, and both tolerate divorces.
They observe the same rules of consanguinity in
their marriages as are prescribed in the law of Moses,
and what we Christians practise. Indeed they have
many other customs resembling those of the Jews ;
which may serve to shew, that there was no great
difference between the inhabitants of ancient na-
tions concerning their religious rites and ceremo-
nies.
If a man dies, the nearest male relation, unmarried,
is to take the widow to wife, and in case either of
the parties refuse to comply with this established
custom, or rather law, then the offending party is
fined in such a sum as he is seldom ever able to pay.
Both men and women arc punished in the same man-
ner for adultery, and that is exposing them to the
elcphauts ; for they believe; that if they turn them
1 00
RELIGION IN COCHIN-CHINA, CAISIBODIA, 8cc.
out into a field where these creatures are grazing,
such is their sagacity, that they will tread upon them
till they are dead. It is certain, that an untamed
elephant will tread upon any person who comes in
his way, but he is so easily tamed, that there cannot
be any great difficulty for these delinquents to screen
themselves from him, and take shelter in some other
part of the country.
We shall now proceed to describe their funeral
.rites and ceremonies, which, in some things, are
nearly allied to those of their neighbours ; but in
other respects, rather more simple, and bearing
greater marks of antiquity.
When a person lies at the point of death, all his
male relations and friends crowd around his bed,
with drawn scymitars and sabres, which they bran-
dish around the patient, in order to drive away such
evil spirits as they imagine are hovering around him,
to seize his soul the moment it departs from his
body. When a person of distinction dies, the priests,
who are likewise the physicians, hold a consultation
concerning the nature of the disorder, and when
they think they have found it, they discover what evil
spirit it was that inflicted it, and in the most formal
manner, they condemn him to everlasting flames.
But according to their notions, while they revenge
ithemselves on the evil spirit, another is preparing to
take away the life of one of the deceased's relations.
When the devil enters into the body of the next
person who is to die in the family, the priests are
sent for, and when they have been sometime in con-
versation with the patient, they give him a sleeping
. drauglit, which, for at least one day, deprives him
of his senses. During the whole of that time they
remain with him, and when the use of his senses
and reason returns, the relations of the deceased are
called in; then the priests tell them that the person
who lies sick saw the soul of the deceased, and points
out, in a distinct manner, how he is employed, and
in what state he is. This is a very artful trick, and
serves to establish the power of the priests, while it
V darkens the understandings of the people, and keeps
their minds in a state of subjection.
When a person's funeral is to be celebrated, an
entertainment is provided, and all the relations,
friends and neighbours are invited ; and on such
occasions they invoke t!ie souls of their departed
ancestors, praying them once more to return.
The third day of the fea.st, the body is carried to
a stage erected before the door of the house, and the
priests sing and pray around it, at the same time
sprinkling it all over with consecrated water. The
richest perfumes that can be procured are put into
the mouth, and the body is laid into a wooden coflin,
but not covered with a lid ; then the procession
.begins in the following manner :
The male relations of tlic deceased walk first,
after them follow the priests, singing a sort of litanj',
or rather dili'erent sorts of litanies ; next the coffin ia
carried Ijy some of the neighbours of the deceased,
and the procession is closed by the wojnen, dressed
in white, and veiled, making the most hideous la-
mentations. When they arrive at the funeral pile,
which is commonly in a desert place, near the banks
of a river, or sometimes in a wood, the priests renew
their singing, which continues about an hour, after
wliich the botly is a second time perfumed and
sprinkled, and being laid on the pile, all the re-
lations, one after another, touch it out of respect,
and each repeats a short "jjrayer for the repose of
his soul ; the priests then set fire to the pile, and
they, with the relations, wait till it is consumed.
The ashes are then buried in a grave dug for that
purpose, except a few small bones, which the wi-
dow picks up and puts into an earthen urn, mixed
with flowers. These she carries home, as the pre-
cious remains of her husband, and deposits them
near her house. Sometimes they are put up in a
pagod, and it frequently happens, that if the rela-
tions are rich, then they build and endow a temple
for the purpose.
Consistent with the nature of this work, which
is to comprehend the whole body of divinity, whe-
ther historical, theological, or practical, we have
already taken notice of some of the leading princi-
ples under different heads, and throughout the re-
mainder shall continue to do the same. It is re-
markable, that in all the nations we have hitherto
treated of, some rites and ceremonies are used, with
respect to niarriage, and although it may appear that
some of these are ridiculous enough, yet their uni-
versality points out their antiquity. But A\'here
shall we look for this antiquity ? Is it to be found
among the heathens ? The answer is obvious, nor
can there be any dispute concerning it. The hea-
thens differ from each other in the nature of marry-
ing, and yet there is no nation that we can hear of,
where celibacy is established as a principle of reli-
gion. To undeistand this in a proper manner. Me
must have recourse to tlie sacred sciiptures, where
we read, tliat when God had finished the greatest
part of the creation, he made man, and afterwards
he formed the woman to be help-mate for him.
It seems to have been the design of the Aimight}',
that men and women, as husbands and wives, shoulfi
live in peace and society together, that they should
be mutual assistants to each other, that they
should propagate their species, and that they should
by the higiiest act of generosity, educate tlieir chilr
dren in the principles of virtue and religion. All
tills was appointed, that the government of this
world should be conducted in a regular manner, and
that when societies ^verc formed, men might know
1 the relation they stood in to each other, and to God.
RELIGION IN COCHIN-CHINA, CAMBODIA, &c.
101
Marriage is a contract, both of a civil and rcliiji-
ous nature, between a man and a woman, by which
they engage to live together in mutual love and
friendsliip, for the happmess of each other, and lliat
ihcy may brint; up their children useful members
of society. Ilie immediate desceucUmts of Noah,
after tlie deluge, seem to have had but a faint no-
tion of marriage ; for we are informed, tiiat the
lirst inhabitants of Greece lived promiscuously to-
gether, and that women were common to the men
in general. However, when republics were esta-
blished, and governments iixcd, new regulations
took place, and marriage was countenanced ami en-
couraged, while those who abstained from it were
treated with peculiar marks of contemj)t.
■ The Lacedemonians were particularly remark-
able for their severity towards those who deferred
marriage till advanced in years, and still more so to
tiiose who never married. Sucii persons were oblig-
ed to run once every winter naked round ll>e Forum,
and to sing a certain song, which exposed them to
the ridicule of the populace. Anotlur punishment
was, to be excluded from all the public games in
which the young virgins danced naked, and on cer-
tain solemn days, the old women dragged them
round the altars, and beat tlicm with their lists.
The Atlwuians had a law, that all those who en-
joyed offices of a public nature, should be married
men and have children ; these lx?ing considered as
so many j)lcdgcs of their integrity, in discharging
their duty to their country and fellow citizens.
This was certainly a just and equitable law, for
those who live unmarried, cannot be supposed to
have any great regard for the interest of their coun-
try, whereas those who are married, seek to pro-
mote the public good, because their wives, tlieir
children, and relations, are all in one way or other
connected with the event, and must stand or fall by
the conduct of their parent.
Many of the ancient heathens paid little regard to
the law s of consanguinity in the marriage state, for
we even find, that among the Persians, men often
lay with their own sisters, and what is still more
rhocking, w ith their ow n mothers.
Ilie Greeks were extremely regular, with re-
spect to their marriages, and they took care to pre-
vent every tiling that might lead towards incest,
which they looked upon as unnatural. It is true,
•women were often purchased ; but if they were or-
phans, then the .state was under the necessity of
bestowing upon them a marriage-portion, equal to
what fhey might have expected, had their parents
been alive.
The Romans, as well as the Greeks, ab'o per-
mitted polygamy, or a plurality of wives ; but both
gave too much liberty to such as sued for divorces.
It is enacted by the first law of the twelve tables,
that " w hen a woman shall have cohabited with a
man for a whole year, w iihout having been three
nights absent from him, she siiall be deemed his
wife;" from whence it appears, that the Romans
considered living together as essential to marriage.
l>y the second law of the same tables, it is enacted,
" If a woman is found by her husband in adultery,
or drunk, lio may put her to death, but he must
lirst consult her relations."
Among many of the ancients, particularly the
Romans, it w as considered as in some measure dis-
honourable for women to marry a second time ; be-
cause they looked upon it as a breach in herlirst ma-
trimonial covenant. This notion was carried so far,
that it was iniagined if ever the widow married, it
would disturb her husband's repose, or as Justinian
says, "the soul of the deceased husband is disturbed
when his wife marries a second." All the ancients,
like the Last Indians, whom we have already de-
scribed, were extremely superstitious concerning
the time when marriages should be celebrated, some
being of opinion, that winter was the most proper
season, while others iixcd it for the spring or
summer.
Although wc find no positive injunctions in tlie
law of Moses obliging men to marry, yet the Jews
liave always considered it as an indispeusible obliga-
tion, in consequence of the original words, " In-
crease and multiply." So that every young man,
who did not marry before he was twenty years of
age, was considered as one who was injuring the
young women. There is, in the Jew ish 'I'alnuid, a
very remarkable question relating to marriage, com-
prised in the following words, " Who is he that
prostitutes his daughter '!" The answer is, " He
that keeps her too long unmarried, or giv«s her to
an old man."
Polygamy was not forbidden by the law- of Mo-
ses ; for it appears that great legislator formed most
of his precepts upon the practices of the ancient pa-
triarchs. Thus we read that Jacob married two sis-
ters, and that he had children by both. Rut still we
find the Jews did not content themselves with this
small allow ance of two wives, as w ill appear to any
one who reads the histories of David, Solomon,
and many others. However, they made a particu-
lar distinction between the wives of the liist rank
and those of the second. The Jews were permitted,
not only to marry among their own tribes, but also
among those heathen nations around them, v\ho had
been circumcised, and therefore when we read of
Solomon having married strange wives, who turned
his heart away from the Lord, we are to understand
such as had been born in nations where circumcision
had never taken place.
That marriage is an honourable institution, wc
can have no reason to doubt, sipce we find that our
103
RELIGION IN THE PillLIPPINE ISLASD, Uc.
Divine Redeemer was present at one, and it was
tl»ere that he wrought his first miracles ; and j-et we
find, tliat even during the apostolic age, soon after
our Saviour's ascension that there were many per-
sons under the name of Christians, who actually
taught that men shoidd not marry, which the apostle
justly calls the doctrine of devils ; with these here-
tics, who sprung from Simon Magus, the church
had a long struggle, but at last they dwindled into
contempt; nor was the notion revived till many
years afterwards, when the church of Rome forbid
the clergy to many.
The primitive Christians laid several restrictions
upon ail those who professed the gospel, concern-
ing marriage, such as forbidding them to marry
with heretics, or such as were enemies to the faith.
This injunction was founded upon the following
words of St. Paul, 2 Cor. vi. 14. " Be ye not un-
equally yoked widi unbelievers." But particular
churches diftei'ed w ith respect to this sentiment. In
some churches it was simply forbidden, ;i6 a thing
rather dangerous than criminal, but in others it was
accompanied with excommunication. It was, ho^v-
ever, carried much higher, when the Christian re-
ligion received the sanction of the civil power ; for
we find by an edict of the emperor Theodosius,
that it was made a capital felony for a Christian to
marry a Jewish woman, nor in tliat age were mar-
eiages permitted, but by the consent of the church.
Freemen were not to marry slitves, nor were widows
to accept of a second husband, till one year aiftee
die death of the first. By the same law, a god-
father could noit marry the child wJiom he stood
sponsor for, because it was supposed there was a
spiritual relation between them. Some of the pri-
mitive fathers believed, that no man could lawfully
marry after divorced from his wii'e, nor a woman
after divorced from her husband, even m, cases of
adultery, which is one of the highest violations of
the marriage vow ; but die generality of the fathers
were of a different opinion.
The Romish church has dignified the institutioa
of marriage with the name of a sacrament ; but the
church of England, and indeed all reformed churches,
reject that sentiment. The utmost respect, however,
is paid to marriage, by all the Protestant churches
in Europe, and indeed by every virtuous person; for
it has generally been found, that those who treat this
ordinance with contempt, act as unworthy members
of society ; and the universality of it may serAfe to
point out, tliat the ^Mosaic account of die creation
is confirmed by daily experience, and' by occular
demonstration.
RELIGION OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, &c.
Jl HESE islands, situated at the eastern extre-
mity of Asia, are for the most part inhabited by
idolaters ; for although the Spanish Jesuits have
converted some of them to popery, yet the number
is very inconsiderable. These idolators worship the
sun, moon and stai-s, and in some places they pay
divine adoration to the devil, and frequently sacri-
fice to him, to testify the great obligations they are
under for the riches he bestows upon them ; for it
appears these people look upon the devil as the god
of riches and money. But they have many gods or
idols, both in public and private, and some of their
ceremonies have a near affinity with V\hat we often
read of in ancient history, concernii.ig the Greeks
and Romans. One of their idols, to whom nxuch
respect is paid, is called Batala, which sigiufics god
1 the creator ; for they believe that this idol, made ;Jl
things in the beginning out of nothing. They have
another idol, the name of which signifies time, he-
cause they believe that he began with the world, and
will at last put an end to it.
The worship of these heathens is wholly founded
upon tradition, and preserved in .songs and hymns,
which parents teach their children to learn by heart.
In these hymns, like the ancient Greeks, they cele-
brate the heroic actions of their gods ; for it is plain,
that those idols whom they worship, arc no more
than images of some of their ancestors, who, in
former times cither made wise laws for tie regula-
tion of their conduct, or invented some useful arts
and sciences.
In some of the smaller islands, they have no tem-
ples, nor altars, and all their wortJiip consists in pray-
ing to the devil \\ horn they believe to be every where
present with them. They are so much afraid d,f
this evil spirit, whom yet they worship, that they
never walk out, nor sit down at home, unless two
or three, if not more are in company ; for they
firmly believe, that if there is no more than one
person by himself, then the devil will come aud kill
him. In some of these islands, they have no other
form of worship besides that of clasping their hands
together, and looking stedfastly towards heaven.
They call the Supreme Being Abba, which has in-
RELIGION IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, Sic.
108
dHced many of wn voyagers to iuiaguie that tlicy
are descended I'roiu the Jews or S^iiaiin, that being
a title wliich, in the Hebrew ai»<i Syriac, sigiiities
i'atJier; and Ciod is, with great propriety, aiUed
Father in Scripture. Tliis supposition, however,
UMJSt have sometJiing stronger to suppoit it, before
we can give it inuch credit, for most of the Asiatic
nations use the term Abba as a father, and in many
respects there is u slriLing similarity in their lan-
guages.
It is remm'kable, tliat those who worship the sun,
FBlltse to eat swine's flesh, but tliey offer hogs in
saciiiice. '11m.s i» done on very solemn festivals,
and in the follow iuj;' manner; after a concert of vo-
cal and instrumental music, two old women step
forward, aud pay the most devout homage to the sun ;
for the women, purticidarly the old ones, act both
as priestesses and magicians. The iiomage to the
sun being over, tliey dress themselves in their pon-
titical vestments, and bind a ribbon round their
heads in such a manner, that tliey appear to have
tw-o horns growing out of their foreheads. In the
mean-time the3' hold something in their hands re-
sembling n girdle, and thus arrayed, they dance and
play upoa a kiml of rural pipe, say their prayers, and
prunouuce some' particular words with their eyes
1ased on the sun ; during this act of devotion, the hog
that is to be sacrificed is bound fast to a stake, and
they all dance around liim. A tiagon of wine is nest
brought to one of the old women, who pours- a cup
full of it on the hog, perforuiing, at the same time,
some ceremonies suitable to the solenuiity of the
sacrifice. She then stabs the heg, and lets him bleed
to deadi ; they wash their musical pipes in the blood
of the victim, and dip()ing one of their fingere into
it, mark tiie foreheads of their husbands. But the
most remarkable thing is, that although these peo-
ple will not eat swine's flesh in then common meals,
yet w hen the hog is killed in the sacritice, tlie whole
carcase is wanned a few minutes before a slow fire,
;iBd then the old women, the priestesses, cut it in
small pieces and distribute it among the people, who
eat it hi honoiu of the sun. The bones, and what-
ever u left, are burnt, and the whole sacrifice ends
with music a&dd:iuciug.
These islanders, like most others who are igno-
rant of the true religion, form a notion that they can
know, from seemg the first object that presents itself
to them in the morn'uig, whether they will be suc-
cessful or unsuccessful in their undertakings during
the remaiuder of the day. If tliey set out on a jour-
ney, and happen to tread upon an insect, they will:
return back to their houses. In their marriage ceie-
nionies they have very little lemurkable, oidy that
they adimt of a i)lurality of w ives, one beuig superior
to all the others. They believe in the immortality
o£ the sold, but like most of those htalheus already'
mentioned, they tliiuk it passes from one boiiy to
another. Those who arc most addicted to super-
stition, make often deep incisions into their flesh, by
way of penance for their sins ; for they believe that
tlie gods are pleased with them when they torinenl
themselves.
In some of the Philippine islands the people cirr
cumcise tiicir children, but the rite itself is accom-
panied with such particular marks of cruelty as aie
shocking to- be mentioned. Instead of eutuiig otf
the foreskin of the private parts, tliey force a nail
into a particular part of the fundament, and this thej
do, that young men may be deterred from seeking
after milawful pleasures, especially while they reflect
on the wounds in their bodies occasioned by this
barbarous practice.- It is likewise done iu order to
prevent youth from committing unnatural crimes, and
we are told the practice itself was at first invented
by the w-omeu, and this is not much to be wondered
at, when we cwisider that nothing can exasperate a
woman more than to hear that a man has debased
himself below the dignity of the bniie creation. —
This was the opinion of tlie ancient Greeks, as ap
pears from tlie following words of the poet.
Venus one only altar does approve.
For offerings by nature due to love.
In their funeral solemnities they first burn the
bodies of the deceased, and then bury the ashes, and
upon the s|jot they generally erect a small pagod or
temple, but if the deceased person's relations are poor,
then a pole is general ly stuck up instead of a pagod.
Their processions to the funeral pile are rude, but
solemn. As they have no priests, the old women,
who act in that cluiracter, march before the corpse,
some playing on histruuicnts, and others singing to
them. The rf'latioiis of the deceased follow beliiud
the corpse, and the procession is closed by the ser-
vants and neighbours. The body being laid on the
pile, several hymns aie sung by the old piiestesses,
aud the relations having kissed the deceased, fire is
set to it, and the whole consumed. After this, the
ashes are decently buried, and the relations return
home, where they have an entertainment that lasts
three days.
Near these islands are many others, where, in most-
respects, the manners and customs, both civil aud
religious, are the same, particularly the islands o£
Ladroiies, which is a term of reproach given them,
by those of the Philippines, and signifies Rogues;
but why that name was given them does not appear,
pcrliaps, because some of them had been pirates, aud
plundered many of their neighbours, 'iheir idols,
are wooden images, and their pagods, or temples,
the hulks of old boats, or canoes, the fore part of
which serves as an altar, aiul there the figure of the
god is placed. They are so brutish in their mannersj
104
RELIGION IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, &c.
that they herd together as so many swine, and, con-
trary to the custom of most other heathens, they
know nothing of marriage ; for all ranks of man and
vonien lies promiscuously together, without any sort
of distinction. They wear no clothes in common,
only that when they go to worsliip their idols, they
have their private parts covered with the leaves of
trees. Their worship for the most part consists in
sacriticino' hoss, in the same manner as in the Phi-
Irppine islands, and they have some rude hymn.s,
which they sing around the victim before it is slau^i-
tered. But notwithstanding all the brutality we have
mentioned, yet these idolators, when they go to
their temples, are extremely modest; for should a
man presume to offer any indecency to a woman, by
uncovering her secret parts, he would have his lips
and nose cut off; and many of our Europeans, who
have visited those parts, have seen instances of tJHs
severity of -punishment, which may serve to shew,
that in some respects, decency is to be found, eve«
a'niong savages.
The Marian islan'ds are the next in order to be
treated of, and if we can believe the Jesuits, it will
follow, that the inhabitants are the most wretched
creatures in the universe ; that they do not believe
there is a God, and that they have neither altars,
temples, nor sacrifices; in a word (say they) they
Imve no religion at all. This assertion, however, of
the Jesuits, is not to be credited, and, probably took
its rise from tlie circumstance of those fathers not
being able to make any of them converts. Tlie truth
is, these people, like those in tlie other heathen na-
tions around them, belie>-8 in a God, and the immor-
tality of the soul ; but -tidmit, that it transmigrates
from one body to anothe''. They say, that when
souls are properly purified, they go into everlasting
happiness ; but that such as remain impenitent, will
be punished with eternal torments. Sudden death
is considered 'by them as a sure presage of going into
eternal misery ; but if death comes on slow and
lingering, in a natural way, then they believe that
the soul -will, after different transmigrations, go into
paradise, and partake of all tlic delicious fruits with
which that happy place abounds.
That they have no pagods, or temples, among
•them, i^ certain, and so it is with many other hea-
thens in 'the universe; but this is no proof of their
being Atheists, and it is probable there are no Athe-
ists in the world.
It is a sentiment that can scarce ever take place in
the heart of a rational creature; for how can a man
believe in the immortality of the soul, and a future
state of rewards and punishments, without acknow-
ledging at the same time, tiiat there is a Supreme
Being.
■• These islanders believe, there are two angels at-
tending oa every person here below, the one evil
j and the other good ; that the good one prompts them
on to virtuous actibns, but the evil one is continually
instigating them to commit crimes, and that they are
to be rew arded or punished in the next world, ac-
cordingly as they obey the one or the other.
As they have no such ceremony as that of mar-
riage among them, so their funeral rites are extreme-
ly simj>le ; the body is carri<:d out, and a pile of
wood being erected, it is laid upon it, and reduced
to ashes, and the whole of the ashes are thrown into
the sea. The old women act as priestesses, but we
do not find that they are entitled to any emoluments,
probably, because they think it a most distinguish-
ing honour to be admitted a mediator between
their idols and the people.
The account we have given of these people, na-
turally leads us to enquire into the system of Atheism,
which has been much talked of, but little understood.
By an Atheist, is meant, one who does not believe
the existence, or providence of God, and conse-
quently has no religion at all, either true or false,
'rhere is reason to doubt whether there ever were in
this world, rational creatures who could, by the per-
version of reason, argue themselves into an opinion,
that there was no God. It is true, we read of one
Theodorus, who opened a school at Athens, to teach
there was no God ; but such was the public clamour
against him, that, had he not made his escape, he
would have been put to death There were several
other atheistical teachers in Athens, at different
times ; it does not appear, that their doctrines made
any impression on the minds of the people, who,
instead of one God, worshipped many. Plato dis-
tinguishes Atheists into three sects, or classes; first,
such as deny absolutely there are any gods, second-
ly, those who allow the existence of the gods, but
deny that they concern themselves w ith the affairs of
this lower world, so that they give up all belief in
Divine Providence ; and lastly, such as believe that
there arc gods, but that they are easily reconciled to
men, who have oftended against them, or broken
their laws. The heathens called the primitive Chris-
tians Atheists, which seems to have arisen from the
notion that they worshipped a mair, namely, Jesus
of Nazareth ; and likewise, because they would not
worship the heathen idols, nor swear by the soul of
the emperor, which was looked upon as an act of
impiety, both by the priests and the laity, who knewi
nothing of the simplicity of the gospel.
Atheism, notwithstanding all the absurdities at-
tending it, yet has had its martyrs. Lucilio V'anini,
a Neapolitan gentleman, taught atheism in France,'
about the beginning of the last century, and being,
convicted, was condemned to suffer death. ^Vheu
he was brought out to the place of execution, he
was pressed to ask pardon of God, of the king, and-
of justice. He answered, he did nat bfUeve therei
RELIGION IN THE MOLUCCA ISLANDS, Scc.
I(K
was a God; as for the king, he had never offended
him; and with respect to justice, it might go to the
devil. IJ is tongue was first cut out, and then his
body was burned to ashes, April f), iGiy.
Dr. Tillotson, speaking of Atheism, says, " For
some aces before the Reformation, Atheism was con-
fined to Italy, and had its chief residence at Rome.
All that is mentioned of it in the history of those
times, is to be found in the lives of the popes and
cardinals, written by Roman Catholic authors ; so
that Atheism itself seems to have been the spawn of
ilie superstitions of the church of Rome, in her most
• deformed state."
RELIGION IN THE MOLUCCA ISLANDS, &c.
JLN treating of these islands, we include those of
Aml)oyna, Randa, and the Celebes. Some of the
inhabitants profess the religion of Mahomet, but of
that we shall not at present take any notice, confining
ourselves to the Pagans only. They worship the
air, under the name of Lanitho, who is subject to
another being, %vhom they call Lanthila; but every
town has its Nito, or particular god, whom they
consult in all things of importance, and they do it
in the following niainier.
Twenty or thirty persons having assembled toge-
ther, they summon tjie iSito, by beating a small con-
secrated drum, whilst two or tiiree of the company
light up wax tapers, and pronounce several mysteri-
ous words, which they consider as able to conjure
him up. After some time, one of the company
steps forward under the character of Nito, and
speaks in his name, telling them, that the god, or
daemon has just entered into him. Tlie first thing
the people do, is to set victuals before him, and after
he has eaten, they propose their questions to him,
and he answers them. These superstitious cere-
monies are public, but they have others in secret, and
it must be attended to all along, that this Nito is an
evil spirit, and they pray imto liim as unto the devil.
In their private worship, the master of every family
is obliged to light up wax tapers in different parts of
his house, in honour of Nito, and to .set some meat
before him, and he is to preserve some things con-
secrated by the evil spirit, which are supposed to be
endowed with something having a supernatural power.
But notwithstanding all their rites and ceremonies,
yet we are well assured, that fear is the leading prin-
ciple in their religion; nor would they worship the
damon Nito, were it not to pacify him, lest he should
indict some dreadful punishment ujjon them. Their
ceremony of taking an oath is very remarkable. —
They pour water into a porringer or dish, into which
they throw some gold, earth, and a leaden bullet. —
They then dip into this composition tiie point of a
sword, or an arrow, and give the liquor to the per-
7 2
son who is to be sworn, to drink. This ceremony
is attended with the most dreadful imprecations on
all such as sli^dl perjure themselves.
They have such an opinion of the power of the
devil, that they believe he has emissaries emi>loyed to
dig the dead bodies of their relations out of their
graves, to prevent which, they keep a constant guard
round their sepulchres, till they imagine that the
corpse is consumed ; for it is their firm belief that
the daemons, who take up the dead bodies, regale
themselves upon them. In the island of Amboyna,
there are some families ^^ho pretend to have the
power of witchcraft vested in them, from one gene-
ration to another ; and these persons are a terror to
all the rest of the inhabitants, because they believe
that they can, at any time, destroy them. In all these
islands, the natives have very senseless notions con-
cerning their first formation, which is not to be
wondered at, when we consider that all tlieir know-
ledge flows from traditional accounts, transmitted to
them by their ancestors. It is asserted, that formerly
they believed the world to be etenial; but whatever
truth may be in that, they are now of a different
opinion, or rather, they have so many opinions, that
the whole may be compareil to that midnight dark-
ness which hides every object from the eyes of men.
There are some of them so stupid as to believe,
that they sprang originally from the hollow of an
old tree, and some of their chiefs assert, that they
are descended from the cocoa-tree; others believe,
that they have descended from serpents, which has
induced many learned men to imagine that they have
some contused traditional accounts, in what manner
our first parents eat the forbidden fruit. There are
many heathens who still worship serpents, and in the
island of Amboyna, the women wear jewels set in
gold, in the form of snakes or serpents, whicii they
look upon as sacred, and never touch them but with
the most reverential awe.
If these islanders meet accidentally with a dead
corpse on the road, they return home again in the
106
RELIGION IN THE MOLUCCA ISLANDS, &c.
utmost hurry and confusion, especially if they have
a young child along with them ; for they imagine
that the soul of the deceased hoveis in the air near
the corpse, and studies to do all the mischief it can
to the living, but particularly to young children. —
In order, therefore, to prevent mischief, they tie
little beads round the necks of their infants when
they are about three or four months old, after which
they believe that daemons have no power to hurt
them. As the small-pox often rages among them,
they believe they are afflicted with it by the power
of some evil genius, and that if they are not more
than ordinary watchful, the body of the patient will
be stolen away in the night and given to Sagu, a
tree, which they worship as a god. To prevent the
daemon from doing any mischief, they place a wood-
en image near the top of the house, where there is
an opening, and no sooner does he see it than he
flies away and roves about in the air, without the
least hope of ever effecting his intended purpose. If
they meet with a deformed or decriped man, when
they lirst go out in the morning, they return home,
being convinced, in their own opinion, that should
ihey proceed on their journey, some mischief would
befal them before evening. They live in the con-
tinual dread of evil spirits, and to prevent their ma-
licious intentions, they always keep some conse-
crated things under their pillows, and were they to
neglect this, they would be unable to go to bed so
as to get any rest. They are so weak as to imagine,
that a person can be bewitched with a look ; and
therefore they take care that their children are never
brought into the company of persons, besides those
whom they imagine to be their friends.
A young maid must never touch any sort of fruit
that grows double, nor must such fruit be presented
to a married woman, lest she should bring forth
twins. They imagine that sucii women as die in
child-bed, are turned into ghosts and spectres to
frighten their fellow-creatures ; and that they wan-
der about invisible, in order to find out their hus-
bands. In order, therefore, to prevent a person who
has died under such circumstances from metamor-
phosing herself into one of these restless spirits,
they place an egg under each of her arm-pits before
they bury her, and the deceased, imagining she has
got her little infant under her arm, will never (they
say) dare to stir abroad, lest she should let it fall.
And they stick a parcel of pin in her toes, and stuff
cotton between them. They likewise put saffron,
in the form of a cross, to the soles of her feet, and
tie her legs close together with thongs made of par-
ticular herbs. They put several sorts of herbs under
the heads of sick persons, and beneath their pil-
lows they place broomsticks or cudgels, that they
may have it in their power to drive the evil spirits
away.
In their marriage ceremonies, these islanders have
nothing very remarkable ; for as soon as the parties
ha\e agreed, which must always be by the consent of
the parents, the bridegroom's father makes the nup-
tial presents, and the father of the bride invites them
to an elegant entertainment, at which there is music
and dancing, according to the custom of the
country, and then the young couple retire. If the
woman should not chuse to live with her husband
after marriage, then she is obliged to return him all
the presents she received from his father, after which
she pours water on his feet, to denote that all those
impurities are cleansed away which she contracted
in consequence of her connection with him, and
she, as well as the man, are at liberty to marry
whom they please.
In some of these islands the young men are not
permitted to marry till they have produced some of
the heads of their enemies, as a testimony of their
valour. But w iiat is most remarkable, their young
men are not permitted to wear any sort of clothes,
not even so much as to conceal their private parts,
till they have at least brought two heads, one to en-
title them to wear clothes, and the other that they
may be allowed to keep a house. All these heads
are laid upon a consecrated stone, which serves
them instead of an altar, and there they are offered
up as so many sacrifices.
In their funeral ceremonies, they bury the bodies
of the dead in the earth, and they watch the grave
seven nights together, lest the devil should steal
the body away ; for they are fully persuaded that
no injury can happen to them in the day. And
during all this time, they make the bed of the de-
ceased in the same manner as if he had been alive.
Nay, they spread a table before the bed, and place
victuals upon it. They imagine that the soul quits
her tenement of clay with the utmost reluctance,
and hovers for some time around it.
It has been asserted by some voyagers, that these
islanders were formerly men-eaters, or cannibals ;
but of this we have no certain proof, and probably
there are but few such wretches, if any at all, in the
world.
With all the customs above mentioned, they
have some of a vei7 extraordinary nature. When
a prince or chief magistrate dies, those who inha-
bit the other islands send ambassadors to attend the
funeral solemnity, and likewise to present their
compliments of condolence. When they imagine
death is approaching, they swallow large draughts
of opium, in order to stupify their senses, this serves
to drown their tears, and make theui forget all
thoughts of eternity or a future state. It is the
same when they execute a malefactor; for they
make him swallow opium till he knows not what
he is doing, and then they crown his head with a
RELIGION IN THE MOLUCCA ISLANDS, &c.
107
chaplet of flowers, after wiiicli lie is led out and
put to death in a state of insensibility.
In thejr declarations of war against their enemies,
tliey use several ceremonies of a formal and solenni
nature, and very much like what was practised by
the Greeks and Konians, and by many other ancient
nations. They sen.; a herald to the enemy, and
■when he arrives, he stands up in the most public
place, w here there are great lunubers of people as-
sembled, and with upliited hands and eyes to hea-
ven, he takes all the gods, earth, hell, and the
souls of tlie dead to wilncss, that he has nothing
more at heart than doing justice to his country. He
then repeats aloud the reascns why his countrymen
have taken up arms, adding, that they scorn to take
the advantage like cowards, but will meet them
courageously face to face. Before they undertake
any enterprise against their enemies, they have re-
course for aid to several superstitious ceremonies,
such as the flight of birds; but the most remarkable
is, the striking a hatchet mto the body of a tree,
and if it falls out of itself, it points out that they
will be successful, but if it remains fixed, tlien they
lay down their arms, and refrain for that season from
fighting.
They wear round their necks bracelets of glass,
and on the appearance of every new moon, they cut
a hen's throat, and dip these brucelets, which they
call Mamakus, iuto the blood, and from the colour
of the glass when taken out, they pretend to foretel
many future events. They use a vast variety of
musical instruments on all their solemn festivals, and
when on such occasions they go in procession, they
dance naked behind the musicians. This practice is
of great antiquity, for we find, that David king of
Israel, danced before the ark, and although it dis-
pleased his wife Michal, yet we do not find that any
of the prophets reproved him for it, which they al-
ways did, on other occasions, when he displeased
the Divine Being.
Although it is difficult to discover any relation
between dancing and religion, yet among the Pagans
it constantly made a part of their worship of the
gods. It \\ as usual to dance round the altars and
statues ; and there w as at Rome, an order of priests
called the Safii ; they were dedicated to the service
of Mars, and they danced on particular days through
the streets, in honour of their god, and had their
name from that vei^ ceremony. Indeed religious
dancing was so mucli the taste of the Pagans, that
the poets made the gods dance along with the graces,
the muses, and virtues. When the Jews kept the
feast of the golden calf, they sat down to eat and to
drink, and rose up to play, which means to dance,
and undoubtedly they learned this in Egypt. Arno-
bius, an ancient Christian writer, asked the Pagans,
if their gods were pleased with the tinkling of brass,
and rattling of cymbals, or with the sound of drums,
and musical instruments. The idolators in the other
parts of the world, even to this day, have the same
esteem for this custom, and the greatest part of the
worship they pay to their deities consists in dancing.
On the whole it appears, that dancing was first prac-
tised by the heathens in their temples, as a jjart of
their religious worship, to point out their gratitude
to their gods, either for general or particular favours ;
nor have the Christians been altogether free from
this custom. The Christians of St. Thomas dance
in honour of that saint, before whom they cross
themselves, and sing a hymn. The men dance in
one apartment, and the women in another, but both
observe the greatest decency. At present, however,
there are but few of the Roman Catholics who pay
much regard to this ceremony, and in all probability
it will fail into disrespect, and cease to be practised.
To the above account of the religion of these
ishnuh, zee s/iall here nd/1 a description of'
the ceremonies iisecl in the islands of Bor-
neo, Sumatra, and Java.
Tlie inhabitants v\'ho reside on the sea coast of
Borneo are Mahometans, of whom we shall speak
in the proper place ; but those in the inland parts
are all Pagans. They pay divine adoration to the
sun, moon, and stars, and tlieir actions in life are
regulated by the flight of birds. Therefore, if one
of these birds that merit their attention, happens to
fly towards them when tliey are going abroad in the
morning, they return home, and stay within doors
the remainder of the day. But, on the other hand,
if tlie bird directs her flight towards the road the
traveller intends to take, it is considered as a pro-
pitious omen, and an assurance of success. Their
rites and ceremonies are so like those of the Mo-
lucca islands, that they are plainly derived from the
same original.
In Borneo the young men are not permitted to
marry, till they have presented their mistresses with
some heads of their enemies ; and the same custom
prevails in Sumatra, among such of the inhabitants
as are Pagans ; for the seaM:oast is, for the most
part, inhabited by Mahometans. In Java, all the
inland inhabitants are Pagans, and believe in the
doctrhie of the transmigration of souls. They be-
lieve there are two gods, the one good and tiie other
evil, and it is the evil spirit or devil whom they
worship, from a principle of fear. They never ad-
dress him without presenting something at his altars,
in order to prevail with him not to hurt them. —
Some of thein were formerly even more stupid, for
they worshipped, for the day, the first thing that
presented itself to tlicni iu the morning. This was
108
RELIGION IN CEYLON.
a species of idolatry which, perhaps, never before
took place in any part of the world ; and we are
told, that the Mahometans, who first settled among
them, ridiculed them out of these notions.
When these Indians were first discovered by tiie
Europeans, they were more barbarous than they are
at present, for whenever a person was taken sick, a
magician was consulted, and if it was found that
the patient was incurable, then he was immediately
strangled, in order to put an end to his misery. In
the same manner, they put all those to death who,
either tln-ough old age or infirmities, were rendered
incapable of working for a subsistence. Their nup-
tial ceremonies were formerly celebrated in the fol-
lowing manner: the friends and relations of the
bridegroom marched in procession to the bride's
house, with drums beating and tinkling cymbals ;
some of them carrying horses tails in their hands, in
imitation of standards ; others carried swords, and
as they moved forward, they fought a kind of mock
battle. The women complimented them with the
usual presents, consisting of different articles of
liousehold goods, and the bride, who waited at the
gate with a pitcher of water, washed the bridegroom's
feet, as a token of her future submission.
This part of the ceremony being over, the bride-
groom and bride went into the house, but instantly
joined the procession to the bridegroom's house ;
with this difference, that the young couple walked
hand in hand together, the bridegroom's horse being
led by a servant. In this manner the procession
went on, and when it arrived at the destiried place,
the bride and bridegroom were conducted into a
commodious apartment, and left for some time by
themselves. After this a grand entertainment was
given, which generally lasted about three days. —
Many of these ceremonies are now fallen into disuse,
but still the people are gross idolators. It is true,
the Dutch, who have some settlements in those
islands, have converted a few of the natives to
Christianity (though the number is very inconsider-
able) owung rather to the pious zeal of the clergy,
than to any assistance given by the merchants.
A fair opportunity presents itself to the Dutch,
for the conversion of these idolators, they under-
stand their language, and the Dutch religion having
few rites and ceremonies, these people having heard
it explained, and been taught to read, would see the
purity and simplicity of a form of worship, which
could not be presented to them by the Jesuits. —
They are Protestants alone who should be sent to
preach to heathen nations, for it signifies very little
to change some ceremonies for others, and repeat
prayers in a language they do not understand.
Vast success has attended the ministration and
labours pf some Protestant missionaries, sent from
the churches of England and Scotland, from the
Methodists and Moravians ; but it is greatly to be
feared, that there are too many European merchants
who, to acquire fortunes, would wish ignorance and
error to prevail among their fellow creatures, who
have precious and immortal souls as well as them-
selves. " They that be wise, shall shine as the
brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many
to righteousness, as the stars for ever and ever." — ■
Dan. xii. 3.
RELIGION IN CEYLON.
JL HE inhabitants of Ceylon are all Pagans, for
although some of them acknowledge there is one
Supreme God, yet they allow of many subordinate
ones to act under him ; and this w as the idolatry of
the ancient Greeks and Romans. Thus they have
gods for agriculture, some for navigation, for sick-
ness, and for almost every thing. All their idols are
lepreseuted by the most fantastic and monstrous
images. One of these is formed like a giant, and
by them called Buddu, who lived a very holy and
penitent life. The inhabitants reckon their years
from the time this Buddu lived, and as it agrees with
the fortieth year of the Christian iEra, most of the
Jesuits are of opinion that he was St. Thomas the
apostle.
■^^hey add fiu ther, that this Buddu, who was not
born in their country, died on the continent, and the
time of his death agrees with that of the apostle St.
Thomas, although it is much more probable that he
was a native of China, and perhaps the same person
whom they call Fo, for we cannot depend on the
truth of their chronologies. The tooth of an ape,
which a Portuguese governor caused to be burnt,
was formerly adored as one of Buddu's. In vain
did the Portuguese attempt, by this means, to put an
end to their superstition and idolatrous worship ; for
they gave it out that the tooth made its escape from
the hands of its enemies, and took refuge on a rose.
It is the province of Buddu to watch over and pro-
tect the souls of men, to be with them in this life,
and to support them when dying.
The devil is also worshipped here under the name
RELIGION IN CEYLON.
10<)
Jaca, and their religious motives arise from fear.
Tliey often sacrifice all they have to this infernal
spirit ; and although the Jesuits said all they could to
persuade them to desist from such abominable ido-
latry, jet it was all in vain; for ignorant as those
people are, they made answer, that they sacrificed to
the devil to procure his friendship and favour. They
are extremely fond of miracles, otherwise they could
not have believed that the tooth of Buddu made its
escape from the fire, but they have others no less
wonderful.
One of their pagods or temples, had been shut up
raaay years, iuid totally deserted by the devotees,
who formerly came to it to worship; for the king
of the countiy had given out, that the image placed
in it, was mjl ca|)able of working miracles, and there-
fore he ordered his subjects to treat it with every
mark of ignominy, to the no small loss of the priests.
The priests, however, who generally know how
to be revenged on those who meddle « ith «hat they
consider as theu- temporal interest, resolved to take
part with their iiusulted god. One day, as die king
went into the long deserted temple to mock at the
knage, the priests had so contrived matters that the
sovereign was like to have paid dear for his impiety.
Fire issued out of the mouth of tlie image, his
eyes sparkled resentment, and in his hand he held a
scimitar, ready to plunge into tlie heart of the royal
uubelievcr. Hb majesty, conscious of his guilt, ac-
knowledged it, begged pardon in the most supplicant
niaunei', and adored the deity that threatened to pu-
niBJi him. The devotees thronged in crowds to the
pagod, worship was re-established tJierc, and the god
was adored with as much fervency as ever. From
that time, tlie natives of Cevlou have tlujre wor-
shipped Buddu as the guardian of their i.slalhd, and
of die w hole universe ; and they are of ophiion, that
the world can never be destroyed while this image
stands in his temple. In sickness, in adversity, and
•mder all sorts of afFiictions, they make their ad-
dresses to this image, and in every house tliere is a
basket of flowers devotetl to his service, and kept to
make a part of tlieir free-will offerings.
As there are elephauts in this island, so they have
an idol, whose head resembles the head of that
creature, and this image is worshipped as the deity
who bestows on niaids.ind the blessings of wisdom,
understanding, riches, and health, 'i'hey have like-
wise figures of tliis idol placed on their highways,
and public roads, in the hollow parts of trees ; and
near these figures are erected heaps, or piles, of
stones, to put travellers in miiul that they are places
of w orship, and every wor.shipper must add a stone
to the heap. 'Hiis seems to have been a very an-
cient practice; for we read in Gen. xxviii. 18. that
when Jacob saw the vision of the ladder, and the
angels ascending and descending while he was jour-
8 2
neying towards Padan-Aram, he took the stone he
had used as a pillow, set it up. and poured oil upon it.
These people also worshij) the sun, moon, and
stars, and to that worship, they join the adoration
of the de^il, which is done in little rural huts erected
in their gardens, and adorned with boughs and
flowers, and all sorts of provisions are left in them
for the devil to regale himself with. They sunimoii
the devil to make his appearance by beating a drum,
but if he does not eat up all the provisions, then the
remainder is distributed among the poor. Some <»f
the priests in Ceylon, deny that the images are the
gods tlieniselves, but they imagine they are endued
with divine virtues, and that they have the power of
working miracles, as long as they are treated with
reverence and respect.
They ha\e three orders of priests, each of which
is subordinate to, and dependant on suj)eriors chosen
out of the Tirinauxes, or "^I'erumwanscs ; the first
are, properly speaking, the sole priests of Buddu,
and the most eminent clergy of the island, all the
great officers being selected from tlum. 1 hey have
likewise a high-priest, who is always a Venerable old
man ; and as a mai"k of distinction and honour, wears
a gold ribband and a kind of fan, which bears a near
resemblance to the Talapat, made use of by the
priests of Siam.
These priests have a convent, situated in a pleasant
grove, but none are admitted into their order, except
such as are come of the best families in the island,
and w hose characters are irreproachable. IJuddu is
the saint whom these priejsts adore, and they are all
di-essed in yellow^ silk gowns, tied round tlieir bodie*-,
with sashes made of thread. They never suffer their
hair to grow, but go bareheaded. They are treated
with tlie utmost respect, for the people fall down
and adore them in the same manner as they do their
idols ; and, really, they are so highly conceited of
themselves, that they never return the compliment,
nor take anv notice of those infatuated creatures
who treat them witli di\iue honours.
\\ herever these priests appear, a mat is .spread on
the ground, and their seats arc covered v\'ith a white
linen coverlid, which is an honour never shewn to
any, but to them aud the king. They are not per-
mitted to follow any mechanical employment, nor
to marrv, or even so much as to touch a woman.
I'liey eat but one meal a day, and if tJiey indulge
themselves any farther, it must be only in the use of
a few fruits, rice, bean«, peas, or such other inno-
cent things. They are allowed on particular occa-
sions to eat flesh, but they are not to give any direc-
tions concerning the killing of animals, that being
considered as inconsistent w ith the nature of their
order. Whenever they please, they may renounce
their order and become laymen, which is attended
with PQ other ceremony besides that of stripping
lliD
RELIGION IN CEYLON.
themselves naked, throwing their clothes into the
jiver, and bathing themselves all over.
The devotion of the common people is very ad-
vantageous to the priests, as will appear from the
following particular instances, well known to all
those who have visited the island of Ceylon : When
a person begins to entertain serious thoughts con-
cerning the salvation of his soul, he sends imme-
diately for one of the priests, \\ho visits him in the
most splendid manner, attended by four servants
holding a canopy over his head. The devotee makes
an elegant entertainment for his priest, and presents
him with as many valuable things as his circum-
stances will admit of. The priest stays two or three
days at the house, and during that time sings several
hymns, extracted from the books of devotion used
in their temples, after which he explahis the mean-
ing of those hymns to all such as are present. When
the priest departs, he blesses the devotee, and tells
him that he may be assured of happiness hereafter,
after which the whole company depart. It is re-
markable, that these people who believe in the doc-
trine of the transmigration of souls, should be so
earnest to know what v> ill be their state hereafter ;
but then it must be observed, that there are many
different opinions among them, without so much as
one being consistent to the truth.
The second order of their priests are called Kop-
puhs, but they wear no distinguishing habit from the
laity, not even when they perform their solemn ser-
vices, only that they wash themselves and put on
clean linen. Each of them enjoys a small piece of
ground, adjoining to their pagods, which they cul-
tivate during their leisure hours, if the revenue of
the temple is not sufficient to support them, but if it
is, then they employ labourers for that purpose.
The whole of their public service consists in oft'ering
up provisions to the idol, which they leave in his
presence, and if he does not cliuse to eat it (which
perhaps he never does) then the priests and musici-
ans come and take it away.
The priests of the Genii, are the third order ; they
are called Faddeses, but they have no lixed revenue,
their subsistence depending on those devotees who
come to worship in the pagods. These pagods are
richly adorned with figures of all sorts of warlike in-
struments ; but in the temple of Buddu, there are
figures of men sitting cross-legged, in yellow cas-
socks, having their hair curled, and their hands
placed before them just like women; and these they
say, are the spirits of departed saints. Some de-
votees who are not priests, erect chapels for them-
selves, but in each of them they are obliged to have
an image of Buddu, and light up tapers or wax
candles before it, and adorn it with flowers. Their
principal days for public devotion are Wednesdays
aud Thursdays, and the purport of their petitions
are, that God would be pleased to bless them, and
preserve them in health, to keep them humble in
prosperity, and support them in adversity. Their
prayers are seldom directed to the Supreme Being,
but to him, through the mediation of a subordinate
deity. When none of their entreaties will prevail,
they offer up a red cock to the devil, and this they
perform in the most gloomy part of a grove, where
they believe the devil is ready to accept of it, guard-
ed by great numbers of his imps and attendants.
They have two sorts of solemn festivals, first, in
honour of B<iddu, whose peculiar province it is to
take care of, and preserve the souls of men ; second-
ly in honour of those gods, who govern the universe
and all things that pertain to this life. These earthly
gods are called genii, and their festivals have not
much in them remarkable. When the people are
assembled together, the priest holds a painted staff
in his hand, adorned with flowers, and the people
fall down on their knees before it. W'hen the peo-
ple have made their offerings to the staff', the priest
lays it upon his shoulders, and at the same time,
covers his mouth with a linen cloth, lest his breath
should pollute the sacred ensign of his order. He
next mounts on the back of an elephant, covered
witi: luien, and rides in the following manner through
the city :
Forty or fifty elephants, adorned with little bells,
open the procession and these are followed by seve-
ral men, disguised like giants. The next part of the
procession consists of drummers, trumpeters, and
all sorts of musicians, followed by a select band of
women, who dance to their difierent tunes. The
priest makes his appearance next, mounted on his
elephant, with his sacred staff in his hand, and this
is considered as an emblematical representation of the
great Creator of heaven and earth. Behind the chief
priest, walks one of an inferior rank, with a long
pole in his hand, at the end of which is fixed an
umbrella, which is held over the pontiff's head, to
screen liim from the heat of the sun, from the rain,
or from any inclemency of the .weather. There are
two other elephants, one on the right hand, and
one on the left, and on the back of each of these are
two priests. The two priests who ride foremost on
the elephants, represent gods of an inferior rank,
and the two behind, hold umbrellas over their heads.
These priests are followed by several female atten-
dants, who fan them, and drive away the flies, and
after them march some thousands of devotees, three
a-breast, walking on flowers, with which the streets
are covered.
This festival is observed fifteen days together,
during which time their images are set before the
gates of their pagods, that the people may bring their
oblations to them, and the houses are illuminated in
the night, and covered with boughs in the day.
RELIGION IN CEYLON.
Ill
The feast begins with the new moon, and about
two or tliree diiys before her full, a great number of
sedans are ranged at the doors of the j>ap;ods, filled
with nlirs, and near each of them is placed a large
silver chalice, as a testimony of veneration for the
gods. As soon as tlie moon is just upon her full,
all the devotees repair to the river, to till their cha-
lices with water, and then they deposit them in their
pagods. This holy m ater remains in the chalice till
the next year, when il is again filled ; and besides
this feast, they have another in iSovcmber, which
consists in planting taU pales around the pagods and
illuminating them from top to bottom. 'Lhis festival
begins when the moon is at the full, and continues
seven days ; but if is not so solemn as the other al-
ready mentioned.
Buddu, the god of souls, is represented by several
little images made of silver, brass, stone, or white
clay, and these are set up in almost every corner,
even in caverns and on rocks, to all which piles,
the devotees carry a variety of provisions, every new
and full moon throughout the year ; but it is in
March they celebrate the grand festivals of Buddu,
at which time they imagine the new year begins.
At this festival, they go to worship in two different
places, which have been made famous by their le-
gendary stories concerning them. One of them is
the highest mountain in the island, and called by the
Christians, Adam's Peake ; the other is in a place
■where Buddu reposed himself under a tree, which
planted itself there for the more commodious recep-
tion cf the deity, who, when he was on earth, fre-
quently amused himself under its agreeable shade,
and under that tree, the pagans in Ceylon adore
their Buddu, whom they really believe to be a god.
They have such a veneration for this place, and
especially for the tree, that they go in pilgrimages to
it, and such as are not able to reach that sacred place,
get as near to it as possibly they can, and enter the
first pagod they come to on the road, where they
worship with their faces towards the sacred tree.
This tree is surrounded with cabins, cells, huts, and
tents, besides several larger edifices of different ma-
terials, which are divided into various apartments for
the more commodious reception of separate families.
The devotees are accompanied by a train of dancers,
who perform several antic gestures, much in the
same manner as is practised by our merry-andre^^ s
on stages.
When Buddu ascended into heaven, he left the
impression of his sacred foot on a rock, which these
islanders beautify and illuminate, and leave their ob-
lations for the use of the priests. There are, in many
heathen nations, traditions of a similar nature ; thus
we read of the miraculous print made by the foot of
Hercules, and we have already mentioned the tra-
dition concerning Sommoua-Codom.
Near Adam's Peake, there is a spacious plain se-
parated from the rock by small rivulets, in which the
i'agans Imthe themselves with much devotion, and
aftcrv^:lrds wash their linen and clothes, being firmly
of opinion, that by such ablutions they wash away
all their sins. Thus purified, they climb up the sa-
cred hill by the assistance of iron chains, fastened
' thereto for that purpose. Oii the sunmiit of this
lofty mountain is to be seen the print of a man's foot,
well proportioned, but of a most gigantic size. Be-
side it stands a temple, and contiguous to it is a place
of residence for a priest, who receives such oblations
as the pilgrims bring along with them, and he relates
to them the miracles wrought by the foot, and the
pardons procured by visiting it.
Another article of their religion is peculiar to wo-
men alone, who go from door to door with the
image of Buddu in their hands, calling out as they
pass, " Pray remember Buddu." The meaning is
that will enable them to sacrifice to the god. Some
of the people give them money, others cotton thread,
some rice, and others oil for the lamps. Part of
these gifts they carry to the priests of Buddu, and
the remainder they carry home for their own use.
Some of the people are so devout, that they have
images of Buddu carved at their own expense, but
he is never considered as a god, till his eyes are com-
pleted, and then he is carried to the pagod in tri-
umph amidst the acclamations of the people. Some-
times he is carried from house to house, and a col-
lection made for the carver, to reward him for his
ingenuity, and when the priests have consecrated it,
the god is placed in a niche in the temple.
When they are taken sick, they devote a red cock
to the service of one of those inferior spirits, called
genii. The priest then offers this cock to the evil
spirit, telling him, that it is given him only on con-
dition that he will restore the sick man to health.
The cock is then let loose, but with a mark upon
him, so as to know him again ; and if the sick man
recovers, the cock is left with the priest in the temple,
who promises to kill him for Buddu, but if he does
not recover, then the spirit is obliged to go without
his hire. They believe that all the sacrifices they
offer to these genii, are by them carried to Buddu
in heaven; but the truth is, the priests keep the
whole to themselves. In order to discover whether
a good, or an evil spirit, be the cause of the patient's
illness, they make a bow of the first little stick they
can find, and on the string of the bow, they hang
a small chissel, and holding the bow by the two ex-
tremities, pronounce distinctly the names of all the
gods and devils. When the spirit is named, who is
the immediate cause of the distemper, they believe
the bow turns rounds, which no doubt but it does,
but then it is by the assistance of the person w ho
holds it, and who would have the blame to fall upon
112
RELIGION IN CEYLON.
whatever god or devil he thaiks proper. To illus-
trate this, we have a curious anecdote in Mr. llaii-
ways travels into Persia.
He tells us, that after he had been robbed, he
travelled above three hundred miles over the suow,
to the place where Nadir Shah, commonly called
Kouli Khan, had his camp, and in his company
were many state prisoners, v\ ho were to be examin-
ed by the sovereign. As they travelled along over
the snow, they took small sticks and set them up-
i"i^ht on one end, believing, that accordingly as the
stick fell, their fates would be determined. " J3ut,"
a4ds Mr. Hanways, " I observed, they always made
" the stick fall as they wished"" So much by way
of digression, but to return to the subject.
As the people of Ceylon are divided into clans or
tribes, so they are all obliged to preserve their dis-
tinctions, those of one tribe not being permitted to
raarry into another. When a man courts a maid in
order to marry her, she tells him upon what con-
dition she will be his, and if its agreeable to him,
she communicates the whole to her parents, ui order
to know their pleasure, and procure tlieir consent.
If tlie parents consent to the conditions, an elegant
entertainment is provided, according to the fashion
of the country, and the circumstances of the persons.
The husband lays with his bride the first night, and
if he has any brothers, they lay with her one after
another, so as the number of brothers does not
amount to eight, all to the number of seven being
admitted, and all above excluded.
But it appears that this ceremony is only practised
in some particular places iii this island ; for in others
it is different. Thus, in some places the parents
njake up the match, and when every thing is agreed
OH, the intended bridegroom sends the wedding
clothes to the bride, %>ith such presents as are eoni-
njon on these occasions. A day being appointed
for the wedding, he makes tlje bride a formal visit,
attended by his relations and friends. The priest,
having tied the thumbs of the young couple to-
gether, repeats some prayers, after which tliey eat
otf one plate, to denote equality of condition, and
then retire to bed. Next day, after dinner, the hus-
bisnd conducts his wife home to his own house, and
what is remarkable, she walks ii) the front, the rest
of the company foUowiiig after. But they have
still another form of solemnizing their marriages,
which may serve to sliew, that they are not ail of
one opinion in matters of a religious nature.
The bridegroom takes hold of tlie end of a large
linen cloth, with which the bride is covericd all over,
and wraps it round his waist. Then she takies hold
of the other end, and tiius linked together, a large
q.uantity of water is poured U)>on bolji, and wets
them to the skin. This concludes the marriage
■ceremony, which lasts oo lojiger than both parties
can agree, for they may separate when they please,
and both are at liberty to marry again, only that is,
if there are any cliildren, the husband is to provide
for the sons, and the wife for the daughters. Two
brothers may have one wife in common, if they live
in the same house, and the children are reputed te
belong to both. This practice, however, seldom
takes place, for it will appear to every one acquaint-
ed in the least with history, that although the hea-
thens are, in many respects destitute of the know
ledge of natural religion, yet tliey observe some
things peculiar to the rites of society.
In their funeral ceremonies, they differ as much
as in those relating to marriage. Thus the better
and iflore opulent sort of persons buru the bodies of
their dead, to prevent the worms from feasting on
them ; but the poor observe very few ceremonies in
their interments. Iliose who perform the friendly
office for them, are obliged to wash themselves after
the ceremony is over, fo?- evejy person who touches
a dead body is looked upon as polluted. The bodies
of the poor are laid in the ground, with their Ijeads
westward and their feet towards the east ; and this
practice, which is almost universal, seems to have
taken its rise from the worship of the sun, who, the
greatest part of the year, makes his first appearance
iu the east ; for it can never allude to the promise of
a Redeemer, who was to be a star from the east, un-
less we can be lead to suppose, that the land of Judea
is more to the eastward than any country in the
world, which is inconsistent with practical know-
ledge.
With I'espect to such bodies as are to be burnt,
they are first washed clean, and afterwards embowel-
led, the cavity being tilled up with pepper, and seve-
ral rich spices and perfumes. It is then lodged in
a tree, made hollow in the inside for that purpose ;
n,or is any persoi) perpiitted to come near it or touch
it, till such time as orders arrive from the king,
commanding it to be burnt. If the order is delayed
for any considerable time, and the smell becomes
offensive, they dig a hole in the floor, and iuter it
till his majesty tliinks projjer to grant them permis-
sion to have it burnt. \Vhei) the order arrives, the
body is carried out to the funeral pile, and after it is
consumed, an inciosure is tlirowJi up round the ashes,
and tlie ground is hedged about and sowed with
grass ; but such as die of the small-pox, or any con-
tagious disorder, are burnt immediatel}-, lest the in-
fection should prove fatal to others.
When a man of rank dies, his relations send for
a priest, who spends whole nights in singing hymns,
and praying for the repose of bis soul, and the spiri-
tual father is elegantly entertained, and receives a
gratuity for his trouble at his departure. Idi return
for Ins favour, the priest assures them, that the soul
of their relation is ip 9 s^.te pi" hapj)ine«is, the gcids
RELIGION IN CEYLON.
no
having treated it in the same manjier as their gene-
rosity ■was extended to him (that is") the priest. The
men teslity their concern for the deceased by their
proiound sighs, and the women by liicir hideous la-
mentations. Their hair is dishovclk'd ; they throw
tlieir hands boiihid their heads, and then tliey repeat
a lonu detail of the virtues of their friend.
W hen the pcopio of Ce>h)n arc called upon to
make oatli, in order to decide any controversy be-
twees) man and man, they nuist (irst procure a licence
from the governor of the ])laco, and when tiiat is
doiie, both parties, namely, those for tiie pluintift"
and the defendant, must wasii their bodies ail over;
they are afterwards confmed all night, and a guard
set over them, their riijiu hands are trapped up in a
cloth, Mhich is sealed, and the next day they are
brouglit out dresse<l in tine linen and purttied, as if
they were just going to appear before the Supreme
Ueinp;. The paper upon which the governor's per-
mission is written, is tied round their wrists, after
which they repair to Boghaah, a tree sacred to
Buddu, where all the officers of the provinces, and
a vast c<jncourse of people assemble. A large quan-
tity of cocoa nuts are then brought into open court,
and pressed before all the spectators, as a sign that
no deceit or delusion is intended. In one corner of
the court stands a cauhhon full of cow 's dmig mixed
with hot w ater, and oil being put to these ingredients,
a leaf of the cocoa nut is dipped into the liquid, and
siiewn to the spectators, to convince them that it is
boiling hot ; for a violent tire is kept under it, lest
there should be anv collusion among the parties, as
too freqiuaitly happens ie. other countries.
Immediately after, both ]<arties approach the
mouth of the cauhiron, and one says, " The God
of heaven and earth is v^ itncss, I am not guilty of
the fact laid to my charge," or he says, " 'J"he four
gods are « itnesses, that the l;inds or goods in debate,
are my jiroperty." The other swears the reverse,
and the plaintitf must alv.a\s swear first. After
this they both have the linen cloths taken off from
their hands, and he that sv.ears first npeats the oath,
and dips two of his fingers in the boiling oil, throw-
ing a few drops of it out of the cauldron three
times, to prove that there is no deception. After-
wards he does the same with the boiling cow dimg ;
and the defendant performs the same operation. —
Then their hands are w rapped up again, and both are
contiued till the nest day, when their lingers are
rubbed with a liocn clotli to try whether they will
peel. He whose tkigers peel first is adjudged per-
jured, aud obliged not only to make satisfa'Ction to
the other party, but likewise to pay a considerable
fine to the kingt.
\V he;> a man coiT>mits miud'er, and is apprehended
within sixty days, he is put to death « ithout tl»e
farm of a- trial ; feut if he is not taken within that
8
time, he is acquitted for ever. A person charged
with theft, in ordef to vindicate himself, brings his
children, if he has any, into court, before the judge,
or if he has no children, he brings his relations, and
on the head of each he lays a few small stones, pray-
ing at the same time, that if he is guilty, his cliild-
ren or relations may live no more days than the
number of the stones' amount to, after which he I8
dismissed.
'Ihe Maldavia islands consist of a vast number of
small spots of ground, which are extremely fertile,
producing not only the common necessaries of life,
but likewise many superttuities. In their worship
they diflerbut little from those of Ce\l()n, but tluy
have a remarkable ceremoity which dt»es not seem to
have been practised by any besides themselves, e!i-
cept the Greeks and lltmians, and they did it in a
different form. This ceremony consists in ottering
a sacrifice to the sea, when any of their relations
go on voyages. On such occasions a vast number
of persons of all ranks, assemble together, and march
in procession to the sea coast, singing hymns in
praise of all their gods. A woman carries a small
basket, made in the shape of a boat, and covered
with a piece of sail-cloth, being attended by three
men, carrying all sorts of provisions. When they
anive at the place appointed, they throw the baskets
of provisions into the sea ; all which is done in order
to obtain the favour of the watery element in behalf
of their absent friends or relations. Tlfc ceremony
concludes with siiiging several hymns to the sea, and
tliey return home in the same manner they came.
Tiiey have another remarkable ceremony, namely,
that of sacrificing to the winds, which is done by
setting fire to a new boat, and reducing it to ashes.
If their circumstances will not permit them to pur-
chase a boat, then they f^iiig into the sea some cocks
aud hens as a sacrifice ; fur it is their opinion, that
there is a god in the sea who eats such things as are
offered to "him. They must not, when at sea, spit
against the wind, nor are they permitted to turn their
faces towards the quarter from whence it blows.
All their vessels are consecrated to the gods of the
sea and the winds, and yet they acknowle<lge that
these are no more tlian subordinate deities, there
being one Supreme Almighty Power, who governs
ail tilings. >Iany of the women, especially those of
a higher rank, wear hung to their girdles, round their
necks, arms, and sometimes their knees, small boxes
of gold or silver, -with secret characters enclosed in
them, which they call TaVides, and which they ima-
gine to be a preservative against all so* ts of diseases
or accidents. T hey are so niuch afraid of the devil,
that they offier up s'ftcrifices to him, particularly of
coct ajid hens, and sometimes flowers. They im-
psite all their affliction to him, and he is supposed
to occasion their deaths. This fear of the devil keeps
114
RELIGION IN CEYLON.
them in a continual state of slavery, being afraid
either to sit alone in their houses, or to go about any
work ill the fields, unless there are two or three in
company. They have many magicians among them,
and never undertake any thing of importance with-
out their consent and directions. When they want
to go on a voyage, they ask these magicians whether
one day or hour will be more proper than another.'
and according to the answer they receive, they act.
For these astrologers, or magicians, pretend to know
every future event, by consulting the stars, and they
calculate children's nativities, for which they receive
considerable emoluments.
As the people in these islands are so much attached
to the superstitious practice of finding out the truth,
in fcases of a criminal nature, it may not be impro-
per in this part of the work to lake some notice of
what is commonly called the fiery ordeal. All oatlis,
with respect to the deciding of controversies, sliould
be considered as appeals to the Divine Being, and
those who can trifle with things of such a sacred na-
ture, have just reason to fear the divine vengeance.
It was, however, and still continues to be, the
wretched notion of the heathen world, that, by a
few legerdemain tricks, and ridiculous ceremonies,
the truth can be discovered. Happy, had this per-
verted principle been confined to the heathen na-
tions ; ijut so far from that we find, that, before the
sixth century, it made a considerable figure in the
Christian church. Not that Christianity gave any
countenance to such an opinion, but only that the
designing priests finding it suitable towards promot-
ing their interests, encouraged it as far as lay in their
power ; and hence the origin of our trials by fire,
water, and single combat. Instances applying to all
these practices, are so frequently to be met with in
the history of England, that every one must know
them.
W^hen Edward the Confessor ascended the throne
of England, 1042, he accused his mother, queen
Emma, of being accessary to the murder of his fa-
ther. The accusation itself was of a malicious na-
ture, and the queen, consistent with the ignorance
of the times, was obliged to purge herself by trial.
She made choice of the fiery ordeal, and it was con-
ducted in the following manner :
Twelve plough-shares made red hot, were placed
about two feet distant from each other, and the
queen, being first blindfolded, was to walk over
them. If she went over the plough-shares without
receiving any injury, then she was to be declared in-
nocent, but if, on the contrary, her feet should be
.burnt, she was to be considered as guilty, and to
suffer death as a traitoress. The queen submitted to
tliis harsh sentence, and walked over the plough-
shares without receiving any hurt. This, in the
ppinion of the people of that age, made her innocence
conspicuous, but whatever assistance she received
from the priests at Winchester, certain it is, that she
heaped vast emoluments upon them.
The trial by water was seldom used, except in
cases of witchcraft, andMr. Keysler, the German
tiaveller, has given us an account in what manner it
is practised in Hungary, which he visited in 1735.
They are generally old women who are accused of
witchcraft, and perhaps for no other reason but that
they are forsaken by all their fellow-creatures. Those
w ho knew them in prosperity are dead, and their
relations think it beneath their dignity to take any
notice of them.
When a woman is accused of witchcraft, she is
brought before the judge, who tells her, that she
must either submit to be burnt alive, or to undergo
the trial by water, and the only way to prove her in-
nocence, and wretched as life may be to the accused
person, yet perhaps, with some hopes of still living
in the world, she acquiesces in all that the judge
appoints. She is then led out to the brink of a deep
lake or river, and a heavy bible, or mass book, being
tied round her neck, she is thrown from the top of a
precipice into the water. If she sinks to the bottom,
she is declared innocent, but at the same time she
dies under the experiment. If she swims upon the
surface, siie is declared guilty, and immediately burnt
to death at a stake. This was the practice through-
out Britain many years, and although the severity
of this barbarous custom gradually wore off, yet the
existence of the witchcraft laws continued, till they
Mere abolished by an act of the legislature, 1736.
The trial by single combat, although coufined to
the military, yet was no less barbarous than those
we have already mentioned. To enumerate instances
in proof of this would be endless ; for throughout
all the European kingdoms, it was once as common
as it is for people now to go to law. It is acknow-
ledged by our best historians, that it took its first rise
in barbarous nations and ignorant ages. Mariana,
in his history of Spain, seems to be of opinion, that
trial by single combat was not known in Europe till
about the eighth century, when the Moors invaded
the kingdom of Andalusia, and put many of the
Spaniards to death. It is well known that the Ma-
hometan religion was established by power, and in
consequence of the progress it made in the world,
they estimated the value or virtue of that force by
which it was propagated. Thus duels, or single
combats, became frequent among the Moors ; and
the Christians, in that dark age, too much degene-
rating from the simplicity . of their ancestors, made
great improvements upon the barbarous scheme. —
The aid of the priests was called in, to give a sanc-
tion to what was contrary to the first dictates of na-
tural and revealed religion, and what was in itself a
crime, came to be considered as a virtue. Honour,
RELIGION IN JAPAN.
IK
that prostituted word, which includes every thing in
moral virtue, but in its present acceptation, is de-
based to the lowest desree, was the pretence for
those uunattn-al, inhuman combats; and the ruflian,
who was afraid to stand up in defence of the father-
less and widow, thought it no crime to plunge his
dagger into the bosom of his friend, or even his
dearest relation. In all trials by sinole combat, the
parties were obliged to confess their sins to the
priest, wlio granted them conditional absolution;
that is, he forgave them all their sins, upon condi-
tion that they had been sincere in their declarations.
After this, they were obliged to go up to the altar,
and laying their right hands on the holy gospels, they
swore not only that their cause was good, but also
that they would leave it to the arbitration of the
Divine I3cing, and the will of God was to be knov.n
according to the success.
The religious part of the ceremony being over,
the combatants walked forth into what was then
called the Lists, by which was meant, an open place,
M'here there could be no interruption, nor could
assistance be given to the one party, or the other. —
Around the Forum, or square, were galleries, placed
for the reception of the spectators ; and previous to
the two combatants meeting together, in the way of
engagement, the sentence was read, namely, that
the conqueror was to be held as innocent, but the
vanquished, was to suffer death, as a perjured blas-
phemer. Both parties were mounted on horseback,
and covered with coats of mail, from the head to
the feet. They had lances in their hands, fi.xed to
the end of a wooden pole, with which they pushed
furiously against each other, and it appears that their
horses were trained to the combat.
If one of the parties was unhorsed, he was again
replaced in the saddle, and the combat renewed
afrcsii ; but the circimistance of falling from the
horse, was always considered as a bail omen by the
superstitious crowd. At lust, the conqueror was
crowned with garlands, and the person conquered,
was obliged either to spend the remainder of his days
in a convent, as a monk, or to be put to an igno-
minious death. Of ihis we have many shocking
instances in the history of England, and such as are
too numerous to relate.
When Henry II. invaded Wales, 1137, the Earl
of Esse.x, a gallant young connnander, challenged a
Norman baron to single combat, for having accused
him of cowardice. The contest was long, and ob-
stinate, and although the king would have willingly
dispensed with the rigour of the law, in favour of
Essex, who was defeated, yet such was the popular
clamour, such was the strength of superstition, that
all the favour the king could grant to the unfortunate
nobleman, war to permit him to become a monk in
the abbey of Waltham. This barbarous custom
continued so late as the reign of queen Elizabeth,
but from that time it gradually decreased ; only that
we find an instance of a gentleman challenging an-
other to single combat, in Tothill-fields, near West-
minster, 1632, but the Court of King's-Bench or-
dered them both to be taken into custody. Upon
the whole, to imagine that the approbation or the
anger of God, is to be known by any external cir-
cumstances, is the most horrid blasphemy that can
be thought of, and renders us unworthy of his provi-
dential care.
RELIGION IN JAPAN.
jl HE people of -Japan have^ in all their religious
ceremonies, such an afKnity with the Chinese, that
many have been induced to consider them as origin-
ally one people; which is not at all improbable,
especially as they are situated in almost the same
corner of the world. Although there are many re-
ligious sects among them, yet they may be all com-
prehended under the two following, viz. professed
epicureans, who deny Gods moral government of
the world. They are called Xenxi, and they pay
adoration to the memory of such great men as have
been honoured for their heroic actions, but they
laugh at a future state of rewards and punishments.
This sect, however, is not numerous, and most of its
professors consist of drunkards, debauchees, and
such others as would mock at religion in any nation
whatever.
The other sect is much more respectable, and men
of the best understandings belong to it. According
to their own traditions, their founder was one Xedo-
rius, a prince of the blood royal, svho had two sons ;
but his wife dying, he lamented for her in the most
pathetic manner, and afterwards ranked her among
his idols, commanding all his disciples to pay her
divine honours. 'I'he lesser sects are extremely nu-
merous, and although they difter in the objects of
116
J^ELIGION IN JAPAN.
their worship, yet they are ail idolaters, and in many
respects, as far from the truth as any ia the world.
One of these sects are called the disciples of Amida,
of whom we have the following account from tlie
best authorities extant, as well as from the testimo-
nies of our voyagers.
He is the sovereign lord and absolute governor of
paradise ; the protector of human souls ; the father
of all those who are to partake of happine.ss ; end
the mediator and saviour of all those who are ac-
counted worthy of eternal life. He ha.s such an in-
fluence over J emma, the Japanese god of hell, that
by a stern look, he can mitigate the pains of the
damned ; and sometimes not only releases them, but
sends them once more into the world. This idol is
sometimes represented as mounted on horseback ;
the horse having .seven heads, denoting so many
thousands of years, and the figure is placed on a I
statelv altar. The head of the idol resembles that
of a dog, and in his hand he holds a gold ring, or
circle, which he bites, thereby pointing out that he
is eternal.
Amida, i<3 also worshipped under another form,
■ which is properly represented in one of our copper
plates, and some of his devotees voluntarily drown
themselves in his presence. In performing this hor-
rid ceremony, the victim enters into a small boat,
and dances to the sound of several musical instru-
ments; after this he ties a heavy stone to his neck,
and another to the lower parts of his belly, and then
jumps into the water. On such occassions he is at-
tended by all his relations and friends, \\ ith several
priests, who all consider him as a saint, and as one
who is gone into everlasting happiness. Some of
them, who are rather timorous of throwing them-
selves into the water, get one of their friends to bore
a hole in the keel of the boat, so that it sinks gra-
dually ; the devotee all the while singing hynms to
Amida. ^Others of these enthtisiasts shut themselves
up in a small inclosure in the form of a tomb, where
they eat nothing but a morsel of bread and water
.once in the day, and keep calling on their god Amida
till they expire.
There is another of their inferior sects, distin-
guished by the name of Jammabos, or Jainmabugi, a
term which signifies captain of the mountain, because
this sect reside chicHy in rocks and deserts, where
they spend most of their time in the study of magic.
\MoSt of these persons procure a subsistance, by pre-
tenchng to tell })eople's fortunes, and, in a great
measure, resemble those whom we call gypsies, or
F^yptians. They have an almost incredible immber
of idols, and yet there is fi general toleration granted
to all sects and pnitiee, ond it is difficult to distinguish
wihich is considered as tiie established religion.
Abutto, one of their idols, is noted for curing
i»ji;jjny different sorts of inveterate diseases, and also
for prociirmg a favourable wind, and a quick passage
at sea. For this reason, sailors and ])assengers ge-
nerally tie some small pieces of coin to sticks, and
throw them into the sea, as an oft'ering to this idol.
His priests tell the people that these offerings are al-
ways conveyed to the god, although it is evident,
that they have the art of picking tlrem out of the
water as soon as the ship has sailed. Nay, it often
happens that the god Abutto himself, dressed in the
habit of one of his priests, comes in a boat to de-
mand this offering, and he remahis near the shore till
the ship is out of sight of land.
Like most other heathen nations, they have their
gods for almost every thing. Thus the goddess of
their riches or ti'easures is called Ben Saiten, and of
her they give the following account : When a mortal,
she was called Bunso, and not having any children
by her husband, she prayed earnestly to the gods of
the country, and with such success, that .she soon
found herself pregnant, and was brought to bed of
five hundred eggs. Being extremely surprised, lest,
should the eggs be hatched, they would produce some
monstrous animals, she packed them all up in a
box, and threw them into the river Kiusagavva ; but
with this precaution, that slie wrote the word Fosgo-
roo upon the box. Some time afterwards, an old
fisherman, who lived a good way down the river,
found the box floating, and seeing it full of eggs,
carried it home as a present to his wife, who pnt
them into an oven, and each of the eggs produced
a child. The two old people brought all these child-
ren up, with rice and mugwort leaves minced small,
but when grown up to their full stature, the old
people w ere not able to support them any longer.-^
Accordingly, being left to themselves, they took to
robbing on the highways, and it happened, ia the
course of their travels, that they came to their mo-
ther's house. Being asked by a servant what were
their names, they answered that they had no names,
but that they were the breed of five hundred eggs,
and that they were in great want of the necessaries
of life.
This message was carried to their mother, who
sent out to know concerning the word written on the
box, and being answered that the word Fosgoroo
was on it, she foimd tliey were her own children, and
received them as such. She was al'terwards taken
up to hea^en among the gods, where she is now,
and always will be, attended by lier five hundred
SOBS. There is in this story sonit-thing of an alle-
gorical nature ; for, by the tive hundred sons being
the oflspring of one woman, who was inces.sunt in
her prayers to the gods for only one, points out, thitt
unwearied industry, iu private or public life, will
procure more than perhaps we ever thought of at
first, so that there is nothing unnatural iu tltete idohi-
tors worshipping this womiuv as the goddess of riches.
'//,f(V/ ///•■I ( f'/ff'/^^'i
ftETJGION IN JAPAN.
117
Another of tlieir most celebrated idols is named
ntidsdo, Mliicli signifies the worship of fonisin itlols;
for this !jod vas tirst imported among (hem from
some other part of Asia. I'he natives of the country
give the following acf onnt of this idol, and how his
religion M'as first established. He \\ as born at Siaka,
■which signifies the country of the heavens, about a
thous-and years before the commencement of the
Christian \vi-a., and at nineteen years of age, he be-
came a disciple, or scholar to a famous hermit,
whose name was Ai-.».ra Sennin, and who lived on
the top of a mountain called Dandokf. lender this
holy man, he lived in the most austere manner,
speirding most of his time in the contemplation of
div'iiie things, and sitting cross-Iegced with his
hands in his bosom, so placed, that the extremities
of his tluiini>s touclied each other, a j)osturc con-
siilered by these heathens as the most proper to me-
ditation. By this means he penetrated into the most
secj-et and important points of religion, which he
afterwards communicated to his follower. He
taught, that liie souls of beasts, as well as those of
men, are immortal, and that both will be rewarded,
or ^-.unished iiereafter, according as they have acted
in this life. He prescribed five precepts of a general
nature, and all negatives, being almost similar to
those in the kingdom of Siam, and in many other
parts of the east. These laws, or precepts are as
follow :
I. Thou shall not kill.
n. Thou shalt not steal.
HI. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
IV. Thou shalt not lye.
V. ITiou shalt not drink strong liquors.
It is upon these precepts that all their political,
moral, and religious discourses are delivered, but
like the people in other countries, they have put
strange constructions upon some of them, and in
many cases, that which is nnnder in reality, is con-
sidered as a virtue, rather than a crime ; so that al-
though their laws are good in themselves, yet they
are perverted to the worst of purposes.
Two of his disciples, Annan Sonsja, and Rosia
Sonsja, collected his wise sentences ; which were
found after his death, written with his own hand on
leaves of trees, and made up into a book, called Fo-
hekio, that is, the book of flowers, as being the
most perfect performance in the w orld, and esteemed
by them, as we do the bible. The two disciples
who compiled it, are now ranked among their gods,
and are worshipi>ed along with their master, in all
his temples, one being placed on his right hand, and
the other on his left.
Before the doctrine of Budsdo, or as he is some-
times called Siaka, was introduced into Japan, the
people were extremek simple in their inaraier.s, hav-
ing very few temples, or festivals, living consistent
with the dictates of reason; and aiming chiefly at
the practice of moral duties. But this new religion
taught them to build stately teini)les, and to offer uj)
the most pompous sacrifices, imagining tiiat the
whole of piety consists in rites and ceremonies.
'^i hey have many convents and temples, in honour of
this idol, but the })ricsts never walk in procession, for
they confine themselves to their own limits, and
subsist on the voluntary contribution of the people.
Canon, the god who presides over the waters and
the fish, as represented in their ]>agods, has four aims,
and the lower part of his body is sw allow ed up by a
large sea monster. His head is crowned with flowers,
in one hand he holds a sce|>trc, in another a fiower,
a ring in the third, and the fourlh is closed with the
arm extended. Over-against him stands the figure
of a humble penitent, one half of whose body is
concealed within a shell, and the temple is adorned
with arrows, and all sorts of warlike instruments.
As all false religions have something in them of a
pretended miraculous nature, so we find the people
of Japan, joining with other heathens, in this sort
of artificial impiety. Debis, one of their idols, is
represented in the shape of a man of gigantic stature,
in an image of brass, but w ithout a temple, or pa-
god, for he is placed on the most conspicuous part
of a high road. To this idol, young w omen repair
to know- when they v\ill get husbands, and as the
image itself is hollow, a priest stands w ithin It, and
answers all the questions proposed. He takes care
that the virgin shall not go aw ay in despair, and in
return for the favour, she leaves something of value;
not doubting, but that it was the god himself who
spoke to her.
Daiboth, another of their idols, has many temples
erected to his honour, and vast numbers of devotees
resort there to worship. Before you come tO the
temple of this idol, you pass through a gate, on each
side of which are erected two monstrous figures,
with several arms, holding all sorts of warlike instru-
ments. In the centre of the pagod, the idol is seated,
after the oriental fashion, on an altar table, raised a
little above the ground ; and he is of such a monstrous
height, that his head reaches to the roof of the temple.
This idol has the breast and fate,of a woman, with
black locks, curled like those of a negro, and his
hands are bigger than the body of a man of an or-
dinary size. He is encircled on all sides with gilded
rays, in which aie placed a great number of ima^s,
representing the inferior idols of Japan; and the altar
is illuminated with a great number of lamps. The
temple is supported by wooden pillars, not according
to any of tlie rules of architecture, but by the trees
as cut down in the woods, or gardens, which gives
the whole a very romantic appearance. All the
wooden wosk of the temple is painted red, and ad-
11«
RELIGION IN JAPAN.
joining to it is a chapel, where the sacrifices are pre-
pared, and where the people resort to worship, ex-
cept on the great festivals. As tor the idol itself, it
is gilt all over ; its ears are large, and its hair curled,
with a crown on its head, and a speck, or mark, on
its brow ; its neck and breast are naked, and its right
hand is extended, pointing to the hollow of its left,
which rests upon its belly.
Their god of plenty, is named Daikokui, and he is
represented as sitthig on a bale, or sack of rice, with
a hammer in his hand, and whenever he strikes the
ground, they promise themselves a plentiful harvest ;
on all these occasions, many offerings are brought to
the pagod, and the priests take care to appropriate
them to their own use, while they keep the people in
a state of profound ignorance.
Before we proceed to give any further account of
their idols, it may not be improper to take notice,
that they have a sovereign supreme high priest, who
is called Dairo, and entitled to the highest honours.
His ancestors were formerly emperors, but the fa-
mily having fallen into decay, they are now confined
to the priesthood. But still the person of this sove-
reign pontiff is considered in so sacred a point of
view by the people, that his feet are not permitted to
touch the ground, nor his head to be exposed to the
sifn. He is never to have his head, beard, or nails
cut ; and his victuals must be carried to his table in
new baskets, and served up on new plates. When
he goes abroad he is carried in a magnificent litter,
Avhose pillars are of massy gold, and the outside
enriched with figures carved on the same precious
metal. It is covered with a thin transparent silk, so
contrived that the priest may see every one without
being seen by any. In this litter he is carried by
fourteen persons of the highest rank, and the empe-
ror's guards march before. A coach follows be-
hind, drawn by two horses, whose housings are
adorned with pearls and diamonds, after ^^hich his
wives and concubines follow.
Their god of physic, to whom the people under
all bodily disorders are to apply, is called J akusi, and
he is placed in a small temple richly adorned, stand-
ing upright on a gilt flower, with one half of a large
cockle-shell, over his head, encircled with rays of
glory. This image is gilded all over, and in his
right hand is something concealed, but in his left he
holds a sceptre. There are little bells hung up at
the entrance into his temples, and all passengers
going along ring them, and make a most reverential
bow, holding their hands to their foreheads, and re-
peating some prayers. In performing this part of
devotion, they believe that they w ill be preserved
from the fatal efi^ects of diseases, and that their lives
will be prolonged to the latest period.
I'he Jesuits, during the last century, made several
attempts to convert the natives of Japan, from ido-
latry to popery, but these fathers being rather too
officious, and having delivered their opinions con-
cerning some affairs of state, the emperor ordered
them to depart out of liis dominions. In memory
of this event, the Japanese observe at the close of
every year, the following ceremony, which they
call Jesumi. Certain persons appointed for that pur-
pose, go from house to house, and take down the
names of all the inhabitants in a book, after which
they oblige every individual to appear before them,
and declare upon oath, that they are not Christians.
This being done, the form of the Virgin Mary, and
a crucifix, are both laid on the ground, and every
one is obliged to trample on them. From this cir-
cumstance, we may learn that the Jesuits are not the
most properly qualified to teach the Christian religi-
on ; for had tiiey endeavoured to inculcate the simple
truth, w ithout the use of images, the people might
have been brought oft' from their idolatrous practices ;
but substituting one image instead of another, is only
setting up a more refined scheme of idolatry, in the
room of one, which to them, appeared more gross
than their own.
Ingen, one of their saints, is much adored by the
vulgar, although he is but of a very modern original.
They tell us, that he was born in China, and that
he travelled to Japan, in order to make himself ac-
quainted v^ith all their mysteries in religion. He
was received with the utmost respect, and there be-
ing, at that time, a violent drought in the country,
the people applied to him for rain, Mhich he did in
so earnest a manner, that a flood ensued, M'hich
carried away all their bridges. They observe a fes-
tival in memory of him ever)' summer, by offering
sacrifices on the top of a high mountain, where, ac-
cording to their tradition, he stood when he repeated
the prayer, and such are the notions, that if one of
their priests will annually ascend the same hill, they
will have plenty of rain.
Nor are the people of .Tapan w ithout their nuns,
for they have an order of female devotees named
Bikunis, chosen from among their most beautiful
women, and tliey take upon them a particular habit,
cither to please their parents, or gratify theli' own
inclinations. In general they are very lewd in their
deportment, so that they may be justly styled
whores, or daughteis of \ enus. They travel round
the country from place to place, and when they
meet a passenger, they uncover their breasts, as an
incentive to lust. So far we may consider them as
so many licensed prostitutes, who have no regard to
either modesty or decency.
The secular piiests in Japan, are called Canusis,
and they have no other maintenance, besides what
arises from the voluntary contributions of the pub-
lic, particularly the devotees. These ])ricsts wear
a yellow silk robe, with a cap made in the form of
RELIGIOX IN JAPAN.
119
a boat, and tied under their chins with fringes,
lonscr or shorler, according to their (|(ialilv. 'J'hcv
suffer theii hair to grow long, so as to cover tlieir
shoulders, l)ut they shave their beards every morn-
ing, and their superiors have tiieir hair curled up in
a bag of black silk. At each ear is a piece of black
silk tliat comes forward to the jaw ; but if they are
of an eminent rank, then it comes much more for-
ward. When these priests walk in procession, which
thev do on all solcnui festivals, they have sabres
and other warlike instruments carried beforo them,
and in their deportment they are so proud, that they
refuse to converse with any of the common people,
except such as contribute towards their subsistence.
They have in Japan a society of monks, if they
may be called so, or rather devotees, who are all
blind, and are called Feki, and they acknowledge
for their founder, one Kakehigo, who lived many
centuries ago, and who supported a notorious free-
booter, or rebel, named Teki. The emperor hav-
ing defeated this rebel, he sought to enter into an
alliance with Kakehigo, not doubting but he v\ould
do as much in support of the regal government of
his country, as he had done in support of rebellion ;
but (he brave Kakehigo, sooner than comply with
the nitreatics of the emperor, tore out his own eyes,
and threw them in the face of the monarch.
As soon as he had done this, he spoke to the em-
peror in the following words : " To demonstrate to
you, sir, how conscious I am of your generous de-
portment to me ; I give you the strongest proof of
it possible, by making you a free present of those
eyes which gazed on you with detestation." From
tliis circumstance, the order alluded to was founded,
and they are now very numerous throughout the
whole empire of Japan ; for every man who ha^
been deprived of his sight, or bom blind, is admit-
ted among them.
Great part of their religion is emblematical, and
tlie demi-creator of the universe is represented as
seated on twelve cushions, placed on the trunk of a
large tree, tixed on the back of a tortoise. The su-
preme Being is represented as a Moor, perfectly
black, and has a crown upon his head, which runs
up into the form of a pyramid, and his breast is bare.
lie has four arms, with as many heads, all made
of solid gold, and the drapery is adorned with pre-
cious stones. jV serpent of a monstrous size, twists
himself round the image, and two devils, the one
with the horn of a stag, and the other with the head
of a dog, lay hold of the serpent's head. This is
allegorical, and points out, that their race of kings
are to exist four thousand years.
Toranga, one of their idols, was formerly a hus-
bandman, and took jio-isession of the empire soon
after its first establishment, and by his extraordinary
merits, was ranked among their gods. He delivered
Japan from a tyrant, v\ho, with eight other kings,
laid llie country waste, so that he is always repre-
sented with eight arms; ami in each hand is a war-
like instrument. IJe has many temples dedicated to
his memory, throughout every province of the em-
pire ; but the most remarkable, is that situated in
the province of Vacala, where tlftMC are the figures
of four oxen cant in brass, ami gilded all over. The
wall of this temple is adorned with the iigures of
many of their subordinate deities, and beggars con-
tinually assemble at the door, where they shig liymns
and beg charity fiom the people.
Apes and monkics, with a variety of other crea-
tures, are worshipped in their pagods, and each of
these is cmblenuitical of some of the works of crea-
tion or providence. All the attitudes in which these
creatures are placed, afford subject matter for the
priests to enlarge on in their sermons. During the
time they are \\ orshipping at their altars, a bonze,
or priest, beats a drum to enflame their devotions.
They are so fully persuaded of the transmigration of
souls, that they have hospitals for beasts, who are
fed and supported in the same manner as if they
were human beings ; nay, what is more remarkable,
there is a convent near Jeddo, the chief city of
Jajjan, where a vast number of priests reside, and
they have very rich endowments. Near the con-
vent is a hill, on the top of which is a wood, and ia
it a vast variety of different auimals, which are fed,
once at least every day by these priests. The priest
whose turn it is for the day to feed them, tinkles a
little bell, at the sound of which they come all round
him, and when they have received their allowance,
he again tinkles the bell, and they retire.
These creatines, the priests say, are animated by
the souls of the most noble and illustrious heroes
that ever adorned their empire. They have such a
IJrofound veneration for stags, that they are to be
met with as common in their streets, as dogs are
with us, and it is death for any person to kill one of
them ; nay, when that happens which is but seldom,
even the life of the person is not considered as
sufficient to make atonement for his guilt, for the
street in which he lived in is razed to the ground.
It is true, however, that they do not worship these
creatures, but they have the same repect for them, ,
as tlie people of Siam have for wliite elephants, for
both believe them to be inhabited by the souls of j
their princes, and that they have the same rational j
faculties as men. I
But they are not stags only whom they tiius ho-
nour, for dogs are tieated by them in the same man-
ner ; but this practice is of a very modern date.
The emperor who reigned about one hundred and
twenty years ago, was extremely fond of hunting,
and therefore kept a great number of dogs ; being so
extremely foud of tlicm, that some of ihcm used to
120
KELIGION IN JAPAN,
sit behind him on the throne. As this sovereign was
much respected by his svibjects, so we tind, tliat
ever since his death, they have honoured dogs in the
same manner a,s was done by himself when alive.
Every street is obliged to support a tixed number;
they are quartered on the 'inhabitants, like so many
soldiers, and in case ot sickness, they are obliged to
nurse them tenderly. When they die, they are
obliged to inter them decently in the hills and moun-
tains, where they bury their own friends and rela-
tions. To kill one of them would cost a man his
life, and only to insult them, would be attended
with a very severe punishment. In the whole of
their religion we meet with a vast number of contra-
dictions, and this will alwa)'S be the case with those
who are addicted to superstition.
Near the capital city staivis a celebrated pagod,
on the banks of a river, and it is so plentifully stocked
with fish, that they thrust one another on shore;
but notwithstanding this, they remain in perfect se-
curity, through the fear and superstitious folly of
the bonzes and devotees. They believe, tl'.at were
they to touch one of them, they would be imme-
diately smitten with the leprosy, and they consider
it as a mortal and unpardonable sin to eat of them.
They are looked upon as sacred, and this notion
operates so strongly on their minds, that the bonzes
will ratlrer commit murder, or any other crime, than
suffer the most delicious of them to be served up at
their tables. They l>elieve that these fishes are in-
habited by the souls of some of their naval officers :
but this is an absurdity, • even according to the doc-
trhiG of transmigration ; for as they believe that soids
inhabit all sorts of animals, so according to this
notion, it would be unlawful to eat any of them, or
even to offer them in sacrifice.
In Miaco, a celebrated city of Japan, there are a
■vast number of pagods, or temples, and one in par-
ticular,; has no less than three thousand idols in it.
In the middle of the temple there is a gigantic figure
of an idol, whose head is bald, and his ears bored
through ; his chin is shaved, and over his head he
wears a canopy, with several little bells hanging
from it. On each side of his throne there are seve-
ral statues of armed men, moors dancing, witches,
magicians, and devils. There are likewise several
representations of thunder, winds, and rain, with all
sorts of storms. Each idol has thirty hands, with
seven heads on his breast, all made of solid gold,
and all the decorations of the temple are made of
ihe same precious materials. Near this idol is an-
other of a most gigantic size, with forty-six arms and
hands, attended by the figures of sixteen black de-
vils. A row of idols is placed at a considerable
distance, each of whom has several arms, all which
serve to point out the povier they have over the
aft^yis of this lower world. Their heads are adorned
with rays of glory, and some of them have shep-
herds crooks in their hands, pointing out that they
are the guardians of mankuid against all the machi-
nations of evil spirits.
They have many festivals in honour of theirgods,
some of which are fixed, and others moveable. Tlie
fixed ones are on new-year's day, and the moveable
ones are such as are appointed in their calendar to*
vary, as our Easter does, according to the change
of the moon ; each of those festivals continue about
three d»iys, and the trrgt day is spent in making
merry with their friends, on the second they pro-
ceed to offer up their sacrifices, and on the third,
having adoi^ed their idols, tliey take farewel of each
other, and return home. It is their opinion, that
nothing gives so much pleasure to the gods, as that
of the two sexes enjoying themselves in innocent
amusements, which may serve to point out, that the
l»eathens, in ail ages and nations, have invariably
formed wrong conceptions of tl>e Divine Being. —
For although innocent amusements are no way con-
trary to religion, yet there is but little necessity for
injoining them as articles of practice, seeing men,
in their present state, are too apt to turn those things
into abuse, and injure themselves, instead of pro-
moting their own interest, or the glory of God.
On the new-year's day, they make presents to-
their friends and relations of a sort of shell-fish, call-
ed by them Awabi, which, according to tradition,
was the original food of their ancestors, in the same
manner as the ancient inhabitants of Europe fed on
acorns, herbs, and roots. This fish is an emblem
of industry, and points out in what a frugal manner
their ancestors lived, before they acquired riches. In
the beginning of the spring they have a solemn fes-
tival, at \\hich all the young women dance, and
their parents provide for ihem an elegant entertain-
ment. All their relations and friends are invited,
and the rooms in which they sit, are decorated with
the figures of babies, pointing out that the young
women will in time be mothers. Before each of
these puppets, a table is placed with all sorts of food
upon it, dressed according to the fashion of the
country, and as it cannot be supposed that inanimate
beings will eat any thing, so when the provisions
have stood some time, they are placed before the
young women and their gallants. On that day the
doors and windows of their houses are adorned with
mugwort, and in the morning the young men assem-
ble and divert themselves on the water. This holi-
day is not, however, observed in such a manner as
toex-clude those advanced in years from enjoying a
share in the pleasures. The gay of both sex, let
their age be whatever it will, attend their relations
and children, this being considered by them as very ,
honourable.
This naturally leads us to take some notice of tlie
RELIGION IN JAPAN.
121
origin of this festival, wliicli has been trnusmittcd to
us by the most faitlifiil authors. — Pieiim was many
o«ps ago kii)i» of I'ormosa, and Ills subjects being-
irich tfarlcrs, ihov iK-caiiie so abandoned in their man-
ners, that the <io<ls threatened to drown them and
the island. '^J'his great and pood king saw, witli sor-
row and abhorn nee, the wickedness of his .subjects,
lie devoted himself entirely to the worship of the
gods, and they graciously decreed to save liini and
his family.
Accordingly lliey forewarned him in a dream, to
deyisrt from his country, in order to avoid the im-
pendnig jiid<j;inents ; assuring him, as a mark of the
truth of wliat had been advanced, tliHt the cheeks of
two of his most celebrated idols would become red,
a few days Jjefore the destruction took place.
The pio^vs prince advised his subjects of the dis-
pleasure of the gods, but they received his admoni-
tions with sconi and derision. One of these atheis-
tical libertHies, in order to ridicule the pious advice
of the king, went privately in the night to the pagod
\vhere the tx^o images were, and dard)ed their faces
oil over with red, vihich impious project was the
veiT signal intended. As soon as the king heard
(he news, that the faces of the images had been
datd>ed over with red, he gathered together his wives
nnd children, whom he put, along with all his effects,
on board a ship, admitting, at the same time, as many
of his subjects to accompany him as the vessel could
carry. Scarce had he set sail, before the island,
with all its inhabitants, sunk down to the bottom of
the sea; and smnetinie after, the good king with his
whole retinue, landed safely in China. From thence
be went over to Japan, where he has been ever since
worshipped as a god, and the above festival cele-
brated to his memorv.
In doing penance, the people of Japan are, per-
haps, more extravagant and superstitious than anv
we have hitherto mentioned. 'I he penitents are or-
dered to-*ravel over several high and almost inac-
cessible moinifains, into some of the most solitary
deserts, inhabited by an order of hermits, who,
though almost void of humanity, commit them to
the care of sucli as are more savage than themselves.
These latter lead them to tlie brinks of the most tre-
mendous precipices, habituate them to the practice
of abstinence, and the most shocking austerities,
which they are obliged to undergo with patience at
aay rate, since their lives lie at stake ; for if the pil-
grim deviate one step from the directions of his spiri-
tual guide, they fix him by both of his hands to the
branch of a tree, which stands on the brink of a
precipice, and there leave him hanging, till through
faintness he quits his hold, and drops down and is
killed. l]ut this is little more than tlie resemblance
of a disciphne others undergo ; for in the sequel,
af^«r an incredible fatigue, and a thousand dangers,
8 ^ i
they arrive at a ])lacc surrounded with lofty moun-
tains, where they .s|>end a whole day and night with
their hand<t extended, and their Ireads reilined on
their knees. JJnring this act of penance, thev arc
not to shew the least symptoms of j)nin, or endea-
vour to shift their unweary posture; the unmerciful
hermits, whose province it is to oveilook them, never
fail, with some hearty bastinadoes, to reduce thcui
to their appointed situation.
In this altitude, the penitents are to examine their
consciences, and recollect the whole of their sins,
so as to be ready to confess them. This strict ex-
amination being over, they march again fill tlicy come
to a step]) rock, which is the place set apart by these
savage monks to hear the sinner's confession. On
tire sunimit of this rock there is a thick iron bar;
about thn-e ells in length, which projects over the
belly of the rock, but is so contrived as to be drawn
back again, whenever it is thought convenient. At
the one of this bar hangs a large pair of scales, into
one of which the.se monks put the penitent, and in
the other a counterpoise, after which they pu'^h the
scales off the rock into the open air. Thus liung-
ing, the pilgrim is obliged to make n full and ample
confession of all his sins, which niust be spoken
so distiirctly, as to l»e heard by all those who assist
at the ceremony, and he must take particular care
not to conceal or omit one single fault : lo be exact
in his declaration, and not to contradict himself, for
the least diminution or concealment, although acci-
dental word?, ruins the penitent for ever. Those
savage hermits are so inexorable, that if they can
but discover the least prevarication in the penitent,
he who holds the sc;»Ies gives the bar a sudden jerk,
by which the poor penitent is tumbled down and
dashed to pieces at the bottom of tlie precipice. — '
Those who are so fortunate as to satisfy the- hermits
in their confessions, are obliged to pay a fine, and
aie then absolved from all their crimes.
'J he bonzes, or priests of Japan, sell to the devo-
tees small billets of wood consecrated, and they
teach them to belie^'e, that these will preserve them
from the power of the devil, and prove a remedy
for all those diseases to which the human body is
subject. Nay, they carry this piece of decept-ion
still farther, for they borrow money upon these con-
secrated billets, and give their note for tlie payment
in the next world, which note is jnit into the peni-
tent's hand when he dies, the people being firmly of
opinion, that it w ill procure him a full remission of
all his sins.
In their prayers they repeat a vast number of col-
lects, some fifty times over ; and lest they should
forget any of them, thev have a string of beads to
count them b-v, in the same manner as is used by
the Roman Catholics. Those who repeat their pmy-
ers one hundred and eight times over, are considered
11
122
RELIGION IN JAPAN.
as saints, for the bonzes assure them, that there are
90 many sins by which a man is polluted, and that
against each of them a faithful believer should have
a particular prayer. When they arise in the morn-
ing, they stretch out the lingers, of the right hand,
and offer up an ejaculatory prayer to one of their
idols, thereby imagining that the devil will not have
it in his power to injure them during the remainder
of the day. Like the rest of the Indians, they believe
that some days are more fortunate than others, and
this notion leads their minds into the most abject
state of slavery ; for men can never enjoy much
peace of mind, or real happiness, who are not con-
vinced that God has made all days alike to his crea-
tures. Of their fortunate and unfortunate days they
keep a table, or calendar, and each family has one
hung up in the passage, leading from the door into
their houses, to put them in mind of the day when
they go out.
This table of fortunate and unfortunate days, was
the work of a celebrated astrologer, known by the
name of Seimei, a man of universal knowledge in
all mysteries, both of nature and art; whether relat-
ing to the stars, to dreams, to omens, or, indeed, to
any thing else. As tliis astrologer was so profound
a scholar, it was necessary, in order to establish
his reputation, that he should be born in a mira-
culous manner ; which notion seems to prevail
over all those eastern nations. We are informed,
that his father was a prince, and his mother a fox,
who, being closely pursued by the huntsmen, had
fled for refuge and protection to his majesty. This
fox, it seems, was what is called in Europe, a fairy,
who throwing off her masquerade dress, appeared
before the sovereign in all the splendour of a perfect
beauty.
The king being enamoured with her admirable
charms, married her, and had by her this famous
astrologer. When he grew up he invented a set
of mysterious terms, which he comprised within the
compass of one verse only, as a charm or preserva-
tive for such persons in particular, whose narrow
circumstances obliged them to work on unlucky
days, for the support of their wives and children.
They believe that there is such a supernatural vir-
tue in this single verse, that all those who repeat it
reverently, in a proper manner, on the morning of
an unlucky day, will be preserved from all the evils
that would otherwise attend him.
It is a circumstance but little known to the Euro-
peans, that in J apan there are several orders of hea-
then monks, many of whom live in convents, found-
ed by some of their great men, but the greatest
number live in woods and deserts, where they feed
on roots and fruits, or whatever else the places will
afford. They have likewise places of refuge for
such as have committed the most horrid crimes,
particularly murder, theft, 8cc. Near Miaco there
is a mountain which they call Koia, inhabited by
monks, whose rules and statutes are less severe than
any of the other orders. This convent is very
large, and affords an asylum for the most flagitious
offenders, nor can the civil magistrate enter within
their bounds to seize any criminal whatever. The
malefactor is not only secure while under their pro-
tection, but may purchase his liberty, if he is able,
by depositing a certain sum of money for the service
of the convent. This order was founded by one
Kaboday, who is adored as a god, and lamps are
kept continually burning before his image ; and
although it is considered as one of the highest acts
of piety, to contribute towards the support of this
convent, yet the monks do not altogether depend on
the oblations of the devotees ; but spend much of
their time in agriculture and commerce, which
brings them in a considerable revenue.
The person whose peculiar provmce it is to ring
the hours of the day, gives the people notice like-
wise of the times appointed for public prayers as
well as preaching. Their sermons turn, for the
most part, on moral duties, and the preacher is ex-
alted on a rostrum or pulpit, much like those used
in Europe. On one side of him is placed the image
of the titular saint or order to which he belongs,
and to this idol the devotees present as much money
as the nature of their circumstances will permit. On
each side of the pulpit is a lighted lamp hanging
from the canopy which covers it ; and a little below
it is a kind of desk or pew, for the junior scholars,
where some sit and others stand. The preacher,
who is generally a person well advanced in years,
wears a hat on his head, in the form of an umbrella,
and holds a fan in his hand, and before he begins
his sermon, he seems to be much absorbed in con-
templation to the gods, and attentive to what he is
about to dehver. After this the preacher rings a
little bell, that is ready at his hand, which is the
usual signal for silence; then he opens a book
which lies upon his cushion, containing the funda-
mental principles, and moral precepts of his sect.
Having read his text, he explains it to the people,
and concludes with saying something in honour of
the sect or order to which he belongs. It is expect-
ed, that each of the hearers shall contribute some-
thing to the preacher, who never neglects to put
them in mind of it ; and both before and after ser-
mon, they are obliged to fall down on their knees
and repeat some prayers, \vhich they do by the sig-
nal of the preacher's ringing his little bell.
The natives of Japan have, for the most part, but
one w ife ; but then they are allowed to put her
away whenever they think proper, even on the
most trivial occasions. She never brings him any
marriage portion, lest she should boast that she had.
RETJGION I?T JAPAN'.
1S3
enriched her husband; for the men are su jealous of
their honour, that they m ill not have it insinuated,
that tiiey are u.idcr obligations even for the highest
favours ihev can j)rocure, or attain to in the enjoy-
ment of this life.
But notwithstanding all these pretensions to ho-
nour, yt'i ui many parts of their conduct, they are
so avaricious aiul dishonest, that although crucitic-
tion is the common punishment for theft, yet no-
thing is more common than for them to steal from
each other. Divorces are very frequent among
them, as may be naturally concluded from what has
been already advanced ; but still those who put
away their wives, are never much esteemed after-
wards. All their marriages are contracted by the
consent of their parents, and care is taken that the
parties be as near the same age as possible ; and al-
though the bridegroom docs not accept of a mar-
riage portion with the bride, yet he bestows seve-
ral presents upon her relations, according to the na-
ture of his circumstances.
On the morning of the day appointed for the
celebration of the marriage, both parties, attended by
their relations, go out of town, at different gates,
and meet at the bottom of a steep hill, which they
ascend by a flight of steps, and the young couple
place themselves in two tents made for that purpose.
The parents of both parties seat themselves behind
the bride, while a band of music plays behind the
bridegroom, but all without the tents. The rest of
the retinue remain at the bottom of the iiill, and
while the music is playing, the bridegroom and bride
walk with lighted flambeaus in their hands, towards
the altar of the god of love, whose image is repre-
sented with the head of a dog, as an emblem of that
fldelity which should take place in the marriage state.
The image holds a string in his hands, as a symbol
of the form of matrimonial engagements, and near
the god, and between the two parties, stands a
bonze, whose ofiice it is to perform the marriage
rites. There are several lamps lighted at a small
distance from each other, at which the bride lights
her flambeaux, which she holds in her hand, pro-
nouncing at the same time a form of words dictated
to her by the bonze, and after this the bridegroom
lights his flambeaux by that of the bride's.
This part of the ceremony is accompanied with
loud acclamations of joy, and all tlie relations and
friends congratulate the young couple. The bonze
then gives them his benediction or blessing, and
those who remain at the bottom of the hill make a
large bontirc, into which is thrown all the little toys,
and other play-things, with which the bride amused
herself, while she was in a state of childhood. —
Others jnescut the bride with a distaff" and some flax,
thereby intimating, that from thence-forward she
must apply herself to the prudent management of
domestic affairs. The ceremony concludes with the
sacrifice of two oxen to the god of marriage, anil
then the bride is conducted home to her husband's
house, where she meets with every thing proper for
her reception. The pavement and threshold are both
strewed with greens or flowers, according to the
season of the year, and flags and streamers on the
lop of the house, seem to promise one continued
scene of uninterrupted happiness and delight.
As they are diviilcd into many sects, so we find,
that in the education of their children, they instruct
them in the knowledge of those principles which
they themselves have embraced ; for they consider
it as a duty they owe to the community at large, to
bring up their children useful members of society.
The principal part of the education of youth con-
sists in laying before them the most striking and ex-
emplary parts of the conduct of their gods and he-
roes, that they may imitate their example, and live
in subordination to the civil power. This is in all
respects, consistent with natural religion, which,
so far as we can learn, is implanted in the heart of
every man ; for how could we be condemned by a
righteous Being, unless at the same time it was ac-
knowledged, that we have the purity of a divine
law set before us, and invitations to obey its precepts.
Every parent feels a secret pleasure in giving his
children a virtuous education, and although it too
often happens, that the best instructions are prosti-
tuted to the w'orst of purposes, yet the duty remains
binding, and will do so to the end of time.
On the first day of the new-year, all the priests
walk in procession to the emperor's palace, where
they renew their oaths of allegiance, which how-
ever, is not looked upon as a sufficient security to
the prince, who has always a confidant in waiting,
who obliges them to swear the following sacred
oath ; " I call heaven to witness, and all the gods
of the sixty-five provinces of the empire, that 1 will
be a loyal subject to my sovereign." All these
oaths are ratified by the person swearing, opening
a vein, and letting out some of his blood, and if it
should happen afterwards, that he is found perjured,
then his life must make an atonement ; for as blood
is required to ratify tlic oath, so a proper reparation
for a breach of his infidelity must be, his blood
spilt in such a maimer as the judges shall direct.
When a person dies, they are obliged to produce
at least two or three witnesses, to prove that he
was not a Christian at the time of his death ; and
they go so far, as to inquire whether in the whole
course of his life, he ever made any profes.sion of
Christianity ; for were such a circumstance to take
place, the body of the deceased would be thrown
upon a dunghill like that of a dog.
l( the deceased has lised in reputation in the
world, and it is discovered, upon the strictest ex-
124
RELIGION IN COREA AND JESSO.
amination, that lie never was a Cliiistian, then the
civil magistrate permits that his body shall be burnt.
On all such solemn occasions, the relations and
friends, all dressed in white, as a sign of deep mourn-
ing, repair to the funeral pile, about an hour before
the procession begins. All the women are veiled,
and a superior bonze marches in the front, attended
by tliirty others of an inferior rank. The priests are
dressed in linen frocks like surplices, over Mhich
tWcy wear a black cloak, and above all, a broMn
garment, and each carries a taper in his hand. After
these come two hundred bonzes, who sing hymns
lo, and invoke the god whom the deceased wor-
shipped while he was alive. Then follows a great
number of hired mourners, who carry poles in their
hands, with papeis fixed to the ends of them, point-
ing out the virtuous actions of the ]>erson whose
funeral they are abont lo celebrate. After them come
eight young bonzes, divided into two bands, holding
long canes over their iieads, with streamers at the
ends of them, on vvhicii are inserted several hiero-
gliphical figures, and these last are attended by two
young men, who cany unlighted torches.
Several other persons, all dressed in lirown, with
black leathern caps on their h^ads, varnished over
in the neatest manner, witli the names of their idols
inscribed on them, follow after the bonzes. After
this first train, come four men, with the corpse of
■the deceased, sitting upright in his coffin, with his
head inclining somewhat forwards, and his hands
closed, as in a praying posture. The corpse is dress-
ed in white, having a paper robe over it composed,
of the leaves of a book, wherein are described the
actions of the god, to whom he was, in his life-time,
most devoted. The male children surround the
corpse, and the youngest son carries a lighted taper
in his hand, it being his business to set fire to the
funeral pile. The whole of the procession is closed
by the neighbours, who testify their sorrow by deep
sighs and hideous lamentations.
In this order, they march to the place where the
funeral pile is erected, which is surrounded with four
walls covered with white cloth, except the gates
through \'\'hich thcv are to enter. In tiie middle »
deep grave is digged, and at each side of it, is a table
covered with all sorts of provisions, On one of them
stands o cViafingdish, like a censor, full of live coals
and sweet wood, and as soon as the corpse is brought
to the brink of the grave, they fasten a long cord to
tlie coffin, which is made like a bed for the deceased
to rest on. After they have carried tlie body in pro-
cession three times round the grave, they lay it on
the fui>eral pile, while the priest and relations call
on the gods to be propitious to the soul of the de-
ceased. After this, the superior priest, who leads
the van of the procession, walks tlnee times round
the corpse with his lighted taper, waving it three
times over his head, and repeating some mystic
words, the meaning of wliich none present knows,'
besides himself and his brethren. The body is then
consumed to ashes, and the whole contents of the
funeral pile aie thrown into the grave, w here a m<>-
uument is set up in memory of the deceased. Thig
part of the ceremony bemg over, the relations of the
deceased retire home, where they have a splendid
entertaiiirtient, and all that is left is given to the
poor. If any remains of tlie deceased are left un-
buried, the relations pick them carefully up, and
bury them in a gilded urn, in their gardens, which
they visit from time to time, M'ith the utmost fervour
of devotion, believing in the immortality of the sou!.
All those honours we have just now mentioned,
are appropriated to the noble, the great, and the
illustrious, for the poor and the indigent liave no
right to expect any such things. It is sufficient that
the king and the beggar die just alike, but there is
no necessity that the same pomp should attend both
after their death. In Japan, those whose narrow
circumstances will not permit them to honour their
relations with pompous funerals, are obliged to em-
ploy their neighbours to inter them any where in the
fields, without the least regard to decency. The
bonzes or priests abhor the poor, and shun them in
every place, as they would a person who is labour-
ing under an infectious disorder, nor do thev ever
pray to the gods in their behalf. Perhaps this is
too much the case in other nations, but of that we
shall leave to the candid reader to judge.
RELIGION IN COREA AND JESSO.
JL HE inhabitants of these countries are all hea-
thens, and their form of religion is the most stupid
and senseless that can be imagined. They believe,
that if they appear at particular times and seasons
before their idols, aiixl make a few unmeaning gri-
'.naces and ridiculous gestures, they will be rewarded
for ever in eternity. They are all of one sect, so
that there is no necessity, as in Japan, for one party
to seek a toleration in matters of religion, from an-
other, llieir priests, monks, or bonzes, as they are
RELIGION IN COREA AND JESSO.
W5
indiscriminately called, are so igiionuit, that ihey ,
know little more besides that vl' ptrt'uining tiieir
idols once evtiv niornin?;, to whirii strvice tiiey are
called by the niijiiug of a bell. 'I'heir couvcnts and
pajjod.s are situaU'd tor the most part on mountains,
and subject to the power and authority of the city
or town near to which they are situated. They have
one particular convent with six hundred monks in it,
and one citv that lias four thousand of religions sects
under its jurisdiction. 'Ihey are distributed into
select bands, or com|)anies, some of ten, some of
twenty, and others of thirty members, tiie oldest of
wtjom, in each class, is the principal, or superior,
and if any one proves careless, or remiss in his duty,
he is ordered to be corrected and chastised by the
rest of the brethren, but if the crime is of a flagrant
uature, he is given up to the power of the civil ma-
gistrate.
Relations are not allowed to marry within the
fourth degree of consanguinity, and love is a passion
to which they are in a manner strangers ; for it often
happens, that their nuptial ceremonies take place
before they are nine or ten years of age, so that if
ever they know any thing of love, it must be long
after marriage. The women, particularly the wives
of the poorer sort, are treated with great cruelty,
but their spirits are o much depressed, and not
knowing where to procure a remedy, they become
as it were insensible of their misery. The marriage
ceremony consists of the relations of the bride-
groom, accompanied by himself, making a tour round
the town with a band of music playing before them.
When they come to the door where the bride lives,
the bridegroom knocks, and meets with a very favour-
able reception. After this, he conducts the bride
home, and the whole ceremony ends with a splendid
entertainment. Polygamy is allowed among them,
and when they please they can put away both their
wives and children ; but this horrid, unnatural prac-
tice, seldom takes place ; for as we have already
taken notice in the former part of this work, " The
light of nature is not yet extinguished among the
heathens."
\V hen a person of rank dies, all. his relations go
into mourning for three years, nor are they permitted,
during the whole of that time, to follow any secular
employment. They weep, howl, and tear their hair,
to shew their concern for the deceased ; and they put
the corpse into a double coftin, finely varnished, and
gilt over, according as the nature of their circum-
stances w ill permit. They put into the coffins whole
suits of clothes, with provisions, money, and seve-
ral sorts of warlike instruments, for the use of the
deceased in the other world ; from which we may
learn, that they have but very carnal notions of the
soul.
The night previous to the funeral, is spent in inno-
9
cent amusement, and at day-bicak all the relations
set out on horseback, making the most hideous
lamentations. 'Jliosc who bear the cor|>se, move
in a slow solemn manner, singing hymns ; and if
the deceased was rich, he has generally a monument
erected to his memory, but those who are poor,
are buried in graves about three feet deep. 1 hrec
days after the interment, the relations and friends of
the deceased make a formal visit to the grave, and
recreate themselves there some time. Every full
moon, they cut the grass that grows around the
tomb, and make free-will offerings of rice. Rut
this is not all, for it often happens that the bonzes,
in order to get some employment, will tell the rela-
tions, that the deceased lies uneasy in his grave,
upon which they take up the coftin, and renew the
whole funeral solcmm'ty, for which the bonzes or
priests receive their fees.
Havhig said so much concerning the idols of these
heathen nations, it may not be improper in this place,
to say something concerning the true God, and also
on the nature of idols. The true God is dehned to
be a most glorious object, the author of all things, who
had no beginning of days, nor w ill have any end of
years. He is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable ; he
is possesed of all those perfections which we admire,
but cannot fully comprehend. His wisdom is con-
spicuous in the formation of the world, and indeed
in the creation of every thing ; for as a great divine
says, a pile of grass is sufficient to confute an atheist.
His power is displayed to our senses in the works of
his providence ; he holds the waters in the hollow of
his hands ; he weighs the mountains in a balance,
and taketh up the earth as a very little thing.
In his holiness, he exceeds all that we poor mor-
tals can comprehend, for he is of purer eyes than to
behold iniquity. Sinners shall not stand before him,
nor the wicked dwell in his presence. Men should
tremble at his justice, es}>ecially when they consider
their own guilt. Ihe justice of God in the moral
government of this world, may be known by particular
instances of its operations, but will not be fully
understood, till Christ shall come to judge the world
in righteousness. The temporal death to which every
human being is subject, is a proof of the justice of
Go<l, in punishing our lirst parents tor their disobedi-
ence ; but the most aweful display we have of divine
justice, is in the death of Christ. There the wrath
of God against sin was displayed in the most li\ ely
colours; divine justice was satisfied by the sacriiicc
oftered, and man, a rebel to his Cr-ator, reconciled
through the blood of atonement prophesied f)t long
before, and pointed out by types and figures. His
goodness fills the devout soul witi. admiration here
below, and willnlTord him matter for praise in eter-
nity. Is not that goodness intinue, that can bear
w iih our daily and numerous provocations ? Is not
I
126
RELIGION IN COREA AND JESSO.
that goodness infinite, that can stoop down to behold I
the aftairs of this lower world, and raise up one,
while it casts down another? But above all, is not
that goodness infinite, wliich coiild send an only
begotten sou to die for sinful men, when they were
lost in all sorts of inif|uity, working all manner of
wncleaiiness with greediness. Such arje a few of the
outlines of the characters of the true God, whom
every Cliristian \yorships ; and, therefore, we shall
next say something concerning the false gods of the
heathens.
As the benefit of light i.; best known when con-
trasted with darkness, so truth is the more admired
for being compared with falsehood. All that is good,
amiable, praiseworthy, glorious, benevolent, just,
and merciful, is to be fomid in the character and
attributes of that God, .whom the Christians wor-
ship ; among the gods of the heathens, it is just
the reverse. And here let us inquire into their at-
tributes, foi- there must be some qualities ascribotl
to tliem.
Are they infinite? that is impossible, for they are
actually lodged in temples, made with hands ; nay,
they are often carried from one place to another,
:their heads and their hands cut off, and sometimes
they are reduced to ashes.
That they are not eternal, we can make no man-
ner of doubt, for new ones are made almost every
day ; and surely a created being cannot properly be
an object of divine worship. Sculptors, painters,
engravers, smiths, and indeed almost every trade,
have, in their turn, conti-ibnted towards the making
of gods ; and so infatuated are mankind, that many
of them can fall down and worship the works of their
own hands. Are they unchangeable? No: irtstead
of enjoynig such a variety of qualites, their very
colours are often changed twenty times in an age ;
and almost every year, new passions are ascribed to
them. And this is done merely according to the
capricious inanncr in which men are led by their
passions, without considering that they degrade their
nature, and become more contemptible than the
beasts that perish.
Again, let us inquire more minutely into those
'.qualities \\hich naturally present themselves to our
observation, as rational creatures. And first, with
respect to wisdom, let us for once suppose that the
idols adored by heathens, in ancient and modern
limes, were, and really are, what their worshippers
believe them to be, namely, beings endowed with
sovereign power, able to reward the \irtuous, and
punish the vicious, to pardon the penitent, and to
supply the wants of those jn distress. I say, let us
admit tlsese things by way of supposition, and then
inquire, whether one or all of them will hold good ?
I'or if it can be made appear, that tliev have none
£>i' the qualities of the true God, then they are no
more than dumb and dead idols. And first, have
they wisdon ? No : how can an inanimate being be
endowed with wisdom. But then supposing them
to be real objects of worship, it will natur^jilly follow
that the religion enjoined by them, is the result of
divine wisdom and knowledge. Now let any rea-
sonable person ask himself, \^hether the forms of
worship which we have already taken notice of
among the heathens, being in themselves altogether
barbarous, could, on any account whatever, point
out happiness to poor fallen man ? Certaiidy the
contrary did, and always will continue to take place.
Had these beiiigs been endowed with wisdom, they
would have led their people who worshipped them
to happiness ; but alas ! the poor votaries were and
are left in a state of darkness, no liope beyond the
grave w as promised, nor the Eieans prescribed by
which it might be attained.
Again, with respect to power, where did they shew
it ? a god without power, is no god at all. Nothing
was more common than to find the victorious com-
mander of an army setting fire to consecrated temples,
and carrying oft" the gods, as so many prisoners, in
triumph. Nay, what notions could the people havs
of power, who, when their idols refused to comply
with their requests, actually brought them out into
the open streets and scoiu'ged them.
Holiness, the life and soul of practical religion, is
not to be met with among heathens in this age, nor
was it to be fonnd among those of ancient times.
Where could holiness or purity of the heart and life
be found, m here whoredom, drunkenness, and even
unnatural crimes, were not only tolerated, but even
celebrated. Let us, like Constantine the Great, draw
aside the veil which concealed the impurites daily
committed in their temples, and we shall behold,
what is not proper to be named. Sho\dd those idols
be objects of worship, whose priests tanglit the gros-
sest impurities ; who rejoiced in what the worst Of
men consider as shame ; who set aside the order of
nature, and actually attempted to overthrow divine
Providence itself ? But is justice to be found among
these gods ? No : we must not look for justice in a
system established on falsehood. All those actions
by which men are enobled above the irrational part
of the creation, were treated with contempt. Re-
venge, theft, plunder, murder, aiul inileed, the most
odions crimes were, and still are considered as so
many virtues ; and the more notorious the guilt of
the crhninal, the more he was consideretl as an ob-
ject of approbation. Goodness, that glorions attri-
bute of God, was not to be found among the ancient
heathens, and in vain do we look for it at present.
Could a good benevolent Being teach men to do that
which is cruel ? No : but such was, and still is the
practice of the heathens. Can thrxt religion have
goodness in it, which teacheth husbands to inculcate
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
Ii7
into tlie uiinds of their Nvives, that it is necessary for
them to burn tliemselves ou a funeral pile ? Can
there be gooihiess in that parent, who, divestinj;
himself of bowels of compassion, can see his child
offered up lus a victim at the altar of an idol f True
religion condemns the sentiment, and humanity
shudders at the practice.
Truth, tlie last attribute or quality we shall men-
tion, never could, or never caji be found among tiie
heathens. Can truth be found in that system from
whidi wisdom, power, holiness, justice, and good-
ness are banished ? It was said of (iod, that it was
impossible for him to lie ; and with respect to tlie
lieatliens, it may be justly taken notice, that even
supposhis; their idols were animated beings, all tliat
their priests have taught us is no better than the
grossest falsehood. Plato said, that truth was tJie
form of the Divine -Beinuf, and if so, then every
thing contrary to it must constitute tlie character of
an idol. Having thus drawn a parallel between the
true Cii)d and tlie idols of heathen nations, we shall
say with Joshua of old, "Chusc you this day, whom
you will serve." The best way to point out false
religion, is to display it in its native colours, aiul
men, by seeing unaccountable absurdities presented
to them as objects worthy of their notice or regard,
will become in love with the truth. Truth carries
conviction along witli it, and happy must that man
be, who seeks wisdom. He who sincerely inquiras
after truth, has great reason to hope, that God will
direct him to it, and convince him of its excellency
above evciy tiling in this world.
TilE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
^^^S the author, who would wish to obtain the
approbation of his readers, will, at all times, blend
entertainment, information, and instruction together;
so we shall now part with tlie heathens for some
time, and present the public with an account of tliat
religion which has the true God for its author, the
blood of Christ for its foundation, happiness for its
object, and glory for its consummation.
But here it is necessary that we should lay down
the plan upon which we intend to proceed, because
Christianity lays open to us an ample tield for .spe-
culation, for information, and for instruction : we
shall therefore divide the subject into the following
branches :
First, the state of Christianity from the time of its
first promulgation, till it received the sanction of
the civil power, under the emperor Constantiue the
Great.
Secondly, an account of all the heresies that sprang
up diu-ing the first thiTC centuries.
Thirdly, an account of the Christian church, from
the time of the emperor Constantinc the Great, down
to the lleformaiion.
Fourthly, an account of the Geeek church both in
ancient ami modem times.
Lastly, an account of the Albigenses and Wal-
dcnsis.
In conducting this most laborioirs part of the work,
we sIkiII endeavour not to give offence to any per-
son whatever, and having tinishcd it, we shall once
more return to heathens, and tbcvi to those religious
parties which took their rise in Europe after the Re-
formation.
Long had tlie wretched race of Adam continued
in a state of ignorance and darknesss, and from these
sources, all sorts of crimes took their rise. To draw
a picture of the heathen world at the time of Christ's
appearance among men, would be to paint out hu-
man nature in its most depraved state. The know-
ledge of the true God was lost ; blasphemy, ob-
scenity, and impiety constituted the essential parts of
their public worship ; aiul although many of them
believed in the doctrine of the immortahty of the
soul, yet they had confused and carnal notions con-
cerning it. As God is the universal Lord and Sove-
reign of nature, so he generally accomplishes the
schemes of his providence by natural means. Thus
we find, that in order to introduce tlie glorious
Redeemer into the world, and make way for the
propagation of his gospel, a variety of circumstances
took place, which human sagacity could not have
planned, nor could the ckopest penetration have seen
into tlie important events.
About three hundied and thirty years before the
incarnation, a remarkable change took place in the
civil government of this world. The Persian khigs
with their subjects, having forgot the dignity of
their characters, and bravery of their ancestors,
became an easy conquest for the ambitious Grecian
hero (Alexander) and by this important, unthought
of event, the Greek languag« was taught and pro-
pagated throughout a great part of Asia, where dif-
ISECBK^riAX SnJGKlX.
^ K
ISO
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
religion, were at liberty to practise their own rites
and ceremonies, but they were not to impose them
on others : but this fell into disrespect, and Jewish
ceremonies were seldom used after the destruction
of Jerusalem.
Such was the state of the Christian church dur-
ing the age of the apostles, and it is generally allow-
ed, that few ceremonies were observed till the time
of Constantine the Great. All denominations of
Protestants allow this ; the greatest writers of our
established church have proved it, nor indeed do
any of the learned Roman Catholics say much
against the Protestants. We shall now attend to the
Christian form of worship, till Constantine the
Great depressed the power of the heathens, and
granted the followers of our Lord a civil establish-
ment throughout every part of the empire.
When the congregation was assembled, the first
part of divine worship was to read a portion of the
sacred scriptures, and besides the scriptures, they
often read epistles from neighbouring churches, pai-
ticularly such as related to the martyrdom of those
who had laid down their lives for the truth. The
person \\ho read to the congregation, was one who
was a candidate for holy onlers, and he was called
the clerk, or more frequently the reader. The place
from whence he read was an eminence in the church
where he could be seen and heard by all the people.
This eminence was called pulpitum, from whence
our word pulpit is derived, ^io person was permit-
ted to speak while he read, for during the three
first centuries of Christianity, responses were not
used in the church. How much was read at a time
is not certainly known, Init it appears that it was
sometimes more or less, according as circumstances
varied the case ; for the Christians were often oblig-
ed to meet privately in the night.
When the reading of the scriptures was over, then
followed the singing of psalms, which made a con-
siderable part of their service ; for as Pliny writes,
they met together an hour before day to sing an hymn
to Christ, and this was done to elevate the mind by
heavenly raptures of praise and adoration, and to
raise a pious soul into a greater degree of admiration
of God's love and bounty. What those psalms were
which they sung, is a question Mliich should be re-
solved, and in doing this we are not left in the dark,
for wc have the testimony of the most learned fathers
to support us.
These divine songs, were either such as they had
collected out of the sacred scriptures, particularly
the book of psalms, or such as were of their own
private composing. As for the manner of singing
there was not a fixed rule, every church being at
liberty to make choice of what they most approved
of, for it was the matter, rather than the manner,
that was attended to. In some churches, the psople
sung all together in concert, and in others alternately.
As for organs, or any other sort of instrumental mu-
sic, it was not then known in the churches : it cannot
rationally be supposed, that in those days of almost
continual persecution, they could either use or pre-
serve them.
When the singing was over, the bishop stood up-
and delivered the sermon, which generally lasted an
hour, but seldom more. It consisted in an explica-
tion of what had been read in the lessons, and con-
cluded with some practical inferences. As soon as
the sermon was ended, all present in the congregation
rose up to present their public prayers unto Almighty
God, which according to the evidence of Justin
Martyr, Cyprian, and many others of the fathers,
were offered generally standing, particularly on
Sunday, for on that day it was considered as a sin to
kneel. Indeed, the preacher generally concluded his
sermon with an exhortation to the people to stand
up, as will appear from the -following specimen of
one of Origen's. " Wherefore standing up, let us
beg help from God; let us pray that we may be
made worthy of Jesus Christ ; let us offer up sacri-
fices to the father through Jesus Christ, who is the
propitiation of our sins, to whom be glory and domi-
nion, for ever and ever. Amen."
Accordingly, the whole congregation stood up,
and turned their faces to the east, in which attitude
they continued during the time of prayer; but here
it will be necessary, that we should account for this
ceremony. First, it was assigned by many of the
fathers as a reason for praying to the east, that it
was the most excellent quarter of the world, because
it was symbolical of the glorious light which arose
upon the heathen world ; for as the sun gives light
to the world, so does the gospel to sinners. But the
best reason assigned for this practice is, that they
misunderstodd the prophecy of Zechariah vi. I'i.
\\ here it is said, " licliold the man whose name is
the Branch ;" and because they did not understand
Hebrew, they used the Septiiagint version, where tlie
word Branch is translated the East.
llie consresation being thus turned towards the
east, they put themselves in a praying posture,
stretchiug out their hands, and lifting up their eyes
to heaven ; when the minister said, "Lift up your
hearts." After this, the minister began to pray ;
but here it is necessary we sliould take some notice
of the habit in which he officiated, and with respect
to this, we shall only repeat vs hat has been left CMi re-
cord by the fathers who lived in those times.
His usual garb was a pallium, which was' the
same with what we call a cloak, for that being the
most plahi, sini))le garment, it was worn by the
Christians in general, in preference to the Toga, or
lionian gown, which was more gay and sjilcndid.
Therefore we find, that those who embraced Chris-
TTIE CHTTTSTIAN RELIGION.
151
tjanltv, quitted the Tofja and put on the palli'iin, as
a .«i};n of liu ;iili(v, ami iiifliratiii;^ tlu-ir l>eiiig dcarl
to the world. I'liis menn habit iiiHiiretl the hea-
thens to ridiculo tiie primitive Christians; for in
the works of 'rertiillian, there is extant an ' essay,
entitled, " A I'efence of the Cloak." Tertnllian
adds f'lirther, tliat no vestmesUS were worn over the
cloak, and spe;?ks against some preachers in his
time who used to throw off their cloaks, which ii<^
condennis as a superstitions affectation, and a hea-
theinsh custom. " So," says he, " the heathens
prav to their gods, which if it ought to have been
done, ^vodld have lieen enjoined by tiie apostles,
who have given diiections concerning the manner of
praver."
Prayer was delivered with a modest, bashful
voice, that being most proper for those who came
to acknowh'dge the multitude and heinousiiess of
their sins,, and beg God's pardon and grace, which
are the chief parts of prayer ; music being more
for praise and thanksgiving. When j)rayer was
concluded, tiie people said Amen, or. So be it,
and sometimes the Lord's Prayer was used, and at
other times omitted. Thus in the divine and hea-
venly prayer of Polycarp, when chained to the
stake : " I^ord, I will praise thee, I will magnify
thee, through the eternal high priest, Christ Jesus
thy beloved Son, by whom to thee, with him and
the holy gliost, be glory, now and forever. Amen."
Every bishop prayed in what words he pleased,
but no doubt they were such as were proper to ele-
vate the mind to the highest strains of devotion.
^Ve do not mean to say, that they did not occa-
sionally use forms, for, probably, many of them
did, but only that they were not imposed, one bishop
using one form, and another using another ; others
did not use any. But whatever forms they used,
they could not be read out of a book, which is evi-
dent from the posture in which they stood, which
was either with their eyes lifted up to heaven, or
with them shut. Thus Origen says, tliat, " A true
Christian [)rays in every place, closing the eyes of
his senses, but opening those of his mind." Now
let them have jirayed in either of these postures, it
will appear evident that they could not read : for how
could tliey tmii over the leaves of the book while
their hands were stretched out toward.* heaven in the
fonn of a cross, or when their eyes were shut .''
The last thinn; to be said concerning their prayers,
is to inquire whether they used onl\ one at a time,
or whether a great many short collects, as we do in
our pnljlic worship. In answer to this, all we can
say witli any degree of probability is, that for the
ease of the bishops on fast days, when the service
was three times as long as on other days, they might
use several short collects ; but this we advance rather
6y way of conjecture, than as amounting td^ full i>roof.
Baptism is tlie next ceremony to be taken notice
of, and here it will be necessary to point out, first,
who baptised ? secondly, who were baptised ? and
lastly, the manner of baptizing ? And first, the person
baptizing was usually the bishop or president of the
church ; for after the beginning of the second cen-
tury, when the churches were greatly increased in
the number of members, and the bishop was not
able to discharge the wliolc of the duty, a new order
was instituted, called Presbyters. These Presbyters
were chosen from among the people, and ordained
in the same manner as the bishop ; but altliough
they for the most part, assisted him in all the sacred
oftices, vet the chief parts particularly the celebration
of the sacraments, were discharged by him as presi-
dent, if he was present. But by his consent, even
if he wa's present. Presbyters and deacons were
permitted to do all these things, and this was the
more necessary, as it frequently happened, that tlie.
bishop was confined in prison for preaching the
gospel, a truth which most of lliotn sealed with their
own blood.
Secondly, with respect to the persons who were
baptized, all that wc can learn, is, that they were
of two sorts, namely, they were either infants, or
persons grown up to years of maturity. Infants
were the children of Christian parents, and grown
persons were such as had been covered from Pagan
idolatry. That infants were baptized, appears evi-
dent from many considerations; baptism was always
precedent to the Lord's Stipper, and none were
admitted to receive the Lord's Supper till they were
baptized. ITiis is so obvious that it needs no proof,
for if any one doubts of it, he may find a thousand
proofs in the writings of Irenus, and .lustin Maftyr,
who were among the tirst of the fathers that liVed
nearest to the apostolic age. Wc d;) uot intend here
to insinuate, that all the churcheswere mianimous
in their consent, that the baptism of infants was a
gosjiel doctrine, but only that it was generally prac-
tised as coming hi the room of ll'.e sacrament of
circumcision. This is not to be wondered at, when
we consider what a near aftinity tliere was between
the Jewish and Christian systems ; the one was the
shadow of good things to come, the other w as the
completion of all the prophecies and promises.
The person, if ad\anced in years, was first asked
several questions by the bishop, concerning his
knowledge of the principles of the Christian faith;
as, first, whether he abjured the devil and all his
works ; and, secondly, v.helher hc assented to all
the articles of the Christian faith proposed to him .'
By these articles of the Christian faith is generally
imdcrstood that symbol called the Apostles' Creed ;
but this is false, for before the time of the einperor
Cvastanline, the creed called the Apostles, was not
known. Preyious to that period every church had
■ ^
152
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
its own creed, but still in essentials they agreed ;
they all agreed in the fundamental articles of religion,
but they often differed with respect to disputed
points. This, however, made no breach in the iniity
of faith ; for although they differed in smaller mat-
ters, yet they were all united in those things that
related to their eternal salvation ; they lived in har-
mony together, and they considered each other as
brethren.
Thirdly, let us attend to the manner of baptism,
one of the most S'tlemn rites in the Christian church ;
for as a person \\ho enters into a military Jife swears
to be obedient to his general, so the Christian at
baptism swears to serve faithfully the captain of his
salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ. And the first part
of the ceremony was exorcism, which was the cast-
ing out the devil, or the unclean spirit. This |>rac-
tice they founded upon an explanation of our Lord's
farewel discourse to his disciples, Mark xvi. 17, 18-
There Christ commanded them to go forth, preach-
ing the gospel, and to baptize ; which was to be an
-unalterable, perpetual ministration, to the end of the
■world. Then he proceeds to tell them, that foi tiie
speedier propogation of the gospel, and that the hea-
thens might the more readily embrace it, lie would
confer on them, and the first preachers thereof, tlie
gift of working miracles. That is, they should in
his name cast out devils, and speak in unknown
tongues, as they liiost eminently did on the day of
Pentecost ; that they should witbout being injured,
take up serpents, as St. Paul did at Malta ; and if by
accident tliey drank any deadly tiling, it should not
hurt them. It was added, that by laying their hands
on the sick, they shoijd heal them ; and all this they
did, as we are assured by ecclesiastical liistorians.
However, all these were extraordinary gifts, that
Avere to last no longer than tlie apostolic age ; but
•we find that their immediate successors, and even
down to the time of Constantine the Great, they be-
Jieved them to be ordinary, and of a fixed nature.
In the act or ceremony of exorcism, the bishop, or
whoever officiated for him, commanded the unclean
spirit ,to depart out of tlie catechumen, using several
prayers suitable to the occasion, with imposition of
Jl^auds.. N.ext fi^liowed baptism itself, and the per-
son being ready to be baptized, the minister by
prayer consecrated the water for that use, and bap-
tized him in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost. As to the form of baptizing,
it seems to have been by dipping the whole body,
except in cases of sickness, when the life of the per-
son might have been in danger. If the person bap-
tized by sprinkling happened to recover, he was ge-
nerally re-baptised by immersion ; and no person
5:ould be admitted to holy orders who had not been
baptized in this latter form.
Justin Martyr, who lived about the middle of the
second century, relates, that when baptism was over,
the person baptized was admitted into tlie number of
the faithful, and received the other sacrament of the
Lord's Supper with the rest of the congregation ;
who sent up their united prayers to God for him.
From this circumstance as related by Justin Martyr,
it appears that prayers only followed after baptism ;
but soon after his time, some other rites were intro-
duced, which although in themselves rather of an
indifferent nature, yet, in after ages, were very much
abused, and upon tljcin was raised a system of
superstition.
The first of tliese ceremonies, which probably
was introduced in the ciunch towards the latter end
of the second century, was called unction, or anoint-
ing, which cer-emony diey borrowed from the Jews ;
for TertuUiau writes, " This unction is according
to tlie Jewish dispensation, wherein the high-priest
was anointed with oil out of an horn, as Aaron was
by Moses." The design was, that they might be
considered by their brethren as consecrated persons,
like Christ, who is often called the anointed of God.
The sec(md of tiiese rites was, the marking the
bapti:;ed person on the forehead with the sign of the
cross, by which was denoted that they were to be
strong and vali^mt in the cause of Christ, having
their iiearts fortified and strengthened ; and there-
fore it was made on the most visible part of the
body, the forehead, which is the seat of courage
and confidence. As the Christians in their afflicted
persecuted state, could not prevent the heathens
from coming into their assemblies, so we find, that
part of the informations exhibited against them was,
that they made the sign of the cross on their fore-
heads, that they might fight for Jesus Christ against
the emperors. The conse(|ueiice was, that the first
part of their punishment consisted in marking with a
hot iron the sign of the cross on their foreheads.
Another ceremony was imposition of hands, or what
has been since called confirmation ; and this was
practised from an opinion, that baptism was not
perfect without it.
Confirmation was considered in the same light as
absolution of sins, as appears from the united testi-
monies of all the Christian fathers who lived be-
tween the death of Justin Martyr, and the reign of
Constantine the Great, and although the ceremony
was in its own nature simple, innocent, and expres-
sive, yet we find that it was afterwards used to a
bad purpose, by placing too much confidence in it.
But the ceremony of confirmation was not confined
to a single instance in the life of one person, for as
many of the primitive Christians, through the fear
of persecution, relapsed hito idolatry, and were again
restored to the bosom of the church ; so it was ne-
cessary, before they were re-admitted, that they
shpuld be confirmed. It may be further added, that
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
133
presbyters had a right to confirm, as well as bishops,
their ordination being the same, tlie dirt'crence con-
sisting only in dignity and power.
Having said thus much concerning the first sacra-
ment of the Christian church, baptism, we shall
now- proceed to consider in wliat manner llie primi-
tive Christians administered the second, called tiie
eucharist, or the Lord's Supper. And in treating on
this, that the reader may be led into a methodical
system, we shall pomt out, first, the time wlien,
secondly, the persons by whom, and lastly, the place
where it was admhiistered, or in the language of
some divines, solemnized.
First, as for the time, it was generally at the con-
clusion of their solemn services ; for as J iistin Martyr
writes, " after they had read, sung, preaclied, and
prayed, they proceeded to administer tlie eucharist."
13ut as for the particular time, there was no rule, in
general ; every particular church fixing the time ac-
cording to the nature of their circumstances. In the
age of Tertullian, wiio lived about the latter end of
the second, and the begnming of the third century,
they received it in the evening, which induced the
heathens to accuse them with putting out their lights,
and mixing together in an indecent manner. This
however, was a false accusation; for the Christians
avoided ostentation in their sacred mysteries, on ac-
count of the cruelties inflicted upon all those who
had the unhappiness to be informed against, and
dragged before the pro-consul of the province w here
they resided.
Pliny, a heathen, in his letter to the emperor Tro-
jan, says, that the Christians met before sun-rising
to celebrate their mysteries; but instead of accusing
them of any crimes, he says, that they bound them-
selves by an oath, not to injure any one, to be obe-
dient to the civil powers, and to contribute towards
relieving the wants of their brethren, according to
the nature of their circumstances, for every one was
at liberty to give what he pleased. St. Cyprian, bin
shop of Carthage, says, that some received the eu-
charist in the morning, and others in the evening,
from all which we may learn, that the meetings of
the Christians were not exactly fixed, but that they
met together as often as they had opportunities, only
that they preferred the first day of the week, now
called Sunday, to all other times whatever.
Secondly, the persons communicating, were not
all who professed the Christian faith ; for Origen
writes that it did not belong to every one to eat of
the bread, and drink of the cup, in the sacrament.
This privilege was reserved for those whose charac-
ters were unspotted, and who lived holy lives in the
fear of God, in the practice of religious duties ; by
all which they did honour to their Uivlne Kedeenier.
Now as none but the faithful and the pious were ad-
mitted to this sacred ordinance, so it will naturally
9
be inferred, that catechumens, who had not been
properly instructed, and relapsed penitents who had
returned from idolatry, were excluded. Thus when
the common service was over, and the congregation
of the faithful were going to approach the sacred
table of the Lord, all the penitents who had not
been reconciled, and the catechumens, who had
not been properly instructed, were desired to with-
draw ; and liowever just and equitable such an insti-
tution might appear to an unprejudiced man, jet
partly from the unjust accusation of false brethren,
and more generally from the malice of the heathen.s,
particularly their priests, the civil governors were
made to believe, that the Chri.>;tiaus practised unna-
tural crimes ; an accusation, not only unjust, but
in all respects contrary to their principles, which
were pure and holy.
Thirdly, let us now attend to the manner of cele-i
bra ting the eucharist, but here it is necessary to
observe, that the externjil rites were not always the
same, for in some parts they made offerings to the
poor before the minister consecrated the elements,
and in other parts of the world it v as done after-
w ards. In general the rule was for the minister,
bishop, or presbyter, or by what other name he was
called, to begin with an explanation of the sacra-
ment, and an exhortation to the faithful to receive
it in a worthy manner. After the exhortation, the
minister prayed for a blessing on the elements, to
which the people gave their assent, by saying Amen.
This prayer was one, but it consisted of two parts,
namely, petition and thaivksgiving. In the former,
they prayed for the peace of the church, the quiet
of the world, the health of the emperors, and, in
a word, for all men who needed their prayers. —
In the latter, they thanked God for sending Jesus
Christ, his son, into the world and for the institu-
tion of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and dur-
ing this solemn act, the minister took both the
bread and wine into his hands and consecrated them
at once.
Prayer being eniled, the words of institution were
read, that so the elements might be consecrated by
the w ord as well as by prayer. Then the minister
took the bread, and having broken it, gave it to the
deacons, who distributed it to the communicants ;
ceremonies being but little attended to in those
ages bv the Christians. In most places every indi-
vidual had the bread and wine delivered to him,
either by the bishops or deacons ; but in the church
of xMexandria, the whole was placed on a table,
and every one took what he pleased. As for the
posture of receiving the sacrament, it was different
in various places. In Alexandria the communicants
stood up and received tlie elements, which was after
the follow ing manner : The bread and wine being
consecrated, the faithful came up m order to the
L
134
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
communion table, where, standing, they received
the elements, and then returned to their places
again ; but although this practice was not universal,
yet this much is certain, that no person could receive
the eucharist kneeling, between the feasts of Easter
and Whitsunday, that posture, during that time, being
absolutely prohibited by the church.
The communicants having received the elements,
a psalm, or hymn, was sung to the praise and glory
of God; for as Tertullian writes, " every one sung
an hymn to God, either of his own composition, or
out of the sacred scriptures." Then followed the
thanksgiving to almighty God, for his great mercies,
and a collection was made for the })oor, which money
was left with the deacons, in order to be distributed
among those who were in want, and as the name of
every individual was known to the officers of the
church, so deception seldom took place.
Having hitherto spoken of the particular acts of
public worship among the primitive Christians, let
HS now inquire into those circumstances that attended
them ; that is, such as are inseparable from all human
actions, such as place, time, habit, and gesture.
Some of these things have already been taken notice
of, but to keep on in the most regular systematical
manner possible, we shall enlarge a little farther.
And first, as for the place, all will readily grant,
that it is, and always must have been a necessary
circumstance of divine worship ; for if we serve
God, it must be in one place or other. Now here
it is necessary to propose the following question ;
Had the primitive Christians fixed and determined
places for public worship .? To this it is answered,
that usually they had, though in times of persecution
it was often otherwise. Then, as Eusebius says,
they used to meet in fields, in woods, in deserts, and
sometime in ships that lay near the sea coast, yet
in times of peace, they chose the most convenient
place they could get for the performance of their so-
lemn services, and that was called a church. Thus
at Rome, in the time of Eusebius, the place where
the Christians met to chusc their bishop, was called
the church. At Alexandria, much about the same
time, the bishop appointed women to sing to the
faithful, and the place where they were to officiate,
was. the church. At Carthage, when a person re-
nounced the devil, and was baptized, it was in the
church, the common name for the place where the
Christians assembled.
As for the form of their churches, we have the
following description of them in Tertullian ; " The
house of our dove-like religion, is simple, built on
high, and in open view, respecting the light, as the
figure of the Holy Ghost, and the east, as the re-
presentation of Christ." llie meaning is, that their
churches were built on high and open places, and
iBiwie light and shining, in imitation of the descent
of the Holy Ghost upon the apostles, at the feast
of Pentecost. As the most conspicuous part stood
towards the east, it was in honour of Christ, whom
they imagined to be called the east, because they
did not know the Hebrew , where the word is. But,
although they had these churches for decency and
conveniency, yet they never imagined there was any
holiness in them, so as to recommend, or make more
acceptable their services to God, any more than if
they had worshipped him in another place.
Time is another necessary and indispensible cir-
cumstance of religious worship, for while we are in
this world, we cannot join at all times to serve God.
Thus we find, that under the law, God instituted
the Sabbath, with other festivals, for the benefit of
his people meeting together to worship him. And
so, under the Christian dispensation, there are times
and seasons for worship, for the benefit of the faith-
ful, that they may be built up in true holiness. Now
the principal time was the first day of tiie week, and
it was sometimes called the Chief of Days, the Lord's
Day, and by several of the fathers, it is called Sun-
day, although not often. It was kept as a day of
rejoicing in memory of Christ's resurrection from the
dead. On this day they met together and performed
all the acts of divine worship, such as we have already
described, and in private they spent the day in the
most pious and heavenly manner, in reading, praying,
singing, and in holy conversation.
It w:as called Sunday, out of compliment to the
heathens, that they might know when they met, and
be witnesses to the purity of their worship. But al-
though they complied so far with the heathens as to
call it Sunday, yet from tiie whole of their writings,
they never called it the Sabbath ; and J ustin Martyr
wrote a treatise against those who used Jewish man-
ners. But in some parts of Asia, where there were
many Jews, the Christians performed divine worship,
both on Saturdays and on Sundays, that they might
convince those infatuated people, tliat although they
worshipped Christ as their God, yet they honoured
Moses, who was a divine law-giver.
But besides the first day of the week, the Chris-
tians had some other times api>ro])riated for public
worship, and these consisted of fasts and feasts, —
Their fasts were either occasional or fixed. Occa-
sional fasts were such as w^ere not determined by
any fixed period of time, but observed on extraordi-
nary occasions, according as the nature of their cir-
cumstances pointed out. Thus, when a violent per-
secution raged, they kept fasts, and confessed their
sins, as being the procuring causes of the divine
disj-leasure. In the same manner, when the empire
was threatened with any apparent danger, they kept
fasts, and prayed for the prosperity of those empe-
rors by vshose cruel edicts they were persecuted. —
These occasional fasts were appointed by the bishops
'HIE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
135
of every cliurch, as they thoufrht them requisite ; for
Tcitiillian writes, " (he binlnips ordain fasts for their
chiuilies, acci'rding as the circiinislai.ies require."
The other sort of fasts were fixed ones, that is,
such as were always (ihserved at the same time and
season, anti tliese again were tMO-foKl, either weekly
or annual. > The weekly fa.«ts were kept every
Wednesday and Frithiy, and they were called station.s,
in allusion to the military stations, or the soldiers
standing while on guard ; why liiey fasted on Wed-
nesday does not appear in any part of the writings
of the fathers, but on Friday, they fasted in niemorv
of Christ's crucifixion.
As for annual fasts, they had but one, and that
was what we now call lent. Two reasons were as-
signed for their keeping this fast, and the first was
founded upon the misconstruction of that expression
Matth. ix. 15. " The days will come when the
bridegroom shall be taken f»om them." This they
imagined to be an injunction of Christ to ail his fol-
iowers, to fast at the return of that season, when
the bridegroom w as to be taken away ; for the
^ church is often compared to a bride, and Christ to a
bridegroom ; intimating thereby, the spiritual union
that is between them. Therefore these primitive
Christians considered the time when the bridegroom
was to be taken away, to imply the period from his
crucifixion till his resurrection ; and during that
time, they thought themselves obliged to fast.
Secondly, from hence we may observe the dura-
tion of this fast, or how- long it was continued, and
that w as from the time that Christ the bridegroom
w as taken away, to the time he was restored again ;
that is, from his crucifixion to his resurrection.
Now according to their various computations of the
beginning and end of Cinist's being taken away, so
w as the duration of their fast. Some reckoned from
the beginning of Christ's agony in the garden, and
others from his being betrayed by Judas. Some
again from the time of his being nailed to tlie cross,
and others from his being actually dead ; and so ac-
cording to the diversity of opinions and computations
w as their fast of lent, either lengthened or shortened.
Thus Ireneus writes, " some believe that they must
fast but one day, others two, others more, and some
that we should fast forty hours,' which last space of
lime seems to have been general among them.
In after-times, this fast was called Quadragesima,
that is, not a fast of forty days, in imitation of Christ's
fasting in the w ilderness, but a fast of forty hours,
beginning at twelve o'clock on Friday, about which
time our Lord was dying, and ending on Sunday
3iiorning, when he arose Irom the grave ; so that
from twelve o'clock on Good-Friday, as we call it,
when Christ the bridegroom was taken away, they
fasted in obedience to his command, as they imagin
cd, till Sunday Djoruiiig, wliea he was found agaiu
by his resurrection, at which time they forgot their
sorrow and mourning, concluded their fast, and bean
the joyful feast of Easter, or Christ's resurrection.
As for the manner of these fasts, they were some-
what different ; as first, there was the fast of stations,
wliich ciuled at three o'clock in the afternoon, or at
the ninth hour, as it was called by V'ictorinus an an-
cient author. 'I'his service, as we have already ob-
served, w as used on Wednesdays and I'ridays, and
on them divine worship was ended at three o'clock in
the afternoon.
The second were the occasional fasts, which we
have already mentioned, and these lasted till late in
llie evening, and here it may be necessary to observe,
that all occasional fasts were kept in the most solemn
manner, by prayers and intercessions.
The third sort of fasts was called Superposition,
and lasted till the morning of the next day. In some
of the w estern churches, this fast began on Saturday,
and continued till Sunday morning ; but it iliffered
much in the various parts of the w orld, some fol-
lowing one ruler, and some another. And indeed,
an unansw'erable reason has been assigned, w hy they
<lid keep these fasts at different times, namely, that
many Christian women were married to Pagan hus-
bands, and therefore such could not be up all the
night without making mischief in their families,
which is contrary to the gospel of peace ; so that
the woman in compliance with the duty she owed
to her husband, refrained from fasting on that night
which ushered in Easter.
As the fasts observed by the primitive Christians,
were either occasional, or fixed, so were their feasts:
but as for the occasional feasts, there has been so
little controversy concerning -them, that we shall
only add, that many of them were kept when some of
the heathens were converted, and others in com-
memoration of a variety of particular events.
Tlieir fixed feasts were either weekly or annual,
and by weekly is meant, that they always observed
the Sunday as a feast, but it was spent in the most
solemn acts of divine worship. Their annual feasts
were either those held in commemoratioir of Christ,
or in honour of the martyrs. Those in commemo-
ration of Christ, were at first only two, namely,
Easter and Whitsunday, but afterwards we finrt
Christmas added to them, and of these we shall treat
in their proper order.
'I'he most ancient feast was that of I*!asler, con-
cerning the solemnization of which among the })ri-
mitive Christians there never was the least doubt ;
but there were violent disputes concerning the time
when it should be kept. Ihe churches in the lesser
Asia, kept their l-laster on the same day the Jews
kept their passover, whether it happened on a Sun-
day or not ; but the church of liome kept it on the
Suuday afterwards.
136
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
This diversity of customs created much disorder,
and many contusions in the Christian church, for
the cliurch of Rome attempted to impose her usages
on all the Christian world, and the churches of the
lesser Asia peremptorily refused to comply. To
quell the storms, and appease these heats, the great
and good Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, went to
Rome, and conferred with Anicetus, bishop of that
church, who agreed that evei^y church should follow
their own customs, and this they continued to do till
the time of pope Victor, who lived about the latter
end of the second century. This Victor was a man
of a violent temper, and so turbulent a disposition,
that he excommunicated all the churches in Asia,
calling them by the opprobrious name of heretics,
because they would not comply with the customs of
the church of Rome.
But the churches in Asia stood their ground, and
maintained their old custom, till the council of Nice,
32.5, by their authority decided this controversy,
decreeing, that throughout the whole Christian
world, Easter should be observed on the Sunday
next after the Jewish passover, and so it has conti-
nued in most parts of the world ever since.
The next feast observed by the Christians was
that of Whitsunday, or Pentecost, in commemoration
of the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the apostles,
which also was very ancient, as appears by the testi-
monies of many of the fathers, particularly Origen
and TertuUian.
As for Christmas, there is reason to believe it
was not observed by the Christians in the time of
Origen, who lived near about the middle of the third
century ; and the reason is plain, because they could
not lix upon the day, nor even the month. Indeed
there were so many opinions concerning the time
when this most important event happened, that we
are led to believe, there were none of the primitive
Christians who observed it before the time of Con-
stantine the Great ; that is, they did not keep it regu-
lar on a particular day ; some churches observing
one, and some anothei', while others paid no regard
to it at all.
Thus we find, that almost from the beginning of
Christianity, or at least soon after the death of the
apostles, Easter and Whitsunday were both celebrated
as festivals, but no notice was taken of Christmas,
till Christianity had received a civil establishment ;
that is, it was not observed in a general way. The
Pasilidians, a sect often mentioned in ecclesiastical
history, were the first who observed what has been
since called Epiphany, as the day on which Christ
Avas baptized ; but in the churches in general, little
^r no notice was taken of it, because all customs,
rites, or ceremonies, first introduced by heretics,
were little regarded.
.Besides these festivals above-mentioned, there
were none others observed to the honor of the
blessed Jesus, nor of the Virgin Mary, nor of any
of the apostles and evangelists, and which is very
remarkable, it is seldom or ever that the ancient fa-
thers, in their writings, gave the title of saints to
those holy persons who propagated Christianity,
but style them simply, Peter, Paul, John, &c. for
the title of saint was introduced long afterwards.
But there was another sort of festival, which every
church commemorated annually, in memory of
those who had suffered martyrdom for the gospe!,
and when they assembled together in their churches,
they recited the glorious acts of their martyrs, and
exhorted the people to imitate them in an uniform
course of Christian duty. That this was their prac-
tice, will appear evident, when we consider that the
truth of it is supported by the testimonies of Cy-
prian, TertuUian, and many others ; but when it
first took place in the church cannot well be ascer-
tained at this distance of time. The first instance
we have of it, is in the epistle from the church of
Smyrna, giving an account of the martyrdom of
Polycarp, wherein they write, that they had ga-
thered up his bones, or rather his ashes, and buried
the'.rt in a decent place, where they were to meet
once every year, and celebrate his pious actions with
joy. And that they might be very certain as to the day
on which the martyr suffered, there was in each
church a person appointed to take an account of these
things, and to keep a faithful register of them ; of
this we have an instance in the works of Cyprian,
bishop of Carthage, who during his exile, wrote to
his clergy, desiring them to mark down the particular
day upon which tha martyrs suffered, that so they
might be commemorated along with the rest of 'the
faithful. In tliis ceremony they had two things in
view, first, to anmiate and encourage othevs to follow
the glorious example of those blessed martyrs, whose
sufferings were recited to them ; and secondly, to de-
clare the veneration and respect they had for those
Christian heroes and champions of Jesus Christ, who
by their martyrdoms were now freed from all their
miseries and torment, and translated into a blessed
and glorious immortality, and expecting the truth of
that saying, that the day of a man's death is better
than the day of his birth.
As for the place, or places, where these anniver-
sary solemnities were performed, it w as at, or near
the tombs of the martyrs, who were usually buried,
with the rest of the faithful, in a distinct place from
the heathens ; it being their custom to inter the
Christians by themselves, separate from the Pagans,
accounting it an heinous crime to mingle their sa-
cred ashes with those of their lidolatrous, and perse-
cuting neighbours. And this was the reason why
the Christians would run upon ten thousand hazards
to collect the scattered members of the d«ad martyrs.
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
13?
and decently to iiilcr them in tiir" common repository
of the f'ailhtiil. The Christians had such respect
to tlie aslies of their departed brethren who died in
the failli, that they tliought tiiey could not do too
much to lionour tlieni.
If in tiie next place, it should be inquired, in
vliat manner they spent the days appropriated for
these festivals ? the answer will be obvious. They
did not spend diem like the heathens, in riot and
debauchery, but in religious exercises, praying that
God would give them grace and strength to imitate
those martyrs who had gone before them ; but dur-
ing the whole of the period we are now writing of,
no prayers were offered to the dead. That the cir-
cumstances related above might lead to such a prac-
tice cannot be doubted, and the whole may serve to
shew, that the best means may be perverted to the
worst of purposes.
As this is a very important period in the liistory of
the Christian cluircli, and as much has been written
concerning the rites and ceremonies, it is necessary
that we should in this place, say something concern-
ing both, because we are of opinion that too many
confound the one with the other.
By rites, are meant such actions as have a rela-
tion to the circumstances or manner of w orship. As
for instance ; the sacrament of the Lord's supper
was to be received in one manner or other, but w he-
ther from the bishop or deacon, was the rite. Lent
vas to be observed a certain space of time, but
whether one day, or two days, or more, though
not exceeding three days, was the rite thereof; so
that rites are necessary concomitants of the circum-
stances of divine worship, appendages to them ; but
they cannot with propriety be called essential parts,
because divine worship can exist without them.
By ceremonies, we are to understand such things
as are no way coimected, either with the manner or
circumstances of divine worship ; but that the acts
thereof may be performed without them. As for
instance, in some churches they gave to persons
M-hom they baptised, milk and honey, afid before they
prayed, they washed their hands. Now both these
actions were ceremonies, because they were not ne-
cessary in discharging the duties of divine worship,
unto which they had been affixed ; but still those
acts might have been performed without the assist-
ance of such ceremonies ; for surely baptism might
have been administered without milk or honey,
and prayers offered up without washing of hands.
And previous to our entering upon a subsequent
part of this work, it will be necessary to inquire
how, or in what manner, such ceremonies crept into
the Christian church, while it laboured under a
state of persecution, and long before it received a
civil establishment from the emperor Constantine
the Great,
9 2 m
\
It is evident, that many ceremonies did creep into
the church in the most early ages, but from the be-
ginning it was not so ; for soon after the death of
the apostles, the church became gradually spotted
in her doctrine, as well as in her worship ; f(jr cor-
ruption in doctrine, and pollution in worship, go
hand in hand together — they are inseparable compa-
nions. Some eminent men, in all other respects,
are ornaments to the Christian church, yet were so
weak, that they attached themselves to trifles and to
ceremonies, upon which they laid too much stress,
and although they did this with no evil intention,
yet it was perverted to the worst of purposes after-
wards. Some made use of crosses to stir up their
devotions, and others had recourse to many more
insigniticant ceremonies ; and this being done dur-
ing the heat of persecution, may serve to shew that
human nature, in its present depraved state, is just
the same as it has been in all ages. Simplicity in
the exterior parts of religion, will always poiut out
a divine origin in all, but when human inventions
are once mixed with the worship of God, then the
glorious fabric is deformed, and the purity is spotted.
Others again were introduced through a misun-
derstanding of some passages in the scripture ; such
were the exorcism before baptism, and their unction
or anointing after it, as we have already observed.
And lastly, some of them crept in througli their
dwelling among the Pagans, who in their ordinary
conversation, used an almost infinity of superstitions,
and some of these Pagans, when converted to the
Christian faith, brought along with them some of
their innocent ceremonies, as they esteemed them to
be, either thinking them decent and useful to stir up
their devotions, or to gain over more heathens, who
were offended at the plainness and simplicity of the
Christian worship.
By tliese means, with others of a similar nature,
many ceremonies crept imperceptibly into the church,
of which Tertidliau gives the follow ing severe; cen-
sure : " That they are deservedly to be condemned
as vain, because they are done without the authority
of any precept whatever, either of our Lord or his
apostles ; that they are not religious, but supertitious,
affected, and constrained ; curious rather than reason-
able, and to be abstained from, because heathenish."
Such are the words of TertuUian, a learned presbyter
of the chiuch of Carthage, about the latter end of the
second century, and as he was one of the most emi-
nent writers in those primitive times of Christianity,
much regard should be paid to him.
But with respect to the use of the rites and cere-
monies hitherto mentioned, all churches were left to
their own discretion, to follow their own customs
and usages, or to embrace those of others if they
pleased ; from whence it is that we find such a
variety of methods in their divine service. Thus in
i...3
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
some churches, tlie communicants received the ele-
ments tiom the hands of the bishop, and others
from the hands of the deacons ; some made a col-
lection before the sacrament, others after it ; some
kept lent one day, some two days, and others ex-
actly forty hours. Some kept Easter on the same
day with the Je^\'ish passover, while others kept it
on the Sunday following : and so in many other
things.
But although one church could not oblige ano-
ther to a conformity in rites and ceremonies, yet a
particular church or parish should enl'orce its own
members to such a conformity ; of which we find
many instances in church history, and in the writ-
ings of the fathers. So that churches might differ
from each other, but particular members could not
form their own church ; which serves to shew, that
they were charitable to each other, and yet regular
in their discipline. A bishop with the consent of
his people might introduce a new cfiremony, but uo
individual was to bring in new ones, much less was
he to foment tumults and dissentions ; which prac-
tice is condemned by the holy apostle Paul in the
following words, " But if any man seems to be
contentious, we have no such customs, neither the
churches of God." 1 Cor. xi. 16. Which is as if
the apostle had said, if men, either to shew^ their
wit, or to lead and strengthen a party, will contra-
dict wliat we have said, and affirm it to be decent
and comely, either for men to prav covered or
\\ omen uncovered, this should silence such opposers
tliat there is no such customs in the churches of
God.
\\ hen a bishop died, the whole congregation met
together to chuse another in his room, and as there
were presbyters and deacons after the end of the
second century, i^ay deacons from the beginning, so it
was necessary, as they lived in the strictest harmony,
that the laity, nay all the members of the church,
whether males or females, should give their consent.
There were seldom any disputes among them, for
when ,tlie bishop was elected by the majority, the
minority were obliged to submit ; that is, they were
not to disturb the peace of the church ; for with re-
spect to the period we are here writing of, Christians
had uo civil power to support them. AN hen the
people had thus elected their bishop, they pre-
sented him to the neighbouring bishops for their
approbation and consent, because without their con-
currence there could be no bishop legally instituted
or confirmed ; for as the people coujd not be sup-
posed to be proper judges of their qualifications, so
unless this method had been attended to, ignorant
;and scandalous persons might have crept iHto the
office.
When the neighbouring bishops' had approved of
the election, the next thing to be dune was to pro-
ceed to his ordination, which was always done iii his
own church, and by some of the neighbouring bi-
shops, but the number has never been ascertained ;
for although the book called the Apostolical Canons
says, that a bishop should he ordained by tw o or three
bishops, yet that book is of no great authority ; and
from all we can learn of ordination in the writings
of the ancient fathers, it is evident that three generally
attended this sacred ceremony. The number, how-
ever, was not confined to three ; for if more attended,
it was considered as more valid and honourable.
The ordinaiion or consecration being over which
was done by imposition of hands, and a charge to
the new bishop, he w as delivered to the congregation
as their shepherd or pastor, and from that time he
took upon hiniseh the care of the church. The
newly consecrated bishop sent letters to the other
bishops in the province, intimating, that as he was
now one of their brethren, so he begged tliat they
would co-operate with him in all things that could pro-
mote the prosperity of the church, and build up be-
lievers in their most holy faith. Thus a sort of har-
mony was kept up among them, they lived as bre-
thren of the same profession, as servants of the same
Divaie Redeemer, and heirs of the same eternal in-
heritance. Happy for the Christian church, had
this simple method of ordination continued ; but
alas ! we shall find many deviations from it in the
course of this work ; men are fond of changes, and
such is the depravity of human nature, that we seek
to muigle with the purity of the truth, our vain ima-
ginations and carnal practices.
The dicipline in the primitive church, was as re-
gular, mild and simple, as ever could be devised,
considering that the Christians lived in the midst of
heathens, who not only sought every opportunity to
calumniate them, but also stirred up the civil power
against them, by Mhich many pious persons were
condemned to suffer the most excruciating tortures,
were torn away from their families and children,
dragged before the Roman tribunals, and at last con-
demned to sufi'er the most ignominious deaths.
As all communities must have laws for their
government and i;ood order, so it is necessary tiiat
the church of Clirist should have the same ; for with-
out that, every thuig would be discomposed, and
. instead of regularity and order, we should have no-
thing but anarchy and confusion. Let the Christian
church be ever so pure in its doctrmes, yet either
offenders will creep in, or some will become obnoxi-
ous by their refractory behaviour, who were not so
before. It was therefore necessary, that some sort
of punishment should be inflicted on such offenders ;
but that was only of a spiritual nature, carnal me-
thods having not then been thought of. To clear
up this point, we shall state the follow ing queries,
and answer them in the very words of those Chris-
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
139
tidn writers, who lived before the reign of the empe-
ror Coiistanline the Great.
First, for what faults were offenders censured?
Secondlj', who were the judges that censured ;
Thirdis , the manner of their censures ?
i'ourtldv, what these censures were ?
Fiftldy, the course that oftendas took to be ab-
sol\ed ?
Lastly, the manner of their absokition ?
And lirst, for w hat faults offenders were censured ?
ITie answer is, for heresy, schism, covetousness,
gluttony, fornication, adultery, and for all other sins
of a scandalous nature, which gave oiVence to the
church. So zealous were the holy men in that age,
that tiiey would not suffer the lirst buds of sin to
make their appearance, without doing all in their
power to check them, that iniquity might be ruined
before it had an opportunity of coming to a state of
perfection. That which they punished with the
greatest severity, was a An but too common among
them, namely apostacy from the church. This was
occasioned by tiie seventy of persecution, w hen many,
who had not been well grounded in the faith, forsook
their sacred profession, and sacrificed to idols. We
have many striking instances of this in the writings
of the primitive fathers, and the penance in such
cases was very severe, for the person offending w as
often denied the privilege of all church ordinances,
for upwards of three years, unless it happened that
he was dying, and then it was necessaiy that he
should give all the signs of the most genmne repent-
ance, otherwise his absolution was not considered as
valid, nor himself ranked among the number of the
faithful.
Secondly, who were the judges before whom the
ollenders were to be tried." And by whom they were
to be censured : The answer is, the whole church at
large, c<insisting both of the clergy and laity, not
the bishop \\ ithout the people, nor the j>eople with-
out the bishop, but both corijunctly constituted that
tribunal, befure which ail deii!i<|iients were to be
judged. All the power that any church enjoyed,
was derived fronv the following words of Christ, and
of which the Roman catholics have made a very im-
proper use. " Thou art Peter, and upon this rock
w ill 1 build my church, and the gates of hell shall
not prevail asainst it. And I will give unto thee,
the key? of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever
thou shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and
whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed
ill heaven." Matt. xvi. 18. It). Now, most of the
ancient fathers considered the power here mentioned,
as lodged in every particular church, by which we
are to imderstand the whole constituent members of
a particular congregation. Not the bishop alone,
but the bishop and the people, for all were members
of the same body : as for the executive power, such
as the pronouncing the sentence of excommunication,
and the imposition of hands at the absolution, tliut
could be performed by none but the bishop, who
was considered as the father of his church, unless he
was disabled by sickness, or perhaps confined in
prison, and then a presbyter w as pcrnaited to ofliciale
in his room.
Having thus considered who were the members
of this spiritual court, we may add, that as many of
the people were encumbered with attending on their
secular offices, so it was necessary that the offices of
the church should act in their room. At first, these
officers were the deacons, but when the churches be-
"an to be enlarged, and there were more members,
then we find that presbyters were added, and these
in conjunction prepared all materials that were to be
laid before the body of the people at large ; when
every thing w-as prepared in diis manner, the con-
gregation mfet, and the person accused, having been
heard in his own defence, in opposition to all that
had been objected against him ; the bishop stated tlie
case to the people, by whose majority of votes, the
whole affair was settled.
Thirdly, w ith. respect to the manner of their in-
flicting censures, it was certainly both solemn and
simple ; when compared with the actions of men
here below. Tertulliaii tells us, that when divine
worship was ended, then followed exhortation, re-
proofs, and a divine censure ; by which is meant the
casting out of those who were considered as ;m-
worthv members. Thus, when the bishop, with
the other church officers w ere met, the offender was
called before them, but if he did not appear, this did
not hinder . them from proceeding against him.
Ho-\vever, all necessary means were used to make
tlie delinquent appear, and if he did, then he was
heard in the most calm and dispassionate manner.
Every person present had a right to give his opinion,
and judgment was pronounced accordingly. Beford
the sentence was pronounced, the bishop, or in his
room, the presbyter, or -my of the presbyters, ex-
horted the faithful to use ail diligent care to avoid
those sins or crimes, which had brought the offender
before them, in so lamentable a condition. Fheu
he addressed himself to the delinquent, putting him
in mind of the nature of his guilt, that it was incon-
sistent with tiie Christian practice, grievous to the
faithful, scandalous to religion, injurious to his oua
soul, and dishonourable to God. After this, he
pronounced the sentence of excommunication, by
which the offending person was cut oflf from the
body of the faithful, and declared to be in the same
state of heathenism he was in before he embraced
Christianity.
Fourthly, as the church itself was spiritual, so all
her aims were of a spiritual nature, and the highest
severities of her censures consisted in suspension?
140
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
and excommunications, in electing and throwing
out scandalous and rotten members, without per-
jnitting them to return, till they had given the most
evident signs of sincere penitence and repentance.
Every person cast out of the church was looked u{:jon
as accursed of God, a limb of satan, a member of
the devil, and one who was consigned over to eternal
perdition. Nay, if he died in that unhappy condi-
tion, he was considered as one unworthy of the
divine favour, v>ho was excluded for ever from the
kingdom of heaven, and given up to a state of con-
demnation.
Fifthly, from the nature of this dreadful sentence,
we may be wpII assured, that those who had once
embraced Christianity, would be afraid to offend,
and it always happened that those who were sensible
of their guilt, became sincerely penitent. They
fasted, prayed, watched, and mourned, and w'ent
through the most severe course of mortification, till
they were absolved, and reinstated in the favour of
God and the churcli. And this leads us to consider
the means that offenders took to be delivered from
that miserable state.
They came in the most humble manner to the
door of the church, where they stood weeping, and
as the faithful passed by, they prostrated themselves
at their feet, begging their prayers to God for them.
The behaviour of these penitents is finely expressed
in the following extract of a letter from the church
of Rome to St. Cyprian, bishop of the church of
Carthage, about the middle of the third century —
" Let them, say they, knock at the church doors,
but not break them ; let them come to the threshold
of the church, but not pass over it ; let them watch
at the gates of the celestial tents, but armed with
modesty, by which they may remember that they
were deserters; let them resume the trumpet of their'
prayers, but not to sound an alarm to battle ; let
them ann themselves with the darts of modesty,
and re-take that shield, which by their apostacy,
they lost ; that so they be not armed against the
church, which grieves at their misery, but against
their adversary, the devil. A modest petition, a
jaashful supplication, a necessary humility, an in-
dustrious patience, will be advantageous to them ;
let them confess their grief by their tears, and their
sorrow and shame for their crimes by their groans."
This, curious epistle is extant in the works of St.
Cyprian, as it was written to him in answer to one
he sent to the church of Rome, desiring their advice
how he was to act towards those who had first
relapsed, and then desired to be restored again to
the church. The truth is, the persecution raged at
that time more severely in Africa, and particularly
Sit Carthage, than in any other part of the Roman
empire ; and Cyprian, having a numerous congre-
gation, many of the young converts, in order to
avoid the fury of the pro-consuls, relapsed into idola-
try, but soon after becoming grieved for what they
had done, desired to be Ve-admitted to the church.
They were ashamed of themselves when they belield
the courage and constancy of the martyrs, the forti-
tude with which they met death under the most
excruciating tortures, and the glorious and triumphant
manner in which they died ; and there being many of
these penitents, the good bishop sought advice of his
brethren at Rome how he was to proceed.
How long the penitent was to continue in a state
of mortification before he was to be re-admitted to
the church, does not appear, nor indeed was the
time fixed ; for it differed according to the circum-
stances of the offence, and the will of the church.
Some continued in a state of penitence two years,
arrd some more ; nor could they be restored till the
( hurch had been fully satisfied of their sincerity.
Lastlv, with respect to the form of their absolu-
tion. When the appointed time for penance was
expired, the penitent applied to the bishop and all
the rest of the officers of the church, and if they
were satisfied of his sincerity, a day was a|)pointed
to re-admit him, which was done in the following
manner :
On the appointed day for absoiuLion, the penitent,
or the person to be absolved, came inio the church,
expressing every sign of grief and sorrow. He then
presented himself before the bishop and the people,
and made, first a confession of his sins in general,
and then proceeded to enumerate the aggravating
circumstances of the offence for which he had been
excommunicated. This confession was made with
all the outward signs of grief, which usually so af-
fected the faithful, that they sympathized with him
in mourning and weeping. As soon as confession
was over, the person to be absolved, kneeled down
before the bishep and the rest of the church officers,
who laid their hands on his head and blessed him,
by which external ceremony, the penitent was re-
admitted to the peace of the church. Such was
some part of the discipline of the primitive church,
even during times when its members were sealing
their testimony to the truth with their blood. It
was the fear of God, the love of Christ, the love of
one another, and above all, the glorious hope of a
blessed immortality, that made them prefer the
peace of the church to every thing.
To what has been said concerning the discipline
of the primitive times, we must add that every
church proceeded against offenders in their own way ;
and although there was an unity in all the essentials
of religion, yet they sometimes differed, without
breaking the unity, or becoming schismatics.
Thus every church had an inherent right in itself,
to be independent without the concurrence of ano-
ther, especially in casting out offenders ; but yet in
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
141
another sense, even' church was dependant, as be-
ing one (it" die nienibers of the whole. Thus the
great Si. Cypritin writes, " there is but one church
of Christ, divided throug,liout the worki, into many
members, and one episcopacy diffused through tlie
numerous concourse of many bishops." A particu-
Jar churcli was not the whole chosen church of
Christ, because it could not represent his mystical
body, l)ut only a part or member of the universal
one ; and as one member of the natural body hath a
connection with, and a regard to all the other mem-
bers thereof, so a particular church which w as but
one member of the universal one, had respect and
relation to the other members. This friendly and
brotherly connection deserves to be taken notice of,
and the ratlier, because it has been niucli misunder-
stood liy those who never spent much of their time
iu reading the primitive fathers of the Christian
church. Besides that of every church keeping up a
brotherly correspondence with those who were situ-
ated at a distance, we find many instances of several
churches meeting together, to decide on contro-
verted points, and to regulate the discipline ; and
these meetings were called synods. During the
first three centuries, these synods were not universal,
but provincial ; so that in some parts, the members
were more numerous than in others. There was
not a fixed time for those meetings, but they were
called according to the circumstances of the times ;
such as when they apprehended an approaching per-
secution ; and at other times, when they wanted to
renew their friendly associations with each other.
The members that composed them consisted of the
bishops, some of the presbytery and deacons, and
from each church a deputation of the laity was sent,
who were admitted to sit and vote in the name of
their brethren, and to deliver their opinions on all
disputed points with freedom.
If it shoidd be asked by whose authority those
synods were called ? it is answered, by their own
authority ; for at that time, they had no civil magis-
trate to give them either countenance or protection
when they met together. The first thing they did,
was to chuse a president, which for the most part
was one of the bishops, who had been celebrated for
his learning, gravity, prudence, piety, and sufferings,
in discharging the duties of his office. He was to
to preside in the synod, to see that every question was
calmly and fairly debated and decreed ; and at the
conclusion of the argument, to sum up what had been
advanced on both sides, after which he collected the
votes, and then delivered his own.
>\ hen the president was chosen, then they entered
«ipon the nature of the business that lay before them,
which may be coiisidered as consisting of two different
parts : first, with respect to foreign churches ; and
secondly, as to the concerns of those with whom
30
they were more immediately connected. And as to
the lirst, namely, concerning foreign churches, all
they did was, to give their opinions and their advice,
but they never dictated, because these churches were
not represented in their assembly. It is true, they
often admonished them when they thought they had
embraced errors, or acted inconsistent with the
nature of their sacred profession, that they might
bring them to a sense of the truth ; this was done in
such a friendly and affectionate manner, that the
advice had generally the desired effect. But with
respect to those churches whom they represented,
all their decrees were binding and obligatoiT, because
it was chiefly on their account that they were con-
vened together.
Various were the reasons for their meeting to-
gether ; but in general it was to regulate the whole
system of church discipline within their own respec-
tive juHsdictions. They consulted about the dis-
cipline, government, and polity of their churches,
and what means were most expedient and proper for
their peace, unity, apd order; which by their common
consent they enacted and decreed, to be observed
by all the faithful of those churches whom they
did represent. That this was their practise, will
be freely acknowledged by all those who have read
the fathers of the three first centuries ; and although
many of their decrees could not be so well preserved,
as those of the .synods that met after tlie time of
the emperor Constautine, yet by the following
decrees of a synod that met at Carthage, about the
•middle of the third century, and in which St. Cyprian
presided, it will appear, that all their meetings were
for the good of the church, and to promote the
happiness, temporal and spiritual, of every member
thereof.
The first decree was, "That although an offen-
der bad not endured the whole time of penance,
yet if he was very sick and in danger of death,
he was to be absolved."
Secondly, " That at the approach of a persecution,
penitent offenders should be restored to the
peace of the church."
Thirdly, "That penance should not be hastily
passed over, nor should absolutions be too
speedily or rashly given."
Fourthly, " That all lapsed and apostate clergy-
men, should, upon their repentance, be only
admitted to communion as laymen, and be
never more capable of discharging or peforming
any office in the church."
And lastly, " That no clergyman should be the
trustee of a last will or testament."
We might transcribe many others of these decrees,
but the above may serve to shew upon what princi-
ples and with what views these holy men met
together ; which leads us to consider two things,
142
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
viz. first, the lives of the Christians in those ages ;
and secondly, the extent of the promulgation of
Ciiristianity, before the reign of the emperor Con-
stantine the Great.
And first, with respect to the lives of the primi-
tive Christians, tlie whole may be comprised in
what was said of them by the heathens ; " Behold
how they love each other ; and this love for each
other was not confined to times of prosperity ; but
it displayed itself in the clearest light, and in the
strongest colours, when life itself was in danger."
At first, the Christians, as followers of our Divine
Redeemer, were called by several odious names,
such as Nazarenes, because Christ lived at Nazareth.
They were for similar reasons, called Gallileans, and
mider that name they were always mentioned by
Julian the apostate emperor. The Pagan priests
used to call them Atheists, because they ridiculed
the worship of their gods.
But this was not all, for because Christ and his
disciples wrought miracles, the Pagan priests said it
was by the power of magic, and therefore stirred up
the populace against them as impostors and magici-
ans. But notwithstanding all these instances of
malice, and many more, that might be added, yet
the Christians always called themselves by some of
those names which had a relation to the divine attri-
butes. Thus they sometimes called themselves
temples of the Holy Ghost, or temples of God, allud-
ing to the purity of their lives ; and at other times,
they were called by each otlier, men of understanding,
because, that despising all the trifling things of this
world, they made choice of that religion which could
alone secure their eternal happiness, notwithstanding
what they might suffer here below.
However, Christian was the name they boasted
of more than any, and this we find was first given
them at Antioch, for before that time, as they lived
together in harmony, so the heathens and the Jews,
out of derision, called them bretliren. Eusebius has
related a most remarkable anecdote, concerning one
Sanctus, a deacon belonging to the church of Vienna,
who suffered under the emperor Marcus Antoninus.
This Sanctus, being put to the rack, and examined
by the pro-consul, concerning his name, his country,
his city and his quality ; his answer to all these ques-
tions was, " I am a Christian." This he said was
to him both name, city and kindred, nor could his
perseeutoi-s extort any other answer from liim.
UTie first churches distinguished themselves in
the most remarkable manner, by their prudence,
piety and virtue. They made a proper use of all
temporal things so far as their families were con-
cerned in the enjoyment of them, and tliat they might
imitate the character of their Divine Redeemer, they
not only forgave their enemies, but they also prayed
ior them, and in distress relieved their wants ; but
all these good actions and many more that might be
mentioned, could not screen them from the most
cruel persecutions.
The Jews were the first and the most inveterate
enemies of the Christians, for as they had crucified
the Lord of Glory, so they did not_ think it any
crime to persecute his followers. This they con-
tinned to do so long as they had power, and when
after that power was taken from them, they used to
accomplish their hellish purposes by means far more
diabolical than open violence. They preferred false
accusations against them to the pro-consuls of the
provinces, endeavouring to make them believe that
the Christians were enemies to the emperors, and
tills occasioned the martyrdom of many of the faith-
ful. The same Jews reproached them with idleness,
and being a useless race of people, and they charged
them with treason, because they called Christ their
king. They affirmed that in celebrating their sacred
mysteries, they killed a child and eat of its flesh, and
these falsehoods were believed by the heathens. But
tlie lives of the Christians in the most striking man-
ner, refuted all those calumnies, and the more they
were depressed, the more conspicuous for virtue and
piety did their characters shine. This will appear
evidently, if we attend to the following passages in
the famous letter written by Pliny the younger, to
the emperor Trajan, sometime between the years \
103 and 105, and this was either before tiie death
of John the Evangelist, or at least within two or? '.
tliree years after it, according to Eusebius snd aU/ f
the ancient ecclesiastical writers.
The persecution having raged violently in the
Lesser Asia, during part of the reign of the emperor
Trajan, who in many other respects was a man of
humanity and benevolence, Pliny the younger, a
learned lawyer, was sent to govern the provinces of
Pontus and Cythymia. Finding many of the Chris-
tians daily dragged before his tribunal, he was at a
loss how to act, and therefore wrote the following
epistle to the emperor.
" 1 take the liberty, Sir, to give you an account of
every difficulty which arises to me. 1 have never
been present at the examinations of the Christians,
for which reason I know not what questions have
been put to them, nor in what manner they have been
punished. My behaviour towards those who have
been accused to me, has been thus : I have interro-
gated them, in order to know whether they were
really Christians. When they have confessed it, I
have repeated the question two or three times, threat-
ening them with death if they did not renounce this
religion. Those who persisted in their confession
that they were Christians, have been by my order led
to punishment. I have even met with some Roman
citizens infected with this phrenzy, whom in regard
to their quality, 1 have set aside from the rest, in
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
143
order to send tlicm to Rome. These persons de-
clare, that llieir whole crime, it' they are guilty, con-
sists in this : 'I'hat on certain days they assemble to-
gether before sun-rising, to sing alternately the praises
of .Christ, whom they call God, and to oblige them-
selves by their religious rites, not to be guilty of theft
or adultery, to observe inviolably their word, and to
be faithful in the discharge of every trust reposed in
them. This iiifonnalion has obliged me farther to
put to the rack two of their w omen servants whom
they call deaconnesses, but 1 could learn nothing
more from them, then that the superstition of these
people, is as ridiculous as their attachment to it is
prodigious."
In answer to this famous epistle, Trajan, the em-
peror sent another to Pliny, desiring him not to
suffer any persons whatever to give informations
against tlie Christians, but if it should happen that
any of these Christians were to come voluntarily into
the forum or common-hall of justice, and declare
themselves to be Christians while no information was
lodged against them, then they were to be put to
death. From this circumstance it appears that many
of the primitive Christians were imprudently for-
ward in confessing themselves to be Christians, and
this will always happen where an intemperate zeal
gets the better of prudence.
'Diere is still extant a vindication of the Christians,
pronounced by the mouth of a heathen. This was
,' ;■ a' letter written to the states of Asia, who had ac-
«*., cused the Christians of being the cause of several
earthquakes which had happened in that part of the
world. It was written in the year 152, by the em-
peror'Antoninus, and in it he advised the governors
to take great care, lest in punishing those w hom they
called Atheists, meaning the Christians, they should
make them more obstinate than before, instead of
changing their opinions ; since their religion taught
them to suffer with pleasure and resignation for the
sake of their God. As for the earthquakes which
had happened, he told thrm, that they themselves
were always discouraged, and sunk under such mis-
fortunes, whereas the Christians never discovered
more cheerfulness and confidence in God, than upon
such occasions. He concluded by telling them, that
he would not have the Christians injured, for al-
though they did not worship the gods of the empire,
yet they had a god of their o\\ n, and that they w ere
a peaceable, inoffensive people.
Such were the sentiments of one of the greatest
philosophers, and wisest emperors, that ever go-
verned Rome ; but notwithstanding the mildness of
his government, yet the persecution raged violently,
owing to the wickedness of the pro-consuls, who
did many things in the absence of the emperor, to
which he had never given his consent. It is not a
difficult matter to discover the cause which promoted
the persecution of the Christians, during the first
three centuries. The |)nrity of their morals, the in-
nocency of their lives, and above all, tlu-ir love of
each other, totally opposite to the heathens, was
doubtless one of the most powerful motives of the
public aversion. To this may be added, the many
calunmies spread abroad concerning them by their
enemies, paiticularly the Jews which occasioned so
strong a prejudice against them, that the Pagans
condemned them unheard, and willioul so nnich as
making the least inquiry concerning the truth of the
accusation, or giving them an opportunity to defend
themselves.
To this may be added, their worshipping Jesus
Christ as God, which was expressly contrary to the
fundamental laws of the empire, which forbad any
god to be worshipped, that had not been acknow-
ledged by the senate. The Christian doctrine was
despised by the profligate Romans, as w ell as by the
suj)erstitious Jews, and when we consider how cor-
rupt both w ere in their sentiments, and protiigate in
their lives, we need not be much surprised ; for
wickedness has been an enemy to piety ever since the
fall of man.
That the primitive Christians believed the same
doctrine, with respect to faith and duty, as taught
in the sacred scriptures, except in some rites and
cereinonies, will appear to any one from what v,&
have already written, and we shall here give a short
abridgment of it in the words of Pollio, a Christian
martyr, who suffered for the truth, 304. This
Pollio was a lector or reader in the church of Cibales,
in Pannonia, and was accused before the governor
Probus, because he derided the gods of wood, and
stone, which the heathens adored. Being brought
before the judge, he confessed that he was a Chris-
tian, and one of those, who, in sjjite of tortures,
would persist in his fidelity to the eternal King, and
in obedience to the holy commands which Jesus
Christ had left him. Probus, upon this, demanded
to know what those commands were; to whom
Pollio replied, " These commands are they w inch
teach us, that there is but one God in heaven ; that
images made of wood and stone cannot be called
gods ; that we must correct our faults by repentance,
and persevere inviolably in the good we have em-
braced; that \irgins who maintain their purity, are
advanced to a high rank ; that married w omen ouglit
to preserve their conjugal chastity, and attend to the
education of their children; that mastery ougiit to
rule over tiicir servants with mildness and good-
nature ; that servants ought to acquit lhcn:splve8 of
their duty, rather from motives of love than fear ;
that we ought to be obedient to the civil power in
every thing that is just ; that we ought to reverence
our parents, love our friends, and forgive our ene-
mies ; we must be tender and affectionate to all ouv
144
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
fellow subjects, humane to straiioers, charitable to
the poor, and live in peace with all men ; that we
must do no injury to any one, and suiter with pati-
ence the wrongs others do to us ; that we must
bestow our goods with liberality, and not covet those
of others ; and that he shall live eternally, who, in
the defence of his faith despises a momentary death,
which is the utmost you can inflict." Pure and
heavenly as these sentiments were, yet they did not-
please Probus, the governor, who ordered PoUio to
be chained to a stake, and burned to death.
We shall here subjoin the famous story concerning
the Christian legion in the army of the emperor
Marcus Anrelius, and we the rather do it, because
it was not invented by Christians, but attested by
heathen authors. That prince, having led his forces
against a people on the north of the Danube, was
surrounded by the enemy, and hemmed in, in a place
vhere they could not procure any water. The
Romans were greatly embarrassed, and being pressed
by the enemy, were obliged to continue under arms
, exposed to the violent heat of the sun, w hen, on a
sudden, the clouds gathered, and the rain fell in
great abundance. The soldiers received the water
in their bucklers and helmets, and satisfied both
themselves and their horses.
The enemy presently after attacked them, and so
great was the advantage they had over them, that
the Romans must have been totally defeated, had
not heaven once more interposed in their favour, by
sending a dreadful storm of hail, lightning and rain,
which falling upon the enemy, obliged them to
retreat. It was found afterwards, that one of the
legions, which consisted wholly of Christians, had, by
their prayers, which they offered upon their knees
before the battle, obtained this favour from heaven ;
and from this event that legion was surnamed the
Thundering Legion. Some have denied the Chris-
tians this honour, but it ought to be remembered,
that the emperor in one of his edicts, acknowledged,
that they were the procuring cause of his victory
over the enemy ; and perhaps God interposes more
-for his people than some are aware of.
Having said so much concerning the purity of
the Christian doctrine, and the piety of its professors,
we shall now, in the second place, proceed to in-
quire into the universality of its promulgation before
the time of the Emperor Constantine the Great;
and this is the more necessary, because whatever
progress it made during a state of persecution, was
wholly owing to divine means ; whereas, when it
received the sanction of the civil power, things took
a very different turn. Compulsion was used instead
.of persecution, and many of the heathens were
•forced to acknowledge the truth of what they did
not believe.
The apostle Paul (see Rom. x. 18.) says, "their
sound went into all the earth, and their words unto
the ends of the world." This has generally been
considered, as intimating, that the religion of Christ
had been taught throughout all the provinces of
the Roman empire ; and that it was so, is evident
from the testimonies of the heathens themselves.
For notwithstanding the vioknce of persecution,
the Christian religion daily gained ground ; and we
are assured, that in the third century, there were >
(Christians in all the public offices under tiie Pagaii
emperors ; and they were to be found in the camp,
in the senate, in the palace, and indeed every where
but in the heathen temples. Provinces, cities, towns,
islands, and villages, were filled with them ; men,
women and children, even those of the highest rank
thought it an honour to embrace the faith ; insomucii
that the heathen priests made heavy complaints that
the revenues of their temples daily decreased, and
that unless a stop was put to the propagation of this
new doctrine, they would be toti-.lly ruined. Nay,
TertuUian boldly declared, that were the Christians
to find an unknown country to retire to, the Roman
empire would be left a solitaiy desert.
We have a list of upwards of twenty churches
established during the times of the apostles, and un-
doubtedly each of these churches added twenty
more to the number. But yet, extensive as the
Roman empire was, the gospel was not confined to
it ; for according to the testimonies of both heathens
and Christians, it was preached in the most distant
parts of the world where the Roman name was not
so mudh as known. In the East-Indies, in Arabia,
in Ethiopia, in the interior parts of Africa, and in
many other places, the name of Christ was known,
and his gospel believed long before the end of the
second century. TertuUian, who lived about the end
of the second, and beginning of the third century, tells
us, that the gospel of Christ was preached in the bar-
barous island of Britain, which the Romans could
never subdue. Now as the Romans had long before
subdued all that part of Britain which lies south of
Northumberland, so by the barbarous island must
be meant either Scotland or Ireland, or both ; for it
was customary with the Romans to call all those bar-
barians whom they could not subdue. And thus, if
the Christian religion made its way among the inha-
bitants of those parts of Britain and Ireland, which
were never subject to the Roman yoke, may we not
suppose, that it did the same in other parts of the
world ; certainly we may ; and that the power of
God might shine conspicuous, all these events took
place before the aid of the civil magistrate was either
asked for or obtained.
Had not this been the case in those early ages, all
the ancient prophecies would have been rendered as
it were abortive ; for it had been foretold, that the
Messiah should be a light to lighten the Gentiles ;
THE HERESIES.
145
that he should come to give salvation to all tlie ends
of" the earth ; that he should be tlie desire of all na-
tions ; nay, that he should satisfy the desires of all
nations ; and liiat even the heathens being converted
should as an obedient people, be willing in the day
of his po\ver. Now as these expressions are gene-
ral, and as the Roman empire did not extend over
all the heathen world, so the gospel must have been
preached in countries with which they were entirely
unacquainted ; of liiis many vestiges are daily disco-
vered by our modern travellers ; for although almost
all mankind have corrupted their ways, yet it does
not import, but they were once well acquainted
with liie truth. For the whole, that has been said,
we may draw the follow ing conclusion, that in gene-
ral the gospel was preached throughout the greatest
part of thir world, long before tlie reign of Coustan-
tine the Great; and although in many places the
knowledge of it is lost, yet we have the greatest
reason to believe, and a well-grounded hope to
expect, that before the coming of our Lord, it m'iU
rise triumphant above every opposition, and shine
gloriously, till it is ssvallowed up in eternity.
ACCOUNT OF THE HERESIES IN THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH BEFORE
THE REIGN OF CONSTANTINE THE GREAT.
JLT was a just observation of a wise man, that if no
genuine coin was to be found in the world, there
would not be any temptations for men to counterfeit
it ; and to this we may add, that unless truth had
been promulgated, many errors would have remained
unknown. The promulgation of the Christian re-
ligion, was the most mervjorable event that ever took
place ou the theatre of this lower world ; aiid as it
was new and mysterious, we need not be surprised
to fnid, that many persons embraced it in an exter-
nal way, whose hearts were strangers to its purity ;
nor did they chusc to comply with that self-denial
and mortification, which must ever distinguish the
followers of Jesus from all others. Of this we have
a remarkable instance in the Acts of the Apostles,
chapter 8, where we are told, that Peter having
preached the gospel to the people of Samaria, one
Simon, commonly called Simon Magus, professed to
believe the gospel, and was baptized : but no sooner
had he seen the wonderful signs and miracles which
accompanied the doctrine of the apostles, then he
oflFered money to Peter, in order to be endowed with
the same power ; this shewed that his heart was cor-
rupted, and that he had only embraced the name of
the Christian religion, and satisfied himself with the
shadow, while he was a stranger to the substance.
All the ancient writers in the Christian church
acknowledge, that this Simon was the first who
broached heresy ; and he even went up and down
the world propagating his notions, or rather his
blasphemies. Several stories have been told con-
cerning him, but many of these are not to be credited ;
for although there can remain no doubt that he
was a bad man, yet it will never serve tiie cause of
truth to call him worse than he was. He gave out
10 «
that he himself was the Messiah, and the eternal
God; and having gadiered together a vast number
of disciples, he sent them into different provinces,
where they preverted many professing Christians
from the faith, by teaching them the most horrid
blasphemies, which gave much ofl'ence to the real
Christians, who in consequence thereof, were accu-
sed of teaching notions they abhorred.
Many of those heretics observed the same cere-
monies as the catholic Christians, and had their
places of worship, or rather blasphemy ; others had
no places of worship at all, and some were so few in
number, that they were confined to particular places;
we shall therefore proceed to treat of them ia
the most regular manner, by laying before the
reader all we have had transmitted to us concerning
them.
The AbeliaiK, or Abelonians, were a very re-
markable sect of heretics, who lived somewhere
near Hippo in Africa, but were extinct long before
St. x\nstin was bishop of the church in that city.
They permitted a man to marry one woman, but
they were not to have any carnal knowledge of their
\\ ives. They pretended to regulate marriage on the
footing of the terrestrial paradise, when Adam and
Eve lived together in a state of innocency before the
fall. For as Adam and Eve were only, according
to their notions, united in heart, so they believed
that they were to be so also, without considering
that our first parents were sent into the world to
propagate their species. They said, that as Abel
was married and had no children, so it was probable
he never knew liis wife. But here was a double ab-
surdity ; for first they did not know from any part
of the sacred scriptures, that Abel was ever married,
146
THE HERESIES.
and supposing lie had been married, which is not
in the least impropable, yet how should they know
whether he had children, seeing we read nothing
concerning them.
When a man and a woman entered into this un-
natural society, they adopted two children, a boy
and a girl, who were to inherit tiieir goods, on
condition of their marrying on the same terms, and
living together without carnally knowing each other.
We never read of this sect but in the writings of St.
Austin, and probably they were but of short conti-
miance ; for as Mr. Bayle justly observes, it was
offering too great a violence to nature to command a
man and woman to live together, and have all things
in common, except that which was one of the ends,
and a principal one, of marriage, to propagate their
species, and bring up children as useful members
of society.
Adamites were another set of heretics, who sprang
up about the middle of the second century. Their
founder was one Prodicus, a disciple of Caprocra-
tes, and they assumed the title of Adamites, from
imitating Adam's nakedness before the fall. They
imagined themselves as innocent as Adam was be-
fore the fall, and tlierefore they met together in all
their public assemblies naked ; asserting that Christ
had restored them to a state of innocence, and that
marriage was in all respects unnecessary. When
any among them were guilty of crimes, they called
him by the name of Adam, and drove him out of
" paradise, by which they meant, they drove him out
of their own society. St. Epiphanius says, they
met together to satiate their most beastly lusts ; and
• Clemens Alexandrinus says, that when their candles
were put out, they fell to the most promiscuous co-
pulation. They renounced all humanity, they fed
together like beasts, but with some remaining sparks
of shame, they fled to hide themselves when they
saw a human being approach. Some of them re-
turned again into society, when they could no longer
live without a connection with it ; but then they put
on the habits of madmen to shew their contempt of
glory, and make the vulgar believe that they were
something more than human. I'hey eat in public-
houses, went into the public batiis, and mixed pro-
miscuously with every company ; but it is related,
that they were guilty of unnatural crimes, for to the
men they were men, and to the women they were
women. These heretics became obnoxious to the
civil power, and as their horrid abominations could
not, like Cliristian virtue, support them in a day of
trial, so they were soon brought back to Pag-inism.
It is true, the sam.e heresy was revived by one Pi-
card, a native of Flanders, in the lifteenth century,
who retired with his followers to the mountains of
Bohemia, and they were at last seized at Amster-
<iam. It may not be improper to add in this place,
that the Roman catholics have called this Picard a
Protestant, although he lived before tlie Reforma-
tion, and the Protestants in dieir turn have called
him a Roman catholic. The truth is, he was nei-
ther the one nor the other ; but only a mad-I)rained
enthusiast, who, knowing nothing of the principles
of religion, sought to invent a new one.
About the latter end of the reign of the emperor
Constantine, there was a sect called Aerians, and
ranked among the number of heretics, but seem-
ingly ^vith very little propriety. The truth is, these
people only differed from the established churches,
in asserting that no clergyman was superior to ano-
ther. They likewise taught, that it was unlawful
for the clergy to marry ; nay, they went so far as
not to admit any into their connnunion, unless they
were unmarried. This sect did not continue long,
for it cannot be supposed that a whole society of
people can exist long without marrying, nor is it
either natural or reasonable they should. — It was
thought proper to mention them in this place, in
order, to distinguish them from the Arians, there be-
ing almost a similarity in the name.
Arianism, was a sect that spread itself through
many parts of the world, and took its rise in tlie fol-
lowing manner : Arius, a presbyter of the church of
Alexandria in Egypt, and who, being a man of
some abilities, spent much of his time in disputing
concerning controverted pxtints in religion. Some
of the ecclesiastical historians say, that he first op-
posed the orthodox, because he had setiiimself up as
a candidate for the bishopric of Alexandria, and
lost his election. Whatever trutii may be in this,
and in some other things related concerning him,
cannot be well known at this distance of time, only
that his notions created nuitli disturbance in the
church, and he happened to live at a time when
controversy was more attended to than practical
duties.
Alexander, the person who had succeeded in the
election of bishop h) opposition to Arius, preached
frequently on the doctrine of Uic Trinity, and in his
discourses asserted, that there was but one substance
in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and that the
three persons in the Trinity were but one. Iliis gave
Arius an opportunity of opposing him ; and, having
taken a sc1kh>], he taught his disciples that lliere was
a time when the Son was not created ; ihut he was
like the angels, liable to commit sin ; that being
nnited to human flesh, he supplied the place of a
human soul, and consequently was subject to pains
and all sorts of suflferings in the same manner as
men.
At first the bishop used all the means he could
think of to reclaim him from his errors, but tliat
proving ineffectual, he and his followers were, at a
council or synod of one hundred bishops of Egypt
THE HERESIES.
147
and Lybia, degraded from their orders, and excom-
municated out ot" till' cliurcli.
Tlie many disputes occasioned by tlie heresy of
Arius, created so much disturbance in the cliurch,
tliat tlic emperor Constaiitiiie the Great found him-
self imder tlie disaj^reeabie necessity of interposing^
between the contending parties. That illustrious
emperor, who not only wished the peace and happi-
ness of the church, but likewise regarded the cha-
racters of ministers of the gospel, used to say, that
if lie saw a bishop connnit a crime, he would shut his
eyes. It was, therefore, reasonable to believe, that
such a sovereign would be aftected when he found
so many contentions arising among the followers of
the blessed Jesus, that tlie heathens derided them,
and even hoped their religion would soon destroy
itself.
It was to remedy these disorders that Constantine
the Great called the first general council of Nice in
Bithyna, at which were present three hundred and
eighteen bishops, from all parts of the empire, be-
sides a vast number of otlier church officers, and
amongst these bishops were several from Britain.
This council summoned Arius to appear before them,
uhich he did, and boldly supported his opinions ;
but the sentence of excommunication pronounced
against him by Alexander, was confnmed. To this
was added a decree of the emperor, excluding him
and all his followers from places, either ecclesiastical
or civil ; and, at the same time, they were condemned
to perpetual banishment.
Eut this severity did not last long ; for in about
three years afterwards, all the Arian bishops were
restored to their sees, and Arius himself was recalled
also. Being permitted to wait on the emperor, he
presented him with a confession of his faith, so art-
fully drawn up, that Constantine was satisfied ;
which so enraged Athanasius, then advanced to the
bishopric of Alexandria, that he refused to admit
him and his followers. 'I'he Arians, equally enraged,
made interest at court, and having many friends
there, Athanasius was sent into banishment ; but still
the church of Alexandria refused to admit Arius.
This induced him once more to apply to the
emperor, to whom he presented a second confession
of his faith, drawn up in more modest terms than
the first ; and Constantine was so well pleased with
it, that he ordered Alexander, the bishop of Constan-
tinople, to admit him into his church the next day,
but the uigiil before this was to take place, Arius
died.
There have been many different accounts of his,
death transmitted to us, and all ccmtradictory to each
other. His enemies say, that going to the necessary
to ease nature, all his bowels gushed out as a just
judgment of God upon him for his impietv and he-
resy. Other accounts say, that he was spent with
the fatigue of travelling, so that he expired soon after
he arrived at tlie palace of the emperor. His fol-
lowers, however, ha\e advanced, that he was luur-
ilered by some of the orthodox party ; but all these
accounts being so contradictory, we shall leave them
to be cleared up when the Lord our Redeemer shall
come to judge the world in righteousness ; for it is
invidious to reHect on any body of people, unless we
had sufHciciit proof of their guilt, and in many cases.
Christians should endeavour to extenuate, rather than
aggravate crimes.
But this heresy did not die with the autlior of it;
it was countenanced by many of the emperors after
Constantine the Great. There were many disputes
between the orthodox and the Arians, for although
Athanasius was recalled from his exile, yet this did
not cool the violence of persecution. They conti-
nued to excommunicate and anathematize each
other ; but we hear little of Arianism after the end
of the seventh century. In their sentiments they
acknowledged one God the Fatiier ; that the Son
was a created being ; and that the Holy Ghost was a
ray or emulation of the Deity. Michael Servetus, a
Spanish physician, revived this heresy about the time
of the Reforination, for which he was burnt alive at
Geneva, but his followers were few in number. 'Die
Arians, notwithstanding their denial of the divinity
of our Lord Jesus Christ, yet acknowledged that
there was a necessity for an atonement, in order to
reconcile sinners to an offended God. They did not,
however, consider, that no atonement can be made,
unless the Redeemer is ecjual in dignity to the per-
son who has been offended ; and as God is infinite
in all his glorious attributes, so it was necessary that
the satisfaction should be equal to the guilt. So
far as we can learn, there is not hi the world at this
day, a collective body of people who profess them-
selves to be Arians, but there are many anionir the
different denominations of Protestants who believe,
that Christ was no more than a created being. Hov/
they can trust for salvation to a created being, wc
leave themselves to judge.
In the prhiiitive ages, the Arians divided them-
selves into so many branches, that it is almost im-
possible to find out all their names. V> e shall, how-
ever, take notice of such as have been, without any
sort of dispute, traiisiiiittcd to us. Tlie first division
of them, or rather the first subordinate sect, was the
Semi- Arians, so called, because they pietentied to
differ a little from Arius in sentiment coiuerning the
Trinity, by using more modest expressioii5, but in
reality there w as no difference ; for when every thing
came to be considered, their notions in effect were
the same, 'i'fiey maintained that Clii ist was not of
the same substance with tlie father, but of a sub-
stance like him, so that according to what they
taught, he was uo more ihau a created being. It
148
THE HERESIES.
does not appear, from any thing we read in ecclesi-
astical history, how long this sect continued, but
probably as long as professed Arianism itself.
The next sect of the Arians was called Anomo-
neans, that is, Pure Arians, because they opposed the
Semi-Arians, and pretended that they were the only
genuine followers of Arius himself. Like him they
denied the divinity of Christ, and refused to pay
divine honours to him. They condemned the Semi-
Arians, for teaching that Christ was of the same
substance with the Father, they themselves declaring
that he was of a different substance, and that he was
liable to corruption, so that upon the ^^hole there
could not be much difference between them and the
original Arians.
Eudoxus, bishop of Constantinople, who had been
educated under Lucian the martyr, instituted a new
jsect of Arians, wlic, from him, were called Eudoxi-
ans. Tliis Eudoxus being a man of an enterprising
disposition, and some talents, undertook the defence
of Arius, and made some refinements on his doctrine,
which created him such a number of friends, that he
.was elected bishop of Germanicia, in Syria, by the
Arian party. He opposed the doctrine of the Trinity
in the grand council of Antiocli 341, and afterwards
in the council of Sardica, Sirmium, and Selicucia.
The emperor Constantine the Great, appointed him
archbishop of Constantinople, and after the death of
Arius, he became the head of his party, and his
followers were. called Eudoxians.
Eunomeans, another branch of the Arian heretics,
took its rise soon after the time of Arius himself, and
was first founded by Eunomius, bishop of Cyzicus,
who had been originally in the army, but afterwards
applied himself to the study of divinity. Having
placed himself under the direction of some Arian
teachers, he soon imbibed their sentiments, and op-
posed the orthodox party with all the severity of un-
merited abuse, one Etius, having given him all the
instructions he could, and tiiis Etius was not only a
,heretic, but qjso a person of an immoral character.
This Eumonius became such an enemy to the
orthodox, by inveighing continually against them,
that the emperor caused him to be banished, but the
j\rians prcjcured his recal, and he was afterwards
treated with the highest honours. These people
differed in very few points from the original Arians,
only that they re-baptized all those who entered into
.their communion, a thing much attended to by all
the ancient heretics.
Another sect or party of these Arians was called
Eusebians, from Eusebius, bishop of Nicomedia,
and afterwards bishop of Constantinople, who, about
the year 323, became a most zealous opposer of the
orthodox. As he had the reputation of a man of
learning, the emperor Constantine the Great treated
j'jim with so much respect, that for some time he
favoured the Arians. Afterwards, at the instigatiou
of the Catholic bishops, he was banished, but the
Arians had interest sufficient to get him re-called,
and he became the declared enemy of Athanasius,
bishop of Alexandria, who opposed the Arians with
more virulence than any other of the Christian fa-
thers.
After the death of Constantine the Great, this Eu-
sebius prevailed with his son Constantius to patro-
nize the Arians, and in 341, a council, by the em-
peror's orders, was assembled at Antioch, which
declared the Arian heresy to be the established
religion of the empire.
Macedonius, bishop of Constamlnople, was the
inventor of another sect of Arians, after the reign of
the emperor Constantine the Great. He governed
the church in a very tyrannical manner, and he was
so supeistitious, that he caused the bones of Con-
stantine the Great to be removed from the cliurch of
the holy apostles, to the church of Acasius the mar-
tyr, which occasioned great tumults among the
people, and many persons lost their lives.
This person, Macedonius, had been formerly de-
posed by the council of Constantinople, and it was
generally supposed that he became a, heretic from
resentment. He not only denied the divinity of
Chrict, but he also exclaimed bitterly against all
those who worshipped the Holy Ghost. He even
went so far as to declare, that the Holy Ghost was
no more than a mere created being, dependent upon
the will of the Almighty, in the same manner as
men are. His followers made great pretensions to
superior sanctity, and were very austere in their
lives, which induced many unthinking people to
embrace their doctrine, and live according to their
rules. Most of those bishops who were dissatisfied
with subscribing to the Apostles' Creed, joined them-
selves to this heresy, and such was its prevalence for
some time, that it spread over, and procured great
respect in the Christian world.
Maritianus, bishop of Nicomedia, a man posses-
sed of great riches, spent vast sums of money in or-
der to propagate this doctrine, and yet it does not
appear that ever it made any great figure in the
world. Athanasius exerted himself in writing asjainst
it, and it was condemned by the bishops in several
councils.
The Pholinians were another branch of the Ari-
ans, about the time of Constantine the Great, and
followers of Pholinns, who was bishop of Sirmich,
in Pannonia ; for the church was so distracted at
that time with different sorts of heresies, that those
who loved the truth, scarce knew where to meet with
a faithful friend.
This Pholinus had been advanced to the dignity
of bishop, through the interest of the Arians, who
were at that time very powerful. But not content
THE HERESIES.
14!)
witli denying tlie divinity of our F^ord Jesus Christ,
lie even went so far iis to declare in liis writings,
that God was not immense, for which he was dis-
carded by the Arians, and excommunicated in the
council held at Milan, 346. There were many
other sects among the Arians ; jjut of such short
duration, and so insignificant while they existed, that
little more need be said C(nicerinng Arianism.
Cinostics were another set of heretics, and accord-
ing to Epiphanius, Simon Magus was their first
founder. They pretended to the highest degrees of
piety, and gave out that they were divinely inspired.
Like some of the heatlicns in the East Indies, they
acknowledged two superior beings or principles, a
good and a bad. They supposed consistent with the
rest of their luiintelligible notions, that there were
eight degrees in heaven, and each of them governed
by a dift'erent piince. The prince who -resided in
the seventh heaven, they called Sabaoth, and believed
that he created the six heavens below him, and that
tlie earth with all things in it were the works of his
hands. They said, that this prince or god, was
formed in the shape of a hog ; and this gave rise to
the report among the heathens, that the Christians,
worshipped the head of a hog. In the eighth heaven,
they placed the Supreme god of all ; but he v> as
r.onsiiiered in the masculine and femini;ie gender.
Thoy denied that Christ v.'as born of the Virgin
Mary, or that he sufli'ered except in vision ; and yet,
at tlie same time, they acknowledged that he was
the Messiah promised of old by the prophets. With
respect to the Old Testament, they embraced such
parts of it as suited their own notions, believing,
that some parts of it were written by divine inspira-
tion, and some not. In the New Testament, they
rejected both the Epistles to Timothy, because they
are expressly condemned in them ; and in general,
they condemned the greatest part of divine Kevela-
tion. Men and women lived in common together,
■without any regard to decency or modesty ; and it is
generally believed, that the :i;>ostle Jnde alludes to
them, in the latter p<;rt of his epistle. Thev denied
a general resurrection, and mocked at the doctrine
of a future state of rewards and punishments. They
forged a great number of apocraphical books, con-
taining ridiculous stories and horrid blasphemies ;
but for tiie good of mankind, and the happiness of
every Chnstian, they are now lost.
The \ alentiiiians, so called from their founder
Valentinus, were another sect of heretics, that
sprung up about the middle of the second century.
This sect was one of the most famous and most nu-
merous in the early ages of Christianity, and it first
made its appearance in ligypt, Valentinus himself
being a native of that country. Ife was first a gnos-
tic, but refined much on the sentiments of those
peo])le ; and leaving Egv-pt, he came to Rome,
iO 2 r
where lie continued preaching upwards of twenty
Tears. Reing a man of learning, he flrew his notion-,
from the l^latonists, making every idea that could be
formed stand in the room of a god.
He taught, that the first principle of all was depth,
and that it had remained I'or many ages imknown,
ha\ing along with it thought and silence. From it
sprung intelligence, the son, and his sister was truth.
He likeviisc taught, that there were three sub-
stances, the material, the animal, and the spiritual.
They denied that Christ took upon him human Hesh,
but that he only passed through the womb of the
Virgin, as a liquid does through a pipe : they like-
wise asserted, that there were three sorts of men,
the spiritual, material, and animal. Tliese three
substances were united together in .Adam, but di-
vided ill his children. The spiritual part went into
Seth, the material into Cain, and the animal into
Abel. Thev taught further that the spiritual seed
slignld be immortal, notwithstanding whatever crimes
they committed ; that the material one should be
totally annihilated, let them do ever so much good ;
and the animal, who are the followers of Abel, shall,
if they do good, be in a place of safety ; but if they
do evil they shall be annihilated.
This was such a rclincd system, that none but
philosophers could understand, and yet vast numbers
of people followed it. His disciples did not strictly
confine themselves to the whole of his system, for
they made many alterations without disturbing the
peace of their own societies. We have a most hor-
rid picture of them drawn by Clemens Alcxandrinus,
who tells us, that they paid no regard to moral du-
ties, as they were all children of Seth, and therefore
they thought it no sin to commit any crime whatever.
They asserted, that there was no necessity for people
submitting to martyrdoms, as God did not require it
of them, and therefore they might at any time deny
Christ before the Roman governors.
Sonic of them rejected all external ceremonies,
and others baptized tifieir children in the name of the
imkno\\n I'athcr, his only Son, and the Mother of
the world, by which they meant Jesus Christ and
the Virgin Mary. In a word, the Valentinian heresy
was utterlv inconsistent with the attributes of the
Divine Being ; for allowing that they did not totally
destroy the unity of God, yet tliey made him a mon-
strous composition of dift'erent beings. Jesus Christ
according to them, was but a man, in whom the
heavenly Christ descended ; and they considered the
Holy Ghost as no more than a simjile divine virtue.
The resurrection of the body was to them an idle
dream ; and they did not pay much regard to one of
the greatest points in natural and revealed religion,
namelv, a future state of rew ards and punishments.
The Marcionites, were a branch of the Valentinian
heresy, and they were so called from one Marcion,
150
THE HERESIES.
who, in liis younger years, had lived as a monk in
the wilderness. Being convicted of lewdness, he
was excommunicated out of the church by his father,
■who was a bishop ; after which he went to Rome,
%yhere being denied communion with the church, he
embraced the heresy of the Valentinians, adding
many things of his own invention. Among other
things, he taught, that when Chi ist descended into
hell, he discharged from thence Cain with the
Sodomites, but left the patriarchs and prophets to
continue. This sect of heretics continued many
years ; for in 326, they were so numerous tliat the
emperor Constantine the Great made an order, that
they should all conform to the orthodox opinions, or
be punished in the severest manner; yet notwith-
standing all this severity, they continued above an
hundred years after.
The Aetians, were a sect of heretics who flourished
in Egypt and other parts, in the beginning of the
fourth century, and were so called from one Aetius,
a Syrian. This man having by his extravagance,
been reduced to poverty, set up the trade of a gold-
smith, but quitting that, he applied himself to stud},
and became a most subtle disjjutant. Being driven
out of Antioch, where he had settled, he hired him-
self as a menial servant to a certain philosopher at
Anabarzus, a city in Cilicia, where he learned gram-
mar and logic ; but quarrelling with his master about
Jiis opinions, he went to Tarsus, and there studied
divinity. From Tarsus lie returned to Antioch, but
was soon after driven out of that city for the impiety
of his opinions, which induced him to study physic.
At length Leontius being promoted to the see of
Antioch, he made him his deacon in that church ;
where continuing for some time, lie went to Alexan-
dria, and opposed Athanasius, by taking part with
the Allans. To the opinions of the Arians, he added
some of his own, such as, that good works were not
necessary to salvation, that no sin, let it be ever so
enonnous, would exclude those who believed in his
opinions, from the divine favour, and that God had
revealed to him, what he had kept hid from the apos-
tles. This sect continued till about the latter end of
the fifth century, when the church in general began
to be corrupted.
About the latter end of the second century, the
church was infested with a remarkable sect of here-
tics, called Basilidians. They were so called from
their founder, Basilides, a man of some learning,
but much addicted to the study of magic ; for he had
been brought up among some of the followers of the
first heretic, Simon Magus. The particulars of the
Basilidian heresy consisted in the follow ing points :
He taught, that God created tliree hundred and
seventy-iive heavens between this world and his scat
of glory ; that each of these heavens had an angel
to govern it ; and that the first angel created the
angel who go%'erned the world below him, and so on
in procession to the last. Basilides taught further,
that Christ did not really suffer on the cross ; but
that Simon, the Cyrenean, was substituted in his
room ; and that men and women might live in com-
mon together.
Another of his opinions was, that his followers
might renounce their belief hi order to escape mar-
tyrdom ; and that the soul alone is to be saved, nor
is the body ever to be raised from the grave.
His followers were much addicted to the use of
amulets, which they used as charms, and these amu-
lets were made in the form of medals, w ith the word
Abraxas engraVen iipon them, which signifies, three
hundred and seventy-five ; and on the reverse, were
often to be met v\ith the figures of the twelve signs
of the Zodiac ; on others, a variety of figures ; from
all which representations we learn, that this heresy
consisted of a strange jumble and mixture of hea-
thenish rites and ceremonies, under the name of
Christianity. As sudi sentiments as these were
consistent with men's corrupt notions, so we find
th,ey were greedily embraced, and the heresy spread
itself throughout many of the provinces of the Roman
empire, as appears from the testimony of St. Jerome,
who lived towards tlie end of the fourth century, and
he writes, that they had many disciples and congre-
gations, in Egypt, Asia, and Spain.
Manichees, or Manicheaus, were one of the most
numerous sects among the ancient heretics in the
church, and took their name from one Manes, who
lived under the emperor Probus, towards the latter
end of the third century. The history of this Manes
is very romantic, and is as follows :
Terebinthus, a disci])le of Scylhianus, a magician,
having retired oat of Palestine into Persia, and find-
ing his opinions opposed by the priests and learned
men of that country, he was obliged to take shelter
in the house of a widow Moman, where he was
murdered. This woman being iieiress to the books
and money of Terebinthus, bought a slave named
Cubrieus, whom she adopted, and had him histructed
in all the sciences taught in Persia.. This man, after
the death of the widow, changed his name, tp blot
out the memory of his former condition, and took
that of Manes, which, in the I'ersian language, sig-
nifies a vessel.
Having perused the books left by Terebinthus,
Manes began to teach a new doctrine, namely, that
lie was the Holy Ghost, or comforter, who had
been promised by our Lord to his disciples, which
drew after him many followers, and he became the
head of a numerous sect. Like some of the heathens,
he taught his disciples that there \\ ere two universal
principles, the one the author of all good, and the
other the author of all evil. He taught his disci-
ples all manner of vices, represented inapurities as
THE HERESIES.
151
virtues, and forbade them not to pive alms to anv
l)ut their own sett. Ho ga\c out that the souls of
his fi)llo\vers passed from their bodies to the moon,
and from thence to the sun m order to be purified,
and from thence to God, with whose es^uce they
were united for ever ; but as for tlie souls of other
men, tliey either went into hell to be tormented, or
Mere united to otlier bodies. He taug;ht that Clirist
liad his residence in the sun ; the Holy Gliost in the
air ; w i>.dom in the moon ; and the father in the abyss
of light. He denied the resurrection ofthcbody; con-
denmed marriage ; and tauglit that Christ was the
serpent who tempted Eve. He forbade the use of
eggs, cheese, milk, and wine, as creatures proceed-
ing from the l)ad jviini i[;le. He used a different
form of baptism from thai prescribed by the church;
and taught that magistrates were not to be obeyed ;
and that c\ en what we call just wars, were unlaw-
ful.
It would be endless to rehearse all the impious
tenets of this heretic and his followers, of whom
Leo, bishop of Rome, used to say, that the devil who
reigned in all heresies, had built a fortress and raised
a throne in that of the Manichees, who embraced
all the errors and impieties that the heart of man is
capable of. The death of this w icked man was as
dreadful as his life had been impious ; for the son of
the kuig of Persia having fallen sick, Manes under-
took to cure him ; upon which the father dismissed
the physicians, and the patiei!t died. Manes was
shut up in prison as an imposter, from whence he
made his escape, but being overtaken by the king's
servants, he w as brought back and flead alive, and
his carcase given to the wild beasts.
The Manichees were divided into two classes,
namely, the elect, and the hearers. The elect con-
sisted of twelve, in imitation of the twelve apostles,
and they had a thirteenth, who presided over them
as a sort of pope. The hearers were the followers
at large, who attended to all their impious instruc-
tions. In the fourth century, the emperors made
several laws or edicts against this sect of heretics,
but notwithstanding that, as well as the decrees of
.*ieveral councils, yet they continued many years af-
terwards. They forged several apocraphical writings
which they ascribed to the apostles, but they are
filled w ith such lion id blasphemies, that they carry
confutation along with them. It may be proj)er to
add, that the great St. Austin, bishop of Hi j)po, in
Africa, was in liis youth a follower of this sect, but
he renounced all tlieir tenets, and joined himself to
tlie Catholic church.
Another sect of iierelics were called Origenists,
from their founder, the famous Origen, many years
a presb}tei of tlie church of Alexandria. Tiiis great
and learned man had long flourished as an ornament
to the church ; but iu iiis latter vears he embraced
some notions inconsistent with the Catholic faith,
and these being improved upon liy tliose who pro-
fesswl tliemselves to be his loliowers, they created
much disturbance in the primitive times of Chris-
tianity.
About the latter cud of the fourth century, one
Rulinus, a presbyter of Alexandria, having studied
the w orks of Origen, he adopted tiiat famous w ritcr's
notions, concerning the i'latonic philos()pl)y, and
applied the whole to the Christian theology, lull
of these notions, he went to Jerusalem, where Origen
had a great many partizans, and there he ingratiated
himself into the favour of Menalia, a Roman lady of
great repute for hrr piety and sanctity ; with this
lady he came to Rome, w here her relations livid, and
• where he was, upon her warmest recommeiKiations,
treated with all the respect due to the most exalted
characters, as if he had been one sent from heaven
to reform the world.
Rufinus having been thus caressed by some per- -
sons of the greatest eminence at Rome, he set out
with an outward shew of simplicity, and after the
exam])le of Origen, pretended to hold in contem|)t
everv thing in this world. This made the people
consider him as one who had arrived at the highest
degree of perfection in Christianity, and Rulinus took
the advantage of tliis prejudice to propagate his opi-
nions, in which he was greatly assisted by the in-
fluence Menalia had over many of the people.
It was at Rome that a house was built, where he
preached publicly to the people, and the number of
his converts continuing to increase daily, the bishop
of that city was so much offended, that he com-
plained against him to the civil power, and he was
banished. From Rome he went to Aquilla, where
he taught publicly, and Menalia, who had been
duped by him, returned to Jerusalem. The princi-
ples taught by this man cannot wholly be ascribed
to the learned Origen, but some of them were cer-
tainly taught by him in his old age. The whole are
generally reduced to the following heads :
I. The souls of men are holy intellects, formed
by ravs of glory, issuing from the Divine Being.
II. The soul of Christ was united to the logos,
or divine word, long before the conception of his
body.
III. The soul of Christ left the divine nature, to
which it had been united h)ng before, and joined the
bodv ill the w omb of the Virgin.
I V. The divine logos, or word, passed througii all
the orders of angels, before it went into tlie womb
of the Virgin.
V. After the general resurrection, tlie bodies of
men will be changed from their original form, and
be round or spherical.
\T. The sun, moon, and stars have souls.
VH. In some future ages, Christ will die to make
152
THE HERESIES.
an atonemeRt for the sins of the fallen angels,
through which they will be restored to the divine
favour.
VIII. The power of God is not infinite, but in
some things bounds may be set to it.
IX. After a certain period of time, all the damned
will be forgiven, and translated from hell inta ever-
lasting happiness.
When a person, acquainted \\ith reading theolo-
gical writers, considers these tenets, it will naturally
appear to liini, that some of them have been em-
braced by learned men, who lived since the Reforma-
tion ; but still that is no proof of their authenticity.
We could mention the names of those authors, but
it could answer no good purpose, because it might
lead well meaning persons into an inquiry relating
to things of no moment towards promoting their
eternal happiness. It would be to lay a stumbling
block before the weak, and in the end might endanger
their eternal salvation. It will appear that all the
principles themselves arise from carnal notions, and
a, desire of prying into the things which God has
tliought proper to conceal from the children of men.
Another numerou.s sect of heretics who made a
great figure in the world, particularly in Africa, where
they fiourished many years, were called Donatists,
and took their first rise about the beginnino; of the
fourth century, a few years before Constantine the
Great ascended the throne.
Donatus, their founder, was a Numidian bishop,
but being a man of a turbulent disposition, he was
liated by his people, which induced him to seek an
opportimity of leaving them, and settling in some
other place. Just about that time, the bishop of
Carthage died, and as there was to be a fresh election,
he went and offered himself a candidate. But the
people having had an account of his character trans-
mitted them, he was unanimously rejected ; and his
own people having chosen another bishop, his pas-
sions were so much irritated, that he resolved to
separate himself from the Catholic church, and set
up a Schismatical one, under his own name, which he
did soon after, to the scandal of religion, and injury
of the church.
In the whole of his conduct there was something
more artful, than had been practised by anv of those
heretics who went before him. All the other here-
tics had embraced tenets of such a nature, as totally
excluded them from any connexion with the ortho-
dox ; but he resolved to make his new scheme so
much resemble the old one, that the unthinking were
.easily led into the snare. He knew how to address
his discourses to the passions of men, and the con-
duct of some of the orthodox, and indeed too many
of them having given great offence, Donatus laid
hold of this opportunity, to teach his hearers that
the church was not infallible.
That the church is not infallible, cannot be denied,
if by the word church, is meant the whole body of
people, who in this world make a public profession
of Christianity ; but this is sucK a vague, uncertain,
and unmeaning term, that no sense can be made of
it. The grand mistake lies in not distinguishing
Ijetwcen the word church, and the promise made to
the disciples by our Divine Redeemer. Christ told
his disciples, that the gates of hell should never pre-
vail against his church, and certainly his words are
truth ; for even in the darkest ages, there have been
men found, who were not ashamed to make mention
of his name, and worship him insincerity, as will
appear afterwards.
Infallibility was not confined to the laity, many of
whom embraced the most damnable errors, and such
as every man ought to be ashamed of. — Infallibdity
was not confined to the clergy, for many of them
not only set up new doctrines, in opposition to the
orthodox religion, but were guilty of the most scan-
(laloua crimes, such as heathens would have blushed
at. But infallibility consisted in the divine promise,
that there sliould be always some found, conducted
by unerring providence, to unerring wisdom ; and
altho'igh a more than Egyptian darkness should at
sometimes overspread the Christian church, yet God,
in his infinite mercy, would exert his power to sup-
port all that had been done for sinners by hi.s only
begotten Son ; and that he did so, we have many
testimonies in history.
As this heretic, like all others of the same charac-
ter, had separated himself from the orthodox church,
so he taught that baptism administered by any but
those of his own party, was invalid. In this he
was much countenanced by some disputes, which
had taken place in the church about fifty years be-
fore he made his appearance. It had been agitated
in several councils or synods, that the person bap-
tized by a heretic must be re-baptised ; but the ortho-
dox party always opposed this notion. And there
being at that time, many perons in Africa, who
were not well grounded in the principles of religion,
they greedily embraced this doctrine, and in con-
sequence thereof the Donatists became extremely
powerful.
Another of his tenet? was, that as Christ had not
made his church infallible, he (Donatus) had authori-
ty to remove all errors and corruptions; and -this
notion being of a bewitching nature among the vul-
gar, he was enabled to establish churches, and even
to ordain bishops and deacons. Upon this principle,
the religion of the Donatists became so j)owerful
in Africa, that in vain did the emperor Constantine
the Great attempt to suppress them. They had
not only their bishops and chnrches, but they even
called councils and synods to regulate their discip-
line, without any authority from the civilpower.
THE HERESIES.
153
Tliey excommunicated all the oilhodox as lierctu-s
mIio liad denied the laitli ; and taking the advantage
of llic trouljlcs which tlien reigned in Africa, they
were so audacious as to put lliose to death who differed
from them in sentiments. Nay, so numerous were
thcv, and sucli w as there power, that in Africa it was
diihcult to say who was of the orlliodox or heretical
party. 1» lli's manner tliey continued to flourish
longer than any sect we have liitlierto mentioned ;
for we have some instances of tlieir existence, so late
as the seventh century. Ju their public forms of
worship, they imitated the orthodox, but they made
no use of any such parts of scripture as did not serve
to establish their own opinions, by a wroug and
erroneous construction being put upon them. At
last they were swallowed up in that flood of errors
which overspread the Komish church ; and even to
this day, some of tlie members of that church believe
the sentiments of the Donatisls, though they w ill not
acknowledge them.
Agnoites, another set of heretics, arose in the
chmch towards the middle of the fourth ccntiuy.
Their notions, which were of a particular nature,
were tirst taught by one Theoprouius, a native of
Cappadocia, a man of no learning, but bold and
daring in all his undertakings. He taught his fol-
lowers to deny the omniscience of God, alledging
that he only knew things past by memory, and
things future by an uncertain precarious prescience.
1'hese people had the most unworthy notions of
God, as tlie Maker of the world ; and of Christ as
the Redeemer of sinners. They founded their error
on that passage in Mark xii. 32, where it is said,
" of that day and hour know elh no man ; no not
the angels who are in heaven ; nor the Son, but the
Father only." Their name signilies ignorance, and
they despised all sorts of learning. Oue would be
led to imagine, that a system founded on ignorance
would soon dwindle into oblivion; and yet we fmd
some remains of those lieretics so late as the middle
of the sixth century, bui they are never mentioned
afterwards.
Soon after the death of John the evangelist, a sect
of heretics sprung up in the church, under the
name of Alogians ; so called because they denied
the divine Logos, the word, or Son of God. Thev
rejected the gospel of St. John, as a spurious w ork ;
and for no other reason, as would seem, besides
that of its opposing their tenets. Their founder w as
one Theodore of Byzantium, by trade a currier; who
having apostatized from the Catholic faith, during the
heat of persecution, offered to return again to the
church ; but because his request was rejected, he
broached the above-mentioned opinions, which were
afterwards improved upon by Arius.
Angelites, were a sect of heretics, whose founder
was Sevcrus, and they took their rise towards the
latter end of the fourth century. They believed liial
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are the
same ; that none of them exists of himself, and of
his own nature ; hut that there is a conunon God, or
Deity, existing in them all; and that each is a God
by relation to and participation of that Deity. It la
certain, that such notions as these could never be
understood by the lower class of people, who look,
only for plain, simple truth ; and thus we find, that
they soon dwindled away.
The Apel leans, were a sect of heretics, who made
their appearance about the middle of the second
century, and were so called from one Apelles, who
had been a disciple of Marcion. They affirmed,
that when Christ came down from heaven, he re-
ceived a body, not from the substance of his mother,
but from the four elements ; which at his death he.
rendered back to the world, and then ascended into
heaven without a body. Like many other heretics,
tliey believed in two principles, one good and the
other bad ; they rejected all the prophetical writings,
and denied the resurrection of the body. Some of
this sect continued till Arius broached his notions,
and then they seem to have joined themselves to his
followers, for after his time, we never iind them men-
tioned by any of the ecclesiastical historians.
The ApoUinariaus were a sect of heretics, who
took their rise about the middle of the fourth century,
and had for their founder and leader Apolionarius,
bishop of Laodicea. They maintained that there
was not an intelligent soul in Jesus Christ, but that
tlie divinity, joined to humanity, supplied the place
of a soul. They went still farther, and afiirpied not
only that there was but one nature in Jesus Christ,
but even that his tlesh was of the same nature with
his divinity. They added, that this flesh did not
partake of the womb of the Virgin Mary, but only
passed through it, as through a reed or a pipe. Some
of them asserted, that Jesus Christ brought his body
from iieaven, whence it followed that his body was
immortal, so that his birth and passion were only
seen in appearance, but not in reality. These here-
tics were not numerous, and the last time we Iind
tiiem mentioned is by Socrates, who tells us, that
towards the beginning of the fourth century, Tlieo-
dosius, bishop of Antioch, by his persuasions, got
them reconciled to tlie church.
About the middle of the third century, there was
a remarkable sect of people in xVfrica, professing
most of the principles of the CImstian religion, nor
do we know whether to rank them among the num-
ber of heretics or orthodox. Tliey were called
Aquarians, because they mingled w ater \\ ith the
wine in the eucharist, and some of them used only
water without any wine at all. The mixing of
11
154
THE HERESIES.
■wine and water, was sometimes practised by the
orthodox ; for we read in one of St. Cyprian's epistles,
that it was the practice at Carthage in his time, and
that it was used to represent blood and water issuing
from our Saviour's side. An ancient author gives
another reason for their mixing wine and water toge-
ther, namely, that the wine pointed out our redemp-
tion by the bhjod of Christ, and the water, our being
cleansed from all impurities. Thus the people, w hom
we have mentioned, could not be properly called
heretics, although Socrates, in his ecclesiastical his-
tory, ranks them among the number.
\Vnen our Saviour instituted the sacrament of the
eucharist, he took the cup and drank of it, and there
is no doubt but the liquor was wine. But we are no
where told that he con)manded his disciples to use
•\vine alone in the celebration of this divine institution.
The institution was intended as a memorial of the
death of Christ, by eating bread, and drinking such
liquor as undoubtedly could be procured, without
confining it to wine, or excluding of water. Had
this been the case, then many of the primitive Chris-
tians could not have communicated together; for
the gospel made its progress into countries "where
wine was never known, nor any sorts of liquor used,
besides milk and water. The case is diis, probably
those who can procure wine, generally do so for this
sacrament ; but it is equally certain, that water alone
may be used, otherwise we riiust unchristianise many
of our brethren in different parts of the world.
The Archontics were a sect of heretics, who
sprang up about the latter end of the second century,
but who was their founder is not certainly known.
They taught that the world was created by arch-
angels, from whence their name was derived. They
denied the resurrection of the body, and placed per-
fect redemption in a certain chimerical knowledge.
.This knowledge, they said, could be only exercised
by the Lord God of Sabaoth, who reigns in the
highest heavens. They had many other notions of a
most horrid nature, one of which was, to ascribe
sotne sort of almighty power to the devil, whom they
imagined to have a large share in the government of
this world. This sect continued till about the latter
end of die reign of Constantine the Great, but we
never find them mentioned afterwards.
In the early ages of the church, there was a re-
markable sect of heretics, called Artotyrites, who
celebrated the eucharist with bread and cheese, say-
ing, that the first oblations made by men, were of
the fruits of the earth and of sheep.
Itygius, in his account of the martyrdom of Per-
petues, a woman of some eminence, relates the fol-
lowing vision, which she said she saw, and it is in
her own words : — " I went up and saw a very wide
garden, and in the middle, an old man, sitting in the
Jul bit of a shepherd, and minding the flock. And
he lift up his head, and saw me, and said, thou art
welcome, my daughter ; and he called me, and gave
me a morsel of cheese, w hich I received with joined
hands, and eat, and all they that stood around me.
Amen." Perpetues imagined from this vision, that
she should suffer martyrdom ; and the reason is as-
signed by Possimus, an ancient author, who tells us,
that the eucharist was pohited out in the vision, that
sacrament being always administered to the faithful
previous to their sufferings.' These people admitted
women to preach in tlieir assemblies, and they were
always dressed in white, with lighted torches in their
hands.
Another sect of heretics were called Audeans,
from one Audean, a Syrian, who had lived many
years in ISIesopotamia, and was in great repute about
the beginning of the fourth century. This Audean
was one who pretended to great austerities, but the
liberty he took in rebuking the clergy for tiieir vices,
brought upon him the whole loa-d of their indigna-
tion, so that he resolved to separate himself from
the church. He was ordained bishop by another
schismatic bishop, and he afterwards established
bishops and deacons of his own party. St. Epipha-
nus does not charge the Audians with any error in
point of faith ; he only says, they asserted the re-
semblance between God and man consisted in the
body of man, which gave reason to believe, that
they looked upon Gpd as corpcvreal. It is true,
there are several authors who charge them with other
errors, such as that God was not the creator of all
things, and that usury was unlawful. For these
notions he was condemned by the council of Nice,
and the emperor ordered him and all his followers
to be banislied, which only made things worse than
they were before ; for Audean joined himself to
the Goths, who built him several churches in the
exterior parts of the empire. This heresy continued
till about the beginning of the fiith century, when
the Goths began to make daily inroads into the
empire, and from that time we hear nothing at all
concerning it.
The Carpocratians were a remarkable sect of he-
retics in the second century, having for their founder
one Carpocrates, a native of Alexandria. He was
a man of the most abandoned life, and taught his
followers, that a community of wives was not only
lawful, but even meritorious. He even asserted, that
a man could never be happy till he had passed
through all sorts of debauchery ; laying it down as a
maxim, that notliing is evil in its own nature, but
only so in the opinioniof men.
His followers believed, that the world was made
by angels ; that Jesus Christ was the son of Joseph
and Mary, in the same manner as other men, and that
his soul only ascended into heaven, his body continu-
ing in the grave, so that they denied the resurrection.
THE HERESIES.
155
. 'When a person was admitted into tlieir societies,
they marked him under the right ear with a hot
iron, that they might know him ever afterwards.
T hev had images of Christ, both in painting and
sculpture, which tliiy said were the workmanship of
Pilule, and they kept them locked up in a clicst, in
tlie place where they assembled together. They
had likewise the images of several of the most cele-
brated philosophers, to whom they offered .sacrifices,
as the heathens did to their idols. A woman of this
sect named Marcellina, came to -Rome about the
eml of the second century, and made a great many
pi-oselytes ; which is not much to be wondered at,
when we consider that tiiey were as abandoned as
any of the heathens. St. Epiphanus relates, that in
his youth he became acquainted with some women
of this sect, who revealed to him the most horrid
mysteries of the Carpocratians, and sought to make
him a proselyte. He adds, they were beautiful wo-
men, and the temptation was strong, but God was
pleased by his grace to preserve him from the
snare.
Another of these sects, who \\ ere not very nume-
rous, were called Cerdonians, from one Cerdon,
who had been educated a philosopher, but after-
wards became a disciple of Marcion, the father of
the Marcionites. Like several of the other heretics,
they believed tliere were two universal beings, a
good one and an evil, and by these all nif n \\ ere
created and governed. They rejected the law and
the prophets, they taught that Christ had not a real,
but only an imaginary body, and they denied the
resurrection. It was in opposition to this heresy,
that the article, "the resurrection of the body,"
vas first inserted in the creed. And likewise the
article, " he suffered under Pontius Pilate," Vor un-
less he had a real body, it would have been impossi-
ble for him to suffer.
A numerous sect of heretics, who sprung up in
the apostolic age, were called Cerinthians, from
one Cerinthus, who according to Epiphanus, lived
on or about the time of the emperor Doniitian.
He had been, and probably was, either a Jew or
a Samaritan. He had travelled into Egvpt, where
he learned the sciences, and upon his return to Asia,
formed the sect to which he gave his own name.
ANe are told further, that he travelled from place to
place, stirring up the Jews against such orthodox
Christians as refused to embrace his opinions.
The particulars in which the heresy of the Cerin-
thians consisted, were these. They did not allow
that God made the world, but asserted that it was
created by an inferior power. To this inferior
power, they attributed an oidy son, but denied that
iie was the divine word. They admitted several an-
gels, and inferior powers, as silence, depths, fulness ,
and ill this they were afterwards followed by the
Valentinians. They maintained that the God of th«
Jews was no more ths" an angel, and they rejected
the law and the pijphets. As for their n< lions
concerning our Saviour, they were somewhat extraor-
dinary. They distinguished between Jesus and
Christ: they said tiiat Jesus was a man, -the son of
Joseph and Mary ; but tliat he excelled all oilers in
justice, wisdom, and prudence ; that Jesus being
baptized, the Christ of the supreme God, that is,
the Holy Ghost, descended upon him ; and that by
the assistance of this holy spirit, Christ wrought
miracles. 'I'hey allowed that Christ suffered and
rose again ; but they held, that before his sufferings,
the holy spirit had left him and returned to heaven.
They admitted no gospel besides that of St. Mat-
thew ; and they likewise rejected the acts of the
apostles, and all the epistles. It was partly to re-
fute this heresy, that St. John wrote his gospel ;
and we have a j)assage in St. Jerome, concerning
that great evangelist and Cerinthus, which wc shall
relate in the author's own words, as translated from
the original.
In his latter years, St John resided mostly at, or
near Ephesus ; and one day as he and some Chris-
tians were going into a bath, the apostle saw Ce-
rinthus bathing himself. I pou that St. John turned
to his friends, and said, let us make haste out of the
bath, lest it full u|)on us. This they complied with,
and immediately the bath fell. Whatever truth is in
this, we shall* not take upon us to say, but certainly
some respect should be paid to such a great man as
St. Jerome.
We have already taken notice of the heresy of the
Donatists, which was far from being so gross as
most of the others ; but here we find a new heresy
arising out of it : for one error generally leads to
many others.
Soon after the Donatists had established churches,
and ordained bishops in Africa, a new sect sprung
up among those heretics, called Circumcellians,
and they were the most horrid of any we have yet
mentioned, lliey had no fixed abode, but rambled
up and down the provinces begging, or rather ex-
acting a support from the people in the country.
They exercised all sorts of cruelty, and treated
every one they met with in the most brutal manner.
They ran about like madmen, carrying several sorls
of arms, by \\liich they became a terror to all those
who desired to live peaceably. The terror of their
name spread itself throughout most parts of Africa*,
for not content with mjuring their fellow-creatures,
they proceeded so far as to lay violent hands on
themselves, in hopes of obtaining the crown of
martyrdom. This they did several ways, but the
most common was, by throwing themselves clovin
from precipices, drowning themselves in rivers, c.
burning themselves to death in tires. Thev never
156
THE HERESIES.
hanged tliemselves, becauae Judas, after he had be-
trayed Christ, took that method of destroyhig hhn-
self. Theodoret relates, that those wlio intended to
become martyrs, gave notice of it to their compa-
nions some time before, and then great care was
taken of them. They were fed with the most cosily
food that could be procured, and when the time
came, they voluntarily destroyed themselves. Some-
times they gave money to people to kill them,
or forced those whom they met in the highways to
run them through with s\\ords. , At other times,
they ofi'ered violence to the judges whom they met
in the streets, and obliged them to command their
officers, who followed them, to dispatch them.
Theodoret, the ecclesiastical historian, relates a
pleasing story coacerniug those infatuated wretched
creatures. A company of Circumcellians met a
young man of wit and courage, and presenting him
with a sword, ordered him to plunge it into their
hearts, otherwise they would put him to immediate
death. He did not refuse, but told tiiem, tliat per-
haps when he had killed a few of them, the others
would repent and fall upon and dispatch him ; so
begged they would first suffer him to bind their hands
and feet, and then he would do as they desired.
They consented to this, and suifered themselves to
be bound, which was no sooner done, than the youug
man lashed them all with a whip, left them, and
went away. They frequently demolished the Pagan
temples, not so much from a hatred of idolatry, as
with a view of provoking the priests to kill tiiem ;
and yet in the midst of all these extravagancies, they
sung praises to God. The Donatist bishops, not
being able to convince these madmen of their
errors, applied to Taurinus, general of the forces
in Africa, who sent some soldiers against them.
Great numbers of them were killed, but they were
not totally suppressed till about the latter end of
the iifth century.
From what has been said coaceraing these here-
tics, or rather madmen, we may infer, that the civil
government of Africa, was in those ages much neg-
lected ; for although reason, as well as religion, for-
bids persecution on account of religious sentiments,
yet these men, having committed the grossest crimes,
ought to have been put to death.
Dulciiiists were another order of heretics, but they
sprang up at a period of time, rather later than any
of those we have yet mentioned ; but the peculiarity
of their notions entitles them to a place in this part
of the work. Dulcinea was a layman, and under
the strongest preti usions to sanctity, he concealed
the most abominable vices. He kept a concubine,
whom he called the saint, and he taught that the law
of Moses was a law of rigour and cruel injustice ;
that the law of Christ was a law of equity and mer-
cy, bat the law superior to all, was that of the Holy
Ghost, which had been revealed to himself alone.
He taught further, that it was an act of charity in a
woman, to consent to the desires of a man, whether
she v^■as married or single ; and his followers who
were many in number, he called the true church. At
last he became so obnoxious to the civil power, that
all his followers were dispersed, and himself witli his
concubine burned alive.
An ancient sect of Christian heretics were called
Ebiouites, and took their name from Ebion, who
had been a disciple of Ceriuthus. He taught his
followers that the law of Moses was not abolished
by the death of Christ, but that both it and the
Christian law should be observed together, both
being binding to the end of the world. His followers
called their place of meeting a synagogue, in oppo-
sition to the word church ; and they made use of
baths, in conformity with the ceremonies of the
Jews. In celebrating the eucharist, they made use
of unleavened bread, but no wine ; and they added
to it many superstitious ceremonies peculiar to some
of the heathen nations. Tbey adored Jerusalem as
the place God had made choice of; and like the
Samaritans, they would not sufter any person to
touv.h them. I'hey refused to eat either flesh or
milk, and when they were bitten by serpents, th,ey
plunged tliemselves into the water, and invoked every
thing to give them assistance.
They disagreed among themselves concerning
Christ ; some of them allowing, that he was the son
of Joseph and Mary, born like other men, and his
holiness was acquired by his good works. Others
allowed, that he was born of a virgin, but denied
his being the word, or that he had any pre-existence
before his human generation. They said he was
indeed a great projjhet, but yet a mere man ; who
by virtue had arrived at the dignity of being called
Christ, the Son of God. They supposed that Christ
and the devil were two principles which God had
xipposed the one to the other. In their lives they
were the most abandoned libertines, denying that
there was any necessity forchastity, and that men and
women should live promiscuously together. This
was very agreeable to the notions of the heathens,
many of whom became converts to this new religion;
but as soon as a pe^secution arose, they were dis-
persed ; we find some remains of them in tlie fifth
century, but they are seldom mentioned afterwards.
The sect of heretics most resembling those just
now mentioned, were the Eclesaites, v\ ho took their
rise under the enipero^" Trajan, about the beginning
of the second centui-y. They joined together some
of the Jewish ceremonies and those of the Christian
church, but they kept a mean between both. They
worshipped one God and observed with great strict-
ness the Jewish sabbath, circumcision, and some
other ceremonies of the law of Moses ; but they re-
THE HERESIES
157
jected all sorts of sacrifices, nor would they suffer an
uuimal to be killcil lor that purpose. They r«.>jtcted
as spurious, the {rre^test part ol'tlie sacred scriptures,
both ofthe Ulil and IS e\v 'IVstunieut, and llicy acknow-
ledged a Messiiili, whom they called tiie Great King,
but who this impostor was, does not appear. They
jireteiidcd that the Holy (ihost was a woman, and
that it is lawful to renoiuice the faith widi the lips,
BO as it is retained in die iieart. In their lives they
were extremely vicious, living like beasts together,
in the most promiscuous manner, and yet we lind,
that tiiey remained in the world till the iifth century.
'1 he jiulychians, were a sect of heretics, who rose
up late in tiie church, at a time wlien the pure doc-
trines of the gospel iiad been much corrupted. Tiiey
maintained, that there was but one nature in Jesus
Christ, because he was but one person. They be-
lieved that the divine nature had so swallowetl up
the inuiian, that there was no hu^iianity in Jesus
Christ but that of ajipearnnce. In 4J0, a council
was held at Constanliiiople, in which tliis heresV
was condemned, but still it had many partisans, who
spread their tenets through several parts of Asia, till
at last it was swallowed up in ^lahonietanism.
About the middle of the third centmy, a ."lorl of
heretics arose in the church, called Hearcleonitcs.
Hearcleon, the author of this heresy, was a man of
some learning, and being desirous to become the
founder of a new sect, he relined on all the heresies
that had taken place before his time. He expounded
several parts of the New Testament in a way pecu-
liar to himself; but he rejected the Old Testament,
affirming, that there never had been a prophet be-
fore Christ, except John the Baptist. His followers
consisted chiefly of apostate Christians, and students
from the heathen schools ; but this sect must have
soon dwindled away, for no mention is made of
them after the time of Conslantine the Great.
In the third century, or at least in the beginning
of the fourth, there was a sect of heretics, call<jd
Hieraxites, from the name of the founder, Hierax,
a very subtle philosopher at Alexandria ; who
taught that Melchizedec was the Holy Ghost, con-
demned marriages, and denied the resurrection of
the body. He likewise asserted, that no man could
be saved who had not arrived at years of maturitv,
and that all infants were to be damned ; for he con-
sidered knowledge, as the procuring cause of eternal
happiness.
Kufinus tells us a remarkable story of an Hierax-
ite, who was confounded by a miracle, wrought
by St. Macarius, in Egypt. The Hieraxite walk-
ing into the desert where the saint resided, had the
boldness to enter into a dispute with Macarius and
his companions. The saint perceiving that his dis-
ciples began to stagger with what tlie Hieraxite ad-
Tauced, proposed that they should botli go into the
11 2
sepulchres of the dead, and ho whose doctrine God
approved of, would receive power to raise up a per-
son from the grave.
The Hieraxite accepted of the proposal, and both
being come into the sepulchre, the saint pressed him
to raise up one from the dead, in tl;o name of the
l^ord. Hut the Hieraxite alledgiiig that the saint
should be^'iu iiist, us having made the proposal, Ma-
carius prostrated liimself on the ground, and having
addressed himself to God, called a certain hermit by
name, who hud been buried some time before. The
dead man ansucicd him from the bottom of the
tomb, u|)on which he was taken out alive ; and the
Hieraxite, terrified at the miracle, took to his heels,
and tied out of tiie desert.
Lucifer, bishop of Cagliari, towards the middle
of the fourth century, vi as the founder of a sect of
heretics, called Ijuciferaus. This Lucifer was a
man of extraordinary abilities, which induced the
bishop of lioinc to send him to the emperor Coii-
stantinc, desiring him to call a council at Milan.
This council met in the year 3.36 ; and as the ma-
jority of the members were Arians, Lucifer who was
then orthodox, was, with all his party, sent into ba-
nishment. He continued in banishment several
years, but being at last recalled, he quarrelled wilk
the other bishops, and separated himself totally from
the church. lie was, properly speaking, partly an
Arian, and partly a Semi-Arian ; for the church was
at that time so much torn in pieces by heresies and
schisms, that instead of preaching the pure truths of
the gospel, nothing was to be met with besides
wranglings, strife, hatred and contentions.
About the middle of the fourth century, and dur-
ing the reign of the emperor Constantius, a sect of
heretics arose in or near Mesopotamia, called Mas-
salians.froni a Hebrew word, which signifies prayer,
and a Greek word of the s?me import.
It took its rise from the conduct and notions of
some monks, who, instead of working to support
themselves, as was the i)ractice in that age, gave
themscKes up wholly to prayer. They taught that
the whole of religion consisted in prayer ; and that
there was no necessity for good works. They pre-
tended to prophecy, and blasphemously asserted,
that they could see the Trinity vith their naked
eyes, 'i'hey believed that the Holy Ghost de-
scended upon them at their ordinations, when they
trod the devil under foot, and danced upon him.
They forbad giving of alms to any but those of their
own sect ; pretended that they could dissolve mar-
riages ; and persuaded t hildren to leave their pa-
rents and follow them. They wore long hair like
women, and dressed themselves in magnificent robes,
lliey became at last so obnoxious to the people,
that the emperor 'I heodosius published an edict a-
galnst them, when, to avoid persecution, many of
158
THE HERESIES.
them returned to the church, but as often relapsed
into their former errors. Wherefore, in a couucil
xif bishops, held 427, it was ordained, that no more
of the Massalians should be re-admitted into the
church, let their repentance be ever so apparently
sincere.
'I'heodore, bishop of Pharan in Arabia, was the
founder of a new sect, called Monothelites, who
maintained, that although there were two natures in
Christ, yet there was but one will ; and that the
manhood in Christ was so united to the word, that
though it had its faculties, it did not act by itself;
but the whole act was to be ascribed to the word
which gave it the motion. They maintained fur-
ther, that it was the manhood of Christ that suffered
hunger, thirst, and all sorts of pain ; but all these
■were to be ascribed unto the word as the cause.
INIany of the clergy embraced these notions, and
the heresy remained till it was condemned in a coun-
cil held at Constantinople, 680.
Nazarincs. This was a name given at first to all
the followers of Jesus Christ ; but after the destruc-
tion of Jerusalem, a new sect arose, who assumed
this name to themselves. Their religion consisted
of a strange jumble of Jewish ceremonies mixed
witii Christian ones. They were all Jews by birth,
were circumcised, kept the sabbath, and, at the same
time, received the New Testament, acknowledged
Jesus Christ to be the true Messiah, and were all
baptized. These heretics, pretending to observe
a medium between the Jews and Christians, were
abhorred and detested by the former, and by the lat-
ter they were declared to be professed enemies to the
gospel.
llie Nicolaites, or Nicolaitans, are a veiy ancient
sect of heretics ; for we read Rev. ii. 6. " This thou
hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans,
which I also hate." Some are of opinion, that the
founder of this sect was Nicolas the deacon ; but
wiioever he was, his followers have been charged
with the grossest impieties, and with all manner of
abominations. Men and women lived together
promiscuously, without the least regard to decency,
and this was considered as a virtue, instead of being
condemned as a vice. They held the most blas-
phemous opinions concerning Jesus Christ ; and, in
a word, were among the worst heretics that had risen
in the church, although they took their rise in the
apostolic age.
The Novatians were a numerous sect of heretics,
who sprung up about the middle of the third centu-
ry, and were s~t) called from one Novatian, a presbyter
at Rome. Cornelius having been elected bishop,
Novatian w as so enraged that himself had not been
preferred, that he endeavoured to blacken the cha-
racter of Cornelius, by charging him with shewing
too much lenity to those who had apostatized during
the persecution.
He taught that apostates should indeed be ex-
horted to repentance, but that it w-as God, not man
who could pardon them. Nay he went so far as to
assert, that an apostate could never be forgiven
throughout all eternity ; which so terrified thoso
who had lapsed, that they returned again to pagan-
ism. He was equally severe to those who married
a second time, declaring them guilty of the unpar-
donable sin against the Holy Ghost. His followers
pretended to great purity in their lives, and re-bap-
tized all such of the orthodox as joined their party.
This heresy Mas not confined to Rome, for it spread
itself throughout every part of the Roman empire,
and its followers were extremely numerous. Con-
stantine the Great granted them toleration, on con-
dition they did not make converts of any of the ortho-
dox ; but they* are not mentioned after the middle
of the fifth century.
There was another sect of heretics who sprung
up about the middle of the second century, called
Ophites, from the veneration they had for the
serpent that tempted Eve, and the worship they paid
to a real one. They pretended that the serpent was
Jesus Christ, and that he taught men the knowledge
of good and evil. Jesus, they said, was conceived by
the Virgin Mary, and Christ came down from heaven
to join him. Jesus was crucified, but Christ, had
first left him to return to heaven. They said that
the God of the Jews was no more than a subordinate
Deity, who created tlie bodies of men, but their
souls were created by the supreme God. They had
a Kving serpent tamed, which they kept in a cage,
and at certain times, they would open the door and
let it out, when it twisted itself round some bread
on a table. This bread they brake and distributed
among the company, and having kissed the serpent,
the ceremony concluded, by declaring this to be the
real eucharist.
"Pelagians, a sect of heretics well known in church
history, took their rise about the middle of the
fourth century. Their first founder was one Pelagius,
a native of Britain, and his original name was Morgan.
Some have told us that he was originally a monk of
Bangor in Wales, and probably he was ; but these
monks were very different from such as are called by
that name at present.
Having left his native country, he travelled to
Rome, where he associated himself with persons of
the greatest learning and piety, being himself a man
of considerable abilities. He undertook the education
of some young men, and for their instruction wrote a
commentary on St. Paul's epistles.
Pelagius having been charged with heresy, left
Rome and went into Africa, where he was present
THE HERESIES.
159
Before the coming of our Saviour some men
at the famous conference held at Carthage, betwixt
the Cathohcs and the J^onatists. From Carthage
he travelled into Egypt, and at last went and settled
at Jerusalem ; for according to all the accounts we
have of him, he died somewhere in the east. ,
,His principal tenets were the following":
I. Adam was by nature mortal, and whether he
had siimed or not, vvouid ha\r died.
II. The cons<'<|utnces nf i^nani's sin werfe con-
fined to his person, and tlu rest of mmikind received
no disadvantage thereby.
HI. The law qualified men for the kingdom of
heaven, and was founded upon equal promises with
the gospel.
IV
lived without sin
V. New born infants are in the same condition
with Adam before his fall.
VI. The general resurrection of the dead does not
follow, in consequence of our Saviour's resurrection.
VII. A man may keep the commands of God
without difficulty, and preserve himself in a state of
innocence.
VIII. Rich men cannot enter into heaven, unless
they part with all their estates.
IX. The grace of God is not granted for the
performance of every moral act ; the liberty of the
will and information in point of duty, being sufficient
for that purpose.
X. The grace of God is given in proportion to
our merits.
XI. None can be called the sons of God, but
those v\ho are perfectly free from sin.
XII. Our victory over temptation is not gained
by God's assistance, but by the libertv of the will.
Such were tiie sentiments embraced by Pelagius,
and taught by his followers ; and we find, that they
spread far over the world ; for although they were
condemned in several synods and councils, yet they
made their way into Britain, where their author
was born, being conveyed thither by one Agricola,
the sou of Severianus, a Pelagian bishop in Gaul.
The orthodox party were very diligent in opposing
its progress, and for that purpose requested the Gal-
lican bishops to send over some person of eminence
to manage the contest. Their request was complied
with, and the Gallican bishops sent over to Britain,
Germanus, bishop of Auxerre, and Lupus, bishop
of Trove, who held a famous conference with the
Pelagians, at St. Albans, by which the latter were
put to silence, and the people gave sentence by loud
acclamations for (iermanus and Lupus. Upon this
occasion the following story is related : a person of
quality and his lady brought their daughter to the
holy bishops, begging of them to restore her sight,
she having been some vears blind/ The bishops
advised them to carry her to the Pelagians, who
declined j.mdertaking the cure. Germanus then
invoked the "^rrinity, and tiie young woman was
restored to sight, which had .such an eflect on many
of the peo|»le, that they left Pelagianism, and returned
again to the orthodox.
The Montanists were a numerous sect of heretic*,
who arose in the church about the latter end of the
second century. Their founder was one Montanus,
a^" Phrygian by biilli, who is said to have embraced
Christianity, with a view of promoting his temporal
interest. He pretended to inspiration, and gave out
that the Holy Ghost had made known to him many
things which had been concealed from the apostles.
His first followers were two enthusiastic women,
whose names were Priscilla and Maximilla, and in
a short time after he had many disciples. Several
councils condemned his doctrine, and he, with all
his followers, were excommunicated.
Finding they were cast out of the clAirch, they
formed themselves into a distinct society, under the
direction of those whom they called their prophets,
namely, Montanus, Priscilla and Maximilla. Thfese
sectaries made no alteration in the creed, only they
asserted, that the Holy Ghost spake to Montanus,
who was his organ to deliver his will.
They refused communion for ever to those who
committed notorious crimes, and asserted, that the
bishops had no authority to absolve them. They
condemned second marriages, and observed three
lents in the year. These heretics began to dwindle
away towards the latter end of the fourth century.
About the year 429, Nestoriiis, bishop of Con-
stantinople, broached a new heresy, and his follow-
ers were called Nestorians. He taugl^t that there
vere two natures in Christ, and two persons, the
divine and the human. It was never disputed by the
orthodox, but there were two nature in Christ, nav,
the belief of it makes an article of their faith, but as
for two persons that has been constantly denied, for
w^e trust upon that as great matter of comfort, that
our Redeemer has joined our nature to liis own, and
will remain so to eternity. The council of Ephesus
condemned this heresy, and the emperor Theodosius
confirmed the sentence, 431, NestoriuS being de-
posed and banished.
His followers, however, mulliplied in a prodigious
manner after his death, and spread themselves
throughout manv of the eastern nations. One Ser-
gius, a Nestorian monk, assisted Mahomet in writ-
ins: the alcoran, and another got himself declared
king in the province of Indostan, and grew famous
bv the name of Prester-John.
Priscillianists, were a sect of heretics who arose
in the church in the fourth century, and are .so called
from one Priscillian, a Spanitird by birth, and bishop
of Avila. This bishop pretended to work miracles
by the power of magic, and yet he lived seemingly
ia>
THE HERESIES,
s»rfa a (*»«k$ Ike, that he drew otot to his partr a
great wiadbef- tx di« clei;gT. He mim>i«pHI die
priaclpal -aotioBS ef the M«aiebees, b«rt hW cUef
tenet wvs, th<t it tras ht\rtiil to make faL>e oaiiis t«>
SMpjJort one's cause sud iaieresS. The enpemr
Mauffluscaujaedi tht? heretic, n id) ail his foUovrers,
to be beheaded, ;?^^.
SafaeUins, an EsrptiaB pikilocopher, havii^ «■»-
braced Chhsuanirr, stteaopted to atadj ike doctrine
oi the TrioitT, sad as tt was iaroapirehettsible. he
resnli«d to fatoach oat a new feii«ioa of his owa,
aad his fbiiotrars weie called SabeUiaiks. He tiaght
that theie vv^as bat oae petsaa in the Trizuty, aad
JH coadraaatioB at this doctrine, he made nse of a
■cowyrwrna. . He saiti that as nan, thon^ coot-
poied of aonl and bodr. b bntooe peisoo; so God,
liKi^gh be jb Father, Son, and Hoir Gfaoct, is b«rt
one pefsoo. His discipks earned hi« bouobs stiil
h^her : h«t we hear Htde ot theoi aiter the time
of Coaatantiae dbe Gtcnt.
SethtsBs were a sect of heretics wfe arose first la
£gvpt abont the middle of the aeoond centnrr. We
areioMtkatfaer worshipped Selh, the son of AdM^
whom the«^ faebned to be Jems Ottiat the son of
God. bat who was made bjr a third oinnitT, and
anhi»dtnled ia the room of the two faaaSies of Cain
and Ahel, whkh had been destroy at the dehige.
A-^„. . • -^ nrnl illaiM I iif
,ao ih^had maspr foHowers, finr we find
Ihev
And
Esrcpt up wads of five hnn-
, the most anckut sect of heretics, were
faUowers of Siawa JtLignB, a natrw of Sa-
< offered Peter mtmer if he worid seB
1 the power of w<iwking miradea. i>lthnn_^li dii
1 in his scheme to impiae on the apostle,
]iethe went abootfrom place to place and made
mamr pnaektas to his hh^fhrmii The gpreatmt
m^her of hereaes took their rise ftom dbis if^wEtnc,^
nnd i*»T dnnid^ ^n^^^^d i^^^^tf4v^ m -^p j.^*^^ -^
kntkaua. Tfcey a inihip|ii d hesa as the great God,
lrai«aedakmg withhka. There k aa aanfat tku
darapoaks. Petaraad John, kad thn
view, w^en they cnubaned Aarhemeis to
flf Cake ptophetSL
Indbe seooad ccMtar, a nem aect of heretics
I or ne name of Taixmifeei^ oom
:«rfS^ JmtB, who had for
yeari n^hl tbrwlngy at Warn » ThisTaiiM
— tr n'^i raadifiat ilipaiMnm, iid rftii ihi * iih iif
his aaasser^ he left Rome and tm«elbd hm> ife £aa.
vhaeheflpaBnihiBnewdoctnaea. Hk
a rvmfowai of t othaa dbt had k
hka, prntiLnlal) ^ Valcnttam ami &e Mam-
M^cs, to whkh he addsd, that Adam aad T£m
ceald aat he »vd.
«^
He coBdemBed marriife as incoifiisteot with \he
gMspel; forbad the driatiii^ of vrine, nor would he
suti^ aBT oi ills foIlo»"ers to eat flesh, lljey were
so arerse to tbe use of wine, that ihev used water m
the sacraaieut of tLe eocharist. Sevems, one oi his
disciples, iniproved on the tenets of latian. Like
most of the other heretics, he tao;^ that there were
two principles, a good »id an e« ix ooe, ajid by them
aU thm*s ia heaven aod earth werte «tnenied. He
denied the icsanectian <^ the body, aud forged a
great number of books, winch w'ere jnstlj rejected
bv the orthodox.
Thk heresT was soaaetime in repute, hat k dvm-
dkd into contempt about the time of the emperor
ConstmttiDe the Great.
The Zacheans were aoodier sect of heretics, who
arose abontihe asiddle of the fourth century ; and
they were so called from oue Zachetis, who Irred
somewhoe near Jerwsalem. This eathusiast retired
to a mimiilsia, where he spent most of hb time in
devotion, being of nptaiwi, that prayer was ail God
iwf iitii of men. He took upon hiiu the o£ce of a
priest, without bong ordained to that sacred ofike,
and he socm piouned a sreat nomber of followers.
These, however, consisted only of tbe off-ecounngs
of the peofde, so that men of sober lives detesited
them. He was geaenlK considered as an impostor,
who kad nolkiiig in xiew, besides Aat of procuring
a naoK ; and so ^ as we learn, hk sect w&s extinct
long hefiae the end of tbefenrdioeaftaiT.
Jknolher wild sect of heietics were called Zaa-
— ^~— ^ fro^ aae Zaazales, a natire of Syria, and
accoidii^ to sook, hadiop of .Antioch : bat of that
mekaveao certain proof. He taught, that baptism
wi& vmer was cantrarr to the fenipri, aad that they
onglu to haptae with file; whack he gronnded npon
the wonb of John the fi^tist, who foRtidd ikat ifae
ronhi baptize «lh the Holj Ghost and
fire. For thk reason he wdeied dnt adi hk
ikonid he JMaaded w iih a redliotiroo&ree
in Ae name of the Fairer, of the Son. aad
of the Hoh Ghost. Thk heresy gave great oAsaoe
to ike charch, bat k sooa soak into cootenpt, and
ksfiifloweis were despised faf all those of theoftho-
doxpav^.
Aboat the latter end <tf the fanrth ceatar;, one
a monk of Miha, inujtjd a new heresy;
faflowers were faaa himwif, called Jowini^».
Ue tanght, ihtf Marr, the mother of Jcsas did
aot I iialmni a 'nrsia after her lying in ; aad that
aaarnhm leceiwad grace in haplwm, he cso
lase it, ahiih mahes him eqaal to the periect
Fmtker, tkat a state of TiiginiiT k$ not
God Ami mauiagc : aad lastly,
le^mg or 4nnking,so ae we
give Aanks to God.
Thk JoivBU had taken a £alike to ihe aaMea-
THE HERESIES.
161
ties of the cloyster, and oppwsed the zeal of Ambrose,
bishop of Miiiui, Viho was a sireouous advocate for
the monastic life. Accordingly, be. n ith some of
his bfethreD, left the clo\ ster and retired to Rome,
where ibev bad many follow ers : but 1l3e<<dosiu5 the
emperor, ordered tliem to depart out of Italy. Tbis
lbe\ complied Mitb, but relumed after his death,
and ^siaed new reputation, llie clergy, however,
raised a fresh storm of persecution against them, and
apj-flied to the emperor Honorius for his assistance.
Hooorius onjplied with their request, and they were
all banished iuli- an «nfre<)ueuteti i>larMl, v»here they
were never beard of afterwards. Probably they died
of want, and as their tenets were not much different
from Protestants, it gives us but a melancholy, pic-
ture of the established religion at that time.
'Ilie MeleciaBE. another sect oi heretics, about
the beginnjji2 of the fourth century, had for their
fouDckr. Melecius, bishop of LycoptJis, in Egypt.
This bishop had been, at first, a most zealous advo-
cate for the faith : and the warmth w ith w hich be
defended it, so irritated the emperor ^iaximilliau,
that he caused him to be imprisc>ned along with Pe-
ter, bishop of Alexandria. About the year 306, and
during his capti\ity, Meiecius declared with great
warmth against those Christians, who having apos-
tatized, desired to be reconciled to the church ;
insistiitg that they should not be perinitted to par-
don. tUl sudi time as the persecution was over, and
the church's peace restored. H e carried his zeal in
this matter so far, that he broke off all his commn-
nioD with Peter, the bishop of Alexandria, who
oppoeed the rigour of his doctrines ; and thus, even
while be was detained m prison, he not only defended
the faith, but likewise broached opinions contrary
to it.
Soon after this, a 5ync«i w as held at Alesandria,
in which the opinions of Meiecius were condemned.
aad this seoteoce was continued by all the neigh-
fooaring; bishops. The Melecians hung little bells
to the bottom of their garments, and sung their
pravers, dancing all the time : and this they coosder-
ed as the only means to appease the wrath of God.
They persisted in rejecting all such Cruistians as had
apostatized ; and they are sa:d to ha-v e been Dotorioiis
hypocrites noder the mask of piety.
Another sect of Lererics were called Sabbathians,
from their leader Sabbathus, a Jew, who was bap-
tized at Constantinople, tow ards the latter end of
the fourth century, and ordained a priest by the Xo-
tatians: but finb^ himself as little esteemed by
the heretics whom he had joiiied, as by the Jews
whom he had desated, he for^<x»k their assamUies,
and resolved to become the oe«d of a partr.
As he bad still some remains of Judaism in him,
be affirmed, that Easter shoaU be kept oa tke same
day \% ith the Jew i^ passofcr : aad^ better to cob-
11 2
firm his disciples in that opinkn, be made use of
the fvllowing stratagem : In reading Lake xui,
when he came to the w ords, '■• the feast of anka-
rened - vn hich is called the paas-
over," - on a sudden, and cried,
" V oe umo bim thai keeps the passover, but on
the day of unleavened bread.^ He joined those
words so artfully to the text, that his ignorant bear-
ers imagined them to be the words of Jesus Christ
himself.
~ ?, a Novatian bishop, set himself up to
oj ^ . oatbus, and one day, while the latter
was in a certain church, a report was spread, that
Sissinnius was coining with a band of armed men, to
destroy him and his followers. The Sabbathians,
seized w ith terror, endeavoured to make their es-
cape, but as they pressed to get out of the church,
they fell one upon another, and the umber of
those who were trampled to death was bo great,
that the rest abandoned their leader, oat of fear of
Sisanus, and thus die whole sect was entirely dis-
persed.
Saturninians, the last siect of these ancient here-
tics whom we shall mention, took their rise about
the beginning of the sect'od ceatnrr, and had for
their ■founder, one Satuminius, a philosopher of An-
tioch. Tbis man havmg embraced Christjanitv, be-
came a member of the church of Antioch ; but not
relishing the simplicity of the gospel, he res(»lved to
set up a new rehs^ion of his own. He had a particu-
lar svstem of his own, concerning the creation of the
world; for be taught, that God created seven an-
gels, aad these seven angels created the world, with
two kinds of men, the one good and the other bad ;
the good, he said, were the elect chosen to glory ;
and the bad were the reprobate, who were to be
condemned.
He taught many other ridiculoos tjotions, snch as,
that man hves by the breath of God alone, hot when
he wiibdraw s that breath be dies. To these he add-'
ed, that the angels having long admired the beaai-
ties of God, resolved to make scroething to resemble
him: and having labcuped a great whde, tlaey
made a kind of animal which coiiid not stand Al-
right, but crawled on the earth like a serpent : dot
Giod soffered their ^vork to remaia some time m tliit
low coodttioii, to convince diem €>{ the ra^bneas of
the {Ht>ject. At last, God beinj: toadied with com-
passioo, bestowed some ^taie of his own perfectiaa
on this creature, who imme&tely raised himself
upon his ft-et, and lifted i ■ sd towards hea-
ven. Sarumimus pretenc : .tie Jews had been
long under the goverament of a bad angeL as a p—
isbment for thek sins : but that at last, die eternal
Father, taking pity on them, sent him ^Satsminins)
into the world, to take them oqi oi the power of the
angel of ifiscord : diat he himself was the tnie Mes-
162
THE HERESIES.
siab, and that Jesus Christ was a mere apparition,
and not a real man. This impostor had a great
number of followers, who spread their notions
throughout most of the capital towns in Syria; and
to support his pretences, he forged a book, contain-
ing a great number of false oracles, all which he
said had been dictated by a good angel, and were of
equal authority with the word of God.
These were all the heretics of any note in the pri-
mitive church ; for although, there were some of
lesser note, yet they v were only branches of the
above, and little more has been transmitted to us
concerning them, besides their names. Taking their
absurdities, their errors, their impieties, and their
blasphemies all into one point of view, we are pre-
sented with a most horrid picture of human nature.
Here all the vices that can take place in the heart,
are collected together ; so truly were the word*
fulfilled, that the child Jesus should be sent for
the rise and fall of many.
Having given an account of all that is necessary
to be known, concerning the ancient heretics and
schismatics, we shall conclude this article with a
definition of the terms so often made use of, viz.
.•chism, heresy, and blasphemy.
And first, of schism, which is to divide the church
and disturb its peace. The pious Mr. Nelson has
given us a definition of schism, in the following
words : " Schism (says he) is a causeless separation
from such governors in the church, as have receiv-
ed their authority and commission from Jesus Christ.
If there be a sufficient cause, then there may be a
separation, but it is not a schism. But if there be
no sufficient ground for the separation, it is schism;
that is a culpable separation, which was always
reckoned a sin of a very heinous nature. For St.
Paul charges the Ephesians to keep the unity of the
spirit in the bond of peace, because there is but one
God, one faith, one baptism, and one body of
Christ."
The same doctrine is taught in the writings of the
first fathers of the church, particularly St. Ignatius
and St. Cyprian ; and schism was reputed a great
sin by them, even before the church and state were
imited, and when the meetings of the schismatics
were as much tolerated as those of the orthodox.
For toleration does not alter the nature of schism.
Such laws only exempt the persons of schismatics
from persecution. Donatism and Novatinism w^ere
counted as danmable schisms, under the reigns of
those emperors who granted toleration to them ; as
under the reigns of those who made laws against
them. So according to these authors, it is not se-
paration from a church that creates schism, but it is
a causeless separation ; but then it must be added,
that there may appear sufficient cause to one, when
another does not see any ; so that in judging of
those who separate, we should be cautious and cha
ritable.
Secondly, heresy, which is very different from
schism ; the latter being only a separation for
groundless causes from the established church of the
comitry where we live ; whereas heresy is a total,
deviation from the principles of the Christian faith,
and the setting up something in opposition there-
unto, which has no foundation in the sacred scrip-
tures. People sound in the faith may differ in their
sentiments, concerning the exterior non-essentials
of religion, without injuring the peace of the church,
although in tiie heat of unnecessary controversy ;
the violence of unguarded passions may induce them
to abuse each other ; but while they agree iii the
essentials of religion, and live as become the dis-
ciples of Christ, all such opprobrious names s'lould
cease.
It is every way different with heretics, who not
content with disturbing the peace of the church in
the non-essentials of religion, boldly proceed to at-
tack one or all of those fundamentals upon which
our salvation depends. Thus one will deny the di-
vinity of Christ ; another the necessity of his merits
to procure our acceptance with God ; a third the
use of the outward means ; and a fourth, the resur-
rection of the body, and a future state of rewards
and punishments. Such errors as these justly de-
serve the name of heresy, because the teaching of
them strikes at the root of our holy Religion, by re-
presenting the sufferings of Christ as both useless
and unnecessary.
Thirdly, blasphemy, which consists in ascribing
any thing to the Deity, unbecoming the perfections
of his godhead, or by derogating from the nature of
his attributes, by saying that he is neither holy, ,
just, nor good. This by the law of Moses was a
capital offence, and the criminal was to be led with-
out the camp and stoned to death by the whole con-
gregation, but the witnesses, upon whose evidence
he had been convicted, were first to Jay their hands
upon his head, and throw the first stones at him, in
testimony that they had not perjured themselves.
Our Saviour takes notice of the sin and blasphe-
my against the Holy Gho^t, which was never to, be
forgiven, either in this world, or in that which is to
come ; and this passage of sacred scripture has been
a stumbling-block in the way of many pious well-
meaning Christians. If we consider (he passage
aright, nothing can be plainer than that it is to be
imputed to the Pharisees, who declared that the mi-
racles Christ wrought by tlie power of the Holy
Ghost, were performed by tiie assistance of the de-
vil. Our Lord had just healed one possessed of a
devil ; and the Pharisees gave this malicious turn to
the miracle : " This fellow doth not cast out devils,
but by Beelzebub, the prince of devils." This led
COMMENCEMENT OF POPERY.
163
our Saviour to discourse concerning the sin or blas-
phemy against the Holy Ghost, and to tell liis dis-
ciples, " Wherefore I say inito you, all niaiiuer of
sin and blasphtuiy shall be forgiven unto men, but
the sin against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven
unto them. " — See Matlh. xii. 22, 31.
'i"he Pharisees therefore were the persons charged
with this sin, which consisted in ascribing what
was done by the power of God to the agency of the
devil. And the reason why our Lord pronounced
it unparduiiable is plain, because the Jews, and par-
ticularly their leaders the Pharisees, by withstand-
ing the evidence of miracles, resisted the strongest
means of their conviction. From all which it will
naturally follow, that no person can now be guilty
of the sin against the Holy Ghost, in the sense in
which our Saviour intended it, although tliere may
be sins which bear a near resemblance to it.
Py the conmion law of England, blasphemy is
defined to consist in a denial of the being and provi-
dence of God, and a reproaching of the name of
Jesus Christ, for which the delinquent is to suffer
imprisonment, the pillory, or to be fined at the dis-
cretion of tRe court where the offence is tried; and
for this crime, one Anne Taylor paid a tine of one
thousand pounds, and stood in the pillory three
times, 1676. — See Hawkins's pleas of the crown,
chap. 89.
By the statute of the ninth of William HI. chap.
32, it is enacted, that if any person shall, by writ-
ing, or speaking, deny any of the persons of the
lioly Trhiity to be God, or assert there are more Gods
than one, or shall deny the Christian religion to be
true, or the Old and New Testament to be of divine
authority, he shtill be incapable of any office or em-
ployment, and for the second offence shall be disa-
bled to sue in any action to be executor.
A most remarkable instance of blasphemy hap-
pened in the reign of queen Elizabeth, for the truth
of which we have the testimony of all the writers of
that time, as well as the records of the courts of
justice. — One Hacket affirmed himself to be the
anointed king of the earth by the Holy Ghost, and
commanded his two disciples, Arthington and Cop-
piiizer, to |)roclaim through ihe streets of London,
that Christ was come to judge the world, and that
he inipht be seen at the house w here Hacket lodg-
ed, and that all who refused to obey him should de-
stroy each other, and that the queen should be de-
throned. He was convicted of high treason, and at
the place of execution, repeated the following
prayer :
"Eternal God, thoti know est me to be the true
Messiah, whom thou hast sent : shew some miracle
' from the clouds to convince those unbelievers, and
free me from the power of my enemies. If thou re-
fusest to do this, I w ill set fire to the heavens, and
pulling thee from thy throne, will tear thee to pie-
ces with my hands." And turning to the execution-
er, said, " Dost thou, wretch, presume to hang thy
king '(" Then lifting up his eyes to heaven, he cried,
" Thou repayest me well for a kingdom bestowed, I
come to take vengeance on thee."
Such a wretch as this should have been whipped
twenty times at the cart's tail, instead of sending
him into eternity, uttering the most horrid blas-
phemies.
By the law of Scotland, blasphemy is, and always
has been, a capital offence, and it takes place be-
fore high treason. The last person that suffered for
this crime at Edinburgh, was one Aikenhcad, in the
year 169G. He denied the being of a God, and
mocked at all religion, whether natural or revealed.
He l>elonged to a society of young men, who
usually met together at a tavern, where they made
it a rule, that each in his turn should burn the Bible,
and blaspheme the name of God. At last the club
was dispersed, and this man was burnt alive ; but
some of his companions still continued to dissemi-
nate their sentiments ; among whom was one Hun-
ter, a young student in divinity, who was hung in
chains at Broughton, near Edinburgh, for murder-
ing two young gentlemen, the sons of one Mr.
Gordon, whose tutor he was. ■
STATE OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, FROM ITS RECEIVING A
CIVIL ESTABLISHMENT UNDER CONSTANTINE THE GREAT, 314,
TILL THE BEGINNING OF THE REFORMATION, 1317.
V V E come now to the third article proposed con-
cerning tlie Ciiristian religion, and it is of such an
important nature, that according to the regular man-
ner we have hitherto proceeded, we shall consider it
under the foUovying heads :
I. An abstract of the history of the church, from
the time of the emperor Constantine die Great, till
the Reformation.
II. The origin of the monastic
vith an
164
COMMENCEMENT OF POPERY,
account of all the religious orders, by whom founded,
and for what purposes.
III. The origin, progress, and present state of
3]] the ceremonies made use of by the Roman
Catholics.
Lastly, an account of the inquisition ; and in
writing on those subjects, we shall be directed by the
best authors : whether Popish or Protestant, we shall
be guided by a candid attention to the truth, being
willing to find it in any party whatever.
To begin with the first, namely, the state of
Christianity during the space of eleven hundred
years. It will be necessary, however, to observe,
that as we have already given an account of all the
ancient heresies, and as there was, no necessity for
others springing up after this period, seeing the
cliurch became daily more and more corrupted, so
the reader must attend to the genernl thread of the
narrative ; it being our intention, w hen any innova-
tion presents itself to us, to treat of it as collaterally
comiected with the whole, by way of digression.
We have already considered the religion of our
Divine Redeemer, as propagated among the heathens,
by no other means besides the assistance of Almighty
power, and although opi)oscd by the Roman empe-
rors, by the Pagan priests, and the superstitious
Jews ; yet the tender plant grew up, and was nou-
rished, and an innumerable company of people of
all ranks thought it an honour to inlist themselves
as soldiers under the banner of the cross. Neither
the malice of devils nor the power of men could
stop its progress, for as Christ had declared that his
khigdom was not of this world, so his religion was
propagated by spiritual means, and the more it was
opposed the more it f.ourished ; but now we must
draw the line between' huniaii and divine power.
Constantine, justly. called the Great, took posses-
sion of the Roman empire partly by force, and
partly by election, /ind it irmst be acknowledged,
that at that time, the Christians were so numerous,
it would have beeo consistent with true policy, to
have granted them a free toleration, supposing the
emperor himself had continued in heathenism.
The emperor, however, embraced the Christian
religion, in the year ,314, although he was not
baptized till w ithin a short time before his death. He
issued an order, that all the revenues, appropriated
tor the support of the heathen temples, siiould be
bestowed on the Christian clergy, and being no
stranger to the tricks practised by the Pagan priests,
ihe ordered their idols to be exposed to the populsce,
that they might see in what manner they had been
deceived by designing men, and this occasioned
multitudes of people to embrace the Christian reli-
gion, although it is proba])le that many of them did
ap, without being properly instructed in its principles,
but rather that they might acquire emolument.?, by
complying with the orders of t!ie emperor.
This circumstance is the more necessary to fee
attended to, because it will throw a considerable
light on the remaining part of this narrative, and
point out how great the difierence must always be
between human and divine pow er. During the three
first centuries, the Christians were a distressed people,
but they were in many respects pure and innocertt.
Whether they imagined tliat temporal power would
interpose in their favoiu', cannot now lje certainly
known ; probably they did not, for as they waited
daily for the second coming of Christ, ail their hopes
centred in that single principle ; and this considera-
tion supported them under all their sutferings.
Previous to the reign of the emperor Constantine,
the Christians had been persecuted in the most cruel
manner ; and, bleeding with their wounds, tliey were
taken under the protection of that Christian hero.
Happy for the Christian indulgence granted to them ;
and, instead of stirring up the civil power against
the heathens, endeavoured like their Divine Master,
to bring them over >to the truth, without coercive
means. The contrary however took place, and to
use the -^words of the great and good archbishop
Leighton, "The world went mad by turns." JNo
sooner had the Christian bishops received the coun-
tenance and protection of the civil power, than they
resolved to persecute the Pagan priests, from whose
malice they had suffered so inuch, and in this they
were too much countenanced by those obsequious
courtiers, whose mercenary views and self-interests
induced them to attend as ministers of state in the
emperor's court. But to understand this in a proper
manner, we must attend to the state of the Christian
church, beginning with the fourth century.
CENTURY IV.
The Christians being now established in the peace-
able possession of great riches and honours, began
to compare their present state with their former suf-
fering, which brought to their remembrance the
patience and fortitude of their predecessors.
These considerations raised in them a high, and
in some measure a just veneration for the martyrs :
But it did not stop here, for it ran into excess, and
produced the worst effects. Every rumour concern-
ing these saints was -eceived without examination,
and represented as meritorious, insomuch that certain
monks made a trade of going from place to place
selling their bones and relics.
This practice was greatly encouraged by the most
celebrated preachers of that age, such as Athanasius,
Gregory, Nazianzen, but particularly Chrysostom,
whose popular eloquence contributed greatly towards
encouraging tjbe superstitious veneration and invo-
COMMENCEMENT OF POPERY.
16J
cation of saints, the love of monken,', and die belief
of miracles wrought by monks and relics ; thence
arose religious addresses to the martyrs, who were
considered as patrons and intercessors, which tended
to lesson the reliance and gratitude due to Christ,
and to substitute new mediators in the room of him
who alone is the mediator between God and man,
the Lord our Redeemer. When we Protestants
speak of the cross of Christ, we mean thereby the
whole of his passive obedience, without paying any
regard to the form or shape of a wooden cross ; for
nnless we can be kept in mind of our Lord's suffer-
ings, without such monitors, it shews that our love
for him is very cold.
Some zealots, under the direction of Helena, the
mother of Constantine the Great, pretended to have
discovered the real cross on which Christ suffered ;
.«iany figures of it were made, and distributed to all
round the empire : These were hung up in churches,
and the relics of the saints were deposited in boxes,
and placed on the altars ; for it was in this age that
altars were first erected in the Christian churches.
St. Chrysostoni in preaching on good Friday, in
the great church of Constantinople, has given us
the following description of the virtues of the cross,
which althongii the wh.ile might be applied to tiie
passive obedience of Christ, yet from the circum-
stances of the times, the sentiments of the preacher,
and tlie nature of the addi:ss, it seems plain that he
had directed the people to look at the sign of a cross.
He says,
" Now, if thou would know, O Christian, the
" power and praises of the cross, attend to me!
"The cross is an anchor to all those who from
" wavering in the faith, begin to sink! a resurrection
" of the dead ! a leader of the blind ! the path of
" those who have gone out of tlie way ! the avenger
" of those who have suffered- wrong i the staff of the
" lame ! the comfort of the poor ! the curb of the
" rich ! the overthrow of the ])roud! the victory over
" the devil ! the instructor of/;hildren ! the supply of
"council to those who want it! the pilot of those
" who are in a sea of troubles ! the haven of those
" who are tossed about in a storm ! the bulwark of
" those w aging war with sin and the devil ! the father
"of orphans! the helper of widows! the judge of
" those w ho do w rong ! the pillar of the just ! the
"repose of the" afflicted ! a light to those who sit in
" darkness ! the niaguificence of kings ! the teacher
" of humanity to barbarians ! the freedoin of slaves !
" the wisdom of the unlearned! the law of the diso-
"bedient! the declaration of the apostles! the
" preaching of the prophets ! the glorying of the
" martyrs ! the exercise of the solitary ! the foundation
" of the church ! the safety of the world ! the de-
" struction of the heathen temples ! the overthrow of
*' their altars ! the vanishing away of their incense !
11 • 2
" the scandal of the Jews ! the ruin of the ungodly !
" the strength of the weak ! the physician of the
" diseased ! the cleansing of lepers ! the strength-
" ener of the paralytic! the bread of the hungry!
" the fountain of the thirsty ! and in a word, tlio
" covering of the naked!"
Such was the popular eloquence of those times,
and when we consider what influence it must have
had on the minds of men just brought over in pro-
fession from the religion of Pagans, we will not be
surprised to find that image worship, and a venera-
tion for the relics of the martyrs, soon became lead-
ing principles in Christianity.
It was in this century, 325, that the famous
council of Nice met, consisting of three hundred
and eighteen bishops, besides a vast number of pres-
byters, deacons, and other church officers, together
with representatives from the, laity, who still had a
share of church power. In this council the em-
peror presided in person, and being a man of great
moderation, he advised the bishops to drop all
unnecessary disputes, and attend to their duty as
ministers of the gospel, in regulating the affairs of
the church, consistent with the law of Christ, and
the interest of believers. The passions of the
clergy were however so turbulent, and such was their
hatred of each other concerning disputed points ill
religion, that they framed the creed which still bears
their name, although it was not confirmed till the
general council at Constantinople in 381.
Tlie orthodox party were not content with the
temporal emoluments arising from their livings, but
they even went so far as to stir up tlie emperor to
punisli with death, all those who differed from them
in sentiments. Here they acted the same part as the
heathens had done to them before : when the hea-
thens found they could not confute the Christians,
they forged the grossest slanders to blacken their
characters ; and in the same manner did the Nicene
fathers treat tiie heretics. Had they by charitable
reasoning sought to convince those men of their
errors they would have acted a Christian part ; but
their calling in the aid of the civil power, was in its
own nature so hellish and diabolical, that even their
friends cannot draw a veil over this part of their
conduct.
The truth is, the clergy were now so glutted
with power, that they bi;canie the vilest incendiaries
of the state. They meditated nothing but revenge
against those who opposed them ; and had they not
be«i restrained by the civil power, they would have
persecuted the heathens, in the same manner as they
had been persecuted by them. And yet during all
these confusions, the bishops of Rome had not, nor
did not pretend to any authority over otiier bishops.
But we shall soon have occasion to take notice of
the rise of the papal power. Before this time, cveiy
166
COMMENCEMENT OF POPERY.
church had its own creed, or formulary of belief ;
and although the words often differed from the creeds
of neighbouring churches, yet the sense was the same.
They all agreed in the fundamental articles of reli-
gion, but they did not impose their forms upon each
other. But now the right of private judgment was
destroyed ; men were not to search the scriptures, in
order to find out the terms of acceptance with the
Deity, but in the words of creeds of human invention,
a fixed sense was put upon the most abstruse parts
of the word of God, and instead of confirming these
points, by the word of God, the Bible itself was to
be regulated by them.
About the beginning of the year 36l, Julian,
conmionly called the apostate, was chosen emperor,
and for sometime he behaved with great moderation
towards the Christians. His hatred to them, how-
ever, was inveterate ; for although he had been
brought up amongst them, yet he had seen so much
of the tricks practised by the bishops, as well as the
rest of the clergy, that he resolved, if possible, to
re-establish heathenism. He imposed severe taxes
upon the, Christians, and when any of their leaders
complained, he answered in a sneering mannej;,
"your God hath taught you patience." Indeed the
Christian bishops at that time, were of such turbulent
dispositions, that he was afraid of them, because they
could at any time have influenced the populace
against him.
He was succeeded by Jovian, a man of good
natural parts, and a friend to the Christians both
from principle and practice ; but he had not long
enjoyed the imperial dignity, when the orthodox
bishops tampered with him, in order to persecute the
heretics. For this purpose, he called a synod, to
meet at Antioch, where the orthodox bishops became
in all things obsequious to the emperor. Jovian,
however, saw through their duplicity, and told them,
that he hated contentions, and that it was his desire
they should cultivate peace, in order to promote the
interests of Christianity. For this part of his con-
duct, Jovian has been justly celebrated by every
impartial historian, who has written an account of
him ; for neither the threatenings of the bishops, nor
the alluring promises of the heathens, could induce
faim to swerve from his duty. Happy for the Chris-
tian world had he lived a few years longer, but he
was taken away before he had an opportunity of
doing the good he intended.
In the mean time, great disturbances happened
at Rome, upon Liburnus's dying, who was bishop
of that see. Uisinus and Dama^jis, both deacons
of that church, were candidates for the bishopric,
but the party of Damasus prevailed, upon which he
was elected and ordained. This so far enraged
Ursiiuis, that he collected a party together, and got
iimself ordained bishop, which occasioned a new
schism in the church. The consequences of this
contested election proved fatal to many of the citi-
zens of Rome ; for besides vast numbers murdered
in the streets, no less than one hundred and thirty-
seven were murdered in the churches in one day,
during divine service. This is said to have been the
first controversy concerning the see of Rome, and
happy for the world had it been the last ; but the
sequel will shew, that itvvas trifling to what happened
afterwards.
Theodosius the emperor, who, in many respects
was a very great man, became a zealous advocate
for the orthodox ; and he issued circular letters,
commanding all his subjects to embrace the Nicene
creed, and worship the three persons in the Trinity
as one God. Nay, he went so far as to threaten all
the bishops with expulsion, who did not obey his
orders. At the same time, he made a code of laws
relating to ecclesiastical discipline, which must ever
stand as a disgraceful monument to his memory ; for
the orthodox party, being armed with power, lorded
it with a high haiKl over all their opponents. In
the mean time, the Doriatists in Africa, persecuted
their brethren with the most unrelenting cruelty ;
and Chrysostom, bishop of Constantinople, having
been banished i^rom that city, stirred up a violent
persecution against the Arians, so that persecution
seemed to know no end.
Many superstitious customs debased the purity of
the church during this century ; such as the making
of crosses of wood, metal, and painting were brought
in, in consequence of the emperor Constantine having
on all his banners displayed a cross.
Pilgrimages to places supposed to be holy, began
to take place in this century, but they were not
carried to such an height as we have since seen them
in the church of Rome. These pilgrimages were
for the most part to Jerusalem or Rome, or to other
places where the most celebrated martyrs suffered
death. They w^ere considered as meritorious, but
this laid the foundation for much superstition. The
giving of the eucharist to children, took place about
the end of this century ; and what is very remarkable,
when the elements were consecrated in the church,
they were sent home to such of the believers as could
not attend. Indeed it may be justly said, that the
foundation of superstition was laid in this age, and
we shall see in what manner the superstructure was
raised.
CENTURY V.
Hitherto we find that the bishops of Rome had
not made any stretches towards establishing the
papal power; but this century furnished them with
many opportunities. Infallibility was not yet pre-
tended to by the bishops of Rome, for had they
pretended to any such thing, it would have been
COMMENCEMENT OF POPERY.
167
treated as an absurdity. But notwithstanding all
this, the papal power daily gained ground, whirh was
in a great measure owing to the removal of the seat
of the empire from Rome to Constantinople ; so that
the bishops of Rome were left to the care both of
civil and ecclesiastical affairs. It was common in
that age, for bishops in the provinces to send to the
bisiiop of Rome for his advice in all difficult cases,
and although that was no more than an act of friend-
siiip at first, yet in time it began to bo considered as
an obligation ; and tiie bishop of Rome, who formerly
acted as dictator to his own people, presumed to
exercise the same authority over the whole of the
Christian world.
It was during this century, that images were placed
upon the altars in the Christian churches, and many
of them were enriched with the most costly jcM'els.
The clergy were likewise forbidden to marry, but
this met with such violent opposition, that it was
many years afterwards before it could be reduced
into a regular system.
Sureties, or godfathers for children, was another
ceremony whicii took place in this age ; and the
leasir.i seems to have been, that many of the parents
of the children were heathens. But here it is objected,
why did heathen parents offer their children to be
baptized by Christian ministers? the answer is ob-
vious : all the heathens throughout the empire were
commftnded to profess Christianity ; but as many of
the bisiiops knew that they were not sincere, so they
thought it necessary to get some persons, who had
long made a profession of the faith, as it is in Jesus,
to stand sponsors for them. The cross in baptism,
which had been indifferently used by the Christian
churches, before the reip;n of the emperor Constan-
tine, was now made an article of the Christian faith,
and no person was supposed to be properly baptized,
unless he had that sign marked upon him.
The giving the eucharist to children was likewise
introduced during this century, and we meet with
several instances where children refnsins; to take it,
the priests poured it down their throats. This was
undoubtedly a horrid profanation of such a solemn
ordinance, but it was the humour of the times ; for
Christianity and heathenisnt were then so blended
together, that it was difficult to distinguish the one
from the other. The Christian religion was now at
a low ebb ; civil power had been called in to give it
a sanction, and the consequence was, it was soon
mingled with many abominations, and at last popery
prevailed, which enslaved the consciences of men for
many ages.
CENTURY VI.
During the beginning of this century, the power
of the popes over the Christian world, was not so
much as known or recognized. The bishops of
Rome had, indeed, endeavoured to establish their
power, but they found so many obstacles in their
way, that they were obliged to relinquish the pur-
suit, and wait for a more favourable opportunity.
Nor was the infallibility of the pope acknowledged
by any of the Christian nations ; for the bisiiops of
Rome w ere still considered as subordinate to general
councils.
It was not long, however, before the bishops of
Rome began to pull off the mask, and declare that
they had a superiority over all other bishops, and
consistent with the ignorance of the times, this
notion was greedily embraced. The truth is, the
whole Christian world was, at that time sunk into
barbarism ; the principles of our holy religion were
not taught ; heathenish rites and ceremonies had
been artfully introduced : and the best of all know-
ledge had become a system of foolishness. The Goths
and Vandals began at this time to over-run the Ro-
man empire, and as there were innumerable sects
of heretics, so they joined with those barbarians,
and pure Christianity was beclouded with darkness.
This will account for many things that are to follow
with respect to the papal see, and likewise with re-
spect to those ceremonies which have in a manner
darkened the glory of the gospel dispensation, and
rendered the commandments of God of none effect
by their traditions ; teaching for truths, w hat they
knew to be contrary to the will of God, and incon-
sistent with the interests of men, either in time, or in
eternity.
It was during this century, that the two following
unscriptnral ceremonies took place, namely, praying
for the dead, and praying to the dead. Intercessions
at the tombs of the martyrs had been gradually
creeping into use and gaining ground, from the time
of Constantine the Great; but now it was consi-
dered as an article of faith, or at least an indispen-
sable duty binding on every Christian. In much the
same manner, praying for the repose of the dead, had
gradually crept into practice, and this the Christians
learned from the heathens.
It was common with the heathens to pray for
their departed relations, and keep fcstivab in memo-
ry of them ; but neither tlic Old nor the New Tes-
tament ever gave countenance to siujh a practice.
St. Austin, who lived above an hundred years before
the time we are writing of, prayed for the soul of
his mother Monica, many years after she was dead,
and, as he was a man of great repute in the church,
there is no doubt but many began to follow his ex-
ample. It was not, however, brought into general
repute, till the sixth century, and then it was con-
sidered as a duty men owed to their deceased rela-
tions.
Singing litanies was another practice that took
place during this century, but the Latin languag<£
168
COMMENCEMENT OF POPERY.
■was not as yet binding upon the churches, although
it was beginning to creep into use, Purgatory was
taught at Rome and in the east, but in Ireland and
the northern parts of Britain, it was not then known ;
nor was it much regarded in Gaul and Spain. The
priests were not yet prohibited from marrying, al-
though those who lived single were most esteemed
and reverenced by the superstitious.
The cup in the sacrament was still given to the
laity, for although many superstitious ceremonies
were used at their altars, yet the doctrine of transub-
stantiation was not taught, people being left to them-
selves to cfmsider the elements in whatever light they
pleased. It must, however, be acknowledged, that
there were some in this age, who did believe in the
doctrine of transubstantiation ; for Gregory the
Great, as he is commonly called, whom we shall
mention in our account of the next century, used all
his endeavours to make the people believe it. The
glorious sun-shine of the gospel was just now sink-
ing into obscurity, little more than the shadow was
left, and soon afterwards, in its stead, there was only
an empty name.
CENTURY VII.
The church being now in a great measure cor-
rupted, the clergy continued to seek every opportu-
nity of aggrandizing themselves. They began to
inculcate the notion, that their persons were exempt-
ed from being cognizable by the civil power, and this
laid the foundation of several of those unhappy dis-
turbances which afterwards proved fatal to many
nations in the world. It was about the beginning of
this century, that Gregory, bishop of Rome, com-
monly called Gregory the Great, sent Austin the
monk over to England, to convert the Anglo-Saxons.
This Gregory is, with propriety, called by some
ecclesiastical writers, " The great patron of super-
stition." Whatever ceremonies had been introduced
into the church before his time, he took care to im-
prove upon them, and he was continually inventing
new ones.
To create a greater respect for the churches, each
one was named after a peculiar saint ; for it was
about this time that the bishops began to exercise
authority over the smaller churches, and the pope
to rule over them all. Boniface III. was the first
Roman pontiff who assumed the title of univeral bi-
shop, which is the more extraordinary, because his
predecessor except one, namely Gregory the Great,
although a bigot in religion, yet refused this title
when offered to him. The clergy were enjoined to
wear fine robes, to distinguish them from the laity,
whom they considered as an inferior order of beings.
In England bishoprics were established, and Italians
placed in them, who spent much of their time in
wrangling with the Britons, concerning the proper
time of keeping Easter.
There were many unhappy disputes in the church
during this century, particularly concerning what
God has kept concealed from men, and what indeed
they cannot comprehend, namely, the doctrine of the
Trinity ; for disputes and superstition constituted,
at that time, the greatest part of religion. Much
about the same time, another dispute arose concern-
ing the high and dignified titles that were to be
given to the pope, for although some of the churches
had acknowledged his supremacy, yet others dis-
puted it.
The African bishops in a synod, having addressed
Theodore, bishop of Rome, in such lofty terms, and
such flattering titles, that it gave great offence to
some other churches, The bishop of Constantino-
ple wrote to the bishop of Rome, telling him, that
as all the apostles were equal in rank and dignity, so
all bishops ought to be the same, and consider each
other as bretheni. Even in Italy, during this cen-
tury, it appears that there were some bishops who
had spirit enough to refuse to submit to the bishop
of Rome, as will be seen in the follow ing account of
Maunu, bishop of Ravenna.
V italianus, bishop of Rome, summoned Maurus
to give an account of his faith, he being suspected
of holding opinions contrary to the Catholic doctrine.
Maurus, not only refused to obey the summons,
but sent notice to Vitalianus, that he h.id no autho-
rity over him. This unexpected answer provoked
Vitalianus to such a degree that he immediately
thundered against Maurus the sentence of excom-
munication. But of this excommunication Maurus
made no other account than he did of the summons.
Nay, so steady was he to the rights of his bishopric,
that he retorted the sentence of excommunication,
which was considered as a crime of so atrocious a
nature, that an attempt was made to deprive him of
his bishopric, but the exarch of Ravenna supported
him, and, in spite of the pope, his adherents and
emissaries, he continued to exercise the duties of his
office till his death, and in his last moments exhorted
his people never to submit to the authority of the
pope, because it was usurped, which request of his
was religiously adhered to by his successor.
In 680, the famous council of Constantinople met,
to consult concerning the doctrine of the Trinity;
and they spent much time in searching the ancient
fathers. They excommunicated and anathematized
the then pope Honorious, which shews that the popes
were not then considered as infallible. All the con-
clusions and decrees of this coimcil being founded
on the writings of the fathers, it created them so
much respect, that for many centuries afterwards
their works were considered as little inferior to the
COMMENCEMENT OF POPERY.
169
scilptures. It was also at this time that tlic title of
saint was iirst bestowed upon tliose first writers ot"
the chnrcli, although, in the primitive tiiuts it had
been denied to tlie apostles. It is certain, that many
of those called fatiiers, were very superstitions ; and
some of them imitated die heathens in dittereut parts
of their worship.
Another innovation, which took its rise in this
century, w as that of honouring the bishop of Home
with the triple crown. It was required of the peo-
ple, that they should honour the traditions ot the
church of Rome, in the same manner they did the
scriptures, which is not much to be wondered at, for
so ignorant were the people of that age, that few of
ihein, could read, ilie heathen temples wore dedi-
cated to ll'.e Virgin Mary, and to the rest of the
saints ; and the churches were made sanctuaries, for
those w ho had committed crimes of the most enor-
mous nature. No man was to marry a woman to
whom his fatlier had been sponsor in baptism ; and
abstinence from meats and drinks on particular days,
was considered as meritorious. A vast iiuinbcr of
iigVi festivals were instituted, and fasting on Satur-
days was forbidden on pain of excommunication.
It was in tijs century that the church of Rome
Iirst ordered that ilie Lord's prayer should be read
publicly in churches, and organs were tirst used in
all places of public worship. Jt was further decreed,
that on every altar tiiere should be a Jigure of Christ
on the cross ; in some other parts of the churches,
he was drawn iu the form of a lamb, and the Holy
Ghost like a dove. It was now become fashionable,
or rather custouiary, for the priests to say private
masses to those who could not attend in the
churches. All over the continent of Europe, where
Christianity, or rather popery was establislied, they
read their prayers iu Lathi ; But still the cup was not
yet denied to the laity.
During this century the bishops of Rome esla-
lilished their authority, and established their cereiuo-
uics into all the churches among the Anglo-Saxons,
whuh must have been attended with some difticulty,
especially as tlie Welsh, Scotch and Irisli still refused
to submit to the Romish church. This will appear
the more probable, as the S^ots and Britons who had
been converted to Christianity many centuries be-
tore, had no diocesian bishops till the middle of the
ileventh century. And with respect to worsiiip,
Uede, who lived about this time, and was himself a
stickler for the Romish church, tells us that divine
service was celebrated in five diiferent languages, in
lirtiain, viz. in Latin, Saxon, British, Pictish, and
Scottish, which was the same as the Irish. But all
this 9<.)on wore out in England, although it does not
appear that mas.«es or prayers in Latin, were much j
regarded in the other parts of ike island, particularly i
in Scotland, for many years afterwards. '
12 2
CENTURY VIIT.
Tliis century presents us with many instances ol
new corruptions taking place in the Christian church.
Tlie number of churcli otlicers were, indetd, in suiue
measure fixed, and the several orders of archbishops,
bishops, deans, canons, curates, Scc. were almost the
same as at present in the Romish church ; but the
popes presumed to grant the pall to archbishops,
without the consent of the emperors, which had
never taken place before. To understand tliis right-
ly, two tilings are necessary to be attended to, first,
wiiat was the pall r and secondly, what honour or
])ow or did it confer ?
In answ er to the tirst, the pall was a piece of fine
white woollen cloth, made in the form of a sash, and
to give it tlie greater sanctity, it was sprinkled with
holy water, and laid on the altar of saint Peter's,
church one whole night, and several prayers repeated
over it. This part of the ceremony behig over, it
w as sent to the new appointed archbishop of every
province, who paid a consideralile sum of money for
it. Being folded in two equal parts, it was ])ut round
the neck, and hung dow n to the bottom of the robes
before. Secondly, w ith respect to the virtues resid-
ing in the pall, and the power conveyed by it, they
were sup.posed to be many.
The pall gave a sanction to all the decrees of the
archbishops, so far as they kept on good terms with
the see of Rome, and the bishops of the province,
who refused to treat it with the most submissive res-
pect, were to be excommunicated, and their churches
laid under an interdict. That is, all theiv jieople
were to be deprived of the benefit of the divine ser-
vice, and such as died, were denied Christian burial.
It may be added further, that w ithoiit the pall no
archbishop could exercise the duties of his office,
and so weak was the civil power at that time, tliat
princes were obliged to comply with iheie arbitrary
mandates of the popes. The pall brought vast sums
of money into the Roman treasury, and in conse-
quence of such an additional load of riches, the
popes were enabled to assume the characters of tem-
poral princes, as well as spiritual bishops.
In "34, Leo, emperor of the west, refused to admit
images into any of the churches in Lis dominions,
for which he was solemnly excommunicated by pope
Gregory III. and his subjects absolved from their
oath of allegiance. Pope Leo III. set the imperial
crown on the head of Charlemagne, and so obsequi-
ous was the emperor, tliat he meanly submitted to
kiss the poniiiTs feet. This homage greatly pleased
the pope, especially as the ceremony was graced by
the acclamations of the people, and iu consequence
thereof, he insured to himself greater power, honour
and inlluence, than any of his predecessors had hi-
therto attained to. At this period, the whole king-
170
COMMENCEMENT OF POPERY.
dom of anti-christ was established ; for although
many innovations crept in afterwards, yet they were
only improvements on what had taken place before
their introduction.
In Italy, where the monasteries were extremely
rich, the abbots and priors, not chusing to remain
subject to the bishops of the dioceses, applied for
relief to the popes, begging of tiieni to exempt them
from the jurisdictions of the prelates. This was ex-
tremely agreeable to the popes, who found that it
would conduce much to their own interest to have
the religious houses solely dependant on themselves,
leaving the bishops to exercise their authority over
the parochial clergy.
To promote and establish this scheme on the most
permanent foundation, episcopal ordination was con-
ferred upon many of the abbots, who exercised the
same clerical power and authority over their depen-
dants, as bishops had formerly done over them.
Hence the origin of our mitred abbeys, of which
there were no less than twenty-six in England at the
time of the Reformation, and in France, and in all
other countries where the Roman Catholic religion is
professed, there are many of them to this day. These
innovations met with some opposition, but the igno-
rance that prevailed among all ranks of people, con-
tributed towards affording the popes an opportunity
of establishing their power.
Another ceremony which took place in this century,
was that of kissing the pope's toe, and the emperor
Justinan was the first who submitted to it in 711.
A solemn ordinance was made, that images should
be woishipped, but this was greatly opposed by
many of the German bishops, who in a council at
Frankfort, 794, made a decree against it. In the
eastern churci)es, during this century, we met wkh
nothing but disputes concerning the doctrine of the
Trinity; which may serve to siiew, that whenever
the practice of religious duties are forgotten, or neg-
lected, men have recourse to idle wranglings, and
unnecessary arguments, concerning things which
God never desired them to look into.
CENTURY IX.
In this century, the papal power received many
additions ; for although the bishops of Rome were
opposed by the Greek bishops in the east, particu-
larly by the patriarchs of Alexandria and Constanti-
nople, yet the superstitious regard that was paid to
the chair of St. Peter at Rome, overcame every
opposition. But there were other causes, amongst
which a principal one was that of the many divisions
that took place among the bishops in the different
provinces. In all these disputes they made it a rule
to appeal to the popes, and their decisions being final,
the bishops of Rome were looked upon as far supe-
rior to all others ia the world. Another cause which
raised the authority of the church of Rome, was
that of the conduct of their missionaries, whom they
sent to convert the people in the heathen nations,
'i'hese missionaries were strictly commanded to teach
their new converts that the essential parts of religion
consisted in being obedient to the pope, in making
the sign of the cross, and in counting their beads,
when they repeated their prayers, which they did
not understand ; so that to use the words of a cele-
brated author, " It was not uncommon in that age,
to make a thousand converts in a day."
The doctrine of infallibility was not as yet defined,
for it could not be supposed to be vested in the
popes, many of whom were a scandal to human
nature ; nor iu councils, who as often as they met,
anathematized each other. Some churches continued
still to assert their independency, particularly in Afri-
ca, in the east, and in Scotland, and even in England,
where superstition was firmly established ; yet the
sovereigns did not suffer the clergy to make any acts,
until they had first granted their concurrence. How-
ever, in this century the popes procured great reve-
nues, and rich landed estates in Italy, which set them
on the same footing with many of the inferior tem-
poral princes, and the high regard that was paid to
them by the ignorant laity, made them formidable
rivals to the emperors.
In tlie year 884, the posterity of Charlemagne
having been driven out of Italy, and great part of
that country left to the care of the popef?, pope
Hadrian HI. bishop of Rome, ordered, that for the
future, his successors in the see of Rome should be
consecrated, without applying to the emperors,
which had been customary.
At this time there was nothing more common,
than for one emperor to be dethroned, and another
set up, through the influence which the popes had
over the people ; and it was equally common for one
pope to cancel the decrees of his predecessor. It
was in this century that the custom of keeping Lent
was first introduced into the English church, and all
those who died, in what was by them called the
faith of the church, were to be buried in church
yards, which brought considerable emoluments to
the clergy ; for those who refused to pay the com-
mon fees for the burying their relations, were ex-
communicated, and considered as no better than
heathens.
CENTURY X.
During great part of this century, the election of
popes or bishops of Rome was still continued to the
clergy, the people at large, the magistracy, and
even the military ; but the freedom of election was
corrupted by bribery, by violence, and by peijury,
Thus we find that one Theodora, a Roman lady,
and noted courtezan in Q\o, got her paramour John
COMMENCEMENT OF POPERY.
171
X. elected pope, aitIioiij;li he had no right to that
title, liaviii<^ never entered into lioly orders. His
reign was short, for he was taken away by a \iolent
death ; the same debauched courtezan who net him
up, having pulled him down. He was succeeded by
John XI. not then twenty years of age ; and as he
knew nothing of the clerical ofKce, he was soon
afterwards murdered. Rome was at that time a
perfect sink of wickedness ; the form of religion,
differing but little from heathenism, was attended to
in its external parts, but as for the interiors they were
not so much as known. Indeed the Roman Catholics
are ready to grant this. Fleury says, that with respect
to the conduct of liie popes, this was the most cor-
rupt of all the Christian centuries. When these
circumstances were mentioned by Dr. Burnet, to
queen Christina of Sweden, at Rome, her answer
was, " That the ignorance and wickedness of the
popes in that age were, all put together, a striking
proof of God's superintending the affairs of his
church in this lower w orld ; otherwise his divine
providence would never have suffered such wretches
to enjoy such dignified titles."
The bishops of Rome were now become so for-
midable, that the Christian princes thought it an
honour to be allied with them, and they did ;>11 in
their power to cultivate their friendship ; for such was
the ignorance of the people, that they paid more
regard to the papal decrees, than to the laws of the
country where they lived, and where they owed
special obedience. It was during this century that
the popes first began to change their names after
their elections, and this served much towards aggran-
dizing their power.
In this century during the year 962, Odo, prince
of Saxony, invaded Italy, and by the superi<mty of
his forces, subdued great part of that country; and
in order to settle some form of government, he as-
sembled a council of bishops at Padua, wherein
John XII. who had been advanced to papal see
at the age of eighteen, was deposed, because he had
dishonoured his character, by giving encouragement
and countenance to adulterers, whoremongers, and
debauchees. The prince of Saxony obliged the peo-
ple of Rome to enter into an engagement not to elect
a pope, without the consent of the emperors, but
this rule was not long attended to. It is almost im-
possible to express in words, the confusions that took
place in the Christian church during this century ;
and yet there were some persons found, who had
boldness enough to stand up in defence of their in-
jured fellow-creatures, who looked upon the papal
usurpation as inconsistent with civil liberty ; and did
every thing they could to oppose it.
In the midst of these confusions, the archbishop
of Rheims took upon him the care of the French
church. Much to the honour of the cler'jrv of that
country, they have not, even to this day, suffered
the papal decrees to take place among them, any
further than as they were supported by the civil
power. In England, the great Alfred made several
alterations with respect to religion, but these were
such as extended to, or were connected with exter-
nals : Alfred himself, although in many respects a
very great man, yet was a slave to papal power.
Indeed he had received great part of his education
at Rome, and therefore it is not much to be wonder-
ed at, if he brought the same sentiments along with
him to England. This will appear more evident,
« hen we consider, that even during the reign of this,
pious kmg, Peter-pence was enjonied to be paid by
all the people of England. By Peter-pence is meant
one penny out of ten from every one of the church-
livings ; and this the popes appropriated to them-
selves as a legal perquisite.
In this century, marriages were forbidden to be
celebrated on Sundays or in Lent, which seems to
have been a high stretch of the papal power, and
bells in churches were first consecrated. It was
likewise ordered, that the canonization of the saints
should be solemnized in the most sacred manner ;
and the memory of departed saints was to be com-
memorated under pain of excommunication ; aud by
keeping such a number of holy days, many persons
who had better thoughts concerning religion, were
deprived of bread.
In this century, the abbots, •■with their assistants
the regular clergy, did all that lay in their power
to encourase the monastic life ; but this did not
answer the end, for it is not an easy matter to op-
pose natural principles. Dunstan, archbishop of
Canterbury, was one of the greatest sticklers for
the monks in this age, and to know his sentiments,
we should attend to the character of the man : he
was a mean time-serving wretch, who had nothing
further in view, but that of advancing the papal
power. He was at first abbot of Glastonbury, and
then bishop of Worcester. At last, he was ad-
vanced to the archbishopric of Canterbury, and in
that elevated station, he sought to aggrandize the
papal power, by denying the clergy the privilege of
marriage. The methods made use of by Dunstan,
were horrid and abominable, but they were consis-
tent with the barbarity of the times, and such as
humanity itself should throw a veil over. Indeed,
the remaining part of this century was so much
clogged with sujierstition and idolatry, that it may
justly be said, the knowledge of the true God was
"lost, men were left to their own wild imaginations,
and the religion of Jesus the Redeemer of mankind,
was foolishness to the Christians, as it had been of
old a stumbling block to the Jews, but this leads
us to things of more importance.
172
COMMENCElVrENT OF POPERY.
CENTURY XI.
In the beginning and throughout the greatest part
of this century, the bishops of Rome did not content
tliemseives with domineering over the clergy in ec-
clesiastical matters, and over the laity in things,
wherein the sacred rights of conscience were con-
cerned. They went farther, they becanie siuionical
brokers, by putting up to sale to the best bidder,
suc!i bishoprics as were vacant. This was what
the princes themselves had never done; but so far
as we can learn, the bishops of Rome grasped at
universal monarchy, both civil and ecclesiastical.
In 1030, the appellation of pope, from the word
papa, which signilies a father, was first given to the
bishops of Rome; and Gregory VII. a man of un^
bounded ambition, was the first on whom it was
Conferred. The cardinals, who where originally pa-
rish priests in Rome, had now the red hat given them
as an ensign of their dignity ; and as these cardinals
are the most remarkable body of ecclesiastical poli-
ticians in the world, so we hope the followhig ac-
count of them will afi'ord some entertainment to the
reader.
Although their station was at first low and hum-
ble, yet they are now styled princes, and compose
the pope's council. They are appointed by the pope,
at the request of those princes whose subjects they
are ; but the greatest part of them are Italians.
When the pope intends to create a new cardinal, he
calls a private consistory, and makes known to all
the cardinals present his design. In this consistory,
he mentions the name of the person whom he in-
tends to honour with the red hat, and gives them ten
days to consider of it. At the end of the ten days
he calls another consistor_y, in which he takes the
opinion of each cardinal, who have all the liberty
to give their votes which ever w ay they please ; and
in general he is guided by the majority.
I'he cardinals are divided into three classes ; the
first, consisting of six, are called cardinal bishops :
the second, being fifty in number, are recalled cardi-
nal priests ; and the third, being only fourteen, are
called cardinal deacons ; making in the whole seven-
ty ; and these constitute what is called the sacred
, college. The number of cardinal bishops has been
always the same, but that of the priests and deacons
was never properly fixed. In 1125, the sacred
college. consisted of only fifty-three members, and the
council of Constance reduced them to thirty-four;
but they have gradually risen up to their present
iinniber.
The cardinals have great power and many privi-
leges ; they have an absolute power in the church
during the vacancy of the holy see. They only can
.elect the new pope, and the choice must fall upon
,gue of themselves. Almost all the great offices iu
the court of Rome, are filled with cardinals ; nay,
some of them are prime ministers of state to the
Roman Catholic princes ; and, in general, they en-
joy the most valuable church livings. The dress of
a cardinal is a red sattaue, a rochet, a short purple
mantle, and a red hat. But to return to our narra-
tive.
Pope Gregory VII. obliged all the bishops to
sv.ear allegiance to him ; and he issued a decree,
that the civil power should not proceed against any
one who appealed to the pope.
Having openly avowed, that he had an inliereut
right of absolute power over all sovereigns in the
Christian world, he proceeded so far as to sumrwin
the emperor Henry, to appear before him at Rom*,
to answer for his conduct. Henry despised the
sumiiions, and the pope excomnuniicated him and
threatened to do the same to the French kir.g, be-
cause he took part witli the emfieror. Nor did he
stop here ; for he sent to all the Christian princes iu
Europe, exciting them to take up arms against the
emperor, and prevailed on his eldest sou to raise a
rcbtillion in the empire.
Toward the latter end of this century, the prac-
tice of penitents w'hipping themselves became very
fashionable in the church, and was considered as an
heroic Chri';tian virtue. The custom of one domg
penance for another, likewise took place ; and ab-
stinence w as enjohied on Fridays and Saturdays ;
mass for the living was to be celebrated only once a
day, but two masses were permitted for the dead.
All the faithful were obliged to communicate at
Easter, on pain of being excommunicated, and denied
Christian burial ; but hitherto the communion was
received in both kinds. If a priest let fall the host,
he was to do penance before he said mass again ;
and Lanfranc, archbishop of Canterbury, made a
law in England, forbidding the priests to many,
which created many disturbances. It was likewise
at the end of this century, that crusades begun, but
we shall treat of them all in our account of the next
century.
CENTURY XII.
In the beginning of this century, the pope claimed
the power to himself, of nominating to all the vacant
bishoprics in England, w here the kings bad hitherto
conferred the bislioprics on whom they pleased. —
Anselem, archbishop of Canterbury, refused to con-
secrate any but such as wer« presented by the pope :
this contest held many years, the king, Henry I. still
maintaining his right, and the archbishops, supported
by the pope, opposing it. The king, in hopes of
bringing the pope to reason, sent ambassadors to
Rome, who, provoked at the rude nanner in which
they were treated by the pope, declared that the
king, tiitir master, would never yield up his ai*-
COMMENCEMENT OF POPERY.
173
^liority; that he would lose his kiiigicloni in its de-
fence, to wliich tlic pope replied, that he Mould
■sooner lose liis life, than suffer the king to nominate
fo the vacant benefices.
When the ambassadors returned to England, the
king exerted hiiiiself to support his authority, and
Ansclm was obliged to depart the kingdom, nor
would the king permit him to return. Tiiis gallant
prince opposed the popish encroachments to the last ;
but after his death, amidst the confusion of the civil
wars, king Stephen was obliged to seek assistance
from the clergv, who embraced tiiat opportunity of
aggrandizing llieraselves and extending their power.
Another Circumstance not much attended to, which
encreased the popes power was, their claiming the
first fruits and tenths of all benefices ; and this
brought them in a most enormous sum. It was in
this century, that popes introduced the practice of
indulging bishops and other rich clergymen, to reside
at Rome, for which they paid great sums; and there
they often betrayed the civil rights of their country.
The canonization of the saints w as performed by the
|5opes, and cummunion in both kinds still conti-
iliied.
But of all the schemes used by the popes, none
equalled the crusades, conmionly called the holy
wars. Future ages will read with astonishment, that
all the Christian princes in Europe, could be so weak
as to drain their kingdoms of all the young men able
tt) bear arms, and lead them into Asia, because the
pope told them, it would be a moSt meritorious ac-
tion, to rescue the holy sepulchre out of the hands of
the infidels.
The first of these croisades or crusades, was un-
dertaken in the year 1096; and although the Euro-
pean princes went along with their respectiye armies,
[.■et they put themselves wholly under the direction
of one Peter, a hermit, who had travelled from place
tb place, urging the people to take up arms against
the infidels. This army marched through Hungary
itito Greece, sjireading famine wherever they came,
and at last they met in the ncigfibourhood of Con-
stantinople, where it was found that vast numbers of
them had perished during their journey. In this ex-
pedition, which was commanded, after they arrived
at Constantinople, by CJodiVey of Bologne, severat
cities were taken, particularly Jerusalem, where
Godfrey was crowned king. The sultan of Egypt
was defeated at the battle of Ascalon : and this is ge-
nerally called the first crusade.
The second crusade was undertaken in the year
1114, and was headed by the emperor Conrad ill.
and Lewis VII. king of France. The peo])le in
Greece and Constantinople had been reduced to such
Want, by these armies eating up their provisions, that
tfiey laid so many snares to destroy them, that all
those belonging to the emperor, either perished with
want, or were someway or other cut off.
Nor was it much better with the French army,
for they ha\ing besieged Damascus, were attacked
by the Saracens, and the greatest part'of them cut
off.
The third crusade was undertaken 1188, soon
after Saladine had retaken the city of Jerusalem, and
driven the Christians out of Palestine. Almost all
the princes of Europe went on this expedition, among
whom was Richard I. of England ; but although they
took several towns from the infidels, yet still their
success was not much better than in the former ones.
The princes quarrelled among themselves, and sepa-
rated their forces from each other ; so that they be-
came an easy prey to the Saracens. A party of near
twenty thousand Christians, in attempting to return
to Europe, had their retreat cut off, and were sur-
rounded by the Saracens; who enraged to find, that
these men should travel so many miles to molest
those who never offended them, cut every one of tlie
unfortunate wretches in pieces.
The fourth crusade was in 1195, by the emperor
Henry VI. and in this expedition, the Christians took
a great number of towns ; but the emperor dying, his
forces were dispersed, and the remains of them were
obliged to return to Europe.
The fifth crusade was undertaken in 1198, at the
instigation of pope Innocent III, but although they
had some success at first, yet the plague breaking out
amongst them, the greatest part perished through the
violence of that disorder, so that very few returned
to Europe.
Although the remainder o? the crusades we have
to mention, do not come within the bounds of the
twelfth century, yet for the ease of the reader, that he
may have them all in one poiut of view, we shall
here take notice of them.
The sixth crusade began 1228, and in this expe-
dition, the Christians took several towns ; but not
being able to keep them, they were glad to make
peace with the SaraCens, and return home t« Eu-
rope.
The seventh crusade was commanded by Lewis,
commonly called St. Lewis, in 1249. This army
had scarce time to do any thing, when a sickness
broke out among them, and the Saracens, taking an
opportunity of their affliction, came suddenly upon
them and butchered most of them in the most barba-
rous manner. St. Lewis, w ith his nobles, were taken
prisoners ; but on condition of agreeing to a truce for
ten years, they were set at liberty.
The eighth and last crusade was in 1270, com-
manded by the same St. I..«;w is, as.sislcd by prince
I'dward of England, afterwards Edward I. The
Christian army took -several towns, but it was not
12
174
COMMENCEMENT OF POPERY.
in their power to keep them; so that from IO96, to
1270, about two millions of men were lost in at-
tempting to take what could never have been of any
service to them. But by the absence of the princes
from their dominions, the popes raised their power ;
and the vast sums they procured for indulgencies,
rendered them formidable to the greatest powers in
Europe. Many of the sovereigns having been killed
in those expeditions, their succesors were left mi-
nors ; and it generally happened, that the pope ap-
pointed some of his own creatures to be their guar-
dians ; and thus, before they had arrived at years
of maturity, they found the papal authority dangerous
to be opposed.
CENTURY XIII.
The power of the popes in this century, was
stretched to such an enormous length, that had not
universal darkness in religion and all sorts of learning
overspread Europe, a man of a small share of know-
ledge would have perceived, that it must soon have
liad a fall. Boniface VIII. during this century, ar-
rogated to himself the power of deposing princes, as
by divine right : and he published an ordinance or
bull, in which he forbade all princes to take any
thing out of the ecclesiastical revenues. He likewise
instituted a jubilee, wherein he granted indulgencies
to all who should visit the churches of St. Peter and
St. Paul at Rome ; and ordained, that the same
should be observed once every century.
The opening of this Jubilee brought vast numbers
of people to Rome, and the pope to shew his autho-
rity, in temporals as well as in spirituals, dressed
himself one day in his pontifical robes, and the next
in the purple, like tliat worn by the emperors. In
England, where many of the benefices were ex-
tremely rich, the pope had the address to thrust into
them many of the Italian clergy, which so exaspe-
rated the English nobility, that they entered into an
association in 1232, to drive these foreign adventurers
out of the kingdom.
The pope commanded the king, under pain of
exconnnunication, to chastise the barons, and the
bishops to excommunicate them, but the confederacy
was too strong either for the civil or ecclesiastical
power.
Pope Innocent IV. sorry ,to see his favourites dri-
ven out of England, sent one Martin, a kinsman of
his own, to renew the pretensions of the church of
Rome. Tlie English complained to the king," that
the Italians had got all the valuable benefices into
their own hands, upon which Martin was driven out
of the kingdom. The king appointed commis-
sioners to enquire what sums had been paid to these
Italians, and it was found that they exceeded by far
the royal revenue, being no less than sixty thousand
marks, a most enormous sum in that age. Henry
III. of England, in whose reign this happened, sent
ambassadors to complain to the pope concerning
these things, the pontiff being then at Lyons ; but
all the answer he received was, that he must state
his grievances with more humility, in another man-
ner, and contribute towards furnishing out a fresh
crusade against the infidels. The king did not pay
any regard to this, and such was the arrogance of
the pope, that he excommunicated the bishop of
Lincoln, for refusing to admit an Italian priest to a
living in his diocese, but the good bishop died soou
after.
In the same manner, in the year 125S, pope Alex-
ander IV. excommunicated the archbishop of York,
who withstood the prosecution with great dignity
and fortitude ; and drawing towards his end, wrote
a very pious letter to the pope, exhorting him to
suppress those innovations, so very injurious to the
church, and so dangerous to the safety of his owa
soul.
CENTURY XIV.
During this century, Boniface IX. published a
bull or decree, wherein he commanded that oije
yearV revenue of every bishopric and abbc)', should
be paid to Rome, as soon as the incumbent was
installed ; and at the same time declared himself to
be sovereign lord, both in temporals and spirituals.
Philip, king of France, burnt this bull, by the hands
of the common hangman, and seiit the following la-
conic letter to the pope, " Philip, by the grace of.
God, king of France, to Boniface, who* sets up for
sovereign pontiff, little or no health. Be it known
to your extravagance, that we are not subject to any
persons whatever, as to what regards temporals ;
that the collating to churches and prebendaries be-
longs to us of royal right ; and that we have a right
to appropriate the fruits of them to ourselves."
Edward III. king of England, sent ambassadors to
the pope, desiring him to refrain from making any
further innovations in the church; but that prince
died before he received an answer. Soon after this
two popes were chosen, which created a great schism
in the church ; but each made their pretensions to
infallibility, and they excommunicated each other,
in their turn. The only thing that deserves our
approbation of this century, was the encouragement
given to the study of the civil law ; a science that
will always tend towards enlarging the powers of the
human mind, by leading the student into the know-
'ledge of history and jurisprudence.
CENTURY XV.
This century presents us with many important
transactions ; for the schism that appeared at the be-
ginning of it, had fflr many years engaged the care
and attention of the princes and prelates in Europe,
COMMENCEMENT OF POPERY.
175
Besides this, the fllflTerence between pope Eugenius
IV. and tiie coiimil of Basil ; and the project of
uniting the Greek and Latin churches, became the
subject-matter of conversation ihrou2;hout most parts
of the Christian world. Hut the ditterences between
the pope and llie council had not those mischievous
consequences that were feared ; nor was the re-
union of the chnrciies attended with the expected or
desired success.
Among many other remarkable events, the oppo-
sition made in several parts of Germany, to the er-
rors and enormities of the church of Rome had tiiis
tendency, that it put men upon searching the scrip-
tures and traditions ; and it obliged the prelates to
put on the appearance of stinuilating their clergy to-
wards tlie reformation of abuses, so generally, and
so justly complained of; as also to make many re-
gulations in the discipline of the church ; and none
of the European churches were more forward in
promoting this undertaking than those of France.
The king of France published a declaration, where-
in he prohibited his subjects from paying any obe-
dience to the popes in temporal matters, and seized
for his own use, all the first-fruits and tenths, which
was a fatal blow at the root of the papal power.
At this time three popes had been elected, who all
pretended a right to infallibility ; and each thundered
out their anathemas against the others ; but the
French clergy, with the assistance of their king,
stood their ground ; for although they acknowledged
one of the popes, yet to their everlasting honour,
they refusea to pay any regard to his dictates in
things of a temporal nature.
It was in the beginning of this century, that the
famous council of Constance was held in the city
of that name ; and the reason for its being called
was, to put an end to the schism which had broke
out in the church, by the election of three popes at
one time. John XXIII. one of these popes, fled
from the vengeance of the council, but .being
brought back and placed at the bar, he calmly sub-
mitted to resign all his pretensions to the tripple
crown.
The two others who were competitors with him,
viz. Gregory XII. and Benedict XI. were deposed,
and Martin V. was elected by the general council,
who in this single instance, had the courage to act in
the room of the cardinals.
The people in general entertained great hopes
that the council would have reformed many of the
abuses that had crept into the church ; but in this
they were much deceived, for instead of restoring
discipline to its original purity, they spent much of
their time in condemning those whom they called
heretics. John Huss, and Jerome of Prague, were
both condemned and executed, and the sentiments
of the great Wicklific were likewise condemned
many years after he was dead. Nay, to the eternal
disgrace of this council, it was ordered, that the
bones of Wicklifie should be dug out of the grave,
where they had been deposited thirty years before,
and reduced to ashes. Upon this act of clerical
power, the judicious Rapin makes the following
reflection: " His ashes' were thrown into the brook
which runs through the town of Lutterworth ; the
brook conveyed the ashes to the Severn, and the
Severn to the sea." In the same manner his doc-
trines spread so far, that the papal power in Eng-
land was easily abolished.
It seems to have been in this century, that tlie
popes thought their power fully established, and
probably it might have been so, had it not been for
the noble stand made against tlioir encroachments
by the kings and clergy of France. In a council
held at Basil, 1445, there were upwards of forty
constitutions made with respect to ecclesiastical dis-
cipline, one of which prohibited the people from
giving new names to the virgin Mary ; such as our
Lady of Consolation ; our Lady of Grace ; and our
Lady of Pity. There were several other ordinances,
such as a prohibition against carrying through the
streets the relics of saints, in o»der to get money;
and clandestine marriages were likewise prohibited.
In France, Charles VI. a weak, though well-
meaning prince, not willing to do any thing with-
out the consent of his people, called an assembly of
the clergy, to consider of the papal decrees. The
determination of the council was, that the popes
were not infallible, but that they were subject to
general councils, to whom they were obliged to
give an account of their conduct. But this strenu-
ous attempt to support liberty in matters of an eccle-
siastical nature, served only to stimulate the court
of Rome towards making new innovations. It was
at this time, that bishops were first permitted to sell
their livings and retire to other parts of the world,
which they found much more to their advantage.
The popes received a gratuity for the resignation,
and nominal Christianity now became a trade.
CENTURY XVI.
In our account of this century, we are as it were
stopped short just at the entrance; for the popes,
having considered the whole Christian world as in a
state of profound ignorance, thought that a fair op-
portunity presented itself for-them to domineer over
the consciences of men. For this purpose the pope
issued indulgencies, which were to be sold at an ex-
travagant price to all those who would purchase
them, and this was done under pretence of rebuild-
ing the church of St. Peter's at Rome. Learning,
however, was now beginning to lift up her head,
popish ignorance began to vanish before the glori-
176i
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
ous light of the truth ; and Luther, that bright star
of the Reformatiou, burst forth amidst the iiight of
popish darkness: but with respect to him we must
speak more largely hereafter.
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
V V E come now, in the second place, to consider
the different orders in the church of Rome, and
as this is, in all respects consistent with the plan
we have laid down, so we shall attend to historical
matter of fact with the strictest fidelity. It is im-
possible to describe the different rules and ceremo-
nies of religion, without making the reader acquain-
ted with those sects to whom they belong ; for should
we do otherwise, we should, to use the words of the
ingenious Dr. Watts, present our readers only with
skeletons. All these ceremonies will naturally
come before us, and be presented to our readers ;
and therefore before we go any farther, we shall
present them with an account of the rise and pro-
gress of ihe monastic life.
The word monk, signifies the same as a solitary,
or one who lives sequestered from the company and
conversation of the rest of the world ; and is usual-
ly applied to those Christian men wlio dedicate
tnemsel'ves wholly to the service of religion, in some
monastery. Those of the female sex, who devote
themselves in like manner to a religious life, are
called nuns, and of these are many different orders.
There is some difference in the sentiments of learn-
ed men concerning the original and rise of the mo-
nastic life ; but the most probable account of this
matter seems to be as follows :
In the Decian persecution, which was about the
middle of the third century, many persons in Egypt,
to avoid the fury of the storm, fled to the neigh-
bouring deserts and mountains, where they not only
found a safe retreat, but also more time and liberty
to exercise themselves in acts of piety and divine con-
templations; which sort of life became so agreeable
to them, that, when the persecution was over, they
refused to return to their habitations again, chusing
rather to continue in those cottages and cells, which
fhey had made for themselves in the wilderness.
The first and most noted of these solitaries were,
Paul and Anthony, two famous Egyptians, whom
therefore St. Jerome calls the fathers of the Chris-
tian hermits ; for as yet, there was no bodies or com-
munities of men, embracing this life, nor any mona-
steries built ; but only a few single persons scattered
here and there in the deserts of Egypt ; till Pa-
chomius, in the peaceable reign of Constantine, pro-
cured some monasteries to be built in Thebaisin
Egypt •, from whence the custom of living in socie-
ties was followeil by degrees, in otJier parts of the
world, in succeeding ages.
Till the year 250, there were uo monks in the
church : and from that time to the reign of Constan-
tine, monachism was confined to the hermits, or an-
chorets, living in private cells in the wilderness. But
when Pachoniius had erected monasteries in Egypt,
other countries presently followed the example, and
so the monastic life came to its full maturity in the
church. Hilarion, a disciple of Anthony, was the
first monk in Palestine or Syria ; and not long after,
Eustathius, bishop of Sebastia, brought monachism
into Armenia, Paphlagonia, and Pontus. Athana-
sius, about the year 340, taught the anchorets of Italy
and Rome to live in societies ; but it was some time
after this, that Martin, bishop of Tours, fixed his
cell in France, and gave birth to the monastic life in
that kingdom ; from whence, some learned men
think, it was brought by Pelagius into Britain, at
the beginning of the fifth century. »
The ancient monks were not, like the modern,
distinguished into orders, and denominated from the
founders of them ; but they had their names from the
places they inhabited.
All monks were, originally, np more than laymen ;
nor could they well be otherwise, being confined by
their own rules to some desert or wilderness, where
there could be no room for the exercise of the clerical
functions, and accordingly, St. .lerome tells us, the
ofKce of a monk is, not to teach, but to mourn.
The council of Chalcedon expressly distinguishes
the monks from the clergy, and reckons them with
the laymen. Gratian himself, who is most concern-
ed for the moderns, owns it to be plain, from eccle-
siastical history, that, to the time of pope Siricius
and Zosinius, the monks were only simple laymen
and not of the clergy.
In some cases, however, the clerical and mona-
stic life were cajiable of bc:ng conjoined : as, first
when a monastry happened to he at so great a dis-
tance from its proper church, that the monks could
not ordinarily resort thither for divine service ;
which was the case with the monasteries in Egypt,
and other parts of the East. In this case, some one
or more of the monks were ordained for the perfor-
mance of divine offices among them. Another case-
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
177
in which the clerical and monastic lives v\ ere united,
was when monks were taken out of tlic nion;isteries
by the bisliops, and ortlanied for the scivicc of tlie
cliurch. Thi* was allowed and encouraged, vhen
once monasteries were become school,? of learning
and pious education. Thirdly, it happened some-
times, that ;v bishop and ail his clergy embraced the
monastic Life, by a vt.)!mit;u:y renunciation of property,
and cnjojingall things in common. Eusebius Ver-
celleusis was the tirst, who brought this way of
living into the western church. St. Augustin set
up the same way of liuing among the cltigy of
liippo. And so far as this was an imitation of
cu;nobitic life, and having all things in common,
it might be called a monastic as well as. a clerical
life. -
The Gcenobites, or such monks- as lived in com-
munites, were chiefly regarded by the church, and
were therefore under the direction of certain laws
and rules of government ; of which we shall here
give a short account. Aiul,
First, All men were not allowed to turn monks- at
pleasure, because such an indiscriminate permission
would have been detrimental botti to the church and
Mate. Upon this, account the civil Uuv forbids any
of those officers called curiales to become niouks,
unless they parted with their estates. toothers, who
might ^serva their country in their stead. For the
same reason servants were not to be admitted into
any monasiery without tlioir master's leave. Indeed
Justinian afterwards abrogated this law by an edict
of his own, v\hicli first set servants at liberty from
their masters, under pretence of betaking themselves
to u monastic life. The same precautions were ob-
served in regard to married persons and children.
The former were not to embrace the monastic life,
unless- xMth the mutual consent of both parties.
This precaution was afterwards broke through by
Justinian ; but the church never approved of this
iniiovation. As to children, the council of Gangra
decreed, that if any such, under pretence of reli-
gion, forsook their parents, they should be anatha-
matised; But Justinian enervated the force of this
law likewise, forbidding parents to hinder their
children- from becoming niouks or clerks; and as
children were not to turn monks without consent of
their parents, so neither could parents oblige their
children to embrace a religious life against their own
consent. But the fourth council of Toledo, 0^3,
set aside this precaution, and decreed, that whether
the devotion of their parents, or their own profes-
sion, made them monks, both should be equally
binding, and there should be no permission to re-
turn to asecuUir life again, as was before allowable
Avhen a parent oftered a child, before he was capa-
ble of giving his own conseut. .
The manner of admission to the monastic life was
usually by some change of hal)it or dress, not to
signify any religious mystery, but only to express
their gravity and contempt of the world. But v^e
read of no solemn vow or profession requirtd at
their admission ; only they underwent a triennial
probation, during which time they were inured to
the exercises of a monastic life. If, after that time
was expired, they chose to continue tl'.e same exer-
cises, thoy were then aduiitted without any fartber
ceremony, iulo the community. ISor was- there as
yet any solemn vow of poverty require<l ; tliougli it
was customary for men voluntarilv to resign the
world, by disposing of their estates to clr.tritabie
uses, before they entered into a community, where
they were to. enjoy all things in common as bro-
thers-,
A» the monasteries had no standing revenues, all
the monks were obliged to exercise themselves in
bodily labour, to maintain, themselves, without
being burdensome to others. They had no idle
mendicants among them : they looked upon a monk
that did not work, as no better than a covetous de-
frauder , and Sozomen tells us, that, Serapion pre-
sided over a monastery of ton thousaiKl :m«uk3, near
Arsinoe in Egyptj who all laboured, with their own
Iwnds, by which means they not only maintained
themselves, but had enough to relieve the poor. To
their bodily exercises, they joined others tliat were
spiritual. The first of these w as a perpetual repen-
tance ; upon w hich account the life, of a monk is
often stiled the life of a mourneri . And in allusion
to this, the isla of Canobus, near Alexandria, for-
merly a place of great lewdness, was, upon the trans-
lation and settlement of, the monks of Tabennus
there, called the, isle of repentance. The next spi-
ritual exercise was, extraordinary fasting. The
Egyptian monks kept every day a fast till three in
the afternoouy excepting Saturdays, Sundays, and
the iifty days of Pentecost. Some exercised them-
selves with great, austei'ities, fasting two, three,
four, or live days together ; but this practice was
not generally approved. They, did not think, such
excessive abstiueiue of any use, but rather a disser-
vice to religion ; for Pachomius's rule, which was
supposed to be given him by an angel, permitted
every man to eat, drink, and labour according to
his bodily strengtli. So tliat fasting was a discre-
tionary thing, and matter of choice, not■compu^
sioii. In some places, they had the scriptures read
during their meals at table. This custom was first
broutiht into the monasteries of Cappadocia, to pre-
vent idle discourse and idle contentions. But in
Egypt they had , no . occasion for this remedy ; for
th<;y were taught to eat their me;it in silence. Pal-
ladius mentioDS one instance more of their devotion,.
•I y
173
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
which was only occasional ; namely their psalmody
at the reception of any brethren, or conducting
them with singing of psalms to their habitation.
The laws did not allow monks to interest them-
selves in any affairs, either ecclesiastical or civil ;
and those who were called to any emplovment in the
church, were obliged to quit their monastery there-
upon. Nor were they permitted to encroach upon
the duties, or rights and privileges of the secular
clergy.
By the laws of their first institution, in all parts
of the east, their habitation was not to be in cities
or places of public concourse, but in deserts and
private retirements, as their very name implied.
The famous monk Anthony used to say, that the
wilderness was as natural to a monk as water to a
fish ; and therefore a monk in a city was quite out
of his element, like a fish upon dry land.
As the monks of the ancient church were under
no solemn vow or profession, they were at liberty to
betake themselves to a secular life again. Julian
himself was once in the monastic habit; and the
same is observed of Constans, the son of Constan-
tine, Mho usurped the empire in Britain. The rule
of Pachomius, by which the Egyptian monks were
governed, has nothing of any vow at their entrance,
nor any punishment for such as deserted their station
afterwards.
In process of time, it was thought proper to inflict
some punishment ; which was, that if ttiey were
possessed of any substance, it should be all forfeited
to tlie monastery which they had deserted.
The nio.iastic life soon made a very great pro-
gress all over the Christian world ; for Rufinns, who
travelled through the east in S73, assures us, there
were almost as many monks in the deserts, as inha-
bitants in the cities. From the wilderness it made
its way into the towns and cities, where it multiplied
greatly : for the same author informs us, that in
the single city of Oxirinca, there were more mo-
nasteries than houses, and above thirty thousand
religious inhabitants.
Having said thus much concerning the institution
of the monastic orders, we shall now begin to pre-
sent the reader with an accurate account of them,
botli as they have been in former times, and as they
arc at present.
The most ancient, so far as we can judge of the
religious orders in the Roman church, are the Au-
gusiirie monks, who have made a great figure in the
woild, and are still hthl in high repute.
Austin, or as he is sometimes called, St. Augus-
tine, bishop of Hippo m Africa, about the latter end
of the ttiurih (eiUury, had been brought up by
Christian pi;rents^ his father being a centurion in
one of the Roman legions, ai]d his mother a very
piaus woman. But notwithstanding all the care
V hich had been taken of his education, yet he had
scarce left the schools, when he joined himself to
those worst of all heretics, the Manicheans. A$
he had great natural parts, improved by a fine
education, he was much followed as a public teach-
er of oratory, but it pleased God to convince him of
his errors, and in the thirty-sixth year of his age he
became a sincere Christian. Soon after tliis remark*
able event, he went over to Africa, and was or-
dained bishop of Hippo, where, in many respects,
he became an eminent instance of the power of di-
vine grace ; only that in some things he was too
superstitious.
At that time, the monastic life was much ia
vogue, and Austin having many presbyters under
him, they agreed to build a sort of convent or cloy-
ster, near the church, where they spent much of their
leisure hours in devotion, in explaining the sacred
scriptures, and in making -each other acquainted
with the different principles contained in the body
of divinity ; for at that time disputed points were
much regarded and much taught.
These presbyters, however, were not bound down
by any oaths or vows; they loved their situation,
because they thought it was acceptable to God,
while they were endeavouring to mortify their
worldly lusts, and prepare themselves for heaven !
But as things took a very dift'erent turn afterwards,
and t'lose societies of men which had been formed,
as it were, originally from motives of necessity and
utility, were greedily laid hold of by the Roman
pontiffs, to establish fixed and standing orders upon
them, making use of their names, and sheltering
their pretensions to piety, under the mask of real
and genuine religion. For this reason we find, that
in the thirteenth century, many religious orders
sprung up in the church ; and pope Alexander the
IV. in the year 125(i, availing himself of that cir-
cumstance, in order to aggrandize the papal power,
reduced three or four of these orders into one, and
called them by the general name of Augustine
hermits.
At present, these monks are divided into several
different classes, but their rules and orders are
much the same. They have ail things in common,
■ and the rich who enter into the order, are to sell
their possessions, and give the money to the poor ;
that is, they are to give it to the monks their bre-
thren. They are not to receive any alms, without
delivering the whole up to their superiors; and if it
shfHild happen that a persecution arise, then they are
to betake tliemselves immediately to the place where
their superior has withdrawn himself. They are to
employ the first part of the morning in labouring
with their hands, and the rest of the day in readhig
and devotion. They have Saturdays allowed to
I provide themselves in necessaries, and on Sundays
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
1T0
they are permitted to drink wine ; and when they
go abroad, tlicy must alv\a)s go two in a company ,
nor are they ever to eat, but in tlieir monastery, let
the calls ot nature be ever so urgent.
They are t'orbidilen to harbour the least thouglits
of women, nor are they |)ermiUed to receive any
letters or presculs without comnmnicatm*; them to
their superiors. These orders are read ovtr lo ihtm
iu the consistory once every week, and each ot" tlie
young ones lias a copy ot" lliem delivered to them,
Tlieir habit is black, and the nuns of the same or-
der are bound down to rules of a similar nature.
Benedictine monks are aiiotlier very ancient order
iu the ( hurch of Rome, and tiiey took their rise
during the reign of the emperor Justinian, about the
■year d:>0. Their founder was one Benedict, a fa-
mous Italian monk, wiio establislied twelve monas-
teries in the diocese of Tibut ; and those acquired
*o much repute, that ihev were exempted from
episcopal jurisdiction. From this jilace he removed
to Mount Cassino, where he established another
monastery, and sent out his disciples into every part
of the Christian world. JJuring the space of six
hundred years ihey became so famous, that tiiey had
almost all the religiniis houses to themselves, till
the Dominicans and Franciscans started up to share
with tliem a little of their fame. I'hese monks
•wear a loose black gown with large wide sleeves,
and a capuchin on -their heads, with a peak at the
end. Like most of the otiier orders in the Romish
church, they are divided into many classes; but in
general their rules are the following :
They are obliged to perform tlieir devotions seven
times in twenty -four hours. First, at two o'clock
an the morning, because our Saviour is said to have
risen from the dead at that time. Secondly, at six
o'clock in the morning, because our Saviour is said
to have appeared to the women at that time. Third-
ly, at nine in the morniniw, at which time it is sup-
posed Pilate ordered our Saviour to be scourged.
Pourthly, at noon, at which time it is generally al-
lowed our Saviour was crucified. F'ifihly, at three
o'clock in the afternoon, when our Saviour expired
on the cross. Sixtlily, at six in the afternoon, v\hen
they sup|)osed our Lord to be taken down from the
cross. Lastly, at geven in the evening, the time
when they supposed our Saviour's agony began.
Thus all their seven hours of devotion, taking in
the subsequent first, and afterwards the antecedent,
have a relation to our Saviour's sufferings.
'1 hese monks are obliged to go always two and
two together, and in lent they must fast still six
in the evening ; but they are not to subject themselves
to any wiltul austerities, or rigorous penances, with-
out leave from their superiors. They never con-
verse together at meals, but attend to the reading of
ithe scripture, they lie all in one chamber, though
only one in a bed, and even in bed they keep their
clothes on. For small faults they are shut out
from meals, and for greater ones they are denied
admiilaiice to the cha])el. liuorrigibieoheuders are
excluded from the monastery, nor can they ever be
again re-admitted, but upon giving proofs ol the most
sincere repentance. 'I'he furniluie of each of their
beds is a mat, a rug, a blanket, and a j)illow, and each
monk is obliged to have two coats, two bowls, r
table book, a knife, a needle, and a handkerchief. Jt
must be acknowledged, however, that the monks of
this order have been a great ornament to the literary
world.
At St. Maur, in France, where they have a famous
monastery, they have published the best editions of
the works of the fathers, with judicious remarks,
and critical observations. Many of them arc not
friends to superstition, but long earnestly to unite
Christians together in brotherly love and charity.
This is much to their honour, and if they go on in
the same line of moderation, much good may be ex-
pected from them.
The Franciscans or Grey Friars, are another or-
der in the church of Rome, and extremely numerous.
St. Francis, the founder of this order, was born of
noble parents at Asissium, in the province of Um-
bria in Italy ; in or near the year 1 182. He renoun-
ced a considerable estate, which had been many
years in the possession of his ancestors, forsook all
the pleasures of this life, to embrace a voluntary po-
verty, and live in the practice of the greatest austeri-
ties. He went daily barefooted ; and besides travel-
ling from place to place, to visit the sick and relieve
the poor, he preached on Sundays and festivals, ill
the parish churches, to very large and crouded con-
gregations.
In the year 1208, designing to establish a religi-
ous order, he presented to pope Innocent HI. a copy
of the rules he had drawn up, praying that they
might be confirmed by the holy see. The pope,
considering his despicable appearance, and the ex-
treme severity of his rules, bid him go to find out
swine, and deliver them the rules he had composed ;
as being fitter for such animals, than for men.
Francis being withdrawn, went out and rolled him-
self in the mire, along with some swine ; and in that
filthy condition, again presented himself before the
pope, beseeching him to grant his request ; upon
which, the pope complied, and confirmed the order.
I'rom this time, FVancis became famous throughout
all Italy; and many persons of considtralde rank
forsook the world, and put themselves under his
direction.
Thus the order of Franciscans spread itself over
all F-urope, and the fathers belonging to it were, for
many years, esteemed the most relebiatcd preai hers ;
for they went from one village lo another lusiiucting
180
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME,
the rude uncivilized people. They Mere so zealous,
that many of them went among the Pagans to enden-
voiir to convert them, and some were most cruelly
put to death. The Roman Catholic legends con-
cerning this extraordinary person, relate, that a little
before his death, there appeared wounds in his hands
and feet, like those of our Saviour's, and they kept
continually bleeding, but after his death there was
no such thing as either wounds, or blood. He was
buried in a small oratory he had built at Rome, and
his name was inserted in the calendar of saints.
After the death of St. Francis, the pope prescribed
certain rules for the better regulation of the Grey
friars, for they were held in great repute. They
vere allowed to preach in cities, towns, and villages ;
but they were to instruct rather by the gravity of
their behaviour and meanness of their habit, than by
the severity of sharp reproof. All their reproofs
were to be general, without addressing themselves to
particular persons ; nor were they permitted, under
the severest penalties, to reveal the confessions of
penitents. They were not to seek after preferment,
nor were they to preach in any church or chapel,
unless invited thereto. At present, their orders and
rules may be reduced to the following particulars :
They are to live in common, to observe chastity,
and pay obedience to the pope and to their superiors.
Those who are admitted into the order, are tirst to
sell all they have, and give the money to the poor.
They are obliged to perform one year's noviciate,
and when admitted, never to quit the order upon
any account.
The priests are to perform divine service four
times every day, according to the ritual of the
church of Rome, and they are to fast from All-
Saints till Christmas ; that is, they are not, during
that time, to eat any flesh. They are never to ride
on horseback, unless it should become absolutely
necessary, such as the visiting a sick person, or to
promote their own health. They are not to keep
any money, but to live upon alms, which they may
confidently beg. They are never to be seen in pro-
fane company, and they are to avoid all familiarity
•with women. Their habit consists of a loose coat
of coarse cloth, a hood of the same, a cord for a
girdle, and a pair of drawers ; and when there is a
necessity for mending them, it must be performed
]by sewing a piece of hair-cloth to the place torn.
The first monastery of this order, was at Monte
Soubazo in Italy, and monasteries were confirmed
by the coimcil of Lateran, 12 15. In a short time,
they multiplied so fast, that in 1'21<>, five thousand
friars met at the convent of Asissium, as deputies
from other convents.
The Franci.scans came first into England, in the
year 1256, and they had a convent built for them
St Canterbury. Tiiey zealously opposed the divorce
between Henry VIII. and queen Catherine, for
which reason, when the monasteries were suppressed,
they were expelled before all others, and above two
hundred of them thrown into jails. Thirty-two of
them were coupled iu chains together like dogs, and
sent into dungeons ; maiiy were banished, and some
of them publicly executed. Whilst this order flou-
rished in England, they were divided into seven parts,
called Custodies ; because each of them was governed-
by a provincial, called a Custos, or guardian of tha
district. These were London, York, Cambridge,
Bristol, Oxford, Newcastle, and Worcester; makings,
in the whole sixty monasteries.
The first establishment of these friars in LondoH,.
was begun by four brothers, who hired a house in.
Cornhill, from John Travers, at that time sheriff of
London, This building they converted into cellsj,
where they lived till the summer following, when
they were removed by John Jwyn, citizen and mayor
of London, to the parish of St. Nicholas in the
shambles, now called St. Nicholas in St. Nicholas-
lane, where he built them a monastery, and entered
himself a member of their order. There vere
lately above seven thousand convents of tliis order
in Europe, and in them a himdred and fifteen thou^
sand friars ; and besides these, there were nine hun-
dred convents of nuns, who lived by the same rules..
— ^Tliis order produced six popes, forty-six cardi-
nals, besides a vast number of archbishops arid
bishops. The late pope Clement XIV. whose real
name was Ganganelli, was of this order.
The Dominicans are the next order to that of the
Franciscans, and they are generally known by the
name of Black Friars, only that in France they are
called Jacobins. St. Dominic, their founder, was
born in the year 11/0, at Calaruega, a small town
in the kingdom of old Castile, now a part of Spain;
while his mother wa.s with child of him, she dream-
ed that she was delivered of a little dog, with a flam-
beaux in his month, which was to give light to the
world. At six years of age he was sent to learn
Latin, under the direction of his uncle, who had a
rich parish-living in Castile. His leisure time was
spent in adorning the altars, and assisting the choir-
isters in all the divine oflices. At thirteen years of
age, he was sent to the university of Placentia, in
the kingdom of Leon, where he spent six years in
the study of philosophy and divinity. From that
time he devoted himself to all manner of religious
austerities; and he employed most of his time in the
conversion of heathens and heretics. This raised
his reputation so high, that the bishop of Osma,
resolving to reform the canons of his church, pitch-
ed upon Dominic for that purpose, and invited him
to take upon him the office of a canon in his ca-
thetlral.
In this new station^ Dominic behaved with so
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
181
mvich prucjeiipc, and subjected iiimself to so many
austerities, tliat the canons, ashamed of their for-
mer conduct, resolved to imitate his example ; so
tliat a new reformation took place in the cathedral,
and Dominic was made sub-prior of the chapter.
The bisliop, liowever, thinking it in all respects
inconsistent witli the duly he owed to tlie church,
that such a bright huninary as Dominic should be
contined to a particular spot, sent him out to exer-
cise the office of an evangelical preacher, in several
of the provinces of Spain, where he converted many
heretics; till in the year 1204, the bishop, being
sent ambassador to Rome, took Dominic along with
him.
During their journey through Languedoc, they
found all the churches falling to decay, occasioned
by the great regard the people had for the Albigcn-
8es; and, instead of going forward to Rome, they
obtained letters from the pope to stay some time in
tliat country, and labour to convert the heretics. —
Here it was that Dominic resolved to put in exe-
cution the design he had formed of instituting a re-
ligious order, whose principal employ should be
preaching the gospel, converting heretics, defending
the faith, and propagating Christianity. He soon
collected a great number of persons together, equally
as zealous as himself, who all resolved to convert
the heretics; which pleased the pope so much, that
he granted a bull, afiproving of the institution.
The first monastery of this order was established
at Toulouse, by the liberality of the bishops of that
diocese; and from thence Dominic sent out mis-
sionaries to procure converts to his rules in every
part of Europe. In the year 1218, he founded a
convent in St. James's-street, in Paris, from which
circumstance, they have ever since been called in
France by the name of Jacobins. Within four years
afterwards, there were upw ards of forty convents of
Dominicans in Italy, France, Germany, and Spain.
At Rome he obtained of pope Ilonorious III. the
church of St. Saliina, where he and his companions
took the habit which they pretended the blessed \'ir-
gin shewed to the holy Renaud of Orleans; being
a white garment and scapular, to which they added
a black mantle and hood, ending in a point. St.
Dominic died at Bologna, 1221, and his order in-
creased so fast, that they had many convents in every
European nation.
The year that St. Dominic died, twelve of his
followers came over to England, and founded a
convent at Oxford, and soon after, another at Lon-
don. In the year 1276, the mayor and aldermen of
London gave them two streets near the Thames,
■where they had a most magnificent monastery, but
now there is no more left of it besides the name ;
the place where it stood being now called Black-
friars. Having received authority from the popes,
they acted in the most hauj^lity and insolent muuiier,
insisting on preaching in every church, without
leave either from the bishop or the incumbent. —
This innovation in church disci]iliiie, brought on an
universal dissoluteness of manners ; for the people
considering themselves as under no obligation to
confess their sins to their parish priests, had recourse
to the Dominicans, who knowing nothing of the
penitents, consequently could not say whether they
performed penance or not.
There were nuns of this order, who were insti-
tuted by Dominic iiimself, who, whilst he was la-
bouring to convert the Albigenses, was much con-
cerned to find, that several men of considerable rank,
being unable to support their daughters, gave them
to the heretics, 'i'o remedy this, which gave much
offence to the clergy, Dominic erected a convent at
Prowelle, where these poor maidens were to be in-
structed in the Christian faith. The habit of iliese
nuns was a white robe, a tawny mantle, and a black
veil. They were obliged to work several hours in
the day, and to make all the clothes they wore ;
they lay on straw beds, and were subjected to many
other austerities.
There have been of the order of Dominicans, four
popes, sixty-three cardinals, one hundred and fifty
archbishops, eight hundred bishops, besides the lords
of the inquisition, of which we shall give an account
afterwards.
Before we dismiss this article, it will be necessary
to take notice, that the Dominicans assert, that the
virgin Mary, like all other women, was born in
original sin ; and the Franciscans, on the other
hand assert, that she was born in a stateof innocence.
This has been long contested between the two or-
ders, and to what length they have carried their re-
sentment against each other, w ill appear from the
follow ing extract from bishop Burnet's travels. That
learned divine, in his account of the city of Bern in
Switzerland, writes as follows :
"The second church is the Dominicans' chapel,
where I saw the famous hole that led to an image
in the church, from one of the cells of the Domini-
cans, which leads me to set down that story at some
length : for as it was one of the most signal cheats
that the world has know n, so it falling out about
twenty years before the Reformation was received at
Bern, it is very probable that it contributed not a
little to the preparing ef the spirits of the people for
that change. I am the more able to give a particu-
lar account of it, because I read the original process
in the Latin record, signed by the notaries of the
court of delegates, that the pope sent to try the mat-
ter. The record is about one liiwidred and thirty
sheets wiit close, and of all sides ; it being indeed a
12
i32
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
large volimie, and I found the printed accounts so
defective, that I was at rtie pains of reading tlie
whole process, of which I will give a true abstract.
The two famous orders that had possessed them-
selves of the esteem of those dark ages, were en-
gaged in a mighty rivalry. The Dommicans were
the most learned — they w ere the most eminent preach-
ers of those times, and had the conduct of the courts
of inquisition, and the other chief officers in the
church in their hands. But on the other hand, the
Franciscans had an outward appearance of more
severity, a ruder habit, stricter rules, and greater
poverty ; all which gave them such advantages in
the eyes of the simple multitude, as were able to ba-
lance the other honours of the Dominican order.
In short the two orders were engaged in a high ri-
valry, but the devotion towards the Virgin being
the prevailing passion of those times, the Fiuiiciscans
upon this had great advantages. The Dominicans,
that are all engaged in the defence of Thomas Aqui-
iias's opinions, were thereby obliged to assert, that
she was born in original sin ; this was j>roposed to
the people by the Franciscans, as no less than blas-
phemy, and by this the Dominicans began to lose
ground extremely in the minds of the people, who
Were strongly prepossessed in favour of the immacu-
late conception.
About the beginning of the 15th century, a Fran-
ciscan happened to preach in Francfort, and one
Wigand, a Dominican, coming into the churc h, the
Cordelier seeing him, broke out into exclamations,
praising God, that he was not of an order that pro-
faned the Virgin, or that poisoned princes in the
.Sacrament, (for a Dominican had poisoned the em-
peror Henry VII. with the sacrament) Wigand,
being extremely provoked with this bloody reproach,
gave him the lie, upon v.hich a dispute arose, which
ended in a tumult, that had almost cost the Domini-
can his life, yet he got away, l^he whole order re-
solved to take their revenge, and in a chapter held
at Vimpsen, in the year 1504, they contrived a me-
thod for su})porting the credit of their order, \\ hich
was much sunk in the opinion" of the people, and for
bearing down the reputation of the Franciscans.
Four of the junto undertook to manage the design ;
for they said, since the people were so much dispos-
ed to believe dreams and fables, they must dream of
their side, and endeavour to cheiat the people as well
as the others had done. They resolved to make
IJern the scene in which the project should be put
in execution ; for they found the people of Bern at
that time apt to sw allow any thing, and not disposed
to make severe enquiries into extraordinary matters.
When they had formed their design, a fit tool pre-
sented itself, for one Jetzer came to take their habit
as a lay brother, who had all the dispositions that
were necessary for the execution of their project:
for he was extremely simple, and wa» much i-nclined
to austerities; so having observed his temper well,
they began to execute their project, the very night
after he took tlie habit, which was on Lady-day,
U)07- One of the friars conveyed himself secretly-
into his cell, and appeared to him as if he had been
in purgatory, in a strange ligure, and he had a box
near his mouth, upon wiiich as he blew, fire seemed
to come out of his mouth. He had also some dogs-
about him, that a])peared as his tormentors; in this-
posture he came near the friar, while he was a-bed,
and took up a celebrated story that they used to tell
all tljeir friars, to beget in them a great dread at the
laying aside their habit, which m as, that one of the
order, who was superior of their house at Soloturn,
had gone to Paris, but laying aside his habit, was
killed in his lay Iiabit. The friar in the vizor said
he was that person, and was condennied to purgatory
for tliat crime ; but he added, that he might be res-
cued out of it by his means; and he seconded this
with the most horrible cries, expressing the miseries
which he suffered. The poor friar (Jetzer) was ex-
cessively frigiited, the other advanced and required a
promise of him to do that wlmh he should desire of
him, in order to the delivering him out of his tor-
ment. The friar promised all that he asked of him ;
then the other said, he knew he was a great saint, and
that his prayers and mortifications would prevail, but
they must be very extraordinary. The whole mo-
nastery must for a week together discipline them-
selves with a whip, and he must lie prostrate, in the
form of one on a cross in one of their chaj)els, m hile
mass was said in the sight of all that should come
together to it ; and he added, that if he did this, he
should find the effects of the love that the blessed
Virgin did bear him, together with many other ex-
traordinary things : and said he would ap|)ear again
accompanied with two other spirits, and assured
him, that all he did suffer for his deliverance, should
be most gloriously rewarded. Morning was no
sooner come, than the friar gave an account of this
apparition to the rest of the convent, who seemed
extremely surprised at it ; they all j>ressed him to
undergo the discipline that was enjoined to him, and
every one undertook to bear his share ; so the de-
luded friar ])erfoimed it all exactly, in one of the
chapels of their church : this drew a vast number of
spectators together, who all considered the friar as
a saint, and in the mean while the four friars that
managed the imposture magnified the miracle of the
apparition to the skies, in their sermons. The friar's
confessor was upon the secret, and by this means
they knew all the little passages of the poor friar's
life, even to his thoughts: which helped them not a
little in the conduct of the matter. The confessor
gave him a host, with a piece of wood, that wag, as
he pretended, a true piece of the cross, and by these
RELIGIOUS ORI>ERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
183
hfi was to fcH'tifv himself, tf any other apparitions
sho'.tlii ct>ine to him, since evil spirits would lie cer-
tainly chuiiied up by tlicm. 'J'lic night after that,
the former apparition was reneweii; auit tlie niasketi'
friar broutiht two others with him, iu such vizors,
that the friar thought ihey were devils indeed. The
friar presented tlie iiost to tliem, which sjave ihein
such a check, that he was fully satisfied of ihc virtue
of tliis preservative.
The friar, that pretended he was suflfcring in pur-
gatory, Siiid so many things to him relating to the
.secrets of his life, andthoughts, which he had from
tJio confessor; that the poor friar was fully possessed
in the opinion of the reality oi' the a]>parition. In
fcuo of these apparitions that were hoth managed in
the same manner, the friar in the mask talked
much of the Dominican order, which he said was
extremely dear to the blessed \ irgin, who knew her-
self to be conceived in original sin ; and that the
doctors who taught the contrary, were in pnrgatoi^ :
That the story of St. Bernard's appearing with a
spot on him, for having o|>posed himself to the feast
of the conception, was a forgery: but that it was
true th-4t some hideous tiies had appeared on St. l?o-
naventure's tomb who taught the contrary, that the
blessed Virgin abhorred the Cordeliers for making
her equal to her Son ; that Scotus was danmed,
whose canonization the Cordeliers were then solicit-
ing hard at Rome ; and that the town of Bern would
be destroved, for harbouring such plagues within
their walls. U hen the iujoined discipline was fully
performed, the spirit appeared again, and said he was
now delivered out of purgatory, but before he could
be admitted to heaven he murt receive the sacrament,
having died without it; and after that, he would say
mass for those, who had by their great charities res-
cued him out of his pains. The friar fancied the
voice resembled the prior's a little ; but he was then
so far from suspecting any thing, that he gave no great
heed to this suspicion. Some days after this, the
same friai* appeared as a n«n all in glory, and told
the poor friar that she was St. Barbara, for whom he
had a particular devotion, and added that the blessed
Virgin was so nuich pleased wiih his charity, that she
intended to come and visit him : he immediately
called the convent together, and gave the rest of the
friars an account of this apparition, which was enter-
tained by them all with great joy, and the friar lan-
guished iu desires for the accomplishment of the
promise that St. Barbara had made to him. After
some days, the longed-for delusion appeared to him,
clothed as the Virgin used to be on the great feasts,
smil indeed in the same habits ; there were about her
fome angels whicli he afterwards found, were the
Jittle statues of angels, which they set on the altars,
on the great holy days. There was also a ])ulley
fastened ui the room over his head, aud a cord tied
to the angels, that made them rise uj) in the air, and
fly about the X'irgin, which ciicreased the ddnsiou.
'J'liC S'irgiu after some cndcarmcnls to himself, ex-
tolling the merit of hischarity and discii)liiu-, luld him
that she was conceived iu original sin, aud tlial |)ope
Julius II. that then reigned, was to i>ul an end tothe
dispute and was to abolish the feast of Ik r conception,
which Sixtus IV. had instituted, and that the friar
was to he tlic instrument of persuading the jiojic of
ihc tiTilh iu that matter: she gave him three drops of
her Son's blood, which were three tears of blood that
he had shed over Jerusalem, and this signified that she
was three hours in original sin, after which she was
by his mercy, delivered out of that state : For it
seems the Dominicans were resolved so tocom])ound
the matter, that they should gain the main j)oint of
her conception iu sin, yet they would comply so far
with the reverence for the Virgin, with which the
world was possessed, that she should be believed to
have remained a very short while in that state. She
gave him also five drops of blood, that she had shed
while her Son was on the cross. And, to convince
him more fully, she presented a host to him, that
appeared as an ordinary host, and of a sudden it
appeared to be of a deep red colour. The cheat of
those supposed visits was often repeated to the abused
friar, at last the Virgin told him that she M'as to
give him such marks of her Son's love to him, that
the matter should be past all doubt. She said that
tlic five wounds of St. Catherine were real wounds,
and that she would also imprint them on him, so
she bade him reach his hand ; he had no great iniud
to receive a favour in which he was to suffer so
much : but she forced his hand and struck a nail
through it, the hole was as big as a grain of pease,
and he saw the candle clearly through it, this threw
him out of a supposed transport into a real agony ;
but she seemed to touch his hand, and he thought he
smelt an ointment with w liich she anointed it, though
his confessor persuaded him that that was only ima-
gination, so the supposed Virgin left him for that
time.
The next night the apparition returned, and
brought some linen clothes, which had some real or
imaginary 'virtue to allay his torment, and the pre-
tended V irgin said, they w ere some of the linen in
which Christ was wrapped; and with that she gave
him a sophoriferous draught, and w hile he was fast
asleep, the other four wounds were imprinted on his
body iu such a manner that he felt no pain.
But iu order to the doing of this, the friars betook
themselves to charms, and the sub-prior shewed the
rest a book full of them, but he said that before they
could be effectual they must renounce God, and he
not only did this himself, but by a formal act put in
writing, signed with his own blood, he dedicated
himself to the devil ; it is true, he did not oblige the
1S4
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
rest to this, but only to renounce God. The com-
position of the draught was a mixture of sozne foun-
tain water and chrism, the hairs of the eyebrows of
a child, some quicksilver, some grains of incense,
somewhat of an Easter wax candle, some consecrat-
ed salt, and the blood of an unbaptized child. This
composition was a secret, which the sub-prior did
not communicate to the other friars. By this the
poor friar Jetzer was made almost quite insensible :
when he was awake, and came out of this deep sleep,
he felt this wonderful impression on his body, and
now he was ravished out of measure, and came to
fancy himself to be acting all the parts of our Savi-
our's passion : he was exposed to the people on the
great altar, to the amazement of the whole town,
and to the no small mortification of the Franciscans.
The Dominicans gave him some other draughts that
threw him into convulsions, and when he came out
of those, a voice was heard, which came through
that hole which yet remains, and runs from one of
the cells, along a great part of the wall of the church :
for a friar spoke through a pipe, and at the end of
the hole tliere was an ima^e of the Virgin's, with
a little Jesus in her arms, between whom and his
mother the voice seemed to come ; the image also
seemed to shed tears, and a painter had drawn those
Ort her face so lively, that the people were deceived
by it. The little Jesus asked why she wept, and she
said it was because his honour was given to her,
since it was said that she was born without sin ; in
, conclusion the friars did so over-act this matter, that
at last even the poor deluded friar himself came
to discover it, and resolved to quit the order.
It was in vain to delude him with more appari-
tions, for he well nigh killed a friar that came to him
personating she Virgin in another shape, with a
crown on her head ; he also overheard the friars once
taikinu; atiiong themselves of the contrivance and
success of the imposture, so plainly, that he disco-
vered the whole matter : and upon that, as may be
.easily imagined, -he was filled with all the horrors
with which such a discovery could inspire him.
The friars fearing that an imposture which was
carried on hitherto with so much success, should be
quite spoiled, and be turned against them, thought
the surest way was to own liie whole matter to him,
and to engage him to carry on the cheat. They told
him in what esteem he would be, if he continued to
support the reputation that he had acquired, that he
would become the chief person of the order, and in
the end they persuaded him to go on with the im-
posture : but at last, they fearing least he should
discover all, resolved to poison him ; of which he
was so apprehensive, that once a loaf being brought
him, that was prepared with some spices, lie kept
it for some time, and it then growing green, he
direw it to some young wolves' whelps that were in
the monastery, who died immediately. His consti-
tution was also so vigorous, that though they gave
him poison five several times he was not destroyed
by it ; they also pressed him earnestly to renounce
God, which they judged necessary, that so their
charms might have their effect on him ; but he
would never consent to that; at last they forced him
to take a poisoned host, which yet he vomitted up
soon after he had swallowed it down ; that failing,
they used him so cruelly, \vhipj>»ng him with an iron
chain, and girding him about so strait with it, that
to avoid further torment, he swore to them, in a
most imprecating style, that he would never discover
the secret, but would still carry it on ; and so he
deluded them till he found an opportunity of getting
out of the convent, and of throwing 'himself into
the hands of the magistrates, to whom he discovered
all.
The four friars were seized on, and put in prison,
and an account of the whole matter was sent, first
to the bishop of Lausanne, and then to Rome ; and
it may be easily imagined, that the Franciscans took
ail possible care to have it well examiued : the bi-
shops of Lausanne, and of Syon, with the provin-
cial of the Dominicans, .were appointed to form the
process. The four friars first excepted to Jetzer's
credit; but that was rejected, then being threatened
with the question, they put in a long plea against
it; but though the provincial would not consent to
that, yet they were put to the question: some en-
dured it long, but at last they all confessed the
whole progress of the imposture. The provincial
appeared concerned ; for though Jetzer had opened
the whole matter to him, yet lie would give no cre-
dit to it ; on the contrary, he charged him to be
obedient to them, and one of the friars said plainly,
that he was in the whole secret, and so he with-
drew; but he died some time after at Constance,
having poisoned himself, as was believed. The
matter lay asleep some time, but a year after that,
a Spanish bishop came, authorized with full powers
from Rome, and the whole cheat being fully prov-
ed, the four friars were solemnly degraded from
their priesthood, and eight days after it being the
last of May 1509, they were burnt in a meadow on
the other side of the river, over against the great
church : the place of their execution was shewed
me, as well as the hole in the wall, through which
the voice was conveyed unto the image. It was
certainly one of the blackest, and yet the best car-
ried on cl/eat that has been ever known, and no
doubt had the poor friar died before the discovery,
it had passed down to posterity, as one of the great-
est miracles that ever was, and it gives a shrewd
suspicion that many of the other miracles of that
, church were of the same na^ture, but more success-
fully finishecl."
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
]85
The Recollects were so called, from being a re-
formed branch of the Franciscans, and supposed to
be endowed with a spirit of recollection, by whicii
they were enabled to restore the order of St. Fran-
cis to its original state of purity. This order is not
of great antiquity, for it was not iiitroduceil into
France till the year 139-, when Lewis dnke of
Nevers, built a convent for them, and obtained a
bull from the pope, to make the society a free body
of monks, w itiiont being any way dependant on the
original order from whence they sprung. Soon af-
ter tiiis, they spread themselves throughout several
parts of Europe, and became so numerous, that
they split into ditierent parties, till at last, in 16 1 '2,
tlie pope interfered, and rejoined them again by the
name of St. Dennis.
Henry IV. of France, greatly favoured this order,
and permitted them to settle in any part of his domi-
. nions they thought proper. His successors were no
less favourable to them, and always granted them
their protection. Lewis Xl\ . built them a convent at
\ ersailles, and furnished them with sacred vessels,
and all things necessary for the ornamenting their
church. This religious order W'as in such high re-
putation in I'Vance, that when Lewis XIV. invaded
Flolland 1(J74, he sent tor twenty of these monks,
and ordered them to administer the sacrament to his
officers and soldiers ; and ever since that time, the
chaplains to the French regiments, were chosen from
among them. These Recollects were so zealous in
propagating the popish religion, that in 16 15, they
sent missionaries to Canada, who had very good
success.; and soon after, they sent a new mission to
the island of Madagascar, but they were very un-
fortunate, for having been attacked by an Algerine
corsair, their ship was blown up, and all ou board
perished.
At present this order is not so numerous as it was
formerly, but it is as respectable as any in the church
of Rome ; for the monks never meddle w ith politics,
or any thing -of a civil nature, but confine themselves
wholly to the duties of their office.
The order of St. Saviour, was first instituted by
St. Bridget in the year 1344, and it was so called,
because Bridget pretented that Christ conversed with
her, and in the most familiar manner, prescribed
the rules to be observed by her nuns. This St.
Bridget was a Spaniard by birth, and in her youth
married a nobleman in that kingdom, but he dying
young, she forsook the world, and betook herself
to a religious life. Having spent some years in a
convent, without taking the vows, she resolved to
found an order in honour of the blessed Virgin, prin-
cipally for pious women who chose to retne from
the world, nor was the other sex excluded, there
being some monks allowed among them.
They are at present very numerous in France,
13
Spain, and Italy, and in each convent of nuns, there
are sixty sisters besides tlic abbess; and in the monas-
teries for the monks, there are twelve brothers and
the prior. These thirteen in number, represent the
twelve apostles, together witR St. Paul, whom they
call the thirteenth. They have likewise in each of
their convents four deacons, in memory of the four
great doctors of the church, viz St. Ambrose, St.
Austin, St. Gregory, and St. Jerome. 'Ihe nuns are
not to be admitted till they are eigiiteen years of age,
nor the monks till they are twent-yfive, and both are
obliged to j)erforni a noviciate of one year.
AV hen a mm is to be admitted into this order, she
is led into the church, preceded by a red banner, on
one side of which is painted a crucifix, and on the
other, the image of the blessed Virgin.
The bishop of the diocese, who is always present
on these occasions, consecrates a ring, which he
puts upon the finger of the noviciate, and then pro-
ceeds to the celebration of mass. She then ap-
proaches the altar barefooted, and putting ofi" her
upper garment, receives from the hands of the bi-
shop, the habit of the order ; at w hich time a crown
is put upon her head. Mass being ended, four nuiis
carry her on a bier into the monastery, and the bi-
shop follow s, w ho delivers her to the abbess ; and
during the next eight days she is not obliged to at-
tend to any rule whatever, being left wholly to her
own discretion. After these eight days are expired,
she must enter upon the rules of the order, and then
she takes her place among the rest of the sisters.
The monks are admitted into the order, by the bi-
sho'p's laying his hand on their heads, and marking
them with the sign of the cross.
The monks and nuns have one church in com-
mon between them, in which are thirteen altars, in
memory of the twelve apostles and St. Paul. The
choir for the nuns is above, and that for the monks
below ; and they are obliged to fast three days in a
week. The nuns are allowed two coarse woollen
shifts, a grey woollen robe, a cowl of the same, and
a mantle made fast with a wooden button. They
wear a veil of black cloth, on the top of w hich is a
crown of fine linen, with five red marks upon it,
resembling so many drops of blood. The friars
have two coarse woollen shirts, a grey woollen robe,
a cowl and mantle of the same; and on the left side
of the mantle, they wear a red cross, in the me-
mory of our Saviour's passion. The deacons svear
a white circle, to represent the wisdom of the fa-
thers of the church ; and the lay brothers a white
cross, to betoken innocence. Every Thursday, the
abbess holds a chapter, to enquire into the conduct
of the nuns, and to punish such as have shewed any
signs of disobedience; and in this particular, she
acts under the direction of the bishop, who is con-
sidered as the spiritual father of the convent.
3 A
186
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
There is ovie thing remarkable in this order, that
a grave is kept continually o})en, to which the ali-
bess and nuns go in procession every day, and after
repealing some wayers, eacli throws a little earth
into it. In Kngland, there was only one house of
this order, on the banks of the Thames, known by
the name of Zion. At the dissohition of the monas-
teries it was given to the duke of Somerset; but
now, in consequence of a variety of intermarriages,
it is the property of his grace the duke of Novthum-
berlai^d.
The Templars, or Kr.ights Templars, were once
of great esteen> in Europe, and by their ndos, they
were partly religious, and partly military. 'Hie fol-
lowing is the historical account of their institution :
— In the year 1113, some religious gentlemen put
themselves under the government of the patjiarcli
of Jerusalem, renounced all connection with landed
property, and lived m the -same mamiei" as regular
canons. At first, they were very few in number,
and having no church nor place to reside in, king
Baldwyn gave them an apartment adjoining to his
palace, with the use of a church dedicated to our
Saviour. At the same tinui they received several
other emoluments, and they bound themselves by
oath, to spend the greatest part of their time in
guat-ding the roads leading to Jerusalem, and pro-
tecting innocent travellers. Their number soon in-
creased, and they were erected into a corporate body
or order, by pope Honorious II. in the year llC".
In the year H47, anew reform took place in the
order, and pope Eugenius HI. ordered them to wear
red crosses upon their cloaks, as a mark of distinc-
tion ; and in a short time, their numbers and reve-
nues increased so fast, that in many respects, they
were nmch richer than suu<e of the sovereign prin-
ces of Europe, which circumstance proved fatal to
them.
This order of knighl.'s after having done many
line actions against the iuiidels, and having acquired
great riches all over Europe, gave themselves up
to all maimer Of extravagancies, and connnittcd
crimes too shocking to be nu'iitioned. I'or these
crimes two of them were apprehended, and being
put to the rack, accused the whole order as being
.equally guilty with themselves. This happened in
France. in I.IO?, and Philip, king of that coimfry,
having written to ilic pope, it was agreed, that the
order .should be .suppressed; accordingly all their
•estates in France were seized on, and the whole or-
.der banished out of the kingdom.
lu the most candid maimer we would cluise to
riraw a veil over all those actions with which we
liiid our fellow-creatures have been accused, and
therefore, trusting that these men were not so {;uilty
as they have been repn\sented, we shall relate the
Ttviileiice presented against them, and when we xon-
sider the circumstances of the times, the force of
arbitrary power, joined to the character of the wit-
nes.ses, w ith the passions of princes, who longed to
enjoy their estates, there w ill remain some reason to
believe that they have been gros.sly injured.
The witnesses, who were some of their own order,
s\\ore tliat they were guilty of the following crimes.
I'irst, that when the knights entered into this order,
they renounced Christ, and spit upon the. cross by
way of contempt. Secondly, that instead of kissing
the months of those who were received into their
order, they kissed their backsides. Thirdly, that
sodomy was a common practice among thenv.
Lastly, they worshipped a wooden head, and com-
mitted several oilier crimes, which in a work of this
nature, we do not cliuse to mention. i
Many of the knights who had been apprehended
u])on these informations were put to the torture, and
during the agony of that dreadful puniNhmciit, con-
fessed all the crimes alledged against them, upon
which they were banished, and ail their estates, with-
out exception, confiscated, To extort confessions
by torture, is most abominable, for through the
agony of pain, a man may be led to declare himself
guilty of crimes he never committed, so that little
regard should be paid to any confessions obtained iu
such a manner. I
l"he pope and the French king having agreed 'to
wreak all their vengeance upon the order, commis-
sioners were appointed to meet at Paris, l.'/f)<), to
hear tiie further depositions of witnesses, with the de-
fences set up by those who had been accused. A vast
number of these Templars were brought before this
tribunal, of whom seventy-nine pci-eisfed in main-
taining the innocence of their order. At the same
time, lifty-iiine, who hud been put to the torture,
retracted their former confessions, for which they
were delivered over to the secular power, and burnt
alive without the gate of St. Anthony, in the month
of March, 13 10. Such was the end of this cele-
brated order, and when we consider all the circum-
stances, we are naturally led to believe, that had the
Templars not been possessed of considerable estates,
they w ould never have become obnoxious to the ci-
vil pov\er. It is not reasonable to suppose, that a
\\ hole liodv of men scattered up and down through
the world, should all at once engage in the com-
mission of crimes which are a disgrace to human
nature. Disorders, .indeed, may have hapjH'ned
among fhem, butit is invidious to charge the crimes
of a few individuals upon (lie whole body oi u people
whose only fault was their riches.
Another order in the church of Rome, consi.sting
wholly of nuns, is called the order of nuns of the
word incurnnle. They are of a very late date, for
they were not founded till the year l6'25, when
Joanna Maria, a devout lady, residing somewhere
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
187
near Lyons, iii Frai»cc, secluded lierstlf from the
world, add l'oim(U'd a convent, which al fust lou-
sLbliil of no more than six young women. 'J'lii- de-
bign of tliLs order was to cclebrutc the <;l(irics ol the
divine word, and in IfiJj, pope Lrhan granted his
bull tu cetuhliiili it. 'ihe ninis of lliis order wear a
white gimn, widi a red mantle, and rm their breasts
a crown of tiiorns, wrou^iiit in blue !>ilk, wilh the
nunie ot Jcins upon it. Some time a;iO, the\ were
acciLsed of many irrej;nlaiilie8, which brought the
order under some ceiiiure, but they vindicated
iheiiisclvu^t from all iJie impntaiirms alledfied against
tlieni. The) have lately had many Honrishhm conveuUi
in J'rancc, and some of the (lan<ihters ol the no-
bility have been brought up amongst tJiem.
Anotliir order of nuns in called L. rliunhla, be<ause
tliey followed the rule of St. Clare, whichwas re-
formed by P'ipe Urban IV. Their foundress was
Saint Isabel of I'rauce, who built and endowe<l the
convent of Long Cham]>s, near Paris, 'lliis lady
wa.s daughter of JjCww V IH. of I'rance, and was
born in the year X'l'li. She passed her whole life
in acts of austerity and murliticalion, having refused
advaiita<;eous ofter.s of mariia;;e trom th<- em|»eror
Frederick 11. Her brother, St. Lewis, having been
taken prisoner by the Saracens, atul l>cr mother dying
soon afterwards, she -letennined to quit the world,
ai»d devote herself to a religious life. Having sold
tier whole estate, she resolved to build a convent,
and wlnle die edifice was erecting, she employed
Some doctors to draw up rules for her order. At
first, twenty young women were admitted into the
convent, but these finding the rules too austere for
them to coni|ily with, fxlitioned the |x)pe to grant
them smne iudnljjence, wliich was comgilied with. —
Their habit was plain and >iinplc, consisting of a
white cloth gown, a <-a() of the ^aiiie, wilh a hood,
on whitii was marked tiie form of a crucifix.
The TlieuUnen were :inolher order in the Romish
•church. They are but of a latter date, for tlie foun-
dation did not take place till the year \b'i.4. They
were extremely numerous, and during the Kiih cen-
tury, they sent many uiissunaries to convert the
heathens, but little success attended their miiiis-
straiions. Tlieir forward zeal, without tlie least pre-
tension to knowledge, led tliem into many excesses,
and the conset[uenec was, that they were but little
regarded. ^£bey soon dwindled into n<tthinj:, being
despised by Protestant.v, and Uiscurded by Roman
Uaiholics.
TnnUuiiuH!; or the urdtr of the rederaption of
captives, were a reUgii>us order in I'rance, Italy,
Spain, and other c«)uutries.
This order began in the y^ar 1 198, under the pon-
tificate of Innocent 111. Its founders were, John de
Mittho, and Felix de Vaiois. Jutiu de Matli|) was
born of noble parents in Provence, and took his d*" •
gree of doctor in the university of Paris. I'elix de
Valdis, so called frf)m the country of Valois, lived
as a hermit in a wf>od, in the diocese of Meaux. —
John de Malho, having liad a vision of an angel pre-
senting two captives to him, and thereupon resolving
to devote himself to a religious life, joined hinifieif
with Felix de V'alois; and tJiese two saints lived to-
gether in the practice of virtue and all maniii-r of
austerities. One day, ll:e story says, tbiy observetl
a large vvhite stag, who brought into the mi'ldle of
(he wood a red and blue cross. This wonderful
stglit, added to Jolm de Matho's vision, made them
condiKle, that God required something in particular
of them ; and soon after an angel, iu a dream, ordered
them to go to Rome, where the jiope would inform
them what they must do. Innocent HI. received
them with great humanity, and, being convinced of
their sanctity, gave tbem permission to establish a
new order, whose principal end sliould be to labour
for the deliverance of captives, who groaned under
the tyranny of the infidels. The same pope gave
them a habit, which was a white govin ornamented
with a red and blue cro.ss, in memory of the appa-
rition of tlie slag ; and gave tbiB new order the title
of the Holy Trinity,
John de Matho and Felix de Valois- being re-
turned into France, king Phillip Augustus conseiite/l
to the establishment of their order in that kingdom.
Accordingly a wjnvent was built in the ])lacc where
they had the vision of the stag, and was from thence
called Cerfroy. This monastery was endowed by
Margaret countess of Burgundy, for the maintenance
of twenty religious persons. John de Matho, seeing
his order established, sent John Anglicns and William
Scot, two Eni;lishmen, to Morocco in Africa, to
treat w ith Miraniolin for the redemption of poor
Christian captives. This negociation succeeded so
well, that in the year 1200, they redeemed one hnn-
dred and eighty-six slaves. The same year they
bad a convent given them in the territory of Hon-
scott in I'landers, and another al Aries in Provence.
Afterward Jolm de Matho took a journey into Spain,
where he prevailed upon ttie kin[;s and princes of
that country to make several setliemenls for the re-
demption of Christian caplivx's. In the mean time,
I'elix de N'alois gained an establishment at Paris, in
a place where was a chapel dedicated to St. Mathu-
rin ; from whence this order had the name of Ma-
thurins.
After the death of the two holy foundtTS, pope
Ilonorious HI. confinned thi; order, and their nile
wa« approved by his successor Clement IV. in ICfi?.
At first they were not pennitted to eat any flesh
meat, and when they travelled, they were to ride
only upon asses. But this rule w ae corrected awl
18S
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
mitigated by the bishop of Paris and the abbots of
St. Victor and St. Genevieve : and they were allowed
to eat meat, and to use horses.
This order possessed about two hundred and fifty
convents, divided into thirteen provinces : six of these
were in France; namely, Paris, Normandy, Picardy,
Campagne, Languedoc, and Provence : three were in
Spain; namely New Castile, Old Castile, and Arra-
gon : one was in Italy and one in Portugal. There
was formerly the province, of England, where this
order had forty-three houses ; that of Scotland,
where it had nine : and that of Ireland, where it had
fifty-two; besides a great number of monasteries in
Saxony, Hungary, Bohemia, and other countries.
The convent of Cerfroy, in F'rance, was head of the
order.
In 1573, a reform of this order was began by Ju-
lian de Nantonville and Claud Aleph, two hermits of
St. Michael, who obtained leave of the pope to take
the habit of the Trinity; whereupon their hermitage
was converted into a house of the order. The prni-
cipal articles of the reform were, that they should
observe the primitive rule approved by Clement IV .
should abstain from flesh, use woollen shirts, and
have matins at night. This reform was not em-
braced by. the whole order, till 163.5, when cardinal
Rochfou^^-ault, by order of pope Urban VIH. in-
troduced it into all the houses of the Trinitarians.
Those of Spain, in 1594, added to the reform the
going barefooted : for which reason, in that country,
they began to be called barefooted Trinitarians.
There were also barefooted Trinitarians in France,
established by F. Jeroni Hallies.
There are nuns of the Trinitarian order in Spain,
established by John de Matho himself, who built
them a convent in 1201, under the direction of the
infanta Constantia, daughter of Peter H. king of
^■trragon ; who was the first religious, and the first
superior of the order. And in l6l2, Frances de Ro-
mero, daughter of Julian de Romero, lieutenant-
general of the Spanish army, founded a convent of
barefooted Trinitarian nuns at Madrid.
In the year 1647, Madam Polaillon, a French lady,
established an order of nuns, called the Nuns of Pro-
vidence. They were a society of young women,
whose parents died in their infancy, and left them
exposed to all the hardships that could be imagined,
"^ro preserve them, therefore, from misery, and to
instruct them in the way to everlasting iiappiness,
this pious lady formed the plan of the institution,
but was much opposed in her design by some self-
interested persons, who represented to her, that her
fortune was not sufficient to carry on her scheme.
To these she replied, that Providence should be her
fund ; and accordingly -having succeeded in her
undertaking, she gave them the name of the Nuns
of Providence,
In 1651, Anne of Austria, mother of Lewis XIV.
gaVe them a large house in one of the suburbs of
Paris, after whicii they increased extremely fast,
many worthy persons having sent considerable sums
of money to assist the pious foundress to carry her
benevolent scheme into execution. The archbishop
of Paris established another society, on the same
plan ; and such was the good sense of the French
nation at that time, that not only the bisiiops in the
provinces, but also the nobility, gentry, and citizens,
followed the pious example of Madam Polaillon.
Young women were admitted i«to this order at
the age of twenty, and made two vows, one of chas-
tity, and the other of obedience; young women who
did not chiise to enter into this community, were
entertained as boarders, and educated in the same
manner as our daughters are at boarding-schools in
England. They likewise educated, gratis, all the
young girls belonging to the poor in the neighbour-
hood, if their age did not exceed ten years.
The archbishop of Paris appointed a lady to preside
over the whole order ; but tiie sisters were permitted
to elect a deputy from among themselves, and she was
changed once in three years . They had likewise
two ladies of piety, virtue, and benevolence, whom
the archbishop presented to them, and these acted as
stewards to the hospital ; the same care being taken
of the other houses of the same order, throughout
the kingdom. They wore a black habit, and their
rules were mild, rational, and pious : not incumbered
w ith those severities and absurdities that were to be
met with in many of the orders of the church of
Rome. It would be no small honour to Protestants,
were they to adopt a plan of a similar nature ; so as
not to bind the young women down to continual celi-
bacy, but to suffer them to marry at what age they
tiiought proper. It would save many young women
from destruction ; it would promote piety and virtue,
and the afflicted parent would, on his death-bed,
have the pleasure to reflect, that although he had not
been able to make any provision for his daughter,
yet she would not be left destitute, nor exposed to
hardships, misery, and vice.
Premonstratenses, a very celebrated order in the
church of Rome, were founded in the year 1 1 19, by
one St. Norbcrt, the son of a French nobleman,
and who had lived some years in the court of the
emperor. About thirty years of age hf entered into
deacon's orders, and having a large estate, he sold
the whole, and gave one half to the poor, reserving
the other half to build a convent for monks of a
new order. Accordingly he fixed upon a place called
Premonstratum, in Picardy, where he built a church
with cloisters, and received a charter of privileges
from the king of France.
A| first, the brethren of this order were so poor,
that they had nothing they could call their own^ e.\-
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME,
189
cept an ass, which served them to carry wood for
iuel ; and some of the uihhI they were obliged to
sell in order to purchase bread. But in a short time
they received so many donations, and built so many
monasteries, that withm thirty years after the order
was tirst founded, they had not less than one hundred
abbeys in France and Germany. The popes and
kings of France granted them many privileges, and
besides a great number of saints which this order has
produced, many princes, noblemen, and archbishops
have been educated among them. In latter times,
they continued to increase so fast, that they had up-
wards of five thousand convents in Europe, but at
present, in consequence of the Reformation, tliey are
greatly diminished. These monks, who were vulgarly
called white canons, came over to England in 1 14(i,
and had a house founded for their reception in Lin-
colnshire. At the Reformation they liad increased
so fast, that they had twenty-seven houses in England,
besides several in Scotland and Ireland.
In the beginning of the iGlh century there was an
order of nuns established at Rome, called Philip-
pines, because they put tliemsclves under the protec-
tion of St. Philip dc NerL I'hey consisted of one
hundred poor girls, who were taken in their infancy
into tlie convent, and educated till they were upwards
of twenty, when they had tlieir choice either to enter
into the marriage state, or become nuns on the foun-
dation. If they married they were allowed a sum of
money, vvith several religious books, and once every
year they attended divine service in the convent.
Those who took the habit of nuns, were under the
direction of several religious women, who lived with
them rather as mothers than superiors. This estab-
lishment rose from a very small beginning, but was
attended with many beneficial consc(iuences.
One Rutillo Bandi, a very pious man, was the first
in Rome who took it into his thoughts to protect
poor girls, who were in danger of being ruined,
througii the poverty and misery of their parents.
For this purpose, he made choice at first of a few
helpless orphans, whom he placed under the direc-
tion of some pious women, and pope Urban Vllf.
approving of the institution, granted a bull in their
favour, in which it was onlered, that the Augustine
nuns should, at all times, take care that they observed
the rules laid down for their conduct. They lived
in a decent frugal manner, not subjected to any
of those austerities, which too much disgrace some
of the Romish orders. Their dress was black, with a
white linen veil, and on their breasts they wore a
cross.
Low and mean as this order may appear, in com-
parison with many others, yet every person of good
sense will readily acknowledge that it must be of
great service in a city like Rome, where young wo-
men are exposed to many dangers from the continual
\3 3
resort of foreigners from ail ports of Europe. Every
thing done to serve the alHictctl, is at all times praise-
worthy ; but the preventing youth from becoming
pests to society, is far superior to any thing that can
be mentioned. To cure the diseased is charitable ;
but to prevent diseases from taking place, is god-like.
And happy would it be for all tliose who shake oft'
the errors and s\iperstilions of the church of Rome,
if they would, at the same time, retain what is com-
mendable and laudable, whether among Papists,
Turks, Jews, or Heathens,
But of ail the orders in the church of Rome, none
ever equalled the Jesuits. Their founder was Inigo
or Ignatius Loyola, who was born in 1491, in the
province of Guipuscoa in Spain, and bred up in the
court of Ferdinand, king of Spain. In his youth,
he discovered a martial disposition, and signalized
himself in the siege of Pampelona, w here he was
wounded and taken prisoner by the French. During
his confinement and illness, he read some books of
piety, which occasioned his first resolution of devot-
ing himself wholly to God, and as soon as he w'a.<
cured, he undertook a pilgrimage to our lady of
Montserrat in Catalonia, where he dedicated liimsel;'
to the virgin, and took a resolution to travel to Jeru-
salem. He arrived at Jerusalem, September 4,
1523, where lie visited the holy places, and performed
ail the pious exercises of a pilgrim, and returning to
Spain, he began to study grammar at Barcelona, and
afterwards went through liis courses of philosophy
and divinity at Alcala. Ignatius had then four
companions, who were all clothed like himself in a
brown woollen habit, and applied themselves to the
same exercises. His fame increasing, the number
of those who came to hear his instructions, increased
likewise. This giving umbrage to the inquisitors of
the city of Alcala, he was tak«n up and imprisoned,
by order of the grand vicar; but was soon released,
with an injunction to go clothed like the other scho-
lars, and to abstain from talking to the people con-
cerning religion, till lie had studied four years iu
divinity. Upon this he retired to Salamanca, where
he continued to discourse botii in public and private,
upon moral subjects. Here he was again imprisoned,
upon an information of the Dominicans against him,
but being released, he resolved to quit Spain, and go
to Paris, with a firm resolution to apply himself
closely to study in that city.
Ignatius Loyola came to Paris in February 1528;
but his extreme poverty forced him to have recourse
to the charity of the French, and of foreigners ; bj
which means he was enabled to prosecute his studies.
His zeal drew troubles upon him at Paris likewise,
for he was accused to the inquisitor, of attempting to
preach, and overturning the discipline of St. IJatbara's
college, where he studied. But he got over this
ditllculty : and having gone through his courses o\
190
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
philosophy and divinity, he formed a little society of
ten men, who engaged in a vow along with him.
They professed to renounce the good things of this
world, to live in poverty and to preach the gospel to
infidels. In 1535, Ignatius falling sick, was advised
by his physician to breathe his native air ; and having
staid some time in Spain, he embarked for Venice,
which ^vas the appointed rendezvous of his com-
panions. Here they met in the habit of pilgrims,
intending to travel to Jerusalem ; but a war breaking
out between the Turks and Venetians, they could not
find an opportunity of going into the Levant. Here
Ignatius, and two more, were deputed to go to Rome,
to offer their sei-vice to the pope. Upon the road,
Ignatius, they say, had a vision, in which he saw
Jesus bearing his cross, who said to him, " I will be
favourable to thee at Rome." His other companions
quickly joined him in that city, where they continued
their usual exercises of instructing and preaching ;
and there it was Ignatius formed the design of found-
ing a new order. After many deliberations, it was
agreed, to add to the three ordinary vows of chastity,
poverty, and obedience ; a fourth, which was to go
into all countries, christian or infidel, whither the
pope should please to send them ; and in conse-
quence of this last vow, Xavier, one of Ignatius's
companions, was sent into the Indies to preach the
gospel. In 1540, pope Paul III. gave them a bull
by which he approved this new order, which he
desired to be called, the society of Jesus ; giving
them a power to make statutes, as they should
judge convenient ; and Ignatius was created general
of the order ; which in a short time spread over all
the countries of the world, whither Ignatius sent
his companions, whilst he staid at Rome, from
whence he governed the whole society. He kept
liis post of general to his death, which happened
July .31, 1555.
The Je'suits assume neither the name, quality,
nor way of living of monks. They call tliemsehes
an order of priests, and differ in nothing from other
churchmen, in theirhabit or manner of life. The
t-nd of their institution is the salvation of souls :
fhey preach, instruct youth, read lectures, and dis-
pute and write against heretics. They recite no
regular office in the choir, and the entire society is
composed of four sorts of members ; novices, scho"'-
lars, spiritual and temporal coadjutors, and professed
members. The novices continue so two years ; after
\vhich they are admitted to make three simple vows
in the presence of their superiors ; and the scholars
add some spiritual cxerises to their studies. The
spiritual coadjutors assist the professed members',
and perform the same functions. The temporal
coadjutors make the simple vows, and take care of
the temporal affairs of the society. The professed
jilembers make four solemn vows. They have con-
vents for the professed members and their coadjutors,
colleges for scholars, and houses of probation for
novices. They are governed by a general, who has
four assistants, and appoints rectors, superiors pf
houses, provincials, visitors, and commissaries.
It is surprizing how much this order increased in
a short time. h\ 1543, the Jesuits were in all but
eighty: in 1545, they had ten houses: in 1549, they
had two provinces, one in Spain, and the other in
Portugal. In 1555, when Ignatius died, they had
twelve provinces : in 1603, they had twenty-nine
provinces, two vice-proviiices, twenty-one professed
houses, two hundred and ninety-three colleges, thirty-
three houses of probation, and ten thousand five
hundred and eighty-one Jesuits. In the catalogue
printed at Rome in 1709, they reckon thirty-five
provinces, thirty-three professed houses, five hundred
and seventy-eight colleges, forty-eight houses of pro-
bation, eighty-eight seminaries, one hundred and six
missions, and in all, seventeen thousand six hundred
and fifty-five Jesuits.
But notwithstanding this vast increase of the order,
the Jesuits met with considerable opposition at their
first establishment, in several places. At Saragosa
in Spain, the populace rising upon -them, they were
obliged to quit the town ; to which, however, they
returned soon after. But the greatest opposition met
with was in France. St. Ignatius having recom-
mended the Jesuits of France to the cardinal of Lor-
rain, that cardinal procured them letters patent from
king Henry II. in 1550, approving their establish-
ment in France. But this was opposed by the
parliament of Paris, which refused to register the
king's letter. At the same time the faculty of divinity
of Paris made a famous declaration against the
Jesuits, in which they set forth, that, " this society,
which arrogated to itself the apellation of Jesus,
was a great prejudice to the regular clergy and
ordinaries, and the privileges of the university ; that
they seemed to them to violate the honour of the
monastic life, and to enervate the pious practice of
abstinences, ceremonies, and austerities ; that they
disturbed both the ecclesiastical and temporal
polity, and occasioned dissentions and complaints
among the people." After this declaration, 'the
Jesuits desisted from all further attempts towards
an establisliment, during' tlie reign of Henry II.
In 1560, under Francis II. the parliament and
bishops consented to their establishment in Fran'ce,
under these restrictions: "That they should' not
exercise episcopal jurisdiction, nor preach with-
out consent of the bishop, nor administer ■ any
of the sacraments without express leave of the
parish priest ; that they should not read or interpret
the holy scriptures, in public or private, with-
out the approbation of the faculties of divinity,
and the universities; that they should not receive
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
191
into their society any professed religious of other
orders; that they should make no new constitutions,
nor alter those already made ; and that thev should
assume auoilicr name than that nf Jesus or Jesuits."
Tlie society, being received in France upon these
conditions, opened their college at (.Clermont, and
began publicly to teach and read lectures; but this
was vigorously opposed by the university of I'aris,
and the Jesuits were silenced by order of the court.
Afterwards both parties were ordered to lav the me-
rits of their cause before the king's council, who
upon hearing the matter, permitted tiie Jesuits to
continue their lectures.
In 1J!I4, when Henry IV. made his entrance
into Paris, tlie university thought this a favourable
opportunity, and presented a petition to the parlia-
ment, desiring that the Jesuits might be banished.
This, together with John Chastel's attempt upon
the king's person, procured a decree of banishment
against them, and they were accordingly expelled
the kingdom in 1J94. Eut in ]6'0.'5, that prince,
at their earnest solicitation, gave them letters of re-
establishment in certain cities in France, and no
others. But they soon obtained leave to make other
settlements, and at last *;ot into Paris again, and
were re-settled in ilieir college by letters patent in
the year 1GO6.
The order of Jesuits has rendered itself very con-
siderable by its missions into the Indies, and by its
other employments relating to the sciences and the
education of youth. >\'ith respect to the latter, it
is commonly thought, that the sagacity of these fa-
thers, in discovering the talent of a young student,
has not a little contributed to the figure their order
has made in the world. The story of Clavius is
very well known ; he was entered in a college of
Jesuits, and after having been tried at several parts
of learning, he was upon the point of being dismised
as a hopeless blockhead, when one of tlie fathers
took it mto his head, to make an essay of his parts
in geometry, which hit his genius so luckily, that
he afterwards became one of the greatest mathema-
ticians of the age.
Many authors have written of the intrigues and
politics of the Jesuits ; but nothing so fully discovers
them, as a little book, called, "The secret instruc-
tions of the Jesuits." It consists of private admo-
nitions or instructions, for promoting the private
interests of the order; which are lodged in the hands
of the superiors, and by them communicated ouU
to a few of the professors, under the strictest ties of
secrecy. It is a master-piece of religious policy,
consisting of seventeen chapters, of which we shall
give a brief account :
The title of the first chapter is, " How the so-
ritty iichave themselves, when they begin any new
foundation." Upon this occasion, they are to dis-
tinguish themselves by the excess of their cliarity
and humility, in discharging the meanest oflices in
the hospitals, and in visiting the |)oor, the sick, and
the jirisnners. They are to excite the liberulity of
well-disposed persons, by receiving the most incon-
siderable alms, and bestowing tliein on other ob-
jects, 'llicy are all to breathe the same spirit, and
to observe the same exterior beliaviour; and at their
first settlement, they arc to be cautious of purchas-
ing lands, and if they do buy any, it is to be done
in the name of some faithful and trusty friend. And
to give a more colourable gloss to their appearance
of poverty, the purchases, adjacent to the places
where colleges are founded, must be assigned to
colleges at a distance; by which means princes and
magistrates will never attain to a certain knowledge
of what the reveiuies of the society amount to. Col-
leges are to be founded only in opulent cities, be-
cause our Saviour made his principal residence hi
the metropolis of Judea. In every province, none
but the principal is to be apprized of the real value
of the society's revenues ; and what is contained iu
the treasury at Rome must always be kept as an in-
violable secret. They are publicly to profess their
disinterestedness, and that they undertake the in-
struction of youth, without respect of persons, or
view of reward.
The second chapter instructs them, " How they
must deport themselves, so as to gain and preserve
a familiarity with princes, noblemen, and persons of
the greatest distinction." For this purpose, they
are to wink at their vices; if a prince is inclined to
contract a marriaje with one of his near relations or
c ... . .
kmdred, they are to encourage him ni it, by giving
him hopes of obtaining for him a dispensation from
the pope : if he engages in any enterprize, which is •
not equallv approved by all his nobility, the Jesuits
are to excite him to proceed, and dissuade his cour-
tiers from opposing him. They are to ingratiafe
themselves, by the interest of others, into honourable
embassies to foreign courts; which may give them
an opportunity of recommending themselves and
their society. ' They are to curry favour, by small
presents and many offices of piety, with the minions
and domestics of princes and noblemen, in order te
get intelligence of the bent of their masters' humours
and inclinations. The same address and artifices are
to bp used with the bed-chamber women of ]>rincesse8
and ladies of quality. In directing the consciences
of great men, thev are to follow the opinion of those,
who allow the greatest latitude, m opposition to that
of other religious orders. 'ITiey are to instil into the
people, a notion that this society has a far greater
power of absolving, dispensing, and the like, than
other orders ; and they are to invite persons to hfear
their sermons, thesis, and declamations, 'i'hey are
to use proper methods to get at the knowledge of
192
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN TIIEfe CHURC^->F ROME.
the animosities that arise among great men, that they
may have a tinguie in reconciling tlieir differences.
In the third chapter, they are taught " how to
behave towards those who are at the helm of affairs,
and such as are in a capacity of being serviceable
to the society." The authority, wisdom, and advice
of such persons, are to be courted, and their favour
solicited against all who oppose the society. > Bi-
shops, prelates, and other superior ecclesiastics, are
to be importuned only for such things as shall appear
necessaiy. In places where the clergy are most
jjredominent, as iu Germany, Poland, &,c. they must
be addressed with the profoundest respect, that, by
their influence and the prince's authority, monaste-
ries, priories, and other religious places, may be
drawn into the clutches of tlje society. When bi-
shops or princes found colleges or. parochial churches,
the Jesuits are to endeavour by all means to obtain
the government of them. They are upon all occa-
sions highly to caress and court the bishops, and to
entertain them when they pass by their colleges.
The fourth chapter contains, " The chief thing"?
: to be recommefided to preachers and confessors ot
noblemen." In directing princes and great men,
^ey roust-seem to have nolhuig else in view but the
■.promotion of God's glory. They must often mcul-
, cate into them, that honours and preferments should
..always, be conferred -according to the rules of justice :
they must- solemnly protest, that public affairs are,
what ihey with reluctance interfere m, and that the
, duty of their office often obliges them to apeak such
truths as they would otherw ise omit : they must re-
/-commend to their favor, for public employments,
such persons as are sincere friends to the order.
They are to sooth princes, and never . to give them
, the least offence in (heir sermons, or private con-
versations. They are seldom or never to accept of
small presents for their own use, but rather to re-
commend the necessities of tlie province or college.
At home, they are to be content with chambers
plainly furnished, and to appear abroad in a modest
and decent garb.
The.fifth chapter teaches them, "What kind of
conduct is -to be observed towards such religious
persons a^ are employed in the same ecclesiastical
functions with themselves." They are to take
proper opportunities to convince princes, and others
in authority, that their order contains the perfection
of all others, excepting only their cant and outward
austerity. of life and dress. They are to descant
upon, .and point out, the defects of other religious
, orders, :but always with a seeming reluctance and
( concern. They must use their utmost efforts against
.those, who attempt setting up schools for the edu-
cation of youth, by representing to persons in autho-
-lity, that no society but that of the Jesuits is qnalt-
-fied fwr the disthagrc of so important an office.
k-fte sLvth chapter treats of " The methods of
inducing rich widows to be liberal to the society."
For the managing this affair, such members only are
to be chosen, as are advanced in age, of a lively
complexion, and an agreeable conversation : these
are frequently to visit such widows, to lay before
them the good works and merits of the society, and
to recommend confessors to them, who must ad-
monish them to persevere in the state of widowhood.
Care must be taken likewise, to remove such servants
from them, as are not well-wishers to the society.
The confessor must manage matters so, *that the
widow may have such faith iu him, as to do no thing
without his advice. He is now and then artfully
to propose to her some match, which he knows she
has an aversion to, as this will help to confirm her
in a state of widowhood. When he has gained this
point, he is to recommend 'to her a spiritual life,
and a vow of chastity, and to excite her to the
performance of goodworks, especially acts of cha-
rity : this, by the management of her ghostly father,
may turn to the benefit and emolument of the
society.
The seventh chapter lets us know, " How such
widows are to be secured, and how their effects are
to be disposed of." They are to be exhorted to lay
somewhat apart, out of their abundance, for the
honour of Christ and the blessed Virgin, or their
patron saint, and to renew their vow of chastity twice
every year. They are to be frequently visited and
entertained with spiritual discourses: they must not
be treated witli too much severity in confession :
they must be kept from visiting the churches of
other religious orders. To prevail on such widows
to dispose of what they have in favour of the so-
ciety, they must be often put in mind of the .several
instances of widows, who, thus, in a short time
became saints ; and they must be apprised that the
society will not fail to use its interest at the court of
Rome for the obtaining their canonization. They
must be instructed not to bestow any alms w ithout
the knowledge and approbation of their confessor.
He must prevent ecclesiastics of other orders from
visiting or entering into familiarity with them, by
crying up the society as infinitely superior to all
other orders. He is to persuade tliem to pay small
pensions and contributions towards the yearly sup-
port of colleges and professed houses. Wlien any
such widow is seized with sickness, if she has not
already made over her estate to the society, her
confessor must represent to her the p<)verty of most
of the colleges, and persuade her that a liberality to
the order, will lay a certain foundation for her eter-
nal happiness. But as less is t© be expected from
such widows as educate their chiWren for -the busi-
ness of the world, therefore
The eighth chapter shews," •Bow (hcChjld^ei* oi
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE ClIURCH OF ROME.
193
w idows are to be treated, that they may be brought
to embrace a religion' life." The moth t rs must he
instructed to use them \vith Itavs'ir.ess and severity,
even from their cradles. The daughters must be
denied the common dress anJ ornaments of their
sex, and kept close to inortificution and prayer;
that they may be glad to take refuge in a monaster)-,
from the severe treatment of their niotliers. The
sons must be occusionally introduced into tiie col-
leges, and every thing be shewn them with the best
face, to invite them to enter into the order. Tutors
must be provided for them who are attached to the
interests of the society', or they may be sent to
some distant colleges, under the notion of keeping
diem closer to their studies, where the members may
artfully work upon their dispositions.
In the ninth chapter are prescribed, " The me-
thods of increasing the revenues of the colleges."
To this end, none are to be admitted, if it can be
yvell prevented, to their last degree, as long as they
have any expectation of an estate falling to them.
The poverty of the professors is frequently, and in
all places, to be published. Confessors must sift
out of their penitents, what family, relations friends
and effects belong them, and discover if possible,
vhat disposition they have made, or intend to make
of their estates, which they must endeavour to turn
in tavour of the society-. The better to convince the
yvorld of the society's poverty, the superiors are di-
rected to borrow money on bond, of some rich per-
sons « ho are their friends, and when it is due, defer
the payment thereof. The society likewise may
traffick under the bonowed names of some rich
merchants, their friends, but never without a pro-
spect of certain and abundant gain. In whatever
I'laces the members reside, they must provide a phy-
sician, who is firm to the interest of the society, by
yvhorii they may be recommended and called in to
the sick, especially such as are past hopes of reco-
very. Lastly, women who complain of the vices
and ill-humours of their husbands, must be instruc-
ted secretly to withdraw a sum of money, that by
making an crftering thereof to God, they may expiate
the crimes of their sinful hel|>-mates.
The tenth chapter treats of " The private rigour
of discipline in the society." Such persons as alie-
nate the female devotees, or other persons, from the
churches of the Jesuits, or withdraw alms to other
churches or orders, or in the disposition of their
effects, shew a greater affection to their near rela-
tions than to the society, are to be discarded as the
enemies of the order; but some other pretence must
be alledged for their expulsion.
In the eleventh chapter are laid down, " Rules
for the behaviour of the members towards those who
are expelled the society." They must be prevailed
upon, if possible, before they are dismissed, to give
No. 13. 3
it under their hands, and swear, that they yvill not,
directly or indirectly, write or speak ;iriy thing to
the disadvantage of the order: besides, the bu;t;>riors
are to keep upon record, the vices and f.iilings
which they have revealed in confession ; which may
be produced against them, if ever they give occa-
sion, as a handle to prevent their proiviotion. The
expulsion of such ]iersons, a;id the pretences for it,
must immedialely be notitied to all the colleges, and
no member must correspond with them upon any
account. It must lie industriously propag-ittd, that I^M
the society never lops off a sound member, nor e.\- ^^
pels any without sufficient reason. All the vices of
such persons are to be inagniliv-d, and their virtues
depreciated, by subtle insinuations, and doubtful ex-
pressions.
The twelfth chapter lets us know, " Who should
be kept and favoured in the society." These are,
in general, all such as consult the temporal interests
of the order, viz. confessors of princes and noblemen,
of widows, and rich female devotees; preachers,
professors, and whoever are privy to these secret in-
structions. Those persons who are distinguished
for their parts, nobility, or riches, are to be highly
caressed, especially if they have given proofs of a
sincere affection to the society. Particular respect
is to be shewed to those who have allured any youth
into the society.
The thirteenth chapter teaches the members,
" How to pick out young men to be admitted into
the society, and in what manner to retain them."
They must make choice of such as are of a good
genius, an agreeable personage, or a noble family.
It must be insinuated to such youths, how accep-
table an offering it is to the Almighty, w hen any
one dedicates himself to his ser\ice, especially in the
society of his Son. They must be allured by little
presents, and indulgencies suitable to their age, and
be entertahied, at proper opportunities, in the colleges
and gardens. On other occasions, thev must be
terrified with denunciations of eternal punishment,
unless they accept of the heavenly invitation. They
must be strictly cautioned not to make the least dis-
covery of their call to their relations or friends, till
they are become of the society.
The fourteenth chapter treats " Of reserved cases,
and causes of dismission from the society." These
are, in general, all crimes against God, anti all of-
fences against the interest and honour of the society.
If two members have carnally sinned, the tirst who
discovers it is to be retained, and the other expelled :
but he that is retained, is to be mortified and plagued
with such intolerable <lisci])line, as may drive him to
the commission of some I'resh offence, which may
afford a good handle for his expulsion. Offenders,
before the time of their dismission, must be treated
with the utmost severity, removed from their usual
194
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
duties, and be found fault with in whatever they do :
they must be punished fori the slightest offences,
and be discountenanced upon all occasions.
The fifteenth chapter treats of " their conduct
towards nuns and female devotees." They are to
•curry favour with the principal monasteries ; the
rich abbesses being very capable of being serviceable
to the society. But the female devotees must be
forbid frequenting the nunneries, lest they be taken
with that kind of life, and the society be disappointed
in their expectations of what they have.
Tlie sixteenth chapter teaches them, " in what
manner to feign a contempt of riches." They are,
now and then, to refuse some small and trifling alms.
Widows, and others, who have given to the society
almost all that they possessed, are to be treated with
rather more rigour than others, that the people may
not think they ace indulged on account of their libe-
rality to the society.
Lastly, the seventeenth chapter instructs them in
"The methods of advancing the society." The
members are always to act with unanimity, even in
things of trifling concern. They are earnestly to
endeavour so to shine in their learning and good
example, that other religious, and especially the
clergy, may be eclipsed by them. They must
vCntertain the curiosity of princes and great men, with
the newest, choicest, and most genuine transcripts
.that can be procured. They are secretly, and with
caution, to foment and heighten the animosities of
princes and great men ; and if there appears any
likelihood of reconciliation, then as soon as possible
to endeavour to be mediators. The nobility and
populace must be persuaded into a belief, lliat the
society was instituted by the particular direction of
Divine Providence. The members are eagerly to
aspire after bishoprics arid altbacies, and even the
popedom itself. The political schemes of the order
must be'^cunningly varied, according to the different
posture of the times. Finally, the society must
endeavour to effect tliis at least, that, having got the
favour and authority of princes, those who do not
love, them, may at least fear them.
Jt is probable, these instructions would have re-
./nained a secret to this day, but one of the Jesuits
having apostatized, he left his convent and gave a
manuscript copy of them to a bookseller in Holland,
■who printed them ; but the Jesuits, getting notice of
it, bought up the whole nnpression, which however
did not serve to conceal such important secrets from
the public.
As the Jesuits have sent many of their brethren to
convert the heathens, we shall here relate what the
celebrated Mr. Fleming says in his Christology, and
which he had from a gentleman who was present
when the discourse was delivered. It was in China,
and the Jesuit spoke as follows: "y,e liave bad
many very great, wise, and excellent emperors in
China, and no nation can boast of the like; but yet
none of these, nor indeed all of them, can be coin-
pared to the eternal emperor Jesus Christ. That yc
may know this, I will now give a short, but true and
exact account of him. The world being very w-icked,
and men very miserable, by reason of the tyranny of
those kings and princes that ruled before liis coming,
especially the head of all those, the emperor of
Rome, who reigned over the greatest part of the world
at that time, with terrible rigour and cruelty ; God
took pity upon mankind at last, as finding their state
grew worse and worse. To rectify this, he resolves
to send his own Son from heaven to subdue these
tyrants, and reduce things to order again. Well ! at
length the heavens appear more glorious than ever
before: a wonderful light, bright and glorious, that
outshone the sim by ten thousand degrees, breaks
forth. Great noises are heard in the air, with most
wonderful and delightful music, and at length a pro-
digious army of more than a thousand thousand mil-
lions of angels appears in siglit; before whom
marches a chariot of a prodigious bigness, all of solid
gold, most curiously wrought, but so thick set with
precious stones, that the gold could hardly be seen
for their sparkling and daz/,ling splendor. This
chariot was drawn by ten thousand bright and nim-
ble spirits and a huiulred thousand of nobler rank
guardetl this chariot before and on either side, being
commandeil and led l)y Raphael the archangel, as
the rest of the army that followed the chariot was
by the great Michael, the first of all the archangels,
and lieutenant general to Christ himself who rode in
his golden cliariot, and commanded all. Now,"
says the Jesuit, "here all languages fail me in
setting forth the glorv of this "reat General ; he was
of a most prodigious stature, as^ big as a thousand
men, but most wonderfully beautiful and exactly
symmetred. His face outshone the sun so far in
splendor, as is beyond all conception ; he had a
prodigious tlaining sword in his left hand, the very
sight of wliich was terrible: but in his right hand,
he had the ensign of the cross, which had a sanative
virtue in it, to remove distempers, and chcar the
heart, to recover the frenzical and distracted, to
raise tlie dead ; and in a word, to work all manner*
of miracles, to remove mountains, dry up seas, &c.
Now, says he, all tyrants and wicked men were con-
victed and punished by him, and the Roman empire
destroyed. In the stead of which, he raised up one
Peter, a most eminently holy, and excellent person,
to rule thff whole world for him as his vicegerent.
He destroyed not only the empire of Rome, but the
name of emperor, and the very form of that govern-
ment ; and in its stead, he erected a holy constitution,
over which he set this wise and holy man Peter, or-
dering, that when he should be called out of the
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME,
192
world into heaven, his chief priests should come to-
gether and pray to him, and that upon their so doing,
he would send them an angel to tell them what per-
son he had pitched upon to succeed to tiiis sacred
and universal headship over tlie world. And when
he had done this, he took, his leave of Peter and his
bisiiops, and went to hea\en with his army, in the
same glorious and triumphant manner in which he
came. But he assured the viceroy Peter, that as
often as he desired, he should hear from him by a
special messenger, who should assist him in all dark
cases, and affairs of consequence. And he never
failed to do so to Peter, and all his successors the
popes. So that, says the priest, the pope that now is,
has had frequent messengers from Christ in heaven,
commanding him to send holy men to the great em-
pire of China, out of the great love he has for that
learned, wise, and excellent people, to invite them
to leave their idolatrous priests and false worship, and
own him and his vicegerent the pope. Now, I am
one of these holy missionaries, continues he, and I
assure you, that whosoever of you shall do as I direct,
shall, when he dies, go into that glorious paradise
w here Christ is ; and that I may know w ho have a
mind to be thus happy, lo, I have here a book given
me by the pope, by order of Christ himself, that I
may mark dawn in it the names of all those that de-
sire his favour; which I must from time to time send
an account of to the pope, that he may send it to
Christ in heaven. And I assure you, that all those
who refuse to have their names thus recorded shall
be destroyed at last in a most terrible manner. Come
therefore, and let me have all your names ; but know,
that every one that expects this favour, must give me
his offering in money, according to his ability, that
the sincerity of his heart may be known."
In the reign of Henry I. of England, St. Gilbert
of Sempriugham in Lincolnshire, founded an order
who from him were called Gilbertines. With re-
spect to this St. Gilbert, we are told, that while his
mother was with child of him, she dreamed that the
moon descended into her lap, which was considered
as a favourable presage, that the in.'ant in her womb
was to spread light abroad throughout many parts of
the heathen world. Being grown up and properly
instructerl in learning, he was presented to the living
of Sempriugham in Lincolnshire, where his sanctity
and contempt of worldly honours soon rendered him
conspicuous as a prodigy of piety, to all those w ho
knew him. Observing that some young women in
his parish aspired at a more than ordinai-y degree of
sublimity in matters of religion, he chose seven of
them, who he shut up from all communications with
the world, that they might devote themselves wholly
to the service of God ; and this was the foundation
of his order.
By the advice and asbistance of the bishop of Lin-
coln, he built a cloyster for them, adjoining to the
church of Sempriugham, with only one door to it,
the key of which he always kept to himself. Tho
severity of this order, in times when true knowledge
was little attended to, induced several persons pos-
sessed of ample fortunes, to found new convents up-
on the same plan ; and the institution soon spread
itself over the greatest part of Europe. The pope
having given his approbation of the order, many
pious priests were appointed to see the rules reduced
to practice, and these priests had their habitation.^
erected at a considerable distance from the nuns ; nor
did they enter the convents but to administer the sa-
craments, which was done in the presence of several
witnesses.
So high was the reputation of this order, that
many of the greatest nobility in England visited the
shrine of the founder: and at the dissolution of mo-
nasteries, they had upwards of twenty convents. St.
Gilbert is said to have wrought many miracles; and
he was canonizedijy pope Innocent III. l'.20'2.
In the year 1232, St. Lewis established a religious
order in France, under the name of "Filles Dieu,"
or daughters of God, and their convents were called
houses of God. The first institution of this order
was at Paris, and a large convent having been erected,
two hundred nuns were placed in it. But the
archbishop of Paris, under v. hose immediate direc-
tion they were, finding that many of them had died
of the plague, and that provisions were extremely
scarce, in consequence of a famine that had happen-
ed a year before, reduced the number to sixfy, with-
out diminishing their yearly rents. ^lany privileges
were granted to this convent, but the nuns continu-
ing to decrease in number, and 'the French being
afraid that the English, w ho invaded France under the
command of the Black Prince, would take [jossessioiv
of it, the religious were removed to a nunnery in a
different part of the city. At present they are not
numerous in Paris, nor in any other cities in France;
but what is much more to tiieir honour, they spend
the greatest part of their time in doing good. They
visit the hospitals, dress the wounds of the patients,
and administer comfort towards alleviating their
aftlictions, as far as lays in their power. They are
not obliged to fast on the days appointed by the
church, because of their vast labour in waiting on
the sick ; nor do they recite any sacred office in pub-
lic, only that they observe the most modest decorum
in "their behaviour.
Tow ards the latter end of the eleventh century an
order was established, called the order of the "Pon-
trevaud," and the founder was one Robert de Arbis-
sel, a doctor of 'the university of Paris, and vicar
general to the bishop of Rennes. His bishop dying,
he retired to the city of Angers, wliere for some
lime, he taught philosophy and divinity ; but design-
196
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
ing to devote himself wholly to the service of God,
he retired from public basiness, mid settled in the
mouiilains of Craoii, where he subjected himself to
the severest austerities. The fame of his piety soon
drew vast numbers nfter him, and his preaching tilled
the desert with hermits. In 109^, he built a con-
vent in the desert, and his disciples lived upon no-
thing but roots and water.
But Robert being sent by order of the pope, to
preach up the crusades, he assigned his monastery to
the bishop of Angers ; and taking some of his disci-
ples with him, went from place to place, encourag-
ing the people to take up arms against the infidels.
In the year 1099, he pitched upon a place called
Fontervaud, on the borders of Anjou, where he built
some cells to shelter his disciples from the incle-
mency of the weather. It was not long before vast
numbers of persons from all parts of the country,
joined themselves to his order, for he rejected none
who consented to live according to his rules. Some
of those who entered into the order, were rich : so
that by the virtue of their contributioi.s, Robert
was soon enabled to build a fine church, with cloy-
sters adjoining, for the reception of his monks. The
convent was put under the protection of the blessed
Virgin, and St. John the evangelist ; in memory of
the words spoken by our Saviour on the cross.
Having settled the affairs of this his tirst monas-
tery, he travelled through many parts of France,
■where he established new convents, and before his
death, prescribed rules for the conduct of those who
chose to enter into them. The monks were never
to eat flesh ; and the nuns were enjoined perpetual
silence, and to iiave their faces covered with veils.
Their habit was to be of coarse woollen stuffs manu-
factured in the country where the convent was
erected ; and they were forbidden to wear gloves.
They were not to go out of the convent without
leave from the abbess, and \vhen they died, they were
to be buried in a hair-cloth. The monks were to
live in common, and on Sundays, and holy days, they
were to attend mass in the church of the convent,
where the nuns assembled for divine worship.
This order encreased so fast, that even before the
death of the founder, they amounted to upwards of
five thousand. During the reign of Henry II. some
of these came over to England, and had a house
given them, 1177, at Amesbury in AViltshire; but it
does not appear that they had ever any more, except
one at Exeter, and another at Westcote, in Worces-
tershire. At the dissolution of the monasteries, their
revenues were not great, so to that little notice was
taken of them ; but at present, they have many con-
vents in France, Spain, Italy, and Flanders. 'Diey
never meddle with civil affairs, so that we must con-
sider them as most innocent order iii the church of
Rome.
Feuillants, a religious order in the Romish churchr
were founded in the year 156.5, by John de la Bierie,
a man of an illustrious family, and sometime abbot
of Feuillans. He had i-een educated by the Cistertian
order, and having seen something, or rather many
tilings among them, which he did not approve of,
he formed the design of establishing a nev*- society of
his own, bearing some faint resemblance to the Cis-
tertians, but much severer in its rules. And here it
is necessary to observe, that austerities in living
whether with respect to eating, drinking, clothes, or
lodging, make a considerable part of all the Romish
ordiTs.
This John de la Brerie, had scarce been promoted
to the abbey of Feuillans, when he began to put his
plan of reformation in execution; but the monks
were so much displeased with the severity of his rules
they determined to quit the monastery. However,
the fame of the abbot's great sanctity drew vast
numbers of people after him, who not only revived
the ancient zeal and fervour of the Cistertian order,
but even surpassed it. They went barefooted and
bareheaded, and even lay in their clothes on the
boards, and eat their victuals on the floor. Some pf
their never drank out of anv thins; but dead men's
sculls, and they lived upon nothing but broth made
of herbs and black bread. In 1586, this order was
approved by pope Sixtus Quintus, who granted them
leave to build monasteries both for men and women,
particularly in France and Italy ; and in the city of
Rome, the same pope built them a convent. To the
name of Feuillants, they added that of the reformed
order of St. Bernard ; their habit was a white gown
witiiout the scapulary, and a large bonnet of the
same colour. They were lately much esteemed
and very numerous, both in France and Italy.
In the church of Rome there is an order of nuns,
called Ursalines, and they are held in very great re-
pute. They were founded originally by St. Angela,
a pious lady of Brescia, in the year 1537- At first
these nuns did not live together in one community,
but abode seperately in their fathers' houses ; and
their employment was, to search for the afllicted
and comfort them ; for the ignorant and instruct them,
and for the poor to relieve them. They were like-
wise to visit the hospitals, and attend the sick, and
in a word, to be always ready to acts of charity,
humanity, and compassion. In the year l604, these
nuns having received many privileges from the popes,
and having done a great many good works, agreed
to live in convents, and several were built for them,
both in France and Italy. At present their employ-
ment is to instruct young women, and their convents
are a sort of schools, where the daughters of the no-
bility receive their education. Their habit is a gown
of black serge, tied about the middle with a girdle
irr.LIGIOUS ORDERS IX THE CHURCH OF ROME.
197
oi black leatlier ; but in most otlier things, they arc
not burilcned with miinv austeiilies.
'■ Iluniihtati, oi luiinblcd, is an ancient order in the
Romish tlmrcli, bnt the monks belonging to it are
not numerous. The original of tliis institution, was
as follows. In tiie year 111", Henry V. emperor of
Germany, having subdued several towns in Lom-
bardy, the inhabitants of wiiich would not acknow-
\vdge him as their sovereign, after the death of the
countess Matilda, whose heir he w'as ; some gentle-
men who had been taken |)risones, were sent into
Germany; these gentlemen being tired of their cap-
tivity, put on the habits of penitence, and implored
the emperor's pardon, which bciiig granted them,
they returned to Italy, and formed themselves into a
religious order, for the exercise of prayer and moiti-
fication. They assumed tiie name of Humbled, be-
causcd, when tliey threw themselves at the emperor's
feet, he told them, " he found they at last humbled."
Many of their convents were suppressed by pope
Sixtus Quintus, but they have still some few remain-
ing.
The founder of the ordcrof the Grand Mountains,
\vas Stephen de Murat, a native of France, and de-
scended from a very honourable family. His father
and mother having been long married without hav-
ing children, made a vow, that they would conse-
crate the first child they had to God, and Ste])!ien,
tv'ho was born soon after, was brought up in e.xer-
cises of piety, and at a proper age entered iuto holv
orders. In the year 1073, lie retired to a monastery
rear the city of Limoges, where he built for himself
a small cell in the midst of a rock, and were he
lived in the practice of the greatest austerities. The
fame of his sanctity, soon drew several persons after
him, who put themselves under his protection ; he
died in 11G4, and his disciples being molested by
Bome neighbouring monks, who disputed the posses-
sion of the place where they were settled, retired to
Grand Mont, carrying with them the body of their
founder. This order soon increased; for within
thirty years after their original institution, they had
no fewer than sixty convents. Their habit consists
of a black gown and scapulary, and their rules and
orders are verv severe.
The United brethern of St. Gregory, another re-
ligious order, was founded about the year 1S30, the
particulars of which are as follow. Father Domi-
nic, a Dominican friar of Bolo^ne, having been sent
into Armenia, by pope John XXH. built a monas-
tery on the top of a high mountain, where he resided
with his companions. At that time, there was a
famous Armenian doctor, named Isaac, who was
superior of a monastery near Erisan ; and this man
being struck w ith the exemplary life and virtues of
Dominic, resolved to renounce the errors of the
.Armenian church, and acknowledge the authority of
13 . ■ 3
the pope. His example was followed by several
snjieriors of other monasteries ; who oliserving that
the order of Basil, was almost universally dcca)ed in
Armenia, thought it their duty to institute a new-
order, for the preservation of the Catholic faith. This
gave rise to tlie United Brethren of the order of Gre-
gory, called tlie enlightener, because he is said to
have been the first w ho preached the gospel in Ar-
menia. And as they had been taught by Dominic,
who was a Dominican, they embraced, in part, the
rules of that order, joined to some of the Augustincs.
At present most of the monks of this order arc con-
fined to the East, where they have several schools,
but in general, they are much oppressed by the
Turks.
In several of the Roman Catholic countries, there
is an order of monks, called \\ illiamites, from their
founder, St. William of the desert, of whom we
have various account by different writers, but we
shall here insert what appears to be the truth.
It is generally believed that he was a native of France,
who having been some time in the armv, had beea
guilty of many debaucheries, the thoughts of which
affected him so much, tliat he resolved to dedicate
the remainder of his days to the service of God.
Accordingly, in the year M5;l, he made choice of
a solitary place in the island of Lupocavio in the
duchy of 7\iscany, where he lived the life of a
saint, and gathered together many followers, who all
agreed to put themselves under his direction. But
many of these being tired of the austerities of a reli-
gious life, and forsaking him, he retired to Mount
Pruno, where he built a little cell, in the middle of
a thick wood. Here he procured some now disci-
ples, who persevered no better than the former,
which obliged him to return to the island of Lupo-
cavio, where he fixed his abode in a most frightful
desert, called Malaval. This happened in the year
1155, and in the year following, one Albert, became
his disciple, and remained with him till his death,
which happened soon after. After his death, Albert
was joined by one Renaud, and it was agreed upon
between them to found a convent, or rather a her-
mitage, near the spot where their founder St. William
was buried. Here thcv began to lead a life of the
most exemplary piety, and so great was their repu-
tation for sanctity, that many persons renounced the
world and joined them.
This small congregation increased so fast, that
within one hundred years, they had convents all over
France, Italy, Germany, and I'landcrs. At first
thcv w ere very austere in their rules, but pope Gre-
gory IX. mitigated the severity and granted them
several indulgencies ; such as that of wearing shoes,
which had been denied them before. At present,
they have only twelve religious houses, and all these
are in Flanders; for by some means or otlier, they
19S
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
have fallen to decay in Italy, France, and Germany.
'ITieir habit is very like that of the Cistertiaiis.
The BonS'Fieiu:, or in English, Good Sons, is
an order derived from that of St. Francis, and was
founded at a little town in Flanders, called Arnian-
liers, upon the river Lis, in the year 1(J15, by five
tradesmen of the town, the eldest of whom was
Henry Pringnet. These men' lived in one society
together, and founded a little community in a house
belonging to Pringnet. They wore a black habit,
and at first, were not distinguished from the secu-
lars. Three of them spent their time in weaving
woollen cloth, one made lace, and the iifth instructed
children to read.
In this manner they continued to live till 1626,
when they embraced the order of St. Francis, and
they encreased so fast, that in 1670, they had two
monasteries, one at Lisle, and the other at Arman-
tiers, both in the diocese of Tournay. In 1679,
they made a third settlement at St. V'eiiant, in the
diocese of St. Omer'a ; aiid Lewis XIV. gave them
the direction of all his military hospitals in Flanders.
At jircsent, they have seven convents, or as they
call them, families ; all under the direction of the
bishops were they reside, and they hold a chapter
once in three years. In these chapters the bishops
examines all their books, witii respect to what dona-
tions have been left them, and directs llicni in what
manner to augment their number. Each family, or
•convent, has a superior, who holds his office three
years, after which the bishop appoints another to
succeed him. The superior has three assistants,
whom they call counsellors, and they live in great
liannony together. They wear no linen, and lie in
their clothes on straw beds ; and they observe several
other austerities.
Angelics, an order of nuns in Italy, had for their
foundress Louisa Torelli, countess of Gustalia, who
in the year 1534, obtained a brief from pope Paul
HI. for establishing a society of nuns, under the
rule of St. Augustine. For this purpose the coun-
tess built a vevy large convent and church at Milan,
;tnd the nuns of her order took the name of Ange-
lics ; that by often hearing the title repeated, they
might be excited to imitated the purity of angels.
The pope contirmed this name to them, and exempt-
ed tliem from the jurisdiction of the archbishop of
Milan, putting them under the direction of the regu-
lar priests of St. Paul. They were not coniined to
their cloyster, but went out of their monastery, and
accompanied the regular priests in their missions ;
the latter employing their time in tlie conversion of
men, and the former in the conversion of women.
It is related, that the couirtess herself, and one
Paula Antonia, induced several Courtezans and lewd
women, to quit their vices and take the habit of the
cider. Tiiese uuiis still continue to aasist the regu-
lar priests in their missioHS, and several ladies of
high rank have entered into the order, that they
might convert sinners; and their constitutions were
drawn up by the famous St. Charles Uorromeo.
They v ear the habit of the black Dominicans, and
carry on their ]<reasts a wooden cross. On their
fingers they wear a gold ring, on which is the figure
of a heart with a crucifix engraven on it.
In France there is an order called Eudists, found-
ed by one Eudist a secular priest in the year 1043.
At tirst he had only eight disciples, for whom he
built a house at Caen in Normandy; and several
bisho|)s linding the good effects of this institution,
founded seminaries of the same nature, near their
cathedral churches. All the students educated in
these societies, were to act as missionaries in con-
verting protestants to the church of Rome. They
make no vows, and their habit is the same with the^
secular priests ; and it is a maxim with them to em-
ploy all their revenues, besides what procures thera
a subsistence, in works of charity and piety. 'Ihey
live together in a friendly, charitable manner, and
they teach philosophy and divinity gratis. They are
associated under the name of the disciples of Jesus
and Mary, and are governed by a superior, who re-
ceives his authority from the bishop of the dioces©
where iluiir houses are : so that the bishops are their
sole protectors.
Mendicants, or Begging Friars. There are seve-
ral orders of religious in popish countries, who hav-
ing no settled income or revenues, are supported by
charitable contributions of others; and these, froin
their manner of life, are called mendicants, or
bes'gars.
This sort of friars began in the thirteenth century.
The Waldenses, who made a profession of renounc-
ing their estates, and leading a life of poverty; gave
occasion to this institution. Two of that sect, Ber-
nard and Duraiid of Osca, set up a congregation in
the province of Tarragon, and called it " the poor
Catholics," and the same year Dominic de Guzman,
with nine more of his companions, founded the
order of preaching friars, called from the founder,
Dominicans. The other three mendicant orders are
the Franciscans, Augiistines, and Carmelites. ^Fhese
monks gave great disturbance to the secular clergy,
by pretenduig to a right of taking confessions, and
granting absolution, without asking leave of the pa-
rochial priests, or even the bishops themselves. —
Pope Innocent IV. restrained this licence, and pro-
hibited the mendicants to confess the faitliful, with-
out leave of the incumbent. Alexander IV. restored
this privilege to them, and Martin IV. to accom-
modate the dispute, granted them a permission to
receive confessions, upon condition that the peiii
tents who applied to them, should confess once a
year to tlieir proper pastor. However, this expe-
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CIIURCII OF ROME
m)
client fallivig short of full satisfaction, Roniface VIII.
ordered, tliat tlie superiors of rcliaious houses slioiild
make application to the bishops, for tlieir permis-
sion to sucli friars, as should he commissioned by
their rfspeclive ahbots, to administer the sacrament
<if penance, and ni)on the foot of lliis constitntioii
tlie matter now rests. A great many liave embraced
this severe order, out of an opinion of a particular
holiness and n>erit, which tlicy believed did belong'
to it, or rather an ecclesiastical ambition ; the pride
of manlind being so great and natural to some,
that tliey did not think the commands of God siifti-
fient, but would receive heaven ratiier as a reward
than a gift, and were ambitious of having a prefer-
ence bofi,»e other.s, even in another life.
Ruclianaii tells us, the mendicants in Scotland,
tinder an appearance of beggary, lived a very luxu-
rious life ; whence one wittily called them, not men-
dicant, but manducant friars.
'I'lie Priests of the Oratory, had a convent erected
for them at Florence, by Philip de Ncri, 1548 ; and
at first they consisted of no more than fifteen per-
.sons, who assembled in the church of St. Saviour
in Cainpo, every first Sunday in the month, to prac-
tice the e.\ei'cises of piety prescribed by the holy
founder. Afterwards tlieir number increasing by the
addition of several persons of distinction to the
society, St. Philip proceeded to establish an hospital
for the reception of poor pilgrims, who, coming to
Rome to vi«it the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul,
were obliged, for want of a lodging, to lie in the
streets, or at the doors of the churches. For this
charitable [lurpose, pope Paul IV . gave to the so-
ciety the parochial church of St. Renedict, close by
which was buiJt an hospital, so large, tiiat in the
jubilee \i:dv l(i()0, it received four hundred and forty-
fonr thousand five hundred men, and twenty-five
thousand five imndrcd women, who came in pilgri-
mage to Rome.
St. Philip Neri, besides this charitable foundation
for pilgrims, held spiritual conferences at Rome, in
a large chamber, accommodated in the form of an
oratory, in which he was assisted by tlie famous
Baronius, author of the ecclesiastical annals. Here
were delivered lectures on religion and nioralitv,
and the auditors were instructed in ecclesiastical
history. The assembly always ended with ])ravers,
and hymns to the glory of God ; after which, the
holy founder and his companions, visited the hos-
pitals and churches, and took care of the sick.
In lo74, the Florentines, at Rome, with the per-
mission of pope Gregory XIII. built a very spacious
wratory, in which St Philip continued his religious
;.ssemblics, and the pope likevMse gave him the pa-
lochial church of Vallicella, and the same year,
approved the constitutions be hud draw n up for the
government of his congregation, of which St. Phi-
lip himself was the tir.vt general.
'i'his new institution soon made a great progress,
and divers other establishments were made on the
same model; partcularly at Naples, Milan, I'er-
mo, and Palermo. The holy founder having resign-
ed the office of general, h<' was succeeded therein
by Raroiiius, who was afterwards promoted to tiie
dignity of a cardinal. St. Philip ilied the twent>-
fitlh of May 1j9j, and was canonized in ](j<)'2 by
pope Gregory XV. After his death, this congre-
gation made a farther progress in Italy, and has pro-
duced several cardinals, and eminent writers, as
Baroiiius, Olderic, Hainaldi, and others.
The Priests of the Oratory, in France, where
established upon the model of those in Italv, and
owe their rise to cardinal Berulle, a native of Cham-
pagne ; who resolved upon this foundation, in or-
der to revive the splendor of the ecclesiastical stat/-,
which was greativ sunk through the miseries of the
civil wars, the increase of heresies, and a general
corruption of manners. To this end, he assembled
a community of ecclesiastics, in iGll, in the su-
burb of St. James, where is at present the famous
monastery of Val-de-Grace. I'hey obtained the
king's letters patent for their establishment ; and hi
1613, pope Paul V. approved of this congregation,
under the title of the Oratory of Jesus.
This congregation consisted of two sorts of per-
sons, the one as it were incorporated, the other
only associates. The former governed the houses
of this institution, the latter were only em])loyed iu
forming themselves to the life and manners of eccle-
siastics; and this was the true spirit of this congre-
gation, hi which they taught neither human learn-
ing, nor theology, l>ut only the virtues of tiie eccle-
siastical life. After the death of cardinal Berulle,
which happened the second of October IG29, the
priests of the oratory made a great progress in
France,- and otlier countries ; and at present they
have eleven houses in the Low Countries, one at
Liege, two in the county of Avignon, and one in
Savoy, besides fifty-eight in France. • The first
house, which is as it were the mother of all the
rest, is that of the street St. Honore at Paris, where
the general resides. The prie6t> of this congrega-
tion are not, properly speaking, religious, being
obliged to no vows, their institute being purely ec-
clesiastical or sacrtdotal.
The congregation of Mount Olivet, is an order
of religious Benedictines in Italy, who acknow-
ledged for their ft)under St. Bernard Tolomei, a
gentleman of Sleiina. 'ITiis Bernard taught philo-
sophy ; and one day, as he was preparing to explain
a very difficult question, he was on a sudden stnu:k
blind ; but having recovered his si^it, by the inter-
200
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
cession of the virgin, he made a vow to dedicate
himself to her service, and renounce the world. In
consequence of this vow, he retired to a solitary
place named Acona, about fifteen miles from Sien-
na, in the year 1313. The sanctity of his life drew
thither a great number of persons, who renounced
the world to accompany him in his solitude, -.jjid
Gui de Pietramala, bishop of Arezzo, by order of
pope John XXII. gave these solitaries the rule of
St. Benedict, and Ancona the name of mount Olivet,
cither because of the olive trees which grew in that
place, or to put the religious in mind of our Saviour's
passion on the Mount of Olives.
The historians of this order speak of the extreme
rigours observed by them, at their first establish-
ment: their fasts, macerations, and spiritual e.xei^
cises ; and that they might iiave no opportunity to
drink wine, they cut down all the vines that grew
about the mountain. Their extreme abstinence was
prejudicial to their health, insomuch that most of
them fell sick ; and upon ttiis they relaxed a little
from their sobriety, and folloived St. Paul's advice,
drinking a little wine for their stomach's sake ; and
at length, they inserted in their constitutions, that
the best wines should be bought for the use of the
3nonks. But this congregation was not confined to
Acona, for it obtained several other settlements.
The first was at Sienna 5 the second at Arezzo ; the
third at Florence ; the fourth at Camprena, in the
territory of Sienna ; the fifth at Volterra ; the sixth
at St. Geminiano ; the seventh at Eugubio ; and the
eighth at Foligni. Afterwards it was established at
Rome, and other places ; and pope John XXII. ap-
proved this order in 1324, and it was afterwards
eonfirraed by Clement VI. and several other pon-
tiffs.
The congregation of mount Olivet has in Italy
and Sicily, about fourscore monasteries, is most of
which are a great number of religious. These mo-
nasteries are divided into six provinces ; but the
principal convent is that of Mount Olivet. It is so
large and spacious, that the emperor Charles V.
lodged in it with a retinue of two hundred persons.
The religious of Mount Olivet are habited in fine
■white serge, and they profess the rule of St. Bene-
dict : but it is very much mitigated by their consti-
tutions. Every Sunday they hold a conference upon
some case of conscience, or difficulty in the scrip-
ture, and in some monasteries, they have lectures
of humanity, philosophy, and theology. It is re-
markable, that they admit no persons of noble birth
into their order, contrary to the rule of St. Bene-
dict, which makes no distinction of persons. The
order is governed by a general, a vicar-general, and
sixvisitos; and they hold a general chapter once
every year, in which they chuse suj)criors of houses
and other offices
In the year 1530, an order was founded in Cala-
bria, by one Bernard Rogliano, and was called the
Colorites. It took its name from a little mountain
called Colorito, in the kingdom of Naples; on
which mountain there is a church dedicated to the
virgin Mary, founded many centuries ago. This
Bernard was a holy priest, who being desirous to re-
tire from all manner of conversation with the busy
scenes of a tumulteous world, and live in solitude,
took the habit of a hermit, and built a cell near this
church, where he. lived in the practice of the great-
est austerities. His name soon became so famous,
that many came to receive spiritual instruction from
him; some of \\ horn, touched with the piety of his
discourses, renounced tht world, and jAit them-
selves under his direction. Their number continued
to increase so fast every day, that the duchess of
Bissignano, a pious lady, gave them the mountain
where the church stood, v ith all the lands belong-
ing to it : and her donation was confirmed by a bull
of pope Pius IV. 1562. They agreed to live accor-
dhig to the rule of the Augustine monks, and they
first took their solemn vows in 1591. In I6OO,
they were put under some new regulations, and at
present they have about twelve convents. Their
liabit consists of a tawny coloured gown, reaching
to their knees, and tied round the waist with a lea-
ther girdle.
In the state of Venice, were much freedom i»
allowed to the religious, there is an order, called
Dimasscs ; consisting of young maids and widows.
They were founded by Deijanara Valmarana, the
widow of a Venetian nobleman of high rank. This
lady having taken the habit of the third order of St.
Francis, retired with four poor women, to a house
belonging to herself.
In the most retired manner they lived together ia
the practice of every Christian duty, under the di-
rection of a Franciscan friar, who prescribed rules
for them in 1584, and this gave birth toother houses
of tlie same natiire. None are admitted into this
order, till after three 5-ears probation ; and there are
not above ^ine or ten of them in one house, who
every year elect a superior ; and she is obliged to
be thirty vears of age. No men are to be admitted
into their houses, and their chief employment, be-
sides acts of devotion, is to teach young women in
the principles of religion, to relieve the poor, and
visit the sick. As they are not under any obliga-
tion to celibacy, so they may leave the convent
whenever they please, and enter into the marriage
state. They have many houses in the state of Ve-
nice, and their habit is either black or brown, ac-
cording to their choice.
In Spain there is a very remarkable order of reli-
gious, called Whippers, or Disciplinarians, who
make a grand procession on Good Friday, and o»
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
eoi
■8(.icli occnsions, and not only all the great officers of
sicite iirj.' inest-nt, but even llie king, queen, anil llie
royal laniilv. 'J'lie pre)>aration to it lias the most |
iiiDUiiiUil itppearance; Cor llie king's guards inartli
vitli lliiir muskets covered with eiape, and all the
drums are muflied. In short, the whole procession
shews the genius of the nation, as naturfiliy turned
to an excess of devotion, and pleased with every
tiling that has the apjiearance of exterior piety. —
I'hese pretended jteiiitents do not undertake these
«>xercises irwn motives of devotion, but only to
j'lease their mistresses who are slaves to superstition.
'Jliey whip themselves with small cords, to the ends
of which are lixed little balls of wax, stuck through
with pieces of glass, and so artful are they, that they
can at anytime make the blood spring out, which
is very pleasing to the ladies.
These wliippers wear a long cap, covered with
cambric, three feet hi"h, in the form of a suirar-
loaf, from which falls a piece of linen that covers
iheir faces. I'hey wear v\hite gloves, and their
sleeves are tied with ribbons.
Crosiers, or Cross-bearers, are another order in
the church of Rome, rfnd were foun led in memory
iind honour of the finding the real cross u])on which
our Saviour sufll'ered, by Helena, mother of the em-
peror Constantine the Great. These cross-bearers
were instituted many years ago, but now they are
greatly fallen into contempt, little regard being paid
to them by the other religious orders. The popes,
however, have given some countenance to them, and
under their protection they till of late continued to
exist. They wore a cross of red cloth uj)on their
breasts. Before the Reformation they had several
liouses in England, particularly one in London, on
the spot now called Crutched-friars, whereas the
proper name of it is Crossed-friars. In the year
lis.", these cross-bearers were established in Flan-
ders by the dukes of Burgundy, who at that time
■were much engaged in carrying on the crusades. —
Theodore de Celles, a relation of the duke of Bur-
gundy, Jiaving been some years in Syria, happened
to converse with several religious of this order; and
being struck with the piety of their lives, and sim-
plicity of their manners, he resolved to bring the
order into his own country. Accordingly upon his
return home, he laid aside his military habit, and
became a canon in the cathedral church of Leige;
but resohing to carry his design further into execu-
tion, he obtained of the bishop of l.eige, the church
of .St. Tliibaut, near the town of Huv, where with
his companions, he laid the foundation of the order
of the Holy Cross, which soon afterwards spread
itself over many nations.
The superior of this order receives episcopal ordi-
Tiation, and wears a mitre, with a golden cross in the
same manner as a bishop.
14 S
There is an order in the Romish church, of great
aiitiquily, and nmch esteemed, called Cluniac Monks,
and is the very fust branch of tlie Benedictines. —
It was first founded in the year <)1(), I>y St. Bernon,
of the royal family of liuigundy, who built a mo-
nastery for them in the town of Clugni, in France,
near the banks of the river (irone. These monks
are remarkable for their sanctity, because they sung
two solemn masses every day. They spent most
of their time in visiting the sick, and distributed the
whole of their revenues, besides what was necessary
for their own support, to relieve the wants of the
poor.
In preparing the bread for the eucharist, they used
the following ceremonies. They chose the wheat
grain by grain, and then washed it very carefully ;
after this a sacrist carried it to the mill to ho ground,
and washed the millstones all over, spreadmg a cur-
tain around the place, that no air might come near
it. They washed the meal in pure w ater, and made
it up in small loaves moulded in boxes of iron. At
last this order grew into such high repute, that they
had convents in every part of Uie known world. —
ITiey were first brought into England in the year
1077, and many convents were built for them, all
which were demolished at the Reformation, and their
revenues seized for the crown. At present they have
many houses in France, Italy, and other Roman ca-
tholic countries; and once in every three years, they
hold general chapters for every convent : but they
are not so rich as they were formerly, many persons
otherwise well attached to the doctrines of the churck
of Rome, having w ithdrawn tlieir bounty from them,
and given it to some others for whom they had
higher esteem.
'ITie Nuns of the Conception of our Lady, a reli-
gious order of the church of Rome, were founded
by Beatrix, a pious lady in the kingdom of Portugal,
about the jear 1462; this lady, having been carried
to the court of Castile, by Elizabeth, daughter of
Edward king of Portugal, whom the king of Castile
had married. She was extremely beautiful, and the
king falling in love with her, it so enraged the jealous
queen, that she ordered her to be lucked up in a
chamber, where she was kept without victuals or
drink three days. In this afflicted condition slie im-
plored the assistance of the blessed \ irgin, who ap-
peared to her and comforted her, promising her a
speedy deliverance, which soon after took place. But
Beatrix, fearing that the queen would again wreak
her vengeance upon her, v\ithdrew privately and fled
to Toledo, where she took shelter in a convent of
Dominican nuns, and lived there forty years in the
practice of every religious duty.
It was at this convent that the I>Ies'^td Virgin ap-
peared again to her, and inspired her w ith the design
of fouiidin;; an order of nuns ill honour of her own
20Q
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
immaculate conception. For this purpose she ob-
tained of the queen a grant of the palace of Galliana,
^vhcre was a chapel dedicated to the honour of St.
Faith ; and Beatrix, accompanied by twelve young
women, took possession of it. Their habit was a
white gown and scapulary, with the image of the
blessed Virgin upon it, and their order was contirm-
■ ed in the year I486, by pope Innocent VIII. At
f)resent they have many convents throughout the dif-
erent nations of Europe, where the Roman catholic
religion is professed, but particularly in Portugal,
Spain, Italy and Flanders.
In the year 1229, a religious order was founded
by father Ellas, a Franciscan friar, under the name
of Cesarians. This friar obtained a bull from pope
Gregory IX. to build a chutch in honour of St.
Francis, and he erected it with such magnificence as
was no way suitable to the humility of the order, nor
to the poverty which St. Francis had enjoined to his
order. This induced St. Anthony of Padua, to ap-
ply to the pope, desiring him to interfere in rectify-
ing the abuses which had crept in through the means
of father Elias. Accordingly, father Ellas was de-
posed by the pope, and father John Parent appointed
in his room, who made several regulations, and re-
ostabiished the strict observance of the rule of St.
rVancis, which had been neglected during the govern-
ment of his predecessor. But this Elias, by artful
management and intrigues, secretly gained over many
of the religious, who, in a general chapter held in
J 236, loudly demanded the restoration of Elias, com-
plaining that he. had been unjustly deposed, and he
was accordingly re-elected ill a very tumultuous man-
ner. The greatest part of the order, as is consistent
\\ith the nature of man, being enemies to poverty,
they adhered to Elias, under whose second govern-
ment all the former disorders that had been so much
complained of, began to revive. The reviving few
who adhered to the order of St. Francis, remonstrated
to father Elias, who, instead of listening to their com-
plaints, banished several of them from the convent,
among whom was Cesaruis their leader, and from
him they were called Cesarians. At present the
Cesarians have but few convents, for they were so
much persecuted by the Franciscans, that we seldom
hear their name mentioned.
The Camaladolites, a religious order in the church
of Rome, was founded by St. Romuald, a native of
Ravenna, and descended from the noble family, who
received the titles of dukes of that city. This Ro-
muald had been in his youth a professed debauchee,
and his constitution being in a manner worn out by
liis vices, he was seized with remorse of conscience,
and therefore resolved to devote the remains of a
decayed body to the service of God. For this pur-
pose he retired to Mount Cassin, where he met with
a devout monk, whose pious conversation induced
him to take upon him the habit of the order. Being
very zealous, and finding that many abuses had crept
into the con\ent, he reproved the monks for their
vices, who were so much offended, that they con-
spired to murder him. Having had notice of their
intentions, he left the convent, and retired to the
state of Venice, where he met with a hermit, with
whom he lived some time, practising all the austeri-
ties of a recluse life. At that time the duke of Ve-
nice, resolving to end his days in a convent, resigned
his regal dignity, and in company with Romuald,
and Marino the other hermit, his companion, set
sail for Barcelona in Spain. There it was that the
duke took upon him the habit of a monk in the mo-
nastery of St. Michael, and Marino and Romuald
returned to a hermitage. After some time Romuald
returned to Italy, and settled in the monastery of St.
Classe, at that time in high repute, but not under
proper government with respect to moral and reli-
gious duties.
The emperor Otho being at that time in Italy, and
hearing of the abuses that had crept into this monas-
tery, resolved to reform it,»and for this purpose
made Roumbald abbot ; but Roumbald finding all
his attempts to reform the monks fruitless, laid dowu
his pastoral staff, and returned to Palermo. There,
and in several other places, he built convents, but
the monks in these refusing to live according to his
rules, he retired to a solitary place on the Appeninc
mountains, called Cumaldali, where he founded his
order, 1012. He ordered that all his disciples should
live in separate cells, and never meet together but in
the time of public prayer. On Sundays and Thurs-
da} s they fed on herbs ; and the rest of the w€ek on
bread and water. The austerities used by the monks
of this order, contrary to the notion of mankind,
occasioned it to increase so fast, that within a few
years they had convents in most parts of Italy. —
They have been extremely rich, but we do not find
that the monks have ever distinguished themselves in
branches of literature.
The Carthusians were a religious order, founded
in the year 1080, by one Bruno, a very learned man,
of the bishopric of Cologne, and professor of philo-
sophy at Paris. The occasion of its institution is
related as follows: A friend of Bruno's, who had
been looked upon as a good liver, being dead, Bruno
attended his funeral, but whilst the service was per-
forming in the church, the dead man, who lay upon
a bier, raised himself up, and said, " By the just
judgment of God, I am accused." The company
being astonished at this unusual accident, the burial
was deferred to the next day ; when, the concourse
of people being much greater, the dead man again
raised himself up, and said, " By the just judgment
of God, I am condemned." This miracle, it is pre-
tended; wrought such an effect on Bruno, and six
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF RO^IK.
sns
more, that they immediately retired to the desert of
Chartreux, in the diocese of Grenoble, in Dauphine;
where Hiigli, bishop of that diocese, assioned them
a spot of ground, and wliere Bruno built his first
monastery, under the following rigid institutes.
His inouks were to wear a hair-cloth next their
body, a white cassock, and over it a black cloak :
they were never to eat flesh; to fast every Friday on
bread and water ; to eat alone in their chambers, ex-
cept upon certain festivals ; and to observe an almost
perpetual silence : none were allowed to go out of
the monastery, except the prior and procurator, and
thev onlv aliout the business of the house.
The Carthusians, so called from the place of their
first institution, are a very rigid order, lliey are not
to go out of their cells, except to church, without
leave of their superior, and they are not to speak to
any person, even their own brother, w ithout leave. —
They must not keep any portion of meat or drink till
the next day, except herbs or fruits. Their bed is
of straw, covered w ith a felt or coarse cloth ; their
clothing, two hair-cloths, two cowls, two pair of
hose and a cloak, all coarse. Every monk has two
needles, some thread, scizzars, a comb, a razor, a
hone, an ink-horn, pens, chalk, two pumice-stones ;
likewise two pots, two porringers, a bason, two
spoons, a knife, a drinking-cup, a water-pot, a salt,
a dish, a towel ; and for fire, tinder, a flint, wood,
and an ax.
In the refectory, they are to keep their eyes on the
meat, their hands on the table, their attention on the
reader, and their heart fixed on God. When allowed
to discourse, they are to do it modestly, not to whis-
per, nor talk aloud, nor to be contentious. They
confess to the prior every Saturday, but women are
not allowed to come into their churches, that the
monks may not see any thing which may provoke
them to lewdness.
It is computed, there are an hundred and seventy-
two houses of Carthusians, whereof five are of nuns,
who practise the same austerities as the monks.
They are divided into sixteen provinces, each of
which has two visitors. There has been several
canonized saints of this order ; foiu' cardinals, seventy-
six archbishops and bishops, and a great many very
learned writers.
The convents of thi« order are generally very
beautiful and magnificent. That of Naples, though
but small, surpasses all the rest in ornaments and
riches. Notliing is to be seen in the church and
house but marble and jasper, and the apartments of
the prior are rather like those of a prince, than a
poor monk. There are innumerable statues, bass-
reliefs, paintings, &.c. together with very fine gar-
dens; all which, joined with the holy and exemplary
life of the good religious, draw the curiosity of all
strangers, who visit >''aples. The Carthusians set-
tled in England about th(< year 1180. They had
several monasteries here, particularly at William, in
Somersetshire: llinton, in the same county ; Reau-
val, in Notfinghamshire; Kingston upon Hull;
Mountgraee, in Yorkshire : Eppewort, m Lincoln-
shire : Shene, in Surry ; and one near Coventry.
In Lonilou they had a famous monastery, since
called from the Carthusians who settled there, Uie
Charterhouse.
The Cistertian monks were a religious order
founded in the eleventh century, by St. Robert, a
Benedictine, and abbot of Moleine. Certain ancho-
rets gf a neighbouring forest, having h^ard of St.
Robert, then abbot of St. Michael de la Tonnere,
intreated him to take upon him the direction of them ;
but the prior of his monastery, and some of the
ancient monks, obstructed his complying with their
request. Those monks of Tonnere lived under so
great a relaxation of discipline, that abbot Robert lost
all hopes of reforming them, and therefore left them,
and retired to the abbey of Montier-la-celle, in
which he had formerly been a monk. Soon after
he was chosen prior of the monastery of St. Augul-
phus, which was dependent on that abbey ; and then
it was that the afore-named anchorets applied them-
selves to the pope, who granted them a brief, w hich
directed the abbot of Monticr-la-celle to deliver Ro-
bert to them, having chosen him as governor. Ro-
bert was well pleased with the pope's order, and
accordingly joined those anchorets, whom he led
into the forest of Moleme, where they built them-
selves little cells made of the boughs of trees, and a
little oratory, in honour of the holy trinity. But
these hermits falling into a relaxation, and Robert
not being able to reclaim them, he left them and
retired to a desert called Haur, where there were
religious men, who lived in much unity and simpli-
city of heart, and who chose him for their abbot.
But those of Moleme made use of the authority of
the pope to oblige him to return, and to govern
them as he had done before.
Some of these religious of Jloleme, observing
that their customs and manners were not suitable to
the rule of St. Benedict, seriously endeavoured to
apply some remedy. Accordingly they had recourse
to abbot Robert, who promised to assist them in
their pious design ; but it being impossible for them
to effect their purpose in that abbey, on account of
the relaxation which reigned there, Roberi, and
twenty-one others, by the permission of the pope,
quitted the abbey of Moleme, and went to settle in
a place called Citeaux, in the diocese of Chiilons.
It was a desert covered with wood and brambles,
where these religious formed to themselves little
wooden cells, with the consent of the lords of the
soil. They settled thereon the 2 1st of march 1098,
being St. Benedict's day, and Eudo, duke of Bur-
404
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF RO^IE.
gundy, assisted them in building a monastery, and
gave them land and cattle ; and the bishop of Cha-
Irjns gave Robert the jiastoral staff", as abbot, erect-
ing the new monastery-i'ito an-abbey.
The following year, Robert, being ordered by
the pope to resume the government of the abbey of
Moleme, was succeed in that of Citeaux, by Al-
beric : and pppe Paschal, by a bull of the year 1 100,
took that monastery under his protection. Alberic
drew up the first statutes for the monks of Citeaux,
or Cistertians, in which he enjoined the strict obser-
vance of the rule of St. Benedict The habit of
these religious, of the monastery of Citeaux, was at
first black ; but they pretend that the holy Virgin
appearing to St. Alberic, gave him a white habit,
from which time they changed their black habit for
a white one, only retaining the black scapularly. In
memory of this change they keep a festival on the
5th of August, which they call the descent of the
blessed virgin at Citeaux, and the miraculous chang-
ing of the habit from black to white. The number
of those who embraced the Cistertian order increas-
ing, it was necessary to build more monasteries.
AccordingJy, in 1113, Stephen, abbot of Citeaux,
built that of La Ferte, in the diocese of Chalons.
The next year, he founded Pontigni, in the diocese
of Auxerre. Clairvaux, in the diocese of Langres,
■was built in 11 15. The order increased farther in
1118, by the founding of four other monasteries,
■which were Prully, La Cour-Dieu, Trois-Fon-
taines, and Bonnevaux ; and in the following year
1119, Bouras, Fontenay, Cadovin, and Maran,
were founded. Then Stephen formed all these
juonasteries into one body, and drew up the consti-
tutions of the order, which lie called " t)ie Cliarter
of Charity," containing in five cliapters, ail the ne-
cessary rules for the establishment and government
of tiie order.
The first chapter of that charter enjoins the literal
observance of the rule of St. Benedict, as it was ob-
served at Citeaux ; the second regulates the power
of the abbots ; the third settles the manner of hold-
ing general chaj)ters, and deciding the differences
therein ; the fourth regulates the election of abbots,
and the qualifications of the electors and elected ; the
fifth and last treats of tljc resignation and deposition
of abbots. This order made a surprising progress.
Fifty years after its institution, it had five hundred
abbies^ and an hundred years afterwards, it boasted
of eighteen iiundred abbies, most uf which had been
founded before the year ICOO. Thjs great progress
must be ascribed to ilie sanctity of the Cistertians,
of which cardinal de Vitry, in liis western liistory,
says, " the whole church of Ciirist was full of the
high reputation and opinion of their sanctity, as it
•were with the odour of some divine balsam, and
that there yvas no country or province, wherein this
vine, loaded with blessings, had not spread forth it«
branches." And, describing their observances, he
says, " they neither wore skins nor shirts, nor ever
eat flesh, except in sickness, and abstained from
fish, eggs, milk, and cheese : they lay only upoR
straw beds, in their tunics and cowls: they rose at
midnight, and sang praises to God till break of day:
they spent the day in labour, reading and prayer;
and in all their exercises, they observed a strict and
continual silence : they fasted from the feast of the
exaltation of the holy cross till Easter; and thej
exercised hospitality towards the poor, with extraor-
dinary charity."
The order of Cistertians became i« time so pow-
erful, that it governed almost all Europe, both in
spirituals and temporals. It did also groat service to
the church, by means of the eminent men it pro-
duced. These religious were employed by the pope
to convert the Albigenses. Some authors say there
have been six popes of this order, but it will be diffi-
cult to find anj- more than Eugenius III. and Bene-
dict XII. It boasts of about forty cardinals, a great
number of archbishops, bishops, and famous wri-
ters. Several kings and queens have preferred the
habit of tliis order to their royal robes and crowns :
in the single monastery of Trebuitz, in Silesia, they
reckon above fcM'ty princesses of Poland, who have
taken the habit there. Wiiat adds farther to the
reputation of the order is, that the military orders of
Cr.latrava, Alcantara, and Montessa, in Spain; and
those of Christ and Avis, in Portugal, are subject
to it. The abbot of Citeaux is the superior gene-
ral and father of the Cistertian order; but his power
is more limited than that of the other generals -of
orders. Tliis abbey has twenty-six immediate daugh-
ters, which are called of its generation. The general
chapter is always held at Citeaux. Only the Latin
tongue is spoken in their general cnapters. For-
merly cardinals, archbishops, and bishops, used to
be present at the chapters: pope Eugenius III. ho-
noured it with his presence in the year 1 148.
Tlie habit of the Cistertian monks is a white robe,
in the nature of a cassoc, with a black scapulary
and hood, and is girt with a woollen girdle. In the
choir they wear over it a white cowl.
The historians of the Cistertian order are not
agreed as to the origiintl of the nuns of this order. —
Some ascribe it to St. Humblelina, sister of St. Ber-
nard ; otliers to St. Bernard himself. The most
probable opinion is, th5t the first monastery of nuns
of this order was founded at Tart, in the diocese of
Langres, in the year 1 120, by St. Stephen, abbot of
Citeaux. The austerity of the Cistertians at their
first institution, would not allow the women, who
are tenderer than the men, to undergo so heavy a
yoke. After the foundation of the monastery of
Tart, several others were founded in France;, as
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME
205
lliosc of Fervaques in the diocese of Noion, Bla-
decli in the diocese of St. Omer, Montreiiil near
l.aoii, Sec. The number of these monasteries in-
creased so mucli, that if we may believe tlie>Jiisto-
rians of the order, there were six thousand of them.
The habit of the Cistertian nuns is a white tunic, and
a black scapulary, and girdle.
The first monastery of Cistertians in England,
was that of AVaverly in Surry, built in the year
1 l'J9, by William tiifVord, bishop of Winchester.
Though these monks followed the rule of St. Bene-
dict, they were called by the English, not Benedic-
tines, but \Miite Friars. The catalogues of Cister-
tian monasteries in the reign of Edward I. when
that prince granted his protection to all thunionas-
teries, amounted in number to sixty-two.
Pcpe Celestin V. instituted a religious order,
which from his name are called Cclestines. The
original name of this pope was Peter de Meuron, of
whom we have the following account: He was
born at Isernia, a little town in the kingdom of
Naples, in the year 1215. His |)arents were poor,
and in his early youth he retired to a solitary moun-
tain, where he devoted himself wholly to meditation
and prayer. The fame of his piety brought many
persons to visit him ; some of w horn resolved to
forsake the pleasures of life, and to accompany him
in his solitude. With tiiese he formed a kind of
community in the year 12j4, which was api)roved
by pope Urban IV. \'264, and erected into a distinct
order, called the hermits of St. Damicn. This so-
ciety \>"as governed by Peter de Meuron till 1286,
when his love of solitude and retirement, induced
him to quit the charge. In 129-1-, he was elected
pope, when he took the name of Celesline, and his
order were called Cclestines. By his bull he con-
firmed the order, which at that tin)e hjd twenty mo-
nasteries; but he died soon after, having been pope
only five months.
Soon atler his death, his order increased so fast
that they had convents not only in Italy, but like-
wise in France, and in many parts of Germany.
They eat no flesh at any time, except when they
are sick, and they rise two hours after midnight to
say matins. They fast every Wednesday and Fri-
day, and their habit is a white gown, witli a hood of
the same colour, and a black scapulary.
The Capuchins, are a religious institution of the
order of St. Francis. They owe their original to
^latthew de Bassi, a Franciscan of the duehy of Lr-
bino; Mho having seen St. Francis represented with
a sharp-pointed capuchin, or cowl, began to wear
the like in 1525, with the permission of pope Cle-
ment VH. His example was followed by two other
religious, named l^ewis and Raphael de Fossem-
bruu ; and the pope by a brief, granted these three
monks leave to retire to some hermitage, and retain '
14 3
their new habit; and the retirement they chose, wa«
the hermitage of tiie Camaldolilcs, near Massacio,
where they were very charitably received. — This ii»-
novation in the habit of the order, gave great oflence
to the Franciscans, whose provincial persecuted
these poor monks, and obliged them to fly froin
place to jilace. At last they took refuge in the pa-
lace of the duke de Camarino, by whose credit they
were received under the obedience of the conven-
tuals, in the quality of hermits minors, in the year
1527. The next year the pope approved this union,
and confirmed to them the privilege of wearing the;
square capuchin, and adniitling among them all who
would take the habit. Thus the order of the Capu-
chins, so called from wearing the capuchin, began
in the year 1 .V2S.
Their first establishment was at Colmenzono,
about a league from Camarino, in a convent of the
order of St. Jerom, which had been abandoned. —
But their numbers increasing, Lewis de Fossembrun
built ano"ther small convent at Montmelon, in the
territory of Camarino. The great number of con-
versions which the Capuchins made by their preach-
ing, and the assistance they gave the people in a con-
tagious distemper, v.ilii which Italy was afflicted the
same year, 1528, gained them an universal esteem.
In 1529, Lewis de Fossembrun built for them two
other convents; the one at Alvaciua in the territory
of Fabriano, the other at Fossembrun in the duchy
of Urbino. Matthew de Bassi being chosen their
vicar-general, drew up constitutions for the govern-
ment of this order. They enjoined, among other
things, that the Capuchins should perform divine
service without singing; that they should say but one
mass a day in their convents: they directed the hours
of mental prayer, morning and evening, the days of
disciplining themselves, and those of silence : they
forbad the monks to hear the confession of seculars;
and enjoined them always to travel on foot: ihey
recommended poverty in the ornaments of their
church, and prohibited in them the use of gold, silver,
and silk; the pavilions of the altars were to be stuff,
and the chalices of tin.
This order soon spread it<;elf over all Italy, and
into Sicily. In \o7o, Charles IX. demanded of popo
Gregory XIH. to have the order of Capuchins
established in France, which that pope consented to,
and their first settlement in that kingdom was in
the little town of Picpus near I'aris; which they
soon qnitti^d to settle at Meudon, from whence they
were introduced into the capital of the kingdom. —
In lfi06, pope Paul V. gave them leave to accept of
an establishment, which was offered them in Spain.
They even passed the seas, io labour »!ie conversion
of the infidels; and their order is become so con-
siderable, that it is at present divided into more than
sixty provinces, consisting of near one thousand six
206
RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
hundred convents, and twenty-five tliou&and monks,
besides ihe missionaries of Brazil, Congo, Barbary,
Cireece, Syria, and Egypt. Among those who have
preferred the poverty and humility of the Capuchins
lo the advantages of birth and fortune, was the fa-
mous Alphonso d'Est, duke of Modeua and Reggio,
who after the death of iiis wife Isabella,- took tlie
habit of this order at Munich, in the year lG26,
under the name of brother J oini-Baptist, and died
in the convent of Castehniovo, in 1644. In France
likewise, the great duke de Joyeuse, after having
distinguished himself as a great general, became a
Capuchin in September ] 587.
Father Paul observes, " that the Capuchins pre-
serve iheir reputation by reason of their poverty ;
and that if they should suffer the least change in
their institution, they would acquire no immoveable
estates bv it, but would lose the alms they now re-
ceive." He adds, " It seems therefore as if here
an absolute period was put to all future acquisitions
and improvements in this gainful trade : for who-
ever should go about to institute a new order, witli
a power of acquiring estates, such an order would
certainly find no credit in the w orld ; and if a pro-
fession of poverty were a part of the institution,
tiiere could be no ac((uisitions made whilst that last-
ed ; nor w oakl there be any credit left when that
was broke."
There is likewise an order of, Capuchin nuns, who
follow the rule of St. Clara. Their first establish-
ment was at Naples in 1538, and their foundress
•was the venerable mother Maria Laurentia Longa,
of a noble family in Catalonia ; a lady of the most
uncommon piety and devotion. Some Capuchins
coming to settle at Naples, she obtained for them,
by her credit with the arch)>ishop, the church of St.
Euphebia without the city ; soon after w liich she
built a monastery for virgins, under the name of our
T^ady of Jerusalem, into which she retired in 1,534,
together with nineteen young women, who engaged
themselves by solemn vows to follow the 3d rule of
St. Francis. The pope gave the government of tiiis
monastery to the Capuchins; and soon after, the
nuns quitted the 3d rule of St. Francis, to embrace
ihe more rigorous rule of St. Clara, from the auste-
rity of which they had the name of Nuns of the
Passion, and that of Capuchins from the habit they
took, which was that of the Capuchins.
After the death of their foundress, another monas-
tery of Capuchins was established at Rome, near
the Quirinal palace, and was called the monastery
of the holy sacrament; and a third, in the same city,
built by cardinal Baronius. These foundations were
approved in the year 1600, by pope Clement VIH.
and confirmed by Gregory XV. There were after-
wards several other establishments of Capuchins ;
in particular one at Paris, in 1604, founded bj the
duchess de Mercoeur: who put crowns of thorns oa
tlie heads of the young women whom she placed i»
her monastery.
As the religious orders are now utterly abolishefl
in this country, in consequence of the Ketormation
from Popery, it is necessary before we dismiss this
article, to take some notice of the effects they hadf
on the minds of the people, both in a civil and a
religious light.
And first, in a civil light, they had tlieir advan-
tages and disadvantages. The vast estates bestowed
upon them for their support, were let at easy rents-
to tenants, and for the most part the rents were
taken from what the earth produced. This encou-
raged i!>iiustry, a-id promoted agriculture, t!ie people"
resided in the country, where poverty was seldom
known, and those cities which now make such a
distinguished figure in Britain, were then little better
than contemptible villages. The people in the
country were satisfied with their conditions, because
tiie cities and towns had no temptations to present
them with. How different in the present age, when
the country is depopulated, and the cities crowded
with unthinking persons, who are verging towards,
the brink of destruction. 'I'he lands which formerly
belonged to these houses, are now in the hands of
laymen, who not being willing to set any bounds to
tluir extravagance, keep the farmers tenants at w ill,
and raise their rents to such an exorbitant height,
that the price of all sorts of provisions daily in-
creases, and ihe country is in a manner neglected.
But the disadvantage in a ci\il light was the dis-
couragement they gave to marriage. This was an
unnatural sentiment, bfecause every man should have
his own wife, and every woman her own husband.
It was the design of God that it should be so, lest
unnatural crimes should ti>ke place, and men become
even w orse than the beasts that perish. Many accu-
sations were preferred against those who lived in
convents at the time of the Reformation, some of
which arc too flocking to be mentioned, and, for the
honour of human nature, we hope that a great num-
ber of them w ere false. This will appear the more
pro.bable, when we consider, that too many of those
who promoted the Reformation, had their own in-
terest in view, more than the glory of God, or the
happiness of immortal souls. But still, perhaps,
some part of the accusation was too true, for to use
the words of the moralist, " Shut nature out at the
door, and she will come in at the window." Celi-
bacy is no crime, w hen voluntarily chosen, and sub-
mitted to in purity, but it becomes dangerous when
imposed. The ancient hermits, in times of perse-
cution, and of whom we have already given an ac-
count, were under the necessity c^f living in a state
of celibacy, but the cause being removed, the effect
should cease. There was no necessity that the-
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
207
frtrfiits should live in a state of celibary, and if so,
how great was ilieir error in obliging \oiing persons
wFio devutcd tliuniselves to a religious live, to be
dcpfived of all those innocent [deasnres whieh will
always take plate between the sexes, when tlowing
from virtuous" love.
Secondly, in a reli2;ious light. The great error
of the nionasitrc life consisted in tLe monks, like the
Pharisees of old, having considered themselves as
far superior in religion to the rest of the world. —
Self-righteousness is contrary to every llii'iig in ge-
nuine religion, whether natural or revealed. It pre-
cludes all neecs-iily for repentance, and teaches poor
sinful moriids to look down with contempt and dis-
dain upon many of their fellow-creatures, who, per-
haps, are greater objects of the divhie favour than
themselves.' The monks taught the people to believe
tliat the secular clergy were no better than hirelings,
because they received the tithes appointed by law,
for the stated discharge of ihtir duty, whereas the
monks themselves enjoyed greater estates, without
doing any duty at all.
But with all these errors, the monastic life had
its advantages in a religious light. In an age of
barbarity, when the great lived by the sword, and
the poor were their submissive vassals, many events
took place, which we, who pride ourselves for living
in better times, look back to like a dream in the
Tjjcords of history. A husband deprived of a wife
by the barbarity of lawless robbers, his daughter
ravished, and his son killed in defending injured in-
nocence, often induced some of our great noblemen
to retire from the woild, and build cruiveuts for those
in the same distressed circumstances with then.-
.selves. In these j)lac:es the disconsolate widow, the
maiden injured by her false lover, the orphan, the
sick, and the wounded, found an asylum ; the world
had forgotten them, and they were dead to the plea-
sures and allmemcnts of it.
It was the great error of the Reformation, that
these religious houses were not preserved, for rea-
sons of a siniilar natin c. The revenues appropriated
for their support would have been sufficient to sup-
port the aged and the afflicted, so that we sliould
have had no occasion for workhouses and liospitals.
The youth of both se.xes belonging to our industri-
ous poor, would have been brought up in the prin-
ciples of virtue and religion, till they had been tit
to go out to trades ; and charity-schools would have
been, in many respects, unnecessary. And to con-
clude, bishop Burnet tells us, that archbishop Leigh-
ton, one of the greatest divines who have lived
since the age of the apostles, often lamented that
these religious houses had not been kept up for men
of mortified tempers to spend the remainder of their
lives in, without the entanglement of oaths and
vows. All this, however, was rendered ineftectual,
by the rapaciousness of our princes and nobility:
but the subject is so melancholy, that we shall not
dwell any longer upon it.
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
Jf IRST of the election of the pope. When the
pope dies, the care of the government is committed
to four cardinals, viz. The first cardinal bishop,
the first cardinal priest, the first cardinal deacon,
and the cardinal chamberlain of the iiousehold. —
The first three to manage the civil affairs of the
fjovernment, and the latter orders all the seals of the
ate pope to be broken, and the money to be coined
with a device of the vacancy.
The office of these four cardinals continues only
ten days, but they appoint deputies, and they, with
the rest of their brethren, enter the conclave to pro-
ceed to the election of the pope, or as he is called,
a vicar of Jesus Christ. Before they enter the con-
clave, they hear the mass of the Holy Ghost in the
Gregorian chapel, and a bishop delivers an harangue
in Latin, exhorting them to make choice of a proper
person to fill the chair of St. Peter the jirincc of tlie
apostles.
This being over, the cardinals march in proces-
sion, two and two, according to their rank, attended
by the Swiss guards, and a Vast crowd of people, all
singing the hymn to the Holy Ghost, called Veni
Creator Spiritus. When they arrive at the conclave,
they take possession of their cells by lot, after which
they all go to the ciiapel of pope Paul III. where the
bulls for the election of a pope are read, and the dean
of the sacred college exhorts the cardinals to act con-
sistent with thei". They are then permitted to go
home to dinner, but they must return before night,
for the master of the ceremonies acquaints them,
that if any of them come out of their ccUs.after they
are shut up, they cannot be re-admitted.
The marshal of the ceremonies orders the guards
to stand at such places as appear to him most con-
venient for the safety of the election, and the ambas-
sadors of princes are permitted to remain in the con-
clave the first twenty-four hours, but ho longer. —
SOS
KITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
When all sucli as are not to remain in the conclare
are gone out, ihe doors are shin, the conclave is \\-all-
cdup, and guards are posted at all the e\enues. Tlte
cardinal dean, and the cardinal chamberlain, then
visit the conclave to see iliat even.- diiug is saie, and
an act therefore is drawn up by a notary.
Each cardinal has a priest and a soldier to attei>d
him, and the other otticers are, a sacrist, an under
scacrist, a secretary, and an under secretary, a con-
fessor, two ph\sicians, a surgeon, two barbers, au
aptiihecary with hJs apprentices, tive masters of the
ceremonies, a bricklayer, a carpenter, and sixteen
Sjrttrs. AH these ar* called concla\isis, and al-
ouffh the office i$ rather troublesome, yet, when
the election is over, they enjoy many pri\ileges. —
The new elected pope distributes a simi of moilfy
among iheni, and they enjoy peuMons for life.
The governor of Rome, who, in sc>me respects,
is like the mayor of one of our corporations, issues
out orders to deter all persons, except the guards,
from carrying arms, either in the day or night, and
all such as transgress are severely pmiished. The
cler^ of Rome, whether secular or regular, are ob-
liged to march once everv- day in procession to St.
Peter"^ to implore the aid of the Holy Ghost, in
directiiig the cardinals to make a jroper choice of a
holy father for the church, and frwm St. Peter's they
march to the Vatican, and sing the Veni Creator
. Spirit U5.
\Mieu the conclave is shut up. die under master
of the ceremonies goes through the apartments at
sis in the morning, and tw o in tlie aftenioon. rinj-
ing a little bell to call the cardin.ils to the chapel of
the scrutiny. Each of the cardinals comes out of
his cell, attended by his condavisB, one of » horn
carries his standish into the chapel where the scru-
tiny is to be, and the other liis robe and hat, which
his' eminence puts on -Jivben he eutei^ the ci.apel.
TTiese robes are not ilie same they wear on other
occasions, but are made tor the present purpose
only.
lliis chapel, which is never used but durins the
election of a pope, is finely decorated, and much
esteemed by those who visit Rome. At the upper
end of it is painted the last jiKlgment; and the i^oor
and benches are covered with gre^en clcth. TTie
seat for the dean of the sacretl colleee is on the right
hand going in, and tl»e lirst cardinal deacon over
asrainst hint: bdiind the altar is a long table, and on
it two basons -tolled "with printed ballots for the scm-
tiny^llere are also two chalices, aixl a ba<r. wherein
the last <aixiiual deacon puts the balls intended to
ballot for the scrutinv.
The coiK-lave, w hich consists of part of the apos-
tt4ical palace, is a row of little bells, made of wain-
scot, where the cardinals are ?hut up while they are
employed about the election of a pope. Every eel!
has small apartments adjoining, for the use of the
conclavists, and Uiey are all rangeil along the great
gallery of the Vatican, with sin;ill spaces between
iheiu : such of the cardinals as had been favourites
of Uie late pope, have their cells hung with purple
stuff, but the other use only green serge. The seats,
tables, and bed are all covered m ith the same, and
over the door of each of tlie apartjnenfs is painted
llie arms of the cardinals to whom it belongs. A
long range of windows running along Uie tront of
the gallery, give light to the cells, and there are ven-
tilators to carry ofi' die fold air.
The Swiss, who guard the door of tlie \'atican,
are changed every two hours; and ui the square of
St. Peter is a body of Iroojw, connnanded by the
geaeral of the chuich. who is most coinnKnily a
Roman nobleman. Near the castle of St. Aiigelo,
there is anodier body of guards, die soldiers of wliich
are commanded by the marshal of die church, artd
these guard the passages through which die cardinals
receive their provisions. Neidier die cardinals, nor
their attendants shut up with diem, are to be spoken
to. except et particular hours, and then it nmst be
aloud either in die Latin or Italian language.
Before any provisions can be carried in to the car-
dinals, the solditrs, who guard all the inlets to dieir
apartments, examine strictly whether any letters are
concealed within the dishes, and if any are found,
they are destroyed. Every day about noon, and to-
wards evening, the coaches beKiuging to the difi'erent
cardinals come into the square of St. Peter, and their
doniesucs alighting, go to the steward of die con-
clave, and demand their provisi;ms. Having received
the dishes, ihey march to the inner passage, in die
following order; first the cardinal's two starf bearers
each with his wooden mace, painted of a purple co-
lour, having his arms upnn it. Behind these marches
his valet de chambre w ith his silver mace, and alter
him his gendemen follow, two and two, bare-headedT
Next follows the master of the household, with a
napkin on his shoulder, attended by the butler and the
carver. Tlie staff bearers who follow him, carry
the cardinal's victuals and drink on a lever, whereon
hangs a lar^e kettle, containing several |>ots, plates,
and dishes. Others carry large baskets, containing
bottles of wine, bread, fruit, cream, jellies, and all-
such articles of luxury as can be procured.
When they arrive at the entry of the passage lead-
ing to the gallery where the bells are, they name
aloud the cardinal whom they \«-ant, and a valet from
within, admits porters to carry in die provisions. —
But althoiigii they use all diese precauuons, and
manv more, yet betters are often conveyed to the
cardinals : and this is sometimes done m the most "
artful manner, by writing on the skin of a fowl, and .
.puiring it into a botde of wine. -
When the election is over, three of the cardinals
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
409
wait on the pope, and ask him v\hat name he is de-
temiined to assume. He having answered them,
Mhich is most commonly the name of the p<jpe who
rai^d him to the dignity of cardinal ; they deliver to
liim the li'^hf-rman's rod. ITie two first cardinal
deacons conduct the new elected pojje to a place be-
hind the altar, where, with the assiittance of the
master of the ceremonies and the sacrist, w ho is al-
ways an Augustine monk, they take off his cardinal's
habit, to put on the pontiticial, which is a robe of
vhite taffety, a linen rochet, a camail and a cap,
both of red satin, with shoes made of red clo^h em-
broidered with gold, and a golden cross on the upper
Ilie pope being thus properly dressed, is carried
in his chair before the altar m the chapfl, and there
all the cardinals adore him, by kissing his feet aud
bis right hand, kneeling before him. The holy
father liieii raises them up one after another, and
gives them the salute of peace on the right cheek.
This part of the ceremony being over, the first car-
dinal deacon, preceded by the master of tlie cere-
monies, carrying the cross, and a choir of music,
singing, " Behold the high priest so acceptable
to C>od, and so just," goes to the great lodge of
•St. Peter'?, where the master mason takes care to
have the door opened, that th*: cardinals may. pass
into the balcony, to acquaint the people with the
election of a pope, crying with a loud voice, " I bring
you glad tidings, we have a pope." Then one of
the great guns belonging to St. Peter's is fired, to
give notice to the castle of St. Angelo, to discharge
a whole round of artillery, and all the bells in the
city are set a ringing, while the air resounds with
the noise of drums and trumpets.
During the whole of this noise, the whole body
«f the Roman people stand in the streets, praying
for blessings upon the new pof)€, from whom they
promise themselves every sort of happiness. The
same day, the pope with his mitre on, b carried to
the altar of pope Sixtua \ . where the cardinals io
their purple robes come and adore him a second time.
The adoration is performed in the same manner as
before, and, during the whole of the ceremony, the
musicians sing anthems suitable to the solemnity. —
In the mean time, the incK-sures of the coucla*; are
broken down, and the cardinals descend into the
middle of St. Peter's church, and behind them the
Lew pope is carried in a chuirj over which is a cano-
py adorned with gold fringe. His bearers seat him
en the altar of St. Peter, where the cardinals adore
kim a third time, aud after ibem the foreisn ambas-
sadors, amidst a vast concourse of people. Te Detim
19 then song, and the cardiniil, who standi on the
epistle side of the altar, reads the ver?es and pra*ers
appointed for that ceremony in Uie Komi?h ritual. —
After this the pope k set duua oa ibe highest steps
14 3
of (Jie altar, and the as»i<!ting cardinals having taken
off his mitre, he solemnly blesses the people. Hit
robes are then taken off, and tvvelve cluurmen in long
scarlet cloaks hanging down to the ground, place
him in his chair, and convey him to his apartments.
Such are the ceremonies praclised at Rome, the first
day after the election of a new pope ; and w hen we
consider it in all parts, perhaps, there was never any
things so magnificent under the name of religion.
1 he pope, as universal head of the church, being
elected in the manner we hate related, preparationi
are made for his coronation; and tliese are equal in
magnificence and grandeur to thctse of the greatest
monarchs in the world. If at the lime of his elec-
tion he is only a cardinal deacon, then the deacoiij
of the sacred collegfe, constitute him both priest and
bishop at one time in the chapel of p'ipe Sixtus V.
to w hich on the day of his coronation he goes in his
cardinal's habit, supported by two prelates, who are
the gentlemen of his chamber, and his cup-bearer.
All the foreign ambassadors, the cardinal?, with the
Roman princes and nobility, join in the procession,
and they are escorted by the Sw iss guards, both horse
and foot. \\ hen they arrive at the chapel of p>ope
Sixtus \ . the cardinals put on their red caps, and the
pope has his poutificalibus delivered to him in the
following manner :
The first master of the ceremonies girds on the
falda of taffety under the rochet, and puts upon his
head the red satin barrette. His holiness then goes
into the chapel, where the cardinals make him a
very low reverential bow, and the holy father receives
the submission of his spiritual children like an in-
dulgent parent. The gentlemen who attend the car-
dinals are on their knees, and the pope stands with
his back to the altar. After this, one of the cardinal
deacons takes off his red barrette, and another puts
on one of white taffety; they likewise take off his
red mozette, and dress him in the ameit, the albe,
the girdle, the stole, and the red chafuble embroi-
dered w iih gold, "^rhe first cardinal deacon puts the
mitre, adorned w iih precious stones, upon his head,
whilst the master of the ceremonies sings an anthem,
accompanied by the choir. After which, one of the
sub-deans takes up the cross that is carried before
the pope, and the cardinals puU off their barettes in
honour of the sacred wood.
The cross is carried in the following order : The
pope's gentlemen walk two and two before it, fol-
lowed by all the courtiers of the new successor of
St. Peter, dressed in their ceremooial habits. The
pa<res march next, aud after them a numerous trajn
of coniistorial advocates, the gentlemen of the privy
chamber, the aichbishops, bishops; and the pope's
chaplains, who carry the triple crown and mitre. —
'I'he cross comes after these chaplain*, and is fol-
lowed by the caidiual deacons two aad two, aod they
210
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
by the cardinal priests and bishops in the same order.
After these come the Roman nobility and foreign
ambassadors, each attended by numerous retinues of
servants and dependants.
The holy father is carried in a chair to the church,
in the midst of this solemn procession, surrounded
by his guards, and followed by vast numbers of peo-
ple. The knights of St. Peter and Paul, support
the canopy over the holy father's head; and in that
order the procession proceeds to the great church of
St. Peter. Under the portico of St. Peter's, near
the holy gate, there is a throne erected for the pope,
where he sits under a canopy, having likewise benches
railed in for the cardinals.
Then all the clergy belonging to St. Peter's, pre-
ceded by the dean, come and L'iss the pope's feet ;
after which, he is carried to the fool of the high altar,
amidst the acclamations of the people. He here
kneels dov.n and pra)s before the host, bareheaded,
and is immedialtly carried from thence to the Gre-
gorian chapel ; there he places himself on a throne
surrounded by the foreign ambassadors, the cardinals,
the Italian princes and nobles, with all the great offi-
cers of his household. Being thus seated, he receives
homage from every one present, by their kissing his
feet, and then he bestows his blessing on the people,
who testify tlieir regard for hini, in the loudest accla-
mations of love, joy, and esteem.
This part of the ceremony being over, the cardi-
nals, bishops, and other prelates, put on their white
robes, whilst the canons of St. Peter's sing an anthem
iu the choir, and the pope washes his hands four
times. The iirst bason of w atcr is presented him by
the first Roman conservator; the second, during
mass, by the general of the church; the third, by
the French ambassador; and the last, by the ambas-
sador from the emperor. Al'ter this, the first cardi-
nal deacon dresses the new made pope in fine robes,
adorned with the most costly jewels, and then the
procession begins, by the first master of the ceremo-
nies carrying a lighted wax taper in one hand, and
a bason of water in the other. A pile of combustibles
IS erected in the bason v\hen the water is poured out,
and fire is set to it by the master of the ceremonies,,
in order to put the holy father in mind of the vanity
of all earthly grandeur, and he repeats three times to
the pope, the following words, " Behold, lioly fathei',
how the glory of this world passes away."
The whole procession being arrived at the foot of
the high altar, on which stands several large silver
candlesticks gilded, with wax tapers in them ; the
pope makes A short prayer, and then rising up, be-
gins the mass, having the cardinal deacon on his
right hand, as assistant bishop w ith his cope, and the
cardinal deacon of the gospel on his left, with two
cardinal deacons behind him as assistants.
His holiness having made the solemn confession,
the cardinal dean, who holds the milre gives it fO
llie cardinal deacon's assistants, to put it upon hii
head. He then goes and sits down on his throne,
before which, each of the tiiree cardinal priests readi
a prayer, suitable to his coronation. 1 he p()])e then
descend;^ frnn; his throne ; his mitre is taken oft', and
the first cardinal deacon assisted by tl»e second, dres-
ses him in tlie pallium, saying to him, " lieceive
the pallium, which represents to you the duties
and periection of the pontifical function. May you
discharge it to the glory of God, and of his most
holy mother, tlie blessed Vii gin Mary ; of the blessed
apostles St. Peter and St. Paul, and of the Iwly Ro-
man churcli."
In the next part of the ceremony, the cardinal
deacon of the gospel puts three deacon's vestures oil
the three crosses of the pallium, and tlie holy father
ascends the altar with the pallium on his .shoulder,
but without his mitre ; and kisses the book of the
holy evangelists, at the same time perfuming the
altar with incense. After this the mitre is again set
on his head, and the first cardinal deacon perfumes
him three times with incense, and the ceremony
closes with a salute, which the cardinal gives him on
his left cheek and stomach ; and the two other car-
dinals Jo the same alter him. I'hen tlie pope re-
turns to his throne, \\here he receives the adoration
of all the cardinals, and of the clergy who are pre-
sent. Prom this throne he proceeds to the liigh altar,
where he sings with an audible voice, " Glory be to
God in the highest^" and as soon as the prayer of
mass is ended, he instantly ascends his throne. —
Then the first cardinal deacon descends into the con-
fessional of St. Peter, attended by the principal offi-
cers of that church. There they sing several litanies,
accompanied by the choir; after which the pope is
carried into the benediction seat, accompanied by
his cardinals and prelates. The canopy under which
he is carried, is supported by several of the Roman
nobility, and two of the grooms in red liveries carry
fans of peacocks featlui s on each side of the chair.
All the cardinals stand up while the two first deacon
cardinals assist the pope to ascend the throne, which
the day before was set up in the middle of the pew.
An anthem is then sung, and the dean of the sacred
colli ee reads the coronation prayer; the second car-
dinal deacon takes oflF his holiness's mitre, and the
first puts the triple crown on his head, saying, —
" Receive tliis tiara, embellished with three crowns,
and never forget when you have it on, that you are
the father of princes and kings, the supreme judge of
the universe, and on earth, vicar of Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Saviour.
During the whole of this ceremony, Rome is in
an unbounded state of confusion ; for although the
guards are drawn up to prevent disorders, yet such
is the madness of the people, that they run into all
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
eii
maniief of extra vacancies; and lli? tniirdcr of a few
persons is toiisideied as no more than tritles. 'I'lie
coronation bfiii^ over, the pojic treats tlie cardinals,
ioreijjn an)l)assadiirfi, pf<^lates, and all llie groat olli-
cers of slate, witli the most magnifieent cnlertain-
nicnt that we can form any idea of.
A lofty theatre is erected at the upper end of a
spacious hall, aivd in the centre is a table, at which
his holiness takes his seat, under a velvet canopy,
adorned with fringes of gold. On the left hand side-
hoard stand a larije mimber of gold and silver vessel ;
and on llie right liand is a table for the cardinals,
ambassadors, and great officers of state. The laity,
ahhough princes or the sons of kings, are obliged to
wait at table on the holy father, who comes into the
hall dressed in his pontifical robes, supported by two
carduial lieaoons, and foll()wed by ail tlie rest of that
body, iicfore his holiness sits down to table, he
washes his hands in state ; the bason being held by
the Imperial ambassador ; the fust cardinal bishop
pours the water on his hands, and two cardinal dea-
cons give him the napkin. During tlie whole of
this ceremony, the other cardinals, widi the ambas-
sadors and nobility, kneel down, and remain in that
posture till tlie pope takes his place at the table.
All things having being thus adjusted, the pope is
next to take possession of his sovereignty, at the
church of St. John de Lateran, which is his cadie-
<iral, and tiie metropolitan of all the churches under
liis jurisdiction, throughout the Christian-world. —
This ceremony is performed a few days after the
<oronation, in tlie most pompous manner that can
be imagined.
Twelve truinj>ets and twelve light horsemen begin
the procession from St. Peter's church, and six ranks
of four horses each follow, carrying cloaks belong-
ing to the cardinals. After them march the macc-
Ixarers belonging to the cardinals, all on horscKnck,
^^ilh silver mates on their shoulders, on which are
(he arms of their masters. These are followed by
the gentlemen and almoners of the cardinals, foreign
ambassadors, aad princes, with a long train of Ro-
Tiian nobility, tircs.'fed m the most sumptuous manner,
and attended by their servants in rich liveries.
The next partV)f the procession consists of four
of tlie pope's equerics, dressed in large red copes,
and then his tailor, and two cloak bearers dressed
alike, carrying two velvet portmanteaus embroidered
vitJj gold. The pope's grooms of the stable in
loose coats of red serge foHow them, leading the
white jennets which the kingdom of Maples is oblig-
ed annually to send to his holiness, as a tribute of
homage for that kingdom; the popes having for
many ages claimed it as part of the patrimony of
the holy see. These jennets have silk housings, with
gold fringes and leaves of silver i>lalc; after them
come several males richly caparisoned, and bordered
with red velvet, and gold fringes, several of the pope's
domestics leading them by the bridles.
Three litters covered with red velvet or scarlet
cloth follow them, and two oflicers on horseback
march before the litters, attending the pope's master
of the horse on horseback, with his staft-bearers
who w alk on foot, five of the pope's inace-bexirers
come after in long gowns of pin'jile cloth, faced with
velvet, with (heir maces and enamelled collars. — ■
Fourteen drums come next on foot, dressed in I'ed
satin flowered with gold, wearing plumes of feathers
in their hats, and each of them bearing an ensign of
the fourteen quarters or districts of Home. A baud
of the pope's trumpets follow them dressed in scarlet,
faced with gold ; and after them walk the apostolical
gentlemen of the bed-chamber, with the pages, all
dressed in scarlet. The commissary of the apostoli-
cal chamber, in purple, and the advocates in black,
with the family chaplains and pages all dressed in
scarlet come afterwards. These are followed by a
vast number of domestics, each of whom carries
something in his hand, as a distinguishing mark of
the rank they l>ear in the household, particularly the
four participents, who are dressed in purple, and
carry the pope's four crimson velvet hats.
After them come forty of the Roman officers,
mounted on stately horses, viz. the judges, justices,
secretaries, notaries, comptrollers, fiscals, &,c. all
dressed in long senatorial robes and black velvet hats.
On the left hand of the dean, march the registers of
the courts, the clerks f.f the chamber, the auditors,
and the master of the sacred paUce. The fourteen
masters of the districts of Rome follow them, dress-
ed in robes of crimson velvet, lined with rich taffcty,
and attended by fourteen marshals in pink satin
vests. The governor of Rome follows after, at-
tended by a vast train of dependants and officers, par-
ticularly the Roman princes, and such as attend the
pope's )>rivate chamber. The apostolical sub-deacon
carries the trip})le cross, reversed towards the pope,
who now makes his appearance in the following
manner :
His holiness is carried in a litter lined with red
velvet, embroidered and fringed with gold, and he
himself is clothed in a white satin cassock, with the
rochet and stole all of red velvet, if it is winter;
but of red satin, if Ftiminer. Fifty young Roman
gentlemen, dres«ed in white satin, walk before his
holiness, and they arc followed by the pages of the
bedchamber, and two troops of horse guards. All
the cardinals follow on horseback two and two, iin-
mediatelv after the pope's guard, and they are follow-
ed by the archbishops and bishojis, of whom there
are alv^ay's many at Rome. The \\hole of the pro-
cession closes with two troops of light horse, with
their officers, pompously dressed in scarlet and gold.
This magnificent procession marches from St.
2!0
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
Peter's to the bridge-of St. Angelo, aud from thence
to the Capitol, where the Roman people erect a tri-
umphal arch for his holiness, and the senators pre-
sent him with the keys of the city, holding a sceptre
in his hand, while he delivers an oration, which the
new-made pontiff most condescendingly stoops to
hear.
From thence they proceed to Campo Vachirto,
where the duke of Parma erects another triumphal
arch before his palace, through which his holiness
is carried. They then cross the CoUiscuin, where
the Jews have another arch erected, aud under it
they present him with the five books of Moses m
Hebrew. One of their rabbies delivers an address
to the holy father, exhorting him to reverence the
law of Moses; and an liumble request that he will'
be- graciously pleased to protect them. He, in an-
swer, tells them, that he has the most profound re-
spect for the law of Moses, though at the same time
he rejects their false interpretations of it. After
which the Jews retire without making any reply,
and the procession goes forward through the streets,
» which on that day are hung with tapestry, and
crowded with a vast number of spectators. In this
manner they proceed to St. John de Later^iri, \\here
they are received by all the clergy belonging .to that
.church.
The pope being arrived at the gate of St. John de
.Lateran, comes out of his litter, and the arch-priest
presents him the cross to kiss; after, th.is his holiness
ascends the throne, which is prepared for him under
the portico, whercihis pontitioah robes and mitre are
put on. Whilst he is on the throne, the canons of
St. John de Lateran come and kiss his feet, and the
.cardinal archrpriest makes an oration in the name of
-the chapter, and delivers him tiie keys of the church,
■one of which is of ^old, and the other of silver. —
As soon as this spart of the ceremony is over, the
cardinals put on the sacred ornaments, and tlie pope
walks towards the great gate of the cathedral, where
the cardinal arch-priest gives him a sprinkler, with
T\hich he takes holy water and sprinkles the people,
ithen the same cardinal perfumes his holiness three
itimes with incense.
■His holiness then goes into his chair, and his
bearers carry him along the nave of the church under
,a rich canopy held over his head, up to the high altar,
/where he prays. He is then carried into the choir
' to a throne, where the cardinals come and pay him
their homage. Then the two cardinal-deacons put
.)n and take oif his mitre, while he gives the sacred
benediction. When this is done, he is carried into
the palace of St. John de I.ateran, wher« .several
anthems are sung, at the close whereof, the cardinaJ-
priest makes an oration, and repeats several particu-
lar prayers, suitable to the solenniity. 'I'he la^t part
of the ceremony consists in throwing some handfids
of medals among the people, and in giving them
twice his benediction.
Particular ceremonies observed in the Vaticati, Kith
several other rites of a curious nature.
When the pope holds a^ consistory, his throne is
erected in the great hall of the apostolical palace,
and this throne is square, about eight feet wide, and
the pope ascends it by three steps. His holiness sits
down on a seat covered with cloth of gold, under a
canopy of the same, both equally magnificent. Tlie
cardinal bishops and priests sit on liis right hand be-
low the throne, and the cardinal deacons on the
left ; but in such a posture as to have their faces to-
wards the Ivoly father. In these consistories many
things are transacted, both of a foreign and domes-
tic nature : letters from foreign princes are read, and
answers returned to them : appeals are heard from
the prelates in different parts of Europe, and mes-
sengers are dispatched with the declaration of the
consistory upon them. In these coiTsistories, cardi-
nals are nominated and appointed, and in most re-
spects they are the same as what we call our privy-
councils, for no appeals lie from what they have once
given judgment upon.
Before we proceed to give an account of the pope's
chapel, we shall here say something concerning
what the Roman catholics call canonical hours, or
services to be performed by the people, whether
clergy or laity, at stated hours in the day, This
service consists of prayers and holy lessons, and it
is to be said in a standing posture, pursuant to an
ancient order of the church, and only upon days of
penance, kneeling.
Mattins, the first part of the service, and which
signifies morning, is to be said between six o'clock
and nine, or soon after sun-rising, so as it does not
exceed nine before it is finished. I.,auds, the second
part of the office, and which signifies praise, must
be said at any time before three in the afternoon. —
Vespers, signifying the evening, are to be repeated
before six o'clock, or as soon after a« possible. —
Last of all Complines, or the conclusion of the ser-
vice, is to be repeated at any time before midnight.
These services ought to he repeated publicly in the
churches, but indnlgencies are granted to those who
are not able to attend, -so that they may say them at
their own houses, with their families, or j^rivately
in their closets.
Uut the grandest religious ceremonies observed^ in
ithe Komish church, are those in the pope's chape',
where there are forty grand masses appointetl to be
said every year; three by the pope himself, thirty
by the cardinals, and seven by the archbishops an-d
bishops. It is the pope's turn to say mass on Easter
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
Sin
day, Whitsunday, and Christmas-day, and the others
are said on the festivals of the mtist rcspectud of the
saints. When the pope goes to the holy chapt-l, he
is carried in an elbow cliair to a private apartment,
xvhcre he is dressed in his robes ; and as soon as he
is properiv equipped, he gets into another chair, car-
ried bv twelve of his "rooms, who are dressed in
lonp; scarlet robes reaching down to their knees, but
when he goes to St. Peter's, he is carried by tlie
knights belonging to diat ■ hurch.
On Sundays in Advent and Lent, when his lioli-
Kese goes to his chapel, he walks bare-footed, by
way of humiliation ; but on the iJiird sunday in Ad-
vent, anil fourtlj.jiii ]>ent, he is carried ; the.se being
privilege days set apart for rejoicing. On the tirst
Sunday in Advent, the holy failier carries the sacra-
ment iuto the cha|)el of pope Sixtus V. and at that
iniic he is supported by two of the cardinal deacons,
and one of the Roman noblemen bears up his train.
When the po}>e says mass, all the cardinals who are
able to attend, appear dressed in robes of white da-
mask laced with gold, with tiiis difierence, that the
cardinal bisliops wear copes; the cardinal priests,
chasubles ; and the cardin;d deacons, the tunic; and
all of them white damask mitres. — —The bishops
wear copts too, but instead of being white like those
of the cardinals, they are made of rich party-coloured
silks, endjroidered \\ ith gold; but their mitres are of
white liiieu, oidy sewed upt)n pasteboard.
The penitents of St. Peter's church go likewise to
the -Kniie chapel in their chasubles of divers colours;
ibtit w lien the pope does not celebrate mass himself,
•the cardinals wear nothing but the rochet, covered
with their copes; and such prelates as have a right
to wear it, have only short mantles o\cr it, whilst
those who have no right, remain in their pur])le-
coloured robes. The di-^niticd clergy, who do not
chnse to walk, attend the pope in their carriages ;
and the cardinals, as soon as they enter the apostoli-
cal palace, pull olf their gloves, and lay down every
thing they have in their hands, in order to put oiv
their copes in a chamber nllotted for that purpose.
When the cardinals are dressed in their rolies, thev
go into the pope's privy chamber, where they arc
w ailed on by all the great otKcers of the household,
who treat them as if they were princes, and enter-
tain them W'itji every thing necessary, till at last his
holiness makes his appearance, and gives tiiem the
Jciss of peace, acknowledging them to be his bre-
thren. The vicar of Jesus having thus humbled
himself before the cardinals, they all march off to-
wards St. Peters, in the following order:
I'he cardinals' gentlemen walk first, and they arc
followed by tlie pope's chaplains ; after which come
the advocates, and all the other officers of the spiri-
tual court. The cross is carried by an apostolical
deacon in a purple cassock, with a rochet aud cope
14 3
of the same colour. The crucifix is turned towards
the pope during the procession, although this is coii-
trary to the usual practice of the church of Rome-.
On each side of the cross are two vergers with wands
in their hands, and long mantles which trail on the
ground. After the sid)-deacan.s, march the peniten-
tiaries of St. Peter, followed by the bishops, archbi-
shops, the governor of Rome, the cardinals, and the
Swiss guards.
in lite middle of the guards ride the generals and
ca[)laii)s of the l!<;lit horse, with the pope's relations,
and (he amijassadurs from the diflFerent European
princes. After all these comes the pope, followed
Ity his cup-bearer and chamberlain, l!io clerks of the
chamber, generals of orders, and all the clergy be-
longing to the chapel.
The pope goes to the chapel without his mitre,
commonly at matins, and during the holy week he
innnediately follows the crucitix, between the two
eldest cardinals. The others follow tw o and two ;
after them comes the governor of Rome, with the
other great ofKcers of state. [ pon entering the cha-
pel, they salute the officiating priest, who is dressed
for saying mass, and stands on the epi.slle side, with
his back to the altar, after which each rises and goes
to his place, where they say a short prayer, and le-
main standing till his holiness comes in. The same
ceremony is observed at entering St. Peter's, where
they salute the conducting arch-priest, whose pjace is
at the head of the chapter or canons, near the entrance
into the choir. When the pope goes to attend mass
at any other of the great churches in l{ome, the ce-
remonies are the same as we have described ; so that
it is needless to rejMjat them again, as that would be
entirely superfluous.
We shall now proceed to describe the pope's cha-
pel, taking all the parts separately, that the reader
inav have a proper idea of the whole c(^iistruction.
'i"he architecture itself is extremely grand, but it is
the interior part that we must now attend to.
On the gospel side of the altar stands a throne, in
the form of an alcove, where the holy father is placed
during the time of high mass. Around the throne
and the altar are seats i"or the cardinals, and behind
them seats for the ambassadors from foreigH princes,
with the arclibishops and bishops who at that time
happen to be at Rome.
Before the steps leading to the throne, is a square
space set apart for the monks, and the officers of the
pope's court, and near it is a kind of balUistrade,
which -separates this holy court from llu- place where
the populace attend, and the whole is illuminated by
.several lamps. Near this are several lamps always
burning, and behind is the choir for the music.
The high altar is cmbellishcfl w ith teven wax
candies, and the cross is placed before the middle-
most taper, somewhat bigger thau the caudles, but
214
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
when his holiness says mass, the number of candles
is doubled.
There can remain no manner of doubt but many
of our sensible readers will look upon most of tliese
ceremonies as trifling and insignificant, and possibly
they are so ; but it should be considered, tliat it is
no easy matter to make a whole body of people for-
get their ancient customs, and turn in an instant to a
new way of thinking. It is much to be lamented,
that a great part of the exteriors of religion depends
upon -exercises; which induced some wits in the last
century but oiie, with no bad intention, to say,
" they often promised us great things, but would
not let us have any." There is a secret pleasure in
attending to the exterior parts of religion, connected
with the interior, which nonfe but those who are real-
ly pious, can ever have any relish for. This species
of corruption in the human heart, gave rise to the
building and decorating the most famous temples ;
that the senses niight be captivated, while the culti-
yation of the faculties was neglected.
Of the ceremonies of the mass.
We shall now proceed to give a particular expli-
cation of the ceremonies observed in the sacrafice of
the mass, which the catholics look upon as the most
acceptable of all adoration, and the most effectual
of all prayers. On Sundays, before high mass,
the holy water is consecrated, after which there is
a procession. The faithful are to be present at mass,
with a conscience void of offence ; and on entering
the church, they are to sprinkle themselves with
holy water, as a sign of the necessity of internal pu-
r*ty. The whole congregation, with the priest be-
fore them carrying the cross, walk round the church
and places adjacent to it, singing hymns and li-
tanies.
While the priest goes up to the altar, the people
are to lift up their hearts to God, considering this
ceremony, as observed in imitation of Christ's re-
treat to the garden with his disciples, just before his
agony began. When the spriest comes up to the
altar, he bows before it, and with his back to the
people, repeats a propitiatory prajer, in which the
people ought to join with him ; and this is done in
memory of our Lord praying with his disciples in
the garden. The priest then kisses the altar, to re-
present the traitor Judas betraying Christ with a
kiss. Having perfumed the altar, he begins the ser-
vice by singhig what the Roman catholics call the
Introit, or entrance, which varies every day accord-
ing to the festival or mystery which is to be celebra-
ted. Immediately after the Introit, the priest says
Kyrie ekisoii, which is a Greek word, and signifies.
Lord have mercy upon us. It is addressed three
times to each of tlie persons in the ever-blessed tri-
nity, to shew how much we stand in need of God's
gooJness and mercy, without which we should ine-
vitably perish for our many sins.
Then the priest kisses the altar, while the people
sing the gloria eirelsis, or glory to God ; and when
he turns, he says, Dominm vohiscnm, that is, Ste
Lord be with you, and the people return his salute,
by saying, " and w ith my spirit." This salutation
is repeated several time/ during the time of mass,
to point out the mutual harmony that ought always
to be found between the priest and the people. —
The priest who officiates, turns to the collect, which
is so called, because it is a prayer, containing a
summary of all that the church begs of God in the
office of the day. The gradual is sung after the
epistle is read, and it is called the gradual, because
in the ancient church, the people sung it as they
went up into the gallery, in the same manner as the
Jews had their psalms of degrees, when they went
up into the temple. To this they add the Hallelujah
except in Lent, when a verse out of one of the peni-
tential psalms is sung in the place of it ; which
psalms are sung in a low and mournful tone, this
being a season of humiliation for sin. In the mean
while, the deacon presents the incense to the priest,
who blesses it, saying over it, " may .God bless thee,
to whose honour thou shalt be be burnt."
Then the priest, turning his face to the altar,
kneels down, or bows in a lowly manner, and re-
peats a prayer, the people kneeling and looking to-
wards the ground. The gospel is carried from the
right side of the altar, to the left, as an emblem of
the gospel being preached to the gentiles after the
resurrection of Christ. After the gospel is read, the
priest perfumes and kisses it, saying to the people^
" Behold the sacred law, I believe it with my heart,
and confess it with my mouth." The priest adds,
" May our sins be blotted out by the words of the
gospel." Then follows the sermon, and after it the
creed is sung by the whole congregation, when the
priest turns once more to them and salutes them.
The offertory follow s next, which consists in the
priest's offering up the host, pointing out the intro-
duction to Christ's humiliation, and then he ele-
vates the chalice after the manner of the Jews when
they offered an oblation; and then setting it down
on the altar, covers it. Both the bread and wine are
blessed by the priest. He afterwards blesses the in-
cense, and perfumes the bread and wine, praying
that the sweet smell of this sacrifice may be more
acceptable to God than the sinoke of victims offered
to him under the law. In the next place llie altar is
perfumed ; and lastly, the priest washes his fingers,
which among other things is done, in order to point
out that Pilate washed his hands, and then declared
our Lord to be innocent.
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
015
As soon as the priest has washed his hiiiids, he
makes a profound bow to the middle of tlie altar,
and addressing himself to the sacred and ever blessed
Trinity, makes a second oblation of the bread and
wine. He then turns to the people, and exhorts
them to pray to CJod, that the sacrifice which is go-
ing to be otVered, may be acceptable in his sight ; to
which tlie people bow conseivt, and then the priest
prays in a low tone of voice, only that at the end,
he says albud, per omnia sarii/a, that is, " for ever'
and ever;" after which he exhorts the people to lift
up their hearts, as the hour of consecration is at
Land. The words the priest is now to utter, are
believed to be the most awful that can- be spoken by
man. They are to- bringdown the Lord Ciod of
heaven ajid earth upon the altar ; and the people
answer, that they are in a proper disposition for the
solenmity. The priest then addresses himself to
Cod the Father in a short prayer, which is called
the preface, and is followed by the words, " holy,
lioly, holy is the Lord," sung by the people.
W hat follows the preface is called the canon,
which begins thus, Te igitai; &c. " We therefore
humbly beseech thee, O most merciful Father." The
priest after this, covers the host and chalice with his
hands, a custom observed formerly both by the Jew-
ish and heatheu priests, who always laid their hands
upon the victim before it was oft'ered up. The
priest makes the sign of the cross upon the host and
chalice, and pronounces the words whereby Christ
instituted and ordained the sacrament of the eucha-
rist.
After the priest has consecrated the chalice, by
pronouncing the words of our Saviour, " This is
the cup of my blood, &c." he lifts it up that the'
people may adore it, and, by their players, beg of
God, the good eflfccts of that sacrifice they are then
offering. He then raises his voice, and smiting his
breast, begs God's blessing on the congregation, and
on himself, through the mediation of such saints as
he mentions. He likewise implores the Divine
Majesty, to grant both him and them a place in his
'kingdom, as Jesus Christ did grant to the penitent
thief on tlie cross. Having repeated the Lord's
prayer, the priest says a private one, to procure the
favour of God, by the intercession of the blessed
Virgin and the saints, and when he has done, he
breaks the sacred host, and puts part of it into the
chalice. This being done, the priest and people
sing in concert, the Jgiim Dei, 8cc. three times over,
and each time the priest smites his breast, and then
says a private prayer for the peace of the church.
When that prayer is over, he kisses the altar and the
instrument of peace, which is presented to him by
the deacon. Ihe deacon receives it from him again,
and then it is sent round to all the congregation,
with these words said to each particular person, —
" Peace be with you."
While the peace is kissing, the priest prepares him-
self for the communion, by two sacred prayers ; and
then in a low voice he says, " I will eat of the ce-
lestial bread;" and smiting his breast, adds these
woVds, " I am not worthy that thou shouldst eiHer
my house. Sec." which are repeated three times. —
He then partakes of the wafer, and uncovering the
chalice, says, " What shall I give unto the Lord for
all the good things which he hath done unto me ? I
will take the cup of salvation, &c." He makes the
sign of the cross with the chalice, saying, " May the
blood of our Lord Jesus Christ keep my soul, &c."
When the priest has received the communion, he
administers it to the people; after which, they sing
an anthem. After this, the priest putting wine into
the chalice, in order to take what is called the ab-
lution, repeats a short prayer, in which he begs of
God, that this communion which to the outward
senses appears a temporal remedy, may prove to the
hearts of the faithful, the means to obtain a blessed
eternity. Afterwards he causes wine and water to
be poured out for the second ablution, and accom-
panies this action with another short prayer, and
then salutes the congregation.
The priest then sings the post communion, in
which he is accompanied by the people ; and in this
action he salutes the congregation, as an emblema-
tical representation of our Saviour's saluting his
mother and his disciples after his resurrection.
The congregation is then dismissed with these
words, Ila niissa est ; that is, " depart, the mass is
finished." To which the jieople answer, " God be
thanked." Lastly, the people receive the benedic-
tion from the priest who officiates, or from the bi-
shop if he is present, w hich is seldom the case, unless
it happens in a cathedral church. What is here
recited is the common form of mass in all popish
churches and chapels; or what may be properly
called the common pul)Iic divine service of the
church of Rome. But there are other masses, of
which we shall give an account in the most regular
order, and these are such as are only performed on
the most solemn occasion, as w ill appear hereafter.
Of Episcopal Mass, Solemn Mass, Sfc.
When there is to be a solemn mass, and a bishop
is to officiate, he is attended to the church by the
canons and all the other officers, who w ait upon him
in state and grandeur at his palace; but if the palace
hapjjens to be at a great distance from the church,
then the canons meet his Lordship in solemn proces-
sion, as soon as he comes within sight. VN hen he
216
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
comes near the clnirc!", the bells are set a ringing,
to give notice to the people of his coming, and the
moment he sets his foot within the church door,
the organ begins to play. The master of tiie cere-
monies gives the sprinkler to the chief canon, who
prtt=ients it to the bishop, and l.'is lordship sprinkles
himself, and then the canons with it, in the name of
the ever-blessed Trinity, and then goes and says a
prayer before the altar, on which stands a desk pre-
pared for receiving the holy sacrament. He does
the same at the high aitar, and then retires to the
vestry, in order to put on such robes as are used by
those of his rank, wlieu they say mass, and which
is done in the following manner:
The sub-deacon goes to a little closet contiguous
to the altar, and takes from thence the episcopal
sandals and stockings, which he elevates and presents
to the bishop. Then he kneels down, and pulls off
his lordship's shoes and stockings, who during this
part of the ceremony, is surrounded by seven or
eight church officers, all kneeling in the most hum-
ble posHire. The bishop then washes his hands, and
two assistant deacons put on his sacred robes. The
chief deacon having saluted the bishop, kisses the
crucifix, and puts it round the prelate's neck, sets
the mitre on his head, and presents him with the
pastoral rhig, and the sacred glove, each of which he
marks witli the sign of the cross, and kisses it.
The bishop being thus dressed in his robes, his
clergy range themselves about him in order, and two
deacons place themselves on each -side of liim, at-
tended by -un other deacon and a sub-deacon. Then
the incense-bearer appears with his censer, and the
bishop blesses the incense. After this the bishop
kisses the cross upon the liigh altar, and then walks
in procession to the altar where he is to celebrate
mass. The incense-bearer walks before him follow-
ed by a priest with the cross, who is attended by
two of the officers belonging to the church, carrying
lighted tapers in their hands, 'lliese are followed
by the whole body of the clergy, and the sub-deacon
who is to sing the epistle, carries before his breast
ihc book of the New Testament shut, in which is
the bishop's maniple. A deacon and priest march
before the bishop, and his lordship, as a token of hu-
mility, leans on two deacons' assistants, holding his
pastoral staff in his left hand, while his right hand
is a little elevated, in order to bestow his blessing
upon all such as desire it.
The bishop being now arrived at the altar, salutes
his clergy with a low bow, and delivers his shep-
herd's crook to the sub-deacon, while one of the
deacons tiikes off his mitre. Then the bishop, with
his clergy, makes a profound bow to the cross, after
which all the clergy, except the sub-deacon, the in-
«ense-bearer, two deacons' assistants and one assistant
priestj with the bishop, retire. The incense-bearer
having perfumed the altar, the bishop begins the mass,
and the choir sing the words as he repeats them. —
At the end of the confession, the sub-deacon takes
the maniple out of the book of the New Testament,
kisses it, and presents it to the bishop, who likewise
kisses- it, and puts it upon his left arm, while tiie
canons all join in repeating several prayers.
The incense-bearer delivers the censer to the sub-
deacon, who gives it to the bishop, and his lordsiiip
bestows, his spiritual benediction upon it. Thi;
assistant priest then perfumes the altar, gives it back
to the sub-deacon, takes tlie bishop's mitre from an-
other deaco:!, and goes to the epistle side of the altar,
where be is thrice perfumed by another deacon.
This part of the ceremony being over, the bishop
kisses ttie cross, and taking the crosier in his left
hand, walks towards his throne. There he lays aside
his mitre, and makhig the sign of the cross, from
the foreliead down to the breast, he reads the introit,
or entrance, out of the mass book, which the assist-
ant priest holds to him, while another priest holds a
wax taper in his hand to give light to his lordship.
Two deacons' assistants point with their fingers
where he is to read, then all sing the Ki/rie Eleiaon
together; after which, the bishop puts on his mitre,
and binds around him the gremial, which is a sort of
consecrated apron. Thus dressed, he sits down on
his throne, and two deacons' assistants sit on each
side of him, attended by a priest, who sits on a stool.
When the choir has finished die Ki/rie E/eison, the
bishop, with his attendants, stand up, and turning
towards the altar, gives out the hynm Gloria in
Eice/sis, ill an audible voice, which is again sung by
the choir.
Next follows a sort of procession, in which the
master of the ceremony walks first, and after him
the incense-bearer, atteiuied by several other officers,
such as light-bearers holding wax tapers. Next fol-
lows a deacon, with his hands folded as if he was
at his prayers, and the deacon comes next holding
the New Testament to his breast. Passing before
the altar, they kneel down and salute it, and v\hen
they are arrived at the place for reading the gospel,
the deacon, who then stands between the two taper-
bearers, turns to the right side of the altar, opens the
book and begins tl^e lesson out of the gospel. When
the deacon says, Domivus VohiscKiii, i. e. the Lord
be with you, the bishop rises and lays aside his mitre
and his gremial; and when he comes to these words.
" Here bcginneth the holy gospel," he makes the
sign of the cross, and to conclude, blesses himself
with another cross, after which the bishop takes up
his crosier, then makes the sign of the cross again,
and all his attendants follow his example. The gos-
pel being read, he who officiates, kisses the booTt.
incenses the bishop, and all of them retmn in tke
same order they came.
TTITES AND CERF.MOXIES IN THE CIIUKCn OF ROME.
•217
In tlie ne\t place the bisliop preaclios, or one of
liis canons, who is assi>itant, jHTtorins (hat service
for him, and after sermon, the deacon wlio sinvr (he
gospel, sfors (o the left hand of the bi.shop,'^and
leaning a little forward, repeats the prayer called the
L'oiijiteor, or confession. This confession bein^
over, t!ie assistant priest publishes the indnh'ences
and (he bisliop gives (he absoludon; bnt if tiiere is
no sermon they go on from (he sospel to the creed,
V hi( li is repeated and simp; in (he same manner as
the other parts of (he service. The oft'ertorv follows
the creed, and the bishop reads it standing With his
iiead tmcovered, when he has done he returns to his
seat and puts on his mitre, while one deacon takes
■off his p-astoral ring, and another his gloves, and a
layman of some eminence presents him with a bason
to wash his hands. The arch-deacon presents hirti
with a napkin, and then his lordsliij) goes up again
to the altar, suppor(ed by (he two assistant deacons.
The 8ul)-deacon attended by two of the church offi-
cers, |)uts on his shoulder the veil which covi red riie
.sacred vesst-ls, in such a manner, that it hangs a little
lower on (iie right side (han on the left, aiid then
with his left hand he takes the chalice in which are
tw'o hosts.
The right hand leans gently over the veil, the
largest side of which is made use of to cover the
chalice; and an officer follows the sub-deacon to the
altar, w i(h wine and water. The assistant priest,
\s-lio is the master of (he ceremonies, must take care
that (I.e bishop who officiates, shall follow cxacdy
the rubric of tlK; mass, .so that he may with some
propriety be called a prompter ; and some of the at-
tendants must stand on each side of the altar uith
lighted (apers, in honour of (he sacrament. When
the bishop eleva(es (he host, tla- assistant deacon on
his r.ght hand holds up the lap df his garment; and
he observes the same cx-reniony at the elevation of
the chalice, vvhilfe the attendants keep j}€rfumin<r ihe
altar. °
Tile last part of the cerrtn.jny'consist.-i In the assis-
taiit's jiriest placiiig himself at (life bishop's right han<f
while a deac(m stands at Iris left. The pries't kheels
while the bishop saysa sh'Art prajrer, and both rise
up anil kiss (he altar. 'Hit^ bishop gjvfcs tli-e' kiss of
peace to the priest, who turns his right cheek to re-
ceive it, after wliich- t|fe {»ri^s( goe^ rbunrf'v/CtH (he
ki«6 of peace to all th!e'm('rhberfe"of (hc'choi/. Such
are (he certMnfrtii^S observta wh'eh a bisfidp says
mass, which inde(,>^fSc!*om h'appeiis; fdrih the Ro-
man Catholic tountrie*, the prelates 'are' mm-^ irttent
m hunting after wdrWIy ' jyrefefiiieht, thafi' in promot-
ing (he spirittral iin«reM!s (/Pthtlse vv*o ar^'cbrntrtitled^
to' ikeir cnre.
i5
The solemn Moss, cckhraled hi/ the Pupe.
It is but seldom that the holy father of the Catho-
lie church celebrates mass, but when he condescends
to do so. It is ademled with many ceremonies ; bnt
there are diffi rent masses celebrated bv the popes •
anaccount ofwhich we shall endeavouV to lay be-
fore the reader; and first, of (ha( which is "more
common on particular festivals, and -enerallv pcr-
formed n, (he dia-nl belonging to his holiness "in the
\ aticaii.
The pope approaches the altar, dressed in his
pondhcal robes, wi(h a cardinal deacon to take off
Ills mide, and an auditor of the rota (o receive it.
On the right hand stands another cardinal deacon
who takes off his hat, and while the holv father ij"
at pra\er, the cardinal who savs mass approaches
and reads the confessic.ii. TheVardinal deacons oil'
the right and left of his holiness, extend the strings'
of his mitre. And both of them as thev lead the
pope to his (hrone, hold up part of his robe. Every
time his holiness lifts up his eves in a praying posture
the cardinal deacon on his left hand hohfs up part of
his robe; bnt when he lifts up his hands, then the
cardinal deacon on the right assists the other. The
pope (irst pays his respec(s to the crucifix, on the
altar, and then to the cardinal who is to ofliciale.
All the cardinals present being in their respective
places, they repeat a short prayer upon their knees,
and (hen rising tip, con(iiine standing till the whole
body of the peoi>le have assembled in the chapel and
his holiness is seated on his throne. The carilinals
salute the poj)e with a low bow, butth'c jleop/Ic kneel
III order to receive his benediction, which he never
tails to give them.
His holiness being thils seatifd on his thrbri^.the
cardinals rise up from their respective seats; aiid'go,
with their cowls trailing after them, to salute the
altar, which they' consider as' the' throne of Jesiis
Christ. In the next place they salute th6 pbf^e as
his vicar, and kiss his hand. In their retreat down
the steps of the altar, they salute the pope a second
time; and after that, alt the' princes afid foreign am-
bassadors who happen t6 be present. Havin" re-
turned to their seats, they ttand bare-lieaded,* till
their colleagues have g6n<? through the siime c'rt-e-
mony,; but while' the t'otrimdii atch'bishops do
the same, they ^ sit d<jwn oit'th^'ii'' seats, and are co-
vered.
These are srtme (rfthfe" ceffelwoni^s oTi'seWfed in the
church of Rome; but we shall no'w describe them
more particularly. After the' .^^nus iM' is snug,
his holiness goes' to tlfe tlfrhnc, afid the cardinal-
deacon of (he gospel stands in siic h a manner on the
epistle side of the altar, \Vith his hand; closet! toge-
3i
218
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
ther, that lie not only sees tlie sacrament, but the
pope also going to his throne. When the pope is
seated, the deacon takes the consecrated host upon
the pa-ten, covered with a veil ; and turning to the
people, elevates it three times successively : viz. in
the middle, and at each end of the altar. After that
he gives it to the sub-deacon, who carries it to his
holuiess. In the mean time, the same deacon takes
the chalice in which is the consecrated wine, and
having elevated it three times, as he did the host be-
fore, carries it to the pope, who adores Jesus Christ
in both kinds, as soon as tliey are presented to him ;
which he performs by rising up and bowing his
body. '
When the deacon and sub-deacon are come close
to him, they place themselves, one at his right
hand, and the other at his left. His holiness takes
the large host which is upon the paten, and com-
municates ; putting it into his mouth with his own
hand : he then gives two small ones to the deacon
and sub-deacon, who kneel and kiss his hands be-
fore they receive them. The deacon contiuues stili
to hold the chalice, till the assistant cardinal-bishop,
dressed in his robes, comes up to the pontifical
throne, where the pope's vestry keeper presents him
with a golden pipe, one end whereof he dips into tlie
chalice, and his holiness, at the same time, lays his
hand on the other. He then inclines his head a
little, in order to tj>uch it with his lips, sucks up
some part of the consecrated wine, leaving the rest
to the deacon, who carries the chalice to the altar,
and there sucks up some of the remaining wine,
leaving the rest to the sub-deacon, who drinks it
■without the pipe, as also that which is poured out
for the ablution of the chalice.
In the mean thne, the pope gives the kiss of peace
to all the cardinals, ambassadors, princes, and pre-
lates, and sometimes to private persons who are
desirous of receiving it from him ; after which he
returns to the altar, and finishes the usual solem-
nities. 0
There is another solemn mass observed at Rome
on Christmas day, when the pope officiates ; and of
this wc shall give the following description :
His holiness walks to the church, preceded by all
the cardinals, princes, and prelates, wearing white
mitres. The incense-bearer, with seven officers,
called acolytes, each with a wax taper in his hand,
walks before the cross-bearer; and a clerk of the
chamber before the incense-bearer, who holds a
sword lifted up, with a cap upon it^ which repre-
sents the irresistible power of the episcopal sword,
vhich Christ's vicar inhej-its froin the apostle St.
Paul, in order to set Christians free from the bon-
dage of the devil. The persons who compose the
remainder of the procession arc the same with those
who walk on all similar occasions; but should the
emperor happen to be at Rome at this time, he is
obliged to carry the train of the pope's mantle ; two
cardinals hold up the other end of it, and his holi-
ness walks in the most stately and majestic manner,
under a canopy supported by eight gentlemen of the
first rank ; nay, if the sons of kings w ere present at
this solemn procession, they could at. most but walk
wiih the first cardinal-priest: so tenacious is the
church of Rome of what she considers her privi-
leges.
^Vhen the pope goesi into the church, he passes
on to a chapel, where he changes his robes, and
then sits down. The cardinals bow to him, and
kiss the skirts of his robes on the right side ; then
come the other prelates in order, and kneeling be-
fore him, kiss his right knee, whilst the Latin and
Greek deacons, who assist his holiness, stand in
readiness at the altar : after some anthems are sung,
a vestry keeper puts on the arms of the Latin sub-
deacon a small napkin, containing the pope's stock-
ings and his sandals. The sub-deacon carries alto-
gether to the "pope, with his hands held up to his
eyes, and the acolytes follow and stand round the
pope, whilst the sub-deacon and a gentleman of the~
privy chamber, get under his holiness's robe, to put
on his stockings and his sandals.
While the sub-deacon is putting them on, the as-
sistant bishops who are present at the ceremony,-
hold before his holiness a book and a^ wax taper,
and the pope with his assistant deacons, sing an an-
them and a psalm in the most devout manner. It'
is remarkable, that whenever the pope says mass,
the assistant sub-deacons take off and put on his
mitrs at least a dozen times. A bishop kneels down
with the mass book spread open on his head, that
his holiness may read the offices for the day, aiid an
assistant supports the book with one hand, and holds
in the other a lighted taper ; when the pope is seated
again and presented with water to wash him, four
noblemen of the first rank wait upon this servant
of the servants of God, as he stiles himself; and
princes, kings, and even the emperor must submit td
this, if during the ceremony they should happen to
be at Rome. Whilst the ceremony is performing,
the people kneel, but the prelates stand up bare-
headed.
The pope having washed the deacon and 'sub-
deacon, is assisted by them in pulling off his robes
and putting on others, all which he devoutly kisses;
The pontifical ring is put on his finger, and his holi-
ness thus equipped, and followed by two auditors
• holding up his robes, proceeds to the first step of
' the altar, w here he repeats the confession. The
three youngest cardinals advance to kiss- the holy
father's mouth and breast, and while he receives
their compliments, the sub-deacon, who stands be-
hind him, puts his hands ou his shoulders to support
RTTES AND CERE:srONIE«; IX THE CTIURCII OF ROME.
819
liiiii ; all which ceremonies are considered by the
people, as essentially necessary to salvation ; so true
is the ancient Ka\ ing, " that men may be led to be-
lieve ,ir. thing, while the eyes of the understanding
are deceived."
. The gospel deacon perfumes the pope, and the
pope does the same to the altar, after w hich his ho-
liness "ivc the censer to the gosjjel-deacon, and
going tow ards the middle of the altar, receives the
kisses of the two gospel deacons and of the assistant
deacons. In the next place he reads the introit, or
entrance, w ith the Ki/iie e/cisn/i out of iho mass
book, which the assistant bishop holds on his head
instead of a desk. His holiness being sealed, they
lay the consecrated apron on his knees, and when
lie rises up they take it away. The Latin and Greek
sub-deacons sing the epistles in their respective lan-
guages, which being finished, the two sub-deacons,
with the master of the ceremonies, kiss the feet of
the holy father, who reads the epistle and gradual in
his turn. There is nothing particular in this till the
end of the creed, unles.s that seven acolytes, who
each carry a lighted taper, surround the holy father,
while he walks to read the gospel.
• After the creed his holiness washes his hands
again, and a vestry keeper brings out the chalice
with the paten, on which there is a small gold
spoon. The sub-deacon covers the whole with a
cloth of gold, and lays them on the altar on the
e})istle side, after they have been first well w iped.
Then the Latin deacon takes three hosts and lays
them in prpper order upon the paten, where they
wait for his holiness, whose mitre is put on, and
liis ring and gloves taken off, and he washes his
hands again after the oftertory. As soon as he has
done washing, his ring is given him again, he goes
lip to the altar, tlie Latin gospel-deacon takes off
his mitre, and two cardinal bishops, assistants to his
holiness, set the mass-book on the altar on the gos-
pel side. One of the assistant bishops informs the
jiope what he is to say, and with his finger points
Avhere he is to read. Of the three hosts which are
unconsecrated, the Latin gospeUdeacon takes one,
with which he touches the other two, and then
gives it to the vestry keeper to eat. He takes a se-
cond and touches the chalice and paten with it, and
then gives it to the same vestrj' keeper, who eats it
as he did the former, and also takes the wine and
■water which should be made use of for the mass.
The third host the pope takes and consecrates, and
this part of the ceremony being over, his holiness be-
stows his indulgences among the people; who re-
ceive them in the same sacred manner as if they had
come from heaven.
Tlie Masses for the Demi.
It has often been taken notice of, that of all the
sources of wealth to the Ilomj'ii church, none
comes up to, much less equals, lliat of matses for
the dead. It is natural for people of all ranks to
wish happiness to attend the souls of their departed
friends and relations ; and Roman catholics being
persuaded that their priests have a sovereign power
to release the souls of the deceased from piirgatorv,
we need not be surprised that the people, who are
kept in a state of ignorance l)y designing mc% should
lay down their most valuable treasures at their feet.
Every parish priest has his fees for saying masses
for the dead, and these fees are exacted according to
thecircumsiaiicps of the survivors, but as in substance
the words are the same, though in particular instan-
ces differing in some ceremonies ; we shall here con-
fine ourselves to an account of the most solemn,
namely, that whidi is performed by the bishop for
some extraordinary persons.
This being a ceremony of a melancholy nature,
all the decorations are removed from the altar, and
six yellow wax candles are left burning, with a
cross in the middle. Tw'o other wax tapers give
light to the Credence, a place where the creed is
concealed, and this is covered with a yellow table
cloth, without any other ornaments than what arc
absolutely necessary, such as a mass book, a holy
water pot, a sprinkler, and a black cloth for absolu-
tion. The acolytes spreail a l)lack cloth upon the
altar, and the bishop ofiiriates in black robes. As
soon as mass i» over, the bishop puts on a new set
of black robes, and all the books are covered with
black. The bishop has no crosier in his hand, no
sloves on, nor sandals to his feet. The sub-deacons
are not allowed to kiss each other, for kisses on all
such occasions are absolutely forbidden. They do
not cross themselves, nor is the altar |)erfunied, as
on other occasions. All these parts of the ceremo-
ny being over, the bishop orders the deacons to
grant a certain number of indulgences to those who
will pray for the dead; and this is considered as one
of the fundamental articles of religion in the Romish
church.
The sermon follows, and the pulpit is hung with
black, and if it be a particular mass for any private
familv remarkable for their qualities, virtues, and
honours, a Hattering panegyric is delivered, in which
the orator displays, as far as he is able, all ihe
powers of rhetoric ; and endeavours to add new
graces to tlie old worn-out encomiums, which in
the early ages of the world were the result of elo-
quence, and which flattery and dissimulation w ill
never sufler to grow out of fashion, much less to
die.
2^0
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME,
On such occasions, a temporary chapel is erected
in the middle, or conspicuous part of the church,
br near the monument of his ancestors. If the de-
ceased is a priest, his head is turned towards the al-
tar; but if a layman, his feet. The sermon being
over, they proceed to the absolution of the deceased,
which is done in the following manner: part of the
gospel of St. John being read, the person who
otTiciates, Vvith the deacon and sub-deacon, return
to the middle of the akar, from whence, after a pro-
found bow, they go to the epistle side. When the
sub-deacon comes to the bottom of the steps, he
takes up the cross, and he and the deacon go toge-
ther to the temporary chapel, where the corps of
the deceased lie. The iucease-bcarer, and he who
carries the holy water, walk, first: the sub-deaeou
follow,?, between the two torch-bearers, with the
cross ; and after them come the choir, with yellow
tapers in their hands. The person who officiates,
wiih the derxon on his left hand, walks kst, and
«o one except hunself is covered, unless they go out
of the church, aad then they are all covered. Being
arrived, at the temporary chapel, the persons bearing
the incense ami holy water, place themselves at the
end of the coffiir fronting the altar, but somewhat to
the left side, and behind the person who officiates,
who has the deacon on his right ir.ind,
The tiub-deacon who carries the cross, stands at
-the other end towards the gospel side, and when
fthey are all placed, the person who officiates un-
covers himself, and taking the ritual out of tlie dea-
con's hands, begins the abs(jlution of the deceased
by a prayer, the first words of whicli are, " Enter
not into judgment, &c." After this he walks round
the coffin, sprinkling it wkh holy water, perfuming
it oil both sides, and making a great number of
profound -bows. When he has performed the great
work of absolution, he says the Lord's prayer, and
thereupon turns to the cross, and repeats several
other prayers out of the ritual. Lastly, he makes
.the sign of the cross on the coffin, and repeats the
words, " Let him rest in peace." The whoJe being
over, the person officiating, with his attendants,
return in the same manner they came.
W hen a bishop dies, the ceremonies observed in
eayiug mass for the repose of his soul are more
pompous thai! what we have already mentioned.
"The body is brought into the temporary chapel, in
the same manner as already described, and four
bishops place themselves., at the four sides. Tlie
youngest goes to the right of the deceased's feet,
llie second to the left, towaids his head, the third
>to the left of his feet, and the foBrth to the right of
"his head. The person who is to officiate, sits in a
chair, having two persons behind him, holding the
incense and holy water. The deceased thus snr-
joundcd by live bishops, is no longer e.xjiosed to tlie
malice of the devil, who, in his happy situatioK
dares not attack him. The bishop who celebralesy
gives the aI>solution ; after which the first of the
four bishops placed at the corner.s, sprinkles and
perfumes the coffin on each side thiee times. The
requiem, or may be, rest in peace, is then surig,
after which the second bishop walks round and
sprinkles in his turn, repeutiiig a few prayers, and
he is followed by the others in the same manner.
It sometimes happens that there are sums of
money left to chnrclves for the prieJ-ts to repeat thenri
ceremonies annually, and on such occasions they
have, insteail of the real body of the deceased', onijr
the figure of one. Nay, it frequently happens,
especiidly where families are much attached to de-
votion, that suraS' of money are left to diffopeiit
churclies foi' the above purpose of saying masit for
the repose of the dead. But wheirthe relations' of
the deceased are not able to pay for all these honou*.sv
then the acolytes, or church officers, spread a black!
clolii before the middle of the altar, and tlie priest
widi his assistants, carrying the incense and tlie holjp
water, turns towards the oloth,, and sprinkles and
perfumes it three times.
When the pope, or any of the cardinals assist at
masses for the dead at Kome, they are all dressed in'
purple ; one of the cardinals sings mass, and ther
pope sings the prayers for the repose of the dead. —
The first cardinal-priest gives the sprhikling brush
and incense to the holy fat'hei'; but none of the car--
dinals pay him any homage at this ceremony. The'
whole being over, the cardinals attend the pope*
home, and then retire to their own hoilses. These
ceremonies, however, in which the pope and cardi-
nals are concerned, are only used for persons of the
the highest rank, such as the cardinals themselves,
princes, and other great men.
Of the devotihn paid td theCtdss.
Soon after the death of St. JohTi, the last of' the
apostles, the primitive Christians began to take some
notice of the cross, for ihey signed' every person af
baptism with it, and they prayer with their arms
folded like a* crossL These ceremonies, however^
seem not to have been carried^ any farther, till Ut-
wards the middle of the fourth centut'y, whenclirisi
tianity received the sanction' of' the ci>il'[*owx;r, attd
its priests were loadeduvitii honours. During the-
reign of the emperor' Coiistantine t]\e- ilrfAt; his'
mother Helena, a wonran, suipposetl to have liieen'a'
courtezan, and much addictetl'to superstition, w*n-'»'
on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where, accordinj*'
to several ecclesiastical writers, she found t!ie real
cross upon which our Saviour suffered. Her son, ■
the emperor, ordered the figure of the cross to be
•w^
^-^
IIITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH 01" ROME.
2«1
stamprd on his roins, displayed on liis standards,
and painted on liis sliulds, litlmets, and cn^wn, bnt
it does not appear that it was set up in churches till
aonif years alter.
The great universal council held at Constantino-
ple towards llie close of the seventh century decreed,
that .Jesus Christ should he i)ainted in a human ibrm
upon tlic cross, iu order to represent, in tiie most
lively inauner, to all Christians, the sufferings and
deatli of Christ. Before tliis decree of the council
of CoustaiJtinople, Christ was represented under the
iorm of a lamb at the foot of the cross, and the llul\
Ghost in the form of a dove. Sometimes a crown
Mas set over tiie cross, to point out to tiie faithful,
tliat a crowu of everlasting glory will be their re-
ward for tlieij- sufferings for the cros.^. A stag
sometimes jvas painted at tlje foot of the cross, be-
cause that creature has an enmity to serpents ; and
this was done to represent Christ, who is tlie enemy
of the tlevii, the .serpent who deceived Eve.
W s are told that when Helena, or St. Helena, as
she is called, found the real cross, it was quite entire,
and the inscription fresh upon it, which Pilate set
up, viz. "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." —
We are no where told what became of this original
cross, bnt it appears evident, tliat there have been
many pieces of crosses found .since that time, all pre-
tended to be equally genuine with that discovered by
St. Helena.
In the year <)90, pope Sergius pretended that he
had found a large piece of the cross, which is still
presened at Rome as a most precious relic ; and in
1492, the genuine inscription was found in a church
that was repairing in the same city, where it had
been concealed many years on account of the trou-
bles of the times. Upon this occasion pope Alex-
ander VI. issued a bull, promising a yearly pardon
of all sins to those devout Christians, who .should
rCvcry year, on the last Sunday in January, visit this
church, where the inscription had been discovered.
A large part of the same inscription upon the cross
is to be seen at Thoulousc, in the convent of the
Benedictine Monks, and when exposed to public
view, it is steeped in water, and the water being
given to the sick, cures them of many disorders.
But if these supposed or pretended pieces of the
cross have been so much multiplied, so have many
■other things pertaining to it, particularly the nails,
which althougii only four in number according to
the Roman manner of crucifixion, yet, if we may
believe the monks, they are now to be found in
almost every monastery. The imposition is too
.glaring and too barefaced to be swallowed down by
any man of common understanding, which induced
the late pope Ganganelli to siiy ; that if all the relics
of the saints to be met with in the convents were
geuuiiTC, then they must have been monsters indeed.
15 . 3
It is the same with the cross and the nails whirh
fastened our Saviour to it, for, were ihcy all genunie,
he must have been crucified above a hundred limes,
and at each time above a hundred nails struck through
his body, all which are contrary to the methods used
by the Romans, and inconsistent with what we have
related in sacred scripture, and in ecclesiastical his-
torv.
That there should remain no manner of uncertain-
ty concerning the cross that was found by Helena,
being that on which our Saviour sutl'ered, we are told
that two others were found along with it. The.se, say
tlie ecclesiastical writers, where the crosses on x\hich
the thieves suffered who were crucitied along vmiIi
Christ. At first it was difficult to distinguish our Sa-
vioui's cro.ss from either of the others; but after
some consideration, this matter was cleared up in the
following manner:
St. Macarius, a bishop who attended Helena iu
her journev, desired all the people to join w idi him
in prayer to God, that he would direct them winch
was the true cross ; they did so, and their prayers
were heard. A woman seemingly at the point of
death, was brought to the crosses of the two thieves,
both which she touched but without any etlect.
After this, she was brought to our Saviour's, and no
sooner had she touched it, than Ik r disorder was re-
moved. This miracle removed all manner of doubt,
concerning the validity of the cross, and it was
brought in triumph to Jerusalem. In memory of
this remarkable event, a solemn festival was institut-
ed by pope Gregory the Great, in the sixth century
and it is observed throughout all Roman Catholic
countries on the third day of May.
There is another festival observed in honour of
the cross, on the fourteenth day of September, occa-
sioned by the following event: In the reign of
Heraclitus, the Greek emperor, Cosroes, king of
Persia, plundered .lerusalem, and took away that
part of tiie cross, which Helena had left there, and
sent it under a stroni: guard to his own country, it
being considered by hnn and his soldiers, as the God
of the Christians. After several battles, iu ail which
the Persians were defeated, Heraclitus had the good
fortune to recover the cross, and carried it to Jerusa-
lem. This pious prince laid aside his imperial robes,
in order to humble hini.self before it : and after he
had taken them off, he laid the cross upon his shoul-
ders, that he might carry it in the greater splendour
and solemnity to Mount Calvary, from whence it
had been taken. Many miracles were said to have
been w rought on this memorable occasion, and the
festival in memory of it, is called the Exaltation of
the Cross. Paris boasts to have u piece of the
cross, which thsy sliew to strangers, and they keep
a festival in memory of it ou the lirst Sunday m
August.
£22
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
In making tlie sign of the cross, the priest is to
lay his left hand stretched open upon his breast, and
to take care that it touch no part upon which the
sign of the cross is to be made ; and he is likewise to
keep the fingers of that hand close together. The
fingers of the right hand, which are appropriated for
making the sign, must be disposed in the same man-
ner as those of the left. He must stand with his
head erect and his hands straight, the fingers not
being so much as bent. The sign must begin at the
forehead, and so descend upon the breast, from
■whence he is to proceed from the left shoulder to the
right.
They have crosses of all sizes in the church of
Rome, and they are consecrated in the following
manner: The bishop of the diocese dresses himself
in his robes and mitre, with his crosier in his hand,
and surrounded by his clergy, he presents himself
before the cross, and delivers a discourse or sermon
upon the excellency of it, there being three tapers
burning at the foot of it, and then he takes oft" his
mitre and repeats a prayer.
The Litanies are next sung, and after them there
is an anthem, which being over, the bisliop sprinkles
the cross with holy water, and perfumes it with
frankincense. If the cross is not above his reach,
he sets lighted candles upon each arm of it; but if
it is beyond his reach, then a ladder is brought him
to mount on. The whole of this ceremony con-
cludes with an exhortation to the people, and several
psalms and prayers.
Besides such crosses as we have already mentioned,
there are some of a more celebrated nature, and to
■which greater honours are paid. At Loretto in
Italy, where the Roman Catholics believe there is a
r.ottage in which the Virgin Mary died, there is a
famous crucifix, celebrated for working a vast variety
of miracles, and is said to have been used by the
Virgin herself, because the angels brought it along
with the cottage from the Holy Land to Dalniatia,
and from thence to Italy. In a nunnery at Ghent, in
Flanders there is a crucifix, with its mouth always
open, the reason of which is this : One day during
the carnival, a nun being hindered from joining with
the rest in an entertainment, made her complaint to
the crucifix, which spoke to her, and told her not
to be displeased, for she would be married to it.
The nun died the next day, and ever since, the
mouth of the image on the crucifix has continued
open. There is at Trent, a crucifix, with which when
the council was sitting there, approved of all their
acls with an audible voice ; and this is believed as real
matter of fact, by the Roman Catholics.
There is in Bavaria, a remarkable crucifix, of
■«'hich the following story is related by the, priests,
and believed by the people. One day a stag being
hunted, happened to set his foot on a crucifix ; which
had such an effect on him, that he stood still and
would not move, nor had the dogs any power to
touch him. In memory of this, a convent was built
at the village of Pallingen, which drew a vast num-
ber of people to the place; so that the emperor
Charles the Great, in whose reign this happened,
granted the village the privilege of holding a fair. —
This gave great offence to the inhabitants of a vil-
lage called Weilhaum, who made interest with the
emperor to get the fair removed; but the crucifix
was so much offended with what had been done,
that it set fire to, and consumed to ashes, the little
town of Weilhaum.
Tliere is at Cologne, a crucifix with a peruke on
the head of the image, which they say is of great
antiquity, which seems rather improbable, because
perukes are of a modern invention. But what is
remarkable in this crucifix is, that although the de-
votees who visit the place never go away without a
few of the hairs, yet they are never diminished.
It is needless to say any thing more, concerning
the amazing numbers of crucifixes used by the Ro-
man Catholics, whether in churches, on the high-
ways, in the market places, in private liouses, and
indeed in almost every place. All power and virtue
are believed to rest in them ; for the Roman Catholics
tell us, that some of them have shed tears, others
sweated blood ; while some have discovered sacrilege
and struck the malefactor either dead, lame, or blind.
Some have restored the dead to life, and others
health to the diseased; and all have distinguished
themselves for something of a miraculous nature.
The Roman Catholics must not be without crucifixes
in their houses, and Mr. Keysler, in his travels over
the Alps, tells us, that if a peson should be found
dead, which often happens, on account of the vast
number of precipices, they search his pockets, and if
he has neither a crucifix, nor beads, he is denied
Christian burial ; the people taking it for granted
that he is a heretic.
Of some other remarkable Ceremonies in the
Church of Rome.
By the decrees of the council of Trent, no images
are to be set up in churches, till they are first conse-
crated by the bishop of the diocese ; and the cere-
mony is much the same as that used at the benedic-
tion of a cross or crucifix. While the prayer is
repeating by the bishop, he mentions the name of
the saint whom the image represents, and after that
the holy water is sprinkled over the image ; but if it
is an image of the Virgin Mary, it is sprinkled and
perfumed three different times, and several psalms
and anthems are sung, the whole ceremony being
concluded, by the bishop's making the sign of the
RITES AND CETIEMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
€55
cross tlir^e times, in honour of the three persons in
the holy ;iu'l ever blessed Trinity. It is ctrtaiii that
the KoiTiiiii C'oiholics bejieve these images cajjable of
working niii- •.. les, for there is scarce or.e to be met
M'ith to which the honour of this supernatural power
has not been ascribed. These things are not ima-
gined by us, for we rcyd of them in all the printed
lives of those saints, who are adored in the church
of Rome.
'I'here is at Naples an ima<:;e of Jesus Christ,
which an impious wretch stabbed, and so sensible
was it of pain, that it put its hand to the wound.
Tiic image of St. Catherine, at Sienna, has also dri-
ven away devil;^, and wrought many other extraordi-
nary miracles. The ima;^e of the blessed Virgin at
-Lucca, being once treated in a rude and indecent
manner by a soldier, who threw stones at her, and
had almost broken the head of the young Jesus
which she held in her arms ; she set the child on her
other side, and he has ever since been so pleased with
his situation, that he will not consent to change it ;
although many devotees have oflered to restore him
again to the embraces of his mother.
Another object of great devotion in the church of
Rome, is the holy shroud in which Joseph of Arima-
tliea wrapped Christ's body when he laid it in the
tomb; but cither fortunately or unfortunately, it hap-
pens that there are more than one of these shrouds,
and all adored in the same manner. The two most
celebrated of these shrouds are one at Bezancon, and
one at Turin. With respect to the first, we have
the following account in writings of the most cele-
brated Roman Catholic authors :
Ou the festival of Easter, during matins, or
morning prayers, three canons walk, out of the
chapel, where- the shroud is deposited, and sing as
they go towards the high altar, " Who is he that
shall remove the stone from the sepulchre." At the
same time, several boys dressed in the form of an-
gels, meet them, and ask, whom seek ye t" to which
they answer, " Jesus of Nazareth ':" whereupon the
boys reply, "he is not here." Then the chanter ad-
dresses himself in the following words to the first of
the three canons ; " Tell us, O iVIary ! what thou
hast seen in the w ay." " I have seen, (says the canon)
the sepulchre of Christ who liveth, and the glory of
him who is raised from the dead." The second
adds, " I have seen the angejs who are witnesses of
the resurrection, I have seen jhe holy shroud :" and
at the same time shews it, along with the other
clothes in which the body of Jesus was wrapped.
The third canon says, "Jesus Christ, our hope, is
risen !' The choir confess the truth of our Saviour's
resurrection by singing, " It is much better to be-
lieve the testimony of Mary, than the impostures of
the Jews; we know that Christ is risen from the
dead." This act of devotiou is finished by the Te
Deiim, which is sung by the choir and the people
in the most solemn manner. This sacred shroud of
Bezancon is famous for the many miracles it has
w rought, for we are told that it has often restored
the dead to life, it has given sight to the blind, and
cured the most inveterate, and dangerous distem-
pers.
■Nor is the shroud at Turin less famous than the
other. It was brought from Jerusalem about the
time of the crusades, because it did not chuse to
remain among Mahometans. It afterwards changed
its situation several times, till al last it fixed on a
chapel in the cathedral of Tuiiii, which is now called
the chapel of the holy shroud. There it has wrought
many miracles, such as restoring the dead to life,
curhig the lame and the blind, casting out devils,
and such is its immaculate virlue. that although it
is every day touched by pilgrims and devotees, yet
it is never soiled, nor is there any necessity for wash-
ing it. But notwithstanding all the virtues ascribed
to these shrouds, yet there are many more, nor is
there a country where the Roman Catholic religion
is professed, but some of them are to be found. In
what manner they could multiply into such num-
bers, must be left to the reader's own judgment, for
we do not consider ourselves obliged to- account for
it.
As the church of Rome is the most attached to
ceremonies of any in the known world, that bears
the name of Christians, so we find that every thing
used in religious service is consecrated. The robes
w orn by the priests, the cloth which covers the altar,
the altar itself, the church, the church-yard, and in-
deed every thing must be consecrated and blessed
before they can be made any use of. This opens a
large field for clerical privileges, emoluments and
honours ;,and^it impresses upon the minds of the
people that there is something more than human in
the character of that man who can change tlie nature
of inanimate beings.
The next ceremony to be attended to, is the ho-
mily or sermon, which follows after the gospel, and
consists of exhortations to the people, to continue
stedfast in the faith, by avoiding heresies, and to per-
form such duties as are incumbent on them to their
fellow creatures. When the gospel is read, the priest
who is to preach, goes to the bottom of the steps by
the epistle side, and comes to the altar ; he thea
takes olf his robes and puts on his cap, and kneels
down on the last step of the altar, where he rejeals
a prayer, begging of God that he will be pleased to
give his blessing to what he is about to perform.
Before he begins the sermon, he bows to the crucifix,
and makes the figure of the cross upon himself.
Then he makes a low bow to the people, and at
every time he repeats the names of Jesus or Mary,
he takes olf his cap. If the bishop is present, the
224
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
preacher is always uncovered, and after sermon he |
exposes the crucili\ to the view of tlie people, It
is remarkable, that all tlie Roman Catholics preach
■witiiout notes, and they put on a great appearance
of fervency in delivering their discourses ; which sel-
dom fails to make an impression on the minds of tiie
hearers. As many of their sermons are preached in
honour of their saints, so the accounts of the mira-
cles wrought by those persons are sure to furnish
them with abundance of matter. Their attitudes
and gestures often border on ridicule ; but custom,
long sanctioned by a continual repetition, draws a
veil over every tiling. In a word, the sermons de-
livered by the Roman Catholic priests, are in all
respects suited to the nature of their devotions, and
those who consider the one as a duty, must reap
some benelit at last from the other ; for in all cases
there must be a strong connection between both,
otherwise the form of religion would be lost.
It is a rule laid down in the canons of the church
of Rome, that all the altars should be made of stone,
the intention being to represent Christ, who is tiie
foundation stone of the spiritual building, which is
the church of the faithful. The table of it must
be of one single stone, and the body must either be
supported by pillars, or tilled up with mason's work.
There should be at least three steps to go up to it,
cither of stone or brick, and covered with a carpet,
and the clerk is to take care that a line linen cloth
be spread upon the altar. All this must be observed
svitli the greatest exactness in respect to the high
altar, where the body of Christ is generally deposited,
and two clerks must adorn and take care of it, nor
are they, on any account, to approach it without
surplices on.
As soon as they approach it, they are to kneel
down, adore the holy sacrament, and repeat some
ejaculatory prayers; and, in particular, these rules
nmst be observed as often as the ornaments of the
altars arc changed. When they change the orna-
ments, which is frequently done, the clerks are
careful to sweep up the dust before they put on the
ornaments for the day ; and the cloth that covers the
table must be sp adjusted as to form the shape of a
cross, by two corners hanging down to the ground,
and the other two not above half way. The whole
must be blessed and crossed, and sprinkled with-jioly
water ; and the same formalities are to be observed
with respect to the tabernacle of the altar, and the
box wherein the host is laid. Altars are likewise
adorned with artificial or natural Howers, according
to the .season of the year, and the dust must be swept
oti" from the altar, once every day. The tabernacle
of the holy sacrament is fixed upon the altar, and is
adorned with silver, gold, and all sorts of precious
stones, having on each side tapers of tine white was,
which being kept constantly burning, scrvp greatly
towards illuminating the wliolt;.
The clerk, who attends the priest at mass, has a
little bell, which he tinkles when the host is elevated,
and this he does nine times, thrice when the priest
kneels down, thrice v.hen he holds up the host, an4
thrice when he sets it on the altar: the same forma-
lities must be used with respect to the chalice. Be-
fore every altar there rnusl be a ballustrade either of
wood, marble, or iron, to keep the people from going
too far; and on each side there must be a taper
burning in a silver candlestick, if the parish is rich
enough to purchase one. They have likewise small
portable altars, which they remove from place to
place, and in those are always deposited the relics
of martyrs. With respect to the furniture of tiieir
altars, it consists of a vast variety of utensils ; for it
is a maxim with them, that every ceremony is aH
act of worship. No layman is permitted to handle
the sacred vessels, it is the privilege of the priests
alone to handle them ; this custom they have bor-
rowed either from the .lews or the heat'nens, or from
both. The chalices must be made either of gold or
silver; and before they can be used, must be conse-
crated by the bishop. The paten, in which the sa-
cred host is contained, must be made of the same
metal as the chalice, and is generally about six or
eight inches diameter.
The Pyx must be made of gold, or silver gilt
within ; and when tlie sacrament is consecrated, by
mixing wine with the host, it is put into it ; and it
must be taken out once a week, lest it should be-
come mouldy. A veil, in form of a tent, made of
rich white stuff, must cover this precious repository
of wafers, lliere must be a box of silver, gilt with-
in, to carry the communion to the sick when it is
to go any considt'rable way: and it must be put into
a silk purse, and hung about the neck in such places
as are difficult of access.
There must be another box for the larger wafers,
which are round; and this may be made of silver,
tin, or pasteboard, lined with while taffety within,
and adorned with rich silk without. A rcuind leu-
den plate must be put into the box, that the wafers
may be ready ; and those wafers must be kept in si
place neither too moist nor too dry. A plate of silver
in the form of the sun, is lixed opposite to the sacra-
ment, on the altar; which, with the light of the ta-
pers, makes a most brilliant appearanive.
The incense which is made use of in the church
must be of an odoriferous smell, and broken a little,
before it is put into tlie censei', but not reduced to
powder.
The holy "water pot ought to be made of silver,
pewter, or tin ; and the spriukler, either of the same,
or wood, with hogs' bristles, or wolves' hair twist«4
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
225
lomid it; and at the end there must be a hoihjw
knob witli Ijoles, in which a small sponp;c must be
enclosed. There niiist be two vessels of pewter or
earthenware, to hold water for the clerks to wash
the chalice, and other things, belonging to the al-
tar.
Hie cloth which covers the altar must be of fine
Mliite linen, not too thin, nor stitched, and should be
without lace, but if there is any lace, it must be very
narrow, and within two fingers breadth of the edge
that comes forward. In that part where the priest
most commonly kisses the altar, there must be a
small cross wrought on the linen, with white silk or
thread.
The Pales, another utensil used at the altar, must
be made of llie same linen as that already mentioned,
and each must be blessed and consecrated, nor can
any person below the degree of a sub-deacon be
permitted to touch them. These are used to repre-
sent the grave clothes in which our Lord was wrap-
ped when laid i« the sepulchre. They are believed
to have many virtues in them, and they serve to
point out a vast number of mysteries, which the
Roman Catholics say, protestants have not faith to
comprehend.
These linen ciotlis are commonly called the cor-
poreals, and a bag is made of the same materials to
hold them, with several crosses sewed upon it. —
These bags and j)urses are fastened by a button and
loop, and on one of the outsides there is a cross em-
broitlered, of about three quarters of a span in
length. The veil of the chalice is made of silk, of
the san>e colour as the rest of the decorations; and
is about three spans square, but there are no crosses,
nor anv figures whatever upon it. In large churches
where the solemn mass is performed, the |)i iest nuist
have veils of ten spans long, and striped w illi silk of
four colours, viz. white, green, red, and purple,
to hold the paten up with; but«black veils are never
made use of, not even at masses for the dead, nor
on Good Friday. There must be veils or covers for
tlie crosses in passion week, and these are made of
camblet, or stuff of a purple colour ; but w ithout
any figure, image, or cross upon them.
In every church there ought to be a flag or stan-
dard, about nine or ten spans long and six broad,
of a colour suitable to the patron, and in the middle
of it the figure of the patron should be represented
in embroidery. This standard is by the canons or-
dered to be of a satin damask, tafteta, or camblet
lined with linen, with a border and a fringe round
it, antl the pole must be about live feet long. With
respect to the mass book, it is so well know n, that
we need not say much concerning it, only that so
lale as the tenth century, almost every church had
its mass book or liturgy, and all these in some things
ditiiered from each other. At present there are
15 3
some difference between the liturgy u.scd by the
I'rench church and that at iiome. The Roman Ca-
tholics are fully persuaded that the mass book wa«
written by St. Peter and given to his successor St.
Clement; but we shall leave the reader to judge
how this can be reconciled with church history,
which gives no account of mass books till the sixth
century.
Refore a church can be erected, the bishop's con-
sent must first be had and obtained, and it belongs
to him to tix the place, the extent of it, the revenues
and ministers belonging to it, the funds for lights
and decorations, with all such other things as aro
necessary. He must likewise fix the cross on the
ground of the new intended church, and lay the first
stone of it, or at least if he does it not in person,
then he must appoint another to act undtT him. A
wooden cross must be set where the altar is to stand,
the day before the stone is to be laid, and likewif^e
on the day following. A square stone is to be made
choice of, which is to be the foundation stone of
the sacred fabric, and if it happens to be at Rome,
and the pope is inclined to perform the ceremony,
he must have his rochet on, and other robes suitable
to the solemnity of the occasion ; but an inferior
bisho]) [lerforms it in his ordinary robes, holding the
pastoral staff in his hand.
Thus dressed, he must go to the ground intended
for the new church, and there bless tlie salt and w .i-
ter, by repeating several prayers ; that for the suit is
the follow ing : " May it be exorcised by the living
Clod, and being so exorcised for the salvation of
those who believe, may it preserve health of body
and mind to all such as shall partake of it, and may
it have sufficient inriuence to destroy the malice of
satan." After this, he blesses the water in the san.e
manner, and then puts the salt into the water in the
form of a cross, repeating several prayers suitable to
the occasion. An anthem is then sung, with tlie
eighty-third psalm, in which all that are present
join ; and during tliis part of the ceremony, the bi-
shop, or the person officiating for him, sprinkles
the ground with the salt and water. The psalm and
anthem being ended, he turns himself towards the
place which he has been sprinkling with holy water,
and addresses himself to Gt'd in a prayer, tiro' the
mediation of that particular saint to whom the new
church is to be dedicated and consecrated.
He then takes oft" his mitre and blesses the
foundation stone of the altar, repeating several
prayers, and sprinkles it with the holy water. The
sprinkling being performed, he makes several times
the sign of the cross, in the name of the Father, the
Son, and the Holy (Jhost, and it is done by marking
the stone with a knife or chisel. A litany is theu
sung, after which the bishop rises up from kneeling
on a carpet spread for him ou the ground, and turiu
I.
226
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
iag towards the stoTie, repeats some more prayers.
Another antlieni is sung, and llien the hundred and
Irteiitv-fourth psahii ; and to couckide, while the
niasiiii is lixing the stone, the bishop touches it with
his hand, and says, " tliou shalt cleanse me with
liys<>p."
Th.is Is the form observed in the dedication of an
altar, but wlien the church is finished, there nnist
he another dedication of the whole fabric, before
divine service can be performed in it. A Sunday,
or holiday, if possible, must be made choice of for
that purpose, and the arch-deacon is to give notice
of it to the people, that they may fast the eve .be-
fore. In the mean time the clergy prepare the relics
which are to be deposited under the altar of the
new church, and they are put into a neat decent
vessel, together with three grains of incense ; to this
are added a small slip of parchment, the year, the
month, and the day on which the church was con-
secrated, with the bishop's name who performs tlie
ceremony, and the name of the saint to whom it is
dedicated. The vase in which the relics are depo-
sited, nuist be sealed up and put in a very clean
place, and two tapers must be kept burning before
it. Before the dedication begins, three crosses of a
considerable iieis;,ht must be painted on each of the
walls of the church, and over each of tl>em must
stand a wax caudle of an ounce weight. The care
of this is left to the clerk or sacrist, who is obliged
to have e\ cry ihiiig properly prepared for the recep-
tion.of the bishop who is to perform the ceremony.
On the morning of the day ap])<)inted for the cere-
mony, the bishop appears in his pontifical robes,
and orders twelve candles to be lighted. He then
goes out of the church, and orders every one ))resent
to do the same, except one deacon, who is left be-
hind, locked up and dressed in his robes. 'J'he bi-
sliop, with his attendants, goes to the place where
the relics were put the day before, and begins the
seven penitential psalms v\ ith a low voice, and an
a4ithcm., without litanies, and during the time they
are repeating, he takes off his robes, and puts on
others.
The remainder of the clergy present at the cere-
mony, are dressed in their robes, and after they
have siMg the psalm, the bishop, whh his atteud-
uuts, goes to the church door, where he pulls off
his mitre, and begins an anthem, which is succeed-
ed by a prayer. He then leans upon a chair placed
there on a carpet for that purpose, whilst the litanies
are singing. He blesses the holy water, and first
sprinkles himself, after which he does the same to
all present. He then puts on his mitre again, and
walks round the church, attended by the snb-dea-
COQ carrying the cross, and the clerk with the holy
water. As he goes along, he sprinkles the walls of
the church in the name of the blessed Trinity, and
as he walks, his robe is held up by two train-bearer*
behind, while the clerk curries the holy water at
such a proper distance, that the bishop may be able
to dip the sprinkler hito it.
Being returned to the place from whence they sot
out, and another anthem and psalm sung, the bishop,
while present, repeats several prayers. These cere-
monies are so numerous, that every person \vh»
joins in them must hold a ritual in his hand. Ano-
ther prayer being repeated, the bishop strikes the
door of the church with his pastoral staff, repeating
aloud, " Open the gates, that the King of glory may
come in." The deacon who remained locked uj>
within, asks who this King of Glory is, to whj<:]»
the bishop answers, "That it is the Lord God Al-
mighty, the God of Hosts," Then all the people
cry out, " Open the doors," while the bishop re-
peats a prayer in Latin, to frighten away the devil.
At length the door being opened, the bishop en-
ters, attended by his ministers only; for the people
are not yet permitted to enter, exce])t two or three
masons, who are to close the sepulchre where they
relics are deposited, and cement the altar table with
inortar. 'J1ie bishop as he goes in says, " Peace be
in this house." To which the deacon answers,
" When thou shalt enter into it." AV hilst some
words applicable to this wish are singing, the bishop
advances to the middle of the church, where he
kneels down, and begins the f^eiii Creator Spiri-
fiis, with his head uncovered, and his face towards
the high altar. Then one of the sub-deacons takes
lime ashes, and scatters them on the pavement, in
the form of a cross; pronouncing twice the name
of the saint to whom the church is dedicated. The
same honours are shewn to the saints whose relics
are deposited in the church ; because it is believed
that many miracles will be wrought by them. —
While this is dohig, the peoole call out, " We be-
seech the to hear us," And along with the name of
of God, they join that of the titular saint, making
several times the sign of the cross. The bishop
makes the sign of the cross three times upon the al-
tar, after which he repeats some prayers, and an an-
them is sung, with the song of Zachariah. Duiing
this part of the ceremony the bishop puts on his mi-
tre, and with his crosier draw s upon the ashes a dou-
ble alphabet in capitals.
The next thing to be attended to, is the second
dedication of the altar, which is done on the same
day with that of the church. As soon as the bishop
has made the double alphabet with his crosier, he
takes oft" his mitre, and turning to the high altar,
repeats an anthem, which is sung by the choir.
This is done three times, and each time they raise
their voices a note higher, while the bishop blesses
the salt and water, with the ashes and w ine. When
he blesses the ashes, he j)rays that God would send
RITES AND CEREMONIES L\ THE CHURCH OF ROME.
2'2T
his angfcl to consecrate them, tliat they iiiay become
a wholesome remedy to all siicli as shall call uixm
the sacred name of God, and confess theii\nKuiifold
silts and tian>i;ressions ; and that they who, sihilst
tliev are calling on his name, sliall sprinkle them-
selves with the ashes for the expiation ot llieir sins,
Hiav obtain liealth of body, aad salvatian of their
j)reci()iis and immortal souls.
Afttr this prayer the bishop takes the salt and
mingles it w ilh the ashes in the form of a citjss. A
handlul of tliis composition lie throws into llie wa-
ter, blessing it ihree times; and then lie blesses the
wine and mingles it with water. He ilelivers a.
discourse to the people on the virtues of things con-
secrated for the service of God, but this docs not
end the w hole of tlie ceremony, there being still se-
veral other parts remaining.
From tlu" altar the bishop proceeds a second time
to the chuich door, and with his pastoral staft'
crosses it at the top and bottom, repeating a prater
to God, lluit the sign of the cioss may prove invin-
cible, and be the means of driving away devils; and
he likew ise prays, that snch as visit this church may
be blessed, and abound in all manner of good things,
jrrosperily in time, and happhiess in eternity. He
then returns to the ])lace where ho consecrated the
holy water, and looking towards the high altar, un-
covered, oxhorts the ]v?ople to beg of God to bless
and keep this place, by the aspersion of water min-
gled with wine, salt, aod ashes, through the merits
of .Jesus Christ. An anthem is then sung by the
choir, and at the beginning of it, the bishop stand-
ing before the altar, dips tlie tiiumb of his right
hand into the w ater that had been cousecrated befoie,
and makes the sign of the cross on the middle of the
altar table, consecrating it in honour of God Al-
mighty, of the blessed Virgin Mary, and of all the
saints ; in comnremoratioH of the saint to whom it
is dedicated, in the name of the Father, ot the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost. licsides the cross in the
midtlle, he makes one at each corner, two at the
epistle side, and two at tiic gos|)el side ; after which
he repeats a pray*>r, aird w'alks seven times round
the altar, sprinkling it with holy water.
This part of tlie ceremony conclmles by the bi-
shop's passing behind the altar, and from thence
walking round the inside of the church a second
time, sprinkling the Uiltom of the walls with holy
xvater. He then sprinkles the middle of the pave-
ment before the altar, and from thence proceeds to
the great gate, and c<)ntinues the ceremony cross-
ways, from one end of the wall to the other. He
turns his face to the four quarters of the world, and
then turning towards the great gate, repeals a ])rayer,
laying his hands upon his breast, and pouring holy
water upon tlie cement of the stones, under which
the relics are deposited.
The next part of this ceremony consists in the
procession of the relics, which proceeds in the fol-
lowing order : 'I'he ijishop, w ith his clergy, precedt :d
by the cross, carried by a sub-deacon between two
torch-bearers, go and fetch the relics with much
ceremony. Tlu' clnisin is carried to the entrance
of the churcli, and at going into the tent where the
relics are deposited, an anthem is sung, together with
the ninety-fourth psalm. The bishop having re-^
])eated several prayers, the procession begins a se-
cond time, and is conducted as follows :
'I'he cross-bearers march first, with wax tapers in
their hands, and the clergy follow them, singing as
they go along. lUliiiid them march several priests,
bearing the relics on a litter, w ith the incense-bearer
by the side of it, who takes care to perfume the relics
as they pass along. There are several was candles
carried on each side, and behind the relics comes tlie
bishop with his as.sistants, singing an atilhem, in
w liicli they are joined by the choir ; after which the
whole procession goes round the church, and the
bishop makes an oration to tiie people ; which con-
sists chiefly in celebrating the character of the saint
to whom the church is dedicated : at the same time
he exhorts them to treat tlie sacred edifice and the
name of the saint with all becoming respect, and
contribute cheerfully towards the support of the
ministers who officiate in it. Lastly, the priests take
the litter upon their shoulders, and enter the church
in procession, followed by all the people present,
while an anthem is sung in honour of the relics, and
of the saints to whom they belong. The proces-
sion, in the mean time, continues walking on : and
when they are come to the altar, where the relics
are to be deposited, a great number of tapers are
lighted up, and the choir sings an anthem, which is
given out by the bishop.
Before they are de])osited in the sepulchre, the
bishop touches the vessel with his mitre, and then
seals up the relics, but lie must take care that four
signs of the cross be made on the iour sides of the
sepulchre, each in the name of the three persons in
the ever-blessed Trinity. He then deposits the ves-
sel containing the relics, in the sepulchre, with every
mark of respect and adoration, in ord.-r to make a
more lasting impression on the minds of the jieople.
All this time the choir sings, and coniinues till the
bishop has laid a stone on the mouth of the sepulchre
which contains the relics, wlieii he dips his thumb
in the sacred oil, and makes thfe sign of the cross
upon it. The masons conclude this part by closing
up the sepulchre, so that the relics cannot he after-
wards exposed to public view w ithout the consent of
the bishop. Thi?, however, is not the case univer-
sally, because in some churches they are jiermiiled-
lo shew the relics of saints ; and the author of this,
has been shewn some of a very extraordinary nature ;
«a9
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
nay, he has seen three or four of the same, at as
many different places, and each of them are looked
upon by the people as genunie.
The stone being fixed, blessed and signed with the
cross, the altar must be incensed, which the bishop
performs, by making the sign of the cross and pour-
ing the incence upon it, beginning at the right hand,
and going round ; during which time the choir sings
an anthem suitable to the occasion.
After it is incensed, the bishop repeats a prayer,
while his assistants rub the table of the altar with a
very clean cloth. The table must be in the form
of a cross, and the bishop must incense all the four
sides.
The bishop then makes five crosses with the sa-
cred oil, and incense the whole again, while the
anthem is sung by the choir, and that is followed
by another anthem. Twelve crosses are made upon
the walls of that part of the church next to the altar
and these being incensed, the bisho]) returns again to
the altar, and having repeated another prayer, gives
out an anthem Vihich is sung by the choir.
He again makes live signs of the cross upon the
altar, and kneeling down, prays that all true Chris-
tians that come to the altar, may be protected from
the snares laid for them by the devil. At Rome, on
Thursdays and Fridays in Passion Week, the altars
are stripped of their ornaments, and washed with
wincand water ; but this seems rather to be a custom
peculiar to the place, than an established ceremony,
because we do not find it attended to in other coun-
tries, where the Roman Catholic religion is pro-
fessed.
Such is the manner in which the people in Roman
Catholic countries, dedicate and consecrate their
churches, and to those who peruse this impartial ac-
count with the least degree of attention, it will ap-
pear that the ceremonies are equally heavy and
burthensome with those. in the law of Moses. It
may be added here, that although the deists pretend
to ridicule even the decent and innocent ceremonies
used by the protestants, yet Mr. Hume, one of their
g-reatest writers, betrays his cause, in telling us that
the ceremonies in the church of Rome are the sole
support of the Christian religion.
Of parficular Cusfoms relating to Devotion in the
Roman Catholic Church.
Under this head the first thing to be taken notice
of, is, the benediction of the Agnus Deis', which is
always performed during the first year of the new
pope's reign, and every seventh year afterwards.
These Asnus Deis' are made of white wax, in an
oval form, and upon each of them is the figure of
Jesus Christ, in the form of a lamb ; the meaning of
the word itself being the Lamb of Godi Tliis piece
of devotion is much esteemed by the devotees of the
church of Rome, and the preparing of the Agnus
Dels', cuts out much employment for such of the
poj)e's chaplains as act under his chamberlain of the
household. The wax of which they are made, is
taken from the remains of the candles used on the
"Jjreceding Easter; but as that is not always sufficient
to answer the end, they are allowed more out of the
apostolical chamber.
The ceremony is performed on Easter Tuesday in
the following manner. The popes chief sacristan
blesses the water, and then the pope, dressed in his
robes, blesses it a second time. This water is put
into a large silver bason, and the pope repeats a
prayer, begging that God would give his blessing
to the water appointed to cleanse sinners from their
impurities. After tliis, he takes some balm, and
pours it into the water, adding thereto the holy oil,
which he likewise pours in, in the form of a cross.
Dniing the ceremony, he ofters up several prayers
to God, and then turning to the Angus Deis', blesses
and incences them, imploring God to grant them
all the virtues generally ascribed to tiiem. After
this follow several other prayers, and then his holi-
ness sits down in an easy chair prepared for him,
with a napkin girt round him in the form of an apron,
and his mitre on. The gentlemen of his chamber
present him with the Agnus Deis', in silver basons,
one after another, and the pope throws them into
the holy water. The cardinals in their linen robes
lakes them out with spoons made for that purpose,
and afterwards lay them on a table covered with a
clean white cloth, and then wipe them with a napkin,
which they wear in the form of an apron, and the
assistant prelates range them on a table, where they
remain till they are thoroughly dry. After this part
of the ceremony, the holy father rises up, and in a
prayer, addresses himself to the hely Ghost, beseech-
ing him to bless them, and then makes his applica-
tion to .Jesus Christ. After this they are again put
into basons, and the holy father takes the cardinals
along with him to dinner. The same ceremony is
resumed on the Thursday following, and continued
till they are all blessed, w hich is on Friday, and dur-
ing that time foreign ambassadors, and all sorts of
strangers, then at Rome, are permitted to be present.
On the Saturday following, mass is sung by a car-
dinal priest, at which his holiness assists, dressed in
his robes, and as soon as the Agnus Dei is sung, an
apostolic sub-deacon, dressed in bis robes, with the
cross-bearer and two taper-bearers walking before
him, goes to tlie pope's sacristan, and takes from him
a bason full of those Agnus Deis' lately blessed, and
wraps them , up in a party-coloured china cotton. —
The iiub-deacon is followed by a clerk of the cere-
.Hionies, with two chaplains in their surplices ; when
RITES x\ND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
229
tliey have come to the door of the cliapcl they all
kneel, while the sub-deacon sings the following
words, "Molv Father, these are the new lambs, who
have sung Uielr Hallelujahs to thee. They drank
not long ago at the fountain of holy water; they arc
now very light, or very much enlightened, praise
the Lord." To which tlie choir answers, " God
be praised. Hallelujah." After this the sub-deacon
advances towards the altar, and when he comes so
near as to touch the rails, he again repeats the same
words; and a third time when he approaches the
throne of tiie holy father.
Two auditors pivsent the Agnus Deis' to the two
cardinal deacons' assistants, who lay them in a decent
manner on his holiness's knees, and the two auditors
hold the two ends of the napkin, whilst the holy fa-
ther blesses the sacred college. The cardinals hav-
ing shewn the utmost respect to his holiness, take
oft their mitres, and holding them with the points
or horns dow nward, receive into tliem as many of
the Agnus Deis' as he chuses to bestow. After the
cardinals have had their share, the remainder are dis-
tributed among the foreign ambassadors, nobles,
and prelates, w ho happen at that time to be in Rome.
The ceremony concludes by tlie pope's washing his
hands; and he and all the cardinals unrobing them-
selves.
As it frequently happens that many of these Agnus
Deis' are not distributed, in such cases, those that
are left are given to the prelate who is the keeper
of the pope's wardrobe, who distributes them among
pilgrims, or such other foreigners as happen to visit
Jlome.
This practice of blessing the Agnus Deis' took its
fise about the seventh or eighth century ; for as it
was common in those ages to make thousands and
■ten thousands of converts in a day, by only marking
them with the sign of the cross at'ter baptism, so, in
order to distinguish them from the heathens, they
■were ordered to w'ear about their necks pieces of
white wax, with the figure of a lamb upon them.
This was done in imitation of the heathen practice
of hanging amulets around their necks, as preserva-
tives against accidents, diseases or any sort of infec-
tions; many of these amulets are to be met with in
the cabinets of the curious, and they are still fre-
quently found in Wales, and in the northern parts (if
Britain. They are in the form of rings of a deep
azure colour, interspersed with most beautiful white
spots; and the substance of them resembles trans-
parent glass, and undoubtedly they have in them
something of that nature.
The next thing to be attended to, is the canon-
ization of saints, and a solemn ceremony it is, espe-
cially when we consider, that by the pope's single
act he can make men or women who have been long
consigned to their graves, objects of divine worship,
and mediators between (Jod and sinners.
When a person is to be canonized, the pope holds
four consistories ; in the iirst of which, he causes
the petition of those who solicit for the canonization
to be examined by three auditors of the rota, and
directs the cardinals to revise all the instruments re-
lating thereto. In the second, the cardinals make
their report ; and in the third, w hich is held in pub-
lic, the cardinals pay their adoration to the pope ;
after which an advocate makes a pompous oration
in praise of the person who is to bo made a saint.
He expatiates atlarge on the nuraclc.s he has wrt . ;^hc
and even pretends to know from v\hat motives he
acted. In the fourth consistory, the pope, having
sunnnoned all the cardinals and prelates together,
orders the report concerning the dcreasod to be read,
and then takes their votes, whether he is to be can-
onized or not.
On the day of canonization, the church of St,
Peter is hung with rich tapestry, with the arms oi
the pope embroidered upon it, together with the
arms of the prince wlio desires the canonization,
The church is most ])ompously illuminated, and
filled with thousands of diivout (Catholics, ready to
attend to the ceremony of the saint's bchig conducted
to paradise. It gives thein some encoinagement to
attend the ceremony, when they consider, that the
naore respect they shew to the saint, the more ready
he will be to hear their prayers, and offer them up
before God. During this ceremony, the pope and
all the cardinals are dressed in white ; and it costs the
prince who requests the canonization a vast sum of
money, for all the officers belonging to the church
of Rome must have their fees ; but this is only a
trifle, when it is considered that the saint will inter-*
cede for his subjects, in heaven, who indeed, poor as
they are, generally pay all the expenses attending
the ceremony.
That the ceremony of the canonization may be
conducted in the most magnificent manner, an ele-
gant theatre is erected in St. Peter's church. Cut
that the reader may be enabled to form a proper idea
of all the different parts of the ceremony put together,
we shall here present him with an exact account of
the canonization of four persons, not longer ago
than the year 1712. These persons where pope
Pius v., Andrew d'Avellino, Felix de Cantalice, and
Catherine de Bolognia.
On the twenty-second day of May, I71'2, the pro-
cession began in the follow iug order : the charity
boys of the apostolic hospital of St. Michael walked
first, with lighted tapers in their hands. They were
followed by all the orphans in the city, maintained
at the public expense ; by the fathers belonging to
the convent of miracles of the thirti order ; tlie barc-
16
3m
«fK)
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
footed Augustiiies ; of Jestis and Maria ; the Capu-
chins ; the Brothers of Charity ; the Fathers of Mercy
of St. Adrian; the Anchorets of St. Onuphrius; the
Minims of mount Trinity ; the Fathers of St. Andrew
the monk ; and, in a word, by all the regular orders
in the church of Rome. These were followed by
the secular clergy, and the whole procession was
regulated by one the pope's chamberlains.
After tiiese came the officers of the pope's chapel ;
his esquires in their cassocks, the procurator's gene-
ral of the five mendicant orders, all dressed in their
proper robes, which, on such occasions, are ex-
tre!»)ely magnificent. The gentlemen of the pope's
bed-chamber followed, dressed in scarlet; after them
came the fiscal procurator, the commissary of the
apostolic chamber, the consistorial advocates, his
hbliness's private chaplains, the gentlemen of the
bed-chamber, and the music of the chapel, singing
without intermission during the whole. After them
came the four magnificent standards of those saints
•who were to be canonized, with the miracles they
were said to have wrought embrodercd upon them.
As the precedency had been given to St. Catherine
of Bologna, her banner was carried first ; that of St.
Felix de Cantalice next; then came St. Andrew d'
Avellino ; and last of all, that of pope Pius V. as the
servant of the servants of God. Six of the Minor
'Observautiues, each with a lighted taper in his hand,
Hvalked before; the standard of St. Catherine, at-
tended by the society of Bolognans of St. Petronius,
the standard being supported by four of the most
respectable fathers of the orders.
The standard of St. Felix was supported by ten
Capuchin friars, and followed by a great number of
the same order. Another detachment of the same
order followed that of St. Andrew ; and the fraternity
of the Agonizants that of pope Pius V. each in the
habits of their respective orders.
After them came the Rcierendaries, accompanied
by the register of the pope's court, and the clerks
of the chamber. The master of the sacred palace
followed after, having in his train all the pope's do-
mestics of a superior rank, each of them carrying
silver candlesticks, with burning tapers, in their hand.
The sub-deacon, who was cross-bearer, appeared in
his white robes, having on each side of him, an
apostolic officer, carrying a red staff. The Vatican
penitentiaries of the society of Jesus came next,
dressed in white, with their hats on, and then the
generals of the orders, who were followed by the
cardinals, the deacons walking first, the priests after
them, and then the bishops, attended by the envoy of
Bologna on the right, and the constable governor of
Rome on the left, with a great number of other officers.
The cardinal deacons' assistants, widi the gospel
cardinal deacon between them, walked next, and
then appeared his holiuess in his chair, Being about
to open the gates of heaven to the new made saints,
the minds of the people were filled with the strongest
fervour of devotion, especially as he v\as dressed in
the most sumptuous manner that can be imagined.
Eight of the senior Referendaries bore up a rich and
pompous canopy over the holy father's head, with
pikes end)ellished with silver, and the Sm iss guards,
with their naked swords, surrounded the chair. Hi*
holiness was followed by an apostolical sub-deacon,
called the auditor of the mitre, who walked between
two gentlemen of the privy chamber in red robes ;
the procession being closed by the monks of the
different orders; together with & long train of ab-
bots, bishops and prelate, from difierent parts of
the world.
It is almost incredible to think what vast multi-
tudes of people followed the procession, all eager to
obtain the pope's blessing, and to be recommended
to the notice of the saints who were to be cajrionized.
As soon as the pope arrived at the church of St. Peter,
he set down the taper he held in his hand, and put-
ting off his mitre, went up to the high altar, where
he kneeled down before the holy sacrament. After
this, he was carried to his throne, and the cardinal
who was deputed to demand the canonization, moved
towards the throne, having the cardinal legate of
BoloEfna on his left hand, and a consistorial advocate
on his right. I'hey first bowed to the altar and his
holiness, and the advocate begged of the holy father
that he would be pleased to enrol among the number
of the saints, the four holy persons who had been
so strongly recommended to him. T.his was se-
conded by a gentleman of the bed-chamber, who
closed his harangue in begging for a blessing on the
ceremony, and exhorting all the people present to
join with him in prayer for that purpose.
His holiness then rose out of his chair, and all the
clergy kneeled down, whilst two musicians of the
chapel sung the litanies of the saints. The sove-
reign pontiff called upon the Holy Ghost to be with
them while the Minims keep standing before the
throne, and singing with tapers in their hands. It_
was then asked of his holiness, if he would comply
with the request of those princes vi ho had solicited
for the canonization ? to which the secretary of brief*
announced, that his holiness was going to make a
decree, for raising Pius V.Andrew d' AvcUiuo, Felix
de Cantalice, and Catherine de Bologna, to d;e rank '
of saints, to the glory of God, and the honour of
the Catholic church ; in order that tlieir names may
be called upon, for ages to conie. After these
words have been repeated, the cardinals stood up,
and the pope, as Christ's vicar, pronounced the de-
cree of canonization ; commanding, that from that
time, all the faithful should, in their ordinary course
of devotion, pray to these saints, who where uovv be-
come advocates for them iu heaven.
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
231
AVIiilst the music in the chapel was singing, the
master of the ceremonies gave notice, by a signal to
the citizens of Rome, that these persons were advanc-
ed among the members of the blessed, and that they
vere to be mediators between God and them, for
the remission of their sins: upon which tlie wiiole
city was in an instant illuminated; the churches
were crowded with people ready to olf'er up their
prayers to the new made saints: tlie bells were set
a ringing, and nolhing but devotion in one part, and
confusion in another, were to be found.
'I'hc whole ceremony concliulcd with the follow-
ing prayer, which the holy father composed liini-
seff:
" May God Almighty have mercy on you, by
virtue of the merits and prayers of the holy \ irgin,
and of all tliose whom we have now declared to be
saints : May the divine Majesty, for their sakes, par-
don all your sins, and lead you into eternal life; giv-
ing you indulgence here, and remission of sins here-
after. Amen."
To what has been here said, we may add, that
canonization of saints was not known in the Chris-
tian church till tow ards the middle of the tenth cen-
tury, and so far as we are able to form a notion,
•without prejudice or partially, the Christians in
that age borrowed it from the heathens ^ for it was
customary both with the Greeks and Romans, to
deify all those heroes and great men, who had made
a more than ordinary ligure among them.
We have many instances of these deifications
among the heathens, and they are recorded both by
their poets and historians ; nay, we sometimes find
them introducing the gods themselves, raising up
deceased heroes to the rank of deities; thus Ovid
describes Jupiter as deifying Hercules.
As an old serpent casts his scaly vest,
Wreathes in the sun, in youthful glory dressed ;
So, when Akid.'s' mortal mould resign'd.
His better part enlarg'd and grew refin'd;
August his visage shone; almighty Jove
In his swift car his honoured ofi'spring drove:
High oe'r ihe hollow clouds the coursers Hy,
And lodge the hero in the starry sky.
We read of Charles Boromea, archbi^'hop of Mi-
lan, that It was resolved on, some yeais before he
died, to place him among the saints as soon as he
died, which was done, and now he is adored as an
object of divine worship. This is exactly similar
to the practice of tl;e ancient heathens, who often
told till ir heroes and great men while alive, that for
thfcir great and virtuous actions, they would be rank-
ed among the gods ; of this we have many striking
instances iu V irgil^ who; of all the Romau poets.
?
seems to have been the most addicted to the flatter-
ing of Augustus, who indeed had raised him from
a low degree of obscurity to grandeur. Thus he
addresses Augustus.
And chiefly thou, whose undermined state i
Is yet the sui)jcct of the god's debate : I
\\ hetiier in atfer-limes to l)e declared ]
The pytron of the world and Rome's peculiar ,
guard : .
Or o'er the fruits and seasons to preside,
And the round circuit of the vear to guide ;
Pow'rful of blessings, which thou strew'st around/.
And w ith thy goddess-mother's myrtle crow n'd.
Or wilt thou, Ca.'sar, chuse the wat'ry reign,
To smooth the surges, and correct the main ?
Then mariners, in storms, to thee shall pray:
Ev'n utmost Thule shall tliy pow'r obey.
And Neptune shall resign the fasces of the sea : 3
The wat'ry virgins for thy bed shall strive ;
And Tetiiys all her waves iu dowry give.
i)Y wilt thou bless our summers with thy rays,
And, seated near the balance, poise the days j
\\ here in the void of heaven a space is free,
Between the Scorpion and the Maid for thee :
The Scorpion, ready to receive tiiy laws,
\ ields half his region, and contracts his claws.
It has been much objected against canonization,
that it is performed by human beings, which is giv-
ing them a power to make something an object of
divine worship, which, while in this life, was no
more than mortal. This objection seems to be well
foundetl, and many Protestant writers have consi-
dered the origin of canonization, as taking its rise
from a misunderstanding of the word blessing us,
used in prayer. I'hus, in a prater, we say, we bless
God, by which no more is meant than that we praise
him. That the following is the general and parti-
cular sense in which the word blessing has always
been used, will appear evident to all those who are
in the least acquainted with history.
The Hebrews, under .this name, often understand
t'.ie presents usually sent from one friend to another.
Thus when Jacob sent a present to Esau, he desires
him to accept his blessing; and when Achsah, the
daughter of Caleb, petitioned her father for a field,
she said, "Give me a Blessing." When Abigail
carried David a present, she called it a Blessing,
which his handmaid had brought ; and the reason
probably is, because presents are usually attended
with good wishes and compliments.
Besides those instances of private benediction, or
blessing among the Jews, there are others of a more
public and solemn nature. Thus Closes directs
Aaron, the high priest, to bless the people : " On this
wise shuU ye bless the children of Israel, sayiug uato
232
RrrES AND CERE:M0NIES in the church of ROME.
them, the Lord Bless thee and keep thee ; the Lord
make his to face shine unto thee, and be gracious unto
thee : the Lord lift up his countenance upon tliee,
and give thee peace." The prophetical writings are
full of benedictions. The patriachs, on their death-
beds, blessed their children and families ; and God
ordained, that when the people of Israel should
arrive in the promised land, the whole multitude
should assemble between mount Ebal and mount
Gerizini, and that blessings should be pronounced
from mount Gerizim on those who observed the law,
and curses from mount Ebal on those who violated
,it, and this Joshua performed after he had conquered
part of Uic land of Canaan.
The privilege of benediction or blessing, was one
, of those early instances of honour aud res[)ect paid
to bishops in the primitive church, for bowing the
liead to them, and the receiving their blessing was so
tmiversal, that emperors themselves did not refuse to
comply with it. Thus Hilary rcproiiches the em-
peror Constautius, telling him he received the
bishops with a kiss, with which Christ was betrayed,
and bowed iiis head to receive tiieir benediction,
whilst he trampled on their faith.
In the western churches, there was anciently a
kind of benediction, which immediately followed
the Lord's Prayer, and some understand by it the
final benediction after the communion ; but Mabillon
more truly interprets it of the benediction before
the communion, immediately after the Lord's Prayer :
for there is a canon in the council of Toledo, which
censures priests for communicating immediately
after the Lord's Prayer, without giving the benedic-
tion to the people, and ordains that for the future,
the benediction should follow the Lord's Prayer, and
after that the communioa : and in Mabillon's col-
■;lection of Galilean Missals, the prayer that follows
the collect after the I>ord's Prayer, is styled Beiie-
dictio populi, the Benediction of the People.
No one can be beatified till above fifty years after
•%is disease, and all the depositions relating to his
piety and holiness in this life are strictly examined
by the congregation of rites. This scrutiny is car-
ried on sometimes for several years together, after
which, the pope fixes a day for the beatification, for
the reputation of the candidate is seldom in any
danger. His holiness, attended by the cardinals,
aud all his great officers, goes to St. Peter's church,
where he sings high mass, and then signs the bull,
declaring the deceased to be in heaven among the
blessed.
Messengers are immediately dispatched to the
place where the deceased was buried, and when the
news of the beatification arrive, the corpse is taken up
and exposed to the people: mass is said in honour
of the blessed, and from that time forward he is
supposed and believed to work many miracles. Many
of the most learned among the Roman Catholics,
such as Fleury, liaronius and iJellarmine, s'peak of
miracles and relics in a very cold indifferent man-
ner, and the late pope Gangauelli treats them very
slightly, and seems to wish that there were none of
them left in the church, and t))at beatification and
canonization were never again to take place. The
Roman Catholic priests in this country, when they
converse with Protestants, tell them that the belief
of modern miracles, and the adoration of relics, are
not articles of faith, but that the pious may either
believe in them, or reject them. This is one of the
most inconsistent assertions that ever could take
place ; for, first, in all countries where the Roman
Catiiolic religion is professed, a man would be in
danger of losuig his life, where he but so nuich as
to hint to another that he doubted the truth of
miracles, and as for the adoration of relics it cannot
be dispensed witlj, for all Catholics are obliged to
be at least 01. ce at mass every Sunday and holiday,
and on most of these days, relics are exposed to pub-
lic view, nor can the adoration of them be dispensed
with.
But, secondly, whatever may be the practice in
those countries, thus much is certain, that in Eng-
land, where all sorts of religious sentiments are to-
lerated, all the catechisms and books of devotion
written by the Romish priests inculcate the necessity
of adoring relics,^ and believing in miracles» No\t
as catechisms and books of devotion contain the
leading principles of religion, why insert such things
in them, unless they are articles of faith .''
A few years ago two Romish priests, (Dr. Fell and
Mr. Butler) m role the lives of their saints, and these
books are to be had any where in England. We
shall here extract the following passages from them,
which will serve to tihew that there is but little dif-
ference between a Roman Catholic in England, and
one on the continent.
St. Raymond of Pennaforte, having long remon-
strated to no purpose against the debaucheries of the
king of Spain, resolved to leave him, and return to
Barcelona : but the king having forbid any one to
transport him, St. Raymond threw his cope into the
sea ; and taking his staff in his hand, went into this
new kind of boat and arrived safe at Catalonia. St.
Francis of Paula was endued with such supernatural
strength, that he carried away a rock of prodigious
bigness, which hindered the foundation of a dormi-
tory he was building. St. Agnes of Monte Pulciano
received a visit from the blessed Virgin, holding the
child Jesus in her arms, whom bhe permitted her to
embrace and press to her breast. After her death
she returned the civility of St. Catharine of Sienna
(who came to visit her tomb) in a very extraordinary
manner. While the living saint was endeavouring
to kiss the feet rof the dead one, the latter lifted up
KITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
23.
her foot to St. Catliarino's lip?, lliroiif;Ii an excess of
humility to be before liaiid with !>.cr. St. Boiiaven-
tuie^ not being able to coninuinicate in the ordinary
waV by reason of a violent indi.sposilion in his sto-
maeii, had tiie pyx placed u|>on his breast, and the
holy wafer iiinnediately penetrated into his very
bowels. St. Ignatius, being given over by his ]>hy-
sicians, was visited by St. Peter, wlio healed him with
a touch. This saint was the famous founder of the
Jesuits, who reckon up no less than two hundred
miracles performed by him. St. Clara being one
day at her dev«jtions, a very beautiful child (supposed
to be the child Jesus) with two shining wings, flew
into her lap, and caressed her «ilh manv fond en-
dearments. Another time, being indisposed, and
not able to go to matins, she notw ilhstanding heard
the office tlistinctly, though sung at a church very
distant from her monastery. St. Stanislaus Kostca
became famous after his death for driving out de-
vils, and restoring persons to life; and the P.)landers
believe, that one of this saint's bones st-eeped in a little
wine, is a sovereign remedy against many distempers.
St. Clara of Monfefalco, having often declaied to
the lums of her convent, that she had the figure of
Christ crucified, and all the instruments of his pau-
»ion graved on her heart, they causetl her body to
be opened, after her death, and were convinced of
the truth of this miracle. St. Didacns cured di>-eases
with the oil of a lamp burning Ijcfore an image of our
lady. One day being destitute of food in a journey,
he prayed to <jod, and immediately saw a table
spread -on the grass, and covered with refreshments.
't'he-f;nnous St. Xavier, during his mission to the
East-Indies, raised several persons to life. Heing in
the neighbourhood of Amboyna, he calmed a tem-
pest by plunging his crucifix into the sea. In the
heal of the action, the crucifix slipt out ofliLshand:
but an officious fish restored it to him in a moment.
St. Kosa, was so venerable for her great sanctities,
that the largest trees of the garden b<;nt down tlieir
branches, as saluting her, when she passed by them
to her cell.
In the fifth century, the head of St. John Baptist
being found in a cave, near Emesa, a city of Phce-
nicia, a church was built in that place, and the head
of the saint placed in it, with great ceremony and
devotion. But tliis church falling to ruin, a very
noble one was aitf rwards built in Emesa, to which
the saint's head w as transported in 700. Theophaiies
tells us, it continue(;l to be an object of devotion in
8(K), and sent forth a most delightful odour, which
cured all vnJio approached it with faith. It is be-
lieved, the head of St. John Baj)tist was afterwards
transferred from Emtrsa.to Comaiia in Pontns, and
from thence to Constantinople. The church of
Amiens pretends at tliis day to ahew a great part of
k, namely, all the face as far as the mouth, and to
16
have received it by the means of one ^\-.llon de Sar-
ton, a canon of Amiens, who, being present at the
taking of Constantinople by the French in 1'204,
found this relic in the ruins of the old palace. Some
of the liones of this saint were likewise preserved by
the ('hristians, and when, in the reign of .lulian, the
pagans o|iened the se[)ulchre of St. John at Sebasla,
and burnt liis remains, these bones were .sent to St.
Alhanasius, who placed them in the wall of an altar.
.\l"terwards when 'I'heodosius demolished the temple
of Serapis, and built a magnificent church in its
place, dedicated to St. John Ijaptist, these relic«
were I'emoved thither, in S'jC).
The bodies of St. Andrew and St. I.iike ^^erc
transported to Constantinople, in 357, alTcr having
perfoiined miracles in all places where they stopj)ed.
They were interred in the Basilica, or church of the
Apostles, where they became the objects of the po-
jdes' devoiioii, and those who accompanied these
relics, hail pait of them in recompense. 15y this
means they were dispersed in several places, and
wrought miracles wlierever they were brought. 'J'he
memory of these relics seems to have been lost at
Constantinople, when about the year 5,50, the em-
peror .lustinian designing to rebuild the church of
the Apostles, the workmen found three wooden
coffins, with inscriptions, denoting that these were
the bodies of St. Andrew, St. Luke, and St. Timothy.
Justinian, and all the people, testified their respect
to these holy relics, re-placing them in the earth, and
erecting over them a stately monument. 'J'he town
of V'ergi in Burgundy, and the church of Beaiivais,
pretend each of them to shew one of St. Andrew's
arms. The church of Almati, in the kingdom of
Naples, pretends to have the body of St. Andrew,
brought from Constantinople, when that city was
taken by the French ; and the Roman martyrology
assures us, that there constantly distils a medicinal
lifjuor from this apostle's tomb, at Amalfi.
'1 he chains of St. Peter and St. Paul w«e Ireld in
great veneration, for the popes themselves formerly
dispersed the filings of them, as sovereign .remedies
for diseases. Arator tells us, they had at Rome, in
the sixth century, the chains with v\hich St. Peter
had been bound at Jerusalem ; and we are told of a
coat of St. Peter's, brou'^ht from Antioch to Paris,
and placed in the church of St. Genevieve, and
Hu<;h, al)l)Ot of Clugni, it is said, made use of it to
cure a paralytic, in the presence of a innltitude of
persons. Some of St. Stephen's bone.<, being carried
by Orosius a priest, about the year 4 18, into the
island of Minorca, occasioned the conversion of five
hundred and forty Jews, who inhalfited the town
of Magona in that island. .Much about the same
time, a vial containing a few tlrops of the same
saint's blood, and some fragments of his bones,
cured a broken leg, and restored a blind woman to
N
234
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
sight in a town of Africa. Tlie same relics gave
tealth to the sick, and restored the dead to life. Other
churches likewise were blessed with the relics of
this protoiiiartyr : particularly at Ancona in Italy, in
Portugal ; at Tours, Bourdeaux, and Bourges, in
France : in all which places miracles were frequently
performed by them.
Besides the relics of the apostles, those of the suc-
ceeding saints and martyrs were no less objects of
the Christians' devotion. Thus the relics of St. Ig-
natius, bishop of Antioch, in the beginning of the
second century, were translated from Rome, where
he sutYered martyrdom, to Antioch, and placed in the
ccemetery near the gate of Daphne. The people
daily visiied them, and many miracles were said to
be wrougiit by them. The bones of St. Polycarp,
bishop of Smyrna, who suffered martyrdom about
the year 169, were preserved by the Christians,
who esteemed them beyond the richest jewels. The
relics of St. Fructuosus, bishop of Tarragona, in
Spain, who suffered martyrdom in the third century,
are shewn in several places ; as, in a church near
Barcelona, and in the town of Manrese in Catalonia.
The relics of St. Cervaiseand St. Protaise, martyred
at Milan under the emperor Valentinian I. being
carried in procession to the cathedral church, restor-
ed to sight, a citizen of Milan, who chanced to touch
the ornaments with which they were covered. Seve-
ral other persons were cured of diseases by garments
or linen which had touched these relics.
The modern church of Rome pays great venera-
tion to the relics of saints and martyrs ; for shrines,
in which they are deposited, are first sprinkled with
holy water, and then solemnly blessed. The sub-
stance of the prayer is, that God would grant his
protection to such as revere the merits of the saints,
and humbly embrace their relics, to the end that
these faithful suppliants may be guarded from the
power of the devil, from thunder, plague, bad air,
vild beasts, and from the hostilities and machinations
of men. The believer, who visits relics out of de-
votion, must acquit himself of this duty with zeal,
and touch the sacred limbs of saints with faith, and
there are times fixed for publicly exposing them to
the devout. The relics in the church of Notre
Dame, at Aix la Chapelle, are shewn every seven
years, accompanied with proclamations such as the
following: " The head and right arm of St. Corne-
lius are to be shewn ; by whose intercession may our
Lord preserve you from the falling sickness, and after
this life grant you the kingdom of heaven."
The translation of relics, or depositing them in
some church, is performed with great care and cere-
mony, and before they are translated, they are ex-
amined by the bishop, v\ho pronounces a solemn be-
nediction over them. On the day of their translation,
the streets through which they are to pass, are clean-
ed, and the houses hung w ith tapestry. The church
and altar are pompously adorned and the images of
the saints ranged in open view. The relics are carri-
ed in procession under a canopy, the clergy walking
before, and the people surrounding them with light-
ed tapers in their hands, and as soon as tiiey enter
the church, Te Deum is sung, and the relics are set
upon the altar to be worshipped by the people. Pray-
ers are appointed in honour of them, and a lamp is
left burning day and night before the place where
they are deposited.
But of all the relics preserved in popish countries,
those of the blood of martyrs are the most remarka-
ble and frequent. Rome especially, and Italy, are
grown famous for the great quantity that is found in
them. The earth at Rome (an Italian writer tells
us) is stained with the blood of the faithful. He
adds, that the pope makes presents of this sacred
earth to foreigners ; and he relates the following
miracle on this occasion. An ambassador of Poland
earnestly solicited pope Pius V. to grant him a relic,
whereupon his holiness drew out his handkerchief,
put a little Roman earth into it, and rolling it up,
gave it to the ambassador, who took the pope to be in
jest. However, as soon as his excellency was return-
ed back to his house, he opened the handkerchief,
and found it deeply stained with blood.
It would be endless to repeat the prodigious num-
ber of miracles, said to be wrought daily by the
blood of the saints. At certain seascms, it is seen to
melt and run. There are several liquefactions of
this kind especially in Italy. Thus on the festival
of St. Eustace at Rome, that saint's blood is seen to
boil. But the most remarkable is that of the blood
of St. Januarius at Naples, of the truth of which we
here present the reader with what cannot be object-
ed to by the most bigotted Roman Catholics in the
world.
On the 18th of September is performed at Naples,
the ceremony of exposing the head and blood of
St. Januarius, patron of that city. On this occasion
there is a solemn procession made, in honour of the
saint, in which the martyr's head and blood are car-
ried in great pomp. These two relics are made to
meet, and when they are pretty near one another,
the blood is seen to grow fluid, to boil, and to force
itself over the sides of the glass vial, in w hich it is
kept. This miracle is wrought annually, and never
deceives the people's expectations, who are always
ready to witness the truth of the fact.
The rise of this miracle, they pretend, was as fol-
lows : A Neapolitan lady who was so sick as to keep
her bed, having heard of St. Januarius and his com-
panions, resolved to seek her cure upon the place
where those faithful Christians had suffered martyr-
dom. Accordingly she went, and finding the place
still wet with their blood, she filled two vials with
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
235
it. In one she put all the pure blood she could take
up, aud in the other that whiLli was mixed wiili earlli
and other tilth. Scarce had she made an end, when
she found lierselt" cured. Soon after this, hearing
that the head of the saint was lodged at Na|)les, she
sent word that she was in possession of the saint's
blood; upon which the head was carried in proces-
sion to fetch the blood. The pious lady did not wait
for this visit, but ran with the two vials to meet the
head of ihe martyr. In the first moment of the in-
terview Uie blood dissolved and convinced the people
that it was really the saint's blood ; and since that
time the miracle has never ceased.
Mr. Addison mentions this pretended miracle, in
his Remarks on severel parts of Italy. " I saw,
(says he, speaking of Naples) a very splendid pro-
cession for the accession of the duke of Anjou to tlie
crown of Spain. To grace the parade, they exposed
at the same time, the blood of St. Jaiuiarius, which
liquified at the approach of the saint's head, though,
as they say, it was hard congealed before. I had
tAvice an opportunity of seeing the operation of this
pretended miracle, and must confess I think it so far
from being a real miracle, that I look upon it as one
of the most bungling tricks I ever saw. Yet it is
this that makes as great a noise as any in the Roman
church, and that Mr. Paschal has hinted at, among
the rest, in his marks of the true religion. The
modern Neapolitans seem to have copied it from
one, which was shewn in a town in the kingdom of
Naples, as long ago as in Horace's time.
At Gnatia next arrived, we laugh to see
The superstitious crowd's simplicity,
That in the sacred temple needs would try,
Without a fire, th' imheated gums to fry
Believe who will the solemn sham, not
try, }
i: 1
One may see, at least, that the heathen priesthood
had the same khid of secrets among them, of which
the Roman Catholics are now masters."
The next thing that claims our attention to the
church of Rome is, the Jubilee, which is partly of
Jewish, and partly of heathen original. Among the
Jews were two sorts of Jubilees, namely, the lesser,
every seventh year; and the greater, every fiftieth
year. The grand Jubilee on the fiftieth year among
the Jews procured liberty for all such as w ere slaves ;
the poor w ere acquitted of the payment of their debts ;
all sorts of pledges were to be delivered up ; and the
heirs of those who had mortgaged their estates, were
at liberty to take possession of them in the name of
their ancestors, it being a maxim in the Jew ish law,
that the enjoyment of the fruits of the earth, during
the space of forty-nine years, was a sufficient pay-
ment for the money laid out in the mortgage.
In the same manner the pope makes every fiftieth
year, a year of rest to his dutiful children. He for-
gives them all manner of sins; relieves the spiritual
poverty of the penitent, by opening the treasures of
divine mercy to him, and restoring him to the fa-
vour of God and the saints. Thus vvc find that this
ceremony comes in room of the secular games of
the ancient Romans, only that it has a few Jewish
rites mixed with it. It was first instituted l)y pope
Boniface A' HI. who declared in his bull, that such as
should visit the churches of St. Peter iuid St. Paul,
in the year l.'3(X), should have a full and fiee remis-
sion of all their sins; but as this was to be repeated
only once in one hundred years, and that being con-
sidered as too long to wait for the remis.sion, Cle-
ment VI ordered that the Jubilee should be observed
once every fifty years.
Since that time, however, great alterations have
taken place, for by several decrees of councils, every
pope may grant a jubilee on that year when he is
advanced to the pontificate, only with this excep-
tion, that the holy gate is never opened, but at the
end of the twenty-fifth year, "Which," to use the
words of a popish author, " brings with it an universal
indulgence : the hearts of the faithful are comforted
thereby, and joy entereth into the house of the
Lord." The jubilee grants to such confessors as are
approved of by theie superiors, a power to absolve
all reserved cases from all censure, and the greater
excommunication ; to annul all suspensions relating
to benefices .md ecclesiastical offices, and to take off
interdicts. It permits them likewise to alter vows,
so as they have no connection with religion or
chastity, or are not of the nature of those by which
pilgrims engage to visit the shrines of the most ce-
lebrated saints.
When the pope has appointed the lime for the
jubilee, he gives notice of it by his apostolical letters
to all the prelates throughout Christendom, and
these cause them to be published throughout all their
dioceses, with proper exhortations, in order that the
faithful may put themselves into a condition for ob-
taining the advantages which attend it. On such
days as are set apart for fasting and repentance, the
bishop and his clergy are enjoined to appear over-
whelmed with sorrow, and filled with sentiments of
humility. They are to pray with heart and mouth
to the Almighty, and to offer him the fruits of a
sincere contrition, which consists in the renunci-
ation of all those engagements by which men are,
for the most part, devoted to the world ; and in a
strong resolution to instruct the people by their ow n
pious example.
The grandest part of this ceremony consists in
opening the holy gate, of which tiie following i.s a
faithful account: On the twenty-fourth day of
December, of the holy year, all the regular and se-
cular clergy assemble together, at the apostolical
Q,m
HITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
palace, and from thence march in procession to St.
Peter's at the Vatican. When the clergy arrive in
the great square before the church of St. Feter, they
iirid the gates shut, anil ali the entrances of the por-
tico lined wiih guards, to ])revent the populace from
getting in. The i>ope, cardinals, and bishojis, dressed
in their white damask robes, having their mitres on,
meet in the chapel of pojie Sixtns V. where his ho-
liness sings the / cni Creator, &c. with a lighted
taper in his hand. The cardinals hold lighted ta-
pers in their hands, and walk forward, accord i.ng to
their re?ipective rar.ks, and repair to the Swi.*s por-
tico, where the holy father nominates three of them
liis legates to open the gates of St. John de-Lateran,
St. Mary major, and St. Paul without the walls.
The cardmals having received these orders from
his holiness on their knees, go to those several
churches, preceded by trumpets, with a band of
monks and another of soldiers. A grand and most
magniticent throne is erected before the gate of St.
Peter, upon which the holy father sits some time,
till one of the cardinals, who,' for that time, is called
the prince of the throne, approaches him, and puts
into his hand a smalj golden hanmier. Having
marked the hammer with the sign of the cross, iiis
jioliness, followed, by his clergy holding lighted ta-
pers in their hands, marches forward to the gate of
St. Pete", ;K:d knocking three times, says, " Open
to .me these gates of justice." Upon which the
choir sing, "This is the gate of the eternal God,
the just- shall enter therein." In the mean time the
chief niasoiis bt'eak down the walls which close up
the sacred gate, and the rubbish of it is distributed
among the devotees, who pick it up with all the
zeal and eagerness imaginable, in order to rank it
>vith their most precious relics. While the rubbish
is clearing away, his holiness returns and sits down
upon his throne, and w hen the whole is demolished,
the penitentiaries of St. Peter take their brooms and
sweep the dust out of the passage. All the mould-
ings and decorations around the gate, are washed
with holy water, and when this part of the ceremony
is over, his holiness descends from his throne, and
begins an anthem in these words, " This is the day
which the Lord hath made. Sic." and the choir sing
it with him. Being again arrived at the sacred gate,
the holy father repeats several .prayers : takes the
cross, kneels down, sings the Te Deuiii, then rises
up and passes through the holy gate, singing as he
goes along. He is followed by his clergy in their
robes, and a vast concourse of people, who all
throng into the church, in order to be present at the
sacred ceremony. Ai'ter the ,«hole service is over,
V. liich concludes ;V;ith vespers, the cardinals put off
their v. hite robes and put on their red hats and purJ
pie mantles ; .and attend the holy father home to his
lipartnients.
During this solemn season there are always many
pilgrims at Rome : and by the pope's bull, these are
obliged to visit the four chnrches already mentioned,
namely, St. -Peter's, St. John de Lateran, St. Mary
major, and St. Paul without the walls. The natives
of Italy are obliged to visit these churches thirty
times, but the pope grants an indulgence to all fo-
reigners, who are not obliged, without their own
choice, to visit them any oftener than fifteen times.
There are little books of devotion, compiled for
t'ne use of the pilgrims, and if any of them die be-
fore diey have visit<!d the churches so often as is
prescribed in tlie ritual, then there is a clause 'eft in
the bull, granting them a complete absolution.
There is another ceremony observed during the
jubilee, which deserves particular notice, because it
is confined to, Rome alone. It is the opinion of the
Roman Catholics, and they have learned it from the
traditions of their monks, that the hall in which
Pontius Pilate sat when he examined our Saviour,
was twenty-eight steps high, and in imitation of
that they have contrived to make a ladder of twenty-
eight steps, which the pilgrims are obliged to as-
cend. This ladder, we are told, was brought from
the Holy Land by St. Helena, the mother of Con-
stavitine the Great, whom we have had occasion to
mention 'before, and who may be considered as one
of the most industrious collectors of relics that ever
lived. But the ladder was not all, for they tell us
that she brought along with her a drop of our Sa-
viour's blood, which is contained in a small vial
near the upper end of the ladder, and the passage to
it is ibiou'ih a brass gate.
This place is esteemed so sacred, that some of the
RoKian Catholic writers call it the Holy of Holies;
and when the pilgrim has ascended the top of the
ladcier, he is oljliged to repeat a short prayer before
he enters into it. As for female pilgrims they are
not permitted to enter it, but they are entitled to in-
dnlgence by looking at it through the grate. All
these acts of devotion obtain for pilgrims an abso-
lute pardon of all the sins they ever committed; and
the penitentiaries of St. Peter put the seal to such
pardons, by touching them with their rods. The
Roman prelates, with all the bishops -\\4io are at
that time in the city, assemble tosiether and wash
the feet of the pilgrims; and the holy father, at-
tended bv his cardinals, all without their robes, wait
on them at table. The pope presents them with
medals, chaplets of roses, and Agnus Deis' ; and
when they have kissed his feet witli the profoundest
humility, the are dismissed wjth his lilessintr.
As the jubilee continues a \\h()le year, being
opened on the twenty-foin-th of Decendjer, so it
concludes by shuttini; the gate on the same day oi
the month. On this occasion many ceremonies
ai« observed, for, of all courts of the world, that of
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
237
Rome is the most ceremonious. On tlie twenty-
fourlii d;i} of December, the pope, with the c:ir(li-
iials, the Roman uohiliiy, and all the clergy of
distinction, go to St. Peter's in their robes of state,
where vespers are sung ; after whicii the clergy light
their tapers, and f)ay their obedience to the holy
father, 'ihen his holiness gives out an anthem,
whicli begins with these words, " Ye shall go out
■with joy." And as soon as the choir begin to sing
it, every one makes haste to get out of the gale, as
soon as possibly he can. When they are all gone
out, the holy father goes towards the gate, where
he prays some time, and then gives out another an-
them, beginning with these words, " Our help is in
the name of tl)e Lord." He then blesses the mate-
rials with which the gate is to be shut up; and he
lays the foundation stone, under which are concealed
several medals, which serve to transmit the memory
of the sacred ceremony to the latest posterity. After
this, a bason with water is presented to the holy
father, who washes his hands, returns to his throne,
while the choir sings an anthem suitable to the so-
lemnity of the ceremony. During the time the an-
them is singing, the masons close up the gate, in the
midst of which they place a cross of copper; and it
is blessed by the pope's repeating several prayers. —
The whole ceremony concludes with the jiope's be-
stowing his benediction on all the faithful ; parti-
cularly on those pious pilgrims who have visited
Rome, and then he returns home to his palace, at-
tended by the cardinals.
The last thing we shall take notice of under this
head is, what the Roman Catholics call indulgence,
which has two different significations, according to
the Roman ritual. First, it implies that the pope
has authority to dispense \\ ith the times of feasting
and fasting, in favour of any one who shall apply to-
him for that purpose ; and secondly, that he has a
right to remit all those temporal punishments which
are annexed to sin in tins life. This is the more
necessary to be mentioned, because many w ell mean-
ing Protestants are led into pn error concerning this
principle in the church of Rome, by taking the word
it its primary sense. To indulge is to give a person
• leave to do something, and therefore some have
imagined, that when the popes grant indulgences,
they give men leave to siru This, however, is so
far distant from any thing intended by the word,
tliat even the most bigotted Roman Catholic would
look upon it with abhorrence.
It is certain that many abuses have been committed
by the sale of indulgences, and it was owing in part
to that, our happy Reformation took place.
But this is rather to be charged upon the persons
intrusted with the distribution, than upon the popes
who granted them. It must, however, be acknow-
ledged, that indulgences, even in the manner we
16. 5 o
have considered them, bring in an immcnce sum of
money to the papal treasury. Men do not love to
be always confined down to forms, and therefore
that religion must always be agreeable to them,
which indulges them w ilh a few things in their own
nature inditiereut, and which, for the payment ot a
small sum of money, exempts men from temporal
pains ill this life.
To corroborate the truth of what we have here ad-
vanced concerning indulgences, we shall add what
was written about a century ago, by a Roman Ca-
tholic and a Jesuit, viz. the famous father Maim-
bourg : he says, that wlieu pope Leo X ascended
the pontifical throne, he published indulgences to
all those who would contribute towards re-building
the church of St. Peter's at Rome. Those persons
who purchased the indulgences were permitted to
eat rtesh and eggs in lent, and to make choice of any
priest whom they esteemecf, to be their confessor.
They same author adds, that these uidulgences w ere
sold by auction, to those who bid highest for them,
so that we need not be surprised to find that many
abuses crept in. The piactice itself became at last
so odious, that sober Koinan Catholics condemned
it, and Luther, a man of sjiirit, althought at that time
no more than an Augustine monk, opposed tiie
w hole pow er of the popes, and in the hand of Divine
Providence, became a most eminent instrument m
bringing about our Reformation from popish igno-
rance, darkness, superstition and idolatry.
As the whole festival of the jubilee is connected,
in a manner, with the remissions of sins to men, so it
may not be improper to explain, in a few words,
what has been meant in ancient and modern times,
by the w ord absoluliou ; for it is certain, that it has
been misunderstood, misapplied and abused.
The ministerial power of remitting sins was vested
by Christ in the apostles, and from them derived to
the church. This is all that the primitive church
ever pretended to, leaving the absolute, sovereign,
independent, irreversible power of absolution to God
alone. The ancients reckoned five kinds of absolu-
tion. 1. That of baptism. 2. Thatof tlieeucharist.
.'3. That of the word and doctrine. 4. That of
imposition of hands and prayer. 5. That of re-
concilement to the communion of the church, by
a relaxation of her censures. The two fir;-t may be
called sacramental ; the third declaratory ; the fourth
precatoi7; and the fifth judicial. The first had no
relation to penitential discipline, being never given
to persons who had once received baptism. The
second had some relation to it, but did not solely
belong to it; for it was given to all bpptized person.s,
who never fell under penitential discipline, as well
as those who lapsed, and were restored to commu-
nion again : and in both respects it was called the
perfectioa of a Christian. By the third the ministers
(•38
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH Or ROME.
of Cbrlst made public declaration to men of the
terms of reconciliation and salvation. The fourth
sort was used as a concomitant of most other absolu-
tions; and by tiie fifth penitents were finally restored
to the peace, and full communion of the church.
Anciently, no si\mers were absolved, till they had
performed their regular penance, except in case of
imminent death. As to the ceremony of absolution,
the penitent was publicly reconciled, in sackcloth,
at the altar, by this, or the like form ; " He that
forgave the sinful woman all her suis, for which she
shed tears, and opened the gates of Paradise to the
thief, make you partaker of his redemption, and ab-
solve yon from ail the bonds of your sins, and heal
you by the medicine of his mercy, and restore you
to the body of the church by his grace, and keep you
whole and sound for ever." The indicative form,
" 1 absolve you," instead of " Christ absolve thee,"
was not in use till the twelfth century, a little before
the time of Thomas Aquinas, who first wrote in
defence of it ; as the learned bishop Usher has clearly
proved. Sometimes chrism, or unction, was added
to the imposition of hands, in the reconciliation of
such heietics and schismatics to the church as had
been baptized in heresy or schism ; and the reason
was, because their baptism out of the church being
null and void, they were supposed to want the true
efl'ecl of baptism, viz. the grace or unction of the
holy spirit. The time of absolution seems to have
been tixed to the day of our Saviom's passion, and
some penitents were received into the church by ab-
solution, even after their death ; particularly such as
died during the course of their penance. We need
not observe that absolution, as well as all canonical
disci|)line, was primarily lodged in the hands of the
bishop, and hy him conuiiitted to the hands of the
presbyters and deacons only ; indeed, in cases of ex-
treme necessity some canons allowed A layman to
administer baptism, rather than a catechumen should
die imbaptized.
There were some crimes which incapacitated the
sinner from ever receiving aljsolution, and these
were, originally, the three great sins, idolatry, adul-
tery and murder; and though this rigour afterwards,
by general consent, was abated, yet they continued
to deny communion to the very last, to such
apostates as remained obstinate and impenitent all
their lives, and only desired reconciliation w hen the
pangs of death were upon them, only that very great
and scandalous offenders were reserved for the
patriarch's absolution.
The judicious Hooker, speaking of the abuse of
absolution in the Roman church, says, " They
strangely hold, that whatsoever the penitent doth,
his contrition, confession and satisfaction, have no
place of right to stand as -naterial [)arts in this sacra-
ment, nor consequently any such force as to make
them available for the taking away of shi, in that
they proceed from the penitent himself, without liie
privity of the minister, but only as they are enjoined
by the minister's authority and power except
therefore the priest be willing, God hath by promise
hampered himself so, that it is not now in his own
power to pardon any man he hath no answer to
make, but such as that of the angel unto Lot. "I can
do nothing." Then describing the true nature and
effects of absolution, he says, " The sentence there-
fore of ministerial absolution hath two effects : touch-
ing sin, it only declareth us freed from the guiltiness
thereof, and restored into God's favour ; but con-
cerning right in sacred and divine mysteries, whereof
through sin we were made unworthy, as the power
of the church did before effectually blind and retain
us from access unto them, so, upon our apparent
repentance, it truly restoreth our liberty, looseth the
chains wherewith we are tied, remitteth all whatso-
ever is past, and accepteth us no less leturoed, than
if we had never gone astray."
Archbishop 'I'illotson has given his opinion of the
use and intent of absolution in the following words :
" Upon this miraculous gift of knowing the secrets
of men's hearts, it seems to be very probable, that
thac which is connnonly called the power of the
keys, did depend; I mean the power of remitting or
retaining sins : for they who had the privilege of
knowing men's hearts, might do this upon certain
grounds, and was secured from mistake in the exer-
cise of their power upon particular persons ; which
the priests and ministers of the church now are not,
nor can be; because they cannot see into men's
hearts, whether they be truly penitent and qualified
for forgiveness or not. For I cannot easily believe
but that those words of our Saviour, " \\ hose sins ye
remit, they are remitted ; and whose sins ye retain,
they are retained," were intended to signify something
more than a mere declaration of the promises and
threatenings" of the gospel, which any man might
make as well as the apostles and ministers of the
church. For that God will forgive the penitent,
and that he will not pardon the sinner except he
repent, is as true from any man's montli, as from
an apostle's : and as to the absolution of this or that
particular person, though a minister, by the skill
and knowledge of his profession, is ordinarily and
reasonably presumed, by virtue of his office, to be a
better judge of a man's repentance, than other per-
sons are, and therefore may, with more authority
and satisfaction to the penitent, declare his judgment
and opinion concerning him ; yet not being able to
see into his heart, he may be mistaken concerning
him ; and, if he be, his declaring his sins to be for-
given, that is, his absolution of him will do him no
good ; and on the other hand, his refusal to absolve
him, if he be truly penitent, will do him no harm; as
RTTES AND CET^OfONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
die judp;ment of a skilful lawyer is of great authority,
ami more satisfactory to lis, concerning our title to
an estate, than the opinion of another man, who is
not ot the profession, nor presumed to have the like
skill: but yet for ail this- his judgment does not
alter the case; and if in truth the law be otherwise,
our title is bad, notwithstanding the skilful man's
opinion of the goodness of it."
The archbisliop says farther, that " Protestants do
not make tlie absolution of the priest at all necessary
to the forgiveness of sins, but only convenient for
the satisfaction and comfort of the penitent. For
which rea.soii our church does not require a formal
absolution to be given to the dying penitent, unless
he himself desire it; which is a certain argument,
tiiat, in the judgment of our church, the absolution
of the priest is not necessary to the forgiveness and
salvation of the penitent."
In the liturgy of the church of England, there are
three several forms of absolution. The first is that
at morning prayer, "Almighty God, 6cc. who hath
given power, Sec. He pardoneth and nbsolveth, &.c."
'J'hc second is used at the visitation of the sick,
"Our Lord J csiis Christ, who luilh left power to
his church, itc. by his authority committed to me, I
absolve thee, &c." The third is in the communion
service. " Almighty God, &c. who hath promised
forgiveness of sins, &c. have mercy on you, Sic."
'I'hese three diflFerent forms (Bishop Sparrow says)
are, in sense and virtue, the same. " For as w hen
a prince hatii granted a commission to any servant
of his, to release otrt of prison all penitent offenders
whatever, it were all one, in effect, as to the pri-
fwners discharge, whether this servant says, by virtue
•>t a commission granted to me, under the prince's
hand and seal, I release this prisoner; or thus, the
prince who hatii given me this commission, par-
dons you ; or lastly, the prince pardon and deliver
you."
The form of absolution which the pope gives
to crowned heads, who have been excommunicated
is briefly this, 'llje pnpe is seated on^ a rich pon-
tifical throne, erected before St. Peter's church, at-
tended by tlie apostolical court. The ambassadors
of the e\commuiiicated princes appear before this
assembly, and throw themselves at his holiness's
feet, asking pardon in the name of their masters, and
desiring absolution, 'i'hen they lay their hands on
the mass-book, and swear by the holy gospels, and
the crucifix, obedience to the church. 'I'heii the
pope and twelve carduuil priests, sing the Min'reir,
observing to strike the ambassadors on the shoulder
at the beginning of each verse, and the ceremony
ends with prayers, and the imposition of a penance
Jiroportiouabie to the crime of the persons absolved.
0/ Religions Societies in the Church of
Home.
Besihes the religious orders among the Roman
Catholics which we have already described, there
are several societies which are not authorised by
the pope, but establislied by immemorial custom.
The design of establishing them, seems to have been
that of promoting social religion; and althougli the
intention was good, yet the means made use of, had
such a connection w ith superstition, tlwt every valu-
able purpose was defeated.
The first of these societies ■ is that of the Chaplet,
or Beads, the invention of which is ascrii»ed to Peter
the hermitj w ho conducted the first crusade into the
Holy Land. The heathens, whose prayers were
numerous, used to teach tiieir votaries to count
beads, that they might not forget tiie different col-
lects ; and something of this nature w as practiced by
the Saracens, against whom this Peter the hermit
carried on the war. The design was to enable the
soldiers to repeat their prayers : for in that age, few
except the priests, could read. At present great
encouragement is given to those ignorant persons in
Roman Catholic countries, who are most exact in
making the repetition of their collects, and other
acts of devotion keep time with the counting of the
beads. Nay, some of the vulgar are so strict in
their attention to these ceremonies, tliat they will
neglect every thing else, for the sake of them. The
author of tliis work being once at Brussels in Flan-
ders, asked a waiter at an uin to bring him some-
thing; but, as the waiter was counting his beads,
he only answered, that he must first discharge the
duty he owed to the blessed Virgin.
The society of the Rosary was first instituted by
Dominic, a native of Spain, of whom we have al-
ready given some account, and of whom we shall
speak more at large in our history of the inquisition.
The rosary is a chaplet, consisting of one hundred
and fifty beads, whicli make so many Ave Marias;
and every ten beads, divided by one somew hat larger,
make a Peter; and the fifteen large beads are the
symbols of fifteen my.'^teries, w herein are pointed out
the eternal purposes of heaven, in laying down the
plan of man's redem])lion.
Before a person begins to repeat his rosary, he
must cross himself, repeat the apostles' creed, and
say the Lord's prayer with three j4ie Marias, to
j)oint out the relation the blessed Virgin has to the
three persons in the ever blessed Trinity. 'Ihe fif-
teen mysteries are divided into three classes ; the
first includes the five mysteries of joy; the five
next are those of sorrow, as alluding to our Sa-
viour's passion : and the five last those of glory,
being designed to represent the resurrection, and
the asceusiou. These ceremonies being over, all
340
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
the brethern of the rosary are obliged to join toge-
ther in singing litanies for the benefit of those who
are afHicted in mind, body, or estate ; and on all
such occasions they are obliged to address' them-
selves to the blessed Virgin, because she first pre-
sented Dominic with a rosary when he was only a
child. The solemnity of the rosary is celebrated on
the first Sunday in October, in consequence of an
order from pope Gregory XIII. Several privileges
have been since granted to the society, and most of
these having been confirmed by bulls, authorized by
different popes, we need not be surprized that at
present it makes a most distinguishing figure.
The next order, or rather society, in the church
of Rome, is tiiat of the Scapulary, or in plain
English the Shoulder-knot, because all those who
enter into this society, wear a piece of cloth upon
their right shofllder, to distinguish ' them from those
who make a different profession. We are told by
the legendary writers, that thfe blessed Virsjin her-
self, condescended to come down from heaven, in
order to bestow the scapulary, with some marks of
her approbation, upen one Simon Stock, who was
at that time general of the Carmelite fiiars; she
assured him that she would at all times grant him
her protection, and promised to be propitious to all
those who joined in the devotion of the scapulary,
and to look upon them as her children at the hour of
death, so as they had this badge along with them.
Thousands, and ten thousands of miracles are
said to have been wrought by the all-sufficient power
of these scapuhiries; and pope John XXII. in one
of his bulls declared, that the blessed Virgin came
to him on a visit, and gave him an absolute pro-
mise, that she would deliver out of purgatory all
.those who wore the scapulary, on the next Sunday
after their deatli. In consequence, of this bull, all
those who belong to the order of the scapulary,
are, when they die, kept unburied till the next
' Sunday after their decease, when there remains no
doubt but the soul is in heaven. It is difhcult to
gay hov.- far superstition ntay lead men into the most
extravagant schen\fis, inconsistent with either natu-
ral or revealed religion ; for in some cases, no bounds
can be set to the human passions. The author of
this, once saw a London tradesman entered into the
order of the scapulary at Antwerp, and so silly was
the poor I bigot, that he told those who conversed
with hini,-. that he wished he could, at that instant
of time, eater into eternity, being of opinion that
all his. sins were forgiven, and that he was accepted
in the sight of God.
But of all these societies, none deserves our no-
tice more, nor are entitled to greater respect, than
that called the Society of Charity. This society
consists of a body of laymen, who really deserve
the name they assume. They distribute bread among
the poor every Saturday, cause masses to be said foi'
the repose of departed souls, and give marriage por-
tions to forty young women. But there is another
act of charity performed by the brethern of this
order, which ought to be attended to by all those
who call themselves Protestants. When a poor
person dies, they are at the whole expence of his
funeral, and they take care not only to see his ashes
consigned decently to the silent earth, but they like-
wise, at the same time, order masses to be said for
the repose of his soul ; and although every Protestant
must look upon this practice as of a superstitious
nature, yet it shews the good intentions of- the peo-
ple, who, although mistaken, are willing to testify
their respect to the deceased, even beyond the grave.
In all Roman Catholic countries there are socie-
ties of men, who, for a small sum, annually make
it a rule to whip themselves publicly in the streets in
lent, and to such a height has this ridiculous super-
stition been carried on in Spain, that the clergy have
allowed that it shall be done 'by proxy, upon the
two following conditions : First, the priest is to re-
ceive a particidar sum of money for admitting a
proxy ; and secondly, the proxy is to be paid ac-
cording to the manner in which he makes his agree-
ment w ith his principal, whom he represents. These
hired penitents continue whipping themselves till the
blood runs plentifully down from their backs, and
during the whole of this barbarous ceremony, the
women, who look upon them as something more
than human, keep tearing their hair, and beating
their breasts, weeping most bitterly, and praying for
a thousand blessings on the pious penitents.
Some of the most, celebrated .Roman Catholic
writers, particularly Baronius and Fleury, have as-
serted thnt the practice of penitents scourging them-
selves, did not take its rise in the Christian church,
before the middle of the eleventh century. About
that lime, a parcel of fellows who loved a state of
idleness, wrapped themselves up in cowls, and pro-
vided themselves with rods and whips, under pretence
of appeasing the deity for tlie many crimes they had
committed. W'hh these implements they whipped
themselves in such a severe manner, that blood
gushed out from all parts of their bodies, and being
considered as saints, the people made considerable
collections for them ; so that although their backs
were sore, yet they hiid the comfort of enjoying
some money in their pockets, which those who were
as ignorant of religion as themselves, ,but far less
artful, could not pretend to.
But ridiculous as this form of devotion may ap-
pear to Protestants who live in this enlightened age
and. nation, yet we can assure our readers, that we
have not exaggerated the least or most trivial cir-
cumstance. On the countrary, the madness was so
great, that the female sex became, as it were, in-
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
241
fected with if ; women forgot lliat softness peculiar
to their nature and constitntioii, and driven by en-
thusiasm to superstition, they lacerated their bodies
wilii cords and ropes, not only to make an attone-
nient for their own sins, but also to procure the fa-
vour of the deity for such souls as they imagined to be
confined in purgatory.
About fifty years after the period already men-
tioned, a new set of whippers, or scourgers, under
the name of penitents, arose, and tiiese pretended
that they had received a jiarticuiar commission from
(»od, to whip themselves vMthoul mercy. Nay,
such was the madness of the times, that even chil-
dren, encouraged by their parents, entered themselves
into societies, some to whip themselves, and some
to whip each other.
''J'o what has been already advanced concerning
the whippers or disciplinants, we must add the high
respect they are held in by all ranks of jieople in
Spaui, Good-friday is appropriated for tiieir honour,
and so much are they esteemed, that even the king
and great officers of state, and in a word, all those
who are most respectable in the metropolis think it
an honour to attend them. The king's guards
inarch with their arms covered with crape as a sign
of mourning, and tiie musicians play upon their
difl'erent instruments the most dismal tunes that caif
be imagined. All the drums are coveied with black,
and they beat a most doleful march, in order to point
out to the populace the death of our Saviour. The
dismal sound of the trumpets animates and stirs up
the contrition of the penitents, and the ijanners and
crosses all covered with black, have the same influ-
ence upon the devotees.
As there are many societies of these disciplinants,
or \\hl|>pers, in Spain, so they are generally all pre-
sent at Aladrid, on Good-friday, and they are dres-
sed in such a manner as to distinguish tliem (ram all
others. They wear a long cap covered with cambric,
about three feet high, from whence hangs apiece of
linen, which falls down before and serves them for a
veil. On their hands they wear white gloves, with
shoes of the same colour on their feet, and a waist-
coat with sleeves tied with a black ribbon, if they
are not in love with any particular young lady; but
if they are, then they liave ribbons of such a colour
as they imagine their mistresses will approve of.
He who whips himself with the greatest dexterity,
* esteemed far superior to those who are fearful and
timid; and whenever they meet a young beautiful
lady in the course of the procession, they are so
artful, that by a few strokes of the whip, they can
make the blood fVnv in the most copious manner, and
this act of heroism is so much esteemed by the lady,
that if not engaged, she is generally ready to oSier
her hand.
W hen any of them happen to come before the
16
windows of their mistress' apartments, they re-
double their blows upon their backs and shoulders,
and the ladies, who view the whole of the proces-
sion, considering it as done in honour to themselves,
take care to return the compliment with all tlie
marks of unfeigned love. The procession being
over, and the voluntary penitents returned to the
place from v.liencc they set out, they find an ele-
gant entertainment jjrovided for them ; for although
Good-friday is one of the most solemn fasts in the
whole of the Roman calendar, yet the pope dis-
penses with the obligation. Previous to Ills sitting
down at table, the patient or rather penitent, has
his back and shoulders rubbed with \\ ine and viiiejiar,
in order to cure his wounds and remove the congeal-
ed blood.
Another society among the Roman Catholics, is
that which pretends to shew the utmost respect to
the relics of departed saints, such as their legs, arms,
hands, feet, bones, hair, teeth, and even tlie clothes
they wore when they died. '1 his society is extremely
industrious; for they send .>ut, from time to time,
missionaries to collect together some of the relics of
the faithful. The missionaries arc generally very
successful, and sometimes they bring home more
bones belonging to a saint than ever he had w hile he
was alive. If any dispute arises concerning the au-
thenticity of these bones, it is referred to the bishop,
who considers of it in the most mature manner, and
then sends an account of the whole to Rome, v\here
his holiness re-considers the whole matter, and his
decree is fmal with respect to the matter in dispute
between the contending parties.
It has been often asked by very sensible Protes-
tants, why those v>ho make a profession of Christla.-
nitv, could so far forget the duty they owed to their
]^ivlne Redeemer, as to worship the bones of a man
or woman who had been long deposited in the grave,
while, at the same time, they believed that the dead
were to rise again when Christ comes to judge the
world.? To this we would answer, that tlie Christi-
ans, or at least those in the middle ages, who assum-
ed that nanse, borrowed this from the heathens. The
Egyptians made it a rule to preserve the bodies of
their departed ancestors, which in time became ob-
jects of idolatrous worship ; and to prevent the Is-
raelites from falling into the same snare, Moses was
commanded to depart from his beloved people, and
\ield np his spirit to God upon Mount Nebo. The
jev\s did not k!iow the place where their great legis-
lator died, or at least they could never iliscover
where he was buried, so we find, that altlunigli they
were often guilty of the grossest practices of idola-
try, yet they never worshipped the body of Moses,
which they certainly would have done, had they
I known in what place he was interred. At present
' great respect is paid to the bones and aslies taken
3 p
C42
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
out of what is commonly called the catacombs at
Rome, and Naples; and of these ancient places of
burial, we shall give the following faithful account
from the judicious bishop Burnet, who visited Italy
in the year 1685.
This will appear the more necessary, when we
consider, the bodies taken out of those sepulchres of
the dead, are said to be the remains of those primi-
tive Christians who suffered marryrdom for the truth ;
Avhereas it is well known, that in a continual state
of persecution, the Christians, so far from being able
to erect such monuments for those of their own
profession, were often obliged to provide for their
own safety, by concealing themselves in the most
private manner. And here we shall find, that many
of those relics, worshipped by the Roman Catholics,
are either the bones of heathens, or of some Chris-
tians Mho lived many years after the reign of the
emperor Constantine the Great.
The bishop says, " they are vast and long gal-
leries cut out of the rock : there are three stories of
them one above another. I was in two of thern,
but the rock is fallen in the lowest, so that one can-
not go i.ito it, but I saw the passage to it : These
galleries are about twenty feet broad, and about
fifteen feet high, so that they are noble and spacious
places, and not little and narrow as the catacombs at
Rome, which are only three or four feet broad, and
five or six feet high. I was made to believe that these
catacombs of Naples, went into the rock nine miles
long ; but for that I have it only by report ; yet if
that be true, they may perhaps run towards Puzzolo,
and so they may have been the burial places of the
towns on that bay, but of this I have no certainty.
I walked indeed a great way, and found galleries
going off in all hands without end, and where, as
in the Roman catacombs, that are not above three
or four rows of niches that are cut out in the rock
one over another, into which the dead bodies were
laid ; here there are generally six or seven rows of
those niches, and they are both larger and higher :
some niches are for children's bodies, and in many
places there are in the floors, as it were great chests
hewn out of the rock, to lay the bones of the dead,
as they dried, in them ; but I could see no marks
either of a cover for these holes, tiiat looked like the
bellies of chests, or of a facing to shut up the niches
■when a dead body was laid in them, so that it seems
they were monstrous unwholesome, and stinking
places, where some thousands of bodies lay rotting,
■without any thing to shut in so loathsome a sight,
and so odious a smell; for the niches shew plainly
that the bodies were laid in them, only wrapt in the
dead clothes, they being too low tor coffins. In
some places of the rock, there is as it were a little
chapel hewn out in the rock, that goes out from the
common gallery, and there are niches all round about ;
but I saw no marks of any wall that shut in such
places, though I am apt to think these might be
burying places appropriated to particular families.
There is in some places on the walls and arch, old
mosaic work, and some painting, the colours are
fresh, and the manner and characters are gothic,
which made me conclude that this might have been
done by the Normans about six hundred years ago,
after they drove out the Saracens. In some places
there are palm-trees painted, and vines in other
places. The freshness of the colours shew these
could not have been done while this place was em-
ployed for burying, for the steams and rottenness of
the air, occasioned by so much corruption, must
have dissolved both plasters and colours. In one
place there is a man painted with a little beard, and
Paulus is written by his head : there is another reach-
ing him a garland, and by his head Laud is written,
and this is repeated in another place, right over
against it. In another place 1 found a cross painted,
and about the upper part of it these letters J. C. X.
O. and in the lower part M JK A are painted. A
learned antiquary that went with me, agreed with me
that the manner of the painting and characters did
not seem to be above six hundred years old ; but
neither of us knew what to make of these letters :
the lower seemed to relate to the last word of the
vision which it is said Constantine saw, with the
cross that appeared to him : but though the first two
letters might be for Jesus, it being ordinary in old
coins and inscriptions, to put a C for an S and X
stands for Christ, yet we knew not what to make
of the O, imless it were for the Greek Theta, and
that the little line in the bosom of the Theta was
worn out, and then it stands for Theos : and thus
the whole inscription is Jesus Christ God over-
cometh. Another picture in the wall, had written
over it S. Johannes, which was a clear sign of a
barbarous age. In another place there is a picture,
high in the wall, and three pictures under it ; that at
the top had no inscription ; those below it had these
inscriptions, S. Katherina, S. Agape, and S. Marga-
rita, these letters are clearly modern, besides that Mar-
garet and Catherine are modern names : and the
addition of ta a little above the S. were manifest
evidences, that the highest antiquity that can be
ascribed, is six hundred years. I saw no more
painting, and I began to grow weary of the darkness
and the thick air of the place, so I stood not above
an hour in the catacombs. This made me reflect
more particularly on the catacombs of Rome than
I had done. I could imagine no reason why so little
mention is made of those of Naples, when there is
so much said concerning those of Rome; and could
give myself no other account of the matter, but that
its being a maxim to keep up the reputation of the
' Romau catacombs, as the repositories of the relics
KITES AND CEEEMOVirq TN TTIE CHURCH OF ROME.
of the primitive Christians, it would have much
lessened their credit, if it had beeiilhonglit lliat theic
■were catacombs fai beyond them in all respects, tliat
jet cannot be sup[)osed to have been tlie work of tlie
primitive Christians, and indeed nothing seems more
evident than that these were the common burying
places of the ancient heathens. One enters into
them without the walls of the towns, according to
the laws of the twelve tables, and such arc the cata-
combs of Rome that I saw, w hich were those of St.
Sebastian, the entry into them being without the
town : this answers the law, though in eft'ect they
run under it, for in those days when they had not
the use of the needle, they could not know which
way they carried on those works wlifu they were
once so far engaged under ground as to lose them-
!9elves. It is a vain imagination to think that the
Christians, in the primitive times, m ere able to carry
on such a work ; for as this prodigious digging into
such rocks, must have been a very visible thing, by
the mountains of rubbish that must have been
l)roiight out, and by the vast number of hands that
must have been employed in it ; so it is absurd to
think that they could hold their assemblies amidst
the annnyance of so much corruption. I found the
steams so strong, that though I am as little subject
to vapours as most men, yet I had all the day long
after I was in them, which was not near an hour,
a confusion, and as it were a boiling in my head,
that disordered me extremely : and if there is now so
much stagnating air, there, this must have been sen-
sible in a more eminent and insufferable manner
while there were vast numbers of bodies rotting in
those inches;
But besides this improbability that presents itself
from the nature of the thing, I called to mind a
passage of a letter of Cornelius, tliat was bishop of
Rome, after the middle of the third century, which
is preserved by Eusebius in his sixth book, chapter
43, in which we have the state of the church of
Rome at that time set forth. There were forty-six
presbyters, seven deacons, as many sub-deacons,
and ninety-four of the inferior orders of the clergy
among them : there were also fifteen hundred wi-
dows, and other poor, maintained out of the public
charities. It may be reasonably supposed that the
numbers of the Christians were as great w'hen this
epistle was written, as they were at any time before
Constantine's days ; for as this was written at the
end of that long peace of which both St. Cyprian
and Lactantius speak, that had continued above a
himdred years ; so after this time there was such
a succession of persecution, that came so thick one
upon another, after short intervals of quiet, that
■we cannot think the number of the Christians in-
creased much beyond what they were at this time.
How there are two particulars in this state of the
clergy, upon which one may make a probable esti-
mate of the number of the Christians : tiie one is
their poor, which were but fifteen hundred, now
uf>t)n an exact survey, it will be found, that where
the poor are well looked to, their numbur rises ge-
nerally to be the thirtieth or fortieth part of mankind ;
and this may be well believed to be the proportion
of the poor among the Christians of that age : I'or
as their charity was vigorous and tender, so we find
Celsus, Julian, Lucian, Prophyry, and others, ob-
ject this to the Christians of that time, that their
charities to the poor drew vast numbers of the lower
sort among them, who made themselves Christians
that they might be supplied by their brethren : So
that this being the state of the Christians, then we
may reckon the poor the thirtieth part, and so fifteen
hundred multiplied by thirty, produce five and forty
thousand : And I am the more inclined to think
that this rises up near the full sum of their numbers,
by the other character of the numbers of the clergy,
for as there were forty-six presbyters, so there were
ninety-four of the inferior orders, who were by two,
more than double the number of the priests : and
this was at a time in which the care of souls was
more exactly looked after, than it has been in the
more corrupted ages, the clergy having then really
more work on their hands, the instructing their ca-
techumens, the visiting their sick, and the support-
ing and comforting the weak, being tasks that re-
quired so much application, that in so vast a city as
Rome was in those days, in which it is probable the
Christians were scattered over the city, and mixed
in all the parts of it, we make a conjecture that is not
ill grounded, when we reckon that every presbyter
had perhaps a thousand souls committed to his care,
so this rises to six and forty thousand : which comes ■
very near the sum that may be gathered from the
other hint, taken from the number of their poor.
So that about fifty thousand is the highest account to
which we can reasonably raise the number of the
Christians at Rome in that time; and so of many
persons, the old, the young, and the women, made
more than three fourth parts, so that men that were
in a condition to work, were not above twelve thou-
sand ; and in consequence they were in no con-
dition to undertake and carry on so vast a work.
If Cornelius in that letter, speaks of the numbers
of the Christians in excessive terms, and if Tertu-
lian in his apologetic hath also set out the numbers
of tlie Christians of his time, in a very high strain,
that is only to be ascribed to a pompous eloquence,
which disposeth people to magnify their own party,
and we must allow a good deal to a hyperbole .that
is very natural to all tliat set forth their forces in ge-
neral terms. It is true, it is not so clear when those
vast cavities were dug out of the rocks. Vv'e know
that when the laws of the twelve tables were made.
244
RITES AND CEREiSIONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
sepulture was then in use, and Rome being then
grown to a vast bigness, no doubt tliey had reposi-
tories for their dead, so that since none of the Roman
authors mention any such work, it may not be *!-
reasonable to suppose, that these vaults had been
wrought and cut out iVom the first betjinnins; of the
city, and so that the latter authors had no occasion to
take notice of it. It is also certain, tiiat though
burying came to be in use among the Romans, yet
they returned back to their first custom of burying
bodies long before Constantine's time ; so that it
Tvas not the Christian religion that produced this
change. All our modern writers take it for grantetl,
that the change was made in the time of the Anto-
nms, yet there being no law made concerning it,
and no mention being made in an age full of writers,
of any orders that were given for burying places,
Vesseru's opinion «eem8 more probable, that the
custom of burning wore out by degrees, and since
we are sure that they once buried, it is more natural
to think that the slaves, and the meaner sort of the
people were still buried, that being a less expensive
and a more simple way of bestowing their dead bo-
dies than burning, which was both pompous and
chargeable, and if there were already burying places .
prepared, it is much e;isier to imagine how the cus-
tom of burying grew universal without any law made
concerning it.
I could not, for some time, find out upon what
grounds the modern critics take it for granted, that
burying began in the times of the Antonins : till I
had the happiness to talk of this matter with the
learned Gronovius, who seems to be such a master
of all the ancient learning, as if he had the authors
lying always open before him : he told me that it
vas certain the change from burning to burying was
not made by> the Christian ^emperors ; for Macro-
bius (lib. 7- cap. ?•) says in plain terms, that the
custom of burning the bodies of the dead was quite
worn out in that age, which is a clear intimation
that it was not laid aside so late as by Constantine,
and as there was no law made by him on that head,
■so he and the-succeeding emperors gave such an en-
tire toleration to paganism, admitting those of that
religion, to the greatest employments, that it is not
to besupposed that there was any orders given against
;J)urninff ; so that it is clear the heathens had changed
It by their own accord, otherwise we should have
• found that amongst the complaints that they made
of the grievances under which they lay from the
Christians. But it is more difficult to fix the time
when this change was made. Gronovius shewed
nie a passage of Phlegons that mentions the bodies
that were laid in the ground, yet he did not build
on that, for it may have relation to the custom of
burying that might be elsewhere. And so Petro-
,?iius gives the account of the Ephesian niatrou's hus-
band ; but he made it apparent to me, that burying
was commonly practised in Commodus's time, for
Xiphilinus tells us, that in Pertinax's time, the friends
of those whom Commodus had ordered to be put
to death had dug up their bodies, some bringing out
only some parts of them, and others raising their
entire bodies. The same author tells us that Perti-
nax binied Commodus's body, and so saved it from -
the rage of the people, and here is a positive evi-
dence that burying was the common practice of that
time. It is true, it is very probable, that as we see
some of the Roman families continued to bury their
dead, even when burning was the anore commoa
custom, so perhaps others continued after this t»
burn their dead, the thing being indifferent, and ne
law being made about it, and therefore it was parti-
cularly objected to the Christians after this time, that
they abhorred the custom of burning the bodies of
the dead, which is mentioned by Minutius Felix :
but this or any other evidences, that may be brought
from medals of consecrations after this time, will
only prove that some were still burnt, and that the
Christians practised burying universally, as express-
ing their belief of the resurrection, whereas the
heathens held the thing indifferent. It is also clear
from the many genuine inscriptions that have been
found in the catacombs, which bear the dates of the
consuls, that these were the common burial places of
all the Christians of the fourth and fifth century ;
for I do not remember that there is any one date that
is more ancient, and yet not one of the writers of those
ages speak of them as the work of the primitive
Christians. They speak indeed of the burial places
of the martyrs, but that will prove no more but that
the Christians might have had their quarters, and
their walks in those common burial places where
they laid tlieir dead, and which might have been
known among them, though it is not likely that
they would in times of persecutions make such in-
scriptioiw as might have exposed the bodies of their
dead friends to the rage of their enemies : and the
spurious acts of saints and martyrs are of too little
credit to give any support to the common qpinion.
Damasus's poetry is of no better authority, and tho'
those ages were inclined enough to give credit to
fables, yet it seems this, of those catacombs having
been the work of the i)rimitive Christians, was too
gross a thing to have been so early inipose«i on the
world. And this silence in an age in which super-
stition was going on at so great a rate, has much
force in it, for so vast a work, as those catacombs
are, must have been well known to all the Romans.
It were easy to carry this much farther, and to shew
that the has reliefs that have been found in st)me of
those cafcicombs, have nothing of the beauty of the
ancient and Roman time. This is also more dis-
ceinabie lin many inscriptions that c-vre more Gothic
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
24^
than Roman, and llicre are so many inscriptions
relating to tables, that it is plain tlics(,' were ol latter
times, and we see by St. Jerome^ that the monks
began, even in his time, to drive a trade of relies;
so it is no wonder that to raise llie credit of such
a heap as was never to be exhausted, they made
some miscrabfe sculptures, and some inscri])lions ;
and perhaps shut up the entries into them with
much . care and sccresy, intending to open them
iijion . some tireani or other artitice to give them
the more reputation, which was often practised in
order to draw nmch wealth and great devotion,
even to some single relic; and a few being upon this
secret, either those might have died, or by the nianv
revolutions that have happened in Rome, they might
have been dispersed belbre they made the discover}.
And thus the knowledge of those places was \<)st, and
came to be discovered by accident in the last age, and
hath ever since supplied them with an inexhaustible
magazine of bones, which by all appearance are no
other than the bones of the Pagan liomans; which
are now sent over the world to feed a superstition
that is as blind as it proves expensive. And thus
the bones of the Roman slaves, or at least those of a
meaner sort, are now set in silver and gold, with a
great deal of other cfctly garniture, and entertain the
superstition of those who are \v illing to be deceived,
as well as they serve the ends of those that seek to
deceive the world. But because it cannot be pre-
tended that there was such a number of Christians at
Naples, as could have wrought such catacondjs, and
if it had been once thought that those were the
common burial places of tlie ancient heathens,
that might have induced the work! to think, that
the Roman catacombs were no other ; - and
therefore there hath been no care taken to ex-
amine these.
The most rcmarlinhk Feasts and Ceremonies in the
Roman Calendar.
On the third of January, the festival of St. Gene-
vieve is celebrated at Paris, she being the patroness
of that city. The Roman w riters tell us, that this
female .saint wrought so many miracles, that too
great respect cannot be shewn her; they add further
that the angels rejoiced at her birth, and the blessed
in heaven annually celebrated her birth-day. One
time, being seized widi something like convulsion
fits, her body was so much distorted, that she seemed
to be in great agonies, but instead of feeling any
pain, she was among the angels in heaven, filled
with uimtterable glory. She could penetrate into the
inmost recesses of the heart, and spent so much time
in prayer and penance, that the floor of her cliamber
17. 3
was wet with her tears. Many miracles were
wrought at her tomb, and will continue so to the
end of the world.
On .lanuary the seventh, is celebrated at Rome,
the feast of St. Anthony the abbot. On the morn-
ing of this feast, the pope, cardinals, princes, pre-
lates, and indeed all those who have horses, send
them to be blessed by the monks of St. Anthony ;
the saddles and bridles are also blessed, nj>on tlic
consideration of a small sum being paid for each
of the beasts, with their furniture. The Homan Ca-
tholics in England, were, in some measure, kept in
the dark concerning this ceremony of blessing the
horses, till 173C, when Dr. Middleton wrote his
letter from Rome, in which he tells us, that he paid
about eighteen-pence for having his horse and ihat
of his servant blessed. Dr. (3halloner, the titular
j>opish bishop of London, attacked Or. Middletoa
on this subject, telling him, that <u'h'ough he (Dr.
Challoner) had lived many years on the Continent,
yet he never saw or heard of it;
Here the popish' bishop, who had asserted the
above in the preface of his book, entitled The Catho-
lic Christian, forgot to mention to the public, that,
although he had resided many years on the Conti-
nent, yet he had never been further than Doway or
St. Omer's. This brought on a second controversy
between Chaljoner and one Marmaduke, the latter
of whom wrote an annual pamphlet in the form of
a calendar, called A Guide for the Faithful. In this
work, Marmaduke attacks the bishop in rather a sa-
tirical manner, by telling him there could be no harm
in blessing of horses, seeing they were creatures of
God; and every thing ought to be set apart for use,
by ])rayer and thanksgiving. He added further, in
a still more laconic and satirical manner, that if any
true Catholics doidjied of the truth of what had been
asserted by Dr. Middleton, it would be. proper that
they should take a trip to Rome, during the month
of January^ and they would be convinced from the
evidence of their own senses. <
On the twenty-first of .lanuary, the feast of .St.
Agnes, virgin and martyr, is celebrated ; and of this
extraordinary pei-son we have the following account.
^^ hen the pro-consul ordered her to be stripped quite
naked,, in order to be canied in that indecent man-
ner to the public stews, God gave such a thickness
to her dishevelled hair, that it covered her more
completely than her clothes;- and \\lien she entered
the brothel, an angel spread such a dazzling hght
around her, that none could see or touch her, by
reasonof the greatness of the splendor. Immediately
after, an angel presented her w ith a white linen gar-
ment, which she put on, and it fitted her so exactly,
that all the spectators were persuaded that it was
something more than human. The son of the pro-
consul attempted to enter into the light to violate her
246
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
chastit}', but he was clioaked by the devil, and
immediately dropped down dead.
On the thirtieth of January, the festival of St.
Martina, virgin and martyr, is celebrated, and as she is
considered by the Roman Catholics, as a most extra-
ordinary person, we shall here relate what is written
concerning her in the Roman breviary. St. Martina
being brought before the emperor, and refusing to
sacrifice, he commanded her to be stripped naked,
and her flesh to be slashed off a\ ith swords ; but the
body of the ^virgin was of so transparent a colour,
that it dimmed the eyes of the beholders, and milk
ilowed from her wounds, which had the most fra-
grant smell. After this, the emperor commanded
her to be beaten with clubs, but the executioners
employed, cried out that their strength failed them,
saying, " Deliver us from this virgin, for as often as
■we strike her, the angels of God return the blows
upon us with bars of iron, and our flesh and bones
are all on fire." But when the emperor would have
the blow s continued, all those who beat her, drop-
ped down dead. She was then sent to a dungeon,
but when the gaoler went to visit her, he saw a great
light shining around her, and he fell to the ground.
In that situation, he continued for some time, till at
last, lifting up his eyes, he saw St. Martina sitting
on a most gloi-ious seat, surrounded by a^reat num-
ber of men all dressed in white, holding a golden
table, on which the iollowing words were written :
" Thy works are wonderful, O Lord ; in w isdom
. hast thou made them a|l." AH which, we are told,
he related to the emperor. At last, a fierce lion,
who had been kept fasting thre-e days, was let loose
upon her, but he fawned upon her, and licked her
feet, which induced the soldiers to run their spears
through her body.
On the twenty-first day of February,, is celebrated
the festival of the blessed ISIargaret of Cortona, who,
in her younger years, had been a common [)rostitute,
but the sight of the skeleton of her lover, with
whom she had held an unlawful commerce for nine
years together, touched her heart in so efficacious a
manner, that from that instant to the day of her
death, she loved God with an uninterrupted affection,
and expiated, by a series of the most severe peni-
tence and mortification, the many sins of her youth.
After she Jicd thus devoted herself to God, all her
pleasure consisted in mortifying her body, by the
severest austerities. Her beauty, which had been her
ruin before, now became, as it were, a horror to her.
She bruised her face with stones, shed tears of blood,
and inflicted such torments on herself, that her eyes
seemed ready to start out of their sockets. She was
almost constantly beating herself, and used to whip
herself with a scourge full of great knobs, aud other
instruments of penance. She fed continuallv on
bread and water, had herself dragged along in her
shift, with a halter about her neck, till at last she
became insensible to the force of temptation.
During the time this penance continued, her guar-
dian angel made her several visits; and the Roman
writers tell us, that our Saviour used to converse
w ith her frequently, in the most familiar manner.
On the seventh of March, the festivals of St.
Thomas Aquinas, and St. Barbara, are celebrated ;
but what connection male and female saints had
together we know not, only that during the dark
ages of Christianity, St. Thomas Aquinas was con-
sidered as the titular saint of the booksv'llers, for no
other reason we are able to assign, besides that of
his being one of the most learned men of the age in
which he lived. It is common with the Roman
Catholics to tell us, that St. Thomas Aquinas was
nevqr guilty of a mortal sin; and it is related of him
that one day while he was only a boy, he happened
to kneel down to pray before the sign of the cross,
and there falling asleep, he thought he found his
loins fast bound by angels, from which time he was
never afterwards troubled with any lustful inclina-
tions. This will, in some measme, account for the
j)opish traditions concerning him, although we are
afraid that many Protestants will consider it as a
Pious Featd.
We read in tlie golden legend, that a man who
was thought to be starved to death, and by a rope
put about his neck was drawn to the top of a tower
and thrown down from theme; when he came to the
ground, he rose up np'jn his feet and gave the fol-
lowing account to those wha wontiered at his being
alive, seeing he had lived so long without any sort
of nourishment, and how it was possible for hnn to
be preserved in his fall. He assured them that St.
Barbara preserved him in all his dangers, and in his
fall from the tower, sustained him with her holy
hands. It is also related of this St. Barbara, that
her father was a heathen, and in order to prevent
her from being seduced, she being extremely beau-
tiful, perceived by her discourse that she was a Chris-
tian, and immediately drew his sword in great indig-
nation, threatening to kill her; but upon praying to
God, a large stone opened itself, and received her
wlwle body into the cavity, and carried her to a
mountain full of caves, where she thought to have
concealed herself, but w as discovered by a shepherd.
For this act of insolence, the shepherd was punished
in the most exemplary manner; for he was changed
into a marble stone, and all his sheep into locusts, or
as others say, into beetles, who annually visit the
tomb of this saint.
There is anotlier very remarkable circumstance
related concerning this St. Barbara, which every
Roman Catholic believes to be as true as any thing
recorded in the sacred scriptures. In 1448, one
Henry Knock, a native of Holland, had his house
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
!47
set on fire by a candle falling into a bnndle of straw,
and he himself iiardly escaped in his sliirt. lint
remembering that he iiad left some money in the
honse, he returned to fetch it, and the roof fell in
upon him. Considering Iiimself as in a dying con-
dition, he reflected that he had not received the last
sacraments of the church, and in this hour of dis-
tress addressed himself to St. Barbara. The saint
being thus invoked, came immediately to his assist-
ance, under the same form as slie is generally repre-
sented in (I'.urclics. She brought him througli the
flames, anil put him in a place of safety, but told him
at tlie same time, that he was to die next morning,
vliich accordingly took place.
Tiie festival of St. Longinus is celelirated on the
fifteenth of March ; and of this extraordinary person,
we are told that he wa^ once a slave, but having
obtained his IVeedom, he entered himself a soldier in
one of the Roman legions, and was present at the
crucifixion of our Saviour; we are told further, that
lie was the soldier who pierced our Saviour's side,
(see John xix. 34.) It is added in the legend con-
cerning him, that when he thrust the spear into our
Saviour's side he was blind, but some of the blood
and water bursting against his eyes, he was restored
to siglit, and became a convert to the gospel. He
afterwards retired to the wilderness, where he lived
a hermit many years; but being at last discovered,
he was put to death by order of Octavius, a Roman
consul. Thai (his soldier wiio pierced our Saviour's
side, was spiutually blind, cannot be doubted; but
that he was blind in a natural sense, is next to im-
possible ; for how then could he have acted as a
soldier, and as for his living a hermit, that sort
of profession did not take place till many years
after.
On the twenty-fifth of March, or Lady-day, the
pope performs the ceremony of marrying or clois-
tering several young women. On the morning of
that day, the pope, attended by the cardinals, goes
to the church of Minerva, where he celebrates high
mass, and all the maidens confess and communicate.
This being done, these maidens go to the place
clothed in white serge, and muffled up like so many
apparitions, in a large sheet that covers their heads,
in which is only a little hole to peep through, which
often is but just big enough for one eye to look out
at. These maidens, who are the daughters of poor
parents, walk two by two into the choir, where all
thfe cardinals are assembled, and prostrate themselves
before them in the most humble manner.
An officer appointed for tliat purpose, stands on one
side, having in his hands a bason, wherein are little
white tabby bags, i)i each of which is a note of fifty
crowns for those who make choice of marriage,
and anothernote of one hundred crov^ns for those
who prefer the veil. When each maiden has de-
clared her choice, her bag is given her, hanging by
a small string. In taking it, she kisses it, makes a
low courtspy, and immediately walks oft" to make
room for others. ^I'liose who prefer the veil, are
distinguis^icd by a garland of flowers, and greater
iespec( is shewn to them than to the others, ^lisso^,
the celcljrated tiavelltr, tells us, tiiat out of three
hundred and fifty maidens, whom he oilce saw pre-
sent at this ceremony, only thirty-two consented to
take the veil.
The carnival, which ends on Shrove Tuesday, is
borrowed from the heathens, and comes in room of
their bacchanals. Itgenerally continues three weeks,
but in some places more, particularly at Venice,
where all manner of debauchery is tolerated. It is
not enjoined by any order or constitution of the
Romish church, but is tolerated, that debauchees
may be the more fit to comply with the hardships
and austerities of lent.
^rhe first day of lent is called Ash Wednesday,
because on that day, the penitents, among the Chris-
tians, about the fourth and fifth centuries, stood at
the doors of the churches, covered with ashes and
sackcloth. But the Roman Catholics have added
many ceremonies on this day, which were unknown
to the ancients. The ashes used for the first day of
lent, must be made from the braliches of olives, or
some other trees, which have been blessed and con-
secrated for that purpose the year before, on Palm
Sunday. The vestry keeper gets the ashes readv,
and places them in a vessel on the epistle side o( ihe
altar, where th-i officiating priest blesses them, and
then marks them with the sign of the cross.
After this they are incensed, and then the officiat-
ing priest, attended by the deacon and sub-deacon,
walks forward to the rails of the altar, where he is
met by the priest to whom the church belongs, who
pours some of the ashes in the form of a cross upon
the head of the officiating priest, repeating at the
same time, " Remember man that thou art dust."
The ashes are then sprinkled on the heads of all the
people in the congregation, w hether men or wo-
men.
With respect to lent, it is of considerable anti-
quitv, but it was very different in ancient times
from what it is at present. Till the time of the em-
peror Constantine the Great, lent seldom exceeded
forty hours, and it was kept in memory of our Sa-
viour's passion and sufferings; but since, the Roman
Catholics have added forty days more, in comme-
moration of the time our Saviour fasted in the wil-
derness.
On the fourth Sunday in lent, 1336, pope Urban
V. consecrated a golden rose, and sent it to Joan,
queen of Sicily, lie likewise made a decree, by
which it was ordained, that the popes, his succes-
sors, should consecrate one on the same Sunday
^2?8
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
every year. At present there are many of tliese
roses consecrated and sent to princes, to particular
churches, and to several great persons. His holi-
ness blesses the rose with frankincense, balm, musk,
and holy water, all mixed together. This he does
in a private apartment in his own palace, after
'which he carries the rose in liis hand to his chapel,
and the sub-deacon lays it on the altar, Mass being
ended, the pope takes the rose and delivers it to the
ambassador of the prince, &c. for whom it< is in-
tended.
Palm Sunday is celebrated with many ceremonies
by the Roman Catholics; great numbers of palms
are prepared at the pope's chapel, and likewise in
other churches in Rome, and these are distributed
to such of the faithful as chuse to accept of thcni.
During the remainder of the day, and the Monday
following, the peuple who go to mass must carry
~^ these palms in their hands, because they were con-
secrated for that purpose.
On Palm Sunday the altars are all adorned with
palms, and on that day a very remarkable custom is
observed in several Roman Catholic countries,
namely, the setting a prisoner at liberty, on which
occasion the bishop and clergy walk to the prison in
solemn procession, and this is said to be an emblem
of our spiritual freedom. Tiiis ceremony is bor-
rowed from the Jews, who in ancient times set a
prisoner at liberty on the day of the passover, as we
read in the account of Barrabas, who was set at
liberty when our Saviour was crucified.
On Holy Thursday, many ceremonies are ob-
served, but particularly at Rome, where the pope
assists at mass in the apostolical chapel. Mass
being over, a priest takes up the host, and marches
with it under a canopy, from the altar to the se-
pulchre. All the church officers who are present
follow him according to their seniority, and the
jounger ones range themselves near the cross, which
is set up opposite to the grave, with the senior ones
behind them. ^
The host is then taken out of the tabernacle, and
incensed by the officiating priest, while all the peo-
})le kneel down. This being done, the deacon puts
the host again into the tabernacle and locks it up,
giving the key to the master of the ceremonies, and
Uiis is what is called, the carrying of the host to the
sepulchre.
This ceremony is followed by another, which the
Roman Catlvolics call, the uncovering of the altars ;
and as the pope performs this ceremony in his own
chapel, so all the archbishops and bishops do the
same in their respective parish churches and cathe-
- drals. The priest who officiates on such occasions,
makes three low bows before the altar, and then
proceeds to remove from the images those mourn-
ful robes with which they had been covered during
the former part of lent. All the sacred images hav-
ing been exposed to public view, the priest covers
the cross with black, sets over tI»o altar a canopy of
the same colour, while the choir sings anthems-
suitable to the solemnity of the ceremony.
The next ceremony is that of excommunicating
and giving over to the devil, all the Protestants
in the world, who at Rome, and among Roman
Catholics, are known by the name of heretics. The
pope is then clothed m red, and stands on a high
throne, the better to be seen by the people. Tlie
sub-deacons, who stand at the left hand of his holi-
ness, read the bull, and in the mean time, the can-
dles are lighted, and each of them takes one in his
hand. When the excommunication is pronounced,
the pope and cardinals put out their candles and
throw them among the crowd, after which, the
black cloth that covered the pulpit is taken away.
The pope, having excommunicated all the Pro-
testants, proceeds to exercise an act of formal humi-
lity, which is that of washing the feet of thirteen
poor priests, in imitation of our Saviour's washing
the feet of his disciples. The pope .jttendcd by
the cardinals, conies into the hall of the palace,
where are several deacons and sub-deacons, with
other proper officers. The youngest cardinal deacon
gives the pope the book of the gospel, which his ho-
liness kisses three times, and then the choir sing an
anthem, beginning with these words, "A new com-
mandment I give unto you."
As soon as the pope hears these words, he puts
off his mitre, and having girded himself with an
apron of fine linen, he washes the feet of thirteen
poor priests, all strangers, who sit on high benches,
with coarse hoods reaching down to their arms. The
above priests have their right legs bare, and they are
washed clean with soap before they are presented to
his holiness. When his holiness has done washing
them, his treasurer, by his order, gives to each of
them two medals, one of gold and the other of sil-
ver, weighing one ounce each, and the president of
the sacred college dries their feet with a na])kin.
The thirteen priests, whose feet have been washed
by the i)ope, are carried into a grand apartment,
where they are entertauied with a most sumptuous
dinner, and they are no sooner seated than the i)ope
comes in and presents tlie tirst dish. He likewise
pours out to each of theni a glass of w ine, and con-
verses w ith them in the most familiar manner, and
grants them several privileges, which being done, he
withdraws. Then the pope's preacher in ordinary
begins a sermon, which contniues while the priests
are at dinner, and the pope, with his cardinals, sit
behind a screen, where they see all that passes, but
are not seen by any. The same ceremony is per-
formed, not only in the great churches m Rome, biii
likewise iu most cathedrals and parish churches,
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
240
where the Roman Catholic religion is professed,
dirt'oring only according to particular circumstances.
We conu^ next to the ceremonies observed on
Good-Iridav, and these begin with the adoration of
the cross. About ten o'clock in the evening of
IIolv-Tlunsday, the officiating priest goes up to the
altar, attended by such of the church officers as
happen to be present. There they kneel down before
the cross, and having repeated several prayers, the
table of the altar is covered with black, anil so is the
mass book, which is placed at the epistle side.
The priest who is to officiate, goes up to the altar,
and having kissed it in the most reverential manner,
repeats several short prayers with a low voice, and
these are likewise repeated by his attendants after
him. Prayers being ended, the officiating priest
goes to the epistle side of tlie altar, the deacon takes
up the cross which is veiled, and presents it to the
priest, who, after lie hits uncoveied the top of it,
elevates it with both his hands, at the same time
singing the following words, " Behold the wood of
the cri»ss.'' Then ail the congregation rise up with
their heads uncovered, and the |)riest at the altar
sings, " on w hicli the Saviour of the world was ex-
tended." The choir answer, " let ns come and
adore." Ileie they all fall prostrate on their knees,
except the officiating priest, but in a moment after,
tliey rise up, and the priest uncovers the right arm
of the crncirix, with tiie head of Jesus, and shows
tliem to the people. The ceremony of the adoration
being over, the priest and the deacons kiss the cru-
cifix, aJidSt is given round to be kissed by all who
are present in the congregation, whether men or
women.
At Courtray there is a procession on Good-Friday,
in commemoration of our Saviour's snft'erinos, and
the magistrates of that city give twenty-live livres
to a poor man who submits to be scourged by the
monks. The monks assure him, that should he die
in conse(5|ncnce of the flagellation, he will be enti-
tled to everlasting happiness. The procession is
conducted in the follow ing manner : The mock Sa-
viour is brought into the church, w here he is stripped
naked, and clothed in a purple robe, which is hung
round his shoulders; girded liy a thick rope, and his
head crowned with thorns. After this, he is made
to walk barefooted, with" a pack saddle tied to his
neck ; on each side of the pack saddle six ropes are
fixed, of the thickness of such as are iisi;allv put to
draught horses, which being done, the voluntary
martyr has a heavy cross laid upon his shoulders,
and thus equipped, he walks up and down the whole
<if the city. Six Capuchins, who walk on his right
liand, draw the six ropes, which are fixed on that
side of the pack saddle, and the other six are drawn
by as many Recollects on the other side, so that the
poor fellow is so immercifuily liandled by the twelve
17 3
friars, that he is almost pulled in pieces. The poor
wretch would be killed in gi)od earnest, were it not
that a mock Simon, the Cyrenian, frequently couicf
up very seasonably to give him a little assistance.
'l"he poor w retch, before he is able to return to
the chnich, is half killed, for he receives so many
kicks and cuffs from the enraged multitude, who,
at that time, think it meritorious to imitate the con-
duct of the malicious Jews, that they shew no mercy
to the mock Saviour; but notwithstanding all he
sutlers, yet he is so fully i)ersuaded that his conduct
is meritorious, and that lie shall obtain the divine
blessing, that he submits with cheerfulness, and his
sulf'eriiigs bring considerable sums to the priests,
who, on such occasions, are sure to make a collec-
tion for their own private emolument.
To enumerate all the ceremonies used by the
Roman Catholics on Good-Friday, would be endless,
and in some measure unnecessary, we shall therefore
mention only the following. At Brassels, the capi-
tal of the Austrian Netherlands, all ranks of persons
strive to vie with each other, in celebrating the dealli
of Christ, and although some of the most learned
amoiiu; them may be persuaded that there is but little
devotion in their ceremonies, yet the prejudices of
the vulgar oblige ihem to make a formal compliance.
The grand part of the ceremony is performed at the
altar, in the church of the Austin-Friars, and per-
sons who join in the procession, assemble together
at eight in the morning, in the cathedral church of
St. Guidela.
The brethren of the order of mercy came thither
in their proper habits, and barefooted, with their
faces masked, and some walk with drums covered
with black cloth. After the brotherhood, a great
number of prisoners make their appearance, each of
them dragging after him a laigc iron cannon ball,
chained to his foot. The Austin Friars march next,
dressed in Jewish habits, in the midst of whom is a
man, who is always a criminal, but pardoned for the
part he then acts. This criminal is bound with
fetters, crowned w ith thorns, and dressed in a robe
of coarse purple. Then a band of trumpets come
forward, followed by the prebends of the cathedral,
and a great number of the inferior clergy, with an
incredible nniltitude of people. In this manner they
march into the church, but the crowd is in general
so great, that thousands are obliged to remain with-
out. In the church, a large scaffold is erected, and
a cross, twenty feet in height, set upon it. 'Flie
criminal, who represents the crucified Saviour,
ascends the scaffold, accompanied by the mock ex-
ecutioners, carrying ropes, nails, and hammers.
The brethren of mercy crowd round the scaffold,
and the ladies have high seats erected for them, but
the common people stand in the body of the church
below. The mock Jews strip the pretended Christ
250
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROISIE.
of his robes, laying him along the scaffold, and cast-
ing dice for his garment. Lust of all, he is tixed to
the cross, by tying his hands and feet to it with
thongs of leather, which, the better to imitate the
real crucifixion, are nailed to the cross, having small
bladders filled with blood under them, which runs
down as soon as the nails pierce through them. At
the sight of the blood the devotees beat their breasts,
although they know it is no more than a farce, and
the choir sings anthems suitable to the mock solem-
nity of the day.
On Easter-eve, the ornaments of the churches
and altars are changed, the black being taken off,
and the white put on before mass is celebrated. On
tlie gospel side of the altar, a large candlestick in
the form of an angel is set, and in this the paschal
dandle is placed. It is made of white wax, and
•weighs about eight or ten pounds, and five holes are
ihade in it, in the form of a cross. This paschal
candle must remain on the gospel side of the altar,
from Easter to Ascension-day ; and previous to its
being lighted, the officiating priest consecrates it in
the most solemn manner. On the same day, all
rtew utensils belonging to the chnrch, and which
have not been used before, are consecrated and set
apart for divine service. The officiating priest per-
fumes the font thrice with frankincense, after which
he takes some of the oil used in baptism, and pours
it on the holy water cross ways, mixed with the
chrism, and this is reserved to baptize all the cate-
chumens, or children who shall be brought to the
church.
The Sunday commonly called Easter, brings joy
along with it to all ranks of people in the Romish
church, for the priests are not only released from the
slavish drudgery of passion week, but they likewise
receive the oblations of the faithful, w hich enable
them to enjoy a few of those comforts of which
they were deprived during lent. On the other hand,
the people, having by confession settled all their ac-
counts with heaven, receive absolution and the eu-
charist ; they give themselves up for some time to all
sorts of diversions, without considering that they are
contracting new sins.
Many of the Roman Catholics never go to bed
on the night before Easter, but wait with the most
longing expectation for the sun rising, in imitation
of the devout women who, on the morning of the
resurrection, waited at the sepulchre of our Lord.
At Rome, the pope, attended by two deacon-cardi-
nals, and all the great officers of his household, go
in procession to his holiness's chapel, and mass is
celebrated much in the same manner as at Christmas.
All the faithful are obliged to receive the holy com-
munion, either on Easter-day, or on the Sunday
following; for if they neglect both, tliey cannot,
when they die, obtain the privilege of Christian
burial.
The nest festival is that of the Ascension, cele-
brated in memory of our Saviour's ascending into
heaven after liis resurrection, in his human nature,
and in the presence of his disciples.
This festival is not so ancient as some of the Ro-
man Catholics would huve us to believe, for it was
not celebrated till after the reign of Constantine the
Great, there being no other festival during tlie three
first centuries, besides Whitsunday, Easter and
Christmas, nor was the latter regarded, or observed,
except in some particular churches.
The ancient church was a stranger to many of the
ridiculous ceremonies used on this festival, name-
ly, the drawing up the image of Christ to the top of
the church, and then casting down the image of Sa-
tan in flames, to represent his falling as lightning
from heaven. An author who is said to have lived
in the fifth century, affirms as a truth, that when
Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, he left t!ie print
of his feet on the ground; and that the marks con-
tinued ever after, notwithstanding the faithful carried
away some of the earth from time to time, in order
to preserve it as a sacred relic. Nay, St. Austin
affirms, that it was common in his time, to adore the
footsteps of Jesus Christ at the place from whence
he ascended into heaven.
To this is added another miracle, no less remark-
able than the former, namely, that when the empress
Helena built the church of the Ascension, in the
midst of which is this spot of ground, when the work-
men would have covered it with a marble pavement,
like the rest, they could not effect it, for whatever they
laid upon it immediately came off. Bede says, that
in his time (the seventh century) on this festival
after mass, there always came so strong a wind
that it threw down all who were at that time in the
church.
Whitsunday, another festival, is the most ancient
in the Christian church, and even from the aposto-
lic age, was celebrated in memory of the Holy
Ghost's descending in the form of cloven tongueS
upon the disciples. It is the grand ara of the pro-
mulgation of Christianity, for before that miracle
was wrought, the apostles had only carnal notions
of Christ's kingdom. It is called Whitsunday,
partly from the glorious light which was this day
sent down upon earth from the Father of lights,
but principally because this day being one of the
stated times for baptism in the ancient church, those
who were baptised put on white garments, as types
of what spiritual purity they received in baptism.
As the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the apos-
tles, happened upon the day which the Jews callerf
the Pentecost, or the fiftieth day after Easter, or
RITE«r AKTi CERE^toNtEs IN THE CtlURClt 01^ ROltt.
«,51
the Passover ; so this festival has ever since retained
the nnme of Pentecost in the Roman calender. In
Countries were tlie Romish religion is professed,
the altars, on the preceding eve, are covered with
purple till mass is said, and then the purple being
taken away, it is covered with red, and tlie afhciat-
hiCT priest appears at the altar in robes of the same
colour. All the fonts for baptism are blessed in the
same manner as on Eastcr-eve ; and on Whitsumlay
the officiating priest wears tlie same scarlet robes,
in imitation of the Holy Ghost having descended
upon the apostles like tiery tonn;ues.
The next Sunday after \\ hitsunday, is called
Trinity Sunday, and commemorated in honour of the
three persons in the ever blessed Trinity. And here
it may not be improper to observe, that although
the Roman Catholics, by an unnecessary load of
rites and ceremonies, have much debased the purity
of the gospel, yet in the midst of all their errors,
they never denied the divinity of Christ, or of the
Holy Ghost.
On the fourteenth of April, is celebrated the fes-
tivals of three martyrs, know n in the Roman calendar
by the names of St. Tiburtius, St. Valerius, and St.
Maxiiniis, of whom the following legend is told.
An angel brought two crowns from paradise.
Composed of roses and lilies, and gave one to Vale-
rius, and the other to Cecilia, his new married
■wife. The angel, at the same time told Valerius,
that because he had not carnally known his wife,
Christ had sent him notice, that he would grant
him whatsoever he should require. Valerius at
these words fell doM n and worshipped, begging that
his brother Tiburtius might become a Christian.
Tiburtius afterwards coming into the house, smelt
the fragrancy of the roses and lilies, but saw no-
thing. However, as he was wondering from
■whence the sweet smell proceeded, Valerius told
him of the two crowns which his eyes ■were not
yet able to see. He assured him, that in case he
would turn Christian he should see them both, and
the angel of God also. At these words he consented
to be baptised, and immediately after obtained all
he had desired of God, and the sight of the angel
daily. That there were three martyrs who suffered
in the reign of the emperor Dioclesian of the same
names with those above mentioned, cannot be
doubted, because we have an account of them in
Eusebius; but we may, without the imputation of
sceptism, doubt whether they ever conversed with
angels.
On April the 27th, is celebrated the festivals of
St. Comus and St. Damien, who were both phvsi-
cians and brothers. We are told concerning them,
that being chained to a stake, they were first
scourged, and then thrown into the sea. There an
angel had compassion upou them, loosed their cords
arid delivered them. They were then hanged upon
a cross, and commanded to be stoned, but the stones
rebounded back on those who threw them; and the
same happened when arrows were shot at them, so
that the provincial was obliged to order the soldiers
to stab them dead w ith spears.
In all Roman Catholic countries on the first dav
of May, it is conmion to plant boughs of trees be
fore the doors of houses ; and this is no more than a
faint imitation of the ancient games used by the
Romans at the festival of Flora. Indeed most of the
Roman Catholic ceremonies are borrowed from the
heathens ; which is not to be wondered at, when
we consider that the Roman emperors, who em-
braced the Christian religion, compelled all their
subjects to do the same, although they knew nothing
besides heathen rites and ceremonies.
On the 13tli of June, is celebrated the festival of
St. Anthony of Padua, and it is accounted for in th6
following manner,. A Franciscan novice, having
thrown off his habit, ran away from the mona-
stery in which St. Anthony lived, and stole a psalm
book, written with St. Anthony's own hand, and
explained with marginal notes, which St. Anthony
often used when he expounded the scriptures to the
friars.
As soon as St. Anthony found that his book \va5
stolen, he fell down upon his knees, and begged
that God would restore to him the precious treasure.
In the mean time, the apostate thief having the book
along with him, attempted to swim across a river,
but the devil met him with a drawn sword in his
hand, and commanded him to return back imme-
diately, and restore to St. Anthony the book he had
stolen from him, threatening to kill him in case he
did not immediately comply. The devil gave this
order with so dreadful an aspect, that the thief being
astonished, returned immediately to the monastery,
restored St. Anthony his book, and consented to live
in a course of devotion ever after. It is for this rea-
son, that when people have goods stolen from them
in Roman Catholic countries, they always invoke the
assistance of the holy St. Anthony.
July twenty, is the day on which the Roman
Catholics celebrate and honour the memory of St.
Margaret, of whom we have the follow ing account
in their legends. This woman had been long cele-
brated for her piety, and it is w ritten of her in the
breviary of Salisbury, that on a certain time, she
begged that she might have an opporturity of engag-
ing with the devil, face to face, because she had
formerly had many secret struggles w ith him. He?
request was granted, and the devil appeared to her
under the form of a most hideous dragon, who im-
mediately swallowed her up. Here was the moment
of trial ; she recollected that she was a Christian,
and although in the belly of. the ■dragon, the marked
252
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF RO'ME.
upon herself the sign of the cross, and the monster's
body burst asunder, so that the virgin came out un-
hurt.
The festival of St. Christina, is celebrated on the
twenty-fourt)] of July, and of her we have the fol-
lowing account in the lloman martyrology. She
was bound to a wheel, aivd roasted on a tire, alid as
they poured oil upon her, the flames burst forth, and
slew above a thousand of the heathens. She was
again thrown into prison, where she was visited by
an angel, who healed and refreshed her, so that she
was enabled to undergo a second trial.
Then she v.'as cast into a lake with a great stone
fixed to her body, but the angel kept her from sink-
ing. She prayed that. God would send some signal
judgment upon the image of Apollo, which she was
commanded to worship, and her prayers were heard,
for it was suddenly reduced to ashes. This miracle
was of such a surprising nature, that three thousand
of the spectators weie converted to the faitli. She
was afterwards .put into a -iiery furnace, where slie
remained five days unhurt, but at last, that she might
enjoy everlasting happiness, God suffered her enemies
to put an end to her life by strangling her.
iOn the twelfth of August is the feast of St. Clara,
a female much respected in the church of Rome,
on account of the many miracles wrought by her. — •
It is recorded in the Roman breviary, that one day,
Avhile St. Clara was abbess of a convent, she was
i told that there was but one loaf of bread left for
.dinner, and that but a small one. But that did not
in the Jest affect her, for she commanded it to be
cut into two equal parts, one of which she gave to
the friars, and the other to the nuns. No sooner
had they touched the pieces of bread than they swelled
into such magnitude in their hands, that there were
more than sufficient for the whole convent.
The feast of St. Roach is celebrated on the six-
teenth of August, and of him we have recorded in
the Roman breviary, that he was born with the sign
of the cross on his left side, and that as a token of
his future sanctity, he would never suck but once a
day when he was a child. When he was but a boy,
he cured men of the plague, by only marking the
sign of the cross upon them. A little dog used to
bring him bread, and an angel gave him a golden
table, with St. Roach written upon it by the hand
of God tlie Father.
September the twenty-ninth is dedicated to the
ser.vice of St. Michael the Archangel ; and it is a
high festival in the Romish church, [u an old Eng-
lish legend, we have the following anecdote, to
which nothing is added, besides that of modern-
izing the language. St. Michael appeared to a bi-
shop, and bade him go to the top of a lofty moun-
tain called Gardel, where he would find a bull tied,
and there he w as to build a church, for the worship
of God and the archangel. The bishop obej-ed,
bul when he came to the place where the bull was
tied, >he found a rock on each side, which appeared
frightful, and that it would be dangerous to build a
churf^h between them. Then St. Michael appeared
to a man named Haymo, and desired him to go and
remove the rocks, and to fear nothing, for he would
be with him.
This Haymo, who seemed to have more faith than
the bishop, went and set his shoulders to the rocks,
commanding them, in the name of God and St,
I^Iichael, to depart, which they instantly did, so that
the building went on. It is further related, that the
sea encompassed the mountain where this church
was built; but when the people went to divine ser-
vice, it divided on each side, and left them a free
passage. One day as they were going to prayers as
usual, there happened to be a woman in the com-
pany big with child; and the sea being stormy, the
people were afraid of it returning upon them, and
therefore they all returned to land except the preg-
nant woman, who was taken in labour. St. Michael
came to her assistance, delivered her of a child, and
brought her and the infant safe to land.
October the ninth is the feast of St. Dennis, the
titular saint of France ; and of w hom we are told,
that he and two of his companions, having refused
to sacrifice to the heathen gods, were all beheaded
in one and the same moment, but their tongues
spoke after their heads were cut off. Nay, it is
further added, that St. Dennis, when his head was
cut off, stood upright on his feet, and taking it up
in his right hand, marched oft' with it to the place
appointed for his burial.
The first of November is called the feast of All
Saints, and so' closely have the Roman Catholics
imitated the heathens, that at Rome, in the seventh
century, the Pantheon, where all the heathen gods
were worshipped, was turned into a church for all
the saints. It had been formerly consecrated to
Jupiter and all the gods, by Agrippa, but now it is
consecrated to the Virgin Mary and all the saints.
November the second is the festival of All Souls,
on which day the souls of all such as are in purga-
torv are prayed for. This festival *\as not known
in the church till the tenth century, audits origia
was from the following circumstance. A pilgrim
having been to visit the holy sepulchre at Jerusalem,
returned by the way of Sicily, and while he was in
that island, there happened to be an eruption of
Mount Etna. This terrified him so mucli, that he
concluded tliat it was the mouth of hell, for he de-
clared that he heard the groans of those who were
in torments. Full of this notion, he returned to St.
Odilim, abbot of Clugny, to whom he related the
whole affair, and that abbot applied to the pope to
have this festival established, that by virtue of the
RITES AND CEPxEMOXIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
Cj3
prayers of the faitliful, the souls of those in purga-
tory niiiiht be rtleas<:d.
Novfiiiber tlie twenty-second is the festival of St.
Cecilia, liie great patroness of music, in the Ho-
maii breviary we have the following account of her.
On the marriage night, when she and her liusband
Valerius were left alone together in the bed-cham-
ber, she spake to him the ft)llowing words : " O
sweet and most loving vouth ! I have a secret to re-
veal to thee if thou wilt swear to conceal it." \'ale-
rius having taken an oath as she desired, siie added,
" I have an angel a lover of mine, who keeps my
body vuth the strictest jealousy. If he should in the
least perceive that ihou touchest nie with polluted
love, ills fury would be slirretl up aijainst thee, and
the flov\er of thy youtli will be destroyed ; but if he
linds that thou lovesl me with a sincere and imma-
cuJate love, and preservest my virginity inviolate, he
then w ill love tliee in the same manner he does me ;
and on all occasions express to you his favour." To
this \alerius answered, " If thou wquKlst have me
give credit to thy vi ords, then shew me the angel ;
and if 1 liiul thai he is really an angel of God, I will
tlo as thou desiiest me.; but if thou lovest any man
better than me, I will draw my sword and slay both
bim and you." She then presented him to Leoni, a
a Christian, and as soon as he was baptized, he saw
the angel and w as convinceil ; so tliat St. Cecilia
lived and died a virgin martyr.
Novenibtr the ihirtieih is tl-.e feast of St. Andrew,
the titular saint of .'Scotland. He was brother to
Peter and John the Apostles, and suffered martyrdj)in
sometime in the reign of the emperor Nero. We
«re told by tlie Scottish historians, that one Reguius,
a monk, brought some of the bones of this apostle
to Scotland, about the middle of the fourth eenturv,
and built a church over them, at a place called Kill-
rymont, in the eastern extremity of the county of
Fife, and on that spot the cily of St. Andrew was
afterwards built.
On the sixth of December is die feast of St.
Nicholas, who was invoked by sailors in storms, in
the same manner as Neptune was by the heathens.
AVe read in the legend concerning him, that some
maruiers, being in great danger at sea, addressed
iheuisehes to him in the following words:'" O St.
Nicholas, the servant of God ! if the things be true
■which we have heard concerning thee, now help us!
1 hat so 4 bcmg delivered from this danger, we may
render thanks to God and to thee." While tliey were
thus speaking, one appeared and said, " Heboid I
am here, tor you called me," and immediately began
to help them to order their sails and tackle, and in
a few minutes tlie storm ceased.
As soon as the mariners came to shore, they in-
quired where St. Nicliclas was, and beinii informed
that he was in the church, they went into it, and,
17. 3 s
what is most wonderful, knew him immediately,
without any one having pointed him out. Con-
vinced that he had wrought a great miracle for their
deliverance, they fell down at his feet, and v'orship-
ped him ; and ever since he has been the titular saint
of the mariners.
On Christmas-eve, the twenty-fourth of Decem-
ber, a hue sword is |)resented to the pope, having a
gold head, made in the form of a dove, and over it
a ducal coronet, made of purple coloured silk, and
faced with ermine, having several jew els fixed to it.
'1 he pope fixes the ducal coronet upon the point of
the sword, and repeats several prayers, making at the
same time the sign of the cross. He then blesse
the sword and coronet, in the name of the Trinity
and all the saints, after which it is sent to one oi
the Honian Catholic princes.
(^n Christmas-day, the pope preaches in his own
chapel, and also sings high mass; this being one of
the grandest festivals in the whole year, all the car-
dinals, and other great men belonging to the pope's
court, attend that Lh\ on liis holiuess, and his court
makes a splendid a|)pearaiice.
December the twenty-ninth is celebrated in me-
mory of St. Thomas-a-liecket, archbishop of Can-
terbury, and some time chancellor to king Henry II.
This Thomas-a-Becket was the son of a reputable
tradesman in London, w litre he was born. 111?-— -
Havinij Jearned as mucii as was then tau'j:ht in the
schools, he entered nito holy orders, but did not
rise to any preferment till some years alter. On the
death of king Stephen, 1 164, liecket attended Henry
II. as chaplain, and next year he was promoted to
several valuable livings, and made high chancellor
of England; for he, under pretence of suiting him-
self to all the king's passions, became the greatest
favourite at court.
The kins thought he could place the utmost con-
fidence in him, and therefore, on the deyth of The-
odore, archbishop of Canterbury, Becket vva.s ad-
vanced to that see. Now it was tiiat Becket pulled
off the mask under which he had long concealed his
hyirocrisy, and determining vviihin himself to make
the clerical power superior to the civil, he put on
the most austere habit, and shut himself up in soli-
tude among the monks at Canterbury. The king
was then in Normandy, carrying on the \var against
the French king, and Becket, that he might no
longer conceal his ambitious intentions, sent the great
seal to his sovereign, intimating, at the .same time,
that he couUl not, consistent with his character as a
bishop, keep it any longer.
Henry wt'.s much alarmed at (his part of Becket's
conduct, and the more so when he learned that a
priest had been apprehended for murder, and the
arihbishop had lechiimed him from the civil courts,
declaring that none but the bishop of the diocese
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RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
could sit in judgment on a priest. This was such
an high exertion of clerical power, as had never
been heard of before in England : and the king upon
his return, finding Becket inHexible, tailed a jiarli-
anient to meet at Clarendon, where an act passed,
establishing the civil power above that of the clergy.
It was ordained, that all the clergymen indicted for
crimes, were to be tried in the king's courts; and
Becket, who refused to attend this assembly, was
summoned to meet the next parliament at Northamp-
ton, 1164. It is true, he went to the parliament,
but BO sooner did he find that the constitutions of
Clarendon \\ere to be inforced than he left the as-
sembly ; and having disguised himself in the habit
of a peasant, walked as far as Suffolk, from whence
he returned through Essex, and crossing the Thames
to Kent, got on board a ship which carried him over
to Flanders.
In this part of his conduct, he had two objects in
view; the first was to prevail with the pope, to issue
an interdict against Henry and his subjects; and
the second, to urge the French king to take up arms
and invade England. In both he was very success-
ful ; for the French king invaded the duchy of Nor-
mandy, at that time belonging to the English ; and
the pope issued his interdict, but through the vigilance
of Henry, it was not published in England.
Henry, a man of some learning, considering the
times he lived in, and no stranger to the ignorance
of his subjects, made several attempts to be recon-
ciled to Becket ; for had the interdict been published
in England, the consequences to the king might have
proved fatal ; and this will appear the more probable,
when we consider that the pope's interdict prohibits
all the orders of the clergy from performing any of
the duties of their function, nor can the laity be in-
terred in consecrated ground.
After many consultations held between the king
and Becket, a formal sort of reconciliation took
place; and leaving the king at Rouen, the archbi-
shop returned to England. Henry now thought
himself extremely happy ; but within a few days
afterwards he learned, that as soon Becket arrived at
Canterbury, he called a meeting of his clergy, in
order to put the pope's interdict in force.
The news was brought to the king while he was
at supper; and, in the violence of his passion, he
started up and exclaimed, " W^ill none of my ser-
vants rid me of this factious prelate ?" Whether the
king really wished that some of his attendants would
assassinate Becket, is matter of doubt; because men,
<in account of violent provocations, will sometimes
make use of words, which, upon sober reflection,
they would be ashamed of. I'his much, however,
is certain, that four kiiiglits, then present, left the
lihig's chamber immediately, and arriving at Can-
terbury, on the tweuty-ninth day of December,
while the archbishop was attending divine service in
the cathedral, they dragged him over the rails of the
high altar, insisting that he should issue an order to
revoke the interdict. Becket, however, was too
proud to give up his pretensions to clerical power,
and therefore absolutely refused to comply with their
request.
The knights were not to be trifled with, and there-
fore, in an instant, and before the whole congrega-
tion, they stabbed their swords through his heart.
Nor were some of the clergy belonging the church
any more attached to Becket than the knights ; for
the arch-deacon, going up to veiw the mangled re-
mains of his body,' seeing a sword laying on the
ground, took it up, and scooping out the brains of
the deceased prelate, scattered them upon the pave-
ment. Such was the end of Thomas-a-Becket, w hom
the Roman Catholics now worship as a saint ; and
to use the words of lord Lyttleton, " From what
motives lie acted, must be left to the searcher of all
hearts to inquire into."
Having said thus much of Becket, from the best
records, and the most judicious Protestant historians,
it may not be improper to subjoin something said
concerning him by those of his own denomination ;
and this we do from motives of candour, leaving the
reader to judge for himself.
Polydore Virgil, a popish historian, tells us, that
God, in a most miraculous manner, avenged Becket
on his enemies. According to this superstitious his-
torian, the archbishop was travelling one day through
the town of Stroud, near Rochester in Kent; the
people who considered him as the enemy of the king,
in order to put an aftVont upon him, had the impu-
dence to cut off^ the horse's tail upon which he rode,
but hereby they brought upon themselves a perpe-
tual reproach : for afteswards it so fell out, by Di-
vine Providence, that the whole posterity of these
men, who committed the fact, were born with tails,
like brute beasts. ,
It is added in the Romish breviary, that a bird
being taught to speak and repeat the words St. Tho-
mas, happening one day to sit out of its cage, a
hawk seized on it, but the bird crying out St. Tho-
mas, the hawk fell down dead. From this story,
which the Roman Catholics believe in the same
manner as they do the gospel, the draw tbe follow-
ing extraordinary inference, viz. " If St. Thomas
heard the bird of his great grace, much more will he
hear a Christian man or woman, when they cry to
him for help and succour."
In some of the Roman Catholic writers we read,
that Becket, in his early youth, made a vow of chas-
tity to the blessed Virgin; and one day, before he
was archbishop, being along with some of his com-
p;mions, heard them boasting df their mistresses, and
how many presents they had received from them.
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
£53
Ucckct told llieni tliut they were vain fellows : for he
had a mistress far superior to any of llieirs, and that
she had given him a present worth more than all
theirs pvit tofjcther. They being extremely urgent
to see this most accomplished mistress, Beckel ran
to the church, and pntved the blessed \ iigin to par-
don il e nresuii:ptious words ho had spoken of her.
No soiMier w^s his jirayer ended, than tiie \'irgin
appeared to him, and having hi{,hly cnmmendcd him
for sj)eaking so much in favour of his mistress, she
gave him a little box, which, vlicn he had opened,
he found in it a purple robe. Becket was murdered
on the '2yth of IJecembei', 1170, aged 53 years.
'I'he ignorance and superstition of the people in
general, were at that lime so great, thai although
Henry II. was the most i>o\\erful prince in Europe,
yet he was obliged to demean himself so low as to
submit to be whipped naked by the monks of Can-
terbury, as an atonement for the death of Becket;
a man who had endeavoured to strip the prince of
his regal dignity, and to intlame his subjects with
the spirit of rebellion, and, in a word, to put all
things into a state of confusion.
'X Of the Sacraments of the Church of Rome,
As there were only two sacraments upon the cere-
monial law, namely, circumcision and the passover,
.so there are only two mentioned in the New Testa-
ment, viz. Baptism and the Lord's supper.- Circum-
cision was instituted to distinguish the chosen peo-
ple of God from all others in the world, and the
passover was to put them in mind of their deliver-
ance from Egyptian bondage. Baptism was to
point out, that we are all iforn in original sin, and
that there is a necessity for our being washed in the
blood of Christ. Such were the sacraments of the
Old and New Testaments, and as no others are men-
tioned, so Protestants consider Roman Catholics as
guilty of adding to the number of divine ordinances
without authority from scripture.
The Roman Catholics admit of the two N-ew Tes-
tament sacraments, but they have added- five more
to them, and of these, including the others, we shall
treat in order.
1. Baptism, which consisted originally in dipping
in, or pouring pure water on the body ; but to this
the Roman Catholics have added many ceremonies.
The water they use must be blessed by the bishop
or priest, either at Easter or Whitsuntide, and
every priest keeps some of it in order to have it in
readiness, in case any child should be likely to die.
This is the more necessary, because they believe,
that if a child dies unbaptised, then he cannot be
saved; and ou the other hand they are clearly per-
suaded, that when infants are baptized, the guilt of
original sin is remover'. In extreme cases of neces-
sity, any person present at the delivery may bap-
tize the child, and this is frequently done i)y the
midwife; but if the child lives, proofs of its having
been baptized must be made to the priest, who en-
ters it in his register.
Fonts or baptistries arc not of any great antiquity,
for the primitive Christians, before the time of Con-
stantine, baptized their catechumens in general in
rivers, and often in the middle of tlie night, for
fear of their persecutors. In the reign of Constan-
tine, these fonts were set up in towns, villages, and
by the sides of the highways, and this was done in
order to baptize the vast number of heathens, who
in conformity with the conduct of the emperor, em-
braced the Christian religion ; but none were set up
in churches till the middle of tin; fifth century.
When the mother is in violent pains, and the
child likely to die in the birth, if any part of it, such
as a finger, hand, or foot appears, then it must be
baptized on that part, if tokens of life appear in it.
If it is born and lives, it must be rebaptized by the
priest, but if after this partial baptism in the act of
delivery, it happens to be still-born, then it is to be
buried in consecrated ground.
A monster, whose shape does not resemble that
of a human creature, must not be absolutely bap-
tized ; for the priest speaks conditionally thus, " If
thou art a man, I baptize thee, &c." No persons
are admitted to be godfathers or godmothers if they
are heretics, excommunicated, or have neglected to
come regularly to confession and mass.
The following is as nearly as i)ossible the form
used in baptism. The priest having washed his
hands, and put on his- surplice and purple stole, he
walks to the church, attended by his clerk, where
the persons who bring the child to be baptized must
be in readiness w aiting for him. He first acts the
sponsors what sex the child is of, the present to the
church.'' Whether they are its true godfathers and
godmothers .' If they are resolved to live and die in
the true Catholic faith.? And what name they in-
tend to give iti Having received answers to these
questions,- he delivers an exhortation to the godfa-
thers and godmothers, with regard to the devotion
that ought to accompany the ceremony, and calling
the child by the name given it, asks, what dost thou
demand of the church ? To which the godfather
answers, faith. '1 he priest adds, what are the fruits
of faith i The godfather answers, eternal life. The
priest then goes on :
If you are desirous of obtaining eternal life, keep
God's commandments: Thou shajt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart, &c. After which he
breathes three times upon the childs face, saying,
come out of this child, thou evil spirit, and make
«56
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OP ROME.
room for tlie Holy Ghost, This being done he
makes the sign of tlie cross on the child's forehead,
and afterwards on his breast, repeating at the same
time, receive the sign of the cross on thy forehead,
and in thine heart ; whereupon the priest takes off
his cape, and repeats a short prayer, hiying his
hand gently on the head of the child. He then bles-
ses the salt, if it was not blessed before ; which
being done, he takes a little of it, and puts it into
the child's mouth, saying at the same time, receive
the salt of wisdom. He then repeats another pray-
er, after which he puts on his cape, and commands
the prince of darkness to come out of him who is
to be baptized. The priest tlieu lays the end of tiie
stole upon the child, and laying hold of the swad-
dling clothes by one corner, he once more com-
mands the devil to depart out of the child; after
which he puts his thimib in his mouth, aTid having
dipped it in spittle, rubs it over the mouth of die
.child.
The next thing is to strip the child naked on the
upper part of his body, while the priest is preparing
the holy oils. The godfathers and godmothers hold
the child over the font, with the face towards the
-east, while the priest, calling it by its name, asks
it whether it is willing to renounce the devil and all
his works ? To this question one of the godfathers
answers in the affirmative, upon which the priest
takes some of the baptism water, which he pours
thrice on the child's head in the form of a cross,
mentioning at each time, one of the persons in the
ever-blessed Trinity. He then anoints the top of the
child's head in the form of a cross, with tlie sacred
oil, and puts over it a piece of white linen, to denote
that it is cleansed from all impurities. The cere-
mony is concluded by the repetition of several
prayers, by the priest and his clerks, after which
the child is taken home to be brought up in the Ca-
tholic faith. It is certain that some of these cere-
monies were used in the primitive times, but not
till Christianity had lost much of its original purity
by the introduction of Pagan rites and ceremonies.
II. Confirmation. That confirmation could not
be a sacrament in the christian church will appear
.evident to every one, who will consider that it was
no more than a continuation of the sacrament of
.baptism. As baptism was originally by immersion,
so we lind, that in succeeding ages, sprinkling was
•used ; but this was when su|)erstition began to creep
into the church, and in such cases as immersion
was considered necessaiy, so those who were only
■sprinkled, were obliged to appear before the bishop
to make it appear tliat they had been baptized.
Their sponsors were obliged to appear along with
them, and certify to the bishop, that they had con-
stantly attended divine service, and were in all re-
■spects Catholic Clirlstians. Thus a ceremonj origi-
nally necessary to preserve inviolate the purity ef
the Christian church, has been made use of by the
Roman Catholics to establish a sysem of superstition,
and contrary to the design of the ancients, it has
been made a sacrament.
All those who are to be confirmed, must attend
early in the morning, fasting, because it is supposed
that the Holy Ghost descended upon the apostles,
before they had partaken of any refreshment. The
bishop, before he begins the confirmation, goes to
his private devotions, washes his hands, puts on his
white garments, and then turns himself to the can-
didates, who stand in the «ame order as at baptism,
the boys on the right and the girls on the left. He
then sits down, and the candidates kneel before him,;
but if they are numerous, then the bishop stands up,
and the candidates stand on the steps of the altar,
supported by their godfathers and godmothers. The
bishop asks the name of each candidate, which must
be registered, after which he dips the thumb of
his right hand into the holy oil, and makes the sign
of the cross upjn their foreheads, giving a gentle
blow on the cheek to each person confirmed, saying-,
peace be with you. Immediately after, llie forehead
of the person confirmed is covered with a slip of
linen, and then the bishop says, I confirm you in the
name of the Father, of the Son, and of the llolj
Ghost. The ceremony ends by the bishop's pro-
nouncing the blessing, not only on those who are
confirmed, but likewise upon all the congregation
present, who receive it from his lordship with as
much pleasure as if it was a passport to heaven.
HI. 'i'he third sacrament is that of the eucharist,
acknowledged by Protestants, and in some manner
idolized by the Roman Catholics. The word eucha-
rist signifies thanksgiving, and no name can be
more applicable to that sacred ceremony in which
Christians commemorate the > sufferings of that^Re-
deenier who laid down his life for them, and by
whose active and passive obedience, a way of salva-
tion has been ojsened for sinners, so as to bring glory
to the divine attributes, and make offenders eter-
nally happy. Happy lor Christians, had they con-
tinued to attend to the duties incumbent on them,
concerning this sacrament, without running into
superstition on the one hand, or infidelity on the
other. Some of the modern Protestants have paid
too little regard to diis sacrament, but the Roman
Catholics of whom we are now treating, have run
into the opposite extreme.
It is necessary to observe, tliat the ancients, before
the time of Constanline the Gieat, never believed in
the real presence, nor indeed was it universally ac-
knowledged by the church, till after the tenth century,
as appears ffom the celebrated book w ritten on that
subject, by Bertram. However, the real presence,
or doctrine of transubstantiutlon, mak*s now a cap*-
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
25;
<al artii:Ic in tlir; chimli of Rome, and must for ever
divide tlicni from I'rotestaiits. It is one of the
Strung engines hy which cleiical power is supported;
for who among the vulgar (as lord Lyttleton says)
woultl not reverence the man wk'O, by mumbling
over a few pra\crs in l/atiii, can in a moment cliange
the nature of a wafer, and make it the real body and
blood of Christ?
We have already taken notice of the sacrament of
baptism, as acknowledged both by !{oman Calliolics
and Protestants; we have likewise attended to con-
ijrmation, and now we must proceed to the eucharist.
Evcrv genuine I'oiiuin Catholic ought t() communi-
cate three tinu'S in the year; but an inchdgence is
granted to some, so as they couununicate ouK once,
and if that is, neglected, they are to be considered
as infidels, and denied tlie privilege of Christian
burial.
In tlie Roman Catholic church, when a person
grown up to years of maturity, desires to partake of
the communion, or in other words, to eat the body
and blood of Christ, he is fast to confess his sins to
the priest, and receive absolution, which is granted
upon comlition of tiis performing some acts of pe-
nance. All this being complied with, the commu-
wicant comes to the chapel, and attenils mass, after
which he puts a ticket into the hand of the priest,
who is thereby convin<:ed that he is not an impostor,
but the same person whom he confessed. This part
of the ceremony being over, the communicant kneels
down before the rails of the altar, and the priest,
having repeate'd what is commonly called the canon
of the mass, takes the chalice in his hand, and ap-
proaches the rails of the altar.
Having repeated several prayers, he puts his right
hand into the chalice, and takes out a wafer .steeped
in wine, which he gives to the conimmiicant, saying,
this is the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, given to
preserve tby soul and body into everlasting life; eat
t)f it in faith, v ith thanksgiving. The communicant
is to swallow the wafer as the body and blood of
Christ, and he is not to taste any victtials, nor
even to spit, till he thinks it is dissolved on his sto-
mach.
It is next incumbent on him, according to the
laws of the church, that he should do something
for the poor, and for that jjurpose he gives some
money to the priest, who either keeps it for himself,
or bestows it according to his discretion; for in all
s*ich cases, the priests are to be sole judges, nor
can the laity in the least interfere with them. In-
deed were the luity to interfere with the priests,
there would be -an end to all clerical authority, and
men of knowledge, endowed with rational faculties,
would be considered as no better than heretics, or
infidels.
When the Roman Catholics return from the com-
17
munion, they are not to sit down to victual? til!
they have returned to their closets antl repealed se-
veral prayers, after which they sincerely believe
that all their sins are forgiven, till they have con-
tracted a new account, and made a second confes'-
sion.
As it sometimes happens that persons are not ablfe
to attend the church, so on such occasions, eithei'
the priest of the |)arish, or one of his clerks, carries
the eucharist to the infirm person, who first confesses
his sins and then receives it. Wafers are always kept
consecrated for this purpose, and as the priest re-
ceives his fees, so he cannot have any reasonable
objection against attending his duty.
Every Roman Catholic believes, that in the sacra-
ment of the eucharist, he eats the bodv and blood
of Christ ; and as the greater number of learned
men in Trance are deists, so they have not failed to
play upon this circumstance viith all the force of wit,
scurrility and satire. The Marquis de Argens did
much in his .Jewish letters towards rirhculing this
nonsense, but none can come up to Mr. Hume's ac-
count of the natural history of religion, a work
which a heathen would blush to peruse, and which
a Christian would abominate. Mr. Hume, not con-
tented with all that had been formerly told us con-
cerning the doctrine of the real presence, introduces
a story which would have done much honour to
himself, had it not been that it was in the most ser-
vile manner copied from Voltaire. It is well known
what regard the late Mr. Voltaire had for the Roman
Catholics in France, and therefore he made a proper
advantage of it, in order to support his hypothesis,
and establish the doctrine he contended for.
Hume tells us, (that when he was at Paris,' which
is false, because Voltaire had asserted the same be-
fore him) that in 16"82, the Russian ambassador being
at that time in Paris, he had a young man in his train,
a member of the Greek church ; and the Jesuits, ever
anxious t6 make proselytes, p;evailed upon this
young man to be bapti/rd in the Roman Catholic
church. The youth being initiated into all the
mysteries of popery, great rejoicings were made, in
consequence of such a valuable acquisition to the
Catholic church, and the young Russian being called
before some of the French nobility, the Jesuits who
had converted him, asked him how many gods there
were ? The novice answered, there was not any god,
for said he, 1 eat him on Easter Sunday.
Indeed, the Roman Catholics, esjiccially their
priests, have met with several rebuffs of a similar
nature, which is not much to be wondered at, when
we consider that a wafer, composed of Hour and wa-
ter, is apt to be eaten up by mice and rats, and yet
this IS the body of Christ. To commemorate the
death of our Divine Redeemer, is a duty binding
upon us as Christians, but we are not to carry this
3t
258
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
into the service of superstition. Those who love
God, will honour him in ill the appointments of his
divine ordinances; but they will never carry things
to such extremities as to darken the glory of the
everlasting gospel, by substituting in place thereof,
superstition, idolatry, and all those things that can
degrade the nature of man, and make him in the eye
of unprejudiced reason, sink beneath the dignity of
his character.
But the most remarkable part of this ceremony is
the Viaticum, or provision for a journey, by which
■we are to understand, the administration of the sa-
crament of the eucharist, to those who are at the
point of death. In such cases, the priest attends
with his wafers, and if the sick person cannot swal-
low the whole of the host, a small bit is put into his
mouth, and some liquid given him to force it down.
If the patient is so sick that he throws up the wafer,
then all the scattered particles must be gathered to-
gether, and put into a clean vessel, carried to the
church, and put into a sacred place till such time as
they are corrupted, when they are to be cast into the
sacristy, a kind of shallow well, narrow at the lop,
and it must be locked up, so that nothing profane
may enter into it. This sacristy is generally behind
the altar, and all consecrated things that h^ve been
spoiled by accident, arc thrown into it. The priest
must take care not to give the viaticum to those who
are troubled with a continual coughing, lest some
accident should happen to the host.
If the sacrament is to be carried publicly to the
eick person, the rector of the parish gives notice to
the people by the ringing of a bell, and, in general,
the greatest part of them attend with all the marks
of sincere devotion. Being assembled, the priest
washes his hands, and then puts on his surplice and
stole, and goes to the altar, where he opens the taber-
nacle and takes out the host. He then goes under
■a canopy, holding the host tied up in a scarf, and
a clerk, with a lighted taper, walks before him,
Tvith two other clerks, one carrying the holy water,
and the other the ritual in one hand, and a little bell
in the other. These are followed by several persons
bearing torches, and, lastly, comes the priest under
the canopy, carrying the host raised up to his
breast.
When he comes into the apartment of the sick
man, he wishes peace to all those who live in the
house, and then a table is spread over with a fine
linen cloth, upon which the host is placed, which
he and all present adore and worship. He then
sprinkles the sick person, and also the room, during
which time several anthems are sung suitable to the
occasion, and all these are in Latin, which the
people in general do not understand.
After this, he takes out the wafer from the box in
which it is enclosed, and puts it iuto the mouth of
the sick man, who receives it with all the marks o£
devotion. If the priest is sent for to attend a person
afflicted with the plague, he must go within nine or
ten paces of the houses, taking care to stand in such
a manner as the wind may be on his back. There
he takes out the consecrated wafer, which he puts
between two common ones, and after having wrapped
the whole up in a sheet of clean paper, he lays it
on the ground and covers it with a stone to secure it
from the wind. This being done, the nurse who
attends the infected person, comes and takes up the
wafer after the priest has repeated the prayers usual
on such occasions.
We shall conclude this account of the eucharist
with the following passage, from an ancient English
author, which we have faithfully translated into
the modern language. This will appear the more
necessary, when we consider that there are but few
in the present age who can read the old language,
and if they could, they have but few opportunities
of getting at the originals. The whole passage runs
thus :
There was an earl of Venice, whose name was
Sir Ambright, who had the most sacred regard for
the sacrament of the altar, and paid it all the rever-
ence and respect in his power. Being taken ex-
tremely ill, he longed for the blessed wafer, being
at the point of death ; but he was afraid lest he
should vomit it up. This consideration affected him
much, and he lamented greatly to those who at-
tended him. After sometime spent in lamentation,
he desired them to make clean his right side, and
cover it vvith a searcloth, in which was to be inclosed
the body of God. His request being complied
with, he spoke to the host as follows : " Lord !
thou knowest that I love thee with all my heart,
and would be willing to receive thee with my mouth,
if thou would only grant me such a privilege ; but
because the nature of my disorder is such, that I
cannot lay thee on the place which is next to my
heart, and thereby display all the love I have for
thee : O God ! have mercy upon me, and accept my
sincerity, for what could not be done consistent with
my present bodily indis])osition." Upon this a
notable miracle was wrought; for no sooner had
he repeated the prayer, than, in the sight of all pre-
sent, his side opened, and the host went in, after
which he died. In the same ancient manuscript,
we read of something almost as miraculous as what
has been already related.
Near Exmouth in Devonshire, was a woman that
lay sick, and none of tliose who attended her had
any hopes of her recovery. Under such alarming
circumstances they sent for a holy man who lived
in the neighbourhood, to hear her confession, and
grant her absolution for all her sins. As soon as
the pious priest had received the invitation, he went
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
259
to the church, and took God's body aloii;^ with him
ill a box ot ivorv, which lie |)ul into liis bosom and
went to the chamber where the sick womuii lay.
But as in his way thither lie had a iarp;c toicst to
cross, iu which was a tine meadow, it happened,
that while he was contem|iIaling the beauties of
creation, the box tell out of his bosom to ihc ground,
which lie did not perceive ; so that when he came
to the dying woman, he asked her if she would be
housled, that is, if she would be confessed. The
woman answered in the affirmative ; but the priest
putting his hand into his bosom, could not find the
box : upon that he told the woman lie would go
and seek for God's body, which he had lost some-
where by the way, owing to his carelessness and
simplicity.
Accordingly he returned to the meadow in the
forest, and seeing a willow tree, he cut off one of
the branches, which he made into a rod; and having
stripped himself naked, whipped himself in stich &
manner that tlie blood ran dov n from every j)art of
his back. W liile he w as whipping himself, he
said, "O thou simple man! why hast thou lost thy
Lord God, thy maker, thy former, thy creator .''"
When he had thus beaten himself, he put ou his
clothes, and walked on for a considerable time, till
he saw a pillar of tire reaching from earth to heaven.
13eing dreadfully astonished at such an a]>parition,
he prayed to God, who gave him encouragement
to approach it; and there he found the consecrated
wafer fallen out of the box, and laying upon the
grass : the light was so transparent, that it resem-
bled the sun at noon-day ; and it reached from the
consecrated wafer, in one continued stream, till it
mounted to heaven.
At that time there were several beasts grazing in
the meadow, and they were so much affected with
the apparition, that they came and kneeled round the
body of dur Lord, all except one black horse, which
ineeled but on one knee. The priest perceiving the
obstinacy of the horse, said unto it, "If thou be a
beast that can speak, 1 charge thee, in God's name
here present in the form of bread, to tell me why
thou kneelest but on one knee." The horse an-
swered, " 1 am a fiend of hell : and although I can,
yet I will not kneel, but I am forced contrary to
my own inclination ; for it is w ritten that every knee
shall how to the name and the honour of Jesus
Christ." Then said the priest, "Why art thou like
a horse r" To this the fiend hi the shape of the horse
answered, " I am made like a horse that people
may steal me, and several have been already
hanged for so doing." Then said the holy priest,
" I command thee, by God's flesh and blood, that
thou go into the wilderness, and remain there, never
to distress any Christian more." The priest then
went to the woman with the blessed sacrament,
which she received, and, within a few minutes after,
she went into everlasting happiness.
However ridiculous, some part of the above nar-
rations may appear to Protestants, who live in this
enlightened age and nation, yet we can assure them,
that they are believed by all the devotees in the
church of Kome. Here a most shocking infatuation
takes place in the human mind ; for because niiraclcsr
were wrought in an age when llu^y were necessary
towards the promulgation of C!hrislianity, so we
find that such is the weakness of many people, that
they expect the same miraculous power should be
exercised after the causes are removed. This is a
sort of reasoning which does not deserve a serious
confutation, for wiiat man of common sense wT>n!d
presume to prescribe rules for the Divine Being, who
gives no account of his ways. Indeed, wc could
wish that ovir readers would attend to the doctrine
of miracles ; and when they call in the aid of human
reason, let them never forget that there is no such
thing as infallibility in this world. !Mcn maybe
learned, but men may be deceived.
The learned and pious Dr. Doddridge has defined
a miracle in the following manner : " A miracle be-
ing in itself supernatural, no person can form a
proper notion of it till he has consulted the oourse
of nature." llie meaning is (if there is any mean-
ing in the words) that men must first comprehend
every thing in iiatnre, before they can tell what is
supernatural. Now here is an error laid down as a
fundamental principle ; for common experience daily
teaches us, that even natural things are, in many
respects, supernatural to us, because they are beyond
our comprehension. According to Dr. Doddridge's
manner of reasoning, there can be no miracles at
all ; for nothing is to be considered as miraculous
till the whole course of nature is understood. This,
however, is what cannot take place in this loMer
world; for men's understandings are so much cir-
cumscribedj that instead of being able to compre-
hend supernatural things, they seldom thoroughly
know those that are natural. ■
The God of nature is the God of providence ;
and when men cannot comprehend his works they"
should be silent. To acknowledge that God is able
to w ork miracles, is a tribute due from man ; to say
that he is not, is to deny that li^ is the universal
Lord of creation and providence. We shall there-
fore lay before the reader, what has been said by the
wisest, the best, ami most pious men on this subject,
whether in ancient or modern times.
It has been much controverted, w hether true mi-
racles can be worked by any less power than the
immediate interjiosition of God; and whether, to
complete the evidence of a miracle, the nature of
the doctrine pretended to be proved thereby, is
necessary to be taken in consideration or not. In
•260
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
respect to the power of God, and tlie nature of tlie
things tliemselves, all things that are possible at ai!,
are equally and alike easy to be done. It is not
therefore a right distinction, to define a niiracle by
any absolute difficulty in the nature of the thing it-
self; for it is at least as great an act of power to
cause the sun to move at all, as to cause it to stand
still at any time ; yet this latter we call a miracle,
the foimer not.
What degrees of power God may reasonably be
supposed to have communicated to create beings or
subordinate intelligences, is not possible for us to
determine. Therefore a miracle hi not rightly de-
lined to be such an effect as could not have been
produced by any Jess pow^r than the Divine Omni-
potence. There is no instance of any miracle in
scripture, which to an ordinary spectator would ne-
.ccssarily imply the immediate operation of original,
absolute, and underived povier. All things that are
done in tlic world, are done either immediately by
God himself oi by created hitelligent beings: matter
being not at all capable of any laws or powers what-
ever. So that all those thuigs, which we say are
the effects of the natural poM ers of matter, and laws
of motion, are properly the effects of God's acting
upon matter continually and every moment, either
immediately by himself or mediately by some (treated
intelligent lieings. Consequently, there is no such
tilings as what men commonly call the course of
nature, and the power of nature. It is not there-
fore a right distinction, to delTne a miracle to be that,
which is against the course of nature : it is no more
against the course of nature for an angel to keep a
man from sinking in the water, than for a man to
hold a stone froni falling in the air, by overpowering
the law of gravitation ; yet the one is called a mira-
cle, the other not so.
Those effects, which upon any rare and extraor-
dinary occasion, are produced in such a manner,
that it is manifest, they could neither have been done
by any power or art of man, or by what we call
chance; these undeniably prove to us the inmiediate
and occasional interposition either of God himself,
or at least of some intelligent agent superior to man.
Whether such an extraordinary interposition be of
■God hinwelf, or of some good, or of some evil
angel, can hardly be distinguished certainly, merely
b) the work or miracle itself: because it is impossi-
ble for us to know with any certainty, either that
the natural power of good or evil angels extends not
beyond certain limits, or that God always restrains
them from pi'oducing such or such particular effects.
It is not therefore a right distinction, to suppose the
wonders which the scripture attributes to evil spi-
rits, to be mere flights or delusions.
The only possible ways, by which a spectator
jijay certainly and infallibly distinguish, whether
miracles be the works, either immediately of Go5
himself, or some good angel employed by liiia ; or
whether, on the contrary, the miracles be the works
of evil spirits are these: If the doctrine attested by
miracles be in itself impious, or manifestly tending
to promote vice; then, without all question the mi-
racles, ho\i' great soever they may appear to us, are
neither worked by (iod himself, nor by his commisr
sion. If the doctrine, attested by miracles, be in
itself indifferent, and at the same time in opposition
to it, and in proof of the direct contrary doctrine,
there be worked other miracles, more and greater
than the former; then that doctrine which is attested
by the superior power, must necessarily be believed
to be divine. This was the case of Moses and the
Egyptian magicians. The magicians worked several
miracles, to prove that Moses was aii imposture:
Moses worked miracles more and greater than theirs :
therefore it was necessarily to be believed, that Mo-
ses's commission was truly from God. If, in the
last place, the doctrine attested by miracles, tends
to promote the honour and glory of God, and the
practice of righteousness among men ; and yet never-
theless be not in itself demonstrable, nor could with-
out revelation have been discovered to be actually
true; and there be no pretence of more and greater
miracles, to contradict it; (which is the case of the
doctrine and miracles of Christ;) the miracles are
unquestionably divine, and the doctrine must w ith-
out all controversy be acknowledged as an immedi-
ate and infallible revelation from God.
From these few clear and undeniable proposi-
tions it follows ; first that the true dcfination of a
miracle, in the theological sense of the word, is this,
that it is a work effected in a manner unusual, or
different from the common and regular method of
providence, by the interposition either of God him-
self, or some intelligent agent superior to man, for
the proof or evidence of some particular doctrine, or
in attestation of the authority of some particular pei^
son. And, if a miracle so worked be not opposed
by some plainly superior power, nor be brought to
attest a doctrine either contradictory in itself, or vici-
ous in its consequences; that doctrine must neces-
sarily be looked upon as divine, and the worker of
the miracle entertained as having infallibly a com-
mission from God. Secondly, that the pretended
miracles of Apollonius 'J'yanieus, Aristeas Procon-
ncsius, and some few others among the heathens,
even su{)posing them to have been true miracles
(which yet there is no reason at all to believe, be-
cause they are very poorly attested, and are in them-
selves very mean and trifling, as has been fully shewn
by Eusebius in his book against Hierocles); yet they
will prove nothing at all to the disadvantage of
Christianity : because they were worked, either
without any pretence of confirming any new doctrine
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
261
at 9II; or else to j)rove absurd and foolish things; or
to establish idolatry, and the worship ot false gods ;
couscfiuently they could not be done by any divine
power and amliorily.
The suitableness and efficacy of miracles, to prove
a di\ine revelation, appear from hence that the
world has ever expected (as Dr. Jenkins remarks)
that God should reveal iiinisclf to men by working
somewhat above the course of nature. All man-
kind have believed, that this is the way of intercourse
between heaven and earth ; and therefore tiierc never
Mas any of the false religions, but it was pretended to
have been confirmed by something miraculous. If
it be inquired, v^hy the miraculous gifts bestowed
upon the first preachers of Christianity were not
continued to the church, but ceased in after ages ;
the answer is plain, because the power of working
miracles being given for the establishment of the
Christian religion in the world, by convincing men
of its truth and authority; when this purpose was
eftected miracles were no longer necessary, and
those miraculous gifts ceased, with the reason for
^hich they were bestowed. The learned Mr. Dod-
vvell, in an historical account of miracles from tlie
times of the apostles, through the ages next succeed-
ing, has shewn, that they were always adopted to
the necessities of the church, being more or less
frequent as the state and progress of the Christian
religion required ; till at last they wholly ceased,
M'hen there was no longer any need of them. And
this will seem the more reasonable, if we consider
tirst, that miracles, by becoming common, would
lose their design and end, and the very nature of
juiracles; and secondly, that a perpetual power of
miracles, in all ages would give occasion to con-
tinual impostures, which would confound and dis-
tract men's minds, and make the true miracles them-
selves suspected.
W e shall here insert two curious remarks ; one
from lord Bacon, and the otlier from Acosta. Lord
Bacon observes, that there were never a miracle
wrought by God to convert an atheist, because the
light of nature might have led him to confess a God.
But miracles are designed to convert idolaters, and
the superstitious, who have acknowledged a deity,
but erred in the manner of adoring him ; because no
light of nature extends to declare the will and true
worship of God. Acosta, inquiring into the cause,
why miracles are not wrought by the present mis-
sionaries for the conversion of heathen nations, as
!they were by the Christians of the primitive ages,
gives this as one reason ; that the Christians at tirst
were ignorant men, and the Gentiles learned ; but
j now on the contrary all the learning in the world is
employed in the defence of the gospel, and there is
nothing but ignorance to oppose it ; and there can be
no need of farther miracles in behalf of so good a
18
cause, when it is in the hands of such able advo-
cates, against so weak adversaries.
IV. 'I'he fourth sacrament in the church of Rome
is penance, which although in some measure observ-
ed in the early ages of the church, yet it was not
then considered as necessary to salvation, nor did it
receive the name of a sacrament till after the sixth
century. Before a person can be enjoined penance,
he must make an open c(mfessioii of his sins, for that
lays the foundation of all the ceremonies that are to
follow in the act of absolution. The penitent or
penitents having confessed their sins, are ordered to
attend next Sunday at the church, and on such oc-
casions they are dressed in clothes made of goat's
hair, that their bodies may be mortified as much as
possible.
In this habit they approach the altar, and with a
loud voice, beg that their sins may be lorgiven. If
the penitents have been guilty of very gross sins, to
incur the sentence of excommunication, then the
priest leads them to the door of the church, and says
to them, "You are turned out of the church for
the sins you have commitled, in the same manner as
Adam was turned out of Paradise, because of hi.s
disobedience." At the same time, he enjoins them
a very severe penance, and shutting them out returns
to the church.
If the penitents have not been guilty of such gross
sins as sulyect them to excommunication, then the
priest enjoins them their penance, and leads them to
the left side of the church door, where they must
remain during divine service, once every Sunday
and holiday, till they had given the utmost satisfac-
tion to the church. When the penitents, whether
excommunicated or not, have complied with every
thing enjoined, they return back to the bishop or
his deputy, with a certificate signed by the rector of
the parish, to prove that they have fulfilled it, after
which they proceed to the reconciliation with the
church. A day being appointed for this purpose,
the penitents come to the door of the church, in
order to receive absolution, and they must kneel
down on their knees, holding lighted tapers in their
hands. If the penitent is a man, he must have on his
clothes of goat's hair, or something similar, and if
a woman, she must be veiled. The priest being
dressed in his robes, goes up to the altar before mass
begins, and gives notice to the people, that A. B.
C. D. mentioning their names, are to be reconciled
to the church, and he exhorts the whole congrega-
tion to pray for them.
Prayers being ended, the priest goes to the church
door, and makes a long exhortation to the penitents,
which being over, he takes them by the hand, and
leads them into the church. This is (he form \<ith
common penitents, but in case they have been ex-
communicated, he then, before he reunites them to
3 V
263
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
the body of the faithful, sits down and puts on his
cap. After this, he repeats the lifty-first psalm,
^vhile the penitents kneel at his feet along with the
congregation, and at the end of every verse the priest
strikes the penitents on the shoulders, with a short
slick or whip made of cords.
When an excommunicated person dies unabsolved,
enquiry is made whether he gave signs of sincere
lepentance, and whether it may be proper to absolve
him, in order to give him Christian burial. If it
appears that he died a sincere penitent, the priest puts
on a black robe over his surplice, and in the most
mournful manner walks towards the corpse. There
the priest repeats the fifty-first psalm, and at the end
of each verse strikes the body of the deceased, call-
ing upon him to answer to the questions proposed,
and as he cannot do that, it is taken for granted that
the Divine Being is satisfied, ahd the priest pro-
nounces the absolution, liy absolution, the penitent
is received into the body of the Catholic church, all
the members of the congregation are obliged to ac-
knowledge him as a brother, and whatever were his
crimes before, they are to be entirely cancelled and
forgotten. Indeed, we cannot desire more of a
sinner than repentance ; and taking it for granted
that his professions are sincere, we ought to rest
satisfied, till we, by a variety of incidents, find
reason to change our opinion.
But the church of Rome does not confine her
excommunications or censures entirely to men and
women, for even animals and reptiles must be sub-
ject in their turn. When it happens that much of
the fruits of the earth are damaged by rats, mice,
locusts or caterpillars, then the church's censure be-
comes necessary. The priest is obliged to transmit
to the bishop an account of the damage done by these
creatures, and the bishop orders the priest to repair
to an eminence in his parish, where he is to put on
his surplice, and sprinkle himself and his clerks with
holy water. Having repeated some prayers pre-
scri!)ed by the bishop, the priest walks over the
adjacent fields, and sprinkles them with holy water
in the form of a cross. He commands the cater-
pillars, locusts, rats, mice, &.c. to depart from the
place immediately, otherwise they are to be e.\-
communicated and accursed.
Of this . species of superstition, we have a most
striking instance in the miscellanies of the marquis
d'Argens, who tells us, that in the year ly'iS, Pro-
vince, in France, vvas much infested with locusts.
Application was made to the pope, who sent his bull
to the bishop, ordering them all to be exconununi-
catcd. The bishop obeyed the order, but the locusts
refused to comply, which gave no small uneasiness
to the farmers : it surprised them much to find that
the locusts refused to comply with the apostolical
order, but one, more sagacious than the others,
observed, that the bishop was a Janenist. ,
An account of this was transmitted to the pope, \
who, by the « hole of his conduct, seems not to have
been a fool, for he sent an injunction to a bishop,
who was orthodox in the faith, to let the locusts
alone till the beginning of November, and then to
go out with his priests, and excommunicate thera.
Here the pope acted a verv wise part, for locusts
seldom survive the first week in November, whereas,
had he excommunicated them sooner, the ceieniony
would not have had its proper effect. This, how-
ever, was considered as a miracle, because it served
to point out that the Janenists are not to expect the
Divine Blessing upon their works, whereas, all those
who are orthodox, are certain that God will hear
them whenever they call upon him, and that he will>
in the most signal manner, grant their requests.
In ancient times, penance was enjoined by the bi*-
sliops, but at present there are several priests in every
cathedral, who are called penitentiaries. It is the
business of these men to hear confessions, and they
generally proportionate the punishment to the crime.
Thus : those who are voluptuous are commanded to
fast; the covetous are to give alms; the profane are
to repeat a certain number of prayers at different
hours of the day ; and when they have complied with
these forms, are absolved, upon condition of their
paying a certain sum of money.
Over these common penitentiaries there is a grand
master at Rome, who is always a cardinal ; and,
during lent, he visits all the great churches in Rome,
in order to hear confessions, and grant absolutions.
He sits on a throne about tliree steps high, in the
form of a tribunal, placed on the right side of the
high altar. He holds in his hand a rod in the form
of a sceptre, made of three different substances, viz.
ivory, brazil, and ebony. His power is great, for he
has a right to grant dispensations and absolutions
in cases which none but the pope himself could
grant, or one deputed by him. He can legitimate
children, and grant privileges to clergymen to hold
more than one benefice. He has a right to absolve
priests from all cognizance of the civil power, and
to appoint confessors under him in any part of the
world where the Roman Catholic religion is pro-
fessed. He sometimes hears debates upon cases of
conscience, and grants directions for absent clergy-
men how to act. He disposes of all places that are
sold for money at Rome, and appoints the legates
who are to go into foreign countries. Upon the
whole, it is one of the most lucrative offices in the
church of Rome, and the profits arising from it are
in a manner incredible. He has no less than twenty-
four attorneys to attend him in his office, and all
their places are at bis disposal. Thus we find, that
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
263
if penanco is not acknowledged as a sacrament by
Protestants, yet it is of considerable service to some
individuals in the clinrcli of Rome. Indeed, without
money absolution of sin is not easily obtained; anil
altliougli Peter said, " thy money perish with thee,"
\et the popish priests would rather chusc to perish
tlian be deprived of the money.
V. 'i'he fifth sacrament in the church of Rome is
extreme unction, and is grounded on this passage in
St. James v. 14, 15. " Is any sick among you? let
him call for the elders of the ciiurch, and let them
pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name
of the Lord, and the prajer of faith shall save the
sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he hath
committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." It is
certaiu that many of the primitive Christians under-
stood these words as an absolute command, whereas
they were no more than an allusion to an ancient
custom among the Jews; for we read in Mark vi.
13, that Christ anointed many diseased persons with
oil, and healed them. . However, when many other
innovations und superstitions took place in the
church, this ceremony was magnified into a sacra-
ment, which took place about the middle of the
sixth century.
This sacrament can only be administered by the
priest ; nor is it to be given to any, except such as are
appartntly dying. It is not to be given to criminals
condemned to die, and the reason assigned is, that
the criminals are not in a state of death, either, by
jntiunity or disease. The parts to be anointed are
the eyes, the ears, the mouth, the nostrils, the hands,
the feet, and the reins, but women are not anointed
in the last-mentioned parts. The laity are anointed
on the palms of their hands, and the clergy on the
back of theirs, for this reason, that the palms of
the priests' hands have been already consecrated by
ordination. The feet arc always anointed on the
soles, but it the sick person has lost any of those
members, then the parts next to them are to be
anointed, and these are the general parts of the cere-
mony, but we shall describe them more particularly.
The priest nmst prepare seven balls of cotton, or
»onie such matter, to wipe those parts that are to
te anointed w ith holy oil ; and he must have some
crumbs of bread to rub his fingers with, water to
vash them, a napkin to wipe them, and a taper to
light him during the ceremony. Before he goes to
the sick person, he nuist sanctify himself by prayer,
after which he nmst wash his hands, put on a sur-
plice and the purple stole. He must cover the vessel
containing tlie holy oil with a purjile veil, and put
it in a bag of the same colour. In this manner he
is to carry it to the house of the sick person, and if it
is at a considerable distance, he is not to put on his
surplice and stole till he comes to the door. The
priest must be attended by his clerk, who is to carry
the cross without a staff, the vessel with the holy
water, the sprinkler and tiie ritual; they must not
ring tlie little bell by the way, but the priest is to
continue repeating prayers for the sick person.
When he enters the house, he repeats the ordinary
salutation, " Peace be to this house, and to all that
dwell therein." After having taken off his cap, and
set the vessel with the holy oil on the table, he gives
the sick man the cross to kiss; and then sprinkles
the whole apartment with holy water, repeating, at
the same time, some prayers, and singing an anthem
suitable to the occasion. He exhorts the sick man
to make a free and unreserved confession of his sins,
telling him, that if he conceals any thing, the sacra-
ment of extreme unction will avail him nothing.
If the sick person discovers signs of deep contrition,
the priest shall grant him absolution, and repeat
several prayers in the ritual. Before they begin to
anoint him, all the persons present fall down on
their knees, and whilst the priest is going through
w ith the ceremony, they are to repeat the penitential
psalms and litanies for the happiness of the sick
person's soul.
The priest dips the thumb of his right hand into
the oil, and anoints each part in the form of a cross,
pronouncing w ords, at the same time, suitable to the
ceremony. The clerk holds the lighted taper and a
bason, containing the balls of cotton. The priest
begins by anointing the right eyelid, and then the
left, repeating the following words; "May God, by
this- holy anointing, and by his gracious mercy,
pardon all the sins youjiave committed by the eyes."
He then wipes off the oil from the eyes, and proceeds
to anoint the ears, repeating neady the same words
as before. From the ears he proceeds to the nos-
trils, and then to the mouth, and so on till he comes
to the feet.
The anointiTig being over, the priest rubs the oil
from off his fingers, and afterwards washes his
hands. The crumbs of bread with which he rubbed
his fingers, and the water with which he v\ ashed
them, must be thrown into thl; fire, and the balls of
cotton that have been used in anointing, are carried
into the church,. where they are burnt, and the ashes
thrown into the sacrarium. The anointing being
ended, the priest repeats some prayers, which are
followed by an exhortation to the sick; after which
he leaves the crucifix on the sick man's bed, and re-
turns home. If he happens to live till next day, the
priest is to visit him, and keep up his spirits, by put-
ting him in mind of the heavenly bliss and glory of
God. Such is the sacrament of extreme unction as
administered to dying persons of the Roman Catholic
religion; and here we may observe, that it is bor-
row ed partly from the Jews and partly from the
heathens ; for in most of those ceremonies enjoined
in the law of Mose«, oils and anointing are men-
264
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
tioned : but particularly when any person was set
apart to an office. Thus Christ was said to be a-
nointed with the oil of gladness, and that ceremony
was used when kings were crowned, and priests
consecrated. In the writings of the heathens we
have many instances of anointinii with oil, and on
many different occasions ; and thus the Roman Ca-
tholics, having mixed the Jewish and heathen cus-
toms and ceremonies together, of both have they
formed a sacrament.
VI. The sixth sacrament in the Roman Catholic
church is marriage, an institution as old as the crea-
tion of our first parents, and designed to promote the
happiness of both sexes, by being mutual helps to
each other. Our Saviour once honoured a wedding
with his company, and although under the Old Tes-
tament a plurality of wives were allowed, yet under
tiie Christian dispensation no such permission is
granted ; it being strictly commanded that every man
should have his own wife, and every womau her own
husband.
In Roman Catholic countries, the banns must be
published three times in the church, and it must be
in those places where the parties have dwelt so long
that their characters may be publicly known. 1/ the
man and woman live in different parishes, they must
publish the banns in both at the same time. The
general impediments to marriage are- errors in opi-
nion, heresy, and vows of chastity; and besides
these, gross immoral actions,such as idolatry, forni-
cation, drunkenness, and. in a word, all those vices
which are a dishonour to society.
It is enjoined in the Roman ritual, that marriage
shall not be celebrated. except on working days; and
the reason assigned is, that there is most commonly
feasting and drinking on such occasions, it is not
proper that it should be on Sundays or holy days. —
Rut however rational this order may appear to those
who treat with respect all those times set apart for
public worship, yet this much is certain, there is
more mirth, feasting, and all sorts of diversions in
Roman Catholic countries than among any Protest-
ants, and these are practised on Sundays and holy
days. It is required of those who are to be married,
that they understand the Christian religion ; that is,
that they be able to repeat their catechism to count
their beads, and say the prayers used on such occa-
sions.
When the parties to be married come into the
church, the priest and his clerks go up to the altar
dressed in their surplices, one of them carrying
the ritual, and another a boson to put the ring in,
■»vhich is to be blessed. The priest having repeated
the usual prayer for the couple who are to be mar-
ried, comes to the lower step of the altar, the man
standing on the epistle side, and the woman on the
gospel side, so that the man stands at the woman's
righf-hand, having the relatiqns and witnesses be-
hind them ; then the priest asks their names and
surnames, which is only a piece of formality, be-
cause he knows their names before, they being .
entered in his register after the jniblication of the
banns. He asks both parties whether they are
willing to enter into the marriage state, and they
answering in the affirmative, the priest puts oif his
cap, and taking them by the hands, says, "I join
you together in marriage, in the name of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Ghost." At the same time
he makes the sign of the cross upon them, and
sprinkles them witli holy water. This being done, he
blesses the wedding-ring, and sprinkles it with holy
water in the form of a cross, after which he gives it
the man, who puts it on the linger of the woman.
The young couple then makes an offering of some
money to the priest, who repeats severals prayers,
and exhorts diem to live together in discharging the
duties incumbent upon them to each other. The
ceremony ends here, if the new married couple are \
poor; but when they are rich, or reputed to be so, 1
then the priest goes home with, them, and blesses
the nuptual bed. This he does by perfuming it with
in<"ense, and sprinkling it with holy water ; and if
the parties are young, he prays that they may mul-
tiply their offspring; but if they are so far advanced
in years as to leave no hope for that, then he prays
that they may live peaceably together, and become
mutual helps to each other. It is certain that some
of these ceremonies have been borrowed from the
Jews, particularly that of wishing the bride to be
the happy mother of many children ; for barrenness
among those people is considered as a base reproach.
This may serve to shew, that the promise made to
our first parents, that the seed of the woman should
bruise the head of the serpent, had made a deep im-
pression on their minds, for as it was not foretold
who was to be the mother of this glorious person,
so every woman might have a right to expect that it
was herself.
VII. The seventh and last sacrament in the
church of Rome, is orders, or die consecration of
priests to the clerical office. Ministers of the gos-
pel were, from the apostolic age, ordained by the
imposition of hands and prayer, with a charge to
them to attend to their duty as servants of Jesus
Christ. But no sooner had the Roman emperors
embraced the profession of Christianity in a public
manner, and settled upon the Christian bishops the
revenues of the Pagan priests, than a new change took
place. The successors of the meek and humble Je-
sus, who, while in tliis world, had no where to lay his
head, became grand and impeVious as soon as they
were possessed of riches. Hence the origin of those
HITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
tilirnprous distinctions which liave since taken place
in the churcli of Konie,^ witli aJI the ridiculous and
])ompous ceremonies attending them.
All those who are to enter into holy orders, are
. obliged to live .single, and ]>revious to their ordina-
•tion must produce a certificate that they have not
•been gniltv of any gross innnoralities. For this piir-
'pose, a declaration is made in the cluirch three dif-
ferent Sundays, previous to their being ordained,
'that all those who have any objections to make, may
come and declare them before the arch-deacon, the
chancellor, or their oflicials.
The first part of the ceremony in ordination is
the tonsure, which seems to iiavc been borrowed
'from the practice among the Jews, in consecrating
Nazarenes. Tlie candidate for the tonsure presents
liimself in a black cassock before the bishop, with
a surplice hani;nig on his ieft arm, and a lighted ta-
per in iiishand. He kneels down, while the bishop
in a standing posture, coviered with his mitre, re|ieats
a prayer, and several verses out of the scriptures,
suitable to the ceremony. This being done, the
bishop sits down and cuts five different parts of hair
from the liead of the young man who comes to be or-
dained, during which time, the young candidate for
■orders says, "The Lord is my inheritance." The
tonsure being thus performed, the bishop takes off
his mitre, and repeats a prayer over the person who
has been tonsured, and the choir sing an anthem re-
lating to the sacred order of priesthood.
The bisliop then repeats a praVer, and in tiie
iniddle of it tnrns himself to the person who re-
ceives the tonsure. He afterwards puts the surplice
upon iiim, repeating at the same time, " May the
Lord clothe thee with thy new name." This part
of the ceremony being over, the candidate presents
■a wax taper to the bishop, who gives him his bles-
■sing.
When the bishop ordains a door-keeper, or sacri-
stan, he gives him the keys of the church, and
while llie sacristan touches them, the bishop says to
liini, " Remember that you are to give an account
unto (jod of whatever these keys sJmt up." This
being done, the arch-deacon gives the door-keeper
full power to exercise his office, by causing him to
open and shut the gates of the church, and to ring
the bells : during which ceremony, the bishop re-
peats several prayers, and delivers an exhortation to
the sacristtin.
\\ hen a person is admitted into ihe order of a
reader, the bishop causes him to lay his hands upon
the books of the Old Testament, saying to him at the
same time, " Receive this book, render an account
of the word of God ; and if you acquit yourself
worthy of this oftice, be assured that you shall have
a portion of the inheritance allotted to those who,
from the beginning, have dispersed the word of
18 3 X
God." These readers are not clergymen, but only
|>ersons who attend the priest at the service of the
altar.
The next order is that of exorcists, and these are
a set of men whom the bishop authorizes in the ab-
sence of the priest to cast out devils ; m hen an ex-
orcist is ordained, the bishop makes him lay his
hands upon tiie book of cxorci»-.ns, saying unto '
him at the same time, " Receive this book, and re-
member at the same time, that you receive the power
of casting out devils, whether the persons possessed
with tliem have been bajjlizcd, or are only catechu-
mens."
At the ordination of an acolyte, or one who
lights the tapers in the church, the candidate lays
his hand upon the candlestick, which has a taper in
it, and which the bishop j)resents to him; repeating
at the same time, a form of words suitable to the
ceremony. After this, the bishop presents him
with empty cruels, and such other vessels as are used
in the sacrifice of the mass. Several prayers are re-
peatetl by the bishop, who continues kneeling with-
in the rails of the altar, and the w hole ceremony
concludes with an exhortation to the acolytes to be
attentive in the discharge of their duty.
'^I'he bishop, when he ordains a sub-deacon,
causes him to lay his hand on the chalice and the
patten, both being em]Uy, saying to him at the same
time, " Take care of the ministry \vliich is com-
mitted to your charge; present yourself to God in
such a manner as may make you agreeable to him.'*
After which, he causes the sub-deacon to lay his
hands on the epistles, saying to him, " Receive this
book, and the ))ower of reading the epistles to the
holy church of God." The person to be ordained,
must present himself in a white robe, girded about
him; and having a lighted taper in his right hand, he
falls prostrate on the ground, and continues in that
|)osture while the bishop and clergy road the litanies
of theeaints. After this the bishop turning himself
towards the candidate, who is still prostrate, gives
him his !)lessing three limes, and delivers a discourse,
in which he represents to him the importance of his
office.
Several prayers follow tliis part of the ceremony,
and then the bishop clothes the sub-deacon with the
robe called the Amict, saying unto him, " Receive this
Amict, which denotes the chastisement, or rather
the hridiing of the tongue." 1 le then puts the mani-
ple on his left arm, telling him, that it signifies the
fruit of good works. Last of all, he puts upon him
the garment called the Ualmatica, telling him that
it is a garment of joy, and ha\ing rej)eatcd a prayer,
w ith an anthem suitable to the ceremony, the bishop
pronounces the blessing and dismisses the congre-
•ration.
tm
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHfRCH OF ROME.
The Dest ir^ree a vrcer? is tia: :•: oe^C'E, ana
TW f»ifc(fate preseftts fa™«f^'" clothed in the sab-
deacoH's habit, aad the arch-deacaa relates tp &e
hehop wkat he bows of hk character, prodocmg
sevenl oertificates fra^ thoee «ho have bees for-
mtaif ■jffnwted «iih luai. The bish<^ dtea re-
peats seferal pnseE^ ami defivos ao exboitatun to
ihe raaiftdate OMcarH^ the office of a ikacoii. —
Tk deacoa prostrates ^Biself ia the saoK immirr
as the sab-deacon, whde Ae piiests aod coagre-
gasoaare aagiag thelkwes; and then die iHshop
gives hia the Holy Ghost, bj h^jiag his hand oalj
■poB^head, thoehnr ntiBatii^ Aat hedoesaot
iBceiRe it so fi^If » if he had beea oidaiaed a priest.
Tlie bishop ba^aeated, the raadidatekaeefe before
hia, aad iccaves Ae stok on hii left shoalder,
vbdb an acoljte fixes rooad the left side of his
aeck, m soch miaacr, that the extreaities haag ao-
derthe i^ktaia^ »d ihea he recofea the Dda*-
fica. The owfiaiifioa beiag ended, the iN^op Re-
seats him widi the book of the ^o^teb, and the
atfaole cereaioaT oontindes v^ prajers and Mnlw<n«
cutaUe to the oocaaoa.
The next is the ofder of priesthood, which is <a-
penor to ail those we have hiihesto ateationed ; be^
caase a priest receives power aad aadioiitj to make
aad coBsecrate the body and blood of our I^xd. —
The nndidHe fi>r priest s ordas, preseats himself
before the bi^op, m the habit of a deacoa, with a
%fatEd taper ia his f^fathaad, aad die chasaUe, or
■'s robe, f<dded over las left am. Tlte aich-
I deliren to the biAop a wiitteD character of
the caatfidate, and the bishop havii^ aiade an ex-
hoitaiMMi to the people, the litanies are soag, while
the caatfidate wanim prostrate oa thegroaad, as a
tokea of las haatilily. He then rises ap aad pre-
ae«s himself to the bi<h(^, «ho lays both hi* hands
^oa him, and all the priests who are preaeatdo
the mme ; £ar alAoi^ the aecoiHl canon ei^oiai^
that a priest ritall be oidaiBed by tme faidiop, yet
the cfaardb of Roaie has never taken dK advmitage
of that a^mctioa.
This part of Ae cerenKmr beii^ over, the bi^op
ti^es cue sbJe, which ha^s from oae sfaoolder only
of the canhdate, and paU itapoaboth, ia sach a
mwmrr Aat it £dls aois»-ways on las breast. At
the ame time, the bishop says to Urn, " Recove
die yoke of the Lord." He thai puis upon the
pvie^ the veatmeijc pecaliar to his <Hder, telhng him
at Ae same time, that he has recfived fidl power
aad aalhwdy to coasecratE every thing which the
chaich adm'tt of. The Last wofds the bishop makes
Bse of are, -' Rec^e dioB the Holy Ghost," and
^lea the chow, with the whc^ congregation, joia
U^etfcer ia piajiag for the paaoa who has beeo
<»daiDed.
Tbe last order to be taken notice of, is that of
bishops, who in many countnes are coasidercd as
superior to all other degrees of deigyn^en. The
name itsdf signifies a pastor or shepherd, and by an
easy transirion, bi^iops are called fathers. We have
already takoi notice ia the tenner part of this work,
that bishops were elected by the people at large,
who were members of the coDgT^atHxi : but no
soono- had the deivy acquired powo-, than things
took a very different ttun. Einf>eror5, pnoces, and
even private subjects, wljo had the means in their
power, founded and endowed bishoprics, and their
saccessois, claimed the privilege of preseDting to
Aem. This practice, however, did not contimie
hwg; foe the popes having began to establish thw
grandeor, claimed the privilege of presenting bishops.
This did not please many Christian princes, so that
a cootioaal flaaie of contentioQ was kept up till
yeij lately, in some Roman Catholic countries.
Whea a priest hears that the pope has raised him
to the e^scopal d^aity, he must enlarge his shaven |
crown, aod dress himself in porple, and if he hap- |
pens to be at that tinie in Rome, he must go and I
salute his holiness, and receive from him the rochet.
He most be ordained within three months after his
elwliuB or appcMntiaent, and that most be either on
a Sonday, or eome public holiday, in memor/ of the
apoedea, and he is to fast the eve before. The altar
must be adorned with dowers, and a carpet spread
on the steps before it. The pontilical oroameiits
■BSt be laid opoo the altar, with the holy water,
chalice, oil, pyx, sandals, ring, pastoral staff, mitre,
and gloves. There are likewise placed within the
rails of the altar, two barrels of wine and two loaves,
one of them varnished over with gold, and the other
with silver, havii^ apon each of them arms of the fa-
mily, arms of the bisfaop v(bo presides at the ordina-
tion, aad two lighted tapers, each weighiiig at least four
poaads: all ceremonies being coodacted by tapers.
Sone acolytes stand b^ide the consecratii^
biiiiop, and the perscm to be consecrated, places
hiawelf between two of the assistants, opposite to
die offioatiiig prelate, who sits on a throne near the
miridlf of the altar. Then one of the assistants
addresses himself to the ofiiciatii^ prelate, telling
hha that the holy Catholic church requires that such
aa one (naming the caaAdatei should be adv anced
to die digmty of a Inshop. The officiating bishop
demands the apostolical mandate, which he gives
to a notary to be entered in a record, and thai he
says, " God be praised." This part oi the ceremoiqr
is followed by the oath of the candidate, which he
takes on his knees before the offitiatins bishop, and
by it he swears to be obedient to St. Peter, to the
holy Roman cfaorch, and to the pope : to defend
them to the Mtmost of his power, and not rereal any
secrets he shall be eatrusted with.
RITES AND CEREMONIES IK THE CHURCH OF ROME.
967
II
After the candidate is sworn io thii manner, be is
asied sfc t-rai quciti jas, particularlii \»he:her he wiil
ID i-l ihiniiS siilj!iiit hi« judgment to the po.-c- aaJ
the canrc.. ; This he promisei aad kneeliog dr,vku \
on rir Lnee^. kisses the hand of the officiating prelate. |
While- mass is slaving in the cLoir, the acolyie* 1
assi<>: : .e candidate in putting on the robes oi his '.
office, a:^d they zi\t ij.oi the pastoral siaff, with the '
saniiili. The officutung bisr.op repeats aloud, ■
" The duty of a bi^op is to judse. inierpiet, c->nse-
craie, confer orders, sacrifice, baptize and conlimi.^
After the repealing of these words, and a <hort
prayer, the officiiiing prelate, with the assistants, all
kiieel down, except the candidate bishop, \rho pros-
trates hiuself, and continues in that posture tiU each
of the bishops has inide the sign of the cruss apon
hun >nth iLe pastoral staQ. The officiating bishop
lays the book of the gosf)ei upon the shoulders of
the candidate, and then laying all their hands upon
his head, says unto him. " Iteceive thou the Hoiv
Ghost." One of the assistants puts a napkin round
the neck of the candidate, and the officiating bishop
anoints him with oil. The anointing b pertonued
in the form of a cross on his shaven head, and hold-
ing his hands cross-ways, they are also anointed
from the thumb of the right hand to the fore finger
of the left, and from the thumb of the left to the
fore finger of the right. After this the officiating
prelate proceeds to anoint the palms of the candi-
dates hands, and blesses the pastoral staff bv sprink-
ling it with holy water. The pastoral ring is given
to him at the same time, and several prayers are re-
peated by the officiating bishop. The gospel is given
him shut, with an exhortation that he may go and
preach it to every creature, and then all the Strops
present give him the kiss of peace.
These ceremonies end with the religious offerings
of the new made bishop, which are two lighted
torches, two loaves, and two glasses of wine, and
tlien he receives the communion from the hands of
the officiating bishop. The communion being
ended, ifie officiating bishop blesses the mime, bv
sprinkling it with holy water, and puts it upon the
head of the new made bishop, saying unto him " This
helmet of defence and salvation, the strinss whereof,
like the horns of the two Testaments, shall make vou
appear formidable to the enemies of truth." The
gloves are then given him, to represent the puritv of
the new man : and lastly, he is seated on the episco-
pal throne, v. here the officiating bishop sat before.
Having sat there only a few minuter, the assistant
bishops lead him through the church, and ashe walks
along, he blesses the people. This ceremonv con-
cludes \«ith an anthem, and blessing the people a se-
cond lime; after which, all the bishops retire to the
vesuy to put off their robes. All these ceremonies
must be e:wactly performed, for the least deviation
fr'->m the smallest of them, woiJd spoil the -ahole : so
•r.dt it .Tiust C'j*: a msn rtiich trouble to acquLre a
perftct knowledge of ti^em, and man;, of the bishops, |
2S well «s the priests, aje obliged lu bold the n^;^l '
in their hand*.
NVbeu an abbess is elected, she takes an oath c-f
fideluy to the chjrch, aad tbe bishop who receiver
her, gives her bis Llessirig, by laying both his hank
on her head. He then gives her the rule cf ber or-
der, blesses the white veil xtd puts it on her bead, in
such a manner xs to let it ha% down over ber breast
and ihoulders. tbe rest of the ceremony has no-
thii^ particular in it, only that the bishop places ber
on a seat in the middle o: her nuns.
^^ hen a nan is to take the veil, ber habit and nag
are carried to the altar, aad she benslf, cooducted
by her nearest relatioiE, is presented to tbe btsbop.
She walks between two aged nuns, aad the bi^op
says mass, attended by several prii^sts. Tbe candi-
date and her attendants »J€ veiled, and the priest savs
alv>ud, '^Let your lamps be lighted, beca^^se iLe
bridegroon is camiBg to meet you." The same
priest presents tbem to tbe bishop, «hen they kneel
down, and the raitdidat^ receives an exhortaciaa,
coBceraing the duties of a rdigiotis life. After this
tbe CMididate, with tbe two nuns, kiss his hand and
lie prostrate before him, while tbe litanies are song
in the choir. The bishop with tbecrosier in his hand,
blesses the habit, which he tells tbem denotes coo-
tempt of the world, and tbe humility of tbm hearts.
A little holv water is sprinkled upon the rawfidatc,
who retires and puts on the habit.
The veil and ring are blessed in the same mamer,
and then the candidate presents herself a second tme
to the bishop, singing the foUowi:^ words, " I am
tbe servant of Christ, receive me O Lord, according
to thy holy word." Ilie bidiop answers, •* Come,
O spouse of Christ, and r««ive tbe crown." At
these words she receives the veil, and the btsfaop
puts the ring on her finger, telling her that she is mar-
ried to Jesus Christ ; and lastiy, he puts a crovrn on
ber head, as a token of her virginity.
Bcu^ thus crowned, an amthcmi is proaomced
against all those vi bo shall att^npt to persoade her
to break her vow, in what manner soever, or shall
seize upon any part of that estate, which she has de-
dicated to the cburth. After this the newly pro-
fessed nun. with ber attecdants, vraik up to the altar,
holding lighted tapers in their haiids, and there they
receive the commuuiou from the hands ot the bishop.
Everv Hun, upon her admission, receives a breviary
from the bishop, cootainiog such pravers and lessons
as are appointed to be read at the canooKal boors ;
for in most convents, the nuns read tbese devotioos
in their turn. These ceremonies bemg ended, the
prelate gives up the nun to the care oi the abbess,
saying to ber, "Take care to preserve pure aad spot-
RITES AND CEREMONIES IN THE CHURCH OF ROME.
less this young woman whom God has consecrated to
_fciinself."
Some of these women shut themselves up hi the
heat of passion in these convents, having been diap-
pointed in love, or seduced by false promises ; others
are shut up by tlieh- parents, sometimes from mo-
tives of superstition : but most commonly to prevent
them from marrying below their rank. This prac-
tice is, however, very unnatural, and must make
^oung women extremely miserable ; and, as it
would be a very dangerous thing fo'r any person to
attempt to seduce them, so it is too nuich to be
feared, that many ai'e led to commit sins not to be
mentioned.
'In 1749, while the late general Blackeney was
governor of Minorca, two young gentlemen, offi-
cers in the twenty-second regiment of foot, prevailed
upon two nuns to make an elopement from their
convent, and about midnight they went to the wall
of the convent, attended by a third ofhcer, and se-
veral soldiers carrying a ladder. The two mn^s
were received by the officers, but just as they
were about to remove the ladder, a third came to
the window and was conducted along with the
others to Fort St. Piiilip, vv here they were all married
the same night to the three officers by the chaplain
of the garrison. As these young ladies were of good
families in the island, the aflair made a considerable
Tioise, and the vicar-general sent a letter to general
Blakeney, demanding the three runaway nuns, that
they migiit be punished according to the laws of the
church. General Blakeney returned for answer, that
tiie young 'ladies were married to three of his Ma-
jesty's officers, and therefore he could by no means
comply with the request, especially as they had em-
braced tlie Protestant religion in presence of a cler-
gyman of the church of England. But tlie general,
consistent with tlie character of a man of prudence,
told the vicar-general that he would give strict or-
ders to all those under his command, not to offend
in tlie like manner again. It-is probable, this affair
might have been attended with serious consequences,
but the regiment soon after embarked for England,
and such was the bigotry of tlie people, that the
three young ladies would have been murdered, had
they not been escorted by an armed force to the
^liip.
it may not be improper, before wc conclude this
article, to say something concerning Anti-christ, or
the man of sin so often mentioned in the New Tes-
tament; and, that the reader may be enabled to form
a just notion of this extraordinary person, we shall
first set down what has been said by different
^vriters, and then with humility, deliver our own
opinion, which we hope will be found consistent
with his character.
The prophet Daniel is said to fgretel Anti-christ
under the form of a horn, that had ej'es, and a mouth
that spake very great things; that made war with the
saints, and prevailed against tlieni, till the ancient of
days came. And in another place, under that of
a little horn, that attacked the heavens itself, and
beat down and trampled on the stars. St. Jyhn, ia
the Revelations, describes Anti-christ as a beast that
ascendeth out of the bottomless pit, and maketh war
w'ith the saints: as a beast rising out of the sea,
with ten horns, and ten crowns upon his horns, and
upon his head the name of blasphemy. In another
place he speaks of the number of the beast, and
says, it is six hundred threescore and six. The ex-
plication of this number has greatly puzzled the
commentators : some take it to be that of the letters
in the word Anti-christ, set down according to their
numerical value ; others discover this number in
several other names, as in Dioclesian, Julian the
Apostate, and Napoleon, the present emperor of
France.
The terrible picture of Auti-cbrist, drawn by St.
Paul, seemed so like the emperor Nero, that many
of the ancients believed that prince was Anti-christ,
or at least his fore-runner. Others were of opinion
that Nero will rise agah), and accomplish all that
is said of Anti-christ in the scriptures: and St. Austin
assures us, there were odiers who mamtained that
Nero was not dead, but, still living in some unknown
and inaccessible place, and that the effects his
cruelty would one day be felt by God's faithful
servants. It is \\ell known that some Protestants
have ascribed the character, given of Anti-christ by
St. Paul, to the pope, or bishop of Rome, who, in
regard to his pretences of infallibility, may be said,
in the language of the apostle, to sit in the temple
of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Nor are Christians better agreed as to the time
when Anti-christ will make h'ts appearance. We
only know, in general, that he will precede the
second coming of Christ. Judas Syrus, who lived
in the reign of the emperor Sevcrus, asserted, that
Anti-christ would soon appear, because the perse-
cution was then carrying on with great heat against
the church. Tertullian, who lived about the same
time, and St. Cyprian, who flourished soon after,
believed the coming of Anti-christ was vei^ near.
St. Hillary was of opinion that the progress of
Arianism was a fore-runner of Anti-christ. Abbot
Joachim, who lived in the twelfth century, pre-
tended that Anti-christ was to appear hi the sixtieth
year of his time. Arnaude de Vrlleneuve said he
would come in 13G6; Peter Daille in 1789; Car-
dinal de Cusa, in 1730; John Pirus of Mirandola
in 1994; Jerome Cwrdan in the 1800; and Vincent
Ferrier, who lived in the fifteenth centuiy, -wrote to
Pope Benedict XIII. that Anti-christ wou'ld appear
in a very short time ; and that an holy hermit had
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION.
269
informed lilm nine years before, that lliis enemy of
God was then born.
There is likewise a difference among authors as
to llie manner of the bnth of Anli-christ. Some
sav he will be begot by a devil upon some very cor-
rupt woman ; others tell us, that Anti-christ will be
a devil incarnate, and not a man : that as Jesus Christ
was born of a pure virgin, Anti-christ will pretend to
the same : but, whereas the Son of God assumed
real licsh, Anti-christ will take only the phantom
j and appearance of flesh. There was a tradition re-
ceived among the ancients, that he should be born
^ of some Jew ish family and proceed from the tribe of
' Dan ; which is the reason, they say, why St. John,
in enumerating the tribes of Israel, omits the name
of Dan. See Rev. vii. 5.
As to the dominion or kingdom of Anti-christ, he
is to lay the foundation of his empire iu Babylonia,
1 1 where he will be born, and the Jews will mistake
jj him for the ^lessiah, and be first to declare for him.
'I He w ill begin v ith attacking the Koman empire,
i which will then be divided among ten kings, accord-
1 ing to the projihecy of Daniel, and after he has sub-
dued I'lgypt, Ethiopia, and Libya, he will conquer
Jerusalem, and lix there the seat of his empire. —
Then, finding himself master of the Eastern and
AVestern empires, he will apply himself to the de-
struction of Christ's kingdom. Some of the ancients
believe he will be seated in the churches of the Chris-
tians, and there receive the adorations of number-
less apostates from the Christian faith. The righ-
teous, under the persecution of Anti-christ, will re-
tire to the mount of Olives, where they w ill be at-
tacked by this enemy of God, and then Jesus Christ
will descend from heaven, attended by his angels,
and preceded by a flame, which nothing will be able
to extinguish. Ihe angels will make such a slaugh-
ter of the army of Anti-chrisl, that their blood shall
flow like a torrent in the valley, and Anli-christ
himself will come to the to|) of mount Olivet, where
he will be put to death iu his own tent, and upon
his own throne.
But whatever truth there may be in some of these
notions, yet we are of opinion that none of them
will amount to a probability. Anti-christ, as pro-
Ijhcsied of by St. Paul, (see J. Thess. ii.) was to e.\alt
himself above all that was called god, and to whom
can this be more properly applied, than to the popes,
who have, in the most presumptuous manner, set
their own decrees up in opposition to the word of
God. Anti-christ was to sit in the temple of God,
and it is well known, that the pope is the nominal
head of tlie church. Thus he may be said to sit in
the temple of God, in the same manner as any of
the wicked priests of the Jews sal in Solomon's tem-
ple at Jerusalem. His coming was to be with power
and signs, and lying wonders ; and surely this, in the
very words, apply to the pope. He had, for many
ages, the civil power to support him, he pretended
to give signs of divine mission, and his lying mira-
cles are believed by all those who follow his institu-
tions. And it was said of the people who were to
be the followers of Anti-christ, that God should
send them strong delusions. The meaning is, God
for their many wickednesses should suffer them to
be deluded by impostors, and where can we look
for this but in the church of Rome? Their faith,
worship, discipline and government, are founded on
deception, and were we not convinced of the trutli
of it, we could scarcely believe, that ever human na-
ture could have sunk so low as to embrace the gros-
sest nonsense. And yet this is the case, as experience
and history will prove. Upon the whole, we will
venture to affirm, that if any unprejudiced person
will attend to the marks here laid down, he will be
forced to acknowledge that the character of Anti-
christ can apply to none but the pope ; and therefore
there is good reason to believe, that as the papal
power is daily vanishing away in those countries
where popery is established, and at the same time
caressed in Protestant countries, so we may expect
some important changes during the present age.
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION.
77 HILE the Lord Jesus Christ was on earth
with his disciples, he frequently told them that
his kingdom was not of this world, and that all they
had to expect from men, was persecution ; but they
tiid not, till after his ascension, nnderstand the
Hjeaniug of what he told them. The Christian re-
18
ligion increased in proportion to the opposition it
met with from men, nor was the w hole force of the
Roman empire able to crush it, much less to abolish
it totally. During the space of three hundred years
it grew under persecution, and it was common for
the heathens to say of the Christians, " See how
3 V
«70
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION^.
they love each other." And this love continued
while they suffered persecution, but here let us mark
the change.
Having received rich livings from the emperor
Constautine the Great, the bishops, with the rest of
the clergy, met together in synods, and compiled
creeds which they sought to impose upon all their
brethren. And although some of these creeds did
not contain any thing contrary to the fundamental
articles of the Christian religion, yet as they were
no more than human compositions, consequently
many pious men refused to subscribe them. This
created much dissention in the church, for the bi-
shops wrote against each other, and as many here-
sies sprung up about the same time, the primitive
spirit of charity was lost. But still they did not
think of calling in the aid of the civil power, to
assLst them in panishing those who differed from
them ill opinion. It is true, they begun very soon
afterwards, to look twvards the civil power, but it
does not appear that any of tlie emperors made san-
guinary laws against those called heretics before
Justinian, about the middle of the sixth century;
but trifling indeed were these laws, with v\ hat we
are now going to mention.
The popes increasing in power, and finding many
people very unwilling to submit to their decrees
resolved to publish a crusade against heretics of all
sorts I and the persons employed to carry this diabo-
lical scheme into execution, were the monks of the
order of St. Dominic. At first it was designed to
carry on the persecution against those people called
Waldenses, &,c, but of these we shall treat in a se-
parate article. It was about the beginning of the
thirteenth century, that pope Innocent 111. sent the
Dominican friars into most of the Roman Catholic
countries to enquire how many heretics were to be
found, and from that circumstance, they obtained
the name of inquisitors, and their office, where they
try criminals, the inquisition.
This formidable tribunal gained much strength in
a short time, for all Spain and Portugal received it,
and it was established in every city in Italy, except
Naples: it was afterwards established in Flanders,
and the duke de Alva attempted to establish it in
Holland, which was in some measure, the occasion
of eslablishuig the government ©f (he seven United
Provinces.
This tribunal takes cognizance of heresy, by which
is meant the doctrines embraced by Protestants of
every denomination, Judaism, Mahometanisni, So-
domy, Polygamy, with all sorts of crimes, opinions,
or words, that are opposite l-j the papal decrees,
naturally come before this court. It would seem
incredible, were there not most positive proof of it,
that the people where it is established, are so much
afraid of incurring the displeasure of the holy ofSce,
as the inquisition is called, that they must give up
their nearest relations, and even become evidences
against them ; for were they to conceal them, or
speak in their favour, they would be taken into cus"-
tody, and punished in the same manner.
This horrid and unnatural sentiment, is carried to
such a length, that if the nearest and dearest relation
should shed tears for the sufferer, he would be con-
sidered as the favourer of heresy. It is intimated in
some of our historians, that queen Mary I. had an
intention of establishing the inquisition in England,
which is not at ail improbable, when we consider
her bigotry, her bloody-minded disposition, and
above all, her marriane with Philip of Spain, one of
the most cruel persecutors that ever lived. But
whatever intentions she might have had of that na-
ture, yet we have so good an opinion of our ances-
tors, even in that dark age, to believe that they never
would have submitted to such an ignoble, such aa .
unnatural, such a barbarous institution.
It is much to the honour of the French, that it
was never established in that kingdom, and although
there is a court of inquisition at Venice, yet we do
not find that it takes notice of any-crimes but those
of a civil nature. The Portuguese, not content
with having it established in their own kingdom,
actually sent over a great number of Dominicans to
Goa in the East Indies, who formed themselves into
a court of inquisition, and punished as heretics
those heathens who refused to embrace their doc-
trines.
In Germany, Poland, Hungary and Switzerland,
the inquisition was never established ; which may
serve to shew, that dark and' ignorant as men were
in that age, yet they had not so far forgot the dignity
of their characters, as to sink beneath the degree of
beasts that perish. In Sweden, in Denmark, in
Scotland, and in Ireland, before the Reformation, the
M'hole power of Rome was not able to establish it,
so we find this infernal, unnatural tribunal was con-
fined to those nation:*, who have, for many ages, been
remarkable for their effeminacy of manners, and their
slavish notions of obedience.
Before we describe the particulars relating-to the
inquisition, it may not be improper to observe, that
for some years past, its pow er has been much upon
the decline, even in those countries where it was
once slavishly submitted to. At Rome, the highest
tribunal of all, self-interest has taught the pope and
his council, that nothing can be more impolitic than
that of persecuting Protestants, who visit that cele-
brated city from motives of curiosity. It is true, no
place of worsliip is tolerated among them for Pro-
testants ; but tins is no hardship to the natives who
enjoy their ignorance, never having learned any thing
but what they see and hear in their churches : An3
as for Protestants who resort thither, they are either
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION.
S71
too volatile in tlieir tempers to pay much regard to
religion, or tiiey are men endowed wiih sueli know-
ledge, that tliey can w orsliip God in Rome, as well
as in London.
Another circumstance has contributed much to-
\\ards depressing the power of the inquisition in
Portugal, where it used to reign in all its horrid
forms. On the first of November ]7o5, a dreadful
earlhijuakc happened in Lisbon, wliich demolished
great part of that city ; and altliouirh tliis might, and
imdoubtedly did proceed from natural causes, yet we
find that divine w isdoni made it to an.swer a salutary
purpose. The inquisition had condemned several
inihappy persons to be burnt, and these were to have
suft'ered on the day following; but such was the
terror that all ranks of people laljoured under, the
poor criminals escaped. This had such an eflect on
the minds of the people, who were uuder the domi-
nion of superstition, that they looked upon it as
done by tlie immediate hand of God to punish them
for their cruelty, and from that time the inquisition
has been but little regarded in that nation. Happy
if this awful circumstance had led tiiein to embrace
the truth, but they are still deprived of the means^
and how can they believe w ithout having a preacher ?
Having said thus much concerning the inquisition
in general, we sliall now proceed to its particular
parts, its methods of proceeding against persons
accused from the time of their being first appre-
hended, until the judgment of the court is executed.
Persons become objects of resentment to the in-
quisition in general, four difterent ways.- First, by
public report, by which a person is said to be guilty
of the crimes of which this tribunal takes cogni-
zance. Secondly, by the depositions of th^se wit-
nesses by whom he is impeached. Thirdly, by dis-
coveries made by the spies employed by the judges
of the inquisition. And lastly, by the confession of
the criminals themselves, who, in order to avoid the
torture, often accu.se themselves.
AVhen the inquisitors have discovered a criminal
by any of the above-mentioned means, and he has
the good fortune to make his escape, he is then
summoned three times by proclamation, to make '
his appearance before the holy ofiice, and if he still
refuses, he is at last excommunicated, and his eft'ects
seized ; but this does not exempt him from capital
punishment, if he should be taken afterwards. In-
deed, it is almost impossible for a person who has
been once impeached, to make his escape; for the
inquisitors raise such a pursuit after him, that he is
generally taken before he gets out of his own neigh-
bourhood. As for those who break out of prison, if
ever they are taken, there is no mercy shewn them ;
for, was even a prince to intercede for them, his
request would not be granted. In Spain, they have
in every city and town, societies established for the
purpose of apprehending such persons as have been
accused to tlie inquisition, and so much are the
Spanish nobility stink beneath the dignity of their
ancestors, that many of the dons, who in other
respects consider themselves as equal to princes,
become the common lackeys of time-servirtg monks,
and even their informers. When a stranger puts
up at an inn, some of these spies thrust them-
selves into his company, and if by any means what-
ever, they can form tlic least notion that he is at-
tempting to make his escape, they immediately get
him apprehended and thrown into a dungeon. Nay,
it has happened that some accused persons have
got on board a ship, and made their escape as far
as Constantinople ; and although they considered
themselves safe, as being out of the reach of their
enemies, yet the sailors on board of anotiier ship
had them kidnajiped and sent to Spain, where no
mercy was shewn.
In most cases, when a person is accused to the
inquisition, and they have any suspicions that he
will attempt to make his escape, they cause him to
be arrested immediately : no place, even the most
sacred, being able to atford him an asylum. It is
surprising to consider the forlorn condition of a
person who is so unfortunate as to be arrested in this
manner. He is seized. in the midst of his friends,
and in "W^e very bosom of his family ; a father
standing by the side of his son, a son in the com-
pany of his father, and a wife in that of her husband,
without any person present being permitted to in-
tercede for them.
As soon as he is brought before the inquisitors,
they cause him to be searched, in order to try if
they can find any thing aljout him that may serve to
convict him, and likewise £pr any instrument with
which he may murder himself, in order to escape
the tortures of the inquisition. There are many in-~
stances of poor unfortunate wretches who have
been confined in the inquisition, dashing out their
brains against the walls of their cells, rather than
be put to the torture. When they have got the
accused person into prison, the chief inquisitor, at-
tended by his officers, goes to his house, and secures
his books, papers, and every thing they can find,
nor dare any person oppose them. If the person
has a real estate, or any personal property of value,
an inventory is then taken, and part is sold to de-
fray the expense of the prosecution. This practice
of making the accused person pay his prosecutors
for their trouble, is of such a diabolical nature, that
so far as we could ever yet learn, it is not to be met
with in any court of the world besides the inquisi-
tion ; but indeed we shall meet with some other
singularities.
Things being carried thus far, the prosecution
immediately begin.s, but is carried on very slowly; •
Q72
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION.
for a criminnl is frequently imprisoned several montbs
before he is brought before the judges, or so much
as knows what is the accusation preferred against
him. The prisons are dreadful, and nothing is more
capable of striking the mind of a person with horror.
These dungeons are all under ground, and so situ-
ated that none but the keepers can get admittance.
The way to them is by a great many turnings and
windings, lest the cries of the miserable creatures
should be heard, and move any person with com-
passion ; but in that case, compassion would avail
nothing, while none are permitted to give them
assistance. Day-light is for ever shut out from
those gloomy habitations, to hinder those who are
in prison from reading, or any other employment
besides that of reflecting on their unhappy condition,
and the punishment that is preparing for them.
Although it should ha|)pen that their cells are so
near each other that the prisoners could converse
together, yet they are not permitted to do it ; for if
they are heard either speaking to one another, or even
to themselves, the keepers rush in and beat them most
immercifully. Such poor creatures as have been
long coniined, invent a method of speaking to each
other with their fingers, by striking them a certain
number of times upon the wall, according to the
number of letters in the alphabet.
After a criminal has spent several months in this
miserable conditiwi, the jailor tells him, that he may,
if he chuses, petition for an audience : but he must
not be told that the judges desire him to do so; for
it is an invariable rule in the inquisition, that nothing
shall be granted a prisoner, unless he petitions for
it. The first time the prisoner appears beforeithe
judges, they pretend not to know him, and to be
utterly ignorant of any crimes he is charged with.
They ask him who he is, or what he wants, and if
he has any thing to say ? In such cases the prisoner
seldom knows what to say, because he does not
know what has been sworn against him, nor who
are his accusers.
If it happens that he pleads not guilty, and they
find that they have not suSicient proof to convict
him, he is acquitted upon paying the expense of
the prosecution ; but they order two of their spies,
whom they call familiars, to watch him wherever he
goes, observe every step he takes, all he says or does,
nothing can escape them, and they generally pretend
to be his friends, and set every engine at work to
insinuate themselves into his confidence, in order
lo find, if possible, an opportunity of accusing him.
And here we find, that the design of the inquisition
is not so much to prevent guilt, or to punish the
guilty, as to lay stumbling-blocks before such pefsons
as they have devoted to destruction.
1 hose who have read the history of England, must
remember the account of Mark Anthony de Do-
minis. This great man was the son of a noble Ve-
netian, and having been brought up to the church,
he Avas ordained bishop of Segni, and afterwards
archbishop of Spalatro, and primate of Dalmatia.
This dignity, though very great in itself, was not
M'hat gained him universal respect, both in church
and state. He was considered as one of the most
learned men of that age, particularly in divinity and
history, both sacred and profane ; few had read more,
or forgot less. He was consulted on all subjects,
and those who heard him discourse upon one, found
him so well acquainted with it, that they could not
imagine when he could find time to learn any other.
His learning made hnn inquisitive, and it was
discovered, that he had embraced several sentiments
of the Protestant religion. Having wrote a large
work on the subject of the Christian church, he had
a strong desire of seeing it published in his life-time,
but that he knew could not be done in Italy.
Sir H^nry Wotton was at that time the Englisli
ambassador at the Republic of Venice, and he gave
Dominis a letter from James L king of Britain,
begging of him to come and settled in England, which
request he complied with, in order .to have an
opportunity of pu'ilishing his book. The king who
w::s himself a man of learning, gave hi:n every
encouragement, treated him as his' friend, and settled
a pension upon him, suitable; to his dignity. Happy,
had he continued in England; but the Spanish am-
bassador made him such vast offers as first shook his
resolution, and then prevailed on him to accept of
them. Thf unhappy prelate forgot, on this occasion,
what he had often repeated in his works, namely,
that the court of Rome never forgets, or forgives an
affront.
He set out for Rome, in spite of all the arguments
of his friends in England to the contrary, who re-
presented to him the danger before him, and that it
would be in a manner impossible for him to escape.
The event was such as might have been expected ;
for as soon as he arrived in Italy, he was arrested,
and sent to the prison of tlie inquisition at Rome.
His trial went on very slowly, and at last he died in
prison, but in what manner is not certainly known.
When a person who has been once acquitted, is
arrested a second time, he remains in prison several
months, and then it is again insinuated to him, that
he must petition the judges to be heard. When he
makes his appearance, the inquisitors tell him, the
gaoler had informed them that he desired to be
heard. The prisoner answers, that he desires to be
heard, in order that he may be cleared, if he be found
innocent. Upon this the inquisitors press him ear-
nestly to confess his crime. If he refuses, they re-
mand him back to prison, telling him that they do
it in order that he may have time to recollect every
circumstance. After he has been a considerable time
HISTORY OF THE INQLTSITION'.
27)
in prison, a scrniul (itro, lie is again broiiglit before
llie iiiqiiisitois, mill if lie still persists in iiis iimo-
feiicc, llicv iiKikc liim swear upon llic frucitix, and
the liuiy S"S|'ti, that lie will speuk the truth to all
the qucstiiiiis they shall put to him. If he refuses
to swear, tliev immediately pronounce sentence on
liim, without any other formality ; because by this
lliey suppose, that either he is not a Christian, scciiiij
he refuses to take a law ful oath, or that he is guilty
of all he has been accused of.
Lint in case he takes the oath, they ask him many
<)ucstions concerning his past life, and even many
ihiniis concerning his ancestors, in'order to sift out
of him, whether some of them have not been under
the censures of the inquisition. Though crimes of
this nature are merely personal, yet they serve to
prejudice the judges against him ; for they su]>pose
liejias imbibed the notions of his progenitors with
their blood, and that as he had been educated by
them, it was impossible but he must be of the same
sentnuents. Hitherto, he is not suffered to know
what is his crime, or who are his accusers; for they
are all this time endeavouring to find something out
(it him, in order to authorize them to pronounce
upon him sentence of condemnation. This snare is
laid with prodigious cunning, and can hardly be es-
caped ; for as people are often ap|)rehended on
bare suspicion, so it frequently happens that the
terror of being put to tlie torture, makes tlie unhappy
prisoners drop some expression which serve to con-
vict lliem.
\\ hen the prisoner is too cunning to fall into the
share laid for him, and still continues to deny that he
has been guilty of any thing, then his accusation is
read, contaiumg many crimes, besides those with
which he was accused by tlie- person uho swore
against him. Tiiis comjiosition of truth and false-
hood is another trap for the unhappy ]irisoner, tor
as he seldom fails to exclaim against the horrible
crimes they lay to his charge, so they take occasion
from thence to con( hide, that those of which he
makes but little complaints are true.
After having given him liis accusation, which he
receives in writing; wben the clerk has read it, they
order three or four counsellors to wait upon him,
and out of those he is to make choice of otieto plead
his cause. This counsellor does but very little ser-
vice; for he is not only f<jrbid to give the piisoner
uny advice, but he is not even allowed to speak to
him, except in presence of the register of the inqui-
sition.
Some days after they have given the prisoner a
copy of his accusation, he is brought before the tri-
bunal, along with his counsellor, but he might as
well be without him, since he is not allow ed to f.peak
till he has consulted with the inquisitors what he is to
say. It is in vain for the couucellor to ask the uatnes
iS ' :]
of the accusers, for he is kept in the dark in that re
spect; all they allow him is to gu(ss if they are not
surh and such persons, but to thi:; they never give
a direct answer, although he happens to guess right.
At last, after having tormented the poor creature lor
years together with anxiety, by being carried from
the prison to the court, and from the court to pri-
son, liis trial is prepared for in good earnest. It be-
gins by making his appearance again before the in-
quisitors, who give co|)ies of what has been sworn
against him, but they still conceal the names of wit-
nesses. The prisoner having read the depositions,
he is asked, whether he has any thing to object a-
gainst them, and then he is allowed three or four
days to give in his answers. During this time the
prisoner studies to find whether he can discover who
tlie persons are by whom he is accused, for they still
refuse to tell liim tiieir names ; when the time w hicli
had been allowed for discovering the witnesses is
expired, he is again called before the inquisitors, and
is heard in what he has to except against persons,
whose names and qualities are equally concealed
from him. If he happens to guess their names, and
makes anv just exceptions against them, it may per-
haps be of service to him, but then the inquisitors
will put what construction they please uporj such
favourable circumstances. All the prisoner can al-
ledge is of no service to him, unless he can prove
that the witnesses are his professed enemies; and
this is in a manner impossible, seeing he is not per-
mitted to send for evidences. In this tribunal all
witnesses are accepted of against the prisoner, be-
cause of the odious nature of heresy ; and it is no
matter from whence they come, or how black so-
ever their characters are. Nay, even perjured per-
sons are admitted as witnesses, which is contrary to
the practice of all other courts in the world, even
the most barbarous. Two witnesses, by hearsay
are admitted, and upon their evidence, a prisoner
may be put to the torture, and the vilest informers
are received as witnesses.
After a prisoner has made his exceptions am!
given in his answers, if they are not satisfactory, or
that his crime is not sufficiently proved, he is put t-o
the torture, of which there are several sortst, but
particularly, the rope, the water, and the tire. In
the torture with the rope, the prisoner has his hands
bound behind him with a -rope; after which he is
raised from the u;round to the top of the ceiling by
means of a piilly. In this manner he is left to hang
for some time, and they let him fall down within
half a foot of the ground, but with such sudden jerks
as put all his limbs out of joint, and force him to cry
out in a most dreadful manner. In this manner he
is tortured for an hour, and sometimes more, just as
the if juisilors, who are then present think proper t»
orHei
£74
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION.
But if this sort of torture does not prevail, then
they have recourse to water, which is done in the
following manner. They force the prisoner to swal-
low down ii large quantity of water, after which he
is laid along a form or bench, that lias a cavity in it
^vhich shuts up, and squeezes at pleasure. A stick
or peice of wood runs across this bench, which
keeps the prisoner's body as it were suspended, and
breaking his back bone, puts him to invincible
pain.
But the most rigorous torture is that of fire ; for
a great fire being lighted, the soles of the prisoner's
feet are rubbed with bacon, or some other greasy
substance, which being done, he is laid on the
ground with his feet turned to the fire, and held
down in that posture, that he may thereby confess
all the inquisitors want to know. These two last
mentioned tortures continue an hour or upwards like
the first.
When a prisoner is condemned to the torture, he
is carried to the place ajjpointed for that purpose,
which is very properly called a place of tornients.
It is a subterraneous cavern, to which they go down
by a great many turnings and windings, iu order to
prevent the cries of the unhappy creatures from be-
ing heard, which undoubtedly would be more dread-
ful than can be imagined.
In this place there are seats only for the inquisitors
who are aKvays present when any one is put to the
torture, as is also the bishop of the diocese, or his
deputy. The place has HO otiier light, besides that
of two torches, \\hich burn but faintly, but, strong
enough to let the unhappy prisoner see the instru-
ments with which he is to be tortured; and the more
than merciless executioners wear a habit resembling
that of a penitent, and uo sooner does the unhappy
prisoner come into the dismal dungeon, than he is
seized on by two or three of these blood-hounds,
v.ho strip him naked in every part of his body,
except the privy members, over which they put a
piece of course cloth. Before he is put to the torture
the inquisitors exhort hiin to confess all he knows;
but if he persists in declaiing himself to be innocent,
then he is put to the torture, according to one or
other of the forms above mentioned, and this is
! ometimes so violent that it reduces the suiferer to
the last gasp, on which occasions they send for the
surgeon of llie inquisition to know whether it will be
be possible for him to bear any more of the tor-
ture.
A\ hen by such cruel methods they have extorted
a confession from the unhappy prisoner, of crimes
he never committed, he expects to be set at liberty,
but he finds himself wretchedly mistaken ; for he
must be put a second time to the torture, iu order
to induce hnn to confess why he concealed the crimes
oi whicii he now declares himself to be guilty.
Thus, after the violence of the torture, a prisoner
has owned liimself guilty of some crime, the com-
mission of wJiich arose from the weakness of human
passions, yet he is put to the torture a third time, to-
force him to reveal who vyere his accomplices.
But in case the violence of these tortures cannot ex-
tort any confession from him, he is then remanded
back to prison, and some of the most infamous
wrejches are sent to visit him, in order to discover
whether they can find any thing iu his conversation
that can tend towards a conviction, and in some cases
they are too successful, vhich proves the ruin of the
prisoner.
The inquisitors themselves second these inhuman
artifices to the utmost of their power, by |)retending
to administer comfort to them, pretendmg to be
touched with their misfortunes, and tellnig them
that if they will confess, it may be the means of sav-
ing their lives. The result of all this is, that iu case
the prisoner stands convicted, either by the sentence
of the inquisition, or by the evidence against him, or
by his own confession, he is condenmed, either to
death, to perpetual imprisonment, or to the gallies.
When the inquisitors are determined to put the
prisoner to a more than ordinary cruel death, they
hasten it on as soon as possible, after sentence is
pronounced, because the poor creature's reflections
on the torments he has to suffer, would be like so
many deaths, which would weaken him to such a
degree, that he might even die in prison, which
would prevent the mquisitors from enjoying the
pleasure of seeing a human sacrifice.
The general acts of the inqiusition are considered
as the execution nf criminals, but in the places where
it is established, looked upon as a religious ceremony,
in which they pretend the most illustrious and public
proof of pious zeal is shewn, and these are called
acts of faith. In Spain these are generally exhibited
at the accession of their monarchs to the throne, at
their coming of age, their marriages, the birth of a
successor, or such other public and solemn occasions.
The following faithful relation of one of these teasts
is presented to the reader.
On May the third 16S0, Cliarles II. of Spain was
married ; and in the great square of Madrid, was a
public act of faith celebrated with all the magnifi-
cence imaginable. A month before the general exe-
cution, the oflicers of the inquisition, preceded by
their standard, rode with great solemnity from the
palace of the holy office, to the open square, where
in the jirescnce of a vast number of people there as-
sembled, and proclaimed by sound of trumpet and
kettle drums, that on that day month, an act of
faith, or general execution of the heretics, would
be exhibited.
The proclamation being over, great preparations
were made for this dreadful solemnity, this human
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION.
sacrifice, under pretence that it was in honour of
the hlcssed Jesus, and his religion, tlie gosptl of
peace. Previous to this bhjody soleniniiv, a scaffold,
lifty feet in length, was erected in the crcHt sciuare,
and raised to tiie same size in hciglit, wiih a balcony
upon it, for the king and royal family to sit in. At
the end, and along the v\ hole breadth of this scaffold,
at the right hand of the king's balcony, an amphi-
theatre was rai>ed, to which they ascended by
twenty-five or thirty steps, and this was ap)K)iiited
for the council of tiie inquisition. Above tlie.'e
steps, and under a canojjy, the great inquisitor's ros-
trum was j)laced, and at the left hand side, of the
scaffold, and balcony, a second amphitheatre was
erected of tlie same extent with the former, for the
criminals to stand on.
In the middle of the great scaffold, another very
small one was built in an oblong form, which sup-
ported two little boxes made like cages, and open at
the top, and in these the prisoners were to be placed
vhile sentence of death was pronounced upon them.
Three pulpits were also erected on the great scaffold,
two whereof were for the use of those who read the
sentence, and the third for the preacher, and lastly,
an altar was erected not far from the altar where the
.several counsellors sat. The seats on which their
Catholic majesties sat, were ranged in such a manner,
that the queen was at the king's left hand, and at the
right of the queen mother. The rest of the \n hole
length of the balcony on each fide, was tilled with
the ladies of honour of both queens ; balconies
were likewise erected for the foreign ambassadors,
the lords and ladies of the court, and scaffolds for
the people.
A month after proclamation had been made of the
act ot taith, the ceremony opened with a procession
ill the following order. The march was preceded
by a hundred coal-nierchar.ts, all armed with pikes
aud muskets, and this was considered as binding on
these people, because they furnished the wood and
coals with which the criminals were lo be burnt.
They were followed by Dominican friars, before
whom a white cross was carried. Behind them came
tiie duke of Meiidini-CVli, carrying the standard of
the inquisition, a privilege hereditary in his faniily.
The standard v\as of red damask, on one side oj which
was represented a drawn sword in a crow n of laurels,
and the arms of Sjiahi on the other. Afterwards
was brouglit forward, a green cross, covered with
black crape, which was ff)llowcd by several grandees
and other persons of quality, familiars of the inqui-
sition, with cloaks, marked with white and black
crosses, edged with gold wire. The march was
closed by fifty halbardiers or guards, belonging to
the inquisition, clothed with black and white gar-
ments, ajid couiuuuidtd by the Marquis of Fouar,
hereditary protector of the inquisition in the province
of Toledo.
'Hie procession having marched in this order
before the palace, proceeded to the square, whi n the
standard and the green cross were placed on the
scaffold, where none but the Dominicans remained,
the rest having retired. These Dominican friars had
spent the preceding night in singing psalms, and
several masses were celebrated on the altar from
day break till six in the inoniing. About an lionr
after, the king, queen, quettii-mollicr, witii all the
royal family, the lords of the bed-chamber, tho
officers at court, and ladies made their appearance.
At eight o'clock, the i>rocession began in the same
manner as the day before, preceded by*tJie company
of coal-merchants, who placed themselves on the
left of the king's balcony, his guards standing on the
right. Afterwards came thirty men, carrying images
of pasteboard as big as life, some of which repre-
sented those who had died in prison, and whose bones
were brought in trunks, with flumes painted round
them, and the rest represented those who had made
their escape, and were outlawed.
These figures were placed at one end of the amphi-
theatre, and then came tw elve men and w omen w ith
ropes about their necks, torches in their hands, and
pasteboards caps on their heads, three feet high, on
which were written their crimes. These were fol-
lowed by fifty others, having also torches in tlieir
hands, and clothed with yellow great coats, on which
were crosses of St. Andrew X, bthind and before.
These were .Jews who had repented of their crimes,
and desired to be admitted into the church as believers
ill Jesus Christ. Kext came twenty Jews of both
sexes, who had relapsed thrice into their former
errors, and were condennied to the flames. Ikose
who had given some tokens of repentance, were to
be strangled before they v\ere burnt; but the rest,
for having persisted in their errors, were to be
burnt alive. 1 hese last wore Kuen garments, with
devils and flames painted on them, and caps after
the same manner. Five or six among them, who
were more obstinate than the rest, were gagged, to
prevent their uttering what the Komau Catholics
call plaspiiemous tenets.
Such as were condemned to die, were surrounded
each bv four Dominicans, and two familiars of tlie
inquisition. The'se unhappy ciealures ]>assed ir. the
manner above related, under the king of Spain's
balconv, and after having walked rounei the scaSold,
were placed in tlu- ainpliiiheatre that stood on the
left, and each of them siirronndee! by the monks arid
familiars who had attended them. Some of the
graneiecs of Spain were among these familiars, and
they, consistent with their usual natioiuil pride, se:;led
thcmsthes on high benthos erected for the purpose.
275
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION.
The clersjy of St. Martain's parish coming forwai ci,
placed themselves neai- the altar, the otricers of tjie
supreme council of the inquisition, the inquisitor,
and several other persons of distinction, both regulars
and seculars, all on horseback, with great solenmity,
arrived afterwards, and placed themselves on the
rig/!it hand of the amphitheatre, and on botii sides of
the rostrum which the grand inquisitor was to seat
himself. The grand inquisitor came last, dressed
in a purple habiil, accompanied by the president of
the council of Castile, and several other officers,
vho, on this occasion, would have been reckoned
amoug the number of iieretics, had they not become
more than the obsequious slaves of the priest.
Tiien they- began to celebrate mass, in the midst
of wlijcli, the priest who' officiated went down from
the altar, and seated himself in a chair w hich had
been placed for him. The grand inquisitor came
down from bis seat, and having saluted the altar, and
put the mitre on liis head, he advanced towards the
king's balcony. "I'here he went up the steps that
stood at the end of the balcony, with several officers
who carried the cross and gospels, and a book
•containing the oath by which the kings of Spain
oblige themselves to protect the C'atiiolic faith, to
extirpate heretics, and to support the holy itupiisition
to the utmost of their power.
The king, standing up bear-headed, having on one
side of him a grandee of Spain, holding the royal
sword with the point upwards, swore to observe the
oath which a counsellor of the inquisition had just
read to him. '1 he king continued in this posture
till such time as the grand inquisitor was returned
back to his scat, where Ivj took oif his pontifical
vestments. Then one of the secretaries of the in-
quisition ascended a pulpit appointed for tliat pur-
pose, and read an oath to the same purport, which he
.administered to all the grandees who were th( n pre-
sent; and this part at' the ceremony was followed
by that of a Dominican going up into the pul])it,
and delivering a sermon full of flattery in praise of
the ioqi'.isiUon.
About two o'clock in the afternoon they began to
jread thcseutences of the condemned criminals, and
they began with those who had died in prison, or
who had been out-lawt d. Their figures in paste-
'board were carried up to the little scaffold, and put
into the cages, aud then they read the sentences to
.each of the criminals who were alive, and they were
one by one put into the cag'es, in order that every
person piescnt might know them. There were in
all twenty persons of both sexes condemned to the
flames, and of these, six men and two women could
not [frcvailed upon either to conltss or repent of
■ their errors. A young woman was remanded to
.prison because she had always made the strongest
protestations of her ionoceuce, and therefore they
thought it w6uld be proper (o rc-cxaniine the evi-
dence that had been produced against her. Lastly,
they read the sentences of those who had been found
guilty of bigamy or witchcraft, with several other
crimes, and this lasted till about nine in the evening,
when mass was finished.
Mass being finished, the grand inquisitor, clothed
in his pontifical vestments, pronounced a solemn
absolution on all those who would repent; anVl
then the king being withdrawn, the criminals who
had been condemned to be burnt, were deliveretl
» over to the civil power, and being nioiuited upon
asses, were carried in this manner through the gale
called Toncural. About three hundred paces from
it they were chained to stakes, and executed a little
after midnight. Those who persisted in their errors
were burnt alive, but such as repente'd were fir.>it
strangled before the fire was lighted^ Those con-
denmed to less punishments w ere remanded to prison,
and the inquisitors returned home to their palace.
Besides these public executions of those whom
they call heretics, they have also many private ones,
and theee are generally in the last week of lent ; for
it is a maxim among the Roman Catholics that they
cannot give better proofs of their penitence, than by
per'Xicuting heretics. On such occasions all the ma-
gistrates are (ddiged to attend,^ for it may be justly,
said, that in Homan Catholic countries the priest*
tramjde upon the rights of the people, civil or sacred.
It is a fixed maxim in the inquisition, that no re-
gard is to be paid to the characters of men, let them
be ever so exalted in rank, or spotless in their repu-
tation. We have already seen how they treated
Dominis, an archl)isliop, aud the most learned man
of his age; but the inquisition of Castile went still
further, for it attempted to arraign the memory of the
emperor Charles V, and to condemn his last will and
testiiinient to the flames, as heretical, together with
all thf)se who had the greatest share in his confidence
and favour.
As this is a most astonishing incident, the reader
will utidouliteiily be very well pleased to have it at
full length ; for which reason we shall give it from
the most undoubted authority, and such as never hath
yet been contradicted. 'Ihe emperor Charles V
resign(;d the kingdom of Spain, in favour of his son
Philip II, and retired to spend the remainder of his
days in a moustery. As many of the (ierman princes,
subject to him, were Protestants, he continued to
correspond with them till his death, and .some of
their letters to him having been discovered by the
Dominicans, they gave it out that his motives for
retiring to a couveiit were, that he might have an
opportunity of enjoying his own private o])iiiions.
It was said, that he could not forgive himself for the
ill-treatment of those brave princes whom he had
conquered. Their virtues, whicli so eminently shone
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION.
277
in their distress, tarnished all his laurels, and insensi-
bly engaged him to have sonic esteem tor these tenets.
This esteem manifested itself by the choice he made
of persons suspected of heresy, for his spiritual guides.
After his death, the cell in the abbey of St. Justus,
where he died, was found hung round with papers,
written with his own hand, upon the subjects of
justification and grace ; and in terms that differed
but very little from the notions of Protestants.
But nothing supported the notions the monks had
formed against him, so much as his last will. He
left but very few pious legacies, or foundations for
masses, and the whole purport diflered so widely
from those made by zealous Catholics, that the
inquisition considered it as subject to censure.
However, they were obliged to conceal their inten-
tions, till the arrival of Philip II, his son, because they
<lid i;ot know his natural disposition, nor with what
spirit he might be actuated. But Philip, upon his
arrival in Spain, having ordered all those to be put
to death who favoured the new opinions, the inqui-
sitors became so bold, that they openly accused his
father's confessors of heresy; among whom was the
archbishop of Toledo, the primate and metropolitan
of Spain. The king having sufiered all his father's
confessors to be thrown into prison, the bigotted
Spaniards looked upon it as a high mark of his zeal
for the Christian faith ; whereas the inhabitants of
other nations, looked upon it with horror: who
could have imagined, that a few Dominican mo'nks,
dignified with the title of Lords of the Inquisition,
would have presimied to condemn to the flames the
archbishop of Toledo, the bishop of Dresse, and Dr.
Caculla, at that time three of the most learned men
in Spain. But they did so, and although Philip was
a most relentless bigot, yet he had that nmch honour
left in him, that he would not suffer those men to
be burnt alive, who had been long connected with
his father in the most intimate manner.
Hitherto we have only treated of the punishment
of heretics in Spain, we shall now proceed to the
account of this horrid tribunal in Portugal. At the
time of the establishment of the inquisition, Spain
and Portugal were so nearly connected, that fre-
quently they formed but one kingdom. However,
in 1.757, while the two nations where disunited, a
Dominican friar went to Portugal, where he pro-
duced a bull, which he pretended to have received
from the pope, authorising him to establish the
inquisition. Whether this bull w as forged, or whe-
ther he received it from the pope, cannot be certainly
known; but be that as it may, .John III, at that time
king of Portugal, ordered the friar to be condemned
to the gallies for life.
This, however, did not hinder the inquisitors from
carrying on their design ; for such is the inflexible
severity ot' the Roman Catholics, that nothing can
19
set bounds to their malice against those whom they
call heretics. 'l"he king of Portugal, however, pro-
cured privately from Home, a brief, containing a
free pardon for all those who had been accused of
Judaism, or any otlier crimes of which the inquisition
took notice ; and in consequence thereof, the prison
doors were set open, and all those confined in them,
restored to their former liberty. This was rather
galling to the inquisitors, but they were obliged to
stibmit, and dissemble their resentment till a more
favourable opportunity offered.
The Duke of Braganza being raised to the throne
of Portugal, under the title of Tohn IV, w-ould
undoubtedly have abolished the inquisition in his
dominions, had his reign been long and peaceable.
That judicious prince was sensible of the many
abuses committed by the inquisitors, who where all
sworn to secresy ; and he was no stranger to the
characters of many who sat as judges in that tri-
bunal. Pride and avarice were their ruling motives,
and under the stale pretence of promoting piety,
they trampled upon civil right, and murdered their
fellow creatures.
This prince issued a proclamation, ordering, that
all such persons as should be convicted of heresy,
should be referred to the civil power for judgment,
and that their goods should not be seized on by the
inquisitors, as had been formerly the practice. This
declaration astonished and alarmed the inquisitors,
because it tended towards taking from them the
greatest part of their emoluments. This made them
have recourse to every expedient, in order to set
things upon their former footing; and they played
their tricks so well, that they at last obtained a brief
from the pope, unknown to the king, by which his
holiness ordained, that all forfeitures should be paid
into the inquisition in the same manner as they
were before the king's declaration ; and all those
who refused to comply, were to be excommunicated.
The inquisitors having prevailed thus far, waited in
a body upon the king, just as he was returning from
paschal communion, wlien one of iheni, in the name
of the rest, besought him to give them leave to read
the bull thev had received from his holiness, and
they desired further' that it might be read publicly
in the hearing of the whole court.
The king having listened to them with the great-
est attention, after a few minutes pause, asked them
who was to enjoy the profits arising from ^he fines
imposed upon heretics.' They answered, "the king
himself was to enjoy them." "Since it is so, (re-
plied the king) there can be no manner of doubt but
1 have a right to dispose of my own in what manner
I please ; 1 shall therefore order that ail sorts of
goods seized from those persons called heretics, be
immediately restored tp their nearest relations."
It is not much to be wondered, that the inquisitors
4a
278
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION.
■were enraged at lliis order, but they were obliged
to submit to it, and so loug as this prince lived, ail
the goods seized from those persons called heretics,
were restored to their relations ; and from this cir-
cumstance we may learn, that when the reigning
prince is a man of spirit, he will not sufter his sub-
jects to be trampled on by the priests.
But no sooner was the king dead, than the inqui-
sitors represented to the queen, his widow, that as
the late king, her husband, had acted in direct oppo-
sition to the orders of the pope, he had tiiereby in-
curred the sentence of excommunication, vvith
•which all were threatened in the pope's brief, who
opposed it. This queen, who was not endowed
with so much fortitude and resolution as her hus-
band, consented that the inquisitors should march in
a body, clothed in their robes, and at the royal
tomb, pronounce the sentence of excommunication :
and it was to be done in the presence of the two
king's sons. Tlie reader will easily perceive, that
the excommunication, pronounced upon the body
of the late king, was no more than a trick to impose
upon the grandees of the kingdom, and frighten the
common people, and to support the authority of the
inquisition in all its horrors. Their success was
equal to their wishes, and in a short time, the power
of the inquisition became so predominant in Portu-
gal, that the civil magistrates were obliged to sub-
mit to it.
In l67-, one of the churches in Lisbon was rob-
bed, and the thieves not only stole all 'the sacred
vessels, but they even scattered the sacred wafers
upon the pavement. This horrid act of sacrilege
made great noise in Lisbon, and the priests insinu-
ated that it must have been done by the new
Christians, or heretics, names which they always
give to Protestants. The magistrates of Lisbon
immediately issued out an order for searching the
houses of all such as could be suspected of guilt on
this occasion ; and this order was executed with so
much severity, that the officers insisted upon know-
ing where such persons had been as were out of
their own houses that night. A vast multitude of
people of both sexes, were seized upon the most
trifling suspicion, so that the prisons were crowded,
and although the prisoners were examined \i ith the
greatest strictness, yet no discovery was made, al-
though it furnished an opportunity for the inquisitors
to prefer false accusations against the Jews and Pro-
testants.
In this juncture, the inquisitors, who are the pro-
fessed enemies of all those who differ from them in
religious sentiments, seen to have suddenly suppres-
sed their mock zeal; for when it was proposed, that
all the J ev\s and Protestants in Lisbon should be
banished, they petitioned against it. This was a
rieep laid scheme; and the reason they gave for such
extraordinary behaviour, which surprised every
one, was, that they could not, in conscience, send
into foreign ccuntries, where every man lived just
as he thpught proper, persons who were weak and
unstable in the faith, and who, because they would
have no restraint laid upon them, would soon aban-
don the Christian profession. However, all men of
sense plainly perceived, that the heads of the inqui-
sition would not have acted in this manner, had
they not been under apprehensions that their power
would have sunk, and their importance been disre-
garded, if those people had been driven out of the
kingdom. By such an event they would have lost
the opportunity of satiating their abominable avarice,
by seizing their goods, nor could their savage minds
have been glutted with the blood of human sacrifices.
The inquisitors gained their ends, and those persons
whom they stigmatized as Jews and heretics, were
permitted to remain in Lisbon; but it gave no small
uneasiness to the inquisitors, to find that the civil
magistrates were exerting . themselves in order to
discover the persons who had been guilty of the sa-
crilege.
Whilst the magistrates were thus employed in
searching out for the wretch who had robbed the
church, a thief, (and as good fortune would have it)
a Roman Catholic, was apprehended in committing
a robbery near Lisbon. He was immediately com-
mitted to prison, and upon searching him, they found
the crucitix and some other thmgs that had been
stolen out of the church. Being examined how he
came by these things, he confessed, that he alone was
guilty of it, that he had thrown away the wafers but
kept the crucifix, which led to his detection ; and he
was soon afterwards broke alive upon the wheel, and
all those who had been taken up on suspicion were
released from prison.
But the rage of the inquisitors did not stop here,
for those Protestants whom the inquisitors had or-
dered to be set at liberty, were again apprehended
on suspicion, and the nobility demeaned themselves
so low, that they even became spies and informers
against some of their own order. It was rtpresented
to the king, that if these heretics were permitted
to go on in propagating their opinions, the whole
kingdom would be over-run by heresy, and inevita-
ble destruction would follow. Some of the Portu-
guese nobility, however, were of a difi"erent opinion ;
for they represented to the king, that the New
Christians, or the Protestant, were good subjects,
and therefore they ought not to be persecuted. The
king was so struck with the reasons they advanced,
that he commanded his ambassador at the court of
Rome to solicit for a brief, to grant an indulgence
to the Protestants, so far as that they should n all
cases wherein they were accused, have an oppor-
tunity of being heard by council.
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION.
270
The pope complied with the king's request, aiirl
the New Christians were permitted to liave council
assigned ihein, both at Rome and in Portugal, to
plead in tiieir defence, with respect to any thing that
might be alledged against tlieui, by the inquisitors.
Accordingly, the council drew up a nienional w hich
they presented to the pope, praying that his holiness
would order the records of some former judgments
of the inquisition to be laid before him, that he
might judge whether those who had been condemned
to the riames, were guilty or not, and in case he
found that any thing was wrong, he would apply
suitable remedies for the future. His holiness listen-
ed attentively to their grievances, and seemed to be
much aft'ected with them, and, as a proof of his
sincerity, sent an order to the inquisitors to transmit
to him copies of all the records, relating to the anci-
ent mode of prosecuting heretics. This was a
most dreadful blow to the inquisitors, who, with
good reason, imagined, that if they complied with
the pope's orders, all their secrets would be laid
open, and their pride demolished. At last, they
resolved to obey the papal mandate, but his holiness,
who seems to have been a most arrant hypocrite,
first ordered the inquisitors to be excommmiicated
to save appearances, and then he absolved them as
persons who had been wrongfully accused.
'Jhe methods used in proceeding against heretics
in Portugal, diirer in many respects from those used
in Spain ; for in Portugal they are more reserved, so
that it is not an easy matter to discover all their
secrets. All accusations are taken in such a secret
manner, that the person accused knows nothing con-
cerning ;t, till he is apprehended and committed to
prison. When a person accused is apprehended,
he is immediately treated as if he had been guilty ;
all his effects are seized, and his wife and children
are turned out of doors, nor dare any persons what-
ever contribute towards their subsistence.
\\ hen a familiar, who is one of the spies of the
inquisition, has apprehended a criminal, he orders
him to follow him, and with that order he is obliged
to comply. All the way as they go along, the offi-
cer does every thing ni his power to induce the
prisoner to confess his guilt, telling him, that if be
will do so, the holy inquisition will have compassion
upon him, and restore him to his family : but if he
will not confess any thing, he is told, that he must
lay many months in prison, and that at last he will
be burned for a heretic.
The delinquent being brought to the inquisition,
he is accosted by the secretary, who delivers him
to the gaoler, who, with two of his followers, carry
him to prison, and exhort him to make an unfeigned
confession, as the only means to save him from
being burnt alive. And here it is necessary to ob-
serve, that the artifices of these officers of the inqui-
sition are so numerous, that the unweary are easily
led into snares, and multitudes accuse themselves
when they are not guilty. W hen the prisoner is
brought into his cell, he is searched, and every thing,
w helher gold, silver, or even images of Christ, and
the Blessed Virgin, are taken from him.
All sorts of books are taken away from them, it
being a maxim in the inquisition, that those who arc
suspected of heresy, shall neither enjoy temporal
nor spiritual consolation. It is, however, allowed
by the inquisition, that when the gaoler shall testify
under his hand, that he believes a person's life to be
in danger, then in such cases, a confessor is allowed
to be sent for; and this may serve to shew, that the
inquisitors in Portugal, are only solicitous to keep
up the appearance of religion.
The secretary of the inquisition, having received
the prisoner from the familiar at the gate, he delivers
him to two of his deputies, who convey him to a
dungeon. Here two strong doors are shut upon
him, and he is confined to a room twelve feet long,
and ten wide. This cell is very dark, there being no
light to it, besides what comes in at a small crevice
in the top ; and it is so uucheering to the prisoner,
that he spends the whole day in wishing for night,
purely to enjoy the light of a dim lamp, which the
inquisitors allow him. In these miserable dungeons,
they are allowed three earthen pots to make water
in, and another for the more necessary affairs of life;
and as these are emptied only once a week, it may
easily be supposed how abominable the smell of the
place must be. In summer, during the warm season,
worms are often found to crawl upthe walls of the
room ; and if there are ntany prisoners, four or five
are frequently thrust into one bed, where they have
not an opportunity of laying together, so that they
are obliged to stretch themselves out in the midst of
the filth.
It is impossible to say, whether the prisoners are
more ha|)py in having company, or being alone. If
tliev are alone their solitude is dreadful ; and, hi case
they have company, they are imder the necessity of
bearing with all their ill humours, infirmities, and
errors. But the most dangerous companion a pri-
soner can have, is one who has confessed himself:
that is, one who has acknowledged his errors. Such
a one is perpetually persuading others to do the
same, by assuring them they have no other way left
to save their lives. Adding, that they ought not to
be ashamed to do what so many good people have
done before them, and which they themselves, who
give this advice, have also done. Nay, it frequently
happens, that the person who gives this advice, is
one employed by the inquisition, and wlio, in the
end, becomes an informer, and an evidence. It is
frequent, in Portugal, to remove prisoners from one
cell to auotter, where they meet with new compa-
280
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION.
"ions, of wliom they, had no former acquaintance,
l^ut who frequently laying hold of some unguarded
Expression, become evidences against them, and save
themselves by condemning others ; for it is a maxim
in the inquisition, to make the life of every prisoner
as miserable as possible, so that contrary to nature,
they may even wish for death.
The prisoners in these miserable dungeons, have
not the consolation of bewailing their misfortunes ;
for if any of them are heard to make the least noise,
they are gagged, and whipped most cruelly. This
is done to frighten the rest, who, while the prisoner
is punished in this manner, a person is heard calling
aloud, that the prisoner is whipped by order of the
lords the inquisitors for having made a noise, or for
having beat upon the walls of his cell. Many cri-
minals have been whipped so cruelly for only be-
wailing their misery, that they had been lame ever
after, and some have actually died without any notice
having been taken of those who tormented them. —
These punishments are inflicted on all sorts of per-
sons, without the least distinction of age, sex, or
quality, insomuch that they barbarously strip women
of the strictest virtue, and whip them in the most
cruel manner. But the most inhuman circumstance
is, that when a person confined in a cell complains
of his sufferings, or bewails his misery, then all thsise
who are in tlie same cell, are to be punished along
with him. In Portugal, all trials in the inquisition
are to be carried on in the following manner : the
prisoner, being brought before the secretary, is or-
dered to kneel down, and then he is asked his name,
country, profession, place of above, and religion,
and a thousand other such trilling questions ; all of
which are set down in writing, and signed by the
prisoner. Some prisoners, after having been called
to the first audience, are remanded to prison, and
sometimes confined two or three years, and others
are brought to their trials wilhin a few days.
To confine men so long, and leave them uncertain
with respect to their fate, is certainly a very cruel
cucumstance, but it is done in order to extort a con-
fession from the prisoner. But these uncertain de-
lays frequently reduce a prisoner to despair; and so
unhappy is his situation, that he often desires to
become an evidence rather than undergo the severity
of torture; nay, and frequently accuses himself of
Crimes which he never committed. But after a pri-
.soner has made all these declarations, yet he is re-
manded to prison, under the pretence that some other
crunes are laid to his charge, by persons with whom
he is utterly unacquainted. Nay, it often happens
that the prisoners hear things repeated with which
tliey are so much unacquainted, that they do not
.Jtnow who had given information against them.
Being brought a third time before the inqu sitors,
.be is commaudcd to take an oath tliat he will tell
nothing but the truth, and this he is to do in hopes
of obtaining mercy. If he is suspected of Judaism,
the two following questions are proposed to him :
Did you leave the law of Christ, in order to follow
that of Moses ? or, Do you know any person who
have done so? Have you, consistent with the law of
Moses, abstained from swine's flesh, from that of
hares, rabbits, or fish that have no shells ? The un-
happy prisoner having answered these questions in
thejnegative, is immediately remanded back to prison,
nor does he know when his fate will be determined.
This is one of the njaxims of the inquisition, " That
it is much better for a man to die in prison than to
be publicly executed ;" and in consequence of this
diabolical maxim, many poor miserable creatures
are slowly murdered, and sometimes it is given out
that they have laid violent hands on themselves. It
sometimes happens, that all the force and severity
of the tortures cannot extort a confession from the
prisoner, who knows himself to be innocent, and
even when a confession is extorted by torture, no
mercy is to be expected from the inquisitors, al-
though solemnly promised to the unhappy prisoner.
James de Mello, a native of Lisbon, a gentleman
descended from a noble family, .and a knight of the
order of Christ, had served many years as a captain
of horse, with great honour and distinction. He
had various doubts in his mind concerning some ».f
the tenets of popery ; and therefore became almost
a Protestant. His wife and two sons followed his
example, but all of them continued to dissemble
their sentiments, and always pretended to be much
pleased when they heard of heretics being appre-
hended. Dissimulation, Mhen we are convinced of
the truth, is a most horrid crime indeed, and Divine
Providence generally points out some way by which
it is punished. Thus it happened to this James de
Mello ; for a relation of his being apprehended and
committed to the prison of the inquisition, whether
from motives of revenge, or the hopes of pardon, is
not certainly known, but we find that he went and
gave information against his friend.
Upon this they were all thrown into prison, and
as the lady and her children had been tenderly brought
up, and hitherto unacquainted with adversity, they
soon became very uneasy under their confinement,
and therefore, through the persuasions of the gaolers,
resolved to make an open confession. Deluded by
this advice, tliey all accused the person who was, by
all the bonds of tenderness, the dearest to them in
the world. The consequence was, that the captain
was found guilty of hypocrisy and heresy, and at the
next act of faith he was burnt alive, acknowledg-
ing with his last breath, that he was a sincere be-
liever in Jesus Christ. But there are many other
instances wliich could be mentioned, although the
following may suffice.
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION.
881
Alphonse Nobre, a nnblemaii of hij,Ii rank, who
had served the king of Foitii^iul man) years as an
officer of state, liad the inisfort'jne to be accused of
heresy, and was committed to the prison of the in-
quisition. As tlie inquisitors are strangers to mercy,
so we lind that tliey tampered so much with the son
and daiijihler of this nol)leman, that, induced by false
promises, they went and accused their fallier. The
consequence was, the old nobleman was condemned,
and as he was walking along with the other convicts
in the procession, to what is called the act of faith,
it happened that he passed close by his son. Here
was an affecting scene indeed; for the conscience of
the unhappy yonlh being wounded, he fell on his
knees and implored pardon of his father, and his
blessing. The father answered, " I pardon you for
having brought me into this condition, through your
baseness, because I hope that God will pardon you,
but I cannot give you my blessing." VVhen Christ
lamented the condition of the Jews, he did not bless
them. He prayed that God would forgive the un-
happy young man, and then cheerftiUy embraced the
slake.
At Torres Alvas, a city in Portugal, there was a
laundress who had two sons, and these being accused
of heresy, wei-e committed to the prison of the in-
quisition in Lisbon. They both persisted in their
innocence, for which they were declared obstinate,
and their mother having been suspected, was put to
tlie torture, and she and her two sons were burnt
alive, in the midst of a vast concourse of people. —
But Protestants and Jews are not the sole objects of
persecution in the inquisition; even merit, when
found in one of their own members, will render him
obnoxious to them. That this is no more than
truth, will appear from the following instances.
In the Franciscan convent at Lisbon, was a friar
of the name of De Costa, whose father had been
register of the inquisition. This man, though a pro-
fessed Roman Catholic, jet, as a man of humanity,
often lamented the unhappy condition of the poor
afflicted Jews. This was taken notice of by some
et his brethren, whom he had endeavoured to con-
vert to the same sentiments of tenderness and com-
passion. Some of these gave information against
him to the inqnisitioii, and after he had been con-
iined in prison upwards of a year, was burnt alive.
Irancis de Alevido Cabras, a native of I'llvas, in
Portugal, and son of the chief magistrate of that city,
became a most violent persecutor of the Protestants,
and gave information against his own mother and
aunt, who, in consequence thereof, were both burnt
alive. Soon after this act of unnatural barbarity,
the young gentleman had the impudence to visit his
aged father, who, notwithstanding the dreadful con-
Kequences that might have happened, turned him out
of doors. The young gentleman went into Spain,
19 4 b
where he fmished his education ; but having cm-
braced the sentiments of the Jews, he was committed
to the prison of the inquisition, and afterwards burnt
alive; and thus we find Providence conducts the
affairs of the lower world. There are many other
instances that might be mentioned of persons being
put to death who never were Protestants ; but it
always has been a rule in the proceedings of the in-
quisition, to brand those vith the name of Jews,
v^ ho are in reality Roman Catholics. Thus for these
many years, when we read of any person condemned
by the inquisition, they are called heretics or Jews,
but none of them are ever mentioned as Roman
Catholics. This, however, is a gross imposition
upon the people, for there are many Roman (Catho-
lics v^ ho sufier death by the inquisition, and if they
are rich, it'is often done to seize upon their estates,
and when once they have planned the destruction of
the unhappy jjcrson, it is no difficult matter to get
it accomplished.
When a reasonable thinking man reads the his-
tory of the in(juisition, and, upon inquiry, rinds that
all that has been said concerning it is true, he will
riaturally conclude, that tiie inquisitors are the de-
clared enemies of humanity, and that the church of
Rome, by whose authority tliey act, must be not
only anti-christian, but even the mother of harlots,
and abomination of the earth. This will appear the
more evident, when we consider, that they are not
contented with confining its direful effects to those
European countries where they reign in triumph ;
for wherever they can make settlements in the ut-
most extremity of the world, they carry along with
them their persecuting notions, and tlieir horrid
practices.
"^I'lie Portuguese having established a settlement
at Goa in the East Indies, they sent there a whole
cargo of priests, and amongst these a considerable
number of IJominican friars. Hence an inquisition
was established, and the heathens, who knew nothing
of Christianity, were forbid to worship their idols,
and so became Christians without knowing any thing
of the gospel. This inquisition at Goa was founded
on the same principles as those in Portugal, and all
the prisoners were locked up in separate cells, so
that four tunikeys were sufficient to secure two hun-
dred. The prison of the inquisition at Goa is a
most dreadfid place indeed, for it is so constructed
that the light never enters into it. Nay, the un-
happy prisoners have no where to ease nature, but
the ground u|)on which they lay, and this is the rea-
son V. hy so many of them die, merely on ac^^ount of
the nastincss, and the noxious steam arising from
their own excrements. It is true, the Portuguese
have now lost all their territories in that part of the
world, but they have left behind them indeliable
marks of their cruelty. Of this we have a shocking
S.QQ,
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION.
instance in the case of one Mr. Dellon, a French
gentleman, who was apprehended and imprisoned
by the inquisition at Goa, and lest it should be sup-
posed that we attempt to mislead our readers, we
shall here relate the whole particulars as written by
himself. The whole of the narrative is so simple
and artless, that it carries along with it all those
marks of truth, which any reasonable person could
desire.
" When I found," says he, " that I was kept a
■whole day and night in the cell, without being ex-
amined, I began to flatter myself that I might con-
tinue in it till my affair was concluded; but all my
% hopes vanished, when an officer of the inquisition
came the l6th of January, at eight in the morning,
and brought orders for earring us to the Santa Casa,
which was immediately executed. The irons with
which I was loaded, w ere in walking very painful to
me ; however, we were obliged to walk on foot thus
fettered, from the cell to the inquisition. I was
helped in going up the stairs, when I entered with
my companions the great hall, where several smiths
knocked off our irons ; which done, I was first called
to audience.
After having crossed the hall, I went to an anti-
chamber, and from thence into another apartment,
where I found my judge. This place was called by
the Portuguese, Mesa do Santo Ofticia, i. e. the
table or tribunal of the holy office. It was hung
with blue and yellow taffeta. At one end of it was
a large crucifix in relievo, placed against the hang-
ings, and reached up almost to the ceiling. In the
middle of the chamber was a large alcove, on which
was fixed a table near fifteen feet long and four over.
There was also over the alcove, two easy chairs, and
several other seats round the table ; and at the end,
on one side of the crucifix, was the secretary seated
on a folding chair. I was placed at the other end,
opposite to the secretary : very near me, and at my
right hand was seated, in one of these easy chairs,
the great inquisitor of the Indies, Francisco Del-
gado e Matos, a secular priest about forty. He
was alone, because then, of the two inquisitors who
are generally in Goa, the second, who is always a
Dominican friar, was embarked for Portugal a little
while before, and tlie king had not yet nominated
any person to succeed him.
At my coming into the hall of audience, I threw
myself at the feet of my judge, imagining the sup-
plicant posture I was in would move him to com-
passion ; but he would not suffer me to continue in
it, and therefore innnediately ordered me to rise. —
Then having asked me my name and my profession,
he asked me whether 1 knew the reason why I had
been imprisoned ? whereupon he exhorted me to de-
clare it immediately, and it was the only means left
ine to recover my liberty instantly. After having
answered these two first questions, I told him that
I believed I knew the reason for my being impri-
soned, and that in case he would be pleased to hear
me, I would immediately accuse myself. I mingled
tears v\ ith my intreaties, and thereupon I thre\v my-
self a second time at his feet; but my judge told me
with great coohiess, that I might take my time, for
that Uiatters were not urgent; that he hacl affairs
upon his hands of much greater consequence than
mine ; that he would give me notice at a proper
season, when immediately he rang a little bell for
the alcaid, or turnkey of the prison. This officer
came into the hall, and conducted me to a long gal-
lery not far distant from it, whither we were follosved
by the secretary.
Here my trunk was brought, which was opened
before me ; upon which I was searched very nar-
rowly, and every thing I had about me was taken
away to the very buttons of my sleeves, and a ring
which I wore on my finger; insomuch that they
left me nothing but my beads, my handkerchief,
and a few piece^ of gold which I had sewed up in a
ribbon, and were lodged very carefully between
leg and stocking, which they happened to overlook.
A pretty exact inventory was immediately drawn
up of all the rest ; but all this was of no service to
me, since nothing of value was afterwards restored
to me, notwithstanding that the secretary assured
me, and the inquisitor also, that all I had would be
faithfully restored to me the instant I should be
released.
The inventory being drawn up, the alcaid took
me by the hand, and carried me to a dungeon ten
feet square, where I was confined alone, nor did I
see a living soul till the evening, when the supper
was brought me. As 1 had not eat any thing either
that or the preceding day, I eat what was given
me very heartily, and slept better upon it. I'he
turnkey coming the next morning with my break-
fast, I desired to have my books, and combs ; but
they told me, that prisoners are never allowed to
have books, not even a priest to have his breviary,
though he be obliged to repeat divine service ; and
that as for my combs, I should not want them ; and
indeed this was very true, for they immediatelv cut
off my hair, a custom observed willi regard to both
women and men, though of the greatest quality, the
first or second day at farthest, of their imprison-
ment.
I had been told, when I was first imprisoned that
w hen I should want any thing, I need do no more
than knock gently at the door, in order to call the
turnkeys, or to ask for what T w anted at meal-time ;
and that when I was desirous of going to the aiidi-
ence, I need only address myself to the alcaid, be-
cause the turnkeys never speak to the prisoners,
without having some person along with them. I
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION.
283
hiad also been flattered with the hopes, that I should
be set at libtrtv iininedi:it<ily after my confession,
which made uic routiiiii-.illy impoituiie niy officers
to lot Hie be carrieci before .ny judges ; but iiotwith-
standiiL'.' all my tears and lutreaties, I was not in-
dulged with it, till the last day of Jaiiuary lfi74.
The alcaid, accompanied with a turnkey, came to
me for that purpose about two in tiie afternoon. I
dressed as lie ordiTed nie, and came out of my dun-
geon bare-legged and baro-fooied, the gaoler going
before, aiul the turnkey after me. In tliis order we '
walked to the gate of t'-.e chamber where audience
is given. Here the alcaid advancing a little forward,
and making a low bow, came out again, upon which
I went in. Here I found the inquisitor and secretary
as before. Immediately I fell upon my knees, but
was ordered to rise ;iii<l seat myself, upon which I
sat down upon a bench which was placed at the end
of the table, on the side where the judges sat. Just
by me, and at the end of the table was a mass book,
on which I was ordered to lay my hand, and to pro-
nuse that I would swear to the trutli, and to keep
Hiviolable secrecy, which are two oaths required of
all who appear before this tribunal, whether they
come to give in their depositions, or to receive any
orders.
I was afterwards asked, whether I knew the rea-
son of my being imprisoned, and if I were resolved
to declare it .' to w hich I answered, That I w as fully
determined to do so. Upon which I made an exact
declaration of all I had before related w ith regard to
baptism and the worship of images ; but did not
mention any thing 1 had said with respect to the in-
quisition, they not occurring at that time to my
memory. The judge having again asked me whether
1 had any more to say ? and being told that I coidd
not think of any thing else, was so far from setting
me at liberty, as I had flattered myself I should be,
that he coucludid the audience vith these words:
That I had done very well to accuse myself volun-
tarily, and that he exhorted me in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ, to declare innnediately the re-
mainder of my information, in order that I might
experience the goodness and mercy which that tri-
bunal indulges to all who prove the sin'.irity of their
repentance, by a genuine and voluntary confession.
My declaration and the exhortation being ended and
written down, it was read to me, and I signed-it :
which being done, the inquisitor rang a little bell
to call the alcaid, w ho came and carried me back to
piison in the same order 1 came.
I was carried a second time before the judge, with
cut my desiring it, on the 1.5th of February, which
niade me suppose that he intended to set me at
liberty. Being come, I was again asked whether I
had any more to say : I was exhorted not to disguise
any circumstance, but ou the contrary to uiuke a
sincere confession of my faults. I answered, th«t
after a very serious self-examination, I could not
think of any fresh particulars. I then was asked my
name, those of my father, my mother, brothers,
grandfathers and grandmothers, godfathers and god-
mothers, whether I were a Christian of eight days
standing ; because children are not baptized in Por-
tugal till the eighth day after their birth, nor arc
chililb(?d women churched till the fortieth day after
their lying-in, thougli they had never so easy a de-
livery. I'he judge seemed to be surp/ised, when I
told him that the custom of deferring the baptism
of children a whole week was not practised in
France ; but that on the contrary, they were always
christened as soon as conveniency would permit.
It is pretty evident by the observance of these mo-
saic ceremonies, that notw ithstanding the Portuguese
pretend to have the Jews in so much abhorrence,
they yet are not so good Christians as they ought to
be. Hut this is not the greatest evil which flows
from the observance of these Jewish institutions;
for from the former it happens but too frequently,
that children die without being regenerated by the
sacrament of baptism, and are by that means excluded
heaven for ever ; and in order not to violate the
ceremony of purification, which ought to cease after
the gospel dispensation, the Portuguese women do
not, in the least, scruple to act in contempt to an
injunction of the church, which obliges all Christians
to assist every Sunday, and every festival, at the
holy sacrifice of the mass, unless they happen to be
prevented from so doing by some lawful cause.
I was further asked tlie name of the person who
baptised me, in what diocese, what city, and lastly,
whether I had ever been confirmed, and by what
bishop ? Having answered these several questions,
I was ordered to kneel down, to make the sign of
the cross, to repeat the Paternoster, the Ave Maria,
the creed, tlie commandments of God and the
church, and the Salva Kegiua. In fine, he concluded
as before, with exhorting me by the bowels of Jesus,
to confess immediately the several crimes and errors
I had not yet revailed ; w hich being written down
and read before me, and signed by myself, I was
remanded back to prison.
From the first moment of my confinement, I had
always been in the deepest aftliction, and shed
incessant tears ; but at my return from the second
audience, I abandoned myself entirely to grief, when
I found that I was required to confess such things as
to me appeared impossible, since I could not recollect
any such circumstances as 1 was ordered to confess.-
I therefore endeavoured to starve myself; not but I
took all the sustenance that was brought me, because
in case I had refused it, 1 should have been beat by
the turnkeys, wlio always examine very carefully,
upon their taking the plates back, whether the pri-
231
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION,
soaers eat enough to support nature ; but my despair
suggested methods to ehide their vigilance in this
particular. I spent whole days without taking a
morsel, and used to throw part of what was given
me into the bason, to prevent its being seen. This
severe abstinence entirely prevented my sleeping
and now 1 did nothing but macerate my body in this
manner, and shed floods of tears. However, in
these days of sorrow and lamentation, I rcvt'.ed in
my mind all the errors of my past life, and confessed
that all my misery was a judgment from heaven upon
me: I even persuaded myself, that God perhaps
had employed these severe, but salutary methods
to call me to himself; when being a little revived
and comforted with these reflections, I sincerely
implored the assistance of the holy virgin, who is
equally the comforter of the afHicted, and the refuge
and asylum of sinners ; and indeed I have had so.
■visible a demonstration of her protection, as well
during my imprisonment, as on several other occa-
sions, that I cannot forbear making this public
testimony thereof.
In tine, after having made a more exact, or more
happy recollection of ail I had said or done during
my residence at Daman, I remembered the several
expressions I had used touching the inquisition, and
the integrity thereof: upon which I immediately
desired to be admitted to audience, but this however
vas not granted me till the iGth of March following.
I made no doubt upon my appearance this time
before the judge, but that I should then put an end
to my unhappy affair, and after the confession I
was going to make, be immediately set at lil)erty;
but when I thought my wishes upon the point of
being accomplished, I saw myself immediately fall
from my most sanguine hopes ; because that when I
had declared every thing I had to say with regard
to the inquisition, I was told that this was not what
was expected from me ; and having nothing else to
say, I was immediately remanded back, nor would
they so much as write down my confession. Des-
pair having }>rorapted M. Deilon to make away with
JiimSelf, advice thereof was given to the inquisitors,
who ordered him to be brought to audience; brit he
was so weak, that he was forced to be carried thi-
ther. J there, continues be, was laid along the
floor, my extreme weakness not allovving me either
to sit or stand.
Then the inquisitor reproached me several times ;
gave orders for my being carried away, and hand-
, cuffs to be put upon me, to prevent my forcing oft'
the chains with which 1 was bound. This was im-
Jiiedialely executed, and I was not only handcuffed,
but an iron machine was clapt about my neck, which
held to the handcuffs, and was locked with a pad-
lock ; so that it was now impossible for me to stir
luy arms. But this treatment only exasperated me
the more ; I threw myself on the ground, and strn<ii
my head against the floor and the walls ; and had I
been bound but a little longer in that manner, I
should mfallibly have got my arms at liberty, and
should have died with it : But as I was continually
watched, they found by my actions, that severity
was very unseasonable at this time, that it were bet-
ter to employ gentle methods.
Upon this my irons were knocked off, endeavours
were made to comfort me with delusive hopes. I
was put into another cell, and had again a compa-
nion given me, who was ordered to watch me nar-
rowly. This prisoner was a black, but much more
unsociable than my former companion. Neverthe-
less heaven, who had preserved me irom so great an
evil, banished the despair which sat brooding ever
me, a circumstance in which I was more happy
than many others, who frequently made away with
themselves in their confinement in those dungeons,
where no consolation is ever allowed to enter. This
companion continued about two months with me;
for as soon as I appeared to be easier in my mind,
he was taken from lue, notwithstanding my weak-
ness was so great, that I could scarce walk from
my bed to the door of my cell, when victuals were
brought me. In fine, after having spent almost a
year in this manner, I was seasoned to affliction, and
providence afterwards endued me with so much pa-
tience, that I never made any more attempts upou
my own life.
I had been about eighteen months in this confine-
ment, wlien the judges, being informed that I was
in a condition to speak, sent for me the fourth time
to audience, where 1 was asked, whether 1 was not
resolved to answer what was required of me.? Hav-
ing replied, that I could not recollect a single cir-
cumstance more, the proctor of the inquisition ap-
peared with his declaration, in order to signify to
me the several informations which had been ex-
hibited against me.
In all the other examinations I had accused myself,
and they were contented with hearing my deposition
without descending to particulars, and had remanded
me back to my cell the instant I protested I had no
more to de(J;ne against myself; but in this fourlJi
examination I was accused, and was allowed to de*
fend myself. They read to me, in the informations
which were exhibited against me, tlte several things
wheiein I had accused myself. These facts were
true, and I had confessed them by my own proper
impulse, consequently I had nothing to object
i against these facts ; but then I flattered myself, that
; I could prove to the judges that they were not so
criminal as they were tiiought to • be. I therefore
answered, with regard to what I had advanced on
baptism, that I did not any ways intend to oppose
the doctriue of the church; but that the passage,
HTSTOTIY OF THE INQUISITION.
48.5
I'nless a mnn is born of water and of the spirit, lie
cniniot inherit tlic kingciom of Goil, having appeared
Vfrv express to me, I desired an explication of it.
'J'he chief inquisitor seemed surprized, that I should
nienlion a passage that everv one kno\vs by heart,
and his surprize raised my astonishment. He asked
me where tiiat passage was to be found ; I ans« ered
in the Gospel according to St. John, chapter 3,
verse .). He then ordered the New Testament to be
brought, looked out the place, read it, but did not
explain it to me. However, he was very glad to
inform me, that it was sufficiently explained by tra-
dition; because the church has always looked upon
as baptized, not only all those who died for our
Lord Jesus C'urist, without having received the or-
dinary form of baptism, but also those who desiring
to be baptized, and repenting of their sins, have
died suddenly unbaptized.
It is really surpnzing that persons v\ho are esta-
blished judges over others in matters of faith, should
be profoundly ignorant ; and I must confess, that
I could scarce believe this circumstance myself,
though I had been an eye-witness to it, and have it
perfectly fresh in my memory, had I not found in
'I'avernier's Voyages, that how reserved soever father
Ephraim of Nevers may be ou matters relating to
the inquisitors, who tortured him so cruelly, he yet
breaks out in the follow ing expression : That nothing
shocked him so much as the stupid ignorance of
those inquisitors.
The proctor, when he read the informations, had
said that besides what I myself had confessed, I was
moreover accused and clearly convicted of having
■spoke with contempt of the inquisition and its mi-
iiisters, and of having spoke with great disrespect of
the pope and his authority. He concluded that the
stubbornness I had hitherto sliewn in sliiihtinc; so
much charitable advice hich had been given me,
being a manifest proof thci I concealed very perni-
•cious designs ; and that having designed to teach
and foment heresy, I consequently \' as become ob-
noxious to the major excommumt i;;ou ; that my
goods and chattels ought to be forfeited io the king,
and myself delivered )Ver to the executioner, in
order to be consumed in the flames.
I leave the reader to judge tlie tortures which
these conclusions of the proctor raised in my breast;
notwitlistanding, 1 can truly affirm, that how dread-
ful soever those words may be, yet death would have
been more welcome than imprisonment. Thus, in
spight of the terror with which I was seized, I had
yet spirits enough left to answer the accusations
which were then exhibited against me, in saying
that [ never had harboured any sinister intentions ;
that I had ever continued a true Catholic: that all
those I had conversed with in India, would vouch
the truth thereof, i.articularly Father Ambrose and
19
Father Ives, both French caput hins, who jiad fre-
quently heard my confessions. (I knew after J was
set at liberty, that Father Ives was actually at Goa
at the very time when I called upon his testimony.)
That I had sometimes gone fifty miles to celebrate
I''.aster; that if 1 had been any ways inclined to en-
tertain heretical principles, I might easily have set-
tled in those countries in the Indies, where a full
liberty of s])eaking is allowed: and coiLsequeutly,
that 1 should n )t, had matters stood thus, have set-
tled in the dominions of the king of Portugal; that
so far from disputing against religion, I had, on the
contrary, often argued with heretics in defence of it;
that indeed I remembered I had spoke with too much
freedom, when T was before the inquisitor ; but that
I was greatly surprized they would impute that very
thing to me as a heinous crime, which they had
looked upon as a trifle, when 1 offered to declare it
about a year and a half ago : that as to the particu-
lars which related to his holiness, I could not recol-
lect that 1 had expressed myself in the manner laid
to my charge; but nevertheless, if they would please
to descend to particulars, I would sincerely confess
the truth.
Then the inquisitor told me, that [ was allowed
lime to consider of those articles which related to
his holiness; but that he could not sufficiently ad-
mire my impudence, in affirming that I had made
confession with regard to the inquisition, since
it was very certain that I had not opened my mouth
upon that head: and that in case I had made my de-
claration upon that article, when I said I had done
it, I should not have been kept so long in prison.
I remembered so perfectly every thing 1 had ad-
vanced, and the answers that had been made to me,
and was so transported with rage to see myself
mocked in that manner, that if 1 had been immedi-
ately ordered to withdraw, upon signing of my depo-
sition, it would have been impossible for me to
refrain from opprobious expressions before the judge :
and had I had strength and liberty equal to the
courage w ith which my passion fired me, I perhaps
should have gone further than injurious terms,
I \\ as called three or four times to audience in a
month, where I was urged to confess those particu-
lars I had advanced w ith respect to the pope. A new
proof was then declared to me, which the proctor
pretended was drawn up against me on that head,
but which did not differ in a single circumstance
from what had been before urged against me. But
a proof that the whole was a false accusation, and
invented merely to force me to speak, is, that they
would not declare to me the particulars which they
pretended I' had advanced. At last, finding they
could get no more out of me, they said no more ;
and this article was not inserted in my indictment,
when it was read publicly in the act of failh.
4c
186
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION.
They therefore attempted again in these last audi-
ences, to oblige me to confess, that in the several
facts I agreed upon, I really intended to defend
heresy ; but this I was resolved never to own, since
it was a falsehood. During November and Decem-
ber, my ears were wounded with the cries of prisoners
^vho were put to the torture, which is so severe that
I have known several persons of both sexes, who
were lame all their lifetime after ; and among the
rest, the first companion I had in my confinement.
In this holy tribunal no regard is had to age, sex, or
condition, but all are treated with the same severity,
and they are indiscriminately tortured, and stripped al-
most naked whenever the bloody-minded inquisitors
are pleased to order it.
I remembered I had heard before my imprison-
ment, that the act of faith was generally solemnized
the first Sunday in Advent, because that passage of
scrijilure which relates to the last judgment, is read
on that day in the churches, the inquisitors then pre-
tending to exhibit a lively representation thereof. —
I moreover observed, that there were a great number
of persons confined in the prison, the deep silence
Avhich reigns hi the house giving me an opportunity
to count the number of doors \\liich were daily
opened at the stated times of eating. I was besides
almost sure that a new archbishop arrived at Goa in
October, the see having been vacant for almost thirty
years. At least I thought so, because the bells of
the cathedral had rung in an extraordinary manner
for nine days together, at a time when neither the
imiversal church, nor that of Goa in particular,
solemnized any remarkable festival. I knew that this
prelate was expected even before my confinement.
These several reasons made me flatter myself that
I might gain my liberty in tlie beginning of Decem-
ber ; but when the first and second Sunday in Advent
vere past, I did not doubt but either my liberty or
confinement was postponed for at least twelve
months. As I fancied the act of faith was never
■solemnized but in the beginning of the month of
December, finding it elapse without the least sign
of any preparation for that dreadful ceremony, I
resolved to submit another jear to my afflictions ;
nevertheless I found at a time when I least expected
it, that 1 was likely to be set at liberty.
I observed that Saturday the 1 1th January, 1667,
Intending after dinner to give my linen to the turn-
keys in order to get it washed, as was the custom,
they refused to take it, and put it oft' till the next
day. I could not but revolve a thousand thoughts on
the occasion of this extraordinary refusal, but not
finding one satisfactory, I at last concluded, that
possibly the act of faith might be solemnized the
next day; but I was more strongly confirmed in my
opinion, or rather looked upon it as certain, when,
after hearing the ringing for vespers at the cathedral.
matins were rung immediately after, which had never
been done since my confinement, the eve of the feast
of Corpus Christi excepted, which is always solem-
nized in India, the Thursday immediately following
Low-Sunday, because of the continual rains which
fall at the time of its celebration in Europe. One
would have thought that my heart was going to be
filled with joy, since I thought I should soon be set
at liberty, and that I should come out of the grave,
as it \\ ere, in which 1 had been buried for near two
years; nevertheless, the dread with which the fatal
conclusion of the proctor had filled me, and the
uncertainty of my destiny, heightened my affliction
to that degree, that I spent the remainder of that day,
and part of the night, in such a condition as would
have moved the hardest heart, those excepted under
whose cruelty I suffiered.
Supper was brought me, which I refused, and
contrary to the custom, it was not urged upon me ;
but no sooner were the doors shut, than I gave my-
self up to grief and despair. At last, after having
deplored my hard fate with sighs and tears, oppressed
with the most piercing anguish, I began to dose
about eleven at night. I had not been long asleep,
when I was on a sudden awaked by the noise wiiich
the turnkeys made in opening the doors of my cell ;
and as this was unusual, I was surprised to see peo-
ple enter into it with a light, and my fears were not
a little increased by the lateness of the hour.
Then the aicaid gave me clothes which he ordered
me to put on, and to be ready to leave my cell when
he should call me for that purpose; then he went
away, leaving a lighted lamp in the dungeon. I now
had neither strength enough to rise nor to answer ;
and the moment the turnkeys left me I was seized
with such a trembling, that for above an hour I
could not so much as cast my eyes upon the clothes
which were left me. At last I rose, and falling
prostrate upon the earth before a cross which 1 had
drawn upon tl)« wall, I recommended myself to
heaven, and resigned myself wholly to Providence:
after which I put on the suit, which consisted of a
waistcoat, the sleeves whereof readied to the wrist,
and a pair of drawers that reached to the heels ; the
whole made of black and white striped linen. »
I did not wait long after the dress was brought me,
for the turnkeys came about two in the morning into
my cell, whence I was carried into a long gallery,
where I found a great number of my fellow sufferers •
standing against the walls. Here I jjlaced myself,
and several did the same after me. Notwithstand-
ing tliere were upwards of two hundred more in this
gallery, there were not above a dozen \> hites among
them, who could scarce be distinguished from the
rest, and that all were clothed in the same dress with
myself; yet as all of them were silent, they might*
easily have been taken for so many statues Hxed
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION.
£87
sgainst the wall, had not the motion of tlieir eyes
(which was the only liberty allowed them) shewed
them to be living creatures.
The gallery in which we stood had so few lamps
in it, and the li^jht of them was so very faint and
weak, that this circumstance, added to the crowd
of black and sorrowful objects, seemed to make the
whole like a burial.
The women, who were clothed in the same linen
as the men, were placed in an adjacent gallery,
vhere we could see them ; but I observed, that in a
dormitory not far from the place where we stood,
there were also prisoners clothed in a suit which
descended very low, who walked up and down from
time to time. I did not then know what this meant,
but was informed a few hours after, that they were
those who were to be burnt, and Avere walking up
and down with their confessors.
As I was unacquainted with the formalities of the
holy office, how heartily soever I might formerly
have wished to die, I then was under dreadful appre-
hensions lest I should be one of those who were
condennied to the tianies. However, I cheered my-
self a little, when I considered my dress was not
different trom the lest, and that it was not likely
such a number of people would be burnt as were
there present.
After we were all placed against the wall, a yellow
■wax taper was given to each of us; after which
clothes were brought us made like tunics, or large
scapularies; they were of yellow ch)th, with red St.
Andrew's crosses painted before and behind. Such
as are branded with these stigmas, are those who
have been, or are supposed to be, guilty of crimes
against the faith of Christ, whether they be Jews,
Maliometans, wizards, or heretics, who have left
the Catholic religion. These large scapularies with
large St. Andrew's crosses are called San-benitos.
Those who are looked upon as convicts, and per-
sist in declaring their innocence, or have relapsed,
wore another kind of scapulary called Samara, the
ground whereof is grey ; the criminal is drawn
thereon, both before and behind, standing on fire-
brands, with flames mounting upwards, and devils
around ihem. At the bottom of the portrait the
crime and name of the prisoner are written. But
such as accuse themselves after sentence has been
pronounced upon them before their release, and have
not relapsed, have flames pointing downwards on
their Samaras, and this is called l»eversed Fire.
San-benitos were given ^o twenty blacks accused
of magic, and to a Portuguese convicted of the same
crime, and who w as moreover a new Qiristian ; and
as they were resolved not to revenge themselves by
halves, but to insult me to the utmost, they forced
me to put on a dress like to that of the wizards and
heretics, Uiough 1 had always confessed the Catholic
religion. This the judges might easily have known
from a great many people, both I'Venchmen and
others, with whom I had lived in several parts of
India. !My terror was increased when 1 saw myself
in this habit, because 1 thought that as there were
not, among so great a number of criminals, but
t\\enty-t«o persons who were dressed with these
ignominious San-benitos, it was very possible Uiat
these only were those who were not to be par-
doned.
After the San-benitos, five pasteboard caps were
brought, shaped like a sugar-loaf, having devils and'
flames painted on them, with the word Wizard
round them. These caps are called carochas, and
were put on the heads of the live most guilty of the
criminals, among those w ho were accused of magic :
and as they stood pretty near me, I expected to have
one also; however 1 was mistaken. I then almost
doubted no more but that these miserable wretches
were to be really burnt, and as they were not better
acquainted than myself with the formalities of the
inquisition, they have since told me, that they
thought their ruin inevitable.
Every one being habited according to his imputed
crime, we were allowed to sit upon the ground till
farther orders. About four in the morning several
domestics belonging to the prison came after the
turnkeys, to give bread and figs to such as would
eat; but for my part, though I had not supped the
night before, 1 had so little appetite, that 1 should
have taken nothing, had not one of the turnkeys
come up to me, and said, take the bread that is
offered you ; and if you cannot eat it now, put it
into your pocket, for depend upon it, you will be
hungry before you come back. These words gave
me the highest consolation, and dispelled all my
fears, since he talked of my returning back, which
made me take his advice. At last, after having long
waited, day began to break abeve five, Avhen one
might plainly behold in the face of all the prisoners,
the various impulses of shame, grief, and fear, as
those difterent passions raged in their bosoms ; for
notwithstanding that they were all flushed with joy,
when they found they were going to be delivered
from their dreadful and unsupportable captivity, yet
the uncertainty of their fate very much diminished
their transports.
The largest bell of the cathedral began to ring a
little before sunrise, to give notice to the i)eople of
the solemnization of the act of faith, which is, as it
were, the triumph of the holy office. We at first
marched out one by one, and I observed in passing
out of the gallery into the great hall, that the inqui-
sitor was sitting at the door, having a secretary
standing near him ; that the hall was crowded with
the inhabitants of Goa, whose names were written
in u list which the secretary held in his hand ; and
888
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION.
at the same time that a prisoner was ordered out, he
named one of those gentlemen who were in the hall,
who immediately went up to the prisoner, and at-
tended hii.., iti order to stand godfather to him in
the act of faith. These godfathers answer for the
persons they attend upon, and represent them when
the festival is ended. The inquisitors pretend that
it is a great honour for a person to be chosen god-
father on these occasions.
The general of the Portuguese ships in India was
iny godfather, and therefore I came out along with
him; and being got into the street, [ found that the
processiim opened with the Dominicans, who enjoy
this privilege because St. Dominic, their founder,
instituted theinquisition. Before them, the standard
of the holy office was carried, in which the image
of the founder was wrought in very rich embroidery,
holding a sword in one hand, and an olive branch
in the other, witli this inscription, Justice and Mer-
cy. After these friars followed the prisoners, walk-
ing one after anotlier, with each _ a wax taper in his
liand. The least guilty walked first, and as I was
lint looked upon to be very innocent, above an hun-
<lred prisouei's walked before nje. Men and women
walked together, for there was no other distinction
than that of crimes : I, like the rest, was bareheaded
and barefooted, but [ suffered very much in the
march, which lasted above an hour, because of the
little flints with vihich the streets of Goa, are tilled,
so that my feet were all bloody.
We were carried through the principal streets,
exposed to the sight of innumerable spectators, who
were come from all parts of India, and lined the
way ns we walked ; care being taken to give notice
of the act of liaith in sermon time, in the most dis-
tant churches, a long time before its solemnization.
At last, oppressed with shame and confusion, and
vastly fatigued with the march, we arrived at St.
.Francis's church, wkich was then appointed to pre-
pare the celebration of the act of faith. The high
altar was covered with black, and had on it six sil-
ver candlesticks, in which were six lighted wax
tapers. On each side of the altar two seats like
thrones were raised ; that to the right for the inquisi-
tor and his council, and the other for the viceroy and
his court.
At some distance from them, and opposite to the
high altar, a little towards the door, another altar
had been raised, on which two mass-books lay open.
From them to the churcli gate, a gallery was built
about three feet wide, railed in on each side; and
on each side forms were placed for the criminals to
iiit on, with their respective godfathers, who sat down
as they came into the church, so those who came
.iirst into it, sat nearest to the altar. Being seated
jri my place, I began to consider the order which
those who came after me were made to observe.
I found that those who wore the dreadful Caroclias
above-mentioned, walked last in the procession; that
immediately a large crucifix was carried, the face of
which was turned to those M'ho walked before it,
and which was followed by two persons and four
Staines, that were carried, big as life, and represent-
ing so many men, each of them fixed upon a long
pole, and accompanied with so many boxes, each
carried by a man, which boxes were filled with the
bones of those whom the statues represented.
By the face of the crucifix turned towards thosi
who preceding it, the mercy that had been shewri
them is denoted, by sparing their lives, though they
had justly deserved to die ; and by the said crucifix's
being turned behind to those who followed it, is
denoted, that those unhappy wretches are now lost
to all hope ; thus every thing' that relates to the
inquisition has a mysterious signification. The dress
of these unhappy persons inspired equal horror and
pity. The living criminals, and the statues, were
clothed in Samaris, made of grey linen, painted
full of devils, fiames and firebrands, on which the
criminal's head was painted, both before and behind,
with the sentence written below, containing in few
words, and in large letters, his name, that of his
country, and the crime for which he was to suffer.
They also wore tlie carochas, which, like the habit,
were filled with fiames and devils. The little trunks
in which the bones of those who died, were laid,
and who had been prosecuted before or after their
decease, or before or after their imprisonment, in
order that their goods and chattels might be confis-
cated, were also painted black, and covered with
demons and flames.
We are here to observe, that the inquisitors do
not confine their jurisdictions over the living only,
or such as die in prison ; but that they frequently
prosecute people several years after their death,
whenever they maybe impeached of any considera-
ble crime. In this case their bodies are dug up,
and if they are found guilty, their bones are burnt in
the act of faith ; all their goods and chattels are con-
fiscated, which are forcibly taken away from their
heirs. [ advance nothing in this place but what I
myself know to be true ; for among the statues
that were carried in the act of faiih, one of them
represented a man dead many years before, who had
been lately prosecuted, his coflin dug up, his goods
confiscated, and his bones burnt, or perhaps those of
some other person who had been buried in the same
place. V
These unhappy wretches being entered in the
gloomy manner above described, and seated in the
places appointed them near the church door, the
inquisitor came, attended by his officers, and went
and seated himself on the bench that stood to the
right of the altar, during which, the viceroy and his
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION.
2Sf)
court seated tliemsclves to the left. The cruclfix
\\as pUic.ed on tlie altar, betwixt the six candlesticks,
when every one being seated in his place, and the
church crowded with people, the provincial of the
:Atistin-friars went up into the pulpit, and preached
for half an hour. Notwitiistanding my great an-
guish of heart, I observed he compared the inquisi-
tion to Noali'sark; but nevertheless that ho found
the difference between them, viz. lliat tlie Leasts
T,ho entered into the ark, came from thence after
the flood, with the very identical inclinations they
had carried into it ; but that the inquisition had this
admirable property, to make so great a change w ith
regard to those m ho were imprisoned in it, that many
Ti'lio were cruel as lions and tygcrs at their gohig
in, came out from thence as meek and as gentle as
lambs. Sermon being ended, t\^•o readers went al-
ternately into the pulpit, where they read in public
the trials of the several criminals, and also their re-
spective sentences.
The prisoner whoso sentence was read, was, while
that was doing, conducted by tlie alcaid to the
middle of the gallery, where he stood, with a lighted
wax-taper in his hand, till his sentence was read.
And as all llu,- prisoners are supposed to have incur-
red the penalty of the greater exconmuinication,
after their trial and sentence have been read, the
prisoner is carried to the foot of the high altar, on
\s hich the mass-books are laid ; and there being or-
dered to kneel, he lays his bauds on the book, and
contiiuies in that posture till every criminal has a
mass-book before him.
Then the reader laying aside the trials, reads
tiloud the confession of faith, having first briefly ex-
horted the prisoners to repeat it after him with their
hearts as well as their mouths; and this being done,
each prisoner returned back to his place, and the
trials were again read.
I was called in my turn, when I found my im-
peachment consisted of three heads; The first, for
having asserted the invalidity of infant baptism; the
second, for having said that images are not to be
worshipped, and for having blasphemed a crucifix,
by saying, that one of ivory was no more than a
piece of ivory ; and thirdly, for having spoke with
'•ontempt of the inquisition and its ministers; but
above all for the blackness of my intentions when I
affirmed these several things : In consideration
whereof I was declared excommunicate ; and for
reparati<^n, my goods and chattels were confiscated
to the king's use, and myself banished from the
Indies, and condemned to row in the Portuguese
gallics for five years, and also to fulfil the other pen-
ances Mhich should be particularly enjoined me by
tlie inquisition.
Of these punishments, none was so grievous to
me as my being forced to leave the Indies, where I
i9 4 D
had made a resolution of travelling several years
longer: Ilowcvtr, this reflection was sweetened,
■ when I considered that I was going to be released
out of the clutches of the inquisitors. My confes-
sion of failh being read, 1 retmned to my place, and
made my advantage of the advice my turnkey had
given nic, not to refuse the bread wh'ch was offered
me; for as the ceremony lasted the vtIioiC day, none
of the criminals eat any thing that day but in the
church.
After the trials of those who were pardoned were
read, the inquisitor left his seat, in order to put on
the albe and the stole; when being accompanied
\Vith about twciity priests, each having a switch in
his hand, he came into tlie middle of the chiireh,
where, after having said several prayers, we were
absolved from the excommunication, which it was
pretended we had incurred, by virtue of a stroke on
the back, which these priests gave to eacli of us with
the switch.
I cannot forbear relating a circumstance, to show
how grossly superstitions the Portugi;ese are with
regard to evei-y thing which relates to the inquisition:
which is, that during the procession, and all the
time I contiiuied in the church, my godfather would
never answer me, though I spoke several times to
him, and besought him to give me a pinch of snufi^,
which he refused me for fear of being involved in
the same censure as myself; but as soon as I was
absolved, he embraced me, gave me snuff, and told
me he then looked upon me as his brother, since the
church had loosed me.
The ceremony being ended, and the inquisitor
returned to his seat, the prisoners who were to be
burnt were made to advance forward. There were
a man, a woman, and the images of four men de-
ceased, with the boxes in which their bones were
laid: The man and woman were black Indians, and
Christians, accused of magic, and condemned as re-
lapsed ; but in reality were no more wizards than
those who condemned them.
Of the four images, two represented men convic-
ted of magic, and the other two, two ihen both
new Christians, accused of turning Jews; one
whereof died in the inquisition, and the other in his
own house, and had been buried many years before
in his parish church. However, being accused after
his death of embracing the Jewish principles, as he
died very rich, the inquisitors had caused his body
to be taken out of the grave, in order to burn his
bones in the act of faith. Hence it is plain, that
the inquisitors, like our Saviour himself, exercise a
power over the living and the dead.
The trials of these unhappy persons were read,
which all ended in these words: viz. That it not
being in the power of the holy office to pardon
them, because of their relapsing into their errors or
290
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION.
their impenitence, and being indispensibly obliged
to punish them to the utmost rigour of the laws,
they therefore delivered them over to the flames.
While these last words were pronouncing, a Ser-
jeant from the secular power advanced forward, and
took possession of these unfortunate persons, who
before had been struck gently on the breast by the
alcaid, to shew they were abandoned by the in-
quisitors. In this manner the act of faith ended,
and whilst the condemned criminals were carried to
the river side, where the viceroy and his court were
assembled, and where the piles on which they were
to be burnt, had been prepared the day before ;
while these things, I say, were doing, we were car-
ried back to prison, but without observing any or-
der as we walked.
Though 1 did not see them executed, yet as I had
a full account of it from persons who had been pre-
sent at several of these executions, I shall give a de-
scription thereof in few words. When the con-
demned prisoners are coming to the place where the
lay-judges are assembled, they are asked what reli-
gion they chuse to profess at leaving the world ?
But they do not make the least mention of their
trial, \\hich is supposed to have been fair, and that
they were justly condemned, the inquisition being
looked upon as infallible.
Having answered this only question that is asked
them, the executioners lay hold of them, and tie
them to stakes; where they are first strangled in
case they die Christians ; but if they persist in pro-
fessing Judaism or heresy, they are burnt alive;
However this happens so rarely, that there is scarce
one instance of it in four acts of faith, though several
persons generally suffer on those occasions. The
day after the execution, the pictures of the executed
criminals are carried to the church of the Domini-
cans. Their heads only are to be represented to the
' life, with firebrands under them, with their names,
those of their father's, and their country, and the
crimes for which they suffered, with the day of the
month and year of their execution.
In case the criminal had relapsed into his guilt,
these words are written under his picture, He was
burnt as an heretic relapsed. If he persevered in his
error, after having been accused but once, the words,
Continuing in heresy, are written under Ids picture ;
but there are very few of these. In fine, if after hav-
ing been accused but once, by a sufficient number
of witnesses, he persists in asserting his innocence,
and dies in professing the Christian religion, then
there is under his picture. He was burnt as an here-
tic convict ; but did not confess. And of the latter
there are great numbers. Now it is certaiu, that
out of an hundred who die as negatives, ninety-nine
are not only innocent of the crime ioiputed to them,
but chuse to die, rather than falsely confess them-
selves guilty of a crime. For it is not natural to
suppose, that was a man sure to be pardoned in case
he would confess, would persist in his innocence,
and chuse rather to be burnt than to own a truth,
the confession of which would save him.
These terrible portraits are hung up in the nave,
and over the great gate of the church, as so many
illustrious trophies sacred to the glory of the iioljr
office; and when the side of the church is filled,
they also crowd the wings near the gate with them.
In the great church of the Dominicans at Lisbon,
which is not far from the inquisition, there are seve-
ral hundreds of these melancholy paintings.
I was so wearied and dejectod at my return from
the act of faith, that I was almost as desirous of go-
ing back to my cell, as I had been a little before to
come out of it. My godfather accompanied me to
the hall, and the alcaid having carried me into the
gallery, I went and shut myself up whilst he was
looking after the rest. Being got in, 1 threw my-
self upon the bed till my supper should be brought
me, which consisted only of bread and figs, the
hurry of the day not allowing the officers to get any
thing else. I slept however nmch better this night
th?n I had done for a considerable time before, but
the moment day appeared, I was impatient to know
my fate. About six, the alcaid bid me give him
back the dress I had worn in the procession, which
I willingly returned him ; and at the same time of-
fered him the San-benito, but he would not receive
it, I being to wear it on all Sundays and festivals till
I had completed my sentence.
About seven breakfast was brought me, and a
little after, I was ordered to pack up my things, and
to be in readiness against my being called out. I
obeyed this last order with all possible care and dis-
patch ; when about nine, a turnkey opened my door,
ordered me to take up my bundle upon my shoul-
ders, and follow him to the great hall, whither the
greatest part of the prisoners were already come, —
Having staid some lime here, 1 saw about twenty
of my fellow prisoners, who had been sentenced to
be whipped the day before, which had just then been
executed upon them by the hands of the common
hangman, through all the streets of the city. Being
thus assembled, the inquisitor came in, when we all
fell on our knees to receive his blessing, after
having kissed the ground he walked upon. Orders
were afterwards given to such blacks as had few or
no clothes, to carry those of the whites. Such of
the prisoners as were not Christians, were immedi-
ately sent to the places whither they had been con-
demned ; some of them into banishment, others to
the gallies, or the house were powder is made, called
j Casa da Polvera J aud the Christians, whether blacks
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION.
291
or whites, wore carried to a house hired for that
purpose in the city, lliere to be iustructed for some
time.
The blacks lay in the parlours and galleries, and
the Mhites were put into a separate apartuient,
Nvhere we were contiiied all night, but had liberty
to range the whole house over in the day-time, and
to speak with any body. The whites and blacks
were catechised separately every day, and mass was
daily celebrated, at which we all assisted, as also
at morning and evening prayers. During my stay
in this liouse, I \\ as visited by a religious Domini-
can, my friend, whom I had known at Daman,
where he was prior. The good father, vho was
oppressed with years and sickness, no sooner heard
ot" my being set at liberty, but he immediately vi-
sited me in a sedan. He bewailed my ill late with
tears and embraces, telling me that he bad been in
great terror for my sake ; that he had often inquired
into the state of niy health, and my aft'airs, of the
Father Procurator of the prisoners, his friend, and
of the same order; that he could obtain no answer
for a considerable time; and that at last, after many
entreaties, all he could get out of him, was, that 1
was still alive. The sight of this good friar gave me
great consolation, and the necessity I was under of
leaving the Indies was a trouble to us both. He
had the humanity to visit me several times, when
he requested mc to return to the Indies as soon as I
should be set at liberty, and sent me provisions of
various kinds for a voyage, which otherwise I could
uever have procured.
After I had lived in this house till the twenty-
third of January, we were again conducted into the
hall of the inquisition, when each of ns was called
in his turn to tiie board of the holy office, there to
recei\e from the iiands of the inquisitor, a paper
containing the penances to which we were respec-
tively sentenced. 1 went thither in my turn, when
laying my bands on the gospels, I was ordered to
kneel down, and to promise not to reveal any of
those particulars which had happened in the inquisi-
tion during my impris<.nme!it. The judge after-
wards gave me a paper signed by himself, contain-
ing the pemuice enjoined ; and as it is short 1 shall
transcribe it word for word.
List of the penances enjoined, &c. 1. During
the three years to come, he shall confess and com-
nmnicate: The first year, every month; and the
two following, at Easter, VVliitsuntide, Christmas,
and the Assumption of our Ladv. '3. He shall as-
sist at mass all Sundays and festivals, in case he has
opportunity for so doing. 5. During the said three
years, he shall daily repeat five times, the Pater-nos-
ter and Ave Maria, in honour of the five wounds of
our Saviour Chikt. 4. He shall not engage in
friendship with heretics, or persons whose faith is in
the least suspected, which may in any manner pre-
judice his salvation. 3. He shall keep inviolably
secret, all that he has either seen, said, or heard ;
as also whatever has been transacted with himself,
either at the board, or other places of the holy
oliice.
Francisco Delgado e Matos."
It is really amazing for a reasonal)Ie man to i-e-
flect, that sovereign princes w ill degrade themselves
so low as to sufl'er a few Dominican priests to
trample on their privileges, to despise their dignity,
and injure their subjects. Ignorance among the
vulgar may induce them to submit to the inquisition,
and self-preservation obliges them to be on their
guard ; but for a sovereign prince to see his dignity
trampled on, and his subjects persecuted, is the
worst of policy that any person can form the least
notion of. There have been undoubtedly many ex-
cesses, committed by religious persons of all deno-
minations, and it is much to the honour of the civil
power to check them in the bud. Ever) man who
fears God and honours religion, will treat the clergy
with proper respect; but this must be, and alwavs
will take place, in consequence of the clergy liming
done their duty; for our Lord never interfered iti
political affairs while he was here on earth, so it is
not the duty of his more immediate servants to do
so. Christ could have prayed to his father, and
would have sent him twelve legions of angels, one
of whom (by divine permission) could have in a
moment destroyed the whole universe, though he did
not.
But if it is inconsistent with the religion of Jesus,
for one body of Christians to persecute another,
how much more horrid must it be to iind courts
erected, composed of divines, whose sole business
it is to put all those to deati), who difl'er from them
in sentiments. However it is not simply the put-
ting them to death, that we would here take notice
of. Great as that crime may appear in the sight of
God, and however severely it ought to be punished
by men, yet it is e\en trilling when compared with
the inquisition. All the circumstances of aggra-
vated cruelty are found united in that court, all
sentiments of benevolence and humanity are attenipt-
ed to be eradicated, natural feelings are laughed at,
and conjugal as well as tihal duty despised. And
what is all this for? Is it in compliance with any
rule of scripture? Every one who has read the
bible, knows the contrary. Is it to punish criminals
for any breaches of divine or huinnn laws.' Quite the
contrary; for the objects of its indignation, even
those who are Roman Catholics, are in general the
most peaceable and loyal subjects, in those countries
where they reside.
Again, let us attend to the sentiments as em-
292
HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION.
braced by those who are witnesses of the public
executions of those injured people, who are prose-
cuted in the inquisition. It is natural for men to
pity the unhappy creature who suffers for crimes;
for we may detest the crime without hating the
criminal. Nay, it is but reasonable we do so;
especially if we know any thing at all of our own
weakness. It is remarkable of Mr. Bradford, who
was burnt alive for the gospel, that whenever he
heard of a man committing a crime, or saw a cri-
minal going to suffer, he laid his hand upon his
breast, and said; " 1 should have done so, but for
restraining grace." And we are • told of the great
lord chief justice Hale, that when he pronounced sen-
tence of death upon prisoners, lie declared, that "he
felt nmch fur them, but much more for his injured
country."
Such sentiments as these are honourable to men
of any denomination whatever: but how different
in those countries, where the inquisition is not only
tolerated, but even supported by human laws! The
day set apart for the public execution of those wh-.>
are called heretics, is considered by all ranks of
people as a solemn festival. The sovereign forgets
his dignity, the ladies divest themselves of the soft-
ness peculiar to their sex,' and the multitude rejoice
in what may justly be called a hum.an sacrifice.
On such melancholy occasions, the people sit on
scaffolds erected for the purpose, and so far are they
from being affected with the unhappy condition of
the sufferers, that they seem to enjoy a savage plea-
sure in beholding their torments. To sit in such
a manner and see an animal tortured to death, is iu
all respects inconsistent with our characters as men,
but in levity to beliold the sufferings of our fellow-
creatures is truly diabolical. All men cannot com-
prehend the same notions, and when they are re-
Cjuired, nay, even commanded, to embrace such as
they do not believe, it is laying a foundation for the
most horrid perjury, or it is to have men punished
in a wantonly cruel manner. Every man is to
answer to God for the truth of his sentiments, and
then what man is to be judge ? It is generous to
bear with what we consider as weakness, in our fel-
low-creatures, because it is a proof that we are con-
vinced of our ownvuperfection; but to impose our
own notions upon every one who is not of the same
opinion with ourselves, is to change the whole rati-
onal faculties, which must be equally as difficult as
to make all men have the same features, ^nd the
same countenances. But here let us acknowledge
in candour, that what we have said concerning the
inquisition, does not apply, nor cannot be applied
to the w hole body of the Roman Catholics at large,
nor are the Dominican friars to have this charge
brought against them, without particulur excep-
tions.
There are many Roman Catholics in Britain,
wlio hold the proceedings carried on in the inquisi-
tion in the utmost abhorrence, and to this may be
added, that there are many nations where the Roman
Catholic religion is professed, that would never yet
admit the inquisii;ion. The author of this, in con-
versation w ith a learned Roman Catholic priest, now
alive, once mentioned this circumstance to him, and
as he (the priest) had been brought up in Spain, de-
sired to know whether or not he approved of the in-
(juisitionr As near as can at a considerable distance
of time, be remembered, tlie answer was in «ords to
tlie following import :
"Tlie establishment of the inquisition was origi-
nally of a political nature, or at least it was pretended
to be so by the kings of France, who imagined that
the Waldenses and Aibigenses were enemies to the
regal government. Nov. there is no doubt these
men were heretics, who had denied the faith as it is
in Christ Jesus, and yet I will freely ackiK.w ledge to
you, that the church had no au.h'jrity for meddling
with them. It was represented to the civil power,
that they were followers of ti^at ancient sect of here-
rics. cnlled Mameheaas; and you know that the
sen:in'.ents of those heretics were subversive of all
the ia« s enacted for the benefit of society. That the
Jjoininicans had some shaie in persecuting those
people, cannot be denied: but these were daik and
burbaruus limes, when men had not sj much as con-
sidered the meekness of the gospel, nor distinguished
between human and divine laws.
, " From this time, which was in the thirteenth
century, few persons were brought into trouble on
account of their religious sentiments, till towards
the latter end of the fifteenth century, when Ferdi-
nand of Spain, in conjunction with his queen Isabella
established the inquisition, not for the punishment
of heretics, so much as for the extirpation of the
Moors, who then inhabited the greatest part of that
kingdom. There was a necessity for this measure,
consistent with sound policy, because it was at that
time dihicnlt to distinguish a native Spaniard from a
Moor. But unhappily circumstances took a very
different turn, and Ferdinand and his queen Isabella,
became the persecutors of Protestants as well as of
Mahometans. I will freely acknowledge that I
hate ■ persecution, nor am I much in love with the
character of Ferdinand, and much less with that of
his queen. Ferdinand was a very weak man, and as
for Isabella, if we may believe a celebrated French
author, she was destitute of human passions. Her
pride and her bigotry went hand in hand together,
and she trampled upon the privileges of humanity,
under the stale pretence that she was doing God
good service."
It may be added further, that ^Ir. Fleury, and
pr. Dupio, tw:o learned Frenchuieii, and m every
HISTORY OF THE WALDENSES, AND ALBIGENSES.
293
respect members of the cluircli of Rome, have in
their ecclesiastical histories condemned tlie inquisi-
tion as totally opposite to every priiici])le of Chris-
tianity. l?ut the j^reat Fenclon, archbishop of Cam-
bray, has carried the idea much farther ; and asserts,
that [Hjrsecution in religious matters is inconsistent
with sound policy, by tending to rob a sovereign of
those subjects, whose industry is the source of his
wealth and the support of his regal dignity.
But let the proceedings in the inquisitions be con-
sidered iu whatever light the reader pleases, tlins
much is certain, that it is wrong to appoint those
men to be judges who have entered into the clerical
order. In all those countries where the Roman
Catholic religion is professed, the clergy are prohi-
bited from marrying, and whatever may be their
passions in otlier respects, any man who knows any
thing of the world, w ill aclvnowledge liiat they can-
not have the same tender feelings, as a father or a
lockmg consideration,
and yet not more shocking than true ; and therefore
it becomes a duty incumbent upon all the princes
in the Roman Catholic countries, to prevent as far
as lavs iu their power, the clergy from sitting in
coiirts of civil judicature. All those who are to
judge ill human actions, ought at least, to have hu-
man passions ; for we mortals are such a composition
of flesh and blood, that there is no other way of
dealing with us.
We have been the more explicit on this subject,
because many persons are apt to believe, that all (he
Roman Catholics are friends to the inquisition,
whereas there arc many worthy persons among
them who abhor the thought. It is, however, a
duty incumbent upon those who live in England,
to convince Protestants, that they are not persecu-
tors ; for as they have lately obtained a more than
ordinary indulgence from the civil power, so gra-
titude should teach them to make a proper use of it.
And thus we hope we have treated of the inquisition
Avilh candour, nor do we desire to dwell upon the
vices, and much less on the w eaknesses of oiir fellovr
creatures. • We are often blinded by an improper
use of our rational faculties, and this should teach
us to look towards Divine Revelation. Here we
find the veil drawn aside, and the way to everlasting
happiness pointed out in so clear a manner, that
even fouls cannot, unless wilfully perverse, mistake
tlieir way. Carnal religion is devilish, but "the
" wisdom that is from above, is first pure, then
" peaceable, full of gentleness, and good fruits,
" without partiality and without hypocrisy." James
iii. 17.
HISTORY OF THE WALDENSES AND ALBIGENSES.
JlT was said by our Saviour, that he would build
his church upon a rock, and that the gates of hell
should not prevail against it ; by which we must
understand, that from the time of his sending the
Holy Ghost upon his disciples, there were to be
always some in the world who were to keep his
commandments without being tainted with idolatry,
or led away by errors. The learned Dr. Newton,
bishop of Bristol, has attended to this in his Disser-
tations on the Prophecies, and his lordship has made
it appear, that even in the darkest times there have
}>een some persons who were not led away by the
ireiieral corruption of sentiments, and profligacy of
manners. This may seem rather a parodox to those
who have not had an opportunity of studying history,
which is frequently the case, it being a subject that
requires great judgment, universal reading, and seri-
ous reflections from time to time.
That an almost universal darkness overspread the
nations, where the name of Christ was mentioned,
cannot be denied, and this sable cloud continued to
20 4
become more and more gloomy, from the sixth,
down to the sixteenth century, where the glorious
light of the Reformation dispelled the darkness that
long bound, as it were with fetters, the children of
men, and laid open to them the mystery of the ever-
lasting gospel. We read in 1 Kings xxix. that
Elijah the prophet was called upon by ihe still small
voice in the wilderness, he answered, that he only
was left in Israel to worship the true God. But
let us remember the answer ; " I have seven thou-
sand in Israel, who have not bowed the knees unto
Baal, and the months that have not kissed him."
if then it was so under a law of carnal ordinances?
And did God take so much care of a, church, wliich
in all its ceremonies was only a type of the gospel
dispensation t And shall he not have regard to the
things typified ^ Did his Almighty power, his infinite
wisdom, and his more than universal benevolence,
extend to a dispensation th;it was to be abolished,
and shall not the same glorious attributes be exerted
in favour of the gospel of Christ, that was prophc-
;294
HISTORY OF THE WALDENSES, AND ALBIGENSES.
pied of, even fiom the fall of man till the fulness of
time came, when God sent foilli liis son, born of a
Moman, made under the law, that he might make
an atonement for sinners, and become the Saviour of
bis people ?
Yes: it is impossible, that God could leave him-
self witliout a witness under the gospel, especially as
the son of liis love had, by his merits and sufferings,
laid the foundation of sucli a glorious fabric. Christ
himself, while he told that many of his disciples
Mould forsake him, and that when he came again,
he would hardly find faith on the earth, never inti-
jsiated that he was to be totally forgotten, otherwise
the famous prophecy would have been rendered void,
" That God should set up an everlasting kingdom,
of which there should be no end." And the ai)os-
tles, when they foretold the rise, reign, and down-
fall of anti-christ, always declared that, to the end
of the world, some would be found to profess the
gospel in purity, and practise its duties in sincerity.
Not that all tliese witnesses weie to agree in non-
essentials, but only, that in all things of a fundamen-
tal nature they were to be united. That is, they
were to look for salvation only in the word of God,
and through the i^ierits of Christ, without paying
any regard to those smaller peculiarities, which can-
not make men either better or worse.
It is therefore proper, that we should inquire
where we must look for those professors of true
(JIhristianity, whom we have intimated were to be
found in the world, when all the rest of the profes-
sors of our holy religion knew no more than the
name ^ To this we would answer, that there have
not only been nidividuals who rejected tiie errors of
popery in all a^es, but there have been likewise
whole communities, who, rather than detile their
Consciences, liave retired to the most inhospitable
deserts, and worshipped God in purity.
The first of these who claim our notice, are the
Waldenses, so called from Peter Waldo, or U'al-
dius, a man of some repute in France, in the twelfth
♦ enliiry, who distinguished himself by opposing the
doctrines of the church of Rome, and maintaining
many of the pure principles of Christianity. They
became so numerous, thata crusade was raised a-
gaiiist them by order of the pope, who charged them
with holding sentiments entirely subversive of Chris-
tianity, such as the following, with many otlicrs,
for it is remarkable of popery, that it knows no
bounds tor its malice, and the papists have assigned
a reason for the origin of these people, which, with
the rest of the false charges, is lieie set down.
It happened, at Lyons, in a great concourse of
people, one of them fell down on a sudden dead :
at which all, that were present were extremely terri-
fied, in particular one Peter Waldius, who immedi-
ately sold his goods, divided them amongst the
poor, and retired. Great multitudes presentiv flock-
ing upon l.'im, he, being something of a scholar,
read and explained to them the New 'J'estament in
their own tongue, and instructed them in the true
principles of the Christian religion. The number
of his disciples increasmg greatly, this sect spread,
and prevaii^nl every where.
The charges against them were. 1. That they
acknowledged two principles, the one good, the
other evil ; the first, creator of all things invisible
and spiritual ; the second creator of l)odies, and
guardian of the Old Testament. 2. That they ad-
mitted also two Christs ; the one wicked, who was
he that appeared on earth ; the other good, who was
not yet come. 3. That they denied the resurrection
of the body, and believed that the souls of men are
demons sent into their bodies for the punishment of
their sins. 4. That Uiey condemned all the sacra-
ments of the church, and bt^lieved marriage to be
unlawful. As to their manner of life, there were said
to be two sorts of people amongst them, the perfect,
and the believers. 'I'he perfect boasted of their liv-
ing in continence, of eating neither fiesb, nor eggs,
nor cheese. The believers lived like other men, and
were even loose in their morals ; but they were per-
suaded they should be saved by the faith of the
l^erfect, and that none were damned, who received
imposition of hands from them.
But this charge against them was only calumny :
for ^.Eneas Sylvius, giving an account of them, says,
that this sect had a great appearance of piety ;
that they lived justly before men, and believed all
the articles of the creed : and they only blasphemed
the church of Kome and the clergy. But it was
their opposing the received doctrines of that church,
and the corrupt manners of tlie ecclesiastics, that
drew upon them the storm, which ended in their
persecution.
However, that these were gross falsehoods, will
appear evident from those writers who lived near
their times, for it is well known these people were
the desceixiants of those who had ntver forsaken
the gospel, but sought to maintiiin it in its primi-
tive purity. Nay, the very articles they embraced
are in substance the same with the sentiments of
Protestants, as will appear from the following ab-
stract : —
1. That holy oil is not to be mingled in baptism.,
2. That all such prayers are superstitious and vain,
which are made over the oil, salt, wax, incense,
boughs of olives and palms, ecclesiastical garments,
chalices, church yards, and such like things. S..
That time is spent in vain, in ecclesiastical singings,
anfl saying the canonical hours. 4. That tlesh and
eggs may be eaten in Lent ; and that there is no
merit in abstinence at such times. 5. That when
necessity requires, all soi Is of persons may many,
HISTORY OF THE WALDENSES AND ALBIGENSES.
29.5
.ministers as well as others. 6. Tliat aurirular con-
cession is iiot necessary. 7. Tiiat confirmation is
not a sacrament. 8. That ol)C(lience is not to l)C
performed to the pope. 9. That ministers slionJd
Jive upon tithes and ofi'erings. 10. 'I'hat tiiere is
■uo difference between a bishop and a minister.
1 1. 'Jhat it is not the dinnity, but deserts ol" a Frcs-
byler, iliat make liiiu a better man. 12. 'I'luit tliey
administer the sacrament, without the aicnston^cd
form of the Roman church. l.'J. Tiiey said that the
images were to be taken out of the churches, and
that to adore them was idolatry. 14. They con-
temned the pope's induloences, and said, that tliey
were of no virtue. 15. They refused to take any
oath, whereby they should be forced to accuse
tlieinselves or their friends. IG. Tliey maintained
their niinistors out of their o\ni purses, thinking
it unreasonable that such should be diverted froui
their studies, whilst they were forced to get their
livings with their own hands. 17. They held, that
the miracles done in the church of Rome, were false
miracles. 18. 'J'liat the religion of the I'riar Men-
dicants was invented ijy llie devil. 1§. That the
f>ope of Rome was not infallible. 20. That whore-
dom and stews were not to be permitted under pre-
tence of avoidiniT adultery and rapes. 21. 'I'hat
there is no purgatory, wherein the souls of the de-
rea.sed are to be purged before they be admitted into
heaven. 22. That a Presbyter, falling into scanda-
lous sin, ought to be suspended from his office, till
he had sufficiently testified his repentance. 23.
That the saints deceased, are not to be worshipped
and prayed unto. 24. Tliat it matters not for the
j)lace of their burial, whether it be holy or not. 25.
'1 hey admitted of no extreme imction amongst the
sacraments of the church. 26. I'hey said, that
masses, iirduljiences, and prayers, do not profit the
dead. 27- They admitted no prayers but such as
did correspond with the Lord's Prayer; which
they made the rule of all iheir prayers. 28. Last-
ly, Though their adversaries charged them v^ith holdr-
ing, that every layman might freely preach to the
people, yet tiicy had bishops, and orders amongst
themselves; as the order of Bulgary, the order of
Druguria : and lliey who were their ministers, were
ordained thereunto, though they were not of Romish
institution; as Jsicolus Vignierins, and others re-
port of tliem.
\V aido himself went into Danpliiny, conversing
in the mountains of the same province, with certain
rude persons, yet capable of receiving his doctrine :
Lis disciples also spread into Picardy, whence they
\v€!e called Picards. Against whom afterward
king Philip (influenced by ecclesiastical persons) took
up arms, and overthrew three hundred houses of
gentlemen that folJowtd Iheiu, and dtstrojed some
walled towns, pursuing them iuto Flanders, whither
they fled, and causing many of them tl;erc to be
liinnt. This perseiiition caused many of them to
fly into Germany and Alsatia, where they spread
their doctrine ; and shortly after, the bishops of May-
ence and Strasburgh raised up a great persecution
against them, causing five and thirty burghesses of
Mayonce, to !>e burnt in one five, and eighteen in
another, who with great constancy sntVered death.
At Strasburgh eighty were burnt, at the instance of
the bishop ; yet multitudes of people received such
edification by the exhortations, constancy, and
patience of these martyrs, that anno I'll 5, in the
county of Passau, and about Roheniia, there were
above eighty thousand ])eisoti3 that made profession
of the same faith.
In 1 UiO some of them came into England, and at
Oxford were punished in the most barbarous and
cruel manner, as ever were any Christians for reli-
gion sake, before that time ; and three years after
in the council of Tnron, or Tours, in France, pope
Alexander III. made a decree, that these gospellers,
and all their favourers, should be excommunicated ;
and that none should send them any thing, or buy
any thing of them, according as it was j)roj)hesied.
Revel, xiii. 17. But nolwiihstanding all these de-
vices, they had goodly churches in Bulgary, Croa-
tia, Dalniatia, and Hungary.
The same sentiments were embraced by the Albi
genses, who were called from their first settling in
Albi, a province subject to the popes. In Ger-
many and in England they were called Lollards, a
word not rightly understood by many v\riters ; but
it appears evident, from what has been v.ritten on
this subject l)y lord Hales, that it was ouing to their
singing hymns in their own language, in opposition
to the Roman Catholics, who chant their litanies in
latin. These people became very nnnierons about
the beginning of the fourteenth century, and llieir
gcntiinents were embraced by the famous John
WicklilTe, of whom we have the follov\ing ac-
count :
John Wickliffe, was doctor and professor of divi-
nity in the University of Oxford, and rector of Lut-
terworth, in Linconshiie. He was in great esteem
in the L'niversitv when the contests which happened
between the monks and the seculars, members of
the University, engaged him to declare against the
church of Rome. He began with ultacking ihe
jurisdiction of the pope and the bishojis, and tiicre-
by drew several great men over to his side, particu-
larly John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, and Henry
lord Percy. Upon the clergy complaiiiii>g of his
doctrine, the archbishop of Caiittrbiiry summoned
him to a council, which he held at London in 1.'377.
^^'ickliiFe came thither, accompanied bj the duke of
293
HISTORY OF THE WALDENSES AND ALBIGENSES.
Lancaster, who had at that time the greatest share in
the government of the kingdom : there he defended
himself, and was absolved.
Gregory XI being informed of the doctrine
which Wickliffe spread over England, and of its
dangerous tendency in promoting innovations of the
church of Rome, condemned his tenets as heretical
or erroneous. Tlie doctrine may be reduced to four
heads. 1 That God had not given temporal posses-
■ sions to the church, to be employed by her for ever ;
and that princes might deprive her of them. 2
That the church could not make use of exconimuni-
nicalions and censures, for exacting or preserving
temporal revenues. 3 That every priest, Iswfully
ordained, had sufficient power to administer the sa-
craments, and consequently to absolve every contrite
person from all sins whatsoever. 4 That ecclesias-
tics, and even the Roman pontiff might be rebuked
and accused, even by laymen. Gregory's letter
paving been brought into England after king Ed-
ward's death, ai^ delivered to the prelates of the
kingdom, they held a council at Lambeth. Wick-
liffe was summoned to it, appeared at it, and
avoided condenniation a second time, through the
interposition of great men and the people, who
•declared themselves so vehemently for him, that the
bishops durst not do any thing but enjoin him silence.
The troubles, which happened in the kingdom
under the minority of Richard II, gave Wickliffe
free scope to spread his opinions, and to gain over
many disciples.
William Courtney, archbishop of Canterbury,
being desirous to put a stop to Wickliffe's farther
attempts, assembled a council of eight bishops and
.several doctors, at London in May 1382 ; in which
he condemned twenty-four propositions of Wickliffe
and his disciples, viz. ten as heretical, and fourteen
as erroneous, and contrary to the decisions of the
church. The first ten were these. 1 That the
substance of the material bread and wine remains
in the eucharist after consecration. 2 That, in
tliat sacrament, the accidents do not subsist without
•the. subject. 3 That Jesus Christ is not there iden-
tically, truly, and really, by his proper corporeal
presence. 4 That a priest or bishop, under deadly
sin, can neither ordain, consecrate nor baptize. 5
That when a man is contrite as he ought to be,
outward confession is useless. 6 Tliat there is no
foundation for the mass in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
7 That God is forced to obey the devil. 8 That
if the pope be a reprobate or wicked man, and con-
.sequenlly a limb of the devil, he has no power over
believers. 9 That no pope ought to be acknow-
ledged since Urban VI, and that we ought to live like
the Greeks, according to our own laws. 10 That it
is contrary to the scriptures for any ecclesiastics to
have any temporal possessions or -revenues. The
erroneous propositions relate to excommunication,
preaching, thC' revenues of the church, and religioug
orders.
Two divines, Wickliffes' disciples, being interro-
gated upon these propositions, answered, that they
believed them to be heretical and erroneous in some
sense. As to Wickliffe himself, he came to the
council, and some historians tell us, he gave in a
confession of faith, in which he retracted his errors,
and acknowledged the real presence of Jesus Christ
in the eucharist. Be that as it will, the council
condemned the herecies and errors of Wickliffe and
his disciples, and obtained a declaration from king
Richard, against sucij as should teach or preach
their doctrine, by which the archbishops and bishops
were allowed to seize them. In consequence of this
edict, the archbishop of Canterbury, caused such
Wickliffites to be put into prison, as taught or wrote
with warmth. Wickliffe died soon after at Lutter-
worth, on the thirty-first of December, 1384, leav-
ing behind him several writings in defence of his
doctrines, and many disciples, who continued to"
teach them.
Thomas Arundal, who succeeded William Court-
ney in the arclibishopric of Canterbury, held a
])rovincial council at London in 1396, in which he
condemned eighteen propositions drawn out of
Wickliffe's works. These articles are, 1 Against
the real presence of the body and blood of Jesus
Christ in the eucharist. 2 Concerning baptism ; that
the children of the righteous may be saved without
being baptized. 3 Concerning confirmation ; that
priests may administer it. 4 Concerning orders;
that there ought to be but two orders in the church,
that of priests, and that of deacons. 5 Concerning
marriage; that marriages between aged persons, the
end whereof is not to have children, are not true
marriages ; that the impediments of consanguity and
affinity arc human constitutions without foundation;
and that in contracting marriages, it is not neces-
sary to make use of terms before witnesses. 6 That
it is not lawful for ecclesiastics to have temporal
possessions. 7 That unction of the sick is not a
sacrament. 8 That whatever happens, does ne-
cessarily happen. In fine, Thomas Arundal entirely
proscribed the heresy of Wickliffe, by the constitutions
which he made in the synod held at Oxford in 1408,
published at London the next year, and confirmed
by the king's authority. In 1413, pope John
XXIII condemned Wickliffe's books in a council
at Rome; and the English prelates, supported by
the king's authority, used their utmost endeavours
wholly to extirpate this heresy out of the kingdom,
and to hinder it from being publicly established
and preached ; by which means it was entirely
extinguished, or at least almost entinguished, in
England. But the writings of Wicklilfe having
HISTORY OF THE WALDEXSES AND ALBIGENSES.
297
been caVried 4nto Bohemia by one of his scholars ;
called Peter Payne, were spread in a very short
time, and converted several members of the uni-
versity of Prague.
Another name by which they were called was that
of Hussites, because they were the disciples of John
IJuss, a IJohemian, at Prague ; who, about the year
1414, embraced, and defended, the opinion of Wick-
liffe of England; for which he was cited before the
couiuil of Constance, and, refusing to renounce his
siipposed errors, was condemned to be burnt alive ;
wludi sentence was accordingly executed upop him
at Constance. It is evident, in what tiie pretended
heresy of John Huss, and Jerome of Prague, who
suffered witli him, consisted, from the answer they
made to the council, when they were admonished
to conform to the church's sentiments. " They w ere
lovers (they said) of the holy gospel, and true dis-
ciples of Christ ; that the church of Rome, and all
other churches of the world, were widely departed
fr'om the apostolical traditions; that the clergy ran
after pleasures and riches; that they lorded it over
the people, affected the highest seats at entertain-
ments, and bred horses and dogs ; that the revenues
of the church, which belonged to the poor mem-
bers of Christ, were consumed in vanity and wan-
tonness ; and that llie priests were ignorant of the
commandments of God, or, if they did know them,
paid but little regard to them."
They were sometimes called Bohemian Brethren,
and they treated the pope and cardinals as Anti-
christ, and the churcli of Rome as the \\hore spo-
ken of in the Revelations. They rejected the sacra-
ment of the Roman church, and they chose laymen
for their ministers. They held the holy scriptures
for the only rule of faith ; and their ministers ob-
served none of the ceremonies of the Romish church
in the celebration of the mass, nor made use of any
other prayer than the Lord's Prayer. They conse-
crated leavened bread, and they allowed no adoration
but of Jesus Christ, in the communion. They re-
baptised all such as joined themselves to their con-
gregation ; and they abhored the worship of saints
und images, prayers for the dead, celibacy, vows and
fasts, and kept none of the festivals but Christinas,
Easter, and Whitsuntide.
In li04, they were accused by the Catholics to
king Ladislaus II. to whom they presented a con-
fession of faith. In it they declared they lield the
three creeds, the Apostles, the Nicene, and the
Atlianasian ; and they asserted, that the ministry of
tiie church consists in preaching sound doctrine. —
They defined baptism to be a sign of the inward
purity of the soul procured by faith ; and they ac-
knowledged, that both adults and infants ought to
be baptized. Concerning the eucharist, they denied
transubstautiation, and rejected all prayers attending
£0 4 F
the consecration of the elements, alledging that the
priest ought not to add any thing to the words of
Jesus Christ, or do any thing more than lie did at
the last supper. They held marriage to be a type of
the union betwixt Christ and his church ; and they
allowed extreme unction to the sick and dying. —
After setting down their confession of faith, tliey im-
plored the king's indulgence ; but notwithstanding
their petition, Ladislaus published an edict against
them, forbidding them to hold any meetings, either
publicly or privately. This drew from them a se-
cond remonstrance, in which they declared that they
separated from the church of Rome, on account of
the w ickedness of its bishops, who had forsaken the
truth, and thereby lost the power of the keys. In
this remonstrance they peremptorily rejected tlie in-
vocation and worship of the \ irgin Mary and the
saints.
Luther had no sooner declared himself against the
church of Rome, than the Bohemian Brethren en-
deavoured to join his party ; and at first that refor-
mer shewed great aversion to this sect : but the
Bohemians sending their deputies to him in 1523,
with a full account of their doctrines, he allowed
them in' all points, except in what related to the
eucharist ; and acknowledged that they were a so-
ciety of Christians, whose doctrines came near to
the purity of the gospel. This sect published an-
other confession of faith in 1535, in which they pro-
fessed to have renounced Anabaptism, which they
at first practised; uponwliich a union was concluded
with the Lutherans, and afterwards with the Zuin-
glians, whose opinions from thenceforth they con-
tinued to follow.
From all these circumstances, and different' names
by which they were called, and the tenets they em-
braced, we find that they were, in many respect,
little different from Protestants. Their persever-
ance in these tenets, may likewise serve to prove
the truth of what we have already asserted, namely,
that in all ages, even the darkest, there were some
persons who made profession of the truth, and al-
though they differed in trifling matters, yet they
agreed in those fundamental articles of faith, upon
which salvation depends. These professors of the
gospel contributed much towards promoting the Re-
formation, for being very numerous, they joined
themselves either to Calvin or Luther, or such others
as opposed popery. This was what the popes little
expected ; for it is probable, that they believed that
all these people, whom they considered as heretics,
had been totally abolished, whereas they became
formidable to the papal power, and they will ever
be esteemed for the glorious stand they made for the
truth. It is certain that many of these people were
cruelly persecuted, and driven from place to place ;
but such was the goodness of divine providence,
IHISTORY OF THE WALDENSES AND ALBIGENSES.
that some of them continued to reside in deserts till
upwards of an hundred years after the Eeformation.
Undoubtedly tliis was owing to the numerous wars
that were carried on during that period, among the
European nations; but no sooner had princes, or
rather illustrious robbers, distressed their neighbours
abroad, than they let loose their diabolical fury upon
their own subjects at home. This part of their con-
duct was either mean or superstitious, or it was both.
It was mean, if they did it in compliance with the
dictates of the popes, because they ought to have
had more regard to their dignity. A prince, who
is a man of honour, will take the advice of his sub-
jects, but in politics he should never be dictated to
by priests. Let the clergy attend to their duty, but
let them never meddle with secular affairs. Policy
is a robe that will sit ungracefully upon them, and
•while princes give them encouragement to go out
of the line of their duty, they degrade their regal
dignity.
x\gain, if the European princes persecute their
subjects from motives of superstition, it is even
worse than what we have already mentioned. Tt
will serve to shew, that those princes have never con-
sidered either the strength or the weakness of the
liutnan understanding. And as for their own inter-
ests, as sovereigns, they must be totally strangers to
it. In all nations, where a proper toleration in reli-
gious sentiments is allowed, the prince is distin-
guished for his greatness, on account of the number
and wealth of his subjects; but persecution, by driv-
ing useful persons out of a country, makes the prince
an object of contempt, deprives his subjects of
wealth, and supposing a neighbouring power should
invade his territories, they are easily subdued for the
w ant of internal resources.
We are told by a very respectable French author,
that tlie persecution raised in France by the revoca-
tion of the edict of Nautz, drove at least fifteen hun-
dred tliousand useful men out of that country. —
- ]'riuces, wiser than Lewis XIV. gave encouraae-
ment to those refugees, and in Denmark, Branden-
burgh, but njore particular in England, those manu-
factures were established, which liave drained the
wealth of France, and taught unthinking men to
know, that the iron hand of oppression will never
answer any salutary end. We shall conclude this
article with the following remarkable narrative from
bishop liurnel's '^I'ravels, which will serve to shew,
lirst, that even persecution itself could not totally
obliterate the truth of the gospel ; and secondly,
that people, persecuted on account of their religious
sentiments, will Itave the places where they were
born, and seek refuge in countries where they can be
' treated with humanity. It is well known, that few
men ever lived in the world, who had more enlarged
notions of the uataral rights of mankind than bishop
Burnet, and with respect to religious freedom, or
liberty, he often became an advocate for those wh»-
differed from him in sentiments.
His words are, " I shall conclude what I have to
say concerning the Grisons, with a very extraordi-
nary story, w hich I had both from the ministers of
Coire and several other gentlemen, that saw, iu
April 1(385, about live huudnjd persons of different
sexes and ages, who passed through that town, that
gave this account of themselves. They were the
inhabitants of a valley in Triol, belonging, for the
greatest part, to the archbishopric of Saltzburgh,
but some of them were in the dioceses of Trent and
Bresse ; tbey se«med to be a remnant of the old
Waldense . They worshipped neither images nor
saints, and they believed the sacrament was only a
commemoration of the death of Christ, and in many
other points they had their peculiar opinions different
from those of the church of Rome ; they knew no-
thing either of Lutherans or Calvinists, and the
Grisons, though their neighbours, had never heard
of this nearness of theirs to the Protestant religion.
They had mass said among them ; but some years
since, some of the valley going over to Germany to
earn somewhat by their labour, happened to go into
the Palatinate, where they were better instructed in
matters of religion, and these brought back with
them into the valley the Heidelberg catechism, to-
gether with some otiier German books, which run
over the valley, they being before that in a good dis-
position, those book had such an effect upon them,
that they gave over going to mass any more, and be-
gan to worship God in a way more suitable to the
rules set down in scrijiture. Some of their priests .
concurred with them in this happy change, but others
that adhered still to the mass, went and gave the
archbishop of Saltzburgh an account of it, upon
which he sent some into the country to examine the
truth of the matter, to exhort them to return to mass,
and threaten them with all severity if they continued
obstinate ; so they seeing a terrible storm ready to
break upon them, resolved to abandon their houses
and all they had, rather than sin against their con-
sciences; and the whole inhabitants of the valley,
old and young, men and women, to the number
of two thousand, divided themselves into several
bodies, some intended to go to Rrandenburgh, others
to Palatinate, and about five hundred took the way
of Coire, intending to disperse themselves in Swit-
zerland. The ministers told me they were much
edified with their simplicity and modesty, for a col-
lection being made for them, they desired only a
little bread to carry them on their way."
These seem to have been the last remains of the
Waldenses, or Albigenses, and from the whole we
may draw the following conclusion, that till Christ
comes again to judge the world, there will be found
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
«99
some wlio are not ashamed of his gospel. Of this
we shall have occasion to treat more fully hereafter,
when we come to write of the difterent denomina-
tions of Protestants; but the nature of our i)lan
leads us to give a particular account of the Greek
church, its origin, doctrines, worship, discipline and
ACCOUiNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
I
N treating of the Greek church, we are obliged
to take notice of several passages in civil history,
ill order to elucidate its ancient and n\odern state,
and in this we have the best authorit\ ; for tliis
church, however much it may be despised at present,
was once the most flourishing in the world. The
Greets had churches and convents all along, from
]3ulmatia to Constanliuople, and from thence to
Syria, including all the Lesser Asia. In Africa they
bad churches throughout Egypt and Ethiopia, and
even to this day there are some remains of them. —
At present, the Greeks are extremely numerous in
the Levant ; for although the Turkish religion is
that established by law, yet there are above ten
Greek Christians for every Mahwnetan. It likewise
is the established religion in great part of Russia, so
tliat we cannot be mistaken m giving a proper ac-
count of every thing worthy of notice in their
churches.
All our travellers, who visited those places where
the religion of the Greeks is professed, have given
us very distinct accounts of them, and as to what
they were in the middle ages, we have a full account
in the history of the lower empire.
When Constantine tiie Great removed the seat
of empire from Rome to Ryzaiitium, and built the
famous i;ity of Constantinople, he did not consider
that he was laying the foundation of many difterent
kingdoms, particularly in Europe. The Huns,
Goths, and Vandals, who inhabited the countries
now callfd Hungary, Poland, and along the coasts
ot the Baltic Sea, from their manner of living in
sobriety, became so numerous, that they could not
find room in their own countries, although they
were very extensive. Another circumstance con-
tributed towards their invading the Roman empire,
and tiiat was the account that had been brought
them by some soldiers, who had deserted from tlnir
legions, and taken shelter among these barbarians.
These gave them such a character of the southern
l)arts of Europe, that they resolved to invade them.
This was entirely consistent with their characters,
for as they had little or no employment at home, it
\\a3 natural for thein to. seek out more agreeable ha-
bitations. Indeed, the effeminancy of the Romans,
and the distracted state of the empire were such as
gave them, as it were, an invitation. These barba-
rians continued to pour themselves hi numerous
bodies into Italy, France and Spain, and although
they were frequently driven home to their own de-
serts, yet that only served to stimulate them the
more to make new attempts, and by fighting with
the Romans they learned the art of war. Thus the
Roman empire sunk under the weight of its own
greatness, like all the otlier empires that had been
before it, and probably all that come afterwards will
share tlie same fate.
But that vihich was more important, was the
change that took place between the eastern and w es-
lerii churches, and this was occasioned by dividing
the empire. It is true, that for a considerable time
the bishops of Rome did not aspire to any preten-
tions about their brethren ; but as pride is the mo-
ther of tyranny, so the bisliops of Rome found a
proper opportunity for establishing their power.
This did not happen till many years after the death
of Constantine, for that emperor had too much
sense to suffer one bisliop to exercise authority over
another. Happy for the church had it continued so
afterwards, but a variety of circumstances made the
western church as easy a conquest for the popes, as
the w estern empire was to the barbarians.
As Rome was left defenceless, it was necessary
that some person should exercise the civil power,
and as tlie clergy were at that time mucii esteemed,
nothing was more natural than for the people to put
themselves under the protection of the popes. Ano-
ther circumstance wa", that great disputes having
frequently arisen among the clergy, they referred
the decision of them to the bishops of Rome. Some
of the Greek bishops were weak enough to do so,
and at last the bishop of Rome claimtd the privilege
of exercising his authority over all the Christian
world.
This greatly alarmed those bishops of the Eastern
church, w ho sought to maintain the liberties of their
Christian people, for they ffatly refused to submit
to the decrees of the pope, and this laid the fouuda-
300
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
tionof a schism between both churches, which has
continued to this daj'. Nay, we are assured, that
their aversion to the church of Rome is such, that
being extremely ignorant, they will submit to believe
every thing, let it be ever so absurb, so as they are
not required to submit to the popes, whom they
never mention without some terms of reproach.
In corrupting die purity of the gospel, the Greeks
have kept equal pace with the Roman Catholics,
for although in some things we find them not so
gross as the latter, yet in other of their ceremonies
they are more ridiculous. The Latins have fre-
.quently jnsulted the Greeks, by telling them they
were in a deplorable state, because they would not
submit to the pope's supremacy, and the Greeks
have retorted the charge, bylelling the Roman Ca-
tholics, that the patriarch of Constantinople is equal
in dignity, and -in authority, to the bishops of Rome.
However, this is nothing moie than what commonly
happens in all religiouscontrovcrsies, were ungovern-
able passion gets the better of reason, and men be-
come enemies to each other merely for a difference
, in sentiment, arising from a \\ rong conception of
words.
In our account of the ancient heresies and- here-
tics, we have mentioned what notions many of them
had of the Trinity, and some of these were most un-
worthy indeed. We have taken notice that the Ro-
man Catholics, even in the midst of all their corrup-
tion, never denied the divinity of Christ or the Holy
Ghost, but always allowed that there was a Trinity
in unity, and that all the three persons were the
same in substance, and equal in power and in glory.
That this is a mystery cannot be denied ; but what
is not a mysteiy to circumscribed creatures? Our
Saviour, when he asserted that he was equal to the
Father, never taught his disciples to inquire into
that mystery, but left them to attend to duty, in be-
lieving what he had commanded, and in working
out their salvation with fear and trembling. It is
very jirobable, that the Greek church continued long
to embrace the same sentiments, with respect to the
doctrine of the Trinity, as the Roman Catholics had
done, and indeed the difterence between them de-
pends more npon metaphysical terms, than oii any
thing- that has, the least connection with truth. In
all disputes of a religious nature, men ought to be
. extremely cautious, and perhaps it will be found
that he is the most sincere Christian, who, in meek-
ness and humility, declares that he will sit down
and acknowledge his own ignorance of many things
that will be revealed to him hereafter, rather than
disturb the peace of society. Indeed this will give
him more comfort, because by giving up his preten-
tious to knowledge, he does honour to God, to
.whom all mortals ought to look up for wisdom.
In the middle of the ninth century, the control
versy relating to the procession of the Holy Ghost,
which had been started in the sixth century, became
a point of great importance, on account of the jea-
lousy and ambition, which at that time were blend-
ed with it. Photius, the patriarch of Jerusalem,
having been advanced to that*ee, in the room of
Ignatius, whom he procured to be deposed, was so-
lemnly excommunicated by pope Nicholas, in a
council held at Rome, and his ordination declared
null and void. The Greek emperor resented this
conduct of the pope, who defended himself with
great spirit and resolution, and Photius, in his turn,
convened what he called an CEcuraenical council,
m which he pronounced sentence of excommunica-
tion and deposition against the pope, and got it sub-
scribed by twenty-one bishops, and other of the
clergy, amounting in number to a thousand. This
occasioned a wide breach between the sees of Rome
and Constantinople. However, the death of the
emperor Michael, and the deposition of Photius,
subsequent thereupon, seemed to have restored
peace; for the emperor Basil held a council at Con-
stantinople, in the year S6[), in wliich entire satisfac-
, tion was given to pope Adrian ; but the schism was
only smothered and suppressed for a while. The
Greek church had several complaints against the
Latin ; particularly it was thought a great hardship
for the Greeks to subscribe to the definition of a
council, according to the Roman form prescribed
by the pope, since it made the church of Constanti-
nople dependant on that of Rome, and set the pope
above an oecumenical council. But, above all, the
pride and haughtiness of the Roman court gave the
Greeks a distaste; and, as their deportments seemed
to insult his imperial majesty, it entirely alienated
the aiTections of the emperor Basil.
Towards the middle of the eleventh century,
Michael Cerularius, patriarch of Constantinople,
opposed the Latins with respect to their making use
of unleavened bread in the eucharist, their observa-
tion of the Sabbath, and fasting on Saturdays, charg-
ing them with living in communion with the Jews.
To this pope Leo IX. replied, and, in his apology
for the Latins, declaimed very vi'armly against the
false doctrines of the Greeks, and interposed, at the
same time, the authority of his see. He likewise,
by his legates, excommunicated the patriarch of the
church of Santa Sophia ; which gave the last shock
to the reconciliation, attempted a long time after,
but to no purpose, for from that time the aversion
of the Greeks for the Latins, and of the Latins for
the Greeks, became insuperable; insomuch that
they have continued, ever since, separated from each
other's communion.
The Greek church was not formerly 50 contract-
ed, as it has been since the emperors of the east have
lessened and reduced the other jpatiiarchateSj in os-
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
301
der to aggrandize that of Constantinople. Tlie
Greek clergy retain to this hour, some particular
jnarks of distinction, some titles of honour, m hereby
they are respectively dignified and distinguished; in-
somuch that the patriarch of Constantinople, when
he writes to tlie bisiiojis, never fails to insert liieir
proper additions, notwithstanding the necessitous
condition to v\hich the Turkish government has re-
duced them. The Greek churches are scarce the
shadows of w hat they Mere in their former flourishing
state. Caucus, a Venetian nobleman, and arch-
bishop of Corfou, in his dissertation on the errone-
ous doctrine of the modern Greeks, dedicated to
Gregory Xlll. has digested their tenets under the
following heads :
1. They re-baptize all such Latins as are admit-
ted into their communion. G. Tlicy do not bap-
tize their children, till they are three, four, live,
six, ten, nay sometimes eighteen years of age. 3.
They exclude confirmation and extreme unction,
out of the seven sacraments. 4. They deny that
tiiere is any such place as purgatory, notwithstand-
ing tliat they pray for the dead. 5. They do not
acknowledge the pope's su[)reniacy, nor that of the
see of Ixonie, 6. They deny, by consequence,
that the church of Rome is the true Catholic mo-
ther church : they prefer their own to that of Rome,
and on Holy-Thursday, excommunicate the pope,
and all the Latin prelates, as heretics and schisma-
tics. 7. They deny that the Holy Ghost proceeds
from the Father and the Son. 8. They refuse to
worship the host, conseciated by Latin priests with
unleavened bread, according to the ancient custom
of the church of Rome, coniirmed by the council
ot Florence. They wash likewise the altars, where
the Latins have said mass, and will not suffer a La-
tin priest to officiate at their altars, pretending that
the sacrilice ought to be performed with bread. 9.
They assert, that the usual form of w ords, wherein
the consecrations, according to the Latins, wholly
consists, is not .sufficient to change the bread and
wine into the body and blood of Christ, w ithout the
use of some additional prayers and benedictions of
the fathers. 10. They insist that the sacrament of
the Lord's supper ought to be administered in both
kinds, and even to infants, before they are cajiable
ot distinguishing this spiritual food from anv other;
because it is a divine institution. For which reason
tliey give the sacrament to infants immediately after
baptism. 11. They hold that the laity are under
an indispensible obligation, by the law of God, to
receive the conmmniou in both kinds. 1'2. They
assert, that no members of the church, when they
have attained to years of discretion, ought to be
compelled to receive the communion every Easter,
but should h»ve free liberty to act according to the
dictates of their own consciences. 13. They pay
eo 4
no religious homage or veneration to tha sacrament
of the eucharist, even when celebrated by their
own priests; and they use no lighted tapers, wlien
they administer it to the sick. Moreover, they
keep it in a little bag or box, without any other
ceremony tlian fixing it to the wall, where they
light up lamps before their images. 14. They are
of opinion, that such hosts as are consecrated on
Holy-Thursday, are much more efficacious than
those consecrated at other times. 15. 'Ihey main-
tain, that the sacrament of matrimony is an union
which may be dissolved. IG. They condemn all
fourth marriages. 17. They refuse to celebrate
festivals of the holy Virgin, the apostles, and the
other saints, on the same day with the Latins.
They reject likewise the use of graven images and
statues, though they admit of pictures in tlieir
churches. 18. They insist, that tlie canon of the
mass, of the Latin church, is full of errors, and
ought therefore to be abolished. 19. They deny
that usury is a mortal sin. 20. They reject the
order of sub-deacons. 121. They pay no regard to
any of the general councils, held by the popes, af-
ter the sixth. 22. They entirely deny auricular
confession to be a divine precept, and say it is
only a positive injunction of the church. 2,'3. They
insist that the confession of the laity ought to be
free and voluntary; for which reason they are not
compelled to confess themselves annually, nor are
they excommunicated for neglect of it. 24. They
insist, that in confession there is no divine law
w hich enjoins the acknowledgement of every indivi-
dual sin, or a discovery of all the circumstances
that attend them. 23. They administer the sacra-
ment to the laity, both in sickness and health,
though they never applied themselves to their con-
fessors ; and the reason is, because they are persuad-
ed, that a lively faith is all the preparation that is
necessary for the worthy receivhig of the Lord's sup-
per. 2(). 'Jhev do not observe the vigils before the
nativity of our Savioin-, and the festivals of the virgin
Mary and the apostles; nor do they fast in ember
week : They even affect to eat meat more plentifully
at those seasons, to testify their contenrpt of the La-
tin customs. They prohibit likewise all fasting on
Saturdays, that preceding Easter only excepted. 27.
They abstain from things strangled, and such other
meats as are forbidden in the Old Testament. 28.
They deny that simple fornication is a mortal sin.
29- They insist that it is lawful to deceive an ene-
my, and that it is no sin to injure and oppress him.
30. They hold, that it is necessary, in order to sal-
vation, to make restitution of goods stolen, or frau-
dulently obtained. 31 Lastly, they hold, that such
as have been admitted into lioly orders, may quit
tlieni, and become laymen at pleasure; and they
approve of the marriage of priests, provided that
.'502
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
ihcy enter into that state before their admission into
holy orders.
These are tlie articles of faith embraced by t!ie
Greek Cliristians, and although it may appear plain
to every intelligent reader, that many of them are
contrary to the simplicity of the gospel, yet they
have still some remains of genuine Christianity
among them. All this, however, has not been stif-
licient to reconcile them to the Roman Catholics,
nor the Roman Catholics to them.
Father Richer, a Jesuit, speaking of the Greeks,
tells us, that they make the cross from the right hand
to the left, whereas the Roman Catholics do it from
the left to the right. This Jesuit being one day in
company with a Greek priest, the latter asked him
■why the Roman Catholics made the sign of the cross
from the left hand to the ri>rln.' To this question
the Jesuit answered, "The intention thereof is to
intinia'e, that by the power of the cross, from dark-
ness to liglit, and from the power of satan unto God,
that through the merits and death of Christ, wlien
he comes to judge the world at the last day, and se-
parate the righteous from the ungodlv, we shall be
called from the left hand to the right, and be admit-
ted among the number of the saints in glory."
Another Greek who happened to be in company)
and a man of a pleasing disposition, took up the ar-
gimient, and said very smartly, " Vou, Sir, have
free liberty to make the cross from the left to the
right, but we think it always best to begin at the
right, for those who begin at the wrong end, gene-
rally lay a bad foundation and seldom prosper." The
Jesuit was nettled to the quick for some minutes,
he knew not what reply to make; but recollecting
liimself, he turned to the Greek and said, "Sir,
you may make the sign of the cross from the right
to the left, to denote, that ever since vou have de-
serted from the church of Rome, you have deviated
from the paths of truth, to walk in darkness and
error ; you have gone astray from virtue to vice,
and from grace to sin ; and it is very much to be
feared, that when we shall appear at the right hand
of our blessed Saviour, you will stand at his left,
when he comes in all his glory to judge both the
quick and the dead." Such in general are the arou-
ments made use of both by the Greek and Roman
priests, when they meet together ; from which we
Kiay infer, that in all violent disputes, truth is not
tlie sole object in view. Triiles, and even ridiculous
rites a -id ceremonies, are more regarded than the
essential articles of faith, just in the same manner as
if two persons were to fall out, because one washes
his face with the right hand, and the other with the
left. This arrant superstition has been well ridi-
culed by Dean Swift, in his travels of Gulliver,
where he tells us, that two of the nations of the
Lilliputians went to war, and cut each others throats
about the great dispute that had long subsisted be-
tween them, concerning the breaking eggs on the
riglit end.
It is certain, that the Jesuits, in the relations they
have given us of their travels into Greece, often
mention things concerning the Greeks that are not
true, and this arises from the antipathy they have
against them for not submitting to the popes j nor
are the Greeks one bit behind with the Roman Ca-
tholics in their malice. As the pope excommuni-
cates once in the year, all those who are not of his
communion, so the Greeks do the same to the Re-
man Catholics, and probably would do so to Pro-
testants, were they acquuinted with their tenets,
In Passion-week, the patriarch of Constantinople,
dressed in his pontifical robes, gue^ up to the altar
of his church, and solemnly curses and excommuni-
cates all the Roman Catholics in the world. Hav-
ing pronounced the words used in the ceremony, he
drives a nail into the floor with a hammer, as a mart
of iiis malediction, and then pronounces the sen-
tence of excommunication upon all such as shall
offer to remove it ; nay, if any one should do so,
the Turks, for the sake of a small gratuity, suffer
them to tine, imprison, and bastinade the culprit.
They have another ceremony of almost a similar
nature, performed by the patriarch of Jerusalem,
who, in dignity, is the next to the patriarch of Con-
stantinople. He sits on a throne before the door of
the convent of the holy sepulchre, dressed in his
pontifical habit, and attended by as many of the
eastern bishops as can conveniently come to be pre-
sent at the ceremony. There mass is celebrated,
and after service is over the patriarch tramples seven
times upon the figure of a city, built upon seven
hills, which, in all respects, alludes to Rome. On
the top of the figure is an 'Cagle with tno heads,
and all those who attend at the ceremony know, that
by this is meant the Greeks trampling upon the city
and church of Rome.
It is remarkable, that in the articles of their faith,
we find very little concerning heaven, hell, and pur-
gatory, but this is owing to their not making these
sentiments so public as is done by the Roman Ca-
tholics. That they believe in a state of rewards
and punishments hereafter, cannot be denied ; for
the whole of their system clearly points it out, and
as they pray for the dead, so one would naturally-
imagine that they had some notion of what the Ro-
man Catholics call purgatory. This, however, is
not the case; for the Roman Catholics believe, that
the souls of those who have not committed mortal
sins, will be delivered from pimishment as soon as
they are purified, and immediately enter into a state
of everlasting happiness. This notion was em-
braced by some of the fathers in the J^atin church,
who lived after the time of Constautine the Great,
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
30:]
and'it gained ground daily, till it became the source
of much wealth to the Uomish cleru;_v.
it was ahogetlier different in the Greek church;
for with respect to tlie state of departed souls, they
are almost of the same opinion witii the fathers,
Ciirysostom, Bazil, Gregory^ Nanzienzen, and many
others. To understand this, it will be necessary to
consider what is related in tiie New Testament con-
cerning the state of dejiarted souls ; and secondly,
how far the Greeks at present differ from those sen-
timents, for the popish doctrine of purgatory has no
connection with them.
The notion of a state of future rewards and pu-
^ rrishments, is not the subject of the present inquiry,
for it ever was, and still is, in one sense or other,
believed by all the heathen nations in the universe ;
but as the heathens were, and are, in many tilings
ignorant, so they had of old, and still have, gross
conceptions of capital truths.
It was reserved for the New Testament dispen-
sation to clear up this grand point, by removing the
veil of darkness that had long overspread the human
mind, and under w Inch even some of the Old Tes-
tament saints laboured.
It is remarkable, that when our Saviour delivered
the parable concerning the rich man and Lazarus, he
represented them both in different places ; and yet
neither the one nor the other in a fixed state. We
do not read that he was contradicted by any of his
hearers, many of whom were his most implacable
enemies, which woald certainly have been the case,
had not tlie same sentiments been at that time com-
mon among the Jews. Nay, the apostle Peter
speaks of it as a received truth, in his first sermon,
after the descent of the Holy Ghost, for he alludes
to Psalm xvi. where the Psalmist says, " That God
would not leave his soul in hell, nor suifer his holy
one to see corruption."
By hell in this place is not meant a place of ma-
terial punishment, but the general state of departed
souls, some longing for the resurrection to everlast-
ing life, and others in fear of everlasting punish-
ment. This is clearlv explained and illustrated by
our Saviour, when he represents the rich man and
J>azarus, as in two diff"erent places, and a great
■gulph lixed* between tiiem. All the primitive fathers
who lived before the reign of tlie emperor Constan-
tine, believed the same sentiments, acknowledging
that the parable of the rich man and Lazarus was,
iu all respects, consistent with wliut we have here
advanced.
Ilie Greeks believe that there are two sorts of
souls that descend into hell, first, those who dying
in a state of impenitence, are at once plunged into
eternal misery ; the second are such as remain in
hell without tLciins any pain, and they believe that
these coutume m hell for a certain time, iunging for
heaven. This is the reason why the Greeks pray
for the dead, not that thi'y may be delivered Irom
(lain, but that their h:ip|)iness may bt; made com-
plete. That this is the real stale of the case, will
appear from a perusal of the following short praver
used by them : " Grant, O l^ord, that his soul may
be at rest in those mansions of light ; give him con-
solation, and restore him from sorrow of all sorts,
and make him everlastin<jly in the full enjr)vment of
them." All their punishment according to their
tenets, consists in being banished ior some time from
the presence of God, but not in being consigned
over to torments.
They are of opinion, that the soul cannot of her-
self procure any consolation after death, and that
she has no other refuge, but in the prayers of the
faithful ; but they deny that their patriarchs, or their
bishops, can do any thing by their public or private
acts, to grant the soul its request. However, al-
though the above may be considered as the general
opinion, yet there are many of the Greeks who hold
» contrary one, and that is the sameas nvbs believed
by the Jews of old, and after them by tne j)rimitive
Christians. That opinion is, that both the righteous
and wicked will remain confined in an intermediate
state, till the resurrection day, the rigliteons longinir
for it with earnest expectation^ the wicked in fear of
its coming too soon. This difference, however, must
be attended to, as it is in itself absolutely necessary
to form the distinction -between the Jews and the
Greeks.
The Jews believed, that on the first day of the
Messiah's coming, all the departed souls were to be
raised from hell, or the stale of the dead; whereas
the Greeks believe, that Christ has already come iu
the flesh, and that ho will come a second time, when
an end wi^l be put to all material existence, and that
the bodies of the deceased wi!! rise from the grave,
and be joined to their souls, in order to receive their
final doom. The meaning is, that neither the souls
of the wicked, nor those of the righteousj will be
either completely ha])py or miserable, till the day of
the resurrection, it is certain, tiiat there are nianv
persons of tin; .same opinion, in all Protestant coun-
tries; but in disputed points of that nature, nothing
is more becoming in a Christian, than to be humble
before God, and wait for the eveiit of things, kiuiw-
ing, as he ought, that the judge of all the earth will
do everv thing that is right, consistent with the na-
ture of his attributes.
'i"he nejtt thing to be considered is, what respect
do the (■ reeks pay to the consecrated elements, in
their celebration of the Lord's Supper r and this is
the more necessary to be considered, because a right
undfrsianding of it will serve to shew, whether in
their sfi:tiinents they incline more to the I^onian
Catholics or the Protestants. It is certain, lliat the
304
ACCOUNT QF THE GREEK CHURCH,
Greeks pay more adoration to the consecrated ele-
ments, than is consistent with the pure simplicity of
the gospel, which is contrary to our notions as Pro-
testants ; but it is equally certain, that they do not
carry their adoration so high as the Roman Catholics
liave done.
Gabriel, archbishop of Philadelphia, in a treatise
written against the Roman Catholics, attirms, that
there arc two sorts of homage or adoration du& to
the sacred symbols of bread and wine. One of
those is no more than a civil respect and reverence,
upon their being first blessed before consecration ;
but the other, which is superior to the former, is an
adoration of Christ's body, which the elements re-
present. Now this seems to be totally opposite to
the jjopish doctrine of the real presence ; for they
believe that the real body and blood of Christ are
materially in the wafer, after the ceremony of con-
secration. Sir George Wheeler, and English gen-
tleman of great learning and knowledge, who resided
many years in the Levant, has given us the following
account of the Greeks : " The Greeks in general
(says he) have but an imperfect notion of the euclia-
rist, for although they pay some sort of adoration
to the consecrated elements, yet they do not carry
their notions so high as the Roman Catliolics. ITie
bishop of Micona travelled with us to Constanti-
nople, but I could not hold much conversation with
him, though I had nmch discourse with one of his
priests, who could speak Italian. He seemed a
perfect stranger to the doctrine of trausnbstantiation,
and although he believed that some change takes
place in the elements after consecration, yet such
transformation was to be considered in a mystical
light only.
I had some conference likewise with the archbi-
shop of Athens, who assured me, that he believed
the change in the elements was only to be taken in
a mystical sense, without any change in the subject
itself. I had likewise sometimes an opportunity of
conversing on this subject, with the bishop of Salom
who, finding that I was an Englishman, desired to
know vihat was the opinion our church held, con-
cerning the consecrated elements. 1 gave him all
tlie satisfaction I could, namely, that we believed
them to be symbols, or representations of the body
and blood of Christ : and he told me lliat he was of
the same opinion, and that they should be only con-
isidered in that sense."
From all tiiis we may draw the following conclu-
sion, viz. ;that the Greeks do not believe in the real
presence of Christ in tlie sacrament, but that they
pay some sort of adoration to the elements, though
. not in the manner of Roman Catholics, who actually
, worship them as the real body and blood of Christ,
the wafer being changed in the act of consecra-
tion.
Of the Discipline of the Greek Church.
The next thing to be considered after giving an
account of the doctrines of the Greeks, is to point
out the manner of their discipline, or, in other
words, the plan of ecclesiastical policy by which
dieir church is governed ; and this ought to be the
more attended to, because it is well known, that in
their present state they labour imder many hardships,
and are constantly oppressed by their cruel masters
the Turks. It is otherwise with those who live
in Russia ; but vast and extensive as that empire is,
yet the Greek Christians are few in comparison
with those who reside about the Levant, in the
Lesser Asia, and throughout all Syria, besides many
other parts of Asia.
In tlieir discipline, they do not strictly adhere to
the positive injunctions laid down in their canons.
As for instance, they are no way scrupulous about
the age when priests should be ordained, nor do they
attend to the interval of time between the ordination
of one class or another, but sometimes ordain all at
once to the different offices. The election of their
patriarch is not always canonical : for he who pays
the grand seignior the largest sum of money, is sure
to be the successful candidate. Were the Greeks to
refuse electing him after he has been nominated by
the grand seignior, or even by the grand vizier, they
would stand a fair chance of being massacred, and
their children sold for slaves.
The Greeks, in their natural tempers, are a vain,
proud, ambitious set of people; for although they
labour under much oppression, yet they still keep up
their spirits ; and it is owing to this that many of the
priests enter into cabals to obtain the dignity of
patriarch. One would naturally imagine, that this
would take off all that influence which their minis-
tration ought to have upon the manners and con-
sciences of the people; but then it must be remem-
bered, that the latter are so ignorant, that they never
look into those things, and if they were to do so,
they would obtain no manner of redress.
Resides the money the new elected patriarch pays
to the grand seignior, they are likewise obliged to
buy the votes of all those bishops by whom tliey ar«
elected, so that in one single election, there are two
acts of simony committed. On the other hand, the
patriarch knows very well how to leimburse him-
self, w hen his turn comes to constitute a bishop ;
the bishops again take the advantage of the priests,
of whom they demand exorbitant fees for their ad-
mission into orders ; and, at last, the whole weight
falls upon the people ; for they must pay extrava-
gantly dear for tlie privilege of the sacraments,
which is the reason tlicy seldom paitake of them.
Strange ! that jieojile in ,a state -of .tlie severest op-
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
305
pression, should in iliis manner oppress each other;
and yet tlie fact cannot be denied. The Turks,
among wlioni they live, are no strangers to this part
of tlie conduct of the Greeks, and they often up-
braid tiieni with it, calling them usurers, Christian
dogs, and such other names; and possibly it is ow-
ing to tliis pjrt of their conduct that they never
make any converts, but continue just as they were
above six hundred years ago.
'I'he patriarch of (Constantinople, in consequence
of his having purchased his dignity from the grand
seignior, assumes, like the pope, tin; tide of univer-
sal bishop ; and as he procures his place by simony,
so he makes a simonical use of it. The patriaichs
and bisliops are always single men, but the priests
are married before ordination ; and this custom,
which is general all over the Levant, is very ancient.
This, however, is not an apostolical injunction, but
an invention of their own ; for, according to it, no
man can be a bishop, or a patriarcli, unless he is a
widower. For should a priest happen to marry a
second wife, (and he must be mariied before he is
ordained) he must no longer officiate. A clergyman
wiio marries after ordhiation, is considered as a lay-
man, and consequently if he is poor, obliged to
follow some secular employment.
The Greek clergy in the Levant are so miserably
poor, that they are obliged to sell their doctrine and
.sacraments in order to procure a subsistence, and it
is often no belter than a wretched one. There is no
one therefore can procure absolution, be admitted to
-a confession, have his children baptized, be married
or divorced, or oI)tain an excommunication against
iiis adversary, or the communion in time of sickness,
without paying some money. The priests make
the l>ost market they can, and fix a price on their
spiritual commodities, in proportion to the abilities
and devotion of the people. Nay, they are so rigid
and avaricious w ilh their people, that they will scarce
part with a drop of .holy water without being paid
for it before hand.
As those who have fixed parishes from which
•they must not depart, they would absolutely starve,
was it not for the benevolence of the people ; but
Ave may here add, what Mr. Sandys and Mr. Thom-
.«!on say, "?Iany of the Greek priests cultivate
small gardens, v. hich procure them some part of a
subsistence." 'l"he Turks oblige every parish to
maintain its own priest, lest he should become bur-
thensome to the state, and this must be paid either
iu money or in the fruits of the earth. Each dio-
cese is likew ise taxed for the support of the bishop ;
and as the collectors purchase their places from the
'I'urks, so they generally irfake the people pav more
than they ought. As for the charity of the people,
it cannot be very fervent, when we consider what
hardships they suffer, and hc^v cruelly they are op-
pressed by the Turks.
The monastic life is held in great veneration
among the Greeks; but the recluses arc poor monks
indeed. Many of them pretend that they never cat
flesh, which is not at all improbable, because they
cannot procure it ; for they are not restrained from
it by any particular vow'. Many of them allow
themselves only four hours sleep in the twenty-four,
and some only two. They attend divine service
three times in the day, and such as do not love
reading and study, spend their time in dressing their
gardens, and small pieces of ground adjoining to
the convents. Many of them work at different
trades, such as making shoes, clothes, and knitting
of stockings, so that few of them are idle; and in
this, from motives of necessity rather than choice,
they imitate, in some measure, the hermits in the
pruiiitive times.
Although there are monks of different orders
among the Greeks, yet all of them owe their origin
to Basil, who fust instituted ihe monastic life among
them. All the monks in general, look upon him
as their founder and common father, and esteem it
a crime of the most enormous nature, to deviate iu
the least from his rules. In some parts of Greece,
we meet with very beautiful convents as well as
churches ; but the generality of them are extremely
mean ; and notw ithstanding their pretensions to be
all followers of St. Basil, yet there are many of
them who differ from each other, so that it is not
an easy matter to find out who are in the right.
There is one order among them composed of per-
sons of great distinction and worth, who pretend to
live more piously than the others, and these are called
angelical. 'I'hey are very numerous, and most of
them live at their own expense. The next order to
this, are called those of the lesser habit, and are
much inferior to those already mentioned, nor do
they pretend to lead such sanctified lives. Be-
fore they take up the habit, they agree to live ac-
cording as their own discretion shall dictate, and
as they give a small sum according to their abilities
to the convent, they are served with what provi-
sions they chuse, so as it shall not exceed what they
have given. If they are iu possession of any thing
when they die, and leave no will, it is given to the
convent, but if olherw ise, they dispose of it to a
young novice, whom they call pupil. Tliere are
some monks, however, amongst this order, who
are so exceeding poor, miscv^ble and indigent, tiiat
they are incapable of purchasing the least spot or
parcel of ground for tlieir ow n private use, and are
obliged to spend their whole time in the service of
the convent, and submit to the meanest and most
servile employmeuls. Iu consequence of which.
£1
4 II
306
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
the convent supplies them with all convenient neces-
saiies, and if they have any time to spare, after
tlieir work is ovtr, they spend it in prayer and other
acts of devotion.
There is a third order of these monks, distin-
guished by the name of Anchorets, and aUhou<!;h
they chuse not to work, or go through the other
necessary duties of the convent, they are still very
desirous of spending their time in solitude and retire-
ment. For this reason, each of them purchases a
cell or hut witliput the convent, witii about lialf an
acre of ground adjoining to it, which he cultivates
in order to procure a subsistence. On Sundays and
holy-days they attend divine service in the churcli
of the convent, and ^^hen devotions are over, they
return to their cells, and spend their time in pursuit
of tl'eir necessary avocations, without being bound
down by any rules whatever. There are some of
these Anchorets, however, who withdraw them-
selves from their convents ; but for tliis they must
have leave from the abbot or superior. '1 his they
generally do, in order to give themselves up more
closely to prayer, meditation, and the contemplation
of divine things.
In such cases the convent sends them, once at
least, andsomeiinus twice in a month, a stated al-
lovvance of provisions, but there are others, who
though they retire from their convents with the
consent of the abbot, yet they still continue to cul-
tivate a small piece of ground in the same manner
as they did before. Some live on figs, cherries,
apples, and other fruits; whilea third sort procure
a subsistence, by transcribing books and manu-
scripts.
Besides these monks, there are likewise nuns who
form themselves into communities, are confined to
convents, and live according to the order of St.
Basil. They are no way inlerior to the monks with
respect to their abstemio,us course of life, their pe-
nances, fasts, prayers, and other acts of devotion.
'Ihey make choice of one of the most ancient sis-
ters, who is conspicuous for her exemplary life and
conversation, to be their principal or lady abbess.
The same duties are incumbent on these superiors,
with respect to the nuns, as are required and ex-
pected from the abbots in relation to the monks. —
But still these nuns are under the government of an
abbot, who takes care to sen.'l them, from time to
time, some old nionks to be their fathers' confessors,
and to administer the sacraments to them in their
proper seasons. One of these confessors resides
near the convent, to be always ready at hand to
assist them on any emergent occiision. He like-
wise stiys mass to them, and regulates all their de-
votions.
1 here are many of these nuns in Greece, and in
general they wear the same habit, which is black
with a woollen gown of the same colour, the sleeves
of which cover their arms down to the fingers ends.
Tht.r heads are all shaved close; each of them has
a separate apartment, with a conanodious room both
above and below. Such as are in affluent circum-
stances, are allowed to keep a servant; nay, some-
tmies they entertain young ladies in their society,
and train them up in the practice of piety. When
the hours of devotion are over, they spend the re-
mainder of the day in teaching all sorts of needle-
work as are consistent w ith the fashions and dresses
of the country. I'he Turks often come to these
convents, in order to purchase girdles from the nuns,
but they never attempt to conmiit any indecencies;
for however arbitrary the Turkish government may
appear to those who are not acquainted with it, yet
(his much is certain, that they content themselves
with receiving the conniion tribute from the Greeks,
witl'out giving them any farther trouble.
The fasts observed by the Greeks are very differ-
ent from those of the Latins ; for the latter are fes-
tivals, when compared with those of the former. —
The Greeks not only abstain from eating the flesh of
animals and their p.roduce, such as butter and cheese,
buf they eat no manner of fish, and content them-
selves with fruits and herbs, to which they put a
small quantity of oil, and they allow themselves only
one glass of wine during the whole day. "^J he monks
are still more rigorous than the laity, for they
never so much as taste one drop of wine or oil, ex-
cept on Saturdays and Sundays. The Muscovites,
however, or Russians, as they have neither wine nor
oil, are indulged to eat fish.
As for their Lents, the Greeks censure the Latins
for fasting on Saturdays, because that Sunday as
well as Saturday is a festival ; and this they prove
from the practice of tlie primitive church, which is
certainly true, for the primitive Christians never
did fast on Saturdays.
But we have a still more explicit account of the
facts observed by the Greek monks, in the writings
of several of those eminent travellers who have
lately visited the Levant. They are obliged to fast
three days every week, namely, on Mondays, Wed-
nesdays, and Fridays. On which days they go to
private prayers about two iii the afternoon, and then
they receive a small refreshment, which ].rinci|>ally
consists in a few beans vvilli a little broth, without
either oil or butter, only a few roots are mixed with
the broth, and to the whole is added a small quan-
tity of vinegar. In the evening they return to
prayers a'iaiii, and m hen service is over, they seat
themselves in the church, and distribute lo each
monk a slice ot bread, and a glass of water.' This
indni-.rence, ho\^ever, is only shewn to the junior
monks, for the senior ones have no share in the dis-
tribution. After a short interval they return to their
ACCOUNT OF THE OREEK CHURCH.
307
devotions, wliicli generally last an hour, and as they
go out of the church, ihey pass in review before
their suj:erior, or abbot, who slnnds at ihe doiir. — •
Each as he passes asks his biessiiiij, ami the abbot
says, •' Goil be propitious to tliee my sun." The
benediction bcini; iiiven, each walks heinc to his own
cell, but ii'^ie of them dare speak as lie s;oes along,
that beinj; in all respects contrary to their orders.
This exercise is succeeded by a very short re-
pose, for about midnight they get up and attend
pui,iic prayers, which are seldom over before day-
break, at which time every one retires to his private
avocations till noon, when he is again oL-liged to
attend ehurih. Returning from church to ilie hall
of the convent, they have a dinner of herbs with a
little bread served up, and each of the monks im-
plores the abbot's blessing, who stands at the upper
end of the table. If any one of ihe monks has lain
too long in bed, he is obliged. Ly way ol' penance,
to go to the lower end of ihe table, and re|ieat the
following words : " Have compassion, O Lord, on
thy unworthy servant and people, according to thy
infinite goodness and mercy." Then the penitent
prostrates himself on the ground, imploring forgive-
ness in that liundjle posture, and crymgout, " O holy
fathers, pray for me who am a sinful sluggard." —
A\ hereupon the UKjnks reply, " God forgive you, my
brotiier."
After this, they all depart except the poor peni-
tent, who is obliged to remain there some time
longer, and none are exempted from this penance,
from the highest to the lowest. Idleness is a vice
agaiTist which they are obliged to guard themselves,
for it is in consequence of their industry that they
are able to pay the tribute to the Turks. Most of
their ceremonies are founded on oral traditions,
which they believe have been conveyed down to them
from the primitive ai^es of Christianity. They have
no o|)p<)rlunlty of inquiring whether they are true
or false, for it is sutHcient for them that they are
acknowledged by the priests, and held in esteem by
the common people. To this may be added, that if
ignorance reigns among the people, it is but little
better with the priests, among whom are seldom any
to be found, who have read more than tlieir common
breviaries ; and it is well known they may, by con-
stant practice, read these over without understand-
ing them.
The Greek church, in the sixth century, acknow-
ledged five distinct patriarchs, viz. that of Rome,
Constanlino|ilc, Alexaiulria, Antioeh and Jerusalem.
— but besides the above-mentioned patriarchs, the
Russians hav(; joined a sixth, whose jurisdiction ex-
tends c)\er all that vast empire. He is supreme
judge in all ecclesiastical affairs, and has an unlimited
powex to direct the clergy in the nature and dis-
charge of their duty. But still the patriarch of
Constantinople is generally considered as the head
of the Gree*- church throughi>iit every part of the
world. But here it is necessary to observe, that
neither tlie patriarch of Constantinople, nor any of
tlie liish i;)s under him, can exercise their authority
without 1 ( imission from the grand seignior, so that
in this seii.se, even a Mahometan emperor becomes
the head of the Greek church.
Sir Paul Ricaut, who visited the Levant, and
wrote the history of the Turks about one hundred
years ago, sajs, tliat the patriarchs of Constantinople
used to pay no more than ten thousand crowns when
they were first installed, but in his time it had arisen
to twenty-five thousand, and now it is not less than
fifty thousand. Resides this duty, which is very
burthchsome, the collectors often exact great fees
from them; so that the patriarch, although he grati-
fies his ambition, by accepting of an empty title,
yet he is for the most part incumbered with debts,
which leads him to very unjustifiable means in order
to pay them. If he once proves deficient in his
payments, he is immediately deposed, and it is owing
to such causes as these, that there are so many
revolutions, and such uncertainty, in the Greek
church.
The patriarch has under him above one hundred
and fifty archbishops and bishops, each of whom
pays a fee at his ordination, otherwise he cannot be
admitted : and when a priest dies without issue, the
patriarch seizes the whole of his estate, whether real
or personal. In this part of his conduct he receives
all manner of encouragement from the Turks, who
are willing that the (Jreeks should be kept as much
under as possible. It is certain, that the emperor of
Russia sends an annual present to the patriarch of
Constantinople, and this is done in consequence of
a traditional prophesy, that the Russians arc one day
to deliver the Greeks from the slavery they now
labour under.
Before the Turks made themselves masters of
Constantinople, all those who attended the patriarch
were monks, nor was any secular person admitted
into office ; but at present they are all seculars, four
only excepted. At the right hand of the patriarch
stands his high steward, whose peculiar provhice it
is to Collect the revenues, and discharge all such
debts as have been contracted, whether in purchasing
the place, or in consequence of any favour granted
since the election. He gives in an account twice in
the year, and assists at the patriarchal tribunal, when-
ever that court sits. When a liishop dies, he super-
intends the affairs of the diocese, and in the name of
his master has the first vote at the next election.
Next to him is the high master of the chapel,
who assists the patriarch in the discharge of all those
308
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
cereHionies and duties \\hich are enjoined by the
canons of the church, and who is to examine all the
candidates for the ministry.
The high treasurer is next in order, and it is his
business to take care of the sacred vessels, and pon-
tifical ornaments belonging to the church. He has
an office near the door of the vestry, where they are
deposited, and not only delivers out the proper ha-
biliments to the officiating prelate, but likewise takes
care that all things are regularly placed ui)on the
altar. AVhen a bishop dies, he has the rents of his
bishopric committed to his care by the high steward,
and these he keeps till the patriarch gives orders in
what manner they are to be disposed of, which is
generally for his own use.
The grand official takes care of every thing relat-
ing to benefices, and the impediments which obstruct
marriages, and he introduces all such priests as come
to receive the sacrament on solenni festivals. He is
keeper of all the charters and records, and when the
patriarch officiates at consecraticrtis, whether of bi-
shops or priests, he stands by his side. Next to him
is the high or grand chancellor, and he has the cus-
tody of the patriarch's signet, with which he seals
all his letters. The grand referendary dispatches all
the patriarch's orders, acts as'iiis deputy to persons
of distinction, and is one of the ecclesiastical judges.
In the time of the Greek emperors, he was distin-
guished by the people of Palatine, but that is no
.longer in use.
The grand prothonotary sits directly opposite the
patriarch, to transcribe and deliver out all his briefs,
mandamuses, orders, and decrees. It is his province
likewise, twice every week, to examine all the profes-
sors of the civil law, and under his inspection are all
contracts of marriages, aiid last wills and testaments.
He attends the patriarch in the sanctuary, and brings
liim water to wash his hands after divine service.
These are his highest officers, who still maintain
their original dignity, and when he is visited by
■bishops from Russia, or any where else, where the
Greek religion is professed, they stand at his right
hand, pointing out by that ceremony, that they are
superior to tlie visitors.
Next to these are a lower sort of officers, not un-
like some of those we meet witii in the churches of
Roman C'ltholics.
The first of these is the incense-bearer, who, be-
rsides discharging the duty implied in his title, covers
the consecrated vessels, and other sacred utensils,
with a veil, during the time the choir is singing the
anthem to the sacred Trinity, and he assists the bi-
shops or priests, who says mass, to put on their
robes. The next officer to him is employed in
writing down the votes of bishops on elections, or
when any councils are held, and receiving petitions
apd remonstrances. This officer is called the advo-
cate, and holds on certain days, a court in the
church porch, and decides in smaller matters relat-
ing to ecclesiastical afl'airs. Under him is an officer,
who takes care of the rituals, and in the absence of
the bishop he can consecrate a new church, ordain
readers, and such inferior ofiicers as do not adminis-
ter the sacraments. During divine service, all these
officers sit on the right hand of the bishop's throne,
but in the ecclesiastical court, each has a seat ac-
cording to the nature of his oflice.
On the left hand of the patriarch, sit several other
officers, particularly the high priest, the visitor, the
prefect of churches, the secular judges, two deans
the chanter, the grand arch-deacon, and the deacons.
The prefect has the care of -the sacred oil, and he
erects the cross upon the spot of ground marked out
for a new church, when the patriarch cannot per-
form the ceremony himself. There is an officer or
deputy, under the arch-deacon, to assemble the cler-
gy together, and he has a deputy, who begins sing-
ing in the choir. The same deputy introduces
strangers Into the presence of the patriarch, and
clears the way to and from his audience. He may
properly be stiled the master of the ceremonies, for
most of h:s business comes under sucli a character.
The other officers on the patriarch's left hand, are
the catechist, who instructs adult persons for the
sacrament of baptism, and these are commonly such
as have renounced heresy, and desire to be admitted
into the church. This officer has an a])artinent ad-
joining to the church, where his discipfes come to
receive instructions; but if any of them should hap-
pen to admit a Turk to the sacrament of baptism, it
would be' attended with very serious consequences,
for in such cases, both the catechist and the cateciui-
nien w ould be impaled alive. This is such a dread-
ful |)unishmcnt, that we shall here describe it to the
reader.
Near the out parts of the city, at the comlnou
place of execution, a gibbet is erected in the form
of a cross, and the person condemned by the cadi,
or judge, is brought out and stripped naked. A
small piece of wood, almost in the shape of a lance,
is thrust in at his fu)idament, till the other end
comes out at his shoulder, and in this manner he is
hung up on the gibbet, and left to expire. When
Mr. Thompson was at Smyrna, he saw a man suffer
in this manner for changing his religion, and he
continued in tortures upwards of six hours, before
he expired, but the catechist who had converted him
made his :escape.
Besides the catechist, there is another under him,
who is ■called the provident, and goes from place
to place to instruct such persons in the country as
desire to 'be ibaptized i and it is necessary to observe,
that they may make converts of heathens, Jews, Ro-
man Catholics, or Protestants, but they must not
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
3()9
nicdtHe v\lili M;iIiomclaiis. Tliere is also auolher
officer, whose business it is to cairv llie pastoral start'
before the bishop ; besides several door-kec])ers :
but tliese oflictrs are not lixed, it being in the power
of every new bislif)p to change tiieni as often as he
pleases. Besides these, there is anotlur oflicer not
yet mentioned, who attends the patriarch, ami is his
confessor. He has apartments in the house of the
patriarcli, and, properly speaking, he is both his
temporal and spiritual director, there being nothing
ot importance undertaken without consulting luni,
nor any thing concluded, unless he gives his consent
and approbation.
The Greeks have their synods, but these are not
properly of a li.xed nature. Every bishop may con-
vene a syrfod of the clergy withni his diocese, and
50 may an archbishop within his province ; but little
of any importance is transacted in them. M'hether
these synods are convened bv !)ish<i|)s or archbishops,
yet before they issue out their orders for tlie clergy
to attend, they are obliged to obtain the consent of
the governor of the province, to whom they pay a
certain fee. It is much more .so witli the patriarch
of Constantinople, who dares not call a synod till
he has obtained permission from the grand seignior,
for which he pays a considerable sum to the grand
vizier.
From what we have said concerning the discipline
in the Greek church, and the splendid titles bestowed
upon those who attend the patriarch of Constanti-
nople, some may imagine that this pontiff is held
in the same rank as the popes at Rome. The case,
however, is quite otherwise; for the pope is rather
a temporal prince than a spiritual bishop, and we
have an instance so late as the year 1748, of Bene-
dict X IV . pope of Rome, and one of the greatest
canonists that ever lived, sending an ambassador to
the treaty held at Aix-la-Chapefle, in. order to insist
that he should be secured in the peaceable posses-
sion of his dominions. Xav, in former times, this
was common with the popes, and on different occa-
sions they became mediators between contending
princes, of which many instances might be given.
At Constaivtinople, the patriarch is such a poor
dependent creature, that no motives that we can form
any notion of, \\ould induce him to court the eiijov-
nient, or rather the fatigues of the office, except prin-
ciple or ambition. That his motives do nt>t tlow
from a principle of doing good, must appear evident
to every one who has heard how he acquires the title.
The means made use of are a scandal even to a
heathen country, but much more so to those who
assume the sacred naifie of Christian. He enters
upon it by a simonical bargain ; he rewards his op-
pressors with what emoluments, or rather what fees
o( an illegal nature he can extort from his suffragans,
aud by so doing lays a fouudatiou for a continual
21 4 1
succession of hypocrisy, perjury, and every thing
that can dishonour religion, and disgrace-man. But
we must look for it in ambition, that principle im-
planted in every human breast, and always benelicial
to ourselves and to others, when exerted in a proper
manner. But there are two sorts of ambition, one
which leads us in the load, and conducts us to the
temple of fame: there is another, which renders us
despicable even in the eyes of the meanest of Our
fellow-creatures.
An honest ambition stimulates a man to act in
su< h a manner as to leave a good name behind, anii
if he should even miss that, as many have done, he
will still eiijov a good conscience. When Sir Tho-
mas More was lord high chancellor of England, his
sons, whom he had |)Ut into places, complained one
day to their father, that by his lenity to the suitors in
Chancery, thev could not make so much in their
offices, as those who went before them; " I will do
justice (said he) to every man for your sake, and
1 will leave you a blessing." Here was an instance
of untainted moral ambition, and it is from such
sentiments that many great and good men have
learned to be useful to their fellow creatures. Sir
Thomas More, although a Christian, and a zealous
Roman Catholic, for which he lost his life, spoke
here as a moral pliiloso)jlier, as an upright judge,
and as an honest man ; but let us carry the idea into
Christianity.
When Ignatius, the aged bishop of Antioch, in
the reign of the emperor Trajan, was told that he
was to be devoured by wild beasts, he exultingly re-
plied, " That is my highest honour, for then 1 shall
bt; grinded by their teeth, so as to be bread for my
Divine Lord and Redeemer." But the second sort
of ambition is, that which is mean, selfish, and
grovelling. Such are those wretches who sell himour
and conscience, not for a temporary emolument,
but mi rely for an empty name. Mr. Knowles, in
his history of the Turks, tells us of a rich tradesman
at Constantinople, w ho gave all his fortune for leave
to wear the imperial crown one hour, and thus, says
the historian, in one hour, he became a conceited
emperor and a real beggar.
'I'his case, in every respect, applies to those meu
who aspire at being patriarchs of Constantinople. —
Thev arc mean enough to solicit the interest of the
clerks in office, and these being well paid, intercede
with the grand vizier, who obtains permission from
the grand seignior; and the patriarch, in order to
reimburse himself of tlie expenses he has paid, (leect s
the bishofis under his care, and they, in their turn,
are permitted to o])press the people. It often hap-
pens, that all the patriarch can procure does not
answer the demand of the grand vizier, who is for
the most part implacable, and will shew him no
mercy. He is ordered into banishment, and another
SIO
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
is appointed in lils room ; so that it often liappens
that there are three or four deposed patriarchs at a
time. Strange, that tlie desire of an empty name
shoidd lead men on to such unaccountable extrsiva-
gancies, but such is the state of human nature ; and
in looking over history, we shall find, that some
men in all ages and nations, have been tainted with
this mean sordid principle.
Of the Worship in the Greek Church-
When the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost
ceased, the rulers of the church supplied this want
by proper forms of their own composition, accord-
ing to Christian prudence and discretion. This
seems to have been the true original of liturgies, or
slated forms of divine service.
Every bishop, in tlie first ages, was at liberty to
order the form of divine service in his own church ;
and, accordingly, each particular church or diocese,
had its proper liturgy. This privilege the bishops
retained for several ages ; but in after times, thev
agreed by consent to conform their liturgy to the
model of the motropoiitical church to which they
belonged. And then it was enacted into a law bv
several councils, that the same order and uniformity
should be observed in all churches. The rudiments
of tliis discipline were first laid in the French
churches ; but soon after, the same rule was con-
certed and agreed upon in the Spanish churches. In
lengtli of time, when the Roman empire began to
he divided into different kingdoms, then came in the
use of national liturgies, or such whose use was
commensurate to the bounds and limits of their re-
spective nations and kingdoms.
J\one of the ancient liturgies are now remaining,
as they m ere at first composed for the use of parti-
cular churches, and several reasons may be assigned
for this. 1. They being designed only for the use of
particular churches, there was no great reason to be
very solicitous, either to communicate the knowledge
of them to other churches, or to preserve them en-
tire to posterity. 2. It is not improbable, as a
learned F'reuch writer has observed, that the ancient
liturgies were for some ages only certain forms of
worship Committed to memory, and known bv ]»rac-
tice rather than by writing. This seems the more
probable, because, in the persecution under Dio-
clesian, when strict search was made after every
thing belonging to the church, we never read of any
ritual books, or books of divine service, discovered
among them. This is an argument that they did
not so generally draw up their liturgies, or forms of
worship, in books and writings, as in after ages :
which is the reason why. noue of those ancient litur-
gies are come to our hands perfect and entire, but
only in scattered fragments, as the fathers had occa-
sion to mention them incidentally in their writings.
3. The last reason is, the interpolations and additions
made to the ancient liturgies in after ages. For,
though these ancient liturgies which go under the
name of St. Chiysostom and St. Basil, might origin-
ally have something of their composition in them,
yet so many additions and alterations have been
made in them by the Greek church in following
ages, that it is not easy to discern what are the ge-
nuine compositions of the first authors. But, though
none of tlie ancient liturgies are come down to us
perfect and entire, yet there are several fragments
and scattered remains of them in the genuine writings
of the fathers; to which may be added, such forms
as we find in the ancient book called The Apostoli-
cal Constitutions. This, though |)erliaps not so old
as the title imports, nor of so venerable authority as
Mr. W'histon contended for, who will have it to be
truly diabolical, is allowed however to be a good
collection of the liturgies and rituals of the church,
ill the fourth and fifth centuries.
The Greeks have several liturgies for particular
holv days, but the one generally used is that com-
moiily known by the name of St. Chrysostom's; and
although this book be of considerable antiquity, yet
it was not written by that father, but by some other
person since his time. St. Chiysostom lived in the*-
latter end of the fourth, and beginning of the fifth
centurv, for he was ordained bishop of Constanti-
nople 1395, and deposed and banished for opposing
Arianism 1405. In his time some forms of prayer
were used, but these were few, plain, and easy; and
of these we have some specimens in the works of
this celebrated father, quite different from those
which bear his name in the Greek liturgy.
During their prayers in public, the Greeks for the
most part stand uncovered, w ith their faced towards
the east, but they may lean, or even sit down, if it
is more convenient for them. The laity sit while
the priest reads his exhortation to them, for preach-
ing is so far abolislied among them, that Tournefort
assures us, that there is scarce a pulpit to be seen :
and when it happens that a priust attempts to preach,
he makes a very aulcward figure. His discourse
consists of a tedious train of empty words, without
the least order or coherence, and which the teacher
knows just as little of as the people.
As soon a.s the people get into their pews, they
uncover their heads, and make the sign of the cross,
by joining the three first fingers of their right hand ;
by which is implied, that there are three persons in
the sacred godhead, and then they draw them down
from their foreheads below their breasts, and then
from the right shoulder; by all which is meant,
that the three persons in the godhead reside in hea-
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
311
ven; when broiifjlit to the breast, Christ's Incarna-
tion, crucitixioii, burial, and descent into hell;
when laid on the right shoulder, they denote that
Christ is riscii, and sits at the right hand of God.
As the wicked are said to be placed at llif lel't hand
of Christ, and as in all cases, the right hand is rec-
koned more noble than the left, so the Greeks, who
arc very superstitions, prefer this way of making the
cross to that used by the Roman Catholics. Jiut
there are many other mysteries supposed to be held
forth by these ceremonies; for in all churches where
priniitiye simplicity is forsaken or neglected, allego-
ries, drayyii from visible representation, are placed
in its room.
When the Greeks celebrate inass, the priest en-
ters the church, attended by a deacon, and they
bow to the east, and make three profound bows
before the images of our Saviour anil the blessed
Virgin, which are accompanied with a sliorl prayer,
and after that, three more low bows to the east. —
'i'lie deacon then advances and dresses the priest in
the outward robe or stole, after which he puts on
his own. The whole of this ceremony is conducted
w ith the repetition of several short prayers, both
by the priest and the deacon, while the people are
at their devotions in private. The priest then walks
from one end of the altar to the other, touches all
the sacred vessels, marks them with the sign of the
cross, and repeats several prayers iu concert with the
deacon.
These ceremonies being performed, the priest,
with the deacon, goes to the left side of the altar,
where they wash their hands, as a token of their
being cleansed from all hlthiness of the flesh and
spnit, and while they arc washing, they repeat a
prayer in their own language. The priest then be-
gins to make the necessary preparations for celebrat-
ing mass, and the deacon brings the bread, wine,
and chalice, out of a closet, and places them on a
table before the middle of the altar, then both of
them make three profound bows before them. Hav-
ing blessed the bread, he takes it in bis left hand,
and a knife in his right, and makes a cross ou it,
saying three times successively, " In remembrance
of Jesus Christ, our Lord, our God, and our Re-
deemer." In the conclusion of these words, he en-
ters the knife into a mark on the right side of the
bread, and cuts it cross-ways, repealing the follow-
ing words: " He was led as a sheep to the slaugh-
ter," and when the knife is entered into the mark,
he adds, " And as the lamb before his shearer was
dumb." When he cuts tlie upper part of the mark,
he says, " His judgment \\ as made manifest in his
humility." And on cutting the lower part, he con-
tinues: "And who shall declare his generation?"
At every distinct act of the priest, the deacon says,
" Let us pray to the Lord," and taking the lap of
his stole in his right hand, he addresses himself thus
to the priest : " Elevate my Lord." The priest
then cuts the bread a .second time, saying, " He
was elevated for us." Then he puts the bread into
the paten, and when the deacon says to him, "Of-
fer the sacrifice, my Lord," he ofl'ers it cross-ways,
iu imitation c)f the sacrifice of our blessed Lord upon
the cross, and says, " 1 here offer up for the spiri-
tual benefit and salvation of mankind, the Lamb of
God which takes away the sins of the w'orld." Iu
like manner, when the deacon sa\s, "Pierce it,"
he cuts the remainder of the bread with his knife,
on the right side, applying the following text to the
action : " One of the soldiers pierced Ins side w ith
a spear, and there issued forth blood and w ater."
Then the deacon pours the wine and water into the
chalice, and mixes them, as a representation of
Christ's sufferings, both in his soul and in his
body.
The custom of mixing wine and water together,
is of great antiquity, was often practised in the pri-
mitive church, and took its rise from the following
circumstance. The primitive Christians, besides
their using wine at the communion, had their love-
feasts where they conversed together upon divine
things; and as these were held on the same days,
and as they drank wine at both, it was found most
prudent to mix it with water. Indeed this was the
more necessary, because the Asiatic wines are very
strong ; and had they not contrived to weaken them,
they might have gone home in a state of intoxication.
Nay, their churches and houses might have become
scenes of riot and drunkenness, as was the practice
of the heathens. But these primitive Christians
never drew from this ceremony any allegorical infer-
ences, but only used it from motives of prudence
and virtue, that the heathens might see their lives
were pure and blameless, lint to return to the
Greek worship, were we find the liturgy j)roceeding
in the following manner :
The priest takes a second loaf, saying, " In ho-
nour of our blessed Lady ;" a'nd then he elevates it,
and puts it on the left side of that which was con-
secrated before. After this, he takes up as many
loaves as are wanted, and consecrates them in the
same manner as before. These are dedicated to
the prophets, to John the baptist, and to the apostles
with other illustrious saints, particularly St. Chry-
sostom, w hoiu they believe to be the author of their
liturgy. These oblations amount to nine in all; and
represent, (as the Greek priests tell us) the nine
hierarchies of angels.
After all this, the priest takes more bread, and
consecrates several small pieces as bet<jre, for the
archbishop, or bishop of the diocese to which he
belongs, and for the priests, deacons, and all such as
are of the sacerdotal order : and then, in commemo-
312
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
ration of the founders of the church wherein the
mass is celebrated, and for the remissionof their
sins. Here the names of the living likewise are
mentioned, who desire to be remembered in their
prayers: but more particularly those who have paid
for saying this mass, and all such deceased persons
as he is desired to commemorate and recommend to
the divine favour. The priest holds one piece of
bread in his right hand, and another in his left, while
the deacon takes the censer, and desires his blessing,
■which he receives, and then incenses the silver star,
Avith wliich the priest covers the consecrated bread,
prononncing, at the same time, the following words,
" The star rested over the place where the child was
laid."
This action is accompanied with several prayers,
and afterwards the deacon incenses the veils with
which he covers the chalice and paten. ]?esides
these veils; which are made use of as separate covers
for the bread and wine, there is another in common
use by the Gr-eeks, called Aer, which the celebrant
or priest spreads over them both. After this, the
•priest and the deacon join their hands, adore the
sacred elements, and repeat a thanksgiving out of
Iheir liturgy. Then the priest reads a collect called
.the Prayer of Oblation ; and having incensed the
altar, he pronounces the absolution. Here the priest
repeats a prayer, in which St. Chrysostom is named
immediately after the Blessed V^irgin. This being
over, the deacon takes the censer from the priest, and
incenses the communion table in the form of a cross;
and kneeling down, repeats tlie following prayer :
" Thy body, O Lord, wasJaid in the silent grave;
ithy soul descended into hell as God ; thou entered
into paradise with the holy thief; but thou hast
seated thyself with the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Ghost, in thy celestial throne, where by thy immen-
sity thou fiiiest all tilings."
As the Koman Catholics pretend to discover mys-
teries in all their ceremonies, so do the Greeks in
•their. 'It was the same with the ancient heathens,
particularly the Greeks, from whom the Greek
Christians have borrowed the greatest part of their
ceremonies : some few they have borrowed from the
■Jews, but not so many of tliose as we meet with in
the mass book of the church of Rome, which we
■have already described.
Many of the Greek monks differ in some things-
tn their ceremonies from the secular clergy, of which
we shall give the followiiig instance. The monks
«if Mount Athos, honour the blessed Virgin in a
way peculiar to themselves. One of the brethren
(Standing at tiie lower end of the table, cuts a ^mall
loaf into four parts, and deposits one of them in a
plate, or a little box, which is placed on a stand for
ihat purpose before the image of the blessed Virgin.
This piece of bread, vduch they call Paiiag/a, is
delivered immediately after consecration to the abbot,
who elevates it, saying, "Magnified be thy name,"
the monks say, " Of the sacred Trinity." Tlreii
the abbot proceeds, "O! Ever blessed God, aid
and assist us!" The monks reply, "Through her
intercession, have mercy upon us and save ns, good
Lord." After this, the abbot takes up a small piece
of the crumb, which he puts in his moulh, and the
monks eat up the remainder.
Having said thus much by way of digression con-
cerning the manners of the Greeks in their consecra-
tion of the elements, we shall now proceed to give
an account of the concluding parts of this ceremony 4
and here it is necessary to observe, that in the li-
turgy ascribed to St. Chrysostom, the offices are
longer, and the ceremonies more numeroiis than in
the Missal of the church of Rome. For in the
Roman church, mass is generally concluded within
an hour if sung, and in little more than half an hour
if said ; whereas in the Greek church it is seldom
less than two hours, and on some particular festivals,
particularly those of St. James, St. Basil, and St.
Chrysostom, takes up, at least, three hours.
The deacon having incensed the priest, and the
high altar as we have already described, he ])laces
himself by his side before the high altar, where
.having made several bows, the priest kisses the gos-
pels, and the deacon the communion table. The
deacon afterwards makes his bow to the priest, and
says to him, " It is time to sacrifice to the Lord,
father give me your benediction." Tlie priest gives
it accordingly, and the deacon answers, " Pray for
me." Then the priest repeats a short prayer, and
the deacon says Amen, three different times. And
both at one and the same time say, " O Lord ! thou
shalt open niy lips." The deacon after this goes
out of the tabernacle, and adores the elements three
different times, and again receives the priest's bles-
sing, all the people saying Amen. Here it is they
repeat a general prayer for the peace of the church
where they reside ; for the congregation then pre-
sent ; for the patriarch or archbishop, and the inferior
clergy ; for the civil power under which they live ;
for prosperity to all those mIio travel by land or bv
water; for captives ; for the sick ; and for the whole
world in general.
As soon as these prayers are over, the first anthem
begins, which is performed by the deacc)n and choir,
who sing in concert in some parts of rt, and in
others alternately. These anthems are taken from
their own liturgy, and they consist chiefly of verses
collected out of (he psalms, and hymns written by
St. Chrysostom.
^ This part of the ceremony is called the benedic-
tion of the entry, which being over, the deacon hav-
ing kissed the gospels, stands before the priest, with
the book to the people, saying, with an audible
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
voire, '■' Bfliolrl ilie book of tnie wisdom." The
prie.sl and the deacon make their rcspeetive rever-
ences, tlie hitler puts the gospel upon tlie commu-
^jiioii talile, and the choir sing the anlhenis appointed
for the day.
As soon as the anthem is finished, the deacon, as
before, asks the priest's benediction, and receives it,
after wliich the priest repeats a short prayer. The
deacon then goes towards the door, and says, " Let
us be attentive," and the priest answers, " Peace be
inito all." All these cereihonies are only prelinii-
iiaiy to the reading of the gosn, !, and there are
many otiiers sitiiihir to wliat we i;ave already men-
tioned. Several lighted lamps are carried before the
deacon when he goes out of the sanctuary with the
gospel, and then he mounts the desk to read the
epistle, which bein« concluded, the priest says to the
deacon, " Peace be unto you all," and the latter
delivers the gospel to the former. Several prayers
and short ejaculations succeed in the same manner
as directed in the liturgy.
Here tiie catechumens mike their appearance,
mIio are not only particularly prayed for, but the
deacon makes several vows in their behalf, and at
everv solemn engagement the choir sing Kyrie Ele^-
son. The prayer for tliese catechumens, which the
priest rej>eats aloud, closes the service for them,
after which the veil is displayed, upon which the
relics of the saints are laid. The deacon next takes
up the censer, and incenses the priest, saying to him,
■" Elevate my Lord." Then the priest takes off the
veil, tluows it over the deacon's left shoidder, and
pronounces a prayer suitable to the occasion. After-
w.wds the deacon takes the paten and puts it upon
'liiK-head, and the priest takes the clialicc, and the
tdcacon the censer, and in this manner they march in
procession round the church, repeating a particular
prayer, till they come to the door of the tabernacle,
where both of them repeat aloud, " Blessed is he
that comes in the name of the Lord." After this
tlie priest lays the sacred symbols on the high altar,
takes otf the veil that covered the paten and the cha-
lice, and 'i-e other veil that had been thrown over
the deacon's shoulder, who incenses the sacred ele-
ments three times successivelv. Both the priest and
the dcac )ii kneel down again, and adore the sacred
« lements, and the priest repeats a prayer in secret.
Several prayers and ejaculations follow, with other
acts of devotion, and the priest and the deacon
make three profound bows again towards the com-
ninnion table. '
Thf n the creed is rehearsed, after which the priest
OTys, " Lift up yuur hearts," to which tlie people
answer, " We lift them up unto tlie Lord." Here
tlio priest repeats a prayer in secret, the deacon
makes the sign of the cross on the paten, wipes it
With the veil, kisses it, puts on another robe, and
21
goes to the ri<;ht side of the altar, with a large fan ,
in his hand, which he waves for some time over the
sacred elements. Here follows another secret prayer,
which being over, the priest bows reverently three
times, and with ujilifted hands, blessps the sacred
elements. After which, with an audible voice, he
says, " Take, eat, this is my body, &,c." 'I'akiiig the
cup, he says, " This cup is my blood, drink ye all
of it."
As soon as both these ceremonies arc over, the
deacon lavs down the fan, and goes up to the priest,
each of them making three bows towards the sacred
elements, and repeating a short prayer. Then the
deacon bows down his head, points to the elements,
and ill a kind of whisper, desires the |)riest to pni-
nounce a second blessing on them, which he does iu
the following words : " O Lord, by thy omnipotent
power, let tLose elements be unto us as the body and
blood of Christ." Here the deacon takes up the
fan a second time, and the priest repeats a prayer,
begging of Cjod, that none but the faithful iiuiy |)ai-
take of the body and blood of Christ; from whence
it appears evident, that lliey difier much from the
lloman Catholics, for the latter believe that the
wafer is wholly changed into the body and blood of
Christ, so that whoever ]iartakes of it, must eat the
body of Christ; whereas the Greeks believe that
there is no change made iu the elements but to the
faithful.
They commemorate the dead as well as the living,
and the choir repeat the Lord's Prayer three times,
after which the priest says, " Peace be unto you."
As soon as the deacon sees tl>e priest stretch out his
hands over the sacred elements, he pronounces with
ail audible voice, " Let us give due attention ;" and
the priest adds, " Holy things arc for those that are
hoK.'' The deacon girds himself with a robe in the
form of a cross, and standing at the right hand of
the priest, desires liim to divide the bread. Accord-
insjly he divides it into four several parts, repeating
the following words: "The Lomb of Ciod, the Son
of the Father, is separated and divided; and though
separated, is not mangled nor torn in pieces ; he is
forever eaten, but never consumed. He sanctifies
all who partake of this holy bread, and drink of this
holy wine."
After tliis he takes one of the pieces of the con-
secrated bread into his hand, the deacon points to
the chalice, and desires him to fill it, to which the
priest replies, "This is the fulness of the Holy
Ghost," and making at the same time the sign of
the cross, takes out a small piece of brei' !, and jnits
it into a chalice, and the deacon pours warm water
upon it. After this the priest administtrs the bread
to thf deacon, who receiving it, kisses the celebrant's
hands, saying, "-Permit me to partake of the sacred
i body of Jesus Christ, our God aud our Saviour."
4 K
314
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
To which the priest answers, " I do freely permit
thee to partake of the sucrcd spotless body of Jesus
Christ our God and our Saviour, for the remission
of thy sins, and for the happy attainment of ever-
lasting life." After that the deacon withdraws be-
hind the communion table, and there repeats a prayer
in private. Then the priest receives the sacrament
himself, and bowing to the elements, repeats the
foilouing «ords : " I believe, O Lord, and ackno\^-
ledge that thou art Jesus Christ, tiie Son of the living
God. O let me now partake of thy mysterious
banquet, \\hich I industriously conceal from thine
enemies. I will not kiss thee, O Lord, as Judas
did, but like the thief upon the cross will I own
and acknowledge thee. Remember me, O Lord, in
thine heavenly kingdom. Thou didst not reject the
penitent adultress, do not therefore reject tiiy ser-
vant, O Lord."
Having communicated, he wipes that part of the
chulice which his lips had touched, saying, " This
chalice has touched my lips, it shall wash avvay mine
iniquities." The deacon advances, and performs his
acts of adoration, saying, " 1 approach thee, immortal
king." ,The priest v\ ho has the chalice in his hand,
delivers it to him, saying, " Receive the sacred pre-
cious body and blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ."
To conclude, the deacon lays the paten upon the
chalice, wiping them both, covers the latter with a
veU, opens the door of the holy tabernacle, and tak-
ing the cup in his right hand, elevates it, and at the
same time invites the people to draw near and par-
take of it with awful reverence and godly fear. The
priest blesses the people, and they answer in a suit-
afile manner thereunto. Then he and the deacon
return to the altar, which they incense three times,
repeating several siiort prayers.
The priest again takes up the paten, and puts it
upon the head of the deacon, who returns with it to
the tabernacle, where he deposits it. Then the dea-
con and the choir pray alternately a considerable
time, and the priest, 'ixing his eyes on the congre-
gation, repeats a thanksgiving. An anthem is then
sung, and the priest, having repeated the song of
Simeon, blesses the people, who all stand up ready
to depart, saying, " Grant long life and prosperity,
O Lord, to hlni who has thus blessed and sanctified
us."
This ends the service of the mass, when none
communicates besides the priest and the deacon, but
it is much longer when the laity communicate. —
They receive the sacrament standing at the door of
the tabernacle, the men first, and then the women.
Sudi as pal take must stand in a very reverential
posture, with their eyes fixed on the ground, their
heads bowed down in a posture of adoration, and
tlieir arms must be laid across. Before they partake,
they must go to the further end of the church, and-
beg pardon if they have offended any one; and if
one should happen to complain of another having
injured him, the offender must make restitution, and
say, " Brethren forgive me, for I have sinned botli-
in word and in deed." This being done, the priest
gives the communicant the consecrated bread, calling
him by his name, saying, " N. X. thou servant of
the living God, receive tlie sacred body of Jesus
Christ, to preserve thee into everlasting life." In
the same manner, and with words to the same effect,
he gives the cup.
Upon the whole, we have here an inordinate load
of ceremonies, which would even make religioM
nauseous, although its doctrines were pure; and thei..
affinity between these and those of the Roman Ca-
tholics, may serve to shew, that^oth churches went
hand and hand in promoting corruption, particularly
in worship. But we must now go on to describe,
such other ceremonies as are not hitherto mentioned.
\\'hen the Greeks consecrate a church, they attend
to almost as many ceremonies as the Roman Catho-
lics; nay, in some particulars more, as will appear-
from what we are now going to relate. When the.
bishop, attended by his priest and clerks, with his-
olher proper officers, arrives at the place where a,
new church is to be built, he finds the ground
marked out, and the chief persons of the parish at-
tending. He is received with as much formality as.
if he was a sovereign pontiff; for as we have al-_
ready observed, even the greatest severity of the
Turkish government: and the most abject state of
poverty cannot damp the spirits of the Greeks. Li
this part of tlieir conduct they seem to retain sonje
of the sentiments of their ancestors, before they
were subdued by the Romans, and those motives
which once led the ancient Greeks on to warlike
atchievements, are now become the leading princi-
ples of the grossest superstition. Revolutions in
public affairs, the introduction of new laws, man-
ners, customs, and daily practices, change the tem-
pers and dispositions of men, and descendents of
heroes are now become poor, insignificant devotees.
Pride, however, is not n holly eradicated, and a mo-
dern Greek can see as many virtues in a priest, as
his ancestors did in a Millbiades or a Theniisto-
cles.
The first thing the bishop does when he comes to
the place where the new church is to be built, is to
incense the ground all over, during which ceremony
the clergy sing anthems, in honour of the saint to.
whom it is to be dedicated. When he arrives at the
place where the high altar is to be erected, he re-
peats a prayer, begging that God would be pleased
to bless and prosper the intended edifice. This be-
.ing done, the bishop takes up a stone, and makes
the sign of the cross upon it, and then lays it in the
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
S\3
ground, .saving, "The Lord hafh laid tlie foundation
of this liDu^i', it sliail never he sluiken." Bin tlicre
is aiiotlier cerenionj luilyw iii<; tliis, which is truly
heathenisi), and Sir Paul Kicaut assmcs us he has
often seen it.
i\s si'on as the bishr)p and the clergy are with-
drav. n, the workmen kill a i.ock, oi a slieep, and
bury the blood under the lomidatiuii stone; for they
are of opinion, that tlieie is a kind of magic or
charm in this cer<inony, which is of vast service I o
tile building. '1 hey have another ceremony equally
as absurd and heathenish, and tliat is, ^\hen they
would wreck their vengeance on any one who has
offended them, they take the exact dimensions of
his body in height and circuniiVrence with a string,
and this they carry to the workmen to be laid under
the stone, believing the body of the person whom
they hate, will gradually moulder away as this mea-
sure does. I'his custom, or something of a similar
nature, is very ancient; for it was comnuni for those
who pretended to the power of witchtraft, to make
the figure ot a person in wax, and stick it full of pins.
This image was [daced before tli6 fire, and the per-
son whom it repiesLUtid decayed awav in the same
time the wax mt- Ited, and his pain v\as excessive, for
he felt as if so many pins or needles had been stuck
into his body. This notion was firmly believed by
the su]>erstitions, and whenever a man was afflicted
with any disorder of an extraordinarv nature that he
could not account for, then it w as believed that he
•\VTis sjti'ering under the power of witchcraft, for
which many old women have lost their lives.
The Greeks w ear a piece of paper, wood, brass,
or silver, hanging from their necks in the form of
a cross, with the name of Jesus Christ written ni>on
it. These they imagine to be effectual charms, or
preservatives asaiiist the power of several distempers.
Tliis practice, like the former, is not only ancient,
but is still observed in many of the idolatrous nations;
the only difference consisting, is this, that the hea-
thens, instead of the cross, w ear the image of one of
their idols.
The Greek churches are, for the most part, built
ni the form of a cross, with a dome and a steeple,
but the latter is of no manner of use to them, be-
cause the Turks will not suffer them to have bells.
The reason the Turks assign for this, is, that they
believe the noise of the bells disturb the repose of
the dead. As for such of the Greek churches- as
belong to convents, they are built in the middle of
the court, and the cells and apartments round them.
The people for the most part; sit on stools, with
their backs against the wall, in such a manner, that
they appear as if ihey were standing ; but during
prayers they kneel.
in the Metropolitan churches, the patriarch's
throne is erected on au eminence, and those of other
dignitaries under it. The readers, chanters and
interior clergv, sit over against tliem, and in the
middle is the d-sk for reading ihe scri|)tnres. 'I'lic
na\>c is separated from the sancluaiy, by a paitiliou
wall, running from the bottom to the top, which is
painted and guilt ; and the sanctuary has three doors.
The middle one is called the holy door, and is never
set ojieii, but at the celebration of some solemn fes-
tival, or during mass, when the deacon goes out to
read the gospel, or when the priest carries the sacred
elements to be consecrated. The highest part of the
church is the sanctuary, and it is always at the east
end, and terminates in a semicircle.
\Vhen 'they consecrate an altar, the bishop, or
priest appointed by him, incenses it all over, and
then pronounces a blessing while the deacon reads
several prayers, and the people sing anthems and
verses extracted out of the psalms. In one part of
the ceremony, the priest begs of God, in express
terms, "That he would be graciously pleased to
change the unbloody victims, which would be from
time to time offered up in sacrifice upon this altar,
into the body and blood of his son Jesus Christ."
At the conclusion of ahis prayer he removes every
thhig that is upon the altar, whilst the deacon and
the people sing some particular psalms, and all things
necessary for the absolution are brought before him.
The official steps forward, with a little pail, filled
with water, which he pours upon the altar, and says,
" Bless it my Lord." Then the bishop gives the
priests that are present at the ceremony, the sacred
linen clothes to rub the holy table, and the sponges
to wipe it dry after he has poured more water upon
it. After this, they dress it all Sue w, and repeats
prayer, which is followed by incensing the holy
table all around, and a benediction, accompanied
with the sign of the cross, which is made with a
piece of woollen cloth that covers the altar.
Besides Lent, and several other fasts, the Greeks
generally keep Wednesdays and Fridays, except
some few, and amongst the rest, those in the eleventh
week before Easter, which they call Artzeburst. —
The reason they assign for not fasting on the last
mentioned days, is singular enough.
They say, that some heretics in ancient times,
had a favourite dog; who used to go on errands for
them, from time to time ; but the creature being one
day found dead, the heretics accused the orthodox
with having killed him. These heretics set apart
two days in the week above mentioned, to fast and
mourn for the loss of their dog, and the orthodox,
lest they should conform to any of their practices,
kept three days in feasting.
The Greeks are so superstitious and rigid in the
observation of iheir fasts, that they w ill not suffer any
case of necessity whatever to justify a dispensation,
and even the patriarch himself, according as they
316
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
believe, caiiiwt give a person leave to eat meat, if tlie
church has commanded tlie contrary. They think
it their duty rather to let a sick man die, than to
.restore him to health if they could, by giving him
nourishment : which, on such occasions, they look
, npon as abominable. It happens, hovrever, that a
father confessor shall some'iines, when he has a par-
ticular respect and reganl for a person indisposed,
order and advise him to eat meat, and promise him
absolution, if he comes to confession. It is very
probable, that some cunning priests among them,
consider this practice as a proper medium between
the severity of churcli discipline, and the necessity
of enjoying the necessaries of life. This much is
(Certain, that such of the Greeks as visit Italy, ac-
knowledge, that their church has the same power as
that of Rome, which grants dispensations at any
time.
Dr. Spon> an eminent physician, who was seve-
ral years in the Levant, iiifonns us, that upon a
moderate computation, there are only about one
hundrefl and ninety days in the year on which meat
is permitted to be eaten, and that whatever the
priests may do in secret, yet neither old nor young,
the sick nor the healthy, are permitted to eat meat
publicly. By which means, the Greeks, for the ge-
nerality, have no other radical moisture in them, but
a compound of noxious humours, which makes them
hot and choleric, and addicted to the last degree, to
the most execrable oaths and blaspliemous impreca-
tions. What an instance i.s-this of the frailty of hu-
man nature, always obliged to submit and give way
to the constitution of the body and the inikiences of
,the climate a man lives under.
In their feasts, the Greeks gives themselves up to
all sorts of rioting and drunkenness, in which they
are encouraged by the example of their priests, who
join with them. Sometimes these scenes of riot
lead them to tight, a circumstance which the Turks
are sure to lay hold of to punish them. Sir George
WheelcT, who was an eye witness, gives the fol-
lowing description of the ceremonies used in the
ifircek church at Corvstantinople on Holy-Thursdav.
Twelve of their most venerable priests attend the
tpatr^arch to the church or sanctuary, w here he puts
t>ft his purple robe, and puts on one more costly.
The priests, who in this ceremony represent the
twelve apostles, have each a robe of a different co-
lour. The eldest who has the most venerable appear-
ance, is made choice of to personate Peter, and
•takes lh« tirst place on tlte right hand. One of the|n,
who is obliged to have a red beard, is made choice
m{ to represent Judas; but why Judas should have
.» re<l beard, is not mentioned. AH these priests be-
ing seated, the patriarch goes out, and having put
of his robes, girds himself with a towel round his
waist, and iu that manner returns into the sanctuary,
with a bason of water in his hand to wasli tlie feet
of the twelve apostles. He who personates St. Peter,
refuses at first the honour offered to be conferred on
him ; saying, " Master thou shalt never wash my
feet." But the patriarch answers, " Unless I wasli
thee, thou shalt have no part with me." Upon whlcl!
the priest makes no further resistance, but permits
him to wash his feet. When the patriarch come*
to the representative of the unha|>py Judas, lie make.s
a kind of a pausf, as it were to give him time lo
recollect himself, but at last washes his feet also,
and the ceremony closes with several anthems.
Hie Assumption of the Virgin Mary is a grand
festival among the Greeks, and like the Roman Ca-
tholics tliey have their legends for all the solemn
days they observe. That concerning the Assuniptiou
is as follows. The twelve apostles met together,
and had an entertainment, of which they all partook
heartily. As soon as their entertainment was over,
and they were going to elevate a piece of conse-
crated bread, the room was filled with an unusual
light, and the Blessed Virgin appeared to theui,
surrounded with rays of glory, a«d attended by a
numerous host of augels. At her entrance she paid
her respects to the apostles, and said to them, in the
most sweet and comforting manner, "God he with
you, I'll never leave you, nor forsake you." The
apostles, though equally surprised and traiTsported,
pursued their wonted ceremony of elevating the
bread ; but instead of saying " O Lord Christ aid
and assist us,', they said, " O ever Blessed Virgin!
mother of God! grant us thy aid," and the ^'irgin
vanished out of their sight. The apostles thereupon
cried out, " The queen is ascended into heaven, and
there sits at the right hand of her son.'' In com-
memoration of tills extraordinary event, on the
Assumption, after this entertainment is over, a loaf,
three lighted tapers, some inccn.se and fire, are de-
livered into the priest's hand, who thereupon cuts
off the crust of the loaf in the form of a triangle,
sets three wax tapers upon the crust so separated,
and then incenses and blesses the bread. Afterward.?
he delivers the bread to the youngest person then
present, and orders three wax tapers to be set in
three different corners of the room, and the bread
is distributed in small pieces among the people.
The Greeks, as well as the Roman Catholics, ca-
nonize their saints, ami they have particular othces
for that purpose; but before they can be admitted
to that honour, ample testimonies must be given, by
persons of undoubted reputation, that they were,
while in life, what they have been represented. The
patriarch takes the examination in open convocation,
with all the care and circumspection iniagiuabie ;
and yet, notwithstanding all this care, it is in a
manner impossible to enumerate the prejudices, in-
trigues and cabals, that take place. After the strictest
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
317
inqvilry liai been inarlc, the candiilatc, if approved
of, is adniiUed into llie kalendar, and a day is ap-
pointed lor liis festival. He is annually commemo-
rated; there are masses said in liunour of him, and
the history of his life and miracles is publicly read
in the churches. However, as the Greeks in general
are as vicious as they are poor, so there are but few
who can pretend to aspire at the honour of canon-
ization.
In baptism the Greeks observe a vast number of
ceremonies, some of which are of very great anti-
quity, though not so old as the apostolic age. If an
infant shews no signs of illness, and there is no ap-
parent reason to believe that its life is in danger,
then it is not brought to the church till the eii^hth
flay after its birth ; but if it appears that life is in
danger, the priest is sent for, and it is baptized im-
mediately, lest it should die in darkness, as they ex-
press it ; when it is otliervvise, the parent brings the
child, attended by the sponsors, to the door of the
•church, w here they are met by the priest, who takes
it in his arms and blesses it^ at the same time he
makes the sign of the cross upon its forehead, its
mouth and -its breast. This part of the ceremony
is called the putting tiie seal upon the child, and
immediately after the priest repeats a short jirayer.
He then takes it in his arms, and holding it before
the image of the \ irgin, makes the sign of the cross
several times upon it. He then breathes tliree limes
upon the infant, which is considered as a deliverance
from the power of hell, and the temptations of the
devil. Afterwards he plunges it three times all over
in the baptismal font, and at immersion, names one
of the persons in the sacred and ever blessed Trinity.
The relations and sponsors, who bring the child to
"baptized, take care to have the water gently warmed,
and they strew it with a handful of the most odo-
riferous flowers. AVhile the water is warming, the
priest breathes upon it, repeating several prayers,
in order to sanctify it, as a thipg set apart for a
sacred use.
He tlien dips his finger in the oil, and with it
makes the cross on the forehead of the child, and
this they consider as a symbol of reconciliation with
God. He likewise anoints its ears, lips, breast, and
loins, during which part of the ceremony he repeats
a prayer, desiring of God that the child may be
kept from all sorts of temptations, and be a faithful
servant of Jesus Christ. Tlie sponsors enter into
the most solemn engagements, to see the child
brought up in the principles of the Christian re-
ligion, but they pay as little regard to these engage-
ments as the godfathers and godmothers' who live in
other parts of the world.
All those who have stood godfathers and god-
mothers, are prohibited from marrying with each
other ; nor can the children of these religious spou-
21
sors intermarry with cash other, till at least one
generation is past, otherwise the marriage itself
would be considered as incestuous, and the children
declared illegitimate. Seven days after baptism, the
child is brought to the church in order to be waslied,
and the priest not only washes the infant's shirt, but
cleans its body all over with a new sponge, or a
linen cloth prepared for that purpose, and then
finishes the ceremony with the following words : —
" Thou art now bapti/.ed, surrounded with a celes-
tial light, fortified with the sacrament of confirma-
tion, and sanctified and washed in the name of the
Father, and of the .Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
With respect to confession, it must be made to a
[jriest canouically ordained, and one who has the
bishop's licence for acting in the capacity of a ghostly
or spiritual father. He who intends to confess his
sins, applies to the ))riest, who withdraws along with
him to a remote corner of the church. The peni-
tent there sits down with his head uijcovered, and
the priest assures him that the angel of the Lord is
there present to take down his confession. " Take
heed, therefore (says he) that neither through shame,
nor from any other moti\e whatever, thou art any
ways tempted to conceal thy sin ; I am a man and a
sinner as well as thyself." Whilst the penitent is at
confession, the priest continues to exhort him not
to conceal any thing from him, as that would be the
highest hypocrisy in the sight of God, and endanger
the happiness of his soul. Penance is then enjoined
him, which, for the most part, consists in fasting for
a few days, giving some alms to the poor, or going
on pilgrimages to the shrines, or rather tombs of
some saints ; but this latter part of the penance is
generally dispensed with.
After confession, the priest pronounces the follow-
ing-absolution : " By virtue of the j)o\ver and autho-
rity which the apostles received from our blessed
Lord himself, and which they have transmitted down
to the bishops, and by the commission which I have
now received from my bishop, I absolve thee in the
name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost; and I do hereby declare and pronounce,
that thy portion is among the number of the just."
After this he reads a prayer, and the penitent gives
him a small gratuity in money.
^Vhen they excommunicate a person out of their
communion, the Greeks carry their bigotry and su-
perstition to a very great height. They call down
all the curses of heaven (ipon him, and even pro-
hibit his interment after death. The awful appre-
hension of the effects of such dreadful curses, con-
tributes much towards keeping the modern Greeks
in a state of obedience, r-nd imprint upon their minds
a lively sense of thpir duty. To this we may add,
what they assert concerning those excomniunicaled
persons, namely, that theii- bodies never dissolve nor
L
.318
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
moulder away till the excommunication is taken off.
'J'hey believe that the devil enters into their lifeless
corpse, and makes them subservient to his vill and
pleasure. They add further, that at the end of a
year, after they have been interred, their bodies
sound hollow as a drum, and that if set upright on
theit feet, they will stand without any support. —
All such excommunicated persons (say they) turn
black, their hair grows dark, and their nails white.
Their bodies, however, will dissolve, if the priest
reads several prayers prescribed in the liturgy, but
for doing this, he must be paid his fee, according to
ihe circumstances of the deceased.
It is common with the Greeks, after the priest
has repeated such prayers as tend to absolve the ex-
communicated person, to open the grave, and to
take up his body, to see whether the absolution has
had the desired effect ; and if they find it corrupted,
they are satisfied, but if otherwise, then the priest
must repeat the prayers once more. But it is not
only with the dead tliat the devil makes himself so
free in Greece, it frequently happens that he visits
the living, by taking possession both of their souls
and bodies. In such cases they are obliged to have
recourse to exorcism, which is done in the following
manner :
The patient is chained down to a post fixed in the
floor, after which, several priests, dressed in their
sacredotal vestments, read to him for six hours to-
gether, select passages taken out of the four gospels,
and these priests generally fast one day at least be-
fore they begin the ceremony.
If the devil does not depart the first day, they re-
peat the ceremony on the day following, while it
frequently happens, that the person possessed, curses
his maker, and speaks such blasphemy as is not pro-
per to be mentioned. That there are some tricks
played by the Greeks,' as well as by the Roman Ca-
tholics, concerning persons said to be possessed with
the devil, cannot be denied ; for it frequently hap-
pens, that when they have repeated their prayers
two or three days, the supposed possessed person is
thrown into the most violent convulsions and dis-
tortions of body, and afterwards becomes calm and
."lerene. Thus we find, that in the art of deception,
so far as it can be carried to blind the vulgar, the
Romish and the Greek j)riests are the same. Of
this we have a remarkable instance, as related by
Mr. Keysler, in his travels. When that gentleman
was at Turin in 1732, the whole city was in an up-
roar concerning a young woman possessed by the
devil. The priests had undertaken to drive the devil
away to his own habitation, but to enhance the
value of the miracle, the farce was protracted, and
exorcisms were used every day. All ranks of peo-
ple flocked daily to see the miracle diat was to be
wrought, and among the rest an English gentleman,
who saw through the deceit. He told the prince of
Piedmont, lute king of Sardinia, that he would un-
ravel to him the whole mystery, so as no injury
should happen to him. The prince acquiesced,
and they l>oth went together to the scene of action.
The English gentleman asked the priests if the devil
could speak all languages, to which they answered-
in the affirmative. Upon that he spoke to the devil
in English, and the young woman reputed to be
possessed, threw herself into the most violent dis-
tortions. The priests, finding the Englishman had
put the trick upon them, said in excuse, that the
devil never spoke in the language of heretics, while
they were exorcising him with the prayers of the
church. Now this argument made use of by the
priests was rather silly, because it is certainly true,
that birds of a feather will flock together, and if he-
retics are the children of the devil, as the Roman
Catholics say, why should not their father under-
stand their language.
Of the Marriage of the Greeks.
The Greeks, although united in most of those
fundamental articles, upon which according to them,
salvation depends, yet in many ceremonies they dif-
fer, and in none so much as in that of marriage. 'It
has been much disputed, whether marriage should
be performed by the clergy or the civil magistrate.
In other words it might be expressed, is marriage a
civil or a reliaious institution ? The answer is ob-
vious ; it is both civil and religious; it is civil, as
one of the bonds of human society ; it is religious,
being an engagement between a man and a woman,
to live in the fear of God, and to promote the tem-
poral and eternal interest of each other. In the pri-
mitive times, when a Christian man and woman
agreed to marry, the ceremony was performed pri-
vately in their own houses by the bishop of the
church, before a sufficient number of witnesses ;
and this was done in order to prevent the faithful
from going before heathen magistrates, who, on all
such occasions, made them swear by the gods of
the emperors. After the time of the emperor Con-
stantine the Great, the Christian clergy claimed this
privilege to themselves, and in time, among other
corruptions, it was considered as a sacrament; and
this leads us to consider the different forms observed
by the Greeks in that ceremony.
In the office of matrimony there is a prayer for
the bride, who is to be muffled up either in a veil or
a hood. And all those who desire to enter into that
holy state of matrimony, which nothing but death
can put an end to, are to observe tlie follow ing cere-
monies. The bridegroom stands on the right baud,
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
319
and the bride on the left. Two rings, the one gold
and the other silver, are deposited near one another
on the right side of the coniniunion table ; the hitler
pointing to the right hand, and the former to the left.
Ihe priest wiio performs the ceremony, makes seve-
ral crosses upon the bride and bridegroom, puts
lighted wax tapers in their hands, thnrities, or in-
censes tiieni, in the form of a cross, and accompanies
tliem to the temple. 'Vhe choir and the deacon pray
altenialcly tliat the bridegroom and the bride may
prosper in ail their undertakings, and De blessed with
a numerous and hopeful issue. When these prayers
are over, the priest gives the gold ring to tlie bride-
groom, and the silver one to his spouse, saying three
times successively, I join (or I tie) N. and N. these
servants of the Almighty here present, in the name
of the Father, &c. Having pronounced this form
of words, he makes the sign of the cross with rings
over then- .heads, before he puts them on the proper
fingers of the right hand. Then the piranymph,
or brideman, exchanges these two ringg, and the
priest reads a long prayer, in which the virtue and
dignity of the nuptial rings are typically compared
to Joseph's ring, and that of Judah, and of Thamar.
AV hile the bride and bridegroom are crowned, the
same priest accompanies the ceremony with several
benedictions, and other emphatieal prayers. After
that, the bridegroom and his spouse enter the church
with their wax tapers lighted in their hands ; the
priest marches in procession before them with his in-
cense pot, singing, as he goes along, the 128th
psalm, which consists of a promise to the faithful
Jews of a prosperous marriage. At the close of
every verse the congregation repeat the Doxology.
After all these prayers, the priest sets the crown
on the bridegroom's head, saying, " 'J'his man, the
servant of the Lord, is crowned in order to be map-
ried to this woman." After which he crowns the
bride, and repeats the same form, which is followed
by a tripple benediction, proper lessons, and sundrv
prayers. The priest, in the next place, presents the
bridegroom and bride with a goblet, or large glass,
full of wine ready blest for that purpose ; after which
he takes oflf their crowns. One prayer more, accom-
panied with a proper benediction, and several com-
pliments paid to the new married couple, conclude
the solemnity.
These ceremonies are rather general, and there-
fore we shall here mention some of a more particular
nature ; which seem to be peculiar to the inhabitants
of the places mentioned.
Tournefourt gives us a description of a wedding
Avhich he himself saw af Mycone, the religious cere-
monies of which seem to differ in several circum-
stances from those just before mentioned. To this
•we shall add that given us by Spon, and both will
_give the reader a complete idea of the civil customs
of the Greeks with respect to their nuptial ceremo-
nies.
" We accompanied, says Tournefourt, the bride
and bridegroom to church with their sponsors, or
godfathers and godmothers. They have sometimes
three or four, especially when the bride is the eldest
daughter." He observes, that the eldest daughter
is principal favourite. If a father is possessed of ten
thousand crowns, he gives one moity, or half part
of it to his eldest daughter, and divides the remain-
der among the rest of his children, share and share
alike. "I could not rightly inform myself of the
true reason for their observance of that custom. — -
After the priest had received the company at the
church door, he required the mutual consent of both
parties, and put garlands upon- their heads, compo-
sed of vine leaves, embellished with ribbons and lace.
After that, he took two rings, which lay upon the
communiontable, and put them on their lingers;
that is to say, a gold one on the bridegroom's, and a
silver one on the bride's, saying, this man, &.c. (ac-
cording to the form before mentioned.) He inter-
cliansjed these rings above thirtv times over durinj
the solemnity. When jie put the bride's upon the
finger of the bridegroom, he said, this woman, &c.
Ill short, he changed the rings over and over again,
but at last the bridegroom kept the gold one, and
the bride the other. The godfathers and godmothers,
after the priest had done, made the same exchanges.
The man and woman whose pro^ ince it was to of-
ficiate that dav took oft the bride and bridegroom's
garlands, and held them two or three inches over
their heads. "^I'liey turned themselves hand in hand,
thrice round snccessively, and the assistants, re-
lations, friends, and acquaintance kicked and buf-
fetted them without mercy, according to an unac-
countable w himsical custom of this country, which
I cannot account for. After this w as over, the priest
cut some bread into several little pieces, and put
them into a porririger of w ine : \^ hen he had so
done, he lirst tasted it himself, and then adminis-
tered a spoonful to the bridegroom and another to
the bride. The sponsors, or godfathers and god-
mothers, and other assistants, had their portion like-
wise, and so the ceremony ended. There was no
mass, because their nuptials were solemnized in the
evening."
Spon tells us, that at Athens, their young virgins
never stir out of their houses before the wedding-
day, and their gallants make love by proxy, or a
third person, who has free access to them, and is
some relation or other, in whose fidelity and friend-
ship they can best confide. They do not so much as
see therefore the briiie till the day appointed f(»r the
solemnization of their nuptials. On that day, they
hand the bride about in public a longtime; they
do not indeed, march fafr, but they move in a very
320
ACCOUP^T OF THE GREEK CHURCH,
slow and solemn pace. The procession between (he
church and the bridegroom's house, takes up two
Jiours at the least, and is preceded by a select band
of liaiitboys, tabors, and other instruments of music.
During this ceremony, and the procession, the young
virgins carry a large crown on their heads, compo-
sed of filigree work, and decked with costly pearls,
vhich is so cumbrous and troublesome, that they
are obliged to walk as upright as an arrow.
Ricaut says, " That the bride's relations conduct
her into the bridal chamber, where she sits amongst
ber female friends and acquaintance with a veil all
over her face, as before. The bridegroom enters,
and with a trembling hand, lifts up her veil an sa-
lutes her." The reader perhaps may imagine, that
this trembling is either a necessary part of the nup-
tial ceremony, or the effect of bashfulness in a lover
that is as modest, as much dashed out of counte-
nance, as great a novice as poor Thomas Diaforus
■was ; but he is very much mistaken in the matter.
All our Grecian lover's fear is, lest instead of a
beauty', he should embrace the figure of a succubus.
But be that as it will, she is the wife and he is the
liusband. The indulgence which the Greek church
shews for divorces, must be altogether, or at least,
in a great measure, imputed to such idle and extra-
vagant customs as these are. There is no manner of
difficulty, as we are informed, in procuring a legal
separation; and the patriarch, for a trivial gratuity,
will disannul a marriage, and grant his dispensation
for a second. This indulgence of the Greek church
to her own member, in some measure compensates,
or is an equivalent to the polygamy allowed of
among the Turks, which is prohibited by the Greek
church, as being inconsistent with the laws of Chris-
tianity. It is surprising, that as the Greeks live
amongst the Turks, whole religinn so openly coun-
tenances and encourages a plurality of wives, they
.should guard themselves against so bewitching an
infection.
When we compare these marriages with those of
the lioman Catholics, we find there are no more
heathenish customs in the fornieV, than in the latter.
The Greek Christians in the Levant, have imbibed
many notions of tlieir Pagan ancestors; for although
there were once some puie churches among them,
yet in vain do we look for them at present. Indeed
the Greeks are so much oppressed by the Turks, and
the clergy make such a handle of their supersiition,
that they maybe considered as truly miserable. —
Their spirits are depressed, they forget the slavery
they labour under, and having no books to peruse,
nor abilities to read tlitin, they console tlieniselves
with a continuance of their ancient customs,; nor do
they know nuich of the difference between heathen-
ism and chrislianity.
Of
Extreme Unction among the Greeks-
According^ to Tournefort, the monks of Monte
Santo are as covetous and simonical as any of the
Greek priests whatever, as well through that general
and confirmed corruption, which has infected not
only their sanctuary, but those who officiate at their
altars, as through the abject poverty and profound
ignorance of the populace and their instructers :
these monks are pro))er vagabonds, and wander all
over Greece, and Muscovy too, to dispose of this oil
to the best advantage. They go to private house's
to hear confessions, and administer extreme unction,
even to such persons as are in a perfect state of
health. They anoint the back-bone of the penitent
on his declaration of each particular sin ; provided
always that they are handsomely gratified for their
oil and their labour. The lowest price of the least
unction is a crown : those for fornication or adul-
tery are held up at a higher rate. Such as make
the most regular application of this unction, make
use of consecrated oil, and at each operation repeat
these words of the Psalmist, " The net has been
broken, and we have been delivered." And a little
further he adds, that they administer their extreme
unction more frequently to such as are in perfect
health, than to those who are in a weak and languish-
ing condition. These last they anoint with common
imconsecrated oil, on the forehead, cheeks, chin, and
hands, but on no other parts. After tliis they be-
smear every room in the house with the same, and
accompany the ceremony with sundry prayers. And
finally, trace out large crosses upon all the walls and
doors, singing the 90th psalm during the performance.
Now from the foregoing recital it is very evident,
first, that aU penitents, and such as are guilty of any
mortal sin, are ordered to be anointed ; and secondly,
that unction is administered not only to such as are
in a w^ak and languishing condition, but such like-
wise as are at the point of death. It is plain this
last unction resembles the former in the matter only,
not in the manner of its administration. The bishop
or archbishop, assisted by seven priests, administer
tiijs extreme unction, which begins with a prayer. —
The other unction, as well as this, is called by the
Greeks, Apomuron. They derive the origin of this
aponiuron from the parable of the good Samaritan;
and to render the conformity still more conspicuous,
they mingle wine with their apomuron, because the
Samaritan poured oil and wine into the wounds of
the traveller that fell amongst the thieves.
Before we come to shew the difference which
there is between the Greeks and the Latins, with
respect to the manner of administering the extreme
unction, we shall give a description of the several
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
321
r^rpmoiiios pfrnlinrly belong to the two unctions of
llie Greeks. 'J'lie arcliljislio)), or in liis absence, the
bishop consecrates on W'ednesthty in Holy-week,
die oil of unction for the whole year, (^n Manii-
dy-Thursday, the patrisrcli or bishop administers
ihe miction puMioly to all the faithful. The prelate
is anointed Jirst by the oecononiist, after which he
Jiiniself anoints the whole congregation. The origin
of this custom is traced up to ihe time of St. John
of Damascus, hut the Greeks carry this ceremony
still further. They anoint the dead almost in tiie
same manner as they do the living. Seven ]>riests
administer this unction, and each of them takes a
piece of paper, dipi'.ed in the oil, and sets it on fire,
ill order to purify, by this kind of sacrifice, the sonl
of the deceased, and deliver it from the torments
due to its demerits. I'his superstitious cnstojn must
be looked upon as a remainder of the lustrations
practised by the Pagans. Some ascribe to the Cii eeks
a strong persuasion, that th<! miction of the dead has
saved many souls irvm eternal damnation, and ac-
cording to their accounts, the salvation of 'J'rajan,
and one Theophilus, an Iconoclast, was [lurcly
owing to these specific unguents.
I'lie other circumstances relating to the unction
and extreme unction of the Greeks, which are pecu-
liar to themselves, are these, viz. That the priest
afti r he has dipt bis cotton, which is fastened to the
end of a stick, into the sacred oils, anoints the peni-
tent, or the sic]i person, in the form of a cross upon
the foreliead, <:hin, cheeks, the upper side, and
palms ei' the hanils. After which he pronounces a
short prayer. The seven assisting jiriests, if there
he «eveii present at the ceremony, nnoiiit all the sick
persons one after another. The principal lays the
gosjiel upon his head, whilst the others lay their
hands upon him.
From these ceremonies we shall now proceed to
the difFeif ncc which has been observed between the
unction of the Latins and that of the (Jreeks. We
sliall not enter into a controversy between the Greeks
and Latins, concerning the difYerent terms used in
calling the ceremony of extreme unction a sacra-
ment or a mystery. Many Protestant writers have
done this already, so that little can be added to w hat
they liave said : the following we presume will be
sufhciont. The real dititreiices then are these that
follow : — One person alone, by the law of the Latin
church, may administer the sacrament of extreme
unction; whereas the administration of it, in the
opinion of the Greeks, is irregular, unless three at
least assist at the celebration of it. By the Latin
ritual, the bishop only has authority to consecrate
the oil ; but the Grecian priests as well as their pre-
lates, are invested with that power. Besides liie
parts of the body of their tick which are dilli reiitly
anointed, it is customary willi the Greeks to ajioiut
their houses also, and sign them at the same time
with several signs of the cross.
Of the Finiein/ Ci'iciitoiiics of the (j reeks.
From their extreme unction, we shall proceed
since tli<! transition is regular to their funeral solem-
nities, for notwithstanding their sick devotees tie-
quently recover after the administration of extreme
unction ; yet the intent and design of it are, no
doubt, to recover the soul from all .her infirmities,
which are much more lialjle to afHict and torment
her during the precarious coiise<iueiices of a long
series of sickness, than in the uninterrupted enjoy-
ment of a perfect state of heallh, at which time but
very few allow themselves the Icasure to reflect on
a future state. Jixtreme unction was instituted like-
wise, with intent to comfort and support Christians
under their bodily afiliclions, and to lain their hopes
towards eternity.
Kicaut takes notice of several ceremonies of the
Greeks, very remarkable in time of sickness. He
says, for instance, " that the priest bends the head
of the patient w ith the veil of the chalice, and gives
him a draught of holy water, in which several odo-
riferous herbs have been before infused. 'J'lie water
must be consecrated by the touch of a crucifix, or
an image of the Blessed N'irgin. This they prescribe
to their patients as a specific remedy for the liealtli
and welfare of their souls as well as their bodies. — -
\Vhen the patient grows worse, and is given over,
they have recourse to their extreme unction, which
is accompanied with several prayers suitable to the
occasion, and some lessons out of the New Test.i-
ment, where mention is made of the resurrection of
the dead. The Greeks likewise observe the popish
custom of making solemn vows both to the Almighty
and the saints for the restoratitni of their health. —
Such vows are paid, as in the Latin chinch bv the
oblation of a golden or silver eye, arm, or leg. This
custom was observed by the most ancient Pagans,
and among others by the Philistines, who, after
they had been healed of the distemper with which
they were afflicted on account of the ark of the l^ord
which they had seized and taken into their possession,
sent it liack with the representation in gold of the
parts affected, 'i'lie Christians very easily gave into
tills practice of the heathens. The substitution of
a material oblation, in the room of the sacrifice of
the heart, is so commodious, that it is surprising (o
find it totally erased out of the ceremonies of some
certain religions, which provide no other amusement
for such of their devotees as are of a heavy cast,
than a narrow scrutiny into the actions of others;
leaving their niiuds iijdoknt and unemployed, which
y
322
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
in the temple, as well as elsewhere, must needs in-
cline tbem to censure, and reflect on the conduct of
their neighbours.
As soon as a dyinj; man has given up the ghost,
the whole family appear like so many actors at the
representation of a deep tragedy ; all are in tears and
groans. The body of the deceased, whether male
or female, is drest in its jjest apparel, and afterwards
extended upon a bier, with one wax taper at the
head, and another at the feet. The wife (if the hus-
band be the object of their sorrow) the children,
servants, relations, and acquaintance, ' enter the
apartment where the deceased is thus laid out, with
their clothes rent, tearing their hair, beating their
breasts, and even, as Ricaut adds, disfiguring their
faces with their nails. The mode of our mourning
is not quite so extravagant and romantic ; and we are
apt to believe, that none of the natives, of any parts
of Europe, whether wives, children, or husbands,
shew at present any slashes, or the least disfigure-
ment in their faces, as outsvard marks, or testimo-
nies of their inward sorrow. We are taught by the
principles of the Christian religion, to repose all our
trust and confidence in God alone, and there is no
injunction which is more readily complied with in
the literal and strictest sense, than that which obliges
us to comfort ourselves under the loss of a father, a
husband, or a wife. When the body of the deceased
is completely dressed as before mentioned and de-
cently extended on the bier, for the regular perfor-
mance of his last obsequies, and the hour is come
for his interment, the crucifix is carried in proces-
sion at the head of the funeral train ; and the priests
and deacons, who accompany them, reciting the
prayers appointed by the church, burn incense, and
implore the Divine Majesty to receive the soul of
the deceased into his heavenly mansions. The wife,
for Ricaut is here speaking of the burial of a hus-
band, follows his dear remains, drowned in a flood
of tears, and so disconsolate, that if we may form
a iiidgment from her tears, and the excess of her
cries and lamentations, one would imagnie she
would set her soul at liberty to fly after and overtake
her husband's. Ricaut adds, that there are some
■women, however to be met with, that have no taste
for these extravagant testimonies of their grief and
anguish, and yet their mourning is not less solemn
than that of their neighbours. They have women
who are mourners by profession, who weep in the
■widow's stead for a certain sum, who, by frequent
practice of their art, can represent to the life all the
violent emotions and gesticulations that naturally
flow from the most pungent and unfeigned sor-
row.
As soon as the funeral service is over, they kiss
the crucifix, and afterwards salute the moutii and
forehead of the deceased. After that, each of them
eats a small bit of bread, and drinks a glass of wine
in the church, wishing the soul of the deceased a
good repose, and the afflicted family all the conso-
lation they can wish for. We had forgot to inform
the reader, that according to the accounts of some
travellers, a widow that has lost ,her husband, a
clnld who has lost its father or mother, in short
all persons who are in deep mourning, dress no
victuals at their own houses. The friends and re-
lations of the deceased send them in provisions for
the first eight days; at the end whereof they pay
the disconsolate family a charitable visit, in order to
condole with, and comfort them under their un-
happy loss, and to wait on them to church, where
there are prayers read for the repose of the soul of
the deceased. The men again eat and drink in the
church, whilst the women renew their cries and
lamentations. But such as can afl^'ord to hire pro-
fest mourners, never give themselves this second
fatigue, but substitute proper persons in their stead,
to weep over their husbands' tombs, three days-after
their interment, at which time there are prayers
read for the repose of his soul After the ninth
day, there are masses and prayers read again upon
the same occasion, which are repeated at the expi-
ration of forty days; as also at the close of six
months, and on the last day of the year. After the
ceremony is concluded, they make their friends a
present of some corn, boiled rice, wine, and some
sweet-meats. This custom, which is generally
called by the Greeks ta sperna; is looked upon by
them as very ancient. They renew it with more so-
lemnity and devotion than ever, on the Friday imme-
diately preceding their Lent, that before Christmas
on Good-Friday, and the Friday before Whitsuntide;
which days the Greek church have devoted to the
service of the dead, not only those who have de-
parted this life according to the common course of
nature, but such as have likewise unfortunately met
with a sudden and untimely death.
The funeral procession begins with two voun"
country lads holding wooden crosses in (heir hands,
followed by a priest in a white cope, escorted by
several other priests dressed ni party-coloured stoles,
but slovens from head to foot. After them comes
the corpse exposed to public view, drest after the
manner of the Greeks, in all her bridal apparel
The husband follows the bier, supported by two
persons of distinction, who use all the prevailing
arguments they can think of to keep him from ex-
piring under the weight of his aftliction. And yet
after all, it is whispered, that his poor wife died of
mere grief. Of all comedies, that of marriage
surely is the most comical, provided a man does not
personate the hero. When he does, indeed he is
obliged, as it were, to assume the character that is
partly childish, mean, foolish, hypocritical and
ACCOUNT OF THE GREEK CHURCH.
325
sometimes roguish. Were we to form a jriHgmeut
of things by their outward appearance, onr would
imagine, tliat the Grecian husbands have an inex-
haustible fountain of teais,- (hat thi y can bfrnoa-.i
the lo.ss of their wives in a sucii a cljniorous ami pult-
lic manner. Is the blessing of a good w iio cc>nimon
among the Greeks? Can no other country boast it?
Are good wives a scarce commodity amongst thr
Greeks, above all other nations? God deiVnd the
dead! says Rabelais, I must think of finding out
another help-mate. One of the daughters of the
deceased, (continues Tournefort) «ho was of yt-ars
of n)aturity, and agreeable enough, her sisters and
some other relations, marclied in their pioper order,
with their hats dishrevellcd, leaning on the arms of
some of their intimate acquaintance. AVhen their
voices failed them, or when they were at at a loss to
express themselves any longer, they tore tlie hair oif
their heads in themost violent and frantic manner
imaginable, first on one side, and then on the other;
but nature cannot long be concealed under this thin
disguise, and it is very easy to distinguish, on these
occasions, the sincere mourner from the hypocriti-
cal impostor. If there are any line clothes in the
vhole town, they are brought out on this public
occasion. The triends arid relations are ambitious
of making the best appearance they possibly can?
whereas amongst us, we one and all are drest in
black. This gaity of theirs is no bar or impediment
however, to the expression of the concern, by the
deepest sighs, and most hideous groanings. If a
person happens to die in any part of the town what-
ever, their very enemies, as well as friends and re-
lations, nay, the whole neighbourhood, .great and
small, without distinction, think Uiemselves bound to
veep and wail, since they would make an ill figure,
if they did not at least seem to drop a tear on such a
jiielancholy occasion. From whence we may rea-
sonably conclutic, that such an extravagant, such a
noisy expression of their sorrow must be wholly
owing to the mode of the country ; au ambition to
imitate those who are actually in distress, and the na-
ture of the climate in which they live.
There is no mass said for the dead on the' days of
their interment, but forty in every parish the day fol-
lowing, at seven-pence per mass, As soon as they
are got into the church, the priest reads aloud the
office for the dead, whilst a young clerk repeats
some particular psalms of David at the foot of the
bier. When the office is over, there are twelve
loaves, and as many bottles of wine distributed
amongst the poor at the church door. Every priest
has ten gazetlees, or Venetian pence, and the bishop
who accompanies the corpse, three half-crowns. —
The grand vicar, treasurer, and keeper of the ar-
chieves, who are next to the prelate in point of dig-
nity, have three crowns, or a double fee. After
this distribution, one of the priests lays a large piece
or ijrokeii pot upon the breast of the deceased, on
>vliich r, cross, and the usual characters, I. N. B. I.
arc engraved. After that they withdraw and take
their leave of the deceased. The relations, but more
particularly the husband, kisses her pale lips ; and
this lb looked upon as so incumbent a duty, that the
neglect t)f it cannot be dispensed with, though the
reison should die of the most infectious distemper.
ITer friends embrace her, and her neighbours salute
her; Imt no holy water is sprinkled upon her. After
the iniermeut is over they conduct the husband back
lo his house. When the funeral assembly departs,
i!.c hired mourners repeat their lamentations; and in
the evening, the relations send the poor afflicted an
agreeable Collation, and go and carouse with him by
way of consolation.
Such are the sentiments of those Christians called
Greeks, who reside in Greece and in the Lesser
Asia; for there are others who are also calkd
Greeks, but are looked upon by the above as schis-
matics; but these we shall give an account of after-
wards. In the mean time several reliections may be
dra\\n from what has been here advanced, for his-
tory « iihout improvement is like a body without life.
And first,
The ancient Greeks were celebrated for their
wisdom, learning and valour; and their writings,
next to those of the Old Testament, and so far as
we know the most ancient in the world. Divided at
first into several small republics, they were jealous
of each other, and although Philip of Macedon
made them tributary, yet even then they assisted
him to overthrow the Persian empire, and their
learning spread over the greater part of the Lesser
Asia.
Secondly, how different are those descended from
them ! without courage, — without learning, and
sunk into the most abject state of meanness! — they
are considered by the Turks as poor, pusillanimous
wretches, and live in a state almost of Egyptian
bondage. It is true they have the name of Chris-
tians— but they have not failed to debase the glory
of the Gospel ! by mixing with it many rites and ce-
remonies, used by their Pagan ancestors.
Thirdly, it is remarkable how prone the heart of
man is to superstition, and indeed to every thing
which God has not commanded to be oberved, but
rather forbidden. At the time of Constantine the
Great, there were many flourishing churches in
Greece, and for many years after, few ceremonies
were introduced,, except such as were in their own
nature simple and indifferent. But after the sixth
century, they acted the same part as the Israelites
did in the wilderness, when they made the golden
calf and wanted to return to Egypt. The Greeks
had either a v.ritlen or a traditional account of the
5U
RELIGION OF THE SCHISMATICAL GREEKS.
religion of their ancestors, and as they were begin-
ning gradual!)' to lose all knowledge of the trnlhs of
Clnistianity, they daily embraced more and more of
the Pagan ceremonies. In this they were encou-
raged by the example of the Romans, who had
learned so many heathenish cnstoms, that the ciiicf
part of their religion consisted in making the sign of
the cross.
Lastly, The Greeks seem as little ambitious of ac-
quiring knowledge, as they are of regaining their
liberty, which may serve to shew, that, to make
men slaves, they should be kept in ignorance ; for
slavery, either of body or mind, vanishes away be-
fore learning. A few years ago, when the Russians
were at war viidi the Turks, it was expected that
had they succeeded, the Greeks would have been
taken nn<ler tlieir protection ; but the plan miscar-
ried, and they are still in the same forlorn condition
as before. In that condition they are likely to con-
thiue, till some remarkable revolution takes place
in Europe, of which we cannot at present form any
notion.
RELIGION OF THOSE GREEKS WHO DIFFER IN MANY THINGS
J^ROM THOSE ALREADY MENTIONED.
Ti
HE difference to be found among all those
throughout the world who bear the name of Chris-
tians, is one of the strongest proofs that there was
such a person as Jesus Christ in the world, that he
suffered, rose again, and ascended into heaven. —
Most of these different denominations agree in the
points essential to salvation, although they hate and
excommunicate each other for the observation of
particular rites and ceremonies. Now, is it impos-
sible, that all these people, so different in their
modes of worship and discipline, should, while they
liate each other, agree in the belief of the gospel
history concerning Jesus Christ. There is not a deist
ill Europe who doubts there was such a person as
the impostor Mahomet, who was born six hundred
years after the death of Christ; and yet to a sceptic
in history, the accounts we have of such a person's
living: in the world as Mahomet, are liable to more
objections than the "history of Christ. Mahomet
was born in an age when ignorance overspread the
earth, so that for some time after his death, there
were no accounts of him but by tradition. On tiie
other hand, although the world was lost in Pagan
idolatry when Christ was born, yet there were men
in Judea, in Greece, and in Rome : all the Jewish
v.'riters, since tliat time, take notice of him, although
they deny that lie was the Messiah. Several heathen
writers mention him as a very extraordinary person ;
and Celsus, the severest writer against the Christians,
never denied that there was such a person as Jesus
(Christ, nor did he reject his miracles, only that he
said they 'were wrought by the power of magic. —
We thought it more necessary to take notice of these
things in this place, because some of our readers
ought to be cautioned against every thing that may
lead their minds off from believing' the fundamental
trutlis of the gospel.
Of iJie Greek Church in Hitssia.
The Russians are very ambitious to liave their
conversion to Christianity as high as the age of the
apostles ; and they believe that the gospel was first
preached among them by St. Andrew, the brother
of Peter. When we consider that there were many
churches established in Greece, and many parts
around it, soon after the apostolic age, it is not at
all improbable, but some of tlie Poles and the Rus-
sians were converted to Christianity ; but whatever
were the number of these converts, this much is
certain, all knowledge of Christianity was lost in
Russia, when the Greeks sent missionaries there in
the tenth century, of which the following is a
genuine account.
Igor, duke of Russia, and a Pagan, dying in f)i5,
left a son named Stoflaus, a minor, and iiis mother
Ola was appointed regent. This lady having lieard
of the splendour of tiie Greek emperor's court at
Constantinople, went thitlier, and was baptized by
the patriarch, mIio gave her the name of Helen. — ■
Upon her return home to her own country, she per-
suaded some of her great lords to send for some
priests from Greece, which tlier did, and were bai>-
tized ; but Stroflaus, the young duke, growing up to
years of maturity, banished the priests out of the
country, and continued himself a heathen to the last.
He was succeeded by his son Walodimlr, a [irince
of kno\\ ledore and courage. Having cultivated an
■-. ■{:.
L^:k
Ns
RELIGION OF THE SCIIISMATICAL GREEKS.
acquaintance with the Greek emperor, mIio sent am-
bassadors to llim, he foilowcti tiie example of his
grandmother, and was baptized by the name of Basil.
Soon after tliis, resolving to establisli Christianity
•in his dominions, he married tlie princess x\nne,
daughter of tlie emperor Basil, and the patriarch of
Constantinople consecrated several archbishops and
bishops, and fi.xed their ])rincipal residence in the
most capital cities of Russia ; so that taking all these
circumstances together, Christianity was not estab-
li.shed in Russia before the latter end of the tenth
century.
This is the reason why the Russians profess a
great esteem for the Greeks ; for it will appear, that
,in some points of faith, as well as of discipline, there
nre several differences between them. They have
the bible jninted in their own language, which is
called the bcluvonian, and they acknowledged it to
be the true word of God, especially the four gospels
which they never touch without certain marks of
respect and veneration. But although they declare
the holy scriptures to be the rule of their faith, yet
they jtay almost as much regard to the decrees of the
rirst seven general councils, and the Greek fathers,
particularly Basil, Js'aziun/en, Chrysostom, and
Epherem the Syrian. '1 hey receive the Apostles'
Creed, the Nicene, and that of Alhanasius, so that
w hen any |)oint of religion is to be proved by them,
they have first recourse to the sacred scriptures,
next to the councils, and to the fathers above-men-
tioned, and the last appeal is to the patriarch of
Russia.
Their priests, whom they call papas, read the
whole of the New Testament in their churches to
the people, but no part of the Old, except the
Psalms ; for they consider some part of the Old Tes-
tament as above the common comprehension of the
vulgar. I'his is certainly true, and so arc many
things in the New Testament, and were men able
to comprehend every thing in the sacred scriptures,
<hen revelation would be no more than a system of
natiu-al religion. They never deliver an exiilication
of w hat has been read, which is perhaps one of the
reasons why they continue in sucli a state of igno-
rance. They say that preachers only perplex their
hearers by giving them too subtle an explication of
what is plahi m itself, and consequently leading
them hito unnecessary controversies of no importance
to salvation.
They believe the church to be an assembly of the
faithful, whom God has promised to assist with his
grace, to attain unto eternal salvation, and have va-
nity enough to assert, that out of their church there
is no salvation. Till of late years, they would not
suffer a Jew to reside among them, and such was
their hatred of the Turks, that when such an ambas-
sador came fi cm Constantinople, he was not permit-
ted to kiss the Czar's hand. All other Chrisliaas
besides themselves, they consider as heretics, onlv
that they look upon the Greeks in the Levant, with
a n>ore favourable eye than upon any others.
The Russians are of the same opinion with Pro-
testants concerning the head of the church, namely,
there is no person entitled to that honour, but Jesus
Christ only, and for that reason they look upon the
pope as an usiuper. It is true they pay soinelhing
annually to the patriarch of Constantinople, but that
is rather out of respect than from an acknowletige-
mcnt of jurisdiction. Neither do they allow that
theje has been any power in the Greek church to
work miracles since the death of the apostles, ihev
being unnecessary after the full establishment of
Christianity. They have a great veneration for tht-
person of the sovereign, ai1<l they count it an honour
to do the meanest oftices for him, nor are they less
submissive and obedient to all those who are in ;ui-
thority under him.
Another thing much regarded by the Russians, is
the duty they owe to their clergy, of whom they
Jiave several degrees and orders. The first in rank
is the patriarch, who is archbislioji of Muscow, and
formerly was obliged to reside in that city, but ever
since the court has been kept at Pttersburgh, he has
been permitted to reside there part of the year, to
assist the sovereign with his counsels. He is next
to the sovereign, the chief person in the empire, and
determines in all ecclesiastical affairs. lie wears a
kind of long black robe, and has always a cross car-
ried before him. Next to the patriarch are the
archbishops under him, and these are four in num-
ber, viz. those of Kiovia, Rostoff, Casan, and
Sankinski, and this last must reside constanty at
Muscow, to assist the patriarch. Next in rank are
the seven bishops, viz. of Kiovia, Muscow, P!es-
cow, Wolodimir, Casan, Astracan, and Torosho in
Siberia. Under these are priests, v\hom they call
popes or papas, and these are divided into proto-
))apas, arch-papas, and common-papas, of whom
there are vast numbers in Russia, there being no
other qaulifications necessary, besides being able to
read, write, and sing. The chief badge of the priest-
hood is a cap or caiot, w hich is put upon their heads
at the time of their consecration, and they are
obliged to wear it as long as they continue in the
priesthood. Another badge of tlieir priesthood is
the stick they carry in their hands, being for the
part clothed in a loose robe of coarse cloth w hich
comes down to their feet, and as they pass along
the streets, the jieoplc ask them for their blessing.
And yet we find from the best information, that
their inferior priests are much addicted to drunken-
ness in public houses, where they frequently create
quarrels, and also receive a severe drubbing.
Almost all Russia swarms with monks, of which
4 N
52G
RELIGION OF THE SCHISMATICAL GREEKS.
tliey have their orders, viz. the Benedictines, the
order of St. Basil, and that of St. Nicholas, and these,
like the Roman Catholics, make three vows, viz. of
poverty, chastity, and obedience, but in most other
things they are very different from those of Rome.
They lead a very austere life, and are clothed in
black loose cloaks, with a girdle round their middle,
and a badge to distinguish their order on their breast.
They have their abbots and priors, who are gene-
rally very ignorant, there being few among them
who are able to read.
They have also nuns, who live much after the
same manner as the monks, and are clothed in long
Ulack robes, except such as are persons of quality,
who are distinguished by short white vests. There
are also hermits in Russia, who have no other way
of procuring a subsistence than that of begging
from travellers, who sometimes give them a little,
for which in return they receive their blessings. —
The bishops and priests live upon their tithes, and
what else the people are pleased to bestow upon
them, for they have no houses nor lands, as in the
Roman Catholic countries. Simony, or the pur-
chasing of church livings, is as common in Russia as
in Italy, and they often exchange one benefice for
another, which is one of the worst things that ever
could take place in a national church.
All their churches are built round and vaulted, to
have some resemblance to the heavens, and they
have live steeples, one in the centre higher than the
others, and the other four around it. They use
neither pews, chairs, nor benches in their churches,
because they perform their devotions either kneeling
or prostrate on the ground. They look upon their
churches as so sacred that no new married couple
can be admitted into them until they have first bathed
themselves. They admit of no organs in their
churches, nor of any images of wood or stone, but
only such as are painted. Next to their churches,
they shew much regard to their church-yards where
they bury their dead. They w'ill not suffer any im-
purities to be thrown into them, nor will they per-
mit a dog to pass over them. They are great ad-
mirers of bells, looking upon them as essential to
divine worship. They have nearly the same notions
of the Trinity with the Greeks in the Levant ; that
is, they believe in the creeds, only with some small
Tariations from the ancient fathers.
They believe that God the Father is the Creator
of all things, the first person in the ever blessed
Trinity, and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
That Jesus Clirist is the second person in the Trinity ;
and that he is essentially both God and man. That
the Holy Ghost is the third person in the Trinity,
but they affirm that the Holy Ghost proceeds only
from the Father, and not from tiie Fatker and the
Son. This notion was embraced by some of the
ancients, but certainly it is very unbecoming for
them to dispute concerning what they are utterly
unable to comprehend.
They adore the images of the apostles, the pro-
phets, saints and martyrs, and they pretend to have
some of their relics. Amongst all their other saints,
they pay the greatest regard to St. Nicholas of Baris,
whom they acknowledge to be the patron of all the
Russian empire. They shew a great veneration for
the name of God, and never stir out of their houses
till they have said a prayer before the image of one
of their saints, of which they keep always one beside
them. If a poor person enters the house of one of
their persons of quality, he first looks for the image
of the saint, and adores it before he pays his respects-
to the master of the house.
The Russiai\s pay much regard to pilgrimages, it
being considered as meritorious in any person to visit
the shrine of their favourite saints. These notions
are so deeply rooted in their minds, that the late em-
press, in compliance with the vulgar opinion, fre-
quently accompanied her subjects in those journeys.
As the Russians are much addicted. to drunkenness,
so it frequently happens on those pilgrimages that
they quarrel and light so furiously, that they wound,
and sometimes kill each other.
When the Russians are at their devotions, they
often knock their foreheads against the ground, and
cross themselves in the following manner: Tliey
first make the sign of the cross with their fingers on
the forehead, which intimates, say they, the ascen-
sion of Christ ; next on the heart, to point out that
the heart is the receptacle of the word of God. —
Next they make a cross, first on the right, and then
on the left shoulder, intimating thereby, that at the
day of judgment, the righteous will be placed on
the right hand of Christ, and the wicked on his left.
Some few years ago, the patriarch ordered tliat the
laity slioiild cross themselves with only two fingers,
whereas before they used io do it with three, in ho-
nour of the persons in the Holy Trinity.
Biit this met with so much opposition from the
people, that they declared they would sooner loose
their heads than be deprived of the privilege of
crossing themselves with three fingers, as had been
practised by their ancestors. Their three great feasts
of Whitsunday, Christmas and Easter, are kept with
great strictness and solemnity, no one person being
permitted to work : they have also many other festi-
vals, on each of which lliey have prayers peculiar
to them. We have already observed, that they never
preach in their churches, because they look upon
every composition of their own in explaining the
scriptures to be a profanation ; but instead of preach-
ing, they read some of the homilies of the Greek
fathers, which ihey have translated into the Russian
language for that purpose.
RELIGION OF THE SCHISMATICAL GREEKS.
Si27
After reading the gospel, they begin to say mass in
the foiiowiiig manner ; The priest, altended by iiis
satiistaii,approuch('s the altar, and bows to it; wiiich
done, he pnts some red wine in tlie chalice, i"or the
Russians use no other, and mixes it with water. —
Having broken a piece of leavened bread, he puts
it into the wine, and then consecrates them both, by
reading several prayers, which takes up about half
an hour. y\l"ter this, he takes with a spoon, ail at
once, the bread and wine out of the chalice, and so
takes the communion Ijv himself, without any per-
son joining him ; unless they should happen to bring
to him, at that time, a sick child, unto whom he
gives a morsel of bread, steeped in w ine.
Great part of their devotions consist in attending
at these masses, and they have vast numbers of wax-
candles burning, while the people are busy in kissing
their images. They are not very strict in the obser-
vation of Sunday, except in going to mass, for after
that is over, many spend the remainder of the day
in rioting and drunkenness. They look upon bap-
tism as a ceremony absolutely necessary^ to salvation,
which is the reason the poorer sort have their child-
ren baptized as soon as they are born, but the rich,
who are not so superstitious, wait till they think
proper. They always baptize their children in the
church, unless there be very weighty reasons to the
contrary. They consecrate the water lirst, and chuse
no more than two godfathers for the first child, who
are to stand for all the rest afterwards, unless pre-
vented by sickness, absence, or death ; and although
a child be in ever such danger of dying, yet it can-
not be baptized by any but the priest, who performs
the ceremony in the name of the Father, of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost. But previous to the bap-
tism, the priest exorcises the child by crossing it,
and cotnmanding the devil to come out of it; for
they are firmly persuaded, that the uncleMi spirit
resides in it before the ceremony, which must be
performed at the door of the church without. They
believe, that if an unbaptized chikl was to be carried
into the church, it would be real profanation, and
there would be a necessity for them to consecrate it
anew. After baptism, the priest hangs a cross of
gold, silver, or tin, about the child's neck, which he
18 to wear till his dying day, and such as are found
without it at their death, are denied Christian bmial.
The reason why they are so particular on liiat head
is, they would have the Christians distinguished i'rom
the heathen Tartars, of whom there are many thou-
sands in the em|)ire. Every person has a particular
saint appointed him as a patron, and to him prayers
are addressed every day.
The Russian laity receive the sacrament of tlie
Lord's Supper with great marks of devotion ; and
they have ttvo sorts (d l)read which they use in the
commuuioii, which must be unleavened, and baked
by the widow of a priest who is past child-bearing.
One sort of bread is for those who are sick, and the
other for such as communicate at church. 1 he lirst
they consecrate on I loly Thursday only, and is kept
all the rest of the year till they want it. The other
is Consecrated at mass, and, as we mentioned before,
they mix with it a certain quantity of warm water;
because, say they, the blood and the water (lowed
from our Saviour's side. In this liquor they steep
the pieces of bread, and consecrate them together,
giving both the bread and wine to the connmniicants.
The priest, w hen he gives the elements, says, " This
is the true body and blood of Chrjst, spilled for
thee and many more, for the remission of thy sins ;
as often as thou receivest it, do it always in com-
memoration of Christ. God grant that thou mayest
receive it for thy salvation."
They communicate on Saturdays, after having
prepared themselves by fasting, and made a confes-
sion of their sins to the priest. Some of the devo-
tees, after they liave received the sacrament, keep
their beds all the rest of the day, lest they should
commit any sins ; vainly imagining, that there is some
hopes of escaping temptations in secret ; whereas
were they to think as every Christian ought to do,
they would be convinced, that it is the almighty
power of God alone that can preserve them from
temptation wherever they are.
Like the Greeks in the Levant, they give the
communion to babes, but only one lialf of the quan-
tity which they give to those w ho are grown up ; but
if a young one is past seven years of age, he may
have the whole quantity if he pleases. They also
give it to dying persons after the extreme unction,
which they use in the same sense as is practised by
the Roman Catholics. After the sick person has
received the communion, they give him neither food
nor medicines, unless there be apparent signs of his
recovery. No person can be admitted to the com-
munion in the church, until they have made a com-
plete confession of their sins, and gone through a
course of fasting for the space of eight days; during
which they are enjoined by the priest to live on no-
thing but coarse bread and small beer.
The other rules to be observed by the Russians in
their fasts are the following : To abstain from flesh
and all things having any relation to it, such as eggs,
butter, cheese, and milk ; from all sorts of strong
liquors, to which the Russians, in common with the
inhabitants of all cold northern Countries, are very
much addicted. At they same time they are to ab-
stain from the marriage bed ; and, in a word, (rom
all sorts of carnal pleasure whatever.
As the Roman Catholics are not bound to observe
such strict rules, so the Russians often ridicult; them
on that point, telling them what is really true, name-
ly, that their fast days are the most voluptuous feast
328
RELIGION OF THE SCHISMATICAL GREEKS.
days. Tims with respect to fasting, the Russians,
as well as the Greeks in the Levant, kecpreal instead
of nominal fasts ; Avhcreas, if a person wants to in-
dulge his appetite iu the choicest articles of gluttony
and voluptuousness, he ought on a fast day, to dine
with a Roman Catholic.
Besides their ordinary fasts, they have four solemn
ones, namely, forty days before Easter; these agree
with wliat we call I^ent. The second fast begitis
eight days after Whitsunday, and ends with the
feast of St. Peter and St. Paul. The third is kept
in honour of the blessed Virgin, and begins on the
first of August, and continues till the feast of the
Assumption. The fourth begins on the twelfth of
November, and continues till Christmas. During
all these fasts they are not to eat fiesh, eggs, butter,
milk, cheese, nor any thing that has the least rela-
tion to animal food. When we consider the number
of these fasts, and the levity with which they are
kept, we shall find, that the Roman Catholics are
more political than the Greeks; but the Greeks, as
well in the Levant as in Russia, are more sincere. —
The Roman Catliolics have appointed their fasts in
such a manuer, that they do not give much trouble
to the people ; and even when they think them bur-
thensome, nothing is more easy than to procure a
dispensation. But the Greeks in the Levant and in
Russia keep such long fasts, that one would imagine
their whole bodies were emaciated: and such is their
belief of the necessity of attending to every thing en-
joined by the priests, that they seldom ask them to
dispense with the severity, except on the most urgent
occasions.
1 hey have also, previous to Lent, a sort of carni-
val, which lasts eight days, and is called by them
*' the Butrer-week," because after it is expired their
fast begins. During the time they call Butter-week,
they commit the most outrageous excesses in drink-
ing, which generally lead them into all sorts of
crimes ; so that it is dangerous for any sober person
particularly a stranger, to go along, or even cross
the Streets. On these occasions murders are so fre-
quent, that there is seldom a morning in which they
do not find several dead bodies in the streets, and
such is the general madness, that the murderer is
-seldom discovered.
As for tiieir marriages, they have many strange
ceremonies, but divorces are so frequent among
them, that the Greeks in Russia, are often ridiculed
,by the Greeks in the Levant. It must however be
-acknowledged, that this is not the practice with
thi.*' who reside in Livonia, where Petersburgh is ;
fur the vast number of strangers from almost every
part of Europe, who visit and reside in that rising
city, contribute more towards civilizing the manners
of the people than any human laws whatever. It
was these foreigners who first set the example to the
Russian nobility, by shewing them iu what an liaf-
monious manner they lived with their wives, and
how tenderly they brought up their children; and
so earnest was Peter the Great, to root out of the
minds of his people all sorts of vulgar prejudices,
that he married a wife, who was of no higher rank
than the widow of a Saxon corporal of dragoons,
and lived with her to tlie last. The same great man
sent circular letters to the bishops and clergy, desir-
ing they would discountenance divorces iu all cases
except adultery, where they are justitied in taking
place upon the principles of natural reason.
As the priests among the Greeks in die Levant,
so those among the Russians are allowed to marry,
nay it is absolutely necessary, tiie Russians say, that
they should marry, and no persous whatever are
admitted to holy orders, unless they are either mar-
ried, or under a solemn vow to enter into that state.
Every priest must marry a virgin, and one whose
character is irreproachable ; and if she happens to
die, he must never entertain the least thoughts of
ever marrying again. The Russians, if we may rely
on the veracity of most of our accounts, are stran-
gers to the pleasure that attends on conjugal love
and affection ; but we need not travel so far to find
such husbands as are cold and indifferent to their
consorts : and it is pity that a match, where the par-
ties have no manner of regard or value for one ano-
tlier, nay where they have often an aversion for
each other, where they are at perpetual variance,
and loose and profligate on both sides, should be a
lease for years only, as it is amongst some people of
good sense and discerning judgments. For after
all, why should we damn our souls in damning
others ? The Christian religion, it is true, requires
that we should be regenerated in the midst of crosses
and tribulations, but then it allows us to fly from
persecution. Notwithstanding the Russians have
so little love and affection for their wives, yet they
keep them under a world of restraint. It is true,
however, that Peter the Great on his return from his
travels, discouraged and put a stop, in a great mea-
sure, to these tyrannical proceedings. Before that
time, the wives were, either through jealousy and
an hereditary custom, or out of contempt and dis-
respect, charged never to appear when their hus-
bands made any public entertainments. I'he same
custom has been kept up and observed in the Ne-
therlands, but without any compulsion on the part
of tlie husbands, who in that particular seem to have
retained some small remains of the jealous temper
and constitution of the Spaniards. Tlie Czar ordered
that the women should be invited with their hus-
bands to all weddings, and other public diversions.
He decreed likewise, that no marriage should be
solemnized till after several interviews between the
parties, and till both of tliem liad testified their
RELTGION" OF THE SCIFISMATICAL GREEKS,
329
nnifiial consent and approbation ; whereas before his
time the youn*; men were nut tillowed to sec their
mistresses, much less to discourse with them about
marriage, or make them anv protestations of tlieir
love and constancy. Their fathers and mothers then
made all their matches for them, and the young cou-
j)lc were not permitted to see each t)tiier till after
their nuptials, or at most, till the day before. At
ihis interview, the in"tended bridegroom accompanied
bv several of iiisfrieuds, paid his young mistress a
formal visit at her father's house ; where the young
lady widi several, of her favourite companious waited
to receive them. After some few compliments past
on both sides, the young lady presented lier gallant
with a glass of brandy, as a tacit intimation of her
choice, and the respect she had for him above the
rest. After this interview, they were expressly en-
joined, not to see each other any more till they weae
actually at church; but there were several- excep-
tions to this gi-aud rule; for it sometimes happened
that a young fellow who expected to be wedded to a
beautiful woman, was linked to one very deformed:
Olearius very justly attributes their bad oeconomy to
such deceitful wedding*! Peter the Great expressly
ordered, that no marriage shoidd be celebrated w ith-
out the consent and approbation of both parties^ or
without their .seeing and visiting each other, at least
for six weeks together, before the solemnization of
their nuptials.
The author of the religion of the Russians has
inserted one custom observed on these occasions,
■which is very singidar, that is, the father of the in-
tended bride renounces his paternal authority over
her, after he has given her two or three gentle strokes
Mitli a rod, which he delivers at the siune time to
his intended son-in-law.
Hut to j)roceed to those ceremonies which relate
more iiearly to the nuptials. Some short time be-
fort; the day ap|)ointeti for the wedding, their quality,
or such as affect to follow their- example, hire two
suachas, (so the Russians call the two female mana-
gers or superintendants of their weddings) one to
act the j>art of the hitended bride, um\ the other on
behalf of the bridegroom. The suacha, or agent
for tlie former, must attend at the bridegroom's
house, in order to make the necessai-y preparations
for the bridal bed, and lay it upon forty sheaves of
rye, or sojne other sort of giain; she must also take
care that it is encompassed;roimd with several hog^s-
heads of wheat, barley and oats, which are symbols
of fruitfulness and plenty. The day before tlie nup-
tial.s are to be solemnized, is- spent for the generality,
in sending presents to iht bride, ^^hich nuisl be con-
vey etl to her by tlie hands of the hi idegruom's sua-
cha. Amon<:st all these niipiial compliments no-
tliing i» more agreeable to the Russian ladies than a
box of- paint; for as we. are iuforme*!, iheix most
celebrated beauties never scruple to make use of it,
being induced thereto either through an habitual
practice or the depravity of taste, which at this very
day equally conceals under a thick lay of red, the
beautiful or sallow complexions of our Biitisli
ladies.
In the evening of their wedding-day the bride-
groom, accompanied by a numerous train of his
nearest relations and acquaintance, goes to wait on
liis mistress^ the jjriest who is to solemnize their
nuptials ricling on horseback before them. After
the previous congratulations^ and other coniplnnents
cnstomarv onsnch jovful occ:isions in all countries,
the company sit down to table. >iolwitlistandiug
there are three elegant dishes instantly served up,
no one takes the freedom to taste of them. At the
upper end of the tabic is a v-acant seat intended for
the bridegroom. \\ hilst he is earnest in discourse
w ith the brides relations, a young gentleman takes
possession of his chair, and never resigns it without
some valuable consideration. As soon as the bride-
groom has thus-redeemed his seat, the bride is intro-
duced into the room, dressed as gay as possible, but
covered with her veil; A curtain of crimson tatfety,
sujiported bv two young gentlemen, parts the lovers
and prevents them from stealing any armorous glances
from each other's eyes. In the next i)liice, the
bride's suacha, or agent, wreathes her hair, and
after she has turned up her tresses, puts a crown up-
on her head, which is either of gold or silver gilt,
and lined with silk, and of greater or less value, in
proportion to the quality or circumstances of the
person for whom it is intended. The other suacha
is employed in .'netting the bridegroom ofl' to the best
advantage. During this interval, some vomen that
are present sing a thousand little merry catches to
divert them. The bride-tnaids strew- hops upon the
heads-of the company. 'l"«o lads after this bring in
i a laige cheese, and several rolls of little loaves m a
hand-basket, ^ith curious sable tas^els to it. Two
of the bride's attendants bring in another chee^se,
and the same quantity of bread upon her particular
account. All which provisions, after the priest has
blessctl them, are carried to the church. At last,
there is a large silver bason set upon the table full
of small renmauls of satin and tatleta, w ith several
small pieces of silver, hops, bailey, and oats, ail
mingled together^ The suacha, after she has put
the bride's veil over her face again, takes several-
handfuls of this medley out of the bason, and strews
it over the head* of all the couipany. The next
ceremony is the exchanging of their respective rings,
which is performed by the piiients of the new mar-
ried couple. The suacha conducts the bride to
church, and the bridegroom follows will) the j)riest,
who, for the most pail, indulges himself in drinking
to that excess, that he is obliged to have two atteitdr
4. o
330
RELIGION OP THE SCHISMATICAL GREEKS.
anls to support him, not only whilst he rides on
horseback to the church, but all the time he is there
performing the matrimonial service.
One part of the pavement of the church, where
the ceremony is jierformed, is covered with crimson
taflfety, and another piece of the same silk is spread
over it, where the bride and bridegroom are appoint-
ed to stand. The priest, before he enters upon the
office, demands their oblations, which consists of
fish, pastry, &c. Then he gives them his benedic-
tion, and holds over their heads the image of those
saints which were made choice of to be their patrons.
After which, taking the right hand of the bride-
groom, and the left of the bride within his own hands,
he asks them three times whether they sincerely con-
sent to, and approve of their mariiage, and whether
they will love each other for the future, as is their
bounden duty so to do. When they have answered
5'es, all the company in general take hands, and join
in a solemn dance, whilst the priest sings the l'2Sth
psalm (according to the Hebrew computation) in
which almost all the blessings that attend the married
State are enumerated. The priest, as soon as the psalm
is finished, puts a garland of rue upon their heads ;
but if the man be a widower, or the woman a wi-
dow, then he lays it upon their shoulders. The
ceremony begins with these these words, " Increase
and multiply," and concludes with that other solemn
direction, which the Russians never understand in a
rigorous sense, " Whom God hath joined let no man
put asunder." As soon as this form of words is
pronounced, all the company light their wax tapers,
and one of them presents the priest with a glass of
wine, which he drinks, and the now-raarried couple
pledge him. This is done thrice, and then the bride
and bridegroom dash (heir glasses down upon the
floor, and tread the pieces under their feet, denounc-
ing several maledictions on all those who shall
hereafter endeavour to set them at variance. At the
same time several women strew linseed and hemp-
seed upon their heads. After this ceremony is over,
the usual congratulations are repeated, with such
other demonstrations of gaity and rejoicing as always
accompany the nuptial rites. We must not here
omit one circumstance, which is merry and innocent
enough : the women before-mentioned, take fast hold
of the bride's gown, in order to oblige her, as it
were, to forsake her husband, but the bride sticks
so close to him, that their endeavours prove in-
eftectuaj.
Their nuptial ceremonies thus far concluded, the
bride goes home in a Russian car or sledge, attended
bv six flambeaus, and the bridegroom on horseback.
'I'he company come after them. As soon as they
are all within doors, the bridegroom sits down at the
table with his friends; but the women conduct the
bride to her bed-chamber, and put her to bed. —
Afterwards, some young gentlemen wait on the bride-
groom with their wax tapers in their hands, and
conduct hi;n to his lady's apartment. As soon as
they are within the chamber, they leave their lights
upon the hogsheads that surround the nuptial bed,
and afterwards withdraw: but the bride, wrapped
up hi her night gown, jumps out of bed, approaches
her husband with abundance of respect, and makes
him a very submissive and respectful courtesy. This
is the first moment that the husband has had an
opportunity of seeing his wife unveiled, and they sit
down to table, and sup together. Amongst other
dishes, there is a roast fowl set before them, which
the husband tears to pieces, throwuig that part which
he holds in his hands, whether it be the leg or the
w ing, over his shoulder, and eats the remainder. —
Here the ceremony ends. Tiie spectators withdraw,
and the new-married couple go to bed. An old do-
mestic servant stands centinel at the chamber door.
Some of the company, who are more superstitious
than the rest, spend this interval of time in using
enchantments for the good success of this secret
love-adventure. Some travellers tell us, that this
old servant, as soon as it is proper, attends near the
bedside to be informed of what happens. Upon
the husband's declaration of his success and satis-
faction, ti:e kettle drums and trumpets proclaim the
joyful news, and the bathing vessels are instantly
prepared for the refreshment of the happy pair. —
The following days are spent in all the demonstra-
tions of joy and rejoicing imaginable. The men
indulge themselves in drinking to excess; and wliilst
the husband carouses with his friends, and drowns
his senses in intoxicating liquors, the bride if we
may rely on the veracity of some travellers, improres
these few remaining hours of liberty to the best ad-
vantage, and revels in her lover's arms.
From all that has been here said concerning their
marriages, we find that they retain many of those
customs which were in use among tlie ancient Scy-
thians, from whom they are descended. There is
however, great reason to hope, that knoM'ledge, in
the coursesof- time, will lead them off from such
foolish and ridiculous practices. We shall in the
course of this work have occasion to mention some-
thing concerning the marriage ceremonies in a coun-
try inhabited by Protestants, where some things are
almost as ridiculous as those here described; for an-
cient customs may be modified, but they are not
easily eradicated.
The Funeral Solemnities of the Russians.
The last thing we shall take notice of is, the man-
ner in which they bury their dead, and tlie respect
RELIGION OF THE SCHISMATICAL GREEKS.
331
wiiicli the living shew to the deceased, all vhicli
ariso from a iiattii al senliiueiit in the minds of men ;
for it has been often observed, that those who shew-
no respect to die bodies of llieir deceased relations,
will n^ver have much compassion for tiie living. —
Every sort of indigiiily sliewn to the deceased, indi-
cates a hardened heart; for as we were formed in
the image of God, so our bodies should be decently
interred.
Their funeral solemnities are as remarkable in all
respects as their nuptial ceremonies. As soon as a
sick person is expired, they send for the relations
and friends of the deceased who place themselves
about the corpse, and weep over it if they can. —
There are women likewise who attend the mourners,
and ask tlie deceased what was tiie cause of his
death? Were his circumstances narrow and per-
plexed ? Did he want either the necessaries or con-
veniences of life, &c. The party deceased being
incapable of making any answer, they first make the
priest a present of some strong beer, brandy, and
inethegliii, that he may pray for the repose of the
soul of the deceased. In the next place, the corpse
is weil washed, drest in clean linen, or wrapped in a
shroud, and shod with Russia leatiier, and put into
a coffin, the arms being laid over the stomach in the
form of .\ cross. The llussians make their cofiins of
the trunks of hollow trees, and cover them with
cloth, or at least with the great coat of tiie deceased.
The corpse is not carried, however, to church, till
it has been kept eight or ten days at home, if the
season or circumstances of the deceased will admit
of such a delay. Who woidd imagine such a vain
and richculous custom as this should make any dis-
tinction between a courtier and a citizen, a rich and
an indigent person ? But it is doubtless a received
opinion, that the longer they lie in this world the
better reception they shall meet with in the next.
But be that as it will, tlie priest incenses the corpse,
and sprinkles it with holy water till the very day of
its interment.
The funeral procession is ranged and disposed in
the ^following manner. A priest marches in the
front, who carries the image of the^particular saint
■who w as made choice of for the patron of the de-
ceased at the time he was baptized. Four young
virgins, w ho are the nearest relations to the deceased,
and the chief mourners follow him; or for want of
such female friends, the same number of w omen are
hired to attend, and perform that melancholy office.
After them comes the corpse, carried on the shoul-
ders of six bearers. If the party deceased be a monk
or a nun, the brothers or sisters of the convent to
Nvhich they belonged, perform this friendly office
for them. Several friends march on each side of the
corpse, incensing in, and singing as they go along,
to drive away the evil spirits, and prevent them
I from hovering round about it. The relations and
i friends bring up the rear, each having a wax taper
in his hand. As soon as they are got to the grave,
the coflin is uncovered, and the imqge of the de-
ceased's favourite saint laid over him, whilst the
priests repeat some prayers suitable to the solemn
occasion, or read some particular passages out ot
their liturgy. After that, the relations and friends
bid their hist sad adieu, either by saluting the de-
ceased himself, or the coftin in which he is interred*
The priest, in the next place, comes close to his
si<.le, and puts his passport or certilicate into his
hand, which is signed by the archbishop," and also
by his father confessor, who sell it at a dearer or a
cheaper rate, according to the circumstances of those
who purchase it. This billet is a testimonial of the
virtues and gyod actions of the deceased, or at least
of his sincere repentance for all his sins. When a
person, at the point of expiration, is so happy as to
have the benediction of his priest, and after his de-
cease, his j)assport in his hand, his innnediate re-
ception into heaven is in their opiiiKJU infallibly se-
cured. The priest always recommends the deceased
to the favour of St. Nicholas. To conclude, the
coftin is nailed up, and let down into the grave; the
face of the deceased is turned towards the east, and
his friends and relations take their last farewel in
unfeigned tears, or at least in seeming sorrow and
concern, exprest by mourners who are hired for that
purpose.
They frequently distribute money and provisions
among the poor who hover round the grave. But it
is a very common custom amongst them, to drown
their sorrow and affliction in metheglin, and in bran-
dy. It is well known that the Russians and several
other nations, particularly those of the north, have
retained the custom of funeral entertainments ; and
it happens too often, that even some of the politest
nations in all Europe will get drunk on those pnbfic
occasions, in commemoration of their deceased
friends.
During their mourning, which continues forty
days, they make three funeral entertainments, that
is to say, on the third, the ninth, and the twentieth
day after their interment. A priest who is contracted
with for that purpose, must spend some time in
prayer for the consolation and reposo of the soul of
the deceased every night and morning, for forty days
together, in a tent, which is erected on that occa-
sion over the grave of the deceased. They comme-
morate their dead also once a year, which ceremony
consists principally in mourning over their tombs,
and in taking care that they be duly perfumed with
incense by some of their mercenary priests, who be-
side the fee or gratuity which they receive for their
incense, or more properly the small ipiantity of wax
I w ith which they iaceuse such tombs, make an advah
332
RFXIGION OF THE SCHISMATICAL GREEKS.
tage likewise of the various provisions which are
often brought to such places, or of the alms which
are left there, and intended by the donors for the
relief and maintenance of the poor. \
The alms given to the poor at these funerals, arc
considered as an expiation for their sins; but in
vain do they think to appease the Divine Being, by
offering sacrifices out of what was sought after by
covetousncss, and obtained by illicit practises. That
■ wretched notion viill perhaps for ever prevail in the
minds of men, of entering iuto engagements with
the Deity — but God abhors that which lias Been?
obtained by unjust nieanSi
With respect to the state of the dead, the Russians-
believe, tliat neither the righteoiKs nor the wicked go-
into everlasting happiness or misery till the resurrec-
tion ; but they believe that tha one long for the re-
surrection day, and the other dread its coming. In
this sentiment they- are countenanced by all the fa-
thers who lived before the emperor Constantine the
Great, and it is almost certain, that this was the.
opinion of tlia ancient Jews.
OF THE GREEKS OF ST. THOIVLAS, IN THE EAST INDIES..
Jf ROM the circumstance of there being Chris-
tians in this part of the world, it will appear, that
the gospel in the most early ages was more univer-
sally taught than mwiy persons are apt to imagine.
Their sentiments are much the same as those of the
Tsestorians, and as thai heretic lived abont the latter
end of the third century, consequently we are natu-
rally led to discover the time when the gospel was
preached in this remote part of India. Not that
this was the first time of its being preached here ;
for if any regard can be pard to tradition, St. Tho-
mas the apostle not only preached to the Indians,
but he also suffered martyrdom among them. ^But
as Nestorius lived many years after, so it is probable
that a correspondence was kept np between the
Christians of the Lesser Asia, and those in the In-
dies, even long after the time of Con.itantine the
Great. In consequence of that communication,
there was nothing more easy than that of the Nesto-
rians sending emissaries into the Indies, and as
.some of their notions, were very agreeable to the de-
sires of men in a state of corrupt nature, so their be-
ing readily embraced is ei\sily accounted for. This
much however may be added, that although they
cannot \\ilh propriety be said to hold the true prin-
ciples of the Christian faith, yet they are not so cor-
jupted in many things, as some of those we have
already mentioned. The popes of Rome have fre-
quently sent their missionaries thither, but more par-
ticularly since the establishment of the Portuguese
in that part of the world. But Alexis Menesius, of
the order St. Augustine, «ho was constituted arch-
bishop of Goa, and took upon him the character of
primate of the east, was the most zealous, and la-
boured mpre abundantly than all the rest, to bring
pbout a reconciliation between the Christians of St.
Thomas, and tliose of the church of Rome. As his
history, has been compiled from his own memoirsj-.
and the accounts of those who travelled witii hiiu^
into those parts, as well as from several Jesuits who
have travelled thither, we may form an adequate idea'
from thence of the constitution, and religious prin-
ciplesof those people,at the time of that remarkable
mission in the year 1599- There were several who
attempted before Alexis to reconcile the Christians-
of St. Thomas with the church of Rome.
Don John Albuquerque, of the orderof St. Fran-'
cis, was the first archbishop of Goa; and under his
patronage and protection there was a college erected-
in the year 1.540, at Cangranor, for the instruction
of youth in the Latin ceremonies. But the Jesuits,
who were men of penetrating judgments, soon per-
ceived that the young Chaldeans, thus grounded, .
were of no manner of service ; and that there w ere-
no hopes of making proselytes of these people with---
out a perfect knowledge of the Chaldean, or Syrian
language. They erected therefore, another, college
in 1387, about a league from Cangranor, for the-
improvement of youth in the Chaldean tongue, in
order, that when they were grown up, and duly
qualified, they might be admitted as true Chaldeans
into the ministry. But this pivject met with little
or no success ; for it was not a suthcient qualitiction
to be master of their language; a harmony and
agreement in ))oint of principle with their prelates
being absolutely requisite to entitle them to the pri-
vilege of preaching in their churches : whereas, their
sentiments arrd manner of arguing, as they had been
brought up under the Jesuits, were quite different
from those which were generally received throughout
the country. For which reason it was impossible
for the Jesuits absolutely to abolish all their ancient
customs, and dissuade them from paying their sub-
mission to the patriarch of Babylon, who w as inde-
RELIGION OF THE SCIIISIMATICAL GREEKS.
Ci33
|>Mii!o!it of tlio pope, as well as tlie bishops wlio
were tiiiiler his jurisdiction.
The best miirse, therefore, that in their o|>iiiion
could be taken, was to secure oue of their bishops,
vhose iianie was Mar Joseph, and who was sent
thither by the patriarch of Bah} Ion, in order that,
the people having no pastor, their scheme niiuht tlie
more easily meet with the desired eflect. ^I'his bi-
shop, Mar Joseph, indeed, ordered and directed tliat
ina^s should be celelirated according to the form,
yud in the habiliments of the Latins; nay, that tl)ey
should make use of the same wine, and tlie same
wafers. Hut notwithstandinj; all this he still [)er-
sisted in his Nestorian principles, and instructed the
Portuu;uese wlio attended hiu), to call the Blessed
Virgin, Holy Mary Mother of Christ, and not Mo-
ther of God; which obliged the archbishop ami the
viceroy to Imve him seized, in order to send him
away to Rome. Hut at his arrival iu Portugal, he
so artfully manajfed his affairs, that he procured
proi>er c-redentials for his return to his archbishopric
of Serra. In the interim, however, they had sub-
stituted another bishop, called Mi\r Abraham, in his
|)lace, who, iu oider to establish himself in his
bisluijiric, went afterwards to Ixcnne to pay his ho-
mage to the poj>e, where, after making a public
recantation of his errors, he was re-ordained, and
obliged to take all his degrees fVoiii the very tonsure
to the .priesth(»od ^ afterwards he was consecrated
bishop, ynd his holiness granted him bulls for his
covernaMjut to the church of Serra, autl added there-
tf) his letter of recommendation to the viceroy, which
however proved of very little .service to him ; for
the archbishop of Gon, upon his arrival, examined
his bulls, and perceiving that the pope had been im-
pf)s(d upon by Mar Abrahaun, confined him, under
that |Metcnce, in a convent, till an answer could be
had from Rome. He found means to make his
escape, and conceal himself within the churches of
Lis own diocese, where he met with a favourable
r'-ceptiort from the Nestorians, who despaired of
ever having another bishop amongst them appointed
by their jiatriarch.
Mar Abraham, however, who was always distrust-
ful ot tlie Portuguese, \\ ithdrew into the country ;
aiid to demonstrate that he was perfectly reconciled
to the pope, re-ordained all those whom he had be-
fore tirdaiued, in order to act iu conformity to the
liomish ceremony; and used his utmost endeavours
to convince both Rome, the vicerov, and the arch-
bishop, that he was inviolably attached to the Latin
church. Notwithstanding all these formal proceed-
ings, he zealously preached up and inculcated the
doctrines of Nestorius, in the church of Serra, aiid
would by no means suffer his followers so much as
t-idk of the pope, as supreme head of the chinch,
ackuowledging uo- other patriarch <hau that of Ba-
£'2 4
b\Ion. On the other hand, Mar Joseph, the pre-
ceding bishop of Serra, was charged with preaching
up, and inculcating the heresies of ^^estorius, an;l
being exauiined tlienupon, he, with an und:unitecl
resolution, replied, that he had a nvclalion from the
Almighty, that the religion which he had imbibed
from his forefathers, was the only true religion. —
Upon this declaration he was immediately taken
into custody, and sent to Rome, w here he ended his
ilays.
From this history it is very evident that the Nes-
torians were persecuted with abundance of rigour
by the Portuguese, on account of their profession ;
that the missionaries, who had but a superficial
knowledge of tiie eastern theology, were very vex-
atious, insisting on the observance of several cere-
monies which were of little or no importance ; and
that thereby thev had obliged the Nestoriau bishops
to liibsemble for some time, and introduce innovatiou.s
or new ceremonies into their churches by diut of
force and compulsion. And it was by these very
means that Mar Abraham, out of regard to a brief",
or letter which he had received from the pope, and
out of fear of offending the viceroy, who granted
him a passport, in order to l)e present at a coimcil,
was obliged to renounce a second time all his errors,
and make a public profession of the Apostolic and
Roman Catholic faith. No sooner, however, was
he returned to his own church, but he preached up
and inculcated the Nestoriau tenets with as nmch
zeal and vigour as he had done before ; and, at the
same time, he wrote a letter to the patriarch of Ba-
bylon, to assure him, that his assistance at the synod
of Goa was not the result of his ow n choice, but the
absolute compulsion of the Portuguese.
The se([uel of that history gives still further proofs
of the outrages which the Mestorians suffered from
the measures taken to reconcile them to the church
of Rome, and to oblige them to subscribe to pope
.Pins the Fourth's confession of faith, under the
before-mentioned xMexis de Meneses, archbishop of
Goa, who went to India with a brief or letter from
po])e Clement th.e Eighth, to complain of and inform
against Mar Abraham, 'llie ardent zeal which the
Nestoriau Christians in this country professed in the
defence of their religious principles, is conspicuous
th(»aghout this whole narration; w herein we find,
that they insisted on their receiving the articles of
tiu'ir faith from St. Thomas himself, and they carried
their prejudice to so high a pitch, that they clapt their
hands before their eyes at the mass of the Latins,
when the priest elevated the host for the people's
adoration of it.
They testified a peculiar regard and an inviolable
attachment to their patriarch of IJabylon; and if any
one asked them, whether the pcjie was not head of
the church .'' They replied, tluil he w as the head of
334
RELIGION OF THE SCIIISMATICAL GREEKS.
tlie church of Rome, which is but one particular
church, or tJie church of St. Peter, but not of St.
Thomas ; obstinately persisting in the opinion, that
they were two distinct churches, and altogether in-
dependent one of the other. Moreover, they strenu-
ously opposed the sacrament of contirmation, which
archbishop Meneses attempted to administer to
them ; boldly charging him with envy and ambition,
and with a clandestine design to subvert the reliaion
of St. Thomas, and make them proselytes to the
church of Rome, that on the accomplishment of
such a schen)e, he might make himself master of all
the Indian churches. This they said, was the true
and only reason why thi& archbishop reviled and tra-
duced the patriarchs of Babylon ; while they on the
contrary resolutely declared that they would perse-
vere in their obedience and submission to their pa-
triarch, and never renounce then- own for the Romish
religion.
Notwithstanding all this strenuous opposition of
the Jvestorians, archbishop Meneses continued in-
cessantly to demonstrate to them, that their patriarch
was an heretic, and one that was excommunicated,
and consequently, that they could not pray to God
in particular for him. And he was so zealous in
his undertakings, that he backed his arguments with
very considerable presents to sooth them, which had
their intended effect. Nay, sometimes he would
have recourse to compulsion, and had frequently en-
dangered his life to promote his cause ; for under
pretence of having an absolute commission from the
pope, he exerted his authority in all places wherever
lie v\ent, without any regard to the respective pre-
lates or ordinaries, even before they shewed any in-
clination to acknowledge his mission. By these
resolute measures, this envoy of his holiness estab-
lished the Romish religion in these countries, and
spared no pains nor costs to accomplish his designs.
He ordained several persons in direct opposition to
the diocesan bishops, but first made them abjure the
errors of the Nestorians. Such as were thus ad-
mitted into holy orders, besides their compliance with
his confessions of faith, were obliged to swear alle-
giance to the pope, and to acknowledge no other
prelates but such as were commissioned by him. It
is proper now to proceed to the erroneous tenets
■which Meneses laid to the charge of the Christians
of St. Thomas.
1. They obstinately maintain all the doctrines of
Nestorius, and moreover excluded all images out of
the churches, except the cross only ; for w hich in-
deed they testified a most profound veneration. —
There were several images, however, of particular
saints to be seen in those churches which were near
the Portuguese.
2. 'ihey aflirmed, that the souls of the saints
never see the Almighty till after thp day of judgment.
3. They acknowledged the three sacraments only,
that is to say, baptism, ordination, and the eucharist.
Their administration of baptism was so irregular,
that the ceremony thereof was solemnized after dif-
ferent forms in the very same church : By which
means it frequently happened, that theu' baptisms
proved invalid ; insomuch that Meneses privately re-
baptized the major part of them. There were like-
wise several, especially such as were in necessitous
circumstances, and resided in the woods, who had
never been baptized at all, on account of the ex-
penses that attended the administration of tliat sacra-
ment ; and yet, notwithstanding this shameful neglect,
they went to church, and there received the com-
munion. Moreover, they frequently deferred the
administration of baptism for several months, and
sometimes for several years together.
4. In the administration of baptism tliey made
use of no holy oils; except that whereas in their
rituals there is mention made of unction after bap-
tism, they anointed their children with an unguent,
composed of oil and Indian nuts, or a kind of sattVon,
without the least benediction whatsoever : and this
v\ as looked upon by them as a sacred unction.
5. They never practised the ordinance either of
confirmation or extreme unction : nay, they- were
perfect strangers to their very names.
6. They abhorred and detested auricular con-
fession, except some few, who were neighbours to
the Portuguese. And as to the blessed sacrament
of the Lord's Supper, they received it on Maunday-
Thursday, and several other solemn festivals, without
any other preparation but not breaking their fast.
7. Their books abounded with very considerable
errors (especially with respect to the blessed sacra-
ment) and in their mass there were numberless addi-
tions inserted by the ISestorians.
8. They consecrated the sacrament of the eucha-
rist with little cakes, made with oil and salt, and
baked in brazen vessels by the deacons, and other in-
ferior clergy, in a separate apartment built in the
form of a turret. Whilst the cakes were baking,
they repeated several psalms and spiritual hynms ;
and when they were ready for consecration, they
dropt them in a small basket of green leaves, through
a little hole that was made at the bottom of the
turret. Moreover, in their consecration, they used
wine made with water, in which some few dried
raisins only had been first infused.
9. They said mass but very seldom, and he who
assisted made use of a kind of stole, over his usual
dress, although he was no deacon. He held the
censer, or frankincense vessel in his hand, and re-
peated almost as many prayers as the celebrant,
adding thereto severrd strange and profane cere-
monies, which testified, in a peculiar manner, their
error with regard to the nature of the sacrament.
RET.TGION OF THE SCITTSMATICAL GREEKS.
335
10. They had such a peculiar veneration for holy
orders, that there was scarce a family but what had
oue or more in it devoted to the allar; and the true
reason of it was, that they were not thereby rendered
incapable of any other preferment, and wherever
they went, they were respected, and luid the pre-
eminence. Moreover, they had no regard to the age
of such as were admitted into holy orders ; for some
they ordained j)riests at seventeen, and others at
eighteen or twenty ; who, after their admission, not
only married widows sometimes, but upon the de-
cease of one wife took another, and sometimes a
third; and it was no uncommon thing to meet with
a father, a son, and a grandson, all priests together
of one and the same chnrcii. Tiie wives of the
clergy had a superior respect shewn them over other
women, not only in the church, but in all places of
public resort, and they make tliemselves conspicuous
by wearing a cross on their neck, or by some other
particular mark of distinction. The usual habit of
their ecclesiastics was a pair of white drawers, and
over them a long shirt, to which they sometimes
added, for the greater decency, a white or black
cassock. The crowns of their heads were shaved,
like those of the monks and regular canons.
1 1 . 1 hey met together and performed divine ser-
vice every day with an audible voice in the Chaldean
language, but did not think themselves obliged to
do it on any other occasion ; so they had no brevi-
aries for private devotion.
12. They were guilty of simonical practices in
the administration of baptism and the Lord's Supper;
for they assessed, or imposed a tax on all such as
were baptized, or received the communion at their
hands. For the solemnization of their nuptial cere-
monies, they applied themselves to the first priest
they could meet with, especiallv those who resided
in the country. Nay, sometimes they never con-
cerned themselves about any priest at all, but mar-
ried according to the idolatrous customs of their
neighbours or fellow-citizens.
13. They testified a peculiar regard and venera-
tion for their patriarch of Babvlon, w ho was a schis-
matic, and the head or principal of the Nestorian
sect. On the contrary, they could not endure that
the pope should be once mentioned in their churches,
which were very often without either curate or vicar,
and superintended only by the eldest member of the
congregation.
14. 'I'hough they went constantly to church on
Sundays to mass, they did not look upon it as a duly
incumbent on them in point of conscience; so that
they were at perfect liberty to attend or be absent ;
and in some places there was mass said but once a
year, and in others again, not one for six, seven, or
ten years together.
15. The priests followed mechanical employments,
and thereby neglected the regulation, and care of
their flock. Their bishops were liabylonians, sent
by tl'.eir patriach, v.ho lived upon extortion and si-
monical practices, making a |)ubl!c sale of sarrcd
ordinances, such as the ordination of their clergy,
and the administration of the other sacraments.
1,6. They made no scruple of eating flesh-meats
on Saturdays ; bud they were guilty of an extrava-
gant error, dining their Lent and Advent; insomuch
that if they had broke their fast one day, they neg-
lected that duty all the week round, not thinking
themselves under anv obligation to observe the in-
junction when once they were conscious of tlnir
violation of it.
They were very strict in the observance of their
Lent. But besides that, they kept several other
fasts, much after the same manner as the Greeks, of
whom we have already made sufficient mention;
but such as were sometimes more superstitious than
their neighbours, added bathing to their abstinence,
which they looked upon as imperfect, if they neg-
lected washing themselves all over in the morning.
Thev bathed or washed themselves also if they hap-
pened but to touch any person of an inferior tribe.
It is remarkable, that these Christians began their
abstinence on the vigil or eve of the fast, and ob-
served it no longer than the evening of the ensuing
day.
Such women as were brought to bed of a male-
child, never entered their churches till forty days
after their lying-in : and in case of female issue,
they were obliged to absent themselves for four
score days together. At the expiration of the stated
term, the mother attended divine service with her
infant in her arms, and made a formal oblation of
him to God and to the church. They shewed a
peculiar regard' for, and an awful dread of, excom-
munication. They could not by the rules of their
church discipline, give absolution to one that was
guilty of wilful murder, or any other enormous
crimes, as we are informed, even at the very point
of death.
Thus have we given the reader a detail of the
greatest part of the errors and abuses with which
Meneses loaded the Christians of St. Thomas, and
which the compiler of that history aggrandizes, to
shew what indefatigable pains were requisite to
make proselytes of those people. But had this
archbishop, and the other eastern missionaries been
perfect masters of the ancient thee, logy, tliey had
not multiplied these errors to the degree they have
done. And indeed, as tliey weighed and considered
every point with conformity to the scholastic divi-
nity of the Europeans, it is not any ways surprising
to find that they should be ambitious of reforming
the eastern nations on that basis or foundation. It
must be ackuowledged, that there were some abuses
33o
RELIGION OF THE SCin55L\TICAL GREEKS.
Vfrhiehrit were higlily requisite should be reformed :
but such lefoniiation ought not to have been
crounded on evangelical customs.
The archbishop Meneses convened a council at
Diamper in the kingdom of Cochin, on the 20th of
Jime 1599, at which the xSestorian deputies were
present, in order to deliberate, jointly with the arch-
bislvop, on the state of all their ecclesiastical affairs.
And hence to make it appear that the Nestorians
were indulged in all liberty that was requisite on
such public and solemn occasions, and -also to pro-
cure their assent to all the articles which svere then
and there to be agreed on; the arcfcbishop attached
eight of their most celebrated clergymen firmly to
his interest, and comnuniicated witliout reserve, the
secret of his scheme, and the'wavs and means which
were requisite to be taken to render it successful,
shewing them copies of all the decrees which were
there to be made, and asking in a very familiar man-
ner, their opinion and advice upon each particular
article, as if he were not tjlien come to any absolute
determination ; -so that when they should attend at
the synod, they might there art in the same manner
to the end, that the rest might be inclined, or obliged
to follow their example.
It was therefore decreed in this synod, that the
priests,, deacons, subdeacons, and all the delegates
of the respective cities which were then present
should fubscribe to the confession of faith, which
the archbishoi) himself had made by his private au-
thority. Tiiis was put in execution accordingly,
. and all of them in a most solemn manner, swore alle-
giance to the pope, whom fhey acknowledged to be
head of the church ; and ftnther, that for the future
theywouldhold.no manner of correspondence with
the patriarch of Babylon. jStoreover, they anathe-
matized Nestorius, and all his heresies, acknow-
ledging Cyril patriarch of Alexandria to be a saint.
Uesides all these proceedings, there were several'
particular statutes made at this synod, for the refor-
mation of those errors which archbishop Meneses
had discovered in the admiiristration of their sacra-
ments and in their prayer-books. For which reason
their liturgies and other offices of devotion were
urdered to be corrected. As to the ordinance of
matrimony, that was regulated in every point on the
footing of the council of Trent. All matters like-
wise relating to the sacraments of penance, confir-
mation, and extreme unction, were reformed ac-
cording to the practice of the church of Rome. —
'I'heir priests were enjoined to live in perpetual celi-
bacy for the future ; and particular statutes or orders
were made for the observance of such as were al-
ready entered into the matrimonial state. In short,
the archbishop introduced the established religion
of the Latins among the Chaldeans, not only in this
synod, but in liis visitations of the several cluifclie*.
We shall nov,' enquire v.'hether there were any just
reasons for his ■ introducing so many innovations
amongst the Christians of St Thomas ; and theieby
give the reader a thorough notion of their avowed
religion.
!. As to those errors, therefore, imputed to them
by archbishop Menqses, we have already reconciled
the sentiments of Nestorius, with those of thechurcii
of Rome ; ^nd the archbishop should have taken the
same method to have rendered his attempt successful
and lasting,; for he ought to have ' understood them
before he had condenmed them, on the account only
of denomination. Had '■ he dcmonctrated to them,
that all the quarrels avid controversies in which they
were engaged with the dl:urch of Rome, were only
about a few ambiguous terms, tliey would doubtless
have been much wore tractable and inclined to a
reconciliatiwn.
2. With regard to their images, the Chaldeans do
not mairifest that awful respect for them, which the
Greek"; in the I^evant do: and the reason is, because
this pre found veneration for them had been esta-
blished in the Greek church no longer than since the
second council of Nice, which is more modern than
the various sects of the Chaldeans, who content
themselves, for the generality, with having a cross
only in their hands. This cross, with which the
priest gives liis benediction to the people, is made
of plain metal without the least figure or representa-
tion upon it. The archbishop might very well have
indulged the Christians of St. Thomas in this their
ancient simplicity: since whatever has been de-
creed in the process of time with regard to images,
is no more than matter of form, and only regards
ecclesiastical discipline.
3. It must be acknowledged, that they do not
administer the sacrament of baptism according to
the rites of the Latin church : But the form cf
their baptism ought not, for that reason only, to
be thought null and invalid: !Much less ought such
persons to be re-baptized, who had before been
baptized according to the custom of the Chaldeans.
That which usually leads the missionaries into an
unhappy mistake, when they are discoursing about
religious points with tire easterns, is their prejudice
in favour of their school-subtleties with relation to
the matter and form of eacranients. When they
find, for instance, that a child is not baptized at
the same time that the words which denote the ac-
tion are [wonounced, they imagine such baptism t9
be void and of no effect : Not considering that, the
method of administering the sacraments amongst
the easterns, entirely consists in the repetition of
sundrv pravers, and they are not such profound me-
taphysicians as the Xiutius. They are perfect strau"
RELIGION or THE SCHISMATICAL GREEKS.
:3:57
gcrs to nuitibi.ilcss dillicult and abstruse points,
wiiicli our divines unravel willi all tlie dexterity and
address imaginable.
4. The unction vvlucli tbey make use of after
baptism is looked upon bv them as the sacrament
of contirnialiou, notwuhstandinjj; it differs very much
from that of the Latins. Archl)ishop Meneses had
no such reason for introducing another unction,
whicli, thou-^jh practised in liis own chuich, is in
reality no more than a simple ceremony. lie sliould
have considered, tliat the Nestorians, according to
the ancient custom of the eastern church, when they
baptize their children, administer to them at the
same time the sacraments of confirmation and tiie
Lord's Supper, lie shoidd have examined their
rituals, therefore, in order to discover whether there
were any erroneous practices in the administration
of this sacrament. \\ hereas Meneses seemed intent
on nothing else but the abolition of tiicir ancient
customs, and for no other reason but their non-
couforniity to those of the Latins.
o. 'I'iie archbishop is mistaken in his assertion
that the Christians of St. Thomas were perfect
strangers to the use of continuation and extreme
unction, as well as to their very names. It is prob-
able indeed they might be ignorant of the names of
these sacraments, particularly the latter, wliich is
practised only in the Latin church; for althoitgh the
tastern church anoint their sick conformable to the
works of St. James, they do not, however, call this
ceremony extreme unction, for the reasons before-
mentioned in speaking of the Greeks ; and the very
same reasons may be applied to confirmation. The
priests administer the sacrament amongst the Nes-
torians as well as amongst the Greeks, at the same
time wiih that of baptism, looking on it as its final
completion and inseparable perfection. As for auri-
cular confession, which they abominated and de-
tested, that happened, it is doubtless, by an abuse
or error which had been unhappily introduced into
their church ; because confession is weH known to
be practised all over the eastern nations, notwith-
standing most of them are of opinion, that it is not
u duty incumbent on them of divine right.
ti. As to those errors which the archbishop pre-
tends he discovers in their writings, insomuch that
he thought proper absolutely to abolish the office of
the Advent, it was very easy for him to have put a
favourable construction on those imaginary errors :
besides, the reformation w hich he has made in the
liturgy is idle and insignificant ; for nothing can lie
worse digested than tiie Nestorian mass, as he has
reformed it. There we find the whole order of it
altered for no other purpose but to accommodate it
to the received opinion of the Latin divines with re-
spect to consecration, which, according to them,
consists iu these words, " This is my body, Sic." —
■i-J
Whereas the Nestorians, as well as the rest of the
easterns, insist, that the consecration is not c(rinplete
till the priest has concluded that prayer which l)y
them is called the " invocation of the Holy (jhost."
And yet Mencses made the Nesloriau priests adore
tlie host as soon as ever those w ords were uttered,
" This is my body," though they did not believe it
yet consecrated.
7. Their custom of administering the sacrament
with leavened bread, and mixing oil and salt with it,
ought not to be imputed to them as an error, since it
makes no manner of alteration in the nature of the
bread. ^loreover, the ceremony observed by them
iu 'order to render this bread in some measure more
sacr<;d before consecration, it is not only very com-
mendable, but very ancient. They distinguish by
that means, as the Cireeks do, the biead which is in-
tended soon to be converted into the body of Jesus
Christ, and set apart for that sacred purpose, from
all other bread whatever, wlyich they look upon as
profane, or nnonsecrated, till after the repetition
of a stated number of prayers and psalms.
8. It is no great wonder that the Chaldeans should
not say mass so often as the Latins, and that several
priests should assist the bishop thereat, and receive
the communion from his hands; for this was the
ancient practice of the church ; whereas the custom
of saying so great a number of masses in the Latiu
church is very modern ; and as cardinal Bona has
justly observed, was introduced priucipally by the
Mendicant friars ; but more fully coullrmed and
established since the introduction of the new canon
law. It was likewise custoniary for those who for-
merly attended and assisted at mass, to say a con-
siderable part of it ; and the reason was, because
the liturgy was a juiblic act whereiu the congregation
was engaged as well as the priest, as may easily be
proved from the prayers contained in the Latin
mass.
9. It is very true that the Nestorians, and the
other easterns, are very remiss and regardless of the
ancient discipline with respect to their admission of
youth into holy orders ; for they never consider the
e.xact age required by the canons ; but if that article
ought to have been reformed, as well as that other
relating to the marriage of their priests, this refor-
mation ought to have been grounded on their own
laws and institutions rather than those of Rome.
10. Meneses reckons the custom of not repeating
the breviary in private families, as one of their errors,
without the least reason, iiecause it is a modern cus-
tom ; besides the breviary never was designed for
tliat private purpose.
1 1 . ^V'e question very much whether the tax or
assessment which is laid by the Nestorian priests on
I the adniinistration of their sacraments, can properly
be deemed simony ; for that is substituted in the
49
33S
RELIGION OF THE SCHISMATICAL GREEKS,
room only of a benefice ; and what has aheady been
said in favour of the Greeks in this respect, may
very justly be applied to them.
13. Neither, in our opinion, can the submission
which the Nestorians pay to their patriarch be justly
reckoned amongst the number of their errors ; be-
cause the easterns look upon their patriarch, and
even that of Rome, as powers established by law. —
'And whenever they are charjed with an aversion for
the pope, their answer is, that his holiness assumes
an authority over the eastern churches which they do
not acknowledge. Their having no curates nor
vicars, but their most ancient priest to preside over
their assemblies, can never surely be alleged against
them as an error ; for, on the contrary, it is a laud-
able and excellent piece of church discipline, and it
is very much to be wished, that the custom was in-
troduced every where in order to rectify a world of
abuses which have crept into the church relating to
benefices.
13. Lastly, all the errors that Meneses charges
the Nestorians with are, for the generality, not really
errors, and exist only in the imagination of some
missionaries, who regulate all religious affairs accord-
ing to those prejudices which they have imbibed by
their education in their own schools. Shall we be
.so unreasonable, for instance, as to insist, that these
people, and the other Christians of the East, are
guilty of an error in eating meat on Saturdays,
■which day is a festival amongst them, according to
the ancient custom of the church .? Shall we pre-
sume likewise to charge the Nestorians witlf being
guilty of an error with respect to marriage, for
making their applications to the first priest they can
meet with to perform the ceremony ? We ought to
consider that the priest in the eastern chur'ch is never
made use of as an evidence of the solemnization, but
as the sole person who has a legal right to administer
that, as well as the sacraments and other religious
ceremonies of their church.
Having said thus much concerning their tenets,
and stated the objections made against them by Ro-
man Catholics, with such answers as naturally oc-
< urred to us in an impartial investigation, we shall
flow proceed to point out to the reader, what these
people say concerning themselves. And here it is
necessary to observe, that, as they were in former
times subject in ecclesiastical affairs to the patriarchs
of Babylon, so they are frequently called Chaldeans,
a name rather local than conveying any idea of a
religious nature. In the mean time, it is not at all
surprising that we should find them traduced by the
Roman Catholics, who have at all times carried their
resentment against those of a different religion to an
unwarrantable height. Jt is ptobable that this story,
however, whiuh they relate concerning themselves,
is no other than a perversion of the genuine account
of St. Thomas the Apostle; for although we may
sometimes discover the outlines of truth in oral tra-
dition, yet there is so much fable intermixed, that
we are often as it were bewildered, and frequently
lost in the dark.
The Christians of St. Thomas declare themselves
descendants of one Mar 'Jliomas, or Thomas Cana,
an Armenian merchant, who settled at Congranor.
This Mar Thomas married two wives, and had chil-
dren by each. The children by the former were heirs
to all his effects and lands which were situated in the
southern parts of the kingdom of Congranor-; and
those of the latter, who y.'as a negro slave converted
to the Christian faith, inherited the settlement which
their father died possessed of in the north. In pro-
cess of time his descendants became very numerous,
and constituted two considerable branches, which
were never united or allied to each other. The issue
of his first wife, from whom the nobility are de-
scended, look down with disdain on the Christians
of the other branch, and carry their aversion to so
high a pitch, as to separate themselves from their
communion, and contemn the ministry of their priests.
Mar Thomas, whom these Christians look upon as
their common parent, flourished, according to the
geiieral notion, in the tenth century. But M. la
Croza rather thinks that he lived in the sixth. In
time, however, these Christians were indulged, and
enjoyed a great many very valuable privileges under
the sovereigns of live country, and grew at last so
powerful, that they elected kings out of their own
nation and religion. They continued in this state of
independence till the death of one of their sovereigns,
Mho, leaving no issue behind him, adopted a young
idolatrous prince that was his neighbour, and ap-
pointed him to be his immediate successor.
Notwithstanding the various revolutions which
have happened in the East Indies for these two cen-
turies last past, the Christians of St. Thomas are
even now in possession of more than four hundred
small towns or boroughs, that are all under the
jurisdiction of one bishop who was sent to them by
the patriarch of Babylon before the reconciliation
of those Christians, which was more the result of
compulsion than of choice. The l>ishop whom the
Portuguese have fixed here, is called the bishop
of the mountains, because he has his residence in
every mouutaiiKius part of the country. As the bi-
shops of St. Thomas are all civil as well as spiri-
tual judges and governors, so the Portuguese have
invested theirs with the same power. The bishops
of St. Thomas are extremely numerous, but their
dioceses are not large, although they have many
hewers.
Such is the state of religion at present in that
country, where there are a vast number of inhabit-
ants; and what is very remarkable is, that the J e-
RTUGTON OF THE SClIIS^rATICAL GREEKS,
379
SMtts undertook many dangerous voyages, and un-
derwent a vast variety of hardships to convert tiitin
to the tenets of popery. Tlie .Icsiiits did not, or
rather woidd not, consider that tlicso peoi>le had
never embraced sc^ many ridiculous notions as tliey
themselves had ^one ; but when learning, politics,
■nid enthusiasm are all united in one person, then it
is tliat we may naturally look for a very extraor-
dinary character.
RELIGIOUS TENETS AND CEREMONIES OF THE COPIITI,
OR COPTI.
Ti
HESE people owe their origin and name to
Copta, an ancient city in Egyjjt, often mentioned
by Plutarch, and Strabo. Tlie Christians of Egypt
ate at this day thstinguished by this name, and speak
a lanjiuage peculiar to themselves, which they call
the Coptic, but they never use it except in -divine
service : for in common conversation they use the
Arabic language, that being for the most part under-
stood tliroughout the country. This language,
which Kircher the Jesuit insists to be a m(jther
tongue, and independent on any other, has been very
much altered by the Greeks: for. although they
make use of the Coptic letters, yet abundance of
their words are pure Greek.
In thcirnotions concerning the Trinity, they differ
from the Greeks in the Levant, and also from those
in Russia; for they believe that the Holy Ghost
proceeds both from the Father and the Son, so that
in that sense they difi'er but little from those, whom
in general we call the Orthodox. At difl'erent times
they have been reconciled again and again to the
church of Rome, but those reconciliations were
only in appearance, for no sooner had the mission-
aries turned their backs than these people relapsed
into tiieir former opinions, and adhered to the prac-
tice of the ceremonies which had been used by their
ancestors. Of this we have a noted instance in ec-
clesiastical history under the year ]56'2. From what
motives is not now rightly known, but certain it is,
that they sent very submissive letters to the ^Jope,
desiring to be reconciled to the church of Rome,
ackr.owledging her to be the supreme mother of all
churches in the world.
Flattered with the idea of making such a number
of converts, the pope sent one Roderic a Jesuit to
them, and he having had some conferences with them,
particularly with two of their priests, whom the pa-
triarch Gabiitl had nominated for that purpose,
very easily prevailed upon them to own the pope's
authority, whiih they did; but sometime afterwards
Avheu this J esuit pressed the same patriarch to send
his letters of submission and obedience, he peremp-
torily replied, that ever since the council of Chalce-
don, when several patriarchs were ajjpointed, every
one was supreme head, and under Christ, the sove-
reign Lord of his own church.
He went so far as to add, that if the pope of
Rome fell into any dangerous errors, he ought to be
calletl to account for them, and tried by other patri-
archs. And as for those letters which had been
written to the pope, the contents were not to be ta-
ken in a rigorous sense, but only as the result of ci-
vility and complaisance; for granting that he made
use of the terms, submission and obedience, he meant
no more by them, than that res|)ect which ought at
all times to be paid to friends. He observed further,
that if there was any thing inserted in those letters
which he had wrote to the pope, that was inconsis-
tent with the tenets of his church, the fault ought
not to be imputed to him, but to the person intrusted
with them, who had corrupted their genuine sense
and meaning.
This Jesuit Roderic, upon his return to Rome,
laid before the pope an account of the notions of
these people, which upon the whole, sup])osing the
representalioti to be just, does not shew them in
such a disadvantageous light as the Roman Catho-
lics would have us to believe ; but then it must be
considered, that the Roman priests will never forgive
those who do not acknowledge the pope's supre-
macy, and, right or wrong, submit to all his dictates
as coming from a person endowed with infallibility.
And here it may not be improper to add, that when
the Romish missionaries go into heath'en nations to
make converts, they generally extol the virtues of
those people, who, in thtir own estimation of things
are strangers to the gospel ; but whenever they at-
tempt to make converts either of the Greeks or of
Protestants, and find all their designs rendered abor-
tive, they represent those people under far more dis-
agreeable colours lh;m the licatheiis.
The errors imputed to these people by the Jesuits
340
RELIGION OF THE SCIIISMATICAL GREEKS.
are the fonowliig, but the reader must attend to it as
written by persons prejudiced. They divorce them-
selves, without shewing cause, from their lawful
wives, and marry new ones without being called to
an account for it. "^Ihey circumcise their children
before baptism, which is a Jewish ceremony. They
acknowledge there are seven .sacraments in the
church, but instead of agreeing with the church of
Borne, tliey make the following of divine institu-
tion only, viz. baptism, confession, the eucharist,
orders, faith, fasting, ai>d prayer, without men-
tioning any others. They profess (say the Jesuits)
that the floly Ghost proceeds only from the Father,
and not from the Father and Son; and they admit
but of three councils, namely, Ephesus, Constanti-
nople, and Nice, and the decrees of all others they
look upon as heretical, or at least so far deviating
from the truth, that they are in their nature erro-
neous.
From %vhat we have already taken notice of con-
cerning the Greeks in other parts of the world, it
will appear that the notions embraced by the Copti,
and so offensive to the church of Rome, may with
propriety be imputed to all the eastern churches
who have in common with these rejected the de-
crees of several of the general councils, As for
their reckoning among the uiuuber of their sacra-
ments, faith, fasting, and prayer, it must be ob-
served, tliat they do not use the term sacrament in
the same rigorous sense as we do, for which reason
we may naturally conclude that they reckon only
the first four as sacraments. The last three seem to
have been added by some of their mystical divines;
a set of men who, by their allegorical interpretations
of scripture, generally make enigmas of the word of
God, darken the small remains of light in the hu-
man mind, and lay a stumbling block before those
who are seriously inquiring after the truth.
It is necessary here to observe, that the assertion
©f Rrerewood in his inquiries, that the Copti be-
lieve that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the I'atiier
and the Son is an error, for that notion is peculiar to
the western or l^atin cinnch. Like the Greeks in
the Levant, and those in Russia they believe, that
the souls of those who have departed this life nei-
ther go into heaven nor hell till the general resur-
rection. It is certain, however, that there is in
their religious ceremonies, a strange mixture of
Greek and Romish rites ; thus when the priest
elevates the host at mass, the congregation smite
then- breasts, prostrate themselves before it, make
liie sign of the cross, and just move their caps a
little above their lieads. This custom is almost the
same w ith that of the church of Rome, and probably
embraced by those Copti, within these tw o hundred
)ears.
When the priest receives the sacrament, he breaks
the bread in the form of a cros?, and dips it info
the wine in the chalice. He then repeats sever:d
prayers, and eats three small pieces of it, at the
same time drinking three spoonfuls of the wine,
and then administers it in the same manner to the
deacon his assistant. They never preserve any part
of the bre^id and wine that has been tonsecrated
after mass is over, nor do they consecrate any but
leavened bread and wine mixed with water. All
that is left after the comnumion is over is given to
the poor, consistent with the discipline of the pri-
mitive church, and from that circumstance alone we
tind that they are far from being so much sunk into
superstition as the Roman Catholics. They always
receive the eucharist on Saturdays, but at the same
time tl'.ey make if one of the articles of their religion
to meet for attendance on divine service on Sundays ;
which, iu conformity with the practice of the
primitive church, they sometimes call the first
day of the week, but more frequently the Lord's
day.
in baptism they use the following ceremonies:
It is always performed in the evening, and previous
thereto mass is celebrated a little after midnight, ac-
companied with sundry prayers suitable to the oc-
casion, and then several hymns are sung in their
own language. The sponsors deliver the child to
the deacon, who carries it to the altar, where it is
a.iointed by the priest w ith oil, \\hich according to
them is to put on the new man of regeneration. —
This part of the ceremony being over, they sing
again and anoint the child a second time, signing
him thirty-seven times with the cross, which i«
looked upon as an exorcism, to drive the devil out of
the body and send him back to his own residence m
hfll.
The singing begins a third time, and the women,
who now for the first time make their appearance,
make a very loud noise as a demonstration of their
joy. Jn the mean time there is water prepared and
put into the baptismal font, towards which the
priest approaches with all the marks of exterior
gravity. He first blesses the wine, pouring water
into it in the form of a cross; after this lie takes the
infant with one hand by the right arm and the left
leg, and with the other by the left arm and the
right leg, making a sort of a cross with the limbs
of the infant, who is dressed in a little white vest-
ment. During the whole of the ceremony, the
deacons who attend, both read and sing, and the
women make loud acclamations, or rather hideous
bowlings.
The singing being over, the priest breathes three
times upon the face of the infant, in order that he
may receive as they imagine, the Holy Ghost. He
then dips his linger into the chalice, containing the
consecrated bread and v\'ine, and puts a little of H
J
RELIGION OF THE SCHISMATIC AL GREEKS.
341
into the infant's moutli. At the conclusion of these
ceremonies, the wax-tapers are lii;ht(d, and a so-
lemn procession is made ronnd llie chuioh, all the
assistants singiiij; as thev move alonj;. Tlie deacon
carries the child in his aims, and the priest Malks
before, the procession being closed by the men and
women who arc either relations or friends, aii:l who
continne to make a most hideous noise, which they
call sniijiun'.
I'hey have images in their churches, for which
they shew the most profound reverence by bowing
before them, and praying to them. They keep
lighted lamps continually burning before them ; a
ceremony -Nvhich they have learned from the heathens,
and part of the oil used in these lamps thev carry
home to anoint themselvts with when they are sick,
Mhich seems to be ail they thmk necessary as ex-
tiemc unction. It is certain that they never consi-
der extreme unction as a sacrament; for this reason,
that they never send for the priest to anoint them,
^vhich may serve to shew% tlial ni this article alone,
they are not so corrupt as either the ii.oman Catho-
lics or the Greeks in the Levant.
These Copti have a patriarch, who generally re-
sides at Alexandria, or at Cairo, and under him are
eleven bishops, who all -exercise the episcopal au-
thority in their own dioceses. Under these bishops
are a great number of aich-priests, being next in dig-
nity to the bishops, aiiti again, under them are com-
mon priests, de-acons, lecturers, and chanters.
As to their oflice, the priest, ou Saturday after
sun-set, goes to the church, accompanied by his as-
sistants to sing the vespers, which takes up about
an hour; and the deacons sleep in the church, hav-
ing beds prepared for that purpose. Such as are
not disposed to sleep, either snooke tobacco, drink
coffee, or discourse on such subjects as are most
agreeable to them. Two hours after midnight they
begin to sing mattins, and afterwards mass, at
Avhicli, in general, there are abundance of people
present. W hen the people enter the church, they
pull of their shoes, and kiss the ground near the
door of the sanctuaVy. They then draw near to
the arch-priest and kiss his hand, making him a
jnofonnd bow in order to receive his blessing. In
case the patriarch should be present, and not offici-
ate, he seats himself upon a throne above the arch-
priest, and holds a brazen cross in his hand. After
each person has perf(^rmed his customary reverence
to tht; sanctuary, he pays the same to the patriarch,
and having kissed the ground at the foot of his
throne, rises up and kisses the cross and the patri-
arch's hands. Upon the whole, there is but little
difference between these ceremonies and those used
by the Greeks in the Levant, for their priests nevt?r
preach a sermon to the people, but content them-
selves with reading one of the homilies of Chry-
23
sostom, Basil, or some others of the Greek fa-
'.liers.
'I'ije Copti have several churches in Egypt, and
they are built in the following manner: Each of
them has two domes or cupolas, one- for the holy
of holies which they call Heikel, and is the same as
the Hechal in the synagogue of the Jews ; before
the door of wliich a large veil is always spread. —
I'he other dome is over the sanctuary, or inward
choir, which is always situated towards the east, in
conformity with the primitive custom. Here it i.«
they celebrate mass, and no person is permitted to
enter into it, unless he first washes his feet, and at
the same time, he must at least be in deacon's orders.
x\Il their churches have three doors, one for the
men, another for the women, and a third through
which the faithful bring tiieir oblations.
Having already taken notice of the manner in
which the priests receive the eucharist, we shall now
proceed to point out how mass is celebrated: for oa
all such occasions there are generally a great number
of lay communicants, who consider it as their duty
to attend onlhese things which they consider as es-
sentially necessary to salvation.
The bread and wine being properly placed upon
the table w ilhin the rails of the altar, the priest and
his assistants make their appearance in their robes,
and the wax-tapers are lighted up. The priest then
begins with repeating a short preparatory prayer,
which is followed by a thanksgiving, after which, the
bread, wine and water are mixed together in the
chalice, and offered up to God as a sacrifice. As
soon as this prayer and ceremony are ended, the
priest covers the bread with a veil, and the chalice
with another, after which he spreads a large broad
veil over both. He kisses the altar, and descends
from the sanctuary, in order to pronounce the prayer
ofabsohition in behalf of those who assist him;
but if the patriarch is present, it is his business to
pronounce^ the absolution. After this the priest
goes up to the altar, and incenses it, repeats another
prayer, and intercedes with the Divine Being to as-
sist him in offering up the sacrifice. After this he
walks round the altar, and jierfumes it with incense,
and kisses it. He likewise i.icenses ever^, person in
the congregation one by one, on which occasions,
all those v\'ho are called the faithful stand up, and
this is done, in order fo distingnisli them from infi-
dels or heretics, who are not su))posed to be ac-
qiiainted with such ceremonies. If any person re-
1 uses to stand up ' when the priest comes wiih the
censer, he is instantly excluded from the conj;rega-
tion, as one who had no right to be among thorn.
The priest then returns to the sanctuary, wlicre he
repeats several prayers for the people, and then the
epistle is read both in the Coptic and /.rabic lan-
guages, that all the people present may understaud
4ii
343
RELIGION OF THE SCHISMATICAL GREEKS.
it. The lessons are next read in the same manner,
and then several psalms or hymns are sung alter-
nately, by the priest and the people. The singing
being over, the priest and deacon walk round the al-
tar to represent the promulgation of the gospel,
■which at this time is carried before them.
Before the gospel is read, the priest^ standing be-
fore the sanctuary, opens the book which was be-
fore laid upon the altar, to denote that the words
therein contained, and going to be read, proceeded
from the mouth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ. He makes all the church officers approach
him to behold the gospel, who kiss the book as it
lies open; but the laity are only permitted to ki'?s it
when sliut, and on such occasions it is carried to
(hem covered with a veil. The next part of the
ceremony consists in singing the Is'icene Creed,
perfuming the altar three times by the priest, while
he looks towards the east, the washuig of iiands, the
blesaiug of the people with the sign of the cross, .and
the prayer for the kiss of peace, after which all the
congregation bow to each other, as a sign that they
uie In ing in a state of brotherly love and Christian
friendship together.
With respect to the oblation itself, which corres-
ponds with the canon of the mass among the Roman
Catholics ; the priest in tlie first place breaks tiie
host into three pieces, and joins them again so art-
fully, that they do not seem to have been divided. —
This ceremony is accompanied with several prayers
and other acts of devotion, suitable to the occasion.
They invoke the blessing of the Holy Ghost upon
the sacred elements, and they commemorate all the
saints, and the faithful departed this life.
When the priest elevates the bread, he says,
" Holy things are for those who are holy." The
deacon holds up the wax Uiper and the cross, and
the people lay prostrate on the ground, cryhig out
vitli an audible voice, " Lord have mercy upon us."
If the elevation be on a Sunday, the people stand
bare-headed in an humble posture, but on all work-
ing days, they \\orship with their faces fixed down
«lose to the ground, with their caps off.
Previous to this part of the ceremony, the dea-
con says, "Bow down your heads before the Lord,"
and the priest standing with his face towards tlie
congregation, with the host upon the patin, elevates
it, and says, " Behold the bread of the saints." Then
the people bow their heads low, and say, " Bles-
sed is he that coines in the name of the Lord :" —
Profound reverence, and that of bowing the knee, js
in all eastern countries considered as a just mark of
respect, due to an earthly sovereign, and therefore
v>e netd not be surprised, that the ceremony is car-
ritd further, even to prostration, when the Divine
ftlajesty is the object they cojsider themselves as
approaching.
The Copti monks are, in ail respeets as ignorant,
and equally as much despised as those in Russia, or
among the Greeks in the Levant. They are obliged
to live in a continual state of celibacy, to forsake
their friends and relations, and look down with con-
tempt upon all the good things of this world. They
work hard in cultivating the ground for a subsistence,
which shews that at least, they are not such idle
drones as some of the same order in other countries.
They dress in coarse woollen cloth with a leathern
girdle round their loins, and at nights lie upon a
mat upon the ground. Before they lie down m the
evening, tl»ey prostrate themselves one hundred and
fifty times, with their hands folded in the form of a
cross.
As soon as they "have -finished these prostrations,
which no doubt are extreniely pahiful, they rise up,
and make the sign of llie cross .seven times, and then
retire to rest. In every convent tJieie is a particular
saint, and many ridicidous stories are told by the
monks, concerning miracles wrought by liim. —
They keep lamps constantly burning in their churches
before the images of their saints. These lamps hang
directly before the image, so has to be seen by the
priest, and on each side of them are ostrich eggs,
to remind him that he ought to be vigorous and cir-
cumspect in the exertion of his sncied function. —
This custom took its rise from the vulgar notion,
that the ostrich has her eyes continnally fixed upoo
her eggs, and by that means hatches them.
Tlicy begin their year on the 8th of September,
and they observe the Epiphany in a manner different
from tlie Russians, or any other whom we have hi-
therto mentioned. The midnight service being over,
the patriarch, or wliocver officiates, retires to the
vestry but returns in a short time dressed in all his
pontifical: vestments, attended by a priest and a dea-
con. As soon as they con>e to tlie conservatory,
the patriarch btgi>is the beiietliction of ttie water,
by reading several lessons, some in the Coptic and'
others in the Arabic language, out of the Old
Testament. He then mixes tlie water, and stirs it
several tinies, cross-ways with his pastoral staff.-—
The priests who are present, repeat the same cere-
mony after him, and during this benediction there is
a large iron sconce, with three branches about si.v
feet high, and in eath of them a wax candle burning.
^Vhen the benediction is over, the people plunge
themselves into the water, without any regard to
common decency or modesty in their behaviour. —
After the men have washed themselves, they with-
draw to the choir, and then the women move for-
wards with the same irregularity, to bear a part in
this immodest religious ceremony, which is not un-
like some of the festivals of the ancient Pagans.
They have a festival which is perhaps the most
ridiculous of any of those observed throughout' the
RfeLTGION OF THE SCHISMATICAL GREEKS.
54'!
"vroild, bv persons calling themselves Christians. —
It is called the festival of the Apparition of Saints,
and seems to be the etfect of the grossest ignorance,
rhev are of opinion that this apparition happens in
the church of Geniiana, ncL'r to which is a chapel,
M here the construction is such, that the reflection of
light upon different ohjects, lavs a foundation for
their superstition. Here is great (eason to believe,
that the priests do all in their power to cultivate this
notion; wjjicli is not at all to be wondered at, when
we consider that men, who spend most of their time
in idleness under tlie sanction of a sacred character,
are generally engaged in hatching new schetues, and
such as will support their own grandeur.
Sometimes they imiigiiie they see the appearance
of a man on horeeback, and this phantom is wor-
siiipped as St. George, because that nominal, or ra-
ther imaginary saint, is always represented under
such a figure. This apparition makes its appear-
ance three days together, and the devotions of the
people consist in loud acclamations of joy, and hvmns
sung in commemoration of (he saints, which are
followed by all sorts of diversion and festivity. —
'I he only inference we can draw from such a reli-
gious ceremony is, that it must have taken its rise in
the dark ages of Christianity, when designing priests
invented whatever they pleased, and when the people
veie ready to swallow the grossest absurdities.
Another festival common among them, is called
the Exaltation of the "Cross, which is likewise ob-
served by the Roman Catbolics, but with very dif-
ferent ceremonies, of which the following is a
gennnie account.
It is well known that the fertility of Egvpt de-
pends upon the annual inundation of the river Kile,
which commences about the beginning of June, and
«nds in the beginning of September. In times of
Pagaiiism a virgin was thrown into the riVer ; but
that barbarous custom is now abolished, to make
way for superstitious ceremonies of a more innocent
nature, 'i he Mahometan ceremonies, on this occa-
^ion, will be taken notice of in their proper place,
but at present we must attend to those of the Copti.
lliese pe.ople, on the twelfth day of Jiuie, assem-
ble together in their church at Cairo, and having con-
secrated a cross, they carry it in solem!i procession
to the b>anks of the river, where the patriarch, bi-
.-hop, or priest, incenses it three times, and then
throws It nite the Nile, as an acknowledgment that
all the benefits of creation and providence flow from
the bountiful hand of the Divine Being. This is
such a heathenish custom, that we are surprised
bow It could ever enter into the minds of people,
professing tliemselves to be Christians, to embrace
it ; but then we must remember what was seen in a
vision by St. John (Rev. xii.) that when the woman
sought refuge in the wilderness, the dragoQ spewed
out a great flood, and the earth drank up the flood.
Now the meaning of this is, that when the inhabit-
ants of the world had forsaken the pure truths of
the gospel, the g^and adversary of mankind taking
advantage of their ignorance and superstition, and
improving upon their natural depravity, sent false
teachers among them, and the multitude greedily
swallowed tlie infectious doctrines.
The Jesuits in their account of this ceremony are
much to be blamed, for although enemies to the Copti,
yet they throw the whole odium of the idolatrous
part of the practice upon the Mahometans. Hej-e
is an error indeed, but such as might be expected to
come from the pens of men prejudiced in favour of
a particular system. It is well known that the Ma-
hometans ablior all sorts of image worship, and
dtl'.ough they may have some ridiculous ceremonies
amongst them, yet they have never been proved to
be idolators. EvCry INIahomctan is obliged to ac-
knowledge that both the Jewish and Christian dis-
pensations were of divine original, and that neither
the one nor the other could have been rendered in-
efl"ectual, unless the professors of them had disho-
noured God by their disobedience, trampled upon
sacred institutions, and set at nought the moral pre-
cepts in the law of Moses, and even rejected the
gospel of Christ.
With respect to the nuptial ceremonies of the
Copti, they are in many respects similar to those of
the Greeks in the Levant, nor indeed much diflerent
from those of the ancient Jews, of wilich we have
already given a copious accoimt. All the eastera
Christians have something so similar among them in
religious riles and cerem.onies, that we are under the
necessity of believing, that whatever sentiments of
purity they once embraced, yet, consistent witb,th«
corruptions of human nature, and the degeneracy
of the times, they returned back to heathenish cus-
toms, and are at present little better than Pagans.
When the midnight service of mass is ever, the
bridegroom and bride are conducted from their own
apartment to the church, accompanied by a long
train of attendants with wax •papers and other lights.
During the procession, several hymns are sung in the
Coptic language, and the attendants join in conceit
w ith the music. The bridegroom is jsut into the
choir of the church, and the bride into the place
appointed for the reception of the w oinen. '1 hen
tlie priest and the people begin several hymns w hich
they sing withiu the choir, and this part of the cere-
mony takes up a considerable time. The priest then
goes up to the bridegroom and reads several prayers,
making t!ie sign of the cross at the beginning and
ending of each, after which the bridegroom is or-
dered to sit down with bis face towards the altar, and
the priest, holding a silver cross over his head, re-
peats two or three more prayers.
344
RELIGION OF THE SCHISMATICAL GREEKS.
Whilst this ceremony is performing in the choir,
the .sacristan, who in general is a deacon, places a
form or bench at the outer door for the bride to sit
on with one of her relations. In that attitude slV^
remains till the priest, with his attendants, conducts
the bridegroom from the choir, and makes him sit
beside his spouse. After this he spreads a napkin
over both of them, and then anoints tiieir foreheads
and wrists with oil, joining their hands together, as a
signal of their never being separated till the hour of
death. Several prayers follow, and the whole cere-
mony is concluded by the new-married couple re-
ceiving the sacrament of the eucharist, which is
administered to them at the altar.
In their funeral solemnities they are not much
different from some of the other Greek Christians,
w liom we have already mentioned, only that, as the
Greeks in the Levant hire female mourners to make
a hideous noise at the grave of the deceived, here
they hire both male and female. The interment is
generally on the third day after the, decease of the
person to be buried, and it seldom happens, let their
circumstances be ever so poor, that they have less
than three or four hundred mourners, for it is nothing
at all to them whom they hire, so as they can only
make a noise, which has the same effect upon the
populace as if they were parties concerned.
When the body is laid in the grave, the face is
turned eastward, and tiien all the hired mourners
kneel down and make the most hidious lamentations.
Several priests dressed in black attend on these so-
lemnities, and as they are generally dressed like poor
ragamuffins, so they make a most despicable appear-
ance. They do not use any coffins, which undoubt-
edly was the original way of interment, but the
deceased is laid in the ground, dressed in the clothes
he wore before he was taken ill. The priest throws,
the mould over the corpse in the form of a cross,
and every one present follows his example. Upon
the whole we may learn from what has been here
related, that the Christian religion was early estab-
lished among these people, but that while the western
or Latin church was endeavouring to establish the
papal supremacy, those in the east w^ere equally
assiduous to obscure the glory of the gospel. The
Roman pontiffs conducted then' schemes upon prin-
ciples of the most relined policy, and made use of
Pagan ceremonies as far as they suited their piu-
poses. The eastern Greeks, on the other hand,
being depressed by tyrannical powers, sunk into the;
most abject state of slavery, and introduced into
their worship such Pagan rites and ceremonies as-
were most agreeable to their perverse notions.
RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES OF THE MARONITES.
Ti
HE Maronites, although extremely numerous in
the east, yet are but little known to4he Europeans,
for most of our modern travellers have confounded
them witii the Greeks, who reside in the Lesser
Asia. But this is a very gross mistake, for they not
only hold opinions contrary to those people, but
there? is likewise a gitat difference in their cere-
monies. Some time ago, as will appear from the
following narrative, they embraced some of the
customs of the church of Rome; but although the
latter pretends that both have been reconciled toge-
ther, yet the Maronites still retain most of their an-
cient customs. '
It is a very difficult matter justly to determine the
origin of the Maronites. Such as go under that
denomination, however, insist, that one Maro, an
abbot, who lived in the fifth century, and whose life
Mas written by Theodoret, was their first founder.
This notion, approved of by Brerewood, is strenu-
eusly supported by Sacchini the Jesuit, who, , with
the modern Maronites, insist that these people never
separated themselves from the church, and are
looked upon as schismatics, only because the revival
of their union with the Catholic church has been
mistaken for an actual return to the Catholic faith,
and that the erroneous tenets which have been dis-/
covered amongst them, have been laid to their
charge, as if they had actually been the authors ;
whereas that misfortune arose from the heretics re-
siding among them. But how probable soever this
opinion may seem at first view, there is no manner
of foundation to support it ; and the testimonies of
Eulychius, patriarch of Alexandria, A\ illiam of
Tyre, James of Vitry, and several others, are so
many incontestible demonstrations, that this nation
has actually espoused the tenets of the Alonothelites.
Such as look on Monothelism as a heresy, must
likew ise pronounce Maro to be a heretic, although
the Maronites mention him as a saint in their liturgy.
This, therefore, must be allowed beyond all cou-
RELIGION OF THE SCHISMATICAL GREEKS.
845
tradiction, that these people, after they had dissented
from the church for live hundred years, made a
pubhc recantation of their real or imaginary heresy
before Aymeric, patriarch of Antiocli, who was
contemporary witli William of Tyre. Before that
time tiiev owned but one will and one operation in
Jesus Clirist, notwithstanding they acknowledged
both his natures.
The Maronites have a patriarch who resides in
the convent of Canubin, upon mount Libanus, and
assumes the title of patriarch of Anlioch. He never
concerns himself with the administration of any civil
affairs ; but there are two lords who are distinguished
by the name of deacons, or administrators, and go-
vern all the country which is under the jurisdiction
of the Turk*, to whom they pay very considerable"
tributes. This patriarch is elected by the clergy and
people according to the ancient constitutions of the
church. Twelve of their chief priests, who repre-
sent, without doubt, the twelve apostles, meet toge-
ther in the convent of Ctyiubin for this election. —
This method of proceeding is by scrutiny ; and when
they are all agreed, the clergy and the people jointly
contirm their choice. If this scrutiny should happen
to fail of success, they proceed to election by way
of arbitration, that is to say, three out of the twelve
are chosen to make the election, which is afterwards
confirmed by the people. Ever since they have
been partially reconciled to the Rou)ish church, the
patriarch elect has been obliged to procure the pope's
bulls of conlirmation. He and his suffragan bishops
are obliged to live in an uninterrupted state of celi-
bacy ; and it is remarkable, there are two sorts of
prelates amoiigst them : One sort are actually bi-
shops, having an actual title, and people under their
jurisdiction ; the others are, properly speaking, no
more than abbots of convents, and have no cure of
souls. These latter wear no episcopal habit, nor
have any particular mark or badge of their prefer-
ment, but a dress like the otlier monks, except when
they sing mass, and then indeed they wear a mitre
and crosier by way of distinction. The patriarch,
not being able to visit all mount Libanus himself,
has always two or three bishops ready to assist him.
Besides the bishops who reside at mount Libanus,
there are oilrers at Damas, at Aleppo, and in the
island of Cyprus.
As to the other ecclesiastics, they have free liberty
to marry before tlieir ordination ; nay, the patriarch
not long since obliged them either to enter into the
married state, or to turn monks, before he would
admit them into holy orders ; for the people, who are
naturally jealous, cannot endure to see young priests
unmarried. However, since there is a college at
Rome, where some of their ecclesiastics have their
education, they are allowed to live single without
molestation on tliat account. Before they studied
at Rome, they were very little wiser than the com-
mon peo])le, and never aimed at any higher qualiti-
cjtions tlian barely reading and « riting. They are
thought learned, «ho, besides the Arabic, which is
the mother tongue, have some knowledge of the
Chaldaic, because their liturgies, and other office
books, arc written in ihnt language.
The monastic life is no less in vogue amongst the
jSIaronites than amongst the other eastern nations.
Their monks are of the order of St. Anthony, and
in all probability they are the remains of those anci-
ent hermits who resided in the deserts of Syria and
Palestine, for they live retired in the most secret
places amongst the mountains, and the most distant
from all commerce and conversation. Their habits
are poor and coarse; they eat no tiesh-meats, though
never so much indisposed, and seldom, if ever, drink
any wine. They have no notion of making solemn
vows and engagements ; but when tliey are admitted
into the convent, one of the society, with a book in
his hand, reads over some few of tlieir rules, and
exhorts them to be mindful of their duty ; as for
instance, to be chaste, and that is deemed sufficient
without making vows, as they do in the Romish
church, strictly to observe and practise that virtue.
They have money and effects of their own, which
they have a power to devise and dispose of at their
decease. And when their inclination leads them to
quit one convent, and live in another, they may do
it without asking leave of their superior. They can
perform no ecclesiastical office, such as preaching,
or confessing ; so that their devotions are all private,
without any public worship for the help of their
neighbours. They are all handycrafts-men, and prac-
tise agriculture, according to their first institution.
They are hospitable to the last degree, particularly
those in the convent of Canubin, who keep open
house all the year round. We shall take no notice
here of their tenets, because there is no other dif-
ference between them and the other people of the
east, but in their schism, which they have at present
renounced, being partially reconciled to the church
of Rome. They even consecrate the cucharist willi
unleavened bread : it is very probable they never
observed that custom till their reconciliation with
Rome, notwithstanding the modern Maronites insist,
that they never made use of leavened bread for that
sacrament.
Their mass is very different from that of the Lti-
tin, but since their missal has been reformed at
Rome, they are strictly enjoined to make use of that,
and no other. Every part of their divine service is
celebrated with abundance erf incense, especially
their mass, wherein they made use of no maniple,
nor stole as the Latins do, nor even of chasubles,
except since they have had some sent them from
Rome. But instead of a maniple, they wore two
S4Q
RELIGION OF THE SCHISMATICAL GREEKS.
small pieces of silk, or stained linen upon each arm,
either sewed to tiieir albe, or laid loose upon it. 'I'he
priests never celebrate the mass separately as the
Latins do ; but all together surrounding the altar,
where they assist the celebrant who administers the
eucharist to them all. The laity receive the com-
munion in both kinds, but the pope's missionaries
are daily introducing the custom of administering it
in one only ; they are not of opinion that the con-
secration consists in these words, " This is my body,
&,c." " This is my blood, ik,c." but in a much longer
form ^ of words, wherein is included that prayer
which is generally called the Invocation of the Holy
Ghost. At present, however, they follow that par-
ticular, and several others, the opinions of the Latin
divines, which they have learnt at Rome. As to
their other offices, they perform them in the churcii,
to which they resort at midnight to sing matins, or
rather the niglit office. They say lands, v\hich may
properly be called their prime, at break of day. — •
Tierce is rehearsed before mass, and sexte immedi-
ately after it. Nones are sung after dinner, and
vespers at sun-set ; and lastly, complines, after sup-
per, before they go to bed. There is an introduc-
tion, besides two or three, and sometimes a greater
number of prayers, with the like number of hymns
in every office. They have, moreover, particular
offices for the week-day, for Lent, Moveable-feasts,
and other holy-days. The priests and other inferior
clergy thought themselves e.\cused from the per-
formance of divine service, when they could not
assist at the choir, till the Latins lately obliged them
to say them in private notwithstanding.
The Maronites always begin their offices with
several prayers, which are addressed to Jesus Christ,
as their Mediator and Redeemer. They never pray
to the Blessed Virgin, and the saints, separately
from Jesus Christ. They testify, however, a pecu-
liar veneration for the former, and in their com-
memoration of her, are lavish in her praises : — ■
which, according to Lather Simon, from whom we
have extracted these remarks, are introduced only to
honour her extraordinary merit. The INlaronites,
when they pray, never implore either her or any of
the saints mediation; for they acknowledge Jesus
Christ as the only Mediator. Yet they humbly beg
that by their pravers, &c, they would aid and assist
tliem to- obtain the divine mercy.
Their fasts aie very different from ours. 1 hey
keep only Lent, during which they never eat till
two or three hours before sun-set. They never
fast in the ember-weeks, nor on the vigils of any
of the saints' days, nor before any other festivals
whatsoever; but instead thereof, they have other
stated times for fasting, which they observe with
the utmost strictness and austerity ; for they abstain
from iiesfa; eggs, and milk twice a week, that is to
say, on Wednesdays and Fridays, and upon those
days, nothing ever enter their lips till noon ; after
which they indulge themselves as much and as often
as they think convenient. They fast after the same
manner twenty days before the Nativity of our
Blessed SaViour. I'heir monks extend the obser-
vance of it much longer. Before the festival of
St. Peter and St. Paul, they all fast fifteen days,
and as many before the assumption of the Blessed
Virgin.
Their bishops never wait as is- the practise of the
Latin church, till the ember-weeks, for the ordi-
nation of the clergy; but give holy orders on any
festival whatsoever. Before the late reformatiou
was introduced into their church, they conferred in
one day, on the same person, the several orders of
reader, exorcist, acolyte, sub-deacon, deacon,
priest, arch-priest, and bishop ; and all within the
compass of two or tjnee hours. It is observable,
that the ceremonies of making any arch-priest, are
as solemn as for conferring other orders, and it
seems, they look upon it as a distinct order from
the rest.
They preserve no water in their fonts that has
been consecrated on Easter eve for the administra-
tion of the sacrament of baptism, as is done in the
Latin church : But whenever, and as often as any
one IS to be baptised, they bless the water with a
great number of prayers; then they plunge the per-
son to be baptized, three times hito the water,
which is made warm before-hand, or pour some of
it upon him three times. They pronounce, how-
ever, the form of words requisite but once naming
the person. They never use any salt, and not only
anoint the head but the breast likewise, with the
palms of their hands. They moreover, anoint their
bodies from head to foot, both before and behmd.
]5esides this unction, which is performed before^
baptism, they have another'subsequent to it, which
is, properly speaking, the confirmation among the
eastern nations ; but that cust(>m has been abolished
ever since the reconciliation with the Roman church,
and their administration of that sacrament according
to the Latin form. At their baptism, the godfather
never holds the infant at the font; but the priest
takes it out of the font, and wraps it up in a linen
cloth.
Formerly, they concerned themselves very little
about confession before tiieir receiving the holy
communion, but the Romish missionaries have lately
obliged them to it. The priest likewise in general
had an equal authority in all matters relating to pe-
nance before their reformation. There were no
particular cases reserved to their patriarchs or bi-
shops. Dandini complains that the duty of confes-
sion is most shamefully neglected by the Maronites.
It must be acknowledged, that not oulj they, but
RELIGION OF THE SCHISMATICAL GREEKS.
347
the eastern nations in weneral, are much more remiss
ia this particular, lliau the Latins. As to the pic-
ture, some confess themselves staudiii:^, others sit-
ting, but most of them upon their knees. Their
ghostly fathers impose upon iheiii public penances,
for public ofteiices, and private, for secret sius. —
Their penances consist principally in fasting, alms-
deeds, pilgrimages, and prostrations, their father
confessors are, for the generality, directed by the
penetentials, or jienance-books, published for their
assistance on tliese occasions. Amongst those who
neglect confession, some under pretence of confes-
sing their sins to God alone, will whisper their
transgressions through the crannies w hich they meet
with ill the church walls. Before there conversion
to pope-i-y, in some measure, they shewed little ve-
neration for the blessed sacrament of the euciiari.st,
which was locked up in a box, without any lights,
n»id hid in- some hole or corner of their churches. —
Neither did Uiey publi.sh the banns of matrimony in
their churches, before the nuptials were actually so-
lemnized; they applied themselves to the first priest
they could lind upon these occasions, not thinking
it necessary to have recourse to the particular curates
of their respective parishes. Moreover, before that
time, young people were married under twelve and
fourteen years of age. And as to the legal impedi-
ments of matrimony, their custom was vastly clitfe-
rent from that now practiced in the Roman church;
for in their table of degrees of consanguinity, they
not only traced their lineage from the head but they
included the two branches which shoot from it, ima-
gining that two persons, though in the same degree,
as for instance, two brothers made two degrees ; so
that though they married but in the sixth degree,
according to their calculation, they married in effect
in the third ; and on the other hand, they looked
upon that to be an impediment which was none, for
they would not allow two brothers to marry two
sisters, nor a father and a son to marry a widow and
her daughter.
They make use of a particular unction for their
sick ; which they call the lamp, because they ac-
tually make use of the oil which is contained in
such vessel, after the following manner. I'hcy
make a little cake, something larger than a host, '
and put upon it seven pieces of cotton twisted w ith
little pieces of stra^v, and put altogether into a ba-
sgn with some oil in it: After that, having read a
gospel, and an epistle of St. Paul, with some prayers,
they set fire to all the cotton. In the next place,
they anoint w ith this oil, the forehead, breast, and
arms of all those who are present, and the sick per-
son in particular, saying at each unction, " May the
Almighty by his sacred unction pardon all thy sins,
and strengthen thy limbs, as he did those of the poor
man who was troubled with the palsy." Then they
let the lamp burn till all the oil is exhausted ; and as
this oil is blessed by a priest onlv, abundance of
peoi)le have imagined, that this ceremony is not the
sacrament of extreme unction, since it is frequently
administered to such as are but slightly indispo.sed.
Such, however, as have on iilea of the oriental the-
ology, w ill be readily induced to believe, that those
people had no other sacrament of extreme unction
before the innovations made by the Latins: for the
term of extreme unction is peculiar to the Romans ;
because they never anoint their sick but when they
are in danger of death ; which is a custom the Chris-
tians of the Levant are strangers to.
Before we conclude this dissertation on the Ma-
ronites, we shall give the reader an abstract of tather
Besson the Jesuit's reflections upon them in his trea-
tise, entitled Syria Sacra, wherein he takes notice
chiefly of those Maronites, who reside in that part
of Mount Libanus, called Quesoran. This Jesuit
is of opinion, that the Maronites are derived from
St. Maro a .Syrian abbot, and not of Maro the arch-
heretic ; and amongst several other proofs which he
jjroduces, he insists that it is customary for the
Maronites, after their clergy and the people have
elected a patriarch, to have recourse to the pope for
liis confirmation. But he ought to have considered
that they had no recourse to Rome on that account,
till since their strict alliance with the Latins, fie
adds, moreover, that John of Damas could not
possibly be a stranger to the heresy of the Maronites,
in case they had been heretics in fact, because he
was their neighbour : and yet he has not so much ;ts
once mentioned them in his long catalogue of here-
sies; but that was not necessary, as they are com-
prehended in the heresy of the Monothelites.
The Euthor before-mentioned briefly relates what
Dandiiii the Jesuit, and some others of his fraternity
have done amongst the Maronites, and we have re-
lated it more at large, and added tliereto some neces-
sary reflections. All that can be said is, that tliis
niissionarv is, in our opinion, more weak than the
others, where he treats of the religious principles of
the Maronites. For which reason we believe one
ought not to give any credit to a miracle produced
by him as an incontestible proof of the orthodoxy of
the Maronites. He insists, that about three miles
from Canubin, not far from a town called Eden,
there is a metropolitan church, that goes by the
name of St. Sergius, upon the top whereof there is
a chapel dedicated to St. Abdon, and St. Sennan,
and a fountain of water which runs under the altar,
during the celebration of mass, on tlie festival ob-
served in commemoration of these two saints. He
adds, moreover, that notwithstanding this remark-
able day is one of their moveable feasts, being always
annexed to tlie flrst Sunday in the month of May,
there is na variation in the current of this fountain,
548'
RELIGION OF THE SCHISMATICAL GREEKS.
\vbich is constantly regulated by the first Sunday in
May, and lias been so ever since the calendar has
been reformed by pope Gregory the Xlllth. We
are very well satisfied, however, that this story vias
invented purely to serve a turn, and in all probabili-
ty to give a sanction to the reformation of that ca-
lendar, which these people have refused to admit of
on several occasions. But what is a still more ma-
nifest testimony that this miracle is spurious, is, as
our author assures us, that this fountain, which thus
runs under tlie altar during mass, has a more rapid
stream when the priest elevates the host; not con"-
sidering, that the Maronites never elevate the host
as the Latins do. Father Besson, however, relates
this miracle, as sufficient to justify that extraordina-
ry veneration which the Maronites have for the
Roman church, in opposition to the other eastern
nations, and at the same time to establish the refor-
mation of tlie calendar. In that account, likewise,
we are informed, that the Maronites are very cour-
teous, and make use of the most obliging terms to
assure their friends of their readiness to do what is
desired of them; that it is a common expression
rmongst them, God Almighty is a good and gracious
Being, and will give success to their undertakings ;
that the name of the Lord or some of his divme attri-
butes are introduced in every sentence almost of
their common conversation.
If these people, however, are naturally so affable
and complaisant, they are likewise (says the same
author) very fickle and inconstant. When they have
beard a very pathetic sermon, you shall find them
all fully bent on conversion and an unfeigned con-
fession of all thersins; but when they come to the
trial, they seem altogether stupid and insensible. —
Their women, indeed, are extremely modest ; but the
richer they are, the less they go to church ; insomuch
that in order to express a lady's quality, it is cus-
tomary to say of her, tliat she never goes to mass
but at Easter, and that not every year. When a
young virgin is married, she will stay at home for
two years together, without once attending mass, and
will yet go to the public baths, or any solemn mar-
riage entertainments. They are banished, as it were,
from their churches, as the Turkish women are from
their mosques. There is a convent of nuns, how-
ever, of the order of St. Anthony, the members
whereof are highly esteemed for their sanctity. —
This edifice is, indeed, no more than a church,
wherein these nuns are stoved up close, like pigeons
in their holes, in little corners, artfully contrived be-
tween the elevation of the arch-roof and the terras.
Although what has been already offered with re-
spect to the Maronites, may seem grounded on a
very solid foundation, yet a learned Maronite who
■\Vas professor of Arabic in the college of science at
Bonje, has used his utmost endeavours to demon-
strate, that his countrymen were never guilty of the
heresy imputed to their charge, and that Maron was
no heretic, but, on the contrary, a holy and orthodox
Christian. Gabriel of Sion, and after him Abraham
Ecchellensis likewise, proposed to write in defence
of the Maronites and their favourite founder, but
their apologies never appeared in public. Faustus
Nairon, however, the above-named Abraham's re-
lation and successor, not long ago published an apo-
logy for them in a dissertation printed at Rome,
wherein, according to the received notion of the
Maronites, he proves from the testimonies of The-
odoret, St. John Chrysostom, and several other au-
thors, that Maron, from whom the Maronites have
their denomination, is the very individual person who
lived in the year 400, and who is particularly men-
tioned in the Mythology of the Greeks. He adds,
that the disciples of this abbot Maron were dispersed
all over Syria, where they erected several ^;onvent3,
and amongst others that famous one under his own
name, situated near the river Orontes. The same
author insists, moreover, that all those amongst the
Syrians, who were not infected w ilh any heresy w hat-
ever, sheltered themselves under the protection of
these disciples of abbot Maron, whom the heretics
of chose times called Maronites for that very reason.
It would have been a great satisfaction had Nairon
produced some testimonies in favour of this notion,
which were not so remote from those times ; neither
o'lght we entirely to rely on the authority of Thomas
archbishop of I-kfartab, who lived, as is asserted,
about the eleventh century, notwithstanding that
prelate was one of the Monothelites ; for uj)on a
strict and impartial examination, we shall find that
tiiese authors were very incorrect with respect to his-
torical facts ; that they mentioned as ancient occur-
rences, the more modern transactions of their own
times, and even borrowed them from such books of
the Maronites as were published since their recon-
ciliation with the church of Rome.
What Nairon in his apology for his countrymen
has produced to invalidate the testimony of William
of Tyre, who is an accurate author, and has men-
tioned the heresy of the Maronites, as being an eye-
witness of it, seems most likely to be true. For he
assures us, that the before-mentioned William has
taken liie greater part of his history from the an-
nals of Said Ebn Batrick, otherwise Eutychius of
Alexandria; and that as Eutychius is very incorrect
in abundance of facts which he relates, it is not any
ways surprising that William of Tyre should be
misled and be guilty of the same mistakes. Euty-
chius according to Nairon, assures us, that Maron
the Monothelite flourished in the reign of the em-
peror Mauricius, notwithstanding there was no such
thing, at that time, as Monothelism ever heard of.
But if the ^uthoiity of the Arabian historians is to
RELIGION OF THE SCIIISMATICAL GREEKS.
S49
bf looked upon as invalid, on account of their inac-
curacy in point ot" clironology, we mint in short re-
ject theui all. in the point before us, we should not
fely so much on the authority of William of Tyre,
with respect to his quotations from the annals of
Jvutvchius, as to his own particular testimony,
treaiiu"; of an occurrence in iiis own time, under
Aymeric, patriarcli of Aniioch, who caused the Ma-
ronites of thai country to renounce tiieir ))retended
errors.
There is no manner of ])robability in what Nairon
lias quoted from an Arabian history, whicii had
Jonp; before been produced by Quaiesimus, viz. —
That Maron went from Aiitioch to Uouic, xriih a
legate or envoy of po|)e llonorius, who constituted
Maron, on acount of his orthodox principles, pa-
triarcli of Antioch. We shall omit several other
record.s of the like nature, which are no where to
be met with Ijut in the Araljian histories, which
were composed after tiie reconciliation ot the Maro-
jiites with the Koniish church. Such as are ever so
little ac(|uainted with ecclesiastical history may ea-
sily iinagine, that these liist(5ries have no foundation
_ in antiquity, and liiat the Maronites and other eas-
tern natiwis, who are no critics in history, have re-
Jated several things as transacted in ancient times,
whicii were never hoard of till a century or two ago.
It is likewise on the same foundation, that the au-
thority of John iMaron is rejected, whose annota-
tions on St. James' liturgy, are not so ancient as
lionie have imagined, containing several facts of
more modern date by several centuries. However
the Maronites, who insist liiey have all along pre-
served their faith entirely pure and unc<)rinpted, im-
pute the errors which are to be met witii in some of
their own authors, to the heretics their neighbours,
w ho have sown those tares amongst them, and even
jirevailed on some of the Maronites to embrace their
erroneous tenets; and thus, although the Maronites
insist, that they have never deviatt-d from the true
faith, yet it must be acknowledged, that there have
been some of their counti-y men, w ho have maintained
the very same principles as the Jacobiti-s. Peter,
patriarcli of the Maronites, in a letter of his to car-
dinal (JarafFa, assures hirn, that tlie errors which
have crept into some of their writings, ought to be
imputed to their neighbours.
We think it highly requisite to inseit in tliis
place, the chief articles of the belief of the ancient
^laroiiites, and some particular tenets ascribed to
thein before their reconciliation with the Latin
church, liesidcs fiieir doctrine relating to the pro-
cession of the Holy Ghost, whicii was the same
~wilh that generally received amongst the Greeks,
and the heresy of the Monothelites which has been
asciibed to them, some have also imputed to their
charge, the following e.xlraujdiiiary notions : that
23
all the tliroe persons in the sacred Trinity became in-
carnate; that there is no original sin nor purgatory;
that the souls of men, at their departure from their
respective bodies, neither take their flight to heaven
nor desceml to hell, but that they wait for the
general ii;iy of judgment in some place where they
are altogether insensible; that all souls were created
from the beginning of the world ; that it is no crime
to renounce their faith outwardly in case tiiey retain
it in their hearts. They were of opinion also, as we
are informed, that a husband might put away his
wife for the guilt <>f adultery, or any otiier heinous
ort'ence, and many again ; that such heretics as
renounce their errors ought to be rebapti/cd; that
a child ought not to be baptized till the days of its
mother's purification stiould be accomplished: the
female sex ought to be excluded from the assemblies
of the faithful, and be debarred from receiving the
eucharist during their periodical purgations. More-
over, ihcy administered the communion with un-
leavened bread, and always refused giving it to the
sick when in danger of death. They never eat any
animal whatever that had been strangled in its
blood. And in fine, they ordained childieii subdea-
cons at five or six years of age. We .shall pur-
posely avoid the repetition of several customs, and
several of the points of doctrine which have alieafly
been sufficiently discussed, and shall also omit some
others, wiiich are of little or no importance, and
shall only mention some ceremonies which are pe-
culiar to the Maronites, and some customs v»hich,
in our opinion^ are worthy of the reader's atten-
tion.
These Maronites retain a kind of veneration for
their cedars, and visit them with much devotion,
especially on the festival of the transfiguration. On
that day a solemn mass is celebrated at the foot of
a tall cedar, on a rural altar, made of stones laid
one upon another. They carry the testimonies of
their reverence and respect to their priests so far, as
never to meet them witiiout asking their blessing;
nor undertake an affair till they have not only asked,
but obtained that favour. This veneration likewise
for their priest deters them, when at table, from
eating or drinking any more after the priest has
closed the meal by the si<j;n of the cross, and the re-
cital of some prayers. Dandini, the popes nuncio,
informs us that .Maronite priests say but one mass a
day in one place, and that some of them perform it
bare-foot ; that on their fast days they do not say
mass till noon, and during Lent till two or three
hours before sun-set. Most of them, continues he,
spread their fingers as wide after consecration as be-
fore, and make no scruple of touching any thing
whatsoever.
The V omen are never placed at church amongst
the men. The iatter place lliein-selves at Uie upper
4 T
■350
OF THE CHRISTIANS OF ST. JOHN, &c.
end of the cliurcb, the former at the lower, as near
as possible to the door ; that they may withdraw as
soon as divine service is over, and be seen by nobody.
And father Besson informs us that the men have not
qnly distinct places from the women, but different
curates. Dandini the missionary, however, assures
us that the women visit the convents, walk round
their gardens, and eat and lodge there.
We have already observed, that the Maronites
never publish the banns of marriage as the Euro-
peans do. They have no recourse to their proper
parish priest, when they want to be married, but
■without distinction, make use of the first they can
fnid. To conclude, they never register the names
of the bridegroom or bride, nor of the witnesses,
nor in short, the time when, or the place where,
their nuptials are solemnized, which shameful neg-
lect gives a sanction to divers ill practices amongst
them. *
Extreme unction is also omitted by them, and
their sick persons who are past recovery are equally
disregarded ; for after they have supplied them with
a cross and a little incense, they let them ex[iire
■without any further ceremony. They bemoan the
loss of the dead, with outcries and hideous lamen-
tations, accompanied with many contorsions, which
is a demonstration, as we have before observed, that
all people observe the customs peculiar to their re-
spective countries. There are no provisions, for
decency sake, dressed for some considerable time at
the hojuse of the deceased. The relations and friends
bring victuals and drink with them, and there eat
vith, and endeavour to alleviate the sorrows of the
mourners.
In their funerals they have many customs, entirely
lieathenish, which is not much to be wondered at,
when ■we consider how long it is since the gospel
was first preached among them ; for every thing, let
it be ever so valuable, is soon corrupted, when men
introduce into it something inconsistent with it. It
was owing to this, that all the innovations we meet
with in the different professions, forms, systems,
rites and ceremonies of the Christian religion took
place. The Roman Catholics have gratified ambi-
tion by policy ; the Greeks by a pusillanimous iiiean-
ness, have nourished ignorance; the Russians, not-
withstanding all the real, or pretended improvements
they have made iu the arts of war, and in commerce,
yet pay very little regard to the interests of religion,
tvhich is the grand ornament of human life. The
real truth is, the Russians are more eager to imitate
the follies of their neighbours, than make any im-
provement upon their own manners ; and the Greeks
in the Levant, have neither learning, knowledge,
virtue, fortitude, nor ambition. The picture here
drawn is undoubtedly in sable shades, but while the
author writes he feels as a man, and pities as a Chris-
tian. He is affected to find that the most divine
knowledge in the world, should be in a manner
totally neglected, or at least but little regard paid
to it. But if it is so in Russia, where power is not.
wanting, and hi Greece, where the oppressed people
pay little regard to their eternal interests ; what shall
we say of these nominal Christians, of whom we
have now given an account. However, to conclude
this melancholy detail, we shall mention the rites
and ceremonies of another sect, which although
called Christians, scarcely deserve the name, but in-
deed they have different appellations, which are not
worth being attended to. A general account of
these people will naturally lead us to the Tartars
and Mahometans, according to the plan laid down
in the beginning.
OF THE NASSERIES, KELBITES, AND CHRISTIANS OF
ST. JOHN.
JL HE Nasseries are to be distinguished from the
Na^aricns, or as the Mahometans call them, Nas-
sairous, who constitute a sect amongst the disciples
of Ali. The Mahometan Nazariens are of opinion,
that the Deity can unite itself corporally with the
human nature. Upon this principle, borrowed
from the Christian system, they believe that the
deity is strictly united with several of their imagi-
nary s lints, or Mahometan prophets, and particu-
larly with Ali. The Nasseries of whom we are
speaking, are in truth neither Mahometans nor
Christians. What follows is the clearest account
we can find of the Nasseries : Kelbia is the name of
a country inhabited by these Nasseries, a name
which in Italian is Christiannaccio, that is to say,
a bad Christian. The extent of the country where
tiiey reside is two days journey in length, and the
same in breadth, by the sea coast from Tortoza to
Laodicea. these Nasseries are very much addicted
to pilfering and .stealing ; but in other respects they
OF THE CHRISTIANS OF ST. JOHN, &c.
351
are very chaste. Their women appear abroad un-
veiled, \\inch is a custom observed Ijv none of, ilio
eastern rialions but themselves. If a stranger Imp-
pens to pass by, and desires to be directed in his
M-ay, a courteous young damsel will sometimes ac-
company him for three or four miles together; but
this is attended with dpngerous consequences, for
should the traveller cast an amorous glance upon
Lis ii)dulgent guide, so as to create in liei' the least
susjiicion, she will niurder him if she can, or other-
wise, by her cries, alarm the neighbourhood, who
■will assassinate him for her. 'I'he same happens
vhen the- women sit at table in a jiiivate family. —
They detest the Mahometans, and their Alcoran,
notwithstanding they aflcct being called 1'urks, to
secure them from their tyranny and opjiression. —
The secrets ot their religion are not much known ;
for their women and common peojile are absolutely
enjoined not to learn it. None but the Santons,
and those persons whose peculiar province it is to
read prayers, to teach the creed, &.c. are entitled to
that pri\ilege.
They have a gospel, wTiich is read to them by one
of their elders ; and, as we are informed, they be-
lieve in the doctrine of the Holy Trinity ; they ob-
serve Easter, and several other Christian festivals ;
the Nativity of our Blessed Saviour, the Circum-
cision, and the Epiphany. New Year's Day they
call Istrenes, which doubtless is a corruption of the
Prench term Etrenes, that is, a New Year's Git't,
and they have a peculiar veneration likewise for St.
Barbara. Their assemblies are very private ; they
pronounce several prayers over the wine, which is
distributed amongst all that are present. They ob-
serve no fasts, and abstain from nothing but eating
the females of all living creatures whatever. It is
very observable, that they swear by St. Matthew and
St. Simon, though they are perfect strangers to the
history of either of them, and they have likewise a
church, much like one of ours.
This obscure people, though planted in the very
centre of Syria, seem to have something of the Ma-
hometan, the ancient Persian, and the Christian in
them. They eat no swine's flesh w ith the first ; they
pay divine adoration, as some authors assure us, to
the sun, according to the custom of the second;
and in derision of the Turks' abstinence, they drink
wine with the third ; and what is still more remark-
able, they pray for the coming of Christ. Arabic
is their mother-tongue. They constantly carry about
them Talismanic billets for the preservation of their
hcalih ; but this is a superstitious custom which pre-
vails throughout the east.
There is little or no difference, in all probability,
between the Nasseries and the Kelbins, or Kelbites,
Mhich appellation signifies dogs, and was given them
out of contempt, But we find likewise that they
were so called from the worship which they paid to
a black dog. The reader is desiied, however, to
rinieniber, that the ancients have made mention of
the Calbii, as inhabitants of Mount Eibanus. We
are indebted to Hyde for this observation, and the
Amedians, who are described by several other histo-
rians, as a kind of Barbarians, without the least
civil, or ecclesiastical. government, and who reside in
the forests and caverns of ISIount Libanus, profess
likewise an intermixture of Mahometanism and
Christianity ; and though they chuse rather to say
they are JNlahometans than Christians, are, notwith-
standing, sworn enemies to the former. These Ar-
medians, whom Hyde calls Homeidians, may very
probably be the same peojile as the Nasseries; and
we very much question, whether the Druses, of
whom we shall in the next i)lace give some short
account, diflcr much from either.
Some are of opinion that these Druses, says father
Besson, very sagely, whom we have just quoted on
the subject of the Nasseries, were originally natives
of the city of Dreux, the ancient seat of the Druids ;
and there still remains amongst them, if we may
rely on his veracity, abundance of that \^ arlike tem-
per of the English, which rendered our ancestors so
formidable to the infidels. These people, who are
the remains of those Christians who went to the holy
wars, entrenched themselves in Mount Libanus and
Antilibanus, where, for a long while, they bravely
maintained their rights and liberties, as well as their
religion, till a false apostle preached a new law to
them, and left behind him a dissertation upou wis-
dom, entitled Achme. These are the words of
father Besson, but this honest missionary, in all
probability, never heard that the Druses are taken
notice of in Herodotus. The ^Mahometans fre-
quently call the Druses of Blount Libanus, Molhe-
dites, an Arabian term, signifying profligate wretches,
or, according to Herbelol's construction of it, men
who have renounced Mahometanism, and turned to
some other sect. This ap])ellation, however, of
Molhedites, more particularly denoted a sect of
Ismaelians, which rendered themselves formerly very
famous in Asia, particularly in Persia, Assyria, and
the parts adjacent, where their sovereigns for a long
time were di.slinguished by the title of kings of the
Assassins. This prince, our ancient historians call
the old man of the mountain, for want of knowing,
that the term Gebal, which signifies a mountain, is
the name which the Arabians have given to a par-
ticular pi oviuce in Persia. I'he Ismaelian Assassins
were likew ise called Bathenians. Ilerbelot informs
us, that Balhen signifies the secret knowledge of
mysteries, and their illumination. Now as the blind
obedience of these Assassins was grounded on a
kind of illumination, or rather enthusiasm, the origin
w hereof was the reward of Paradise, and the promise
'33*
OF THE CHRISTIANS OF ST. JOHN, fee
of a state of everlasting bliss made to all such as
entirely devoted themselves to death and slaughter,
and were ready at all times to einbrue their hands in
blood where and whenever their prince shall please
to command them. It is on this account, in our
humble opinion, that they have been called Bathe-
iiians, as some now-a-days call several sorts of en-
thusiasts and fanatics, men of illumination.
Purchas, and several other authors, give us a very
infamous character of these Druses. They live, say
they, in constant practice of the enormous sin of
incest. At their most solemn festivals they lie to-
gether promiscuously, fathers with their daughters,
and brothers with their sisteis. They are of opinion,
that the souls of the righteous enter into the bodies
of new bprn infants, but that the soul of a wicked
• man resides in a dog. What we have further to add,
with respect to the morals and religious teuets of
these Druses will not be altogether so odious. Not-
withstanding they call themselves Christians, none of
them are bupti^ed, on the contrary, many are cir-
cumcised. However, they have some idea of Jesus
Christ, and believe that there will be rewards and
punishments in a future state. Father Besson re-
duces their creed to the seven following articles : —
First to be a Christian with the Christians, a Jew
^M'ith the Jews, and a Turk with the Turks. Se-
coijdly, never pray to God, because he knows our
; necessities before we ask him. Thirdly, to honour
the four evangelists, and read their gospels. But
they have no ceremonies, nor any religious assembles.
The, two churches or mosques, which were subsist-
ing iu father Besson's time, were not made use of
for the exercise of any religious duties. Fourthly,
to honour our Lord Jesus Christ, and his mother,
the Blessed Virgin, and to be mindful of the law of
Mahomet. Fifthly, to confess themselves, the men
to the men, and the women to the women. Sixthly,
to receive the communion, which consists of a small
piece of bread dipped in mulled wine. The seventh
relates principally to their monks, who, as our mis-
sionary assures us, are very strict in their fasting,
and live retired in deserts, which they, notwithstand-
ing, sometimes abandon for the promulgation of their
Aclinie. These Dru$es abhor and detest usury to
that degree, that they wash all the money which they
receive, for fear it should have contracted a kind of
pollution in pa.S£ing through the hands of some mer-
ciless usurers.
We shall here introduce the Curdcs, otherwise
rcalled Turcomans, after the Druses. These Curdes
are for the generality a parcel of strollers and vaga-
bonds : and perhaps it may be said, without any
manner of injustice, that their religion is as uncertain
as the place of their abode. Some have observed,
that the footsteps of Maniclieism are plainly to be
Uiscerued amongst the Curdes-Jasidies ; for they ac-
knowledge, as we are infornned, two principles,, and
call the devil their doctor, or head ; and pay no divine
adoration to the Deity, though they acknowledge his
existence. This is fit least a reflection cast upon
them by the Christians and Mahometans, who are
equally their implacable enemies. Some like-
wise confound these Jasidies with the Kelbins,
and assert, that they have a peculiar veneration for
black, as being the colour of the devil. The Chriji-
tians, as we are informed, frequently divert them-
selves with making a circle of earth round these
Jasidies, who are afraid to leap tlw walls of their
imaginary prisons, till the circle be broken, and all
the lime they ar« thus confined, the Christians, with
a sneer, bid them damn the deviL
The Christians of St. John are, for the generality,
confounded with the Sabeans. We shall not here
expatiate on the religion of the latter. As for the
former they derive their denomination from their bap-
tism, and from the peculiar veneration which they
have for St. John tlie baptist. De la Valla is of
opinion, tliat these Christians might possibly be the
remains of the ancient Jews, who received the bap-
tism of St. John. Their religion seems to be a
compound of the Jewish, Christian, and Mahometan.
Tavernier is more copious and particular in speaking
of these Christians than any other traveller whatso-
ever, and says, that there are abundance of them at
Balsara, or Bassora, and the parts adjacent. We
shall therefore give the reader, in this place, aa
abridgment of his account of them, and of the most
material facts mentioned by other travellers.
The Christians of St. John at first inhabited the
country about Jordan, but some time after the de-
cease of Mahomet, the persecutions of the Caliphs,
his successors, obliged them to fly for refuge into
Mesopotamia and Chaldea. There they were nuder
the jurisdiction of the patriarch of Babylon, but at
the close of the fifteenth, or the beginning of the
sixteenth century, they dissented from him. They
reside in no city or town, but what is built upon the
banks of some river, and their archbishops say, that
there are near twenty-five thousand families at least
of these Christians in those parts. Their belief is
very fabulous, and full of the grossest errors, ex-
tracted from a book which they call fhe Divan. — -
The Persians and Arabians call them Sabi, but ia
the sequel of this dissertation we shall shew, that
there is a wide difference between the Sabeans and
the Christians of St. John. y\s for the latter, they
distinguish themselves by the name of Mendai-
Jahaia, that is, the di«ciples of St. John ; and assure
us that they have received from him their faith, their
religious treatises, and their customs. They cele-
brate a solemn festiva-1 once a year, which is con-
tinued five days successively ; at which time they
present themselves in a numerous body before their
OF THE CHRISTIAN'S OF ST. JOHN, &c.
3,53
bisliops to receive, or more properly speakinj;, to
repeat this baptism of St. John. They never bap-
tize ill any phice but in rivers, and at no time but on
a Sunilay; for on that clay the validity of their bap-
tism entirely depends, though an infant should be in
danger of death. The infant, before it is baptized,
is brought to church, \\here the bishop reads some
prayers over it,, suitable to the occasion. From
thence the infant is carried to a river, where both the
men and the women uho are present at the ceremony
go up to their knees in water with the bishop. The
form of their baptism runs tims : " In the name of
the J^ord, the first and most ancient of the woild,
the Almighty, w ho knew all our actions before the
beginning of light, &,c." After that, he throws
water upon the infant three times successively, and
after a third aspersfon, as soon as tlie bishop, or
some priest his assistant, begins to read again, the
godfather, that is, the person who has the child in
his arms, plunges it into the water.
This is the ceremony of their baptism, which is
performed, as is evident, in the name of God only ;
for they neither acknow ledge Jesus Christ to be God,
nor the Son of God, but look on him as a person
far inferior to St. John the baptist. We are in-
formed, however, that they call him, as the Maho-
metans do, the Spirit of God. They acknowledge,
according to Tavernier, that Jesus Christ became
man, to deliver us from the guilt of sin, but pretend
he was conceived in tiie womb of the Blessed Vir-
gin by the influence of the water of some particular
fountain of which she drank ; that afterwards the
Jews would fain have crucified him, but that he
vanished out of their sight, and left only an appa-
rition which they crucified in his stead. In short,
everything they say, both with relation to Jesus
Christ and his mission, is all a medley of absurd and
ridiculous fiction contained in their Divan, nor have
they a better notion of the third person in the sacred
Trinity.
This Divan of their is, as we are informed, the
only book which is now extant amongst them ; for
their ancient .sacred books, which were written in
Syriac, are all lost. In this Divan, however, is com-
prised llieir doctrines, and the mysteries of their
religion. God is there described as a corporeal be-
ing, and as having one son, whose name was Gabriel.
Their angels and their demons are all corporeal like-
w ise, some male and some female. They marry, and
propagate, and believe that God created the world
by the ministry of Gabriel, and was assisted in that
operation by fifty thousand demons. They believe
the world floats upon the water like a foot-bail, and
the celestial spheres are surrounded with water ; the
sun aud the moon sail round about it in their re-
spective vessels. The earth was so fruitful at the
tirst moment of its creation, that what wae so\vn in
24 4
the morning was fit to be gathered in the evening. — •
Gabriel taught Adam the art of husbandry, but his
first transgression made him forget the instructions
which were given him, and he could recover no more
of it than we know at present. The other world is
infinitely more beautiful and more perfect than this,
but in all other respects much like it. 'I'he inliabit-
ants of it eat and drink, and there are cities, houses,
and churches, in which the spirits perform divine
service, sing, and play upon musical instruments.—^
The demons attend a sick man at the liour of his
death, ;hid conduct his soul through a road where
there are innumerable wild ijeasts : If the deceased
was a righteous person, his soul is admitted imme-
diately int,o the presence of God, having trodden
under foot those savage creatures who sought to im-
pede his journey. On the other hand, the soul of
a wicked man is almost torn in pieces by those
savages before it is qualified for its admission into
the divine presence. At the last day, two angels
shall weigh impartially the actions of all mankind
in a balance; but there shall be a general pardon for
all those of their sect. They shall be one day saved
after they have suffered the pnnishments due to their
demerits. This is the whole substance of their
doctrine.
Some historians tell us, that they have a peculiar
vener'itipn fwr the cross, and that they are frequently
making the sign of it. The world, according to their
notion, is a cross, because it is divided into four
parts. Tiiey say there are several crosses in the sun
and the moon ; nay, that the mast of the vessel ia
which the former sails is likewise a cross.
St. John the baptist is, as we have already observed,
their most illi'stiious saint : but, however, not the
only one, for they acknowledge likewise the sanc-
tity of Zacharias, Elizabeth, tke Blessed Virgin, and
the twelve apostles. We shall not here introduce
a tedious detail of the incredible miracles, which
either proceeded, or accompanied the nativity of St.
John, nor of those which are ascrii>ed to the before-
liientioned Zacharias and Elizabeth, the parents of
St. John, nor of the absurd romantic life of this
foreruniicr of Jesus Christ. As to all these particu-
lars, we shall refer the curious reader to Tavernier,
for according to their traditions, the sepulchre of
St. John isnear Chnster in the province of Chusistan,
where there are multitudes of these Christians of St.
John.
The sacerdotal habit of their priests is a kind of
red stole over a surplice, and they have the different
degrees of priests and bishops amongst them, but
they have no established rule, no ceremony, in short,
no religious rites observed by any Christians to
create such difTerence between their superior and in-
ferior clergy. Children succeed their j)arents in the
ministerial office, and if a priest <Jics without issue,"
354
OF THE CHRISTIANS OF ST. JOHN, &c.
the next akin is promoted to liis place. Tlie bishop
hiinself very frequently lecom mends his own son to
the people, who first elect him, and then present
him in form to his father to consecrate him. This
ordination consists in some particular prayers, which
are said for six or seven days over the postulant or
novice, who is obliged to fast all the time. The son
may succeed his father if he be but sixteen or seven-
teen years of age ; and all these ecclesiastics are
obliged to marry, but then their brides must all be
virgins. Neither can any one be promoted to ec-
clesiastical dignities, except his motlier wi's found
a virgin when first married. All these priests wear
long hair antl a small cross upon their clothes. —
Their sacrament of the eucliarist, and their mass, if
they may properly be called such, consist in the ob-
servance of the following custom. They take a
small cake, kneaded with wine made of raisins in-
fused i.i water, and with oil: The flower and the
wine represent the l)ody and blood of our Blessed
Lord ; the oil, which is the emblem of that charity
and grace which accompanies the sacrament, is a
representation of the people. For the consecration
of the whole, they pronounce several long prayers
over this cake, wliich tend to the praise and glory of
God, without making any mention of the body of
O ir Bles ed Lord, there being no absolute necessity
for it, as they say, since God Almighty knows their
intention. After that, they carry the cake in pro-
cession, and w hen that ceremony is over, the cele-
brant distributes it amongst the people.
Besides this grand festival of which we have been
I'peaking, and which lasts for five days successively,
they have another that holds three days, appointed
for the commemoration of the creation of the world,
and the parents of mankind : and another of the
fame duration kept in August, called the festival of
St. John. AV e shall take no notice of their fasts,
nor of tiieir oblation of a ram, which they sacrifice
in a hut, composed of palm-branches, and purified
beforehand with water, incense and simdry prayers ;
but one of the most important ceremoiiies of their
religion, is the sacrifice of the hen. A priest,
known to have kept his chastity, and for being the
son of one \\ho was an approved virgin at her nup-
tials, is the only person who is iutitied to the cele-
bration of this sacrifice. In order to the due per-
formance of which the priest repairs to the bank of
some r;ver, drest in all his sacerdotal ornaments
which are white linen garments which he throws
over him, another with which he girds his loins,
and a third which is his stole. Thus equipped, he
takes the chicken, plunges it into the water for its
better purificaion, and turning his face towards the
east, he cuts its head off', holding the fowl by the
neck till it has done bleeding. During the time of
fhe blood's tricMing down on the ground, the priest
repeats several times the following prayer, whU
abundance of fervour and devotion, and lifting up
his eyes to heaven: — "In the name of the Lord,
may this flesh be a blessing to all those who shali-
partake thereof." No v^oman nor laymen must pre-
sume to kill any hens. The former are prohibited,
because they look upon them as persons impure,
and who for the same reason according to Tavernier,
are excluded from the church. They observe
much the same ceremony- in killing their sheep, and
their fish : But they are not so piuictual as to the
hens.
These ministers or priests of St. John, are it seems,.
butchers by profession, for as they imagine no per-
son pure and undefiled but themselvts, they will never
drink out of a cup, that any one, who is not of their
ow n sect, has before made use of; and if a stranger
has used it, it is immediately broken to pieces, for
fear any of the faithful should be so unfortunate as
to be defiled by drinking after them. They have
also an inveterate aversion to any thing that is blue,
because, say they, the Jews, who were conscious
by their revelation, that the baptism of St. John
would abolish their law, threw a large quantity of
indigo into the river Jordan, in order to defile tiie
w aters : This profanation w ould have hindered
St. John from baptizing Jesus Christ, had not God
Almighty prevented the malicious intention of the
Jew s, and sent an angel to draw some water out of
the river whilst it remained pure and mrdefiled. —
This is the received opinion of the vulgar, but their
aversion, in reality, arises from the dog's dung
which is thrown into the coniposition of this colour;
a dog being looked by the Christians of St. John
as a very unclean animal. The aversion which they
have to the Mahometans, their ancient persecutors,
gives them also an equal distaste to any thing
that is green, which is the sacred colour of Maho-
met.
We- shall now proceed to the nuptial ceremonies.
The priest and the relations of the intentled bride-
groom wait on the young lady proposed to be his
bride, in order to ask her, whether she is a virgin
or not ; her answer is foreseen ; she says, yes : but
she is not believed upon her bare atlirmation. She
is obliged to take her solemn oath : the priest's wife
searches her, and gives in her deposition likewise!
upon oath. After which the bridegroom and the
bride are conducted to a river, and there baptized.
As soon as they are come within a small space of
the bridgroom's house, he takes his Inide by the
iiand, and con<lucts her to the door, and after that
returns with her to the same place where the cere-
mony began, which he repeats seven times succes-
sively, the priest following them all the time, and
reading in his ritual several prayers. Then they go
into the house, where they are seated by the priest
OF THE CHRISTIANS OF ST. JOHN, Jtc.
i555
UM(ier a canopy m ith tlieir heads ami sliouldeis close
to each ollipr, whilst he reads a long service over
theni, which is followed witli a lesson out of their
Faal, or I?ook of Divination, which he consults in
order to find out tiie critical niiiuite for a happy con-
summation of their nuptials. As soon as that is
over, both parties wait upon the bishoj), and the
husband deposes before him, that he found his wife
a vii;;in ; and then the bishop marries them, puts se-
veral rings upon tiieir lingers, and baptizes them
again. If the bridegroom finds himself deceived, as
to his wife's virginity, and is notwithstanding deter-
mined to wed her, he must make application to a
priest, and not to the bishop, to complete the cere-
mony. But the people arc so fond of being married
by llie bishop, and it is suclf an infamy to iiave the
ceremony performed bv any one else of inlcrior dig-
nity, that a marriage with one who is discovered to
have lost her honour before-hand, but very seldom,
if ever, holds good.
Tavernier gives for a reason of this strict inquiry
•,vith respect to the virginity of their wives, the right
of the bridegroom which he ought to maintain with
the utmost rigour and severity ; to which '.ve may
add, that the honour and interest of families in a
great measure depend upon it, and they design, by
this prudent precaution, as our traveller expresses
it, to bridle tiieir daughters. These Christians of
St. John are allowed to marry several wives, but only
of their own family, and their own tribe, and this
custom is derived from the J ews, for their widows
are not allowed to marry again, and their men are
debarred the invaluable privilege of putting away
their wives.
We shall close this dissertation with an account
of a pretended sect called the Abrahamitcs, who, if
we credit an anonymous travellers voyages printed
in the year 1724, are also to be met with in Egypt;
but we suspect the veracity of the author, since no
traveller but himself, as we know of, ever made any
mention of these Deists of Egypt. ISesides, the way
of thinking of these Abrahamites is, in our opinion,
so conformable to that of those free-thinkers who
dogmatize in England and Holland, without the
least apprehension either of dragoons, gallies, or
inquisitions, that it is very probable, he has formed
Lis Abrahamites upon the same model. Moreover,
the character of this bold adventurer, and of those
who assisted him in the method of compiling his
romantic treatise, is very dilTerent : but lhou<:h the
general idea wliich is entertained of them, will never
prejudice any one iu favour of that performance, we
shall notwithstanding include the fundamental tenets
of these imaginary sectaries.
The Abrahamitcs, who are very few, acknow-
ledge no other law but that of nature, which God,
they say, delivered to Abraham; from whom, as
ihcy pretend, they originally descended. They
constantly read those sacred books, wherein the
history of the creation is included, though widely
different I'rom that of Moses, which they look upon
as a mere romance. As to Moses, the Abrahamites
are of opinion, that he was the ablest and most
learned physician, and best chemist till that time;
that his miracles where wholly due to his extraor-
dinary skill in physic and chemistry. They do not
look upon him as a prophet, but as a wise legislator,
and compare him to the law giver of the Cliinesi;.
Jesus Christ, whose lav^' we have corrupted, never,
say they, pretended to be God; his morals how-
ever, n)ust be allowed to be extremely just, pure and
refined. The fathers of the church are men either
too illiterate or too hypocritical. The Abrahamitej ■
reflect very severely upon the ceremonies, the divine
worship, and the festivals of the Christians. They-
despise and turn to ridicule the mysteries of Chris-
tianity; and to conclude, they affect to worship one
Supreme Being, and him only: and to love tiieir
neighbours as themselves ; yet think their destiny
uncertain, and look upon the immortality of the
soul only as a modern system, yet comfortable and
grounded upon reason.
From all that has been said concerning these
Greeks, whom those who dwell in the Levant call
Schismatics, we may draw the following useful re-
flections. First, that as the corruptions among them
are in some measure universal, so this, as an effect,
must have originally flowed from a cause of the same
extensive nature. For had not the whole Christian
world been at one time totally corrupted in senti-
ments concerning the truth, those fatal efiects would
not now have been discovered or felt.
Secondly, the least deviation from truth in religion
or in morals, is generally attended with the most
fatal consequences. Comjiiaisance to the heathens,
and l,he vain ambition of making numerous converts,
induced the Christians, after the time of Constantine
the Great, to adopt many idolatrous ceremonies. —
The progress was gradual, and the poison spread
itself furiously, till the gospel of Christ became little
better than a s\ stem of heathenism. In all these
corrupted churches, where poverty, in all temporal
things is conspicuous, and where ignorance is rather
sought after than avoided, we find the wretched
people fond of image worship, ar.d a^thousand other
fopperies.
Thirdly, as the corruption was gradual, and is
now become, as it were, inveterate, a reformation
must likewise be gradual. How far distant that
period may be, no man can say. It is much to be
wished for by all those who seek to promote the
happiness of their fellow-creatures, in time and eter-
nity ; and, consistent with the divine perfections, we
may hope for it. God may in justice punish men,
355
RELIGION OF THE MAHOMETANS,
by withdrawing his favours when they forsake his
laws and despise his ordinances ; but no sooner do
they return to their duty, like the prodigal in the
gospel, than they are received with open arms of af-
fection.
Lastly, let us as Protestants, who are favoured
■with the holy scriptures and the gospel in its purity,
endeavour to set a proper value upon such unde-
served and inestimable privileges. Let oiu- consci-
ences never upbraid us with the horrid sin of ingra-
titude to our most generous benefactor, but let us
■ shew ourselves worthy of his mercies, by living as
. obedient children. And to conclude, let us consider
that we cannot give a stronger proof of our grati-
tude for the favours and blessings he has bestowed,
than in praying that he would graciously pleased
to open the eyes of those who sit hi darkness, and
in the re«ion and shadow of death. It is the cha-
racter of the devil, to wish every creature as misera-
ble as himself; but a Christian of a noble, generous
disposition, knowing the happiness of his own
condition, wishes all mankind to be equally so. —
Our Saviour has commanded us to pray that his
kingdom may come, the meaning of which words
are, that we should earnestly desire to see the gos-
pel promulgated over the whole habitable world, as
an emblem of the kingdom of glpry that must suc-
ceed it.
RELIGION OF THE MAHOMETANS.
Vy E are now in the course of this work, obliged
; to enter upon a melancholy subject indeed, we teel
for the heathen nations who know nothing of God
' i or Christ Jesus; but when we meet with a body of
.people who actually believe in Divine Revelation,
but pay more regard to an imposition than to the
truth, we are apt to make use of the expressions re-
corded by Knowles, " O ! why will ye believe in
lies." The most judicious of our Christian com-
mentators, whether ancient or modern, are of opi-
nion that the locusts mentioned in Revelations ix. 3,
allude in all respects to the Mahometans. Nay,
it would seem that thf-re could be no manner of
doubt concerning the truth of this opinion, especi-
ally when we consider the similarity of circumstances.
Locusts, as we are assuied by the learned Dr. Shaw,
come from the north to the south of Asia, in such
amazing numbers, that they even darken the air,
and it is well known, that tirst the Arabians and
then the Turcumans, both of whom established
Mahometanism, marched in such armies together,
that they carried destruction before them. Like
the army of Xerxes they darkened the sun, which
circumstance induced the Athenian to say, " We
shall tight in the shade."
Again, to go on with the parallel, locusts are
produced by a corruption in the air, and ail our ec-
clesiastical historians acknowledge, that during the
sixtii century, the Christian church was so much
.corrupted, particularly in the east, that little beside
the name was left. Poetry itself has been brought
in to support the assertion; for on this melanch'ily
,%ibject, Mr. Hughes wrote the siege of Damascus,
one of the finest compositions this country ever pro-
duced.
As the swarms of locusts destroy ever' heib of
the field, and leave neither jojcI for niai. iior beast,
so in the same manner the Mahometans destroyed
most of the lemains of antiiiuity, and converted
the ChiiStian churches into nivsquts. Nay, they
even dc'stroyed the food necessary for the support of
the intellectual faculties, namely, books and the
seats of learning. The comparison indeed, might
be carried much farther, but the following narrative
renders it unnecessary. We shall therefore begin
with the life of the arch impostor Mahomet, and
then proceed to describe the ceremonies of his re-
ligion.
Mahomet was born at Mecca, a city of Arabia,
and descended from the ancient tribes of Korashites,
who had long enjoyed the regal dignity, so that this
impostor was fur from being descended of such mean
parents as has been generally represented. Indeed,
it seldom happens, that men who are no ways con-
nected with illustrious families, are fired with that
sort of ambition which creates a name. But when
a man has been told that his ancestors were revered
for actions, which have rendered their names famous,
they are stimulated on to imitate them, or at least
to attempt to do so.
The father of Mahomet was Abdollech of the
royal family of Arabia, and his mother's name was
Amena. He was born in the year of our Lord 571,
Justin the second, then emperor of Constantinople,
and Cheross the first king of Persia. It happened,
hovN ever, from ^variety of causes, that in his youth
RELIGION OF THE MAHOMETANS.
357
he was in vpry indigent circumstances, for his fallicr
dving butorc he was l\vo \ears of age, lie was lelt in
a manner destitute of subsistence, and as for educa-
tion in letters, it appears he had none. His mother
died when he was about eiglit years of age, and then
he was lelt to the care of his grandfather, wlio died
vithin a year afterwards, and then 'I'aleb his uncle
took iiim under his protection, to bring him up as a
niereh;ftit, a name much esteemed among us at pre-
sent, but at that time signifying a robber.
in this manner Mahomet was brought up till he
arrived at years of maturity, and then he was sent
to conduct a caravan to Syria. It was in Bostra, a
city of Syria, tiiat Mahomet was lirst taken notice
of by a Mestorian monk, whose name, according to
the Oinistian historians, was Sergius, but according
to the Arabians, Baliira. But let his name be what
it will, it his here necessary to observe that this
monk, who seems to have been an abandoned vaga-
bond, saluted Mahomet in the crowd of merchants,
and tt>ld lii:ii that he was to be the third light of the
world. " J he law of Moses, said he, is now to-
tally abolished, the Christians have corrupted their
holy religion, and therefore God has raised you up
to reform the world and establish a pure religion."
There cannot remain the least doubt but this decla-
ration, fired with ambitiondhe mind of our young
adventurer, Ipit for some time he concealed his real
sentiments, till he was about twenty-five years of
age, when he married Cadigha, a rich widow in
Mecca,' who made over her whole foitune to him,
and lor three years longer he continued to travel
with his caravan to D»mascus. It was then that
lie began to form some hopes of making himself so-
vereign over all the Arabian tribes, but lie had many
difticiilties to stru^srle with, the greatest of all being
that of religion, or rather superstition.
Having maturely weighed all these circumstances,
he concluded that no project bid so fair as that of
establishing a new form of religion. ^lany cir-
cumstances concurred to facifilate his design ; fr.r
the Arabians his countrymen had all that time little
or no knowledge of religion, and as he had con-
versed with the Jews and corrupt Christians-v hile
he carried on merchandise with the Suiaiis and
I'lgyptians, so he had learned as much as to enable
him to form a new system composed of all the errors
of the Jews and Christians, mixed with a considera-
ble share of heathenism. He had observtd, that the
Arabians his countrymen, who attended him, were
acquainted with some of the notions espoused by
.the Syrian Christians, and likew ise with those of the
Jews, which naturally led their minds from idolatry,
and rendered them susceptible of any impostures,
however erroneous in their nature, or pernicious in
their tendency.
He was now about thirty-eight years of age, but
C4
as his life had been extremely vicious, he, like an
arttiil impostor, considered himself as under very de-
licate circumstances. He therefore formed the re-
solution of withdrawing from conrjian".-, and spend-
ing part of his time in the desert, under pretence
that he was em{)loyed in heavenly exercises. The
place he went to was a cave near Mecca, called the
cave of Hira, and there it was he first formed his
Alcoran, w liich he had drawn up in wfiting bv some
of his associates, particularly Sergius the monk,
whom we have already mentioned.
In the evenings he returned home, and told his
wife what revelations had been made to him, and his
design in doing so was to induce her to bring the
women over to his party. At lirst his wife did not
believe those stories, which grieved Mahomet con-
siderably ; but as he acted consistent with the cha-
racter of impostors in general, so he prevailed with
a fugitive vagabond monk to tell her that he had
had the same revelation intimated to him. This had
such an eflect on the woman, that she renounced
her former religion, and became a proselyte to that
.system of imposture lirst invented by her husband.
Having gained his end so far, he conlimied his
austerities tw o years longer, till he had arrived at tlie
age of forty, and then he acquired such a reputation
lor sanctity, that he took upon himself the name of
apostle of God, setting forth that he was come t«
reform the world, by establishing a divine revelation
from God. For four years longer he did not venture
to make his opinions public, contenting himself with
conversing with a few friends in private, and there
he procured such influence over them that they be-
came his disciples, believing that all he taught them
was truth. Zagad, one of his slaves, having em-
braced this new religion, Mahomet granted him his
pardon, and ever since it has been a maxim among
the Mahometans, that when a slave who is of an-
other religion submits to be circumcised, and to em-
brace the Alcoran, he is then made free. This was
carrying the principles of liberty to a giealer extent
than amongst the Jews of old, but there aie such a
variety of different circumstances in the moral go-
vernment of this world, that unless we attend to
them with care, we can never form a proper con-
ception.
And here it is necessary tovobserve, that Mahomet
first laid the foundation of his religion at the same
time that the bishop of Borne, by virtue of a grant
from the tyrant Phocas, assumed the title of uni-
versal head of the church, and thereupon claimed
to himself that supremacy which he and his prcde-
ce|Ssors have ever since been endeavouring to estab-
lish over the church of Christ. Nay, it may be
further added, that both endeavoured to establish
sovereignty by imposture, and support themselves
by coercive measures.^ Mahoinetauism was propa-
4 X
358
RELIGION OF THE Mi^IlOMETANS.
gated by fire and sword ; popish idolatry by the same
means.
Mahomet, having procured a considenible num-
ber of disciples, began to publish his opinions openly
to the people of Mecca, and the first doctrine that
lie taught among them was, that there was but one
God, and that he only is to be worshipped ; that all
jdols should be taken away, and their worship utterly
abolished; and that those who say God has sons or
daughters, or that there are any other gods associated
with him, are impious and ought to be abhorred. —
By denying him sons or associates, he reflected on
the doctrine of ihe Trinity ; for although the Maho-
metans allow Christ to have been a prophet, vet they
deny that he was the Son of God. liy denying that
God had daughters, he insinuated that the Arabians
were idolatore, because they believed, that some
eminent women, who had lived among them, ought
to be worshipped. He allowed the scriptures both
of the Old and New Testament, but at the same
time, insisted that both Jews and Christians had
forsaken God, so that they were rejected. Happy
for the world had not this assertion, especially with
respect to Christians, been too true.
He pretended to receive ail his revelations from
the angel Gabriel, and that he was sent from God on
purpose to deliver them unto hiin. And whereas he
was subject to the failing sickness, vvhenever the fit
■was upon him, he pi'etented it to be a trance, and
that the angel Gabriel was come from God with
some new revelations unto him, the splendour of
whose appearance he not being able to bear, caused
him to fall into those trances, in which the angel
conversed with him, and delivered to him those mes-
sages from God, which he was sent to reveal tinto
him.
His pretended revelations he put into several chap-
ters, the collection of which makes up his Alcoran,
which is the bible of the Mahometans. The original
of this book he taught them was laid up in the ar-
(^hieves of heaven, and that the angel Gabriel brought
him the copy of it, chapter by chapter, according
as occasion required they should be published to the
people. Part of these he published at Mecca, be-
. fore his flight from thence, and the other part at
Medina, which he did after this manner. When he
had forged a new chapter, which he intended to pub-
lish, he first dictated it to his secretary, and then
delivered the written paper to be read to his fol-
lowers, till they had learned it by heart ; which
being done, he had the paper brought to him again,
and he laid it up in a chest, which he called the chest
of his apostleship. This he did, we suppose, in-
imitation of the ark or holy chest among the Jews,
in which the authentic copy of their law was depo-
sited. This chest he left in the keeping of one of
his wives, aud out of it, after his death, was the
Alcoran compiled, in the same manner as Homer's
Ivhapsodies were out of the loose poems of that
poet. Abu Beker first made the collection, but
Othman afterwards revising and new-modelling it, .
formed into that shape in which we now have it.
On his first appearing publicly as a phophet, the
people laughed at him for the ridiculousness of his
pretence ; some called him a sorcerer and a magician,
others a lyar, an impostor, and a teller of old fables,
of which he often complains in his Alcoran ; so that
for the first year he prevailed nothing among them,
nor got any thing else by his publishing those chap-
ters of his Alcoran which he had then composed, or
his preaching to them the doctrines of them, but
scorn and contempt. But this did not discourage
him from still proceeding in his design, which he
managed with great art, for he was a man of a ready
wit, and a very acceptable address ; he bore all
affronts, without seeming to resent any ; and applied
himself to all sorts of people, without contemning
the meanest; was very courteous both in giving and-
receiving visits; the great men he soothed with very
flattering praises, and the poor he relieved' with gifts
and alms; and towards all men managed himself
with that art of insinuation (in which he exceeded
all men living) that at length he surmounted all the
difficulties wliich so bold an imposture in the first
venting of it must necessarily be liable unto, and
several other new proselytes joined themselves unto
him, among whom was Omar Ebno '1 Chattab, who
was one of his successors, and then a considerable
man in the city. His example was soon followed by
several others, so that in the fifth year of his pre-
tended mission, he had increased his party to the
number of nine and thirty, and himself made the
fortieth.
On his having made this progress, several began
to be alarmed at it. Those that were addicted to
the idolatry of their forefathers, stood-up to oppose
him as an enemy of their gods, and a dangerous in-
novator in their religion. But others, who saw
further into his designs, thought it time to put a
stop thereto for the sake of the public safety of the
government, which it manifestly tended to undermine
for the establishing of tyranny over them ; and there-
fore they combining together against him, intended
to have cut him off with the sword. But Abu
.Taleb, his uncle, getting notice thereof, defeated the
design, and by his power, as being chief of the tribe,
preserved him from such other like attempts as were
afterwards formed against him. For although he
himself persisted in the paganism of his ancestors,
yet he had that affection for the impostor, as being
his kinsman, and one that was bred up in his house,
that he firmly stood by him against all his enemies,
and would suffer no one to do him any hurt as long
as he lived. And therefore being safe under so
RELIGION OF THE MAHOMETANS.
359
powerful a proteclion, lie boldly went on to preach
to the people ir. all public places of the city, where
they used to assemble, and published unto tiicni
more chapters of his Alcoran, in the older, as he
pretended, thev \\ere br()ii>;ht him by the angel
Gabriel. The chief subject of which was to press
upon them the observance of son\e moral duties, the
belief of the unity of God, and tlie dignity of his
own pretended apostieship, in which, indeed, besides
some heatlien and Jewish rites which he retained,
consisted the whole of his new-forged religion.
The main arguments he made use of to delude
men into this imposture, were his promises and his
threats, as being those which easiest work ou the
affections of the vulgar. His promises were cliiefly
of jmradise, which he so cuimingiy fran)ed to the
state of the Arabians, as to make it totally consist
iir those pleasures which they were most delighted
with. For they being w ithiu the Torrid Zone, were,
through the nature of the clime, as well as thfe ex-
cessive corruption of their manners, exceedingly
given to the love of women ; and the scorching heat
and dryness of the countrv making rivers of water,
cooling drinks, shaded gardens, and pleasant fruits,
most refreshing and delightful unto them, they were
from hence apt to place their highest enjoyment in
things of this nature : and therefore to answer the
height of their carnal desires, he made the joys of
lieaven (which he proposed for a reward to all those
that should believe in him) to consist totally in these
]iarticulars. For he tells them in many places in his
Alcoran, that they shall enter into pleasant gardens,
where many rivers (low, and many curious founUiins
continually send forth most pleasing streams, nigh
which they shall repose themselves on most delicate
beds adorned with gold and precious stones, under
the shadow of the trees of paradise, which shall
contmnally yield thi ni all manner of delicious fruits,
and that there they shall enjoy most beautiful women
pure and clean, having black eyes, and countenances
always fresh and white as polished pearls, who shall,
not cast an eye on any other but themselves, with
whom they shall enjoy the continual piea^sures of
love, and solace themselves in their company with
amorous deiighls to all eternity, drinking wilh them
most delicious liquors, an<l most savoury and
pleasant wines, without being ever intoxicated or
overcharged by them, which shall be administered
tothem hy beautiful boys, who shall be continually
running round their beils to serve them up unto
them in cups of gold, and glasses fixed on diamonds.
Aud as thus he framed his promises of reward in the
life hereafter as might best suit with the sensual ap-
petites and desires of those to whom he proposed
t'lein; so on the contrary, he described the punish-
ment of hell, which he threatened to all that would
not believe in hiui, to cousist of such torments- as
would ap])ear to them the most afflicting and griev-
ous to be borne. As that they should drink nothing
but boiling and stinking water, nor breallie any
thing else but exceeding hot winds, things most ter-
rible in Arabia; that they should dwell for ever in
continual lire excessively buring, and be surrounded
wilh a black, hot, and salt smoke as wilh a coverlid;
that they should eat nothing but briers and thorns,
and the fruit of the tree Zacon, which should b^j in
their bellies like burning i)itch. In the proposing
of these promises and threats to the people he was
very frequent ;uid sedulous, making them to ring in
their ears on all occasions, w hereby he failed not of
his end in alluring some, and afiVighting others in
the snare he laid for thein.
And that he might omit nothing whereby to work
on their fear, which is usually tlie most prevalent
passion of the ignorant, he terrified them with the
threats of greivous punishments in this life, as well
as in that which is to come, if they would not hear-
ken unto him. And to this end he did set forth unto
them on all occasions, what terrible destructions had
fallen \ipou the heads of such as would not be in-
structed by the prophets, that were sent before
him. How the old world was destroyed by water,
for not being reformed at the preaching of Noah;
and Sodom by fire from heaven, for not hearkening
to Lot, when sent unto them. How the Egyptians
were plagued for despising Moses;, and how Ad and
Thamod, two ancient tribes of the Arabs, were to-
tally extiri)ated for the same reast)n. His stories of
the two last were fables of his own invention, which
he related unto them after this manner. That Ad
the graiitlson of Aram, the son of Shem, planted
himself after the confusion of languages in the south- •
ern parts of Arabia, where his posterity falling into
idolatry, the prophet Hud, whom the commentators
on the Alcoran will have to be Heber, was sent
unto them to reclaim them to the true worship, but
they not hearkening uivto hiiil, God sent a violent
hot wind, w hich in seven days time destroyed them
all, excepting only the prophet, and some few who
were reformed by him.
As to Thamod, his story was, that they were an
ancient tribe of the Arabs dwelling on the confines
of Syria, and that on their revolt to idolatry, God
sent to them the prophet Saleh ; that on their de-
mand of a miracle to testify his mission, he caused
a rock to bring forth a camel in the sight of them
ail; that they notwithstanding, in contempt wounded
the carnal, and that thereupon God sent terrible
thunders, which in three days time destroyed ihem
all, excepting Saleh, and some few who believed on
him.
And the like fable he also told them of Chaib,
another prophet of the ancient Arabs, sent to the
tribe of Madiaj]; and how that tribe was in like mao- -
360
RELIGION OF THE MAHOMETAIS'S.
, ner destroyed by thunder for not hearkening unto
him. For the sake of these stories, which he was
very frequent in inculcating into the people, and very
often repeats in his Alcoran, those who believed
not on him, called him a teller of old fables; but
notwithstanding they wrought upon the fears of
.others, and by this and other such artifices, he still
went on to increase his party, to which two of his
imcles, Hamza and Al Abbas, at length joined
themselves. But the rest of his uncles ap|>roved not
of his designs, and although Abu Taleb still conti-
nued to befriend him, because of the affection w hich
he bore him, the nine other had not this regard to
.liim, but joined with his enemies, and opposed him
all they could, as a man, that under the false mask
\vhich he had put on, carried oil dangerous designs
to the prejudice of his country.
But that which gravelled him most, was. that his
opposers demanded to see a miracle from him. For
say they, Moses and Jesus, and the rest of the pro-
phets, according to thy own doctrine, worked mira-
cles to prove their mission from God ; and there-
fore if thou be a prophet, and greater than any that
went before thee, as thou boastest thyself to be, do
thou work the like miracles to manifest it unto us.
F)o thou make the dead to rise, the dumb to speak,
and the deaf to hear, or else do thou cause foun-
tains to spring out of the earth, and make this place
a garden adorned with vines and palm-trees, and
watered with rivers running through it in divers chan-
nels, or else let us see come down from heaven
some of those punishments which thou threatenest
us with. Or do thou make thee an house of gold,
adorned with jewels and costly furniture :^ or let us
see the book thou wouldst have us believe to come
from heaven, descend down to us from thence legi-
ble in our eyes, or the angel which thou tellest us
doth bring it unto thee, and then we will believe
in thy word. This olyection he endeavoured to
evade by several answers. One v.hile he tells them,
he is only a man sent to preach to them the rewards
of paradise, and the punishments,of hell. At another
time, that their predecessors contemned the miracles
Saleh, and the other prophets, and that for this
jeason God would work no more among them. And
a while after, that those \\ hom God had ordained to
believe, should believe without miracles, and those
whom he had not ordained to believe, should not be
be convinced, though all those miracles should be
wrought in their sight, which they required, and
therefore they were totally needless.
But this not satisfying, as being a plain confes
sion that he wanted that power of miracles which ail
other prophets had to prove their mission, several
of those that were his followers departed from him,
of which he complains in his Alcoran. And there-
fore fiuding that this would not do on his coming to
Medina, and having there tr'ken the sword in hand,
and gotten an army to back his cause, he began to
sing another note. For his doctrine then w as, that
God had sent Moses and Jesus with miracles, and
yet men would not be obedient to their word, aiTd
therefore he had now sent him in the last place
w ithout miracles, to force them by the power of the
sword to do his will. And pursuant thereto, he
forbad his disciples to enter into any further disputes
about his religion, but instead thereof he commanded
them to fight for it, and destroy all those who should
contradict his law, promising great rewards in the
life to come to such as should take up the sword in
his cause, and the crown of martyrdom to all those
who should die lighting for it. And upon this head,
some of the Mahometan doctors argue with subtilty :
For, say they, the prophets of God are of divers
sorts, according to the divers attributes of divine
nature, which they are sent to shew f[orth. That
Jesus Christ was sent to manifest the righteousness,
the power, and the knowdedge of God; that he
shewed forth the righteousness of God in being im-
peccable, his knowledge in that he knew the secrets
of men's hearts, and foretold things to come ; and
his power in doing those miracles which none else
but God could. Further, Solomon was sent to
manifest the wisdom, the glory, and the majesty of
God ; and Moses, his providence and his clemency :
none of them carrying with them a power to force
men to believe, miracles were necessary in their mis-
sions to induce them thereto. But Mahomet was a
projihet^ent principally to shew forth the fortitude'
of God, by the power of the sword, which being of
itself alone sufficient to compel all men into the
faith without any other power accompanying it ; for
this reason, say they, Mahomet wrought no miracles,
because he had no need of them, the power ot the
sword, with whicii he was sent, of itself alone suf-
- ticiently enabling him to accomplish his mission by
forcing men to believe therein. And from hence it
hath become the universal doctrine of the Maho-
'metans, that their religion ia to be propagated by
the sword, and that all of them are obliged to tight
for it. And for this reason it hath been a custom
among them for their preachers, while they deliver
their sermons, to liave a drawn sword placed by
them, to denote thereby, that the doctrine which
they teach them, was with the sword to be defended
and propagated by them.
However, it is not to be denied, but that there are
several miracles reckoned up, which Mahomet is said
to have wrought ; as tiiat he did cleave the moon in
t\vo; that trees went forth to meet him ; that water
flowed from between his fingers; that the stones
saluted hiiw ; that he fed a great company widi ,a
little food; that a beam groaned at him; that a
camel complained to liim ; that a shoulder of nuuton
RELIGION OF THE MAHOMETANS.
36 1
told him of its being poisoned ; and several others.
But those who relate them, are only siicii \\ho are
reckoned amongst them as fabulous and le-^cndary
writers. Tlieir learned doctors renounce them all,
as doth Maiiomet himself, who, in several places in
his Alcoran, owns that he wrought no miracles. —
But wiien they are pressed, how without miracles
they can prove his mission, their comihon answer is,
that in the stead of ail miracles is the Alcoran. For
that Mahomet, who was 'an illiterate person that
could neither read nor write, or that any man else
by human wisdom alone should be able to compose
a book so excellent in eloquence, and so excellent
in doctrine, as tlicy will have that to be, is what
they will not admit to be possible, and therefore
they alledged the exc-llency of the book for the
truth of all contained therein, and will have that to
be a proof equivalent to the miracles of all the
prophets that went before him, to manifest that it
came from God. And on this the impostor himself
often insists in his Alcoran ; challen<:;ing, in several
places of it, all men and devils by their united skill
to compose another book like that in eloquence and
instruction, or any one chapter that can be compared
in excellency with the meanest chapter therein: —
\^'hicll tiicy takiiiw for granted, that both together
cannot do, will have this to be a clear manifestation
beyond all contradiction, that this book could come
from none other but God himself", and that Maho-
met, from whom they received it, was his messenger
to bring it to them.
As to the particulars in this argument alledged, it
must be allowed, that the Alcoran, bating tlie folly,
the confusedness, and incoherence of the matter con-
tained therein, is, as to the style and language, the
standard of elegance in the Arabic tongue, and as
to Mahomet, that lie was in truth, what they say,
an illiterate barbarian, that could neither write nor
read. But this was not so much -a defect in him, as
in the tribe of which he was born, w iih whom it was
the custom as to all manner of literature to conti-
nue in the same ignorance with which they came
tint of their mothers' bellies unto their lives efid. —
And therefo'.e at the time when Mahomet first set
up for a prophet, there was not any man of Mecca
that could either write or read, excepting only Wa-
rakah, a kinsman of Gadagah's, who having first
turned Jew, and afterwards Christian, had Karned
to write Arabic in Hebrew letters. And for this
rtason, the men of Mecca were called the illiterate,
<n opposition to the people of Medina, who being
the <jne half Christians, and the other half Jews,
Mere able to write and read; and therefore were
called the People of the Book. i\jid from thence
several of Mahomet's followers, after he came to
Medma, learned to read and write also, which some
■»f them had began to learn before, of Ba&har the
24 ' .4
Ccndian, who having sojourned at Anbar, a city ol
Erac, near I'-uphrates, there learned the art, from
whence coming to Mecca, and marrying tiie sister
of Abusophian, he settled there, and from him the
men of Mecca are fnst said to have received the ait
of letters.
Among the followers of Mahomet, Othman was
the greatest proficient lierein, which advanced him
afterwards to be secretary to the impostor. But for
want of paper at first, as in a place where there
was never before any occasion for it, they were
forced to make use of the blade-bones of shoulders
of nmtton to write on, which was a device anci-
ently made use of bv other tribes of the Arabs, who
had letters, but wanted trallic to accomodate them
with more convenient materials for this purpose,
and therefore their books, in which their poems, and
other materials they delighted in were written, were
only so many of those blade-bones lied together up-
on a string. This Bashar afterwards became one of
Mahomet's disciples, and followed him in his wars,
till poisoned at Chaibar, as shall be hereafter re-
lated.
But these particulars being thus allowed, that the
Alcoran of the Mahometans is of so elegant a style,
and tiie supposed author thereof such a rude and il-
literate barbarian, it will be here asked who were
the assistants by whose help this book was compiled
and the imposture framed f And there will be the
more reason to ask this, because the bock itself
contains so many particulars of the Jewish and
Christian religion, as necessarily imply tWo iiuthor."
of it to be well skilled in both, which Mahomet,
who was bred an idolator, and lived so for the first
forty years of his life, among a people totally illite-
rate, cannot be supposed to be. But this is a ques-
tion not so easily to be answered, because the na-
ture of the thing required, should be concealed. —
The ^lahometan writers, who believe in the im-
posture, as they will allow nothing of this, so to be
sure they will say little of it ; and the Christians,
who abhorred his wickedness, are apt to say too
much. For it was usual with them, as it is with
all other contending parties, to snatch at every story
which would disparage the religion they were
against, and believe it right or wrong, if it would
serve their purpose this way. And from hence it
hath proceeded, that we have so many fabulous and
ridiculous accounts both of Mahomet and his im-
posture, go current among us, which serve only to
the exposing of us to the laughter of the Mahome-
tans, when related among them. And beside the
scene of this impostor, being at least six hundred
miles within the country of Arabia, amidst those
barbarous nations, who all innncdiately embraced
it, and would not afterward permit any of another
religion so much as to live atnong tliem; it could
3fl2
RELIGION OF THE MAHOMETANS.
not at that distance be so well searched into, by
those -who were" most concerned to discover the
frauds of it, and therefore an exact account cannot
be expected in this particular. However, that we
may give all the satisfaction therein, that we are
able, we shall here lay together whatsoever we can
find in any credible author concerning it, and give
the best judgment hereof that the matter will
admit.
That Mahomet composed his Alcoran by the
help of others, was a thing well known at Mecca,
when he first broached his imposture there, and it
was often flung in his teeth by his opposers, as he
liimself more than once complained. In the 25th
chapter of the Alcoran, his words are, they say,
" That the Alcoran is nothing but a lie of thy own
" invention, and others have been assisting to thee
"herein." Where the commentators say the per-
sons here meant, were the servants of a certain
sword-smith at Mecca, who were Christians, with
whom ^lahomet was used often to converse for the
better information of himself from them in the
Old and New Testament. And from hence it is,
that Jiellonius tells us, that Mahomet found at Mec-
ca two Christians, who had with them copies of
the Old and New Testament, and that he was much
helped by them in composing his Alcoran. But
tliis is too opon work for so secret a design. They
that upbraided him with being assisted by others,
meant not those whom he publicly conversed with,
but the private confederates, whom he secretly made
use of at home, in the framing of the whole impos-
ture, and the writing for him that book, which he
pretended was brought to him from heaven by the
angel Gabriel. And what he says in another place
of his Alcoran, dodi particularly point at once to
those, who were then looked upon to have had a
principal hand in this matter. For in the sixteenth
chapter his w ords are " I know they will say, that
a man hath taught him the Alcoran ; but whom
they presume to have taught him, is a Persian by
nation, and speaketh the Persian language. But
the Alcoran is in the Arabic tongue, full of instruc-
tion and eloquence." Now, who this Persian was,
Triar Richard, in his confutation of the Mahometan
law, helps us to understand. For in his' thirteenth
chapter of tliat tract he tells us, that Mahomet be-
ing an illiterate person, he had, for his helper in tlie
forging of his imposture, among others, one Abdia
Ben Salon, a Persian Jew, whose name he after-
wards changed to make it correspond with the Ara-
bic dialect, into Abdollah Ebn Salem ; and Canta-
cuzenus, and cardinal Cusa say the same thing. —
And most others that write of this imposture make,
mention of him, as the chief architect made use of
by Mahomet in the framing of it. And that he
was the Persian pointed at iu this passage of the
Alcoran, we have last-mentioned, tlie same Fria?
Richard, in the sixth chapter of the same tract, ex-
pressly telleth us. And he is the same person whom
Elmacinns calleth Salman the Persian, who by his
skill in drawing an intrenchmcnt at the battle of the
Ditch, saved Mahomet and all his army, where
otherwise he must necessarily have been overpow-
ered by the numbers of his enemies, and totallv
ruined. For he was a cuiming, crafty fellow, and
so thoroughly skilled in all the learning of the Jew s,
that he had commenced Rabbi among them. And
therefore from him INIahomet seems to have re-
ceived,- whatsoever of the rites and customs of the
Jews he hath ingrafted into his religion. For this
making a very considerable part of it, and many of
the particulars being drawn from the abstruser parts ■
of the Talniudic learning, this necessarily shews so
able an helper to have been in the whole contri-
vance. And what Johannes Andreais, an Alfacki,
or a doctor of the Mahometan law, who turned
Christian, writes of him, further clears this matter;
For he tells us from authentic testimonies of the
Arab writers, in which he was thoroughly versed,
that this Abdollah Ebn Salem, who he, or rather his
interpreter, corruptly calls Abdala Celen, was for
te". years together the person by whose hatid all the
pretended revelations of the impostor were firsfe
written, and therefore no doubt he was also a prin-
cipal contriver in the forging of them. There is
extant in the end of the Latin Alcoran, published
by Bibliander, a tract translated out of Arabic into
Latin, by Hermannus Dalmata, which by way of
dialogue between Mahomet and this Abdollah, lays
before us a great many of the fooleries of the Ma-
hometan religion, which tract helps us to correct
the name, which is in Friar Richard's tract very'
corruptly written, as being only a translation at the
third hand. For that tract of Friar Richard's which
we now have, is no other than a translation from
the Greek copy of Demetrius Cydonius, who trans-
lated it into that language for the use of the emperor
Cantuzenus, from the original Latin which is now
lost.
Besides this Jew, the impostor had also a Chris-
tian monk for his assistance; and the many parti-
culars in his Alcoran, relating to the Christian re-
ligion, plainly prove him to have had such an helper.
Tlieophanes, Zonarus, Cedrenus, Anastasius, and
the author of the Historia Miscella, tell us of him,
witliout giving him anv other name than that of
a Nestonan monk. But the author of the dispu-
tation against a Mahometan, which is epitomized
in Vinceutius Bellovacensis's Specula Historicum,
and from thence printed at the end of Bibliander's
Latin Alcoran, calls him Sergius ; and from thence
is it, that he hath been ever since so often spoken of
by that name amongst the western writers. But in the
RELIGION OF THE MAHOMETANS.
!C3
east lie is totally iinlinown by it, he being never, as
niui-li as we can liml, made lueiuiou of by that name
by any oi their writers. For all there, that speak
©t this monk, call him Bahira, uiul Friar Kichard,
•who, in the year of our Lord I'JIO, went to liag-
dad oil purpose to search into the mystery of Malio-
metanisin, by reading their books, and on his reiurn
wrote that judicious confutation of it, which we
h.ive afore-mentioned, tells us of tliis Bahira, as
an assistant to Mahomet in tlie forging of lii-s im-
jiosture, and so dolii also Cantacuzenus, Bartholo-
mceus Edossenus, and the other Greek authors of
the confutation of Maiiomet, published by Lc
Moyne : But not one of them says any thing of
Sergius; so that it is plain that Sergius and Bahira
are only two different names of the same person. —
lie was a monk of Syria, of the secc of the Nes-
torians. '1 he Mahometans will have it, that he first
took notice of Mahomet, while a boy after that
prophetic manner as is before related; but accord-
jug to that account he would have been too old to
act his part in this imposture so many years after.
The truth of the matter is, Mahomet did not fall
acquainted with him till a long while after, when he
was projecting his \\ icked design in his head ; in
order to the better forming of which, being very
desirous to acquaint himself with tlie Jewish and
Christian religions, he was very inquisitive in exa-
mining into them, as he met with those who could
inform him. And in one of his journies into Syria,
either at Bostra, as some say, or at Jerusalem as
others, lighting on this Bahira, and receiving great
satisfaction from him, in many of- those points
which he desired to be informed in, did thereon
contract a particular friendship with him. And
therefore not long after, this monk, for some great
crime, being excommunicated and expelled liis mo-
nastery, fled to Mecca to him ; and being there
entertained in his house, became Jiis assistant -in
the framing of that imposture, which he afterwards
vented, and continued with him ever after; till at
length the impostor having no farther occasion for
him, to secure the secret, put him to death. If
Sergius w as the name which he had in his monastery,
Bahira was that which he afterwards assumed in
Arabia, and by which he hath ever since been men-
tioned in those eastern parts, by all tliat there write
or speak of him. The word in the Arabic language
signifieth a camel, which after some extraordinary
merit, according to the usage of the ancient Arabs,
had his ears slit and was turned forth from the rest
of the herd at free pasture to work no more. And
no tloubt, this monk having told the tale of his
expulsion from his monastery so much to his ad-
vantage, as to make it believed at Mecca to be
drawn upon him by that, whicii was reckoned there
as meritorious, had from thence this uauie giveu
him, as suiting that notion «hich they had of his
condition among them.
As to his other helpers, if he had any such, what
is «aid of them is so uncertain, and that so little, as
i« not naleriul here to relate. We may suppose
from the very nature of his design, it being to im-
pose a cheat upon mankind, that he made as few as
possible privy to it. And the two above-mentioned
being sufficient for his purpose, it doth not appear
likely that he admitted any more into the secret of it.
Is'eillier indeed is there any more room in it for ano-
ther to act. For, his religion being made ui> of three
parts, whereof one was borrowed from the Jews,
another from the Christians, and a third from the
heulhen Arabs', Abdollah furnished the first of them,
Bahira the secoml, and Mahomet himself the last;
so that there was no need of any other help to com-
plete the imposture.
We know there are many other particulars go
current of this matter, both as to the coining of the
forgery, and also the manner of the first propagat-
ing of it; as that the impostor taught a bull to bring
him the Alcoran on his horns in a public assembly,
as if it had this way been sent to him from God;
that he bred up pigeons to come to his ears to make
shew thereby, as if tlie Holy Ghost conversed with
him, and many other such stories, which being with-
out foundation or likelihood of trulii, we pass them
over as idle fables not to be credited, although we
find some veiy great men have been too easy to swal-
low them, as particularly Scaliger, Grolius, and
Sionita, have that of the pigeons. Such tricks as
these would have been easily seen through by the
Arabians, they being men naturally of as subtle and
acute parts as any in the world. And therefore Ma-
homet never as much as offered at any thing of this
among them ; but disclaiming all miracles, thereby
avoiding the necessity of hazarding his design upoa
any such open cheats, where it would be so liable to
be totally blasted by a discovery.
The whole of this imposture was a thing of ex-
traordinary craft, carried on with all the cunning
aiKl caution imaginable. The framing of the Alco-
ran, wherein lay the main of the cheat, was all
contrived at home in as secret a manner as possible,
and nothing hazarded abroad, but the success of
preaching it to the people. And in doing this, no
art or cunning was wanting to make it as effectual
to the end designed as possible ; and therefore what-
ever stories are told of this matter that are inconsis-
tent with such 3 management, we may assure our-
selves are nothing else but fables foolishly mvented
by some zealous Christians to blast the imposture,
which need no such means for its confutation.
In the twelfth year of his pretended mission, is
placed the jSIesra, that is, his famous night-journey
from . Mecca to Jerusalem, and from thence to
364
RELIGION OF THE MAHOMETANS.
heaven, of wliich he tells us in the seventeenth cliap-
ter of his Alcoran. For the people calling on him
for miracles to prove his mission, and he being able
to work none, to salve the matter, he invents this
story of his journey to heaven, which must be ac-
knowledged to have miracle enough in it to all
those who have faith to believe it. And it benig
believed by all that profess the Mahometan rehgion,
as a main article of their faith, and as such set
down in all the books of their authentic traditions,
how absurd soever it be, since our design is to give
as full an account as we can of this man's imposture
it obltgeth us to relate it. His relation of it is as
follows.
At night, as he lay in his bed with his best be-
loved wife, Ayesha, he heard a knocking at his
door, v.hereon arising he found there the angel Ga-
briel, with seventy pair of wip.gs expanded from his
sides, whiter than snow and clearer than chrystal,
and the beast Alborak standing by him, which they
say is the beast on which the prophets used to ride,
when they were carried from one place to another,
upon the execution of any divine command. Ma-
homet describes it to be a beast as white as milk,
and of a mixed nature between an ass and a mule,
and also of a size between both, and of that extraor-
dinary swiftness, tliat his passing from one place to
another, was as quick as lightning ; and from
hence it is that he hath the name of Alborak, that
word signifying lightning in the Arabic tongue. —
As Boon as Maliomet appeared at the door, the an-
gel Gabriel most kindly embracing him, did, with
a very sweet and pleasing countenance, salute him
in the name of God, and told him, that he was sent
to bring him unto God into heaven, where he
should see strange mysteries, which were not law-
ful to be seen by any other man, and then bade him
get upon the Alborak. But the beast, it seems,
having long lain idle, from the time of Christ till
Mahomet, there having been no prophet in all that
interval to employ him, was grown so rusty and
skittish, that he would not staud for Mahomet to
get upon him, till at length he was forced to
bribe him to it Ijy promising a seat in paradise ;
whereon having quietly taken him on his back, the
angel Gabriel leading the way with the bridle of the
beast in his hand, he carried him from Mecca to
•lerusalem in the twinkling of an eye. On his com-
ing thither all the prophets and saints departed, ap-
peared at the gate of the temple to salute him, and
from thence attending him into the chief oratory, de-
siired him to pray for them, and then departed. —
Whereon Mahomet with the angel Gabriel going
out of the temple found there a ladder of light ready
lixed for them, which they immediately ascended,
leaving the Alborak there tied to a rock till their
return.
On their arrival at the first heaven, the angel Ga-
briel knocked at the gate, and having informed the
porter who he was, and that he brought Mahomet
the friend of God with him by the divine command
the gates were immediately opened, which he de-
scribes to be of a prodigious largeness. This first
heaven, he tells us, was all of pure silver, and that
he there saw the stars hanging from it by chains of
gold, each being of the bigness of mount Noho,
near Mecca in Arabia, and that in these stars angels
kept watch and ward for the guard of heaven to
keep off the devils from approaching near it, lest
they should over-hear what was there done. On his
lirst entering into this heaven, he said, he met an
old decrepid man, and this was our first father
Adam, who immediately embraced him, giving God
tlianks f(M- so great a son, and then reconnueuded
himself to his prayers. As he entered further, he
saw a multitude of angels of all manner of shapes ;
some in those of men, others in those of birds, and
others in those of beasts of all manner of sorts. —
And among those who appeared in the several shape*
of birds, he there saw a cock of colour as white as
snow, and of so prodigious a bigness that his feet
standing upon the first heaven, his head reached up
to the second, which was at the distaiK:e of five
hundred years journey from it, according to the rate
as usually travel here on earth. But others amono-
them, as they relate this matter from their pro-
phet, hyperbolize much higher concerning it, tell-
mg us that the head of this cock reacheth up
through all the seven heavens as far as the throne of
God, which is above seven times higher: and in
the description of him, say, that his wings are all
over decked with carbuncles and pearls, and that he
extends the one of theni to the cast, and the other
to the west, at a distance proportionable to his
height. Concerning all these, the impostor tells us,
the angel Gabriel informed him, that they were an-
gels which did from thence intercede with God for
all living creatures on the earth. That tliose who
interceded for men, had there the shape of men ■
tiiat those who interceded for beasts, the shape of
beasts; and those who interceded for birds, the
shape of birds, according to their several kinds. —
And that as to the great cock, he was the chief
angel of the cocks; that every morning God sing-
ing an holy hymn, this cock constantly joineth with
him in it by his crowing, which is so loud that all
hear it that are in heaven and earth, eoicept men and
fairies, and tlien all the other cocks tliat are in hea-
ven and earth, crow also. But wlioi the dav of
judgment draws near, then God will command liim
to draw in his wings, and crow no more, which
shall be a sign, that that day is at hand to all that
are in heaven and earth, excepting still, men and
/allies, who bein^ before deaf to his crowing, shall
RELIGION OF THE MAHOMETANS.
36j
Bot then be sensible of his silence from it. And
this cock the Mahometans look on to be in tliat
great favour with God, that whereas it is a common
saying among them, that there are three voices which
God always hears, they reckon the first the voice
of him that is constant in reading the Alcoran ; the
second, the voice of him that early every morning
prayeth for the pardon of his sins ; and the third,
the voice o( this cock wiien he crowelh, which they
say is ever most acceptable unto him.
All this stall' of the cock, Abdollah helped Ma-
homet to, out of the Talmudists. For it is all bor-
rowed from them, wiih some little variation only to
make it look not totally the same. J.'ov in the tract
Uava Bathrit of the Babyloni-ih Talmud, we have a
story of such a prodigious bird, called Zi^, which
btanding with his feet upon the eartii, reacheth up
unto the heavens with his head, and with the spread-
ing of his wings darkeiieth the whole orb of the
sun, and causeth a total eclipse thereof. 'I'his bird,
tlie Clialdce Paraphrast on the Psalms savs, is a
cock, which he describes of the same bigness, and
lells us that he crows before the Lord. And the
Chaldee Paraphrast on Job also tells us of him, and
of his crowing every morning before the Lord, and
that God giveth him wisdom for this purpose, ^\'hat
is farther said of this bird of the 'I'alniudists, may
be seen in Buxtorf 's Synagoga Judaica, cap. 50, and
in Purchas's Pilgrimage, lib. 2. c. 20.
From this first heaven the impostor tells us, he
ascended up into the second, which was at the dis-
tance of five hundred years journey above it, and
this he makes to be the distance of every one of the
seven heavens, each above the other. Here the
gates being opened unto him, as in the first heaven,
at his entrance he met Noah, who, rejoicing much
at the sight of him, recommended himself to his
prayers. In this heaven, which was all made of
pure gold, the impostor tells us, he saw twice as
many angels as in the former, and among them one
of a prodigious greatness. For his feet being
placed on this second heaven, his head reached to
the third.
From this second heaven he ascended up into the
third, which was made of precious stones ; where
at the entrance he met Abraham, who also recom-
mended himself to his prayers. And there he saw
a vast many more angels than in the former heaven,
and among them another great one of so prodigious
a si/e, that the distance between his two eyes were
as much as seventy thousand days journey, according
to our rale of travelling on earth. But here Maho-
met was out in his mathematics, for the distance
between a man's eyes being in proportion to his
height but as one to seventy-two, ^ccordnig to this
rate, the height of this angel ninst have been near
fourteen tliousand years journey, which is four times
24 4
as much as the height of all his seven heavens toge-
ther, and therefore it is impossible such an angel
could ever stand within any one of them. But not-
withstanding this, here lie placcth him, and in his
description of Inm, tells us, that he had before him
a large table, on which he was contiinially writing
and blotting out; and that having asked the angel
Gabriel of him, he was iufornieil by him that this
was the angel of death, who coiitiimally wriles into
the table which he had before iiiin, the names of all
that are to be born, and there computes the days or
their life; and as he finds they have completed the
number assigned tliem^ again blots them out, and
that whoever lialh his name thus blotted out by him,
immediately dies.
From hence he ascended up into the fourth heaven,
which was all of emerald; where, i-t the entrance,
he met Joseph the son of Jacob, who recommended
himself to his prayers. And in this heaven he
saw a vast larger number, of angels than in the for-
mer, antl among them another great angel, as higii
as from this fourth heaven to the iiflh, who was
continually weeping, and making great lamentation
and mourning, and this, tlie angel Gabriel told him,
was for the sins of men, and the destruction which
they did thereby bring u|)on themselves.
iMom hence he ascended up into the fifth heaven,
which was made of adamant, where he found Moses,
who reconnnended himself to his prayers. And
there also he saw a much greater number of angels
than in the former heaven.
From hence he ascended up into the sixth heaven,
which was all of carbuncle, where he found John
the Baptist, who reconmiended himself to his prayers.
And here he also saw the number of angels much
increased beyond what he had seen in any of the
former heavens.
From hence he ascended up into the seventh hea-
ven, which was all made of divine light, and here he
found Jesus-Ohrist ; where it is to be observed he
alters his style. J'or he saith not, that Jesus Christ
recommended himself to his jjrayers, but that he
recommended himself to Jesus (Jhrist, desiring him
to pray for him; whereby he acknowledgeth him
certainlv to be the greater. But it was his usage
through the whole scene of his imposture, thus to
flatter the Christians on all occasions. Here he saiih
he found a much greater number of angels than in
all the other heavens besides, and among them one
extraordinary angel, havnig seventy ^thousand heads,
and in every head seventy thousand tongues, and
every tongiie uttering seventy thousand distinct voices
at the same time, with which he continued day and
night incessantly praising God.
The angel Gabriel having brought hiift thus far,
told him, that it w as not j)ermitted to him to go any
farther, and therefore directed him to ascend up the
566
RELIGION OF THE MAHOMETANS.
rest of the way to tlie tbione of God by himself,
wiiich he saith he performed with great djfficultv,
passing through waters and snow, and many other
such difficult passages, til) he came where he heard
a voice saying unto him, O Mfilioniet, sakite thy
Creator ; from whence ascending higlier, he came
iijto a place, where he saw a vast extension of light
of that exceeding brightness, that his eyes could not
bear it, and this was the habitation of the Almighty,
where his throne was placed ; on the right side of
which he says, God's name and his own were writ-
ten in these Arabic words, " La ellali ellallah Mo-
hammed resul ollah," i. e. " There is no God but
, God, and Mahomet is his prophet." Which is the
creed of the Mahometans, and which words also he
says, he found written upon all the gates of the seven
heavens, which he passed through. Having ap-
proached to the presence of God, as near as within
two bow shots ; he tells us he saw him silting on
his throne, with a covering of seventy tliousand
vefls before his face ; that on his drawing thus near,
in sign of his favour, he put forth Iiis hand and laid
it upon him, which was of that exceeding coldness,
that it pierced to the very marrow of his back, and
he could not bear it. That after this, God entering
into a very familiar converse with him, revealed unto
him a great many hidden mysteries, made him un-
derstand the whole of his law, and gave him many
thuigs in cliargc concerning his instructing men in
the knowledge of it; and in conclusion bestowed
on him several privileges above the rest of mankind.
As that he should be the perfectest of all creatures:
liiat at the day of judgment he should be honoured
aud advanced above all the rest of mankind ; that he
should be the redeemer of all that believe in him ;
that he should have the knowledge of all languages;
and lastly, that the spods of all whom he should
conquer in war, should belong to him alone. And
then returning, he found the angel Gabriel tarrying
tor him in the place where he left him, who con-
ducting him back again through ^ll the seven hea-
vens, the same way that he brought him, did set
Jiim again upon the Alborak, which he left tied at
Jerusalem ; and then taking the bridle in his hand,
conducted him back to Mecca in the same manner
as he brought him thence, and all this within the
space of the tenth part of one night.
On his relating this extravagant fiction to the
people the next morning after he pretented the
thing happened, it was received by them as it de-
served, w ith a general hoot ; some laughed at the
ridiculousness of the story, and others taking indig-
nation at it, cried out shame upon him for telling
them such an abominable lie, and by way of re-
proach, bid him ascend up to heaven by day-light,
there immediately before them all, that they might
see It with their eyes, and then they would believe
him. And even of his disciples a great many werrf
so ashamed of him for this story, that they left him
thereon ; and more would have followed tlieir exam-
ple, but that Abu Beker came in to put a stop to
the defection, by vouching the truth of all that
Mahomet had related, and professed liis firm belief
in the whole of it, for which reason he had ever
after the title of x^ssadik, that is, the just, because
of the extraordinary merit of his faith in this parti-
cular. And whoever becomes a Mahometan, must
have the same faith also : this story being as firmly
believed by all of that religion, as aiiy thing in the
gospel is by Christians. Qnly there has been this
question moved uniong them, whether it were only a
vision of tlie night, or a real journey ? Those that
would salve the absurdity of it, would have it only
to be a vision, and that most of the particulars of it
are to be resolved into figure and allegory, but the
major vote hath carried it for a real journey ; and to
this sense it being now pinned down, there is no one
among them that dares in the least to doubt thereof.
The imposture was never in greater danger of
being totally blasted, than by this ridiculous fable,
such a stumbling-block did it lay even before those
of his own party, and therefore he needed to inter-
pose the utmost of his art to support the credit of it ;
for which purpose he had not only got his friend
Abu Beker to be a voucher to it, but also brings in
God himself, in two places of his Alcoran, bearing
witness thereto ; that is in the chapter of the chil-
dren of Israel; and in the chapter of the star; in
the last of which he makes God to swear to the
truth of it, that Mahomet related nothing in this
story but what he had seen; that he was admitted
to approach him in the highest heavens within the
length of two bow-shots ; and had seen the great
wonders of the Lord, and had many hidden mysteries
there rcTealed unto him ; and that therefore men
ought not to dispute any more against him concern-
ing it.
But how ridiculous soever the story may appear,
Mahomet had his design therein beyond barely tell-
ing such a miraculous adventure of himself to the
people. Hitherto he had only given them the Al-
coran, whick was his written law, and had owned
himself no farther than barely the messenger of God
to deliver it to them, telling them that it was
brought to him by the angel Gabriel ; and that as
he received it, so he published it unto them, with-
out giving any comment, explication, or additional
interpretation of his own concerning it ; and there-
fore when gravelled with any objection from his
adversaries against it, as he often was while at Mecca,
where he was continually teased and perplexed with
some or other of them, his usual refuge was in this
saying, that the Alcoran was God's book, and that
he only could explain the meauing of it; audit was
KELIGION OF THE MAHOMETANS.
367
wisiloni in lilm at first not to assume any fiirihor. —
But now leaiuiiig from his friend Abilollali, that
the Jews, besides the written law dictatwi by God
himself, had also another law called the Oral law,
and given with it, as tlicy prelcnd, to Moses him-
self, while in the Monnt, and from him delivered
to the elders of the people, and from them dow n to
after-ages, by Oral tradition ; and imderstaudinj; also
tliat this law w as iu as great authority with them as.
the other, and that it had its whole foundation in
the sayings and dictates which were pretended to be
from Moses, and preserved by the memories of
those who conversed with liim ; he had a desire for
the future to advance his aulliority to the same pitch
and uiaLe all his sayings and dictates go for articles
among his Musselmaus, as well as those, which
were pretended to be from Moses did among the
Jews. Aiul for this end ciiieily was it that he in-
tended this story of his journey to heaven. For
could lie once make it be believed among his fol-
lowers that he iiad there such converse with God, as
Moses had with him in the Mount, and there was
fully instructed by iiiin in the knowledge of all di-
Tinc truths, as this story pretends lie was, he thought
he should therein have a sufVicient foundation to
build this pretence upon, and might by a jnst conse-
quence from it, claim the whole which he aimed at;
and he was not mistaken herein ; for how ridiculous
soever the thing at first appeared, yet in the result
he carried his point, and obtained all that by the
project which he proposed to himself from it. The
whole of it at Icngtii gouig down with those who
had swallowed the rest of the imposture, from that
time all his sayings were looked on as sacred truths
brought down from heaven, and ev^ry word which
at any time dropped from so enlightened a person,
as this story supposeth liim to be, as well as every
a.ction v hicli he did any way relating to his religion,
were all carefully observed by them, which being
after liis death all collected together from the me-
mories of those who conversed with him, make up
those volumes of traditions from him, which they
call the Sonnah, and which are with the Mahome-
tans the same in respect of the Alcoran, that the
Oral law among the Jews is in respect of the writ-
ten.
And as among the Jews there are many books
iu which this Oral law is recited, explained and
digested, under several heads and chapters by many
ditiereut authors among their rabbies, who have em-
I>lij)ed their pains and studies in this manner; so
also there are the like number of books among the
^Mahometans concerning their Sonnah, in which all
the sayings and actions of Mahomet, relating to his
religion, as also the constitutions of the seniors, that
is, of the first caliphs that succeeded him, especially
the four first, coucerning the same are collected,
explained, and digested under several heads, or
common places by the compilers of them, which
books make up the sum of their theology, as well
speculative as practical, and in them indeed is con-
tained the whole of their religion as now practised
among theui. And therefore so much of the im-
posture, wliieh we now undertake to give an account
of, being in these traditions, and lliey all founded
upon this journey of Mahomet to heaven, where he
pretended to have been instructed in them by God
himself; this suf.lcienlly justifies our being thus long
in relating this fabulous story of it.
After liis publishiuir this fiction, and the revolt of
so many of his disciples, as happened thereon, his
adversaries grew in strength so fast upon him, that
he could no longer protect those who adhered to
him, as he had hitherto done ; but some of them, to
the number of about one hundred persons, having
made themselves more than ordinary obnoxious to
the government by some practices against it, were
foj-ced to fly from Mecca to Nagash, king of Ethi-
opia, where Mahomet's letters, which they carried
with them, obtained their protection, though the
men of Mecca sent two of their principal citizens af-
ter them in an embassy to that king, to demand them
to be delivered unto them. And Mahomet with the
rest that tarried behind, found it difficult for them
to subsist any longer tliere ; for after the departure
of so many of his most faithl'ul adherents into exile,
the farther diminution of his number made him still
less able to withstand those insults, which his advei- .
saries were continually on all occasions making upon
him. But what he lost at IMecca he got at Medina,
then called Yathreb, a city lying at the northern end
of Hagiuz, two hundred and eevcnty miles distant
from Mecca, which being inhabited the one part by
Jews, and the other part by heretical Christians,
it seems these two different parties not well agreeing
in the same city, the factions and feuds that arose
between them, drove one of the parties to Maho-
met; and on the thirteenth year of his pretended
mission, there came to him from thence seventy-
three men, and two women, who embraced his im-
jiosture, and swore fealty unto him, whereon he
chose twelve out of them, whom he retained awhile
with him at Mecca to instruct them in his new re-
ligion, and then sent them back again to Yathreb,
to be his twelve apostles, there to propagate it in
that town, in which they laboured with that success,
that in a short time they drew over a great part of
the inhabitants to embrace the imposture, of which
Mahomet receiving an account, resolved to retire
thither, as finding Mecca now grown too hot for
him. For the chief men of the city, finding that
Mahomet's indefatigable industry and cunning still
kept up his party, do what they could to suppress it
resolved without further delay to strike at the root,
263
RELIGION OF THE MAHOMETANS.
and prevent the fuillier spreading of the rtiischief,
by cutting off him that was the chief author of it ;
of which he having received full and early intelli-
gence, and finding no other way to avoid the blow
but to Hy from it, ordered all liis party, whom he
could prevail with to accompany him in his banish-
ment, secretly in the evening to withdraw oot of the
city, and retire to Yathrcb ; and when he had seen
them all gone, he and Abu Beker followed after,
leaving only Y\li beliind, who having set in order
some affairs that detained him, came to them the
third day after. As soon as his flight was publicly
known, parties were sent out to pursue after him,
and be with diflficulty escaped them, by hiding him-
self for some time in a cave, till the heat of the pur-
suit was over.
Havins: then gained over a sufficient number of
ignorant people to his errors, he began to appear m
liis real character, namely, that of a debauchee and
a tyrant. He knew that the religion of Jesus had
been propagated without any assistance from the
civil power, but he knew at the same time, that the
purity of that religion was in some measure extin-
guished before his time. As he was to change the
established religion of hi^ country all at once, so he
found that coercive power was necessary.
At that time there were in Arabia a vast number
■of those heretical Christians called Nestorians, and
,as they grew daily more and more corrupt in their
religion, so it was not difficult to persuade them to
profess what they did not believe, and practise what
they did not approve. But, however great the er-
rors of the Christians might have been when Maho-
metanism made its first appearance, yet there was a
circumstance slill more powerful to facilitate its
operation on ignorant persons, and its progress
among healhens. This m as tlie wicked lives of the
Christians, for as the apostles propagated tlie gos-
pel by the purity of their manners, and holiness of
their lives, so the want of those sublime virtues in-
troduced the religion of Mahomet, There are
times when men are ripe for destruction, and then
God withdraws from them all his paternal care. —
He leaves them to be imposed on by the most de-
signing persons, and this is one of the most cele-
brated acts of his justice in the moral governm-ent of
this world.
From what has already beeen taken notice of con-
cerning the arts made use of by Mahomet, we find
that he must have been a very cunning impostor. —
It was not enough for him to relate his forged vi-
sions, he had recourse to other means, as a proof of
his mission. He appealed to the dispersion of the
Jews, as proof that the religion of Aloses was abo-
lished, and the wickedness of the Christians was a
sufficient proof that they were no longer the favour-
ites of heaven. It is well known, that the primi-
tive Christians believed that tlie general resurrection
was not far distant, and yet neither our Saviour nor
any of his apostles, had ever taught them any more
concerning it, than that it was to happen in an un-
expected moment, and tiiis was done that they
might be continually on their guard. But as many
of the heretics had renounced the belief of the lead-
ing principles of Christianity, because Christ had
not made his second appearance, so Mahomet
availed himself of that circumstance, he told his dis-
ciples that he v.oiild return from heaven at the end
of a certain number of years, which answers in 'all
respects to our l{<20 of the Christian iEra'. At that
time these was a general expectation of his comino-,
but still his followers have been deceived. He
lived to see his religion €siablished almost all over
Arabia, and laid the foundation of a government
where the supreme power was vested in the hi^h
priest. At last he died in the year 632, and was
buried at Mecca.
In his character he was one of the most abandoned
libertines that ever existed, and it was his love of
the promiscuous use of women that induced him to
allow a plurality of wives to his followers. Ail his
passions were made subservient towards promot-
inp; the objects he had in view, for he forbad wine
to be used, because it did not agree with his consti-
tution.
We have afready taken notice, that his paradise,
promised to his ioUowers, was a carnal one, and no-
thing could be more agreeable to the depraved no-
tions of men who were gross idolators. Christians
are too apt to form carnal notions ol God, heaven
and divine things, and if so, then we need not be
surprised to find Pagans doing the same. Indeed,
when all the circumstances are considered, respect-
ing tliis most extraordhiary impostor, we shall not
be surprised that such a new religion sprang u^;. An
universal corruption of sentiments, joined to a total
depravity of manners, and nourished by ignorance,
constituted the characters of those men, who in that
ag-e in Asia, bore the Christian name. Like the
children of Israel of old when they sought to return
to Egypt, they longed for those indulgences which
Paganism presented to them,' and thus a concur-
rance of events, joined to mililary pov, cr, did more
towards promoting the religion of Mahoniei, than
any thing else of which we can form a proper no-
tion.
The Alcorait of Mahomet.
We have already taken notice, that the Alcoran,
considered as a composition, is extremely beautiful,
and contains some fine moral seMteoces, many of
ALCORAN OF ^lAIIOMET.
Sti9
wliich arc extracted from tlie law of Mosos, but the
greater part from the writings of llie Christian fa-
thers. And here it is necessary that we should
attend to one circumstance of great importance,
namely, tliat in all aaies ;uid nations ihero always
Las been some or oth^r system, upon wliich the
established religion of the country was founded.
Before the use of letters was known in the world,
tlie principles of those systems were conveyed down
from one generation to another by oral tradition,
and such is the practice at present in many of the
heathen natiotis. 15ut the use of letters gave a new
and more lasting form to the t.tubility of systems,
aud we will joiu with the learned Mr. Parkhurst, in
asserting that the law of Moses is the most ancient
composition in the world.
At the same time it is beyond dispute, that in
China, and in many parts of the East Indies, there
are written systems of religion, which undoubtedly
are of a much later date than the law of Moses,
and the errors contained in them may serve to shew
that they were not the result of divine inspiration.
The gospel of Christ as contained in the New Tes-
tament, and which illustrates and proves the truth
of the Old Testament Dispensation, is far superior
to all others, and it may be justly called the miage
of God himself. It contains all that man should
knosv, all that he should believe, and it lays down
an unerring rule for his conduct. It does not
extol the virtues of the pious beyond their proper
bounds, nor does it conceal the faidts of those who
are held up as objects of imitation. This is the
grand distingiiishuig characteristic of Divine Revela-
tion, by these marks we know it came from God,
and we are encouraged to trust in what appears to
us as the naked truth, without any deceit or false
colouring.
Ma!).jmet, one of the most artful impostors that
ever lived in the world, was sensible of this, and
therefore he endeavoured to transplant into his sys-
tem every thing of a moral tendency which he
found in the sacred scriptures. But still it was his
conduct in the compiling of his Alcoran to mis
things together, so as to comprehend a jumble of
sentiments as should include, as proselytes to his
doctrine, both dews and Christian heretics, well
knowing tiiat the Heathen Aral)ians would not be
averse to any thing that gratified their ambition, and
satisfied their lusts.
The irianner in which this work was compiled has
been already taken notice of, we must now present
tlie reafler w ith the matter ; and here it is not neces-
sary that we should transcribe the whole, but only
the leading principles, so far as contaii;s all the doc-
trines in that famous system of imposture. The
whole is divided into one hundred and fourteen
chapters, some being long and tedious, others short
and comprehensive, but to understand them pro-
perly ; we shall abridge them in the maimer they
follow in the book, and insert every one of the senti-
ments u|)on which that false system is founded.
Every chapter begins with an address to tlie Divine
Being, constantly in the same words, but a single
s)>eciiiien of that will be sufficient, so that there will
be no necessity for repeating any of the others.
" In the name of God, gracious and merciful :
praised be God, gracious and merciful : King of the
day of judgment. It, is Thee whom we adore; it
is from Thee we require help. Guide us in the
right wav, in tlio way ot ihein that thou hast gra-
tified ; aijainst w hmn thou hast not been displeased,
and we sliall not be misled."
There is no error in this book, it guideth into the
right way, those that are righteous, who believe
wliat they see not, who make tlif ir prayers with
atfection, and dispense in alms a part of the goods
that we have given them. Such as believe the things
that are inspired into thee, in those that have
been preached before thee, and at the end of the
world are not ignorant, they are guided by their
Lord, and shall be lilessed. Misery is upon unbe-
lievers. Whether thou reprove them, or do not
reprove them, they will not be converted, God hath
shut up their iiearts, their ears, and eyes, and they
shall sutler great torments. Many men say, we
believe in God, and the day of judgment, and do not
believe; they think to deceive God, and them that
believe in God ; certainly they deceive themselves,
and know it not. God will augment the infirmity
which they have in their heart, and they shall undergo
the rigours of an infinite pain, by reason of their
lying. When it was said to them pollute not the
earth, they said, we are true observers of the law of
God; notwithstanding, they were they that polluted
the earth, but they knew it not.
Say not, that God hath a companion equal to
hill!, because you know the contrary. If you doubt
that 1 have sent my servant, come and bring some
chapters like to the Alcoran, and call to witness the
idols that you adore ; if you are good men, if you
have not done it, or cannot perform it, fear the fire
of hell prepared for infidels aud idolaters ; and de-
clare to true believers who do good works, that they
shall enjoy the immense pleasures of Paradise,
wherein fiow many rivers ; they shall there find all
sorts of fair and savoury fruits, which God hath pre-
pared for them ; they shall consider, if they be like
to such as had before in the world : They shall there
have wives fair and delicate, and shall dwell in eter-
nal felicity. God is not ashamed to compare a little
thing to an extreme greatness.
Such as in their heart incline to depart from the
truth, do often follow their inclination, desirous of
sedition, and to understand the explication of the
o \
370
ALCORAN OF MAHOMET.
Alcoran ; but none understand its explication but
• God, and such as are profound in learning ; they
say, we believe in God, all things proceed from his
divine wisdom, nevertheless none remember but the
vise. Lord, cause not our hearls to err, after thou
hast guided us into the right way, give us thy mercy,
thou art most bountiful towards thy creatures.
Lord, thou art he that shall asbenible the world at
the day of judgment, at which day nothing shall be
found doubtful, when thou wilt not go against thy
promises, and when wealth and children shall not
serve to the wicked, but to kindle the fire of hell.
■ The infidel lineage of Pharaoh, and those that pre-
ceded him, blasphemed and abjured the law of God,
but he surprized them in their sin ; he is grievous in
his chastisements. Say to the infidels, they shall be
vanquished, and shall be gathered together into the
fire of hell, that is prepared for them.
You have an example in the two troops that
fought for the glory of God, they beheld with their
eyes, infidels become true believers, like unto them-
selves ; God strengtheneth with his aid, whom it
pleaseth him ; this sliall be for example to such as
tihall clearly see. The love and desire of women, of
children, of riches, abundance of gold, of silver and
of horses, cattle, and of tillage, are pleasing to men ;
such are the riciies of the life of this world, but the
most assured refuge is in God. Say unto them, I
■will declare unto you things much better for them,
that .shall have the fear of God before their eyes :
They shall dwell eternally in Paradise, where How
many rivers, with women, beautiful and lean, and
all maimer of content. God beholdeth them that
adore him, and that say, I^ord, we believe in thy
law, pardon our sins, and deliver us from the tor-
ments of fire. The patient, the persevering, true
believers, the obedient, the good men, such as beg
pardon of God in the morning, the angels, the
learned that love justice, testify that there is but one
only God. The law of salvation, is a law pleasing
to his Divine Majesty ; no man contradicteth this
truth, among such as know the written law, but
through envy. He that shall not obey the command-
ments of God, shall find his Divine Majesty very
exact to call him to an account. If tiie impious
dispute with thee, say to them, I am wholly resigned
to the will of God, with all such as have followed
lae. Ask of such as know the written law, and
them that know it not, if they resign themselves to
God, if they do, they will follow the right way ; if
they go astray, thou hast none other obligation, but
to preach to them ; God beHoldeth thesn that adore
him. Declare grievous torments to those that con-
ceal his commandments, that kill the prophets, and
injure them that instruct the people injustice; the
§;ood works that they do, shall be unprofitable to
them on earth, and they shall be in the other world
deprived of protection. Seest tbOu not a party of
them that know the written law, how they were
called to a lecture of the book of God, to the end
they might judge with equity the ditferences that are
among them '. but many are returned to their sin :
they contenmed the scripture, in that ihcy said, the
fire shall not touch us, Ijut for a certain nmnber of
days ; they are deceived in their blaspheniles, what
will become of them, when we shall assemble them
at the day of judgment, vvhen«othing shall be doubt-
ful, and every one shall be recompensed as he shall .;
have merited ? No injustice shall be done unto them.
Say, Lord, thou possessest the kingdoms of the
world, thou givest royalty to whom thou seest good ;
from thy hand, O Lord, proceedeth all good ; thou
art omnipotent ; thou causest day to enter the nighty .
and night the day ; thou causest life to come out of
death, and death out of life ; thou enrichest without
measure whom thon seest good.
The Jews conspired against Jesus, and God caused \
their conspiracy to turn against them, he knovveth
the designs of conspirators. Remember thou, how
the Lord said, O Jesus I will cause thee to die, I
will elevate thee to myself, and remove thee far from ,
infidels, and prefer those that have obeyed thee, to .
infidels at the day of judgment. That day shall •
assemble you all before me ; 1 will judge the differ-
ences between you, and will punish the impious in ;
this world, and in the other ; none among them shall .
be of power to protect them, I will reward them
that shall have believed in my law, and have done
good works; God loveth not the unjust. I relate
to thee these mysteries, and teach thee the Alcoran ;
Jesus is with God, as i« Adam, God created him of^
the earth : he said, be thou, and he was : This truth . .
proceedeth from thy Lord, of the number of-them
that doubt ; If any one dispute with thee concerning,
thy doctrine, say to them, come, call together your
children and ours, your wives and ours, let us as-,
semble and address our prayers to God; I will lay.
the curse of his Divine majesty upon liars. This
discourse is most true, there is no God, but God
alone the omnipotent and wise. If they depart
from his commandments, he shall well observe the
unbelievers ; say to them. Oh he that knows scrip-
ture ! come with words alike true' between you and
us ; Do 1 worship other than God \ I do not asso-
ciate him with any one, and acknowledge no other
Lord l)ut him ; but if they turn aside from the way
of faith, God knoweth them that shall-pollute the
earth ; say to thenr, be ye witnesses, that we believe
. in God. Oh ye that understand scriptures, dispute,
not the law of Abraham, to wit, if he observed the
Old Testament or the gospel, they were taught after
him, perhaps you will acknowledge your error. Oh
ye that have disputed what ye know not ! Abraham
was no JeW; nor Christian, he professed the unity of
ALCORAN OF MAHOMET.
371
GrifJ, lie was a true believer, and not o[ the number
ol' intidels.
The people, and particularly those that followed
him, "f his time, as also the prophet Mahomet, and
all true believers have known the truth of his law.
Part of them, to whom heretofore was given the
kwoM ledge of the Scripture they desired, so<luce(l
you from the ris^Iu way, but they themselves erred,
and thev knew it not. O ye that know tlve .n:rip-
tures ! do not maliciously conceal itie command-
ments of God, cover not the truth with a lie, neither
willii gly hi<le it. Many of them that know the
■writien law, said from llie break of day, believe in
^hal hath been taught them, that believe in the law
of God : ^'everthelessj at evening;, they v ere them-
selves of the number of infidels, pcradventure they
will be converted.. Believe not but such as follow
your own law : say to them, the true guide, is the
guide of God.. The knowledge that was given to
\ou, was not given to any other, but you : If the
inlldels shall dispute against you, before your Lord,
at the day of judgment, say to them, Grace pro- !
ceedcth from the hand of God : He is bountiful, 4
and onuiiscient; be pardoneth «hom he pleaseth, j
and is altogctlier merciful. If thou intrusteth thy i
vealth to the hands of many of them that know
tlie written law, they will faithfully restore it to
thee.
I increase the wealth of intidels to augment their
pain, they shall in the end feel grievous torments.
God will not leave the faithful in the state that you
are in ; he will one day separate the good from, the
evil; he doth not- teach you what is to come ; he,
for that effect chuseth anrong the |)ropliets whom
be seelh good. IJelieve therefore in God, and his
prophets; if you l>elieve in God, fear to oft'end him,
you shall be rewarded. Believe ye th.it such as are
too sparing, and avaricious of the wealth that God
luith given them, do well ; on the contr.iry, they do
SL-ry ill, what they spare without reason, shall .strangle
leni at the day of judgment. The inheritance of
heaven and earth h God's, he knowelh all tilings.
Certainly God heard the speech of them that said,
God is poor, ami we are rich ; he hath said, 1 will
V rite what, they have spoken, and keep an exact
account of the murders they have unjustly committed
vn the persons of the prophets; 1 will s^ny to them
at the day of judgment, taste of the torments of hell
lire, which you have deserved. God doth not lead
into darkness them, that worship him. There be,
that say, God lialli commanded us- not to believe the
prophets, until their sacrifice be consumed by tire:
say to them, there came to you prophets heretofore
■with miracles that you demanded, you had not slain
tliem, bad you been righteous ; if they belie tliee,
know, they belied the prophets that were before thee,
th^l came Nvitb miracle!!, the psalter, and the book
of light. Every man sliall taste of death, and yotir
reward shall be paid at the day of judgment ; he
that shall depart from the tire of hell, and enter
into Paradise, shall be happy. The wealth of tliis
world is but a matter of pride, that yon may be tried
ift your riches and persons. Hearken not to the
Jews and Christians, that have known tliC writ-
ten law before you, neither to them that believe in
many gods, they otlend God through their blas-
phemies: if you have jiatience, and fear God, you
shall make a very good resolution. God hath ac-
cepted the speech of them that know his written
law, when they promised him to preach to the people
his commandnients, and not conceal them ; never-
theless they have condemned them, and changed
them for profit of little value, and have gained no-
thing but misery ; think not that such as rejoice of
the evil they have done, and afi'ect to be commended
for what they have not done, have escaped the pun-
ishment of their crimes, they shall certainly suffer
great torments. The kingdom of heaven and of
earth is God's, he is omnipotent; the creation of
heaven and earth, llie difference of day and night are
evident signs of his omnipotence, to such as have
judgment. Such as have, remember God, standing,
sitting, or lying down, and considered the creation of
heaven and earth have said, Lord, thou hast not
created these things in vain ; blessed be thy name,
deliver ns from the torments of hell fire, thou wilt
render miserable hrni that thou shalt thither pre-
cipitate,'aiid the wicked shall be deprived of pro-
tection at the day of judgment. Lord, we have
heard them- that say, believe in your Lord, we be-
lieve in tliy unity, pardon our faults, blot out our
sins, -and giveus grace to die in the number of the
just ; bestow on us what thou hast promised by the
prophets, and suffer us not to lie miserable at the
day of judgment ; thou dost not contradict what
thou dost promise.
If you fear to do injury to orphans, fear also to
do wrong to women ; marry those that please you.
Two, threCj or four : if you apjnehend you shall not
be able to entertain them equally, marry but one, or
the slaves that you shall have acquired ; this is most
necessary to the end that you offend not God. Give
to women their dowry with a good will; if they
give -to you an\ thing that is pleasing to you, receive
it with affection and civility. Bestow not on fools
the wealth that God hath given you for subsistence;
assist orphans, give to them tlic garments that shall
be necessary for them, and entertain them honestly ;
instruct them until they- have attained to years of
discretion, and are capable of marriage : if you be-
lieve they demean themselves, wisely restore to them
their faculties, and devour tliem not unjustly before
they be of age. He that shall be rich, shall ab:>taiu
from their goods, apd he that is poor, shall lake witU <
372
ALCORAN OF MAHOMET.
honesty, according to the pains lie shall undergo for
them : when you make to them restitution for their
goods, take witness of your actions : God loveth
good accounts. The children shall hav'e a good
part of what their father, and mother, or parents left
after their death, of little or of much there apper-
taineth to them a portion prefixed and limited.
When they divide their goods, the kindied sliall have
care of the poor and orphans; do good to them,
and honestly entertain them. Such as fear to leave
after them a ^^ eak progeny of little children, ought
to fear to wrong orphans, they must fear God, and
courteously entertain them. Those \^ho unjustly
devour their substance, swallow tire into their bow-
els, and shall burn in a great furnace. God recom-
raendeth to you your children, the son shall have as
much as t\xo daughters ; if there be more than two
daughters, they shall have two tiiirds of the succession
of the dead ; if there be but one, she sliall have the
moiety, and her kindred a sixth part of what shall be
, left by tlie dead : iftiiere be no children, and the
kindi ed be heirs, the mother of the dead shall have
a third ; if there be brethren, the mother shall have
a sixth, after satisfaction of the legacies contained in
the testament, and of die debts.
O ye that believe in God! it is not lawful for you
to inherit what is your wives by force, take not vio-
lently away what you have given them, unless they
be surprised in manifest adultery; see them with
civility, if you have an aversion from them, it may
.chance that you hate a thing, wherein God hath
placed much good ; but if you desire to repudiate
your wives, to take others, and that you have given
them any thing, take not any thing that appertaineth
to them. Will you take their wealth with a lie and
a manifest sin ? How shall you take it, since you
have approached each other, and that you have pro-
-inised to use them civily ? ^farry not the wives of
your fathers ; what is past was incest, abomination,
and a wicked way. Your mothers are forbidden
you, your dangliters, sisters, aunts, nieces, your
nurses, and your foster-sisters, the mothers of vour
wives, the daughters that your wives had by other
husbands, of whom you shall have particular care.
The daughters of vvonien that you shall have known,
are also forbidden you: if you have iM)t known them
it will be no sin ; the v\ ives of your sons are also
prohibited, and two sisters : for'what is past, God
is gracious and mercifid : Married wives are likewise
forbidden you, except the women slaves that you
shall have acquired. God hath so commanded you,
except what is above forbidden, it is lawful for you
to marry at your pleasure. If you desire women for
money, and neither commit concubinage, nor adul-
,tery, give them their salary for which you shall
agree, sq you shall not offend God, he is omniscient,
imd most wise. He that shall not be able to es-
pouse women of free condition, shall marry such
women or maids, that are slaves, as shall please hinj.
God knoweth the faith of the one, and the other.
Marry your wives with the permission of their
parents, and give them their dowry with honesty :
If women of free condition, that have committed
i^ither concubinage, nor adultery, secretly nor jiub-
licly, fly into second nuptials, and come to commit
aduKery, they shall be doubly punished, more than
the daughters of love. The marriage of slaves
is for them that fear whoredom : If yoQ abstain
from marrying them, you shall not do amiss. God
is gracious and merciful; he is willing to teach
you his law, and direct you in the way of them
that preceded you ; he is gracious and merciful to
his people.
Such as follow the appetite of the wicked, decline
extremely from the truth. God willeth that his law
be a light unto you, for that man was created weak.
O you that believe in God, devour not your sub-
stance among you with usury; but if you traffic, be
per.ceable in your affairs ; slay not one another.
God is merciful to them that obey him : He that
disobeyeth, through malice and injustice, shall burn
in the lire of hell ; it is an easy thing for God to
punish them. If you depart from mortal sins, I will
cover your faults, and cause you to enter into para-
dise : covet not through envy, what God hath given
to your neighbour ; men and women shall have the
wealth they have gained ; beg grace of God, he
knoweth all things. Give to your associates what
appertaineth to them. We have ordained a portion,
prefixed to the one and the other, in tlie succession
of your fallier, mother,"" and kindred, God seeth all.
The men shall have authority over the women ; they
shall have them in their keeping ; they shall have in
their power the wealth that God shall give them;
and shall have a care of what shall be convenient to
be expended for tliem. Discreet and obedient wives
observe, in the absence of their husbands, the com-
mandments'of God; make remonstraiK:es to them
that shall be disobedient, and remove them from
your bed, chastise them.
If any one be in necessity, and eateth of what is
prohibited, without a will to sin, God shall be to
liim ffracious and merciful. Thev will demand of
thee, what is permitted them to eat r Say unto them,
it is lawful to eat all sorts of beasts tliat are not un-
clean, andvOialever hath been taught you from God,
touching beasts that hath been wounded by lions
or dogs, eat the beasts vou shall take, and remembtr
God in blooding them ; fear God, he is exact to
take account. This day it is lawful that you cat
what is not unclean, and the meats of them th.it
know the written law, their meats are lawful for
you, and yours for them. You are permitted to
espouse maidens and women of free condition, that
ALCORAN OF "MAHOMET.
373
are of your religion, and maiilens and v.onieii of
tree condition, that know iIk,' wrillcn Jiw, giving
tliein iliciv dowry with civility; con>mit neither con-
cubinage, nor adultery with thcni, neither secr/t'y
nor publicly, the good works of iiini that sh:di le-
nouuce your law, shall be unprofitable, he shj". ha
at tiie day of judgment in llie number of the daimied.
O ve tliiil believe in God, when yi would ;;iake
your prayers, wash your f.iees, your hands U) the
elbow, and pass your hand over youi- 'ead, aiid ov. ;•
your feet to the ancles, if you be [. i'uled, pui. ;
yourselves; if sick, or in a jouriic^y, or abor.t to
discharge your belly, or have know a women, and
find no water to uash you, lay hand o;i the sand,
pass it over your visage, and wipe there\>ilh your
hands. God enjoineth you notiiing irksome, but
willeth you to be clea)<, and desiretli to accomplish
his grace upon you; peradventureyou will give him
thanks. O ye that believe i>i God! obey his com-
mane.ments, and be true in your testimonies, take
heed that no man move you to offend God, in di-
verting you from what is just; render justice to all,
his fear inviteth you to it; li.ve it before your eyes,
he knoweth all your actions; hath promised his
grace, and great recon:pences to the true believers,
that shall do good works in this world and hath
prepared hell to punish infidels. O ye that believe
in God ! remember his favour towards you, when
some persons would have extended their hands upon
you, and how he delivered you from their malice;
fear him ; all true believers ought to resign them-
selves to his will. God received the promise of the
children of Israel to observe his commandments; he
established among them twelve captains, and said, 1
•will be with you w hen you shall make prayers ; pay
your tithes, believe in the prophets, defend them,
and lend to me any alms ; I will cover your sins, and
cause you to enter paradise, wherein flow many
rivers : and he among you that shall be an infidel,
shall be entirely erroneous from the right path. —
When they swerved from what they had promised,
we gave them our curse, and hardened their heart :
they have altered the words of the scripture, and ab-
jured what they had approved;
We have sent to thee the scripture written in
vellum, the unbelievers have handled it w ith their
hands, yet say it is evident sorcery and enchantment,
that they will not believe therein, unless they see an
angel descend to confirm it. Should we have sent
an angel, they had perished by his presence, unless
we had sent him under the figure of a man, like
unto them, and clotlied as they are. They derided
the prophets and apostles, thy predecessors; derision
is fallen u|)on such as contenmed them. Say to
tiiem go tlnough the world, and consider the end
of them that abjure the law of God; say to them
to whom appertaiueth whatsoever is iu heaven and
i:rth? It is God's. He will employ his mercy to
save y'^u; doubtless he will assemble all of you at
iiie day .if judgment. Nevertheless infidels believe
not in his unity; they consider not, that whosoever
inovclh by night anil by day, and whatsoever is in
the w orld, belongeth to his divine majestv, who un-
derslaiideth and knowelh all things. Say unto
them, require you other protection than that of God
the Omnipotent, creator of heaven and earth, who
nourishelli all things, is nourislied by none.' Say to
them, 1 have received a command to embrace the
law of salvation. Be not ye in the number of un-
believers; 1 fear to disobey my Lord, and fear the
Lormeiits prepared for the wicked at the day of
judgment; he that shall deliver himself, shall enjoy
the grace of God, which is supreme felicity: If God
will punish you, none .shall deliver you from his
punishment; if his will be to do good to you, he is
omnipotent, always victorious, and hath all power
over his creatures ; he is most wise and omniscient.
Say to them, what better testimony is there in the
world than that of God? Say to them, he shall tes-
tify between you and me, to whom he hath inspired
the Alcoran to instruct you : Will any among you
that shall learn it, say there is any other God, but
Elohim; 1 will not say so ; there is but one God,
and I am innocent from the sin you commit, in as-
sociating him with a companion equal to him ;
many of them that understand the written law, have
knowledge of the truth of the Alcoran, their chil-
dren also know it, but such as forsake their own
souls, will not believe in God. Who more unjust
than he that blasphemeth against God and his com-
mandments? Certainly the wicked shall be mise-
rable ; I will assemble all of theni, and say, w here
are the gods which you did associate with God?
They shall have none other excuse, but to say, by
God, Lord, we were of the number of idolators. —
Consider how they will lie, and disavow their blas-
phemies : some there be among them that hearken
to thee, we have hardened their hearts, they will
not learn the Alcoran, because their ears are stop-
ped. When they shall hear related all the miracles
of the world, and shall see them with their eyes,
they will hot bcliev# until they have disputed against
thee.
Such as believe not in the resurrection, are
wretched men, they shall be afflicted for their sins
at the hour « hcnever death shall surprize lliem ;
thay shall bear on liieir backs the burden of their
crimes, and avouch the life of this world to be bub"
deceit and vanity, and the life of the other to be full
of felicity for the righteous; nevertheless the wicked
are not converted. 1 know thou wilt be incensed
against such as will say, they desire to obey thee,
and shall renounce thy doctrine; they that contemn
the coiumandeuts of God are impious, they have
[> B
374
ALCORAN OF MAHOMET.
belied the prophets thy predecessors ; the prophets
endured their lies, and Vi'ere patient, until we de-
stroyed them ; God declineth not what he hath
promised. Thou knowest what the prophets fore-
told : If men abandon thee, canst thou covet to
( continue on earth, and to be in heaven at the same
time, to cause prodigies appear, testireionies of thy
mission. Had it so pleased God, he had brought
them all into the right way, nor had ,they been in
the number of the ignorant. Certainly jie hearcth
the prayers of the righteous, that hearken to his
word ; he w ill give resurrection to the dead, and
assemole them to receive recompense accoixling to
their merits. They have said, we believe not in the
prophet, if he shew not to us some miracle from his
Lord: Say unto them, God hath shewed you many
miracles, but most of you do not understand them ;
the beasts that walk' upon the earth, and the birds
that fly into the air, are of the number of his crea-
tures : We have not omitted to write any thing that
is written in the book kept in heaven ; all men shall
one day appear before God, such as shall not have
believed iir his law, shall be deaf and dumb, and in-
habit darkness; God misleadethwhom it pleaseth
him, and guideth in the rigiit way whom he seeth
good. Say unto them, have you felt the punishment
-Gf:Godf
'It is God that sendeth the winds to dissipate the
rain, when tliey carry the clouds ; we drive them
charged with water, into places dry, dead, and
Tuined, and causeth the rain to fall there, that they
may produce herbs and fruits ; so will we caiise the
dead to arise again ; perhaps men will remember
tlie good land bringeth forth good fruits, through the
jicrmission of its Lord, awd the bad land produceth
only darnell. I teach my commandments to such
as are not ungrateful; certainly wc sent Noah to
instruct men ; he said, O ye people, worship one
God alone: if you adore other than him, you shall
be punished at the day of judgment ; their rulers
answered, O Noah, thou art in a great error ; he
replied, I err not, I am a messenger sent from God
to preach his will, 1 give you most wholesome ad-
vice, God hath taught ine what you know not : Is it
strange to you, that he hath sent you his command-
ment by the tongue of a man like yourselves, to de-
clare to you the torments of hell r Fear God, he
will pardoH your sins; but they belied Noah, we
saved him in the ark, with his retinue, and drowned
those that contemned our law, they were altogether
blind. We sent Hod to his brother Aad, and to
his retinue, he said. Oh ye people! worship one
,God alone, whom will ye adore, or whom fear, but
tiod f 1 he teachers answered, thou art in an ex-
.treme ignorance ; we believe thee to be in the num-
ber of liars; he replied, 1 am not a liar, I am a mcs-
sengersent froni God, to preach his commandments,
I give good and salutary advice, wonder not that
God teacheth you his precepts by the tongue of a
man like you, w"iio declareth to you his pleasure.
Remember that he left you on the earth after Noah,
that he increased you in number, force, and power;
call to mind his grace, you shall be happy. They
answered, are we come to this, to worsliip one God
alone, and to relinquish what our fathers adored?
He said, the wrath and indignation of God shall
fall upon -you ; will you dispute with us of the
names that you and your fathers imposed on your
idols! God did not enjoin to woi'ship them, neither
have you reason to do it; exj)ect your punishment,
I wii! expect it witli perseverance.
A letter patent from God, and his prophet, to
the unbelievers with whom ye have made a truce. —
Travel in safety the space of four months, know, ye
shall not render God impotent, and that he will lay
shame upon your forehead. Advice for the people,
at the great day of pilgrimage from God, and his
prophet; God approveth not the .actions t>f them
that adore idols, his prophet is innocent from that
sin ; if ye repent, ye shall do well ; if ye abandon
the law of God, know, ye shall not escape the pu-
nishment of your crime ; preach to the unbelievers,
that they shall .suffer grievous torments, except
those with whom ye have made a truce, who fall
not from what they have promised, and that protect
none against you. Observe exactly until the pre-
fixed time, \\'hat you have promised them. God
loveth them that fear him ; when the month of He-
ram siiall be past, kill tliem where you shall meet
them, take them, slaves, detain them piis )ners, and
observe where they pass to lay ambusli for them,
if they be converted, if they pray at the time ap-
pointed, a<)d pay tithes, leave them quiet, God is
merciful to them that repent. If the infidel demand
quarter of you, give them quarter, to the end they
may learn the word of God, teach them his con)-
mandmenls, for they are ignorant. How should
they have truce with God and his pro])het ? if they
believe neither the one nor the other, except them
with whom you entered truce in the temple at INIec-
ca.'' If they observe their promise to you, observe
w hat ye promised to them ; God loveth such as
have his fear before their eyes ; hOw shall they
have truce with you ! If they have advantage over
you, they will respect neither yout alliance nor con-
federacy.
Tiiey will speak well of you, and contemn you
in their hearts : the greater j^ai't of them are impi-
ous, they have preferred the riches of this world to
the coiiimandments of God, and have hindered the
people from following his law, as if they knew not
w hat they did ; they bear no respect to the true be-
lievers, wherein they are exceedingly to blame. If
they tivrn and Biuk^ -their prayers a,t the time aji-
ALCORxYX OF MAHOMET.
37j
pointed, if they pay titlies, tliey shall be your bre-
thren in God. i teach tiie ni}sleries of faith to such
Qs Iiave uiiilcrstanihiig to coinprelienil them, if thev
break their proiTiise and ilisturl; them of your reli-
gion, kill their captains, as persons without faith,
tiiey Mill ]ierhaps put an end to their impietv. Slay
sucli especially that renounce their faith, who have
endeavoureil to drive the prophet from Mecca, and
have bei;un to slay you, will you fear them t Will
ye be terrified by them: It is reasonable that ye
fear God; if ye believe in his law, tight them, God
shall chastise tkem by your hands, he shall render
tlieni dishonourable, and juotect you against them,
lie siiaW fortify the hearts of true believers, and ex-
pel melancholy, he pardo;ieth whom he seeth uood,
knoweth all things, and is most prudent in what he
ordainelli.' 1 hiiik ye to be forsaken of God, anci
(hat lie discerneth not them that have fought gal-
Juntly for his law, from such as have adored idols,
and disobeyed the prophet.
Such as have believed in God, as have departed
from the wicked, and employed their wcallli and
persons to tight for his law, shall have a particular
degree, and a particular place near to his Divine I\Ia-
jesty, they shall be liie more Ipi^py. God through
his goodness, declareth to them, that they shall
enter into delicious gardens, where they shall remain
eternally; there is with God a great reward. O ye
ihat believe 1 Obey not your fathers, nor vour bro- j
thers, that love rather to follow inipjety than the
faith. Such as shall obey them, shall oflciid ex- I
ceedingly ; if your father, your children, your bro-
thers, your wives, your parents, your friends, the
wealth that you have gained, the fear of losing your I
riches, and ap|)rehension of poverty, have more !
power over you than (iod and his prophet, and
liinder you to tight for the faith, the commandment
of Ciod shall be executed against you, he guideth
not the wicked, and hath pnUected you in many
occasions. Kemeiuber the day of the battle of Hanin
when ye rejoiced in the multitude of your men, it
did not advantage you, fear made yon find the place
too narrow for flight, and ye turned the back as
vaiKinished; Remember that God at tliat time, put
his jMophet and the true believers in a place of safe-
ty, :uid sent invisible troops to chastise the infidels,
be pardoneth sins as seemeth good to him, he is gra-
cious and merciful.
True believers will not excuse themselves from
fighting or employing their wealth and persons for
the law of God; he knoweth such as fear him. —
They that believe not in God, neither the day of
judgment, refuse to go with thee, they doubt the
mysteries of faith, but shall continue in their doubt,
to their confusion ; had they inclined to go out
against the enemy, they had arms to perform it;
God contemned their going out, rendered them
negligent, and caused them to remain with the sick,
the women, and chiklren ; had -thev gone forthwith
you, they had brought with thcni more of disorder
than affection to the service of his Divine Majesty ;
they hate you, nevertheless you hearken to tliein ;
God knoweth them that are to blame, they hatctli
thee heretofore, accused thee of all their mischief,
until, through the permission of God, the truth ap-
peared against their will : many of them said, excuse
us, and scandalize 'us not, and they fell tliemselves
into scandal and impiety; but hell is the habitation
of those wicked persons; if good happen to you,
they are discontented ; if evil befal you, they say,
they took heed to themselves, and foresaw it, and
departed from you with joy : say unto them, nothing
betel us, but what God hath ordained, he is our
Lord; all true believers are ie*igned to the will of
his J)iviue Majesty.
There is no excuse for you, ye are truly impious;
if God pardon any one of you, he shall rigorously
punish such as persist to oflend hiin. The wicked
teach among them impiety to their posteritv, they
depart from the truth ; they go hand in hand, ;md
agree to disobey (iod ; they forget God, and God
torgetteth them ; he hath prepared hell for them,
where they shall remain eternally ; he hath cursed
them, and' they shall feel the torment of intinite
paius. The wicked that were before yofl, shall
undergo them like you, they were more powerful
than you, they pp-i^sessed store of wealth, and had
many children, they possesed part of their sub-
stance, as did your predecessors ; ye were plunged
into impiety, as they were plunged, but the good
works that they have done in this world, shall be to
them unprolltable, and at the day of judgment they
shall be in the luiniber of the miserable. Have
they not known the history of their predecessors,
the history of the people of Noah, of Aad, of Te-
mod, of Abraham, and the cities that were sub-
verted.
The prophets preached to them the command-
ments of God, who did to them no injustice; they
drew afHiction on themselves, through the enormity
of their crimes. The true believers mutuallv obey
each other; they command to do what thinn's are
honest, prohibit to act w hat is not approved ; they
make their prayers at the time appointed, distribute
tithes, obey God and his prophet ; God shall remit'
to them their sins, he is omnipotent, and hath pro-
mised to them gardens, wherein (low many rivers,
and an habitation full of content in Kden ; he hath
promised them his grace, which is the j>erfection of
felicity. O prophet! fight against the infidels, for-
tify thyself against them, hell shall be their habitu-
lion ; they shall swear by the name of God, that
they have not traduced thee; iievertliclcss thev have
detracted and uttered woids, full of impietv ; they
375
ALCORAN OF MAHOMET.
have denied' to have been enriched throiijvh the grace
of God, and of his prophet; if they turn, they shall
do well ; if they abandon the faith, God shall pu-
nish them in this world, and in the other, with
grievous torments, and on earth they shall find no
protector, there be of them, who have inclined to
capitulate with God, and have said, if God doth
good to us, we believe in him : when he did good
to them, they M'ere niggards and avaricious ; they
have erred and disobeyed his commandments, but
he chastised them, because of their impiety, he
hath imprinted it in their hearts until the day of
judgment, for that they have disobeyed him, because
tliey violated their promises, and by reason of their
lies ; know they not that God understandeth what
they conceal in their hearts ? and that he knoweth
what is present, past, and future.
Be thou not astonished, neither at the abundance
of their wealth, nor the number of their children,
God will make use of them, to chastise them in this
world, and will destroy them in their impiety.—
When command was sent to them to believe in
God, and fight with his prophet, the most powerful
among them desired thee to excuse them, and said,
leave us with them that continue in their houses,
and desire to remain with the sick, the women, and
little children : God hardened their hearts, and
tliey shall never learn to trust. The prophet and
believers that were with him, and fought, and em-
ployed their persons, and goods for the service of
God, shall be blessed; he hath prepared for them
gardens, where flow many rivers, with perfection
of felicity.
Some of the Arabians came to excuse themselves
of going to the war, and such as renounced God
and the prophet, remained in their houses, but they
shall resent grievous torments, because of their
■wickedness; the sick, the impotent, and those that
want means to be present at the war, offend not God
m abiding in their houses, provided they be faithful
to his Uivine Majesty and his prophet. The righ-
teous are not obliged to do but what is in their
power, God shall be to them gracious and merciful.
Such as repaired to thee to tight and whom thou
didst dismiss for want of courage, did not of-
fend God ; they returned to their houses with tears
in their eyes, with discontent, to have wanted
means to employ in the service of his Divine Ma-
jesty ; the war is appointed to such as intreat thee
to exempt them that are rich, and have wealth to
subsist, they require leave to remain with their wives
and children. God hath hardened their hearts, and
they know it not ; they shall come to excuse them-
selves, when thou shalt meet them ; say unto them,
excuse not yourselves, I do not believe you, God
Lath given us to understand your views, he and his
prophet likewise hath rendered your good works
vain and unprofitable ; ye shall one day appear be-
fore him that knoweth what is past, present, and
future; he shall cause you to remember what-MCver
you have done, and shall punish you according to
your demerits. They shall conjure you by the name
of God, when you approach them, to depart from
them: Depart from them, they are full of unclean-
ness, hell shall be their habitation, where they shall
be tormented for their crimes.
They shall beseech you to love them ; if vou lovs
them, know that God abhorreth them that disobey
him, the Arabians, who observe not the precepts
which God hath sent to his prophet: are ye more
impious and ungrateful? God know eth all things,
and is most prudent. 'here be persons among the
Arabians who account it lost money that they ex-
pend for the service of God, and protract their de-
parture to retard yours, and make you to attend :
the wheel of misery is upon them, God understand-
eth whatever !hey say, and knoweth all their actions ;
there are some among them who believe in God, and
the day of judgment; they esteem that their e.x-
pence for the service of God draweth them nigh to
his Divine Majesty, and they invite the prophet to
pray for them. God shall give them his mercy, he
is gracious and merciful to them that obey him. —
They that first arrived at Medina, the first of them
that went out of Mecca, to depart from the wicked,
such as were at the battle of Beder, and such as
imitated tliein in well doing, shall enjoy the grace
of God, he hath prepared for them gardens, wherein
flow many rivers, with supreme felicity.
They that esteemed, that the temple built by un-
believers, to seduce the righteous, to distinguish the
wicked from the good, and to observe such as had
before fought against God, and against his prophet,
in the temple of his Divine Majesty, swear that they
desire to do well, and that their intention is most
honest, but they are liars, and God shall be witness
of their falsehood : make not thy prayers in that
temple, make thy prayers in the temple founded on
the fear of God, that is reasonable : there be per-
sons in that temple who desire to be purified. God
loveth such as have a clean soul ; who is he that
buildeth best, he that foundeth his building upon
the fear of God, or he who layeth the foundation of
his building upon the brink of a ditch of sand, which
falleth and ruineth itself.'' They who esteem 'he
temple built by unbelievers, to seduce the people, to
be the temple of God, shall be with that temple, and
with the infidels that built it, burnt in the fire of
hell; God guideth not the unjust; their building
shall only serve to form ; t them, God knoweth their
designs, and is most wise ; he purchaseth of true be-
lievers their souls and gooL.s, anc- giveth them para-
dise ; if they be slair., or if they slay when they shall
light for the faidi, they shall have what he hath pro-
ALCORAN OF MAHOMET.
377
mised to tlicni in llie OldTestnment, the j^ospel, an<l
in tlie Alcoran : Who better satistietli wliat he hath
promised tlutuGod? Declare to- them, that tliey
liave made a good purchase, they have gained tlie
heiglit of felicity. Such as are tirni in the failli,
who Y'V.n, honour, and worship God, who observe
his coniniandmcnts, and all true believers, shall en-
joy the delights of paradise with all manner of con-
tent.
'I'he prophet and true believers ouglit not to ask
pardon of (iod fur infidels, notwithstanding tliev be
their parents, having had knowledge that thev are
dannied, because of their infidelity. Abraham prayed
not for his fallitr, until he had professed one God
alont; when he knew his father to be an enemy to
God, he ileclared himself to be an enemy to his sin;
he ceased praying for him, allhough he was exceed-
ingly charitable and patient in iiis atUictions. God
inisleadeth not them that he halli put into the rigiit
way, he givelh them to luiderstand what they ought
to do, he kuoweth them that deserve to he seduced
and such as merit "to be guided through the right
vay. The kingdom of heaven and earth is God's,
he givedi life and death to whom he seeth good:
Mho exccjit God shall protect you? he hath given
liis grace to the prophet, and to such as follow him
in iiis affliction, although it wanted but a little, that
the hearts of many of them inclined not to the
party of the unbelievers, but he pardoned them.
O ye tiiat believe in God! Fight against them
that would cause you to be defiled in impiety, be
valiant, and know that God is with them that have
his fear before iheir eyes. When God caused to
descend from heaven, any cha[)ter of the Alcoran,
some of them said, through disdain, that will in-
crease ihc faith of this people. Certainly it aug-
nienleth the faith of true believers, it rejoiceth them,
and inllanieth tive wrath (»fhis Divine jSlajesty upon
infidels, who persist in their pollutions, and die in
their wickedness. Tliey know not thai God trieth
the good, once or twice a year, they will not be
converted, it is lost time to preach to them. When
God sent fronj heaven any chapter of the Alcoran,
they beheld each other, and said, doth any one see
us? They returned in their impiety, and God turned
their hearts from the right way, for that they would
Dot learn the truth. God hath sent voii a prophet
pf your own nation, who, with passion, desireth to
deliver you from your obstinacy, and is extremely
ntfected to instruct you in the way of salvation, God
is mild and |)itifui towards true believers. If they
abandon the faith, say unto them, God is niy pro-
tector, tliere is but one sole God, I recommend niv-
self to the w ill of his Divine Majesty, he is the Lord
of the majestic throne.
God doth not aid the infidels that worship what
can neither benefit nor hurt them, and say, their
'2.1
idols shall intercede for them; will yon instruct God
in any thing that he knoweth not, of what is in
heaven or in earth? Praised be God, lie hath no
companion. Men were all of one religion before
infidelity took place, and if God had not said that
he would defer the punishment of the wicked until
the day of judgment, he had destroyed them in this
world, because of their impiety. They say, we
will not believe in the prophet, if God make not
some miracles to appear in him : Say unto them,
God knoweth w hat shall be ; expect, I w ill expect
with you : when we gave them to taste of content
after their afiliction, they had subtilty upon our
commandiijcnts : Say unto them. Clod is more sub-
tile than you, his messengers shall write your sub-
tilties; he it is that made men to travel upon the
earth and sea ; it is he that sendeth them a favoura-
ble w iiid to rejoice ihein in their ships ; when tem-
pest surpriseth tlieni, they believe that tlie wavea
will overwhelm them, then they invoke God, with
desire to embrace his law, and say, if (Jod doih de-
liver us from this danger, we will believe in his
unity, and return him thanks for his mercy; but
being delivered from peril, persist in their wicked-
ness.
O my people! Yoli draw mischief on yourselves,
you require nothing but the wealth of this world;
you shall all appear before us to be judged accord-
ing to your works; the life„of tlie world is like to
the rain, which we cause to descend from heaven,
it causeth with mixture all sorts of herbage to spring
forth, for the nourishment of men, and beasts. —
V\ hen the earth is adorned with lioweis, and en-
riched with its fruits, the inhabitants oftentimes be-
lieve tliey have the power to cause their production ;
then send we our chastisements day and night upon
the earth, and render it as mow n, and as if the day
before it liad brought no fruit. Thus do I discover
nixsteries to such as have knowledge to comprehend
them. 'I'hey beg their salvation of God; he savelh
and puttcth in the way of salvation whom it pleaseth
him. He shall not cover the visage of them that
have done good w'orks, they shall appear without
shame and dwell in paradise; where they shall
remain eternally ; and such as shall have done evil
shall be jtunished after their demerits, they ihall be
covered with shame, and none shall be able to pro-
tect them, they sIki^I be as if a great part of the ob-
scurity of the night had covereil their countenance,
they shall be condemned to the fire of hell, where
they shall dwell eternally. Think on the day,
wherein we will assemble all the world, and will
sav to the infi<lels, hell shall be your habitation ;
whcie be the idols you adored: we have separated
vfiu from each other. I'heir idols shall say to them,
you have not worsliipped us, God is witness ; was
there any thing between us and you, that rendered
c
378
ALCORAN OF MAHOMET.
us ignorant of your adoration ? Are your idols able
to conduct you into the right way ? God guideth the
people into the way of salvation. Who ought rather
to be followed, he that guideth the people into the
riiiht wav, or he that Aiisieadelh iheni ? What rea-
son have ye to follow the evil way ; the greatest part
of them that follow but their own opinion, but their
opinion is not conformable to the truth ; God know-
eth all their actions, there is no falsehood in the Al-
coran, it conlirnieth tiie ancient scriptures, and per-
spicuously expluineth them ; there is no doubt, but
it proceedeth from the Lord of the universe. They
say Mahomet hath invented this book : Say unto
them, come and bring any thing that resembieth it
in doctrine and eloquence, and call the idols which
ye adore, we shiiU see if you are sincere ; on the
contrary, they have talked of what they understood
not, when tliey heard the exposition of the Alcoran.
Thus did tlieir predecessors ; but consider what is
the end of the unjust. There be amoivg them, who
believe in this boe.k, and others that do not believe ;
thy Lord knoweth them that defile the earth ; if they
slander thee, say uiUo them, 1 will answer with my
actions, and ye shall answer yours, ye are innocent
of what 1 act, and 1 am innocent of wiiat ye do. —
There be persons among theiri that have inclination
to hear thee, but art thou able to cause the deaf to
hear ? Should they not be deaf, they would learn
nothing. Others there be, who look towards thee,
but art thou able to guide the blind .? Should they
see clearly, they would not follow the right w:\v ;
God doth no injustice to men, they do injury to
themselves, through the enormity of their offences.
1 will cause them to rise again at the day of judg-
ment, as if they had remained but an hour of tlie
day in the grave ; they shall know each other, and
the wicked who have not believed in the resurrection
shall be damned.
I will shew lliee many of them whom I will
chastise; I will cause thee to die before they are
chastised, and they shall all appear before me to be
judged ; God is witness of their actions, he shall
punish them according to their demerits : every na-
tion of the world hath had a prophet sent from God,
who hath judged with leason and without injustice,
the difi'erences that were amongst them touching
religion : I'hey have said, at w hat time shall the
wrath of God appear ? Say unto them, I of myself,
can neither procure good nor evil,, if God doth not
permit it ; every one hath his destiny, when the
time of his destiny arriveth, they can neither retard
nor advance it one hour. Have ye considered the
puuishment which God heretofore sent, by day, and
by night against the wicked ? When ye felt it, ye
believed it^ and fell into it headlong. It shall be
said to the wicked at the day of judgment, t^iste
eternal torment ; shall you not be punished accbrt?-
iug to your demerits ?
AMlict not thyself for the words of the impious,
virtue proceedeth from God, he understandeth and
knoweth all things; whatsoever is in heaven and lu
earth ap|".rtaineth to him. They who worship
idols, follow but their opinions, and are liars; God
hath created the night for repose, and the day for
labour ; such as hear his word, fmd therein marks
of his omnipotency. They have said, do ye believe
that God hath a son ? Praised be God, he is most
rich, and hath no need of any person, he possesseth
whatsoever is in heaven audearih; you have no
reason in what ye alledge ; will you speak of God
what ye know not? God doth not assist in' this
world them that blaspheme against him, he shall
cause them to feel atter their death great torments,
because of their impiety: Instruct them in the
history of Noah, how he spake to his jieople, and
said, C) people ! if my abode with you, and the
preaching of the commandments of God, be irksome
to you, know that my support is in God ; assemble
your doctors, with your idols and conceal not what
ye do : go whither ye \a ill, ye shall find none to pro-
tect you, if ye contemn my instructions. I require
not of you a reward for my pains : I desire to re-
ceive of none than God the omnipotent, and recom-
mend luyself to the will of his Divine Majesty. —
They slandered Noah, then did we save him in the
ark, and them that were with him ; we prolonged
their posterity on earth, and drowned the wicked ;
consider the end of such as heard the word of God,
and contemned it. We sent to thein other prophets
after Noah, they made them to see miracles, and
gave them most salutary instructions; but they did
not believe in what they had no will before to be-
lieve.
If thou sayst to the wicked, that they shall rise
again after their death, they will say, it is but witch-
craft and sorcery ; if retard some time to chastise
them, they say, there is no punishment for their
crimes ; but they siiall not avoid it, in the day when
it shall appear, and th(^y shall feel the rigour of the
pains which they contemn. If we confer riches,
and health on the impious, and deprive them of
them, they despair in their impiety ; if we give
them good after their evil, they say, misery hath
forsaken them ; they rejoice, and become arrogant.
Such as are humble and {)atient in their afHictions,
and do good works, shall obtain pardon of their
sins, and a very great reward. Perhaps thou
wilt forget to teach something of what I have in-
spired into thee, and be afflicted, because they say
that what thou speakest shall bring thee no profit.
Certainly, thou art sent only' to reprove them of
their sin, the Lord is omnipotent, and shall chastise
ALCORAN OF MAHOMET.
3r>
them after tlieir demerits. Assuredly, they will say,
tliou hast forged the Alcoran, and that it is of tliy
invention : Say unto tlieni, come and bring with
you ten chapters of your invention, like to tlic Al-
coran in instruction and eloquence, and call to your
aid the idols that ye adore ; if they hear not your
prayers, neither afford you succours, know then,
that the Alcoran descended from heaven, through
God's permission, and that there is but one sole
tJod, will ye not trust iu iiini ? I will bestow the
riches and honours of the eartii, on many persons
that aflect them, and in the end they shall be con-
fined in the tire of hell, and the good works that
they shall do in this world, shall be unprofitable in
the other. '1 hey who observe what God halh or-
dained, study the Alcoran, and believe that it pro-
ceedeth from his Divine Majesty, to leach the ri^ht
^vay, and to obtain his mercy, as it was before the
book of Moses. Such as sliall believe in the Al-
coran shall be happy ; doubtless the fire of hell is
prepared for the infidels who will not believe therein,
but the greatest part of the w orld is incredulous ;
vho is more impious than they who blasphcnie
against God? Such men sliall not see his face ; the
angels shall say, at. the day of judgment, behold
them that have been impious, a curse is upon them,
and upon the unjust that have misled the people from
thi: right way, they were indeeil infidels. Such men
shall not escape the punishment of their crimes on
eaitl), they shall find none that is able to protect
ihem but God, he shall au<rnient their pains, be-
cause they would not abandon their wickedness,
neither receive the light of faith. Such as are mise-
rable men, their idols shall not afford them succours,
they doubtless shall be eternally damned : and such
as shall believe ' in God, do good works, and be
converted shall dwell for ever in paradise. The
■vncked are as deaf and blind, and the true believers
are like those who have good sight and perfect hear-
ing; shall they be in parallel with each other? Will
ye never consider it ; We sent Noah to reprove men
for their sins, he said to them, worship but one God
alone, otherwise I fear ye shall be chastised at the
day of judgment.
The doctors of the infidels answered him, we see
thee to be a man, like us, and such as follow thee '
are poor people, blind, and without counsel ; we
perceive not that thou hast any grace, that ought to
prefer thee to us ; contrarywise, we l)elieve thee to
be a liar. He said. Oh people! know ye not that
God lialh taught me what I preach to you, that he
hath given me the grace of prophecy, and deprived
you of it ? Shall I exhort you to acknowledge his
grace, seeing ye ablior him .? Ob people ! 1 require
no reconipence of you for my pains, God will re-
gard me largely. I desire not to banish true believ-
ers from my company, they shall oue day appear
before their Lord, but I perceive that ye are igno-
ran. Oh people! who shall hinder God to punish
me, if F abuse true believers? Will ye not consider
it? 1 sav not that I possess the treasures of God, I
know not what shall be ; I say not that 1 am an an-
gel, I say not to them wliom you contemn, that
God shall enrich them, God kuoweth what is in
their souls; should I maintain such discourse, 1
should have great blame. They s:.id. Oh Noah!
we have a long time disjuited together ; if thou art
sincere, let us see the pauis whieli thou preachest to
us; God, said he, when it shall please him, shall
cause you to see them, you shall not escape them,
my instructions shall be to you unprofitable ; if
God will prove you, he is our Lord, and you shall
one day be assembled before hira to be judged.
Pray to God evening and morning, and a part of
the night; prayers blot out sins; it is the doctrine
of pieachers; be patient, and persevere, God will
not deprive the righteous of their reward : He pro-
hibiled vour predecessors and their posterity to de-
file the earth ; nevertheless there were few among
them that abstained; the unjust acted whatever
pleased them, and were guilty before God: He shall
not destroy Mecca, if the inhabitants thereof obey
his commandments; and if it pleasetli him, the
whole world should be of one religion, they to whom
he giveth his grace, transgress not his will, his word
shall be accomplished, and hell shall be filled with
devils, and the wicked of all nations.
We have caused to descend from heaven the Al-
coran, written in the Arabic tongue, peradventure
ye will learn it. I deliver it unto thee in the Alco-
ran, one of the best tilings that I have inspired into
thee. Thou wert before the coming thereof, in the
number of the ignorant. Reinember thon, that Jo-
seph said to his father, my father, I saw iu my dream
eleven stars, the sun, and the moon, I saw them
adoring me. My son, said his father, discover not
thy dream to thy brothers, they will conspire against
thee, the devil is an open enemy to men, thou shalt
be elected of the Lord in this world, he shall teach
thee the explication of dreams, he shall accomplish
his grace upon thee, and upon the lineage of Jacob,
as he did accomplish it upon thy fathers, Abraham,
and Isaac; the Lord knoweth all things and is most
wise. ,
The history of Joseph shall serve for example to
posterity ; remember thou how his brothers said,
our father loveth our brother Joseph more than all
of us together, he is in an exceeding great eTor, let
us kill Joseph, and cast him into some secret place
remote from us, his absence will render t!;e face of
our father more gentle towards us ; after his death
we w ill be converted. One of them said, you shall
not do well to kill him, but cast him into the well,
some passengers will take him, and carry hiia into
380
ALCORAN OF MAHOMET.
an unknown country: They said to their father,
wherefore dost thou not send Joseph into the fields
with us? We will be very careful, he shall sport
and recreate himself? I fear, said he, that you will
neglect to preserve him ; dost thou fear said they,
that a wolf should devour him in our presence, and
tliat we want strength to defend him ? In the jnorn-
ing they led him with them, and cast him into a well.
We inspired him to prophesy to them what would
befal them for the mischief they acted, bnt they
wanted knowledge to comprehend it; they in the
evening returned to their father's house, with eyes
full of dissembled tears, and said unto him, father,
■we sported, and ran who sliould run the best, Joseph
remained with our baggage, a wolf came and de-
voured him ; thou wilt not believe us although we
speak the truth ; then they shewed him his shirt
which they sprinkled with blood; it is you that hath
done it, said he, you shall answer it before God,
Jie is my pi otector, and was patient, without la-
menting.
There past. tHat da}', a caravan near to that well,
who desiring to draw water to drink, let down a
bucket, on which Joseph look hold to get out : they
gave, him clothes, leil him away secretly, and sold
him at a good rate for ready money ; they would not
Jvill him, in which they were honest men. He that
brought him into Egypt, commanded his wife to
liave care of him, that he might one day be useful
for their service, and be to them instead of a son.
Thus did we e-stablish Joseph in the country of
.]*-gypt, and taught him in the exposition of dreams.
Thy Lord is omnipotent, but few men know him ;
.when Joseph came to the age of manhood we gave
him knowledge and prudence ; thus do we reward
the righteous. His master's wife became amorous of
bis beauty, she one day sliut him into her chamber,
and solicited him with love ; God defend me, said
he, to betray my master, and be unchaste; he was
in the number of the righteous, and iied to the door;
liis mistress ran after him, and to stay him, tore his
shirt thjough the back , she met her husband behind
.the door, to whom she said, what other thing doth
he merit, who would dishonour thine house, than
to be imprisoned and severely chastised ? Lord, said
Joseph, she solicited me ; that infant which is in the
cradle said, if Joseph's shirt be torn before, she
.hath spoken truth, and Joseph is a Jiar: if the shirt
be rent behind, Joseph hath delivered the truth, and
she a lie : then her husband beheld Joseph's shirt
torn behnid, and knew that it was extreme malice,
and said to Joseph, take heed to thyself, and beware
this act be not divulged: do thou, speaking to his
wife, imphjre pardon for thy fault, thou art truly
guilty.
The women rtf the city said among themselves,
.tliat the rich man's wife was amorous of his slave.
and that she had solicited his love, and had erred
from the right way, which she undei standing, made
them an exceeding fair feast, and caused Joseph to
enter the parlour where they sat ; while they carved
their meat, they were so surprised, and entangled
with Joseph's beauty, that they, instead of carving
their meat, cut their linger. O God! said they, this
is not a man, but an angel : thea said she unto them,
beliold him whom I loved with so mucli passion : —
She another time importuned him to satisfy her de-
sire, and perceiving lliat he would not condescend
to her will, menaced him with the prison, and to
make him miserable. O God ! said Joseph, 1 had
rather be a prisoner than do what she desireth, de-
liver me from her malice, defend me from inclining
to her lusts, and from being in the number of the
wicked: his Lord heard his prayer, he understandetk
and knowcth all things. This woman seeing Joseph's
resolutiou, judged it requisite to imprison him for
some time ; he was put prisoner w ith two men, one
of which told him that he had dreamed that he
jnessed grapes to make wine; the other said, that he
dreamed that he carried bread upon his head, which
the birds did eat, they demanded of him the iuter-
prelatioii of their dream, because he seemed to be a
good man : he said to them, before you breakfast, I
will interpret your dreams. 1 will first tell you what
God hath taught me, and how 1 quit and abandon
the law of intidels, and embrace the law of our
fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob : we ought noi
to worship many gods ; such as believe in the imity
of God are endued with his grace, but few men give
him thanks. O prisoners! who hath more :power,
idols, or one sole God, who is omnipotent? The
gods that yc adore ar« but idols, whom ye and your
fatlrcrs call by such a name, as see^ietii good to you,
ye have no reason to worship them; God doth not
enjoin you this, he commanded you to worship him
alone ; this is tlie right way, but the greatest part of
the world of this are ignorant. O prisoners ! the
one of you shall give wine to drink to his master, the
other «hall be hanged, the birds shall feed on his
head,, the interpretation that ye have req-uired shall
be accomplished. He besought him that should be
saved, to remember him when he shordd be near to
his master, but ihe devil caused him to lose the re-
membrance of Josejiii, who remained prisoner the
space of nine years.
How many signs be there in heaven and eaith of
the uuity of God r yet the people believe not there-
in, and most of them adore idols; assuredly God
w ill punish tliem at an unexpected hour, and in time
which they know not. Say uuto them, Ikhold the
light way, I call to the way of salvation and light
such as follow me. I return thanks to God, for that
I am not in the number of unbelievers. We sent
aforetime none but men to instruct the people ; will
ALCOPxAX OF MAHOMET.
J81
not men consider what hath been tlie end of llie
\>ickcd that utie beiore them : Paradise is for them
that are righteous, will ye not be converted ? U'hey
caused the prophets to htse all hopes of their con-
version, and believed thetn to be liars ; but we pro-
tected thcni, and delivered iVom their malice such
as seemed good to us, notliing sliall exempt the
wicked from the pniiisiiment of their pains ; they
shall serve for exanij)]e to men of spirit. 'J he Al-
coran coiitaineth no blasphemies, it confirineth the
ancient scriptures, mid teacheth true believers liie
way of salvation.
"J'bese precepts arc the precepts of the book sent
to thee from the J,.ord ; it is a tiling most true, but
fe%v men iueiine to believe it. It is sent from God,
who raised heaven without a prop, and without a
•coluuiu, tliat appeareth and sitteth on his throne,
disposing all things. He causeth the sun and moon
to move, until the day appointed ; he disposeth all
things at his will, and nianifestelh to men the signs
of his omnipoteu'-y. Peradventure you will believe
in the lesurrcctioii of the tlenh. He it is that hath
eiiteiiiieii the earth, raised the niouiilains, caused tlie
nvers to tiow, who created all sorts of aniinals, the
male aud I'emale, and coveretli the day with the ob-
scurity of the night. These things are signs of his
unity to sucii as consider them. He hath created
nianv fields of divers sort.s, aud gardens tilled with
grapes, and many different fruits; he created date-
trees, thick as >;roves and forests, and others that are
scattered through the fields; some are mois-
tened with waters, and others have a more pleasing
taste.
Whatsoever is in heaven, and in the earth, the
shadow of the morning, the obscurity of the even-
ing, huiuble themselves before God, through force
or affection. >Sfy unto tKem, who is the l^ord of
heaven and earth, but God ? who, except God
shall protect you? Your idols can neither benefit,
nc)r hurt you : Js the blind like unto him that seeth
dearly 't I« darkness like unto light : Shall they adore
the creatures instead of the Creator.' God hath
created all things, and is omnipotent, he causeth
IT in to descend from heaven, and rivers covered with
foam,. to llow in the valleys. The gold, tlie silver,
■and metals, which ye melt to adorn and enrich
yourselves, are like unto froth. 'J'hus doth God
leach what is profitable and what unprofitable : Froth
suddenly vanishfth, and is of no utility to nieu; so
falsehood vanisbeth before truth. 'J'hus doth God
speak through a parable to them that t)bey him, and
giveth them paradise. All the riches of the earth,
and as nmch again, cannot raiMom the infidels, they
shall be eternally tormented m the fire of hell. —
W ho knoweth, that the truth contained in lliis book,
was not sent to thee from God ? He that doubteth
is bUnd, men of spirit do uot doubt. They who
satisfy what they promise to Ciod, who transgress
not his commandnK nts, who have his fear before
tlieir eyes, who a])preheiid the tlay of judgmeni,
who are patiL-nt in their atilictions for love of his
Divine Majesty, who make their prayers, at the time
appointed, v\ho give alms privately and publicly,
and blot out their offences with good works, shall
be blessed. They .shall enter into the garden of
]']deii with their fathers, tlieir wives and families ;
tlu; angels sliall visit them, salute them, and sav.
Behold the recompence of your perseverance, behohH
eternal grace. Such as shall swerve from their
promise, and disobey the commandments of God,
and pollute the earth, shall be accursed of God, and
severely chastised; he giveth and depriveth of
wealth, as seemeth good to him. The unbelievers
rejoice in the riches of the earth ; but those riches
are of little value, if they consider them of the other
woild.
"^ The chastisement of God is not f-jr remote ; de-
sire it not before its tiinii; ])raised be God, he hatli
no companion, he causeth the iingels to descend,
and sendeth his inspirations to whom it pleaseth
him ; pieach his pow er and the pains of hell to un-
believers ; there is no God but he, fear him, he
created the earth and the heavens, he is more pow-
erful than your idols, and created man of the mire
of the earth, nevertheless he is obstinate in his
pride p he created clean beasts for your use, you
draw Irom them great emolument and advantage,
to clothe and nourish yourselves ; ye see their beauty
when they feed, and when ye lead them to pasture,
they bear the burthen, and whatsoever ye will send
into cities, what ye cannot carry without theni,
but with exceeding great travail : God is gracious
and merciful tow aids you ; he created horses and
mules, and asses to bear you ; he created many
glorious things of which you have not knowledge.
He teacheth ihein the ri"ht way, who observe his
commandments; had it pleased him, he had guided all
into the way of his law. He sendeth you water
from heaven to take away tiiirst, and causeth plants
to bring forth, and trees that nourish your flocks :
he maketh ihc olive trees to produce, the date-trees,
vines, and all sorts of fruits. The.se things are argu-
ments of his unity, to such as consider them : he
created the night, tlie day, the sun, the moon, and
the stars, that move at his pleasure, these things are
signs of his omnipotency to them tliat are wise; he
created whatsoever is on earth of diver* colours,
kinds, and species; he created the sea, which al-
fordeth you fish, pearls, and other precious stones
to adorn you; thou seest how the ships sail upon
the waters, and divide the waves for the advantage
of commerce, peradventure you will give God thauks
for his favours.
He raised the mountains to make fiim the earth,
382
ALCORAN OF MAHOMET.
and to hinder it to move, he created the rivers and
established ways to guide you ; he made the stars to
conduct you by night upon the sea, and the moun-
tains to direct you in your way by day : Who but
he could have created what he hath made ? Will
you never consider it? It is not in your power to
keep account of your mercies, he is altogether gra-
cious and merciful, and knoweth the secrets of your
souls : The idols that ye adore can create nothing,
but are things dead, without motion, and know not
in what time the world shall rise again ; your God
is one sole God, such as believe not the end of the
woild, such as deny the unity, and boast of their
false belief, are abhorred of his Divine Majesty ;
•when they are interrogated concerning what God
haih inspired into Mahomet, they answered, that he
preached fables of antiquity, but they shall bear
their burden at the day of judgment, who have se-
duced them from the right w ay, and have not known
it. They that were before them were deceivers, God
overthrew their habitation*^ the ruins fell upon them,
and he chastised tliem when they least thought of
it ; he shall make them ashamed at the day of judg-
ment, and shall demand of them where be the idols
for which they disputed against true believers ? Such
as have knowledge of God's commandments as-
sure that shnnse shall be upon the foreheads of in-
fidels, and that the angels shall cause them to die,
because of the enormity of their sins.
They will say at the hour of death, that they be-
lieve in God, and are penitent for their faults, God
knoweth what they have done ; he shall command
them to enter into hell, where is the abode of the
proud : He shall command them who have his fear
before their eyes to enter the house of eternity, and
the gardens of Eden, wherein flow many rivers,
there shall they dwell eternally with the height of
their desire Shall the wicked continue in their sin,
until the angels cause them to die, or until the day
of judgment .'' Thus did their predecessors. God
xvas not unjust towards them, they drew mischief on
themselves through their iniquity; they were chas-
tised, and fell their punishment which they had dis-
jjised ; they have said, had it so pleased God, our
fathers and we had adored him : so spake their pre-
decessors.
The Lord inspired the bee to dwell in the fields,
to lodge in trees, in hives, and to eat of all sorts of
fruits, it produccth iuiney of divris colours, tl;at
serveth for a remedy to the diseastiii of men ; these
things nre signs of God's omnipotency to them that
consider them. God hath created you, and shall
cause you to die ; there be persons among you that
shall be full of ignominy in their life, to the end they
may lirnlcisSand that God is omnipotent, conferreth
benefits on some more than others. Slaves have no
part in the faculties of their masters, neither are
they associate with thein, nevertheless they associate
to God another God equal to him, and blaspheme
against his grace. God hath created you men and
women, hath given you children, and children to
your children, he hath enriched you with the riches
of the earth ; will you after this grace believe in
your idols, which are things inanimate, vain, and un-
profitable ? Will ye be ungrateful for the benefits
of God .'' Will ye worship what can neither benefit
nor hurt you ? Believe not that there is another
God, companion and associate with God ; he know-
eth what ye know not, he teacheth you a parable :
A slave that is poor cannot give alms, and he who
is rich giveth ;.lms secretly and publicly, as he seeth
good : are they both alike .? Ought they to be put
in parallel .?
Praised be God; certainly the greatest part of
men know not his graces, he teacheth you a parable:
Behold ! two men, the one was born deaf and dumb,
and given in charge to his guardian, he knoweth not
how to employ him, he is capable neither of doing
nor speaking well, is he like to him that speaketh,
that understandeth, teacheth men justice, that fol-
loweth the right way .'' Whatsoever is in heaven, or
on earth, appertaineth to God ; when he command-
eih any thing, it is performed in the twinkling of an
eye, yea, sooner ; he is omnipotent : He it is that
causeth you to come out of the womb of your mo-
ther, that giveth you hearing, sight, and sense ; per-
haps ye will return him thanks; see ye not the birds
that fiy in the air, who sustaineth them but God ? —
It is an evident sign of his omnipotency for the true
believers. He hath given you houses to inhabit, and
the skins and furrs of beasts to cover you, he hath
given you their hair, and wool, to furnish your
houses, and enrich you ; he created trees and clouds
to overshadow you ; made the mountains, and caves
to cover you from rain ; created garments to defend
you from the heat of the sun, and the rigour of
cold; he hath accomplished his grace upon you,
peradventure you will resign yourselves to the will
of his Divine Majesty, and profess his unity.
Zachary, the servant of thy Lord, remembered his
grace, when he in secret prayed to his Lord, and
said. Lord, my bones are become feeble, and mine
head is white with age ; Lord i was never rejected
in my prayers, hear my petition, give me a son to
succeed me, t'ut may be mine heir, heir of the line-
age of Jacob, : nd be pleasing to thee. O Zachary,
I declare unto thee, (hat thou shall have a son named
John, no man hath yet been called by that name :
He said. Lord, how shall I have a son, my wile is
barren, and I am too old ? It was answered him,
the thing shall be as I have said unto thee, it is easy
to thy Lord, who created thee. He said, Lord, give
me some sign of the conception of my wife ; he
said to him, thou shalt not speak for three nights. —
ALCORAN OF IMAHOMET.
S85
Tlien went lie out of his oratory, and made signs to
the people to make their prayers evening and morn-
ing. OJohn! learn tlie scripture «itii atFection ;
we from his inlancy gave him knowledge, clemency,
charity, piety, affection towards his father and mo-
ther, and not violence and disobedieilce. W'c blessed
the day of his nativity, the day that he shall die, and
the day that he shall rise again.
Keinember thou what is written of Mary, she re-
tireil towards lli!.- ; j.st, into a place far remote from
her kindred and t.>i'i: a veil to cover her, we sent
her our spirit in form r.f a man ; she was afraid, and
said, God will preserve me from thee, if thou have
liis fear before thine eyes; he said, O jNIary ! I am
the messenger of (jod thy Lord, v.ho shall give thee
a Sun, active and prudent : she answered, how shall
I have a son without the touch of man r I desire
not to be uhclKiite: he sai'l, the thing shall be as 1
have told thee, it is facile to thy Lord ; thy son shall be
a token of the omnipoteucy of God, and of his special
grace towards such as shall biiieve in his Divine
INlajesty ; she became with child, »nd retired some
time into a place remote from people, where she sus-
tained the dolours of child-birth, at the foot of a
date-tree, and said, why am I not dead .^ Wherefore
am I not in the number of persons forgotten? The
angel said to her, afflict not thyself; God halh placed
a brook under thee, shake the foot of this palm, and
the dates shall fall, gather them up, eat and drink,
and wash thine eyes, say unto them that thou shalt
meet, that thou fastest, and hast made a vow not to
speak to any one until thy fast be accomplished. —
Her parents met her while she bare her infant, and
said unto her, O Mary ! behold a strange thing; O
sister of Aaron, thy father did not command thee
to do evil, neither was thy mother unchaste : she
made signs to her infant to answer them ; they said,
how shall the infant in the cradle speak : then her
infant spake, and said, I am the servant of God, he
hath taught me the scripture, hath made me a pro-
phet, blessed me in all places, and commanded me
to pray unto him ; he hath recommended to me
purity through the whole course of my life, and to
honour my father and mother: he hath not made me
violent or malicious ; praised shall be the day of my
birth, the day that I shall die, and the day of my
resurrection.
Remember thou what is written of Enoch, he
was a just man, and a prophet, and we took him
up to an exceeding high place. God gave his
grace to these men, among the prophets of the
lineage of Adam ; among them whom we caused to
embark with Noah ; among those of the lineage of
Abraham and Israel ; and among those that we as-
sembled and guided into the right way. When the
miracles of the merciiiil were related to them, they
fell prostrate, and adored him with tears in their
eyes ; their posterity forsook their footsteps, aban-
doned the law, antl followed their own appetites;
but they shall be precijiitated into hell, except such
as shall be converted, and do good works, they shall
enter into paradise, and no injustice shall be done to
them, they shall enter into the garden of Eden ;
what the merciful God doth proniies is infallible ;
they shall hear nothing in paradise that shall dis-
please them, they shall hear the salutation of angels,
and morning and evening shall have what they de-
sire; such is the paradise that God giveth to his
creatures that have his fear before their eyes. 1 de-
scend not from heaven, but by the permission of the
Lord, he is master of our actions in heaven and
earth, and of w hatsoever is between them, he hath
not forgotten thee, worship him, and j)ersevere ia
thy adoration, kuowcst thou any person that is
named like him ? Man saith,' what shall 1 die and
rise again? He considereth not that God hath
created him of nothing ; I will one day assemble the
infidels and devils, I will cause them to appear at
the gate of hell upon their knees, and will cast upon
them all manner of misery, because they have in-
creased their impiety towards their Lord. I know
such as deserve to burn in hell, they shall be thrown
thither headlong, this is a most just .sentence pro-
nounced by the Lord. I will save the the righteous,
and forbid infidels to fall on their knees before idols.
W hen the unbelievers and many of the faithful
heard my commandments preached, they said among
themselves, that they were in a better way than
their neighbour ; how many have we destroyed be-
fore them in past ages, more rich than they, and
hypocrites like unto tiiem ? Say unto them, God
prolongeth the life of the erroneous, that they may
know their errors, and learn the knowlege of the
pains prepared for them; they shall understand who
shall be the most miserable, and who shall have
been most weak in their faith, and leafit affectionate
to the service of his Divine ^lajesty; God shall in-
crease their faith, who shall follow the right way;
and such as be obedient to him shall enjoy his
grace.
They say, certainly Mahomet hath dreamed what
he speakelli, he hath invented it, and is a poet, we
will not believe him, unless he shew some miracle,
as did the prophets that were befor-: "ui'Ti : we have
laid waste many cities, because ;!'cir inhabitants
were incredulous ; we sent before thee but men who
were inspired of us; enquire of them, to ahoni
heretofore was given the knowledge of thewi..,€U
law, if je know it not. They were men that did
eat and drink, and were mortal ; we effected what
we promised to them, we preserved them with such
as believed, and destroyed the incredulous; we have
sent you a book to instruct you, will ye understand
it ? How many iulidel cities have we made desolate ?
384
ALCORAN OF MAIIOISIET.
How many new people have we established in their
place r VViien they felt o\ir punishment, they fled ;
fly not, and return to what hath delighted yon, re-
turn into your houses, peradventure ye will yet co-
vet the riches of the earth: They said, misery is
upon us, we are to blame: Thus did they talk, until
they were destroyed. We have not created heaven
and earth, and whatsoever is between iheni to sport
with ; had it been our will that they should have
scoffed on earth they should scoff likewise in heaven.
On the contrary, I oppose the truth to falsehood,
to confound it, and in effect it doth confound it. —
Misery shall be upon you, because of your blasphe-
mies: whatsoever is in heaven and earth, is God's;
the angeis are not ashamed to worship him, they
praise liim day and night, and exalt his glory Mith-
out blasphemy. The infidels worship gods made of
earth ; have they power to crejte any thing : Were
there in heaven and in eartli another God, th«y would
not accord;, praised be God, Lord of the universe;
what the infidels relate is untrue. He asketh no
. counsel when he will do any thina:, as do men ; will
they worship any otlier God but him r Say unto them,
produce your arguments, behold what we hcive to
speak unto you, behold our reasons, and those of
our predecessors ; Certainly, the greatest part of
■ them are ignorant of the truth, and go astray. We
inspired into all the prophets which we sent, that
there was but one God that ought to be worshipped.
They said, believe ye that the angels are the sons of
God ? Praised be God ; on the contrary, they are
his creatures, he loveth them, they speak not but
after him, and obey what he commandeth them,
he knoweth all their actions past, and future, they
pray for no man but through his permission, and fear
to displease him. \\ ho among them will say, I am
God, instead of God? He shall be cast headlong
into the tire of hell ; thus do I intreat unbelievers.
Know they not that the heavens and the earth were
shut up ^ We opened them, and gave life to every
thing, through the rain which we made to descend;
will they not believe in my unity? We created the
mountains to hinder the earth to move, we made
.therein ways large and spacious for our creatures,
we covered it with the heaven, and have exempted
it from falling, nevertheless they despise our com-
mandment. There are those who dispute of the
Deity with ignorance, and follow the will of the
^levil, voluntary and obstinate: It is written, he
shall seduce them that obey him, and shall conduct
them into iiell. O ye people! If ye doubt the re-
surrection, consider how we created you of the dust
of the earth ; with a little water sprinkled upon the
dust, with congealed blood, and a little flesh en-
tirely, and not entirely formed. I form in the
wombs of women what seemeth good to me, at
j'.he time appointed. J cause you to come foith
children, then I give you life, and make j'ou to a r-
rive to the age of virility ; some die young, and
others live to extremity of age, to the end they may
learn to live well. Consider the earth, dry, dead,
and barren, when we shall cause rain to fall, it
shall change the face, shall prottuce and nourish
its fruits of all sorts, fair and pleasing : Because
God is truth itself, he raiseth again the dead, and is
omnipotent. There is no doubt but the day of
judgment approacbetl!, and that God v.ill cause the
dead to rise again. There be men that dispute of
God without knowledge, without reason, wiihout
authority, and go astray from the way of his law ;
they shall be full of ignominy and shame m this
world, and shall feel in the other, the pains of iiell.
God doth no injustice to his people. 'Ihere'.e who
adore him with scrupie, if good befal tliein, they
persevere to adore him ; if evil, they return to their
impiety, and lose the riches of earth, and the riches
of heaven : Th-ese two losses are exceeding great,
they invoke idols insjead of God; they invoke what
can neither befiefit, nor hurt them ; such prayers are
by ways, far remote from the conmiandments of
God ; they worship that which doth rather mischief,
than advantage tiiem.
Certainly God shall make the true believers, that do
good works, to enter into gardens wherein tlow many
rivers ; he doth what seemeth good to him. He
that is angry, that God giveth succour and protection
to Mahomet in this world, and in the other, let
him tie a cord to the beam of his house, and hang
himself; he shall see if his choler will be allayed.
God hath sent his Alcoran, as heretofore he sent his
other scriptures ; it containeth his commandments,
clear and intelligible ; it guideth into the right way
whom it pleaseth him : He at the day of judgment
shall judge the differences that are between the faith-
ful and infidels; between the Samaritans, the Chris-
tians, and idolaters ; he is omnisciCTit. Seest thou
not that all that is in heaven, and on .earth, the sun,
the moon, the stars, the mountains, trees, and beasts,
adore him i Many worship him with zeal, but many
likewise merit to be punished. ^
None shall esteem him whom God shall despise ;
he doth as seemeth good to him. These two con-
trary parties, the believers and the iiu'idels, have dis-
puted of the Diety ; but the infidels shall be encom-
passed with flames of hell, they shall have shirts of
fire, boiling water sliall flow hi upon their heads;
the fire shall burn what is in their bellies, and shall
roast their skin, they shall be beaten w ilh clubs of
iron; when they think logo out of this fire, they
shall €nter further into it, and be eternally tor-
mented. God shall cause the true-believers, that
have done good works, to go into gardens, V'herem
flow many rivers; they shall be adoiaicd with bruct-
lets of gold, and pearls; they shall be .clothed with ■
ALCORAN OF MAHOMET.
3y.>
silk, and enjoy eternal felicity, because they have
professed his unity ; and the infidels shall suffer
great torments, for thai they have hindered the peo-
ple to embrace the faith, and visit the tem])le of
Alecca, which God halh establisiied to be thereii^
adored by all the world : lie that shall be solicited
to visit it, and shall enter it, with design to return to
his impiety, shall be severely punished.
De[)art from the pollution of idols, beware of
bearing false witness, and be obedient to God. He
that saith, God hath a companion, is like to him
that fell headlong from heaven, whom the birds de-
voured, and the wind cast into a remote place, full
of miseries. He that siiall reverence the signs of
the power of God, will not doubt of his law, and
•shall be rewarded for his good works at the lime
appointed, if he visit the old temple of Mecca. We
have given to all nations of the world a law to ofter
their sacrifices, and to return thanks to their Lord
for having given them advantage above all sorts of
-beasts. Your God is one God, obey his command-
ments, proclaim a great reward to them that are
obedient to him, to them that tremble with fear
when they hear mention of his name, that are pa-
tient in tlheir adversity, that' pray at the time ap-
ipointed, and dispense in alms some part of the
weaUh that we have given them. V\ e have created
•the female camel for a sign of our unity, she shall
he profitable to you in this world. Remember to
pronounce the name of God when ye shall sacrifice
her, standing on her feet, when she shall fall dead
on the ground, eat of her flesh, if it like you, and
give to eat to such as shall require it. We have
made her subject to you ; peradventure you will be
thankful to me for this grace. God promotcth be-
fore him, neither the flesh of this beast, nor the
blood, but only the good works that ye perform. —
He hath thus subjected it, that ye mav exalt it,
and give him thanks for having guided you into
the right way. Proclaim to the righteous, that
God will remove far fr<nn them the malice of the
wicked ; he abhorreth traitors, and the ungrateful.
Declare to such as fight against infidels, to repair
the injury they have done them ; that God is suffi-
ciently powerful to protect them. \\ hen they were
driven from their houses without reason ; they said,
God is our Lord. Had not God stirred up the
people against each other, the convents of the reli-
gious, the churches of the Cliristi;u)s, the synagogues
of the dews, and the temples of the believers, had
been ruined,' through the multitude of the wicked
and their malice. The name of God is exalted in
the temple of believers, and therein is his law de-
fended and protected.
O ye that are true believers, follow not the foot-
steps of the devil, he will enjoin you to vice and
fiiu ; had not God gratified you with his mercy, not
0.6
any among yon should have been purged from that
imposture; but God purifieth whom he seeth good,
he hcarcth all, and knoweth all your inientions. —
The most rich and powerful auKuig you have not
sworn to do no good to their parents, the poor, or to
them that fight for the law of CJod, nevertheless
they do it not to them, and flee them ; desire they
not that God should pardon them ? He is neither
gentle nor |)itil'ul but towariis true believers. They
that accuse of immodesty, women chaste, innocent,
and faithful, shall be accursed iu this world, and
sluU suffer great torments at the day, when their
tongues, their hands, and their feet, shall testify
against them; shall God pay to them what shall be
due unto them w ithout injustice f and they shall
know that God is truth itself.
The wicked women shall speak as the wicked
men, and the wicked men as liie w icked women : —
The good women shall speak as the good men, and
the good men as the good women : the good are
innocent of the imposture of the wicked, they shall
enjoy the grace of God, and the treasures of para-
dise. O ye that are true believers! enter not into
another's house without permission, if ye salute ihem
that dwell there, ye shall do well ; peradventure ye
will be mindful , if ye find none of the house enter
not without permission, if they speak to you to re-
turn, ye shall return, it is better tiian to stay at the
door. God beholdeth all that ye do, ye shall not
offend God to enter into houses inhabited, if yo
have affairs there, God knoweth all your intentions.
Speak unto the true believers, that they contain
their sight, that they be chaste, that they do good,
and that God knows all their actions. Speak unto
the true believing women, that they retain their
sight, and that they be chaste, that they suffer no-
thing of their beauty to be seen, but what ought to
be seen, that they cover their bosom and their visage,
that they permit them not to be seen but by their
husbands, their children, the children of their hus-
bands, their brothers, their nephews, their sisters,
their women, the daughters, maid servants, and
slaves by their domestics, that are not capable ot'
marriage, by children that regard not the beauty
of women, and tliat they move not their feet, to
shew they are well shod. Implore pardon of God,
peradvenUire ye will be happy; many maidens of
your ow n religion, the daughters of the righteous,
or your slaves, if they be poor, God shall enrich
them with his grace, he is most liberal and omniscj-
ent. Such as have not means to marry, shall live
chastely until God hath given them means : Such as
have desired to marrj' their slaves, shall have power
to pass a contract of marriage, if they know them to
be wise, and shall give part of the wealth that God
hath bestowed on them, despise not your wives that
are chaste, to commit whoredom ; if ye desire good
E
385
ALCORAN OF MAHOMET.
in this v.'orld, if ye contemn them, God shall be to
them propitious and merciful ; we have scut to you
these precepts, clear and intelligible, like to theii)
that were tauglit your predecessors, to be preached
to tlie righteous : God illumiuateth the heaven and
the earth, as the lamp that is in the lanthorn of
chrystal, fed with oil of the blessed olive.
Those that believe not in the resurrection, have
said, the angels are not descended from heaven, we
have not seen God, they are become proud, and are
fallen into an exceedi!i<r great error, but the wicked
shall one day be without comfort, when they see
the angel, they shall cry, help, help ! We will set
before thine eyes all the sins that they have com-
mitted, the good works which they shall think to
have done, shall be like to dust, which the wind
carrieth away, and the blessed shall enjoy a most
certain good, they shall hear of nothing but what
concerneth them. Wiien the heaven and the air
shall divide themselves, and the angels shall de-
scend, then shall the truth appear, and the merciful
shall reign ; that day shall be tedious to infidels,
they shall bite their fingers, and say, would to Ciod
I had followed the prophet and his people! O
misery! Would to God 1 had not contracted amity
with such an intidel, he seduced me from the right
way, he hindered me to believe in the Alcoran
which God sent, certainly the devil hath tempted
men. Then shall the prophet say. Lord, such as
have followed me, have obeyed what is written in
the Alcoran, and infidels have rejected it, \i'e have
appointed an enemy among the wicked, to every
prophet of them that were before thee, but it suffic-
eth thee, that God guidelh thee. The infidels
have demanded, if the Alcoran was sent all at
once; I have so done to confirm the truth in thy
heart, I have sent it piece by piece, they shall not
shew thee any thing like unto it ; I have instructed
thee in the truth, clear and intelligible ; the incredu-
lous shall be confined in the fire of hell, and be
most miserable. Certainly we gave Moses the book
of the law, we sent with them his brother Aaron to
assist him, and said unto him, Go both of you, and
preach unto infidels, we will destroy them unless
they be converted. Such as believe in God, and
do good works, shall enjoy the delights of paradise,
and the wicked shall be chastised, according to their
demerits. Praise God, pray unto him evening and
morning, praise is due to him in heaven and earth ;
pray unto him before the sun set, and at the hour of
noon : He maketh the dead to come out of the liv-
ing, and the living out of the dead ; he causeth the
barren earth to revive, and grow green after its
death ; in like manner will he cause you to arise
again, and come out of your sepulchres ; it is a sign
of his omnipotency to have created you of earth,
to have given you flesh and bones, and to have cre-
ated the woman of the rib of the man, to dwell
v.ith him ; he hath commanded you to love mutually,
and to exercise charily among you, these things are
signs of his omnipotency to them that consider his
grace. The creation of heaven and earth, the di-
versity of tongues, the difference of your visages,
and of your colour, the night created for repose, and
the day for travel, the lightning that territieth the
people, and which through rain causeth the earth
again to flourish, are signs of his onniipotency : It
is a token of his omnipotency to sustam the heaven
and the earth ; ye shall come out of your sepulchres
when lie shall call you ; whatsoever is in heaven and
earth obey him ; he causeth men to die, and to rise
again ; he alone is God in heaven and earth, is om-
nipotent, and knoweth all things. He speaketh to
you in a parable, drawn from yourselves, your slaves ;
are they your companions ; Do they equally par-
take with you in the goods which God hath given
you.'' How then will je say, that God hath a com-
panion equal to him ? Thus do I unfold his mys-
teries to persons that have not knowledge to compre-
hend them ; certainly, the wicked have followed their
appetites with ignorance ; who shall guide him
whom God shall cause to err? He shall find no
p'otector ; embrace the law o.'' salvation, God hath
established it, that men may observe it; it admitteth
no alteration, but the greatest part of the world are
ignorant of it : Fear God, make your prayers at the
time appointed ; be not like to them that say, God
hath a companion; neither like to them that are at
present in the number of heretics, and were before
as ye are; every sect is pleased in his opinions,
when any evil befalleth them that call upon God,
and are converted : Nevertheless some of them re-
turn to their adolatry ; after the reception of his
grace, they are ungrateful, they shall a while be
tolerated, and in the end they shall, too late, under-
stand their error : Have we taught diem reason and
arguments, that prove that I have a companion ? —
The people rejoiced when we enlarged to them our
graces ; and became desperate when evil belel them ;
see they not that I give, and take away wealth, as
to me seemeth good. This is the token of my unity
to such as obey my commandments.
Give to your neighbour what appertaineth to him,
and particularly to the poor, and true believers, if
ye desire to see the face of God ; such as shall do it,
shall be blessed. The money which ye put to usury
increaseth in the hands of men, God shall not sufler
it to prosper; the aims which ye give shall make
you to see the face of his Divine Majesty, and shall
be doubly restored to you. God hath created you,
, he enricheth you, and causetli you to die and rise
again ; can your idols' do as much .? Praised be
God, he hath no compaifion ; disorder appeareth in
the earth, and iu the sea, because of the iniquities
CEREMOXIES OF THE MAHOMETANS.
S87
of men : pnracJventure they will be converted, when
thcj sliall I'oel punishment of their crimes : Say unto
them, go thruugliout liie earth, and consider the end
of your predecessors, the greatest part of them were
i(l^)lat()rs ; embrace the 'true law before the day
CDmetli whiii none shall be heard ;' that day sliall
the wicked be separated from the good, tlie impious
shall ;j,ive an actount of their inlpiety, and such as
shall live well, shall enjoy the joys of paradise, the
grace of God sliall be their recompense ; God ab-
horreth iytidels. It is a sign of his omnipotency ;
he sends the winds to bring you rain, and make you
taste the fruits of his grace ; the ship runneth upon
the water through his permission, lor the advantage
of your commerce; will ye not be thankful to hiui
for his benetits ?
There be ignorant persons that dispute of the
Deity \\ilh.ut reason; when it is said unto them,
do what God lialb appointed, they answer, we will
do what s\e saw done by otir fathers. They con-
sider not that the devil calleth them and their fa-
thers to lilt pains of bell. lie that obeyeth God,
and doth good works, fastcnelh him to the strongest
knot, and will have a care of him at the hour of his
end. The impiety of the wicked ought not to atHit t
thee, they shall be one day assembled in our pit-
sence, to be chastised ; I will shew them all that
they have done, 1 know what is in the liearls of
men, I will prolong a while their punishment upon
earth, and precipitate them in the other world, into
the fire of hell. Hast thou not demanded of them,
who created heaven and earth ^ They said, it is
God; say unto them, therefore, praised be God;
nevertheless, the greatest part of them are ignorant.
Whatsoever is in heaven and earth is God's, he
hath no want of the world, praise is due unto him
in all that he doth ; if all the trees of the world were
pens ; and the sea ink, they could not comprehend
the effect of his omnipotency, he is omnipotent, and
knoweth all things.
I'rom this abstract of the Alcoran it will appear,
that in many respects the Mahometans have been
grossly misrepresented, and indeed this has been
already taken notice of by lady Wortley Montague,
Picart, and several others. That it is a jumble of
morality and heresy, cannot be doubted, and, as
re.specting the sacred scriptures, we find truth and
falsehood mixed together, so it is not possible it
should be the w ork of one man ; nay, there must
have been many concerned in it, and those of oppo-
site sentiments. The errors relating to the Old
Testament are the traditions of the Arabians; for
as they were descended from Abraham, by Ishmael
his son, so they preserved many traditions, all which
■we find in the Alcoran; those parts which insist so
much on the unity of God, seem to have been com-
posed by Jews, who have always accused the Chris-
tians of worshipping three gods. The last part
whitli falsifies the history of the New Testament,
must have been written by the IS'estorians, and some
other Christian heretics.
The last observation to be made here is, that in
all the accounts we have of the state of established
religions, we iiiid morality injoined even in such as
have the most ridiculous ceremonies; the reason is
plain, because God has implanted so much fear in
the hearts of men, that they are ashamed of setting
up a complete system of immortality. The worst
sort of peoj)le we read of were the Adamites, in the
third century of Christiar.ity, but as Mr. Bayle says,
they were only a handful and soon dwindled away.
'Jims it is, with great caution we should read ac-
counts of the Turks by those travellers who have
had but few, if any, opportunities of seeing them.
They are not fond of writing, consequently they
never publish any thing concerning their religious
ceremonies. Few are permitted to go into their
churches or mosques, but notwitlislauding all their
caution, yet they sometimes will permit persons of
rank. Lady \V. Montague, was m one of them,
and Mr. Hanway held a conference with one of
their (triests. La Motte is very particular in describ-
ing their mosques, and Picart had the best inforina-
lion communicated to him, so that we have suffi-
cient materials to furnish a more full account of this
religion than has hitherto been published, and there-
fore we shall proceed to their ceremonies.
Ceremonies of the Mahometans.
Circumcision comes first to be considered, it be-
ing the first ceremony of a religious nature. They
seldom circumcise their children till they are six or
seven years old, but this any parents may dispense
with, for they sometimes baptize them at four years
old, and sometimes not till nine or ten.
The day of circumcision is a day of joy for all the
relations of the child. He is carried on horseback,
with kettle-drums and tabors sounding, dressed in
his best attire, followed by his scliool companions,
who pronounce aloud some passages of the Alcoran.
He is taken to the mosque, w here he is circumcised,
by cutting off part of the skin from the fore parts of
the privy members.
When a grown person is become a convert, he is
led out through the town on horseback, carrying in
his left hand a dart with the point tun'cd tovcards
him, signifying that he will be put to death if ever
he apostatizes from his new religion. However,
these ceremonies differ in different parts; for at Al-
giers, all the renegado Greeks are circumcised and
led about the town m the midst of a guard of bar-
388
CEREMONIES OF THE MAHOMETANS.
bnriaus witli drawn scimitars, to let tliem know
they are to be put in pain if they shew the least in-
clination to return to Christianity. Boys have a
name given them on the day of circumcision, but
this custom is like the other, subject to some varia-
tions. In Persia, the father gives what name he
pleases to his child as soon as born, holding him in
his arilis and presenting him to God, after he puts
salt in his mouth, and gives a name with a blessing.
When a child dies before circumcision, they break
the fore-finger before they are buried, and this they
imagine makes an atonement to God for the want
of the ceremony. Many of the Turks diSer in
their sentiments concerning the efficacy of circunj-
cision, some looking upon it as not absolutely ne-
cessary to salvation, while others entertain as strong
notions of its necessity, as the Roman Catholics do
of baptism. Others think this ceremony confers
grace and piety, and that God «ill not hear the
prayers of one that is not circumcised ; and yet, for
all these differences in opinion, they seldom dispute
concerning religion, which is much to their honour.
The Mahometans frequently adopt children, v hich
custom is in some respects almost universal over the
east. When the 'children of princes, and great lords
are born, the moment of their birth is kept very
secret, to avoid charms and witchcraft, and to pre-
vent the astrologers from casting their nativity, and
foretelling bad events. Nay, so blinded ar« they
with this senseless notion, that although they knov.'
that the astrologers cannot tell one circumstance re-
lating to themselves, yet they believe they have pow-
er over others. But the Mahometans are not the
only people who are biassed by frivolous fears and
ill-grounded hopes. When a child is adopted, his
nominal father takes oil his own shirt and makes the
boy pass through it, and this they call Akhrat.
\Yhether their childien are their own 6r only
adopted ones, they are at great pains in bringing
them up, so as to prevent all manner of deformity ;
for they have a notion t'lat a pure soul will not lodge
in a deformed body. This is the reason so few peo-
ple have any deformities in their bodies in Turkey,
•and their conduct in particular, ought to be attended
to by all those among us, who have the care of bring-
•ing up children.
• Polygamy, or the having a great number of wives,
being one part of the Mahometan religion, it is not
improper to observe, that in all those countries where
•it prevails, the people are far less numerous than
• %vhere one man has but one wife. The practice of
•polygamy diverts the minds of the parents from do-
ing that duty they owe to their children. It creates
jealousies among the women, and if the husband is
not of a tyrannical nature, he must be unhappy in
tili mind. To this may be added, that the favourite
women give some sorts of medicines to their rivals,
in order to make them miscarry.
Their marriase ceremonies are in high esteem
amongst them, but it is not celebrated by a pnest,
nor considered as an act of religion. They look
upon it in a civil light, which is the case in many
eastern nations. The parties go before the Cadi, or
civil judge, and the man declares that he has bound
himself to take the woman. This being done, the
Cadi repeats an exhortation to them and their rela-
tions, concerning the marriage state. The husband
instead of receiving a marriage portion with the
bride, gives her one, and this he js obliged to do be-
fore the judge. The wife promises to be obedient
to her husband, and then she is carried home in a
sedan, under a canopy, accompanied with relations,
friends, slaves, and music. It is reckoned among
the women, that they should be admitted at least
once in the week to their husband's bed, and on
failure of this, they may demand it on Thursday in
the week following, and even go to law about it
witli their husbands. If any are so bashful as to
neglect this public way of obtaining justice, they
endeavour to' find out some other way of recompens-
ing that loss. — When boys or girls are set free from
tuition, they are takeji before the judge, who asks,
" Whether the devil has jumped upon his body."
To which he replies, " More than once." The rea-
son is, they believe that the devil jumped upon oi»r
first parents in the form of a serpent, and first cre-
ated in tliem carnal desires.
-~The Mahometans are allowed to lay with their
female slaves, and here it must be observed, that
they may marry women of any religion, the tenets
of which are written. All the children, whether by
wives or slaves, equally inherit their father's sub-
stance, if by will or otherw ise the father has made
them free, for want of which the children of slaves.,
remain as such to the eldest son of the family.
They never marry their relations, unless they are
removed eight degrees, or generations. In order to
prevent divorces as much as possible, the husband
is not to take the woman again. When a husband-
accuses his wife of adultery, and does not prove it,
he is to be bastinaded. But notwithstanding this
strictness, yet there is a way to get over it. Thus
when there is neither proof nor witnesses, the hus-
band swears five times what he alledges is true, and
to the last oath adds a curse, wishing he may be
cursed by God and man if he lies. On the other
hand, the woman is believed if she swears as often,
and adds to the last oath a prayer, that God would
destroy her if her husband speaks the truth. This
method is of a horrid nature, for it opens a large
field for gross perjury, for both cannot he right.- —
If the adultery isfuUy proved, (he husband may put
CEREMONIES OF THE MAHOMETANS.
38»
lirr to deatli, uliidi is clone by sewing her up in a
sack full of stones; but they are so cautious in their
amours, that th.ey are seldom detected. As for the
adulterer, he is condemned to ride on an ass with
his face to the tail, havinu; on his head a crown of
t!ie guts of bullocks, and a neckcloth of the same,
and at last is bastinaded on the soles of his feet, and
on the loins. If a husband suspects his wife, and
she consents to part from him, he generally sends
her away peaceably, and indeed it very seldom hap-
pens that any of them are put to death.
A\ hen the grand seiiinior intends to marrv his
daughters to some of his meUj this is done from mo-
tives of jealousy, which the emperor conceives of
their power, and is frequently a prelude to iheir ruin.
Thus when he is apprehensive of the too great
power of a basiiaw, he makes him marry one of his
sisters or dnuiihters, mider pretence of doing him
more honour ; l)ut instead of being greater, he be-
comes the most abject slave to the pride and tyranny
of a woman, who treats liini like a footmim, yet he
dares not reprove, nor seem to undervalue this token
of bis master. He nmst devote himself wholly to
her, and renounce all other wives and slaves, who
niiglit be the means of leading oft' his affections. —
If lie has already a sweet-tempered wife, and child-
r-en by her, he is obliged to turn lliein <)u^ of his
fcouse, and every person who niiglit be displeasing
to his sultana, yet unknown to him.
If before the wedding she sends to ask him for
money, jewels, rich furs, or any thing else, he sends
them as presents with cheerfulness, or at least he
must seem to do so. He is likewise obliged to
settle upon her \yhat dowry the match-makers think
jiroper to appoint. 'Ihis dowry being stipulated
before a judge, he is led by two black eunochs to
the sultana's apartment, where lie thanks her for the
honour conferred upon him ; when he enters the
room she hastilv draws a daofser, and lianshtilv de-
maiids who made him so bold as to approach her.
He answers with 'the most profound respect, and
sliews her the grand seignior's orders for the wed-
ding. She then rises up, receives him mildly, and
allows him to entertain her with more familiarity. —
Then an eunuch takes his slippers, and sets them at
the door, as a token that he lias met »viih a favour-
able reception.
A few minutes after the bashaw makes a low bow
d-iwu to the gromid, and draiving buck, makes a
speech to testify how happy he thinks himself for
the honour she intends to do him. 'i'liis being over,
lie stands silent in an humljle posture, w ith his hands
across his breast, till she orders him to bring her
some water. He obeys readily, and knceiiiig before
her, presents her with a cup, prepared for the pur-
{vose. She then raises a red veil, embroidered with
gold and silver flowers, which had covered her face,
<2C>
and diinks. Her women immediately bring in a
low table, on whicli are set a couple of roasted
pigeons, and some candied sugar on a plate. The
gallant desires her to eat, which she refuses, till he
has made her some rich presents.
This he complies with, overcomes her modesty,
and sitting down to the table, she gracion.';ly receives
from his hand the leg of a pigeon, and having eat
some, she puts into his mouth a piece of sugar,
rises up, and returns back to her place. All the
company withdraw-, and leave the bashaw and the
sultana alone for the space of an hour, that he may
cronverse freely with her. Then his friends come
with instruments of music playing, and invites him
to the anti-chamber, where he spends the night w ith
them, in drinking and diversions. The sultana does
the same in her room with the ladies.
At break of day, the princess beincr ihed, pretends
to be sick, and goes to lay herself down in bed,
which is riclily made, being embroidered with gold,
and perfumed, and every way tit for the ceremony.
One of the eunuchs gives notice to- the husliand by
a sign, and introduces liim without noise to the bed-
chamber. He puts otf his upper garment, kneels
for some time at the foot of the bed, and the cere-
mony ends.
The mourning for the dead begins with such cries
and lamentations made by the women, as publisli
the death to the most distant neighbours. In
Africa, besides these customary cries and howlmgs,
they daub their faces with soot and oil, in which
much blacking has been steeped, then thirty or
forty women with dishevelled hair, and some of
them tearing and scratching their llesh with their
nails, or with iieedhjs, enter upon the necessary pre-
liminaries of a funeral. The custom of making
loud cries and lamentations for departed friends,
of rolling in tiie dust, or covering one's self with
ashes, is of great antirjuity in the east, and not
much altered among the inliabithuts of those coun-
tries, from what it was in the times of the patri-
archs. A long black cloak, with black clothes,
are the outward tokens of the sorrow of a child, a
brother, a husband, or a wife, or for the death of
parents.
Widows mourn longer for their husbands, and
this is complied with Avhether the sorrow be real or
feigned, in the same manner as y\o frcquep.tly see
those whom we meet in a church, on some solemn
occasion, seemingly praying and repenting to all out-
ward appearance, with much contrition and marks
of piety, lest they should be considered as Atheists,
We are told by Thevenot, that those Turkish wo-
men give over crying, when there are no witnesses
of their tears, being hired for that purpose: which
is the same as we have already taken notice of
anions the Greeks. The mourning lasts several
390
CEREMONIES OF THE MAHOMETANS.
days, and if he was a person of rank, it is renewed
annually for several years to;^ether.
I;i order to prepare for the burial, the corpse is
washed and shaved; frankincense is burnt about it,
to expel the devil, anil other evil spirits, vvliich, as
the Mahometans and several other people believe,
rove about and hover over the dead, as much and
as frequently as about the living. This part of the
ceremony being over, the body is put into a burial
dress without scams, that it may, as they pretend,
kneel with. less difficulty, wlrenitisto be examined
in the grave ; for they believe, that when it is inter-
red, an angel is sent to examine it.
The coffin is covered with a pall, preceded by
several Imams, of whom more afterwards, who
pray, and are followed by the relations and friends of
the deceased, with the women who lament and shed
tears. At t!ie grave, the corpse is taken out of the
coftin and put into the ground, and the women stay
there to cry. They make a difference between the
graves of the Persian Mahometans, and those in
Turkey; for in Persia, a board is put over it slant-,
in^, so that one .end of it touches the bottom of the
grave, and the other leans against the top of it. — ■
The Turks place a stone at the head of the corpse,
for the convenience of the angels, who are to exa-
mine the deceased, and this civility they believe, will
make them more indulgent.
The palls are difierent, and the coffins variously
adoriied, according to the state and condition of the
deceased, to distinguish him as a priest, a soldier,
rich, or poor. All their burial places are near the
joads, to put travellers in mind to offer up their
prayers for the dead, for which they will obtain a
bles.sing. For this reason, those who build a bridge,
or some other public sfru.cture, from motives of
charity, are also buried in or near them. So many
large stones are set up in some of their burying
j>laces, that towns might bfe built of them. After
tiie funeral, the friends of the deceased come several
days successively to pray at the tomb, beseeching
God to rescue him from the torments of the black
angels? and calling the dead by his name, say unto
liim, "Fear not, 'but answer them boldly." On the
Friday following, whicli is the sabbath of the Ma-
hometans, victuals and drink are set down at the
grave, and any person going past, may partake of
them. This custom of setting down victuals at the
graves is very ancient, for we meet with many in-
stances of it in scripture.
The Persian Mahometans have strange notions,
namely, that the angel who presides at the birth of
children, mixes some earth with the matter of which
they are formed, and introduces it into the mother's
■womb at the instant of conception ; from whence
tliey conclude, that every one must endeavour to
die in the same place from whence the angel took-
that earth. But they have a more rational custom
founded on principles of humanity, which is, tli:it
whoever meets a funeral procession must ji»in i!ie
comj>any till the corpse is interred. The same Per-
sian Malionietans have relaiued in their mournings,
the ancient ceremony of tearing tlieir clothes to tes-
tify their grief; and what is much more connneiid-
able, they give alms seven days together. But, for
the satisfaction of the reader, we shall point out the
dirferences between the Ptrsian and Turkish Maho-
metans in their funerals, for the Mahometans have
been for many years divided into two parlies. Thus-
the Turks say there is only one prophet, whereas
the Persians admit of two. AH, the son-in-law of
Mahomet, is considered by the Persians as a great
prophet, and the friend of God ; for uhen the con-
fess their faith, they say, " There is but one God,
" Mahomet is his prophet, and Ali is his friend." —
On the other hand, the Turks say, " There is but
" one God, and Mahomet is his friend." Mr. Han-
way heard criminals in Persia repeat the first of these
confessions at the place of execution, and they re-
peated no more.
At the first signs of an approaching death, lamps
are lighted up, and set on the terrace, or flat .roof
of the house, and this puts the neighbours in mind
to pray for the sick person. Imams, who in Persia,
are called moilas, or priests, are sent for; they
preach repentance to him, mentioning such sins as
they imagine he has been guilty of. To each sin
hientioned, lie answers I rej.ent, and when he has
lost his speech, the Alcoran is read by his bedside,
till he gives up the ghost. This is soon testified to
the whole neighbourhood, bv excessive outcries and
lamentations. The relations and other friends,
rend their clothes from the neck to the girdle, tear
off their hair, scratch their faces, strike their breasts,
and shew all the signs of sorrow and despair, but
ihc women exceed all bounds of moderation in their
grief, with a mixture of long complaints, and af-
fecting speeches, addressed to the deceased.
As soon as the person's breath is departed, a mes-
senger is sent to inform the cadi, or judge, that such
a person is dead. The message is delivered to the
judge's porter, who says to the messenger, " May
your head be sound, and goes to the judge to get
him a sealed piece of paper, by which he gets leave
to have the body washed. The paper costs nothing,
but the porter who delivers it has some perquisite,
more or less, accorins to the rank and abilities of
those who desire it. 7'his paper is carried to the
mandahour, or body-washer, which is an office he
alone can enjoy, nor can any perform it but himself,
or some others appointed by him. The design is to
know exactly what number of persons have died, and
CEREMONIES OF THE MAHOMETANS.
391
of what diseases, which office is necessary in all coun-
tries, lest any should be taken off in a violent man-
ner, and tiie delinquent not broiiglit tw justice.
'Ihe niaudahour sends nun to wash the corpse of
men, and women to wash llie women ; the v asher
takes olt the clothes from the corpse, and receives
them as his perquisites, for no one can touch a dead
body, without being defiled. In every town there
are washing places, situated in the most distant parts
of"it> Ispahan, for instance, being divided into two
parts, has two niaiidaliours, and amongst tiieir wash-
ing places is one very largo, in a back court of the
old mosijue, twenty steps under ground. This cere-
mony of washing in those places is only for the
poor, for the rich are washed at home, in a bason,
covered with a tent, lest any one should see the
corpse. When it is washed, all tlie openings are
carefully stopped up with cotton, to keep the nox-
ious va]iours within it.
This being done, the body is put into a new linen
cloth, on which those who can afford it cause some
passages of the Alcoran to be written. In the reign
of Abbas II. Sarontaky, the grand vizer, was mur-
dered, and the linen wrapped round his corpse had
the whole of the Alcoran wrote upon it with gum.
But to return to the common buryings.
The body being washed, is placed in a remote
part of the house, and if it is to be carried to a.
distant burving ground, ihey put it in a wooden
coffin filled with salt, lime, and perfumes, to pre-
serve it. No other embalming is used in the east,
nor do they take it out, for that practise seems to
them unclean and barbarous. Persia being a hot,
dry country, tiie bodies are soon put into their cof-
fins, otherwise it -would never be possible to do it,
because they swell immoderately high in eight or ten
hours. Their funerals in Persia are not attended
with much pomp. A niulla brings the coffin from
the next mosque, but it is only an ill-contrived,
clumsy box, made up of three boards, with a cover
that turns by a peg. The corpse is put into it, and
if the deceased was poor, it is carried off without
any farther ceremony. 'I'lie bearers only go with it,
very fast, and almost miming, pronouncing slowly
the words, Alia, Alia, that is, God, God. But it
is very different with the rich.
In the funeral of a person of quality, the ensigns,
or banners of the mosque are carried before the j
corpse. They are long pikes of different sorts;
some have at one end a liand of brass, or copper, '
which is called the hand of Ali, others have a half i
moon, others the names of Mahomet, of his daugli- I
ters, and of his first twelve lawful successors, done i
in cyphers. There are still more poles carried, at
the tops of which are fixed some brass or iron plates, I
about tliree inches broad, and three or four feet }
long, but so thin, that tlie-least breeze of wiud makes '
them bend. To them are tied long slips of taffety,
w hich hang dow n to the ground. These bearers are
followed by five or six horses, with the arms and
turban of the deceased.
Behind the Alcoran is carried, divided into thirty
parts, all wrote in long characteis, each letter being
an inch big. Each of the great mosques have su( li
an one, aud these parts are can ied by ihe young
students who are bringing ujj for the priesthood. —
They read it aloud, and so quick, that the whole is
read over before they come to the grave.
At tlie funerals of women, a pall supported by
four sticks is placed over the coffin, and these are
their highest forms of splendour at funerals. The
neighbours, or servants of the deceased, carry the
corpse, uo bearers being appointed to perform that
last duty. They do not bury any in their juosques,
for although the bodies are cleansed and purified,
yet every thing they touch is considered as defiled.
In small towns in Persia, the burying grounds arc
on the sides of the highways without the gates, to
afford a moral instruction to the living ; but in great
towns situated on a dry soil, several of these repo-
sitories of the dead are to be seen, so that we find a
vast difference between them and the Turkish Ma-
hometans. The graves are smaller in Persia than in
other countries where the Mahometan relision is
professed, bemg only about two feet broad, six in
length, and four deep. On the side next to, Mecca,
they dig a slanting vault, which is as long 'and as
broad as the lirst grave, and into lliis they thrust
the corpse without a coffin, with the face to-vards
the place where Mahomet w as born, and place two
tiles to cover the head from the earth, when the
grave is filled up. If the deceased was rich, or a
warrior, his turban, bow, and quivers full of arrows,
are all placed beside him, aud the vault is plastered
up with tiles. The Sahicds, who pretend to be de-
scendants of ^lahomet, have no earth thrown upori
them, llieir graves are only covered w ith a stone, or
biick, or that sort of hard brown marble known in
Persia.
At the end of each, tomb-stones are erected, with
a turban, if it is a man's grave, but plain if a wo-
man's. 'I liese tomb-stones ought not to exceed
four feet in height, though commonly they are not
above two. The inscriptions ou them do not declare
the names or qualities of the deceased, but consist
of some verses out of the Alcoran. The common
people begin to visit the grave at the end of eight
days, particularly the women, who seldom fail ; the
burying grounds are most com.Tionly full of them
from morning to evening ; for no sooner do some go
away, than others return in their room. On some
particular fesiivals they bring their children along
with them, and lament the loss of their friends with
cries aud tears, beating their breasts, teanug their
392
CEREMONIES OF THE MAHOMETANS.
hair, sciafcliiiig their faces, and repeating several
discourses they heretofore had witii the deceased. — •
Every now and then saying, " SonI, spirit, Vihither
art thou gone ? ^^lly do not you animate this body ?
And you corpse, what occasion had you to die ? —
Did you want gold, silver, clothes, or tender treat-
* meut f" Sometimes they are comforted and led
away by their friends, and sometimes they leave
cakes, fruits, and sweetmeats, as an offering to the
angels, guardians of the graves, to engage them to
be favourable to tiie deceased.
People of quality generally bury their relations
near the tombs of some of their saints; for the
ISIahometans have saints as well as the liomau Ca-
tholics. Tliey are seldom carried to Mecca, that
being at too great a distance, but are interred near
the sepulchre of those who vere the disciples of
Ali, the great propiiet of the Persians, but some of
them are at a vast distance.
Whilst they prepare themselves for tliis long jour-
ney, the coffin is put into some great mosque, where
■vaults are made for that pur|iose, whicli are walled
up to keep the body from being seen, and they do
not take it out till every thing is ready to carry it
off. The Persians believe that such corpse suffer
no alteration ; for, say they, before they putrify, they
must give an account to the angels, who stay at the
grave to examine them. The funeral procession
never goes through a town, for this would be a bad
omen, as they think. "The dead must go out, but
not come in."
The mourning lasts forty days, but none of the
mouniers wear black clothes, for that is looked upon
as a devil's colour, and a hellish dress. Loud cries
and lamentations, whether feigned or real; sitting as
if they were almost d«ad, with a brown gown, or
one of a pale colour; fasting eight days, as if they
were to live no longer; but durmg tins mournful
time, some of their friends come to comfort them.
On the ninth day, the men go to the bagnio, have
their heads and beards shaved, return their visits at
the sepulchre, and then the moin';ing abroad ends,
but at honre the cries are renewed more than twice
a week, particularly on the return of the day when
the person died. Their cries gradually decrease till
the fortieth day, x^hen they utterly leave them, and
the deceased is seldom more heSrd of. This, how-
ever, is only the case with the men, for the womeg
are not so easily comforted, the state of widowhood
in the east bemg generally for life. The motives
for consolation alledged by the Persian Mah^ iietans
on the death of friends or relations are rstional, and
grounded on the Uest principles of philosophy. —
They compare this life to a caravan, or company
of travellers, all come at last to the caravancera or
inn, yet some arrive soon and others laie. In sup-
i_s.ort of this notion, we have a most beautiful story
in one of the Persian historians, which Mr. Addboti
has inserted in the Guardian.
A caravan happening to stop one evening at a
town in Persia, where u deputy prince had his pa-
lace, an aged dervice, a sort of Mahometan monk,
having by mistake gone into the palace instead of the
caravancera, or inn, laid himself down to rest.- ■
He was soon discovered by the guards, who took
him before the prince. The prince, with all the va-
nity of pn eastern sovereign, asked him how he could
have the assurance to come into his palace. The
dervice modestly replied, I thought it was a cara-
vancera, but if not, be so good as tell me what it is,
for 1 did not mean to offend .?
It is my palace, (said the prince :) And whose was
it before you got possession of it .'' (said the dervice)
The king's my father. And w'liose will it be after
your death ': Undoubtedly it will go to the prince
my son. Ah sir, added the dervice, that palace,
which so often changes its master, may well be con-
sidered as a caravancera.
Such are the funeral ceremonies of the Turks in
general, and likewise of the Persian Mahometans.
We may discover in both many mirks of hea-
thenism and Judaism, nay, some of them seem to
have descended from the patriarchal ages. But that
is not the topic we would now insist on, it is of a far
more important nature, namely, why so much ho-
nour shewn to the deceased, and why so mean as
to employ feigned mourners when no real ones can
be found .? It is not yet one bundled and sixty
years since a sovereign prince in Europe, at the
funeral of his father, refused to put on black, and
the reason he assigned was, that he was not a hired
but a real mourne'. But as for (h& first, the respect
shewn to the deceased has been already treated of in
the course of tins work, namely, that it inspires
sentiments of humanity, because the deceased bore
the image of God.. But the second, why hire arti-
ficial, nominal, disinterested mourners i* Tli» an-
swer is obvious.
There is a strong propensity in man, to appear
superior to what he really is. Thus it frequently
happens that men make provision fv)r the inttrnient
of their bodies in pomp and splendour, who never
paid any regard to their iinr.iortal souls. The in-
genious herald may deck the hearse, and adorn it
wilh the noblest atchicveinents; the undertaker
may, in the most solemn pomp, convey the body
to the clay cold grave, a funeral oration may be
lepealed, setting forth the deceased as one of the
most exalted characters of the human race, while
the soul itself, the grand immortal part, is standing
before an awful tribunal.
Vain waste of praise, since flatt'ring or sincere,
The judgment day alone will make appear.
CEREMONIES OF THE MAHOMETANS.
ss?
Tliere are no books in the world tell greater truths,
or greater lies, than tomb-stones.
Abotit forty-seven years ago, a very ricli man was
buried, who had committed every crime that degene-
rated nature was capable of, and t!ie inscription on
his tonib-stone makes him rather more tlian a saint.
A hidy of high rank, and the groat grandmother of
a noble and virtuous duke lately deceased, died, and
was buried the same week, and on her tomb-stone
IS notlinig but her name and age.
Let all just respect be shewn to the bodies of our
friends and fellow-creatures, but let us never tell God
idle talcs. Let funerals be conducted with such
decency as shall make an impression on the minds
of the spectators, but let ns never run info those ex-
tremes, which are first absurd, and then ridiculous.
Besides these two general divisions of the Maho-
metans, there are several smaller sects who are con-
sidered as heretics. These are numerous, l)ut they
I"''- may be distini^uished into two sorts ; the orthoilox
and the iieretical. The former are c:dled by the
general name of Sonnites or Traditionalists, because
they acknowledge the authority of the Sonna, or
collection of moral traditions of the sayings and ac-
tions of their prophet.
The Sonnites are subdivided into four chief sects,
y\z. 1. The Hanifites, 2. The Malekites. 3. The
Shaffeites. 4. The Hanbaliles.
The heretical sects are those which hold hetero-
dox opinions in fundamentals, or matters of faith.
The tirst controversies relating to fundamentals be-
gan when most of the companions of Mahomet
Avere dead : for the continual <,Mnployment of war,
during the infancy of this religion, idlowed the Arabs
little or no leisure to enter into nice inquiries, and
subtle distinctions. But no sooner was the ardour
of conquest a little abated, than they began to ex-
amine the Alcoran a little more nearly : whereupon
differences iu o))inion became unavoidable, and at
length so greatly nudliplied, that the number of
their sects, according to the conimon opinion, was
seventy-three.
These several sects were compounded and dis-
compounded of the opinions of the four chief sects,
viz. 1. The ^Fotazalcs. 2. The Safatians. 3. The
Kharejites. 4. The Schiitcs.
The Motazales were subdivided into several infe-
rior sects, amountin'g, as some reckon, to tv.euty,
which mutually charged each other with infidelit}" :
the most remarkal)le of these were,
«, 1. The Hodeilians. 2. The .labaians. 3. The
Hashemians. 4. The Nodhamians. 5. Tlie Hay-
etians. 6. The Jahedians. 7. The Mozdarians.
8. 'Hie Basinnians. 9. The Thamamians. 10. The
Cadarians.
The chief sects of the Safatians were, 1. The
Ascharians. 2. The Moshabbehites. 3. The Kera-
miaus. 4. The Jabarians. .'i. 'I'lie IVIorgians.
The most remarkable among the sects of the
Kharejites were, 1. The Waidians. 2. The Schiite.s.
The principal sects of the Schiitcs were five in
number; the most remarkable were, 1. The Gho-
laites. 2. The Nosairians.
These are principal sects into which the profes-
sors of Mahomctauism were very soon subdivided.
Innumerable other sects have since sprung up
amongst theni, which it would be tedious to enu-
merate.
As success in any project seldom fails to draw in
imitators, Mahomet having raised hin)sclf to such
a degree of power and reputation by acting the pro-
phet, induced others to imagine they might arrive at
the same height by the same means. His most con-
siderable competitors in the prophetic oftice wore.
Moscilania, and Al Aswad. Moseiiania })retended
to be joined in commission with Mahomet, and pidj-
lished revelations in imitation of the Alcoran. Dur-
ing the few months which Mahomet lived after the
setting up of this new imposlnre, Moseilama grew
very formidable : but Abu Beker, Mahomet's suc-
cessor, sent an aiinv against him ; and the false pro-
phet was slain in battle, and his followers dispersed.
Al Aswad set up for himself the very year before
Mahomet died ; but a party sent by Mahomet, broke
into his house by night, and cut off his head. The
Mahometans call these two false prophets the two
liars. Arabian history furnishes us with a great
number of other such impostors, who have arisea
at different times since the establishment of Maho-
nietanism. '
The extent of the Mahometan religion is very
great, as will ap])car from the nations atjd princes
professing it. 'I'here are,
In Europe. The Turks. The Cham of the Criai
Tartars.
In Asia. The Turks. Tlie Arabians. The Per-
sians. The Great Mogul. The kings of Visapour,
Golconda, and Malabar. The Great Cham of Tar-
tary. Tbe kingdoms of Sumatra, Java, and the
Maldives.
In Africa. The Turks. The people of Tunis.
Tripoli, &c. On the coasts of Barbary, the kings
of I"ez and Morocco.
Here we are to take notice, that, excpj)ting the
grand seignior, the king of Persia, the Arabian
|)rinces, and the Cham of Tartary, all the rest have
Pagai/idolators for their subjects in general ; Maho-
nietanism being professed only by the princes and
great men. ll has been said, Init wc will not vouch
for the calculation, that if we divide the known re-
gions of l!ie world into thirty equal parts, tiie Chris-
tians will be found to be in potsessiou of five, the
'-0
J c
'^4
CEREMONIES OF THE MAHOMETANS.
Mahometans of six, and the idolaters of nineteen.
So that (he Mahomctau religion is of somewhat
greater extent than 'the Christian.
This however, is no proof of its authenticity,
seeing Paganism, even of the grossest sort, prevails
over many more nations in the universe than Chris-
tianity and Mahometanism put together. If the
truth of any religion was to be judged by the num-
ber of its professors, then the following things would
be established.
First, Cod did injury when he destroyed the old
world ; for they were all of one opinion except
Noah and his family.
Secondly, God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah,
there being but three persons saved ; and all those
destroyed were of one opinion, and guilty of one
abominable practice.
Thirdly, the Jews were a handful of people com-
pared with the rest of the w orld, and yet tiiey were
ihe chosen people of God
Lastly, when the apostles preached the gospel,
all the world, except the Jews, where heathens.
In all these religious sects, the Mahometans use
the same religious ceremonies, but they observe dif-
ferent festivals, as will appear afterwards. At pre-
sent we sliall only take notice of their priests, whom
they call Imams. 'Hie Imam is the head of their
congregations in their mosques. The word signifies
leader, or governor, and is applied likewise, by way
of eminence to him, who has the supreme authority
both in respect to spirituals and temporals. There
are subordinate Imams in each town, who represent
the chief Imam, but only with respect to religion.
^\ hen the Imam of the Mussulman religion is men-
tioned w ithout distinction, it is always restrained to
the rightful and lawful successor of Mahomet, the
fountain both of secular aiid sacred jurisdiction. —
The caliphs took the title, and performed the func-
tions of the Imam, and were so zealous of this cha-
racter, that sultan Almamon, coming one day into
a mosque, took it ill, because a private person read
the public prayers, looking upon it as an encroach-
inerrt upon his authority.
'1 lie Mahometans are not perfectly agreed con-
cerning the dignity, and some of the circumstances
of this office. Some hold the Imamate to be settled
by divine right, like the Aaronical priesthood, in one
family; others think it is not so unalterably tied to
genealogy and descent, as to hinder its passing from
one family to another; and they say, that an Imam
may be deposed for vicious conduct, and his ofKce
conferred on another. The Schiites, or disciples
of Ali, maintain, that this privilege belongs to the
family uf Ali, exclusive of all others, Ali being sole
heir to Mahomet.' Hence they own no person for
the head of religion, who cannot prove his descent
in a right line from this first Imam. There are
Imams belonging to particular mosques, who are in
the nature of our parisli-priests. They officiate in
the public liturgy, in which they pray for their
prince, and make a sort of harangue to the people.
One of the functions of the caliphs was, to execute
the office of Iftiam, every Friday in the chief mosque,
where he resided ; and, when he could not officiate
himself, he delegated some person of distinction.
The supreme head of the Turkish clergy is the
Mufti, who resides constantly wherever the grand
seignior keeps his court. He is in Turkey what the
pope is among Roman Catholics, with some parti-
cular dilTerences. Tluifi the pope will not acknow-
ledge himself subject to any power whatever, where-
as the Mufti, under the grand seignior, considers
himself no more than the second person in the em-
pire. Again, when they are consulted concerning
cases of conscience, the Mufti gives his opinion in
a very modest manner, accompmiied with this re-
striction, " God knows what is best," a sure proof
that he does not esteem hin)self, nor is he esteemed
by others as infallible. On tlie other hand, every
one knows that the pope pretends to infallibility, and
Roman Catholics believe he is so.
The Mufti has great authority in the grand coun-
cil of the empire, or, as it is called, the divan, and
great regard is paid to what he says. The Persian
Mahometans had likewise tlieir high-priest in former
times, whom they called Sedre, an Arabic word,
which signifies the inward part of the body, but
was used by them as a term of high dignity, and he
was the supreme judge in all ecclesiastical affairs in
Persia, and even of such civil causes as had any con-
nection with religious ones ; but that office lias been
abolished some time on account of the wars that
have long raged in Persia.
The mosques in Persia and Turkey, are very
like our parish churches, and the Imams are in the
manner of our priests or clergy, but as has been
already observed, there are different orders of them.
They say their prayers aloud at the appointed times ?
and every Friday they read some verses of the Al-
coran ; sometimes they preach, which consists origi-
nally of exhortations to obey every thing in the Al-
coran, but now they divide their subject in the
same manner as the clergy do with us. But preach-
ing in Turkey is not confined to the clergy or
Imams, for on some grand festival, the Hodgians,
who are doctors and lawyers, likewise preach; as
the Mahometans do not distinguish so much as we
do between the church and state.
With respect to their monks, they are extremely
numerous, some of ihem living in convents, and
others in lonesome solitudes to be still more retired
from the world, abstaining from all sensual plea-
sures, profound enemies to faction, and seemingly
dead to many of the pleasures of this life. They
CEREMONIES OF THE MAHOMETANS.
S05
»re generally called dervices, which word in the
Persian laiimiasc literally signifies a very pom man. '
They are allowed to marry, and may leave iheir or-
ders whenever they please, which is more than is
granted to the Christian moidvS.
The Mahoinc'ans assign a reason for this part of
their conduct, in "1 anting such an indidgcnce to
the monks, which does them the higiiest honom',
namely, ihat men ;ire too inconstant to '.eniain long
in the same dispositions. Had the Romish clergy
attended to this, they would not have been charged
witli so many crimes as have been imputed to them.
!Mcn were formeii for society, and it is inconsistent
with nature that the other sex sliould be separated
from them.
The chief dervices are called Mavelovites, who
profess patience, humility, moderation, and cha-
rity. There are several degrees of them, and the
lower observe an exact silence before the superiors,
with eyes cast down, the head leaning on the breast,
and bending their bodies forward. They \\ear the
coarsest shirts, and the most austere have none, but
put next to their skin a brown waistcoat of woollen
cloih, which reaches below the calf of their legs. —
This stuff is made at Cagna, in Natolia, the place
where the chief of the order resides. They some-
times button this vestment, but more frequently
walk with it open to the waist, where they tie it
about them with a leather girdle; and to shew their
fidelity to God, and appear more holy than others,
they mark their bxeast with a hot iron, and practise
many other austerities, too numerous to be des-
cribed.
There is no doubt but they believe that such aus-
terities are more likely to gain the favour of heaven,
than the most fervent prayers of other ^lahometans,
who are regular in their lives, and modest in their
dress, without singularity. But to go on with the
deception of these Turkish monks, who swarm in
vast numbers, particularly in Asia, and who are less
or more esteemed according to the notion the people
form of their sanctity.
Their shoulders are usually covered with cloth,
their heads with a whitish cap of camel's hair, in
the form of a sugar-loaf, but has some resemblance
to a turban, from the line wrapped round it, and
they go bare-legged. Although dervice is the general
name given them, yet we lind they are divided into
many classes, each of which has some name to dis-
tinguish it by.
The first of these are called Santons, and are a
most \\ retched body of men. They go bareheaded,
and with naked legs, half covered with the skin of
a bear, or of some other wild beast, without sliirts,
havinjj only leather girdles round their waists, from
which hangs a bag. Some of them have about their
bodies a piece of copper, in the form of a serpent,
bestowed upon them by their doctors as a mark o'
their learning. In seiUiments they are a sort of
libertines or epicureans, and are dangerous to all
societies, whether religious or civil ; for they pretend
that all actions are indifferent, which opens a wide
entrance to the greatest disorders. I'hey carry irt
their hands a kind of club, as our mountebanks do
their lods, and indeed they are no better than quacks,
and cheats, for they sell relics to bigots, such as the
hair of Mahomet, and frequently pieces oficarth,
said to be brought from Mecca.
Another order of these dervices are called Edhe-
mites, but these are only to be found in Persia,
cliictly in the province of Chorazan. Tliey lead a
hard mortified life, and fancy themselves illuminated,
their minds being heated by their austerities. Such
fanatical notions may be found in other climates, as
well as in hot countries. However, this much is
certain, that in all countries we find men who are
willing to be esteemed more religious than others.
They never begin public prayers among the Ma-
hometans, without fust purifying themselves, nor do
they enter a mosque without pulling oft' their shoes,
a practice of great antiquity, and undoubtedly found-
ed on the words of the Divine appearance to Moses,
" Put off thy shoes, for the place whereon thou
standest is holy ground." Although they abhor
image worship, yet, as soon as they go into their
mosques, they bow reverently to the place where the
Alcoran lies, then lifting up their eyes to heaven,
stopping their ears with their thumbs, and behaving
with modesty and humility. 1'heir prayers are di-
rected to God alone, as being the only lovely, the
only worthy to be adored ; the only master and en-
chanter of the hearts and thouglits, and the only one
who can forgive and shew them mercy. I'hey re-
proach themselves with not having paid him all the
veneration du& to his eternal majesty.
The prayer, of which this makes a great part,
may be seen in the beginning of our extract from
the Alcoran, and it contains no idle repetitions or
dark sentences, as too many others do. It is remark-
able, that all the accounts we have of ancient nations,
and in all that experience has taught us of the mo-
derns, we find that every religion had, and still has,
its festivals. ' It was therefore necessary that Maho-
met should impiove on this plan ; for, besides one
day in seven, he instituted several s(5lcinn festivals.
'Ihis was done, not only from motives of pidicy to
keep his people together, but also Irom a principle
of religion, that God should be worshipped in a
more solemn manner at one time than at another.
The first of their festivals is called Bairam, cele-
brated in the tenth month, called Siew al, and has
some affinity with our new year; for at that time
the Mahometans wish all manner of good to each
Other. The Bairam is published at the first sight of
sm
CEREMONIES OF THE MxlHOMETANS.
tlie moon of lliis month, or if the weather is cloudy,
so tiiat it caiuiot be seen, they iiold it on the next
day ; for in that case they suppose the moon is
changed. The diversions then are nutTierous ; huts
are set up in th?; streets, so contrived, that those
vho sit in them may swing in the air, being posted
faster or slower, and these seats are adorned with
festoons. "^I'liey have also wheels, on which people
are alternately at the top, middle, and bottom; a
common emblem of fortune, the changes of which,
though so oi'ten described in prose and verse, still
overtake us when least expected.
Tlie next feast or fast is the Rhamadan, which
continues for two months. As the Roman Catholics
have their carnival and Lent together, so this so-
lemn season, among the Turks includes both. It is
a mixture of devotion and debauchery, for it begins
with a carvinal in the following manner, according
to '^i hevcnot, who was an eye witness r)f it.
The twelfth of June, (sa\s he) was the Turks car-
nival, or beginning of their fast, and it is culled the
night of power, because the Mahometans beheve
that in that night the Alcoran came down from
heaven. - After sun-set, all the lamps in the streets
are lighted, but chiefly in that called Rezar, a
straight, long, and broad street, through wiiich the
procession inarches, and ropes are hung every ten
steps, to which are tied irotrhoops and baskets hold-
ing each thirty at the least. All these being in a
duect Ihie, furnish a fine prospect, and give an
amazing light. Besides these, all the towers of the
mosques are illuminated, and an almost innumerable
company of people crowd the streets, accompanied
by some of those monks, or dervices, called San-
tons.
Being informed that the moon had been seen,
and that this is the night, appointed for the solem-
nity, about two in the morning the Santons begin the
march, witli tlubs in their hands, and each of them
holding a taper, accon)panied jjy other men carrying
lights. The Santon-derviccs sing and howl like
madilien. Next come several men on camels, with
all sorts of martial music, and these are followed by
others in masquerade dresses, on foot, carrying long
poles, at the end of whicii are large iron hoops,
lillcd with squibs and tire-works, thrown amongst
■the mob. Next to these ride the u|)per servants of
the beys, with their hand guns. The procession is
closed by some more of those nionks called Santons,
who dance, sing, howl, and make a mosfhorrible
iioise, not much unlike that made by wild beasts. —
The whole is coiujiosed of a parcel of scoundrels
met together, but slill it is comical and diverting. —
This is the carnival of the Turks, which, although
included as part of the Rhamadan, yet is really a
festival by itself.
After it follows the fast, which lasts one month
longer, and, during that time, no man must, from
sun-rising to sun-setting, put any thing into his
mouth; but then they are permitted to eat and
drink during the whole of the night, and they mav
eat and drink any thing except wine. All person-s
are obliged to be jnesent at them, otherwise he
would not only be considered as an unbeliever, but
also be in danger of losing his life.
The last festival is the Dalhaggaia, and iu former
times, the people were not permitted to go out to
war during it; they were not even to punish a mur-
derer, or any other criminal ; but better sense has
now got the place of enthusiasm, and such silly no-
tions are disregarded. This feast is spent much
in the same manner as the Rhamadan ; and when
we reflect on the time thus misemployed, it will
appear that the Turks do not devote above one half
of their time to labour. But then there are several
circumstances, \^■hich contribute to render them in-
dolent. And these are, the little regard paid to
commerce, the foundation of ^^e;;lth, a divided off-
spring, among whom they hardly know how to
leave their fortune: and the insecurity ef propertv,
the government being at all times able to c^eprive
them of it.
The Persian Mahometans have their feasts pecu-
liar to themselves, namely, the first day after their
Lent, the sacrifice of Isaac, and the martyrdom of
their great prophet Ali. To these three festival's,
they have added another, but it is rather of a civil
than a religious nature; for it is a feast of compli-
ments at the beginning of the new year, like Christ-
mas with us, and lasts only three days. It is called
the royal or imperial new year, to distinguisli it from
the real isevv year, \\hich the Persians begin on the
day of Mahomet's fiight from Mecca.
As for their Lent it contains nothing at all remark-
able, any further than that the people observe a vast
number of ridiculous ceremonies, much more so
than those observed by the Turks ; some of them
whip themselves, others go barefooted over sharp
stones, and some others crawl upon their hands and
feet. They eat but one meal in twenty-four hours,
and drink nothing but water.
The festival, or rather solemn mourning, in me-
mory of the martyrdom of the children of Ali, is
very solemn indeed. Aly, or Ali, manicd FatinT^,
the daughter of Mahomet, by whom he had several
children, two of whom were killed in battle, fight-
ing for the dignity of the caliph, which in tluit age,
vas tl>e same as mufti is at present. The anniver-
sary of those heroes, prophets, or by whatever name
thev may be called, is celebrated with much solem-
nity. Some of the people daub tlicniselves all over
<.vith blocd, in memory of their tragical end : others
black their faces, ant^ roll out their tongues, M'ith
convulsive motions of the body, rolling their«eyep.
CEREMONIES OF THE MAHOMETANS.
397
because the Persian legend says those two brotliers
suffered so much by drouglit, tliat they became
black, and their tongues came out of their mouths.
it is probable, they received these ceremonies from
the Phuenicians and Syrians lamenting the death of
Adonis, witich was afterwards practised by the
Grecians, who were colonies settled by the Phoeni-
cians, and received their laws and religion from
them. Some bury themselves in a rock, and remain
a whole day in that posture, having their heads co-
vered with an earthen pot. Otiiers are no less ridi-
culous, having drums beating and colours tlving,
in memory of the battle in which the heroes were
slain; hearses are carried about, with the images of
the deceased, and the people jump, dance, and sing
around them. Undoubtedly these are absurd follies,
but there are many more to be met with in the
world.
Another devout ceremony on this occasion, is to
preach a sermon in memory and honour of the two
brothers. An enthusiastic preacher mounts the ros-
trum, and delivers an allegorical discourse, with all
the antic ridiculous arts of a mountebank. He ge-
nerally harangues two hours, and omits nothing in
his po\^e^ to draw tears from the audience. The
women play their parts, beating their breasts, cry-
ing and lamenting, to excite others to imitate their
sorrow. And this is all the benefit reaped from out-
ward, marks of humble grief, which seldom works
sincere and lasting conversions. Such passionate,
religious, tender aftections, seldom last longer than
the sermon ; and then give place to passions, desires,
and follies of another nature, and pointing to very
different objects.
The next feast is that of the sacrifice, which
Abraham intended to have made of his son. And
here it is necessary to remark, that neither the
Turkish or Persian Mahometans, nor indeed any
of the followers of the false prophets will allow that
Isaac was the eldest son of Abraham; but that he
was born long after Ishmae), whose mother Hagar,
.say they, was the law ful wife of the ancient patri-
arch, Sarah being no more than a concubine. But
notwithstanding all that, they treat Isaac with great
honour and respect, he being one of the sons of
good old Abraham. In memory of the sacrifice of
Ishmael, (not Isaac, say they) wherever the Maho-
metan religion is professed, a vast number of peo-
ple meet in the most public parts of the cities; if in
Constatitinople, the grand seignior puts himself at
the head of the multitude, attended by all his great
officers of state, and surrounded by his janizaries,
or guards. Many eunuchs, richly dressed, walk
behind him. The whole road, from the seraglio
to the n;os(i|ue of Mahomet, whither he intended to
go, is lined witii an incredible number of people;
and tlie foreign ambassadors are suflered to accom-:
27 5
pany him as far as the door of the mosque, but not
further, unless the sultan grants them his royal per-
mission. They return back in the same manner,
and this is repeated once every year, in memory of
Abraham's carrying Ishmael to Mount Moriah, for
they w ill not allow that it was Isaac. They treat
Isaac, however, with g. eat respect, as indeed they
do all the Old Testament saints, for they only con-
sider the Mosaic and Christian dispensations as abo-
lished in consequence of the wickedness of the peo-
ple to whom they were given.
There have b(e\i several accusations brought
against the speculative doctrines of Atahomet, the
principal of which we shall now take notice of,
and enquire whether they are true or false; and
would have it considered, that nothing ought to be
imputed to him, besides w hat is found in the Alcoran.
And first, it has been asserted, and is confidently
believed by many, that he has denied souls to wo-
men, and that they shall not have a place in his
paradise. Let us consider this accusation with im-
partiality ; were we to judge of Mahomet's belief of
the future state of women, from the regard he had
for them in his life, we would not only believe that
he allotted them a paradise, but that he even assign-
ed them the most beautiful places in it. It is true,
there is a passage in the Alcoran which seems to
countenance the accusation where it is said, " Wo-
men shall not be w ith them in paradise ;" but it does
not say, women shall not be in paradise at all. — ■
Most probably the meaning of the words are, that
as women had separate apartments among the Ara-
bians, so they will have the same in heaven. This
is altogether consistent with the rest of his notions,
for his ideas of a heavenly state were all Jormed
upon corporeal things here below. This answer
would be sufficient, did it rest only on conjecture ;
but what can be said against positive evidence; Ma-
homet expressly says in his Alcoran, chap. xi. —
" \\ hoever shall believe and do good works, whether
man or woman, shall enter into paradise." He says
in several parts of tlie Alcoran, that men shall have
most beautiful women, but he never insinuates that
these women were to be created for the purpose j
for as he allowed a general resurrection of the hu-
man race, so he grants they shall all have most
glorious bo(Jies, excejit unbelievers. As for the silly
opinion that women do not go to mosques, nothing
can be more ridiculous ; for there is a place allotted
for them in all their places of worship, but where
they cannot be seen by men, to preserve the purity
of their hearts, and the sanctity of the place, and
because many of our travellers never saw them, so ■
they concluded that they are not admitted.
It has been asserted, that Mahomet ordered all his
followers to visit his tomb at Mecca, once in their
ljfe-tim€, otherwise they would not be admitted into
H
398
CEREMONIES OF THE MAHOMETAXS.
paraiHse. This assertion is denied by all ihe best
travellers whoever yet visited the east, for throughout
all the Turkish dimiiiions, there are not more pil-
grims go to visit the tomb o( Mahomet, than do to
visit the church of Loretto in Italy. They cannot
travel there except in caravans ; and as the distance
is sometimes near a thousand miles, so few, except
those of a high rank, can go. Nay, it is often dan-
gerous to travel, even in caravans, where there are
not above two thousand men; for the wild Arabs,
although Mahometans themselves, often lead them
astray, till they get tliem into the desert, and then
they rob and plunder them.
The truth is, there are three sorts of people visit
Mecca, first, <levotees, who go tliither from motives
of religion, and these are generally such as have no-
thing else to do. Secondly, merchants who go there
to sell, or exchange their goods, an., although there
is no doubl but these merchants worship at the tomb
of the prophet, yet they have other objects in view,
namely, riclies, as the reward of their industry. —
i.astly, gentlemen, from many parts of the world,
parlicularly from Europe, who travel into Arabia,
not only to see this celebrated tomb, but likewise to
Mount Sinai, with many other curiosities.
1 ho last thing we shall take notice of as imputed
to Mi'.honset, is the doctrine of divine predestination
in the most absolute sense of die word. That the
Turks are predestinarians cannot be denied, nay, it
is acknow ledged that they are the most obstinate
fatalists in the world, and by trying a few legenda-
rian tricks, they pretend to know what will happen
to them. How far any Christian divines have car-
ried the doctrine of absolute predestination, is not
our business at present to inquire into, it will natu-
rally come ill another part of this work. If some
who have had the benefit of a liberal education, and
the use of the sacred scripture, have raised this doc-
trine more high than what was warrantable, then we
need not be surprised that men who never heard the
sound of tiie gospel should do so. Hobbs, an
iMiglishnmn, carried it as high as the Mahometans
do at present, if not higher ; for he makes God the
uuthor of sin, by insisting that all men's actions, even
the worst, are absolutely necessary, because the de-
cree appointing them was absolute. Upon the
whole, fatality is not a new doctrine, for it was em-
braced by the Greeks and Romans, and perhaps by
the Arabians, among whom Mahomet was born.
We shall conclude our description <jf Mahometan
festivals, v, ith an account of some superstitions
practised by the common people. I'he Indian Ma-
hometans have a feast called Choubret, by Theve-
not, which begins with fear and sorrow, and ends
with hope and joy. On this day they commemo-
rate the examination of the souls departed, by the
good angels, who write down all the good actions
they have done in this life,' while the bad angeij
write all the bad ones, 'i'his they believe is perus>;d
by God, and for that reason are afraid, and say a
few prayers, examine themselves, and give aims. —
But flattering themselves that their accounts will Lo,
cleared and wrote doxyii ifl the book of life, they
end the solemnity v\iili illuminations and bonfires,
treating and making presents to one another.
Besides the [lilgrimage .to Mecca, before-men-
tioned at large, the Mahometans have several others
to the tombs of their saints, and those saints have
each of them a proper legend. N ow all these piw
grims are held in veneration, more or less, as the
people stand affected in regard to such devotions.
But nothing comes up to the respect paid to the pil-
grims of Mecca : They are absolved fr<«n all sorts
of crimes committed before ; they even have leave
to commit new ones : For says our author, " They
cannot be put to death according to law, they are
looked upon as incorruptible, irreproachable, and
perfect saints in this world." Such fanatical opi-
nions are not confined to Mahometans, we have
seen examples of them in the last age, amongst pre-
tended Christians ; and they are means of leading
the people, and keeping them in those dispositions.
Some of these pilgrims, as we are told, wilfully put
out their eyes, lest they should be profaned by
worldly objects, after the glorious sight of the holy
places at Mecca. Even th'e children born in that
devout voyage are reputed saints ; audit is looked
upon as so meritorious to contribute to stock the
world with such elect, that the women are generally
willing, and charitably offer themselves to the pil-
grims to be their help-mates in that good deed.
We shall give our readers some notion of Maho-
metan saints, and of llie honour paid to them by the
example of Ali, the first martyr for the Persian faith.
They paint him with a two pointed scimitar, and
the face covered with a green veil, whereas other
saints have a white one : Our author does not give
any reason for this diftereuce, he only says, the
white veil is to shew that the glorious and wonder-
ful features of a saint's face, are not to be conceived
or painted. This veil has some affinity to the rays
of glory about the heads of our saints, and still
more to the nimbus, or cloud, which covered the
heads of the ancient heathen gods. A chief article
of the Persian belief is, that Ali is the vicar of God.
Some of their doctors have even raised him above
the condition of himian nature, and by their indis-
creet devotion, given a sanction to this common
saying; I do not believe that Ali is God, but I do
not think he is far from being God. We shall
make no odious comparisons; such mad expressions
are deservedly censured by all judicious and truly
devout persons, who have a right idea of the Su-
preme Being. ^ Besides Ali, there are many other
CEREMONIES OF THE MAHOMETANS.
390
i.iirifti cotcmporary wiih, or who lived afti-r liiin ;
some ot" these are liild in veneration witli all Maho-
itietan.s, olliers only with tlie Turks or Persians, or
Indians, or Arabians. Miracles are said to have
been wrouglit by them, and the legends, composed
of their lives for the edification of Maliometans,
who visit their tombs, and perform their devotions
there, )ct says Chardin without any direct invoca-
tion ; however he owns at last, that they venerate
and call upon the saints, because it is the will of
God it should be done.
The disciples and followers of Ali esteem the pil-
grimage to the tomb of Fathme, or Fatime, as little
im'erior to that of Mecca. She was the daughter
of Mou/.a-Cali ni, the seventh scliisniatical successor
of Mahomet, in the opinion of the Turks. Without'
entering into an account of her pretended miracles,
or of the devotion shewed in this pilgrimage, we
shall only take notice, that one [of the preliminaries
of this ceremony, Ts to kiss thrice the threshold and
silver grate of the monument. A molla attends
llMjre day and nii^ht, and directs the pilgrims to re-
peat word for v>ord some prayers, in which she is
called the lady and mistress of the soul and heart
of the faithful, the guide of truth, a spotless virgin,
fee. The tomb is enlightened with a great number
of silver lamps, the devout ^lahomctans make their
offerings in silver or other things, which are depo-
sited in a trunk, and takea out from thence every
Friday, to be distributed amongst the mollas ; and
the whole ends in a gratification to the priest, who
introduced tlie pilgrim ; and for the further sum of
lialf a pistole, obtains an authentic attestation of his
having performed that devotion, &c.
The whole Alcoran is read at the tombs of the
saints, and of the dignified Mahometans, and mollas
arc hired to com|>ly with tiiis duty day and night. —
Something like it is done in other countries, but
comparisons are odious, and often carried too far.
We shall set before our readers other practices which
Christians of all denominations will censure as su-
perstitious.- liesides the exact account kept of the
number of letters in the Alcoran, no one is allowed
to touch it, without being puriiicd; and for this
reason, says Chardin, when persons of a different
religion are to be sv^om before judges, it is not done
upon that book, iu which the Persians find seventy
thousand miracles; that is, as many as they reckon
words in it.
They have also a great notion of astrology, charms,
amulets, talismans, i<s.c. making use to that purpose
of the verses of the Alcoran, and of the Hadiths.
This will not seem strange to those who know that
the Mahometan doctors believe the Alcoran to be
a treasure of mysteries hidden from men ; and that
it contains iimuuierable secrets which are to be found
out only by the different combinations of the words
and letters of that precious boolc. Yet some more
scrupulous, maiutain those mysteries and secrets are
not to lie jiried into ; ihat the suhiilities of the com-
mentators are criminal ; and that, at the coming of
the last Imam, (by this expressifin they mean the
last day) all their works will bo condemned to be
burnt, or thrown into '• e water, to shew those au-
thors did not understand this book. Several ancient
and modern conimeiits on the bible deserve the same
fate.
Their superstition about eclipses is not so com-
mon as heretofore, yet that phitiiomenon still affects
the common people, chiefly when accompanied, or
followed by j. articular events. This is grounded on
the opinion of the Persian doctors, who, as Chardin
informs us, hold that the privation of that light is a
punislnnent inflicted by almighty God, wiio gives
that commission to the angel Gabriel. However,
that superstition is very much spread in the east :
They believe likewise that what we call the shootings
of stars, are so many darts thrown by angels against
the devils who are at that time endeavouring to
get back into heaven from which they have beeu
expelled. It is likewise asserted that the Tinks,
Persians, and Mahometans of the Indies, use bles-
sings and other prayers, and superstitious ceremonies
to protect their houses from the assaults of evil spi-
rits. The author of the military state of the Otto-
man empire said he had seen talismen and supersti-
tious billets used in order to preserve the grand
vizier's tent.
They are also, as already hinted, superstitiously
charitable to beasts. Kicaut says, " That they buy
birds shut up in cages, in order to set them at liberty,
that they buy bread to feed dogs who have no mas-
ters, and think it a less crime to refuse giving alms
to a starving Christian, than to a dog v\andeiing
about the streets." A cruel and inhuman tenet, yet
the too common eflfect of party spirit ! We are also
assured, that they have a kind of religious veneration
for camels, and look upon it as a crime to overbur-
den them. "They are thus respected says the same
author, because they are very common in the holy
places of Arabia, and carry the Alcoran at the pil-
grimage of Mecca. I have even taken notice, says
he, that those who lake care of that beast, use the
froth, which comes' out of his mouth after drinking,
and devoutly rub their beards with it, saying at the
same time, Hadgi-baba, O fatlier pilgrim." The
usefulness of t!ie cows has made the Indians wor-
ship them ; the same reason has influence.-' Mahouiet
to }>roposethe cam'el as an emblem of God's wisdom,
and Solomon in his Proverbs, sends us to the ant to
learn wisdom.
Haviiis; said thus much conccrninn; the religion of
Mahomet, having treated of it both m a speculative
and partkiilar manner, we cannot close this article
400
RELIGION IN TARTARY.
without attending to some things which we hope
will be of service to the reader. We have seen
some of the heathen practices, we shall see more
of them presently ; we have attended to Christianity
in its uncorrupled state, to Judaism both ancient
and modern. We have seen the rise and progress
of popery, and we have bi;held with concern, the
present forlorn state of the Greek church. Indeed
such a variety of subjects have presented themselves
to our view, that we are lost in astonishment to be-
hold the corruption of human nature. But painful
as the task is, we must endeavour to go .through
with it.
The Mahometans are neither heathens, Jews, nor
Christians. They are not heathens because they do
not worship images ; nor Jews, because they reject
the law of Moses; nor Ghristiuns, because they will
not receive the gospel. What tlien shall we call
them ? The answer is obvious. They are objects
of compassion, who, having been led istray by an
artful impostor, still continue to believe his lies. —
Many opportunities have occurred to make the gos-
pel known to them, but all such valuable inten-
tions have been protracted for the following rea-
sons.
First, the Jesuits who sought to make them con-
verts to popery instead of Christianity, carried along
with them large cargoes of beads, images, and
wafers, which the Mahometans despised. They told
the Jesuits that they abhorred image worship, and
as for beads, they were only play-things for children.
They said their wafer* were no godsj for .there was
but one God, and Mahomet was his prophet. The
Jesuits told them, that unless they had their bodies
oiled over in six different places before they died,
they could not enter into the kingdom of heaven. —
To ttiis the Mahometans replied, that if they were
to be rubbed over with nasty oil, they must be bath-
ed clean before they went into paradise. But leave
your oil, your beads and wafers, and come and talk
to us as rational creatures, then perhaps we may
believe you. This, however, was what the Jesuits .
would by no means comply with, and rather than
forget the beads and the oil, they contentedly re-
turned home to their own country.
Secondly, The Christian merchants who have
traded into Turkey, and been well acquainted with
the Mahometans, have been too much intent upon
acquiring riches, ever to bring the people over to
the belief of the Christian faith. A genllenian lately
deceased, who resided many years m the Levant,
told us on his death-bed, that British consuls were
restricted from meddling; with any thing of a reli-
gious nature. There is no doubt but this is true,
but then why should die truth be concealed ? Is it
for fear of punishment ? 'I'hen there is an end of
all religion ; for those who love temporal niteie^t
more than they do truih, are not worthy of being
the disciples of any religion v hatever.
llpoH the whole, there can remain no doubt but
G'hI has appointed a time when these people will
emlnace the gospel, and fly into his temple as doves
do inlo their windovrs, and for that happy period
we wait with longing expectation.
RELIGION IN TARTARY.
JO-AVING given an accurate account of every
thing relating to the Mahometans, we shall now
return to the heathens, who of all others are the
most numerous in the world. The Tartars are al-
most an infinite body of people, and in ancient
times were called Scytluans, who worshipped Mars,
the god of war, under the figure of an old rusty
sabre, and to this sabre they annually offered vast
cumbers of bullocks, sheep, and oxen. They also
offered horses and prisoners whom they took in war,
and in whose blood they dipped their garments. —
These ancient Scythians, whom we novvf call Tartars,
sent out colonies into many different parts of the
world, and nations were peopled by them. They
carried their religious ceremonies along with them,
;?nd some remains of them are yet to be fomd, —
At present the people called Tartars are «o numer-
ous, and divided into so many hordes or tribes, that
there is no certainty to be had of every thing relating
to them. Corpiii says they ackBOwledge but one
God, the Creator of all things, both visible and in-
visible, who rewards and punishes men according
to their good or bad works in this world; but, con-'
tinues he, they never pay him any act of divine wor-
ship. Here, however, seems to be an error ; for
tliey have many images, and these they adorn in the
must gaudy manner, with every thing the country
can afford. They consider them as beings \Vho are
to protect them from all manner of harm, to be the
guardians of their flocks, whom they oft'er up partly
to them in sacrifice, and they likewise offer up to
these idols, part of the first morsel they eat in the
RELIGION IN TARTAR Y.
401
mornino;. They burn the bones of the beasts which
they oti'er in sacrifice, because tliey are not pcr-
uiitted tr) lie broken, and when any stranger conies
anion>:st llieni, tliey and their effects which they bring
witli them, must pass between two fires in order to
be puribed. They are strictly enjoined not to put a
knife into the fire, nor even to toucli it witli the
knile, ni>r to cleave any wood near it with a hatchet.
They also pay a particular respect to the whip with
mIucIi tlicy hish their horses, and before they drink,
they take llieir cup or glass, and first pay their obe-
dience to the fire, air, water, and the dead ; turning
themselves to the four corners of the earth. If the
fire be the object of their devotion, their eyes are
directed towards the south ; if the air, tow ards tlie
east ; if the water, towards the -west ; and to the
jiorlli, when tliey adore the dead. Every house has
its guardian idol, and at the feet of their beds they
place the skins of kids stuffied with wool, and a little
image, with its face towards the wives and daughters
side, for their particular guard and protection. The
side for the wife is on the east, and the husband's
on the west, and under the wife's is placed the
udder of a cow, which is a symbol, denoting that
it is the woman's province to attend milking of cows.
On the husband's is a mare's tail, denoting that it is
the duty of men to take care of the bieed of horses.
The Mongalian 'I'artars acknowledge but one
God, the author of life and death, yet hold it law-
ful to serve and adore him various ways. Mangu-
Chan, in Pinchas, justified this plurality of wor-
ship, by comparing the Supreme Being to a hand,
with a variety of fingers. The Tartars, according
to Mark Paul, acknowledge a Supreme Being, who
inhabits the heavens, and to him only make their
devout addresses for those invaluable blessings, wis-
dom, health, Scc. Their household god, Psatagay,
or Itogay, who has a wife and children, is the next
object of their estteni and veneration. The former
is placed at his left hand, and the latter before him.
He is the guardian of their families, and presides
over all the products of the earth. No one pre-
sumes to go to dinner till he and his ^\ hole family
arc first served. Their entertainment principally
consists in having their mouths very plentifully
greased, and the fragments of their repast are thrown
out of doors, for the accommodation of some un-
known spirits.
Tliis is the sum and substance of what we find
most remarkable in the account of our ancient Via-
vellers. We shall now consult the moderns. The
Mongalian Tartars, Calmoucs, and others, accord-
ing to them, have, properly speaking, no other
god but their Dalai-Lama, which signifies, as we
are informed. Universal Priest. This sovereign
pontifi of all the Tartarian idolators, and whom
they acknowledge as their god, resides towards the
S7 5 I
frontiers of China^ near the city of Potala, in a
tonvent, situate on the sunnnit of an high moun-
tain, the foot whereof is inhabited by above twenty
thousand Lamas, who have their separate apartments
round about the mountain, and, according to their
respective quality and function, are planted nearer,
or at a greater distance from their sovereign pontiff.
The Dalai-Lama never concerns himself in the least
about the temporal ati'airs; neither are they taken
notice of by any of his Lamas, but are entirely left
to the discretion of two Chans of the Calmoucs,
who furnish him from time to time with whatever is
requisite for the honourable support of himself and
his whole household. This Dalai-Lama has been
called Prester-John, without knowing precisely what
countryman he was. The term Lama, in the Mon-
galian language, signifies priest ; and that of Dalai,
which in the same language implies vast extent has
been translated into the language of the northern
Indians, by Gehan, a term of the same signification.
Thus Dalai-Lama and Prester-John, are synony-
mous terms, and the meaning of them Universal
Prijest.
We have already mentioned, that the Dalai-La-
ma assumes the Deity, and is looked upon as im-
mortal by all his admirers. Thus have we given the
best account of this grand Lama, from the extracts
of the missionary falhers quoted by Kircher; and
the reader, by what follows, will be able to recon-
cile these two passages together. There two mo-
narrhs, one temporal and the other spiritual, at
Lassa, which some say is the kingdom of Tan-
chuth, or Boratai, or Barantola. The spiritual
monarch is the grand Lama, whom these idolators
worship as a god. He very seldom goes abroad.
The populace think themselves happy if they can
by any means procme the least grain of his excre-
ments, or drop of his urine; imagining either of
them an infallible preservative from all maladies and
disasters. These excrements are kept as sacred
relics, in little boxes, and hung about their necks.
Lather le Compe imagines Fo and the grand Lama
to be one and the same Deity; who according to
the idea of these Tartars, must for ever appear un-
der a form that may be fplt or perceived by the
senses, and is supposed to be immortal.
He is closely confined, adds he, to a temple,
where an infinite number of Lamas attend him with
the most profound veneration, and take all imagin-
able care to imprint the same awful ideas of him on
the minks of the people. He is very seldom exposed
to view, and whenever he is, it is at such a distance,
that it would be morally impossible for the most
quick-sighted person to recollect his features. —
^Vhenever he dies another I>ama, who resembles
him as near as possible, is substituted in bis stead;
for which purpose, as soou as they perceive his dis-
AOt
RELIGION IN TARTARY.
solution draw nigh, tlie most zealous devotees and
chief ministers of the the imag i.ary god, travel the
■whole kingdom over, to find out a proper person to
succeed him. This pious intrigue is carried on, says
he, with all the dexterity and address imaginable:
and the deification of the Lama, if we may depend
on the veracity of father Kircher, was first owing to
the extraordinary trust and confidence v^hich these
people reposed, in their Pi ester-John, They flocked
round about ihe monarch from all parts, to listen to
his wise counsels and decisions, as they would to an
oracle. At this very day every body goes, rich and
poor, in pilgrimage to this deity's palace, in order
to receive his benediction, and to pay him divine
adoration. Near his feet is a bason, into which the
devotees throw their voluntary oblations.
In all this they behave exactly like tlie Japanese
towards their Dairi, or sovereign pontiff". We have
already observed, that this Dairi is a kind of deity,'
that his clergy preach up to the jieople the transmi-
gration of the Dairi's soul who goes, into the body
of his successor. The remarks we shall make here-
after with respect to the Kutnchta, or usurper of the
Dalai-Lama's autluuity, will fully justify tliis com-
{-arison. Let us suppose, iheieiore, that these
V, himsical and extravagant tenets How from one and
the same fountain; audit is much more natural to
think so, than to trace the worship of the grand
Lama, and his imaginary divinity, from some cor-
rupt ideas of CJiristianity, formerly impressed on the
minds of these people by the Nestorians: since
there is no manner of resemblance between them. —
The author of the conference which is maliciously
supposed to be held between a Tartar and a Roman
Catholic, does not offer to make any comparison
lietween the Dalai-Lama and the Pope. The latter,
indeed, styles himself infallible, and acts likewise in
the capacity, if we may be allowed the expression,
of a vice-god; but no one ever carried the point so
far, as to ascribe to his holiness, whilst living, the
honours of a formal deification^ If there be any
one ceremony relating to the Roman pontiff', that
carries the appearance of divine worship in it, and
sets him, in that respeC, on a level with the Dalai-
Lama, it is that kind of solemn and pompous ado-
ration which is always paid him at his first accession
to the pontificate. As to the rest, who knows but
that the immortality of the Dalai-Lama may amount
to no more, in effect, than that established custom
in France, which maintains that her monarch never
dies. Since a new king is immediately proclaimed
after the decease of the old one, and no court of
justice, or public office whatever is shut up, or in
the le> St interrupted in their usual proceedings, for
want of the royal authority to "support them ; and,
in all probability, the religious authority is preserved
after the same mans-er amougst the Lamas, Tlw
immediate substitution of one pontiff m the room
of another, may possibly establish a continuance of
the vice-deity in Tartary, which would be iiiiiiracti-
cable amongst other nations.
It is much more probable, that the religion of
these Lamas is rather a branch of the Indian doc-
trines, than any relic of Christianity. Were the
Tartars more honest, and not so illiterate, we might
entertain a more adequate idea of tlie articles of their
belief. The populace, for the generality, liave no
notion of any of their religious dissertations, which
are written either in the Tancliutian, or any other
language; but, as to what relates to divine worship,
pin their faith entirely on the sleeves of their Lamas.
All that can be learned, in short, from them, are »
few old legend. ny stories, and a few ceremonies. — •
Their kno\i ledge ex!ends no further; as to the
Lamas ihemseKes, the principles of their religion
are so dark and mysterious, tliat it is impossible to
draw any conclusions from them. All that we can
find, is, that they lay down the three following
maxims, as rules for their general conduct; viz. to
reverence the deity, to injure no man, and to give
tribute to whom tribute is due. But, however, were
we to examine into the lives and characters of
these Tartars, we should find theui very deficient ia
the practice of these important articles. Let us
now take a transient view of their notions with
respect to the Deity. They assert that they worship
but one God only, who, viotwithstandmg, is inti-
mate with, and discloses his secrets to the Dalai-
Lama, for the edification of the people. .Their
images are representations of their Deity, and some
favourite saints, which are exposed to public view,
in order to remind the people of their duty towards
God, and of those virtues which they ought con-
stantly to practise.
To this visible god, this Dalai-Lama, of whom
we have been speaking, we must iadd some kings,
who have been deified, as well as he, but not till
after their decease. Han, king of Taiichuth, be-
came immortal, by virtue of his extraordinary cle-
mency, and just administration; he died in the
odour of sanctity, and was received amongst the
number of the gods. And Deva, another king of
Taiuhulh was deified, on account of his eminent
virtues. Manipa, the goddess of these people of
Tanchuth, has nine heads, which form a kind of py-
ramid : and she is also represented under a human
shape. A bold resolute young fellow., prompted by
an enthusiastic rage, like him who cries Amoc
amongst the Indians, and drest in armour, runs
round about the city, upon some certain days in the
year, like a mad-man, and kills every one he meets,
ill honour of the goddess. This young enthusiast ia
RELIGION IN TARTARY.
40S
Cnfled T*1iiit, or 1^\l!i ; and liy such oiitrageous sacri-
fices as these, llie devotees imagine they oblige ll.e
goddess, and iiigiatiiite themselves in i)er favour.
These 'I'artars also observe the superstitious cus-
tom of ereGiiiiw several tropliies on their lugliost
mountains, ("or the preservation of theins(-lvcs and
their liorses, and pay them even divine adoration.
'I'he Caiuioucs and western Monp:als pay the
same respect to their sovereign pontiii, styled Ku-
tuehta, as the other Tartars do to their Dalai- Lama.
Fonucrly the Kutuchia settled on the borders of the
river Amur; but at liie present he incatnps, for the
generality, with a body of his faithful followers,
round about tiie river Orohon. He Mas once the
sub-dele<^ate, or deputy of ihe Dalai-Lama, for the
administration of all religious aftaus anionsist the
not them Tartars; those people being too far distant
from the usual residence ol the Dalai-Lama, lu
process of time, this Kutnchta made a division in
the church, set huusclf up as independent, ileitied
and immortulizei! himself at the expence of his old
master. The divinity of Kutnchta is at present so
firmly csta'jli.shed m the minds of his followers, that
should any cue scruple to believe it, he would be
looked upon by his companions «ilh the utmost hor-
ror and detestation. Accordiug to the accounts of
anotlier author, the schism of Kutnchta is no ancient
innovation, "^iot many years ago, sa\s he, the
Dalai-Lama established the Kutnchta as his vicege-
rent, or suffragan over the northern people of Mon-
gal and Ajuka, who were formerly under the jurisdic-
tion of Coutaisi h and l)uchary." This vicegerent
taking the advantage ot the distant residence of the
sovereign pontiff, set himself up as the spiriiual
head of all the people, lie encamps sometimes in
one place, and sometimes in another ; but is always
surrounded with a numerous body of life-guards.
He carries with him, also, those idols which are in
the highest lepute, and pitches separate tents for
their peculiar service. When this imaginary deity
decamps, his faithful devotees flock frojii all parts
♦ with their families, to meet him and 'hrow theni-
aelves in his way, in order to procure his heavenly
benedictions; but it seems, they must pay for them
if they have them. There must be, says our amio-
tator, a valuable consideration. The thief ma-
gistrates, and other persons of distinction among
them, continnts he, are the only persons v. ho dare
approach his sacred person. When he gives them
his blessing, he clenches his hand, and lays it upon
their foreheads, having a chaplet in it at the same
time, made after the same fashion as those of the
Lamas.
The Kutn. hta never exy>oses himself to public
view, but on some particular davs; and then it is
done with all the pomp and magniticeuce imagina-
ble, aud be uever marches but witli the sound of
trumpets, and the beat of drums, or at least of in-
struments of music, which among the _'l urtars are
e(]»iivaleut to them; for we would not absolutely
insist upon our own terms. He is carried in pro-
cession to a tent, covered with Chinese velvet, and
open ill the front, and there he seats himself cros-s-
It'gged oil a throne, erected on a large square emi-
nence, covered with velvet, in the midst of a large
quantity of cusliioiis, ranged all round the pontiff,
but at an humble distance, and below liim, for life
imnudiule service of the Lamas.
J II tliese solenui ceremonies the sister of this so-
vereign jiontitV, for the generality, sits at his right
hand, and officiates in the capacity of a Lama : and
she is also shaved, as a mark that she belongs
to the priesthood. We are informed by the other
relation, that on each side of the pontiff-god, or
vice-deity, there are two idols, which represent the
divine essence ; that the otlier Lamas sit on each
side, oil the floor upon cushions, from the throne,
or eminence, whereon the grand pontifi' is seated, to
the vtry entrance of the pavilion; and that in this
attitude, or situation, they have a book in their
hands, in which, to all outward appeaiance, they
seem to read to themselves with decency and devo-
tion; but whether these particiiKrs are true or false,
it is morally impossible for any one truly to deter-
mine. As soon as the Kutuchia is seated, all their
instriimenis of music cease; and the whole assembly
first prostrate themselves to the ground, and then
burst out into loud acclamations, in honour of the
Deity, and into exalted encomiums on their Ku-
tnchta. All the Lamas in general throw some odo-
riferous herbs into their censers, and therewith first
perfume the idols, then their sovereign pontiff, aud
afterwards the whole congregation of the faithful.
As soon as this ceremony is over, each individual •
Lama deposits his censer at the feet of the pontiff,
and their pnncipal or superior, takes seven several
china cups full of milk, honey, tea, and brandy, and
makes an oblation of them to the idols. 1 hen he
takes seven other cups filled with the same ingre-
dients, and presents them to the Kutnchta, and all
these oblations are attended w ith the loud acclama-
tions of the whole assembly, who repeat with fer-
vency some certain words to this, or the like effect,
viz. Our Kutnchta is a shining paradise. The Ku-
tuchia first tastes of the frec-will-ofleiing himself,
and then distributes the remainder among the heads
of the several tribes. After this he withdraws, the
trumpets all the while sounding, and the drums btat-
iiir, in the same pompous and solemn manner as
tlie\ did at his Hist appearance.
Wi; :iie furihf r informed, that the Chinese po-
li.ics coutribu'ed very much towards the deificafioJi '
of iliis Kutnchta, and privately fomenltd the schism
of these Tarturs : but as this is foreign to our present
404
RELIGION IN TARTARY.
purpose, we refer the reader to our account of reli-
gion ill China. To the idea of immortality, which
these people entertain of their Kutuchta, another
is added, whicli is altogether as whimsical and ex-
travagant, and no doubt as deeply imprinted on
their imaginations as the former, viz. That after
the Kutuchta has grown old with the decrease of
the moon, he renews his youtli at the change of the
same planet. The whole mystery of this fantasti-
cal notion consists in the holy father's suffering his
beard to grow from one new moon to another, and
never shaving himself, but at her first appearance;
at which time he dresses himself with all his splen-
dour, paints his face, and besmears it all over with
white and red, as is customary amongst the Tartars.
As to the notion of this grand pontiff's immor-
tality, the origin and foundation of it is this : — All
these Tartars hold the JSIetem psychosis, or transmi-
gration of souls; and this received opinion induces
them to imagine, that the soul of the expiring Ku-
tuchta enters, immediately after his decease, into the
body of iiis successor; or, at least, that the soul of
the latter receives all the operations, and is endowed
with all the powers and faculties of the soul of the
deceased. Tor which reason, he who is intended to
be the old pontiff's successor, must constantly attend
him, that the soul of the holy father may qualify
the young one, if we may be allowed the expres-
sion, for his approaching godhead ; that the young
soul may every day have familiar converse vvitli the
old one, possess all his qualities, and become, as it
.were, the very same.
Tlie Oriental Mongals, distinguished in the ac-
. counts we have of them by the name of the Tartars
of Niuche, of ihe eastern Tartars, Scc. neither wor-
ship the Dalai-Lama, nor the sovereign pontiff' of
the Chinese : but their worship, as we are^ informed,
is a medley of both, reduced to a few nocturnal
ceremonies, which, in reality, have more witchcraft
in them than religion. The Tartars who, in Isbrand's
account of them, are called Daores, and who are
a branch of the Orientals, assemble themselves to-
gether at midnight, both men and women, in some
commodious place, where one of them falls prostrate
on the ground, and remains stretched out at his full
length, vv'hilst the whole cabal make a hideous out-
. cry to the doleful sound of a drum, made on pur-
pose for the celebration of that particular ceremony.
At the expiration of two hours, or thereabouts, the
person thus extended, rises as it were in an ecstasy,
and communicates his visions to the whole assembly.
He is perfectly apprized during his trance, of what
misfortunes will befal this map, and ,what under-
• takings that man will engage in with success. Each
word he utters is listened to Avith, the utmost atten-
ition, and deemed as sacred, as .that of an oracle. —
All their religious worship, however, does not abso-
lutely consist in this ; for they have their particular
sacrifices as well as others. There is a small moun-
tain on the frontiers of China, which is looked upon
as holy ground, and the eastern Tartars imagine
their journeys will prove unsuccessful, if, as they pass
by, they neglect to consecrate some part of their
apparel to this sacred mountain. They hang these
oblations, therefore, upon tlie boughs of ^birch- trees,
with which that mountain abounds. There are plenty
of all sorts of shirts, gow ns, furs, caps, &c. ; in short,
such a variety of old clothes, that travellers, who
have no notion of the sanctity of the place, are apt
to take it for the Rag-fair of the neighbouring Tar-
tars. In all probability this custom is the same as
that of erecting trophies on the mountains, which
we have already spoken of, upon the testimony of
father Kirther. But be that as.it will, no one must
presume to touch any of these old consecrated cast-
off clothes ; and should any person be so audacious
as to steal away the least insignificant rag whatever,
he would be looked upon as aii abandoned sacri-
legious viUaiir.
But to return, and come to Siberia : the Jekutzes,
who are inhabitants of the purts adjacent to Lena,
pay divine honours to then- dead, after they have
hung up and dried their skeletons in the ai'r, and
adorned them with necklaces made of glass. The
Jekutzes seem to acknowledge the existence of a
God, who is their creator and preserver, and the
all-wise dispenser of good and evil. They have an
animal festival, which they celebrate every spring,
with abundance of solenuiity; that is, by kiiuiling a
large bonfire, which must be kept up as long as the
festival lasts, and abstaining the whole time from all
kinds of liquors, they being destined only far liba-
tions, which consist in pouring their common drink
eastward into the fire; and in this ceremony there
seems lo be a kind of religious adoration paid to that
element. 'There are some Calmones-Barabinski,
who have a clumsy wooden idol for their god, dressed
like a Merry-Andrew, in a party-coloured coat. —
This idol is locked up in a cabinet, when they are
indolent and inactive at hoirie, but they take it along
with them uheii they go a hunting, or coursing in
the fields. On those public occasions he is carried
in procession in ju opeu chariot, which is kept for.
that particular purpose, and the first beast theymeet
with is sacnliced to his honour. If the chase has
proved successful, the idol, at their return, is placed
in his nich, at tiie very summit of a hut, which is
adorned from top to bottom, before and behind, and
on each sine, with marten-skins and sable-skins, the
spoils uf the chase; and tliese hang there till the
weather entirely destroys them. It would be looked
upon as profanation, and an act of sacrilege, to make
RELIGION IN TARTARY.
405
use of them on any common occasion, or sell them
to strangers, who niiglit eiui'lov tlieni to their own
use.
Tlie Tonguses, who are inhabitants of almost all
Ihe eastern parts of Siberia, practise the same kind
of idolatrous worship. Whilst we are speaking of
the Lamas of the Tartars, it would be an un|)ar-
doiiable omission to take no U)anner of notice of
the Schamman of these 'ron<;iiscs. They acknow-
ledge a God, the creator of all thiniis ; but ne-
ver make their applications to him in times of
distress, whether public or private, but to some
particular wooden idols, of a foot and a half long,
carved only with a knife; winch are treated with
veneration or contfinpt, according as thiy j;ive their
adorers occasion eitlier to e\j)oslulale \> ith, or ap-
plaud them.
The Burates seem to pay divine adoration to the
sun and moon; at least, as we are informed, they
will admit of no discourse about any other deities.
They celebrate, how ever, a kind of saciiiicc, twice
or thrice a year, which consists iu (friving stakes
through their he-goats and siicep whilst thev are
alive, and planting them before their tents. Ihey
keep constantly bow ing their heads to these victims,
till they expire. They have their priests likewise,
■whom tUey murder, without the leiist provocaticni,
whenever they tliink ])roper, alledgiiig no other rea-
son but this, that it is necessary for you to go into
the other w (irld to be our inten-essors, and pray for
us. After this, they inter ihe.-e victims, and furnish
tiiem with money and apparel, for their better ac-
commodation iu the other world. They shew a
necidiar veneration for a certain high momitain, on
the borders of Haikal. Tiiere they frequently per-
form their sacrifices and administer their oaths to
iurh as are to gi\e then! niformation on any affairs
of importance. The party to be sw orn is conducted
to the snnm^it of this mouiitaiii, and there pronounces
the form with an audible voice, and they are assured
at the same time, that if he be perjureii, he shall
uever gel down again alive.
The Wogulzes, as well as the Tonguses, enter-
tain s't>nie idea of a C^od, who created ail things. —
They acknowledge, likewise, the resurrection of the
dead, and believe, that the wicked will then be pu-
nished, and the righteous be rewarded. Their pub-
fic worship consists in assembling themselves toge-
ther, once a year, about autumn, to sacritice in an
adjacent wood one beast of every species. After
which, they hang up their skins on the most beau-
tiful trees in the forest, and prostrate themselves be-
fore them. This annual festival concludes with re-
galing themselves on tlie flesh of their sacrifices;
after which they return home, and think themselves
discharged from all religious duties for Uic current
year.
27 '
Tlie Circassian Tartars are reckoned as Mahome-
tans and (Greeks, there being several of both those
persuasions amongst them : idolatry, nevertheless,
has a prevailing power over them. W hen any per-
son of distinction amongst them dies, they sacrifice
a he-goat, hang up his skin upon a high pole iu the
middle of the town, and come one after another to
pay it divine adoration. This skin is never taken
down till some other person of distinction dies; and
then they put u|i a fresh one in its place. J. de
Luca,_in his account informs us, that they sacritice
rams, and call those victims Curbans: and moreover,
that the places were they are made, are deemed so
sacred, that the most arrant thief amongst them will
never venture to touch the least thing that is carried
to tliein. lie adds likewise, that there are bows,
arrows, and scimitars, hung on the trees in these sa-
cred places, as public testimonies that they have
performed their vow.s. But, in all probability, this
is no more than a rej)etition of the same story.
If we turn our course towards the north, and
north-east of Asia, wc shall find several nations so
little known that it would be dillicnlt to give any
tolerable account of them ; for w hich reason w <• shall
not trouble the reader with an msigniticant list of
their barbarous nanies. We are informed in gene-
ral, that they pay a kind of divine honour to the
sun and moon; as also to some particular idols, or
rather logs of wood made round, on the top where-
of, there is a knob, cut something like the resem-
blance of a head, with a nose, mouth and eyes, but
all after an unpolished and grotesque maimer; for
sculpture is an art they are but little acquainted with.
These idolators, we are further informed, have two
sorts of idols, public and private: the former are
revered by the whole body of the people; the latter
are made bv particular persons, and the objects only
of devotion in that family to which they respectively
belong. Their sacrifices consist in rubbing the
mouths of their idols with the fat of fish, and pre-
senting them with the warm blood of some beast,
fresh killed in the chase.
The Ostiacs, who inhabit the soutliern parts of
the Samoides, from the Irtis and Oby to tlie river
Jenitzea, have likewise two sorts of idols: so that
in all probability it is a received custom all over
Tartary. This, in the main, does not differ from
the practice of all other known idolators, who never
failed to add to their public gods, their lares and
guardian deities. Their public idols arc, lor the
most part, placed on the tops of the most agreeable
mountains they can find, or in the middle of their
forests, in small wooden huts, with commodious
apartments contiguous to them, wherein they depo-
sit the bones of such beasts as have been sacrificed
in honour of those idols, They have no stated days
or hours for the regular performauce of their .sacrt-
K
406
RELIGION IN TARTARY.
fices. They only supplicate their gods when they
stand ill need of their assistance; but the priests, in-
deed, use their utmost endeavours to make the peo-
ple shake off tliis shameful indifference. These
priests have no regular ordination; every ancient
house-keeper, we are informed, has sufficient au-
thority of his own to exercise the priesthood. — -
And accordingly the worship of tlieir public idols
is somewhat more regular, as it is instituted by an
authority more ancient, and better known. These
idols they aie peculiarly fond of, and the good old
men recommend tliem to their children. Their
sacrifices consist in the fat of fish, and in beasts
of various kinds. The victim* is exposed in the
presence of the gods, with its legs tied ; and after
that the celebrant, or officiating priest, says before
them, ill the warmest terms, the petitions of their
humble supplicants.
During this kind of prayer, one of the assistants
stands w ith liis bow levelled at the victim ; and as
soon as the priest has concluded, and struck the beast
upon the head, he discharges liis arrow, and an-
other thrusts a stake through his body. After this,
they take it by the tail, and drag it along three times,
into the presence of the idol. Tiie blood is preserved
in a vessel consecrated for that particular purpose,
some part whereof is used in sprinkling the idol's
hut, another part is drank amongst them, and the
idol's mouth is besmeared with the remainder. It is
almost an universal custom amongst the 'I'artars, to
Jiang up the head, feet, tail, and skin of the victim
upon some particular trees ; to regale themselves
with the flesh, and to sing before and after their so-
lemn entertainment. After this, they rub the idol's
mouth a second time with the remaining fat of the
sacrifice : They frequently pay the ?ame deference
and respect even to their domestic idols. The cere-
mony being over, the whole assembly shout for joy,
and wave their sticks in the air, in honour to the soul
of their idol, which, according to their notion, re-
turns home after it has assisted at its own festival.
From whence it is plain and manifest, that how
.ravage and stupid soever they are represented to be,
they are not so senseless as to imagine, that a stock
or stone is absolutely the object which they ought to
adore.
The bear has likewise some part in this divine
worship. As soon as they have killed the creature,
they pull off its &kin, and hang it, in presence of
their idol, uf,on a very high tree; and afterwards
revere it, and amuse themselves with doleful lamen-
tations, as if they repented of the impious depd. —
They ridiculously plead, that it was the arrow, not
they, that gave the fatal wound ;.and that the feathers
added wings to its unhappy flight, &,c. This extra-
vagance is grounded on a received notion amongst
them, that the soul of this beast, roving about the
woods, from one side to the other, will take the
first opportunity to gratify its resentment, in case
they do not take timely care to appease its wrath,
and make it some suitable reparation.
By the description of the idols of the Ostiacs,
we may plainly discern, they bear some affinity to
the Talismans ; and we have informed our readers
more than once, that it is veiy probable the infinite
number of ancient idols in general owe their rise to
the Talismans, unless we are more inclined to be-
lieve that the Talismans themselves were originally
idols. One of those of the Ostiacs, we are informed,
was a brazen goose, with her wings extended, v\hose
peculiar province it was to take care of their geese,
ducks, Sec. and protect them from all disasters, —
Anoliier very remarkable idol is that which travellers
have described under the denomination of the Old
Man of Oby. His devotees oblige him to change
his place of residence once every three years, and
transport himself over the Oby, from one place to
another, with abundance of solemnity, in a vessel
made for that particular purpose. Tliis Old Man
of Oby is the guardian of their fishery. He is com-,
posed of wood: his nose, which resembles a hog's
snout, has an iron hook in it, to denote, that he drags
the fish out of the sea into the Oby. His eyes are
made of glass, and his head is embellished with a
pair of short horns. When the ice dissolves, and-
the river overflows her banks, the Ostiacs flock to
him in a body to make their joint requests that he
would be propitious to their fisheij ; but if the sea-
son does not answer their expectations, they load.
him with a thousand reproaches, and insult him after
the most shameful manner; but, on the other hand,
if they prove successful, the god, by Tvay of reta-
liation, is allowed his share in the booty. He has-
the very first fruits of their labour ; for before they
presume to touch one dish themselves at their general
feast, they rub his snout with some of the choicest
fat. After their entertainment is over, they conduct,
the soul of the god back again, by beating the air
with their cudgels. But, on the contrary, if the sea-
son has proved bad, ©r if they have met with any
disappointments, they not only revile him, as we
have before observed, but they strip him naked, and ,
whip him, and throw him into the dirtj as an old,
impotent/ despicable deity. Those half-savage peo-
ple treat their gods just as our children do their joint-
ed dolls. We have somewhere before observed,
that even some polite nations have been so whim-
sical and extravagant, as to make devotion and resent-
nient by turns succeed each other: these devout in-
fidels are much like gamesters, who curse and bless-'
their fortune in a breath, and can never refrain treat-
ing her with blandishments or invectives, since it
affords them a kind of consolation, and gives a vent
to their pas.^pn.
RELIGION IN TARTARY.
407
As to the Samoides, tliey are idolators as well as
the Ostiacs, but much more savage and unpolished.
'I'hey adore the sun and the moon, to which they add
some idols wrought in such an artless maimer, that
one would scarcely imagine they had any intention to
resemble the iimnan species. These idols are kept
in tiieir proper huts, or somewhere near them, or else
hung upon their choicest trees; and llu-y acknow-
ledge according to De liruyn,' ona Sujuenie 15eing,
called Heya.
1'lie Czereniissian Tartars ackuo\\le<lge one God,
who is immortal, and the author of all good, and
hold that there are evil spirits, or demons, who are
tiie professed enemies of mankind, and Uike delight
in tormenting them as long as they live; for which
reason they offer up sacrifices to them in order to
appease their wrath, and tempt them if possible,
not to injure them. They take particular care to
go in pilgrimages to a place, which the above-cited
traveller calls jSemda, and to perform several other
acts of devotion to their honour. There they carry
their oblations to those malignant beings, and never
})resume to go empty-handed ; , being fully persuaded
lliat those who are so imprudent as to carry nothing
with them, will infallibly pine away, and die at last
of some lingering distemper. 'J"he sacrifices which
are peculiarly devfjted to their"~deity, are either oxen
or horses. The manner of roasting the ik\sh of one
of them is this: They first throw large slices of it
into a dish with one hand, having a bowl full of
mctheglin, or some liquor of the like nature, ready
in the other; and then cast both together into a
large fire, made before the skin of the victim. 'J'liis
skill is extended upon a pole, which is laid cross-
ways, and rests between two trees. They implore
this skin to present their humble petitions to their
god, and be a mediator for them, and sometimes
make their addresses directly to it. The sun and
moon, as being the authors of the products of the
ebrtli, are likewise the objects of their divine adora-
tion. These Tartars always perform their religious
ceremonies near some rivers of rapid streams.
This is all that can be said, with any exactness
and appearance of truth, relating to the religion of
these almost savage nations. It is no easy task to
clear up the accounts of some of our ancient tra-
vellers, and to justify their remarks by those which
vie find in the writings of the moderns. The ig-
norance of the former with respect to geography,
their variations of the names of some countries they
describe, and the imperfect and inaccurate accounts
they have given us of the religion of these people,
liave all contributed towards this unhappy confusion.
The moderns, though somewhat more exact, are
notwithstanding chargeable with being too careless
and remiss. It would be a fruitless attempt to search
for the rehgiou of the modern Tartars amongst the
ancient Scythians. Such a learned enquiry would
be attended with nothing but mere conjectures. The
ancients themselves had but a very imperfect idea of
the Scythians, and all we know is, that they con-
found several nations under that name, as we do
under that other of the Tartars ; that these Scythians
were Nomades, or Strollers, all over the countries,
like the Tartars their descendants ; that lioth the one
and the other are people situated in Eurcjpe and
Asia, to the north of Persia and the Indies ; and in
short, that the ancient Scythians spread themselves
very far towards the east, as well as the modern
Tartars.
I'he Lamas, who are the regular priests of the
greatest part of Tartary, have their heads as well
as their beards shaved ; nor are these tlie only cha-
racteristics or marks of their dignity ; for they wear
a yellow hat, and a yellow gown, with long sleeves,
which they tie with a girdle of the same colour. —
111 their hands they carry a yellow chapk-t, which
they are perpetually tumbling over, because, accord-
ing to iheir rules, they ought to pray without ceas-
ing. According to the same laws they ought to live
in a state of celibacy, and devote themselves to the
constant practice of all good works. There are
nuns, we are informed, of this order of Lamas, who
are subject to the same law, and obliged to observe
the same vow.
The piiests of the Tonguses have a principal or
superior, whom they call Schamman, and devote
theuiselves wholly to the study and practice of the
black art ; whereas the Lamas know little or nothing
of it- The Schamman, in the exercise of his ma-
gical operations, observes the following strange me-
thod. After he has gone through his preliminary
penances he puts on a kind of robe or covering,
composed of divers pieces of old iron, some in the
form of birds, others in that of beasts and fishes :
and all are hung together by rings of the same metal.
He puts on stockings of the same materials, and
gloves likewise of the same sort, made in fashion of
a bear's paw. He claps on iron horns likewise upon
his head. Thus equipped, he takes a drum in one
hand, and a little wand, embellished with the skins
of mice, in the' other ; leaps and capers about,
crossing his legs sometimes this way, and sometimes
that, observing at the same time the tune, and ac-
companying it with the most hideous outcries. In
all these movements his eyes are stedfastly fixed on
a hole at the top of his hut; and a3 soon as ever he
discerns a black bird, which, as is pretended, perches
on the roof, and vanishes in a moment, he falls upon
the ground in a kind of a trance, and continues for
about a quarter of an hour entirely deprived, to
outward appearance, of all sense and reason ; and
when he- comes to himself, he resolves the queries of
those who consult him.
403
RELIGION IN TARTARY.
Tiie priests of the Samoides, who are likewise
magicians, when any one consults them, put a rope
round their necks, according to De Bruyn, and tie
it so tight, that they fall down as if they were dead.
When they foretel any future event, the blood gushes
out of some part of their faces, and stops again as
soon as they have finished their prediction. Our
author, by the rest of the description, seems to in-
timate that there is no material difference between
these people and the Schamnians, and other priests
of the Tartars. We have already observed, that the
Burates, when any one is to take a solemn oath,
carry the party to a hi;>h mountain, and there inakes
him swear witli an audible voice, assuring him at the
same time, that if he proves perjured, he will never
get down again alive.
The Ostiacs display all their instruments of war
before the party who takes the oath, to intimate,
that if he forswears himself, some one of those
weapons, shall infallibly, in a few days, be the in-
strument of his absoiule destruction. 'Ihe Ton-
guses clear thtniselves of any crime laid to their
charge, by the death of a dog; thrusting a knife
into his left thi2;h, and cutting him open to the very
mouih , and after this they suck up every drop of his
blood.
The Ostiac takes his oath upon a bear's skin,
spread upon the ground, w hereon are laid a hatchet,
a knife, and a piece of bread, which is tendered to
him. Before he eats it, he declares all he knows
relating to the matter in question, and confirms the
truth of his evidence by this solemn imprecation: —
■ " May this bear tear me to pieces, this bit of bread
choke me, this knife be my death, and this hatchet
sever iny head from my body, if 1 do not speak the
truth." In dubious cases, thev present themselves
before an idol, and pronounce the same oath willi
this additional circumstance, that he who takes the
oath, cuts off a piece of the idol's nose with liis
knife, " If I forswear myself, may this knife cut off
iny oxvn nose in the same manner, &c.
Tiie Mongak and Calmoucs give themselves but
very little trouble with respect to the degrees of con-
sanguinity, in their marriage engagements, for they
make no scruple of lying even with their mothers.
'I'he issue of such incestuous matches are looked
upon as legitimate, and have a right of inheritance,
as well as any others : but in case they be the chil-
dren of a Chan, or some other person of distinction,
he who is born in iionourable wedlock is preferred
before them. It is insinuated, that if the son spares
his mother, the father is not so scrupulous with re-
gard to his daughter, and they give this reason for
the-r conduct: A woman is like the earth; and
both the one and the other ought to be cultivated.
Tiiey should never lie fallow ; for nature had the
same view in the formation of them both, with
this difference only, that the culture of one is vain
and fruitless after a certain number of years. —
They are not ignorant, that a soil, however ex-
hausted, harassed and worn out, will by extraordi-
nary care and artful management, become as fruit-
ful as ever; but as for women their age is irrepara-
ble, they are lands but of short duration, tliey ought
therefore never to li<J neglected, as long as they
are able to produce any crop. This is a specimen
of the Tartars maimer of reasoning; and in confor-
mity thereto, they take particular care to iind out
young wives, for after they are forty years of age,
they look upon them only as governants of their
families, or even simply as their domestics, and the
major part of the savage Americans observe the
same custom. The other Tartars are as regardless
of the degrees of consanguinity, as those we have
already described. >>ome of their most conscienti-
ous indeed will never marry either their mothers-in-
law, or their sisters; but the Czeremissian Tartars
make no scrtiple with regard to the latter. We have
nothing more material to add, but that after a child
is six months old, they give it the name of such
object, whatever it be, as first presents itself before
them.
There is nothing very remarkable in the court-
ship and amorous adventurer of tliese people. Love
with them, and such like thein, is neither con-
strained nor polished; and the women, who, doubt-
less, have no idea of any state superior to their own
are as contented with their lot, as the rest of their
se.x are in other countries. The want of know-
ledge, and a narrow imagination, constitute the
greatest part of human hap|)iness in this world ; and
if so, they whose reason is bounded by the.r gros-
sest b'idilv necessities, are much more liap[)y tiiaii
other people. But to relurn to the Tartarian gal-
lantry: Their courtship of tlie young ladies con-
sists in the purchase of them. Amongst the Os-
tiacs, the gallant sends one of his friends to his mis-
tress's lather, in order to agree about the price ; and
when the bargain is actually made, the intended
father-iu-law covenants to surrender and yiejd up
his daughter at the expiration of a certain term
therein limited; and during the whole courtship,
the man must not, on any account whatever, pre-
sume to visit his mistress. If he pays his respects
to her father and mother, he goes backward into the
house, not presuming ^o look them in the face; and
as a farther testimony of his esteem and submission,
turns his head on one side whenever he speaks to
them. At the expiration of the term of his court-
ship, the father according to his contract, surren-
ders his daughter to bis son-in-law, and at the same
time recommends them to a happy union, as rtie
RELIGION IX TARTARY.
409
fundamental article of wedlock ; but what the Os-
tiacs may mean by that expression is a nice point to
deterniiiie.
Tlie Ostiac, as a trial of his wife's honour, cuts
a handful of hair oft" a bear's skin, and presents it to
her. If she be virtuous she accepts of the ofter
without the least reluctance, but if she be con-
scious of her own inconstancy, she ingenuously re-
fuses to touch it, whereupon her husband iunnedi-
ately puts iier away, and that is all the ill conse(pience
that attends her illegal amours, and besides she has
the liberty to marry whom she pleases after such
separation.
This ingenious confession of their wives is owing
to their dread of being torn to pieces by the paws of
the very bear, the hair of whose hide is made use of
as an ex[ieriment to prove their ciiastity or falsehood.
This bear, according to their notion, revives at the
expiration of three years, in order to devour the
bride, who is perjured and inconstant. This pu-
nishment of their infidelity is so moderate and easy
to be borne, that it is scarce worth their while to
prevaricate, in order to shun it.
11ie mourning of children for their parents
amongst the Tartars, in general, consists in weeping
over them for several days successively ; and during
all that time they are obliged to abstain from all
manner of amusements, and from the society of
\vomen for several months. The child must inter
his father or mother with all the funeral pomp and
solenniity his circumstances will admit of, and pay
his annual respects to their respective tombs, which
must be attended not only with tears, but loud la-
jneniations. These people as well as the Indians,
Chinese, &c. mate provision for their dead, and sup-
ply them with variety of apparel. The W'oguUhes
extend iheir charity to their very dogs ; they inter
them honourably, and erect a little hut on purpose
for them, in order to preserve their memoi-v. There
is no other testimony of their respect omitted in
commemoration of them, but that of making their
formal lamentations round their mausoleums. The
Tonguses hang their dead upon some particular
trees, and there leave them till tiiey have nothing
but skin and bones remaining, when they inter
them.
The Jekutzes also hang up their deceased rela-
tions in the very same manner, and v\ hen their skele-
tons are perfectly dry, adorn them v\ith coral, and
little pieces of painted glass. Afterwards they carry
them in solemn procession round their houses, and
revere them as idols.
The Ostiacs either bury their dead, or hide both
them and their bows, arrows, implements of house-
hold furniture, and provisions in the snow, out of
ihe very same principle as others do, who are habi-
tuated to these customs. A widow, to testify her
£7 5 L
unfeigned sorrow for the loss of her dearly beloved
husband, takes an idol, dresses it up in the good
man's clothes, lays it in the bed w ilh her, and ef-
fects to have it always before her eyes, in order to
aggravate her grief, and bring her departed husband
to her remembrance; and can any thing be more
natural.'' Our European widows would beha\e
much after the same manner, did they caress their
deceased husbands' pictures, kiss them, ask them
a thousand endearing questions, and weep over
them ; and indeed some of them have been known
to take up every individual thing wore in his life-
time, and blubber over every piece. The widows
of the Ostiacs kiss the idols of the deceased hus-
bands, and honour them as partners of their beds
for a whole year together; and then they are looked
upon as incumbrances, and thrown neglected by in
some corner of the house; then there is no men-
tion of their old bed-fellows, and the time of their
mourning is accomplished. The Samoides, ac-
cording to De Bruyn, hang their deceased infants
that have not attained the age of one year, upon
trees; but inter between two boards, such as are of
a more advanced age ; and drown or otherwise make
away with their relations, who are superanuated,
infirm, and entirely a burden to themselves and all
about them. Near the place where they bury their
dead, they hang up their fire-arms, their hatchets,
their hammers, and in short, all the other imple-
ments w liich they made use of whilst in the land of
the living.
It is remarkable that all these people in Tartary,
notwithstanding their difference in many fundamen-
tal articles of religion, yet agree in believing the
transmigration of souls. ■ Some are of opinion, that
the real souls transmigrate from one body to ano-
ther; while others only imagine that the faculties
transmigrate to animate another body. These last,
in all probability, only imagine that there is an ema-
nation of virtues ; Jjecause they confound the body
and soul together. There is something like this to
be met w itli even so near us as France. Thus when
a priest reputed for his sanctity dies, or any other
person of uncommon merit, the people bring their
children to the bed-side, to hover over his face in or-
der to catch the last gasp of his breath, that they
may become partakers of his fame and virtues. —
Nay, they carry their superstition much farther: for
they set open all their doors and windows that the
soul may have an easy passage.
To meet with such notions and practices among
the ancient heathens is not at all surprising, because
ignorance of the true God leads to idolatry, and idoi-
latry creates absurdities. Nor is it surprising to
meet with such notions and practices among the
modern Tartars, who are far more barbarous and
brutal in their manners tlian most of the heathen
410
RELIGION IN LAPLAND.
nations of old : but to meet with it in Fiance is
really surprising. A polite people to be slaves to
superstition! Yes: ]5iit let us remember, tliat the
learned are deists, and the ignorant enthusiasts. —
Nothing less than divine grace can set bounds to
human imaginations ; nothing less than the power
of God can keep human nature under proper re-
straints. The imagination roves from one object to
another, and generally, consistent widi its own
capriciousness, fixes upon, the worst.
What has been here advanced may, with great pro-
priety be applied to the heathen nations in general,
but to none more properly than the Tartars. They
are a numerous body of ))eople, they are divided
into a vast number , of clans or hordes, and each
tribe has sonielliiiig in its religion differing from the
others. In their natural lives they wander from one
place to another, without a settled habitation ; and
in their different forms of religion they wander from
all tl-.at is truth ; some of them worship devils, some
images, and some are so ignorant that they have
hardly any notion of the Supreme Being. Here
the pious reader will be affected, when he hears so
many of his fell jw creatures, ignorant of the gos-
pel of Christ, and strangers to the covenant of pro-
mise, are destitute of the peace of God whicli
passeth all understanding, having no views of a
future state, no hopes of a blessed immortality. —
To all this may be added, the many horrid barbari-
ties daily conmiitted by those of one hoide or ano-
ther, and all this is ov.'ing to the want of true religion
in the soul, which, when properly cultivated, dif-
I'uses itself throughout every part of the conduct.
As nothing has been attempted by the Christians
in Europe towards the conversion of these heathens,
and as we have reason to believe, that previous to
the second coming of Christ all the world will em-
brace the gospel, so we may rest satisfied that some
great event yet waits to be accomplished. How,
when, or by whom as the instruments, this impor-
tant event will be brought about it is impossible for
us to say, or even to form any conjecture. But
from what we know of the goodness of God, we
have reason to believe it will take place ; and as for
the means to be used in conducting it, let us rest
satislifcd, that tlie judge of all the earth will do
right. In the mean time, let us study to make a
proper use of those inestimable blessings we enjoy ;
for from those to whom much is given, much will
be required.
RELIGION IN LAPLAND.
JLi'R. Smollet, in his ironical manner, calls the
hihabitants of Lapland the fag-end of the "human
creation, which illiberal and invidious expression
seems to arise from not considering, that these peo-
ple have the same rational faculties as other.s, and
only want the means to improve themselves. Now
under such circumstances, let us seriously ask, whe-
ther these people are the objects of laivghter and
ridicule ? Are they not objects rather of pity, espe-
cially when we cotisider that our ancestors were once
as ignorant as they, and probably more barbarous.
Nay, barbarity is not so much as imputed to the
Laplanders, even by those who-^ take a savage plea-
sure in ridiculing them for what is not in their power
to prevent. That they are slaves to superstition is
not denied, but that superstition never leads them to
any thing of a cruel or barbarous nature. Secure
in their sunple huts, they live without giving oifence
to each other; and if they have but little knowledge,
they have but few sins to account for. The author
of this thinks it no small pleasure to have been some
years acquainted with a native of Lapland, who is
now one of the most ingeni(nis artists in London.
In his early youth he was brought from his native
country to Stockholm, in Sweden, where he had the
benefit of a liberal education, was baptized, and
studied the theory and practice of music. From
thence he came to England, and now resides in Lon-
don. His ingenuity in the art he professes, his affa-
bility in conversation, sweetness of temper, and,
above all, his unfeigned piety, has created him many
friends, but not more than his merit entitles him to.
Thus we find that it is only owing to the want of
cultivating the rational faculties, that the natives of
such unhospitable deserts remain in a state of igno-
rance. Let those sovereigns who claim a supre-
macy over them, send some men of piety and virtue
to instruct them in the principles of learning and
religion, i^nd then they will be equally useful and
polite as the rest of their subjects.
Lapland consists of a vast extent of land running
from the westerly extremity of Norw ay on the north,
to the easterly extremity of that part of Russia,
which is in Europe. During one half of the year,
the country is entirely frozen over, and in some parts
there is a total darkness during four months, there
RELIGION IN LAPLAND.
411
bein^ no lig!it but what proceeds from tlie moon.
But tlic traiispiirent light of the moon upon the
snow, makes partly an anicntls for tiiis de/iciencv ;
and the poor natives, when they want to visit each
other, are drawn on sledges by reign deer over the
mountains of suow and ice. Such is the state of tliis
country in general, which leads us to consider their
religious senthnents and ceremonies.
The natives of l^apiand, excepting a few who live
in the southern parts, are heathens, and gross iriol-
ators. Their chief god is 'J'lior, the same as was
worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons, and in memory
of wliom we call one of the days of the week Thurs-
day. This idol is represented as a warrior, placed
on a pedestal like the square table of an altar, raised
about three feet high, about a bow-shot from their
houses, and surrounded with pines to give it the air
of a sanctuary.
Subordinate to this deity, or rather idol, is Stor-
junkarr, who acts as vicar, or viceroy to Thor. —
They believe that it is in and through his mediation
that all temporal blessings are bestowed, and it is
him who is the protector and guardian of all the
beasts of the field ; and consequently it is to him
they make their applications for success in their pur-
suit of the chase.
Storjunkarr is a kind of domestic deity, or house-
hold god, for every family has an image of him. —
They believe that he often appears personally among
them, and he is represented under the tigurq of a
square stone, v\ithout any sculpture upon it ; for
they content themselves with such rough unpolished
stones as they find on the mountains ! and they ima-
gine thai it is Storjunkarr who directs them in their
search. This stone god is frequently supplied with
a large family of children, that is, they place a vast
number of small stones around him, one whereof is
his wife, and the others his children and domestics.
Their next deity in order is called Beywe; or the
sun ; but there is nothing particular in the adoration
they offer up to him. Fie is likewise represented
under tlie form of a great stone, without any sculp-
ture upon it, and the oblations they offer, consist
of their victuals and drink, part of which they j)our
down upon the stone.
Wirclui-Archa, is a female deity, and called by
them the god of old women, and is only an artless
stone like the rest: but besides these they worship
several spirits, angels, and devils; and likewise the
souls of their departed relations. They believe with
the Tartars, that souls pass from one body to^an-
other ; but of this ancient doctrine they have very
confused notions. No doubt but they learned it
originally from the Tartars, from whom it appears
they are descended.
They have a number of impostors among them,
who pretend to know magic, by which they delude
the ignorant, and make tliem believe whatever they
please. In all their sacritices, they otter rein deer,
for tint i)einir the creature most useful to themselves,
they imagine it will be the most acceptable to their
gods. Sometimes, indeed, they sacrilice other ani-
mals, such as dogs, cats, hens, and chickens ; but
before they offer any of these sacriiices, they use the
following ceremony to discover w hether or not it
will be acceptable.
After they have tied up the victim behind their
hut, they strip off some of the hair fronj under the
neck of the animal, which they fasten to one of the
rings of a drum, appropriated for that particular
service, and which one of their [iriests beats, while
the whole assembly of the ])eople sing a short prayer.
If the bunch of rings to which they fastened the
hair of the victim, and which before was immove-
able, should turn about in an instant, and point to
their god Thor, they look upon it that the sacri-
fice is acceptable to that god. But on the contrary,
if the bunch of rings remain fixed and "mmoveable,
notwithstanding the motion of the drum, they pre-
sent the victim to another god while the drum is
beating, and the people singing a second prayer or
hymn. In all their devotions they pay much regard
to the season of the year, but autumn is that U>
which they pay most regard, probably because the
fruits of the earth arc then ripe, and tlicy are about
shifting themselves home to their huts.
At this time they erect a new statue to their god
Thor, and afterwards cut the throat of a rein deer
in his presence, and smear the statue all over with
the blood and fat of the victim. When this cere-
mony is over, they inter the remains of the victim
in the s;mie place. Besides this idol they are obliged
to erect another every time they sacrifice a rein deer,
and all these images being ranged together behind
their huts, they cut the throat of the victim and offer
it up in sacrifice. I'he victim is in general a rein
deer of the male kind, which they sacrifice by
thrusting a knife into its heart. The blood that flows
is preserved in a bow 1, and they smear it all over the
head of their god Thor, and draw several strokes
on him in the form of crosses. Behind .the idol
they place the horns and bones of the rein deer's
head, and before him a small box made of birch
wood, filled with little slices of flesh, cut off from
every part of the victim's body, with some fat pre-
served underneath it. The remainder of the flesh is
preserved for the use of the family.
When they offer sacrifices to Storjunkarr, they
run a thread through the right ear of the victim,
and observe all the ceremonies already mentioned,
with this exception only, that the sarriticing priests
takes the horns and bones of the head and neck of
the victim, as also the ckws and feet, and carries
them to a mountain, devoted to the honour of Stor-
412
RELIGION IN LAPLAND.
junkarr, for whose service the victim was slain. —
As soon as the priest rises, he approaches tlie sa-
cred stone, stands uncovered, and makes a profound
reverence before it. After this first act of devotion,
he besmears the stone ail over with the blood and
fat of the victim, deposits the horns by the idol, ties
his tail to the right iiorn, and to the left a red thread
run through a plate of pewter, with a bit of small
silver.
Sometimes they celebrate festivals in honour of
their Storjuukarr, and then they sacrifice some ani-
mal in the idol's presence which they dress in their
own way, and every one eats a part of it. But
what they eat must be of the flesh that is upon the
head and neck, and they leave the skin extended on
the place, where it lies for many years together.
Sometimes, when the mountain is steep and diffi-
cult of access, they offer up their sacrifices at the
foot of it, and afterwards take a stone dipped in the
blood of the rein deer, and make an attempt as if
they were going to throw it up to the top of the
mountain.
They revere the image of this idol in the same
manner as they do that of Thor, but as it is only a
Jielpless stone,' so there is no more required than to
remove the old idol, and replace another of the
same shape. They range the branches of young
trees arouud the idol, and this ceremony is observed
twice in the year, namely, in the middle of summer,
and in the middle of winter. If when they place
these boughs or branches, they find that the stone
which is the object of worship, can be easily remo-
ved, then they nnagine that their god will be propi-
tious to them ; but when they find it heavy and pon-
derous, they imagine that the god is displeased, and
they dread the effects of his vengeance. In such
an unhappy case, they study all the ways they can
;think of, to appease his anger, and avert his judg-
ments, and from that moment engage to make him .
nevv" oblations.
These Laplanders never sacrifice to the sun any
other animals besides the rein deer, but they observe
all the ceremonies already mentioned, except that
they run a white thread through the right ear of the
victim, to denote its being devoted to the service of
the sun, and except also that in their other sacrifices
they make choice of birch trees, in this they use
only willows. With these willows they form two
-circles, about the circumference of half a tun, and
round them hang little slices of flesh which they cut
off from every part of the victim. These they after-
wards deposit on a table behind their huts, as also
■the principal bones of the victim disposed in a cir-
cular form.
As to the souls of their departed relations, they
■aaever make any images of them, but testify their
iveneration for them by particular sacrifices. On
such occasions the priest beats a drum, in orcfer to
know whether the idol is pleased with the sacrifice.
As sooK as they imagine that the idol is satisfied with
the. victim offered to him, they take out the heart,
liver, and lungs, dip them in the blood of the vic-
tim, and bury them before the altar. This species
of idolatry is very ancient ; it was practised by the
Greeks and Romans, by the heathen nations who
overthrew the Roman empire, and even to this day
we may find many remains of it among the in-
habitants of those nations, where knowledge never
yet came.
With respect to spirits, or aerial beings, of whom
they worship many, they have no images, but pay
their adoration to them under trees, planted near
their houses. This act of devotion consists in offer-
ing up a sacrifice to these spirits, about the latter
end of December ; and this is introduced with ab-
stinence and fasting, at least from all flesh meat, and
if any is provided for them, they give it those whom
they suppose have none. All the fragments left at
the feast, are put into a box made of birch, and this
box is hung upon a tree behind the iiouse, for the
subsistence of such spirits as rove about on the
mountains and in the forests.
It is difficult to say from whence this species of
siiperstition took its origin, because it seems to be
peculiar to the people in this part of the country ;
but then it is necessary that we should consider that
there are some differences to be found m the worship
of all heathen nations. All arose from this single
circumstance, namely, neglecting the true God, and
setting up their own images in the room of his
conmiandments.
The Laplanders are so much addicted to supersti-
tion, that they adore the first object that presents it-
self to them in the morning. '1 hey never suffer
their wives to go to the door first, lest there should
be a jein deer, for in such cases they would be
obliged to go a hunting all the day. Every liouse,
every family, have their own peculiar deities ; they
have places erected for them, and as their priests are
numerous, so they are never at a Joss for some o/
them to officiate. AVhether in sacrifice, or by any
other means, a drum is always used, for they b^
lieve there is something masical in the sound of that
instrument. Indeed this is not in the least surpri-
sing, because all the northern nations made use of
drums in their religious sacrifices, and transmitted
them to their camps and to their battles. Such is
the origin of drums, and aldiough they make at
present a distinguishing hgure in our armies, yet
they were no mare original than implements of su-
perstition and. idolatry.
1 here are some other particulars in which the
LaplandeKSidiffer from all the people we know of in
the ,^v.Ol:ld. They believe that there are two S.u-
RELIGION IX LAPLx\ND.
413
preme Beings, but so gross nre their notions, that
lliey believe one of these beings to be mortal, and
the other immortal. The mortal being they believe
dies in consequence ot" any peison breaking wind
backward against him, and then he is succeeded by
another \\',o reigns till he meets with the same mis-
fortune. On the other hand, the immortal being
resides always in heaven, and is not affected by the
passions of men, he is indifferent about their wants,
and unconcerned about their condition in this world.
i\nd is not this epicurianisra in the highest degree .''
Indeed we are of opinion, that notwithstanding
what has been said against Epicurius, as a moral
philosopher, yet he was not the father or author of
tiiose sentiments wliich bear his name. If he was,
why should we find them among heathen nations,
who never knew any thing of literature .'' Does an
ignorant Laplander know any thing of Epicurius or
Lucretius.^ Is'o, they never heard of their names,
and yet they have imbibed aH their notions. P"rom
what source does all these flow i The answer is ob-
vious. The corruption of human nature has sunk
so deep, that it has contaminated the minds of the
whole race of human beings. -All niaiikind are
extremely fond of knowing more than has been re-
vealed to them, and therefore they are apt to form
the same notions of God as of themselves. This
is the fundamental error in all religious dispensa-
tions, it is a poison which runs through the whole
body ; but having said so much by way of digression,
we shall now proceed with our narrative.
Ail religious ceremonies are less or more conduct-
ed by beating of drums, and it is very remarkable,
that these people never undertake any thing, not
even so much as common diversions, without first
Consulting the drum. But it is obvious to every
one's observation, that these drums are not all ex-
actly of the same fashion, and the reason of it may
possibly be, because some of them are more adapted
for magical operations, and more mischievous than
others. There are two appendixes, which are abso-
lutely necessary to render these drums complete, and
fit for use, and they are the mark and the hammer.
The former points out the the thing, or secret en-
quired after, on the painted figures of the drum,
and the latter is made use of to beat with. What
they call the mark is a large copper ring, to which
they fasten several others of a less size, which make
a large bunch altogether, llie fashion of those
rings however, frequently varies. One of them is
made of a very thick plate of copper, about the
size of a crucible, w ith a square hole in the middle,
and with little brass chains, Mbich hang down instead
of rings, and meet together in a circle. The other
is a brass ring, with a small round plate of brass
hung to it by several small' chains, and the hammer
or stick, with which they beat this drum, is made of
£8 6 M
a rein deer's horn. The I-aplanders do not aim at
making a great noise with their drums, but are
cliieHy solicitous, as we have before observed, about
the motion of the rings, that according to their
position, they may form a right judgment of such
secrets as they want to have revealed.
These Laplanders have such an extraordinary ve-
neration for tiitir drum, that they will not permit a
maid that is marriageable so much as to touch it. —
A\ hen they remove from one place to another it is
the last utensil that is carried off the premises, and
after every one of the family is departed, they are
peculiarly careful in the conveyance of it to their
new apartment. It is given in charge to the husband,
as his peculiar province ; for the wife must not pre-
sume to meddle with it, and they always find out
on this occasion, some by-way, very different and
distant from the high road. They are apprehensive,
that if any one, but more particularly a married
woman, or a marriageable maid, shcjuld by accident
go the same by-way, within three days after the
drum has past, she would either die upon the spot,
or some fatal disaster would befal her. A brass ring
however, presented in a solemn manner, for the
service of the drum, makes an atonement for any
such misfortune. The Laplander in all his magical
consultations with the drum, must be upon his knees,
and so must all who attend him ; the consequences
whereof are, as we are informed, surprising and su-
pernatural : but as they want due confirmation, the
best way will be to suspend our belief.
The drum which is peculiarly appropriated to
magical purposes, is somewhat different with res-
pect to its form, from those made use of on other
occasions. That part of it which may properly be
called the handle is made like a cross, and divides it
into four equal parts. This drum is embellished, for
the generality, with the claws and bones of such
beasts as they have hunted down in pursuit of their
game. ^^ hen lliey make use of it on any magical
occasion, their usual practice is this: In order to
know, for instance, the transactions of any foreign
country, one of their aperators beats the drum in the
following manner: He first lays a large quantity of
brass rings linked together, with several small brass
chains upon that particular place where the sun is
delineated. Then he beats the driun in such a
manner, with his horn, hammer, or stick, that the
rings are put in motion. During this action, he
sings very distinctly a song, which in the language
of Lapland is called Jonke, and all the natives
that are present, both men and women add their
respective songs, which are distinguished by the
name of Duvra. The words which they utter are
so distinct, that they nominate the very place, of
which they want some secret intelligence.
After lie has beat the drum for some considerable
414
RELIGION IN LAPLAND.
time, he raises it to liis. head, and then drops iu-
staull) down upon the ground, like one fast as!c(;p
or iu a trance. His senses are all lost, his pulse
ceases to beat, and he is in short a dead man to all
ontw^ird appearance ; from whence it has been
thought that the soul of the magician actually aban-
dons his body for a time, and, through the assistance
of some invisible spirits, is conveyed to those very
countries, of which they want such intelligence as
before-mentioned. Whilst the officiating Laplander
is in this situation, this state of insensibility, he is,
notwithstanding, we are told, in such extremity of
pain, that the sweat runs down his face, and all over
his body, and mean wliile the whole assembly con-
tinue singing, till he returns from his reverie to his
perfect senses. For should they cease, or endeavour
to awake him by the least touch imaginable, the
magician, as we are fmllier told, would inevitably
die ; and in all probability, that is the reason why
liiey take a more than ordinary care at Such a time,
to prevent Hies, or insects of any other kind from
.settlhig near him. When he is perfectly awake, and
come to himself, he gives a full account of the in-
formations he has received, and answers all inter-
rogatories of the w hole assembly.
The duration of this ecstatic slumber is very un-
certain ; but it never lasts, at the most, as \Te are
inloruicd, above four and twenty hours ; the conju-
ror, however, let him recover his senses sooner or
later, alw ays produces some token of the thing or
country inquired after, as an undeniable testimony
of his supernatural abilities.
What has already been said is sufficient, we pre-
sume, to give the reader an adequate idea of the use
which these Laplanders make of their drum. We
siiall only add, therefore, this cursory remark, that
their physicians likewise make use of it, to discover
the cause and quality of their patients' distempers;
that is to say, whether they are the mere results of
chance, or of nature, and to find out the best ways
and means they can to appease their gods on all such
occasions. V\ e must not, however, omit one thing,
which is very remarkable ; that is, if the rings of tlie
drum turn from the left to the right, it is looked
upon as a propitious omen, being conformable to
the course of the sun, which is the great dispenser
of the various blessings of nature, and the inex-
haustible souice of all agreeable objects. But, on
the contrary, if they turn from the right to the left,
as their course is the reverse of that of the sun, it
portends some fatal misfortunes, maligna^t chstem-
pers, or the plagues of poverty and distress.
There is something very particular in their sale of
the winds. The Norwegians, northern Laplanders,
and such as reside on the borders of the Botlmic
gulph, sell them to travellers and sailors. The secret
oi this magical commodity consists in a rope with
three knots, which they dispose of tothelr customers
at the very best price they can get. As soon as the
first knot is untied, a gentle breeze arises ; at un-
ravelling the second, the w ind blows brisk, and swells
their sails ; but storms and tempests fill the skies
when they venture to undo the third ; they are no
longer masters of their vessels, and shipwreck is their
inevitable portion. This secret, as Schefter assures
us, depends entirely on the nativity of the magician.
He has an absolute power over that particular wind,
which blew the moment he was born ; so that one
is lord and ruler of the east wind, and another of the
west, and as they have the secret power to set a ship
a sailing, so likewise can they stop it when under
sail.
The Laplanders, likewise, as we are informed,
nrake use of some certain magical javelins, which
they throw at their enemies to aimoy them, and by
this act of fascination, they are able sometimes to
afHict their adversaries with very violent distempers;
but if their hearts fail them in the personal execu-
tion of such injuries, they will at least do all the
mischief they possibly can by proxy, and make dread-
ful havoc of their fiocks and cattle. Most authors,
indeed, have omitted this particular circumstance ;
but they all agree that there are some familiar spirits,
or imaginary demons, whom these northern people
call Gans, employed by them to accomplish, as far
as they are able, all their private schemes of malice
and revenge.
The instrument called tyre by these Laplanders,
is another of their magical machines, which, accord-
ing to our historians is, to all outward appearance,
nothing but a ball about the bigness of a walnut, or
a small apple, and composed of the down of some
particular animal. This little machine is round and
smooth, and so light that it seems to be perfectly
hollow. It is a motley, or party-coloured com-
modity, yellow, green, and grey, but mostly of a
yellowish cast ; and the Laplanders, as we are in-
formed, set them to sale, and look upon them, as it
were, animated, and so far capable of action that
the purchaser can send them where and to whom he
pleases. The motion of this tyre is like that of a
whirlwind, and its mischievous eticcts, however per-
sonally intended, falls always on the first animal that
obstructs his way.
We shall close this article with a short detail of
their superstitions relating to the chase. In the first
place then, we must take notice that they are very
observant of lucky and unlucky days ; that in order
to discover the one, and avoid the other, they con-
sult their drum ; and that when they are determined
to pursue their game, they always go through a back
passage, contrived for that purpose, lest ^they should
meet with some woman or other at the street door,
which they look upon as an unprojiitious rencounter..
RELIGION IN LAPLAND.
415
The hunting of the bear is accompanied with such
cxtraKitlinarv formalities, tliat one would imau;iue
they paid a peculiar regard to that savage creature.
As soon as they have opened the chase, by the con-
sultation of their drum, accorriing to the custom
observed on the occasion, he who has discovarcd the
bear's hold, marches at the head of a nuinerntis train
of huntsmen; without any other weapon of defence
but a long staff, with a brass ring on the top of it:
and alter him follows the drummer. Each individual
assistant has likewise his particular province assigned
him. After they have killed the desperate savage,
they sing a kind of triumphal song over him, and
therein congratulate him on his death, and return him
thanks for having done them no mischief. After
this, they whip him with a bunch of rods, and then
carry him to a cottage, prepared on purpose for his
reception, where they flay him, cut him up, and dress
him. The whole train of huntsmen attend the sledge
or carriage in which their prey is extended, and sing
during the procession, a song suitable to the occasion,
wherein they beg of him not to resent the ill treat-
uicnt he has met with, or injure those who are any
ways instrumental to his ruin, and the rein deer
which drew the sledge must be employed no more
on any occasion whatsoever, all that year. The
wives assemble themselves together at the cottage
above-mentioned, and there wait the return of their
husbands, who at their first arrival, desire them in
a chanting tone, to chew the bark of an alder-tree
between their teeth, and spit it in their faces. Every
huntsman, w hen the bear is lodged within the cottage
where it is to be dressed, is obliged, according to
custom, to repair to another commodious apartment
adjacent to it, where their wives are, who having
their mouths full of alder bark readv chewed, dis-
charge it in their faces, that they may seem at least,
as ii' they are Ijesmeared with the blood of the savage
monster. Here it is that the w ives regale their hus-
bands With the products of their toil and fatigue.
There are several other circumstances in the de-
scription of their bear-hunting, which we shall ])ur-
posely omit, and content ourselves with such only
as are very singular. All those who are concerned
in the chase, or come in at the bear's death, are
obliged to abstain from the conversation of ih.eir
wives for the three days next ensuing; and the prin-
cipal or captain of the band, for five. The skin of
the beast is hung upon the top of a tall pole, and
the women shoot at it w ith tlicir bows and arrows.
Every one is very ambitious of hitting the mark,
smee .siie who jirst succeeds iij the most honoured and
respected. This piece of dexterity is looked upon
as the happy presage that her husband will be the
foremost in the chase of the nex't bear. It is this
woman's province likewise, according to Scheffer,
to take several pieces of stuff, and fasten as many
crosses upon each of them as they have conquered
bears, and to hang these trinkets about the ne* ks of
all such as were assistants in the chase, who art;
obliged to wear them for three days together; thai
is, till the setting of the sun on the last day. A
cross m^ade after the same manner is hung about the
neck of the rein deck, w hi<h ch-ew the bear from the
forest to the cottage. In all i)r(ibabilily the inter-
course which these r,a]ilauders have hud with the
Christians, induced them to look upon these crosses
as preservatives against the demons, or genii of the
forest, who, perhaps, may resent all indignities offer-
ed to their savage subjects.
As the chief riches of the country consist in their
abundance of rein deer, so the young woman whose
parents possesses most of these animals, has the
greatest number of gallants. Rein deer are the ab-
solute property of the young persons of both sexes,
it being customary for their parents to make them
presents of them as soon as tiiey are born. A Lap-
lander, in the choice of his w ife, has an eye particu-
larly to her wealth, and in this he acts in the same
manner as the people in other nations. The lover
never courts his mistress himself, but employs an
old woman as match maker, in the same manner as
in China, Tartary, and other nations. Some skins
of wild beasts, and feathers of curious fowls, are
sent as presents to the intended bride, and after some
formalities are over, the bridegroom is permitted to
visit the bride's relations. If he is permitted to
speak to his mistress, it is esteemed a very great
favour, but this seldom happens till after several
visits to the parents.
At the first interview they salute each other with
an affectionate kiss, and a sanguine squeeze of their
noses one against the other, which is an essential
point, the neglect of it being looked upon as a de-
claration of coldness and dislike. Their marks of
love are heightened by the presents the gallant brings
with him, which, among other things, consists of
rein deer tongues, of which they make delicious
feasts. The young woman, who is surrounded by
her relations, pretends, either through shame or
modesty, to decline his favours; but at the same
time gives him a private signal to withdraw, and,
v.hen alone, with jileasure accepts of them all. —
From thence forward, the young Laplander thinks
himself entitled to greater liberties, and gives a full
loose to his passion. He begs the favour of his
mistress to let him sleep by her side, or in other
words, to lie with her ; but if she is not amorously
inclined, she throws his presents on the ground with
disdain. It is some considerable time before ail the
preliminaries are settled, because the girl's relations
are seemingly loth to give their consent, which is all
artifice, and the pure result of an avaricious dispo-
sition. For the gallant, during the whole time of
416
RELIGION IN LAPLAND.
the courtsliip", is daily making tliem some valuable
presents, in order to ingratiate himself into their
favour, and obtain their consent, and they are cun-
ning enough to know that there will be but few pre-
sents after their marriage.
When all parties are absolutely agreed, a certain
■day is appointed for the celebration of their nuptials
and the bridegroom must bring along with him more
presents, some for the bride and some for her rela-
tions. The marriage ceremony consists in the
priest's striking a flint with steel, and the bride and
bridegroom light tapers at it. Then they walk home
to their huts, and the bridegroom is obliged to serve
his father-in-law a whole year after the marriage, and
then he takes home his wife and her fortune. —
When a woman is pregnant, they pretend to know
whether she will have a son or a daughter, and this
they do by consulting the moon. When a star ap-
pears above that planet, it indicates the birth of a
boy^ and when a star appears near and seems to go
before it, it is a happy presage that the child will
be healthy, robust and active.
SchefFer tells us, that when a native falls sick, he
■sends for one whom he imagines most skilful in the
use of the drum, who, in order to restore him, first
offers up a rein deer as a ■sacrifice to one of their
idols ; then ,he beats the drum, and falls down in
either a real or imaginary trance. He continues in
this inactive situation about an hour, and during
that .time,, .those who are present sing the magician's
song, which restores liini to his senses. He rises
up, takes his drum, and clapping it close to his ear,
beats softly upon it. Afterwards he stands foV some
short time like one in deep contemplation, and then
relates all that was delivered to him while in a
trance.
When a man dies, his whole family leaves the
•house ; for they have a notion, that the soul of the
deceased hovers round 'the corpse. They generally
bury the bodies of their dead in gloomy caverns,
the mouths of which they stop up with stones.
They put into the cavern beside the dead, a hatchet,
a steel, flint, and a tinder-box ; and the reason they
give for this strange ceremony is, that as the de-
ceased will want light, so he may strike it when he
pleases. We are assured tliat the ancient Danes
'and Saxons, before they were converted to Chris-
tianity, buried warlike insruments along with the
dead, of which many have been dug up in ditFerent
parts of Britain ; and probably, this was the prac-
tice of all the heathen nations in the world.
In Lapland the hatchet is laid beside the deceased,
that in case he should meet in his way with briars
and thorns, or boughs of trees to obstruct his pas-
sage through the thick forests, he may cut them
down ; for they believe that no person after death
cau be adpiitted into heaven, unless he tights his way
into it. This notion of their's seems to proreefl
from the nature of the climate where they live;
their nights being long and dark, they imagnie the
dead meet with the same inconveiiiL-nces in their
way toJieaven. At their funerals tliey kill the rein-
deers which drew the body of the deceased to the
grave, and make m^ry over their corpse, in me-
mory of their friend being removed out of a worid
of grief and sorrow. They have one. more custom
relating to their dead, which is singular enough.
They pour brandy over the face of the corpse, and
dance round it, singing their funeral songs in praise
of the deceased.
When they take an oath, they wish the devil
may come and fetch them away, with their wives,
children, and rein-deers, if they perju.e themselves.
They have confused notions concerning die creation,
ot the world; and whenever they see the moon
eclipsed, they believe that planet is attacked by
some inalicious devils, aiii! on such occasions, they
think it then duty to give her all the assistance tiiey
can. In ihis emergency, they lane their arn:-- and
shoot at her, and continue to do so till the ;lipse
isovej. When it tiuuiders, the Laplanders Ui.ngine
that God is chastising the devils, ':i. id tliat i ey, in
order to escape las vengeance, take shelter under the
bellies of dieir dogs ; for that reason, as long as the
thuncer continues, they keep those creatures shut
out oi doors.
W htu they sit down to eat, they invoke their idols
to bless their provisions for their use, and they "-ather
. up all the bones of the rein deer, and throw them
into their marshy grounds. This they look upon as
absolutely necessary, because if neglected, the rein
deer would become indolent and inactive. They
ascribe to their witches a power to augment the
coldness of the weather; but then none, are duly
qualified for this operation, but such as have been
born in winter. These women take a little human
figure made of snow, and besmear the head of it
with their spittle, coloured red with the juice of the
alder-tree, the bark whereof they chew in their
mouths when they set themselves about performing
this operation.
When they are disposed to allay the excessive
cold, they take the skin of a bear and hang it out in
the air all night. The Laplander, as soon as he
rises, takes a bunch of rods and whips this skin;
for they imagine that the cold abates in proportion
to the blows. In this operation they make use of
several magical terms, and for the same purpose cut
the skin of a fawn into small pieces, and throw
them into the fire, repeating a form of prayer. —
They take particular care when they have visitors,
that no person shall walk in the house before an-
other who is going out of it, and that no one shall
cross the room in any part of it, but the void space
RELIGION OF THE GAURES.
4ir
Ijetwecn the fire and the company. Shoulcl a \vo-
tnau. stride over a man's legs in order to get by him,
the mnnanneily action would create a world of
mischief. But we need not think. niucii of their
superstitions, seeing that were we to relate all the
superstitions in our enlightened nation, we might
fill a volinne.
With respect to such of the Laplanders as pro-
fess Christianity, they are not numerous; they are
either Greeks or Lutherans, but neither of them are
well grounded in the principles of religion. As for
those who are Greeks, it is not much to be wondered
at ; for their religion, like tliat of the Roman Ca-
tholics, is not calculated to convey any sort of know-
ledge. As for the Lutheran ministers, it is well
known that they are faithful in the discharge of the
j)astorul ofKce in the countries were they are born,
uor do we find they are remiss in Lapland; but pro-
bably cither they have not. salaries adequate to their
labours, or w hich is more probable, having no com-
pany to converse with, they become melancholy and
long to return to their own country.
Such is the present state of Lapland with respect
to religion, and melancholy as their conduct may
appear, yet they are not worse or more superstitious
than some who have better advantages. 'l"he only
way to bring tiiem over to the belief and knowledge
of Christianity, is to get some of (heir young men
to settle a few years in Sweden and Denmark ; tliere
they might be educated in all sorts of useful learn-
ing, and some of these might be ordained ministers,
others school-masteis. If this was done at the
public expense, the youth in general would emulate
each other, their manners would be civilized, and
towns being erected among them, they would be-
come.fondof society.
MODERN RELIGION OF THE GAURES.
I
N our account of the ancient Persian religion, we
have related what these people believed and prac-
tised, but as the Mahometan religion has made
a vast dilTerence in manv things throughout that cx-
tensive empire, we shall now proceed to give an
historiciil narrative of the Gaures, who although few
in number, yet remain in a body together. And
this will be foimd the more necessary, because it
will naturally lead us to explain with greater pre-
cision and certainty the religion of the heathens in
Africa. Persia indeed is far from Africa, but still
there is some affinity to be met with in the religion
of all the ancient -Hiealliens. They differ indeed
in many tlnngs, but they all agree in die worst of
things, namely that of opposing the truth.
'1 hese peo|>le boast of a perpetual succession of
their religion without any interruption ; and though
many persons may be apt to imagine this a mere
romance, it is nevertheless strictly true and matter
of fact. The religion of the Ahigi has existed al-
most ever since the flood; and although it may have
been exposed from time to time to divers heresies and
persecutions, and though, since the establishment
of the Mahometans in Persia, it is reduced to a
very small body of faithful members, it would be
an act of injustice and partiality to rob them of the
glory of maint;rming their tenets with unshaken re-
solution even in the blackest storms that ever threat-
ened to overwhelm them. If the Gaures have lost
their temporal jurisdiction, they can still boast an
C8
uninterrupted succession in the priesthood, a regu-
lar and uniform liturgy without the least variation
since Zoroaster's time, and an inviolable attachment
to the doctrines which he established.
The Gaures are inviolably attached to the refor-
mation of Zoroaster, and they acknowledge a su-
perior principle to those two before-mentioned of
good and evil, \\hom the Persians, after they had
swerved and deviated from the religion of their fore-
fathers, established, as the sole author of light and
darkness. The Gaures conceived, that by the inter-
mixture of these two principles, God created every
being in nature. A very celebrated author is of
opinion, that Zoroaster borrowed that idea from the
Jews; and this observation, in all probability, is very
just. We shall only make this cursory remark, how-
ever, that this great reformer, foreseeing the diffi-
culties attending so mysterious and incomprehensible
a point, maintained, that though all things were good
which God created, yet darkness or evil inseparably
attended them, as shado\^s do corporeal substances.
God could not possibly, according to his nature,
produce any thing but good, but evil resulted from
riiose productions, as a privation of good.
Zoroaster was no stranger to the iiccount which
Moses had given of the creation, and of the fall ot
the angels, and our first parents; but if it be granted
that he had read these remarkable occurrences iu the
books of Moses, it must likewise be allowed, that
he made, either wilfully or through ignorance, some
0 N
418
RELIGION OF THE GAURES.
very consideratjle alterations. As for instance, he
asserted, that tlie world was created at six several
. seasons, each consisting of a certain number of da) s,
viz. the first of forty-five, in which God created
the heavens ; the second of sixty, wherein he formed
the waters ; the third of seventy-five, in which he
made the earth ; the fourth of thirty, wiiich were
employed in the creation of the vegetable world ;
the fifth of fourscore, which were spent in the form-
ation of all manner of living creatures, man only
excepted; the sixth and last, of seventy-five, in which
he created our first parents; but some authors give
us a quite ditferent account of this creation.
The Gaures likewise hold, that as the world was
to be increased and multiplied by two persons only,
God graciously determined, that Eve should every
day bring a pair of twins into the world ; and that
during the term of one thousand years, death should
liave no dominion over her seed ; that the devil
tempted our first parents, in order to render them
odious in the eyes of their creator; that God, being
conscious of the malice of the spirit of darkness, did
not think convenient totally to supj)ress this evil, but
took the follow ing measures to check the malignant
influences of it. He constituted a select company
of angels to be the guardians and protectors of his
creatures. Hamul was made inspector of the hea-
vens; Acrob superintendant of the angels; the sun,
moon, earth, waters, man, plants, and all living
creatures of what nature or kind soever, had their
particular guardian angels. But notwithstanding all
these prudent precautions, evil increased, men grew
vicked and perveise in all their ways, and God sent
therefore the waters of the deluge at once to extir-
pate them, and all their impious race. The devils
are put in opposition to the good angels ; whose
several names and fulictions are registered at large
in Hide ; but we shall not trouble the reader with
a transcript of his catalogue.
The Gaures are exceedingly religious, and never
mention tlie Deity but with all the circumspection
and reverence imaginable. They allow him all the
same glorious attributes as we do ; they look upon
him as the sovereign judge, aud bountiful revvarder
, of all mankind; just, merciful, and ready to pardon.
Both the angels and devils of v\hoin we have been
speaking, are the ministers of God; the one for the
administration of good, and tiie other of evil. —
These Gaures likewise are of opinion, that each in-
dividual person has both a good and evil genius con-
stantly attending him. It is farther a received notion
amongst them, that the influence of a certain general
light is infused, if we may be allowed the expression,
after an extraordinary manner, into some particular
persons who are the favourites of the Almighty. —
It is this light, according to them, that renders some
men con.spicuous for their deep penetration into all
the arts and sciences, and forms the gcwuses of sucTi
as are born to sit at the helm of state ; and we may
add, helps them to bring about the various revolu-
tions that overset whole empires, and likewise to ex-
cite the same confusion in the minds of men.
This is doubtless no absurd notion, nor is it any
ways extravagant to imagine, that this light some-
times diffuses itself after such a profuse manner, ou
some certain number of persons in a family, that its
favours seem partially bestowed on them, to the
manifest detriment and disadvantage of the rest. —
This is indisputably a very j' remark, Uiough not
to be accounted for by physic or astrology. Any
person that will give himself but tlie least trouble
imaginable to reflect, will easily perceive, that there
is a certain quantity of merit, as v\ell as of temporal
advantage, alloted for distinct families Kingdoms
likewise are after the same nranner permitted to be
formidable and pdverful, to flourish, and be masters
of the arts and sciences ' "^ h^jhest perfection for
a time, and then again, are -tied to an apparent
declension. And indeed all nimgs in nature as well
as the human species, have their proper seasons tor
their increase, maturity, and decay.
It is impossible to keep oft' the revolutions of the
last mentioned period of decay, and the emperor
Augustus, and Lewis the Great, king of France,
\\ho v\ere so exactly alike in their lives and govern-
ments, are incontestible proofs of the truth of this
assertion. The Gaures have a kind of veneration
and respect for cocks, on account of their waking
them so early in the morning, and reminding them,
by their crowing, of the duties of the ensuing day.
Their books recommend them to the favour and
afl"ection of the faithful. These testimonies of their
esteem for this paiticular animal, were transmitted
to them, in all probability, by the traditions of the
ancient Persians.
The primitive Persians, as we have already ob-
served, made use of no manner of temples, as think-
ing them places too circumscribed, and below the
dignity of the Supienie Being; but when they were
inclinable, in imitation of the Jews, to preserve their
consecrated fire, it was absolutely necessary that
they should admit of their Pyreums. Zoroaster,
not satisfied with those he found already introduced,
erected a considerable number more wherever he
went. These consecrated fires are at present much
in vogue amongst the Gaures, and preserved with
so nuich care and precaution, that they are called
idolators, and the worshippers of fire, though with-
out the least ground to support the ungenerous ac-
cusation. For they pay no adoration to the material
fire, although they make use of that element in the
celebration of their divine service. It is the Deity
alone whom they adore in the presence of the tire,
as the true symbol of the Divine Majesty. Though
RELIGION OF THE GAURES.
419
fire, aocordiiiw to tlie Oaures, is tlie purest of ;ill the
elements, yet liiey look upon it only as one ot" God's
most perl'ect creatures, and it is, as they imagine,
his favourite hiihitation. \VI)en they pray, tliev nei-
ther make their addresses to Mithra, nor tlie sun, nor
lire, but to God alone ; many instances whereof are
produced by the learned doctor Hide above quoted,
from whence we may very readily infer, that the im-
putations of idolatry are as rash and groundless in
Asia as they are in Europe.
Zoroaster enjoined his disciples to adore the Deity
with their faces towards the sun and the consecrated
-fire. It was the mode of worship amongst the an-
cient Persians, says the French translator of Dr.
Prideaux's history, and this institution preceded the
reformation of Magianisiii. When the Persians drew
near to their consecrated fires in their divine service,
they always approached them from the west side,
because by that means their faces being turned to
those, as well as the rising sun, they could direct
their worship towards both at the same time. This
form of worship was directly opposite to tliat of the
Jews. I'or the holy of holies, vvherein was inclosed
the symbol of the divine presence, which lay on the
propitiatory, or mercy-seat, being at the west end
of the temple of Jerusalem, all such as entered
therein to worship God, had their faces turned that
way. That was the point towards which they con-
stantly directed their divine worsi;ip; but that of the
Magi being the rising sun, they ulways worshipped
with their faces towards the east.
The Gaures, according to Lord, are obliged to
turn towards the sun at their morning and dailv ser-
vice, and at night towards the moon. For these two
planets are not only the two bright luminaries of the
lieavens, but likewise two of God's witnesses op-
posed to Lucifer ; that is to say, the devil, or prin-
ciple of evil, 'llie priests are obliged to watch day
and night to maintain and repair the consecrated fire.
But it is absolutely necessary that it be rekindled
after the purest manner that can possibly be devised ;
for which purpose they frequently make use of a
steel and flint, or two hard sticks, which, bv con-
tinual friction,, will in timo take fire. Sometimes
likewii-e they kindle it by the lightning which darts
down from heaven on any combustible matter ; and
sometimes again by those Ignes fatui which fre-
quently arise in mari-hy grounds; or else bv common
lire, in cafe it is pure aud undefiled, or witli such as
the Banians make use of to kindle the funeral piles.
But they have one other method stiil, as noble as it
is pure : and that is, by collecting the rays of the sun
into the focus of a burning ,'iass.
They are strictly enjoined not to touch this fire
with sword f)r knife, and they are obliged to feed it
with the pure, t kind of wood, without the least kind
of bark upon it. They are not allowed to blow it
with their mouth.s or a pair of bellov.s, for fear of
the least profanatic^n ; which was formerly punished
with immediate death ; and that rigorous treatment
for such oU'ences continued till the destruction of
the Magiau monarchy by the Mahometans. The
priests themselves never presumed to approach these
consecrated fires without a piece of iine linen over
their mouth.s, to prevent their breath from polluting
these sacred Hames, and this pFcc.uition was always
observed whenever tliey drew near them, or when
they read or repeated that form of prayer which
might properly be called the service of the fire. —
The Magian priests, who \veie the' proper celebrants,
performed this ceremony with such an humble aud
lowly voice, as not to be heard, or at least under-
stood by the congregation. It was a kind of whis-
per, not unlike tliat practised by our Roman Catho-
lic priests mIicu they read low mass.
The language in which tiiis office is wrote, is at
present as uiiteiligible to the Gaures as the Latin to
some of our illiterate Europeans. When their so-
vereign pontiff approached these consecrated fires,
he was washed from head to foot, perfumed and
dressed in a vestment as white as snow. After this
he prostrated himself to the very ground before the
flames, and said his prayers with bitter sighs and
groans ; which are well uiulcrstood by the devotees
of all religions. These ardent acts of devotion, the
affectionate respirations of his soul, were all address-
ed to the Deity, to him he offered up his prayers,
extracted from their sacred scriptures, and in short
to him alone he made confession of his sins.
These customs are all observed by the Gaures at
this verv day. Their religious devotion, according
to Lord, is introduced by the Distoorc's seasonable
exhortation to the people ; the sum and substance
whereof is as foHows, viz. That the celestial fire
having been delivered by God himself to Zerroost,
(Zoroaster) their wise legislator, to whom he de-
clared, that it was an emanation, or part of his own
infinite virtue and excellence, they ought to look
upon it as sacred and divine, and the proper ob-
ject of their profoundest veneration, as being a
portion of the divine essence, since it is of the
same substance and they ought to love and regard
every object that bears any resemblance of it, as the
sun and the moon, who are God's two awful wit-
nesses, who will testify against them, if they cou-
teinn or neglect lliat worship, which has been en-
joined them. After this, he exhorts them to ask
pardon and forgiveness of God, if, in their daily
use of fire, they should by accident, let fall the
least drop of water into it, or, by any inaltentioii,
carelessness, or otherwise, be guilty of any impure
action with regard to th';t element.
In some particular parts of the Indies, the faith-
ful, who are professors of Magianism, are cou-
420
RELIGION OF THE GAURES.
vened or assembled together by the tinkling of a
■ littl6 bell. But the Gaures in Persia are not al-
lowed to give any such public notices ; for which
reason they meet togetlier without any ceremony at
the stated hours ; and then, according to the custom
observed by the Armenians of Zulpha, are con-
vened only by live or six strokes on a plank vvith^a
hammer. In their temples, instead of a tire they
have nothing but a burning lamp. Although during
divine service these devotees 'have their mouths and
some part of their faces covered, they must keep,
notwitiistanding, at an awful distance from their
consecrated fires : But as to the priests, they may
approach them in such a manner as to be able to
officiate without the least incomeuicnce to them-
selves, or profanation of the fire.
The little twigs or switches which we have al-
ready mentioned, are ' looked upon as an essential
■ branch of the rites and cere-monies observed in their
religious woi^ship. These rods are cut off with
abundance of formality from one particular tree,
.ivhich the Persians call a Hawm; and very nnich
resembles the Tamarisk. If no such tree however
can be found, they have immediate recourse to the
pomegranate-tree. The knife made use of on this
occasion must first be sanctified by a very careful
■ ablution, and by several pra\ers pronounced in a
'low voice to the praise and glory of God, and of
the sacred fire. These rods or twigs are deposited
in a case or box made for that particular purpose :
and whenever they read or pronounce any of the
prayers contained in their Zend; or whenever they
engage m any other religious exercise whatsoever, J^
proper quantity of these twigs must be taken out,
and laid ready before them; for these sacred instru-
ments are as essential to them on such solemn occa-
sions, as to our Catholic devotees their cliaplets or
set of beads. The nimiber of them however, is not
fixed and determined. Some prayers require thirty-
five, and others only twenty four. Tive only are
sufficient for an ejaculatory grace before their meals,
but as they are of no further service after the prayer,
they must be devoted to the flames.
Though the Persians had a peculiar veneration
for the fire, yet they paid likewise such an extraordi-
nary respect to the three other elements, that some
ancient historians have charged them with paying
divine adoration to them all. This accusation, how-
ever, is groundless and unjust. All their care and
.circumspection in former tmie was, and still is, to
preserve those pure elements from the least stain or
pollution. They look upon them as sacred, the
principles and seeds of all things being, as they ima-
gine, comprised in them ; and for that reason they
constitute distinct conservators for each of them,
•whose peculiar province it is to preserve them from
any intermixture or profanation. Uliis purity is the
principle v. hereon the Gaures have grounded their
ceremonies with relation to the dead. The water,
however, is the element next in repute amongst
them to the fire. A scarlet and deep yellow are
their favourite colour ; and tiiey may make choice of
them before any other in every thing they wenr, as
being, in some measure, emblems or representa-
tions of the fire. For the very same reason likewise
a ruby, a carbuncle, and a granate are nuich more
valuable in their esteem than any other precious
stones whatever. Notwjlhstandiog this peculiar re-
gard of theirs for scarlet, 8lc. it is undeniably true
that their priests are obliged to be drest in white
during their celebration of divine service.
The Gaures have their guardian angels for every
month and day throughout tLe year, and to them
they direct their prayers, acco: img to the forms laid
down in their rituals; but in such a manner ^s re-
lates only to every one's particular functions. Here
seems to be something of a coiuradiction, because it
has been already taken notice oi, that they acknow-
ledge but one God. The truth is, like all other
heaiheiis although thcj acknowledge but one Su-
preme God, yet they at the same time address their
prayers to subordinate beings, whom they consider
1.8 mediators and intercessors for them. This was
the practice with the Greeks of eld, as well as the
Romans; and we may add, that it is the practice
with the Roman Catholics, otherwise, " V\ by do
they pray to saints to intercede for them with
Godr"
Kew-year's day is a grand festival with them, as
well as with the people in other nations. They
likewise keep six festivals in commemoration of the
six days' work of creation, and each of these last
five days successively ; and besidt s these they have
a great number of lucky and uiducky days, being,
like most other heathens, very superstitious. These
Gaures likewise commemorate their dead once every
month throughout the year, and on sach occasions
they provide an elegant entertainment, in memory
of their deceased friends and relations. This
monthly feast is instituted and kept up by order of
an express injunction in the sadder or liturgy of the
Gaures, namely, remember the souls of your de-
parted fathers and mothers. -
The first day of every month is set apart for di-
vine worship, and so on, the eighth, fifteenth, &.c. in
the same manner as one out of seven is kept by the
Jews, Christians, and Mahometans. Ihe sermons
preached on those days consist chiefly of moral
precepts, and exhortations to tlie people to observe
strictly the rites and ceremonies of their religion. —
In reading tlitir prayers diey resemble in their tone
of voice, the J e«s in their synagogues, and many of
their ceremonies are similar. In singing they like-
wise resemble the Jews, .and jirohably this must be
RELIGION OF THE GAURES.
441
owin^ to some of the Jews remaining among them,
after the rest returned to Jerusalem, and rebuilt the
city and temple under their captain Zerrababel.
They kee|) several fasts, and a sort of abstinence
for live days successively after each of them, so
that great part of their time is spent in rites and ce-
remonies. On all festivals, each person carries a
part of what he eats to the temple, as an oftcring
to the fire, and this is done in order to procure a
blessing from heaven upon the fruits of the earth,
and such other things as serve them for a subsis-
tence.
It is probable, they learned this custom from the
Hanians, who reside near them, for it has no affi-
nity with the ceremonies of the ancient Persians.
On the mornings of their festivals, they repair be-
times to theii' sanctuaries or temples, which are but
mean huts, and take their victuals along with them.
Tlie rich distribute some part of their plentiful store
among the poor, and all eat sociably in common
together, like brothers. Their devotees never fail
going once every day to worship the sacred fires, in
one or other of their temples, and their they confess
their sins to the priest, much in the same manner,
says Dr. Hide, as is practised in the cliurch of
Home. Those who live too far distant from any of
these places set apart for public worship, content
themselves with performing their acts of devotion
before their own iires at home : and for this ])urpose
every Gaiire brings home once in the year, a lighted
lamp from the sacred lire, in the temple next to
where they reside, and keep it continually burning.
Bodily purity is much attended to by them, for
in that respect they are as scrupulous as the Jews or
Mahometans ; for they refuse to eat or drink with
any person who is not of the same religion with
themselves. Whether the Gaures are ambitious or
not, of making proselytes, like the professors of
most other religions, does not appear from any of
the accounts we have of them; but has no tempo-
ral advant:iges are to be derived from this profession,
consequently they are but few in number; atid Mr.
Hanway tells us, that they are a poor despised peo-
ple, who live in remote parts, and are very cruelly
treated by the Mahometans. But notwithstanding
all this poverty and many hardships which they suf-
fer, yet they have the same love of ambition as is
peculiar to other people; for they have their high
priest and all subordinate ones, and the election of
these is carried on with the same intrigues as in
other countries where the emoluments are worth
seeking after, None however, can be admitted to
the priesthood but sons of priests, and this is one of
the reasons why all their priests are obliged to mar-
ry. All their priests wear long beards from the
chin, but they shave their cheeks, and if they have
>*hiskers they cut them short. Their cap termi-
28 5
nates in a point, and the laps of it hang down to their
neck. Their hair is generally long, and they arc
enjoined never to cut it, except when they go into
mourning for a deceased relation. When they per-
form divine service, the priests hold a cloth before
their mouths, that the people may not see their lips
move.
Their upper garment is of a reddish colour, but
they are poor wretched rags', such as we Wduid not
take up in the streets. It falls down from the neck
to the calf of the legs, and is bound round their
waists with a sash of camel's hair. This sash or
girdle is consecrated by the high-priest, and consi-
dered as containing many virtues. Every faiihfuJ
Gaure is obliged to take care of his girdle, for if he
should lose one, he nmst neither eat, drink, nor sleep,
till he has purchased another of one of the priests,
who have always some to dispose of. They imagine
that he who loses his girdle, loses all the blessing.-:
inherent in it, and they have a proverb, " A man
without his girdle is without his blessing." They
begin to wear it when they are from twelve to til-
teen years of age, for at that age they think they
can comprehend all the principles, and practise all
the duties of- their religion.
The laity are enjoined to be very strict and pre-
cise in their deportment, and to perform the duties
required of them with thligence and application. —
Shame and fear, according to the Gaures, are the
basis and foundation of all virtues. They are com-
manded strictly to examine and weigh every thing
they propose to undertake, and put nothing in ex-
ecution till they are fully convinced of its justice
and equity. They are likewise obliged, when they
go out in a morning, to return God thanks for the
creation of all those animals, of what nature or kind
soever which they see in their way, but their priests
are subject to still greater austerities.
Besides the obligations they are under of being
perfectly acquainted with all the principles in their
religion, and all the rites and ceremonies used in di-
vine ser^ice, they must abstain from every sort of
carnal lusts or desires, and keep themselves pure,
both before God and man. Thus they are not to
tell lies, because God is truth ; nor are they to be
to« curious, lest they should pry into things beyond
their comprehension. They must not touch any
thing that is impure and polluted, and they are to
oblige all those whom they marry, to promise that
they will not deviate from their religious principles;
to attend constantly on divine worship, to habituate
themselves to the practice of patieaee, to be of a
just, aft'able disposition, and imitate as far as in them
lies, the perfections of the Deity, who is for ever
merciful and gracious to the whole human race, not-
withstanding their many sins, iniquities and ungrate-
ful provocations.
o
422
RELIGION OF THE GAURES.
They have likewise an ordinance of a very pecu-
liar nature, by «hith their high-jiriest is prohibited
from touching any secuhir person, but more especi-
ally one whom they reckon a heretic, or infidel. He
is obliged to wash himself, and to put a hand to all
liis own necessary affairs, either ;is a mark of his
humility and condescension, pr for the better pre-
servation of his bodily purity. He is to abstain from
every thing that is superfluous, to spend part of his
revenues in alms-deeds and other works of piety, and
to avoid all manner of extortion in collecting his
tithes. He must habituate himself to the practice
of contemplation, study, and reflect on the precepts
of his religion w ithout the least, intermission ; to re-
prove the vicious, and to stand in awe of no being,
however illustrious and potent, but God himself. —
To conclude, he is under the necessity of taking care
that the sacred lire never goes out, and to see that
110 person ofl'ers to |)roi"ane it.
As the people are extremely poor, so they are
obliged to use many expedients in order to support
their priests, who, at the best, are but a miserable
sot of beings. Every devotee is obliged, on the
1 wenty-tifth of April, to extinguish his lamp, and j)ay
the ]iriest about tlie value of sixpence of our money
lo have it re-kindled from the sacred altar. The sun
and the consecrated fire, which the Gaures believe to
be the visible symbols of the divine presence, bear
some affinity to tliat fire wiiich the ancient Jews
made use of on their altars, erected for their sacri-
jices, and which continued till the first destruQtion of
ihe city and temple. Indeed, the sacred fire in the
Jewish temple, was always considered as an emblem
of the Deity, although no divine honours were paid
to it.
Neither the Jews of old could, nor are the Gaures
at present permitted to put any ^ut pure clean w ood
on these iires. There must be no bark upon the
v\ood,^nor any defilement whatever. Indeed, the
stiong conformity between them may serve to show,
ahat some of the heathens, particularly in Persia,
borrowed ceremonies from the Jews, which they did
not understand. >
At present their priests are not permitted to have
any more than one wife, unless she proves barren,
and in that case in order to have children, they may
take another, but not without the consent of the
■first. I'he Gaures are proud and ambitious of no-
tiiing moie than that of hiving a numerous issue,
p.nd this they call adding numbers to the faithful ; for,
according to their notions, such an increase of their
stock will be looked upon as meritorious at the day
of judgment, provided they are born in wedlock.
All their marriages are performed in their places
of public worship, where the priest joins their hands,
prays with them, and gives them his benediction. —
it is a received notion among the Gaures, that t'le
marriage state is the most honourable' in tlso world,,
especially when they have children. All their mar-
riages are performed before the sacred fire, and when
the parties have joined hands, the bridegroom gives
the bride some small pieces of money as a pledge of
all his teniporal substance being her's. They are
ordered by their religion to marry very young, and
the women whom they take to be wives, must be of
the same sentiments w ith themselves.
^rhe Gaures never circumcise, but wash their
children, which is a kind of baptism or ceremony -
practised by them for the purification of the soul. —
The new-born infant is brought to the temple, and •
presented to the priest before the sun and the fire.
The priest having taken an exact account of the time
when the child was born, he then calculates what is
to happen to him in this world. As these iinposiors
must be often deceived, one would naturally imagine
that such circumstances would open the eyes of the
people, and lead them off from deception ; but the
great misfortune is, that where the mind is once
bewildered with superstitipn, all hopes of reform^ ■
atiou are lost, and even the sifiy tricks practised by
artful impostors, are considered as the quiatescence.
of truth.
The parents having declared the name of the cliild,
the priest pronounces it aloud, and then pours some
pure water upon a certain piece of wood, called
holm. In the next place he sprinkles the infant with
the consecrated water, and prays that it may be the
means of its purification. He then dips the child
all over in the water, which concludes the whole of
the ceremony.
When the infant attains to seven years of age, it
is brought to the priest to be confirmed, as being
then qualified to be admitted into their temples. —
The priest asks the youth a few questions, suitable
to the occasion, and teaches him a few prayers,
which the child must retain in his memory, and re-
peat them, holding his mouth over the sacred fire,
with a cloth before both it and his nostrils, lest his
breath should convey any sort of pollution. As
soon as he has finished his prayers, the priest gives
him some water to drink, and the rind of a pome-
granate to chew in his mouth, as an internal purifi-
cation. To conclude, he bathes him in a tub of
water, and afterwards binds his girdle on him ; but
according to ilide, the latter part of this ceremony
is not performed till the child arrives at years of
maturity.
When a Gaure is dying, his friends send for a
priest, who standing close by his ear, prays for him,
and commends his .spirit to the living God. A dead
corpse defiles the person who touches it, for which
reason none of the priests nuist come w ithin ten feet
of it. They never bury their dead, because they ima-
gine it would profane and pollute the earth. They
RELIGION or THE GAURES.
423
have round tower? erected of stone, :iiid tliitlicr lliey
carry their dead ou liiers; within the tower is a stair-
case with deep steps made in a winding iorni, and
M'hen the bearers are got within, tlie priests scale the
walls by tiie help of ladders; when they have drag-
ged the corpse gently up with ropes, tiiey then let
it slide dow n the stair-case. During the lirst three
days after the body has been thus disposed ot, the
people liuiily. believe that the devil is on his watch
and seeks all opportunitiea to torture and torment
the soul, which therefore, wings her way with ail
j)(jssible speed towards the celestial regions, in iiopcs
to escape llie tyraiuiy of that malicious enemy of
mankind, and (lend of darkness.- I'or this reason,
the friends and relations of the deceased meet toge-
tiier at niorning^.noon, and night, to beg of God,
in the most -ardent manner, to- pardon and absolve
him from all his sins. On the fonrth day the soul- is
fixed in the place appointed for it, either of happi-
ness or misery, and it is therefore on this fourth
day that the priests prognosticate the future state of
the deceased. The method used by these impostors
is rather singular, and different from any thing wc
have hitherto taken notice of in our accounts of
other heathen nations. -
The party deceased, being laid under the walls of
the sepulchre, with eyes turned towards the heavens,
the vultures are permitted to come and peck at his
face: the first part they generally attack is the eye,
and if they seize at once upon the right, the corpse
is intantly carried to a white tower, as a proof that
the soul is in heaven ; but on the contrary, if the
vultures peck at the left eye, then the body is car-
ried to a black tower, it being their opinion that the
soul is iu a state of punishment. However, they
are not uniform in this, for Ovington says, that be-
fore tiiey expose a dead carcase to the birds of prey,
the lay him. decently on the ground, while one of
the relations, goes round the village to try if he can
allure a dog to follow him. He does all he can to
bring the animal as near as possible to the corpse,
for they imagiiie tliat tlie nearer the dog comes, the
nearer the departed soul is to eveilastiug happiness.
Biit if the dog cannot be tempted to approach it,
then it is considered as a bad omen, and they al-
most despair of his ever entering uito happiness.
\\ hen the dog has performed the t;vsk assigned
him, two priests, standing about ten yards distant
from the body, repeat a form of prayer half uii hour
in length, but they hum it over in such a manner as
hardly to give themselves time to breathe. During
the whole of this ceremony, the corpse has a piece
of paper fixed to each ear, and hangs over the face
about three inclies below the chin. As soon as the
prayers are over, the corpse is carried to the place
allotted for its reception, and all t'le company fol-
low it two and two, wiih their hands devoutly
closed. 'I'hey are enjoined not to speak a word, be-
cause their sepulchral monument is a ])late of silence
and repose.
W'e cannot conclude this account of these idola-
ters, without taking notice of one sentiment they
embrace, which indec-d is in some measure peculiar
to all the heathen nations we have treated ot, name-
ly, the- immortality of the soul. Strange, that from
one extremity of the world to the otlier, even the
most unenlightened nations should believe the doc-
trine of the ininiortality of the soul, and yet many of
thosewho have been brought up under the joyful
sound of the gospel sliould deny it. This will nse
in condemnation against them, and tliey will be
convicted at the tribunal of the great judge of all the
earth, for trampling upon kno\vledge. We are sur-
jnised still more, that there should be none but
leitrned men in the worlil so abandoned, but learning
without- grace and the fear of God, becomes a real
curse instead of an useful blessing.
The above instances of those who have the bene-
fit of the gospel dispensation, will be in the end a
dreadlu! aggravation of their guilt.' Onr Saviour
said it would be more tolerable for Sodom a<id Go-
morrah at the day of judgment, than for the unbe-
lievii^ .lews. And if this is to be the case and con-
dition of those Jews who lived under a law of car-
nal ordinances, how then shall those escape who
trample under foot the blood of the son of God,
who crucify him afresh, and j)Uthim to open shame.
How dreadful the consideralicm, that men, brouglit
up by their parents in the purity of the Christian
doctrine, shoidd attempt to establish a system which
even an ignorant heathen would shudder at. And
yet there are meiv of no small abilities, who have
attempted, to prove that the soul of man is mortal.
By such doctrines being believed, the hedges of mo-
rality and genuine piety are broken down, and the
flood-gates of profaiieness set open.
I?y this, many unthinking young persons, who
otherwise might have been an honour to their pa-
rents, and the comfort of their declining years, have
forgot the fear of God, despised religious duties,
plunged themselves into <liseases and death, and been
hurried down to danuiation in nuihiiudes.
Melancholy as this subject is, its importance
obliges us to dwell upon it ; covdd those unhappy
materialists, of whom we have been speaking, be
brought to acliiiowledge. their' own weakness, and
their own wickedness, there might then be some
hopes of a reformation, but in the mean time wc
may lament the shocking condition of human uatur*
^Vell might Dr. Watts say, .
424
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
Backward with humble shame we look
On our original ;
Hdw is our nature dash'd and broke
In our first father's fall.
To all that's good averse and blind, '
But prone to- all that's ill;
What dreadful darkness veils our mind!
How obstinate our viill !
These reflections do not arise from any sugges-
tions of a gloomy mind, but really from a concern
the author has, as far as his weak abilities will per-
mit, to promote the best interest of his fellow-crea-
tures. He is not so sanguine in his hopes, as to
imagine that it is in his power to stem the torrent of
infidelity, but he is sensibly touciied when he finds
some men calling themselves ministers of the ever-
lasting gospel, and at the same time attempting to
establish deism itself. This they evidently do, when
they tell us, that there is no immortality of the soul,
aor a future state of rewards and punishments. Thus
they are worse than the most illiterate heathens, and
even the deists laugh at them. They hate the cross
of Christ, they despise the gospel ; so that we may
apply to them what Dr. Young says :
And is there, who the blessed cross wipes off.
As a foul blot from his disiionoured brow?
If angels tremble, 'tis at such a sight :
The wretch they quit, desponding of their charge;
More struck with grief or wonder who can tell.
Upon the whole, while we look upon the evidence
of the heathens as a collateral proof of the truth of
our holy religion, yet we have a higher authority to
trust to, namely, divine wisdom itself. Christ said
to his disciples, " Because I live, you shall live also."
And we may venture to affirm, that as he became
the first fruits of them that slept, so our bodies shall
be raised up at the last day, and being joined to our
precious and immortal souls, shall both together
enjoy eternal happiness.
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
I
N ancient times fhis coutitry was considered as a
ithird part of the terrestrial globe, and it may be
properly called a peninsula; for was it not for that
small tract of land running between the Red Sea
and the Mediterranean, it would actually be an
island. It is remarkable that in ancient times there
were many Christians here, who had fair and flou-
rishing churches, and here some of the most emi-
nent Christian fathers resided; among these were
Cyprian, bishop of Carthage; Austin, bishop of
Hippo, and Tertullian the famous apologist. These
African churches continued to flourish till about the
middle of the seventh century, when the Arabians,
wider their caliphs, established Mahometanism in
many parts, such as Egypt, Morocco, Algiers, Scc.
fout at present the greater number of the inhabitants
are idolators. But here we find it impossible for us
to inform the reader, from whence these modern
idolators derive their worship ; for it bears no man-
ner of affinity to that of either the Greeks, Romans,
or Egyptians ; and there is so little of the ancient
relti:ion of the Ethiopians, Nigritians, &,c. preserved
in it, that it would prove a very difficult task to
trace from those remains the idolatry of their des-
'.c.idants.
Strabo has transmitted to us the following tenel^
and religious ceremonies of the Ethiopians. "They
" acknowledge, (says he) one Immortal and Supreme
" Being, viho is the first cause of all things, and
" believe in another god, who is immortal, name-
"less, and wholly unknown. They look upon
" their patrons and benefactors, and their most il-
'' lustrious personages as deities. And they are of
"opinion, that kings in general are the guardians
"of all the inferior orders and degrees of men, and
" that particular persons are the protectors, of their
" peculiar favourites. There are some persons
" amongst those who dwell under the torrid Zone,
" that are looked upon as perfect Atheists, because
" they detest the sun, and curse that radiant planet
" as often as it rises, on account of its excessive
"heat, &c." Herodotus assures us, that the At-
lantes, who are inhabitants of the Lybian deserts,
curse the sun likewise, because he burns them, and
parches up all their country. Purchas makes the
ancient Africans pay divine adoration to the sun,
and to the fire ; and they consecrated, says he, di-
vers temples in honour to both, and maintained
their fire, in the sanre manner, and with the .same
care and circumspection; as the ancient Romans ;
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
4'iri
but this assertion has no authority to support it. He
ailds, that the Africans of Lvbia and Nuniidia, of-
fered up thtir sacrifices and addressed their prayers
to some parlicuiar planets ; and one part of the ne-
i;roes wui shipped Giiighinio, that is to say, the
Liord of Heaven, 'ititir Pagan superstitions were
afterwards improved by embracing tlie Jewish rites
and ceremonies, which they religiously observed for
a long time, till they were converted to ttie Christian
faith, from which they apostatized soon after, and
sunk into the vile impostures of Mahomet. If
therefore we may rely on the veracity of Purchas,
who has given us this account, the footste])S of Ju-
daism, Christianity, and Mahonietanism, are in all
probability, still disceniable in their idolatrous wor-
ship. It is probable likewise, lliat the Hottentots,
wiio resi'le in the remotest parts of Africa, observe
the ,]t\\ ish ceremonies at this verv day ; for the Ger-
man liistor;aii, who has given us in folio, a long ac-
comt of the Cape of Good Hope, and the several
coi.utries inhabited by those people, affirms it for a
positive tri'iii ; nay, it is possible, w ere we inclined
to produce learned quotations from the Greek and
Koman authors, we migiit be able to reconcile the
ideas of the ancient and moderu Africans; hut such
curious -esearches would seem so much the more
needless and impertinent, as it is impossible to deter-
mine, in this case, what would be agreeable to, aud
hit the taite of the reader.
lieiigiui of the inhabitants of Nigritia, a?'
Nigeria.
This Nigiiiia comprehends the several dominions
of Gaulato, Genehoa, Tombut, jN!eIli, Sousos,
Madigna, an) Sanfara, and the kingdoms of Sene-
gal, CJanibia, &c. Some of these Nigritians em-
brace tlie Maloinetan religion. Those of Claulala,
^ve are informel, pay divine adoration to fire ; and
as for the rest, they cannot properly be said to pro-
fess any religioi at all. The inhabitants of Sene-
gal, and the pars adjacent, pay their respects to the
moon with loud acclamations, and their religious
worship is celebated in the hollow trunks of the
most spacious tre-s, and the idols, who preside in
these temples art honoured with divers oblations,
which, for the gmerality, consist in beans, peas,
herbs, and all sorts of grain ; but sometimes indeed,
they sacrihce the bhod of beasts. This worship of
iheiis is under the direction and management of a
kind of priests, whodispose of several little leathern
purses amongst these n-jgroes full of pieces of paper
with mystic character drawn upon them, of equal
force and virtue as these of amulets and abraxas. —
These priests, as we a-e informed, contract no alfi-
•■28
ance with the laity ; and they are expressly enjoined
not to marry any woman whomsoever, out of the
sacerdotal tribe.
We are informed, likewise, that these negroes
acknowledge the unity and omnipotence of the god-
head, and circumcise their children, when they arc
about sis or seven years old. But all the accounts
we have of these African countries, are in reality
very lame and uncertain, and full of contradictions.
However, if we may give any credit to them, the
inhabitants of Nubia wure formerly Christians, and
at this very day some antique footsteps may be seen
there of Jesus Christ, and several of the saints. —
They baptize w ith a hot iron ; or, more properly
speaking, they make an impression on some parti-
cular part of the body, with that instrument, as an
equivalent to baptism. The inhaliitants of Gambia,
and the parts adjacent, have retained a faint and im-
perfect knowledge of Jesus Christ, whom they call
Nabe, and of whom they say, that he was the sou
of Mary, and a great prophet. If it be true,
they are indebted to the Mahometans for that idea
of him.
The negroes of Kasamanse worship an idol, by
them called China; and their priests, whom they
call Aracani, carry it in procession oil some certain
days in the year set apart for that solemn purpose.
Their standard or banner, is a kind of while silk
scarf, on which are painted several dead men's bones,
and ears of rice. After the procession is over, they
deposit the god within the hollow of a tree, and
there make liim oblations of honey, and such other
good things as they see convenient. This idol, or
gcd of theirs, called China, is represented, it is
said, in the form of a faggot, or bundle of sticks
bound together.
The « orship of the people of Madigna is a med-
ley or composition of idohitry and Mahonietanism.
Their Bexcrins, who are their priests, are very
much addicted to the practice aud study of magic,
and the grand Bexeriii, who is, as it were, their
sovereign pontiff, resides in the metropolitan city of
that kiucilom ; and all the priests keep seminaries
of superstition and magical knowledge. '1 hey dis-
tribute some particular billets amongst their pupils
and the people, which are, they pretend, infallible
preservatives from all ruinner of dangers and disas-
ters. Some of them are so ignorant, or wicked,
as to refuse ascribing the blessings which they re-
ceive to God's goodness: for say they, if he was
reallv good and gracious, he vTould never sufTer
his creatures to be at such trouble and fatigue to
attain them.
All these negroes in general are polygamists, and
even part with their wives whenever they think pro-
per. They are under no manner of restrictions in
this particular, and act without the guidance of rea-
p
426
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
son in every point relating thereto, but in having no
conversation with a wife that is with cliild. The
inhabitants of Siena Leona have in all their cities
or borough towns, a kind of boarding-school or mo-
nastery, situate at some distance from the common
dwelling-houses, where the young ladies that are
marriageable, are educated for about a year, under
the care and conduct of a venerable old gentleman,
who is a person of rank and distinction, as well as
unspotted character and reputation. At the year's
end, they are released from their confinement, and
permitted to appear, dressed in their best attire, at
tiieir public ball or assembly. The relations of the
young ladies likewise accompany them to this matri-
monial market, where there are always a crowd of
young gentlemen present, to enquire into their cha-
racter, and survey them, whilst they are dancing to
their Moorish music. After they have taken the
necessary precautions, they make choice of such as
they fancy, and pay not only a valuable consideration
to their parents ior them, but gratify their old super-
iutendant for his extraordinary care and expence in
their education.
The negroes of Senegal and the Jaloffes, accom-
pany their dead to the grave with the beat of drum,
at the head of their funeral train, and all the rela-
tions, both men and women, follow tiie corpse. —
When they inter their dead, they bury with them all
.the implements and utensils they made use of when
living, and afterwards close their graves, and erect
a kind of monument over them. The materials of
the house, in which the deceased resided, is, for
the generality, devoted to this particular service,
and a w hite Hag, or standard in case he was a war-
rior, is always set upon the top of his monument.
Tiiese negroes entertain a notion with respect to
such as are professed drummers, which is very re-
markable. 1 hey imagine, that the ground where they
are interred immediately loses its native virtue, and
becomes barren ; and that if they should throw them
into a liver, or the sea, the very fish Mould be in-
fected, and rendered incapable of spanning. In or-
der to prevent such fatal inconveniencies, if we
may rely on the veracity of Dapper, they bury
them in the hollow trunks of their largest trees.
These funeral rites and solemnities tiaturally lead
us to the notions which these negroes entertain
with respect to their serpents. As they are ful'y
persuaded, that their friends and relations are meia-
.niorphosed into these reptiles after their decease,
they cannot be induced by any means whatever, to
injure, or .kill any one of them, though never so
dangerous and destructive: They firmly believe, that
some person or another in their neighbourhood,
woi:ld infaliibly die upon the spot, wliere such an
anitnai should lose its life. Several of the negroes
iiave the art of charming these venomous reptiles,
and will venture to handle and play with them with-
out any manner of fear or reluctance. These ma-
gicians, likewise, can, by their fascinations, heal
such persons as have had the misfortune to be dan-
gerously wounded by them. In short, they charm
their very horses, imagining that by virtue thereof,
they shall rim no manner of risque in riding them,
and that in war they will deliver them out of the
hands of their enemies. The ancients ascribed much
the same virtue to the Psylles, who resided in those
parts now called Barca ; but notwithsanding this
pretended conformity, and the vouchers which our
historians produce of spells or charms for soothing
these reptiles, and rendering the malignity of their
poison ineffectual, it is very probable the surprising^
influences of such fascinations, may be reduced to
some secrets in nature, to which at present we are
perfect strangers.
The natives of Gambia bury their dead, with all
their gold and valuable treasures, and he who has
the richest grave, is in their opinion the happiest
man. When the king of Gninella dies, twelve offi-
cers, dressed in party-coloured robes, prociainj, by
sound of proper instruments, his majesty's decease
to all the people; \\ hereupon they all surround the
corpse robed in white, and proceed immediately to
the election of a new sovereign. They bathe or
v.asli the deceased all over, then take out his
bowels, and burn them in the presence (f the god
of their country, but preserve his ashes however,
and embalm his body; About a month afterwards
they solemnize the pompous funeral, and bring per-
fumes from all parts for the purificition of the
corpse. Six persons, dressed in whitf silk robes,
carry him to the grave; and during tliJ procession
there is a melancholy concert of JSlcorish music,
both vocal and instrumental. The vhole train of
attendants, except such as are princesof the blood
walk on foot, and they indeed are momted on horse-
back, dressed all in white, which is the usual
mourning with them as well as the Qiinese.
All his wives, most faithful friends and domestics,
and even his favourite horses, are Sacrificed at the
grave, in order to attend him to thfe other world. —
We have no such instances of loy^ty amongst us:
neither is it to be supposed, thatdieir subjects are
sanguine rivals in this case, and mike all the interest
they possibly cm, to jMocure thehonour of attend-
ing his majvsty in this solemn exJtdition ; for many
of them take care to abspond ift'hen they find his
majesty's death approaching. /Our accounts add
moreover, that these his unha/py companions are
treated witK uncommori barbafity ever, before they
are sacrificed. But be that ,is,it will, these savage
Moors are !;ot iialf so heroic and intrepid as our
ancient Gauls and Gert -aus wire, who never swerved
from their loyalty, nor startei at the apprehensions
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
427
of attending their sovereigns to Vahalla ; that is, to
the olher world. Tlie latter, on the contrary, were
so coiiceniid, lest they should not arrive sorjn enough
at those regions of bliss, where they might carouse
and indulge themselves without any of llie anxious
cares that pall the enjoyments of this life, that their
grandees took care to ride posl thither; and for
that reason their horses yyere killed afterwards and
buried with their masters. Is it not very surprising
tliat Cinistianity, which gives us such a delightful
prospect of a future stale, should not be able to
wean us from our violent, or at leas(, too fond han-
kering after the present.^ Can. so pure and holy a
religion produce effects so inconsistent with the
scope of our wise legislator? From whence can it
possibly proceed t It must doubtless arise from this,
that Christianity promises nothing but spiritual ad-
vinitages; and promises of that nature have not
power sufiicicnt to influence even the teacht-rs and
propagator of them. For, in general, ihey are
shocked at the apprehensions of death as much as
any other persons, and in all probability more. It
is possible, they may be more sensible than others,
of the intricacies tliat attend religious maxims.
The natives of lieni and Sousos, add to their hi-
deous outcries and lamentations sundry presents,
which when tliey go to a funeral they carry with
them, and divide into three parts or shares; one
■whereof is appropriated to the king's service, ano-
ther to the relations of the deceased, and the third
to the party deceased himself, with whom it is bu-
ried. For the generality, they erect a hut on this
occasion, at some small distance from the grave, in
which tlie relations of the deceased meet together,
in order to ask him what troubles and sorrows he
meets with in the'other world, and to offer up their
sincere and hearty prayers to Almighty God to re-
lease him from all his afflictions. As to the kings
and grandees of their country, they take care to bury
them with all the secrecy and precaution imaginable,
and frequently condeal them even in the bosom of
their deepest rivers, that no person whatsoever shall
be able to extract, or run away with, the immense
treasures which are buried with them.
Tiiey bury the kings of Sierra-Leona in the high-
roads ; because such as in their life-time havq acted
in a public capacity, and been possessed of the most
important posts, ought, according to the notions of
these negroes, to appear in public likewise, in some
measure, after their decease.
Religion of the inhabitants of the Coast of
Guinea.
The slave trade lately carried on ii'Guinea.has given
Europeans many opporluuities of making themselves
well acquainted with the inhabitants. Happy had
•lur merchants been as assiduous to promote the
kuowledi!,e of Christianity, and tlie eternal happiness
of immortal souls, as they have been to procure
riches, by nuans tliat no man can justify. This
UK hiiicholy suhjcct has been considered in a proper
point of view by Mr. Granvile Sharp, a gentleman
as much distinguished for his learning, as for the
most unblemished character, universal benevolence,
and unaffecley piety, lie considers it in a^ light
which no one ever did before, namely, that as Jeru-
salem was destroyed l)y the Jiabylonians for their
oppressions of the poor, so the continuing of the
slave trade, and even encouraging it, would bring
down the divine judgments upon sinful nations. In
vain do they pret( iid that these people are used as
well in the West-Indies as at home. This has no-
thing to do with the argument, for wc must insist
that no mortal has a right to deprive his fellow-
creatures of liberty, except for crimes. But are
these poor Africans, when brought to the West-In-
dies,, instructed in religion.' No, it is industriously
concealed from them. Nay, it is not long since
they vveri; bcjuLjht and sold in ICngland, like beasts
of burden. No encomiums can be too great on Mr.
Sharp, who brought the matter to the fountain-head
of the law, and obtained a solemn judgment, that
no slave can live in England ; that every foreigner,
whether an African, or from any other part of the
world, is free the moment he sets his foot on shore
in this country. We with pleasure may add further,
that the Court of Session in Scotland has lately
given judgment to the same import as in England.
We thought these things necessary to be premised,
in order to make the reader better acquainted with
these people, and their religious sentiments ; for
some of them observe the ceremony of circumcision,
without assigning any manner of reason for their
conduct, which, perhaps, may be grounded on mere
necessity. But should some certain cusitoms be
added to it, which are in vogue with their neighbours,
such as presenting the choicest of their fruits to a
particular god, called Belly, and to the .souls of their
relations ; refraining from eating beef or veal, or
any kind of shell-tish, we may visibly discern the
footsteps of Judaism, and the paganism of the an-
cient Egyptians. This hint, we presume, is suffi-
cient for such to draw conclusions from, as are fond
of reconciling the most distant conjectures.
Purchas has collected abundance of curious ob-
servations relating to the religion of these people,
and their rites and ceremonies. Notwithstanding
they have no books, no scriptures, nor even any civil
law's for their political government, yet it is certain,
they are not destitute of all religion. They dedicate
and set apart Tuesday for the worship of their
Fetiches, as we do Sunday to the service of God.
428
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
This day of rest is very strictly observed in the ex-
ercise of dancing, 8cc. and this is likewise their day
appointed for the circumcision of their chiMren. —
There is one of their Fetiches, it seems, whom they
acknowledge superior to all the rest. When any
one asks them what notion they entertain of the
Deity, they answer, that he is black like then\selves ;
and that instead of being their bountiful benefactor,
he acts like a tyrant and an oppressor. To this our
historian replied, in the language of a missionary,
that God is white like us, is good and gracious, and
has done great and, marvellous thnigs for us : that
be descended from heaven to earth for our sakes, and
was crucified by the Jews for our salvation ; that
after the dissolution of these our earthly tabernacles,
our souls shall take their flight to the celestial re-
gions. But all this seemed mere cant and jargon to
these negroes, who chiefly opposed the Divine Pro-
vidence, aijedging that they were no ways indebted
to the Deity, but to the earth, the waters, the planets,
&c. tor the many blessings they enjoyed ; and it is
no wonder at all to hear them talk in this strain. —
If we will but give ourselves the least time to re-
flect, we may easily discern tlie weakness and in-
sufliciency of such arguments with the negroes ;
especially on the absurdity of insisting on the w hite-
ness of the God of the Christians, in opposilion to
the black Deity. Could no better way be found out
to confute the negroes, than by recommending a God
to them of another colour from their own i
The Fetiches are the particular deities of the ne-
groes; and every one has a ditferent sort, accoiding
to the direction of their Masoucki, that is, accord-
ing to Ovington, who is an historian of veracity,
the priests of Guinea. They ascribe their good for-
tune, and happy deliverance out of all evils, to these
Fetiches; and were they not so illiterate as they are,
one would be apt to imagine, that they had copied
the Talismans of the eastern nations, which, by
virtue or their characteristics, had an influence over
the works of nature, and could prevent an impend-
ing stoi m of rain or hail, that hung over their heads,
or any other event that they saw pernicious to them.
But, in all probability, their Fetiches are nuuii the
same as the Manitous of the northern Americans,
vliich bear a very near affinity to the Genii of the
ancients, particularly the Fauns and Sylvans. —
These negroes pay them all the testimonies of the
jjrofoundest respect and veneration imaginable ; and
a glass of palm-wine is poured out to their honour,
and has the precedency in ail their public enter-
tainments.
There are some particular birds, as also the sword-
fish, which they look upon as Fetiches; and their
trees likewise bear the same venerable denomination,
and some of them are accounted the guardians of
their hill and mountains. They perform their sacri-
fices at the foot of these trees, and they are fully
persuaded, that should any one presume to lop off
one of their branches, he woul^J be tlie immediate
cause of tlie total destruction of all their fruits.—
Whenever they consult these trees, as oracles, tliey
tell us the Fetiche, or the devil, perhaps, assumes
the shape of a black dog. Sometimes he does not
condescend so tar as to make his personal appear-
ance, but delivers his answer invisible to human
sight. The high mountains that have been struck
with thunder, and such hills as are exposed to the
same fate, are looked upon as the habitations of
some of the Fetiches. The blacks never presr.nie
to approach them without some oblations in their
hands ; and they sprinkle palm-wme, and strew mil-
let, and divers other grains all round about tiiem.
There are some particular stones likewise like our
land-marks, which are reckoned amoilgst the num-
ber of Fetiches ; and as they are made use of for
that verv purpose too, there is a great rescuibiance,
in our opinion, between them and the god Terminus,
or the Terminal-Stone of the Romans, But some
carping critic, perhaps, may start an objection here,
and ask, why we should not rather compare them to
those stones which they erected on their high-roads
for the direction of travellers? but, be that as it
will, they place Felich;;s before their doors, and
these titular deities are made in the form of grapples
or hooks, which we generally make use of to shake
our fruit-trees. The Negro priests fasten these to
the stone Fetiches before-mentioned, which they tell
us are as ancient as the world itstif, and afterwards
dispose of them to the people, at the best price they
can get for the preservation of their houses. I'hus
much for their larger Fetiches ; but they have seve-
ral besides of a smaller size, which they cany about
them, consisting of baul)les of little or no value,
and \\hich the priests sell to the blacks after a for-
mal consecration of them in their way. These they
wear sometimes about their necks, and sometimes
under their arm-pits ; and these they pray to con-
stantly night and morning; to these they present
the choicest morsels of every thing they eat ; and
dress them, in short, in the gayest attire they can
possibly procure.
On that day which answers to our Sunday, the
blacks assemble themselves together in a spacious
square, in the centre whereof is a sacred tree, called
the tree of the Fetiche. At the foot thereof they
set a table which is embellished below with boughs
wreathed in the form of crowns. The table is
covered with paim-wine, rice, millet, &c. in order
to drink and eat after their service is over, in honour
of their Fetiches. The whole day is spent in danc-
ing and capering ro und the tree of the Fetiche, and
in Singing and drumming upon divers instruments of
brass. The priest frequently sits near the centre of
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
429
the place before a kind of ultar, on svhich he oft'ers
up some sacrifices to tlie Feliches ; and some men
women and children sit promiscuonsly round the ce-
lebrant, who reads or pronoimces a kind of homilv
to them. At the conclusion, he takes a whisj) of
straw, twisted hard, which he dips into a pot full
of some particular liquor in which there is a ser-
pent, lie cither besmears or sprinkles the chil-
dren with this holy water, mumbling over them a
certain form of words, and he observes the same ce-
remony with respect to the altar, and afterwards
empties the pot; and then his assistants close the
service with some inarticulate unintelligible sounds,
loud acclamations, and clapping of hands. On this
solemn day they wasli tlieir faces and bodies with
more care and pains than on any other ; for they
practise ablutions. They wash themselves every
morning, and afterwards draw while lines upon
their facts, with a piece of earth like chalk, or lime,
as acts of devotion, performed in honour of their
Fetiche. The priest, attended by two women, fre-
quently repairs to the tree of the Fetiche, in order
to accomplish his magical incantations; at the foot
whereof there appears, as we are informed, a black
dog, who answers all his interrogatories.
This is the nature of the oracles, and if, for in-
stance, the king is divested of his prerogative, or
defrauded in his customs, lie has recourse to the tree,
which he looks u[5bn as his Fetiche, and he presents
it with something to eat and drink, as a kind of ob-
lation. The priests approach the tree afterwards,
in order to intreat it in the most solemn manner, to
resolve their queries. In order to succeed in these
important inquiries, they erect a small "pyramid of
asiies, in wliiclithey plant a bough of the tree; after
that they take a pot full of. water, drink a draught
of it, and then sprinkle the boi.^h. This ceremonv
is attended with a certain form of v^ords, mumbled
over amongst themselves, which, in all probability,
are very mysterious. Having proceeded thus far,
tiiey sprinkle the bough a second time, and besmear
their' faces with some of the aforesaid ashes, and
soon after this, as they assure us, the F^etiche, or the
devil, delivers his final answer.
Villault de Bellefond has given us a description of
another sacrifice of these blacks, dedicated to one
of those evil, or mischievous F"etiches, which we
have already mentioned. I saw, says he, a man and
woman at the door of a certain house in one of their
cantons'or provinces, who had killed a chicken, and
were draining its blood upon some leaves which they
had strewed upon the ground ; and when the blood
would drop no longer, they cut it all in pieces, look-
ed wishfully at the leaves, and turning one towards
the other, kissing their hands, cried out, " Mecusa,
Mecusa, Mecusa ; be propitious to us, be propitious
to us." I would not interrupt them during the
2i) 5
ceremony; but after all was over, I begged they
would inform me of what they had been doing. The
Fetiche, they said, of that district, had most sorely
beaten and abused them, and that therefore they had
been providing some victuals for him, in order to
appease his vengeance. 'J'his Fetiche was nothing
but a tile, wound round with straw. I broke the
tile, and planted a crucifix hi the room of it. 'Ihe
author of this narrative served all the Fetiches ai the
same disrespectful manner, and substituied crosses
in their room, after he had convinced the blacks that
a chicken so sacrificed, was not food for any mortal,
as they fainly imagined. He exhorted them, also,
if ever this Fetiche should attempt to molest them
again, to take some little crucitixes, and kiss them,
and then make the sign of the cross ; and many of
them listened to his vVholesome admonitions, and
exchanged their Fetiches for crosses.
Our zealous traveller resolved to push the refor-
mation he had thus happily begun, still furlhcr. I
got a guide, says he, to conduct me to their Fetiche
major, which was erected on a plain, and set apart
for the celebration of their sacriiices. This idol
was a large stone covered with earth, which 1 ihst
cleared off, and then broke about five hundred hook.s
or grapples which were about it; after this, I ap-
plied myself to one of tlieir priests, and asked him
whether he had any Fetiches to dispose of. He re-
plied, that 1 had one, meaning one of the aforesaid
hooks which 1 had taken away, and that he expected
to be paid for it. I prevailed on him to go with
me to the before-mentioned Fetiche major; and
when he perceived that I broke it down, he imme-
diately assembled all his fellow priests together, and
informed them of what I had done ; \\ ho unani-
mously cried out, that it was the greatest miracle
in the world that I was not struck dead upon the
spot. In order to make you ample restitution, said
J, I plant here this cross, and if any one of you
presumes to touch or approacli it, unless with awfii!
reverence, and on your bended knees, he shall (he
that very moment. They ran back howling to their
respective apartments, in the utmost disorder and
confusion. It must be supposed, that this zealous
reformer added more instructions to his outward
performance, without which, the blacks would
have added profanation to idolatry, aixd looked
upon crosses as more formidable Fetiches than their
own. What other idea could this ignorant and ido-
latrous people entertain of two pieces of wood, the
innate virtues whereof are perrfectly unknown to all
the world, but Papists.
'iheir priests follow no manner of employment,
but are entirely maintained and supported by their
lay-blacks, who arc as benevolent and liberal to
them as they pos.sil)ly cart be, in order to ingratiati^
themselves into their favour, aud be remembered by
430
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA,
ihem in tlieir prayers. In return for their civility,
lliey sell to thvsc blacks such Fetiches as tliey have
blest, or consecrated, by a solemn touch of the tree
of the Fetiche. The dress of these priests accord-
ing to the description given of it by Villault de
Bellefond, very niucli resembles a coat of armour,
made of serge, or coarse linen. They wear a scarf
round their waist, embellished with little parched
bones of chickens, which, says he, bear a very near
aflinity to the little shells or trinkets of the pilgrims
of St. Michael, llie other parts of their body are
entirely naked, and they wear garters about their
legs, made of the bark of the tree of the Fetiche.
As to their ceremony of taking a solemn oath,
we shall give an account of it in the words of the
author before quoted, who was an eye-witness of
the solemnity. A Moor, that had been taken in
custody, on suspic'o i of theft, was brought before
the Moorish general, in order to take his solemn
oath, and eat up as they call it, his Fetiche. I had
a great inclination says he, to see this ceremony ;
and in the first place I observed that a slave biought
in a large bunch of thorns and briers in a basket. —
'i h.^se prickles are covered with leather, and in the
middle of them was a small quantity of tallow, wax,
feathers of parrots, bones of boih-d chickens, the
feathtrs of their own country bird, called the Fe-
tiche, &c. all v\hich mixed up together, compose
a Feticht;, winch they are obliged to eat; and if
they do not burst, they are dismissed and looked
upon as falsely accused. One of their priests, who
was then p esent, declared he had made it the strong-
est he possibly could, and told the Moor, that if he
proved perjured, he would die the moment lie swal-
hnved down his Fetiche. Tiie oath consists likewise
i I drinking a draught of a particular liquor, ex-
tracted from several drugs and herbs, which are an
essential part of the Fetiche. 'Fhey have a|so ano-
t'ler ceremony, which is sometimes practised for
the attestation of a truth; and consists in dashing
t leir foreheads against the feet, breast, and arms of
the person \^ho demands satisfaction, pronouncing
V, ithal a particular form of words three times suc-
cessively ; and clapping their hands, stamping with
tlieir feet upon the ground, and in fine, leaving their
Fetiches upon the very spat.
When the negroes of Cabo de Monte enter into
any treaty, they cut the throats of several hens, or
< hickens, drink up part of the blood of them, and.
present the cup to the other party; afterwards they
order the fowls to be dressed, with which they re-
gale themselves and their new allies. To" complete
and cement this happy union, they sliare tlie bones,
vhich are carefully preserved on both sides, as a
memorial of their contract; and when at any time
a rupture happens on either side, they who are ag-
grieved send their bones to the others, to intimate
that they have forfeited their honour, by a shameful
neglect of their ensiaaenients.
\\ hen the negroes, who live between Cabo For-
moso and Ambosiae, take an oath in order to acquit
themselves from any scandalous imputation, they cut
or scarify one of their arms, and afterwards suck
the blood out of the wound. In order to procure
success in their fishing, and ingratiate themselves
into the favour and affection of their Fetiche, they,
throw rice, millet, and divers other grains into the
sea ; and in hopes of finding a plentiful store of
gold, they allure him with sacrifices, which consist
in strewing divers sorts of eatables all round their
mountains, and their consecrated trees. After their
seed-time is over, they burn the brambles which they
find in their fields, with abundance of solemnity —
This ceremony consists in singing, dancing, and pour-
ing palm-wine into the fire, in honour of their Feti-
che ; and the anniversary of their king's coronation
is one of their most solemn festivals. This day is-
called the festival of liie Fetiches, and his majesty
invites all his court to a sumptuous entertainment ;.
and they, as an acknowledgment of the favour,
make him several very considerable presents. The
festival opens with sacrifices, and concludes with alF
manner of riot and licentiousness.
The creation of a peer, or nobleman, is likewise
another very remarkable holiday. _ Such young gen-
tleman, in order to discharge hiii..-se]f from his soc-
cage, is obliged to make a present to all the nobility
in general, of a dog, a sheep, and a cow ; and the
festival opens with a elegant collation. The popu-
lace resort in crowds to the place appointed for the
solemnizatlr.n of it; some either beating their drums,
or jingling their bells, and others armed with their
javelins and bucklers, having their faces and bodies
besmeared all over with yellow paint. Thither also
the peer, thus to be created, is carried in state, seated
in a kind of litter, with two slaves crouched under
his feet, and attended by several young negroes of
distinction. A little page carries a chair for him to
sit on, when he is obliged to speak upon any parti-
cular occasion; and the nobility v\ho go thither to
contratulate him on his happy advancement, take a
wad of straw, and lay it under his feet, which is
looked upon as a testimony of the profoundest vene-
ration and respect. The court ladies likewise pay
all due honours to the spouse of this new created
peer: as for instance, they chess her to the best ad-
vantage, adorn her bead with little golden Fetiches,
hang a gold chain about her neck, present her with
a horse's tail, to make use of as a fan,' which they
besmear all over with white paint, and throw salt
into her lap. \\ hen the whole Assembly are seatud
in the order generally observed amongst them, a cow
is introduced in triumph by abundance of nobility
dancing and singing in the procession. The beast
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
431
is afterwards fastened to a stake, and surrounded by
a multitude of blacks, who beat tlieir drums, and
play upon divers instruments of Moorish music ;
wiiilst others, more sprigiitly and active, dance, and
divert the company with their warlike exercises.
The ladies likewise amuse themselves much after
the same manner; tor it is their peculiar province to
attend the new created peer and his spouse to their
chariot, and air them, throwing flour in their faces
as they go along; and in the evening they conduct
them home in abundance of pomp and grandeur.
In short, the festival concludes wnh the sacriiice of
tiie cow, which is divided amongst the whole as-
semldy, the new-created peer and his wife only ex-
cepted ; for should they partake of the least share
of it, they would infallibly die at the year's end. —
However, they carry the head away with thein, and
after they have painted it w iih sundry colours, adorn
it with little Fetiches, and hani; it up in their house,
as a public memorial of their dignitv and advance-
ment. Moreover, the jNIoorish nobility never fail to
celebrate likewise the anniversary of their Udmit-
tance. On that day the head of the cow is dressed
111 the most elegant manner, and exposed bv ever^'
one to public view. They have another festival-day,
on which the nobility, to distinguish themselves
from the populace, paint their bodies all over with
white and red streaks, and hang about their necks
some little garlands, wreathed with straw and a
variety of greens.
\'illault de Bellefond assures us, that the negro
v.omeu hang round the necks of their infants, little
trinkets of gold, strung with the shreds of the Fe-
tiche-tree, in order to secure and protect them from
all disasters. And n>oreover, adds he, in proportion
as they advance to ihe age of four y^ears, dufy twist
round their legs and arms several little sprigs
wreathed circular, like rings, which they purchase
oi their priests, as preservatives against all misfor-
tmies. Purchas, on the credit of some travellers,
telis us, that they dre»s the bodies of their little
children with bandages made of ba k which they
embellish with a variety of Fetiches, being firmly
persuaded, that after such prudent prf cautions, ihe
devil can touch no part of them; and besides, they
look upon them as highly serviceable to supply their
■want of strength. It is also a common custom
amoivgst them to circumcise both sexes, and this
ceremony is performed wub abundance of solem-
nity, when their male cliildren are about sixteen
years of age. At such times they make bonfires,
and sing and dance at the celebration of this joyful
festival. ]5ut above all, the negroes take peculiar
Cire to be fiirni.shed with a sufficient {juantity of
provisions of all sorts, that the foul fiend dr evil
spirit may have wlierewithul to regale himself, and
iiot to be at leisure to incommode, gr injure their
cliildren; but this is doubtless all artifice and priest-
craft.
As to their nuptial ceremonies, we shall in the
first place give an extract from Bellefond. As soon
as their young men are able to get their livelihood,
their parents, says he, begin to think of settling them
in the world, and finding out such wives as may be
most suitable to their inclinations. If both parties
approve of each other, the maiden is demandud in
form, and the parents meet together, attended by a
priest; who presents them with several Fetiches, and
make llie most solemn protestations before all the
companv then present, of love and constancy to her
intendeti husband : after w hich they rcciprocallyjoiii
hands. The bridegroom, however, binds himself by
no farther obligations, and the whole ceremony con-
sists in notliing more than what is here mentioned.
Although polyganu is in vogue amongst them, the
wife thus married i* looked upon as the only person
who has a legal right and title to her husband ; and,
moreover, if we may credit our traveller, the hus-
band cannot take a second wife, without the tree
consent of the first. His supernumerary wives are,
properly speaking, no better than concubines, and
only lie with him alternately', according to their pri-
ority of marriage; but this lawful wife lies with him
three nights successively.
The young man's father gives him vo manner of
portion ; he has nothing to trust to but what he
earns by his own industry and application to busi-
ness, and depends entirely on his own ingenuity for
the support of his family, I'he young woman's
portion seklom amounts to more than six- or seven
crowns, or thereabouts. Sometimes, indeed, there
is an additional present of a young slave, to wait oil
the new-married couple ; and as soon as the true
and lawful wife begins to grow old, the favourite
concubine assumes her place. From that time, the
former becomes a mere domestic servant, takes care
of the house only, and, concerns herself about none
of her husband's other aflfairs all the remainder of lier
days.
Adultery is punished by a mulet, or an amercia-
ment; and if the wife proves unchaste, she is imme-
diately divorsed. If she is only suspeoted, she is
obliged, in order to clear her innocence, and justify
her conduct, to swear solemnly by her Fetiche, and
eat a small (piantity of salt, or drink a small portion
of a particular liquid. .She never presumes, however,
in case she is conscious of her guilt, to take such
oath, firmly believing, that the Fetiche would resent
the atfront, and destroy her that very moment for
her perfidy and profaneness.
As to their funeral solemnities, they wash their
dead, and lay them afterwards in a kind of coffin,
made either o!' oziers, the bark of trees, or bulrushes;
and this coifiu is, properly speaking, uo better thaa .
432
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
a large basket. The relations, friends, and neigh-
bours of the deceased repair to his house, and there
with sighs, sobs, and tears, beg of him to declare
the true cause of his departure. After that, they
dance and sing several doleful ditties ; then take a
Solemn tour round his house, and make a hideous
noise with their frying-pans and kettles. During
this ceremony, a female friend goes a begging from
liouse to house, in behalf of the deceased, and pur-
chases, with the voluntary contributions so raised, an
ox, or a sheep, for the priest, who r.ttends on this
occasion, in order to oblige and gratify the particular
Fetiche, who is to usher the deceased into the other
world. The priest, after he bus sacrificed the beast,
thus presented to him on behalf of the deceased,
sheds, its blood in honour of all his Fetiches, wiiich
are after this ranged all in order, close by one an-
other, the largest iu the centre, each furnished with
his bumper, and adorned with corals, beads, and
feathers. At the same time, his near relations kill a
hen, with the blood whereof the priest sprinkles all
i these Fetiches, and his wives or relations dress this
fowl, and serve, it to them in form. After this the
priest puts on a collar, composed of particular herbs,
and begins his magical incantations, by muttsring a
parcel of obscure mystic terms; then he takes some
■water, or palm-wine in his mouth, and squirts it
upon the Fetiches. In the next place, he takes a
small quantity of those herbs whereof the collar is
composed, and moulds them into the form of a
little ball, which he passes and repasses twice or
thrice together through his legs. During the per-
formance of this ceremony, he pays his respects to
the old Fetiches, and after a solemn manner, takes
his leave of them. He continues to squeese and
mould the residue and remainder of the herbs be-
tween his hands, and after he has mixed them with
the tallow and grease of the old Fetiches, throws the
whole into one l;;rge mass or lump, which lie dashes
against his own face, and afterwards divides it into
small parts or parcels, which he strings upon the
bark of the sacred tree, and distributes amongst the
company ; the remainder of the mass is interred with
the deceased, and looked upon as the guardian Fe-
tiche that attends him on his journey to the other
•world.
After all these preliminary ceremonies, the deceased
is exposed for half a day to public view, having his
head mutHed up, and his hands spread open. After-
■wards the women convey him to the grave, the
burial of the dead being their peculiar province, and
their female neighbours follow the corpse, which is
.carried after the manner here described. The men
never attend the funeral, unless the party deceased
is to be conveyed to some other town ; for they are
•extremely ambitious of being buried where they
were born ; and in that case, the men wait on him
rank and file. As soon as the corpse is arrived at
the burying ground, they make a grave for it about
four or five feet deep, and there they lay him, and
cover him up so close and so carefully with wood,
that not the least dust of earth can possibly touch
him. His favourite wife throws his Fetiches over
him, lays the greatest part of the implements, or
tools, of his trade or occupation by his side, and if
there was any thing besides which he had a peculiar
regard for, that is generally added to oblige him. — •
All things thus adjusted, the assistants walk in pro-
cession round the grave, and with hideous lamenta-
tions take their last farewel of him, and when the
corpse is deposited in the grave, the women that
interred him, crawl over it backwards and for-
wards: after this, they rise and return home, where
they spend the remainder of the day in drinking and
other agreeable amusements. Over the tomb they
erect a little pent-house, and no one ever otiers to
meddle with the provisions or presents uhich are
made the dead, and laid with them in their graves,
except their sextons, and such persons as are em-
ployed in their interment, who are allowed to take
from thence their customary fees, and they furnish
tlieir dead with a new stock of provisions once a
year.
When the king dies, they expose him to public
view for several days together ; and during all that
time, they wait on hini* with the same attention
and respect, as if he were alive : But w hen he be-
gins to smell and be offensive, some of his slaves
»^ . ....
convey him away and inter hiin in some secret
place, with ail his Fetiches, his tire-arms and other
warlike trophies, and such provisions as they see
most convenient. Whilst these slaves are thus pri-
vately employed' in the interment of his majesty,
the populace make it their business to murder seve-
ral women, maids, boys, and slaves to accompany
their deceased monarch in his journey to the other
world. They are cut off, however, according to
custoifi, by surprise; that their untimely death, we
presume, may seem the less terrible and shocking to
them. The bqdies of these his new attendants are
buried with him, and their heads are stuck upon
poles round his Mausoleum, while two guards stand
centinels to secure his funeral propei'ties and provi-
sions.
'lliey pretend to protect themselves with the Fe-
ticlies, and large brass collars as thick ivs their arms,
which they imagine are capable of charming or
warding off the blows of their «nemies. Every in-^'
dividual person, man, woman, or child, rush hito the
field of battle, for it is an established custom among
them to leave the house empty on sucli emergent
occasions. Nay, when they are apprthensive of
bloody engagements, they set fire to ail their towns,
villages, and habitations, under the specious pie-
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
433
tence, that by sucli means they shall deprive iheir
enemies of the aiivaiifages they might reasonably
expect of their proving victorious, and to prevent
their soldiers from thinking of, or loiioing for home.
They sell as slaves, all those whom they take pri-
soners, and they eat the dead bodies of their ene-
mies whom they kill in battle. Ail crime?, let them
be of ever so atrocious a nature, may be compound-
ed for the payment of a small fine ; but if the per-
son cannot pay that, his head is cut ofl" and his body
quartered. All thc«e parts of the body are given to
the relations of the deceased, who boil the head,
and put it up near their Fetiche or idol, and the
women iiuviiig balhod the quarters with their tears,
bury them in their garden.
These people are, perhaps, sunk as low into idol-
atry as any we have yet mentioned, nor is it enough
to say they are ignorint of the true God ; for even
with respect to their own idols, they have the most
unworthy notions. Th. y ascribe to them no other
attributes than such qs are even degrading to human
nature, and far beneath the dignity of a man. How
can they imagine, that an inanimate being can sup-
ply their wants, alleviate their afflictions, inspire
them with knowledge, preserve them through
life, or make thein iiappy in etvrnity ? Tlie most
accomplished man in the vvv<rld must know him-
self to be a dependent creature, and consequently
nnist look to some Superior Being, as an object of
•worship. But here we find men paying divine ado-
ration to what they trample on in the streets, what
IS tossed about from place tp place,— but this is a
We shall conclude this article in the words of St.
Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, who was himself a
native of Africa^ and suffered death for the gos|)el.
" Idolatry is the mother of all debauchery, to throw
a snare not only before Christians, but even to cor-
rupt moral heathens. It flatters them with false
promises, amuses them with false hopes, and sedu-
ces them by a kind of bewitching magic. The de-
vil is the author of it, who, in order to give it a
more promising appearance, joins with it such lewd
entertainments as are agreeable to the senses, but
destructive to the soul."
Ri'ligion of the natives of Benin, Ardra,
Tlic-e people arc, perhaps, in some things more
superstitious, more ignorant, and more barbarous
than any we have hitherto mentioned. It is true,
they acknowledge one Supreme Being, but at the
same time, they worship many subordinate ones.
Nay, it is even asserted, that they worship the devil,
''29
but this, we imagine, is nothing moie than what is
common to those heathen nations, where it is be-
lieved there are two principles, one good and one
evil. This notion seems to have taken its rise from
the consideration of virtue and vice in the world.
This induced some Epicurean, or rather Atheistical
philosophers to set up two gods, the one in opposi-
tion to the other; and we are sorry to find that too
much of this prevails even among those who bear
the name of Christians. These considerations natu-
rally bind us to draw^ a veil over the weakness of
these people, and to pity their ignorance, because
they have not an opportunity of being better ac-
quainted with what relates to their elernul happi-
ness.
Ail of these people have their Fetiches, and a
priest, who is a sort of a father confessor, and who
at all times undertakes to give them advice concern-
ing any thing of a doubtful nature, which he di-es
by consulting their oracle.
I'o carry on the deception as much as possible,
the priests pretend that their idols, or Fetiches, speak*
to them audibly, and for that piir|)ose" they have a
pipe fixed to the idol, and to it they apply their eUr,
after they have offered iij) sacrifices. They have
some faint idea of the day of judgment, and they
imagine that the souls of the deceased take cogni-
zance of every thing below, and for that reason they
offer up to them their most solemn vows, prayers,
and oblations.
Whenever they pursue the chase, or engage in
any undertaking whatever, they take particular care
to make some sort of oblation to the souls of their
deceased relations. They also make sumptuous en-
tertainments in honour of the dead, especially of
their nearest and dearest kindred, who are the pro-
tectors, ni their opinion, of their families ; for to
speak in their own language, every soul is the guar-
dian of its own relations, and it is for that reason
that their kings never enter upon any projects till
they have first invoked the souls of their ancestors.
They imagine that these souls or spirits, generally
reside in the woods, and such as are afflicted either
in body or mind, resort to those solitary retreats, and
there most humbly implore their aid and assistance.
As for temples or chapels, or indeed any structures
for public worship, they have none. All their pub-
lic meetings for worship aie ii"i the woods next ad-
joining to their huts, and there they ofl'cr up their
sacrifices, and make their oblations to the spirits of
the deceased.
All these heathens practise the rite of circum-
cision, and indeed it seems to be universal tlirough-
out Africa, but they have no fixed time for perform-
ing the ceremony. Some do it while they a'o infants,
and others not till thev are getting towards years of
maturity. Every family has its own particular I'c-
R
434
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
tiche or idol, and their priests attend them as often
as they think proper. When a negro is fallen sick,
he sends for his priest, who is called the Fetissero,
who offers up some sacrifices in his behalf, sprinkles
the Fetiche belonging to the family with the bjood
of the victim. In general, their sacrifices are offered
np once every six months, and on sncli occasions
the priests, who are thq most arrant inipostors in
the world, pretend to make the people believe that
the idol speaks to them, and gives them a gracious
answer. As for the dead, they are of opinion that
none but those who die in battle will ever be raised
ajain, and this notion is inculcated in order to
make the men regardless of danger, and strangers to
fear.
The natives of Biafara offer up all they have, even
their most darling infants, to the devil ; and they are
extremely addicted to the study and practice of the
Itlack art, and all magical incantations ; flattering
themselves, that by those mysterious ojierations they
can influence the elements, and all the products of
nature. When we talk here of the devil, we do
not mean that evil spiric which our Christian divines
treat of; but a thing, a being, a spirit only, which
we are at a loss to define, or give any adequate idea
of; but in all probability it nniy be the sole object
of some people's worship, and frequently it is no more
than a chimera of their priests' invention, or a strong
impulse, or a delusion of their own disordered ima-
gination.
We shall here amuse our readers with one par-
ticular custom, which is as idle as it is extravagant;
^UfJ, in all probability, extremely painful. I'he na-
tives of Rio-Real, and the parts adjacent, as also the
negroes of Ardra, decline the ceremony of circum-
liision with respect to their females, as well as seve-
ral others amongst tlie Africans, but have substituted
another in the room of it, which is much more in-
commodious and uneasy. About the time that their
daughters arrive at the age of matrimony, they
lodge a small wooden instrument, plentifully stored
with emmits, within their pudenda, which they fre-
quently shift, lest in time those little insects should
iose their innate quality, and not be able to sting
with that pungency as required. This severe kind
of probation continues for near three months, nor is
left off till they have qualified them for the marriage
bed. As to the mysterious circumcision of the
negro women, we shall treat of it hereafter in an-
other paragraph.
The negroes of Cabo de Monte, and the parts
adjacent, have nothing very remarkable in their nup-
tial ceremonies, except that the presents which a
young lover makes to his mistress, are looked upon
as an earnest, and give him a kind of right and title
to her. For instance, if a virgin is too young, and
not altogether marriageable, her lover may retain her
by proper presents. If he has none to give her, he
may uork for her, build her a hut, and manure her
ground for her. In case his mistress is independent
of any of her relations, and perfectly disengaged,
it is customary for the gallant to invite her to l;is
own liouse, and for her to accept tlie offer, thougii
with abundance of seeming modesty and reluctance :
after which she srants him the last favour for ten or
twelve nights together, before she insists upon the
present which is to bind their engagement. If a
st)n proves the result of their amorous interviews,
the father provides for him ; if a daughter, she is left
entirely to the care and conduct of the mother. —
Such love adventures as these prove of no ill con-
sequence, are no manner of prejudice o/ disappoint-
ment to the fair sex ; for, maids or not maids, they
never fail of finding husbands. What a world of
ninse and confusion should we prevent, were we
licensed to carry on such a free trade; were we en-
trusted for a week or a fortnight together, with such
staple commodiiies, by way of probation, belore we
struck an absolute bargain, and [)aid down the pur-
chase-money !
If the lover, after trial, finds his mistress to his
taste, and for his turn, he makes his applications to
her parents in form, and sends her some suitable
presents. She accepts of them, in case she approves
of her bed-fellow, and if not, returns them directly.
The naming of an infant is performed with abun-
dance of solemnity; and the ceremony is generally
performed betimes in the morning, when the child
is about eight or ten days old, accompanied with
vocal and instrumental music. The celebrant takes
the child from the mother, and lays him on a shield
or buckler, in the midst of the whcde assembly, who
are all armed in form. Then he piits a little bow
into his hand, and makes an harangue of about half
an hour long, according to the best of his know-
ledge, and the established principles of the negroes,
on the duties required of the nominee, in order
hereafter to be a happy man, and a man of honour.
After this exhortation is over, he returns the child
into its mother's arms ; and the nomination of a
daughter is performed much after the same manner,
though not with equal solemnity. The woman, who
is the celebrant, takes the girl, and lays her on a
mat, in the midst of the whole female assembly,
and puts into her hand a ladle, which they make use
of to stir their porridge ; and after that, she makes
an harangue according to their principles, on the
duties of a good housewife.
Some of the natives of the Golden Coast are ad-
dicted, notwithstanding they are indulged in poly-
gamy as well as their neighbours, to strolling abroad,
and lying with strangers. In case they are detected,
the affair is with ease accommodated, by paying the
injured wife some trivial amerciament; though
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
435
sbould she, on tlie other hand, chance to trespass,
and prove t";(Ise to her husband's bed, she woiiiii run
the risi[uc of beiiij; divorscd, or sold for a slave. — -
The couitsliip iil ihese people is not very ceren\o-
liiuiis. The Viiijug man asks the question, and sel-
dom niect;i with a repulse ; if lie is not a slave, or
does .not forget his nuptial presents, which consist
only in a ffw worthless baubles. She is conducted
to her hu.sband's house in the evening, and there a
brideman is nominated to be her guardian, and to
lie lor about eight days between the ni u-married
couple, to give a cheek to the violence of the bride-
groom's passion, till in lime they become better ac-
fjuninted.
Now we are upon the topic of matrimony, we
shall make bold to nifutioii one particular ceremony,
which, though there is \cry liule reJisiiou in the
case, it is true, cannot so properly be introduced in
any other place. Every village amongst the ne-
groes, maintains two or three common women ;
whom they iustal, or put in possession of their posts,
in the presence of a very numerous assembly. The
candidates are exposed to public view, and seated
upon a mat ; in the interim the oldest of them cuts
llif throat of a foul, and lets the blood trickle down
upon her head, shoulders, and arms; and tlien so-
kmnly promises upon oath, to oblige any towns-
man whatever with her fa,vours, upon /■easonable
terms; after this, she admits one of the company to
her embraces, and then goes and washes li< rself,
with one of her comrades. The ablution ended,
she resumes her post; and is rubbed all over iier
arms, breast, and shoulders, with white chalk ; and
to close the ceremony, two -young fellows take her
upon their slwulders, and carry her in triumph all
over the town. After that, she is obliged for eight
d.iys together to sit in public upon her mat, and
there recommend herself to tlie generosity of her
jiallaiits.
Till; courtiers m the kingdom of 15enin, are not
allowed to rover their nakedness, nor marry with-
out his majesty's licence and consent, first had and
obtained. The privilege of raiment entirely de-
pends on his royal pleasure : and whenever he con^
fers that favour, he obliges them with a wife at the
same linn . Neither do th.e wives ever dress tliem-
selves without the husband's permission, who, when
they grant any of them that favour, take up their
lodging with them. A widow, that has a son,
must never marry again, without his consent ; nay
she absolutely becomes his servant. If any one
makes his addresses to her, with her son's know-
ledge ami approijalion, the gallant always engages
to settle the youth, and find out a wife to his incli-
• nations. Parents never marry their daughters before
they arc duly qualified ; and after their nuptials con-
cern themselves no farther about them. We omit
.several other customs, as being, in our opinion, not
worth observance ; but tliey have one notion, how-
ever, that is very particular. To be brought to bed
of two children, is by them accounted perfectly
scandah)us, and as they arc fully persuaded, that
twins are the result of their wives incontinei.ce and
loss of honour, they not only discard one of them,
but sometimes, as we are informed, make away
with and destroy it. What hard thoughts would
thev cniertaiu of a superfetation ? and how would
tlicv aspcr-e and stigmati/e such women as have
soiiie'iimes three at a birth.''
We shall now come to their funeral solemnities,
The iii'groes of Cabo de .Monte in the first place
weep and lament over a dead friend, and mingle the
commemoration of some of his most laudible ac-
tions with their tears. After this testimony of their
respect, they wash his body, curl his hair, dress
him, and in order to make him stand upright, tie
him fast behind, and under his arms, 'i'hey furnish
the deceased witli a bow and arrow, and adorn him
with all the gavcst things he was possessed of in his ■
life-lime; and in that attitude each of them makes
him some suitable present. The relations and friends
sit on their knees all round about, with their ba<:ks
turned towards him, having their bows in their
hands, drawn with such violence, that they seem in
danger of being broke. This ceremony, say they,
declares, that they are prepared to take revenge on
such as might any ways iiave been instrumental to
his death. When they put him in the grave, they
bury not only the presents that are made him, but
some of his most valuable effects along with him.
If a prince or a nobleman dies, the bury a suffi-
cient quantity of slaves with him, to attend and w ait
on him in the other world. Their mourning con-
sists in making a solemn vow, and binding it with
an oath, to fast about eight or ten days together. If
some very valuable friend' happens to die, whose
loss is a more than common concern to them, they
sometimes hold it for a month. During all that
'iiue they neither caress their wives, ■ nor have any
familiar converse with the female sex : They wear
no coloured clothes ; they shave their heads, and lie
upon the ground. When the term of their fasting is
expired, they discharge themselves of their vow, by
repeating the same ceremony they observed at first,
that is to say, extending thcii hands in the presence
of a Fetiche; and after, they make a sumptuous
entertainment in honour of the deceased.
WUen any one is suspected to have died an unna-
tural death, they neither weep over the corpse, nor
wash it, nor dress it, till their jealousy is removed,
and the fact cleared up. For, say they, should we
mourn over it first, it would be impossible to find
out the unhappy cause; since the spirit whom we
should consult on this melancholy occasion, would
436
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
then be silent, and resolve none of our queries. In
order to discover the fact in such cases, they take a
small piece of the deceased's garment, the parings
of his nails, and a lock of his hair, all which they
bind up together, and cover them over with the dust
of some particular red wood. After this, they fasten
this little pacquet to a stick, the two ends whereof
are laid upon the heads of two men. Then one
amongst them, whom they look upon as the best
orator, takes two iron implements; as, for instance,
two hatches, or the like, and striking one against
the other, conjures the dead person to disclose whe-
ther his deatii was the result of violence, or a decay
in nature: if the latter, the spirit who actuates or
influences the two men, compels them to bow down
their heads; if the former, to shake them. They
continue in the same manner to ask him further, iu
order to be fully satisfied what he died of, if the
dose or potion that was given him, was too strong
for his constitution ? if he was poisoned ? who ad-
ministered it .' and the like. In short, when they
have discovered, as they imagine, the malefactor,
they charge him with the fact, and make him swallow
down, fastmg in the morning, the quantity of three
or four cups full of a very strong liquid, extracled
from the bark of some particular trees. This drau'^ht,
they say, infallibly kills the party accused, if guilty;
if innocent, he instantly throws up every drop of it.
Sometimes there is a spell, or charm, laid upon the
spirit, which prevents him from giving an answer to
all their interrogatories ; and, in that case, they apply
themselves to soine magicians, to remove the fasci-
nation, and then they proceed to the experiment
above described.
After the decease of a father, the eldest son takes
possession as heir of al! his effects ; aiul in case he
ha.s younger brothers, undertakes to be their tutor;
and he is entitled to both, even before he is twenty
years of age ; but he is obliged, however, to testify
his abilities before the king in the following manner :
lie repans to the usual place where they practise the
art of shooting, in the midst of a crowd of iiis re--
lalions, with his father's bow in his hand, and his
quiver at his back. He grounds his bow as an able
archer, and in that attitude asserts, that he thinks
himself capable of making a proper use of the arms
his father had left him. After this formal declara-
tion, he gives a specimen of his art, and then makes
a kind of an harangue, wherein he assures his majesty,
that he will maintain his family, defend the rights
and privileges of his brothers, and take care, as far
as in him lies, of all their lands and effects, 6cc.
In the more remote parts of Guinea, beyond the
kingdom of Benin, theie is nothing very remarkable
in the funeral solemnities of the negroes, except,
that after the decease of one of their heroes or com-
manders, they hollow a tree, and impale a youth
alive in it in order to be his slave and attendant in
the other world. Such as die at Benin, are always
accompanied by a considerable number of slaves.
As soon as the corpse is laid in the grave, they dance
and sing over it for seven or eight days together^
and sometimes take the body up again, in order to
honour it with a fresh sacrifice of beasts and slaves.
As to their king, when he dies, they dig a grave for
him of an uncommon depth, in the centre of the
court, and there inter him ; and his courtiers are all
ambitious of attending him, but that honour is re-
served only for his peculiar favourites. When they
have selected their compliment, they bury them alive
along with him ; and afterwards a large sepulchral
stone is rolled over the grave. The tirst of these
favourites that die, is always commemorated with
the greatest reverence and respect. To conclude,
the new king orders an elegant entertainment to be
made for the populace upon the monument, which
is the ceremony of his coronation; and is often
attended with the massacre of several of his subjects,
in honour of his accession to the throne.
There never was any one religion whatsoever that
had not .a particular set of mysteries, \rhich none
but a few select devotees could ever attain to. la
order to arrive at that pitch of perfection, there
have always been such extravagant ceremonies to
be observed,) as were sufiicient to surprise, blind,
shock, and even confound tlie inferior class of de-
votees.
Fastings, penances, and a thousand austerities,
have been for the generality the preludes, if we
mav be allowed the expression, to those mystic ce-
remonies, and every person of experience well
knows, that the imagination of a devotee is all on
fire, especially while he is learning v hat he consi-
ders as a sacred mystery. This is evident, from the
accounts we have of the initiation of the ancients,
and we have frequently taken notice of this in our
accounts of the religion of the idolaters in the East-
Indies.
The regeneration of the negroes of Cabo de
Monte, is of the same nature and degree. In order
to have a familiar intercourse with spirits, and be
admitted into their refined society, the candidate must
die and be born again. The mysteries of such as-
semblies are concealed and hid from the eyes of
women and children, nor are any strangers admitted.
If the person thus qualified should indiscreetly re-
veal any of these divine secrets to a friend whom he
loved ever so much, or thought he could confide in,
the spirits, they believe, would resent the discovery,
and would inevitably destroy the one for his indis-
cretion, and the other for his curious and niiperti-
nent inquiry.
The. ceremony of this initiation is solemnized but
once in twenty, or tweuty-tive years, and the negroes
DIFFERENT REEIGIONS IN AFRICA.
4.57
m tlieir common discourse about it, tulk, for tlie
generality, in the lar^giiage ol" enthusiasts. All we
can make of this ceremony of their dying, is, that
it must C'jnsist in some abomin.Tbie rites that they
arc ashamed of, otherwise, uhy should they keep it
so concealed r Perhaps it is similar to some of tliose
abi)miuations, so frequently mentioned in the Old
Testament; nay, that it is so, there is strong rea-
sons to believe, because their idols Iuito similar
names to those of the Canaanites. Thus they call
their regeneration, or that of dying and being born
aiiain to a new state of existence, by the name of
Jh'//i-Pdnro, wliich undoubtedly is the ll/i'i/ Peor
of the heathens. Now it is well known that there
wei^ many hurrid abominations committed in the
temple of Baa/ Peor, for it was from him that the
Greeks, and at'ter them the Romans borrowed their
shameful god Priapus, which leads us to consider
these African mysteries as truly abominable, and not
fit to be mentioned.
'l"he marks, or signatuKes of this regeneration, or
Belli-Paaro, are several long slashes down the neck
and shoulders, and such as are favoured with these
barbarous marks pretend to much mf)re knowledge
than their neighbours. They sit as judges both in
civil and in criminal causes, and as for those who are
not yet in the state of regeneration, they are rec-
koned among the number of the profane, impure,
and illiterate, incapable of giving a just judgment in
any thing of importance, and unworthy of being
•admitted into any public assemblies, civil or eccle-
siastical. l>iit secret as they keep tiiis mystery, yet
something relating to it has transpired which we
shall here lay belore the reader.
By the king's special command, they make choice
of some private commodious place in the woods,
that abounds with olives and other fruits, and in
sliort is stored with all sorts of herbs in such |)lenty,
as are fit for the subsistence of the human species.
'i'o this sacred solitude their youth are conducted
but with reluctance : for they think it a melancholy
circumstance to encounter with-death. Before they
set out, they give away all their eiTects to their
friends and relations, intiniating thereby, that they
renounce all the vanities and pleasures of this life.
They are accompanied by several old devotees, who
have been many years initiated, and these reside
among them m the grove as their superintcndants
and instructors. They inform them of all the cus-
toms and ceremonies which must be religiously ob-
.served ; they inure them by frequent exercise to a
particular violent dance, that shakes them prodigi-
ously, and they teach them some pieces of poetry,
abounding with encomiu-ns on their Belli-Paaro.—
All these candidates or probationers receive a new
name. at tlieir regeneration, and the ceremony or
initiation lasts at least five years, so that it may be
considered as a course of liberal education. The
king himself honours them with hi.s presence several
different times, and then it is that they are publicly
examined.
As for the young ones, they are not permitted to
stir out nor appear among the profane; for such
are in their opinion, all those who have not been
regenerated. The parts adjacent to this grove for
three or four miles round, are looked upon as sacred,
and no profane [>erson nmst presume to ent.T there-
in. The women are all excluded, and if by any
accident they should happen to enter within these
bounds, they must sing as loud as they arc able
to raise their throats ; were they to neglect this, they
believe that tlie evil spirits would run awa.y with
them.
After the candidates have been fully instructed iu
this mystery of regeneration, their tutors conduct
tiieni to some private places, where women are per-
mitted to attend them ; and this is the tirst time they
have an opportunity of speaking with those of that
sex. It is here likewise that they are instructed iu
all things relating to morals and politics, for which
reason these groves may be called the academies or
colleges of the negroes. At their dismission, they
aftect to appear as persons just come into the world
and in some sense it may be said so, for they know
neither father nor mother, nor any friends nor rela-
tions ; for to forget all things past, is the first con-
sequence of this new life. They pretend to re-
member nothing of their past life, and they are all
dressed in feathers, with a cap made of the bark of
a tree, which' hangs over part of their faces, with
small jingling bells at their feet, and a set of leo-
pard's teeth hung nmnd their neck for a collar.
Thus equipped, they resort to public assemblies,
to practise their solemn dances, and perform before
a multitude of people, that which in a more parti-
cular manner is devoted to the service of their Belli,
and was taught them l)y their tutors in the groves,
during the tune of the regeneration. This is so es-
sential an accomplishment, that such as are so un-
happy as to be incapable of performing it rightly in
public, are treated with all the marks of ignominy
and contempt. At the conclusion of the dance, the
tutors call the pupils by new names, and then intro-
duce them to their relations.
The power and authority which is granted to such
persons as are thus initiated, is the result of policy
and superstition blended together, which have at all
times been made use of to keep the people in awe.
When they are inclined to make a public prohibi-
tion of any thing, they practise a kind of magical
operation by virtue of a stitk drove fast into tlie
ground, at the top \<Hiereof hangs a bundle of reeds.
IJut what makes them the most formidable to the
people is, their delivering over such as transgress
43S
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
their orders to the power of the evil spirits; avid this
anitice consists in hurrying the delinquents away
With much bustle and noise, by some ot their atten-
dants and creatures, whom they have at their back.
They bear such an absolute sway over them, and
keep them in such profound ignorance, that no per-
son dares presume so much as to look, or make
any enquiries, when these imaginary spirits seize
sucii as are found guilty, lest they should fall into
their hands themselves, and be in the same manner
hurried away into the groves, and there be left to
perish. Such are some of their mysteries, and here
by tiie way v\e may observe, that in all false reli-
giotis, the priests endeavour to keep the people in
ignorance ; and what is still moie remarkable, that
even these poor negroes who go almost naked, have
the art to study priestcraft, and impose upon their
fellow-subjects.
When they would make a discovery who has
committed a murder, they pour a particular liquid
upon the arm or thigh of the pcr:^on suspected, bui
before the liquor can be used, it ii.ust be boiled,
and the supposed criminal's name is meuuontd as
soon as it begins to rise. The moment in winch the
liquid begins to boil, they address their imaginary
spirits in the following w ords, " Is tlie parly on
whom I pour this water guilty or not? If he is,
niay it scald iiim and siirivel up his skin." If it has
^not that effect, the party suspected is absolutely dis-
charged, and accounted innocent.
The negro women have also their particular mys-
teries, which bear some analogy to those we have
already mentioned.
The mothers take their daughters into consecrated
groves, and commit them to the care of a sort of
priestesses, who at tirst treat them with a dish of
chickens, and this is considered as a kind of treaty ;
for they are called, " The chickens of alliance." —
After this the young virgins have their heads shaved
and are instructed to sing and dance. When the
■time of their education is expired, they are all
dressed in the bark of a particular tree, and their re-
lations carry them abundance of trinkets, that they
may appear as fine as possible when they make their
public entry into the town where they reside, at
which time there is an elegant entertainment pro-
vided for them, accompanied with music and danc-
ing, and many other sorts of diversions peculiar to
the country.
The initiations here described, are universally
practised by all tlicy natives ot Guinea; and therein
the footstef t of the mysteries of the ancients may
be e;isily disci'med. There is a great conformhy
also between them anfl the initiation of the new
world, for it^is well known, that the ancients look-
ed on theirs, us the entrance into a new life ; which
is the very same idea as that of the Americans and
negroes. It is likewise well known, that the an-
cients thought the spirit and essence of religion
were included therein, and that such as were unre-
generated, saw nothing but the shell, as it were,
or external part of it. In them were comprised the
true interpretation of the grounds and principles of
their religion, and the maxims of their morality. —
Every body knows, in shoit, that such as were ini-
tiated, entered upon their regeneration w ith retiring
from the world, and w iih divers austerities, fastiugs,,
and penances ; all which were requiitd t;j be religi-
ously observed by the probationer or novice. These
several trials were also to be accompanied with an
absolute freedom and disengagen'.ent iVoui all sen-
sual objects ; and when the soul was in that happy
state of indifference, that nothing terrestrial could
influence or affect it, they thouglit it qualified for
the participation of the most sublime niysteiies of
religion.
As soon as the young virgins of Brazil arrive at
the age of maturity, they are mortified to that de-
gree, that we may term their unhappy situation,
with propriety enough, a stale of martyrdom. In.
the first pluce ihey either burn or cut their hair off
their heads as close as they possibly can. After
tl'!!', they oblige them to stand upright on a flat
stone, w I. list their flesh is slaslied and mangled with
a sharp ivory tooth, from their shoulders to their
waist, cross-ways, in such a violent manner, that
the blood trickles down from every part. The
agonies which these poor girls are in, are visible
enough, by their various contorsions and grimaces ;
but their modesty obliges them to conceal their tor-
ture as much as possible, and not one of them dares
to vent a sigh, or shed a tear. After this they daub
the wounds with the dust and ashes of a wild gourd,
which is as strong a corrosive as gun powder; inso-
much, that the marks can never be erased. After
this, they bind their arms ; and in short, their whole
bodies, with a cotton fillet; hang the teeth of a
particular beast round their necks, and lay them so
low in their hammocks, that nobody can see them.
They are there confined for three days together at
least, without being able to stir, and are not allowed
to speak, eat, nor drink, during all that time. At
the expiration thereof, they are taken down, in or-
der to have their baudnges taken off, and then they
are obliged to stand again on the flat stone before
mentioned, on vvhich they underwent their first se-
vere mortificatioiis, that their feet may not touch
the gKiUiid. Alter that, tlity are to be put to bed
again, vvliere th«ir whole diet consists in a few
boiled roots, a little meal and water, and no other
refrt'shi.ierits whatsoever. In this low condition
are they kept till their second porgation : at which
they are slashed and mangled again from head to
foot, in a more barbarous and inhuman manner than
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
439
before ; (hen they are carried to their hammocks
once more, but not so closely coiilincd tor the se-
cond nioiilh, nor obliged to undergo sui'li severe
abstinence as before ; but, how ever, tlic v iire not
suffered to appear abroad, to converse v. uli any of
the family, or do any manner of business, but card
or spin cotton. Tiie third month they besmear
them all over witha black ointment, made up with
a particular oil; and after this they, begin U) go
abroad and appear in the fields.
Every town lias a kind of a pest-Rouse, situate at
about an hundred ynnls distance from the lest, called
Bournamoii, into which ail the uomen in genend,
maids as well :fs wives, are obliged to withdraw,
and exclude the:nselves from ;di manner of society
till their purgations are perfectly ceased ; after
Mhicii, they are at liberty to return to their families
jigain, as soon as they think convenient. Their
daily provisions during those times are biou^ht to
theui, with as much care and precaution as if they
•were infected with the most malignant di.stcmper.
They durst not, notwithstanding, conceal their na-
tural intirmity by any nnnner of means, when it
comes upon them ; for it would be ineviial)le death,
should they be discovered to dress any victuals for
their husbands at such a conjuncture. Accordingly,
they are obliged to eat of the Fetiche, and take a
solemn oath, tliat they will declare their infirmities
to their husbands, and voluntarily withdraw to their
Bournamon, as soon as ever they are couscious of
the least pollution.
Beligion of Congo, .Angola, and of the Joges,
or Gauls.
The king of Loango, a particular province of
Congo, is in some measure the object of his sub-
jects divine adoration, who honour him with the at-
tributes or titles of Samber and Pongo, that is to
say, the Deity, and for that reason they look upon
him as an omnipotent being. The populace, nay,
the grandees of his kingdom, being fidly persuaded
that he can bless them with rain at his pleasure,
make their public addresses to him once a year, with
abundance of solemnity and with presents in their
hands, for that intent. A day is- by him appointed
for the celebration of this ceremony ; at w hich time
they pay him the most solemn homage, and enter-
tain his majesty with a trial of their skill in archery,
and with a Moorish, or rather Ethiopian concert of
music. After their adorations are paid, the king
lets fly lin arrow into the air; and the day is spent
in all the demonstrations of public joy imaginable,
especially if the rain happens but to descend ever so
little upon them ; and we may reasonably suppose,
that these people, as well as other nations, make
choice of such times as are likely to be most favour-
able, and five a sanction to the miracle they petition
for.
His majesty, moreover, is, as we arc informed, a
profound magician ; he orders and requires the dj-
vine worship of two idols, one called Mokisso, the
other Checocke. The former, to whom they give
the additional title of Gombery, is served and atten-
ded by an old sorceress, whose appellation is Gauga
Gombery. She is the Pythian priestess of Loango,
but like Triphonius of old, she delivers her oracles
in subterraneous caverns. There is a chapel erected
, in the high road, which is consecrated and set apart
for the service of Checocke, whereiH stands u little-
l)laLk image, or representation of him, in which he
."iimetimes condescends to communicate himself at
ni;dnight to his favourite devotees. Such nocturnal
honours are attended with raptures, and enthusiastic
agitations for some hours. Every sentence that
such persons utter under their inspirations, is looked
upon as an oracle, and the solemn declaration of
the divine will and pleasure of the Checocke. All
artificers, fishermen, and magicians, look on this
idol as the peculiar object of their divine adoration ;
and one branch of their worship consists in clapping
their hands.
Besides these two idols, they people of Loango
have several household, as well as rural gods, whom
they worship and adore under divers extravagant
figures ; and each idol has his peculiar district and
employment. Such as preside over the fruits, the
corn, and other products of the earth, are nothing
more than scare-crows^ or bug bears, composed of
bones, feathers, horns, hoofs, and skins of beasts,.
&,c. Notw ithstanding all these ridiculous instances
of idolatiy, they acknowledge a Supreme Being,
whom however, they neither concern themselves
about, nor any ways regard ; which neglect proceeds
either from their profound ignorance, or a notioa*
which many others entertain as well as they, viz.
that God governs the world-by his deputies, or vice-*
gerents, to whom alone, by consequence, mortals
ought to make their immediate addresses, as it is
customary for us to make our apjdications to some
favourite minister of state, for such favours as we
are ambitious of obtaining from the prince upon the
throne.
The formal manner in which the king of Loango
generally drinks a glass of liquor, may be reckoned
with propriety enough, amongst the number of
their religious customs. The ofiiccr, who attends
him on that occasion, has a little bell in his hund,
which he tinkles on the delivery of the cup, and
turns his head another way ; and at the same time,
all such other persons as are present, prostrate
themselves before him, aud hide their faces, till the-
440
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
ceremony is over ; for it is no less than death for
any one to see his majesty drink ; so extravagant
and fantastical is the veneration which this' princely
god exacts from his subjects! Moreover, he eats by
himself in a withdrawing room, set apart for that
particular purpose ; and wlien he rises from table,
he either knocks or rings u little bell, and thenide-
parts \\'ithout any farther-notice or ceremony what-
soever; which superstitious custom is grounded on
an idle notion the negroes entertain, that his ma-
jesty would inevitably die that moment lie was seen
to eat or drink by any of his subjects. Yet vvho '
knows after all, but this custom was first established
with a political view, and that the assassination of
some prince at his table was the original cause of its
institution?
Whenever any of these blacks have white chil-
dren, a circumstance however, which but seldom
happens, this king of Loango orders them to be
brought up, and instructed in the black art, and
the ministry of their idols. These priests have a
peculiar privilege to make whatever they take a
fancy to, their own property; and the veneration
aud respect which the people entertain for them is
so great, that they never thwart or oppose their
inclinations.
There is an idol in the province of Matambo,
called Maramba, whose priests are all sorcerers or
magicians; and this image stands upright, directly
over against the temple dedicated to his peculiar
service, in a basket made in the form of a. bee-hive,
To this deity in particular they apply themselves for
success, when they go out a hunting or fishing ; and
for the relief of all such as are indisposed. It is be-
fore him likewise, that a jierson, who is charged
with the commission of any crime, is obliged to
plead liis cause, and dear his innocence. In the
lirst place, he falls down on his knees before Ali-
ramba, and then, embracing the god with the pro-
fbundest veneration, pronounces these words, " Be-
hold Miramba! Thy servant is come to justify him-
self before thee." In case he is really guilty, and
is impiously peijured, he falls down dead upon the
spot. The devotees preserve with care, and carry
always about them some little images of this Mi-
ramba in small boxes, which may be looked upon,
with propriety enough, as the relic cases of these
negroes; and sometimes they wear a Miramba
about their necks, or on their right arms. Miramba
always marches at tlie head of their armies; and he
is presented with tlie first delicious morsel, and the
first glass of wine, that is served up at the governor
or king of Matambo's table.
The natives of the king- of Bamba worship an
animal with two legs only, a long tail, and a pair of
wings; an animal in short, like a dragon, accord-
ing to the description we have of tliat imaginary
creature; and as it is but seldom to bemiJt with, it
is on that account, in all probability, looked upon
and revered as a Deity. The blacks of the provmce
of Congo, the Bramins and other neighbours of the '
Anzicaius, worship the sun and moon, which they
represent, we are informed, under the figures of a
man and a woman. They have several other little
deities, however, which they likewise worship, but
the sun, and his consort the moon, for that is tiic
notion they entertain of these glorious luminaries,
are always their, principal deities.
In the island of Quantalla there is an idol made
of their current coin, to v\hich the natives make vo-
luntary oblations of their most valuable effects ;
which all persons are strictly enjoined not to touch
on any account whatever. They let them lie till
they decay through time and putrefaction, in an
enclosure, fenced with ivory palisadoes, and one
priest alone receives the free-will-ofterings of the
devotees, arid presents their homage to the idol.—
This vice-gerent of his, industriously conceals from
every body tiie secret avenues which lead to the
deity; for he never goes twice the same way. This
wonderous precaution of his, in all probability, is
no more than a \Mcce of priestcraft to animate the
zeal of the people, whom he thus keeps ignorant of
the god whom they adore.
In short, the peo])le of Congo pay divine adora-
tion to dragons, serpents, goats, and tygers, as also
to a vast variety of birds and plants ; being in all
appearance like the ancient Egyptians, whose reli-
gion principally consisted in symbols, or hierogly-
phics. The people of Congo have likewise several
images and Siguies, made both in stone aud wood,
which seem to bear a very near affinity to the Feti-
ches and Talismans before-mentioned; but as they
acknowledge a Supreme Being, it must be supposed,
that they look upon these idols as inferior deities,
though worthy of the esteem and veneration of man-
kind, on account of their relative power, and their
easy access to that Supreme Being. But be that as
it will, the images of these idols are certainly ho-
noured with the respective names of the divinities
they represent, and receive the vows of their res-
pective votaries, as their deputies or vicegerents. —
The Gangas, or priests, when they visit their sick,
present them with these images, which they set be-
fore their eyes, in order to restore their health, and
excite their fervour and devotion. There are sonie
of these negroes, however, who are so rational in
their conduct as to abstain, with the utmost pre-
caution, from the worship of a plurality of gods,
and invoke only the Supreme Being, whom
they distinguish by different appellations, that is
Ueuscata, the only God, aud X)esu, the God of
heaven.
I'heir religious testimonies of duty and respect
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
441
consist principally in their genuflexion?, prostration!i,
and as we have before observed, applauses, or clap-
ping of hands. To these, however, we must add
their prayers, vows, and sacrifices ; as also some
parti(nihir gesticulations, wiiicli are the peculiar sig-
natures or characteristics of liuniilily and ilevotion,
and their priests are all sorcerers and niatiicians.
The art of divination, or prediction by birds, is par-
ticularly studied and practised by the natives of the
kiiigdoiii of Angola. Their flight and various cries
are presages, as they were amongst the heathens of
antiquity, of future good or bad fortune.
The Mokissos, or Fetiches of Angola, are' com-
posed either of wood, or stone ; some few whereof
are erected iu temples or chapels, but the much
greater part of them in the public streets, or high-
ways. They have various denominations, accord-
ing to their respective employments. To them
they make their vows, and to them they offier up
their sacrifices, either to appease their anger, or
obtain their benediction. Some of these Mokissos
are made iu the form of four-footed beasts; and
others like birds. They, in short, are their ora-
cles ; but not the only ones these idolators of An-
gola consult: They have a religious dance which
fully answers that purpose; though, in ail probabi-
lity, it consists in nothing more than the art of
throwing themselves into «nthusiastic raptures,
through the violence of their agitations. It is in
this situation that the first inspired dancer talks in a
sublime and spiritual language to his audience, and
is listened to with as much attention as an oracle.
We shall have occasion elsewhere to return to the
religious dances of these barbarians. The Mokis-
sos, of whom we have been speaking, are subordi-
nate beings, who is called by the natives of Angola,
Zamban-Pougo, and acknowledged to be the god of
heaven.
In the province of Miambo, those who solemnly
devote themselves to the service of Maramba are
shut up by the Gangas, in a close dark apartment,
and there obliged to spend considerable time in the
strictest abstinence. After this retirement, they are
likewise directed to observe a profound silence for
several days together, and not to violate this injunc-
tion on any occasion whatsoever, not even the hard-
est treatment possible, which they generally meet
with, in onler to try their patience. When the
term of tliis penance is expired, they are introduced
into the presence of their idol, and there undergo
the painful operation of two incisions, which are
made on their shoulders in the form of a crescent.
After this, they aie sprinkled with the blood that
trickles down from their wounds, which completes
the ceremony of their consecration to Miramba, to
whom they are solemnly engaged to be ever true and
faithful, and always carrj? about them one of his
'29 5
images. After this solemn dedication, they must
not presume to taste some particular provisions;
which are not however, prohibited alike to all; some
being forbidden to eat one thing, and others another.
This is the ceremony of the the initiation of their
youth of both sexes, as soon as they are twelve
years of age.
The idolators of Congo describe their gods as
subject to various passions, who, if we may credit
their account of tliem, look down with a jealous
eye on the partial adorations of their votaries. —
When a negro imagines that he lies under some
more than ordinary obligations to one particular
idol, he worships it with an uncommon zeal and
veneration; erects statues, and consecrates images
to that favourite deity; which partial respect of hi*
is not only resented, but severely punished by some
other god that tliiiiks himself neglected : The de-
votee is sure to fi el at the long run, the dire effects
of his indignation, which obliges him to consecrate-
some image iu honour of him in order to appease
his resentment: But this is not all; for if any other
god interposes, and demands a share of his respect,
he is by no means to be slighted; so that the de-
votee is fre(juenlly compelleil to consecrate a far
greater number of images than ever he intended.
Such are the ideas which the negroes of Congo
entertain of their religious duties, for we may credit
such authors as have given us a description of those
countries.
It is the peculiar province of one of their Gangas
to consecrate these images in the piesence of the
whole family, friends, and neighbours of the de-
votee ; the ceremony whereof is somewhat myste-
rious ; for the votary is obliged to be duly prepared
for it, by retirement for about a fortnight into a
little palm-tree hut, and by a profound silence for
nine days. After this preparation, the Ganga, the
devotee, and a numerous train of his neighbours
and relations, repair to a spacious plain, where, l>e-
ing all ranged round a drum, the Ganga sounds
forth the praises of the Mokisso, and the whole as-
sembly dance to the martial beating of a drum, in
honour of the new idol. At the close of the se-
cond or third day, the devil begins visibly to actuate
and possess the devotee. y\fier that the Ganga
mutters some particular mystic terms, and stains
his own temples, the corners of. his eyes, and his
breast, with red and white spots. In the same ce-
remonious manner, he paints the devotee, whose
possession is now conspicuous, by the various con-
tortions of his body, the rolling of his eyes, his
wild grimaces, and convulsive agitations. W c are
fully assured, that in these enthusiastic transports,
he handles and eats fire, without the least damage
or inconvenience ; but the most surprising circum-
stance of all this is, that the devU oftcutimes traus-
^m
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
ports the person thus possessed, to some solitary de-
sert, where he is detained tor three hours together,
without any one knowing what is become of liim.
The magician and his relations, therefore, search
diligently all over the country in hopes to find bim,
they conduct him home with abundance of forma-
lity; but find him so prodigiously fatigued with his
possession, that he is scarce able to stir a limb.
It is reasonable to suppose, that by long retire-
ment, and some particular potious which the devo-
tee is obliged to take, his imagmation is artfully
wrought up to such enihusiastic raptures, and vio-
lent emotions, as induce the whole assembly to ima-
gine^ that the devil actuates and hiforms him : The
quack sophistry of the magician, the solemn beat of
the drum, and the excessive movements of the dance,
finally complete the disorder of his distempered
brain. And if it is true, that the consecration of
those images is, for the generality, the result of a
solemn vow, made in sickness, adversity, or old age,
what can possibly contribute more to a perfect pos-
session, and to make a finished madman of the poor
visionary ? But what shall we say with respect to the
lire which the person so possessed eats without any
' manner of inconvenience ? The answer is very ob-
vious, that it is all artifice and legerdemain ; but so
well couche<l, as easily to impose upon the igno-
rant, unthinking negroes, in the Siime manner as
our ancestors were formerly deluded by their ordeal
trials.
During the time that the devil actually possesses
the negro, he is asked to wliat soitnni (>biigutions
he means to tie him, which, when he has publicly
declared, a ring or bracelet is immediately put upon
the negro's arm, and as often as he takes an oath,
or makes any positive aflirmation, his veracity must
not be called in question, provided he swears by his
bracelet.
The obligations, or religious duties of the ne-
groes are innumerable. There is not one amongst
ihem all that doe^ not solemnly engage to abstain
from some particular sorts of fruits, herbs, plants,
&,c. They lay themselves likewise under voluntary
restrictions, both public ami private, with respect
to their wearing apparel: As for instance, the men
are obliged to wear the skin of some particular
beasts round their waists, which must hang down
so low as to cover one half their thighs ; and al-
ways to wear a cap, or something of the like nature
upon their heads ; or at Ica'it a head-band round
their temples. On the other hand, the women go
with their heads and hair always uncovered. The
following custom is still more singular and re-
markable: If any one sits upon a bed-side, in which
tliere are two persons of different sexes, though
legally married, he becomes polluted ; and the mas-
ter of the house must e-xhort such delinquent in a
friendly and charitable manner, to go directly and.
purify himself. His clothes are accordingly laid
before the tire, and the party who ofliciates as puri-
ficator, pursues the ceremony by hooking his little
finger with t'.iat of the left hand of the party pol-
luted: Thus united, both lift up their hands ab'^ve
their heads, and turn themselves rouud. After this,
the puriticator takes two iui|;lements made of iron,
which he ch'.shes one against the otiier three or four
times successively, aLid then blows in the palm of
his own hand, as well as tiiat of the person whoiu
he purities. Dijriug th.ese formal grimaces, and
gesticulations, he mutters a doi;en mystic words,
which completes the purification. A person who
has any illegitimate issue is obliged to abstain from
the breath of a buffalo, or wild ox ; but is ac-
quitted from that penance, and acquires a just title
to his children, by being duly married. All these
religious rites and jCeremouies aie confirmed and
estaljlished, by an habitual dread of being severely
punished by their Mokissos, who seldom or never
fails to chastise such as neglect the observance of
them.
Singing and dancing are two fundamental branches
of the religious worship of the negroes; for it is at
the celebration of those solenniities, the spirit actu-
ates and possesses their Guiigas, and for the most
part, those wlio dance with tliem. It would be te-
dious, if not impertinent, to describe all their follies
and grimaces, which in many respects very nearly
resemble the ecstasies and transports of the ancient
soothsayers.
The sovereign pontiff, or supreme head of tlie-
hierarchy of Congo, is called Chitombe. lie is re-
verenced after a very singular manner, and is looked
upon as a deity, or at least as a being somewhat
more thati m»irtal. He is presented with the first
fruits of all the products of the earth, and there are
solemn supplications made to him for his spiritual
benediction on their harvest; and accordingly he al-.
wp.ys blesses the seed and ground, before they pre- ,
sunie to sow it. If he does not perform this cere- .
mony himself, he does it at least by delegation of
his vicars or assistants. This Chitombe also keeps
up a sacred fire, at which some considerable quan-
tity of brands are kindled, and afterwards distri-
buted amongst the sovises or governors of the pro-
vinces, who receive them with all the testimonies
of the most profound veneration and respect, and
are incapable of exercising their public authority
till they are possessed of them. The people are so
far prejudiced in favour of this their Chitombe, or
sovereign pontiff, and pay him such awful homage,
that they will not acknowledge or obey their sovises
unless they wait on his holiness for his heavenly be-
nediction, and pay their obedience to this visible
god, before they enter lipon their respective posts.
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
411
This submission of their sovises is as humble as
can be imagined.
They attend the levy of their Chitombe, nnd there
prostrate themselves before him ; and the people
who accompany tliem, ;>i-<)sirate themselves also at
at the same time, iinploring his holiness to rective
tlieir s;oveniors uikIcv his patronage iiiid prolcction.
After this, tlie poiitirt' sprinkles water and dust upon
these Sovises, and exteudiiv^ them on their backs,
walk over them backwards and forwards several
times, treadiuij upnu their l)reasts, and making them
aweur in tiiai bumble posUire, that they will uK\avs
remain dependant on and be iii, licitly subsirvient
to his r)rders and decisions. If tlie Chitombe in the
celebration of this ceremony should boast of his
walkiuij upon the Aspic, or treading the Basilisk
under bis loot, one sliould almost be teni()led to be-
lieve that he ha<l copied this hanojity and imperious
ceremony from the life of one of our p<)]>es. Tliere
are some, however, who in all prol)abilitv will (pies-
tii)u the v( rarity of the missionary who has published
this description, and the retlection which he imme-
diately subjoins, gives good grounds for such sus-
picion. It nmst be allowed, to speak of him in the
most favourable manner, that he was not conscious
of the consequences that niiglTt be drawn from a
reflection so fonijn to the purpose.
But to proceed with our narrative. Should the
Chitombe prove guilty of the most flagrant crime
ima^inabh^, no person whatever has any powi r to
judge or correct him. It would he to no purpose
there to appeal to a future comicil. When iiis duty
rei|inr(;s him to visit his diocese, there nn;st be a
general preparation, by strict abstinence from ail un-
lawful pleasures, to receive him. Such as an- married,
MMist even refrain from the conversation of their
wives, whilst he is taking a review of his Hock, and
contribute by their exemplary temperance and chas-
tity, towards the preservation of the spiritual pastor.
Moreover, the negroes are of ojjinion, that should
liieir pontiti" die a natural death, it would prove of
fatal consequence to the whole race of mankind :
for which reason, when they think him past all hojies
of recovery, his successor is empowered to strans;le
him, or dispatch him in such detent manner as he
thinks (uost proper.
Their Negombo, though less reverenced and re-
spected than their (^hitotnbe, is, riotwitlistauding,
extremely valued, and at the same time looked upon
as both u priest and a prophet, lie not only pro-
fesses to foretel future events, but ascribes to himself
ail innate virtue or power of healing all manner of
diseases. He is always sufKeiently provided with a
vast variety of medicines, the virtues whereof are so
deeply imi)ressed on the minds of llie negroes, that
the miscarriage of the magician, or his prescriptions,
is always imputed to the patient. We ^need not,
however, travel so far as Congo, to meet with in-
stances of prejudice, and prepossession equally ex-
travagant.
The priest, who assumes the title of Negosci,
must always have eleven wives, each of Mhoin is
honoured with the denomination of some particular
Mokisso. 'i'hey burn straw in tlie presence of these
idols, and t!:eir worshippers take peculiar care to
hang their heads over the smoke ; because it is a
received opinion amongst them, that the more they
suffer themselves to lie blacked and besmeared
therewith, the more they ingratiate themselves inter
the favour ami affections of the idols. Such as me-
ditate revenge on their enemies, make their applica-
tions to the Negosci, who cuts off .some locks of
their hair, and after he has bundled them up toge-
ther, throws them into the hre. Hie magician in
the mean while pronounces some formal imjireca-
tious against the enemy particularly mentioned, and
against his whole family. The Nepiudi styles him-
self the master of the elements, and pretends to
overrule and tontronl the thunder, lightning, storms,
and tempests. In order to render his power con-
spicuous, he erects large heqps of earth contiguous
to his habitatinn, and after he has tiuished the iisutil
sacrifices and magical operations, a little animal, say
they, creeps out at the foot of one of lliem, which
raises itself by slow degrees, and at last takes its
flight towards the heavens. Then thick clouds dark-
en the skies, and thunder, lightning, and rain, imme-
diately ensue.
There is a sect of negroes at Congo, who cele-
brate tlK'ir mysteries in particular dark and retired
places, and arc called by father Cavazzi the Nequiti.
Every person that is inclined to become a member
of this society, is obliged to walk to and fro so of-
ten on a rope, that at last he falls down by virtue of
an enchantment, or rather the artifire of some mem-
ber or in short, through the giddiness of his own-
head. But be that as it will, as soon as he has
fallen down, he enters into an ecstatic fit, and is
cariied into their public assembly ; when he comes
to hiuiself they oblige him to swear, that he will
never abandon or forsake their fraternity. Such as
violate this engagement, are sacrificed to their titu-
lary gods.
The priest, or Ganga, who is likewise styled iNIu-
tiiiu, and assumes the title of Kiug of the waters,
makes the negroes believe, that he extracts from
thence infallible remedies, and antidotes against the
most malignant distempers. He causes all such as
are afflicted with any maladies, to assemble them-
selves together on the banks of a river, into w hicli
he throws' an empty pitcher, muttering at the same
time, a .number of mystic words. The next mo-
ment he draw s it out full of water, wherein the pre-
tended remedies, which he distributes amongst the .
444
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
spectators then present, are all included. But to
■what purpose should we expatiate any further on the
magical operations of these negro priests, since the
account we have already given, will furnish the rea-
der with an adequate idea of their power, which, in
reality consists in nothing else but the tricks and
artifices of emperics and impostors.
The province of Sondi has a Chitombe peculiar
to itself, and he resides on the summit of a moun-
tain. He wears his hair very long, embellished
■wilii divers trinkets, which are the objects of these
negroes veneratioi^. They pay liim snch a profound
respect, that lliey never presume to speak to him
without prostrating themselves before him witli iheir
faces to the ground. It is accounted an act of tlie
highest presumption to look this venerable pontiff m
the face, unless by a peculiar condescension he gives
them that freedom. \\ hen he appears in public,
every one bows down before him with devotion, and
when he goes abroad, a wooden idol is carried be-
fore him on a kind of litter.
The Gangas have their respective ppsts or offices
assigned them ; and Amobondu is the guardian of
their corn, through the aid and assistance of a Mo-
kisso, or Feticiie made of clay, and feathers, which
lie buries in the middle of such fields as are un(ier
his protection. Amoloco restores such to their
former state of health, who had lost it by virtue of
any magical incantations; for it is a received opinion
amongst the natives of Congo, that no person is
either sick or dies, but by virSue of some magic
charms, or fascinations. We shall in the sequel of
tliis dissertation, treat more amply of the fatal con-
sequences that attend this notion ; for Molongo fore-
tels their good or ill success in all distempers. Ne-
coni and Nezali have the influence or power of
healing the sick, Ncgodi cures the deaf, Nesambi
cleanses the lepers, Embungulu charms the slaves,
and makes them attend him by blowing a whistle ;
and lastly, the Ganga-Metambola, if v\e may depend
on the veracity of Cavazzi, raises the dead by his
magical incantations. The idolatois of Angola pay
an equal regard and veneration to their Gangas ; for
the) imagine that their life, health, fortune, and the
preservation of all their effects, are dependent on
them ; and ihey have an order of magicians, called
Chibados, who always dress themselves in woman's
app.trel.
In our dissertations on the religious customs of
Guinea, we gave a description of tlieir trial or ex-
periment ef the Quoni, and that which is generally
made use of at Congo by the Imbondo, or Boiide, is
of the same kind. T.'ie prisoner is obliged to drink
a stated quar.tity of the juice of tliis root; and if he
be able to make water freely after he has taken the
draught, he is cleared and declared to be innocent ;
but if he has the stranguary, and falls down after it.
it is looked upon as an incontestible evidence that he
is guilty, and as such, he is instantly condemned to
die, without the least hopes of pardon or reprieve.
This public experiment is made before the king, or
the Moni-Boma, who acts as judge in these crimi-
nal causes. There is a fee or duty to be first paid
to his majesty ; after which the judges, the prose-
cutors, and their relations meet togetiier in some
large square, or public high-road, where the pri-
soner, with all his friends ana relations also attend.
The latter are all seated by one another; for if the
party charged ^'id suspected, undergoes the experi-
ment with success, his relations, friends, and ac-
quaintance, must submit to it in their turns, till tiie
Inibondo has made a discovery of the prented male-
factor.
Another author adds, tliat as soon as the prisoner
has drank this Imbondo, the judge rises and throws
a small rod or wand at his head ; at ihe same time
makii.g use of the following form of words, which
doubtless amount to an imprecation: "if thou art
guilty lall down; if innocent, stand up, and make
water " After this, he cuts the linbundo, into se-
veral small pieces, and throws them on the ground.
All such as are suspected, are obliged to walk on
these bits of the Imbondo, and such as have the
misfortune to fall in the experiment, are looked up-
on as absolutely convicted. Notwithstanding the
many frauds and abuses that are committed on these
occasions, the negroes lay a prodigious stress on the
practice and observance of these experiments. Nay,
though they have been sniiiciently convinced of the
deceit and folly of these trials, it is with them, as
with many others, the imposture, even after it is
detected, is still carried on with success.
A king of Macoco, being very desirous to disco-
ver whether such experiments were really effectual,
and might be depended on or not, pretended one day
that some rogue' or other had stole from him a con-
siderable quantity of fine shells, which are the cur-
rent money of the country. Two of his domestics
were strongly suspected, and immediately taken into
custody, who underwent with courage and resolu-
tion a very strict examinution. The king, who re-
solved with seemii:g resentment, that he would try to
discover the truih, if possible, ordered that they
should undergo the custoniary trials, and charged
the priest who was to preside over this affair, to use
his utmost endeavours lo do him justice, and find out
the malefactor. The dose was accordingly prepared,
but made so strong, that it had the same effect on
the innocent, as it would have, as they pretend, on
the guilty only. The persons prosecuted, were im-
mediately condemned, and husried away in order to
be puri-htd according to iheir demerits ; but the
king, who was then prestut, starting up, discovered
iiigeniously the btratagem he made use of before the
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
445
v.ltole company, and ordered the' judge to be in-
stantly executed, in the room of his innocent do-
mestics.
The negroes of Congo are very strict in the ob-
eervance of tiieir oaths; but if, however, they sliould
accidtntally at any time break them in the heat of
llieir passion, it is customary for them to make a
kind of confession to one of ihcir Gangas, and ask
his absohilion. If the oath has been thus rashly
violated but once, a single confession is suflicient;
but if the crime lias been aggravated by a frequent
repetition, the delinquent must humble himself seve-
ral ways before lie can procure his full and free re-
mission. Ulie Ganga reduces some particular roots
to powder, which he encloses in a phial, and there-
upon pronounces several imprecations against the
person who is |)erjured. After this, he orders the
penitent to prostrate himself on the ground, and from
the bottom of his heart to renounce and detest his
sins; \\liich done, he raises him up, and presents
him witli a glass of water. This salutary potion
being drank with a coi^trite heart, the sinner returns
home perfectly pardoned and absolved ; having first
made the Ganga some grateful acknowledgement for
his spiritual consolation. Sometimes this Ganga
anoints the tongue of the person perjured w iih the
oil of dates, and accompanies the unction with sun-
dry imprecations.
W e shall close this article with the ceremony
which these people practise before they enter on any
■warlike expedition. Curious, and fond of knowing
the consequences of the approaching engagement,
they put a vessel full of water, and several other in-
gredients, upon the lire, whieli must all be first
consecrated and duly prepared by a Ganga. As
soon as the pot begins to boil, they enter upon their
magical incantations, which, as they imagine, irre-
sistibly attract the titular genius of their enemies,
and oblige him to plunge himself into it. In this
painful situation they conline him for some consider-
able time; but when he has done sufficient penance,
as they ci)ncei\e, and that the torments lie has en-
dured nnist indisputably have humbled liini, usk him
several questions relating to the success of the ensu-
ing war. Whether he gives them any express answer
or not, we are not informed ; they always conjecture,
however, that they shall either conquer or be con-
quered, from the peculiar fermentation of these ma-
gical ingredients, and in all probability the genius
never gives them any other satisfaction or reply. —
Sometimes, also, we are infornjed, they set an empty
pot upon the fire, and when it is red hot, turn the
bottom upwards, and hovering over it, receive the
heat, which, they imagine, inspires them with an in-
vincible courage. A prepossession of this nature
may often, in all probability, meet with the desired
success, and numberless instances of the like nature
SO =
might be produced from the history of all ages ; but
it would be impertinent, and foreign to the purpose,
to quote them in this work.
Notwithstanding the Portuguese have introduced
Christianity amongst the natives of Congo, yet they
have not been able to abolish and extirpate the prac-
tice of polygamy. The negroes, as well Christians
as idolators, have not only several wives that are free-
women, but a number of concubines also, that are
slaves. The former live in a separate apartment
from their husbands, but the principal, or governante,
has the superiiitendance of the whole family, and
is allowed a deputy to aid and assist her.
When one of these wives proves false and incon-
- stant, or is barely suspected, her husband discards
her, without the least disgrace to any party ; nay,
the woman herself quickly finds out another partner
with abundance of ease; and as to their concubines,
who are their slaves, they buy them, for the gene-
rality, when they are very young : Sometimes they
bargain for them whilst the mother is with child,
who, in case she be brought to bed of a boy, is
obliged to procure the purchaser a girl in his stead.
In short, they marry by w'ay of trial, according to
the custom of several people on the coast of
Guinea. This is the piuport of what we judged
most material and worthy gf observance in oin* au-
thor before quoted, but we are farther assured, that
they are so courteous to any friend and acquaintance,
or any stranger, that accidentally pays them a visit,
that one of their wives is always devoted to his ser-
vice.
We shall now proceed to a more particular detail
of their customs : As soon as their daughters attaia
the age of maturity, their heads are shaved all over
except on the foretop, on which is purposely reserved
a little tuft, like a crown. After that, their ad-
mirers begin to view them with transport, and are
very importunate in their addresses to them. If a
young virgin violates her chastity before she is con-
scious of her natural purgations, both she and her
gallant are obliged to undergo a trial, something like
what the French call the Congres, in the presence
of the king and all his court. A wife there is under
an extravagant subjection to her husband, and if
we may rely on the veracity of some authors, those
who have the most liberty in Lovango, or Congo,
are much more passive and subservient than any of
our meanest domestics. Nay, the king's consorts
themselves in this country are perfect slaves, and
obliged, however whimsical "it may appear to work
for their daily subsistence. These wives are locked
up,, and live like nuns, till his majesty is graciously
pleased to make choice of one of lliem to be the
partner of his bed; but notwithstanding this plura-
lity of wives, neither the king nor liis subjects, are
strangci'S to the torments of jealou>y. \V hen the
u
446
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN JVERICA.
latter are apprehensive of their wives inconstancy
and ill conduct, they immediately put thetn away ;
but the't'ornier are more severe in their resentments,
and death is the sure consequence of infidelity. Nay,
they cany their groundless jealousies to such an ex-
travagant pitch, that whenever any ot' their wives
prove with child, they are constantly obliged to drink
of the Inibondo, in order to give a public derion-
stration of their virtue, and unspotted honour. If
they should have the misfortune, as abundance of
innocent persons have, to be deemed guilty by such
trial, there are no hopes of mercy for tliem ; they are
ordered to be burnt, and their imaginary gallants to
be buried ali\e, without reprieve. Such is the cruel
fate of the concubines of these sovereigns ! But the
lady whom they call the macunda, enjoys a special
privilege at Lovango ; for she is one of the most
ancient matrons of his late majesty's seraglio, who
is elected regent of the kingdom, or, more properly
speaking, the si;perintendant of the actions of the
prince upon the throne. This macunda, v\lio is
St) led the mother of tiie king, may have as many
admirers as she pleases, and grant them the last
favours, if she thinks convenient. Moreover, she
sits as president in their councils, is guardian to the
prince, and has an unlimited power and authority
to pardon any malefactor, though he be ever so no-
torious.
The king's own mother, his sisters, and all the
negro ladies of the loyal family, have the same privi-
lege. So far are they from punishing them in cases
of incontinency, and breach of their conjugal en-
gagements, that they severely correct their husbands,
in case they prefer other mistresses : it is no small
misfortune, in short, for a man in that country to be
married to one of the royal family.
The king of Congo's principal consort is styled
^lani-Mondianda J that is, sovereign of the wives,
for whose service there is a public assessment made,
which is very singular and remarkable. On her
M"edding night, every bed ihrougliout the kingdom is
surveyed by proper officers, and rated in proportion
to their respective dimensions. This queen lives in
an apartment of the royal palace, with her maids of
honour, who have free liberty to spend their nights
abroad with his majesty, or such other of the court
as they ihink proper; this indulgence is owing to
the coquetry of their royal mistress, who studies ail
the ways she can to oblige them.
As the profession of Christianity at Congo ap-
pears to be superficial ai.'d insignilicant, we shall pass
it over, and proceed, for the amusement of our read-
ers, in the description of their nuptial solemnities.
It must be acknowledged, indeed, when they enter
into the state of matrimony, they observe the form
prescribed by the Catholic church ; but from what
\\c have already related, and what we have still far-
ther to offer on that topic, it is demonstrable, that
they pay very little, if any, regard to her laws and
institutions. As for instance, in case tliere be three
brothei-s, all of the same family, and one of them
happens to die, the other two divide his concubines
between them, share and share alike. Again, in
case one of those two should depart this life, tlie
survivor claims them all as his right and property.—
And after his decease, the next heir, though it should
be a son, we are informed, comes into the peaceable
possession of the whole stock.
The women of Lovango are as subservient, to
the men as our cattle are to us ; and all of tiiem in
general, hi the month of January, are obliged to
make their personal appearance at the king's palace,
in order to be employed in the sowing and nwnuring
of his lands. The men likewise give their attendance
alonsr with them ; and each of them is provided
w ith proper arms for his service : not with intent,
however, to work themselves, but to chastise such
women as are indolent and remiss in their duty, and
in short, to be their sujieriutendants and directors.
As for the rest, they spend their time in such amuse-
ments as they think most proper. This Lovango is
situate in one of those unhappy climates, where
the men are perfect strangers to that complaisance,
that tenderness and indulgence which we naturally
have for the soft sex. It nnist be acknowledged,
indeed, that the women have sufficient grounds for
complaint, on account of their ungenerous treat-
ment ; and yet, in all probability, they think them-
selves happy, and never murmur or repine at their
abject condition.
Dapper assures us, that when the young maidens
of Congo begin to be tired of that heavy incum-
brance iheir virginity, they \\ithdraw into a parti-
cular solitary place, dressed to the best advantage,
according to the custom of their country ; that is to
say, their skins plentifully anointed with fat, antl
beautifully vardished, a^id their cheeks, and such
other parts as are for the generality exposed to view,
besmeared with red paint. In this gloomy apart-
ment they reside for about three weeks, or a month,
and there is no doubt, though our author is silent,
and leaves us to our own conjectures, they very sel-
dom, if ever, return without finding some good na-
tured person or another, who is ready to take their
burden off their hands. But be that as it w ill, they
there make choice of such young active sparks as en-
deavour most effectually to ingratiate themselves into
their favour by such particular services, and such
soft endearments, as are usual before marriage; and
in this particular the blacks agree with the generality
of mankind.
A wife, after she is brought to bed at Angola, has
no conversation with her husband till tlie infant be-
gins to cut Lis teeth ; and there is another custom
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
447
in. vogue there, which is universal, indeed, throus;li-
out all the b.nbarous nations, and at this day prac-
tised among the Jews, and that is, tlie liusband and
M ife live apart during the periodical lUixions. More-
over, the wile must not presiuDe to touch anyone
thing the husband eats, and nfilher lies in his house,
nor approaclies his bed; not to mention the marks
and signatures 'hereby she is obliged to distiu'Tuisli
herself from those that are in a perfect state of health
and free from priUutiou. Amongst other character-
istics, or tokens, .she wears a string about her head
during the whole time of her purgations.
("ircunicision is universally practised, wliere the
Christian religion has not prevailed; and at Angola,
as soon as ever they discern that the infant has cut
his first tooth, they dress it up as gaily as possibly
they can. Its friends and relations dandle it about
from house to house, to collect all the presents they
can possibly procure for it. In those cmmtries
%vhich art^ slill idolatrous, as soon as an infant is
brought into the world, a priest is histantiy sent for,
\vho lays it under some particular solenni obligations;
^vlucll, in all probability, ought to be looked upon
as preservatives against the numberless casualties to
•which the life of man is daily exposed ; or some
religious vows and duties, by the observance where-
of, the people imagine they ingratiate themselves
into the favour and affection of their deities. The
priest takes particular care to confirm and establish
this notion, which is so naturally imbibed by the
generality of mankind, and so beneficial and advan-
tageous to all the sacerdotal profession in general.
He mutters accordingly some certain mystic terms,
as prescribed in their rubric, and afterwards imposes
such obligations ui)on the child as he thinks most
convenient; aixl wliat he determines is listened to,
and regarded as the voice of an oracle.
We shall now proceed to their funeral solemni-
ties; for all the preindices and prepossessions es-
poused by these people, there are none of more fa-
tal consequeiuc, than the notion so generally re-
ceived, that there is no such thing as a natural
death, and that the decease of all persons whomso-
ever, is the pure result of the charms and fascinations
of their enemies. The magicians, in their opinion,
raise the deceased, transport liim to some solitary
desert, and there make him work like a slave. —
They take peculiar care to fepd them with fresh
meat only; for should the dead man taste the least
grain of salt, he would grow outrageous, and pur-
sue the murderer with the utmost rigour; and by
virtue only oi" this groundless and foolish persuasion,
the death of one man is generally accompanied
with the untimely fall of many that are innocent.
The natives of Lovango begin their inquiries relat-
ing to their dead, with spells and incantations, which
consist principally in leaning hard upon a knife, in
the presence of one of their Gangas, and in rubbing
their hands together with all their might; and dur-
ing these operations they enter upon their interroga-
tories. Such a ))erson, say they, is dead and burird ;
was hebewitcheil r or diil his iSlokisso take away his
life? If ujion this query, the person that makes the
experiment has not power to command his hands, it
is accounted an incontcstible proof that his friend's
death was the result of some malicious enchantment ;
and from this interrogatory they run on to another,
and the enquiry always concludes with the trial by
the Imbondo.
'J'hese natives of Lovango are very much divided
in tla-ir opinions, with relation to the state of the
human soul after its departure, i'rom the body. Such
as are of the royal family maintain a kind of me-
tempsychosis, and imagine that the souls of those
who depart this life enter into the bodies of their
children ; others believe them mortal ; but the great-
est part of them think they become titular gods; in
the lirm belief whereof they erect little chapels, con-
tiguous or adjacent to the places where they died ;
thither they resort to pray tQ them, and make aii
oblation, before they sit down to their meals, both
of what they are to eat, and what they are to drink.
Chicocke, of whom we liave already made mention,
is the guardian of their dead ; and his statue, coni-
posed of wood, is erected at some small distance
fioni their burvins-sfround. He takes effectual care
that no magician clandestinely removes the de-
ceased, Qr insults them, or compels them to work,
hunt, or lish. V\ ho knows hut this guardian god
has deserved the great confidence which tlie ne-
groes repose in him, by as natural an eftect, as that
with which Horace reproaches his fig-tree Prapus.''
Perhaps it were not impossible, if due enquiry was
made, to find miracles of this nature in some parts
of Kurope.
These people bury theirdead with all their clothes
on ; and the poorer sort apply themselves to such as
are men of substance to assist them in defraying the
necessary expences of their funerals. At the de-
cease of the king of Congo, all persons are strictly
enjoined not to mourn for his death, notwithstand-
ing the melancholy news is solemnly proclaimed by
the Sound of akind of cornet, througliout the whole
kingdom. As to the rest, the pompous funeral of
a prince is solemnized af;er the manner of liie Ro-
man Catholics ; but such as never were proselytes to
Christianity, or are only such in outward appear-
ance, strictly follow the rites and ceremonies of their
ancertors. They inter with their Head, a consider-
able part of their etlects, several valuable present.s,
and various sorts of goods ; and as tliis custom has
been universally observed by all idolatrous nations^
both ancient and modern, it would be needless, if
not impertiueut; to produce instances to confirm the
AiS
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
truth of it. At the decease of a grandee^ his fa-
vorites, clients, and slaves, carry their extravagance
infinitely beyond what is practised in common, and
besides the costly presents and foreign commodities
which are buried with him, they furnish hini with
. domestics to attend his royal person, and with seve-
ral young ladies for his amusement in his journey to
the other world, who either through compulsion, or
the prepossession and artifice of their priests, are
strenuous rivals, and contest the honour of being
buried alive with their deceased monarch.
Tiiere are several religious customs likewise ob-
served at Lovango, that are equally remarkable. — ■
Their funeral solemnities are always accompanied
with floods of tears, and incessant wailings ; and as
soon as they have carried the corpse out of the
house, they dance all round about it, and during
that solemn ceremony, weep most bitterly, and (ill
the air with most hideous lamentations. At pro}3€r
intervals they very demurely ask' the deceased a thou-
sand impertinent questions; such as, whether he
decamped, or removed his quarters, for want of the
conveniences of life, and the like. And though the
deceased never obliges them witii an answer, they
always ascribe his decease to some dissatisfaction of
one kind or another. This funeral concert, and
these melancholy interrogatories, continue for some
hours ; after which, they collect every individual
tiling the deceased is to carry along with him, and
when his bag and bqggage are all packed up and
ready, they remove the corpse and his effects with
as much precipitation as if they had stole them. —
■One rioicty, or lialf part of his aforesaid effects, is
allotted to be buried with him; thetother is hung up
and exposed to public view on poles planted round
his sepulchre ; but to prevent any clandestine con-'"
veyance of them awa^ by necessitous pilferers, they
either cut into rags, or tear to pieces, such goods as
are thus exposed. In the evening they renew their
weepings and wailings, and continue these outward
.demonstrations of sorrow and concern every evening
for six weeks together, without intermission.
Their degree of mourning varies. in proportion to
the quality of the person deceased ;• and when a
srandee dies, their lamentations afe more vociferous
and noisy than ordinary, and their attendance to the
grave more solemn and numerous ; for the people
assemble themselve together from all the acyacent
towns on such a public occasion. The magicians
..exert their skill to tiie utmost, and leav^ no charm
flor enchantment whatever unpractised^, fc order to
lestore a sick grandee to his former state of health ;
not but the people too use their utmost endeavours
likewise to prolong his days, but there as well as
iiere, it is grandeur that is the principal attraction,
pnd it is out of a self-interested view of being well
ievvaided for their pains, that they are thus diligent
and attentive'. There is no qnestion, therefore, ts
be made, but that such as are well versed in magical
operations, are lavish of their most secret and valu-
able preparations, when the lives of such men as
are thus honoured and esteemed are in apparent
danger.
They hover round the corpse, which is either ex-
tended on a couch, or supported in a sitting posture,
by one of the con) pany, and sometimes, indeed, he
is raised by proper supporters, artfully disposed un-
der each arm. In one of these filuations, his head
is shaved, his nails are pared, and his body washed,
anointed, and painted red ; and his nearest kindred,
that is, his male relations, seat themselves at a small
distance from the corpse ; for the women, who have
their tears always at command, and are by nature
qualified to excite the passions, are employed, by
their violent transports and agitations, to alfect the
whole assembly. They dance, or rather liy about,
like persons distracted, from right to left, in the ut-
most confusion ; but in their intervals tliey sing en-
comiums on the deceased, lecitc all hi^ virtuous
actions, and trace his genealogy ; and this, in short,
is his funeral harangue. To conclude, tliey bury
some part of his patrimony along with him, and all
the valuable effects which his relations and friends
have collected together for his more commodious
settlement in the other world. The usual place ap-
propriated for the burial of their blacks is generally
calkd the Kienga ; where on each respective grave
are arranged, in decent order, the bow and arrows of
the deceased, his wooden platter, liis cup, or rather
calabass, for the convenience of his drinking, when
he thinks proper, and a sufficient quantity of pipes
and tobacco for his smoking, &c.
The same solemnities are observed for their kings,
but with much greater pomp and magnificence; for
they embellish the body of the deceased with the
usual regalia, according to the dignity of these black
princes. He is seated in a chair of state, erected in
a vault, reserved for the peculiar reception of such
illustrious personages, with the representations, ia
wood or clay, of such as were his favourites when
ali»e. Before him are ranged a sufficient quantity
of kitchen furniture, or utensils, which were made
use of at his majesty's table ; such as cloths, nap-
kins, &c. A considerable inimber of slaves are
sacrificed, or rather murdered, for his peculiar ser-
vice, who are buried near him, or in some separate
vault, in order to revive with, and wait on his majesty
in his journey to the other world ; for they entertain
some idea, though a very confused and imperfect
one, of the resurrection of the dead. It was cus-
tomary, in former times, to bury twelve beauteous
virgins alive with the king of Congo, and these
young ladies were all so Joyal as to offer up their
lives a willing sacrifice to the service of their mo-
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
44'J
. nardr. Yv'iih warmth and zeal they disputed their
title of precedency, and each one was fond of step-
ping foremost, and intercepting her competitors. —
They dressed tliemselves as gaily as was possible on
these tragical and solemn occasions, and their rela-
tions supplied them handsomely with all sorts of
furniture, and all the conveniences of life, wliici)
they thought proper for their accom'niodation in the
other world. This custom, however, we are inform-
ed, is at present abolished, as repugnant to the
principles of natural religion ; and one branch of
their funeral solemnities is rethiced to an elegant
entertainment only, which is renewed for eight days
together, on the monument or sepulchre o/ the de-
ceased monarch. Whilst they are partaking of this
regal banquet, they have their intervals, in which
they indulge themselves in all the demonstrations of
the deepest sorrow and concern, which, in our i)pi-
nion, may justly pass under the dtniomination of a
religious custom.
There is but very little difference between the
funeral solemnities observed at Angola, and those of
l/ovango and Congo ; for they wash their dead,
comb them, shave them, wrap them up in a kind of
shroud, and afterwards lav them on a small earthen
bier. The deceased is aKvays dressed after the most
elegant manner tiiey can possibly devise, and several
beasts at the same time are sacrificed, and their
blood spilt in honour of their departed friend. In
the kingdom of ^Jatamba, the corpse is covered
over with rosin ; and thus embalmed, or more pro-
perly speaking, besmeared all over, deposited in a
deep grave, and guarded by slaves till perfectly re-
duced to' dust and ashes. I'liis precaution is taken,
a« we are int"i>rnu-d, against the natives themselves,
who are inclined to plunder these graves, and mangle
the bodies of their dead countrymen, in order to
carry away their linil)s clandestinely, and hoard them
aip as sacred relics, which are more or less valuable
accordiiig to the reputation of the deceased.
The relations and slaves, when they go into niourri-
!ng, shave their heads and besmear their faces with
oil, and divers kinds of powder, which serve instead
of glue, to>fasten the various feathers which at sitth
limes they stick about them. To hear their iiideous
outcries and lamentations, one would imagine that
«orrow and affliction had deprived theui of their
senses : but if we may rely on the veracity of our
author from whence we extract this account, thcv
do not so much as shed one single tear. V\'e shall
close this topic with an agreeable story enough, re-
lating to the widows of Congo. They entertain the
notion, that die souls of their departed husbands re-
animate their bodies, unles-s due care be taken to
k«ep them at an awful distance ; and such a re-ani-
mation would be an absolute bar to any new alliance.
To prevent, therefore, so direful a disaster, they
make* their applications to one of their pnests, who
plunge theinsclves several times in some rapid
streams ; after which, as they lie under no fearlul
apprehensions of their return, they boldly venture-
on their second nuptials.
It is surprising how such notions should ever enter
into the human lieart, or that thot^e who are endowed
widi rational' faculties should stoop lower in their
actions than even the animal creation. All is owing
to ignorance, and well might the prophet say, " My
people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." The
fundamental principles ni)on which the civilization
of mankind is built, consists in knowledge, and upon
this foundation a superstructure of politeness, hu-
manity, benevolence, and piety, is formed. To all
tliis we may add, that an attention to these things
makes way for the reception of the gospel ; for
allhongh the promulgation of the gospel does not
depend on human means, yet God has commanded
those to be used, and dierefore nien are not to slight
them, but use them iu a proper manner.
JReligioii of the Gnagwis,
Tliese people inhabit tlie kingdom of Matamb.i,
and we are assured both by Pinchas, an Englishman,
and Father Cavazzi, an Italian, that they not only
eat the flesh of their enemies, but even carry it
about to sell as we do butchers' meat. However
horrid and unnatural this may appear to some, who
have not had an opportunity of visiting foreign coun-
tries, yet we can see no reason to doubt the truth
of it. Some of the American savages eat their
prisoners, and it is but a few years since some Eng-
lishmen were killed, and eaten in an island in the
South Seas. I>nt to proceed with our narrative :
The chief god 'of these people is called Quisungo,
and represented under the form of a giant twelve
feet high. This idol is shut up and circumscribed
within an iiiclosure made of elephants' teeth ; each
beino- embellished with the scalp of some slave, or
captive, that has been sacriliced in honour of this
blood-thirsty deity. But there are oblatibns made
him besides these, such as libations of palm wine,
with the blood of goats, deer, and other animals.
The person who is at the head of tills system of
false religion, acts both as liigh priest and as general
of their forces. His hdir, which is exceeding long,
is adorned with some particular shells, by tiiein
called Bamba, which they have a peculiar venera-
tion and respect for, and round his neck he wears a
collar composed of other curious shells, but not of
such value as the former. At his girdle hangs a
chaplet, the beads whereof consists of the eggs of
the ostrich. Such an extraordinary chaplet as this
30
5 X
450
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
is, perhaps, cannot be found in any other part of the
V orld ; for many of the beads are as large as the
crown of a hat. The priest wears a small vestment
round his waist, falling down low enough to cover
what modesty requires to be concealed. As for his
body, it is embellisned with a^variety of figures de-
lineated after an inelegant and artless manner. In
other respects, their chieftain is besmeared all over
■with red and white paint, composed ^partly of the
blood of dead men, mixed with the fat. A piece
of brass, about an inch in length hangs down from
his nose ; and two others from his ears. He has
commonly about twenty t)r thirty wives, one of-
whoni carries his bow and arrows, another waits
on him when he is disposed to drink, and presents
him with his cup which they call calabass. \V hen
he lakes it, they all fall on their knees, clap tiieir
hands, and sing till he has finished his draught. —
Smne of the w ild inhabitants of f orida, observe the
same customs at this very day.
Before the sovereign of Guagua enters upon any
military expedition, he offers up a solemn sacrifice
to his idol, before the sun rises, at the celebration
whereof, two magicians attend ; one at his ri;^ht
hand, and the other at his left, about forty women
of distinction roinid about him, each of them having
a wild horse's tail in both hands. Thus equipped,
they sing a solenui service, accompanied with playing
on different instruments, according to the manner of
their country. In the midst of the congregation, or
a.sscmbly, there is a large fire, with" an earlhern ves-
sel hung over it, in which is contained a certain com-
position, wherewith they paint their temples, fore-
heads, breasts, and bellies, at the same time observ-
ing sundry ceremonies, charms, and incantations,
M'hich continue till the sun is set. After this the
magicians present the general w ith the cafengola,
■which is a kind of hatchet, and at the delivery of it
they exhort him to be resolute ami courageous. —
Accordingly he gives them what he thinks an incon-
testable proof of his valour, by raising up his
hatchet, and hacking down a youth presented before
him for that purpose. Having laid the youth breath-
less on the ground, four slaves likewise meet with
the same mitimely fate; two of whom are massacred
on the spot, and the other two are put to death by
his assistants. This human sacrifice is attended
witli the sacrifice of ten cows, ten goats, and ten
dogs. The blood of these victims is poured forth
iu honour of their idol, but the flesh is reserved for
the repast of the ajssembly, which solemn feast is
concluded with loud acclamations and other testi-
monies of public joy.
When his troops are assembled together, he deli-
■vers a very pathetic iiarangue, and then orders them
to march. These declarations, delivered in order to
animate the soldiers, are spoken in an elevation of
voice, with such energy, grace, and dignity, as may >
stand in competition with those orations we meet
with in the accounts of the ancient Grecian worthies.
The captains follow the example of dieir intrepid
generals, and thus these barbarians inspire the private
soldiers w ith a savage brutal ferocity. If any private -
soldier discovers the least marks of cowardice, or
inclination to desert and run away in the heat of an
engagement, he is instantly cut in pieces, and eaten .
up by his companions. All such as are taken pri-
soners of war, are eaten either sooner or later. Those
who are lean are reserved to be fattened, as we do
with our cattle, but sometimes they content them-
selves with selling them as slaves. However, they
neitiier kill nor eat their captives till they are at years
of maturity, but are particularly indulgent to such.,
male prisoners as are very young; for they natura-
lise tl>em and train them up in the practice of their
own mliuinan and barbarous customs.
Tliey put a collar round their necks, as a badge
of their captivity and never take it off till they have
produced before the general, the head of one of ■
their enemies. Then they are made free, and ho-
noured widi the title of Gongo, which signifies a
soldier, or warrior. They try the courage of their
U">uug captives, by shooting an arrow directly over
tlieir heads, and he that starts, or discovers the least
signs of fear, is killed immediately and eaten. They
are not to be naturalized without the strongest, and
most signal proofs of their courage, and even then
with initiation ; for those who refuse to comply with
it are treated with the utmost abhorrence. This ce-
remony consists in drawing out four of their fore-
teeth, two from the npper jaw, and two from the
under; they likewise bore dieir ears and noses,
making very wide holes in them, v And here it may
not be improper to relate something concerning an
Amazonian princess who once reigned among them.
The history of die ancient Amazons is well known.
They inhabited some part of that extensive country,
anciently called Scythia, but now Tartary. One of
their queens waited on Alexander the Great, and we
are told that hero was very intimate with her, perhaps
she granted him every favour.
This African princess, whom we shall now give
an account of prohibited the education of any male
child within the limits of the kingdom, but strictly
enjoined aH parents to murder them, or expose them
to the wild beasts as soon as they were born. She
ordered all such children as had been preserved to be
disinherited, and brjmded with a particular mark.
She permitted the womai to marry w ith their p'ri-
soners of war, to whom in consequence of that alli-
ance, she granted all the privileges of the state, and
diis was done in order to preserve the breed of fe-
males. She . iiarged all women who were with
child, on pain of death, to avoid being delivered
DIFFEREN'T RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
4.51-
withm the bounds of her kingdom, lest they should
pollute the ground. If in disobedience and contempt
:ii her commands, any male child should be acci-
dentally prcser\ed alive, she strictly forbad the re-
ception of him into her kingdom, unless two of his
lirst teeth were first drawn- but when it happened
that the upper fore teeth came down over die others,
then he was instantly put to deatli.
She constituted and appointed proper judges, with
otlier inferior oflicers, to see that these her laws m ere
duly respected aud executed ; to put to death such
women as should happen to conceal any children,
and to oblige every yiuing j)er90B to learn the rites
and ceremonies of their religion. That these laws
might receive the greater sanction, it was necessary
to persuade the people to believe that they were the
statutes and ordmances of tlieir ances.jrs ; thai by
the observance of tliem they would become a terror
to their enemies; that their pow^r and autliority
ought to be confined and established by such exam-
ples as might demonstrate a solemn renunciation of
that fondness and affections so natural to parenLi,
and which is visible among savage beasts.
Here we may observe what power can do when
united with that false fear of the deity called super-
stition. They imagined upon the imphcit faith of
their sovereign, that they should so far ingratiate
themselves in the favour of their idol, as to obtain
the privilege of being invulnerable, if thev had th&
courage to murder their children, and besmear them-
selves with their blood. The princess herself was
the lirst promoter of this unheard of barbarity, for
she murdered her own son, and had his bodv beaten
:Bto a powder, with which she rubbed her body all
over, to set an example to the wretched deluded
people. How long this monster of barbaritv reign-
ed, does not appear, but probably not long, for
barbarous and savage as the people were, vet it can-
not be supposed they would sutler these things any
great length of time. But we should add a remark
iiere concerning the ancient Canaanites, whom Jo-
shua destroyed. The deists ha\e objected that Jo-
skca had no right to invade their country and de-
Et%y them. It is in vain for us to tell them, that Jo-
shua was cocnmauded by the Almightv to extirpate
them, for that they do not regard ; we must answer
thctn on other principle*. These Canaanites had
been guilty of the most horrid unnatural crimes, si-
milar to those we have been treating of; and there-
fore it was but justice tliat such wretches should be
extirpated from the earth. Supposing an armv of
European Christians were to see such unnatural bar-
barities committed, as those we have ju^t mentioned,
would not every man present think it is dut* to
punish the cruel perpetrators of them : Certainly he
V. ould; and huiluui nature knows no puiii^hment for
murder, but that of faking away tlie life of the
murderer. But to return to the subject:
As for the nuptial ceremonies of these people,
they hav3 nothing very remarkable in them, being
so cnvei and ignorant, many of them herd together •
like beasts, without any regard to age, sex, or de-
cency ; some of them, particularly the Jages, who
inhabit the province of Ansiko, never bury their
deaf^, but either eat them or bury them alive. They
wa>ii their bodies clean when they intend to bury
them, and carry them to the grave in a sitting posr
lure, and their wives, if they have any, are buried
along with them. The ceremony concludes with
cries and dreadful , lamentations, w hich last several
days.
We have already, in the course of this work, had
occasion to lament, that so many of our fellow-crea-
t;ires are ignorant of the knowledge of Christ, but
w>hat shall we say of those Africans, who are worse
th2H the wild beasts ef the field : Does it not serve
to shew, that mankind are not what their ancestor
was when he came from the hands of his maker : nay
it appears from what is related here, that he is ca-
pable of any thing, let it be ever so absurd, ridicu-
lous, cruel, barbarous, or unnatural, which clearly
proves our nature to be corrupted. L nless those
things are granted we shall never be able to account
for the practices of many of our fellow-creatures,
who, even in whole national bodies, commit, or ra-
ther live in, and establish, crimes shocking to be
mentioned. Hence we may conclude, that although
there are many things of great value to be met with
in the wrkings of the Greeks and Romans, yet we
find they were most shockingly corrupted in their
morals, whea the gospel was first preached among
tliem. From this it appears plain, that nothing but
the gospel can cure our spiritual infirmities. We
shall conclude the present article with the following
passage from a sermon of the late Dr. Coneybear,
bishop of Bristol :
" It hath been related already, (says his lordship)
that sin was brought into the- world by our first
parents, from vyhence there is deris^ed down to us,
a depraved and corrupted nature. Hence both our
intellectual and moral powers, have been greatly
impaired, and as, in many instances, we know not
what we ought to do; in others, when ignorance
may not be pleaded, there is a remarkable back-
wardness, and even perverseness of the will. Trejc
evils must be remedied in some degree, otherwise
no advantage can be made of the pardon -vliich God,
for Christ's sake, offers. For it is unreasonable to
expect this should extend to any but those who em-
brace it bv a reli^ous return to God.'' Sermon I.
vol. 1. page 2-.
432
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
Religion,;)/ the natives of South Cafmria.
Mr. Kolbens, a Dutch gentleman, who resided
= some years at the Cape of Good Hope, and visited
: many of the African kingdoms, is of opinion, that
■ there is a manifest confonnity between the C.ifres
and the Jews. In order to support his argument,
he enuinerates several customs pr;ictised alike by
both. The Cafres make abundance of oblations,
, and regulate the time of their festivals by the full
and new moons. They have no conversation with
their wives during particular seasons, and always use
.■purification. They frequently niake use of unleaven-
ed bread, and abstain from all sorts of salt meat.—
They practise the ceremony of circumcision, or
something similar to it, and they eat nothing that is
strangled, nor any fish without scales. They never
admit women into their councils, and are allowed
■ to give their wives a bill of divorce, even on the
slightest pretence.
He observes several other rites and ceremonies
similar to those of the Jeas, such as giving the
names of animals, hills, mountains, rivers, trees,
fruits, herbs, and, indeed every thing in nature, to
their children, instead of the names of their parents
-or relations. But all these arguments made use of
by this Dutchman to establish his favourite system,
have no weight at all, as will appear when we con-
sider the following things. Their using unleavened
bread has no conformity to any custom practised by
the Jews, because these Africans never knew how
;to make bread till they were taught to do so by the
Europeans. With respect to their divorcing their
wives, it will appear to the reader, from several of
the former parts of this work, that many other hea-
thens do the same, and circumcision is common in
almost one half of the known world.
But he imputes to them in common with other
authors, that they starve their relations to death when
they are past their labour, which is contrary to every
thing in the law of Moses. He says they are ex-
pert at the chase, but in that he should have com-
pared them wilh the Hottentots, ratltcr than the
.Jews. We agree with this author, that there is no
improbability that these idolatrous Africans were de-
-sceuded from the Phcenicians, who went from the
south of Asia, in ancient times, and cairied along
with them their own rites and' ceremonies. How-
.ever, be these things as they will, we shall now pro-
teed to give an account of the principles and cere-
monies of their religion.
They have some faint notion of tlic universal de-
luge, for they have a tradition transmitted down from
father to son, informing ■them, that their ancestors,
issuing out of a door or window, established them-
.^elvess oil this .spot of tiie earth, which they now
inhabit, and instructed tlieir children in the art of
agriculture. They also add, that their parents'
names were Noh and Ilingnou, and both these may
relate to Noah and his wife, for his wife's name is
not mentioned in scripture. All our travellers are
very contradictory in their accounts of the religion
of these people, because they are divided into clans,
tribes, and hordes, and all these have diiferent no-
tions. However, from all these accounts we see no
difficulty of collecting the truth, because several re-
putable writers have inquired into thom, and we
cannot See any reason to doubt their veracity, espe-
cially as these accounts have been approved of by
the Royal Society.
They adors one Supreme Being, though their no-
tions concerning him are very dark and confused.— .
Tiiey kill several cows and sheep i(i honour of their
idol, and make voluntary oblations of their flesh and
milk, as grateful acknowledgements of all his mer-
cies from time to time ; for they imagine that he
alone sends them rain, sun-shine, and all the returiw
of the seasons. They seem to have little or no idea
of a future state, and yet they have many good
qualities, which should secure them from the con-
tempt usually thrown out upon them. They are,
in many respects, honest and charitable to one an-
other. They look upon theft and idolatry as capital
crimes ; and such as are found guilty of them, are
immediately put to death.
But notwithstanding this, every man has free liberty
to marry as many women as he can maintain, al-
though few of them indulge themselves with any
more than three. A German missionary and a Pro-
testant, asked one of these Cafres concerning his
belief of the Deity, and received the following sen-
sible answej: — " Let him that caiinot believe there
is a God, .survey the heavens, the earth, and every
object round about him, and then let him deny the
existence of a Supreme Being, if he can." We
liave some reason to believe, that the zealous mis-
sionary dressed up the Cafre's words, and therefore
it is best to consider them in the middle latitude,
especially as the Jesuits have represented them as
downright Atheists.
It is certain, that the Dutch have the best oppor-
tunities of being acquainted with these Cafres, or
Hottentots, because no other Europeans have any
settlement at the Cape of Good Hope. For many
miles up the country, the Dutch iuive Protestant ■
churches established, and as their n)inisters are hicH
of sense and gravity, we ought at !• ast to pay some
regard to the accounts they have given us.
Kolben says, that they call the invisible God
Gounia Ticquoa, a term that means the captain of
the gods. I'hey are far fnjm being uniform in their
religious rites and ceremonies, on account of their
being divided into «o many clans, or hordes, which
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
4J3
•tliey call cralles. The triitli is, tlicre is no con-
stancy in any of the notions entertained l)y the bar-
barians throii{!;hout the whole world. All is igno-
rance and confnsion, and we seek in vain for a guide
to direct us ; which circumstance alone should more
and more endear to us Divine Revelation. The
Crtfres, or Hottentots, who reside all round the
Cape, pay their adoration to the moon, by dancing
to her honour when slie changes, or when she is at
the full. This religious ceremony lasts all night,
and is performed with abundance of noise, hurry,
and confusion. They sliout, clap their hands, direct
their eyes upwards, with abundance of seeming de-
votion, and then they mutter some words, which
none can understand but themselves. Sometimes
tiiey run into vaults, where they dap their hand, tn»d
repeat several ejaculations. All this is performed
during the night, while the moon is in her splendor;
and tliev frequently prostrate themselves on the
ground, then rise up again, and gazing at the moon,
vith loud acclamations, make the following address
toiler: — "We thy servants salute thee. Give us
store of milk andiiouey; increase our flocks and
herds, and we will worship thee." During this cere-
moTi/ they mark their foreheads with red paint,- a
practice conmion among the savages in America.
It appears, that like some of the rest of the Pagan
Africans, they worship a being, who, according to
their iniairinations, can neither do them any good
nor any evil. And what is still more remarkable,
they worship another being inferior to this, whom
they believe can do them much injury, unless his
anger is appeased. This being they imagine fre-
quently appears to them undei the most tremendous
form, somewhat resembling the ancient satyrs of the
Greeks; and when they are asked how they can be-
lieve in such absurdities, so inconsistent with the
divine attributes; their answer is to the following-
import : — " We follow the traditions of our ances-
tors, whose first parents having sinned against the
grand captain, they fell into such a neglect of his
worship, that they knew nothing of him, nor how
to make their addresses to him." This may serve to
shew, that however ignorant they may be in other
respects, yet in this dark tradition tlicy have some
faint notion of the fall of man, which indeed is ac-
knowledged by all the world, except some letter
learned men among ourselves.
They pay also a religious adoration to a kind of
May-bug. At the sijht of this insect (for, accord-
ing to their notion, it always portends same good to
the family, and obliterates all the sins of those who
belong to it) they sing and dance to its honour,' and
strew all round about it, and indeed about the whole
house, the powder of a certain plant, which they
call Buchu, and the herb Spira;a. At the same
time, they sacritice two sheep to this diminutive deity.
30 5
This ceremony is distinguished by a term that sig-
nities regeneration. If this insect should fortunately
cra\\ I uiKin anv one of the family, it is a strong in-
dication that such person is become a new creature ;
he is looked upon as a venerable saint, two sheep are
sacriticed for his service, an ox is slaughtered to his
honour, and he is dressc-d with the iutrails of the
beast.
The Omentum is first well powdered with IJuchn,
and then clapped reeking hot about his neck. This
collar he must wear night and day, till it rots olT;
or at least till another May-bug relieves him, by
settling upon some other regenerated person belong-
ing to the house. As to the flesh of the ox. so sacri-
(iced, the men regale themselves with }t as soon as
it is dressed ; but tlie women, who are present at the
entertainment, are allowed to touch' nothing but
the broth. If, on the other hand, this sacred insect
settles on a woman, these Hottentots immediately
canonize her : In that case, the women regale on
the flesh of the ox, which is sacrificed and dressed in
honour to the female saints, and the men have no
right or title to any thing but the broth. Tl'.ey
take all the care imaginable to prevent the Euro-
peans from hurting this their favourite insect. AH
the misfortunes that attend it, inevitably draws
down so many calamities on themselves and their
cattle.
They have several solitary places which they look
upon as sacred ; more especially their hillocks, and
little spots of ground adjacent to their rivers, which
are, as they imagine, and as our German author ex-
presses it, the abodes of some particular saints ; but
we have good grounds to surmise, that they think the
souls of their departed ancestors reside in these holy
habitations ; and in all probability, tliere is some con-
formity between tliis notion of theirs, and that of
the ancient idolators, who established the mansions
of their Nymphs, Fauns, and Sylvans, near foun-
tains, rivers, hills, and forests. But be that as it
will, the Hottentots never travel over such holy
ground, without performing some act of devotion
as they go along; which principally consists in
cutting a few comical capers, and singing to them-
selves some extravagant culogium of the sacred in-
habitant. If they look on him as a more venerable
saint than ordinary, their religious ceremonies are
more solemn and of longer duration. In that case,
thev stop to clap their hands and hum over their di-
vine airs with more attention and a better grace. In
short, such as see through this rude and unpolisiied
deportment, in which the ditfeience between our
conduct, and that of these savage nations, principally
consists, must acknowledge, that both act in a
manner upon the same principles.
Every cralle has its peculiar captain, priest, arul
physician : Of these latter there are sometimes two;
Y
454
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
and sometimes also the women turn doctors, and
prescribe to their neighbours. The phvsician is
elected by the elders ot the cralle. His office or
employment is not hereditary ; for when he dies,
they proceed to the choice of another; and in case
there be no person duly qnalified for that important
post in then- own cralle, they make a farther enquiry
for some able and experienced person to fill that va-
cancy. I'his honourable employment is conferred
by the hottentols upon none but sober, discreet
men ; men of an advanced age, at least near fifty ;
for otherwise tlie peopli; will not confide in their
care, or regard their prescriptions. These physi-
cians, we are informed, have very few patients that
die under their hands; but if such a misfortune
shoidd attend them, they have a reason always ready
at hand for such a miscarriage. The patient, say
they, was indisputably bewitched ; a circumstance
sufficient at all times to support the credit and repu-
tation of their faculty.
We proceed now to the Furi, \ylio is the spiritual
physician of these Hottentots, and whose function. is
also elective ; lie is inspector general of tiieir man-
ners, customs, and religious ceremonies. Whether
he has tlie same dexterity and address as his country-
men the physicians, or not, or the artifice and quack-
ery of the Boias, and all such as officiate as priests
amongst the savages, we are at a loss to determine ;
but iu all probabdity, how unpolished soever these
I'uris may appear to travellers, they have their man-
ner of insinuation as well as others of their profes-
sion. The fees of these physicians, both civil and
spiritual, consist in the presents which are made
them : sometimes of a lamb, and sometimes of a
stieep ; and the dignity of both functions entitles
them to a fiee participation of all the public enter-
tainments of the cralle.
We shall now amuse our readers with a short ac-
count of their manner of initiation, and admission
into their civil society, which is far more whimsical
and extravagant than any hitherto mentioned. The
Hottentots cut out the left testicle of all their male-
children as soon as they are nine or ten years old at
farthest. For which reason father Tachard, speak-
ing of these people, calls them a kind of half eu-
nuchs. They aTC not, however, indispensibly obli-
ged to fix this operation to the age before men-
tioned; since some persons more advanced in years
are thus castrated ; but none under eiglit. The in-
troduction to this ceremony is their tying the arms
and legs of the patient very fast ; and moreover, they
kneel upon his breast, that they may command him
at pleasure and at the same time prevent him from
seeing an operation which amongst us would be sub-
mitted to with the utmost reluctance, and, in all pro-
bability, be looked upon as a diminution of our
niunhocd.
The operator having thus secured his patientf
takes out his lancet, niakes the proper incision, takes
away tlie testicle proposed, and artfully conveys a
little ball of the same size, composed of sheeps' fat
and the powder of Buchu, into the wound, and thcE
closes it up. This Lythotomist is always one of the
spiritual directors before-mentioned, and master of
tlie ceremonies in their respective cralles. As a pre-
liminary of this operation, some of the Hottentots
kill a sheep for the entertainment of the company at
the close of the, ceremony. One circumstance we
had like to have forgot, which is very material, and
ought not to 'be omitted. The patient immediately^
after the operation, is very plentifully anointed ali
over his body; and to complete the initiation, the
reverend doctor honours him witli a plentiful profu-
sion of iiis urine ; and then leaves him extended at
his full length upon the ground. But as soon as the
tormenting pain he has been put to, begins to abate,
he must crawl, as well and as soon as he is able, to
a little hut erected for Uiat purpose, where he is or-
dered to continue for three or four days together.
The entertainment provided on this occasion for the
assembly, is a sheep as before-mentioned ; but both
the person initiated, and the women then present
are obliged to abstain from tasting the least morsel
of it.
The reason which some give, though without the
least foundation, for the observance of this ridicu-
lous custom is this, that the Hottentots become
thereby more sprightly and active, and better quali-
fied for the chase. On the contrary, there are the
traces of religion conspicuous in this practice. The
sheep that is killed and eaten, exclusive of the wo-
' men, is manifestly a kind of sacrifice. The time
generally fixed upon for this operation, is when the
person to be initialed attains the age of maturity ;
and the peculiar care which the women take, not
to have any familiar conversation with such as have
not undergone it, is a strong argument likawise, in
our opinion, that there is a kind of religious mystery
in this operation. There is another reason, pleasant
enough, given for the observance of this practise,
viz. That the women are thereby secured from
having twins. But be that as it will, we are credi-
bly informed, that no young fellow must presume to
marry till he has thus parted with one of his preci-
ous stones.
Another custom which is very singular, is the re-
ception of a youth, who has attained the age of ma-
turity, into their civil society. No young person is
permitted, till after this ceremony is complied with,
to keep company with those who are already ad-
mitted members, or indulged so far as to eat even
with his own father; and he who neglects to pro-
cure his admission, vhen he comes of age, exposes
himself to the contempt and ridicule of all his coun-
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
455
try men. For the solemnisation of this ceremony,
one <jt' the elders of the cralle convenes a general us-
seniblv, who form theinsi4ves into u cncle. Kvery
iiieniber supporls his body upon his knees, in such
a manner, as that his posteriors may not rest upon
the ground' Ihe youth who n to be admitted does
not enter as yet into the august assembly, but phints
himself at a modtst distance in the same attitude
with tlie rest. Ihe principal or elder, opens fliih a
short harangue, winch turns directly on the business
of tlie day; after wiiich he asks the consent of the
whole assembly for tlie' admission of the young man.
Upon tlieir genera! approbaUon, he advances to-
wards the youth, and very gravely does that to liini
which Uancune did to the merchant, with more
spleen but less lormalitv. However, before such
aspersion, he acquaints him, in as comprehensive
terms as may be, that from henceforth his actions
ought to speak the man, and that he is now no
longer under his mother's eye, and that he must
take care by his prudent deportment to merit the ho-
nour he has obtamed, of being entered a member of
their assembly. During the w hole time of this as-
persion, the young man, who receives it w ith all the
Itstimonies of the profoundest veneration, bathes his
body all over with the holy water sprinkled upon
him. The ceremony concludes with the celebrant's
hearty cf)ngratulations of the young man, in the
name of the cralle, and his friendly wishes for the
prolongation of his life, and the increase of his fa-
mily. After that they are regaled with a whole
sheep at the e.xpence of their new member, who,
notw ithstandiiig, is not permitted to taste a morsel
till the whole assembly have first eaten what they
think convenient.
VVbencne Hottentot insults another, and treats
liim with o|)probrious and abusive language, he robs
him, according to their notion, of his honour. The
party injuring, therefore, must take care to redeeni
his credit, by presenting his companions with a fat
sheep ior an entertainment ; who partake of it at his
e.xpence, but allow hiin the fat to anoint his body
with, and the guts for his decoration. Should he
refuse to make this peace-offering, which doubtless
is looked upon as a purification, the party insulting
would be at>andoned, and become the object of uni-
versal contempt. From hence it is plain, that the
point of honour is quite another thing with the Ca-
fres than what it is w ith us, though it all tends indeed
to the same end, with this difference oidy, that the
Hottentots are so wise, as not to cut one another's
throats to gratify their resentment.
When they have defeated their enemies, or de-
stroyed a considerable number of wild beasts ; when
they are recovered from tedious tits of sickness, or
escaped some imuunent danger, they solen-nize a fes-
tival, after their country fashion, on account of their
good success. The first ceremonious act on these
occasions is the erection of a hut in the middle ol the
cralle, which, as it denotes in their opinion, the
regeneration or purification of the builders, the ma-
terials ought to be all perfectly new, and never made
use of in any previous fabric whatsoever. The foun-
dation is always laid before sun-rise. The women
and such youths as have not been admitted amongst
the men, cut down the boughs and branches of trees,
and collect a large variety of Howers for the deco-
ration of their new hut ; and then they kill a lamb
or a sheep for their public entertainment. Who can
tell, but that this ceremony we are now speaking of,
is much the same thing as our dedication of a
church i And it is very probable, that the erection
of this hut is equal to our acquittal of a solemn vow
for the I'oundation of a chaptl.
They observe the same ceremony at their settle-
ment in any new habitation ; but before they re-
move from their old places of abode, they offer up
the customary sacrilice, or make the usual oblation.
•Should there be a murrain among their cattle, they
employ themselves in sacrilices for three days toge-
ther, to avert the judgment ; and if, after such so-
lemn acts of devotion, the contagious distemper does
not cease, or at least visibly abate, they generally
decamp, and remove their cralle to some other place,
in hopes to find more healthful pasture grounds,
which they san'ctify, however, before they enter upon
them, in the maimer before described. Moreover,
they make their cattle pass through the fire, by way
of purification, which they receive, as they pretend,
by tradition from their ancestors ; which, in their
opinion, is a sufficient justification of their conduct.
A Hottentot, who was a man of better sense thau
the generality of them are, assured the author from
whom we extract this account, that it is a charm or
preservative against wild dogs, which would other-
wise devour their flocks, and prove more destructive
and injurious to them than even the tigers or the
lions. Before such purification as aforesaid, the
are obliged to drain their cows as dry as possible,
and give the milk to the men to drink, without
presuming .so much as to taste one drop ol it them-
selves.
These barbarous illiterate people are of opinion,
like the rest of their neighbours, tiiat the living are
daily exposed to the misfortune of being charmed,
and the dead of being raised by magical incantations ;
and everv transaction which surpasses their weak
comprehension, is looked upon by them as the result
of sorcery and fascination. The most regular effects
of nature they ascribe to the irresistible force of
magic, and can by no arguments, how cogent soever,
be prevailed upon to swerve from their established
notions on any new' emergency. But why should
we 60 loudly inveigh against the perverseness and
Ao6
DIFFERENT RELIGI0:NS IN AFRICA.
t)bstinacy of a people, who have for so many ages
-been deprived of all the advantages of a liberal
education, when we have flagrant instances much
nearer home, of persons who are confirmed in as
great stupidity, and are infinitely more inexciisable !
A managed horse, that had been taught a few sur-
prising pranks, was condemned to die for bis too
profound learning not many years ago, as an impi-
ous practitioner of the black-art, by that supreme
judge of the Roman faith, the court of Inquisition.
The Greek Testament also was looked upon by
those very judges, whose ignorance was their only
.plea, as an infamous magical dissertation. The
•Cafres ascribe all their distempers to the spells or
charms of their enem-ies, and by consequence, such
■physicians as they apply to for relief, must be
adepts, as it were, in magic. Nay, the patient's
-cure consists in nothing more than a stronger en-
chantment to repel a weaker; and for the generality,
however, they try the effect of purification, before
they enter upon such supernatural expedients ; and
their first operation, tlierefore, is the sacrifice of a
fat wether; after that the doctor very gravely ex-
amines the omentum of tlie victim, strews the pow-
der of Buchu very plentifully over it, and then hanos
it reeking hot about the neck of his patient, with
this formal declaration: You are inchanted, it is
true, but I will engage you shall be well again in a
short time ; for the charm you lie under is but weak,
and will easily be dissolved. The patient is ordered
to wear this collar, till it rots off his neck; but if
this prescription proves ineffectual, the physician
■ enters on a new scheme, exerts all the skill he is
master of another way, and has recourse to the
secret virtue of a variety of simples, or medicinal
herbs, which he collects in some remote and unfre-
quented places.
From their magical practices, and their con-
firmed notion of spirits, we may rationally con-
clude, that they entertain some confused idea of the
inniiortality of the soul, a future state, and the re-
surrection of the dead. For, in short, it seems im-
possible, that they should have any conception of
-the dead returning to life, without believing that
souls are immortal. Yet, if the Hottentots have
any notion of a future state, it is very imperfect
and obscure; since one of them was so imperti-
nent, or rather ignorant, as to ask a traveller, " If
there were any cows, oxen, and sheep in Paradise."
But as to the resurrection, according to our notion
•f that doctrine, there are not the least footsteps of
it to be discerned in any of their dissertations. A few
rambling expressions dropjmd accidentally, or bor-
rowed from the Christianc, and collected and re-
fined by travellers, are not sufficient to fix and de-
iermine the sentiment.'; .cf any barbarous nation. —
It is very remarkable, that if we regard ^vith attes-
tion, the arguments which the greatest part of the
idolaters of Africa, India, &,c. make use of, we
find, that all their funeral solemnities owe their
rise to this notion : That the soul, though immor-
tal, being material, is subject to the same inconve-
niences as attend the body, and that, by conse-
quences, she has occasion, even at^er her separation,
for the same acconnnodation of life, as when united
to the body here on earth. The Hottentots, being
fully satisfied in their way, of the necessities of the
dead, abandon the huts which they 'resided in when
living, and remove none of the household goods
they were possessed of, that at their return, they
may have no occasion to rove about for new ^ha-
bitations, or to seize clandestinely on their survi-
■vors.
When a woman that is with child draws near
the time of her travail, two or three grave matrons
of her friends and acquaintance look after and nurse
her till her pains come on ; then the husband is ob>-
liged to withdraw; or if he should unfortunately be
present, he must purify himself; that is, sacrifice
two wethers, or two lambs, in the manner before
mentioned. In case she proves difficult to be laid,
tliev prescribe a decoction of milk and tobacco,
which has a wonderous good effect on these Afri-
cans, notwithstanding the medicine would be as
fatal as poison to our European ladies. If the
infant happens to be still-born, it is accounted
a sore disaster, and a general affiiction ; but a still
greater in case it be a mwle ; and after its inter-
ment, the father purifies, or rather sanctifies him-
self, according to the usual custom. The hut
he resided in is pulled down, and the ground aban-
doned to the sole use of the unfortunate infant, and
a more propitious spot is fixed upon for a new habi-
tation.
A new-born infant is laid directly on the floor,
upon the skin of some beast or other, and there be-
smeared all over with cow's dung, by way of pu-
rification. In this blessed pickle it is exposed to
ti.s open air, without the least shelter from the in-
juries of the weather. This ordure, when diied
by the sun, conies easily off, without any pain or
prejudice to the infant. After this, the good wo-
men take some particular leaves, and squeeze out
the juice of them betwixt two stones. With this
liquid they wash the young child all over, in order,
as they imagine, to make him robust and hardy.- —
After "tliis ablution, they anoint him sufficiently
with mutton or lamb fat, and then well dust him
with the powder of Buchu. The former, they say,
not only makes his limbs strong and supple, but
secures his skin from receiving any impression from
t'n? excessive heat of the sun ; the latter is- made
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.^
457
use of principally as an ornament, or kind of dress,
though it i.s allowed at the same time to have an in-
nate corroborating virtue.
The fortune of twins is very precarious. If how-
ever, tiny both prove boys, their lives are not only
preserved, but the joy of the whole cralle is con-
siderably augmented. The father and mother are
congratulated on their extraordinary abililies : and
it frequently costs the former a sacrifice of two or
three o.>;en. If on the contrary, the infants should
happen to be girls, they meet but with a very cold
reception ; and the poorest sheep in the flock is
looked u|>oii as a sufficient sacrilice for such in-
crease of tiieir family ; and in case cither of them
appears infirm, or too feeble and tender; if the mo-
ther has not milk sufHcient to supply them both;
if, in short, the father should be unwilling to bear
the expense of their education, they either arc
dropped, without any reluctance in the open fields,
or half buried, or tied to the branch of a tree. If
the twins prove of ditlereut sexes, the male infant
is always preserved, and the female exposed, iniless
' she can be reared without any prejudice or incon-
venience to the former ; so hard is the lot of the
weaker sex ! The ancients, it is well known,
treated them with the same barbaroBs partiality ;
nay, the Greeks and Romans themselves, though
so wise, and a people polite, never scrupled to ex-
pose them, when their circumstances were narrow,
and they could not well bear the expense of their
education. We have already given the reader an
account of the customs of the Chinese and Japanese
hereupon.
We have before mentioned the names vhich the
Cafres or Hottentots give their children, and we
may add, that the husband is obliged to retire from
his house, during the whole time of his wife's
lying-in ; and if he violates this established law, he
must purify himself, by making the usual oblation.
As soon as her time is expired, and he has free li-
berty to revisit her, he anoints himself all over, and
dusts himself with the powder of Buchn. At his
first entrance into the house, he takes a pipe of
Dacha, without saying a word, and observes a pro-
found silence, till the smoak begins to intoxicate
his brains, and makes him gay and wanton ; in this
merry mood he flies into the embraces of his impa-
tient spouse, and it is easy to conceive the good
eflects of such an amorous encounter.
A gallant and his mistress are obliged, before they
enter iuto any solemn contract, to ask the consent
of their nearest relations, or, in default thereof,
to consult their most faithful friends ; at least, it is
absolutely necessary, that the approbation of both
the fathers should be first procured. Before thjJt,
there is no familiar intercourse, no ground to suspect
the least correspondence between them ; nay, they
SI 5
are so cautious of their reputation, we are informed,
in this particular, that some nn)rc refined and j)olite
people than they are, might blush at their prudent
deportment. As soon as a young Hottentot has
cast his eyes on the dear object of his aft'ections, the
fathers on both sides, and several other relations,
assemble themselves together, and the young lover
entertains the whole company with their darling
Dacha. W lien the smoke of this their tobacco be-
gins to exhilarate theii' spirits, and make thenvgay,
the parents come to the point in hand, and make
their proposals.
The father of the intended bride consults for at
minute or two with his wife before all the company,
and then frankly declares either his free assent to,
or absolute refusal of the mutch. In case of the
latter, they all rise immediately, and go home with-
out any further ceremony ; but in case the intended
bridegroom is approved of, he is addressed in the,
following manner : Sir, take the girl, she is at your
service. Upon this, he is allowed to speak freely
to his mistress, and make as warm declarations of
his passion for her as he thinks proper ; and herein
consist all the preliminary engagements ; consum-
mation immediutely ensues. But in case the young
virgin happens to answer his passion with coldness
and disdain, he must win the heart of his cruel
beauty by force of arms, and fight all his rivals, till
she relents, and submits to his superior power. It
mayjustlytherefore.be said of these Cafrarian gal-
lants, that they make love like true sons of Mars,
with sword in hand.
As to the public entertainment at the solemniza-
tion of their nuptials, the bridegroom treats the
whole company with one, two, three, or more oxen,
according as his circumstances will admit of the ex»
pense. All the guests in general anoint themselves
with the fat of the beasts, and then cover themselves
all over with the powder of Buchu, in which all
their finery principally consists. But the women
who are, for the generality somewhat more vain and
affected, not only anoint themselves, but paint their
foreheads, cheeks, and chins, with large spots, and
strong streaks of scarlet, or some other colour that
nearly resembles it. This assembly of friends and
relations divide, and form themselves into two cir-
cles. In that of the women, the bride sits at a
small distance from the rest ; and tlic bridegroom
follows her example, and sits apart from the men.
7\fter this the principal, or head of the cralle, whose
peculiar province it is to celebrate their nuptials,
walks round about three times successively, making
the same solemn aspersion on each of them as we
have already described, when a youth is admitted
into the state of manhood ; and this aspersion is
attended with a kind of nuptial benediction.
They generally indulge themselves in marrying 35
458
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
many wives as tbeir circumstances will well admit
of : but immediate deatli, however, is the inevitable
consequence of eitlicr adulter}' or incest. The
offenders are bound hand and foot together, and
thrown into a grave, where they are left in that
helpless condition four and twenty hours. The next
day, the gallant is hung on the arm of a tree, and
there demolished and mutilated limb after limb. —
The woman, bound as aforesaid is according to
Dapper, surrounded with a large heap of dry faggots,
and burnt alive. They dislocate the knees of such
as are guilty of murder, and fasten them to their
shoulders, and leave them to expire in tliat merciless
painful situation. From all which austere proceed-
ings, it manifestly appears that these barbarians not-
withstanding their invincible ignorance, have pre-
served some regard for virtue and justice.
They have their formal divorces likewise, when
they see convenient; and a widow as we are informed,
cuts oft a joint of one of her fingers, whenever she
marries a second husband ; and in case of more con-
tinues the like operation, beginning at the little fin-
<rer. Each joint llfus cut off, is a pledge or com-
pliment which she is obliged to make to her new part-
ner ; and if to this barbarous and inhuman testimony
of their affection, we should add the toils and fa-
ti'T^ucs they luidergo iu all their family affairs, which
are their peculiar province, their abject condition,
their slavery and passive obedience, which oblige
them to work in the woods, and provide for their
Imsband, without tasting of any thing but their frag-
ments or remains, it must readily be granted, that
cither the motives to marriage, or the ideas which
those entertain who have never tasted the inexpres-
sible pleasure that attends that state, are impetuous
and beyond all resistance. We are willing to grant
.both, since the most experienced widows themselves
with pleasure support the galling yoke.
It is remarkable, that the Cafres, at least those
who go under the denomination of Hottentots, cat
no swiue's flesh, nor fish without scales ; from
whence it is generally concluded, that these barba-
rians are tlie descendants either of the Jews or the
Mahometans. But be that as it will, they have no
other authority, but tradition, for the observance of
that custom, or that other of the men's abstaining
from sheep's milk, hares, and rabbits. The women,
on the other hand, are enjoined not to taste one mor-
sel of any thing that has blood in it; and us to such
beasts \\hich die through age or infnmity, they eat
them without any scruple or reluctance, like the
ancient Troglodites. The men never eat with tlie
women ; and the principal occasion v hereof is tlie
apprehension which the former lie- under of being
, accidentally polluted through the p'eriodical courses
of the latter. For the men are strictly enjoined,
by tradition, or othersvise, not to have the least
intercourse or familiarity with women iu that condi-
tion.
They sing and dance to the music of their Gon-
gom ; as also to anotlier instrument made in the form
of a pot. The forme." is made in the shape of a
bow, of a peculiai ly solid and substantial wood, the
string whereof is the small gut of some animal, like
those we make use of for our violins. At the topj
of this strnig is tixed a quill, through which- they,
blow, and at the same time hold the tip or extrema
part of the string in their mouths, that tlie sound so-
formed by their breath in the quill, may by that
means, affect the string, and that the concord, if-
we may be allowed the expression, which there is
between them may make that sound still more me>-
lodious. When they are ambitious of making their
Gongoms more musical than they generally are^
they take half a cocoa-shell, scooped very clean and
neat, and dispose it in such a manner on the string,
as that by moving it higher or lower, it shall create
a variety of tones or modulations ; which strike the ■
ears agreeably enough, even of those who are good-
judges of far better music than that of the Cafres.
They make use of another musical instrument, in
the form as we have before observed, of a jKjt, or
if you please, one of our kettle-drums ; which as it
is covered with a lamb-skin, biaced tight, makes
much the same sound as that martial instrument, but
the women beat this drum with their hands. Wheti
they have occasion to cross any river or running
stream, they never fail to wash themselves either be-
fore they plunge themselves into it, or at least as
soon as ever they are arrived safe on the farther shore,
and this ablution is always attended with capering
and dancing ; which ceremonious movements, in all
probability, are grateful acknowledgements to the
Supreme Being, for their deliverance from the perils
and dangers of the waters.
As long as their ancient people are in a capacity
to do any manner of business, they eiicourage them
to proceed, support them under, their infirmities ;
nay, charitably relieve them if there be any visible
hopes of their maintaining themselves for any time
without being burthensome to their friends and ac-
quaintance. Notwithstanding the shameful treat-
ment which the women in general meet with, not-
withstanding they are universally despised by these
barbarians, yet the same patience and forliear-auce is
exercised towards them, how old, disagreeable, or
infirm soever they may be, provided they can but
cut their wood, or gather their roots and pot-herbs.
But for those who are so far advanced in years, so
infirm and feeble, that they are incapable of all
manner of work, and of giving any hopes of future
advantage from their labour, they take an effectual
method to discharge themselves of the incumbi ance,
by an action which they look upon as charitable,
DirFEREXT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
459
dioiigh we sliouU account it, and not without good
Peuson, very biirbaroiis and iiihuninn
They erect a liut at some distance in the fields for
such an ancient and useless invalid, and after that,
convey- him on the back of an ox, to iiis last habita-
tion. 'l"he whale cralle, in a very formal manner,
attend liiui on this occasion, and after having left
him some snuill pittance to subsist on for a few days,
they take their last farewel and never concern them-
selves about the poor unhappy creature any more.
The best fortune after that which can j)ossibly befal
him, is- to be speedily devoured b-y some savage
beast.
The rich as well as poor, wlien old nge has ren-
dered them thus useless and decrepit, meet, we are
told, with the same merciless treatment. 'I'lic
Thoglodites however, were, if possible, they say,
still more inhuman. Those ancient savages of Afri-
ca, strangled their disabled old men that could not
travel, with a cow's tail ; but not till thev had le-
fused to be their own executioiicrs. A formal ex-
hortation accompanied the dispatch of the poor
wretches; for they looked upon the murder of a.
man, when liie became a burden to him, as a de-
liverance from all his troubles. They accounted
such as were fond of life when they could no longer
enjoy the sweets of it, as very unhappy. Oi> this
established notion they charitably dispatched all
sick persons, whose maladies^ in their opinion, were
incurable. We beg leave to make this cursory obser-
vation, that this deportment, how barbarous soever
it may appear to us, and which no doubt in reality,
was such, was founded nevertheless ou a specious
principle of humamty, and with intent to free their
fellow creatures at once from all their sorrows and
afflictions. As to the cure of their distempers,
they sometimes make use of some particular sim-
ples, the extraordinary virtues whereof, we are in-
formed, they are mcII acquainted with. At other
times they have recourse to unction and friction ;
for which purposes ihey make use of the same fat
wherewith they anoint and polish their skins ; some-
times again they try the etTects of unction with
the saiTie grease wherewith they anoint and varnish
their bodies, or of incision and scarification ; the
method whereof is this. They take an ox's lioni,
which is so smooth, and so Mell polished at the
point, that they can apply it directly, and press it
likewise as hard as they see convenient, on the pro-
per part of the body. After this, they make seve-
ral incisions on the flesh, which, by the violent pres-
sure of the horn, is so benumbed, that the patient is
insensible of the operation. This is repeated some-
times for two hours together, till there is some visi-
ble amendment. Tlie time, however, is shorter
cr longer, according as the incisions are deep, or
the constitution of the patient will enable him to bear
them. During the operation, he is laid upon his
back, and if he Inids no relief, they have recourse
to a potion, extracted from some medicinal herbs;
and if after all these artful applications, the patient's
pain coiuinncs, they then try the force of fiictioii,
which, if it meets not with tlie desired success, it is
followed by a fresh scarification.
We shall take no notice of their method of bleed-
ing, since there is nothing in it particular, or worth
our attention. 'I'hey heal any infectious bite, or
envenomed wound, by antidotes, which they very
artfully prepare, and oblige the patient to .swallow
down a proper tiuantily, and at the same time make
an external api)lication of it, particularly near the
heart, 'i'his operation is performed by incision. —
'I'hey pour a suiiicient quantity of their antidote into
this fresh wound, that it may incorporate with the
blood by virtue of its circulation, of which doubt-
less they have some notion, though they are not duly
qualified to talk in such a |)hilosophical manner, as
we are on so curious a topic. They make use of
friction and unction, when any bone happens to be
dislocated ; as also a violent agitation of tlie part
or member so dislocated ; and keep it in perpetual
motion till it is replaced in its natural socket. The
Hottentots, and indeed all the natives of Cafraria,
shave their hgads and beards, as a public testimony
of their sorrow and concern for the loss ot their
near relations; but this custom is only complied with
by such as are in but mean circumstances, and inca-
pable of offering up so much as a sheep by way of
sacrifice, or purification.
In order to discover whether a patient will die or
recover; they take a wether, or an ewe, which
they skin alive, and then let loose, permitting it
freely to take its own course. If it never attempts
to run away, it is a bad symptom, and the patient's
life is despaired of; in that case they resign him to
tlie will of fortune, for ihey prescribe no more re-
medies after that, but let him eat and drink what-
ever his own inclination prompts him to. lint if
the ewe or wither, after it is flayed, frisks away,
they look upon it as a happy presage of his auieud-
mcnt.
When a patient is given over, they have no re-
course or> that account to the Supreme Being, nor
any act of devotion whatsoever. They content
themselves with flocking roiuid about him, and wait-
ing for his dissolution ; but however, they flatter the
poor man, ihoiioh just exjiiring, and give him hopes
of iinding relief, either from some sovereign medi-
cine, or irresistless charm. For that is the name, wc
have already observed, which they give all the me-
dicines pre|)aied by their own physicians, or those
prescribed to them by the F.uiopeaiis. W hen the
sick man is thought to be giving uj) the ghost, the
whole assembly weep, howl, aiui make such hideous
450
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
lamentations, tliat tlic patient sometimes is restored
by virtue of tlie shocking sounds. Let what will
be the cause however, he must offer up the custom-
ary sacrifice in case he recovers, If the patient be
a man, those friends and acquaintance only that are
men, partake of the flesh of the victim, and the wo-
men sup the broth ; on the other iiand, if the per-
son thus restored be a woman, the men only sup the
broth, and the women eat the flesh.
To conclude, when the patient is actually expired,
they devote one quarter of an hour only to their-
lamentations ; but they are so extravagantly clamor-
ous and noisy, that they may be distinctly heard at
a prodigious distance. l"he whole cralle sob, groan,
and howl to an excessive degree, and moreover their
expressions of sorrow are accompanied with such
extravagant distortions, and such a violent clapping
of their Irands, that a man must stop his ears, or be
stunned with the tumultuous noise. We know no
instance to be given of such an external noisy way
of moinning, except that of the women of Lan-
guedoc. Without entering into the sincerity of
either, the latter are, in their demonstrations of sor-
row, as in all other things in general, ostentatious,
vain, and conceited to the last degree. Such as are
not acquainted with their hypocritical deportment,
would really imagine, by the seeming violence of
their turbulent passions, that like the Ephesian ma-
trons, they would bury themselves alive with their
deceased husbands ; and, in all probability, Petro-
nius, when he wrote that celebrated story, copied it
from these notorious originals. But to return to
the mourning of the Cafres. It is one verj- happy
circumstance, says our German author, to whom we
are indebted for all the particular circumstances of
these their funeral solemnities, that this excessive
sorrow continues but a quarter of an hour; for
every one contributes towards the speedy interment
of the dead, and cheerfully makes use of any thing
that he has in his own house, that will be service-
able, and testify his last respects to his departed
friend.
In the first place, the principal, or head of the
cralle, dispatches several Cafres to prepare his last
lodgings for him, and particularly to take care so to
order matters, that when he is laid in the ground,
the wild beasts shall not be able to grub him up,
and devour his carcase. Whilst these are perform-
ing their good services abroad, those at home bend
the corpse double, lay his arms across his breast,
and his head upon his knees ; or, to give you a
more clear idea, they set the deceased in the very
same situation he once lay in his mother's womb.
In this attitude they wrap him up tight in the very
skin which he wore in his life-time; and always
bury him within six hours after his decease. Three
or four bearers, who are nominated and appointed
for that purpose by the principal of the cralle, take
him on their shoulders, and convey him directly to
the place of his interment. They have one custom
with relation to their dead, which is very remarka-
ble, and that is, they never carry the corpse out
of the house through the usual door-way, but
break down a passage for that paiticular purpose
backwards, directly over against it. Our German
is of opinion, that this ceremony owes its rise to
the awful ideas they entertain of departed souls. —
For they imagine, says he, that they are mischie-
vously inclined, and apt to injure the living as they
go along, destroying their cattle that are left all
night on the spacious green, which is situated in
the centre of the cralle. In order therefore to pre-
vent any such disaster, they cause the deceased to
be cai;ried out of that part of the house which fronts
the fields. \\'liilst the corpse is thus lipon the re-
moval, the relations of both sexes form themselves
into two circles, and, according to custom, as near
the door-way as possible. The men howl on one
side, and the women on the other. Every one
gives a loose to his sorrow, and it is difficult to de-
termine, whether the male or female circle is the
most extravagant.
As soon as ever the corpse is carried away, they
immediately shut the house up close and abandon it
for ever, for fear any who come in should accident-
ally meet with the soul of the deceased. The whole
cralle attend the funeral to the place of interment,
but without any regularity or decorum. However,
to make amends, if we may rely on the veracity of
our German traveller, they walk along like perfect
antics, and are more extravagant in their gestures
and grimaces, than can possibly be conceived. After
that they deposit the corpse in a vault, which they
either cover with large cumbrous stones, or entire
trees, to prevent the beasts of prey from coming near
it. As they return home, they repeat their noisy
lamentations, their extravagant gesticulations and
grimaces, and the name of the deceased without in-
termission, as if they would recal him from the grave.
However, this is not all. At their return to the
cralle, they seat themselves round about the house
of the deceased, and renew, with some regularity,
their weepings, wailings, and grimaces. Nay, some-
times they set apart eight days successively for this
mouniful solemnity; esjiecially if the deceased was
well beloved by his friends and relations. About an
hour after the return of the company, the principal
or elder of the cralle, rises, and very gravely obliges
them all with the above mentioned aspersion, for
their good oflices to their deceased townsman. This
first aspersion is succeeded by a second, which the
reader will imagine, we presume, not so fulsome
and preposterous, and more conformable to the prac-
tice of some other nations. This venerable old
DIFFERENT RFXIGIONS IN AFRICA.
4(5 1
gentleman slrcws tlie ashes, wliicli he has collected
with his own hands out of the house of the deceasi-d,
over the heads of tlic wliolc asscmblv. 'Vhe first
aspersion, so inconsistent with decency and good
uianners, has no other foundation than its antiquity,
for the observance of it. Tliis ceremony, however,
is peculiar to themselves; in this they are perfect
originals ; whereas in the second, there are the visi-
ble footsteps of a custom religiously observed in
times of sorrow and aflliction by all the eastern na-
tions. In short, some of the most disc<nisolate
carry tiie point still farther, and add cow-dung to
their mourning in dust and aslics.
The day after the interment the Nvhole cralle de-
camps ; every one packs up his bag and baggage,
and pulls down his tent, or little cottage. There is
not one .singie edifice left standing, but that of the
deceased ; whieh they leave behind them ; as also
the furniture and otlier a|)purtenanees thereunto be-
longing, in order that if he should accidentally think
proper to return, he may find his own apartnient
ready for his reception without which precaution, he
might |)ossibly resent his ill treatment, and seize
upon their new habitations ; and before they decamp,
tiiey take care to purify llieniselves, by offering up
soni6 animal, great or small, for a sacrifice, accord-
ing as their cncumstances will permit. Being ar-
rived at the place appointed and agreed on for pitch-
ing their tents again, and settling at least for awhile,
they ])urify tiiemselves a second time. The flesh of
the victims is made use of for an entertaimnent, as
it is on all the other public occasions before-men-
tioned. The nearest relations to the deceased, as
for instance, his children, are obliged to wear the
cawl of the \ictiin, especially if it be a sheep, for
a collar round about their necks. 1'hat is their usual
niomiiing for one so near a kin. We have already
C)bserved that such as are in mean cireunjstances,
and incapable of offering up any sacrifice, by way
of purification, sit down contented with shaving
tlieir heads and beards, as a public testimony of their
affection and concern.
Such is the account we have of these people called
Hottentots who reside near the Cape of Good Hope.
Some of them have been converted to the Christian
faith by the Dutch ministers. Those who visit the
Cape town, are very civil and obliging. Many of
them are employed as labourers, and they are faithful
ill keeping safe whatever is committed to their care.
This may serve to shew, what good effectj would
flow from preaching the gospel in its simplicity,
without an unnecessary ridiculous load of ceremo-
nies. 'J lie Dutch clergy are, in general, a very
pious laborious set of men ; and it would be much
to the honour of the States General to have a school
for the education of youth in the Cape tow n. There
the sons of the better sort o( Hottentots might soon
31 . G
be educated, and sent to preach the gospel of Christ
to their poor darkened countrymen.
Christ came in the flesh that lie might destroy
Satan's kingdom; and he has left it incumbent on
all his followers, to projiagate the knowledge ol
his name as far as their influence will reach. The
l^utch have been long blessed with the light of the
gospel, and the most grateful returns tliey can make
for such an inestimable favour is to teach it to the
heathens. Indeed, it will be an aggravation of their
guilt if they do it not. Nay, we may venture to
affirm, that all those who know the value of the
Christian religion, will wish to make evei-y 'one
equally happy with themselves. And what happi-
ness is so great as that of promoting the interests of
precious immortal souls. To bring ihcin from dark-
ness to light, and from the power of satan to God.
V\ hat amazing progress has been made in the liiL^h-
lands and -islands of Scotland within these thirtv
years.- Nay, what vast progress has been made in
converting many of the American savages; and both
these good works have been conducted by societies
iu this kingdom. Of this the Dutch are not ifiuf-
rant, and let them take an example from our bene-
volent countrymen, who, for their compassion for
souls ol their fellow-creatures, will receive the ap-
probation of Christ at the last day.
lie/lgion of the People of Motto Motapa
The inhabitants of this kingdom are all idola-
tors for although they acknowledge God as the
creator of the universe, w honi they call by different
names, according to .the qualities they ascribe to
him, yet they have several idols, and in particular
they adore a certani virgin, whom they distinguish
by the title of Pern. They have some particular
days in every month which they consider as more
solemn and holy than others. The anniversary of
their sovereign's birth day is alwaj-s kept as a sort of
festival, and to that we may add, the awful homage
and profound reverence which they pay him, by
lighting up a great number of fires. That these
people have not in every place a settled form of wor-
ship, will appear evident to every one who considers
that some of them worship one idol and some ano-
ther.
That they should pay divine honours to their
sovereign, -will not appear very strange, when we
consider that the Romans, who boasted of their
superior knowledge, actually worshijjped their em-
perors. As for their lighting so many fires on their
sovereign's birth-day, it is done as a mark of their
respect, homage and allegiance, which is expected
from every subject. The king orders his inferior
46'2
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN AFRICA.
officers to deliver to the people throughout the whole
of his domiuioiis some wood for that purpose every
year, so that the fuel costs them nothing. Every
subject is under the indispensible necessity of ex-
tinguishing the fnes in their houses, during the time
that they ii^ht those in honour of the king.
It is at this time that all, the taxes are paid to the
king, and probably were it not for that, he would
not be so liberal in distributing the fuel. Thus
these ignorant princes in Africa, who are little bet-
ter than savages, can extort money from their sub-
jects with the same facility as the most cunning of
our accomplished European monarchs. But not-
withstanding, it is certain, that like the ancient Per-
sians, they consider tire as a sacred element. For
they never would be so superstitiously attached to it
in honour of their sovereign, were it not that they
consider something in it as endowed with Divine
povver, perhaps as one of the qualities of the Su-
preme 15cing.
When the king encamps at any place, a hut, or
tent, is immediately erected, wherein a tire is kind-
led, and kept burning w ith all the precaution ima-
ginable. And here it may not be unnecessary to ob-
serve, that the sophis of Persia had always some
sacred fire carried before them ; and we have taken
notice in our accounts of the Gaures, that ail the
Oriental nations testiiied the most profound venera-
tion, for this their favomitc and sacred element.
The only reason we can, from the best information,
assign for this regard shewn to fire is, its being con-
sidered as an emanation from the sun, and the vast
benefit it is of to mankind.
They alwavs bow their knees when they approach
their monarch, and never speak to him in a stand-
ing posture. No person must speak in his presence
but when he puts the glass to ids mouth to drink,
all the spectators make loud acclamations by shout-
ing and huzzaing. These acclamations are re-
echoed throughout the whole of the place where he
resides, and the news is soon communicated to the
neighbouring villages. This is carrying flattery and
adulation to a large height indeed ; but it must be
observed, that all those people who live in warm
climates, are, in their political notions, little better
than slaves.
I^ike the inhaTaitauts of many other heathen na-
tions, both the king and his subjects are slaves to
superstition, and repose an extraordinary confidence
in dreams and charms. The king has a building
erected, in which he hangs up all the bodies of such
malefactors as have been executed. And, horrid to
mention, such dead bodies are never buried while
any radical moisture remains in them, which is re-
ceived in a vessel appropriated for that purpose. —
From this distillation they compose a sovereign elix-
ir for his majesty's use, which iu their opinion is not
only an infallible preservative against the power
of magic, but also au invaluable medicine to prolong
life.
In this country, the young virgins go naked till
tliey are married, except that they cover those parts
which the women of all nations conceal. VVhen
they are married and have children, they cover
their breasts, and wear such other dresses as are
fashionable among them. And ignorant as these
people are, yet they have convents like the nunne-
ries in Roman Catholic countries, but these are only
for the young womeu to reside in till they are mar-
ried.
Polygamy, or a plurality of wives is allowed
here, but there is always one who is superior to
the rest, according to the custom of many other na-
tions. No virgin is permitted to marry till her mo-
ther, or some other woman has declared that she is
capable of having children. Seduction is little known
among them, for they marry extremely young. As
for their old women, they pay but little regard to
them ; for like those of many other countries, they
value women no longer than the bloom of beauty
remains.
When these people are engaged in war, they never
wash themselves till peace is concluded, and pro-
bably this custom is the result of a solemn vow, an
engagement which they voluntarily lay themselves
under, out of a laudable concern for the honour and
welfare of their country. There is another cere-
mony observed among them, some footsteps of
which may be traced in ancient history, and that is,
die making eunuchs of their prisoners, and making
presents of the spoils taken from their enemies to
their wives, who are proud of wearing such things,
as glorious signatures of their husbands' conquests.
This practice very naturally reminds us of that re-
markable circumstance in the sacred history of king
David, that Saul would not acknowledge hiin as his
son-in-law, till he had produced as a nuptunl pre-
sent, an hundred fore-skins of the Philistines. Jo-
sephus, who has altered several parts of the sacred
history, to conceal some of the practices of his
countrymen, tells us, that instead of one hundred
fore-skins, it was six hundred heads of the Philis-
tines that David presented to Saul.
As for the funeral solemnities of these people,
they differ but little from the rest of the heathen
Africans. They preserve, with the utmost care,
the bodies of their deceased, and for eight days
successively pay them a kind of adoration. On
such solemn occasions they dress themselves in
white, and set before the deceased a large quantity
of provisions, spread on a table in a very decent
manner. After this, they implore his benediction
on his sacred majesty the king and themselves ; and
then they sit down and regale themselves on the
RFXIGION OF THE INHABITANTS OF AGAG, 6cc.
46.3
dakities. Afterwards the body is carried out for
inlerment, either iu the woods, or in some other
obscure place.
To conclude, the last custom of a religious ua-
ture that we shall take notice of, is the oath they
take oil the most solemn occasions. When a man
is charged witli being guilty of a crime, and the
evidence against him is not full enough to convict
him, iie is obliged to take a medicine to clear his
iiuiocence. If he vomits it up, he is declared guilty,
but if it digests upon his stomach he is considered
as innocent, and consequently acquitted. Tliis cus-
tom once prevailed among many of the heathen 11.1-
tions, and it does so still iu some parts of the world
besides Africa. The custom, however, is very
barbarous ; for the truth inconvicting criminal should
never be sought out any other way than by volun-
tary evidence.
RELIGION OF THE INHABITANTS OF AGAG, TOCOCKA,
AND QLITEVE.
JLN treating of these- people we shall not enter into
the controversy, whether they are subject to the king
of MoDomotapa, or whether they have princes of
their own. Perhaps their form of government is
often changed, as it is among all other barbarians in
tlie world, and it is needless to form conjectures w hen
we have no authority to support them.
They have, according to Purthas, a confused
notion of one Supreme Being, whom the call ^lo-
tungo, but they never implore him for any favours,
and consef^uently they never return him any praise.
When they are labouring under any afflictions, whe-
ther public or private, it is to their sovereign that
they make the most humble supplications for re-
dress. To him they pray for all the blessings of
Providence, which may serve to point out, that
they are most gross idolators. A long and tedious
drought is mostly followed by impelious showers,
and so in all tlie other changes of the seasons ; and
the people who are eaSy and incurious, imagine
that their monarch works all these marvellous
things for them, without ever enquiring any far-
ther.
This king of theirs is for ever surrounded by a
parcel of sycophants, composed of poets and mu-
sicians, who make it their whole study to persuade
him that he is a god, They sing culogiums in
praise of him, and in their compositions bestow on
him all the pompous epithets and swelling titles
their imaginations can suggest. They style him
lord of the sun and moon, and king of the earth
and sea, and as in all probability they imagine that
every action, whether good or evil, which ap-
proaclies nearest to a pitch of perfection, deserves
the character of great and magnificent, they call
their monarchs the grand magician, as we do our
princes' illustrious conquerors. These are very fa-
voin-able appellations with them, and they likewise
call their sovereigns robbers, which to them con-
vey no bad idea, seeing plunder and robbery is the
very profession, the very employment of these sa-
vages.
They offer up prayers to the souls of their de-
ceased relations, so that we may naturally conclude
they believe the immortality of the soul ; and thus
much is certain, that they have the most awful and
tremendous notions of the devil, whom they call
the inveterate enemy of all mankind. As they be-
lieve the immortality of the soul, one would natu-
rally imagine, that they give their assent to the ac-
knowledgement of a future state of rewards and pu-
nishments ; and yet we are told, that they have no
notion of hell, but flatter themselves that after tlieif
decease they shall all enter into paradise, where they
shall indulge themselves in all m;inner of voluptuous-
ness with their wives and children. We have,
however, some doubts of the trutii of what is here
advanced ; fo*r the most illiterate heathens make a
distinction between virtue and vice, and conse-
quently they must belie\e there is a future state of
rewards and punishments, whetlur for a time or for '
eternity.
They are perfect strangers to any genuine account
of the creation of the world ; for according to some
travellers, they believe it to be eternal, but this cer-
tainty cannot be true, for those who believe that the
world had not a beginning, will h.ardly be brought
to believe that it will ever have an end. All their
religious ceremonies arc regulated according to the
will of the prince, and the first day of every month
is a holiday. Most of their festivals are held in me-
mory of their deceased and dearest relations, and
these are a sort of deities worshipped by them. —
They have implicit faith in some particular oracles,
464
RELIGION OF THE INHABITANTS OF AGAG, &c.
tvhich, as they pretend, have the power lo reveal to
them the knowledge of future events.
It is proper we should here observe, that the an-
cient idolators, of whom we read so much in t!ie
histories of Greece and Rome, did not worship their
departed relations indiscrimiuattly : No, those di-
vine honours were paid only to tlie virtuous, in order
that after their decease, they might become media-
tors between the Supreme Being and the whole
race of mankind. To this may be added, that it
was done to stimulate the living to the practise of
virtue.
In their trials of prisoners, they liave several ce-
remonies, but their oaths in general consist in mak-
ing the accused person swallow a strong dose of
physic, and according to its operation they form
their notions of his guilt or innocence. When he
takes the medicine, several dreadful curses are pro-
nounced, to induce the prisoner to tell the truth.
And if these maldictions and the medicines have no
extraordinary effects on tiie prisoner, he is declared
innocent, and acquitted. On such occasions, the
jjrosecutor's goods are all confiscated, and he with
■ his wives and children are all sold as slaves.
They have another form of trial, not much un-
like the fiery ordeal in ancient times in our country
of Britain. These Africans cull it Xoqus, and it is
a kind of trial by a hot iron. The iron is made hot,
jand the person is obliged to lick it. If he burns his
tongue, it is an indication of his guiJt, but if other-
wise, he is declared innocent. They have several
other sorts of ceremonies in the administration of
oaths, but they are so much similar to some of those
already mentioned in our account of Congo, that it
is altogether unnecessary to repeat them.
All their wives are obtained by purchase, and the
man who has the greatest number of handsome and
accomplishe<l daughters, is esteemed the richest. —
If the purchaser makes any objection to the young
woman after she has been with him .some time, he
returns her to her parents, and receives back some
part of the pnrcliase money ; after which, they
■dispose of her to the next person who bids most.
With respect to such women as are poor, they are a
sort of slaves for life, for their husbands domineer
over them in the most cruel and tyrannical manner.
The mean degrading manner in which the female
_sex are held in this country, where they are bought
and sold, points out that tlie passions of the men
are 0)ean, low, vulgar, and selfish. Love is of a
spontaneous nature, it cannot be purcliased ; it flows
as it were imperceptibly, and thus it is distinguished
from gratitude, which is a purchased duty, because
it commands a thankful return.
Such as are very old and infirm, are treated in
the same manner as the Cafres or Ho tentots, near
the Cape of Good Hope; that is, they are totally
abandoned, and their death is hastened on as fast as
possible. It is true, they extend their charity for
some of them so far, as to convey them into deserts,
but there tiiey are left either to strave, or be devour-
ed by wild beasts. Nay, the poor helpless wretches,
conscious of their approaching misery, beg to be
dispatched out of the way, without being torn ia
pieces by wild beasts.
The burial of their dead is left entirely to the
will and discretion of those who survive, and, in-
deed, they are generally interred in a very decent
manner. They put into the grave some different
sorts of provisions, to support the deceased during
his journey to the other world. Some earth is then
thrown over the corpse, and the chairs and bed of"
the deceased are piled over the grave. They are so
superstitnous as not to touch, on any account v\ hat-
ever, such chairs or beds, or indeed any thing that
has touched the dead body. Their mourning con-
tinues eight days together, from the rising to this set-
ting of the sun ; and that time is spent in dances,
songs and bowlings. The mourning being over,
they eat and drink in honour of their departed friends
and relations, it being customary on such occasions
to consecrate all whom they know.
At the first appearance of the new moon, in the
month of September, the king, who is the visible
God of the country, sets out from Simbaoe, his
capital city, attended by a grand retinue. He then
repairs to the top of a particular hill, which is the
place where their kings are buried, and there per-
forms nine days' devotion, to the memory of his
illustrious ancestors. As soon as ihey are arrived at
the place, they open the ceremony with a most ele-
gant entertainment, and there intoxicate their brains
with a liquor which they call Kombo. After their
days of joy and festivity are ended, two more are
spent in grief and sorrow, and on the last of these
days, they imagine that the soul of the last de-
ceased king, enters into the body of one of the
courtiers.
The person falls down, and rolls upon the ground,
and the devil, by his mouth, delivers himself in an
unknown tongue ; but soon after he comes to him-
self, grows more gentle and tractable, and talks in
the language and style of the late king. His im-
perial majesty, imagining that he perfectly recol-
lects his predecessor, approaches and salutes him;
and immediately the whole assembly retreat, and
testify their respect at an awful distance. His ma-
jesty being thus alone with the demoniac, consults
him as an infallible oracle, on all his affairs of any
importance, both public and private.
As soon as this oracle has delivered such answers
as he thinks convenient, the devil withdraws, and
the poor harassed tlemoniac, as we are informed, for
the generality sits down contented all his life after,
RELIGION OF THE INHARITANTS OF AGAG, &c.
4(j.5
and thinks himself sufticiently recompensed for all
liis fatigue by liaving l);id the lionour of such a mira-
culous conference wiiii his royal master. This in-
triijue, in all probability, is owing to the delusion
anil nn posture of some person who professes himself
an able magician, and that is all we can say of it
with any certainly. It is well, known, bye the bye,
that a thousand instances may be produced from the
ancients of pretended spirits that have been raised
by their necromancers on llie like occasions.
W hen the kius; dies, his wives poison themselves
the moment he expires, in order to die with, and
wait on him in his progress to the other world. —
As soon as his soul is departed, he is instantly con-
•veyed to the sepulcine of his ancestors, and his suc-
cessor the next morning takes possession of the
royal dignity, and all the concubines of the deceased.
Re then exposes himself to public view , but in such
a manner, that a curtain conceals both hiin and his
wives from being discerned by the populace. He
K immediately proclaimed throughout the kingdom,
in order that the nobility and gentry may recognize
his authority, and pay him homage. This ceremony
k performed with all that passive obedience and
abject deportment which is so conspicuous all over
the east, and so agreeable to their imperious mo-
narchs, who look n\hm themselves as deities, or at
least as something more than human, when they see
their subjects creeping and cringing, with such awful
fear, at the footstool of their thrones, and address-
ing themselves with all humility to their persons,
without presuuiing to lift up their heads, and look
thejn in the »ace. Thus the subjecfts of Africa jwy
their submission and all-'gi;ince to their inonairh,
who graciously condescends to answer them, but
still behind the curtain, which, however, is soon after
drawn, and then his majesty obliges them with a
full view of his sacred person, tvery one immedi-
ately claps his hands, and rends the air with loud
acclamations : in a few minutes tiie curtain conceals
him again, and the nobility and gentry withdraw,
cringing and crouching in the same abject and sub-
missive manner as when they came. The whole city
celebrate the festival of his happv accession to the
throne, and testify their joy with loud huzzas, and
a vast variety of their country nmsic.
The next day his imperial majesty causes a pro-
clamation to be made of his accession to the throne
by proper officers, who at the same time irive a gene-
ral invitation to al! persons whotnsoever, without
distinction, to see their new sovereign break the bow.
This ceremony is sometimes observed when there
are several competitors or candidates for the royal
dignity; and there are divers instances o/ the like
royal contentions to be met with amongst the ancient
inhabitants of Europe and Asia.
The new monarch, in all probability, complies
31 ■ 6 b
with this ceremonious act, in Order to give the peo-
ple a specimen of strength and uncommon abilities.
There arc so many instances that may be produccci
from the ancients, to dcmoi'strate that such as were
appointed to be sovereigns and rulers over the people,
were by them required to have a larger share of
strength of body, as well as sagacity and penefralion;
than the generality of mankind, that it would be
needless, if not impcrlineiit, to quote them. Wc
shall content 'ourselves therefore with extracting oue
shining example from the annals of France, to prove
that the French gave into xhe same notion, and ex-
pected to find in their jjrinces the very same accom-
plishments. Pepin the Short, perceiving himself the
object of contempt amongst a particular set of his
courtiers, who, on account of his tigure, .which was
both thick and low, entertained but a mean idea of
his personal abilities, invited them, by way of amu.se-
meiit, to see a fair battle between a bull and a lion.
As soon as he observed that the latter had got the
mastery of the former, and was ready to devour him,
" Now, gentlemen, says he, who amongst you all
has courage enough to interpose bet\^•eell these
bloody combatants ? W ho of you all dare rescue
the bull, and kill the lion :" Not one of the numer-
ous spectators would venture to undertake so dan-
gerous an enterprise; whereupon the king instantly
leaped into the area, drew his sabre, and atone blow
severed the lion's head from his shoulders. Return-
ing without the least emotion or concern to his seat,
he gave those who had entertained but a mean opi-
nion of him to understand in a jocular way, that
though Da\ id was low of stature, yet he demolished
the great Goliah ; and that though Alexander was
but a little man, he performed more heroic actions
than all his tallest officers and commanders put to-
gether. David, though he met with the like con-
temptible treatment from Saul on the very same
occasion, was, iiotwiihstanding, remarkable for his
strength, and was numbered amongst tlic valiant
men of Israel. He says himself in one of his
psalms, that by the strength of his arm he broke a
steel bow asunder. Mr. Le Clerc, indeed, in his
annotations, seems to intimate, that this expression
is only a poetical hyperbole ; yet there arc other
commentators, in all prol)ability, to be met with,
who give this pas.sage quite another gloss, who look
upon it as real fact, and a public teslimouy which
David was willing to give the people of his extra-
ordinary abilities.
When the Quiteve understands there are several
rivals, and that his title is precarious, he must make
ail the interest he is capable with the wives of the
late monarch ; for he alone, whom they admit into
the royal palace, is his true and lawful successor. —
To get possession by force, would be of no manner
of service ; for all acts of violence, in tJiat case, are
466
RELIGION OF THE INHABITANTS OF AGAG, &c.
repugnant lo the laws of the land. The competitor,
whoever he be, forfeits all his right and title to the
crown, that is guilty of such rash proceedings. The
test method therefore that he can take to maintain
his claim, is to make his court to, and ingratiate hia>-
self as much as possible in the interest and favour
of the ladies before mentioned.
We have already observed, that a considerable
number of the king's wives are their own voluntary
executioners the monicnt he expires. There is also,
we arc assured, a numerous retinue of tliejr grandees
selected to attend him, under pretence tliat he has
occasion for their service in the other world ; and
the successor, for the generality, makes a shrewd
choice of such as he has just apprehensions would
be factious and disaffected to his government. For-
merly the king iiimself, tiiey say, was not exempt
from that barbarous and inhuman law, whereby it
was enacted, that all such as were afflicted with any
incurable distempers, should hasten tiieir death by
violent means. In that case their kings themselves
submitted to their fate, as soon as they had nomi-
nated and appointed a person whom tiiey best ap-
proved of to succeed tiiein. Any conspicuous de-
formity, crosses, misfortunes, adversity, or, in short,
the loss of two of their fore-teeth, oblijied them to
the like voluntary submission. A king, say they,
should have no natural imperfections. If it is his
misfortune, had not he much better quit the world
with disdain, and fly to another, where he will be
for ever free from all infirmities ?
In process of time, however, their monarchs grew
more in love with life, and protested against such
false principles, how heroic soever they might seem
to be at first view. One of them preferring the
certain enjoyment of this life before the hopes of
absolute perfection in the next, caused a proclama-
tion lo be issued out, that though he had the mis-
I'ortune to lose one of his teeth, lie was determined
to live for the good of his subjects, and wait with
patience for the day of his dissolution. Several par-
ticular days are instituted and appointed by this
prince for the royal diversion of hunting, on which
alone the lion is allowed to be run down; which
presumption is at ail other times looked upon as a
capital oifence, because the Quite\e is digmtled and
distinguished by the honourable appellation of the
Grand Lion.
Ihesc people never engage in any afl'air of im-
portance, till they have first consulted vihether they
shall meet with success, by lot, with a kind of dice,
or by some mystic lines or characters traced out upon
the ground. Notwithstanding sorcery is prohibited
on pain of death, or at least on the confiscation of
their wives, children, and liberty itself, yet they have
& strong propensity that way. Adultery and theft
are subject to the same penalties as the practice of
magic.
When the king has any negociations to transact
with his neighbours, he nominates and appoints four
ambassadors for liiat particular service. The first
only represents his sacred person, and nnist be treat-
ed with the same dignity and respect as his majesty
himself; the second is called the king's Mouth, and
it is his peculiar province to declare the purport ox
his commission ; the third is tlie king's I'^ye, wiiose
business is to inspect, and pry into all that passes ;
the fourth and last is the king's Ear. He is obliged
to listen with the utmost attention to all that is said
on one side and on the other, and to make an im-
partial report thereof to his royal master.
In this account of these people, are so many in-
stances of the dreadful depravity of human nature,
that we are frequently lost in amazement, and were
they not attested by the most respectable authority,
we could not give any credit to tliem, but to doubt
of them after such evidence, would be an equal in-
stance of madness, as if we were to assert tliat the
l^oman Catholic religion is not professed in Italy.
Unwortliy notions of the Divine Being, imaginations
of his corporeal existence, lead to barbarity in prac-
tice ; for whenever we consider God as holy, pure,
just, merciful, and good ; wiien we consider liim as
infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, we are led to
consider what sort of service is due to him, what
he expects from us the most acceptable, and which
will civilize our manners here, while it prepares us
for everlasting happiness. IJut what can be said of
those poor creatures who know no better, who are
left to their own wild imaginations, and even think
worse of the objects of their worship than they pos-
sibly can of themselves. As we are commanded to
pray for all mankind, so we should never forget
these benighted creatures in our addresses to the
throne of grace. God approves ot his creatures
wii-hing for the happiness of each other, and v\hen
in that instance we discharge our duty, we are to
rest satisfied, leaving the event to divine wisdom.
Beligion of the natives of Sofola.
All that we can learn of these people is, that
they are idolaters. As to their nuptial rites and
ceremonies, they are mucli the s.-.me as their neigh-
bours ; the following circumstance excepted, v^ hich
is very singular and remarkable. The bridegroom
procures a friend to carry him upon his back to the
place appointed for the solemnization of his marri-
age, and this friendly service must be done at one
stretch ; for if he rests, it is looked upon as an im-
RELIGION OF THE PEOPLE OF QUILIMANCA, &c.
46 7
prn^ilioiis omen, nnd the wedding; must be deferred
till aiiollier ujipcii tiiiiity. ^oiiietiim.'S the iiitiich iS
eiitirrlv broke oil' nilhout any further ceremony on
tlie like tiiiliappy ilisaslor.
As to then- funeral solemnities, they as well as all
tliORo of wtioiii we Iiuve been before speaking, fur-
nish tlieir dead with ii variety of provisions, and
they erect two stones, one at the he;ui and the other
at the foot of the grave, and rub them with siniiial.
I'hey are nii;^h!ily addicted to dreams; and allliongh
the creduluy of those ignorant people is for the ge-
nerality imposed upon, yet ihey cannot be persuaded
by any means to duviale from this their favourite su-
perstition; but there is no occasion to travel as far
as Sofola to find out people of the same stamp and
disposition.
Some particular Cafres, who reside in these parts
convey their dead into a cavern, which abounds
with a vast number of crocodiles, in order that the
souls of the deceased may enter into these animals,
and purity themselves by that means. They have
such a peculiar veneration for these crocodiles, that
they leave proper provisions for them at the mouth
oi' their dens, «hich are looked upon as holy ground.
\Vc have reduced this article into as small a compass
as possibly we could to avoid tautologies, and num-
berless absurdities, which a long detail thereof woidd
inevitably lead us into. It is no ditlicult task to
make a collection of the numerous contradictions
which are to be met with in the accounts of tra-
vellers on this topic ; but it requires a world of
judgment to distinguish what is true from what is
false.
Indeed these people are not numerous, and in
most of their religious ceremonies, they differ but
little from tiie Hottentots, and some other African
nations, whose religions we have already given an
account of. The English gentlemen, who were
sent over by his present majesty a few years ago, to
collect plants near tlie Cape of Good Hope, were
informed by the Dutch clergymen, who attended
tliem during an eight day's excursion they made up
the couniry, tliat these people were amongst the
most barbarous of all the Hottentots, and so unso-
cial, that they had little or no connections wiih the
rest of the nations around them ; but an old Hotten-
tot, who had embraced the Christian religion, as-
sured them, that they buried alive all those aged
persons who were unable to procure themselves a
subsistence. This may serve to !>hew, thr.t they are
destitute of bowels and compassion ; and what is still |
more, they imagine that such barbarous actions are
acceptable to the idols, or rather the devils whom
they worship. This indeed has less or more been
the effect of idolatry in ail ages and nations, v\hich
is a striking evidence that politeness, humanity, be-
nevolence, and all other social virtues can only be
fonml where the human mind is enlarged witli true
knowledge, and adorned with real |'iety. Lveiy
thing else leads to barbarity, and even adds to tlie
deformiiy of that nature which is already so much
corrupted.
Relh^ioii nf llic people 7c/io live on the conat.i of Qiii-
Ihnnnrd, Luranga, Qu'r.itii'^o, ftml ris fur a-'i
Ciniia, torcanln the honlers <f Sifu/a.
Those who reside near the first river, are sotne
part of tlie ancient 'i"roglo.!ytes. Some of these
peojile have no idols ; and if they have, there are
several of them, we are informed, tiiat worship but
tme God, and acknowledge his i)ivine Providence,
his goodness, and the imniortality of the soul, and
they believe, also, the existence of evil spirits.—
But all this notwithstanding, does not prevent them
from blaspheming the Deity, if their atl'airs run
counter, aiul give them the least provocation. They
observe some jjarticular I'estivals and days of absti-
nence w ilh extraordinary strictness ; but the next
day they always make themselves amends by exces-
sive drinking. They debauch ihemsei'ves with the
heady liquor of maize, and a kind of sweet wine,
made from their own country fruit. ■ Mombaza is
inhabited by Mahometans and idolaters, and there
is so trivial a difference between the religion of these
j)eople, and the others before mentioned, that it is
not worth our observation. '1 he king is, as it were,
a kind <Sf visible god, who assumes to himself an ab-
solute power here on earth, and they carry lire be-'
fore him w hen he takes the field.
The people of Melinda testify an unexampled ve-
neration and respect for iheir sovereign, and they
carry him on their shoulders, and prostrate them-
selves before his litter, without preseming so far as
to look him in the face. Several officers, plenti-
fully jirovided with the most exquisite perfumes,
march before him; and for fear he should meet with
Miy disaster upon the road, tl.e moment he sets out
from his royal palace, they cut open a young hind,
the inlrails whereof tlieir idolatrous priests very curi-
ously examine, in order to find the good or ill suc-
cess of this expedition. l"he people rend the air
w ith loud acclamations of joy, ancl their most beau-
tiful women present themselves befor-; his Aloorish
majesty, some singing his cnlogiums, and others of-
fering up, or biirniiig their perfumes before him. —
When they are upon any important debate, they al-
ways take care to cut open a hind, and make the cu-
rious inspection before menlidned. His majesty is
obliged to walk three times successively over the
hind, and the priest after such incision, practises se-
veral magical experiments, in order to ascertain the
488
rJELIGION OF THE ETHIOPIANS AND Gx'iULS.
success. These people are, for the gencralit}', ad-
riicted to the practice of magic, which principally
consisting in some certain charms, and being accom-
panied with a dance which is very tuesome and fa-
tigueing, affects at least one of the company then
present, who, in this situation, discovers the secret
they want to have revealed.
They indulge themselves in a plurality of wives,
and on the v.edding-day, two or three female neigh-
bours, or relations of the bi idegroom, march out at
the head of a numerous train, and betimes in the
morning, attend at the door of the bride's habitation,
and there dance and sing, till the .whole company
j«en and women, have made the usual marriage
presents, which princijjally consist in maize and
riour. Before the testimonies of their respect are
paid, the female dancers are presented with a hand-
ful of maize, and have their left eye and cheek
dusted over with flour. The day concludes witk
joy and rejoicing, and in the evening, the bridegroom
conducts his partner to his own house, which closes
the ceremony. '1 he yiiung maidens, on tlie borders
of Quizungo, when they are on the point of mar-
riage, depart from their Jiabitations, and repair into
some barren field, there to bemoan themselves for
the space of an hour on the prospect of resigning
their virgin honours. This ceremony is observed in
the day-time liefore a great number of friends and
relations, who come to visit them on this occasion.
At night they return home, and as soon as ever the
jiew moon appears, the marriage feast begins, and
the next morning the damsel is delivered to lier lover,
who takes her to his warm embraces without any
farther ceremony. ,
Their mourning is accompanied with long lamen-
tations, and with weeping and wailing as loud as
ever they can stretch their throats. They cover their
dead, or rather wrap them up in black s\\ addling
cloths. They bury them w ilh their fire-arms, their
equipage, and all other proper accommodations for
their journey. The mat on which the person de-
ceased lay, the chair or stool on which. he sat, and
the utensils or implements of furniture which he
made use of in his iile-time, nay, his very habitation
are all burnt immediately after his interment. The
lo.ss however, as is presumed, does not amount to
any considerable value; for these people are not
ambitious of erecting any pompous and magnificent
fabrics. Ibe same customs are observed by the
jiiajor part of the inhabitants of this coast, and it is
3 iundamental article \\ith them, that the living
jnust not touch the dead, nor any thing belonging to
them, for such action would be an in)inediate ^pol-
lution; and this unfortunate persouinust.r.ot rcrenler
his house, nor have any intercourse or familiar con-
verse with his countrymen, till he has first washed
and purified himself. The ashes of every thing
burnt about the dead are collected together, <tnd
thrown into tlieir graves with them, and their mourn-
ing continues two hours a day for eigl-.t days toge-
ther. However, about midnight, one of the com-
pany sets the tune to their lamentations, and the
whole assembly strike up immediately in the same
mela.icholy key. In the morning they visit the
grave, in order to supply the deceased wilh proper
provisions. Those w li/i undertake this friendly oflice
dust their left eye and cheek with flour, in the same
manner as at their nuptial ceremonies. They mut-
ter some certain words over the graves of their
dead: but whether they pray to them for success
in their harvest, or requests to have them in remem-
brance, we are at a loss to determine, fui ihey never
wa'ih their faces till the time of their mourning is
expired.
On the coast of Melinda, and the parts adjacent,
the young men, nay, the boys of seven or eight
years of age, wear about six or seven pound weight
of clay round their heads, till tiiey have given some
visible proof of their valour in war, or in single
combat, and they are obligcr! to produce some tokens
of their victory, and some eii'ects of their neighbours.
They are under the same indispensible obligation,
as the natives of Mono Motapa, to produce some
undeniable testimony of their conquest and courage.
Such a certificate must be had ; and, doubtless, such
peremptory nijunction, and the scandal those lie
under, who are indolent and inactive, and neglect
the duty incumbent on them, are inesistible mo-
tives to the frequent practice of bold and heroic
actions.
We shall conclude with this cursory observation,
that there are a set of notorious, despicable fellows,
between Angola, and Mono Motapa, who are ad-
dicted to Sodomitical practices, and are a scandal
to their sex ; by gratifying the inordinate lusts and
passions of their brutal companions. These effemi-
nate debauchees, in all probability, are species of
the Floridan Hermaphrodites.
Itefigion of the Etkiopians and the Gauls.
Notwithstanding they .live under a Christian go-
vernment, there are nwmberless idolators in this ex-
tensive empire. 'J hey are vagaljonds and barbarians
says l..udolphus, who profess no religion, are under
no legal restrictions, nor subservient to any king.. —
They are, in short, a kind of Troglodytes, and
their language is very confused, rough, and unpo-
lished. These barbarous people are reckoned
amongst the number of the Cafres ; but besides
these, there are the Agawas, who inhabit the high-
lauds of Goiam, the Gonguas, the Gafates, the
RELIGION OF THE ISLANDERS OF SOCOTORA.
409
Gauls, who in all proba!)ility, arc the Cuasfuas, or
Jages, Tihom wo have already described, ami sevc-
rnl others too tedious to enniiierate. \\ c shall oegin
with the Gauls.
They have no idols, no outward fonji of divine
worship; at least, ilo customs, wherein there are
any visible prints, or footsteps of religion. They
make uo distinctions between the heavens, and the
Supreme lieing, the creator and preserver of all
things. Though it is lie, as they s:iy, \\\\o com-
prizes all things witliin his own infinite immensity,
vet they i>ay him no manner of adoration. How-
ever, tluiv' are, we are infornied, very tractaljle, and
might with ease be made proselytes to the Christian
faith. The natives of Zendcr worship idols, or
devils,, and are extremely addicted to the pra<'tice
and studv of the biack art; as to tlie others, we have
nothing to offer concerning them that is worth the
reader's attention.
T!)e Gauls obsevve the ceremony of circumcision,
and indulge themselves in a plurality of wives. —
Their young men arc not permitted to cut ofT their
hair, until they have signalized tiicir courage in
some warlike expedition, in the death of an enemy,
or in the <;hase, bv hunting down and killing some
savage monster. It is not the heads of vlieir ene-
liiies that they pnwhice as testimonials of their va-
lour, but sonje other very remarkable member,
which the reader will readily discover, when he is
i<iformed, that ihcy must give ocular demonstration
ef tlic slain person's sex. These honourable and
(iistingtiishing marks of their prowess are hung up
astrophies, at the head of their camp. Once in
■eight years they elect a new general or conunanc'er,
who is obliged to notity his accession to the govern-
ment, by an irruption on some of the Ethiopian
tcriitories.
I he natives of Zendcr hunt all roniul their woods;
In order to find out a king, or ruler over them,
amongst the savage beasts, who by the prevailing
intluencc of his incantations allures them to him, as
Orpheus did of old, by the melody of his umsic. —
None but t!ic grandees, or nobility of the kingdom,
have any right or title to elect a prince after the
death of his predecessor. In order to find out his
haimts iiTtfie forest, they take a bird of the eagle
kind for their guide, v.ho by his cries discovers the
mighty hero that is to be their sovereign : and there
have been people much more polished and retined,
v*ho have relied on as precarious guides for the just
object of their choice. Darius, king o)» Persia, the
hrst of that name, had the good fortune to be
elected king, for no other reason but that his horse
neighed before any of those belonging to his rivals,
and compctit(.rs for the crown, who had unanimously
agreed after the death of Smerdis the impostor, that
he whose horse neighed tirst, should be elected king
31 I
without further ceremony. But to return to the
king of Zendcr.
'I'hat innate modesty, or rather that estaljlishcd
rule amongst these savages, which induces him to
conceal himself, obliges him to oppose those who
are ambitious of electing him ; and he carries the
ceremony so far, as to light with and wound them,
if possibly he c:m. For which reason the electors
are obliged to treat him roughly, to provoke and
torment him, in oriler to bring him to compliance,
and accept of the crown ; but he must not sutVer
himself to receive the least wound from any of his
importunate electors; for in that case, he is looked
upon as altogether unworthy of that high dignitv ;
nay, his subjects, we are infornied, are permitted to
murder him in case he happens to be wounded in
this affected opposition and resistance. J'ut be that
as it will, even after he has submitted to his electors,
he is once more subject to the insults of those who
meet him on the road, and who endeavour by force
to mount him on their shoulders, ambitious of the
honour of conducting him to his throne. This resal
..... ^
seat, we may easily imagine, is none of the most
pompons and magniticent ; nor is his palace any
thing more than a thatched house, t>r at best, than
a common tent or pavilion.
Religion of the islanders of Socotora.
The islanders of Socotora or Beduins, copy after,
and are successors or descendants of the Troglodytes ;
for like them, they reside in caverns, and hollow
rocks. There are some authors who have attempted
to palm them upon lis for the converts of St. 'Ilio-
inas. [lowever, they have no knowledge, we are
credibly, infornied either of .lesus Christ, or of the
Christian religion, though it is true, indeed, they
seem to pay an extraordinary veneration to the cross,
and deposit it on their altars.
They worship the moon as the parent and cause
of all things ; and when they have been afflicted
with along series of dry weather, they make their
earnest applications to her for a supply of water,
in the following extraordinary manner. 'I'hey make
choice of one ot the assembly, whom they inclose
and shut up, as it were, in a kind of ciicumvalla-
tion, from whence he must not presume to stir, on
pain of death. This devote* thus contined, is oblig-
ed to make his humblest addresses to tlie moon for
ten _jlays together, to implore the blessing of her
refreshing showers. If it be matter of fact, that
they cut off the hands of such devotee, in case, at
the expiration of the term before mentioned, the
moon should reject his prayers, and withhold her
rain, we may with ease conceive, that the zeal of
c
470
RELIGION OF THE ISLANDERS. OF SOCOTORA.
this devotee is as.vvarni and ci)i>sj>icuous, as that of
any other proi'essois whonisofcvfi, wlio, on the hke
emergent occasions, implore the assistance and me-
diation of t))e celestial beings, with the most sur-
prising austerities, and under the galling yoke of the
most barbarous and inhuman djscipliue : But we-
are not sufficiently apprised of kU the circuuistaiices
tliat attend this extravagant and cruel ceri,;mony, (o
be able to discourse upon it, \\itlioui benighuble to
mistakes.
At some particular seasons, and before some re-
markable fasts, the observance whereof is. very strict-
ly enjoined, the elders, or principals of the island
assemble themselves togethfr, and oiler up an hun-
dred bucks, or goats, as a public sacrifice ; and this
is a kind of hecatouib. To these supeistitious rites
they add several Christian ceremonies : such as tiie
celebration of Christmas, which they kce|) holy
threescore days successively, by the observance of a
kind of fast or religious abstinence from milk, butter
fish and flesh. In short, tliey are so rigid and se-
vere, that sliould any oue unfortunately be disco-
vered to neglect and break this ordinance, the ])enal-
ty for the first offence, would be the loss of two fin- '
gers from his ii:;ht hand; for the second his hand
itself; and for the third his arm.
They have a number of ^loquamos, a term they
distinguish tlieir temples by; and there Moquamos
arc very small and low. They liave three little
doors, and in order to enter any of them, a person
must be obliged to stoop almost to the ground. In
each of these chapels stands an altar, on which are
deposited a cross, and several sticks formed like
flower-de-luces, which have sonielliing of the resem-
blance likewise of ihe cross. Every chapel has its
jieculiar head, principal, or priest, called Hodamo,
who is annually chosen, and the signatures or marks
of his function are a staff and a cross which he must
not presume to give away on any pretence whatso-
ever, or suffer any person so much as to touch it,
on pain of loosing ene of his hands. The usual
time set apart for divine service in these chapels is,
%vhen the moon sets or when she rises; and the vi-
sible marks, or external testimonies of tlieir devo-
tions are, for iiistan( e, the striking three times a day,
and thrice every night, a stated number of blows on
a long staff, witli a shorter one ; and afterwards
the taking three tours all round the chapel, and
turning themselves thrice round at every tour.—
This ceremony is accompanied wilh an oblation of
some odoiiforous wood, put in an iron bason, liiat
hangs by three chains over a large fire. After that,
the altar is incensed three times, and the doors of
the temple as many; and the devotees make the most
solemn vows, au<i supplications to the moon, with
exalied voices, not only within, but all round the
yard or sacred inclosure. They implore her protec-
tion, and beg that she would vouchsafe to coufiiie
her favours to them alone. During tbia pajrt of
their divine service, the Hodamo sets on the altar
a lighted taper made of butter, the iise of all other
fat being prohibited ; and they always take particular
care t<j have a vessel hi the cL: pel lull of buiter,-
But not for that jjurpose only; for they besniean
their crosses, and staves, \;hich they make use of
in their religious ceremonies, \\ idi this favourite
grease.
On some certain days of the year tbey make a
Solemn procession round the Icinple, at which pul>-
lie times they constitute one of their praicipals, or
chief men in their country, to carry tlie must cum-
brous sacred staff. After the procession is over,
tliey cut his fingers off, and put a suiallt-r staff into
his hand, which, by %irti!e of some mystic ujiirks,
serves him as a buckler and defence from al! manner
of insults ; not to mention those singular honours
which are paid him on account of his being pos-
sessed of such a sacred implement; and that odour
of sanctity which the opportunity of carrying it in
procession confers upon him. Ihe reader no doubt
very clearly discerns, by the account we have here
given, what a monstrous medley there is of Malio-
nietanism,^ Christianism, and Paganism in this reli-
gion. They have also borrov\ed, as some authors
pretend, several of tlieir rites and ceremonies from .
the Nestorians.
After the relation of so extravagant a religion, the
reader may well expect to hear of a variety of idle
and ridiculous customs. They marry as many wives
as their circumstances will permit them to main-
tain, and put them away again at pleasure; that is,
tliey dismiss them widiout the least formality what-
soever. They exchange also their partners, and
take in others for the time limitted and agreed on ;
perhaps till absence has whetted palled appetites. —
But nothing surely can be more singular and remark-
able than tlie method a father takes to assign or turn
over his child to his friend or acquaintance. When
he is disposed to discharge himself of such an in-
cumbrance, he nominates this or that person to be
his guardian ; and such father, by adoption, is obliged
to maintain and bring the boy up as if he was his
own. Children thus transferred, are called the sons
of fire and smoke ; because these poor barbarous
creatures, observing that the procreation of children
is the natural result of that union to which the in-
dulgence of their sensual appetites alone inclines
them, determine, after they have gratified their pas-
sions, to transfer and make over the fruits of their
labour to some other person ; and for that purpose,
he who is so disposed, kindles a large fire in his
cavern, and throws some particular green wood
upon it. As soon as it begins to rise, he_ runs out
of his cottage or ca^e, and proclaims, as loud as he
RELIGION OF THE ISLANDKRS OF SOCOTORA.
471
can stretch his throat, lliat the chilJ witli whiih liis
vife is preanant, is the right and properly ol' sucli
a neighbour. He accorthiigly brings up the chikl
thus prestiitecl to liini, and |)a_vs the hke cunipliiiieut
to some oilier aciiiiainlaiice.
There is no manner of difference, in the opinion
of these islauders, between a d3iug pel son and one
actually deceased. For which reason, such as he
at the point of death are carried directly to their
graves ; and their nearest and dearest relalioTis per-
form this last friendly ollice for them ; and those
who are tlnis CNpiring, having, as we reasonably
suppose, shewn the like indulgence to others, never
inurmiir at such treatment, or think it any ways
cruel or unjust. As soon as they perceive their dis-
solution drawing nigh, they call their rehuions round
about them, in order to exliort them not to renounce
tlie religion of their forefailars ; nor to have any
familiar intercourse or correspondence with stran-
gers, and to avenge them of their enemies, ^ay,
sometimes the person thus giving up the ghost, pro-
duces a long list of those who have injured hiin,
with the particidar causes of his just resentment. —
Having thus vented his spleen, he departs this life
with all the cahnness and serenity imaginable. This
is generally the lot of those who are ignorant, and
incapable of serious reflection, and they sink into
the arms of death without the least reluctance or
concern, ^hen life becomes an incumbrance. And
so do all such as are aiBicted with any incurable dis-
temper, plunged in inextricable difticulties, or har-
rassed v\ilh implacable persecutions.
Tiiey observe the ceremony of circumcision, and
if any one should reside amongst them that has the
misfortune not to be circumcised, he would have his
hand cut ofl" as soon as he was discovered ; and his
own wife, on such an occasion, would niake no
scruple to betray iiim. An uncircnmcised person
must not presume to enter into any of their nioqua-
mos, or temples ; and as to the perpetration of any
particular crimes, the delinquents are punished by
their hadomas, according to the nature and enor-
mity of the oftence. A thief, though pursued, is
secure if he has the good fortune to flv for refuge
into the moquamo, and fmd there upon the spot
some friend who is willing to be his guardian and
protector ; such person is looked upon as godfather
to, or surety for the criminal. IJnt if no such friend
appears in the temple, he is dragged away from his
asylum, and his hand is immediately cut oft". The
greatest act of complaisance tliat is practised among
these l?eduins, is to kiss the shoulder of the per-
son whom they intend to honour, and the same
ceremony is observed in several provinces of Abys-
sinia. "■
To what we have already rcnjarj^ed, we beg leave
to add, tJiat, if we may rely on the veracity of some
mis.^ionary Jesuits, there is abundance of Judaism
comprised in the reliijion of these people. These
falhers, however, ought to have descended to par-
ticulars; for there are no Jewish rites and cere-
monies, ;ls we can find, in vogue with the IJeduius,
but that of circumcision. These Jesuits, moreover,
add in their narration, that the 15eduins are strictly
cnj')ined not so much as to touch or ta,ste anv hens,
or other fowl, of what species or kind soevei. —
Another relation assures us, that they obev the evan-
gelical law ; that St. Thomas converted them to the
Chiistian faith ; that they are very tiactable, and
fond of being instructed ; and that tiiey are well
affected to, and have a peculiar regard for, the Ca-
tholic religion, and the ceremonies of the Uomish
church. This relation adds also, that these islander.?
have a peculiar veneration for the cross, that all of
tlieni in general wear it about their necks, and in
conclusion, that lliey make use of the Chaldee lan-
guage in their divine service.
It is surprising that the Jesuits should so far at-
tempt to impose upon ns, as to make those who
have no better information believe, that professed
neathens are well afi'ected to Christianity. The im-
position might indeed have been still carried on, had
it not been for the most exact accounts that have
been brimght us, both by English and French navi-
gators. That there were once churches in many of
those parts cannot be doubted, but that is uo reason
why there should be any remains of Christianity left,
it being inconsistent with the people's being gross
Pagans. We are assured, that the Christian religion
was in the early ages after, or during the times of
the apostles, propagated in many countries where
paganism now jirevails; but vyhenever men abuse
the benefits conferred upon them, and slight the
offers of grace and mercy, God may, in his infinite
wisdom and justice, remove the light of the gospel
from among them, and suffer heathen darkness to
overshadow them.
It is the unhappy condition of fallen nature, nevef
to know the value of any thing till deprived of it,
and this js not confiiKid to religion alone, it is to be
met with under all circumstances of life, whether
the persons are high or low, rich or poor. Thus
the voluptuous jierson does not know the benefit of
health, till by a continual round of debauchery, he
has rendered himself incapable of enjoying it. He
may indeed wish for the return of that which he
little regarded while he had it in possession, but in
vain does he even wish for it j"pr his emaciated body
mocks the power of medicine, and he sinks down on
a sick bed, a poor, helpless creature, without any
person being able to administer to his comfort.
In the same maimer, those who have been favour-
ed with the gospel, and make an improper use of
such an inestimable blessing, may probably wish
472
RELIGION OP THE ISLANDERS OF MADAGASCAR.
for llietn wlieir taken from tlieni. But God in his
infinite wisiloni knows, that were they to receive it
. again, they would turn like the dog-to his vomit,
and like the sow to her wallowing in the mire. —
There is no doubt but God has times and seasons
fixed wiien lie will look down in compassion on the
heathen nations, and once more visit tiiem with the
light of ihe gospel. Butthesc times being iniknown
to us, we should rest satisfied that every thing will
be conducted by unerring wisdom. The .lesuits,
however, should never have amused us with idle
tales, because nothing can appear more beautiful
than the truth, when told in its primitive simplicity.
"Religion of the islanders nf 'Madagascar.
■'We have already taken notice, that there were
once Christians in this island, and that there are still
.somef'int remains of that religion lo be found. The
Christian religion, like a refreshing shower, spreads
its influence far and wide; men llocked under its
shelter; the darkness that had long clouded the hu-
man mind was removed ; light sprung up in its
room, nnd those who were before without God in
the world, became the willing captives to the
preaciiing of the gospel. But this is too melan-
choly a subject to dwell on, and therefore we shall
proceed to give the best and most authentic account
of these islanders that could be procured, and al-
though we do not dwell on the marvellous, yet we
shall adhere to the truth.
Although they are all Pagans, there are, notwith-
standing, the prints or footsteps of Mahometanism
and .Judaism to be visibly discerned amongst them.
Ihey acknowledge one God the creator of all things,
and they honour and revere him, and speak of him
with the profoundcst veneration and respect. —
Though they have no idols or temples, yet they of-
fer up sacrifices to the Supreme Being. However
to ingratiate ihemsclves into the favour of the devil,
they compliment him with the first morsel of their
victuals ; and so make him a partner with the Deity.
Troni whence it is evident, that these islanders ac-
knowledge two principles, the one good and the
other evil. This notion was transmitted to them by
the natives of the continent, who in all probability,
had it from the inhabitants of Asia. But be that
as it will, those of Madagascar acknowledge that
<iod created the heave' >,' the earth, -the spirits, and
all living creatures, ancf according to their account,
there are seven heavens. Theyaic of opinion', that
God is the cause of all good; and the devil, on the
other hand, the authoi ,jf all the misfortunes that
attend mankind. 'For wiiich reason they fear him,
fiiake their oblations to hi;n, ami even with respect
to their sacrifices, give him the preference "before
the Deity. It is a principle, as we have before ob-
served, which we find for the generality true, that
mankind are not so vigorous in their pursuit after
that which is good, as they are cautious how to
avoid that whiclvis evil.
Dian-Mananh is «lso the object of their divine
worship. He is the god, or vice-deity of riches, and
bv consequence bears a very near affinity to the
Plntus of the ancients. Gold is the symbol or
hieroglyphic of this divinity. Upon seeing it, they
ta1;e it directly in their hands, and hold it above their
heads, with all the veneration and respect imaginable,
and then salute it. Nay, there are several of theiT),
who, conscious of having committed some particular
sin, dip a piece of gold in a cup full of water, and
then drink it up, imagining, that by such religious
act. their sin is pardoned and forgiven.
They are of opinion, that there are divers orders
of the genii, or spirits ; that sonie of them govern
and direct the motion of the heavens, stars, and
planets ; t1iat others have dominion over the air, the
meteors, the sea, and all mankind. The doctrine
relating to the genii was maintained and supported
by all the ancients. We have already shewed, that
it is a received notion this day amongst the idolatrous
nations, even amongst those of the north of Europe,
and those of the new world.
Besides these genii, they admit of another ordei
of spirits, who are as invisible as the former, but
assume a body whenever they think proper, and.ap-
pear to those whom they love and respect. These
spirits are both male and female: they intermarry,
have children, and stand in need of the necessary
supports of life, and yet partake not of the infirm-
ities of our nature. However, they die, and arc
punished or rewarded after their decease, according
to their good or bad conduct in this life. These
spirits foretel future events, and perform abundance
of surprising things, \\hich bear a very near resem-
blance to what our ancient writers of romances
ascribe to the fairies. They imagine, likewise, that
there are hobgoblins, phantoms and ghosts. They
stand in great awe of the Saccare, that is, the devil,
and all the other evil spirits, which they distinguish
under different denominations. The Saccare, if we
may believe what they assert, appears to them in
the f^;rm of a fiery diagon, and frequently. eiiter.s
iirto, and possesses them f(U- fifteen days together.
In order to deliver themselves out of his clutches,
or at least to relieve them under their misfortunes,
they take a javelin, or long spear in their hands,
and dance and caper about, wreathing their bodies
into a thousand antic and ridiculous postures. A'M
the whole town dai.ce to the beat of drum, round
about such persons as are so possessed, observing
the same gesticulations as they do, under pretenc«
RELIGION OF THE ISLANDERS OF MADAGASCAR.
47
Xj( affording tlicm, by that means some comfort and
consolation.
They liave some knowledge of tlie fall of man,
tlie te.'icfirial paradise, and tlie tlootl ; but iheir ideas
thereof are clouded and obscured by a nudtitude of
ridiculous fables. The same misfortums attend
tiiem with respect to some other ideas, which their
;:ncestors miglit probably have borrowed from the
true religion ; but by insensible degrees have been
most shamefully corrupted. 'I'hey are of opinion,
that the devil is the auLJior of sin, and the coi rup-
tionof human nature. Their faith, as to this parti-
cular article, is comprised in a kind of apologue,
the sense and meaning whereof is, that the devil
had seven children, who committed so many out-
rages upon earth, that mankind implored the Deitv
to deliver them from this perverse and wicked gene-
ration. God heard their supplications, and these
seven children established seven capital sins in the
world : theft, licentiousness, lying, gluttony, mur-
der pride and laziness*.
They have their feasts and fasts, which are solem-
nized without any regularity, sometimes at one time
and sometimes at another, as occasion offers. 'J'liev
meet tO|:ether witli ll.cir Mhole family very early in
the moniiu;!, and then regale themselves with a
small qnantily of rice, and after that fast till mid-
night." In this interval they employ themselves in
rehearsing and singing the heroic atchitvcments of
their ancestors. At niiduight iliey refresh themselves
and pay their respects to the devil and the JJeity. —
They then wash, but nioie particularly their feet,
and'chew betel; after which, they lay themselves
Muider soma particular vows and obligations, with
relation to some particular circumstances, which are
of the utmost importance to themselves. One thing
which is tlie most remarkable in their feasts and fasts,
i<!, that they sacrifice an ox, and sprinkle the vvholc
assembly with its blood, aiid then make their chil-
dren lay their hands upon it, imagining that sufh
ceremony will preserve them ih.e ensuing year from
all distempers. The sacrit'icator cuts the victim all
in pieces, and throws the first on his right hand,
caying, this is the devil's portion ; after this, he takes
another piece, and throws it on his left hand, saying,
This is devdicd to tlic service of the Dtitv; and to
conclude, they take a small quantity of the hair of
the victim, and tic it round their necks, pronounc-
ing at the Same time some n)ysterious wcrit-s three
times successivclv.
It seems, likewise, according to the account of
the author before quoted, that these islanders prac-
tise 3 kind of libation, in honour of God and the
devil, before they drink; and that they offer up their
sacrifices of thanksgiving on their prospect of a
plentiful l:.irvest. Their rice being ready to be fa-
thered in, they sacrifice a black cow, and throw-
Si 6
one part of it into the field, pronouncing at the sanse
time a short form of thanksgiving, and during the
continuance of tlnse festival days, they never shed
any human blood; l)ut in case any person commits
a crime that merits death, he is sentenced to be
drowned. In order to have the honour of sacrific-
ing any of tlicir victims, they are obliged to learn a
certain prayer, and pronounce some particular words
over the instrdment, Idling up their eyes at the same
time to heaven, which is a lively expression of the
intent of the sacriticator. They are likewise so
scrupulous in this particular, that t'ley would rather
die Mith hunger, than partake of any beast whatever,
slaughtered by a Christian. ,
They moreover offer up sacrifices when they take
possession of any new house, when they are any
way indisposed, when they marry, when their: wivcj
lye-iii, and vJien any of their friends and acquain-
tance are buried. Jiefore tliey depart this life, they
make a thorough confession of their sins. Sticli
persons as are advanced in years, and draw near the
time of their diss jlulion, nial.e so general a confes-
sion, that they lake particular care to niention each
individual sin one alter another. Atler this, they or-
der a sacrifice to be made of several oxen, for tbo,
expiation of all their transgressions ; and all this i.s
accompanied with a solemn benediction on their
whole faniiiy, and an exhortation, as is customary
with old people, and men just dropping into their
graves, to lead better lives than they iiave done be-
fore. The confused and imjicrfect idea which they
entertain of Noah, Abraham and Moses; and of
David and Jesus Christ; their circumcision, obser-
vance of the sabbath, their fast and confession, and
their scruples, which we have already mentioned,
are all incontestiblc demonstrations that their religion
is a corruption of Christianity and Judaism, inter*
mingled with Mahonietanisui, idolatry and supersti-
tion.
They expose such children as happen to be born
on Tuesday, 'i'huisd;iy, or Saturday, or in the
month of April, or in their Lent; the eighth day of
the moon ; or bi short, in any hour that is over-
ruled by any malignant planet. The ceremony of
their circumcision is for the geiurality performed in
the month of May, in the presence of the friends
aiul relations of those who are to be circumcised,
anil alnill is the usual fee for every infant so cir-
cumcised. Several days preceding this ceremony,
the vigils only excepted, arc spent in a variety of-
amusements, and concluded for the generality, in
not and excess; for it is li>oked upon as an honour
to be drunk on such occasions. 'Ihe circumcist r
himself makes one a Inong;:t tliem in these public .s.
diversions, but the vigil of the festival is not at-
tended with such intemperance and excess. Fathers
and mothers suspend the legal pleasures of the
D
474
RELIGION OF THE ISLANDERS OF MADAGASCAR.
marriage-bed, and prepare tliemselves for the cele-
bration of thi« cereniouy witli their children. The
mothers lie by them in the-lapa, which is a hut, or
cottage, which their relations erect, and consecrate
by the performance of some particular ceremonies
therein, a month before the intended day of circum-
cision. The prohibition of love enjoyments does not
extend to the relations only of such as are to be circum-
cised; but all maids or wives, married men or bat-
chfclors, who arc conscious of having indulged them-
selves in such sensual pleasures, must not presume
to draw near to, or be present at this holy ordi-
nance ; for tbese people imagine, that should any
person so defHed profane that religious ceremony,
the blood of the prepuses of such as should be cir-
cumcised would never stop, and that certain death
would be the fatal consequence of such a presump-
tion. Another superstitious custom of theirs is
never to wear any thing red about them on these so-
lemn occasions.
On the day appointed for the circumcision, all
those who are to be present at the operation, bathe
themselves betimes m the morning, and turning
themselves towards the east, beating their drums
•iind sounding their country cornets, pronounce some
})articular form of words, the sense and significa-
lion whereof we are at a loss to determine. The
celebrant or operator, makes a short prayer, adapted
to the solenuiity of the day, and the whole congre-
gation being assembled together at the lapa, about
ten in the morning, the drums begin to beat to give
noticeof the approaching ceremony ; and the cir-
cmnciser having a skein of white cotton thread twi-
ned about l)is waist, and another about his left arm
to wipe his instrument clean with, approaches the
ciiildrou. Thereupon, each father takes his own
ciiild into his arms, and altogether make a kind of
prdcession round the lapa, going in at the west door
and coming out at the east. After this they walk
agaiji in procession before the oxen, that are appro-
priated for the sacrifice on this solemn occasion,
and are laid on the ground with their four feet bound
fast together. E;icb infant, in the next place,
touches the right horn of every beast with his left
hand, and sits down a moment or two on the backs
of these victims. After these processions are over,
the circunlciser cuts off the childrens' fore-skins,
and the uncle, or nearest relation of each respec-
tive child, takes the prepuse and swallovxs it down
in the yolk of an egg. This relation stinds in the
capacity, as it were, of godfather to the child,
but the foreskins, however, of such as have no
relations, are- thrown upon the ground. The cir-
cumciser having thus performed his office, the sa-
rrificator cuts the throats of as many cocks as
tiiere are children circumcised, and lets 'the blood
of the fowls trickle douu on the mutilated part,
mhigling the juice of trefoil, or clover grass, with
the blood.
Such women as draw near the tiaie of their tra-
vail, confess all the sins they have been guilty of
durnig their pregnancy, to some female confident ;
and moreover our autlior assures us, invoke the vir-
gin Mary, in hopes that she will lend her aid and as-
sistance at a time of need, and contribute towards
her safe and speedy deliverance. 'Ihey are obliged
to watch the proper times and seasons for erecting
their houses, cutting timber, covering their roofs;
and when the building is finished, they wait for the
moon, and some propitious hour for the consecra-
tion, or the dedication of it, which they call Missa-
vatsi. The proprietor invites all his friends to come
ftnd grace the ceremony with their presence, and
each of them makes him some present or anotlier,
more or less valuable in proportion to his circum-
stances. They take three formal tours all round the
tenement, and the whole company, after such pro-
cession, enter into the house, congratulate the pro-
prietor on tins joyful occasion, and wish him all the
success and happiness in it that he can wish for, or
desire. This ceremony is accompanied witii the ob-
lation of one or more heifers, the flesh whereof is
distributed amongst the company, and intended as
a friendly entertainment.
These islanders are all polygamists, and what is
very singular and remarkable, is, to have a plurality
of wives is expressed in their language by a term
which signifies to create enemies ; because several
wives of the same husband cannot have a natural
love and affection for one another, and this is no
doubt as demonstrable an axiom as any in all Euclid.
Moreover, their wives, we are informed, act without
any thought or discretion before, as well as after
marriage ; for they exceed the bounds of all such
as would conceal their vices, and have not the least
regard to decency or good manners. The repeated
lewd practices of a lascivious woman with one or
more young fellows, are looked upon only as so
many specimens of their dexterity and address ; aiid
in short they will never marry a man till they have
divers undeniable proofs of liis strength and man-
hood,' withall to be well assured, that he will never
degenerate or grow indolent, but be the same man
to the very last.
Adultery, is looked upon as a robbery, and fined
and ast.»3sed as such; but no disgrace attends tlie
payment of s\icli amerciament. 1 he children of a
wife that is brought to bed after she has been di-
vorced from her first husband, are his property ; at
least if she does not return him his taque, thaf is,
the purchase-money which he advanced on the day
of marriage.
'Jliey have amongst then* several effeminate or im-
potent fellows, either through some natural infirmity
RELIGION" OF THE ISLANDERS OF MADAGASCAR.
475
whicli ilicy brought with tliem into the world, or
throiiffh their vicious fnmiliiirity and converse with
other men. Hut be lliat as it niay, these halt-men,
these libi'rlianis, whom they call '["secats, act incon-
sistently with their sex, dress in women's apparel, and
ailnrc young fellows by artitices, endearments and
presents, to their uiniatural embraces.
We have already mentioned, more than once, di-
vers instances of the like obscenity and uncleanness;
for we cannot clolhe it in softer terms, at least if
we judge of it in the li^iit it presents itself to us at
first view. The only plea or excuse that can possi-
bly bo made for such a course of life, is that which
those islanders have found out for it ; who assured
our author, that these 'I'secats were a people who,
from their infancy, had made a solemn vow out of
love to the JXily, to continue in a state of celibacy
all their lives; I'.iat women were the oI»jects of their
aversion; that they avoiiied, with the utmost pre-
caution, all familiar converse with them ; and that
they W'ere guilty of no immodesty in their caresses
of (those of their sex. This correspondence of
theirs, in all probability, may be much of the same
nature with the Athenrosera, which father Fitau
speaks of, and of w hich there are several instances
to be produced from the ancients.
We have made mention but very cursorily, of the
exposition of their children ; a liarbarous custom
too much practised and tolerated amongst the an-
cients. The Ombiasses, who arc the astrological
physicians, and in all probability, the priests also of
tiie natives of Madagascar, authorise and give a
sanction to this irregulur practise by their pretended
knowledge and skill in casting the nativities of such
children as are just rome into the world, or even of
such as are but in embryo, and just conceived, and
this they do by their false predictions and observa-
tions of the planets, on such occasions. This bar-
barity however, is not, always without exception;
for some parents, after they have thus exposed their
children, engage their slaves or relations to bring
them up ; and in such case those children belong to
their respective guartlians. Others perform tlieir
falis for such children as are born under a malignant
planet, and on that account have deserved exposi-
tion : that is, ofler up their sacrifice for them of
cocks, or some other living creature, by way of ex-
piation. After this, they confine him for half a day
within a hen-coop, in order to accomplish their
purification, and free them from the malignity of
some dangerous constellation, or the fatal inlluences
of tlu ir unhappy star.
W ithout these necessary precautions, the child
might be a parricide," a tliief, and the most profligate
and abandoned vagabond in nature.,
W ilful miscarriages, or abortions, are very com-
mon in this island; but how should we expect them
otherwise ainougst a people, who are so ignorant
and unpolished; since such expedients arc too often
practised by the Christians themselves, wlio have
nmcli more light and knowledge of their dutv than
these barbarians? ]?ut such is the effect of the
crime which reduces the female sex to this extremi-
ty ; it expose them to the everlasting contenipt of
mankind, which is more shocking to loose women,
than the loss of their virtue and integrity. We shall
conclude with one more custom, as barbarous and
inhuman as the former. When a woman dies in
child-bed, they bury the nev^-bnrn infant with its
mother; for, s:iy they, is it not much belter the babe
should die, than not to have a mother to nurse and
bring it up.
In the first place, they wash their dead, and then
dress them as agreeably as the circumstances of the
person deceased, or of tlie relations who survive
lliem will admit of. "^i'hcir usual decorations are
collars of coral, gold medals, and gold ear-rings.
They furnish each of their dead u itii seven pagnes,
that is, vestments made of cotton, which are worn
from the waist downwards, that he may have a suf-
ficient change of suits. After he i^ thus duly washed
and adorned, they wrap him up in a large mat, in
order to convey him to the grave: but before the
performance of this last friendly ollice, all the rela-
tions, acquaintance, and slaves of the deceased,
fiock round about the corpse, to mourn over it in
form, and as there is a large candle placed at his
head and another at bis feet, he may with propriety
enough, be said to lie in state. Whilst those before-
mentioned are drowned in tears, there are other
persons present, who are employed in beating a kind
of drum, to the sound whereof both the married
women and maidens join in a solemn dance, and
then take their turn to mourn over the deceased. —
Their sighs and tears are mingled with his praises,
and repealed lamentations for his loss. We must
not omit making niention of the many questions
which they ask him with respect to his decease;
questions m fashion with divers other nations, which
principally consist in enquiring of the deceased,
whether he wanted the necessaries, and even the
conveniences of life ; in short, whether he was
easy and contented or not, in his slate and condi-
tion. These interrogatories aie repeated till the
evening, and then they slaughter several heifers,
which are intended both as a sacrifice and a funeral
entertainment.
Tl'.e next day they put the corpse into a coffin,
made of the stumps of two trees, dug hollow, antl
artfully joined together, and then carry it to the
grave, which is made in a wooden hut, erected for
that purpose, and d^ig six fret deep. There they
inter the corpse with a sufirtcient quantity of provi-
sions ill a basket, some tobacco, a chafing dish, an
earthei^n porringer, some pagnes, or changes of rai-
ment, and several girdles. When all the matters are
476
RELIGION OF THE ISLANDERS OF MADAGASCAI?.
thus far adjusted, they shut up the hut, and plant
a large stone, about twelve or liflecn feet^in breadth
as well as height before the ddor ; and ihen sacrifice
some Hving creatures, and divide them into three
equal parts or shares; one for the idevii, auotlver for
the Deity, and the remainder for the deceased. It
is customary to hang the heads of the slaughtered
victims upon stakes, planted round this mausoleum,
and for several days together after liis interment
his kinsfolk send him in plenty of provisions, pay
their respects to him, nay, offer up diveis oblations
to him, and consult him about their oxvh private
•affairs. In sickness or adversity they apply them-
selves to him by the mediation of an Ombiasse,
who makiug a small breach or hole in the hut, con-
jures up the spirit of the deceased, and implores s
.such assistancs as he thinks he nu^y reasonably re- '
quire of him, by virtue of that intimacy and fiicnfl-
ship which the deceased prclcnds he has contracted
with the Supreme, Beiiig.
When a person of distinction dies at a consider-
able distance froai his family, his head is cut off,
and sent home to the town \\here he was born; but
as for his corpse, it is interred in the place? where he
.died, be it where it will. The men arc shaved and
go barCrheaded on these melancholy occasions ; but
. the women are allowed hats or caps.
.Their physicians, whom our author calls Ombi-
asses, are astrologers, and, in all probability, also
-priests, soothsayers, and magicians; for all these
'quaiiti<:atioiis centre in one man, amongst several
idolatrous people both ancient and modern. The
medicines which these Ombiasses make use of are
principally decoctions, or broths made of physical
herbs and roots; but besides these natural means,
they make \isc of billets, or notes written in parti-
cular characters and hang them round their necks, or
tie them to the girdles of the patients in order to
charm and suspend their agonizing pains. They
draw several figures, and make use of abundance of
■ astrological projections, either to find out when the
patient will recover, or know what medicines will
prove the most effectual and convenient for him.
To all this quackery, they add the consultations of
some Aulls, of whom wc shall ])rcse.ii!y give a
farther account, and make use of sonic Talis-
mans.
There are several orders nf Ombiasses; but with-
, out eiiteri!\g into a detail of their hierarchy, as I'la-
court calls it, we shall only observe, that in their
, different subordinations, they seem all to be subser-
vient to one sovereign pontiff. Tlrey have public
schools or seminaries in this island, where all sueli
■13 are desirous of being numbered amongst the Om-
biasses, «.r the priesthood, are instructed in all the
arcana of their sacred profession. There are some
,oi' thcni who boast more particularly of their know-
ledge of, and judgtnent in the aspects of the star?,
and inducnces of the planets. Tliev have several
dissertations on the efljcacy and prevailing power of
every individual day.lliroughoul the month.
The secret virtue of their notes or billets, which
they prescribe as restoratives to their patients, con-
sists in writing some mystic characters on a piece
of paper, and afterwards washhig off the ink. Tlie
patient is directed to drink the water with which such
operation is performed; and if he is not restored
immediately to his former state of health, it is wholly
owing, they imagine, to his neglect of some for-
mality required; so that tlie Ombiasse is secure, and
never suiters in iiis reputation through iln unexpected
disappointment.
The Aulis bear a very near affinity to those any
lieings which are generally called Familiar Spirits;
and these Aulis are enclosed in little bo,\es, embel-
lished with a variety of glass trinkets, and crocodiles'
teeth. Some of them are made of wood, and fa-
shioned like a man ; and in each box they put a
sufficient quantity of powder of some particidar
roots, mixed with fat and honey, -which they reple-
nish from time to time as occasion requires. They
wear these Aulis at their girdles, and never venture
to take a journey or voyage without them. They
consult them three or four times a day, and converse
with them freely, as if they expected some suitable'
answers from them but in case they meet with a
disappointment, or an answer that thwarts llieir in-
clinations, they load them with all the opprobrious
language tlity can think of.
'J he -method geneially used in their consultation
of these Aulis is to take a nap, after a familiar in-
tercourse with them for two oc three hours, and the
|)iuport of the dream, which strikes the imagination
of the perstni during his slumbers, is looked upon as
the oracle's reply.
The lliridzi are girdles embellished with a variety
of mystic characters, and these .superstitious island-
ers ascribe a pi;culjar virtue to them. 'Ihese unin-
telligible marks or signatures are the hand writina:
of some of their Ombiasses, who embrace the op-
portunity of some j)articular days in the year, and
some propitious hours in those days, for the compo-
sition of them. Moreover, they are obliged to sa-
crifice a considerable number of oxen of a particular
colour; from \\hence it is evident, that there is a
great conformity between these Aulis of theirs and
the Talismans; but bo that as it may, they preserve
them with the utmost precaution in their respective
families, and transmit them <lown from father to
son, as a valuable inheritance. These islanders have
their mercenary poets, who sing the heroic exploits
of their grandees, and intrepid warriors. 'J heir
poetry is, for the generality, instructive and senten-
tious, after the manner or style of the easterns; hut,
RELIGION IN THE CANARY ISLANDS.
477
however, they do not scruple to compose a variety
of gay madrigals, or love sonnets, on some particu-
lar occasions.
Tiicy have various ways for the administration of
their o;illis; and when they hiy a person under the
most solemn eugaiiinienis, they oblige hi.n to eat a
small (juantity of bull's liver. In some parts of the
island they sprmkle their witnesses with water, who
imagine, that if they should depose a falseljood after
such aspersion, some heavy judgment would imme-
diately overtake thcin. lu order to discover a thief,
or any other deinujucnt, they touch the tongue of
the party suspected seven tuu^s successively with a
red hot iron ; and if no pain attends the frequent
repetition of this trial, he is acquitted, as we are in-
formed, and declared not sruilty. l?ometimes the
prisoner is obliged to eat bull's liver, and a jiarticu-
lar root which is poison, and the same, in all proba-
bility, as is made use of on the like occasions in
Guinea, and at Con?). Sometimes, likewise, they
oblige the parly sus|.ected to plunge his hand into a
pot of scalding water, and take up a stone that lies
at tlie bottom for that purpose. But may not these
customs, after all, which we call iri.'.ls, be only so
many ditfereiit methods of putting such criminals to
the rack, in order to extort from them a confession
of those facts whereof (bey are accused.''
They swear by bull's liver for the ratification of
a peace, and on tiie day appointed for the conclusion
of It, both parties appear in arms, on the banks of
a river. Each of them slaughter a bull, and mutu-
ally exchange a morsel of the liver of their victims,
whicli is eaten in the presence of their respective
deputies, or envoys, accompanied with this solemn
oath or imprecation. May the liver which we have
eaten burst us, if we violate our engagements ! If
one army reduces the other to the necessity of suing
for a poace, the vanquished party only eat the liver,
which is admitted as an oath of their iidelity and
allegiance to the victor.
Their Tinbouchenu is a compact, or obligation,
by virtue whereof they become indebted to one an-
other; and the form of it is this: an islander kills
some well-fed beasts, divides it into as many shares
as he thinks proper, and then distributes them. —
Such as receive any part or portion thereof, are
obliged to deliver the proprietor a calf at the year's
end.
Their warlike discipline consists principally in
ambuscades, and falling on their enemies by surprise.
Thry send out their scouts or spies all round about,
not only well furnished with weapons of defence,
but fortihed with spells, charms, poisons, and en-
chanted billets. The maids and mamed women
dance all night and d.iy, as long as the war continues,
imagimiig, that thereby they inspire their soldiers
with strength and courage.
3'-J 6 E
Though we have already Q;Iven several instances of
their superstitions, yet this that follows is more re-
markable than any before mentioned, and the result
of a precaution w hich we could never have expected
trom ^^onlen, who are, we are informed, so disso-
lute and abandoned. 'J'hey are honest, and on their
guard, whilst their husbands are engaged in the field
of battle, because they are fearful lest their amours
should prove of ill consequence to ihein when
abroad, notwithstanding they shew so little affec-
tion or regard for them when at home. \\'liethcr
this circumstance is real fact or not, we shall not
determine; for who would pri tend to justify all
that travellers relate for truth ? but this at least wc
venture to say with safety, that cur ladies are not
so prudent and cautious in the absence of their
spouses.
Thus we have given tire best collection we could
meet with of the religious ceremonies of these islan-
ders, and of some other customs which seem to be
established on a leligious foundation. All of thera,
however, may not be practised with equal strictness,
nor after the same manner, throughout the island,
since it is inhabited by several petty nations, each
of whom observe some ceremonies peculiar to them-
selves.
Indeed we may add, that in all heathen nations
there is so little difference, that we only change the
name of the circumstance, and the fact will remaia
just as it was before. What does it signify to the
man who is seriously inquiring after truth, whethet
one heathen nation is remarkable for worshipping
images, or another for paying adoration to the vilest
reptiles ? The question before us is. Is the person
who makes such things the ol)ject of his adorations,
seeking after truth, or has he formed right notions
of the Divine Being? Has he considered God as
such an one as himself, or has he formed the most
unworthy notions of his attributes ? '1 his much is
certain, that whenever we repeat that petition in the
I /Old's ])rayer, " Thy kingdom come," we should at
the same time wish and equally pray that the king-
dom of grace may be established in the hearts of
men, and that the accomplishment of the kingdom
of glory may be hastened. Jesns, the once humble
but now exalted redeemer of a hjst woild, suffered
for our sins and rose again for our justification. —
Can we then imagine that the goodness of God will
not extend those beneficial ctmsequences to all the
sons of men ; surely God will do so; for as is his
justice, so is his mercy.
Religion of the Canaries.
It is not our business at present to enquire who
were the first inhabitants of this part of Africa, for
47 S
RELIGION OF THE ANCIENT OR SAVAGE AMERICANS.
all that we can say with certainty is, that these peo- '
pie were lonueily idolulors, or, as a certain travel-
ler expresses it, acknowleciged no other God than
nature, and he adds, moreover, that they spill no
blood, not so much as that of beasts, for their sa-
crifices. They were very superstitious, and their
Mives lived in common, and they had two kings,
One living and the other dead ; the latter they placed
in a standing posture, in a cavern, with a staSt' in
his hand, and a pot of milk by his side, for his sub-
sistence in she odier world. At present, iheGuau-
chos are the remains of these ancient islanders; and
in all probability observe privately some part of their
ancient customs. But be that as it will, they still
mingle so much snpc'l'stition with their veneration
and respect which they pay to their ancestors and
their sepulchres, that no strangers presume to visit
them without their permission, on the hazard of
their lives.
They sometimes embalm their dead ; but the com-
position which they made use of on such occasions,
and by virtue whereof they preserved their dead
from putrefaction for several ages, was a secret known
only to some particular families, who were strictly
enjoined to have no intercourse or correspondence
with the rest of the islanders ; and their priests were
always some branch of these families.
After they had embalmed their dead, they sewed
them up very neatly in buck-skins, well dressed and
j)repared. These Canaries were known to the an-
cients by the name of the Fortunate islands ; and
they were of opinion, that the virtuous resided there
after their decease.
Here we shall conclude our description of all the
African idolators. We have related the whole with
all the care and impartiality imaginable, and in or-
der to testify to our readers that we would not in
the least impose on their credulity, we have all along
quoted the authors from whom we made our ex-
tracts. As we were thus confined from any inven-
tion of our own, we thought ourselves obliged to
embellish our dissertations with several additional
hints and observations, in which very frequently we
have spoken our minds freely, and laid ourselves un-
der no manner of restraint. The work, however,
is not without its defects; and we are so conscious
of them, that we heartily wish it more complett-j
more correct, better composed, and better digested
thioughout the whole. We are not so ha])py us to
be numbered amongst those, to whom God, accord-
ing to faliior Garasse, has given the satifaction of
being contented with their own compositions, as an
equivalent for the contempt and censure which
ihey meet with from the public. However, we
flatter ourselves that we have advanced nothing
that is idle and extravagant, or inconsistent with
common sense, which is at least a tolerable plea in
an age wherein the profession of compiling or
composing books is so much discouraged and con-
demned.
Having said thus much concerning the different
heathen systems of religion in Africa, we shall con-
clude-with our earnest wish and sincere desire that
these people may yet be brought to the kno\vledge
of the truth. The goodnes of God is ■great, and
his mercies are infinite ; when the sons of men for-
get him, he often looks down with compassion upon
them. As his infinite mercies extended "to them
when in a lost condition, at tiie time of Christ's
appearance in the fiesh, so there is reason to hope
the same compassion will still prevail; and while we
form proper notions of God, we shall never have
reason to distrust him. Indeed, those who trust in •
God, are, for the most part, sure of his favour, at
least as far as it will be for his own glory and their
good. And what trust can equal our waiting with
patience for the conversion of the heathen nations ?
The heart of the sincere Christian is troubled some-
times to behold so many of his fellow-creatures sit-
ting in darkness, and in the region and shadow
of death, but considering the divine promise, he
rests satisfied, and often exclaims in those beautiful
words of the poet, with which we shall conclude
this article : —
Unshaken as the sacred hill,
And firm as mountains be;
Firm as a rock, the soul shall rest.
That leans, O Lord, on Thee.
RELfGION OF THE ANCIENT OR SAVAGE AMERICANS.
JLN treating of these people, we have called them
ancient and savage, by which we mean all such as
were, or still are, idolatrous. And this is the more
necessary, because, that ever since the discovery of
America by Columbus, so many F^uropeans have
settled in different parts of that vast continent, that
RELIGION OF THE ANOENT OR SAVAGE AMERICANS.
47f>
tiling the whole togetlier, they exhibit, as it were,
a new world. People of all religions are to bo
met with here, and even tliesu people, in almost all
liroviiices, differing tVoin each other in suntinieiit,yet
live in unity together as brethren. Most ot" these
religious sects will come in under the article of
Protestants, so that we shall say nothing of them at
present, but to proceed to inquire into the popu-
lation of America, and then to describe the religi-
ous ceremonies of those heathens which either once
did, or still do, inhabit it.
It is very probable that the colonies which first
settled in America came tliither by land, and that
if any happened to come by sea, it was owing, to
chance rather than design. Several learned men
have been of opinion, that America was peopled by
the Phoenicians and Carthageuians ; and they ground
tlieir conjectures on the long voyages those people
used to make, who, fitting out very considerable
fleets, used to send them beyond the straits of
Gibraltar, the Canary Islands, and those of Cape
A'erde, known to the ancients, as it is believed, under
the name of the islands Gorgades. It is true, in-
deed, that the islands of Cape \'erd are the nearest
land to America ; but this ckies not prove the Phoj-
nicians had visited the American coasts ; for as to
the cruizings of those Phojnicians beyond the Gor-
gades, they might probably have been made towards
the south, rather than towards the west. We in
that case should therefore look into the southern
parts of Africa f(3r those unknown lands,* which tlie
ancients tell us the Phoenicians had discovered. On
the other hand, if it be true that the Antilles were
known to them under the name- of the islands of
the Hesperides, and that the voyage to Gorgades
and to the Hesperides, which is not now above
twenty-five or thirty days sail, might ha-.e taken
tliem forty, (which is but a short time considering
their little experience) we shall find that no other
peo()Ie than the Carthagenians could have been able
lo undertake such voyages. The situation of their
country, and the. talents they had for trade, might
probably have excited them to rove up and down
that great expanse of waters between Africa and
America, having first settled a pretty regular ccn-
rtspondence between Cadii! anti the Cassiteridcs,
HOW called the Azores. If all this were true, we
might probably suppose that the Carthagenians and
tlie other Phcenicians, who were settled in Spain
and Africa, had curried people to the .Azores, the
Antilles, and from thence to the contir.ent of Ame-
rica. , And then, after having sailed several hundred
leagues, from the coasts of Africa to the gulph of
Mexico, it is not impossible but that those mariners
Blight have attempted another as far as the main of
tile land.
Vet we may naturally suppose that some Phoeni-
cian or Carthagonian sailors having been thrown on
the coast of ^\nierlca by a stoim, necessity had
forced them to settle there, and that they there lost
their langungi', and the little knowledge they might
have had of the arts and sciences of their country.
\V hat makes this more probable is, that sea-faring
men have in all ages been very ignorant, and but a
degree above barbarians. The Peruvians had an-
ciently some footsteps of those involuntary voyages;
and the first Spanish writers who have collected the
scattered remains of their history, make mention of
certain people -came from that part of their empire
whidi lies towards the sea, and that they afterwards
made a conquest of their country.
Tradition made the above-mentioned writers con-
sider these men, whose original appeared so ex-
traordinary, as so many giants; and, indeed, it is
not unlikely they were such, since we are assured,
that bones of a prodigious size have been dug up
about Puerto Viejo, and in the valley of Tuinbez.
We have many learned men in the world, who, in'
the height of their raptures for this discovery, would
consider these giants as the posterity of the children
of Anak, of whom menlion is made in Deutero-
nomy, and would bring the Lord knows how many
far-fetched conjectures, to prove that the poor Ca-
naanites, whom Joshua drove out of their dwellings,
had fled to Peru for refuge. But to be serious: It
is hardly possible to make a voyage of eveh a few
^leagues, with their Raises, Pieroques, and Canoes ;
neither have the x\sians, the Africans, or Europe-
ans, ever had courage enough to venture over a wide
extended ocean in such weak vessels : and as on the
other side it does not appear that the Americans
were ever acquainted with any other kind of ship-
ping, we may naturally suppose, that if chance did
at any time throw unhappy wretches on a desert
coast of America, in an age when mankind had
little knowledge in the building of sliips, such per-
sons were soon forced to forget their former customs
and manners, and to comfort themselves for this loss,
by the propagation of their species in those regions-
into which fortune had thrown them against their
wills.
In reality, it is more natural to suppose that the
first colonics which settled in America came thither'
by land : by this means we avoid the dilHcullies that
might be started concerning the passage of wild
beasts thither. •
However, it is impossible to fix the *ra n heiv this
happened, w hich perhaps may be as old as the flood,
where the Peruvians have preserved some idea : —
This is the only footstep remaining among them
relating to remote antiquity ; for in all other respects
the Peruvian annals scarce comprehend the history^
of four centuries ; and then what are these annals ?
only Guappa's or Quappo's, that is, certain strings
480
-RELIGION OF THE ANCIENT OR SAVAGE AMERICANS.
with knots in them to point out the several transac-
tions ; and notice will be taken of them in the se-
quel of this work. But before we come to a deci-
sion with respect to the original of the Americans,
it may be proper to examine whether affinity which
some pretend to find between the manners Vnd cus-
toms of the Americans and those of the Phoenici-
ans, may reasonably induce us to conclude, that the
former are descended from the latter. We shall
not take notice of the affinity that has been found
between the custom of living in huts, and that of
roving from place to place. The Americans in this
respect resemble as much the Nomades, the Arabi-
an Scenites, the Scythians, &c. as the Phoenicians.
The comparison that might be made of the ido-
■ latry of those nations, would also hold with that
; of other nations of our hemisphere. The follow-
ing affinity, could it be proved, • would deserve
our notice infinitely more; we mean that of lan-
guages. But without aflfocting a great depth of
erudition in this place, ■ which our etymologists are
generally so lavish of, we shuU content ourselves with
saying, that a dozen words, whose sound and signi-
fication are the same in the language of two distant
nations, are hardly sufficient to prove that they are
both descended: from the same progenitors. How-
ever, if it were, true that the Carthagenians, after
tlreir discovery of the Hesperides, had known ll-.e
continent, they might probably have left their lan-
guage with some of their people behind them; and
this . language might have been so far confounded
with the American tongues, as to remain onlv in
"twelve words. Let us endeavour to maintain this
kind of paradox, though to speak the truth we are
almost persuaded that the American settlements
were first made by land, and that the Phoenician
language was in process of time so much corrupted
in Africa, that it degenerated to a nieer jargon,
mixed with the Lybinn and other wild languages of
the neighbouring nations. Secondly, this language
thus degenerated, being carried into America, by a
small number of people, who settled there, nuist
naturally have been soon lost, so that small remains
of it must have been left. '
The reader may probably look upon this as the
mere product of our fancy; but if it be duly con-
sidered, it will not appear altogether improbable. —
In the whole, what itjan of learning will dare to
assert, that the languages of those countries which
lie nearest Africa, are not mixed with Punic, with
l.ybian, or even broken Cantabrian words ? Who
IS able to boast his having so thoroughly studied the
genius and etymology of the American languages,
as to be able to affirm, that there are not some foot-
steps of the African .idolators, and of those places
the Carthageniaaspossessed in Spain, to be found
therein ? These* conjectures might have been carried
much farther, had not the languages of the AntilleJ
been lost, after the Spaniards destroyed the inhabit-
ants of those islands.
Some authors are of opinion, that the Ameri-
cans owe their original to the dispersion of the ten
tribes of the Israelites. It is true, indeed, that
some traces of the Jewish religion had been found
at Jucatan, and the coasts of the Sonth-sea ; as for
instance, a kind of circumcision, which we might
with great probability impute to the necessity, so
far from being forced to ransack the Jewish religion
upon that occasion. Emanuel de Moraes, a Por-
tuguese, who had travelled many years in America,
has endeavoured to prove that the Jews and Cartha-
genians are the common parents of the Americans.
We have just now quoted his opinion with relation
to the migration of the Carthageniuns into foreign
countries. Here follows his reason to prove that of
the Jews into Brasil. The Brazilians says he, mar-
ry only into their own families, in like manner as.
the Jews married only into their own tribes. Both
of them call their uncles by the name of father, and
their aunts' mi)tlitr, their cousins' brother, 8tc. both
of them pass a month in deep mourning, and wear
gowns that descend to their feet. But these affini-
ties are of little weight, some of them being forced
and the rest entirely false. But we shall leave the
reader to his private opinion.
The great Grotius thinks that the Americans of
Panama came originally from Norway. "^I'he Nor-
wegians went first into Iceland; from Iceland they
went into Greenland by the way of Fricsland ;
from Greenland they spread themselves into Estotis-
land, which is a part of the main land of North
America, and from thence they sent colonies to the
I.sthinus of Panama. We must own that there is
one circumstance which seems to prove that tlie in-
habitants of Panama, and Mexico, are originally
of the north ; and that is the traditions of the Mex-
icans, who formerly declared to the Spaniards, that
their ancestors came from that quarter. As to
Estotisland, we are told there is a city in that coun-
trv, that goes by the name of Norumbegue, which
still preserves in its name some marks of the passage
of the Norwegians. But unhappily for this opini-
on there are not the least foot-steps remaining of-
any city in the north parts of America; and thef
natives of the country, if we except those who live
in the cities built by the Europeans, from what can
at most be called but small villages, made up only
of a few houses. Besides, all that Zeni, who first
discovered Friesland and Estotisland, relates of his
discoveries, appears altogether romantic, and as
fictitious at least as tlie discovery of the Terra
Australis bv Sarieur. De Laat in his disstrtation on
the original of the Americans, seems to have tho-
roughly refuted the reasons which Grotius alludes
RELIGION OF THE ANCIiiNT OR SAVAGE AMERICANS.
4S1
to prove that the inhabitant of Mexico ami Panama
' «ine originally I'rom Norway.
As to the I'eruvians and othernations of the south
part of America, Grotiiis lias pretended to prove
they came originally from China. The sprightly
and penetrating genius of both those nations; their
coniiuon idohitrous worship of the sun ; tlie hiero-
glyphic characters of both; and above all the voy-
ages of Mancocapac, who came from beyond the
■seas to people Peru, and made himself the law-giver
of its inhabitants; all these appeared reasons suffi-
cient to this great man, to iiultice him to muintaiii
his opinion.
To tiiis De Laat answers. That the Peruvians
were never such skilful artists as the Chinese, and
that the most excellent pieces of handicraft of Peru,
are greatly inferior to those of China; but to this
we must justly answer, that no consequence can be
drawn from hence, why the Peruvians should not be
descciided from ihj Chinese. The Peruvians would
not Inve been the first people that had degenerated '
from th>.'i!- ancestors. He adds, that before the com-
ing of the Spaniards among them, tliey were wholly
ignorant of the use of sailing vessels : and that it is
very unlikely the Peruvians should have wholly lost
ail remembrance of their country, and the art of
sailing ; pirticularly if we consider, that because of
the winds wliicli generally blow from the east under
the equinoctial, it is easier to go from Peru to Cj^-
na, than from Ciiina to Peru. ^•
The Ciiinese Junks are no way able to cross the
■vast sea which lies between China and Peru, besides
it was much more natural for the Chinese to send
people into Mexico, as that country lies much near-
er to China. The adoration which the Peruvians
pay the Sun, has no manner of affinity with tlie ido-
latry of the Chinese, wlio do not worship that pla-
net; whereas it is adored by several uations of the
north parts of America ; from « hence it is very na-
tural to believe that the Peruvians came by the
Isthmus of I'anania. It is surprising that Grolius
sheuld tell ns, tliat those people had the use of
writing,* since the Inca G;ireilasso tells us expressly
in his history that they were ignorant of that art.
Mancocapac was not a Chinese; for tlie Peruvians
said that he was born of a rock, which they shew to
this day near Cusco.
U uuist be confcss-ed that the original of the Ame-
ricans is hid in great oliseurity ; but it would be
otlrerwise, had this people been less barbarous and
savage in their intancy, or had they afterwards known
the methods which those of our hemisphere make
use of to transmit their history to postei ity ; but
America docs not furnish one single monument to
this purpose.
Those people minded only the present moment,
and never troubled iheir heads with the lime pusit,
02 6 I-
or tiiatto come ; a custom which still prevails among
such savages as inhabit countries not yet frequented
by the Europeans. But let us not i)c too ji.irtial in
our own behalf: Are we very certain of our own
original ? Do we know that of the French, the
Spaniards, and the Germans !• Would it not be im-
possible to trace the original of the first inhabitanis
of i'lnrope ? All the dilfcrence we may liiul between
the Americans and ourselves, is, that Christianity
has fixed tl>e ^Era of our histories, and has forced
ns as it were to leave to the discussion of the critics,
the fictions and prodigies of paganism that preceded
it. The ages of luiropean idolatry arc an iiiexiiaus-
tible fund of fictions and conjectures, which the
Greeks and Romans themselves have not been free
from, as has been already observed; since the true
history of the Greeks is not to be traced higher than
the first olympiad, and that of the Romans than the
foundation of their city. We shall now give our
conjecture with respect to the original of the Ame-
ricans. It is very jirobable that America was as po-
pulous a few centuries after tiic deluge as it is at this
time ; after which states and kingdoms were soon
formed : however this was done progressionally,
according as families separated, and the children
themselves becoming parents of a numerous progeny,
were obliged to quit their native countries. These
seperations gave rise to states, in which ambition
and a desire of superiority might e\cn in tliose ages
have had some share. Nevertheless, it is proba-
ble that Asia did not send out any colonies, till
after having been forced to drive out such young
people as were capable of subsisting by them-
Ives.
Hut these settlements were very easily made in
e times: Husbandry was then the only employ-
mankind then spent their lives in leading
the^;Hock3 to pasture ; and it is by the opportuni-
ties which rural occupations gave to people whose
passions were as yet but in their infancy, that the
first coiKjuests were made in Asia, and the send-
ing out of the first colonies. A shepherd who was
at the head of a mmierous family, master of several
Hocks, and who found himself well settled in Chal-
dea sent one of his children or dependants, several
leagues off, with a detachment of o.xen, asses, and
camels.
The flock went gently pn, grazing in their pas-
sage, and insensibly drew fartlier from the true ow-
ner. In the mean time, the detachment grew more
numerous ; and from this flock there sprung ano-
ther. The shepherd who at first was no more than
a deputy, became himself the master and father of
a family. He then also separated part uf his wealth,
and gave it to that son whom he intended should
settle in a foreign country, or to some dependant
that was going further oft. We presume that in
482
RELIGION OF THE ANCIENT OR SAVAGE AMERICANS.
this ninnncr an hundred years was time sufficient to
people iuirope, x\sia, and Africa, very considerably,
and an hundred more to people the continent of
America. Let us suppose for this purpose, that at
the flood, Sheni, Ham, and Japhet, had each twelve
children, and that these children were lit for mar-
riage about (ifteen or eighteen years after the
flood.
It is very probable, that after they had been mar-
ried twelve years, they might see a posterity of four
hundred and thirty-two persons. In iliis manner
Noah might have been at the iiead of above hve
hundred descendants in the space of thirty years;
and if we tiien suppose that every one of Noah's
great-grand-children had ten children, these four
hundred and thirty-two persons might have begot
four thousand three hundred and twenty children in
ten years time. All this might have happened in
the space of half a centuiy; so that multiplying
them always by ten, and leaving an interval of
about twenty or twenty-live years between one gene-
ration and another, Asia, Europe, and Africa, might
have been peopled w ith four hundred and thirty-two
millions of inhabitants, an hundred and fifty years
after the flooil. We think this could not be disputed
were we only to have regard to the ordinary meiliods
of propagation. It is true, indeed, that we sup-
pose every head of a family to have had ten children,
^vhen probably several of tiiose chiefs might not
have had so many. But then how many do we see
in our days who have more than ten, and if we con-
sider what bishop Burnet lias told us concerning
Messieurs Tronchin and Calandin of Geneva ; the
former of whom at the age of seventy-tive, had one
hundred and fifteen children, or persons married to
his children that could call him father; and the
other at the age of forty-seven, had one hundred
and live persons, v.ho were all his nephews or neices
by Ills brothers or sisters : — If therefore, in these
two instances, it will be found that our computa-
tion is modest enough, for an age when poverty and
the cares of life had not yet destroyed man's vigour,
Dor reduced him to the necessity of refraining from
marriage, the lawful method of propagation, for
fear of not being able to support his family. But
although the increase of our species had for one
liundred and fifty years been much less than we have
supposed it, and that only four hundred millions of
people had come into the world ; nay farther, though
we were still to substract thirty millions from that
sum, for the immature or violent deaths, diseases,
and wars, which in all probability were not so bloo-
dy in those ages as they have been since, it is very
natural to think that some millions might detach
themselves from the remaining three hundred and
seventy millions in order to seek their fortunes in
America. And though we afterwards suppose that
propagation may have been very much prejudi >*'d
by leason of the fatigues they laboured under x
their voyage, and from the change of climate,- wi '■
shall nevertheless find that ten or twelve millions of
people may have been able to furnish America with
iorty millions of persons in fifty years time. What
is here advanced ought to be looked upon as a para-
dox, nor should any difficulties be raised with res-
pect to our calculation ; difficulties which are foun-
ded only on the length of man's life in our days.
Mankind in those ages had not invented all those
pernicious arts, which at the same time that they
shorten life, do also lessen propagation.
The rural life which mankind led in the first ages,
the indolence of the Americans, vthich has been
continued from father to son to the latest posterity
and the tranquillity of that people, unperplexed
with those cares which now prey upon us, were in-
capable of ruining health or of making men grow
old before their time. But we will not pursue any
farther a subject that would cari-y us to too great
lengths. It is sufficient for our purpose that we
have proved the possibility, and even the probability
that this part of the world began to be peopled ,
about an hundred and forty years after the flood,
Hud some years after the confusion of tongues at -
Babel.
These colonies passed over into America, from
the north of Asia, by the way of Tartary ; there are
several reasons which induce us to be of this opini-
on, First, father Ilenepin relates, that four savages
came off ambassadors to the Issatis and Nadoues-
sans, while he was among them. They came from
a country above five hundred miles to the westward
of that place, and had been four moons on their
journey. They added, says he, that their country
lay westward, and that we lay eastward with respect
to their country ; that they had journeyed on conti-
nually during all that time, except that which they
employed in sleep, and in hunting for their subsis-
tence. Father Henepin concludes from thence,
that there is no such thing as the straits of Anian ;
for these savages assured us, says he, that they had
not crossed any great lake, for that is the name they
give to the sea. They told us further, that all the
nations with whom tl:ey were acquainted, that live
on the west and northwest of the Issatis, have not
any great lake near the wide extended countries,- but
only rivers, which come from the north, pass through
the countries of those people \vho inhabit near the
confines, on that side the great lake lies, which in
the language of the savages signifies sea. These
people undoubtedly inhabit the north part of Cali-
fornia, and extend perhaps to the frontiers of eas-
tern Tartary, Japan, and the land of Jesso.
It was necessary to be the more explicit upon the
first peopling of America, because this argument
RELIGION OF THE ELORIDANS.
483
has been laid hold of by deisls, in order to prove
that the whole hiinian race did iKjt descend iVotii one
raan and one woman. To take notice ot" what
Voltaire has said on this subject in his philosophy
of history, is altogether unnecessary, for that au-
thor, (as lord Lyltelton jusily says) is the most sh-
perlicial iiistorian that ever took a pen in hand. A
vain, airy, volatile disposition, a love of gaily, and
a fixed hatred of every thing serious, induced him
to take up every idle prejudice, and palm those upon
the public as truth. Inaccurate in all his enquires,
and lazy even to a proverb, he has mixed roiliauce
with historical facts, and in his writings formed a
real monster. l?ut lord Kamos, a late judge,
has gone further, and attempted to prove, that
there must have been many men created originally,
because of the different colours of the human spe-
cies.
His lordship is a respectable WTiter, for although
there is reason to believe that he has conceived
some prejudices against tiie scripture history, yet he
has too UHich good sense to oppose any thing that
tends towards traducing moral virtue, and religious
obligation. He has penetrated deep in the nature
of things, and so hr from being attached to his own
opinion in opposition to any thing that had the ap-
pearance of truth, he actually revoked his senti-
ments concerning tlie freedom of the human will,
in consequence.' of having read the late president
Edwards' celebrated work on that subject. The
tiuth is, in all the ancient histories we are led into
doubts, nor have we any we can with safety depend
ou besides the sacred scriptures.
Historians relate with gravity the story of Regu-
las, others doubt its existence, and yet there is no-
thing at all surprising in it, when we consider the
temper and genius of the Roman people. Xcno-
phon gives us an account of the death of Cyrus very
different from what we read in other authors con-
cerning that illustrious hero, and where is the truth
to be found.
The objections made by lord Karnes against the
truth of the scripture history, in consequence of the
variety of complexions found in the world, is too
weak to be used by a gentleman of his understand-
ing. It is well known that the influence of the cli-
mate will at all times change the colours of men,
and this in a few succeeding generations, will make
it totally opposite to what \t was before. We might
here mention a particular book written by his lord-
ship, wherein lie has, without design, established
this principle, and we arc extremely sorry -to say,
that great talents and consistency are not alw ays
found united.
It is acknowledged by Christians, that the scrip-
ture history is a supernatural revelation, so that they
give themselves no manner of trouble concerning
any cavils about it ; but even allowing that we were
ohliged to al)ide by a heathen, or any sort of lin-
maii testimony, yet the discovery of America might
be accounted for on the rational principles. 'J his
we have in some measure attempted already, and
therefore we shall at present go on to describe the
ceremonies used bv the idolators in that part of the
world, beginning with Florida, and extending our
enquires into the other parts, till we come to speak
of the Protestant religion in every part of the known
world.
Beligion of the Floiidans.
The inhabitants of Florida are idolators and ac-
knowledge the sun and moon for deities,' whom they
worship without offering them either prayers or sa-
crifices. However, they have temples; but the
only use they make of them is to bury their dead,
and to lodge the most valuable part of their wealth
in them. They also set up the spoils of their ene-
mies at the gates of these temples, by way of tro-
phies, and this is all the account the liica Garcil-
asso de la Vega has given us of the religion of the
Floridans. We may justly compare them to those
idolatrous nations of antiquity, who worshipped
whatever they thought odd or surprising, if it be
true that the I'loridans were so superstitious as to
adore a pillar, which captain Ribaut had erected
upon ail eminence, with the arms of IVance, when
he discovered that part of North America. They
offered sacrifices to it, crow ned it w ith flowers, and
dressed it up with garlands and festoons ; and in a
word, they omitted no kind of homage.
The Floridans worship the devil under the name
of Toia, or rather tiiat evil principle whom they set
up in opposition to their Supreme Deity. I'irndy
persuadt d that it is impossible for this last principle
to do them any hurt, because of his great innate
goodness, and they only bend their eiuleavours to
appease the other, who they say, torments them in
a very grievous manner. The devil makes incisions
in (heir flesh, terrifies them in visions, and from
time to time appears to them, to force them to sa-
crifice men to his honour. In case the devil does
not give himself the trouble to act on these occasi-
ons, the priests have neverilielcss the interest of the
people too much at heart, to be wanting in the duty
they owe him. We may therefore with great pro-
bability suppose, that they themselves are the evil
genius, and that they more than make up for that
imaginary malice which t1ie fear of the Floridans
causes them to ascribe to it.
Another author has given us the following ac-
count of the religion of the Floridans. 'i'hey adore
484
RELIGION OF THE FLORIDANS.
one sole creator of all things, to whom their great
poiitift" otfers sacrifices ; but they do not think the
aftairs of men deserve his care, and they say, that
he commits the government of this lower world to
subordinate and inferior Deities ; or in other words,
that he leaves it to the administration of good and
evil spirits, to whom tlie priests of an inferior order
offer sacrifices and other devotions.
The savages that inhabit about the mountains of
Apalache worship the sun, as author of life and
creator of nature. One would think they had pre-
served some footsteps of the flood ; for they say,
that the sun having retarded his ordinary course for
twenty-four hours, the waters of the great lake
Thiximi overflowed in such a manner as to cover
the tops of all the highest mountains, that of Olai-
<n)y excepted ; which the sun preserved from the ge-
ineral inundation, because of the temple he had
built thereon with his own hands, and the Apala
chites afterwards consecrated as a place of pilgrim-
age, where it was usual for them to pay their reli-
gious homage to that planet, and all such as could
shelter themselves in this place were preserved from
the deluge. The four and twenty hours expired,
the sun recovered his first strength, and comniand-
ing the waters to retire back to their just limits,
scattered the vapours which they spread over the
■ earth. It is in acknowledgement for this memora-
ble deliverance, that the Floridans, called /ipala-
chites, have thought themselves obliged to worship
the sun, and here follows the manner how they
adore him, and the particulars of that worship.
We sliall begin with the worship of the Apala-
•cliites. Their religious service consists in saluting
the rising sun, and singing hymns to his praise, and
they pay him the same hon)age every evenhig, Be-
sides this, they sacrilice to him, and offer solemn per-
fume in his honour, four times every year, on the
inountainu of Olaimy. But as they do not offer any
bloody victim to this planet, because they look upon
It as the parent of life, and think that he v ho be-
stows it on creatures, can scarcely delight in a wor-
ship that deprives them of it, we can hardly give the
■ name of sacrifice to the offerings which they make
it, since they consist only of perfumes w Inch they
burn, as presents which they make the priesis, and m
•songs which they sing in honour of the glorious pla-
net of tlie day.
On the eve of the fesliviil appointed for the
offering of jierfumes, the priests withdraw into the
mountains, the better to prepare themselves for this
solemn act of the day following; and the |)eople are
satisfied if they get there before day-break. Fires
are burning all night upon the mountain ; but the
devotees dare not approach the temple, or rati. or
grotto, which is dedicated to clie sun. The jouan;is,
or priests, only are allowed access to the religious
edifice, and it is to them that the devotees intrust
their gifts and oblations, which the jouanas after-
wards hang on poles, that are affixed on each side
of the gate, wheie they remain till the ceremony is
ended ; after which they distribute them according
to the donor's will.
The moment the sun begins to shine, the jouanas
sjng forth his praises, by falling several times upou
their knees ; after which they throw perfumes into
the sacred fire that is lighted before the gate of the
temple, and these two acts of worship are followed
by a third no less essential. Then the priest pours
honey into a stone made hollow for that purpose,
and which stands before a stone table ; and scatters
about the stone a considerable quantity of maize,
half bruised and cleared from its chaff. This is the
food of certain birds, whom the IHoridans tell us
sing the praises of the sun, and whilst the priests
are burning the perfumes, and sing to the honour of
that planet, the people prostrate themseivc; aid pay
their devotions. The ceremony concludes with
sports, dances, and diversions, and the most essen-
tial part of the festival ends at noon. Then the
jouanas surround the table, repeating their songs and
acclamations ; and v\hen the sun begins to gild the
edges of the table with his rays, they throw all the
perfumes they have left into the fire. The cere-
mony does not quite end here : after the last obla-
tion of perfumes, six jouanas chosen by lot stay by
the table, and set at liberty six birds of the sun,
which they brought in cages, in order that they
might act their part in the ceremony. After the
mysterious deliverance of these birds follows a pro-
cession of devotees, who come down from the moun-
tains with boughs in their hands, and go to the (en-
trance of the temples, into which tlicy are intro-
duced by the jouanas. Eastly, the pilgrims wash
their hands and faces with the sacred water. Such
is the description of this ceremony, which we have
borrowed from an author w ho had extracted it from
the relations of two Englishmen.
The temple consecrated to the sun, and to its
worsliip, by the Floridans of Apalache, is a spacious
gnitto, made by nature in the rock, on the cast side
of the mountain. We are told that it is two hun-
dred feet long, and of an oval form ; tluU the arched
roof rises an hundred and twenty feet in height,
and that there comes in light enough by a hole
which goes quite through the top to illuminate the
grotto.
Garcilasso, in his history of the conqnest of Flo-
rida, gives a description of another temple of the
Floridans of Cofaciqui, which seems to have been
used only as a burying-place for the great men of
the country. The Spaniards found in those temples
great wooden trunks and chests, that were placed
joimd the w alls on benches two feet from the ground.
RELIGION OF THE ILORIDAN
Jn \ie?e trunks dead bodies were laid, wliith were
em ,'al.iied in such a manner, as not to cast forth an
olTensive siiiell, and tliere were also lesser chests,
and reed baskets very curious^)' wrought. The litde
chests were tilled with men and women's clothes,
and the baskets with pearls of all sorts : for tiie
temple »>f Taionieco was the bnryiiig-place of the
laciipies of the countr} ; and the description which
(Jarcilasso has given us thereof, justly merits to be
inserted in tliis place. " The temple of Talomeco,
which is the burying-place of the Gaciqucs, is, says
he, above an hundred paces long and forty wide ;
tlie wails are of a hei;^lit pro|)ortionable to it, and
tho roof is veay much raised, to supply the defect
:>f the tiles, and to give the greater slope to the
waters. The roof is made of very slender reeds
split in two, with which the Indians make very hand-
some mats, that arc like the rush-carpets of the
Moors. I'ive or six of these carpets, laid one upon
another, keep the rain from piercing ihniugh, and
ti:e sun from coming into the temple; in which par-
ticular tluy ;ne iniitiili d by the common people and
neighbours, who eujploy their mals to the same use.
i'pon the roof of this temple, a variety of shells of
ditferent sizes are set, and several tislies ranged in
a very beautilul order. But it is scarce possible to
think wlience they were brought, since those peoi)!e
live so liir distant from the sea, unless we suppose
they took them ^ut of the rivers with which ihat
jirovince is watered.
All the shells are placed inside out, to make the
■greater show ; always selling that of a large sea
snail between two little ones, with spaces between
the several pieces, tilled with several strings of pearls
of dilfeivnt sizes, like so many festoons, f;istened
from one shell to the other. These festoons of pearl,
whi( h reach from ilie top to the bottom, heightened
by the lustre of the mot!ier-of-pearl, and of the shells,
look wonderfully pretty when the sun shines upon
ihem. The gates of the temple are proportionable
1o the bigness of it, and at t!ie entrance of it are
twelve gigantic statues made of wood. They are
represented with so savage and threatening an air,
that the Spaniards stood a considerable time to view
ihcm ; and indeed those ligures were worth tlie ad-'
miration of ancient Rome. One would imagine
that those giants had been set there to guard the
door; for they make a lane on both sides, and les-
sen gradually in bulk. The first are eight feel high,
■.iiul the rest something less, dfcreasing gradually in
height like the pipes of an organ.
'rhey have weapons ariswerable to their stature ;
the tirst on each side have clubs set oil" with copper,
which ll-.eyhold lifted up, and as it were ready to
fall on those w ho should be so bold as to enter in ;
liie seconii havepoil-axes ; and the djlrd a kind ot
oar ; the fourth copper-a.\es, the edges of which are
4^h
made of flint; llie fifih stand with tlii'ir bows bent,
ready to let tiy the arrow. These arrows are very
curiously wrought, tlie tips of which are made ol
a piece of stag's horn, very nicely wrought, or else
of tlint-stone whetted as sharp as a sword. The last
have very long pikes tijiped with copper at both ends
and stand in :i threatening posture like the rest ; ;ill
after a ditrereut but very natural maimer.
The top of the walls in the inside of the temple,
is adorned agreeably to the outside of the roof; for
there is a kind of cornice made of large sea snail
shells, ran-jcd in very sood order, with festoons of
pearl between them, hanging from the roof. In
the space between the shells and pearls, is seen in tlie
hollow place which joins to the roof, a great num-
b<r of feathers of various colours, set in a beautiful
.order, and besides this order above the cornice, theio
h;mgs iVom all the other sides of the roof several
feathers and strings of pearls, ail held together by
imperceptible threads, lixed at the top and bottom,
in such a manner that those works seem ready tj
tall every moment.
Under this ceiling and cornice, and round the
temple on the four sides, are two rous of statues, -
standing one above another, the one of men and
the odier of women, of the size of the people of
the country. Their several niches which are made
only as an ornaiiieiit to the wall, join to one ano-
ther, which would otherwise have been too naked;
and all the men have weapons in their hands, on
which are rolls of pearls, each consisting of four
or five rows, with tufts at the end, made of very,
tine thread of various colours, but the statues of the
women have nothing in their hands.
At the foot of these walls are set wooden benches
very well w rouglit, on which the coffins of the lords
of the ]>roviiice, and those of their families are pla-
ced. Two feet above those coffins, the statues of
the persons burietl there are set in niches iu the
wall, and they represent them exactly as the were at
the time of iheir deaths. The women have nothing
in their hands, but ihe men armed.
The space between the iiiiajies of the deceased
persons, and two rows of statues which begin be-
neath the cornice, is tilled w ilh .shields of ditferent
magnitude, made of reeds so strongly interwoven,
as not to be penetrated by a cross bow, or a gun ;
and these shields are all garnished with pearl and
tufts of several colours, which make them niucli
more beauliful. In the middle of the temple a;-o
three rows of boxes or chests, set on benches sepa-
rated from one another. The largest of these chests
serve as bases to the lesser, and these to the least ;
these pyramids consist generally of five or six chests.
As there is a space between the several benches, the
passage is left clear, so that one may see every thing
that passes in the temple.
Q G
*86
RELIGION OF THE ELORIDANS.
All diese chests are full of pearls, llie largest pearls
are in the greatest cJiests, antl so in proportion to
the least, which are tilled with nothing but seed
pearl. These were in such prodigious quantities,
that the Spaniards affirmed, that nine hundred men,
with three hundred horses, would not have saflued
to carry away at once all the pearls dejuisited ui that
ternple. However, this will be found not so extra-
ordinary, since we are told that the Americans of
this province, deposited every individual pearl they
had met with in several ages together, in those chests.
And hence we may infer, that had the Spaniards
kt'pl all the gold and silver which they have brought
from Pi 111 in their hands, they would by this time
have had enough to cover a great number of their
churches. They also found a great number of slia-
nioy, or wild goat skins of different colours, besides
several sorts of skins with the hair dyed of different
colours : several gowns of cats, martens, and other
skins, which were all as well dressed as they could
have been in Germany or Muscovy.
Kound this temple, every part of which was very
neat and clean, was a great store-house, divided
isito eight halls of equal bigness, which were a great
oinament to it, and the Spaniards went into them,
a d fouiid them filled witli military weapons. In
the first were loi g pikes tipped with very fine cop-
per, and set off with rings of pearl, whiih go three
or f ur limes round. That part of the pike which
lies on the shoulder, is adorned with shamoy of
various colours, having tufts of pearls at the end of
it, w hich make them much more beautiful. In the
second hall were clubs like those of the giants, set
off with rings of pearl, and adorned up and down
with tufts of different colours, set round with pearls.
In the third were pole-axes, embellished like the
rest; ill the f<nirth were a kind of spears, setoff
wiili tufts near the iron and the handle ; in the fiftli
were a kind of oars, adorned with pearls and fringes,
and in the sixth were very beautiful bow sand arrows.
Some were armed with flint stones, sharpened at
the end Hke a bodkin, swords, iruii pikes, or points
of a dagger with a double edge. The bows were
enamelled with several colours, shining and gar-
nished with pearls in several places ; and in the
seventh hall were bucklers made of wood and cow
hides, brought from far, adorned with pearls and
coloured tufts. In the eighth were shields made of
reeds, finely interwoven and set off with tufts and
seed pearls.
Some savages of Florida sacrifice their first-born
to the sun, or rather to their sovereigns ; at least it
is certain, that this cruel ceremony is performed in
presence of one of those princes or Caciques, whom
they call Parabustis. Whilst the mother of the in-
fant covers her face, weeps and groans over the stone
against which the victim is to be dashed to pieces,
and the women who accompiiny her sin* and dj-.'-^-e
in a circle, another woman stands in the midsi-'-bf
the ring, holding the child in her arms, and shewing
it tit a distance to tire Paraousli. This woman
dances in the same manner aS the rest of her com-
panions, singing at the s;uiie time the praises of the
Paraousti. After this the priest, surrounded with
six other rioridans, dashes out the child's brains ;
but we are to observe, that the victim must always
be a male infant. ' The same savages offer to (he
suii, with great solemnity, the representation of a
stag ; and chuse for that purpose the skin of the
largest stag they can meet with. They fiist stuff' it
with all kinds of herbs ; then adorn it with fruits
and flowers, and lii't it to the top of a high tree,
with its head turned towards the rising sun. This
ceremony is performed every year about the end of
February, and is always accompanied with prayers
and songs, which are chanted forth by the Para-
ousti and one of the principal jouanas at the head of
those devotees. The I'ioridans beseech the sun to
bless the fruits of the earth, and preserve its fruit-
fuli.ess. and kave the stag's skin hanging on the
tree till the year following.
'^IheyJiave another remarkable festival, at which
the people assemble under the direction of a Para-
ousti, in order to go and pay their devotions to Toia.
Travellers not knowing what Toia was, at once gave
it the name of the devil, and we have already ob-
served, that 'I'oia )• the evil principle. Be that as
it will, this ceremony appears to be an act of con-
trition, or deep sorrow of mind, by which they
imagine they shall obtain the favour of that idol. —
The Floridans meet together in a large open place,
which tie women adorn and get ready the day before
the ceremony. The assembly is no sooner drawn'
up in a ring, but three jouanas, painted from head
to foot with various kinds, of colours, present them-
selves in the midst of it with drums, dancing and
singing to the sound of them, niakuig extraordinary
wry faces, and throwing themselves into a thousand
fantastic shapes. The assembly answers in chorus
to the music of the priests, who have no sooner
danced up and down three or four times, but they
suddenly quit the diversion, and fly to the woods..
It is there they'consult Toia ; and this mysterious
flight interrupts the devotion, but the women con-
tinue it durnig the whole day with tears and bowlings.
These cut and slash the arms of the young girls with
muscle-shells, and throw into the air the blood which
streams from the wounds, as a homage due to Toia,
invoking that idol thrice. Two days after the jou-
anas return from the woods, where they had with-
drawn themselves to consult it, and dance upon the'?
very same spot which they had left so suddenly. —
The dance concludes with an entertainment, for as
they had fasted three days, it would have been almost
RELIGION OF THE FLORIDANS.
487
itn issihle for tlietn to have continuerl any longer
wi .loiit eating : but they were iiKlispeiisibly obliged
♦.o taut, since the <ji>ds reveal themselves vviili greater
freedom to such as observe that duty. The brain,
on these occasions, is not clonded by those vapours
whicli arise from food, and is more susceptible of
the impressions of enthusiasm.
Then- priests, like those of the other American
nations, are likewise physicians, as also the Para-
ousti's counsellors and ministers of state. They
carry themselves under this tripple character with
gravity and modesty, anil arc siu'prisingly abstemious.
Before their promotion to the priesthood, they are
obliged to submit to a very lon<; discipline under tlie
direction of other priests, who instruct them in the
mysteries of religion, and prepare their nimds, as
it were, for the reception of those ideas which they
are to instil afterwards into the people. Tliey are
trained up in fasting, abstinence, retirement, and in
a deprivjtion of the pleasures of sense ; but then its
austerities are softened by visions, and an intimate
correspondence with the Deity. This is the account
that travellers give of it, which, whether it be exact
in every particular, we shall not take upon us to
delerniJne. However, we are not to doubt but the
old priestfe tell their young fry that they must at least
apjiear thoroii'j-hly convinced of the holiness of a
vocation, which invests them at one and the same
time with i)ower both over body and soul ; and this
discipline coutiiuios three years.
I'liey hang at their girdles a bag filled with physi-
cal herbs, and other medicaments ; which is also
the custom of the \'irginian priests. They are pretty
well skilled in the particular uses of medicaments,
and the properties of simples. Tiiey also employ
vomits, sweating and lancing, and tliev do not wipe
away the blood which runs from the wounds, but suck
it with their mouths, and often through a straw or
reed. The Floridans are of opinion, that it is im-
possible but the breath and touch of the medico-
priests must be of service to the sick. A modern
writer hiforms us, that the priest mumbles o*er
certain words on these operations, but if all these
n^cdicinos are of no effect, the bath is prescribed ;
and if tliat fails, he sets the sick person at the door
of his hut, wifli his face turned towards the rising
gun ;' when the medico-priest earnestly entreats that
j)lanet to restore the sick man to his health, by the
gentle itithience of its light; and this is the last
refuge of both patient and physician.
These priests are rlotlieil in a mantle of skins, cut
into pieces of unequal bigness ; which dress is some-
times made in the form of a long goWn, and in this
cdsethey tie it about them with a leather girdle, at
which the bag hangs in which they put their medi-
caments. They go with their arms and feet un- |
covered, and wear a fur cap made like a cuue, and i
their heads are often adorned with feathers, which
they wear instead of a cap.
The Floridans are of a very revengeful temper,
which is also j)eculiar to the rest of the American
nations. The former, to stir themselves up to ven-
geance, hold certain assemblies, in which one of
them is placed by himself at a distance: then an-
other rises up, and taking a javelin in his hand,
strikes the former with all his strength, the wounded
person not offering so much as to flinch ; after this
tl^ie dart is presented to others, who all strike him
till he falls down wounded to the ground. This
being done, the woinen and young people raise him
with tears in their eyes ; give him casma to drink,
which is the common liquor of their warriors, and
convey him to a hut, where they again weep round
him. The women and maidens get ready some
medicaments to heal his wounds, the assembly at the'
same time drinking, rejoicing, and singing the brave'
exploits of their ancestors, and stirring up one an-
other to revenge. The whole solemliity is a com-
memoration of the death of their countrynn n ; and
the wounded man is, in their eyes, an image of all
the ill treatment they have met with froiTi their ene-
mies ; and this spectacle inspires the whole nation
\\ith an irreconcilable hatred.
Before their marching out to war, they hold a
council, in which the jouai'ias give their opinion;
and nothing is there resolved upon, till they have
(irst been made privy to it, and also consulted the
oracle of their idol. The fumes of the casina con-
tribute no less than the oracle to their taking those
desperate resolutions, which are the only ones they
are sensible of, but none except the warriors are al-
lowed to drink casina, nor they neither, till after
having first given proofs of their valour.
Before they set out upon their expeditions, the
Paraiiusti turns himself towards the sun, conjuring
it at the same time to be propitious to him, \\beu
taking water in a wooden porringer, having, first
broke out into several imprecations against the ene-
my, he throws the water up in the air in such a
manner, that part of it falls down again upon the
warriors, crying aloud, at the same time, " May
iyou in like manner shed the blood of your enemies !"
; He then takes soukJ water a second time, which he
throws upon the fire that standi, by him, and ad-
: dressing himself to the same warriors, "May you,
says he, destroy your enemies as speedily as 1 put
out this fire I" Both these ceremonies are accompa-
nied with hideous cries and pjthetical wry faces.
Those of the .louanas whom they consult upon
the fate of the cx[)e<lition, are altogether as whim-
sical ; for the pretended magician lays himself upon
a shield, m a posture which it would be needless to
express. He recovers himself out of that niinalural
posture, after having continued a quarter of an hour
433
RELIGION OF THE FLORIDANS.
ill tlie most violent agitations, made the most fright-
ful wry faces, and tluouu hiiiiself into as violent
distortions as the highest convulsions coi;]d have oc-
casioned. Tlien the god leaves his minister, who
now grown frantic, rises up, goes to the Paraousti,
and acquaints him with the result of the spiritual
conference; relates to him the number of his eue-
niics, tlie manner of tlieir encampment, and the suc-
qess of the expedition; of all wiiich we are assuctd
they give a perfect account.
'J'hey scaip their enemies in the sairie manner as
other nations of North America, and hang llie hgs
aVid arms of their slain upon poles set up for that
purpose. An assembly gathers round those poles to
hear the curses whic'i a Jouaiw pronounces against
their enemies; and three men kneel- before tlie priest,
who has a little idol in his hand. One of these
beats three times with a clidj upon a stone, and an-
swers the priest's imprecations, during which the
other two sing to the noise of their gourd-bottles.
Such women as have lost their husbauds in war,
implore the assistance of the Paraousti, and present
themselves before him with eyes full of tears : A
surpri:iing testimony of the love they bare him !
^Vhelher this grief be real or feigned, we are not to
doubt; but these tears are of great service in stirring
up tlie revenge of the warriors. Their hermaphro-
dites, w honi we before observed to live a very odd
kind of life, are employed in carrying their burthens
and provisions for war; and they also make use of
them to carry their sick and wounded. These her-
maphrodites wear long hair like women, and are
very much despised by theii warriors.
The Floridan women above-mentioned are not
satisfied \^ it!i shedding tears at tlie king's feet, to
excite him to revenge tiie unhappy deatlis of their
husbands, but weep and groan over their graves ;
and as a testimony of their conjut;al afiVction, these
disconsolate widows cut their hair quite off, and
scatter it over them. Some people, xiho are so silly
as to believe that a husband's deatli merits an eter-
nity of affliction, would cry put that they would
never alter their condition; but such are greatly
mistaken, for they, as well as our .widows, have
their stated times of widowhood. 'J'he Floriilan
women are not allowed to marry again till their hair
is grown as long as it was before, that is, till it des-
cends below their shouhlers.
They inter their Paraousti jn ihie most magnificent
manner possible; for the sepulchre is surrounded
V ith arrows wiUi the points fixed to the ground;
and over it is placed the cup which the monarch
made use of in his life-time. 'I'hcy spend three days in
tears and fasting over the grave, by way of honour-
ing his memory, and the Paraousti, \iith his allies,
.bemoan his death with the same solemnity, for they
shave their heads as a tcstrmor.y of their affect '"'tni
In tine, hired she-mourners lament his death tlr^\'.
every day, viz. iu thfe morning, at noon, and at nigii"
fur six months together; and they burn every thing
that belonged to him in his life-time; and obser^e
the same ceremony at the death of their priests. — ■
They burn them in their houses; after which they
set tire to the house and .every thing that is in it ;
and we are told, that the J'loridans, after having
burnt those sacred bodies, beat the bones to powder,
and a year afterwards give them to the deceased's re-
lations to drink. The Floridans of those provinces
which Ferdinand de Soto visited, burned living slaves
along with their monarchs, to wait upon tliem ia
the otlu r world.
The inhabitants of Apalache embalm the bodies
of their relations and deceased friends', and leave
them almost three months .in the balm, 'i'hey are
afterwards dried with aromatic drugs, wrapped up
in rich fuis, and laid in cedar cotfins, which the re-
lations keep for twelve moons at their own houses :
'Fhey then carry it to the neighbouring forest, and
bury it at the toot of a tree. But they shew a
greater regard for the bodies of. the Paraousties;
for they first embalm tliem, and then dress them up
with all their ornaments, set them oti" with feathers
and necklaces, and afterwards keep them for three
years together in the apartment where they died,
all which time they lay in those wooden coltins
above-mentioned ; at the expiration of which, they
arc deposited in the sepulchres of their predecessors
upon the side of the mountain of Olaimy. They
are let down into a cave, the mouth of m Inch they
stop with great flint-stones, hanging on the branches
of the neighbouring trees the weapons they made
use of in war, as so many testimonies of ihtir bra-
very. It is further said, that the nearest relations
pl;int a cedar near the cave, which they dress with
care in. honour of the deceased, and whenever
the tree dies they immediately plant another in its
place.
The Apalachites believe in the immortality of the
soul, and that those who have lived a life of virtue
are carried up into heaven and lodged among the
stars; but they fix the habitatioti o( the wicked ia
the [irccipices of the high mountains of the north,
among the bears, and in the midst of ice and snow.
'1 he other nations of these wide extended .countries
believe also that the good shall he rewarded and the
wicked punished after this life. 'J'hey call heaven
the high world, and by way of opposition, the lowtr
world, that which shall be the eternal habitation of
the wicked. Cupai, that evil genius, whom the rest
of the Floridans call Tola, and we .the devil, reigns
in tliis latter place.
The Indians uf Carolina believe the transmigra-
o
(/t'/f<//f ^/
/Jl/^l^tC^^^
EnaravS -fin' J Gleav/i.!^ .E^/ioh,
RELIGION OF THE FLORIDAXS.
480
^lon of souls ; nnd whenever any of tlicm die, tliey
bury provisions and some ulcusils along with them
fyv tlicir use.
AVe shall take notice of one custom of the l''lori-
dans of llirriga, which has some rehition to that of
the Apalachites. These savages bury their dead iii
forests, and they lay their bodies in wooden coflins
covered over with boards, which arc not fixed to one
another, but held down only by the weight of some
stones or pieces of wood, wiiich they lay upon the
Coffin ; and as the province of Florida abounr's w ilh
a great number of wild beasts, they appoint slaves
to guard tiie bodies.
The Indians of Florida generally marry but one
wife, who is obliged to be true to her husband, upon
pain of being exposed to a shameful punishment, or
even of being put to a cruel death. The great men of
the nation dispense with the custom which allows but
one wife to the common people, for tliey marry as
many as they please; but then one of them only is
looked on as the lawful wife, all the rest being con-
sidered as concubines. The offspring of the latter
do not enjoy an equal portion of their father's wealth
as the chi^dren of the former do.
The Apalachites do not marry out of their families,
and among them parents often make a match for their
children from their infant years, who ratify what
they had agreed upon when they come to age. —
They are allowed to marry in any degree of consan-
guinity, next to that of Ijrother and sister.
The latter give to tin ir male children, the names
of the enemies they have killed, of tlie villages to
which they have set fire, or of such of their pri-
soners as have died in war. The girls bear the
names of their deceased mothers or grand-mothers,
for they observe ucver to let two persons of the
same fauuly go by the same name. Both boys and
girls art under the- mother's direction till twelve
years of age, after whicli the father undertakes the
tducation of the boys.
We are assured, that husbands have no commerce
with their 'wives from the time of their breeding till
after their lying-in ; and they are even so scrupulous
as not to cat any thing they may have touched during
tlie time of their child-bearing.
The Floridans who inhabit near Panuco, "do not
"marry young, and nevertheless we are assured, they
arc scarce maids by the lime they are ten or twelve
years of age. The women of the Lncayan islands
w«ar a cotton apron for modesty sake; and their
young women wear them as soon as they are lit for
'uiarringe.
The Floridans of Carolina make use of hierogly-
phics and emblems to record their events. 'I'liey
take care to instruc^ tlieir children in every thing
which relates to their families and their nation, in
order that the history of them may be transmitted to
S3 (
the latest posieritv. They erect a little stone pyra-
mid in those places where a battle has been fought,
or a colony settled; and ttic niyjiber of the slain, to
that of the founders, or of those wlio first inhabited
the place on which these pyramids arc erected as
scon Ry the number of stones.
IJcforc we conclude this account of the ancient
Floridans, it will be necessary to take notice of the
present state of the country, because a remarkable-
change has taken place in some parts of it. In
ITtil, Spain declared war against England, and the
consequence proved fatal to tiiem, for many of their
most valuable settlements were taken.
At the peace of Versailles, 176% the English
obtahied possession of Florida, or at least some
part of it, and ever since some of our British sub-
jects have been settled there. This has opened a
way for the civilization of the people, and mission-
aries have been appointed to preach amongst liieni.
These concurring circumstances have opened a
way for the making of new discoveries, and it is
not to be doubted, but that as soon as peace is re-
stored, this colony of ours will be the means of
conveying, to many of the heathens in America,
the knowledge of the gospel. This indeed, is one
of the great ends Protestants should always have ia
view, when they make settlements among the hea-
thens. If the papists spared no pains to propagate
their superstition, why should Protestants be remisi
in seeking to make the purity of their divine religioa
known ?
No excuse can be pleaded for such a neglect, be-
cause it is wilful, and proceeds from our not setting
a proper value on the precious immortal souls of our
fellow-creatures. Who can read the accounts we
have already given of these Floridans without hor-
ror.' And what man, who knows the benefits of
Christipuity, would not desire to see them equally
happy with himself? For this purpose, let a few
of our luxuries be retrenched, that we may have au
opportunity of laying up treasures in heaven, by
diflusing the knowledge of the gospel among the
most remote nations. God has given us the means,
and he will exact from us an account of the use we
make of them. It is necessary, therefore, that we
should attend carefully to these things, because the
neglect of them will not only be an injury to those
who are in want of our assistance, but it will also
aggravate our guilt, because we were destitute of
bowels of compassion to those who, of all others,
stood the most in need of our assistance.
Reiigion of the savages of IlndsoiCs Tiai/>
Hudson's Bay is so far to the northward of
America, that were it not for the trade we have
ii
400.
RELIGION OF THE SAVAGES OF HUDSON'S BAY.
established there, it would be difficult to give a pro-
per account of it. Its territories are supposed to
join to those of Russia or Siberia, but an exact
discovery of this has never yet been made. It is
true, some have attempted it, but we may venture
to affirm, that till government gives a proper* pre-
mium to tiie adventurers, few will undertake to go
through the danger attending it. This, however,
we shall leave to providence, in directing the coun-
cils of princes, and just observe what the religion
of the people is at present, who have not embraced
Christianity.
The savages near Hudson's Bay, have very dark
confused notions of religion, for they have a va-
riety of different gods, or rather idols, and address
them according to their fancies. Indeed, the licen-
tious vagrant lives of these savages, prevent them
from attending to any proper notions of religion,
or of the true God. They are not amenable, how-
ever, to the good or ill fortune that happens to them,
for like the Mancheans in the primitive times of
Christianity, they seem to adore two principles, the
one good and the other evil. They believe the sun
to be the good, and the moon the evil principle,
which has some affinity with the opinion of the an-
cients, who ascribed evil and pernicious effects to
the moon.
These savages whom we are writing of, seem to
consider the sun as the sovereign of the universe,
for they offer him tobacco instead of incense, and
this b what they call smoking the sun. This cere-
mony is performed in the following maner : —
The chiefs of the families assemble by day break,
at the house of one of their principal men, where
the latter lights the tobacco, and oifers it to the sun,
and waving it with his hands according to its course,
till it comes to the points from whence it first be-
gan ; he addresses his prayers at the same time, to
the sun, implores his protection, beseeches him to
direct him in his undertaking, and recommends all
the families of the district or canton to his care. —
After this, the chief smokes the tobacco, and then
gives it to every one in his turn.
It may not be improper in this place to give a
description of the instrument used by them in their
religious smoking, which they call the Columet. —
It is a kind of very long pipe, made of red stones,
adorned with the heads of wood-pickers, and of a
kind of ducks that perch upon trees. The heads of
those birds are of the finest scarlet colour in the
M'orld, and all their feathers are extremely beautiful.
In the middle of the tube, or body of the Calumet,
they hang or fix certain feathers taken from the wing
of a bird which they call Kibon, prutty much re-
sembling an eagle, and they always incense the Calu-
met before they begin any warlike expedition. But
we have a still more accurate description of this in-
stiiiment called a Calumet, by father Henepin, a
learned Jesuit, who visited those parts, and resided
there several years.
He says it is a great large smoking pipe, of red,
white, or black marble, pretty much like a battle-
axe, with a very smooth head. The tube, which is
above two feet and a half long, is made of a strong
reed or cane, set oft' with feathers of all sorts of
colours, with several mats made of women's hair,
variously interwoven. To this they fix two wings,
which make it resemble, in some measure, the words
used by ambassadors among the ancients when they
concluded a peace. They thrust this reed through
the necks of theards, or thears, which are birds
speckled with black and white, and about the big-
ness of our geese, or through the necks of the
above-mentioned ducks.
These ducks are of several different colours, and
every nation both make and adore the Calumet in
what manner they please, or rather according to
their own ancient usages. The Calumet is a pass-
port to all those who remove from one place to an-
other, and being a symbol of peace, they are uni-
versally of opinion, that some signal vengeance
would befal the person who should presume to break
the faith of it. It is the seal of all public under-
takings, of all important affairs, and all sacred
ceremonies. But to return to the other religious
ceremonies of these people.
The ceremony of smoking the sun is never per-
formed but on the most extraordinary occasions, for
in common things they address their prayers to some
small images which they carry along with them, and
which are commonly given them by their jugglers.
Some of them imagine that the storms are raised by
the moon, who, in their opinion, sometimes lodges
in the bottom' of the .sea.
To pacify her, therefore, they sacrifice to her the
most valuable things they have in their canoe, and
throw every thing into the sea, not excepting even
their tobacco. This sacrifice is preceded with sing-
ing, and certain other ceremonies which -are effica-
cious in driving out this evil spirit. In all this there
seems to be but little difference between them and
the ancients, for they are far from being so barba-
rous as the Floridans already mentioned.
To know the issue of any atfaii', they address
themselves to their jugglers, who pronounce their
oracles with great ceremony, and in a manner that
is artful enough. The, juggler fixes poles in the
ground, and thereon raises a circular hut, which he
surrounds with the skins of caribous, or other ani-
mals, leaving a hole at the top wide enough for a
man to pass through. Here the artful juggler shuts
himself up alone, where he sings, sheds tears, turn--
bles up and down, torments himself, invokes, breaks
out into imprecations and exorcisms. He then re-
J 'ro /
art/-) o/ ( ''.jAv/z/fr//./' ///f/u///.j ' //////v-y /V - ^///y/'VA/ '^/^//
'•aarwyti frr .'^ iVten^ Edi/tr .
RELIGION IN THE CARIBBEE ISLANDS.
491
ceivcs an answer in a thundering voice ; all which is
consistent witli the notions the heathens in general
form of the Divine Being.
This makes them believe that their gods must
always deliver their answers to their prayers in a
thundering voice ; nay, they imagine that no answer
can come from the goils, unless it, in sonic measure,
less or more, disorders the laws of nature. 'I'his
■would be undoubtedly true ; but what these infatu-
ated people believe to be the voice of the Supreme
Being, is no other than fa trick contrived by tiieir
jugglers to impose on the people, and support their
own authority.
As soon as the noise is heard, the juggler's en-
thusiasm breaks out in a murmuring noise, like that
of a rock falling, when all the poles and stakes are
shaken with so much violence, that one would ima-
gine all was coming to the ground. It is in the
midst of these sacred agitations that the juggler pro-
nounces the oracle, than which nothing can be more
artful, for he takes the opportunity of the people's
minds being 'disordered by fear.
In their marriage ceremonies they are very differ-
ent from the Floridans. ITiey marry as many wives
as they can maintain, and nothing is more common
than to find four or five sisters married to one man.
She that has the first child enjoys several privileges
v.hich the others do not, so that she is considered
as the head of the family ne.xt to the husband. This
is generally the case wherever polygamy is tolerated.
The moment a savage becomes in love with a wo-
man, he reveals his passion, and in order to obtain
the end of his wishes, he gives an entertainment to
her relations. He makes her father some presents,
and no sooner has he obtained the parents' consent,
than he takes her home without any farther cere-
mony. They never marry with an intention of bind-
ing themselves to each other for life, for they co-
habit together no longer than they are pleased with
each other. This practice prevails thoughout most
of the other nations in North America, of which
•we shall take some farther notice aftei wards.
They bury their dead with as much pomp as pos-
sible, they dress them, paint their faces and bodies
with different colours, after which they lay them in
cofhns, made of the bark of trees, the outsides of
which they make smootli with light pumice stones.
They then set up a pallisade round the tomb, which
is always raised seven or eight feet from the ground.
They also make entcrtuinnieuts for their dead,
very suitable to their own manners and customs in
other respects. Every thing is sad and mournful,
suitable to the circumstances of the occasion. The
relations of the deceased keep a deep silence, and
will not allow dancing and singing. All the guests
make presents to the parents and other relations of
the deceased, which they throw at their feet, saying,
at the same time, " This Is to cover him, this is to
make a hut for him, this is to surrownd his grave,"
and no on they mention other necessaries.
We must not conclude tiiis article without taking
notice, that many of these people are moie civilized
in their manners since the English established a com-
pany to trade there. This shews the great advan-
tage of commerce, and the proper use that sh<.)uld
always be made of it ; uamtly, to polish the minds
of a rude ignorant people, that they may enjoy the
benefits of society, and tiie blessings of religion. '
Religion of the Carihbee islands.
These islands, like the rest of America, were un-
known to Europeans, or at least they were unfre-.
quented by them, till the time of Columbus, in the
iatter end of the fifteenth century. It was found,
that at that time, there were many inhabitants in
them; but they were all idolators. It cannot be
ascertained, whether by some accident or other these
islands, or some of them, might not have been peo-
pled before the continent of America, but perhaps,
upon a nearer inspection, the contrary will appear
more probable.
It is almost established as a maxim that America
was, for the most part, peopled from the continent
of Europe, and if so, it must have been from the
more northerly parts. The only objection to the con-
trary is, that some learned men have asserted that
colonies were sent from Africa, but of this we have
treated already at large, so that it will not be neces-
sary to resume the subject.
It is sufficient for us that it was found inhabited
by many people when Columbus first discovered it,
and knowing the near affinity that the northern parts
of Russia, have with the northern extremity of
America, we are naturally led to rest satistied, that
the continent of that vast territory was peopled be-
fore the islands.
It was no difficult matter for the natives of the
continent to go over to the islands in their canoes,
one of which is now to be seen in the British Mu-
seum. These canoes are very curiously constructed,
and capable of conveying people in an easy manner,
from one place to another, where the voyages are
not long. It is probable, that the situation of is-
lands in sight of each other, first furnished men with
the idea of navigation, and from building small ca-
noes they came at last to construct large vessels. —
The violence of a storm might drive them out of
their course, and providence might direct them to an
unknown shore.
We have been the more particular in our conjec-
tures concerning the origin of these people, because
492
RELIGION IN THE CATIIBBEE ISLANDS.
we, as Biklsli subjects, have at present a very near
connection with some of them. The avarice of the
Europeans has extended so far, that whenever a war
takes place, one 6v other of these islands become
the properties of new masters. It is to this circum-
stance that those people have been so long kept in a
state of ignorance; for the IJoman Catholics have
left nothing untlpne to make them superstitious de-
votees to the worship of saints and images, and
Protestants, who attempted to convert thein to a
rational and spiritual religion, found all their designs
frustrated, in consequence of the ambition of prm-
ces, who commenced wars against each other before
such a salutary end could be answered. We shall
therefore proceed to.consider w hat these islands w ere
when the Spaniards invaded them, what they are
still considered under the uotiou of idolatry,- and
what they are at present in consequence of the ex-
tension of commerce, and the connection they have
with trade.
The Spaniards have destroyed the greatest part of
these islanders, and the rest of the Europeans, who
copied after them, have not treated them much bet-
ter ; but still none of them have been able to deprive
those unhappy savages of the liberty of exclaiming
against their injustice, and the cruelties they have
suffered under the government of their new masters.
You have driven me out of my habitation,j says the
Caribbee, which you had not the least right to do,
neither can you have the least pretensions to it. —
You are coutiimally threatening to turn me out of
the little that- is left me; must then the poor Carib-
bee be forced to take up his habitation in the sea with
the fishes : Your own country must certainly be
very miserable, since you quit it to turn me out of
mine; and whence is it that you take so mucii-plea-
sure in tormenting me.'' Ambition and avarice have
almost obliterated in our minds all the maxims of
the gospel. Our conq\iests w ill indeed have one
specious pretext, viz. Oiat of winning over the souls
of the Americans to Cliiist ; but then a converted
Indian will answer, "A\'hy do you not llie|efore. con-
sider me as a brotlier, since 'Christianity sets man-
, kiud in a state of freedom, and at the same time
that it exhorts us to humility, fills our minds with
U spirit of tenderness and humanity ; a spirit which
you have never once breathed with regajd to xis ?
To this we make no other answer, than that our
interest calls i'or their subjectiou ; that we want
slaves to cultivate our land ; that we have dispos-
sessed these savages of thein in order to improve
them, and to searcli into their bowels for wealth, of
which they were wholly ignorant- and so great is
our infatuation, as to imagine that these venal nio-
lives suit \\ ith the gentle spirit of Christianity. But
surely this cannot surprize us, when it Js to be con-
sidered that some haye endeavoured to justify the
cruel havock which has been made of the Ameri-
cans by principles drawn from religion ; and have
fancied the behaviour of the Israelites towards the
Canaanites gave a sufBcient sanction to these barba-
rous jiroceediiigs !
The almost total extirpation of the Caribbees gave
occasioii to this digression ; they seem to have been
destroyed with a more violent s]>irit of fury than
the rest of the Americans; and one would think
that their conquerors, in order to palliate their in-
human butcheries, had endeavoured to make them
pass for the most unnatural monsters, who had nei- '
ther law, nor religion ; and, in a word, who had no-
thing human about them but their shape.
If we may believe Kochefort, the Caribbees so
far from worshipping a Deity, have not so much as
any word to express it by ; so that whenever we
speak to them concerning the Supreme Being, we
are obliged to make use of a great deal of circum-
locution, to give them an idea thereof. They con-
sider the earth as a kind parent that nourishes her
creatures ; but they do not understand what we mean
by divine essence, or the other mysteries of religion.
The same is related of the greatest part of the
Americans; and it is probable they confuse these
barbarians with too great a multitude of ideas and
arguments. They are for having them comprehend
the Deity at once in the same manner as we do, and
require them to believe at the first word, and on
their bare word, a set of people who declare certain
mysteries to them, of the truth whereof they them-
selves were not convinced till after long experience,
a continual course of study, and a multitude of re-
flections ; to all which, a catechism taught them in
their youth, had led the way, the better to prepare
their minds for imbibing the principles of the Chris-
tian faith. If it be true, that these savages have not
capacity enough to understand abstracted subjects,
we ought before all things to polish their minds,
form them to reflection, and make them men before
we go abbut to make them Christians.
The Caribbees acknowledge a good and an evil
principle, and call them Maboia. Kochefort tells
us, that they believe tliere are a multitude of good
spirits, and that each savage imagines he has one
to himself, to whom they give the name of Cheinen.
Other travellers tell us, they say Louque or Looko
was the first man, from whom all mankind are des-
cended ; that he created lishes, and rose again three
days aftei" his death, and afterwards ascended into
heaven. That after l^ouque's doparture, the terres-
trial animals were created. They believe tliat the
earth and sea were created, but not the heavens. — ■
They have also some idea of the flood, and ascribe
the cause of it to the wickedness of mankind iu those
ages. Maboia, they say, is the author of eclipses;
and that uotwithstauding their firm persuasion of the
RFXICION IN THE CARIBBEE ISLANDS.
!*<JS
})o\\ er and malice of this evil spirit, ihey neverthe-
K'ss piay to it ; but then it is at'tc-i- a very irregular
jiiaiiiur, «ivlioiit iiaving any lixed time or place lor
that purpose; witiiout once endeavouring to know
iiini ; without having the least distinct idea of liiin;
uilliout liiiving llie least love tor liini ; and, in a
vnrd, only to prevent him doing tlicni any liarm. —
Whereas they say, that since the good principle i;*
kind and benclicent, it were needless to pray to it.
i\nd the savages mentioned in the preceding ai;ticles"
iiave the same sentimtnts. They are of opinion ihat
the sun jiiosides over the stars, and that tiie latter
are C.'hcu)e.ns, \\ho are supposed to superintend over
luelecire and storms. \\ e aie not to omit, that tiiese
■savages have their heroes, or rather demigoils, who
arc now stars and Chemcns.
, They otter Cassave, and the first of their fruits
lo their Chemens; and sometimes out of gratitude
make a feast to their honour. IJochefort tells us,
that these offerings were not accompanied with either
adorution or prayers, they placing them only at one
corner of the hut on a table made of rnt-hes and of
latanier, a tree wliich grows in that country. Here
the spirits assendjle to eat and drink those oblations;
a proof of which is, that the Caribbees assure us,
that they hear the vessels in which the presents had
been laid, move up and down, as also the noise
■which the mouths of tliose gods make at the time of
their eating.
The same author relates, that they make little
images resembling the form mider which Maboia
reveals hinrself to them, in order to prevent his do-
ing tliem any harm. They wear those images about
tli'ir necks-, and pretend that it gives them ease ;
:and that they fast and slash themselves for his sake.
We are obliged to observe in this place, that Ivoche-
:fort, fatlier iiubiit, la l>orde, and some others, Ixuh
Protesti'.nts and Homan Catholics, unanimously de-
-clare, thot these people are tormented with the evil
*pirit, who beats, scratches, nay, even wounds them
in a most cruel mtniner, in order to force thciu to
execute all his injunctions with the utmost exactness,
and all which may be true for what we know . We
have already observed, tliat the North An)cricans
are hiso afraid of being tormented by the de\il;
and shall find in the sequel of this work, that those
•of South Aujcrica are exposed to the same perse-
cution, r'rtther Labat assures us, that tlie power
of this angel of darkness has no manner of ascen-
<Jencv in those places where a cross is set up; and
Rochefoit informs us, thai the devil has not the
j>owev to torture the savages when they are in the
Cliristians. The savages, whenever \he grand adver-
;sary of mankind iK-gius to affiict them, run as fast
as possible into the next Christian house they meet
with, where they find a sure asylum against all the
4>ssault8 of that furious assailant ; aud he adds, that
13
baptism infallibly preserves thofcc savages from the
devil's blows. I'Vonj these two authorities received
from persons whose priiicii)!es arc so very different,
we may, however, draw this i.iference, that the dcMl
is (qually afraid both of Protestants and J{oinau
Catholics.
']"hey have an infinite number of omens aud "upcr-
slitious, two of which only shall be mentioned.--
They pretend that bats are Chemens whose oflice it
is to watch during the night. They often |n'eservc
tlie hair or the bones of some of their deceased re-
lations in a gourd- bottle, which they considt upon
occasion; and tlieir Boias, whom we are goinn l\>
mention, make them believe tliat the spirits of th(^
decea.sed acfjuaint them with the designs of their
enemies.
These Boias, who are the medico-priests of the
Caribbee-s, have each their particular genius, whom
they pretend to conjure up by humming over certain
words, and the smoke ol tobacco. They never call
upon this genius or demon but in the ni-jht-time,
and that too in a place where there is neither fire
nor light. We are that these Boias are wizards,
and have the secret of kiUin.i their enemies with
charms which they employ against them.
The old Boias make all their candidates to the
priesthood go through a pretty severe discipline ; for
the novice is obliged from his infancy to abstain
from several kinds of meats, and even to live upon
bread and water in a little hut, where he is visited
by no body but his masters, who make incisions in
his skin. But they do not stop here; for they giv«
him tobacco-juice, which, as it purges him in a
violent manner, frees him, say they, from all terres-
trial uncleanness, and prepares his mind for the
reception of the Chenien. 'ihey then rub his bodj
over with gum, which they afterwards cover over
with feathers, in order to make him exact and dili-
gent in his consultations of the genii, and ready to
obey their orders. Nay, they tea<h him to cure the
diseased, and to conjure up the spirit.
The Caribbees ascribe llieir iliseascs to Maboia;
and as those people arc observed to be of a very
melancholy cast of mind, we may ))robably suppose
that the nocturnal apparitions of the devil, and the
torments which he inflicts upon them, are in reality
no more than the chimeras of a brain very suscep-
tible of the impressions of fear. W e may ascribe
part of the niagical operations of the jVmerican
priests to the same cause ; for to impute them all
would be going too far. Whenever they are desirous
of knowing the issue of any illness with which they
are troubled, they first lay the offering intended for
Maboia upon a Maloutou, and then send for a
Boia iii the night-time, who immediately orders the
fire to be p'U out, and turns out oil those perEons of
whom he lias tiie least suspicion. Alter this he goes
I
■49-4
RELIGION IN THE CARIBBEE ILANDS.
into a corner, wliere he orders the patient to be
brought to him, then smokes a leaf of tobacco, pint
of which he bruises in his hands, and snapping his
fingers at the same time, blows what he had rubbed
into the air. The odour of this perfume brings the
Chemen, who answers the deni:ind of the Boia ;
when the latter draws near to his patient, fetls,
presses, and liandles several times successively that
part where the pain lies, if it be an outward one ;
pretending at the same time, to draw out that which
occasions it, and often sucks it. These savages also
make use of the bath and lancing. If this consul-
tation with the spirit does not give the patient any
ease, the Boia physician resumes liis j^nestly function,
and after having given the patient some consolation,
to prepare him for his journey to t!ie next world, he
declares to him that his god, or, if the reader
pleases, his devil, is uesirous of his company, and
to deliver him from the miseries of this life.
If the sick person recovers, they make a feast in
honour of JNIaboia, and set victuals and drink for
him upon a Matoutou. The Cassave and the Ovi-
cou, which they present to him, continue all night
upon the table, and as, to speak with these savages,
the spirit eats and drinks only in a spiritual manner,
every thing they had set for him over night is found
untouched in the morning. The Boia takes posses-
sion of these oblations, and the Caribbees look upon
them with so much awe and veneration, that none
but their old men and the chief persons of the nation
are allowed to touch them. When the feast is
ended, they black the patient with juniper apples,
which make him as ugly as the devil himself. They
have frequently feasts, or rather drunken entertain-
ments, and it is in this manner they solemnize the
return from ah expedition, the birth of their child-
ren, the time appointed for the cutting off their
hair, and that of their beginning to go to war. —
The holding a council of war, the felling of any
wood or grove, the grubbing up of a piece of
ground, the building of a canoe, are all considered
as solemnities. They call these feasts assemblies,
or drunken entertainments.
They observe a fast upon their arriving at the state
of puberty, and their being made captains, upon the
death of a father or mother, wife or husband ; this
last article is very surprising after what has been
before observed of the little aftection which we are
assured a husband has for his wife, and, as we may
naturally suppose, a wife for her husband. If that
saying be true, that friendship always meets with a
reciprocaL return, and that according to the maxim
of count de Bussi Rabutin, all those v\ho love are
sure of being beloved, it may on the other side be
as true, that hatred will be repaid with hatred. The
Caribbees also fast after having killed an Arouague,
that is, an enemy. They have no stated time for
holding their assemblies of war, and as to all those
of another kind, we have already observed that they
eat, drink, and get drunk iu them ; to which wo
shall add, that in these they cut one another to pieces
in cold blood. «
Whenever they are about making war, some old
woman draws up the whole design, and males a
speech to tlie company in order to stir them up to
revenge ; and when she sees that by the strength of
her harangue, and of t!ie Ovicou, which is their
drink, the assembly begin to give maiiiiest tokens of
their being inspired with rage ,and fury, she then
throws into the midst of them some iioiled limbs of
those they had killed in war; after which, a captain
seconds the old lady, and makes a speech upi^n the
same subject.
Their manner of making war is to come upon
their enemies by surprise, and to fall upon them in
ambuscade. They cover themselves iiil over with
boughs und leaves, and mask themselves with an
Indian cane leaf called Balisier, by making a hole
fpr their eyes to look through. Thus equipped, they
stand up close to a tree, and wait till their enemies
come by, in order to beat their heads to pieces at
one blow with their bouton, or club, or to shoot
them with their arrows after their having passed by.
Whenever they fall upon a house that is covered
with leaves of cane-sticks or palm-trees, they set
fire to the roof, by showering down arrows upon it,
to whick they tie an handful of cotton, which they
light just when they let fly.
Their arrows are always poisoned, and they are
full of little notches, which make so many tongues,
very neatly wrought, and cut in such a manner as
not to hinder the arrow from penetrating, but from
coming out agahi w'ithout widening the wound
considerably ; or by driving it back to the opposite
part to draw it out by making a fresh one. They
always make two cuts in that part where the reed
is grafted at the sharp end, in order that when it is
entered into the body, the rest of the arrow may
fall, and at the same time leave the poisoned end
in the body. They treat the prisoners of. war'
much after the same manner as the Canadians do
theirs.
The Caribbees are jealous of their wives, and a
bare suspicion of their having violated the fidelity
they owe their husbands, gives them a power to kill
their wives without any further ceremony. The
husband is not liable to be called to an account for
an affair of this nature, because the women of these
islands are their husband's slaves ; and notwithstand-
ing the rigour of their slavery, we are nevertheless
assured that they obey with so much exactness,
silence, sweetness, and respect, that their husbands*
are very rarely obliged to remind them of it : an ex-
ample worthy the imitation of some Chiistian wives.
KELIGION IN THE CARIBBEE ISLAXDf?.
495
■who arc daily instnicted from the pulpit, but to
no purpose, in tlie duties of obedience and lonjiigal
lideiity. This doctrine will probai)ly be inculcated
to them as long as the world stands, but \\ill have
as little eftect upon them as the j-i caching of the
gospel has witli regard to the Caribbei < Inline,
the temale world arc here such coni|)li te slaves, that
a woman is never known to eat with her husband,
or even in his presence. Their young gi; N, about
twelve years of age, wear the apron, whuli is the
characlcristic of modesty and chastity ; and in the
Lucayun islands, when a woman knows by certain
natural symptoms that her daughter may assume the
name of woman, the relations meet tn;. -tlier a'ld
make a feast : after which they give he. a cotton
net tilled wiih herds, which she v\eai8 afterwards
about her thighs, for before she went stark-naked.
It is true, indeed, that nakedness does not make any
impression upon their senses; and we are assured
they have so much virtue as to say, that when they
are naked they are to be looked upon only iu the
face. \Ve are also told, that when a young maiden
is of an age lit for marriage, she is obliged to live
for ten days together upon dry Cassave; if in this
time she does not die with hunger, it is a proof that
she will be a good house-wife.
Such young Caribbee women as are marriageable,
are not allowed to have any commerce with their
young men, for their mothers never suffer them to
go out of their sight. Nevertheless, says father La-
bat, a young woman very seldom lives to that age,
without being singled out before by some young sa-
vage, who considers her the moment he has made his
declaration as his future wife, till she may be of an
age of being so in eftect. Among these savages, rela-
tions are permitted to marry with one another, a wo-
man not being allowed to refuse her kinsman; they
often pitch upon them when they are but four or five
years of age. A brother does not marry his sister,
nor a son his mother. Rochefort assures us, that
they look upon this crime with horror; but that they
allow so general, so extensive a liberty, with regard
to all the other degrees of consanguinity, and the
plurality of wives, that a man often marries three
or four own sisters, w ho at the same time, are either
Lis nieces or cousin-germans. They reason thus,
that as they have been brouglit up together, they
will therefore love each other the more, and preserve
a greater harmony. But here their notions dift'er
greatly from ours ; and we must not forget a very
whimsical custom. It sometimes happens that a
Caribbee shall before-hand demand the oft'spring of
a woman with child, provided it be a girl; which if
they grant him, he marks the woman's belly with
•Rocou: and as soon as the girl is seven or eight
years of age, he goes to bed to her, iu order to inure
her to the sports of \'enus.
A father upon the birth of his first-born son
withdraws from society, and keeps a very strict fast
for forty days together; and another traveller adds,
that the husband goes to bed, and acts the part of
the lyiiig-in woman ; but he neither gives us the
origin or rciisou of this custom. Here follows ano-
ther that is altogether as whimsical : The time pre-
scribed for fasting being expired, they pitch upon
two yoimg Caribbees to slash his skin, and to cut
and hack his body ail over. They then rub tlie
wounds with tobacco juice, after which they seat
him in a chair painted red. The women bring iu
victuals, which the old men present to the wounded
person, and feed him as we do a child; and in like
manner they pour drink down his throat, holding his
neck at the same time; and when he has done eating
the old men present him with two pieces of Cassave,
which the poor tortured father holds in his hands.
'I'he ceremony is performed in a large open place,
during which he gets astride upon two Cassaves,
which he is afterwards obliged to eat. We may
very well suppose them to be bloody ; for they then
smear the child's face over with blood, which they
say contributes to the making him courageous ; and
the more patient the lather is, the more his son will
be valiant. But this is not all, he is obliged to ab-
stain for six months together from various things,
every time any of his wives are brought to bed. —
The moment the child is born, he is bathed in water,
and-if it happens in the night-time, the father bathes
himself also; then the mother begins to flatten the
infant's forehead, and to squash itsface, w hich they
think an addition to its beauty; and we may natural-
ly suppose, that the education they bestow upon
them is of a piece with the rest.
They name the child about a fortnight after its
birth, which they take from some of the ancestors
of their family, from some tree or other object that
is agreeable to them ; in a word, from any thing
that pleases or strikes their senses. The child is
name<l with form and ceremony? and has its spon-
sors, who engage to see it properly educated accord-
ing to the custom of the country. They bore a
hole in the child's ear, in his lower lips, and between
his nostrils. They put threads into these holes, to
which pendants hang llano ling; but they delay the
ceremony, in case the child be too weak to go
through it.
All these savages have a great number of supersti-
tions notions, and ridiculous ceremonies, founded
upon Iving wonders and marvellous stories. Their
priests like all the others among the savages of Ame-
rica, are also physicians, and before they undertake
to cure a patient, they consult the oracle of their
idol, and when the artful impostors imagine the dis-
temper to be incurable, they do not use any medi-
cines. However when they thiuk there is uo sort of
49(5
RF.LTGION IN THE CARIBBEE ISLANDS.
danger, then tliej' use tlseir medicines and cliarms,
and wiieii the patient recovers, tlie whole honour and
merit are ascribed to them.
Some of the tribes of these people chiise tlieir
chief who is to govern them while thej' are at table,
and they elect him \\lio is the greatest drunkard.
This general or chief, the moment he is chosen, puts
his two hands over his head, and while he roiitinues
in this postuie, a long baraii^ue is i:iade to Inm with
regard to his duty, which being dons, they make a
trial of his courage, by whipping him till the blood
follows the Strokes. Before their priests are ordained
to their sacerdotal office, they are obli>;pd to go
through a very severe probation, v\hich like many
more of their customs, is both absurd and ridiculous.
Tbcy bruise green tobcicco leaves, and pressing out
the moisture, till up a quantity of it in a vessel, equal
to one of our common drinking glasses, and give
it him who is to be deceived priest or boya, and he is
obliged to swallow it all down. In thejr niariiages
they have no other ceremony besides that of making
a formal demand of the young woman from her pa-
rents. He receives her in ti iuniph, and conducts her
home to her own hut, where an entertainment is
provided ior the relations. When tlieir children are
born, they put them into a sink of mud, where the
innocent creatures are obliged to remain upwards of
four hours, till they have invoked their idols to be
propitious to him. Barbarous as their practises may
seem, yet it does not come up to that of the Greeks
and Bomans, with whom it was common to expose
their children, and desert them totally, leaving them
to perish. Whereas, these savages we have been
treating of, only expose their childien for a short
time, and the healthiness of their constitutions gene-
rallv saves them.
When their relations die, they hang up their car-
-casesin their huts, and adorn them with feathers and
necklaces after all the (iesh is rotted off. In some
places they burn their dead, and the women drink iu
liquor the bones of their husbands reduced to pow-
der; and thus, says a very learned author, (Mr. Pi-
x-art) they bury w ith their own bodies all that w as dear
to them in this world. One would naturally imagine
that such practices must flow from a very strong na-.
tural affection ; but these savages have their own
notions of fashion as well as we. Both husbands
and wives know the nalm-e of formal mourning, and
just as it is among us I'iuropeans, she who appears
the most affected for the loss of her husband, pro-
cures another the sooner. Some of these savages
make great rejoicings on the death of their relations,
. and the men get drunk while the wife of the deceased
iiowls as if she was going distracted. They always
liill some of their slaves, whom they imagine will
.iiccompany the decea.sed into the other world, and
they believe in a future state of rewards and pnuisli-
ments; a sentiment that was never perhaps, denied
till tlie present age in which we live. And by whom
has this fundauiental and leading doctrine, in natu-
ral and revealed religion, been denied .' Was it by
heathens.'' No; for the most barbarous, the most
unenlrglUened heathens btiieve in it. Was it bv pro-
fessed deists.' No; the deists pride themselves in op-
posing Christianity, because ^say they) ail the an-
cient heathens as well as the modern believed, and
do believe the doctrine of future rewards and punish-
ments; and they believed this without th-e assistance
of a supernatural revelation.
The tiuth is, attempts have been made to over-
throw both natural and revealed religion, by men
well acquainted with human learning, and wjiose
very characters, as professed preachers of the gos-
pel, naturally led them to stand up in its defence
against tlie attacks of its enemies. Our Saviour
foretold, that a man's greatest enemies should be
those of his own household, and we have lived to
see this literally fullilled. These men pretended to
belong to the household of faith, and yet have denied
the leading principles. But never let such notions
distract the minds of pious, humble Christians. A«
ilie whole frame of the Christian religion is built
upon a plan consistent with the divine attributes,
ami suitajjle to the state of fallen nature, so it car-
ries along with it the marks of iuiinite wisdom, un-
bounded mercy, unchangeable love, affective grace,
and everlasting glory.
And will God suffer his own image to be trampled
upon? No; he will support his church for the sake
of his son, who shed his blood to restore unhappy
creatures to his favour, and although the wicked and
the impious may blaspheme, yet the glory of Christ's
kingdom will bear down all manner of opposition,
men s'lull be l)]essed in him, and all nations shalj
call him blessed. It was declared bj' our Saviour,
that the gates of hell should never prevail against his
church; and by gates is meant ruleis, for judges of
old sat in the gates of the city to administer justice,
as they still do in some of the eastern nations of
Asia. Now there is not a name that can be found
so proper for those men, who under the name of
Christians have actually attempted to make u.s be-
lieve there is no immorl;dity, there is no name, we
say, so proper for them as that of infcrual judges.
But as the church was puixhased by the death of
Christ, so the Almighty power of God \m11 support
the kingdom of his glorious son.
God slmll exalt his gforiotts head,
And his high throne maintain;
Shall strike the pow'rs and princes.dead, '
Who dare oppose his reigu.
RELIGION OF THE AMAZONS.
497
Reiigion of the Savages uho inhabit the riier of
Amazons.
These people are all idolaters, and in many res-
pects there is but little difterence between llieni and
those whom we huvo just now mentioned. I'liey
Irave a vast variety of idols, and they ascriJie to them
as many qualities as they please. 'I'hcy believe that
-some of them preside over the waters, and these are
represented with lislies in their hands. There are
otiiers foi seed time, and otliers again who inspire
them with conrap^e in war. They say that their deities
came n.nvn from heaven, purposely to dwell among
and assist them, but they do not pay them the least
woriliip; they carry them along with them in a case
or leave them in any place till they want their assis-
tance. Hence, upon their going out to. war, they
Ivoist Ji the prow of their canoes, that idol in whom
they repose the greates. confidence, and under whose
auspir s they look for vie jry. Tliey have the same
ctvstom when they go a fishing, and on this occasion
they hoist the idol whom they believe presides over
the waters.
This practice is in all respects similar to what was
observed by the ancient Greeks and Romans, who
had their titular Deities for every one of their under-
takings. When the; vent on v -ages, the mariners
invoked Neptune as the god of ihe sea, and images
of him were carried along .vith them. But still
they liad sometimes the figures of other deities upon
their ships ; for we read i!iat when the apostle Paul
and his companions were sent prisoners to Rome, the
'ship in which he sailed had for her sign Castor and
Pollux, Acts xxiii. 1 1. Here we may observe, that
the Roman Catliolics, in conformity with the hea-
thens of old, have their titular saints just in the same
manner as the heathens had their deities. Anthony,
for instance, is the saint to which mariners address
themselves in all cases of danger, and when they re-
turn home, they hang up in one of their churches
something in honour of him, in consequence of the
deliverance they have met with.
These savages of whom we have been treating,
divide the government of nature among their gods,
or idols, so as to give every one his share. They ne-
ver pray to them, but in cases of necessity,' and per-
haps in this case, there are too many Christians who
follow the same practice. All the idols whom they
worship, are considered as subordinate to one Su-
preme lieing ; but of that being they have very con-
fused notions. They stand in great awe of their
priests, and Iwld them in the utmost veneration. —
Tliey have a particular house, or rather hut, for the
celebration of their ceremonies, and this is to them,
what others call a church, or a temple. There their
priests address lliemsclves to their gods, ^nd receive
33 C
answers from their oracles. Their priests have a
great authority over the poor deluded people, whose
n)inds being left in a state of darkness, they can
practise upon them what tricks they please. Tlicy
also apply to them, as casuists, for the solution of
their doubts ; and here they act just in the same
manner as some of those who call themselves Chns-
lian divines. The Roman Catholic priest is lord of
the consciences of all his people, so that he may di-
rect them to every purpose he thinks proper ; and
perhaps there are too many among our Protestant
< lergy, who assume the same dictatorial power. i>ut
here we iiiid, that the glory of doing what was ne-
ver commanded in scripture is not wholly tiieir own,
for the heathens claim an equal share along with
them. ]*erhaps tlie heathens have a much better
right to it than themselves, for as it was originally
their property, we cannot see with what justice the
Romans rob the heathens of it. Christ never taught
them to do so, either by precept or example ; nor iv
there a sii):^le passage in the whole of the New Tes-
tament, that gives authority to ministers to solve ca-
ses of conscience, except where moral duties are
concerned, and there indeed it is easily done ; for
there is an everlasting difference between right and
wrAng. But to proceed : —
W'hen these savages go to war, they apply to their
priests for assistance against their enemies, and the
tirst thing the priests do is to curse them. This has
such a striking similarity to what is related concern-
ing the history of Balaam, that we wonder how any
person who has read civil history, can doubt the
truth of divine revelation.
In the most early ages of the world, when mie
nation declared war against another, the iirst tlinig
they did was, to appeal to their gods that their cause
was just, and the priests being satisfied with what
they declared, went to the borders of their territo-
ries and pronounced a solemn curse on those who
had violated the public peace. Something of this
nature is still to be found among some of our mo-
dern princes, who never declare war, without first
endeavouring to make their neighbours believe, that
they are not the aggressors. But besides pronounc-
ing their curses upon the enemy, these priests present
the soldiers with poisonous herbs and arrows, and
other weapons.
When their priests die, they have such veneration
for everv precious relic belonging to iheni, that they
preserve their bones, and lay them on the same cot-
ton beds on which they used to repose w hen alive.
Some of them keep the bodies of their deceased re-
lations in their houses, in order to have a perpetual
momeiito inori before their eyes. Others bury the
bodies in large graves, together wiili every thing be-
longing to them in their life-time ; but they all cele-
brate their obsequies for several daj'S together, and
498
KELIGIOX OF THE BRASILIANS,
this time is spent io drinking and weeping to excess.
'ITiey believe in tlie iniiiioitaiity of tlie soul ; but
then it must not be supposed that ihcy luive any other
notions of it, than as a corporeal substance. '1 his
is Owing to the corruption of hunian nature, wliicli
iiidKces men to reject what they cannot conipiehend
and this is, perhaps, the source of all the errors that
fever yet took place in the world. \ ast discoveries
have been made in astrouoiny, during the pre^eiit
age; but tlie one Isalf of theui are no better than
probable conjectures ; the others are doubtful, and
iwvolved in obscurity. In philosophy, and in pliy-
sics, vast discoveries have been niade; but what man
vill say that huriiaa knowledge is complete.' Men,
however, should by all means endeavour to divest
themselves of pride, to be ready/ at all times to ac-
knowledge their own weakness, as well as their ig-
norance.
The foundation of all cur happiness, all our ho-
nour, and all our glory, whether ni time or eternity,
must be laid in huniihtv. 'J'he wisest man that ever
lived in the world, says, "Pride goeth before de-
''slruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." And
I'hrist, who was greater than Solomon, says, "He
"that esalteth hiuistlf shall be abased, but he that
"humbleth himself^ shall be exalted."
Were nien once to be brought acquainted' with
their own weakness, their own ignoiance, and their
own Uoworlliiness, compared with the rectitude of
the Divine Being, they wouid not nourish growing
doubts iii their minds, concerning the truth of the
Christian dispensation.
We shall conclude this article in the words of the
celiebrated Shakespeare, which he puts in the mouth
of the great Cardir.al Wolsey, when he was taking
leave of lord Croaiwcil.
" Cromwell! I charge thee, fling away ambition;
" l^y that sin fell the angels; how cau man then,
" The image of his maker, hope to w in by't ?
"Love thyself last : Cherish those hearts that hate
1-! "thee:
"Still in thy right hand carry gentle peace,
'•Corruption was not more than honesty.
"To silence envious toivgues, be just, and fear not;
*' Let all the ends ihou aim'st at, be thy country's
."Thy God's, and truth's: Then if thou fall'st O
' ■ "Cromwell!
"Thou fall'st a blessed martyr: Serve the king. —
" And pry'thee lead me in ; *
" Here, take an inventory of all I have,
"To the last penny; 'tis the king's. I»Iy robe,
'* And my integrity, heaveji is all
"I dare now call nry own. O Cromwell! Crom-
'■' '<weU!
"^Uachl l)ut serv'd my-God, with half the zeal
" I serv'd my king, he would not, in mine age,
" Have left me naked to mine enemies."
Religion of the Brasrliuus,
When these people were first discovered by the
Europeans, they had neither tempks nor monimicnis
erected to any deity whatever, a circunistarice in
which they di.Tered much from the I'eru\iaiis and
Me.xicans. And even at present they have but dark
confused notioils conceruiijg the creation of the
world, for they regulate their lime by moons only.
However, it appears that they have some faint no-
tions of the Deity ; for they often lift up their hands
towards liie snn and moon, in token of admiration.
They have some notions of the universal deluge, for
they relate, that a very powerful foreigner, who
bore the most violent hatred against their ancestors,
caused them all to perish by a violent irsundation,
two |)ersons only excepted, whom he preserved, in
order that they might propagate a new race of be-
ings, from wiiom they are descended. Here we
have tlie outlines of the truth, although obscured by
fable, b«t even that obscurity in some measure,
points cmt the truth.
They are very much afraid of the devil, whom
they call Agneian, and yet do not pay him the least
worship, 'i hey are equally afraid of thunder, which
they suppose tp be under the direction of one of their
gods, called Toupan ; and when they are told to
worship the god who created thunder, they answer
that it is very strange, that god, who is a being of so
much goodness, should make use of thunder to ter-
rify mankind.
They pay a great veneration to a certain fruit,
about the bigiiess of an ostriah's egg, and sliaped like
a great gourd, which they call Tamaraca ; but some
travellers have corrupted the word, and call it Ma-
raca. When the priests go on their visitations, they
always carry thi-i fruit along with them, and oblige
the people to w'orshi|i it with great solemnity. They
fix these fruits at the end of a staff which they stick
in the ground, then dress them with beautiful fea-
thers, and order the inhabitants of the villages to
carry them victuals and drink ; for (says the priest)
this is well pleasing to them, and they like to be
entertained in this manner. The chiefs of their
tribes, and the fathers of families go and offer part
of their provisions to these Maracas; and it is con-
sidered as a very great crime for any one to take
away what has been consecrated to these idols. I'he
priests- assure their votaries, that the spirit pronoun-
ces its oracle, by the mouth of the Maraca, so that
here we have an instance of fruit speaking. They
HELTGION OP TilE PEOPLE OF THE RIVER LA PLATA.
490
look upon tliese Maracas as domcsiic gods, and
therefore every one is obliged to have one iii his
liouse, so as to consult it on every occasion ; but
they are ot" no service to lliein, unlesiS purchased of
the priests.
The essential parts of their festivals consist in
daiicts and son^s, the subjects of whiili are, their
glorious achievements in war, and are also of use
in trau-sniitting to posterity, the memories of their
warlike heroes. One of the greatest of these festi-
vals, is that of butcheiing; their poor niiserable pri-
soners, who have tiic misfortune to be taken fioni
their enemies in war. Having put these wretches
to death under the most excruciating tortures, they
tiien sit down and feast on the flesli. This is horrid
enough, and such as human nature shudders back at
the thought of; but still it is too true to admit of
the least doubt, there is no exaggeration in the least,
and to dispute it would be to say, that all our voy-
agers and tiavellers, many of whom were men of
integrity, told nothing but falsehood.
All their Boias, or priests, are fuiliine-leilers, and
jnterprcters of dreams, whicU knowledge tiiey make
the people believe the devil commnniftites to them.
'I'lie Boia consults the oracle in a hut built for that
purpose, where a virgin of aliout ten or twelve years
of age, jireparcs a hammock for iiini, with a good
qiraiiSity of provisions. The priest, or Roia, who is
oLLged to abstain for nine days together, from all
eommerce with women, washes himself before he
goes to bed, and there consults the sjiirit, who is so
gowl-nalured tliat he never fails to answer his
prayers ; but it is proper to observe, that he is al-
ways alone when he consults the spirit.
These savages, in the Brazils, never marry any of
their relations, within those lijies of consanguinity,
V. liich we call- incest ; so that it seems they hav6, at
kast in that insianee, some traces of morality among
them. The moment a youth is considered as lit for
niariiage, he is allowed to hjiA. out for a wife; for
they never consider wheiher he lias means sufhcient
to support a lumily, or conduct to guide himself
liirough the woiid. Formerly a jonng man w«s not
permitterf lo marry till he had killed one of the
enemy ; bot now, when- a young savage has placed
his affectians upon a young woman of his own tribe,
he addresses ^iimself to her parents, and asks their
consent to marry her. These savages are unac-
<.»;:imted with ail our preliminaries of marriage, for
there is no such thing among them as a declaration
of a matua! passion,' nor any amorous intercour.se.
If the young woman's relations give their consent,
he is from that moment her husband, for the cere-
monies afterwards are but trilling
Polygamy is in as m\ich esteem among ihem as in
any parts of Asia, and although the' women fre-
quently live together \r harmony, yet their tyrannical
husbands have a right to put them away wheni ver
tiii'y please. \A hen a woman is delivered of a child,
there are many ridicnIou.s ceremonies observed ; foi
if it is a boy, the father lays down beside it a bov^',
an arrow, and a knife, exhorts it to bravery and
courage, and concludes by naming him after the
object that makes the greatest impression on his
mind. The gills aie brought up in domestic affairs,
and generally niarrie." very young.
These people have some faint notions of the iHi-
mortalily of the soul ; for they believe that when a
pcrsoii dies, his soul goes to reside in paradise, be-
hind their high mountains. \\ hen a person is taken
sick, one of his rohitions throws himself with so
much violence upon him, as almost knocks out v. hat
little breath he has remaining. If the sick person
dies in the evening, the following night is spent in
■mournings and huneiitatioiis, and the neighbours of
both se.NCs are invited to join in the mournful
solemnity.
When the patient expires, they wash and comb
him, after which they wrap him up in calico, and
if it be one of their chiefs, in iiis hammock,
adorned vfith all his feathers and other ornaments. —
They lay him in a kind of coflin, but in such a man-
ner as not to let any earth touch the body, and lliey
carry him provisions every day, in order to prevent
his dying with hunger, after he is dead ; nay, they
believe that he wearies himself so much with dancing
in the other world, that he is glad to return to earth
to get a little refreshment.
It appears evident from what we have related of
those peofjle, and indeed of all other heathens what-
ever, that the" knowledge of tiie one true God, and
life and immortality were never brought to light till
the promulgation ol the gospel, and this should tea^h
us, above all ihmgs, to set a proper value upon that
more than inestimable blessing. ,
Religion of the j.etrple who itifiulil near ihe
Rivet Lu Plata.
The rive^ La Plata, that is, the river of Plate, is
perhaps the largest in iho universe, and an inex-
hauslibie sourse of wealth to the Spaniards. It was
in this river that the famous Sir Erancis Drake de-
stroyed a vast nuniber>6f ships belonging to the
Spaniards, and brought into England an enormous
load of plate, 'i here are vast numbers of people
inhabiting near the banks of this celebrated river,
but the Spaniards do all they can to keep other
Europeans ignorant of them. However, we have
learned a,s much coiuerning them as is necessary to
giv.e us an idia of their religious sentiments.
Some of them consecrate the skins of their ene-
:.oo
RELIGION OF THE PEOPLE OF THE RIVER LA PLATA.
iTiics as so many trophies in certain houses, which
seem to have been, designed for religoiis worship,'
and others adore the sun and moon. Some of these
nations, at the new or full moon, make certain in-
cisions witli bones, to whicli they give an edge, and
use them instead of knives. Those of Tucuman
have some notion of a Deity, and have priests
among them who act the part of sooth-sayers, upon
which Coreal makes tlie foUoAving just reflection :
" 1 a!u of opinion, says he, that wherever there are
priests, tliere must necessarily be some shadow of
religion, and that the one is always relative to the
other." However, the dispute does not relate to the
true signification of the word religion, but to the
idea only. The other savages of Paraguay and Ura-
gha, that is, those whom the Jesuits have not civil-
ized, do not differ f'-om these Tucumans in these
particulars. J'heir priests ?.re alio physicians, as in
other places, and cure heir patieuis by sucking the
diseased part, or by the smoke of tobacco. They
admit an universal spirit who pervades matter, and
acts on all parts of it; but this is too philosophical
for savages. Let us rather say, that they imagine
every thing is formed with its peculiar genius or
spirit, which flows from their gross ignorance ;
though after all, it is. certain, that some very polite
nations, both ancient and modern, have supposed
the immediate action of an universal spirit, and that
t of genii .upon earthly bodies. Agreeable to this
notion, we are assured, that the savjjges in question
address invocations' to these genii, and some worship
.a" pretended invisible tiger.
Such as are candidates for the priesthood or phy-
sic, are obliged to fast often, and for a long time
together ; must have fought several times against
wild beasts, particularly tigers, and at least have
Leen bit or scratched by them. After this, they may
be raised to the priesthood ; for they look upon
Tigers as almost divine animals, and the imposition
of his holy paw is us honourable among them, as
-the receiving tiie doctor's cap in the university of
Salamanca in Spain. Afterwards, the juice of
certain distilled herbs is poured upon their eyes, and
this is the priestly anointing ; after which, these new-
priests inovv lu)w to calm the spirits of;all beings,
animate, or inanimate; hold secret intelligences with
those spirits, and sli:ne with them in their virtues.
There are other medico- physicians superior to the
above-mentioned, whose office extends no farther
than to calm the spirits, and receive their oracies.—
They never attwa to this supreme dignity till after
liaving practised physic for a long course of years;
they are also obliged to fast for :i w hole year to-
gether, and their abstinence, says the relation of
the Moxes, must exhibit itself by their pale and
wan countenances. At certain seasons of the year,
particularly at the new luoon, they assemble their
people on some hill at a little distance from the
town. At break of day, all the assembly inarch to
that place with a deep silence, but ihe moment they
arri\e at the halting place, they break out into
hideous cries, say they, to molify the hearts of their,
deities. The whole day is spent in fasting and con-
fused noises, and, towards the evening, they con-
clude Viith tiie following ceremonies. The priests
begin by cutting the hair, which among tjiem is a
token of great joy and gladness, and cover their
bodies with red and yellow feathers ; which being
done, they have great vessels brought them, into
which thev pour the lipuor prepared for the solem-
nity; this they receive as the fii.'^l fruits offered to
their idols, of which they drink inordinately, then
give it to all the people, who 'juaff it otf to great
excess, and the whole night is : pent in drinking and
dancing. One of them sings the s ng, uhen all of
them drawing round liim in a en cie, begin to draw
their feet after them in cadence, and to loll their
heads from one side to another with a careless air,
at the same time throwing theii bodies into very in-
decent postures; and the warmth of -their piety and
religion, is judged by the distortions into \vliich they
throw themselves.
Some other nations, who are all confounded under
the name of Moxes, in the relations of the Jesuits,
worship the sun, moon, and stars, and others pay
adoration to rivers. Some always carry about them
a great number of little idols, made in a very ridi-
culous shape. Every act of piety and religion flows
from a principle of fear, and among so great a
number of people, to whom the missionaries and
Spaniards have given the name of Moxes, ihey, says
the author of that relation, have not been able to
discover but one or .two nations who employ any
kind of sacrifice. Their medico-physicians, en-
chanters, or quacks, prescribes also to their sick,
but we do not hear that they take their degrees like
the priests of Paraguay : Be that as it will, when
the former are sent for to the sick, they mumble
certain superstitious prayers over them, promise to
fast for their health's sake, and to smoke tobacco a
certajn number of tin)es every day. But it may be
a question whether they really do it as sincerely as
they pretend to do r They also suck the deceased
parts, which is a prodigious f;r'our; after this tfcey
withcb-aw, but upon conditioi;, however, of being
liberally rewarded for their services.
Their marriage consists in the mutual consent of
both parties, and in some presents which the bride-
sroom makes to the bride's father, or nearest re-
lation. T! c consent of those who contract it, Js
looked upon as nothing; and they have another
very whimsical custom among them, viz. that a
wife may live where she pleases, and her husband
is obliged to follow her uj) and down. If they have
RELIGION OF THE PERUVIANS.
.001
Imt one wife, it is because they can get no more,
lor llicj- f.ivour polygamy both by custom and incli-
nation, and always put it in practice uhenever they
have an Oj'portunily to do it. They look upon the
incontinence of women as a most enormous crin)e;
and if any of them happens to run counter to her
(kity, she is looked njion as an infamous creature,
and a prostitute, and is liable to be put to death. —
If men arc unjust in any thing, it is certainly on this
occasion ; for why are not women allowed to punish
the lewdness of men ? Or at least, why do we not
indulge a sex whose frailty is the daily subject of
our ridicule, to divert themselves at the nun's ex-
pense, who are vasily more frail tlian women? for-
getting twenty times a day at their feel, theii- so much
Ijoasted strength of mind, and sacrificing all that is
most valiKible to their charms.
The women prepare the liquor which their hus-
bands drink, and take care of the children. They
have the barbarity, « henever a wonuui dies, to bury
licr little children with her, and in case she happens
to be brought to bed of twins, she buries one of
them, and the reason she gives for it is, that it is
imi)()ssible to nurse two children well together. They
have a very obscure idea of the immortality of the
soul, and bury their dead with very little ceremony.
The relations of the deceased dig a grave, whither
they attend upon the body with a deep silence, which
is interrupted by nothing but sobs ; and as soon as
the body is laid in the ground, they divide between
themselves the things it was wrapt in. Father Sepp
tells us, in a letter of his published in the eleventh
collection of curious and edifying letters, 'I'hat some
^iccple of Paraguay cut off their own (ingers, and
altcrwards their toes, according as their relations go
on the sjiot. A man is very unhappy m that country
who has a great ni;;!iy old relations, for he runs the
iiazard of being mutilated very young: Jiut then we
may ask father Sepp, if he himself was an eye^
witness to that unaccountable mutilation.
The truth is, the Jesuits in all their accounts of
these people, consider particular practices as general
rules; and thus because there really are some such
enthusiasts among these people, who cut off thtir
fingers and toes, so they have told u.s that they all
do so. There are many women in the East Indie s,
as has been already taken notice of, who binn them-
selves along with the dead bodies of their husbands;
but this is so far from being an imposed law, that
lo one is obliged to do it.
indeed, whin we consider the nature of the
Spanish government, and the bigotry of the people,
we need not be surprised that these savages have
remained so long in ignorance. The heathens see
nothing in the Uoniish ceremonies, except a few
gaudy genteel ornament? ; and probably the man of
reading and experience, will pay hule regard to the
33
difference subsisting between rudeness and politenc!<s
in religion, so as both consist of idolatry.
Re/igiuH of the Peruvians.
Peru was long a celebraled empire, and if we,
may believe some writers, silver and gold were in as
great plenty here, as the basest metals, nay, even as
coals are with us. But what we have to treat of
are their religious sentiments.
The Peruvians, before their being governed bv
their Incas, worshipped a numberless nudtilude of
gods, or rather genii. There was no nation, family,
city, street, or even house, but had its peculiar gods,
and that because they thought none but the g(jd to
whom they should immediately devote themselves,
was able to assist iheni in time of need. They
worshipped herbs, plants, flowers, trees, mountains,
caves; aiui in the province of Puerto \'iego, eme-
ralds, tigers, lions, adders ; and, not to tire the
reader with a numeration of the several objects
they thought worthy of religious worship, every
thing that appeared wonderful iu their eyes, was
thought worthy of adoration.
These ancient idolaters of Peru offered not only
the fruits of the earth and animals to these gods,
but also their captives, like the rest of the Americans.
We are assured that they are used to sacrifice their
own children, whenever there was a scarcity of
victims. These sacrifices were performed by cut-
ting open the victims alive, and afterwards tearing
o\U their hearts ; they then smeared the idol, to whom
they were sacrificing, wiih the lilood yet reeking, as
was the custom of Mexico. 'J'he priest burnt the
victim's heart, after having viewed it in order to see
whether the sacrifice woidd be agreeable to the idol.
Some other idolatofs offered their own blood to their
deities, which they drew from their arms and thighs,
a('cording as the sacrifice was more or less solemn ;
and they even used, on extraordinary occasions, to
let themselves blood at the tips of their nostrils, or
between tho eve-brows. We are, however, to ob-
serve, that these kinds of bleeding were not always
an act of religious worship, but were often em-
ployed purely to prevent diseases.
Such was the state of idolatry all over Peru, when
Mango-capac, the law-giver of that vast empire,
taught those savages the worsiiip of the sun and the
Supreme God, under the name of Pachacamac. —
Before we make any reflections on that new religion,
we must inform the reader, that Mango-capac and
his wife were the children of the sun, and that they
both received a conmiission of equal import from
that planet, to teach and humanize the Peruvians. —
They set out from Tilicaca, and guiding themselves
G L
502
RELIGION OF THE PERUVIANS.
with a golden rod which the sun had given tliem, and
Avhich was to sink in the earth when they were come
to the place where they were to settle by the com-
mand of that planet; they accordingly travelled
norllnvard, havnig continual insl-.inces of the virtue
of this golden rod, which at last sunk down in the
Talley of Ciisco; and it was here the> took a reso-
lution of fixing the seat of empire. Immediately
(his offspring of the sun employed spiritual weapons ;
the brother and sister began to preach their father's
religion, and made a great number of proselytes,
who possibly might have been as much won over by
the novelties of the equipage, and the advantages of
the new religion, as by the force of inward convic-
tion. The boldness of these missionaries, their
surprising vocation, the ideas of power and superi-
ority which they infused into the minds of those
gross and brutish people, raised .them undoubtedly
a considerable number of followers in a little time ;
among whom; the new law-giver was particularly
careful of making choice of the ablest and most
jikiiful, for the better establisliiug iiis authority,
which he afterwards enlarged by conquest, and at
last abolished the ancient religion, commanding, says
tiie Inca Garcilasso, all his subjects to worship the
sun. This Inca Mango-capac, not satisfied with
making a refornuition among his subjects in things
relating to the Ueity, also gave them excellent po-
litical laws, and founded such wonderful institutions
as might justly be compared to the most boasted
among the Europeans.
The last words of that monarch merit our utmost
attention. He above all recommended to the Peru-
vians, the worshipping of the sun as their god and
father. It must necessarily have happened, says the
inca Garcilasso, that Mango-capac having a perfect
knowledge of tiie stupidity of this people, and the
great need they had of being instructed in the duties
of nu)rality, judged it would be proper for him to
feign that iie and his wife were the offspring of the
sun, and that their father iiad sent thenj from heaven.
The belter to possess the Peruvians wUh this opinion,
lie appeared among them in a splendid manner, and
distinguished himself particularly by the largeness
of his ears, which were of so incredible a size, that
we could never have believed that circumstance, had
it not been seen in his descendants.
In this manner the ancient law-givers made an
advantage of the favourable opinion their people
had of them ; and some of them have even had arti-
fice enough to make a merit of certain pretty re-
markable defects, both of body and mind. The
long and repeated retirements of Numa Pompilius,
during which he was probubly seized by violent fits
of melancholy, and the ecstasies of Mahomet, are
well known. And as Mango-capac, continues Gar-
cilasso, corroborated the fiction of his genealogy by
the great advantages he procured his subjects, they
really believed him to be the offspring of the sun,
and that he was come from heaven to assist tlieni.
These would almost persuade us, that they were
guided by a more exalted principle than that of na-
ture, were we not certain that several ancient legis-
lators exhibit as shining examples of the force of
, natural truths. ,
The virtuous Mango-capac w as soon after deified :
his subjects raised altars to his houonr, and to his
successors after him; not but they were persuaded
that those Incas were mortal men, but they had paid
them these honours out of gratitude for the favours
they had received frotu the posterity of the sun,
whom, we are told, ihcv worshipped only.
In order to make this system of religion appear
less absurd and ridiculous, we must suppose that
they considered their Incas iu the same light as the
ancient Greeks did their heroes, and the Romans,
Romulus, and some of their emperors. They might
imagine that the childiea ni the sun, became the
titular divinities of the kingdom, and that iu recoin-
pence for tin- virtues they had ])ractised in this mor-
tal life, they enjoyed the privilege of being the
depositaries, as it were, of their ,j)rayers, as also of
presenting them to that planet. However, the Pe-
ruvians denied, pretty strongly, the consequences
which might have been drawn from their practice.
Garcilasso relates, that the above-mentioned peo-
ple, in process of time, built temples to tlte sun,
and embellished them with ornaments of prodigous
value ; but they did not pay the same honours to
the moon, for though they looked upon her as
both wife and sister of the sun, and even as
mother of the Incas, we yet do not meet with (*ne
single instance of their paying any worship to that
goddess, or their having sacrificed on her altars,
or erected temples to her glory, tliough at the same
time tiiey had her in tlie utmost veneration, so far
that they call her the universal mother of all things ;
but their idolatry vieut no farther. They called
thunder and lightning, the executors of the sun's
justice; and in that quality they were honoured so
far, as to have an apartment allotted to them in the
house of the sun at Cusco. But this is no conse-
quence of their having been ranked among the num-
ber of the gods, as a Spanish historian would per-
suade us they were, so far from it, that if a house,
or any other place happened to be struck with thun-
der, it was so mnch detested by them, that they im-
mediately stopped up the door with dirt and stones,
in order to prevent any one's ever entering info it;
and if any thunder happened to fall in the country,
they always pointed out the place with stakes, or
such marks, in-order to prevent any one's walking over
it. In a svord, they give the epithets of unhappy and
cursed to those places, and added, that the suu sent
RELIGION OF THE PERUVIANS.
503
down lliose curses upon tlieni, by the mediation of
tluiiuler, wiiifli llicv considiicd as liis lackey, and
the iiiinisUr of jtislice.
Noluithstandii:g they adhered so zealouslv to the
Nyonthip of the sun, yet tlie most kuoyyinp: among
the liidiuns aikiiowledge a soul of tiie vcjild, or ra-
ther tnst ntoyer of mailer, called by them Pachaca-
iiiac, \xhich (Jarcilasso tells us signifies e\pressly, he
\yho animates the world. He add-, that iheir yene-
ration for lliis \yord was so great, that thev did not
dare to uttCT it ; but in fcase lliey were forced to do
it ai'v time, they always pronounced it with the
greatest tokens of submission and respect, shrugging
up their shoulders, stooping their heads and bodies,
lifting up tlieir eyes towards lieavcu, and on a sudden
casting iluni on the ground; laying their hands ex-
tended on the right shoulder, and kissing the air.—
'J'hey jiaid a considerable part of tins Morsliip to the
sun, and eyen to the Incas, neyertheiess Garcilasso
relates, that iheyhadin reality a much greater vene-
ration for Paehacamac than for the sun. 'i'hcy ac-
knowledged, that he alone animated and continued
the universe; but then, as they had never seen him,
they considered him as the imknown God, or rather
an invisible and immaterial IJeing. From an an-
swer which the Inca Ataliualipa made, one would
be apt to think, that the word Paehacamac was one
of the sun's attributes. The Peruvians took' the
character of (Jnpai to be directly oi)posite to that
of Paehacamac, and whenever they' were obliged
to name him, ihcy used to spit upon the ground,
in token of their nuutal aversion for that wicked
being. They only paid a bare respect to the niorm,
in quality of the sun's yvife and sister; and they
honoured the stars, whom they said were the wo-
men, or maids of honour to the house of these pla-
nets.
Here follows the account that Garcilasso gives of
the Huaras or Ciuacas, which seems more just and
rational than what Pinchas has cited in his collec-
tions, upon the authority of several Spanish authors.
Garcilasso informs us, that the word Huaca signi-
lies idol and sacreci things ; such were the represen-
tations of the sun ; the offerings they made him,
such as the figures of men, birds, <|uadrupeds, in
gold, silver, and wood; not excepting rocks, trees,
stones, caverns, temples, and tonibs, wliicli God
sanctified either by his presence or his oracles. They
also give the name of Iluacas to the genii; to Ihe
heroes ranked among the iumiortals; to all such
things as were most beautiful and excellent in their
kind, and even to the misshapen and monstrous. The
Spaniards, continues Garcilasso, \'.ho were ignorr.nt
of these various siguilications, imagined that the
Indians took all those things to which they gave the
name of Iluacas for deities, and likewise fancied
that the Peruvians worshipped hills and h.illocks un-
der the name of .\pachita9, for want of knowing
that the corrupted word Apathecta, which often
signifies, he who causes to support or surmount
some difficulty, expressed, in the J^acouic wav of
speaking, used by the Indians, the following kind of
blessing: l.,et us return thanks to him who has en-
abled us to support the fatigue we have undergone
in walking up this hill.
'Ihese pravers were offered up to Paehacamac,
whom they then worshipped mentally, for having
assisted them in this fatigue, ^^'hen they were got
to the top of the hill, they laid down their burthens,
in case they carried any; and after having lifted u|»
tlieir eyes to heaven, they cast them down on the
ground, and gave the same tokens of adoration as
they used with regard to Paehacamac. Moreover,
they re])eated the dative Aparhecta two or three
times over, and afterwards used, by way of otlfering,
to pull up the hairs from their eye-brows, and whe-
ther they tore them up or not, they always blew
them in the air, as if they intended to waft them to
heaven. They had also a custom of putting an herb
called Cnca, in their mouths, which they threw into
the air, in token that they ofi'ercd all their most pre-
cious things to Paehacamac. They were even so
foolishly superstitious as to offer, him splinters of
wood, or even straws, in case they could not meet
with any thing better, or some flint stone ; and for
want of these, a handful of earth, l-arge pieces of
these offerings were seen upon the tops of the hill.
They never looked up to the sun when they per-
formed these ceremonies, because they did not then
worship that planet, but Paehacamac.
'ihe Incas, and the Perii\ians their subjects, used
to sacrifice several sorts of animals in honour of the
sun. They also offered him cocoa, corn, rich
clothes, and a liquor made of water and mai/e. —
Thev always presented the last offering to the sun, in
the follow ing manner : When they were very drv,
they first fell to eating, and afterwards dipt the tip
of their finger in tlie vessel into which the liquor
was poured, and this being done, they lifted up their
eyes to heaven in a very sidjmissive manner; shook
that finger on which the drop hung, and offered it to
the sun, as an ackinjw ledgenient for his goodness in
providing drink for thein. At the same time they
gave two or three kisses to the air, and this oblation
being made, they all diank as they thought proper.
Every time they entered into their temples, tlie chief
man in theGompany laid his hand on one of his eye-
brows, and whether he tore oft' any of the hairs
from thence or not, he blew it into the air before
the idol, as a mark of its being an oblation. They
paid the same adoration to trees, and lo all such
things as they imagined a divine virtue had made sa-
cred and religious.
The Peruvians paid a kind of worship to the city
504
RELIGION OF THE PEPJTIANS.
of Cusco, because of its being ffuindcd by Mango-
capac, ami we shall observe that heathen Rome had
anciently the same reverence paid to it by its inhabi-
tants. At Cusco \vcis that w ondirl'iii tf;n;])le of the
sun, the beauty and riches whereof surpassed ima-
gination; we siiall transcribe the description which
the Inca Garcilasso isas given us thereof, llis words
are as follows: The high altar of this pompous edi-
fice stood eastward, and t!ie roof which was made
of timljcr, and very thick, was thatched over, they
having no tile or brick among them. The four
walls of the temple, to consider them from the top
downwards, were all covered over with plates of
gold. On th.e high altar was made the ligure of the
sun, which was also represented on a gold plate,
twice as thick as those above mentioned. This
tigure, which was made of one continued piece, was
represented with a round face, surrounded with rays
and flames, in the same manner as our painters usu-
ally draw it. Tt was of so prodigious a breadth,
that it almost covered one side of the wall, on which
nothing was represented but that idol: the reason of
which was, because this was the only one those In-
dians had, either in that or any other temple ; nor
did tliey worship any other deity than the sun, what-
, ever some writers may affirm to the contrary.
On each side of the image of the sun, the several
bodies of their deceased nionarchs were ranged in
order, according to the course of their respective
reigns, and so embalmed, the manner of which was
a secret, that they seemed to be alive. They were
seated on thrones of gold, raised on plates of the
same metal, with their faces looking towards the
bottom of the temple; but Huana-ciipac, t'ue best
beloved of all the sun's children, had the peculiar
advantage above the rest, of being placed directly
opposite to the image of that planet ; and that, be-
cause of jiis having merited adoration during his
lifetime, jnid for having practised the most exalted
virtues, and discovered qualities worthy the greatest
monarch, from iiis v.>'y infancy. 15ut upon the
coining of the Spaniards, the Indians hid those
bodies with the rest of the treasure ; and notwith-
standing the strictest search, had been made after
them, liiey are not yet found.
'This temple had scver;il gates, which were all
• covered over with plates of gold, the chief of which
looked towards the north, as it still does to this day.
Moreover, round the walls of this temple was a
plate of gold, in the shape of a crown or garland,
and above an ell broad. On one side of the temple
was a cloister, built in a quadrangular form, and in
its highest enclosure a garland of pure gold, an ell
broad, like the above-mentioned. Round this clois-
ter were live great square pavilions, or houses, co-
vered over in the shape of a pyramid. The tirst was
built for the habitation of the moon, the sun's wife,
and stood the nearest to the great chapel of the tem-
ple; the doors and iiiclosures of it were covered
with silver plates, its white colour denoting that it
was the apartment allotted to the moon, whose
tigure was painted like that of the sun, but with this
difference, that it stood upon a silver plate, and was
represented with a woman's face. It was here these
idolators came and ofi'ered up their prayers to the
moon, whom they imagined to be sister and wife to
the sun, the mother of their Incas, and of tlieir
whole posterity. In quality of this last, they g:ive
her tlie name of iSlama Quilca, or Mother Moon,
but without ofering any sacrifices to her as to the
sun. On both sides of this tigure were the bodies
of their deceased queens, ranged in order, according
to their antiquity. Mama Oello, mother to Huaya-
capac, had her face turned towards the moon, and
from a peculiar advantage, was |)!aced above the rest,
because of her being the mother of so worthy a
son.
Next to [the mansion of the moon, was that of
A'^enus, the Pleiades, and those of all the other stars.
They gave the name of Chasca to the planet Venus,
by which her long and curled hair was signified. —
Venus was, moreover, greatly honoured, because they
fancied her to be the sun's page, saying, that she
sometimes went before, and at other times behind
him. They also paid great reverence to the Pleiades,
because of their wonderful disposition, and their
appearing to be equal in magnitude. The others in
general v, ere called the moon's waiting-maids, and
for this reason they have an apartment assigned
them near their lady, in order to be at hand when-
ever she wants them, because ihoy imagined tliat the
stars were lixed in the sky for the service of the
moon, and not that of tlie sun, since they are visible
in the night only. This apartment and its great
gate were covered over with plates of silver, like
that of the moon, and its rooi' seemed to represent
the sky, being adorned with stars of different mag-
nitudes. The third apartment next this last was
sacred to thunder and lightning.
I'he two last were not considered as gods, but as
the sun's lackeys, and they had the same idea of
them, as the ancient heathens had of thunder,
wiiich they looked u])on as an instrument of Jupi-
ter's vengeance. lor this reason, their Incas as-
signed an apartment, ceiled with gold, to thunder
and lightning, which they iancied were the sun's
domestics, and consequently reside in his house;
and they did not represent either of these images in
relievo, or on a flat surface, and that because they
could not copy theoi from the life, they chiefly stu-
dying nature in all their images; but they honoured
them under the name of Yllapa. The Spanish
writers have not yet found out the signification of
this word; for some of these have endeavoured to
RELIGION OF THE PERUVIANS.
50.;
<irevv a parallel between tlieir klolatry niid our lioly
religion, in Uiis respect; but they have been [irodi-
siously mistaken in it, as well as in several other
particulars, wlieri in they have sou'^ht, though with
less fonntiation, for symbols cm- signs of the blessed
Trinity, by giving suclj an explicatie n as they thought
proper, to the names of the eoiuitry, and ascribing
a belit f to the Indians which tliey never had, as has
been already siicvvn iu anoliicr place.
The tbni ill a|kutn)ent was sarrcd to the rain-bow,
h; cause they found that it oweil its birth to tiie sun.
Tliis apartment was all eurichetl witli gold, and the
rain-bow was represented after ihe life; on plates of
this metal, with all its variety of colours, on one
of tlie faces of the building, and this phenomenon
was drawn so prodigiously large, that it reached from
one wall to tin; olhtr. 'iliey called it Cuychu, and
had it in very great vtr.eration ; and wlienever it ap-
peared in the air, they immediately shut their
mouths, and put their hands upon it, imagining that
were they to open it ever so little, their teeth would
inl'alliblv rot. The fifth and last apartment was that
of the iiis-h priest, and of the other priests, who
admiuisteVed in the temple, and who w ere all obliged
to be of the royal blood of the incas. This apart-
ment, enriched like the rest, with gold from top to
bottom, was not used either for eating or sleeping,
but as an apartment for giving audience, and to con-
sult about such sacrifices ami other things as related
to the service of the temple.
\\c nnift not omit a very remarkable circum-
stance, which is, tlrat in the temple of Cusco, there
wwe the several gods of those nations whom the
Tncas had contpiered. These were there served and
ydoi'cd in the presence of the sun, but their worship
was condiiioir.il. They were first obliged to wor-
ship that planet in (piality of the great god, upon
whicli consideration, they were ptrmilted to serve
the other dfitits: and such was the state policy of
the Incas, who did not make a dreadful liavock of
men's couscienccs, by terrifying them with sword
Slid halter. On the contrary, they were of opinion,
that some regard ought to be paid to the religion of
a vanquished people, and justly perceived that it
would iusei'.sibly die away at the sight of a worship,
which, as it was less al)surd, was at the same time
supported bv the royal authority; iiur were they
mistaken in their conjectures, for the worship of tiic
sun was more and more received, and would have
rooted out that of their strange gods, had not the
empire of the Incas been destroyed by the Spaniards.
But we sliall drop tliesi! reflections, and leave llic
rea;iv-rto draw such coiulusions as he shall judge
proper, from what has been already menticjjicd. —
We slwU not describe the pompous temple at Titi-
caca, but refer the reader to tlieir other ceremonies.
This was one of the most solemn ceremonies of the
great feast of that planet, which wa^ kept in .Tune,
and is a |)roor of what we befoie advanced, \i.'. that
Pacliacamac was one of the attributes of the sun,
that rcsplendant tire, which was anciently worship-
ped by the Persians and Chaldeans. Tiie Peruvians
asscrteil, that in this solemn feast they particularly
worshi|)pcd the father of light, as being the sole,
supreme and nnisersal god, whose light and virtue
gave birth and nourishment to all worldly beings.
Thev also so!enini.;ed it as a public acknowledgment
that the sun w as the father of the lirst Iiica, and of
all his posterity.
'J'he festival opened with sacrifices, and they .said
it was not lawful to use any fire in those sacrifices,
but that which was prcsenled^lhem by the sim's own
hand; for tiiis purpose they made use of a great
bracelet, called (Jhijiana, like those which the Incus
wore on their left wrists, with this difference, that
that which was worn by tlieiT chief priest was larger
than the rest. They had instead of a medal, a con-
cave vessel, about the bigness of half an orange,
very smooth and glittering. This they placed direct-
ly opposite to the swu, and in a certain point where
the rays which shot from the vessel were collected:
and applied to it instead of a match, a little cot-
ton lint, which immediately took fire from a natu-
ral effect. With this fire thus lighted, and given
by the hand of the sun, they used to burn their vic-
tims, and roasted all the flesh which they eat that
dav.
After that, they took some of the same fire, car-
ried it to the teiiiph' of the sun, and the house of
the virgin's elect, and there it was preserved all the
year ; and its going out was considered as a very
unlucky omen. In case the sun happened not to
shine out the eve before the festival, on which day
every thing was prepared for the saciitice that was
to be made on the morrow, and con-;ef|i'ientlv if there
were no possibility of getting tire that wav, they then
took two little sticks, about as thick as one's thumb,
and half an el! in length, made of a wood called
Vyaca, very like ciiiamon, and these, by being
rubbed together very bard, had several sparks of
fire drawn out of them which set fire to the match.
Notwiihslanding that this was a very good way of
striking tire, lliey nevertheless, when necessity
forced them tii use it in the sacrifices whi<h were
made on iheir festivals, discovered a deep affliction,
and looked upon it as a very ill omen, saying, tiiat
the sun must necessarily be very angry witii
them since be refused to give them fire witli his
hand.
The chief captains of the empire, and the Cura-
cas or Caciques, always assisted at this festival :
These, when thev were prevented from administer-
ing at it in person, eith<;r by very urgent affairs, or
cxtrtiue old age, used always to send tlieir sous or
506
RELIGION OF THE PERUVIANS.
brothers, accompanied with the noblest of their re-
lalious as their proxies. I'he Iiica, in quality of
son to the glorious planet of the day, always opened
the festival ; nor could he he prevented from so do-
ing, unless war called him another way, or he was
obliged to make a progress through his empire.^ — •
All the nubility of the empire went in procession to
present their oblations to the sun, and the Curacas
appealed in a most splendid, but very Mhimsical
dress. Some of these had robes, adorned with gold
and silver plates, and garlands of the same on their
caps, and others were dressed in lions' skins.
After these there advanced others, whom, v.ith
regard to tlieir dress, we shall take the liberty of
comparing to angels, they wearing the wings of a
bird to which they give the name of Cuntur. These
■wings were speckled black and white, and sixteen
feet long from end to end, and those w ho adorned
themselves with the feathers of these birds, did it
purely to shew they were descended from them. —
The Yuncas used to disguise themselves wilh cer-
tain frightful masks, by which means they made
the most hideous figures that fancy could possibly
paint. To see the apish tricks and distortions they
made in those assemblies, one would have taken
them for mad men; and to make themselves appear
more completely so, they used to make a confused
noise of dissonant instruments, such as flutes and
drums, holding torn skins in their hands, and with
these they used to play a thousand silly tricks. Af-
ter these Curacas there adcanced others dressed in a
different manner, and each nation carried the wea-
pons used by them in war, such as bows, arrows,
lances, javelins, long and short hatchets, to light
either wuh one or both hands.
There were others also who wore ornaments, on
which were represented the glorious actions they
had performed in lionour of the sun, and of their
lucas; and others again were attended by a great
train of servants, who i)layed on atables, and blew
on the trumpet. In a word, every nation appeared
there in as much pomp and splendor, and with as
great a train of domestics as they could possibly
j)rocure ; they all endeavouring to rival their neigh-
bours in grandem- and magnificence. They always
prepared themselves for the solemnity of this festi-
val by a most strict fast, eating nothing every third
day but a little white raw maize, with certain herbs
called Chucam, nor ever drank any other liquor but
water. During this time, they abstain from all
commerce with their wives, nor were iires made in
any part of the city.
After this fast, on the eve of the feast of the sun
the Inca priests, whose office it was to perform that
sacrifice, spent the night in getting ready the sheep
and lambs which were to be sacrificed; and they
also prepared the victuals and driuk that were to be
presented as an oblation to the sun : These several
affans wer3 settled, after they had first taken a pretty
exact account of the number of the j eople v\ho were
assembled at the festival ; for not only the Curacas,
the ambassadors, their relations, their domestics and
subjects, partook of these oblations, but likewise
all tlie nations in^generid who were then present at
the soleinniiy. On the same night the women of
the sun were employed in kneading a kind of doui;h
called Cancu ; and this they made in little round
loaves, about the bigness of an apple. We are to
observe that these Indians never made their corn
into bread except at this solemn feast, and another
called Citua, and then they never eat more than
two or three pieces of it; for their common bread
was called Gara, which was a kind of pulse; and
the corn of which it was made was either baked
or parched. None but such chosen virgins as had
devoted themselves to the sun, in order to be his
wives, weie permitted to knead the dough of which
that bi end was made, pai ticularly tliat \^ hirh was
eaten by the Incas and those of the royal blood, or
to jtrepare the other viands which were to be eaten
on that feast ; because on that day the sun's child-
ren did not eat their father, but rather the sun gave
a banquet to his children. The common people
were waited on by a numberless multitude of other
women, who prepared their victuals, and took a
vast deal of care in working up the bread which was
made for their use, and was always of the finest flour.
They were not allowed to eat any of it except on
this solemn day, which was the greatest of all their
festivals, for they thought this bread to be of a very
sacred nature.
On the most solemn day of the feast, the Inca
ajipeared in public, accompanied with his relations,
when he went with all his train to the great square
in Cusco, and there waited barefooted till such time
as the sun should rise, during which he looked atten-
tively towajds the east. The moment he saw it
appear upon the horizon, he fell prostrate on his
knees, and opening his arms directly opposite to his
face, kissed the air. The Curacas and other of the
nobles of the empire stood at some distance, and
w orshippcd the sun in imitation of the Inca, and the
princes of the blood. Then the Inca rose up, the
rest continuing still upon their knees, and took two
great golden vases, fllled with drink, and at the same
time he, in quality of chief of the ann, lifted up
one of those vases, and shewing it to the suii, invited
him to drink. The Peruvians were persuaded that
this planet pledged the Incd and all the princes of
the blood.
After the Inca had invited the sun to drink in this
manner, he poured all the liquor that was in the
vessel dedicated to the sun, which he held in his
right hand, into a golden tub with ears, whence the
RELIGION OF THE PERUVIANS.
507
drink diirused itself as from a spriiis; into a pipe tliat
Mis ciniDiisly \vri.iit;lit, and wliicii leaclieii Iro'.i the
great square to the house of the sun. \\'hen that was
done, he drank a little of it, as his portion, out of
the vessel which he held in his left hand, and at the
same time the rest was divided among the Incas, bv
a liitie gold or silver vessel wliicii each of tiieni had
brought with him. In this manner they insensibly
emptied the Inca's vess' 1, the liquor \;hereof, ac-
cording to them, was sanctified by his hand, or that
of the sun, «h<)se virtue is communicated to them.
All those of the royal blood took a draught of this
liquor, but they gave the Curacas the drink which
the sun's wives had made, and not that which they
believed to be sanctified.
This ceremony ended, which was no more than
a prelude to a quafiing-bout, tiiey marched in order
to tlie house of the sun, when all, tiie king excepted,
pulled off their shoes and stockings at two hundred
paces distance from the gales of the temple. Then
the Inca and his relations entered it, as being the
sun's legitimate ofl'spring, and prostrated themselves
before his image. In the mean time, the Curacas,
vlio thought themselves unworthy of entering his
temple, oecause they were not related to him, stood
without in a great court which was before the gate ;
and the very moment the Inca had, with his own
hand, offered the golden vessel, with which he had
performed tlie ceremony, the rest gave theirs to those
Inca priests who had been nominated and dedicated
to the sun ; for they only were allowed to execute
that office, and not even those who were related to
the sun, unless they were of the priesthood. When
the sacrilicers had offered the vessels of the Inca,
they went all to the door, to receive those of the
Curacas, who all walked according to their respec-
tive ranks, and in the order of time thev had been
ledured under the empire of Incas. Besides their
vessels, they also presented to the sun several gold
and silver jjieces, representing in miniature, but very
naturally, various kinds of animals, as sheep, lambs,
lizards, toads, adders, foxes, tigers, lions, birds of
all kinds, and every thing that grew in their respec-
tive provinces.
The offering being ended, each of them returned
in order to his place, and at the same time the Inca
priests were seen advancing forwards with a great
number of lambs, barren ewes of all colours, for
they are naturally speckled in this manner, like the
Spanish horses. Out of all these beasts, which be-
longed to the sun, they took a black landj ; the In-
dians making choice of that colour preferably to any
other, particularly in their sacrifices : because, ac-
cording to them, it had sometliing divine in it. To
this they added,' that a black beast was generally so
all over the body, whereas a white one has commonly
a black spot upon its snout, which they looked
upon as a blemish, and for this reason their kings
were geiicraliy dressed in black, and their mourning
habits were of a mouse colour.
The first sacrilice which they made of a black
lamb, was in order to obtaii) happy or unhappy pre-
sages of the solemnity of their feast ; for tliese peo-
ple in every important action, whether in peace or
war, always sacrificed a lamb, when they look out
its heart and lights, in order thereby to judge wiietlicr
or no IJieir obli;iation would be agreeable to the
sun ; if the war in which tliey were going to be en-
gaged, would be happy or unsuccessful, and whcilu;r
(lie earth would yield an abundance of fruits that
year. But we are to observe, that they always
sacrificed different animals, according to the nature
of the presages which they were desirous of obtaiii-
iiig by that means, as Iambs, sheep, barren ewes ;
for they never killed any but what were so, nor eat
their flesh till such lime as they were past bringing
forth young. In these sacrifices they took the lamb
or siieep which they had marked out for slaughter,
with its head turned eastward, without lying its feet
together; but three or four men held it with all
their strength, to prevent its stirring. They then
ripped up its left side, the beast being still alive,
and thrusting in their hands, took from thence the
heart, the lights, and all the rest of the harslet,
which they were obliged to pull out entire, without
tearing the least part of it.
ITiey were as superstitious at least as the Greeks
and the Romans in inspecting the entrails of their
victims, and this is manifest from that passage of
the history of the Incas above cited. \\'lieii the
lights, after being just taken out, were found still
panting, it was looked upon to be so happy an
omen, that all other presages were considered as in-
different or of no consequence ; because, said they,
tiiis alone sufficed to make them propitious, how un-
happy soever they might be. Alter they had taken
out the harslet, they blew up the bladder with iheir
breath, then tied it up at the end, or squeezed it
close with their hands, observing at the same time
how the passages, through which the air enters into
the lungs, and the small veins whi< h are generally
found there, were swelled ; because the more they
were inflated, the more the omen was propitious. —
They also observed several other particulars, which
it would be a difficult mailer for us to relate.
Iliey looked upon it as an ill omen, if while they
were ripping up the beast's side, it rose up and
escaped out of the hands of those who held it down,
and they also looked upon it as ill boding, if the
bladder, wiiich generally joins to the liarslet, hap-
pened to break, and had thereby prevented the taking
it out entire; or if the lights were lorn, or ihe heart
putrilied, and so on.
The sacrifices concluded with a feast of the sacri-
505
PiEUOION OF THE PERUVIANS.
ficed victim : tlii? iliey distributed among all persons
^\lio uere present at this solemnity, \i/. to ll'.e Incas,
and ai'ter'.vaids to the Caracas, and tlieir train, ac-
rnrding to their respective ranks. After tliey had
been thus served up with meat, bread («hich Gar-
cilasso cails Cancu) was given tliem. They were
then served with other kinds of victuals, all vvhicli
they used to eat without drinking ; the Peruvians
not beinw allo\red..to drink at meals. They never
dr.Tnk till these were ovei-, but then they would
lirink as copiously as any of the European nations.
They also had oilier festivali, and that to which
Oarcilasso gives the name of Citu, was very remark-
able, and might bo- looked 'Upo« as a general lus-
tration or purging by sacrifice. The design of this
lustration was,, to cleanse the soul from those pol-
lutions which it contracts with the human body, and
to preserve the latter from the diseases to «hic!i it
is e.xjKised. These people always prepared them-
selves lor it by fasting ; were obliged to abstain from
nil commerce with women, and fast for twenty-four
hours.
The Peruvians, the night after the feast, used to
knead pieces, or balls of Cancu, in a very ilevout
manner; laid them in earthen kettles, and parboiled
them till ^uch lime as the Cancu was collected into
one grSat lump. Of this they made two sorts, one
was mixed with blood, whicli they drew from be-
tween the eye-brow s and nostrils of young children.
All those who had fasted, washed their bodies be-
fore day-break, and afterwards rubbed their heads,
their faces, their stomachs, shoulders, arms, and
thighs, with the above-mentioned dough, in order,
said they, by this purification, to drive away dis-
eases and all kinds of infirmities. The purification
being ended, the oldest person of the highest quality
in each family, took some of the above-mentioned
dough, rubbed the door of his house with it, and
left it sticking, to .^hcw that his house was purified.
The high-priest performed the same ceremony in
the palace, and in the temple of the sun, whilst his
subalterns or deputies ]Hirifi(.d the chapels and other
sacred places. The moment the sun began to ap-
pear, tlicy began worshipping it, and an Inca of the
royal family presented himself in the great square at
•Cusco, magnificently robed, having a lance in his
hand, adorned with feathers of various coloius, and
enriched with a great number of gold rings ; which
hnicc was also used for a standard in war time. This
Inca went and joined himself to four others, who
likewise were armed with lances, which he touched
with liis own; antl this was a kind of consecration.
He then declared, that the sun had made choice of
them to .drive away diseases and infirmities; upon
■which these four ministers of the sun immediately
set out to execute their orders: They then visited
•yie. several quarters or districts, upon which occa-
sion every body came out of ilicir houses, -Aiciok
their garments, and rubbed their heads, faces, arms,
and thighs. Such were the ceremonies which they
thought purified them ; and the whole was accom-
panied with great acclamations of joy. 1 iie minis-
ters of the sun took away those evils which the
people had just got rid of, and drove them to tivc
or six leagues distance from the city.
The night following, tiie above-mentioned Inc?S
ran up and down with straw torches, after whicli
they came out of the city, and this nocturnal lus-
tration was of service in driving out those evils to
which the people are exp.osed in the night time, ?^
that of the lances had been serviceable in repelling
those of the day. Tiiey threw into the river in
which the people had washed themselves, those
half burnt torches, and whenever any pieces of them
were found Ijy the water-side, they would run away
from ihem as if they had been infected with the
plague. These feasts concluded with rejoicing.s, in-
termixed with prayers, thanks, and sacntices^ to the
sun.
But thi« account we have given of the religion of
these peo|)!e, is only consistent with what state they
were in when the Spaniards first invaded them. For
before that time, there were many other religious
sentiments embraced, and therefore in this article
We shall only give a transient account of those na-
tions whose idolatry the Incas destroyed in order to
establish their own. Those of the valley of Rimac
afterwards called j^ima, worshipped the idol Rimac
under the figure of a man, who answered such
questions as were asked it, like the ancient oracles
of Greece. Rimac is as much as to say, lie who
speaks, and this idol was lodged in a \ery magnifi-
cent temple, Mhich, however, was not so pompous
as that of Pachacamac.
They also worshipped Pachacamac, but offered
no victims to his honour; and so great was the ve-
neration ihey bore him, that they did not dare to
once cast their eyes up to him. Their kings and
priests always walked backwards whcrevei they en-
tered his temple, and came out of it in the same
manner, w ithont so much as once lifting up their
eyes towards the idol.
The Amis, a people who inhabit towards the
mountains of Peru, worshipped tigers and adders,
and also the herb coca. They put all ihcir captives
to death without the least mercy, but with this dif-
ference, that a prisoner of no distinction was im-
mediately put to death, whereas a man who was
thought worthy of that fatal lionour, was sacrificM
with great solemnity ; for which purpose he was
stripped naked, then they tied him to a great stake,
and afterwards slashed his whole body with knives
and razors, made of a flint stone, ground very sharp.
They did net immediately tear him to pieces, bul
■RELIGION OF THE PERUVIANS.
509
Jirst cut the flesh from off the most brawny parts,
siirh as llio calves of tlie legs, the tliighs, and but-
tocks, alter which, their men women ami cliiklron
smeareil ihenistlves with the blood of these iniliappy
wretches, and devoured them before they were dead.
'I'hc women used to rub the tip of thqir breasts with
their blood, and afterwards gave their children the
blood of their enemies to suck, mixed with the milk
which nature had given llum for the sustenance of
those little creatures. 'I hesc inhuman wretches
calieil this bloody execution a religioi'.s ceremony,
and ranked all such as had suffered death w ith cou-
rage, or rather with a savas^e bravery, in tiie number
of their gods, and lodged them under the huts on
the tops of their mountains, but such as snnk under
the violence of tlieir tortures were thrown among
the carrion.
The savages of the province of Manta worshipped
the sea, fishes, tigers, lions, and several other wild
beasts, as also an emerald of a prodigious si/c,
which they used to expose to public view in their
solemn festivals, 'lliey used to slay their prisoners
of war, and after having stuffed their skins with
earth and ashes, hung them up as tro|)hies on the
gates of the temples of their idols. W e shall wave
a farther deseriplion of these absurdities, since they
woulil only tire the reader.
'I'hey relate, that a man of extraordinary shape,
whose name was Choun, and w hose body had neither
bones nor muscles, came from the north into their
country ; that he levelled mountains, tilled up valleys,
and opened himself a passage through the most in-
cccessiMe places. This Choiui created the first iu-
iiabitaiits of Peru, giving them the herbs and wild
fruits of the field for their sustenance. They also
relate, that this first founder of Peru, having been
injured by some savages who inhabited the plains,
changed part of the ground, which before had been
very fruitful, into sand, forbid the rain to fall, an !
<li ied up the plants ; but that being afterwards moved
with compassion, he opened the springs, and suffered
the rivers to flow ; anrl this Choun was worshipped
as a god, till such time as Pachacainac came from
the south.
(Jhonn disappeared after the arrival of Pachaca-
niac, who was much mightier, and metamorphosed
all the men whom Chuun had created, into wild
beasts, i he Peruvians had some knowledge of the
flood; but as it woidil be a difficult matter to draw
any tiling accurate from the account they give of it,
we shall not take any notice here of the great vene-
ration they paid to the rainbow ,• their superstitious
opinions concerning comets; tlie predictions which
they drew fiom dreams ; nor of the opinion lliey had
that the sun at his setting used to plnuL^e himself
into the ocean, where it lost its light and heat, both
which it recoveied after having passed under the
3* G K
carlli, which they placed on the surface of the wa-
ters, and that it al'tcrwards rose in the morning
through the gates of the east. I Icuce we may judgi;
of the nature of the human mind, when uninformed
of certain things, and whether the people of all
countries are not disposed to receive the same im-
pressions of superstition.
Indeed there is great difliculty in getting quit of
supeistition, after a person has arrived at years ot'
maturity ; for a long persuasion of the truth of anv
thing sinks deep into the mind ; and to use the old
proverb, " Custom beconres second nature." In all
addresses to people to induce them to leave super-
stition, and embrace the truth, we ought to be ex-
tremely cautious; for those who are too precipitate
in atlackinu; prejudices, generally run those whom
they attempt to convert into a disbelief of evi ry
thing, which commonly lays the foundation of
deism.
We shall conclude ll'.is article of their religion
with tiie notion they had of eclipses. \\ henever
the sun was eclipsed, tliey imagined he was angry
with tliem, and looked on the disorder, which, said
they, appeared in his countenance, as a manifest
proof of it. When the moon was eclipsed, they
fancied it was sick; and when totally, that it would
infallibly die; that then it would fall from the sky,
that all would be destroyed, and the world be at au
end. In order to prevent these misfortunes, they,
the moment the eclipse began, made a prodigious
noise with horns, trumpets, and drums. 'I'hey tied
dogs to trees, and whipped them unmercifully, in
order to make them bark so very loud, that thu
moon, whom they now thought was now fallen in
a swoon, through the violence of pain, and who
loved those creatures, because of the signal services
they had formerly done her, was forced to awaken
at tlieir cries.
None but the Inctis, who were of the royal
familv, were admitted to be priests of the sun : but
those who were iucas by a special grant, that is, had
been raised to that honour for their merit, were al-
lowed to officiate in the inferior services of religious
worslii[i. We have already mentioned the sacrifices
which ihe priests njade to the sun, to which we will
now add, that they did not always sacrifice in the
same place, but tVeonently in the court of the tem-
ple of the smi ; but that the sacrifices of the chief
feast of the sun were ])crformed in tl:e-great square
at Cusco. The priests were obliged to enter the
temple of the sun bare-footed and bare-hggcd.
They always chose one of the kind's initles or
brothers for the .sovereign pontiff, in default of w hich
they were obliged to elect a legitimate relation of
his. The priests had no habit i>eculiar to their or-
der, but in all those provinces where the sun had a
great number of temples, none but the natives, and
510
RELIGION OF THE PERUVIANS.
such as vverp related to the cliicf man of each pro-
vince, were allowed to exercise tliat religious em-
ployment. The chief priest, who was something
like a bishop among them, was obliged to be an
Inca. And in order that they might conform them-
selves to their metropolitan in tiieir sacrifices and
ceremonies, their Incas were always elected as su-
periors in times of peace and war ; but they did not
remove the natives, to prevent their having any room
to say they weie despised, or treated in an arbitrary
manner. The chief priest told the people the things
he had consulted the sun about, and what the latter
had commanded him to declare to them, according
to the doctrine of their religion. In a word, he
declared those things to them which he had disco-
vered by auguries, sacrilices, and such like super-
stitions as prevailed among them ; and they give
their priests a name which signitics to guess or
divine.
There were several apartments in the house of the
sun, appropriated to the priests and domestics, who
were all, as we have before observed, Incas by spe-
cial grant ; for no Indian, though of ever so great
quality, was allowed to enter into it, unless he was
an Inca ; neither were the ladies suffered to go into
it, not even the kings' wives or daughters. The
priests administered in the temple in their turns
■weekly, which they consulted by the quarters of the
moon, during which they abstained from all com-
merce with their wives, and continued in the temple
day and night. All the time that the priests and
ministers of the religion of the Incas were perform-
ing their respective functions in the temples, in
whici) they administered weekly, as was before ob-
served, they were maintained out of the revenues of
the sun. This was the name they gave to the pro-
duce of certain lands, which they gave to that planet
as his demesnes or inheritance, which generally
include about a third part of the lands of each
province.
These people had also nuns among them, who
devoted a perpetual virginity to the sun. They
were so very scrupulous upon this head, that they al-
ways made choice of girls under eight years of age,
to prevent their being imposed upon. They were
particularly cautious with regard to those virgins of
the religious house at Cusco, they being designed
for the sun's wives ; for which reason none were
admitted in that convent but the daughters of the
Incas of the blood-royal, which was not mixed with
that of strangers. The most ancient among these
were chosen as abbesses. These had the direction
of the younger ; taught them all kind of needle-
works, instructed them in divine service, and had
an eye to their infirmities : Their confinement was
so close, that they never had an opportunity of see-
ing either men or women ; nor had they either turn-
ing i)ox or parlour in their convent.
We are assured that these injunctions were o^b-
served wiih the ntmost exactness, and that iiit- law
by which those who broke the vow they had made
to the sun their husband was punished, was inex-
pressibly rigorous. Garcilassosays as follows upon
that head. If among so great a number of reli-
gions, any one of them should happen to violate her
chastity, there was a law, by which it was enacted,
that the nun so offending should be biuied alive, and
her gallant hanged. But as the putting to death of"
one man only w as thought vastly disproportionate to
so great a crime as that of violating :i maiden devoted
to the sun their god, and the fatlur of tiiiir Kings,
it was moreover enacted by the same law, that not
only the person offending should be punished, but
also his wife, children, servants, relations, and all
the inhabitants where he resided, not excepUng the
babes who suckled at the breast. For this purpose,
they razed the city and paved it with stunes, by
which means every part of it remained desert, cursed,
and excommunicated, as a testimony of that city's
having given birth to so detestable a wretch. They
likewise endeavoured to hinder any one from tread-
Mig upon that ground, and even beasts if possible.
This law, however, was never put in execution,
because no one ever happened to be guilty of this
crime in that country.
They had convents, like those of Cusco, in all the
chief provinces of the empire. In these they ad-
mitted maidens of all ranks or degrees, whether of the
royal blood and legitimate, or bastards and of fereign
extraction. They sonielimes admitted into them,
which, however, was a very great favour, the
daughters of such lords as had vassals under them,
not excepting those of the meanest citizens, pro-
vided they were beautiful : for upon that condition
tliey were educated, in order to their becoming
one day the daughters of the sun, or the Incas'
mistresses, and were superintended with as much
care as the women dedicated to that planet. These,
like the rest, had young women to wait upon them,
and were maintained at the king's expence, in
quality of his wives. Moreover, they, as well as
the virgins of the sun, generally spent their time in
spinning, and in making robes or gowns for the In-
ca, who always distributed part of them among his
relations and the Curacas, as likewise among the
most renowned generals, and such as he was de-
sirous of distinguishing by his favour ; which was
both looked upon as just and seemly, since those
habits were wrought by his own and not by the sun's
wives, and were made for himself, and not for his
father.
I'he above-mentioned women had also their Ma-
RELIGION OF THE PERUVIANS.
511
niacunas like those of Cusco, but wiili tiiis clifTei-
I'lice, tliat tlicse were always Icgitimalt; cliildren of
the royal family, and were oblii;ed to spend their
lives in those convents, to all wlii( h conditions the
wives of the sun were obliged to submit ; whereas
in the other convents of the empire, they received
maidens of all ranks and conditions, provided they
were beautiful, and vir-iins of unsullied chastity ;
they being devoted to the Incas, to w horn they were
deli\ered up at lirst asking; and these were allowed
to keep them as their mistresses, in case they hap-
pened to be agreeable in their eyes ; and these con-
vents were in reality so many seraglios, like those
uf the east. Such as attem))!ed to violate the ho-
nour of tbe Incas' wives, were punished with as
much severity as those «ho debauched the virgins
devoted to the sun ; for the law had enacted in
this manner, because the crime was equally enor-
mous.
Such young women as had been once pitched up-
on for the king's mistresses, and had had any com-
merce with him, were not allowed to return home
without his leave, but attended in the palace in qua-
lity of ladies of the bed-chamber to the queen, till
such time as they were permitted to return back into
their own countries, where they received the utmost
civilities, and were waited upon with a religious re-
spect, because the people of their country thought
it a great honour to have one of the Incas' wives.
As for such nuns as were not chosen by the king for
his mistresses, they remained in the convent till
tliey grew in years ; and after the king's death, his
mistresses had the title of Msmacuna bestowed
upon them by his successor, because they were ap-
pointed governants of his mistresses, whom they
used to instruct, as a mother-in-law would teach her
step-daughters. We should not have related these
several particulars, which seem titter for an episode
in romance, than to embellish the religion of a peo-
ple, had not the Peruvians considered "every circum-
stance which relates to their sovereigns, as so many
religious rites, or ceremonies.
There were several other ladies of the blood royal,
who led a retired life in their own houses, and made
a private vow of chastity without entering into any
convent. If at any time they went abrcjad, it was
only to visit their nearest female relations, when
they were either indisposed, in labour, about cutting
off the hair of their eldest children, or about sivinir
tbem a name. These women were so conspicuous
for their chastity, and the strictness of their lives,
that they w^ere honoured with the peculiar title of
Cello's, a name which was sacred in their idolatrous
religions. These ladies were obliged to be sincerely
chaste, and not disguise it with a false varnish ; for
if ever the least trick or artifice was discovered in
tlieir couduct, they were either burnt alive or thrown
into the lion's den. A widow never stirred out of
her house during the first year of her widowhood,
and seldom married again if she had no children ;
and if she had any, she spent her life in perpetual
continence, and never entered a second time info
the married state. This virtue gained them so uni-
versal an esteem, that several very considerable pri-
vileges were granted in their favour; and there were
many laws and statutes, by which it was expressly
enacted, that the widow's lands should be ploughed
sooner than those of the Curacas, or even of the
Incas.
Before we conclude this article, it will be proper
to take some notice of their confessions and the pe-
nance that followed after it. Persuaded from rea-
son and the convictions of conscience, that the sins
of mankind do necessarily draw down evils and the
avenging arm of heaven, they imagined tlieniselvea
bound to expiate their crimes by sacrifices and pe-
nances. There were confessors established in all
parts of the empire, who always imposed a chastise-
ment proportionable to the greatness of the sin, and
there were also certain women who had a share in
this religious function. In the province of Colla-
suio they employed charms for the discovery of sins,
and sometimes discovered them by inspecting the
intrails of victims; for he who conceals his faults
was beat with stones. They confessed themselves
on all those occasions where the divine assistance is
immediately necessary; but the great and solemn
confession was made whenever the Inca was sick.
The Inca confessed himself to the sun only, after
which he washed himself in a running stream, ad-
dressing it in these words : Receive the sins which I
have confessed to the sun, and carry them into the
sea. Their penances consist in fastings, oblations,
withdrawing into the most desert part of the moun-
tains, scourgings, &c. and now we shall proceed to
the marriage ceremonies.
We shall begin this part with the marriage of
such as were either nearly or distinctly related to
the Incas, of which Garcilasso gives the following
account : The king caused to assemble annually,
or every two years, at a certain time, all the mar-
riageable young men and maidens of his family, that
were in Cusco. 'i'lie stated age was eighteen or
twenty for the maidens, and twenty four for the
men; for they were never allowed to marry younger,
because, said they, it was fitting the parties should
be of an age requisite for the well governing their
families, and aflirmed that it was mere folly to dis-
pose of them sooner in marriage.
When the marriage was agreed upon, the Inca
set himself in the midst of them, they all standing
one by another : he then called them by their names
after which takmg them by the hand, he made them
promise a mutual faith, which being doue, he gave
5V.
TvELIGION or THE PERUVIANS.
diem into the hands of their parents. Then the
nesv-marricd couple went to tiie house of the bride-
groom's fiilher, and the wedding was solemnized for
three or four days or more, according as the nearest
relations judged proper. The yoimg women who
were married in this manner, were afterwards called
the lawful wives, or the wives given by the hand of
the Inca"; a title which was bestowed purely to do
them the greater honour. When the Inca had thus
married his relations, tlie next day the ministers ap-
pointed for that purpose married thf- rest of the
young men, sons to the inhaljitants of Cusco, in the
same order, according to the division of the several
districts, called Higher and Lower Cusco.
The relations furnislMjd the moveables or utensils
of the house, every one bringing something; and
this they performed very punctually an\ong them-
selves, and never made any sacrifices or other cere-
monies at the weddings. The governors and Cura-
cas were, by their employments, obliged to marry
" the young men and maidens of their provinces in the
samcmanuer. They were bound to assist in person
at those weddings, or solemnize themselves in qua-
lity of lords and fathers of their country.
Tl'.e corporations of every city were obliged to
provide houses for their new-married citizens, and
the nearest relations to I'lnnish them with moveables.
They did not allow the inhabitants of one province
or city to marry with those of another, but were all
obliged to marry among themselves, and with their
own relations, like the ancient tribes of Israel ;
■which was done to prevent their nations and families
from being blended and confounded with one an-
other. 'L'hey nevertheless excepted sisters. All the
inhabitants of the same city, or of the same pro-
vince, called themselves relations, in case they were
of the same nation, and spoke the same language.
To which let us add, that they were forbid to quit
their provhice or city, or to go from one district to
another, because they coidd not confound the De-
<:nria^ which had been established by the citizens ;
besides, their corporations regulated the houses,
w hich they were not permitted to do more than once,
;t:id that only in their own districts, and with the
<:onsent ot their relations.
The heir to the crown used to marry his own
sister, in imitatio\i of the sun and the iirst Inca. For,
said they, since the sun took the moon his sister to
wife, and had married their two first children toge-
ther, it was but reasonable the saine onler should, be
observed with regard to the king's eldest children!
They also added, that the blood of the sun must
be mixed with that of men ; that the successil
-ought to devolve on the heir both of the father a
■mother's side, and that otherwise lie lost his rigli
ior they were very exact with regard to the succe;
sioii to the ; crown. The elder brother was lawfi
heir to the crown, and married his own sister ; but
in default of an own sister, he married that woman
of the blood-royal who was nearest related to him,
whether she was his half-sister, his cousin, his niece,
or hiaanut; and this she-relation might inherit the
crown iii def;>.u!t of male issue, as in Spain. In
case the king's eldest sister brought him no children,
ke married Iver second or third sister, till such time
as some were born to him.
This wife was called Coya, that is, queen or em-
press, and these kings, besides their lawful wives,
usually kept several mistresses, some of whom were
aliens, and others related in the fourth degree of
consanguinity aiid even beyond. They looked upon
those children which they had by their relations as
legitimate, because they were of their own blood;
but those whom .the Incas had by the aliens, were
considered as bastards ; for notwithstanding the re-
spect that was she«n them because of their royal
extraction, they yet did not revere them as. much as
those of the royal blood : these they worshipped as
wods, but honoured the others as men.
Purchas relStes, on the testimony of the Spanish
writers, that the bridegroom used to go to the house
of his bride, and put her on the Otoia, a kind of
shoe. If the bride were a virgin, the shoe was made
of wool; but if a widow, it was made of a kind of
reed. The royal habit of the Incas requires a par-
ticular explication; for which purpose we .shall
borrow the description of it from the author of the
history of the Incas. The Inca generally wore a
kind of twist about his head, calkd Lauta, of about
an inch wide, and anade almost iii a square form,
which went live or six times round his head, with a
coloured border that reached from one temple to the
other.
His habit was a waistcoat that reached down to
tlie knee, called by the natives Uncu, and bv the
S])aniards Cusma, which is not a word of the gene-
ral language, but rather of some particular [)rovince.
Instead of a cloak they wore a kind of surtout called
Yacola. The nuns also made a kind of square purse
for the Incas, which they wore as it were in a sling,
tied to a twist neatly wrought, and about the breath
of two lingers. These purses, called Chuspa, were
used only to hold the herb Cuca or Cocoa, which
the Indians generally chew. This Cuca was not
then so common as in our days ; for none but the
Inca was allowed to eat of it, his relations and cer-
tain Curacas excepted, to whom tiie king used to
send yearly several baskets full, by way of present,
which was looked upon as a very great favour.
From their marriages, &,c. we pass on to those
customs which relate to their children, and the edu-
f, cation they gave them. The Incas always made
great feasts, and extraordinary rejoicings at the
weaning of their eldest children; because the right
RELIGION OF THE PERUVIANS.
o\3
of seiiioritv, partlcvilarly of males, was had in great
esteem by the Incas, and after tlicir example, by all
their subjects; but few rejoicings were niude at the
birth of their dai\<«hters or younger children.
They weaned tlicir children at two years old, and
cut ort' their iiair which they had brought with them
into the w orld ; never toucliing them till that time,
nor did they give the name by which they were to be
called. When this ceremony was to be performed,
all the relations met togedier, and he who was chose
godfather first cu-l the cl^ild's hair with his scissars,
uf \^e may give that name to certain razors made of
tlint stone,) which liiey employed f(n- that purpose,
the Indians being unacquainted with those scissars
used among us. After the godfather, the rest cut
olf some of the child's hair in their turn, according
to their age and qualit) ; which done, they ail agreed
upon giving it a name, and then oflei'ed it their se-
veral gifts, some giving clothes, others cattle, others
weapons of several kinds, and others gold and silver
drinking vessels, which however, were presented to
none but tliose of the roval extraction, for the com-
uioii sort of people were not allowed to use them,
unless by a special grant.
The presents being made, they all drank copiously
otherwise the festival would have been good for
nought, and danced and sung till night. Tliis lasted
for three or four days, according to the quality of
the child's relations. They observed almost the
same ceremony at the weaning of the heir to tiie
crown, and also cut otV his hair, if we except that
this was a royal solenniity, and that the high priest
of the sun was alwavs chosen for his godfatiier. —
On this occasion all the . Curacas of the kingdom
assisted personally, or by their embassadors, at the
i^'icmnily, which held for twenty d.iys together, and
lii.idt; rich presents to the prince, such as gold, silver,
precious stones, and the most valuable things of their
respective provinces.
As subjects love to imitate their princes, the Cu-
r:icas, and in general all those of Peru, madu like-
wise greut rejoicings on these occasions, according
to their rank and quality: ami this v.as one of their
most solenjn ttstivals. They were extremely careful
itol to, bring up their children too tenderly, and this
was generally observed from tlie king to the begg-ar.
'1 he mi>n>ent the child was born, it was washed
W4tli cold waler, and then wrapped up in swaddling
tJathes, which thev repeated every morning, alter
having left the water in the dew the greatest part of
tiic time. Alore.iver, when the mother was for
K'lidimg her child in an exiraordinarv inanner, she
look water in her month, and squirted it over all his
body, the crown of the head excepted, which she
never touched. When those people wrro asked why
they thd ti'.is, they answerwl, that tlity did it to
inure their children to cold and toil, and .strengthen
34 G
their limbs. They never swathed their arms till thev
were upwards of three months old, saying, that it
would weaken them: And they generally kept them
in a cradle, which was a kind of bench with four
feet, one of which was made shorter than the rest,
purposely that they might be rocked with gicaler
ease. 'Jhe bed in which the child lay, was a kind
of coarse net, in which the babe was wrapped ou
both sides of the cradle, to prevent his fallin"
out.
Mothers never took their children in their arms,
not even when they gave them suck; for, said they,
they would always be for slaying in them, were they
to l)e used to it, and then it w oiild be a diilicult mai-
fer to confine them to their cradles. However,
whenever they thought proper to take them out of
it, they used to make a hole in the ground, and set
the child upright in it bre.tst-high ; they then swathed
them with old clouts or rags, in order to make them
lie the softer, and at the same time gave them several
pla)-thm!js to divert them with, but never once took
them in their aisns, though they were the children
of the greatest lords in tiie empire. \\'hen a mother
wanted to give her child suck, she used to lay hei-
self down upon it, but never give it suck above three
limes a day, viz. at morning, noon, and evenin"^ ;
nor woukl she ever give it the iireast but at those
times, and would let it squal rather than sufier it to
get a habit of sucking all day long. All the womeo
of that country did the same, and the reason they
gave for it was, that it made them nasty and subject
to vomiting, thai they became gluttons when they
grew lip, and that the beasts themselves furnished
them with an example, who never suckled their
young but at certain times of the day, and not all
night long. 'I he greatest lady in the cmjure brought
up her children hersclt", and never gave them to ano-
ther to nurse, unless forced to it by some great in-
disposition ; nor had she any connncrce with her
husband all ll;e time she suckled it, for fear of spoil-
ing her milk, which might throw the child into a
consumption.
As the chddgrcw up, they strengthened its body
by labour and exercise, after which it was put under
the direction of the .Amautas, who were the Peru-
vian philosophers or doctors. Tliese Amautas regs-
lated ihe manners of their youth, instructed them in
the ceremonies and precepts of religion, in the laws
of the empire, and fh.e duty which man owes to his
fellow-crialiues. The minds of <hildri;n were cul-
tivated almost from their tender infancy; at six or
seven years of age they alw;:ys had some emplojv
mejit assigned them, which was always suited to
their years. In fine, the care they took to shuri
idleness i|iid indolence, was such, as might justly
put nation- iiifmitejy more knowing than tiiemseUcs
to the bliish. iVor were they Jess careful of flying
o
Sli
RELIGION OF THE CANADIANS.
from luxury, slill more tiangcroiis tlian idleness,
whose oiiiv aim is to flatter the senses, and adminis-
ter fuel lo vanity, to awake in us a sense lor pleasure
in proportion as it decays in us, and which keeps
the s])irits in a perpetual hurry, even to the last
gasp, notwithstanding its inability to produce the
least fruits from all its labours^ or even to discover
one single mark of it.
Religion of those Sttvages uho inhabit Canada and
its Ncighboiir/iuod.
The Jesuits have related manv things concernins;
these people, which might have passed for truth had
it not happened that great part of that country was
in 1763, given up to the English, so that we have
now the most uncontroverled accounts of every
thing relating to them. That they are all idolators
is not saying that they are any worse than the inha-
bitants of other hcatlien nations, and it must be ac-
knowledged that in some things they are not so hor-
ridly gross and abominable as those in Africa. But
then they are divided into so many different clans,
tribes, hordes, &c. that in some particulars they
differ much from each other. Of all these we shall
jnoceed to give an account from the best and most
respectable authorities.
In several of these nations, they worship the sun
and as soon as they perceive day break, they waft
the first cloud of smoke that comes from their calu-
mets toward that object, at the same time mumbling
over a few words, as their first morning prayers. —
'J'hey afterwards smoke towaids the four quarters of
the world. Some of them j)aint their bodies over
\vith the figures of wild beasts, 'to make them ap-
pear the more terrible to their enemies, which prac-
tice is of great antiquity, for we find it was prac-
tised by the ancient Britons.
In other parts of this vast extensive country, the
xavages believe the w orld to have been created by a
woman, who, together with her son, presides over
it. They say that man is the principle of every
tiling good, and woman the principle of every thing
'evil. They I'urther believe, that the woman who
created the earth, being big with child, fell down
from heaven, and dropped on the back of a tortoise.
It will appear evident to every unprejudiced person,
that we have here the outlines of the ^'losaic history
of the fall of man, and although blended by fable,
yet not more so than what is related by the Greek
and Koman poets.
Others of these savages are of opinion that the
world was created by a spirit, and that one- Misson
restored it after the flood, Tliey tell us, that one
I day as Misson was hunting, his dogs lost thcmse-Iveff
in a great lake, which happening to overflow, soou
spread itself over all the earth.
Those savages who inhabit near the source of the
river St. Lawrence, believe tliat a woman hovered
sometimes in the air, and at last fell down on the
back of a tortoise, that mud gathered round the
tortoise from the sea and formed the earth.
However, as this w oman did not delight in soli-
tude, a spirit descended from above, and finding lier
asleep, drew near to her, that the result of this was,
she became vith child, and was delivered of two
sons mIio came out of her side. When those chil-
dren were grown up, they exercised themselves in
hunting, and as one of them was a much more skil-
ful Imnter than the other, jealousy soon occasioned
discord, and the unskilful hunter, who was of a
very savage temper, treated his brother w ith so much
cruelty, that he left tliis world and ascended to hea-
ven. This notion of theirs seems to relate to the
two sons of Adam, Cain and Abel.
They have some idea of the flood, and they be-
lieve that the world began at that time. They say
that Mischapons, whom they look upon as a su-
preme being, first created the heavens, and after-
wards created all the animals that were on floating
woods and groves. With these he made a bridge,
but foreseeing that all these creatures could not live
long in that state, and that his work woidd be im-
perfect, unless he took care to secure them from
misfortunes, and from being starved; and having at
that time command only over the heavens, he ad-
dressed himself to Michinisi, the god of waters, and
would have borro\\ed some la\id of bin) in order to
settle his creatures on it, but IVlichinisi was not wil-
luig lo comply with liis rer|nrst.
Thus disappointed, Alichapous sent tlie beaver,
the otter and the rat one after another, to search for
land at the bottom of the sea, but none of them
brought any thing except the rat, who had in lier
mouifc a few particles of sand^wMichapous kneaded
this sand into a leaven, which swelled to a great
mountain. The fox was ordered to walk round this
mountain ; but it was so large that ho ."^oon became
weary, and the Michapous enlarged the mountain
into a large terrestrial globe. Some of them are
of opinion, that men 'sprung originally from the
putrified carcases of beasts, and we find \ irgil em-
bracing the same notion concerning the origin of
bees.
A steer of two years old they take whose head.
Now first with burnish'd horns begins to spread:
They steep his nostrils, while he strives in vain
To breathe free air, and struggles vxith his pain.
Knock'd down, he dies ; his bowels bruis'd within,
Betray no w oimd in his unbroken skin.
RELIGION OF THE CANADIANS.
515
I
Intended Uuis, in liis obscene abode,
Tliey leave the beast, but lirst sweet flowers are
strew d :
Beneath Ins body, broken bongFis and lli\ me,
And pleasinp; Cussia, Just renew'd in j)rinie.
The tainted hlood in this close prison I'cnt,
IJegiiis to boil and thro' the bvjnes foment;
Tlien \vo\idrou3 to beliold, new creatnies lise,
A moving mass at iirst, and short of tliigh.s ;
'Jill shoolniLT out with legs, and iinj)e(l with wings,
The giubs proceed the bees with pointed stings.
These savages tell us farlhei, that some of tiie
innnials having (jnairelled among themselves, ^licha-
pous killed them, and a man lose from the putre-
faction ; and this new man invented the bow and
arrow, which he employed against the beasts. It
ha])pciied one day, that one of them being separated
from the rest, discovered a hut, where he found
Michapons, who gave him a w;fc, and prescribed
the several duties to be observed between them. —
!Man had hunting and fishing alloted him for his
part, and all donieslic affairs were committed to the
wife. From these men proceeded, and they lived
in felicity together, having power over the wildest
and liercest beasts ; but as they began to multiply,
so they were obliged to look out for new countries
to hunt in. At length discord and jealousy began
to arise among the hunters, and this they consider as
the origin of wuis.
AA e have been the more particular in our account
of ihose different opinions concerning the creation
o( the world, because lord Karnes has, from those
differences inferred, that there is not, in the whole
world, any certain accoinits to be depended on.- —
His lordship was of a very ditVerent o|)inion when
he wrote his essays on religion, but alas! in his
advanced years, he has changed his sinfimcnts. —
Some of these savages have temples erected to the
sun, one of which is described in the following
manner. ,
It is surrounded by a high wall, and the area with-
in the wall serves for a plate for the ])cople to walk
iu. I'pon this wall a great number of spikes are
set, on the sharp ends of which they fix the heads
of their enemies, and likewise those of the most
uotorious criminals.
Over the front is laid a great log of wood, raised
high, and surrounded with hair, and garnished with
scalps as so many trophies. The inside of the tem-
ple is painted with a vast number of figures, and in
the middle is a sort of fire, a place which serves
them for an altar. Tw o priests dressed iu w liite,
burn these logs, while the congregation arc offering
up their prayers. There is a closet in the wail
which they call the tabernacle of God, and two
eagles with extended wings hang on it, juoking to-
wards the sun. Their prayers are three times a dav,
viz. at suii-ri^ing, noon, and sun-setting.
'J'lie Canadians give the name of great spirit to
that Supreme Being, whom they also call Quitid.i
Manitou, and to whom they celebrate grand sacri-
fices.
'I'hey not only believe in the Supreme Being, but
likewise in the immortality of the soul : and tliev
consider sll souls as enianatioiis from the universal
father of spirits. This notion is the same as we find
embraced by tlie Greeks and Romans, and, indeed
by almost all nations in the world, except those who
are c.illed Materialists ; but ha[)py for mankind their
numbers are but few. But although these sava"es
adore but one Supreme Being, yet, like other hea-
thens, they have their idols, that is, they have ima-
ges by which they represent the J3ivine attributes
and operations. This propensity to idolatry amono-
them needs not to be wondered at, when we consi-
der, that they arc followed, in some measure, by
some who call themselves Christians.
The subject matter of all their hymns, is the
praise of the beauties of the works of nature : the
goodness of the Supreme Being; their victories, and
the defeat of their enemies. 'i"he women address
speeches to the rising sun, and present their children
to him at the same time. From all this it appears,
that these people are far from being Atheists, and
probably it may be a doubt whether there is an
Atheist in the woild. Seneca, a heathen, says,
that although men may in words deny the being of
God, yet their hearts condemn the thoiigiit; and it
is certain, that without a firm persuasion of the ex-
istence of an almighty power, man would be more
miserable than the beasts in the field. I'or man has
hopes or lears of something hereafter, whereas the
beasts have none.
We are assund that it is a very difficult matter to
convert these people to the Christian religion which
can only be ascribed to two causes : first, the super-
stition of the Roman Catholics, whose ceremonies
are in some measure, as ridiculous as their own ;
and secondly, to the want of human learning. It
is necessary, however, to observe, that in conse-
quence of these people being now subject to Great
Britain, though still governed by the French laws,
many improvements have been made; but of this
we shall speak more largely aflerward>.
In their marri:;ge ceremonies they differ but little
from the savages who inhabit 1 Iud.«on's Bay. ^\ hen
a voung man falls in love with a girl, he makes a
formal demand of her from her father, or the near-
est relation then living.
^\ hen they are come to an agreement, the young
man's father assembles all his relations, and declares
to them his intention of bestowing his son in mar-
riage, and his relations bring as many things to the .
■,\6
RELIGION OF THE CANADIANS.
hut as they can offer, as presetits for the young sa-
vage.
His mother carries part of the goods to the young
woman's hut, and, at the same time, tlie bride's
mother declares to her daughter, that she has mar-
ried her to such a person, meaning tlie young man
already mentioned. The maiden must not make any
objection, for that would be dishonourable. Every
one gives something towards the bride's portion,
but one of her relations always lays w'ith her before
her husband goes to bed.
There are several other particulars that might be
tiieiitioned concerning their marriages, but bring of
a civil nature, they have no connection with this
work. We shall only observe, that the luisband
' lias a right to put his wife away if she is barren;
hut thi'U tliey are obliged to give her proper no-
tice, that she may provide herself with a new hus-
. l)aud.
In CatVacfa,' When a husbaiid and viife are deter-
. mined to part, they bring into the hut where die
marriage ceremony was performed, all the little
pieces of a wand used on that occasion; ant^ these
they burn, without hesitation, which completes the
divorce without any mainicr of tiispute. When they
imagiiie a woman to be past child-bearing, they
never pay their addresses to jier ; for they look upon
the grand end and design of marriage to be that of
propagating the human species, and certainly this
Mas its original design. TIuis we hud that the
Jewish women were considered as objects of re-
proach vvlien they had no children ; and sometiiiug
of that nature is to be found iu all nations in the
world.
; Ih all nations where those people whom we call
savages live in a state of nature, tiiey are not much
afflicted witii disorders, except sucli as are rather
the effect of the climate than the effect of gluttony.
And as they have but few diseases, so we should na-
turally imagine they could jiave but little occasion
for physicians ; for it may be said in the words of
the poet,
^riie first physicians by debauch were made;
Excess begun, and sloth snstain'd the trade.
By toil our first forefathers earn'd their food,
^\>il strung their ner\es and purified their blood:
But we their sons, a paniper'd race of men.
Are dwindled down to threescore years and ten.
Better to hunt in fields for health unbonglit,
riian fee the doctor for a nauseous draught.
The wise for health oi. exercise depend;
C«ud never made his works for man to mend.
But notiwithstanding' these salutary rules, yet we
ii'nd, that even those savages who live in a state of
■jja'turc, liave tlieir physicians, or rather impostors,
jugglers or
for they deserve no better name ; their
mountebanks pretending to cure all manner of dis-
eases by charms, spells, and enchantments; but tiien
we may consider that few of these diseases are in-
veterate. Sweating is one of the methods used by
them, and another of their methods is too curious
to be passed over in silence.
They make a hot bath, info which th.e patient goes
stark naked, along with others as naked as hsmseif,
whose bushiess it is to rub him. This bath th.ey
cover over with the heads of wild bulls, tlint stones,
and pieces of rock made quite hot. The patient
thus shut up in the bath, is obliged to keep in his
breath every now and then, and while the juggler
is singing as loud as he can bawl, those wh(j are
along with him in tlie batii also sing in concert. —
Tliey cure diseases of the legs and thighs by lancmg
the parts infected, with a knife made of stone or
iron. These incisions are afterwards rubbed with
bear's grease, or the fat of some other wild beast ;
and to expel the poison of serpents, they have a va-
riety of charms. AH those who act as physicians
are also the priests, and they undergo a long pro-
bation, tlie manner of wliich is as follows : They
shut themselves up in a hut during nine days, and
ace allowed no other subsistence than water. The
novice holding a kind of bottle in his hand, full of
pebble stones, with which he makes a continual
noise, invokes the spirit, intreats him to speak, and
to admit him into the number of spirits. I'lie whole
is accom])anied with the most terrible howling, cries
and agitations both of the body and mind, and he
foams at the mouth like a madman.
As soon as this ridiculous part of the ceremony
is over, he comes out of his luit, and boasts of his
having conversed with the spirit ; and having receiv-
ed from him the power of healing all sorts of dis-
eases. Father Hennepin adds, that nothing can be
more dreadlul than the cries and dijUortions of those
jugglers, at the time of their practising their pre-
tended enchantments. It is certain, that thev carry
on the deception with great skill and cunning, but in
general the tricks they perform are too ridiculous to
gain the esteem of any man of common sense. And
to this may be added, that most of their pretended
cures are rather' the elfect of chance, than any way
owing to their knowledge of the human frame. — ■
However, they are acquainted with the virtues of
several physical herbs, which undoubtedly was the
first way in which all diseases were cured.
AV hen the juggler visits the patient, he asks him a
great number of questions, jSromising, at the same
time, to root out the evil spirit. lie immediately
withdraws to a little tent for that purpose. Here he
sings, liowls, and dances like a madman. He then
sucks the patient's wounds, and drawhig some little
bones outof his mouth, tells him he has taken them
RELIGION OF TIIK CANADIANS.
517
I
out of his body. He then tells him to be thankful
under his sufFeiiiiffs, as it will be in his power to
cine him. The juggler then iieniands his fees, and
when he is paid, he sends several yoinig men to hunt
the elks and other deer. And here it may be neces-
sary to observe, that many of the tricks practised by
our qsacks in Europe, are 'as ridiculous as any of
those we have now mentioned. It frequently hap-
jiens, that when the juggler finds he caiiiiot cure the
patient, he gives him sometliing to dispatch him, and
then tells his relation that the spirit has revealed to
him that lie is incurable. Ihis supports the credit
of the impostor, and ensures to him his fee, which
is all he has in view. And is this not like the con-
duct of many of our European doctors, «ho amuse
the relations of the patient while they are killing him
according to tlie rules of art.
The juggler sometimes endeavours to persuade
the patient that he is bewitched, and on such occa-
sions, stretches his body upon a floor covered with
beaver skins, or of the skins of some other beasts.
The juggler then feels every part of the patient's
body, till he comes to the place affected, and then
he pronounces his charm which has the desired ef-
fect, because the disease instead of being real was
only iniaginarv'.
Although these savages believe in the doctrine of
the immortality of the soul, yet they have but con-
fused notions concerning ii; for they believe that
souls transmigrate from one body to another; and
as we have frequently occasion to mention these
notions we may once for all oljserve, that because
they could not account for the apparent unequal
tiistribution of rewards and punishments in this life,
and not having proper notions of a future state, they
believed that the souls of the wicked weut into other
bodies to be torniontcd.
They bury their dead with great pomp and cere-
mony, for they dress them, and paint their faces and
bodies with differenr colours, after wliich they lay
them in cofiins made of the bark of trees, the outside
of which they make extraordinarily smooth, with
li,;iht pumice stones. 'I'hey then set up a palisa'de
round tlie tomb, whicii is always raised seven or
light feet from the ground. Their women wear
iiiourning for eight years together, during which
time they are not permitted to marry; but in this
there is nothing extraordinary, Ijecaiise among these
Savages a widow seldom obtains a husband. Seve-
ral of these people solemnize festivals in honour of
the dead, and on such occasions they take the bones
out of the graves, and put them into new ones lined
with beaver skins.
Hunting is considered by these people as a reli-
gious exercise ; and a few days before they set out
to hunt the bull, their old men send out some young
t»iies to view the place were the chase is to be. —
.'!4 6 P
When the hunters arc got there, they dance and
sing according to the custom of the country, and at
their return they expose for three days successively,
several great kettles filled with feathers. During
these three days, a woman of distinction walks in
procession with a cauldron on her back, before a
great number of hunters. The company is headed
by an old man, who with great gravity cairies a
piece of cloth by way of standard or ensign. Be-
fore a young hunter goes to the chace for the first '
time, he is obliged to keep a religious fast, to which
he prepares himself with the utmost care and atten-
tion that is generally observed by those who go
through a state of piubation in any order w hatsqever.
This fast continues three days during w hicli lime the
novice is obliged to daub h^s face over with black,
and this he imagines to be an homage he owes to the
great spirit.
When they swear in their courts of judicature,
. they dip their heads in the blood of the victim that
is to be offered up in sacritice, arid rub part of it
over their foreheads. This they do as an appeal to
the Supreme Being, that they tell the truth; and
consequently were they to tell a falsehood, they
would look upon themselves as condemned to eter-
nal perdition; and this may serve to shew, that di-
vine wisdom has impressed on the minds of the must
unenlightened heathens, au obligation of telling the
truth.
Such was the state of those savages when the
French first settled among them; and those who
were not converted to Popery, embrace the same
sentiments even to this day. It is certain, that it
was the design of the legislative i)ovver of Britain to
convert tiiese savages to Christianity; but uiisur-
niountable difficulties presented themselves. First,
when Canada was ceded to the ]'>nglish, the civilized
part was inha!)itetl by bigotted Iioman Catholics,
and the priests of that religion are always assidious
in making converts; on the other hand, the mis-
sionaries s( nt from Britain, were obliged to be ex-
tremely cautious, because by the treaty of capitula-
tion, the civilized part of the Canadians were to en-
joy the free exercise of their religion.
Missionaries from Britain could not therefore ex-
pect much success, and an act passed in this coun-
try, confirming all the privileges which these people
formerly enjoyed, \\ hether of a civil or religious
nature. But still our society for the propagati.jn of
the Christian religion did not stop at these difiicultie.s.
I'uur missionaries were sent over to Canada, and are
maintained there to this dav, at the rate of two hun-
dred pounds a year each. When v>e consider the
troubles that have been in that part of the \vorld,
we need not be surprised that the labours of the
missionaries have not yet bccu alt. ;ided with the
desired effect.
51&
RELIGION IN CALIFORNIA.
Secondiv, anollier otyect tlie society had in view
was, to convert the savages, but here many difticui-
ticH lay ill their way. 'J'hey were ignorant of the
language spoken by tlie people, consequently they
coulti not connnuiiicate tlieir sentiments to them. — •
Probably these difficulties would have been got over^
had not the war broken out ; and it may be naturally
supposed, that the Romish i)rie!>ts in Canada would
rather wish to sec the savages continue in a state of
heathenism, than be made acquainted with the Pro-
testant religion. All those who are incniburs of
false religion, are inveterate enemies to those who
practise Christian duties. From the whole we may
draw this conclusion, that nothing will ever, under
the dispensation of tlie Biitish government, bring
about the conversion of these savages, but the pious
lives of our n^ission^ries. Let them only consider
that they are accountable beings ; let them consider
that they were not born for iheiuselves, and tiien
they will go cheerfully on with the work committed
to their care; they will enlighten the heathen nations,
andjo'n hi immortality wilii those souls of whose
conversion thev were the instruments.
Religion in California.
It is much to be lamented, that notwithstanding
the many discoveries lately made in commerce, in
the extension of trade, and the knowledge of navi-
gation, VI t we are still left in ignorance concerning
the religion, or even the civil customs and manners
of the people of California. This is still the more
lo be wondered at, when we consider that many of
our navigators have visited that country. One thing
indeed, nuist be observed, that seamen are bad
historians, and therefore we must take our accounts
of them from such authors as are of the highest re-
putation for their integrity, 1 he form of their go-
vernment is such as discovers that they are not to-
tally ignorant of those circumstances that conduce
To the maintaining of order and regularity. But ne-
vertheless, the hltle religion they seem to have, is
vastly odd and fantastic, but still they are not, so
i.ir as we can learn, very superstitious. Great ado-
riition is paid to water, because, say they, it contri-
Ijiites towards promoting the growth of corn and
other food, as the proof of its being the only sup-
port of life.
Their dress consists mostly of figures made of
rabbit skins, whimsically daubed over. In this man-
lier, the king of the country consents to be daubed
also ; but it will be asked, what has all this to do
with religion ? The answer is obvious. These peo-
ple know nothing of religion, for they observe so
many ridiculous ceremonies, that all sentiments of
an intellectual nature are alienated from tlicir niindg-
As they worship idols, so they have temples erected
to their memories, where they perform what they
call their sacred devotions. They imagine that it is
here that the devil comes to divert himself when-
ever he is forced to ramble from one place to ano-
ther. But here we must not be too precipitate in
our judgments, because travellers are apt to relate
things from bare hearsay, \\idiout knowing any
thing of the nature of them. The Jesuits who vi-
sited the country, imagined that the only way to in-
gratiate themselves into the affections of these peo-
ple, was to make them believe they came from the
sun ; for by an evasion, they thought they might
easily substitute the sun of righteousness in place of
that luminary which gives light to the world.-—
Some Indians who suspected the truth of this mis-
sion, asked why these messengers had not been
sent from the sun- before? To which it was an-
swered, he was too young. This answer was suit-
able enough to a savage, and the conclusion of the
conference was that they acknowledged him to be
the son of that planet. This pretended son, in or-
der to increase the number of the faithful, raised a
wooden cross, and commanded his companions the
Spaniards to adore it, as an example for the imita-
tion of the infidels. To these lie prescribed the
time and manner of adoration, and as we may take
it for granted, that he worshipped the rising sun in
the morning, they were to worship the cross at the
same time.
In their marriage ceremonies they have very little
remarkable, any farther than that they are of a very
mercenary nature. The young man gives a certain
sum of money for the bride, who is considered as
an article of commerce. When the parties are
agreed, the relation of the bridegroom goes to the
house of the bride's parents, and makes a formal de-
mand of her. He mentions what money, or other
things he has advanced as purchase-money, and they
give their approbation in consequence of their being
satisfied.
These preliminaries being settled, the bride is con-
ducted home in triumph, and there is a feast pre-
pared for her and all the family relations. Polyga-
my is permitted among these people, for they are
allowed to marry as many \\ ives as they can support,
but they are not to discard them on every frivilous
pretence. Indeed, the nature of conjugal duty is
not considered as very sacred in this country, be-
cause there are some crimes committed that ought
not be named. However, thus much we may take
notice of, that the men in this country, if they are
rich, keep a great number of boys dressed in wo-
men's clothes; what use they make of these boys
needs not be mentioned, but we are only surprised
to find that savages should commit the same unna-
RELIGION IN CALIFORNIA.
519
(ural crimes as those who hve in what are commonly
called civilized nations.
[s not this siiouking ! — Sliall those who are called
poliie, be more addicted to unnatural crimes than
savages r ^ es ; and to the dishonour ot inankinii,
and the disgrace of human nature; where learning is
cultivated — vice generally increases. And is tins
owing to learning r No: It is owing to the abuse
ol" it. The corruption of human nature is such, that
men seldom make great progress in learning, with-
out, at the same time, dishonouring themselves by
an attachment to all those vices which are a disho-
nour to their characters, and make them even more
contemptible tlian the beasts that perish.
When we consider the antiquity of this horrid
crime, its extension among the heathen nations, the
encoijnigement it still meets with in Italy, and the
progress it has made in Great Jiritain, we are lost
as it were in astonishment to discover that passsion
which gives rise to it. Indeed it is a just and very
pertinent observation of archbishop I'enelon, That
notwithstanding all the pretended politeness of the
Greeks and Romans, yet as to mortal virtue and
religious obligations, they were no better than the
savages in America! But to proceed with our nar-
rative.
\\ hen any of these people die, the whole village
is in an uproar, for the women meet together and
scream oat in tlie most "hideous manner. They
tear their hair, and throw ashes over their upper
j;arments, to make the people believe they are sin-
cerely in earnest. The body of the deceased is
washed and laid out, after which they carry it out
to a funeral pile erected in the neighbourhood. — •
Here a great many hymns are sung in honour ol the
deceased, jeciting all the heroic actions of his life,
and these songs are attended with a great number of
gestures.
This part of the' ceremony being over, a great
number of aromatic herbs and Uowers are brought
to the funeral pile, and when the priests have mum-
bled over a certain nuuibtr of ptavers, fire is set to
the pile and all the materials are consumed aloii"
with the body of the deceased. ^J'hey do not burn
the bodies of the women along with their imsbauds
a^ is done in the East Indies, from which circum-
stance we may learn, th-t all heathens are not efjual-
h barbarous. l here is one circumstance which
must not be ■omitted relating to these people, and
that is, adoption.
Men who have no children of their own, in order
to perpetuate their names and keep up their family
distinctions, niaike choice of ihe son of a slave,
whom they educate as their own, give him their
name, and at their death, leave him in possession of
their whole fortune. This piece of mean, vulgar,
f ride u as much attended to by the aucieut Komaus, ,
and it was common among them to have as many
aiiopted sons as real ones. Perhaps it was owing to
this, that the Romans have been so frequently ac-
counted as destitute of natural atfcctions. A jiarent
may be a man of humanity, he may do many things
to relieve the wants of his fellow-creatures, but still
notsiiihstanding all that, he cannot consider the child
of aiiotJier as his own. It is certain, however, that
this prevailed in ancient times in Asia, and it is easily
to be accounted for.
Polygamy, as it makes wives cool and regardless
towards their husbands, so it makes fathers forget
the duty they owe to their children. The man who
has more wives than one, has not a sincere friend
in the world, and the parent who has children by
dilVerent wives, is, in general, partial to those des-
cended from favourites. ■
Mr. Gray says,
A favourite has no friend.
Had the poet reversed the words, and said, that
favourites are generally spoiled in the education,
perhaps he would have acted more consistent with
his character as an able w riter ; but this we may
venture to affirm, that wherever polygamy exists,
the parent can never do his duty to all his childrerk.
His afiections are as it were divic'ed ; he loves his
offspring, but he is obliged to offend his favourite
wife, if he is not partial to her children instead of
the others.
We shall conclude this account of the religion of
California, by observing, that if our modern navi-
gators had been as assiduous in promoting the in- -
terests of these savages, as they have been in giving
us a description of the country, they might have
procured immortal honour, and brought everlasting
glory to their country. But why should we look
for that in some men, who deny a particular pro-
vidence.' Bold and intrepid they go out on voyages, ■
paving no regard to death or eternity. They
laugh at every thing that is serious in religion, and
boldly assert, that Divine providence has no con-
cern with the affairs of this lower world. Such is
the effect of abused talents, such is the use that is
too commonly- made of luunan learning. But still
let it never be forgotlon, that those who love reli-
gion, will at all times endeavour to make every one
as happy as themselves ; for the exercise of real ■
knowledge is to do good to all those who want our
assistance.
Religion of the Virginiaia. ■
In treating of the religion of the < Virginians, w«
do not mean those British subjects now settled in
520
RELIGION OF THE VIRGINIANS.
that part of Americn, but the aiicieut savages, and
particularly tliose who still iniuibit tiie Ijacfe settle-
ments. These Iiiiiiaiis are so tenacious of every
secret relating to their religion, that it is considered
as. sacrilege in any one to reveal a single secret of it.
When the English first settled here in the reign of
■queen Elizabeth, they found a temple about thirty
feet long and eighteen brond, and there was a hole
in the roof to let out the smoke. The gate of the
temple was at one end, and at some distance on the
outside, stakes were set up quite round it, the tops
of which were painted, representing men's faces. —
They did not find one window in all the temple,
nor any place fur tlie liglit to enter in at, except the
door, and the hole in tlie chimney. At the end,
over against the door, there was a separation made
of mattinij, worked very close together, which in-
closed a place about ten feet in length, and which
did not let in one single ray of light.
The English adventurers were at first afraid to
prevail upon themselves to enter into this place, but
at last they did, and found in the middle of the in-
closure, a place surrounded with stakes, at the top
of which were great shelves, from whence they drew
these mats that were rolled up and sewed together,
on one of which some bones were laid, and on an-
otiier the Indian weapon of destruction, called a
tomahawk. They had tied to one of these toma-
hawks, the waddles of a turkey-cock painted red,
and the two longest feathers of his wing hung at the
end, tied with a string of about five or six inches in
length, having a notch at the top for the setting in
of the head. In the third mat was some inlaid work,
which they took for the idol of the Indians. Under-
neath was another board, not half so long as the
former, and wliich they fastened witli pieces of wood,
t'lat, being set in on every side, stood out about
fourteen or fifteen inches from his body, and whicii
are round the knees of tlus image to bend.
The Virginians have several names for this image,
but he is in general represented with a pipe of to-
bacco in his mouth, and what is more surprising, he
really smokes, but then there is a priest artfully
placed beliind him, who, unseen by the worsliippers,
liglits the pipe. The darkness with which this idol
is surrounded, prevents the ignorant worshipper from
seeing the priest who carries on the deception ; for
were they once to look in, they would no longer
pay any worship to inanimate beings conducted by
knaves. And here we have a beautiful allusion to
many passages in the sacred scriptures, where idol-
atry is compared to darkness, and the truth or true
religion to light. Lord King justly obsi rves, that
by darkness is not only meant the ignorance of the
^heathen nations concerning divine things, but like-
%\ise those numerous abominations which were tran-
sacted under the covert of real darkness, and some
of these are such as ought not to be described.
These Virginians, like many other heathens, wor-
ship the sun ; and at day-break the devotees of both
sexes go out fasting to their idol temples, and wash
themselves in a running stream. The ablution con-
tinues till the sun appears, nor do they suffer their
children of ten years of age to omit this religious
duty. As soon as the sun is above the horizon,
they offer him tobacco. They consider all nature
as entirely under tiie direction of their idol, which
is much more to their honour, although idoiators,
than to the reputation of those wlio call themselves
Cliristians, yet blasphemously deny a particular
Providence.
W henever they go on a journey, they then burn
tobacco to the sun, in order to obtain his assistance.
When they cross a lake or river, they throw tobacco
into it, in order that the spirit who presides in such
place, may grant them a safe passage. And when
they return home from hunting, from war, or from
any dangerous em])loyment or enterprise, they offer
up the best part of their spoils to their idols. Many
of the ancients observed the same customs, and even
at present, not only among the Roman Catholics,
but even among the Protestants, the colours and
st.indards taken in war, are put up as trophies of
victory in the most celebrated churciies. And why
all this formality ? And why should the sentiment so
universally ))revail ? The answer is obvious. There
is a principal implanted in the human mind, that
leads men to consider themselves as dependent on
some superior being. They hereby acknowledge
that it was to him they were indcljted for the victory
obtained ; and, as a grateful return, they dedicate
to him the most valuable of the spoils taken from
the enemy.
These savages have but a confused notion of the
creation of the world, but they all acknowledge
that there is a Divine Being, to whom all their gods
or idols are subject. They say, that this Being
leaves men entirely to the freedom of their own
wills, while he himself continues in a state of indo-
lence, out of which all the worship they offer hint
is not able to recover him. This system being en-
tirely that which was embraced by the followers of
Epicurus amongst the heathens, and the Sadducees
among the Jews, we shall not say any thing con-
cerning it, because it is a bold attetnpt to set aside
the utility of public and private worship; for if God
does not take notice of the actions of men in this
life, then the whole bounds of religion are removed ;
there is no motive to duty ; there is nothing to re-
strain us as mortals from committing the most hor-
rid, the most unnatural crimes.
But that the reader may have a just notion of the
RELIGION OF THE VIRGINIANS.
^«l
jeiitiinents of these people, which are tiie same with
those ot L.I i -uius, sve shall here pu.sent liiui with
what Luciclius Ijas wruleu on the subject.
How the vast mass of matter, nature, free-
lioiii llie proiul care of th' meddling tleitv,
Dot!; wcjrk b_v hei' own private strength and move,
\\ ithoiit the trouble of the gods above ;
I'or how gi')d gods can ihose that I've in peace^
lu undiscurb'd and evei lasting ea^i',
Uule this vast all, their lybouriuL, thoughts divide,
'l«i.\t heaven and eiirtli, and all then molions
guide :
Send heat tons, the various orbs cqntroul.
Or be immense, ai.d spread o'er all the svhole ?
Or hide the heavens ^n clouds, whence thunder
ihrov, I J,
Docs beaCTheu- own aspiring temples down.
Or through vast dtsuris Dieaks th' imiocent wood.
Mother to the bad, butsuikes the just and good.
All we shall here add is, that those who have been
the most irreligi-jus in this world, formed their
nutions upou the inequality of rewards and pu-
nishments. Were all the M.oked to suller just
punishments in this life, and all the virtuous to be
rewarded, « hat occasion would there be for a future
judgmeutf In manv cases God has shewn himself
to be at the head of divine providence, but not in
all; to convince men, that however hartlened they
may be in wickedness while in this world, yet there
may be a time, or a period, when the mask of hy-
pocrisy will be laid aside,, nay, it will be stripped
off, and the (faring sinner will stand as a culprit at
the bar of infinite justice. On the other hand, the
oppressed virtuous man should, rest satisfied in this
that God will be his friend at the last day, notwilh-
standiiig all tlie suilerings he may have been sub-
jected to in this world ; for it is an established maxim
both in natural and revealed religion, that the up-
right judge of the universe, will not deceive his
creatures.
Peter Williamson, who published the aceount of
his captivity among those Virginian savages in 1758,
has gi\en us a particular description of tlieir priests,
who are at tljc same time, a sort of vagabond quack
doctoas. They use a vast nunil>er of s|>ells and
charms; and although they are no strangers to the
efficacy c»f herbs in curing many diseases, yet they
are such amazing impostors,- that they make their
patients believe tliat they cannot be cured till they
iiave invoked the assistance of one of their idols. —
This is a mystery of iniquity indeed, but not more
than is to be met with in other heathen nations. —
^\ hen they have bt^en successful in war, they come
home loaded with spoils, and having collected the,
whole tribe together^ they light a iire and dance
35 . G
in a confused manner round it. Their priests par-
take of this solemnity, dressed in their sacerdotal
habits, and tiiese priests begin the song. Nothing
can be an 're teirilile than to behold their solemni-
ties? for tiiry roar out and make such a hideous
noise, that even wild beasts would be afraid of
them.
When they go out to war, every one carries <•»
halchet or tomahawk in his hand, and when peace
is concluded the hatchet is buried ; probably it is
owing t'j this custom that so many hatchets have
bean dug up in Virginia, some of which are now to
be seen ni the liiitibii Mustuin.
We are assured that the Indians in \ irginia look
upon marriage as a very solemn act ; and that the
vows they liien make are solemn and inviolable. —
The husband and wife may live separately if they
cannot agree; but divonrs uie looked upon as scan-
dalous. As for their ciiildren, they plunge them
into cold water the moment they are born, and they
ecfucate them much after the same manner as the
Canaries and otlicr savages of North America, from
their earliest infancy, till they arrive at years of
manhood.
These savages believe in the doctrine of the im-
mortality of the soul, but still they seem to have
very odd notions concerning it. They look upon
the separate state of departed souls as an habitation
beyond the mountains, and into those unfrequented
mansiotis, they imagine the soul retires after death.
This may serve to shew, that although these people
are barbarians and savages in their manners, yet
they retain the first principles of natural religion.
This will for ever remain as an eternal scandal to
those who have denied this leading sentiment. —
Whether their notions concerning the immortality
of the soul are of a corporeal nature or not, is '
not easily known. This probably was the reason
why the heathens have run into so many gross
notions, concerning things of the utmost impro-
tance.
The last thing we shall take notice of, is, what
should always come last, viz. an account of their
preparations for death, and theif funeral solemnities.
Vi hen a person is tak. i: sick, he sends for ilie prirst,
who comes and mumbles over him a great inmiber
of words which no person understands but him-
self.
They beat drums so as to stu|)ify the patient, and
when he expires, they sJiy that he would have lived
longer had he not been guilty of some nnpardonaiile
crimes. This is undoubtedly a very good jugLJing
trick, and the character of the priest is supported
although the |)atieut tlies.
Ill their funeral rites and ceremonies they differ
but little from the other savages in America. When
a person dies they wrap up his body for one day in. .
522
RELIGION IN HISPANIOLA.
linen clot!), or in llie skins of beasts. Next day
they cut llie flesh from off his bones, and burn it in
the fire. They then prepare for the funeral, and '
tlie women make a dreadful howl round tl>e corpse.
They make a wooden coffin in which they put the
body, and then it is carried to the place of inter-
ment.
The body is laid in the grave, which is generally
in one of the woods, and there another howling
begins, which continues for several days without
intermission. They sacufice some sheep and goats
in honour of the deceased, and what will perhaps
seem very surprising, they rejoice that they have
been deliveied from all the afriictions of a tumnllu-
ous world. The women dress themselves in white,
gnd the men are dressed in the most sumptuous
manner, according to the custom of their country.
When they have deposited the body, they sing se-
veral mournful elegies, and they have an entertam-
nient provided for them. This is just what the
' Greeks call a dirge, and what vv6 commonly call
a funeral solemnity. They remember annually the
deaths of their friends ; all w hich may serve to shew
that these heathens are not such strangers to natural
religion as we are too fondly apt to imagine.
Religion of the Natives of Hispaniola.
AVith respect to this part of south America, we
are well acquainted with it, our connections with
the people have been great, and therefore we can
w ith the greater clearness, give an account of their
religious sentiments. 'ibat their religious senti-
ments are much the same with those we have al-
ready mentioned in our account of Peru, will ap-
pear from compaiing them togeiher. The Peru-
vians adored the sun, and so did the inhabitants of
Hispaniola. The grand object of worship among
the heatliens was the sun, and therefore we need v.ot
he surprised that so many persons were addicted to
. it. From what motives the heathens were led to
adore the sun, is not our business to inquire, but we
shall now proceed to give an account ot the religious
sentiments of these people at present. Indeed we
may naturally' imagine, that the worship of the sun
was in such hcnour_ ami respect among idolators,
■t'aat they looked upon every person who found fault
with it as no better than a blasphemer. This, how-
ever, is a dangerous notion ; for nothing can be con-
sidered as an object of worship but what is recorded
as such in Divine Revelation.
These people were actually guilty of offering up
human sacrifices, and their merciless hearts were
deaf to the cries of innocent children. We are sorry
1
to say, that in the course of this work, we have had
occasion to point out these crimes. Let them be
ever so horrid in themselves, yet they are of great
antiquity ; they were practised among the ancient
Canaanites, and if any regard is to be paid to his-
tory, they were common even among the ancient
Britons. However, not to enlarge upon things re-
mole from the subject, v.e shall only take notice,
that as these people offer sacrifices to the sun, so
they naturally expect some favours from him. Not
that they have anv reason for doing so, but only be-
cause superstition having laid hold of their minds,
they do not chuse to quit the favourite object. It
is true, that they have temples Jo the sun, but tliey
are poor mean structures; for what they were in
former times is entirely out of the question at pre-
sent, which, however, we shall have occasion to take
some notice of afterwards, and in the mean time we
shall proceed to consider their m'odt of worship,
duties, articles of marriage ceremonies, vows, so-
lemn engagements, treaties of war and peace, their
priests, religious obligations, attending upon their
festivals, the manner in which the sick are healed on
a death bed, their funeral rites, and what they ob-
serve in honour of the deceased, which increases
according to the nature of his quality.
The religious worship they paid their idols or de-
mons, had something remarkable in it; for the Ca-
quics always caused the solemnity of it to be pro-
claimed by heralds, and used on the day appointed
for the ceremony, to walk in procession by beat of
drunf, at the head of the subjects of both sexes, who
were dressed in their best clothes, but (strange to
imagine) the maidens went naked. The whole com-
pany went afterwards to the temples of those false
gods, who were theie represented m a very grotesque
manner, and much in the same manner as our
painters represent the devil.
The priests used also to worship these idols, and
pray to them with so much zeal, or rather with so
many cries and bowlings, as must necessarily terrify
a company of poor wretches, who had not cunning
enough to find out the trick which those insiduous
priests concealed under their pretended devotion. —
It was then they presented the oblations of the
devotees to their gods, which were partly cakes
brought by women in baskets, adorned with (lowers;
after which, as soon as the priest had given the signal,
they danced and sung the praises of the> Zemes,.
whom we have already mentioned under the name
of Chemens, and offered their cakes. The whole
concluded with tlie praises of their ancient kings,
and with prayers for the prosperity of the nation. —
The priests used to divide these cakes into several
pieces, and distribute them among the men, and
^hcy were obliged to keep tiiem a whole year in their
RELIGION IN HISPANIOLA,
5M
houses, hecaiise the)* were considered as sacred, and
antidotes against several sorts of disorders, as well
as common accidents.
\N lion tlio procession was got to the door of the
temple, the Guagua, who was at the head of it, set
liimstit' dawn at the entrance, and ail the people
\\cnt in singing, and passed as it were in review be-
fore him. When they were got to the idol, they
thrust a little stick down tiu'ir throats, in order to
make them vomit, for tlicy were obliged to present
themselves pure and unsullied before their god, and
«iih their hearts as it were on their lips.
■^1 heir Zemes revealed themselves to the priests,
and these priests acted their parts so well as to make
the people>4ielieve that tlie idols spoke to them,
\\hich was, in all respects, consistent with the tiicks
)>raciistd by the priests among liie Greeks and Ro-
mans of old. If the idol danced and sung, it was
n good omen, but if he discovered a sorrowful air,
the people were sad and dejected, gave themselves
up to grief and tears, and fasted till there were some
hopes of their being reconciled to their gods.
'the account they give of the origin of mankind,
is M hinisical enough, and sxich as does hardly de-
serve a place in this work, were we not under the
necessity of relating all their religious sentiments. —
Men, say lliey, came out of two caverns of a cer-
tain mountain, and out of one of them came those
whom we may call the good, that is to say, the
Hower and choicest part of human kind; and from
the other, the most vile and Worthless part of them.
The sun, greatly enraged at this, turned him into a
stone, who keeps the ()|)ening of the mountain, to
j)revent the birlli of mankind, and metamorphosed
those new created beings into frogs, toads, &c.
niis notion is as ridiculous as some of those of
the ancients, who believed that men sprung from
oaks. Nay, what was still more ridiculous among
these people in Hispaniola, tliey believed that the
sun aiid moon botii came out of caves. These caves
were in sncli high reputation, that the people went
ammaljy in procession to them : for who would not
visit the place where the object of their worship
was born. These caves were embellished with pic-
tures in the Indian taste, but before they entered, they
always paid their devotions to two devils, who stood
teutmels at the gates ; or rather to the iigures of two
devils, for we must not believe they were spirits, as
all devils naturally are.
Polygamy, or a plurality of wives, was allowed
by the laws of the country, for men were permitted
to marry as many women as they could su|)port. —
..As this custom was in every respect inconsistent
with natural and revealed religion, so it must have
ltd lO the eonnnission of unnatural crimes. There
ar§ some passions that no human laws can restrain
nur bring into proper subjection; for shut nature
out at the door and she will come in at the window.
The Spaniards were sensible of this, and therefore
they made a pretext of it to put many of those pooT
idolaters to deatii, under the most excruciating tor-
ments. This was not the way to convert these poor
people to Christianity, as will appear from the fol-
low ing plain, artless anecdote.
All old Cacique, of the province of Nicaragua,
discoursing with a Spaniard, who attended upon
one of these first conquerors, spoke thus to him : —
"Tell me. Christian, what you understand by
Christianity? Tlie Christians feed upon our pro-
visions, lie with our wives, are idle, gamesters,
and blasphemers ; are mischievous, continually
craving gold and silver ; are abusive, and irreligi-
ous at mass ; quarrel and fight with one another;
on the whole, I take them to be a set of wicked
wretches."
There is perhaps more good sense and real truth
in the words of this heathen, than can be fouwl in
thousands of volumes, written in deft-nce of Chris-
tianity ; for how can a heathen believe any doctrine
to be true, while he, at the same, beholds with the
utmost detestation, the person who teaches it, act-
ing inconsistent with what he recommends to
others. The Spaniards had no other object in view,
when they invaded those countries, than that of ac-
quiring riches, and those riches have actually been>
in some measure, the ruin of their dominions in Eu-
rope. The importation of gold and silver from
South America into Spain, has thrown the people
of that country into a languid state of lazy indo-
lence.
Instead of employing the people in the useful arts
of peace, by promoting arts and manufactures, they
have actually sent their millions of gold to other
European nations to obtain in return the necessaries
of life. This has brought dishonour upon them,
and we may venture to affirm, that if ever die Spa-
niards become ecjualiy brave as their ancestors once
were, they must relinquish their conquests in South
America, and be content wiUi the enjoyment of those
possessions they have in Europe, which are indeed
very extensive.
It is in a manner needless to *iiention that these
people believe the immortality of the soul, and a
future state of rewards and punishments. This sen-
timent being universal ainoug the heathens, we shall
therefore only add, that the manner in which they
inter their dead, sliews their firm belief of it, and
they look upon it as the most comfortable notion
that can be embraced.
As they believed that the sun was the Supreme
Being, so they interred their dead at that moment
of time when that glorious lumiviary first made its
appearance aboVe the horizon, and the luce was
always towards it. If this does not pohil out a ftint
5£4
RELIGION OF THE MEXICANS.
notion of t?ie general resurrection, we -know not
what can. As the faces of the deceased were laid
so as to front the rising sun, so it must have been in
consequence of a fixed belief that the sun would
one day raise their bodies. It is in a manner iui-
possible to account for it on any other piiaciple, for
why all this care concerning ;"Iie dead, if they were
to perish for ever. The more we look into the prac-
tices of the heathen nations, tlie more we are in
love with the gospel, which has removed t!:e clouds
of darkness from before our eyes, and laid open a
path leading to everlasting happiness.
Religion of the Mexicans..
We have already taken notice of the first popu-
lation of America, so that it is needless to enlarge
further on that subject. We have no doubt but tlie
inhabitants of Mexico offered human sacrifices, for
althougii the Spaniards have related many things
against them, which perhaps may not be true, yet
this seems to be indisputable. But let their prac-
tices be ever so barbarous (and barbarous undoubt-
edly they were) yet this will in no manner whatever
vindicate the Spaniards for committing such horrid
acts of cruelty as they confessedly did. The licathens
harboured only false notions of religion, or rather
idolatry, offered human sacrifices to their idols, and
the Spaniards, guided by a false zeal, extirpated
thousands of people because they were idolaters.
The case before us is not \\hat had these Indians
done, but merely liow they ought to have been
treated by Christian adventurers. It was the duty
of the Spaniards to have convinced them of their
errors, but not to have let loose the fury of a coer-
cive power upon men, who were rather objects of
pity than of punishment. Indeed the Sj)aniards had
HO right to punish them; for although Joshua did
so to the Canaanites of old, yet that has no applica-
tion to the present argument. Joslma had a divine
commission, and that was what the Spaniards could
Jiot pretend to, unless they give that name to the
commission they had received from tlie ])ope. The
truth is, the Spaniards only wanted their money, and
therefore they did not pay any regard to the highest
duties of moral obligation, but like some English
adventurers hi the present age, tliey murdered li)eir
thousands and ten thousands, that they might have
an opportunity of aggrandizing themstlves.
In the capital city of Mexico were eigiit temples,
equally magnificent, and built pretty near alike; but
there was one which excelled the rest in bigness and
its prodigious extent, so that a city containing five
hundred houses might have been brilt in tha court
•ot it. This edifice was a long time the centre of
Mexican idolatry, and therefore we shall give a par*
ticular description of it.
The worshippers first entered into a large quad-
rangle, surrounded with a great stone svall, where
the figures of several serpents struck terror into the
beholders, particularly at the front of the first door,
which was filled with these figures, under which
some very mysterious signification was concealed.
Before their arrival at this gate, there stood a kind
of a chapel, whicli was fuli as terriule. It was built
of stone, raised thirty steps, iiaving a terrace at the
top, on which several trunks of groat trees, all lop-
ped of an equal height, were planted on a level at
equal distances, on which poles were laid from tree
to tree. On each of these poles hung liie sculls of
several unhappy wretches who liad l~een sacrificed, _
whose number could not be related without terror.
The four sides of the quadrangle had each a gate, ,
exactly facing one another, and looked to the four
cardinal points. Four stone statues were jjjaced over,
each gate, which seemed to point out the way, and
to coaimand those to return back who were for
going thitlicr viith an irreligious heart. These were
considered as potter gods, upon wi.ich account they
were saluted at gouig in. Th& apartments of the
sacrificing priests and masters were built in the inside
of the wall of the quadrangle, together with some
shops that went round the whole, which however
took up but little room, its extent being so vast,
that eight or ten thousand persons used to dance in
it at ease, on their most solemn days.
In the centre of this quadrangle, a great stone
edific6 was erected, which in fa^»•\^ eather was seeu
to ihe tops of the highest buildings in- the city. It
always lessened in bigness upwards, till it fornied a
half pyramid, three sides of which were shelving,
and tiic fourth supported by a staircase. It was a
most sumptuous pile of building, according to the
rules of architectme used in that country. It was
four hundred feet high, and built so strong, tij^t its
top which was flat, was a square, forty ieet on each
side, and was finely paved witii squares of jasper
stones of all kinds of colours. The pillars which
surrounded it in the form of rails, winded like the
shell of a snail, and both sides of it were faced with
black marble. On the two sides of the rail or balus-
trade wheie the staircase ended, two statues sup-
ported two ancient candlesticks. At some distance
from ibis was a stone of green colour, five feet in
height, sharp bottomed, and here the uriiKii)py
wretch \\ ho was to be sacrificed, was laid on his
back, when they ripped up his bosom and 'took
out his heart. Above this stone, and opposite to
the staircas€, vas a large strong chapel, the roof
of which was of curious wood, under which their
idol was seated on a very' high altar, with curtains
around it.
RELIGION OF THE MEXICANS.
05j
AVc liave hitherto touched on tlie sacrifices oftered
up by these peo[)le iu a general cursory maimer, and
therefore it is r.ecessary that we should now be a
little more explicit, wishing sincerely tiiat what we
are going to relate had never happened, though the
regard utS have lor truth obliges us to mention it,
These bloody sacrifices among the Mexicans, were
performed in the following manner.
The victims were led to the altars, which might
have been justly compared to so many charnel
houses, or burying grounds. There they were
closely guarded by some Mexican soldiers, who
waited till such time as the poor victims should be
put to death. To heighten their agitated misery,
they were presented with the sight of thousands ol'
their fellow creatures, who had been sacrificed be-
fore them. A priest holding an image in his hand,
approached towards them, crying out, at the same
time, there is y«ur god. This done, tliey w ithdrew',
going od" from the other side of the terrace, w hen
the victims were inmiediately brought upon it, this
being the place appointed for the sacrifice. Here it
was that the six servants of the priests slaughtered
the victims, two of these took the victims by the
feet, two others held his arms, a fifth held his head,
and the sixth ripped open his stomach, whence they
tore out his heart and held it up still smoking to the
sun, after which turning himself towards the idol,
he threw the heart in his face.
'I'he victim being thus dispatched they threw the
body down from the terrace to the bottom, and we
are assured, that they not only sacrificed all the
captives they took in war, but actually feasted on
llicm.
They never sacrificed less than forty or fifty of
these poor v^ retciies at a time, and those nations
who bordered on them, or were subject to them,
imitated this bloody mode of worship. On solemn
occasions it was the duty, or rather the office of the
high-priest of the temple, to rip up the victim's
Jtomacli, and this he did in such a dexterous man-
ner, that it surprised all those who saw him, except
his own pupils, who were very expert butchers.
It was a custom among them on certain festivals,
to dress a man in the bloody skin just reaking from
the body of one of their victims, and we are assured
that some of their greatest princes and governors
thought it no dishonour to have the skin wrapped
about them, so as the person sacrificed was a gen-
tleman, or a person of rank. However, when a
poor person was wrapped in the skin, he ran up and
down the streets like a madman, demanding charity
from all he met with, and those who refused to com-
ply with his request, he was sure to knock down.
This bloody mascjuerade continued till such time as
the skin began to corrupt, aud then the vagrant re-
turned home to his own house, in order to indulgei
himself in all sorts of volupiuousncss.
It was always their custom before they sat dort'n
to eat or drink, to offer the sun some part of the
victuals of Mhich they were to partake, and they
had many other ceremonies, whicli although as ri-
diculous as any we have mentioned, yet were not
more so than many of those practised by the learned
Greeks, and by the political Romans.
Like all other barbarians who embraced false reli-
gions, their penances were extremely severe. The
priests were considered as they are in some Christian
communities, as mediators between God and men,
so that here was an absolute power lodged in the
priest, -and when this solemn penance was to be
perlormed, it was the custom of the people to meet
at midnight in the temple of the idol, when one
of them used to call the rest together for their
devotion, \\ilh a kind of horn, of which there i«
now one in the British Museum, and while the lioiii
was sounded, another was emploved in moving the
idol.
Then one of the priests let a little blood out of the
ancle of the penitent, by pricking it with a thorn
or a stone lancet. After this, he rubbed his temples
and ears with this blood, then went out and washed
himself in a certain fountain or running stream,
which from all these circumstances put together,
was called, " The water of blood."
These Mexican priests observed a very rigorous
fast, extending sometimes to seven days together,
and this was always previous to their solemn festi-
vals. During these fasts, those who were married
abstained from all commerce with their wives, and
possibly there might have been some sort of nomi-
nal merit in this, had it been built on a rationat
foundation, but this was laying such a restraint on
human nature, as was inconsistent with the order
of God. To this may be added, that during these
fasts, they were guilty of crimes too odious to
be mentioned, so that we shall pass them over ia
silence.
All these Mexican priests were possessed of great
revenues, and by their knavish tricks they made the
people believe they were entitled to them. Happv,
had this principle never diffused itself among Chris-
tians who profess to be the followers of a poor des-
pised carpenter, and whose disciples even procured
a subsistence by their labour, but priests and gospel
ministers are two different sorts of people, and with
respect to the former it may be justly said.
The priests of all religions are.
And will be still the same;
And all, though in a different way,
Are playing the i^arae game.
G R
526
RELIGION OF THE MEXICANS,
But besides tliese priests, the people of Mexico
had tlicir vestals or nuns. AW these \veri.- dressed in
white, as an emblera of innocence ; but alas ! ex-
perience has shewn that no robes with which the
human body is clo'Jied, can alter the state of cor-
lupt nature, or give innocence to the soul. Here
nuns were forlorn, they are- among the Roman Ca-
tholics, admitted into their convents so early in life,
that they do not know how far the power of human
nature will operate upon them. I'hese were under
the direction of a governess or abbess, whose olKce
was to keep the temple clean, and the young nuns
dressed the sacred meats that were presented to the
idols. They were at midnight to administer to the
gods, and to examine certain articles, which the
rules of their order obliged them to observe. Above
all, they were bound to preserve their chastity un-
sullied, the violation of which was punished with
death.
Tiiis contrivance was not, indeed, to be perpe-
tual, since as they were sent to the convent only to
fulfil some vow, which their parents had niaiie to
their gods, they were allowed to marry after a cer-
tain term of years. It is even probable, that this
abbess, or matron, might superintend a kind of nun-
nery, where young women were brought up in the
same manner as they are at our boarding schools ;
for those young ones were taken from under their
care as soon as their parents thought proper.
They had also a seminary for the education of
boys, who were admitted into it when they were
about seven or eight years of age. During the time
these boys were living in the convents, they were
confined down to a certain number of rules, much
like the novices in the popish convents. These
youths used to have the tops of their heads shaved,
and the rest of the hair cut so short, that it scarce
covered their ears, but it fell as low as their shoul-
ders behind, except when they used to tie it up in a
kind of tuft behind. They wore a linen vestment,
and lived in the most exemplary manner. Under
them were several sorts of novices, whose business
it was to cleanse all the vessels belonging to the tem-
ple ,• but these, in consequence of their iiierit, often
rose to the highest dignities.
These natives of Mexico had many festivals, but
all of them w ere attended with the most horrid, and
bloody sacrifices. Indeed, it seems to have been a
maxim among these people, that the god whom they
worshipped, or ra-her the idol, should be just such
an one as themselves. Barbarous, cruel, and unfeel-
in", their own corruptions pointed this out, and so
far were they from forming benevolent notions of
the Divine Being, that they actually became so
corrupt as to imagine that he would take pleasure
in human sacrifices.
On all their festival days, the priests, like a parcel
of abandoned villains, employed some wretches to
submit to be flogged, in order to make the deluded
populace believe they were sincere peniteiK-,. In
this, there is nothing at all strange, for the author
of this actually saw at Antwerp, in Flanders, June
1736, several wretches, hired by tlie Roman Catho-
lic priests to whip themselves, under the stale pre-
tence that they were real penitents. Thus we find
that popery and roguishness go hand in hand toge-
ther, and we can plainly see that the former was
borrowed from the latter.
There was one god or idol the Mexicans paid
much regard to, whose name has not been trans-
mitted to us, but he is represented as a great hunter.
There is nothing at all surprising in this, because
the savages of all nations were hunters; so thai they
ascribed qualities to those who made the most dis-
tinguished figure. Hunting was, indeed, partly a
religious exercise in former times, for as the subsis-
tence of individuals depended on the chase, conse-
quently it was natural for the heathens to thank their
idols for what success they had obtained. There is
no such thing as acknowledging a Supreme Being,
w ithout ascribing to him qualities suitable to his na-
ture, and in every respect consistent with his attri-
Dutes in the moral government of this Mxrld.
In their marriage ceremonies, the priests have
great influence; for they settle every thing even of
a civil nature. The marriage contract is searched
into, and die husband has a right to turn away his
wife if she has no children. In such cases she is
obliged to have her marriage portion returned. —
There is something in this altogether consistent
with natural equity, for the man who parts with the
object of his desires, ought to give up up all things
connected with her.
When their children are born and purged from
their natural impurities, they are brought to the
temple of their idols, and a name given them by the
priest. The priests then wash the children all over,
and deliver them to their parents. They have seve-
ral other ceremonies, but these are of such a similar
nature with what we have already mentioned in our
description of the dilTerent religions in the other
parts of America, that we shall not take any further
notice of them.
In the funeral ceremonies, they have nothing at
all remarkable, any farther than those in Hispaniola ;
for indeed there is such a similarity, that one would
naturally imagine all these people were of one and
the same original. As they believe in the doctrine
of the immortality of the soul, so they pay great
respect to their deceased relations. The women'
dress themselves in white, which seems to point
out, that the deceased has been purged from all his
impurities, and that all his sins have been forgiven.
The body is carried out to a piece of ground, set
RELIGIOX OF THE SAVAGES OF DARIAN.
527
Apart for that purpose, and it is there dejiosited in
the midst ol" :ill Ills tVieiuls and rcl uious. Mourn-
ings .iiid huiirnlatiiins are made for tin: d' rt ;> il sf
vcial d;iys together, but these are rather artificicil
than real.
The face of the deceased is laid so as to be oppo-
site to the sun, which shews that their notions were
the same with those who inhabited iJispaniola. —
Thc\ set up stones at each end of tiie grave, testify-
ing their rc-pect for the deceased, and it was common
for tliem to strew the grave frequently with flowers.
This ceremony was generally performed once in the
month, during one year, but after that time, the
mourning ceased. Upon the whole, thus much is
certain, that these Mexicans were a barbarous peo-
ple, who had no human feelings, otherwise they
would never have seen their fellow creatures but-
chered in such a manner; but this may serve to shew
that wiiere divine relation is not known, men are tlie
most miserable objects in the world. J^eft to struo'-
gle w ith the corruption of their own nature, tliey
sink under it, and die martyrs to those passions, which
if properly cultivated, would have promoted their
everlasting happiness.
Religion of the savages who inhabit near the isthmus
of Darian
Iq giving an account of these savages, we are
under the necessity of taking notice of oue of the
most important events that evar happened in Bri-
tain. In 1603, on the death of queen Elizabeth,
James VI. king of Scotland ascended the throne of
England, so that the tw o crowns were united ; but
to the great misfortune of both countries, a proper
union did not take place, for each nation had its se-
parate parliament, and they had opposite views and
inteiests, so there were continual wranglings between
them. The Scotch, naturally brave, but proud,
haughty, and poor, followed their sovereign into
England, and as the event of an union had been
long wished for, so forged prophecies were invented,
some of which were taken notice of by lord Hales.
Among these, the following knavish one may be
mentioned.
When Hempe is come, and also gone.
England and Scotland shall both be one.
This Hempe was considered as some great person,
whom no one could give any account of, and yet
the meaning was neither less nor more thau the
following :
H. Henry VIII. E. Edward VI. M. Mary I.
P. Philip her husband, and E. Elizabeth, so tliat
the whole mystery is developed, and the knavish
prophecy understood, as having been written after
tlie events took place.
From that time forward, at ditlerent periods many
proposals were made for bringing about an union,
and although locali;\ pointed out the propriety of
such a scheme, yet national pride on both sides pre-
vented its taking place. At last, in the reign of
king William, the merchants of Scotland obtained
a ciiarter, to establish a settlement on the isthmus of
Darian, and it is amazing to think what hopes the
people in that part of the country formed to them-
selves of the advantages that would arise from this
scheme. All ranks of people contributed towards
promoting it, and a large fleet was fitted out. Here,
however, national jealousy took place. The Eng-
lish merchants did not wish to see the commerce of
Scotland extended so far, and therefore they used
all the means they could think of to obstruct it. It
is not our business to enter into national disputes,
but thus much is certain, that almost all the Scot-
tish adventurers were ruined, and the factory they
had established v\'as reduced to nothing. This cre-
ated much murmuring in Scotland, and had it not
been that we were then engaged in a war with
France, which united all parties at home, the effects
might have proved fatal. The people of Scotland,
in revenge for the injuries they imagined the Eng-
lish had done them, refused to wear Fnglish ma-
nufactures, and in this unhappy condition both
nations continued till the accession of queen Anne,
1702.
Each country had a particular object in view, the
English parliament wanted the parliament of Scot-
land to ratify the act of settlement, which appeared
the more necessary for two reasons, first, because
it would prevent disputes for the future between
them ; and secondly, because it was not probable
queen Anne would ever have any more children. — •
On the other hand, the people of Scotland objected,
first, that were they to acknow ledge the act of settle-
ment, they ought to have proper security for the
establishment of their religion ; and secondly, that
their losses at Darian should be made up to them
out of the English treasury.
Here was a large tield for the politicians to dis-
play their skill, and although ministers of state are
not alwavs virtuous men, yet divine goodness can,
and often does, bring good out of their contentions.
It was after much dispute, agreed upon by conces-
sions on both sides, that an equivalent should be
paid by I-lngland to recompense the Scots for their
loss at Darian, and to secure their religion, the
sovereign was to take an oath the moment he suc-
ceeded to the crown, and actually before he was
proclaimed.
Upon tliese principles, the union of the two na-
528
RELIGION OF THE SAVAGES OF DARIAN.
tions was bvouglit about, uhich, if properly im-
proved, must be for the mutual advantage of both.
We thouglit it the more necessary to take notice of
these particulars, because many of the people of
Scotland, even in tins age, think their ancestors at
Darian were grossly injured, whereas, when we
come to consider the whole, it will be found, that if
errors v.cre committed, boih parties were guilty. —
And this will likewise serve to clear up some things
v.-e shall have occasion to mention, concerning the
church of Scotland. In the mean time to go on
with our narrative.
'ITiese people inhabit a large tract of land, whicli
is situated between North and South America. —
They are ail idolators, but their temples are poor
inean huts, and their idols are only coarse stones set
up within them. Like many other savages in x\me-
rica, they believe the sun and moon are husband and
wife, and they adore them as objects of divine wor-
ship.
However, they acknowledge a Supreme Being,
superior to them. They believe there is an evil
principle that torments the children of men, and for
that reason they have temples erected for it, where
they ofi'er sacrifices of flowers, fruits, perfumes,
and ail other things that they think will procure its
favour. Every extraordinary phenomenon in nature
is considered by them as an apparition and the voice
of God.
Their priests are ail pretended magicians, and
the greatest impostors jj'.the world. They perform
ail their tricks in secret, and the ignorant people are
easily persuaded to believe them. The priests make
dreadful cries and howlings, with distortions of their
faces, under which some pietended mystery is con-
cealed ; for as true religion has its mysteries, so every
false one preteuds to the same, and so it is in many
other things.
Their manner of healing the sick is very extraor-
dinary. They seat the patient on a stone, which
-being done, tlie medico-priest takes a little bow and
some small arrows, and shoots them as quick as
possible at his patient, who is stark naked. They
are so dexterous at this e.xercise, that they never
miss their mark, but then there is a stop put to the
arrow which prevents it from going beyond a certain
{iiark or depth. If the arrow happens to open a
a vein, and the wind gushes out with the blood, the
physician and those who are present leap for joy,
and discover by their gestures, that they believe the
operation to liave been successful.
All these hypocritical priests, who are at the same
time pretended physicians, make a vow of chastity,
and if ever they violate it, they are either stoned or
2>urnt to death. The devotees are obliged, during
their fastings, to abstain from all commerce with
Xheir wiveSj but they can fiud other ways to gratify
their passions. Before tiiey go to war, they sacri-
fice hares and pheasants to tlie sun, and smear the
bodies of their idols all over with the blood. They
never go on any eiiterprize without asking advice
from tiieir idol, vvhicli is an image of the sun ; for
which purpose they ui.dergo a penance of two
months together, during which time they abstaia
from salt and commerce with women.
They advise with their priests in all affairs relating
to peace or war, and consult their gods in groves
and solitudes. They purposely make choice of the
iiight for performing their magical ceremonies, and
the darker it is the better. 'I'hey conjure the devil
by their cries, by a great noise, and their magical
songs in the presence of several-young people. The
person whom they order to consult the oracle of the
idol is seated, and the rest are standing. The ma-
gicians are silent when they expect the approach of
the devil their master, and the moment he appears,
the conjuror presents himself, before him, and gives
the signal for the homage that ought to be paid.
The Spanish authors tell us a story diverting enough
concerning these priests and devils.
They say, tliat one day some friars undertook to
exercise the priest who was raising the devil, and
tliat by the power of the signs of the cross and holy
water, which was wonderfully assisted by a stole
that was put about the neck of the conjuror, he
answered very penitently to all the questions the friar
put to the devil. Among other things, they asked
him where the souls of the Indians would go after
their deaths; the answer he made was, to hell. —
Those whom they design for priests, are brought
up in tiieir sacred mysteries from their infancies. —
Such children are obliged to retire for two years to
the most remote parts of the woods, where they are
not permitted to feed upon any thing that has blood
in it, nor see any woman, but must forget their
kindred, and are not allowed to stir out of their ca-
verns.
The old priests visit and instruct them in the
night, and when the probation time of these young
candidates is expired, they receive a certificate, upon
which they are looked upon as sacred priests, and
doctors in physic and magic.
These savages burn all the prisoners of war, but
pull out one of their teeth before they execute them.
Something in this may appear extremely barbarous,
and certainly it is so, but when we consider the state
of heathen nations, it will not appear strange, es-
pecially as we lead in many parts of the Old Testa-
ment, that all prisoners of war were put to death
under the most excruciating tortures. The Greeks
and Romans either butchered their prisoners, or sold
them as slaves, and the ancient heathen Briton's used
to burn a thousand to death at a time.
They allow polygamy here, but it is under seve-
RELIGION OF THE SAVAGES OF NEW ANDALUSIA.
329
ral restrictions for they are not permitted to purt
witli their wives, unless they have been inifaithful to
the conjugal vow. As soon as the yotnig women
are considered as fit tor marriage, they are locked
np from the society of men, and no person is per-
mitted to visit thetn williont the consent ol their
parents. They do not use much ceremony in their
marriages, for as soon as the jiarents have settled
the previous agreement, every thing is concluded.
Every one of the relations brings a present according
to the nature of their circumstances, and these pre-
sents enable the new married couple to begin house-
keeping. The bridegroom's father makes a speech
to the peojjle, concerning the duties of the mar-
riage state, and after that he dances like a madman.
The dance being ov(,r, he kneels down, and presents
hi.s son to the liride, whose father being in the
same posture, holds also his daughter by the hand;
but the bride's father dances likewise in his turn,
and makes the same antique gestures before he
kneels down.
In their funeral ceremonies, they are like most of
the other savages in x\merica. They believe in the
immortality of the soul, but they have almost as
many carnal notions concerning it, as our British
materialists. They believe, that when the soul is
dislodged from the body, it enters upon a life of
pleasure, and feasts in the most sumptuous manner.
For this reason, they bury provisions along with
their dead, to be of service to them in the other
world.
From what is here related of these people, we are
to lament that the settlement attempted by the
Scotch did not succeed. The Scotch adventurers
took alons with them several ministers, anions whom
was Mr. Spalding, who had been settled at Dundee.
TTad the factory met with proper encouragement,
there is reason to believe, that before this time there
would not have been a heathen in the place. Pro-
testants alone are the men who should be sent to
convert heathens, and therefore every encouragement
ought to have been given to these enterprisers. —
However, as we are not to call in question the pur-
poses of Divine Providence, so we shall rest satis-
tied with this single consideration, that if that salu-
tary end was not completed, yet one equaliy bene-
ficial took place, namely, the union of the two
kingdoms. Cod's aaj/s are not as meii'i.
Rtligiuii of the savages of Neio Andalusia.
The only particulars we know of the religion of
these people are, that they, like most of the other
ancient Americans, adore the sun and moon; but
above all, an evil spirit, which we may call the devil.
So i
Some of them worship the dried skeletons of their
ancestors ; and they believe that the sun goes round
the world, drawn in a chariot by tigers ; for which
reason they treat those ferocious animals with great
respect, and give them the dead bodies tif their re-
lations to feed on. lliey have a tradition among
them, tliat tlieir country was once burnt np by the
sun, because they did not shew proper respect to his
servants the tigers. This fire, tliey say, was ex-
tremely violent, and consumed a vast number of the
inhabitants ; but really such ridiculous stories scarce
deserve our notice.
They observed a certain ceremony which they
called the giving away the spirit of courage. This
gift is bestowed by the priests, who open the cere-
mony with songs and dances, in which every one
foams at the mouth like a dog, and tumbles about
like a madman. All such as desire to have tin-
spirit communicated to them by the mediation of the
priest, join hands, and continue dancing incessantly.
When three or four priests enter the circle, thev
rush upon the demons, some with a gourd bottle
tied to the end of a stick, and others with a long
reed or cane, tilled w ilh lighted tobacco, w ilh which
they whitf tiie dancers, crying out, at the same
time, " iieceive all ye the spirit of strength, by
which you will be enabled to overcome your
enemies."
From this form of invitation one would imagine
there was something \ery solemn couched under the
expression, but there is nothing of that nature in it;
for, like most other savages, they acknowledge two
beings, one good and the other bad. 'I'o the good
being they never address themselves but in the way
of praise or thanksgiving ; but to the evil one they
always pray, in order to avert his displeasure.
When any person among them is taken sick, tliey
plunge him into a river, and afterwards whip him
running till he is almost out of breath. This whip-
ping-bout is round a great fiie, and when it is over,
they put him into his hammock. When they des-
pair of a sick man's life, they take him out in his
iiamniock to a wood, and hang him uj) in it between
two trees, dancing round it for a whole day. As
soon as night is come, they give him provisions for
four days, and then leave him to his fate. If he
happens to recover, so much the better ; but in case
he dies, there are very few who lament the loss.
It would be needless to repeat that polygamy is
as much in vogue among these people, as in any
other nations among the Americans, or even in Asia
or Africa. The priests set the example ; for they
have always a great number of wives ; nay, such
slaves are they to the most sensual of all passions,
that when they go on journeys, they order W'omea
to be ready lor them at every stage where they are
to put up. All this voluptuousness arises from that
■a
530
RELIGION OF THE SAVAGES OF NEW ANDALUSIA.
indolence to which these people are so much sub-
ject; and this, in soaie measure, is occasioned by the
climate, which being hot and sultry, throws a lan-
gour over their spirits, and rendeis them in a manner
unfit ior action.
When a young man fixes his .ffections on a girl,
or, in other words, wlien lie wants a woman under
tliat character, he addresses himself to her relations ;
for he never sees her till after he is married. When
all the terms are settled, the bride's relations meet
in company at the house of the bride's father, where
a grand entertainment is provided; ai:d the relations
of the britlegrooni come there at the same time to
partake of the feast. After two or three hours spent
in the utmost slate of merriment, the whole of the
relations set out to conduct the bride home to her
husband's house. Musicians march before, playing
upon tlieir rustic instruments. After them corne the
priests, repeating aloud a variety of uninteliigible
jargon of prayers to their idols ; then come ihe re-
lations, who are followed liy the bridegroom, who
walks on foot; and behind him comes the bride in
a litter carried by four men, and so closed up that
uo person can see her. The procession is closed by
the servants and attendants ; and as soon as they
approach the house of the bridegroom, the young
women in the village come out to meet them.
As this is at midnight, the young women have
lamps in their hands trimmed with oil, and this, from
what we are going to relate, may serve to shew
what a vast conformity there was between the an-
cient heathen nations, and likewise that some of
these customs were retained by the Jews.
The parable of the ten virgins (see Mat. .\xv.)
is well known, and in the account of these ))eople
ot v\hon» we are now treating, we have a proof of
the origin of idolatry. Nay, it may serve fartlier
to point out, that all that was bad among the hea-
thens, was reprobated by the Jews^ but the innocent
ceremonies were retained.
When they arrived at the place where the bride-
groom resided, and where the nuptials were to be
celebrated, the bride was conducted into an apart-
ment along with the women, and the night was spent
in all manner of diversions, according to the custom
of the country. In the same manner the bride-
groom was led into his apartment, accompanied by
the men, and witli them he spent his time in the
same manner. When the morning approached, the
company retired, and the husband v\as permitted to
go to bed to his wife. This is, perhaps, a little
difierent froq European practices; but we have had
occasion to mention something of a similar nature,
in our account of the Turkish religion. Seven days
fasting are observed afterwards, and that period of
time being expired, the new married couple forsake
their relations, and attend to their respective duties
as husband and wife.
In their funeral ceremonies they are extremely
ridiculous, but not more so than lias been related in
our liistorical accounts of other heathens. When a
person is taken sick, the priest is sent for, and he
dances as if insane, two or three times round his
bed. This is done in order to rui.'ie the spirit, and
we may venture to affirm, that it has a strong con-
nection with the practices of some of those people
who are called Protestants. A few years ago a
poor man died in London, and on his death-bed he
declared that he was bewitched, by iiiiiigining a
mouse jumped over his stomach, and this mouse he
considered as the devil.
Son)e rehgions require art to wind up the human
passions to a state of enthusiasm, and innocent weak-
ness falls a sacrifice to interested priests, or rather
to desicning villains. The man who is reallv and
virtuously religious, has no occasion to make an
ostentatious display of it ; but it is the interest of
the hypocrite to do so. The first knows he has none
to do with but God; the second pays no regard to
God, but looks for the praise of men.
In their funeral ceremonies these people are equally
ridiculous, and indeed some of them are more so
than any we have yet mentioned, only they are not
so barbarous as those in Asia and Africa. When
a man dies, the body is washed clean and wrapped
up in a goat's skin, and then put into a wooden
coffin, where it remains seven days, from the time
of the death till the interment. During that time
the people meet together and get drunk in the most
riotous manner, knocking each other down, just like
what took place among the Greeks during their so-
lemn dirges. When the seven days fasting is over,
they proceed to the place of entertainment in the
following manner. The priests walk before, singing
their hymns, and are followed by all those who are
called their students. Then come the relations of
the deceased, walking in mournful procession. The
corpse is carried behind the relations, and the pro-
cession is closed by the servants and otlier attendants.
When they come to die grave, the priests mumble
over some prayers, and then the body is laid in the
grave. This, however, does not finish the ceremony,
for all those who attend the funeral, throw flowers
into the grave. The earth being laid upon the body,
they all return hjine to the house of the deceased,
and spend the whole night in such extravagancy,
that sometimes before morning they get so drunk
that they break each other's limbs, and many of
those who come out sound in the morning, return
home no better than cripples.
The regard these people have for their deceased
relations, does dot end with their interment ; for
INTRODUCTION TO THE PROTEST^XNT RELIGION.
531
notwitlisfanding all the nocturnal revels that fake
place aft'T the funeral, yet they meet again, and
erect a moiiunion; to perpetuate their respect to the
person wlio w^s beloved by them in life. 'J1iis is a
natural and just sentiment, and notliinq; in the com-
mon or rather the vicious practices of this world can
set it aside. Tliose who treat the ashes ot" their
deceased relations with indignity, will never pay
muqh regard to the living. The image of God is
stamped upon man, and he who brutally abuses an
human body, abuses the image of God. But we
shall now tiike leave of the subject relating to the
heathen nations, by suggesting the following reflec-
tions.
Are the heathens left in a state of ignorance ? are
they without God in the world .' I^et us learu that
our ancLators were once h.eathens, and that '.we
should have lieen the same now, had not the Divine
goodness extended to us the blessings of the ever-
lasting gospel.
Is heathenism become a term of reproach .'' and
are heathens looked upon with contempt.' Let
Christians consider, that nothing can more endear
them to the Divine Being, or exonerate them from
the consciousness of guilt, as that of extending the
blessings of redemption to their fellow-creatures. —
y\re unnatural crimes comnntted by the heathens .? —
Let Christians remember, that it is their duty to set
them a fair example. Precepts are useful, but ex-
amples give a sanction to them. Is religion the
grand monument of mercy.' Then let us, who en-
joy it, endeavour to disseminate the beneficial con-
sequences to the most distant nations, Is there a
possibility of doing good ? Let it be shewn in the
care we take to cidighten the heathen nations.
And now having s«id so much of these people,
we shall take our leave by wishing earnestly that the
sun of righteousness may arise with healing under
his wings. That the desire of all nations may
trample upon his enemies, that men may be blessed
ill him, that all nations may call him blessed. High
is the command of the Almighty, enlarged are his
orders with respect to his moral government of this
world ; vindictive is his justice, but his mercy is in
a manner unbounded. These considerations should
reconcile us to all the works of an Omnipotent
Being. God conducts the aflFairs of this lower
world miknown to us, but we behold with admiration
when wc consider the execution of every part of the
beautiful design.
INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF THE PROTESTANT
RELIGION.
JL HE consideration of events as flowing from
causes apparently weak and insigniticant, will at all
times serve to prove, that there is a divine power by
which this lower world is governed. The voluptu-
ous and the ignorant suffer all these things to pass
unnoticed, but the wise consider them, and draw
such reflections from all the occurrences as make a
lasting impression on their minds. History without
reflection is nothing; but history properly improved,
becomes the grand ornament of human life. The
historian who makes a real use of that science,
goes on from one degree to another, till he is lost
in admiration. Ilie wonders of providence appear
to him as so many stupendous edifices, raised by
hands unseen, and when he cannot comprehend tlie
whole, he sits down in silence, acknowledging his
ignorance, but at the same time desirous of know-
ledge.
The knowledge of history docs not consist in tlie
recital of facts, for that may be done by a fool, and
a school-boy can tell what had happened before he
was born. This, however, is not history, but a
bare recital of facts, in the order of time in which
they happened. History is an account of such events
as have taken place on tire theatre of this lower
world : but in our endeavours to transmit them to
the public in a proper manner, we must at ail times
remember that we are to blend instruction with en-
tertainment ; that is, we are to point out the causes
which produced the events, and the consequences
that followed. We are to consider the particular
states of those countries of svhicli we have been
writing, we are to take in all the concomitant cir-
cumstances, and with modesty deliver our own opi-
nions. We are to consider the difference of times
and circumstances, and we are to compare the past
with the present. By attending to these rules, we
may become real historians, but if they are slighted
we shall be left in a state of EgyptJ-.in darkness. —
This naturally leads us to say something concerning
the Reformation, and it shall be delivered with im-
partiality.
53C
INTRODUCTION TO THE PROTESTANT RELIGION.
"We have already treated the gradual progress of
corruptions in tlie Christian church, from the reign
of Constantine the Great, down to the age of Mar-
tin Luther. But havhig been obliged to shift the
subject, we shall here proceed to give the reader an
account of the Reformation, and then cescribe the
particular professions that have sprung from it.
Bishop Hall has a pretty observation in his ac-
count of Zechariah's vision in the temple, and it is,
" When things are at the worst, God usually works
a remarkable deliverance, or brings about an im-
portant change." Indeed, ail violence leads to
changes, for such is the state of human nature, such
is the government of this world, that whatever is
carried to a more than ordinary extreme, must soon
have an end. Pagan darkness was such, when
Christ came in the flesh, that the minds of men were
totally clouded with it, and then the sun of righte-
ousness broke forth in an illustrious manner to en-
lighten the nations.
But to pursue the idea, let us cousider the state
of the European nations previous to the times of
Martin Luther,^ who, in the hands of divine provi-
.dence, was the happy instrument, assisted by some
of the German princes, of opposing the whole
power of the house of Austria, and all the machina-
tions of the court of Home. It is true, as Dr. New-
ton, the late bishop of Bristol, has observed, there
never was an age since the death of Christ, in wliich
some witnesses could not be found for the truth of
the gospel. The doctrines taught by the famous
WicklifF spread far and wide ; and thirty years after
his death, we rind John Huss, and Jerome of Prague,
condemned by the council of Constance, for teach-
ing his opinions. Paul Craw, a Bohemian, having
icome over to Scotland for his personal safety, found
himself exposed to the same dangers as at home ; for
he was binnt alive at St. Andrews. Learning was
then beginning to revive, and the clergy began to be
afraid of the downfal of their kingdom. They found
the pillars beginning to shake, and they knew that
.their doctrines could not stand before the light of- a
rational enquiry. Tliis tilled them with so much
jesentmeut against all those who spoke their senti-
ments freely, that they were immediately put to
death.
But it was not learning alone that brought about
tlie Reformation ; there were many political circum-
stances concurring in this great event, and some
princes became the happy instruments of promoting
true religion, although they themselves were men of
no virtuous principles, but scandalous debauchees
and arbitrary tyrants. The sc:mdi(lous lives of the
clergy were another means to fcrivig about the Refor-
mation, and while they w:ere as.it were asleep in the
arms of carnal security ; .while .they thought them-
selves beyond the power qf being disturbed in their
mansions; and in a word, when they found ihey
had .domineered over the consciences of the
people, and almost engrossed the civil power t»
themselves, they began to consider that the
whole orders of priesthood were established on the
most permanent basis, they found themselves rous-
ed a little from their stupidity, and they found
that they had to do with very important adver-
saries, whom before they looked upon as contenip-
tible.
Pope Leo X. when raised to the papal throne,
found the revenues of the church exhausted, by the
vast projects of his two ambitious predecessors,
Alexander VL and Julius II. and being in his own
temper naturally liberal and enterprising, rendered
him incapable of that severe economy which the
situation of his rinances required. On the contraiy
his schemes for aggrandizing the faniily of the
Medicis, his love of splendor, his taste for pleasure,
and his munificence in rewarding men of genius,
involved him daily in along train of expenccs; in
order to provide a fund for which, every device that
the fertile genius of priests could invent was
tried.
Among others, he had recourse to the sale of in-
dulgences ; a practice common enough in the church
of Rome, but never before this time carried to such
an extravagant height. But here we must explain
this mystery of iniquity to our readers.
According to the doctrine of the Romish church,
all the good works of the saints, over and above
those which were necessary for their own justifica-
tion, together with the infinite merits of Jesus
Christ, are deposited in one inexhaustible treasury.
The keys of this were committed to St. Peter, and
to his successors the popes, who may open it at
pleasure, and by transferring a portion of this super-
abundant merit to any particular person for a sum
of money, may convey to him either the pardon
of his ov,n sins, or a release for any one with
whom he is interested, from the pains of purga-
tory.
These indulgencies were first invented in the
eleventh century by pope Urban H. as a recom-
pence for those who w eiU in person on the wild en-
terprize of conquering the holy land. They were
afterwards granted to those who hired a soldier for
that purpose ; and, in process of time, were bes-
towed on such as gave money for accomplishing any
pious work enjoined by the pope. Julius II. had
bestowed indulgences on all who contributed to-
wards building the church of St. Peter's at Rome ;
and as Leo was carrying on that magnificent fabric,
his grant was founded on the same pretensions.
'ilie promulgation of these indulgencies in Ger-
many, together with a share arising from the profits
in the sale of them, was. assigned to Albert, elector
INTRO DICTION T(^ THE PROTESTANT RELIGION.
o( Meiitz ami aiclibislwp of ^Iaa;(lLbui<ih, wlio, as
Ills cliiuf agent for lelailing them ii) Saxony, em-
ployed oiiu Tctzel, a Dmuinicaii friar, of licentious
morals, but of an active s])irit, and very remarkable
for tliat sort of eloquence which serves to intlaiiie
tiie i>assioiis without leading the mind to truth, or
guarding it against error. He, assisted by the
monks of his order, executed the commission ^\ ilh
great zeal and success, but wilii liitle discretion or
decer.cy; and though by nia^nifying excessively the
benclits of these iiuiuigencts ; and by di.sposiiig of
iliem at a very low price, they cai ried ou (or some
time a lucrative and extensive traflic among the cre-
didous multitude the extravagance of their assertions,
and the irregularity in tiieir conduct, came at last to
"ive oeneral olionce. The princes and nobles were
.'iritaled at seeing their vassals drained of so much
money, in order to till the treasury of a profuse
pope. Men of piety regretted the delusions of the
people, who being taught to rely for the pardoH of
their sins on the iuduigencies which they purchased,
liid not think it incumbent on them, either to abound
in faitli or practise holiness. Even tiie most un-
thinking were shocked at the more than scandalcius
behaviour of Tel/cl and his associates, who often
squandered in drunkenness, gaming, and low de-
bauchery, those sums which were bestowed in hopes
of obtaining eternal happiness ; and all began to
wish that soiue check could be given to this scanda-
lous commerce, no less injurious to society than dc-
btinclivc of true religion.
As the form of these indulgences, and the bene-
fits which they were supposed to convey, are in
{•cneral vniknown in Protestant countries, and but
iuric understood at present in several places where
tiie I^oman Catholic rth^ion is established, we have
here for the information of our readers, inserted the
form of the absolution used by Tetzel.
" May our Lonl Jesiis Christ have mercy upon
'' thee, and absolve thee by the merits of his most
"holy passijn. And 1, by his authority, that of his
"blessed apostles Peter and Paul, and of the most
"holy pope, granted and committed to me in these
"parts, Ho absolve thee, frst from all ecclesiastical
"censures, in whatever numiier they have been in-
"curred, and then from all thy sins, transgressions,
" and excesses, how enormous soever they may be,
"even Iron, such as are reserved for llje cognizance
"of the holy see; and as far as the keys of the holy
"church extend, I remit to you all punishment you
"deserve in purgitiMy on their account, and I re-
" store you to the holy sacraments of the church,
" to the unity of the faithful, and to that innocence
" and purity you possessed at baptism ; so that whcu
"you die, t!ie gates of pmiishmeiit shall be sliut,
" aud thegates of the paradise of life shall be opened,
** and if you Sihall not die at present, this grace shall
36 0
" remain in full force when you are at the point of
"deadi. In the name of the rather, of the Son,
"and of the lloly (iliust. .Jii/eii."
I'Vom ()crusiiig this, which is faithfully transcribed
from Secliendoif, a popish writer, it will appear,
that the terms vvlnch Tetzel and his associates made
use of were so extravagant, that unless they had
been well nuthonticated, we might have doubled of
the truth of them. If any man puichased one of
these iuduigencies, his soul was to rest secure with
respect to its salvation. The souls coHtintd in pur-
gatory were, as soon as the money was paid, set at
liberty, and ascend into heaven. 'I'he etlicacy of
the indidgeiices was to be so great, that the most
heinous sins were pretended to be forgiven, and the
person was to be freed from all nKiiiuer of punish-
ment, and even from the guilt v\hich incurs it. —
This was, indeed, the carrying [»ries!eral't to an
unbounded height; but it led to tiie fall of its own
greatness. Almost every man looked upon them
with silent contempt, or with an honest indignation';
they saw natural religion as it were trampled under
foot, and the glorious fabric of the church made to
appear worse than heathenism was -"of old. They
beheld an order of designing men, who had long
trampled on the rights of private judgment, now
attempting to deprive others of their natural faculties
and to make the very name of Christianity odious in
the world, by attempting to raise money in conse-
quence of practices which the tnost unenlightened
heathens would have been -ashamed of.
Such was the favourable jiuictuie, and so disposed
were the minds of his countrymen to listen to his
discourses, when Martin Luther first began to call
in question the efficacy of indulgences, and declaim
against the vicious lives, and false doctrines of those
who promulgated ihem. He was a native of lusle-
ben in Saxony, where he was born in 1483, and
ihofigh of poor parents, isad received a learned edu-
cation, according to the state of knowledge in that
agc> during the progress of which he gave many
indications of uncommon vigour and acuteness of
genius. As his mind was naturally susceptible of
serious impressions, and tinctured with symewhat
of that religious meiaiithuly which delights in the
solitude and devotion of a monastic life, he retired
into a convent of Augustine friars, and without suf-
fering the entreaties of his parents to divert him from
what he considered as his duty to God, he assumed
the habit of that order.
There he acquired great reputation, not only for
his piety, but for his love of knowledge and un-
wearied application to study. He had been taught
the scholastic philosophy aud theology, which were
then in vogue, by \eTy ai>le masters, and wanted
not penetration to comprehend all the merits and
distinctions with which they abound; but his own
534,
INTRODUCTION TO THE PROTESTANT RELIGION.
understanding, naturally sound and superior to any
thing frivolous, soon became disgusted with these
subtle and uuiuslructive sciences, and he sought for
some more solid foundation of knowledge and of
piety ill the sacred scriptures. Having found a copy
of the bible which had long laid neglected in the li-
brary of his monastry, he oibandoned all other pur-
suits, and devoted himself lo the study of it with so
much eagerness and assiduity as astonished the
monks, who were little accustomed to derive tlieir
theological notions from thai source. The great
progress he made in this uncommon course of study,
augmented so much both the fame of his sanctity
and his learning, that Frederick, elector of Saxony,
having -founded an university at Witteniberg on the
Elbe, the place of his residence, Luther was chosen,
lirst to teach philosophy, and then theology in the
schools ; and he was considered as the chief orna-
ment of that society.
AVhile Luther was in the height of his reputation,
Tetzel began to publish indulgences in the neigh-
bourhood of Witteniberg ; and to ascribe to them
the same imaginary virtues, which in other j)laces
had been imposed on the credulity of the people.
As Saxony was not more enlightened than other pro-
vinces, so Tetzel met with great success there. It
was with the utmost concern that Luther beheld the
artifices of those who sold, and the simplicity of
those who bought the indulgences. The opinions
of many of the most ancient and subtle schoolmen,
who had established the doctrines of indulgences,
were now falling into disrepute, and the scriptures,
which Luther began to consider as the unerring stan-
dard of faith, afforded no countenance to a system
that was destructive of natural reason, and calculated
to render the most important things in the Christian
system, no better than a farce.
His warm and impetuous temper did not suffer
i^m long to conceal such important discoveries, or
to continue a silent spectator while he saw his coun-
trymen deluded. Erom the pulpit in tlie great
church at Witteniberg, he inveighed bitterly against
the irregularities of those who published induigen-
cies. He went so far as to examine the nature of
the doctrines they taught, and pointed out to the
people the danger of relying for salvation on any
other rneans than those prescribed in the w ord of
God.
The boldness and novelty of these opinions drew
great attention, and being recommended by the
authority of Luther's personal character, and de-
livered with a popular and persnasive eloquence,
they made a deep impression on his hearers. En-
couraged by the favourable reception of his doctrines
among the people, he wrote to Albert, elector of
IMentz, aiii! archbishop of Magdeburgh, to whose
jurisdiction that part of Saxony was subject, and re-
monstrated warmly against the false opinions, ancT
wicked lives of the preachers of the indulgences ;
but he found that prelate too deeply interested u*
their success to do any thing to hinder their pro-
gress.
His next attempt was to gain the approbation of
men of learning, and for this purpose he published
no less than ninety-five different propositions con-
cerning the principles of theology. These he pro-
posed not as points fully established of undoubted
authority, but as subjects of doubt, inquiry, and
disputation. He appointed a day on which the
learned were invited to impugn them cither in per-
son, or in writing, and subjoined to the whole, so-
lemn protestations of his respect for the apostolic
see, of his subinission to its authority, if the objec-
tions he had stated could be answered to his satis-
faction. No opponent appeared at the time fixed,
but the account of the propositions spread over
Germany with the utmost rapidity ; they w ere read
with the greatest eagerness, and all admired the
boldness of the man who had ventured to call in
question the plentitude of papal power, and to attack
the Dominicans, armed with all the powers of in-
quisitorial authority.
The friars of St. Augustine, IjUther's own order,
though addicted with no less obsequiousness than the
other monastic fanatics, to the papal power, gave
no check to the publications of these uncommon
opinions.
Luther had, by his piety and learning, acquired
uncommon authority among his brethren. He pro-
fessed, from motives unknown to us, the highest
regard for the authority of the pope, and probably
his professions were at that time, sincere, and as
a secret enmity, excited by interest and emulation,
subsists among all the monastic orders in the Ro-
; misli church, the Augustinians were highly pleased
with his invectives against the Dominicans, and
hoped to see them exposed to the hatred and scorn
of the people. Nor was his sovereign the elector
of Saxony, the wisest prince at that time in Ger-
many, dissatisfied with that obstruction which Lu-
ther threw in the way of the publication of indul-
gences. He secretly favoured the attempt, and
flattered himself that this dispute among the clergy
misht give some check to the exertions of the court
of Rome, which the secular princes had long,
though, without success, been endeavouring to op-
pose.
Many zealous champions immediately rose to de-
fend opinions on which the wealth, power, and
grandeur of the church were founded, against the
propositions advanced by I>uther. Amongst these
was Tetzel, a man whose character we have already
described. He published an equal number of pro-
positious with those of Luthei, and they were de-
INTRODUCTION TO THE PROTESTANT RELIGION.
535
fended by all the sophistry of false logic by Eckius,
a divine behjii-^iiig to the cathedral ciiurcli of Augs-
burg; and Priaiiiris, a Doiniiiican friar, wrote against
Lulher with all ihe virulence of a scliohislic clisj)u-
lant. Hnt till- '.nanner in which they conducted the
cause, did little honour to their argument. Luther
attempted to condemn the doctrine as well as the
practice of granting indulgences, from arguments
drawn from reason, or derived from scri|)ture; but
they produced nothing in support of them, except
the seninnenls of school-nu n, the conclusions of
the canon law, and the decrees of the popes. Tiie
decisions of judges, so partial and degenerated, did
uot satisfy the people, who began to call in question
even the authority of these venerable guides, when
they found them standing in open op|)osition to the
dictates of reason, and the determinations of the
divine law.
Mean while the novelties which appeared in Lu-
ther's doctrine, and seemed so much to engage all
the attention of the people, did not alarm the court
of Rome. Pope Leo X. fond of elegant and re-
fined pleasures, intent upon great schemes of policy,
a stranger to the clerical controversies, and apt to
despise them, regarded with the utmost indifference,
the operations of an obscure friar, who in the heart
of Germany, carried on a scholastical disputation in
a barbarous style. Little did he apprehend, or Luther
himself dream, that the effects of this quarrel would
be fatal to the papal see. Leo imputed the whole to
monastic enmity and emulation, and seemed inclined
not to interpose in the controversy, but to allow the
Augustinians and Dominicans to wrangle about the
matter with their usual animosity.
The solicitations, however, of Lnlher's adversa-
ries, exasperated to an high degree, by the boldness
and severity with wiiich he animadverted on their
writings, together with the surprising progress which
his opinions made in different parts of Germany,
roused at last the attention of the court of Rome,
and obliged Leo to take measures for the security
of the church, against an attack that appeared now
too serious to be despised. For this reason he sum-
Hioned Luther to appear at Rome within sixty days,
before the auditor of his chamber, and Prianias was
summoned to appear at the same time, to make good
his allegations.
He wrote at the same time, to the elector of Sax-
ony, begging he would not protect a man whose he-
retical and professed tenets were so shocking to pious
ears, and enjoined the provincial of the Augustini-
ans to check, by his authority, the rashness of an
arrogant monk, which brought disgrace upon the
order of St. Augustine, and gave offence and dis-
turbance to the whole church.
From the strain of these letters, as well as from
the nomination of a judge so prejudiced and partial
as Prianias, Luther easily saw w hat sentence he might
expect at Rome. He discovered, for that reason,
the utmost solicitude to have his cause tried in (iei-
many, and before a less suspected tribunal. The
university of \Vitteniberg, anxious for the safely ot
a man who did so miicli iionour to their society,
wrote to the pope, and after emphjying several pre-
texts to excuse Luther from appearing at Rome,
entreated Leo to commit the examination of his
doctrine to some persons of learning and authority
iuGermany. The elector of Saxony, his sovereign
requested the same i'avour of the pope's legate at
the diet at Augsburg; and as Luther himself, who,
at that time, was so far from having any intention
to disclaim the papal authority, that he did not even
entertain the smallest suspicion concerning its divine
original, had written to Leo a most submissive let-
ter, promising an unreserved compliance with his
w ill ; the pope gratified them so far as to empower
his legate in Germany, cardinal Cajetan, a Domini-
can, eminent for scholastic learning, and passion-
ately devoted to the Roman see, to hear and deter-
mine the cause. ^
Luther, although he had good reason to decline
a judge chosen among his avowed adversaries, did
not hesitate about appearing before Cajetan; and
having obtained the emperor's safe conduct, imme-
diately repaired to Augsburg, 'i'he cardinal receiv-
ed him with decent respect, and endeavoured at first
to gain upon him by gentle treatment ; but thinking
it beneath the dignity of his station to enter into any
formal dispute, he required him, by virtue of the
apostolical powers \\\i\\ which he was invested, to
retract the errors he had uttered with regard to in-
dulgences, and the nature of faith ; and to abstain
for the future, from the publication of new and
dangerous opinions.
Luther, fully persuaded of the truth of his own
tenets, and confirmed in -the belief of them, by the
approbation they had met with among persons con-
spicuous both for their learning and piety, was sur-
prised at this abrupt mention of a recantation, before
any endeavours were used to convince him that he
was mistaken.
He had flattered himself, that in a conference con-
cerning the points in dispute, w ith a prelate of such
distinguished abilities, he would be able to remove
many of those imputations with which the ignorance
or malice of his enemies had branded him. But tlie
high tone of authority the cardinal assumed, extin-
guished at once all hopes of this kind, and cut off
every prospect of advantage from the interview. —
His native intrepidity of mind, however, did not
desert him. He declared, with the utmost firm-
ness, that he could not, with a safe conscience,
renounce opinions which he believed to be true;
nor should any consideration ever induce him to do
536
INTRODUCTION TO THE PROTESTANT RELIGION.,
v.hat would be so base in itself, and so offensive to
God.
At the same time, he continiied to express no less
reverciife for the papal authority liiaii he had for-
ilterly (ione, avid signified his eaniest desire to have
the whole dccidf^d by the opinion of different uni-
versities; promising, at llie same time, never to
write or preach against indulgences, so as his oppo-
nents would be silent in jireaching in favour of them.
It will, p(;rhaps, appear rather strange to those who
consider tiie age in which Luther first n>ade his pub-
lic appearance, lus strenuous defence of the truths
of the gospel, and his strong opposition to. papal
. encroachment, that he should submit his cause to be
tried by doctors in universities, who were no better
than idol drones, accustomed to live in cloisters, and
at ail times obedient to the Roman Catholic power.
To this it is answered, that although tlje dawn of
learning was then beginning to diffuse its refreshing
and cheering beams over a benighted worl.!, lost in
darkness and ignorance, yet it v\ as not come to such
a state of perfection as to dispel prejudices. It was
the wretched notion of the people in the dark ages,
that there was an infallibility lodged somewlierc
among men, for the preservation of the. Christian
religion. It was not sufficient for them to trust in
the divine promise, but they were to look for infal-
libility among themselves. Some placed it in popes,
some in general councils, and others in universities,
without considering that God never delegated a
power of that nature to any man, nor to any bodv
of men whatever. It was the fault of the times, not
the fault of any particular man.
But to go on with the narrative. Althougli, ac-
cording to the extent of human understanding in
that age, Luther's proposals were every \\ay jea-
sonable, yet Cajetan rejected them, and insisted pe-
remptorily on a simple recantation, threatening liim
with ecclesiastical censures, and forbidding him to
appear again in bis presence, unless he instantly
complied with what he had enjoined. This haughty
and violent manner of proceeding, joined to many
other ciiTumstances, gave Luther's triends such
strong reuson.s to suspect that even the imperial safe
conduct would not be able to i)rotect him from the
legate's power and resentment, that they prevailed
,on him to withdraw secretly from Augaburg, and to
return to his own country. However, before his
departure, according to a form long used at all diets
held for the German empire, and general councils,
he prepared a solemn appeal f'om the conduct of
this pope to his successor, whom he believed would
be better informed, aud more attentive to his
•cause.
Cajetan, who was a real bigot, enraged at Luther's
abrupt retreat, and the publication of his appeal,
.wrote to the elector of Saxony, complaining of both,
and requiring him, as ho regarded tlif- peace of tlie
church, and the authority of the pope, cither to send
that seditious monk a prisoner to Rome, or to ba-
nish him out of his territories.
It was not from theological motives that Frede-
rick, the Saxon elector, iiad hitherto protected Lu-
ther ; he seems to liave been a stranger to these
controversies, and little interested in them. His
protection flowed from political motives, and was
afforded with secrecy and cauiiou. He had neither
heard any of Luther's discourses, nur read any ot
his books ; and alihough all Germany resounded
with his fame, he had never once admitted him into
his presence. ]5ut upon this deniand niade by the
cardinal, it became liecessary for the elector to throw-
off somewhat of his former reserve. He had been
at nuich expence, and had bestowed great attention
in founding a new university, and toreseeing how
fatal a !)Iow the removal of Luther would be from
that seat of learning, lie refused to eompi". with the
cardmal's request. He interested liimself in Lu-
liier's safety, and began to declare liimself a favourer
of his opiuionx,
'I'lie inlle\il>le rigour with which Cajetan insisted
on a simple recantation, gave great offence to Lu-
ther's followers in that age, and has since been cen-
sured as iminiident by several popish writers, but it
was impos'sible for the legate, according to the
nature of his commission, to act otherwise. The
judges before whom Luther had been required to
appear at Rome, were so eager to dis|)lay their zeal
against his errors, that w ithout wailing the expira-
tion of the .sixty days allowed him in the citation
tliey had already coudeninid him as an heretic. —
Pope Leo X. had in several of his letters, stigma-
tized him as a child of iniquity, and a man ol a
reprobate mind. Nothing less, therefore, than a
siuiple recantation coidd save the honour of the
church, whose maxim it is never to ab-jndon the
smallest point it has established, and which is even
professed by its pretensions to infallibility : for if a
church cannot do any thing wrong, then to annul
one of its own decrees \vould be to acknowledge its
fallibility by giving up one of the whole.
In the mean time, Luther's situation was such as
would have filled any other ]>erson with the utmost
apprehensions. He sav.! no reason to expect that a
prince so cautious as Frederick, would, ou his ac-
count, set at defiance the thunders of the church,
and brave the papal power which had often crushed
some of the bravest German princes. He knew
what veneration was at that time paid to ecclesias-
tical decrees, what terror ecclesiastical censures
carried along with them, and how easily these niight
iriikience a prince who was rather his protector from
policv, than his disciple from conviction. If he
should be obliged to quit Saxony, he had no pros-
IKTRODUCTION TO THE PROTESTANT RELIGION.
53T
spect of any part of tlie habitable world where he
cuukl piocuic an asylum, and must stand exposed
to whatevc- puiilshinont the rage or bigotry of his
fiieniies could intlict. Though sensible of his dan-
ger, lie discovered no symptoms of timidity or re-
missness, but continued to vindicate his own con-
duct anil opinion'!, and to inveigh against those of
his adversaries with greater strength of argument
than before.
So far Luther shewed himself to be a real hero in-
deed, and one who knew that trutli ought always to
be supported, should the most reputed characters
for sanctity join iu opposing it. Eut as every step
taken by the court of Rome, particularly the irregu-
lar sentence by which he had beer, so precipitately
declared a heretic, convinced lAither that Leo X.
vould soon proceed to the most violent measures
against him, he had recourse to the only expedient
in his power, in order to prevent the etiect of the
papal censures. He appealed to a general council,
which he affirmed to be the representative of the
■ Catholic church, and superior in power to the pope,
who, being a fallible man, might err as St. Peter
had before. This appeal made by Luther, gives us
a melancholy notion of the sentiments embraced by
the people in that age. \N ere general councils in-
fallible ? The answer is, no more than the popes
themselves. Had all general councils concmred in
the same opinion, then this sentiment respecting
their infallibility might have been embraced ; but as
it is well known that one general council has excom-
municated another of the same rank, where was the
infallibility to be found? Nay, it is well known
that the council of Trent, which met some time
after the death of l>uther, not only condemned all
those doctrine emliracf d by the Protestants, but ac-
tually g.ive sanction to new ones, which before that
time had been dubious and disputable.
It soon appeared, that Lutliei ha'i not formed rash
conjectures concerning the intention of the Romish
church. A bull, of a date prior to his appeal, was
issued by the pope, in which were inserted the vir-
tues and benefits of indulgences, in terms as extra-
vagant as any of hii prederes'iors had ventured to
use, even in the carlie'^t ages, and without apjdying
such palliations, or granting such concessions as tlie
juncture might seem to call for, be required all Chris-
tians to assent to what he had delivered, as the doc-
trine of the Catholic chvirch, and declared that those
who hfld any other opinions, should be punished
with tlie severesi ecclesiastical censures. This bull
had but little effect among Luther's toUowers, who
conceived it in its true li'j't; namely, as an engine
to rai.sc money to support papal extravagancies.
At this time, a circumstance tonk place which was
Very favourable to Luther, and that was the death j
of the emperor Maxiniillian, whose interests and '
36 G
principles both corresponded to enable him to sup-
port the grandeur of the Romish church. In con-
sequence of this cvont, the elector of Saxony, by
virtue of his offices, had his powers greatly enlarged,
and under his protection, Luther not only lived in
peace, but his opinions were taught almost every
where throughout the empire.
During this intcr-regnum, before an emperor was
chosen, the court of Rome began to consider, that
the growing heresy of Luther would be the ruin of
their church. Leo X. the then pope, was a man
of pleasure, loved expense and gaiety, but he knew
nothing of religion. He was a profligate and a de-
bauchee in the truest sense of the words ; and if we
believe Voltaire, he died of the venereal disease. —
Leo did not know at this juncture how to act. He
had given offence to the Germans, and to several
other Christian nations, by the publication of his
indulgences in the most scandalous manner; a poor
private monk had boldly stood forth in defiance of
religious liberty, and a vast number of people whose
eyes seemed now to be opened, had declared, tliat
unless the publication of indulgences was revoked,
they would declare for l^uther. Encouraged .by the
saipport he met with from his brave countrymen,
l..utlier began to proceed farther, and even called in
question the divine authority of the papal see. A
public disputation was held on this subject at Lcip-
sic, and the result was, that a breach with the court
of Rome was found necessary.
Nor did this spirit of opposition to the doctrines
and usurpations of the church of Rome stop here,
for it broke out in several other parts of Germany at
the same time. An attack, no less severe, and occa-
sioned by the same causes, was made upon them
about this time in Switzerland. The Franciscans
being intrusted with the sale of indulgences in that
country, executed their commission with the same
indiscretion and rajiacionsness which had rendered
the Doniiniciins so odious in Germany. They pro-
ceeded, however, with uninterrupted success till they
arrived at Zurich. There Zuingulis, a man n6t in-
ferior to Luther himself in zeal and intrepidity, ven-
tured to oppose them, and being animated wiih a
rejHiblican boldness, and free from those restraints
which subjection to the will of a prince imposed on
the German reformer, he advanced with more dwing
and rapid steps to overturn the whole fabric of the
established religion. The appearance of such a vigo-
rous auxiliarj', and the progress which he made, was
at first matter of great joy to Luther, thoiigii on tlie
other hand, the decrees of the university of Cologne
and L(Aivain, v\hicli pronounced his opinions to be
erroneous afforded great cause of tnuiuph for his
adversaries. »
Rut the undaunted spirit of Luther acquire d fresh
vigour from every species of opposition, and push-
V .
.53S
INTRODUCTION TO THE PROTESTANT RELIGION. <
iiig on liis enquiries and attacks from one doctrine
to another, he began to shake the lirmost foundations
on which tlie wealth or power of the church of Rome
had been founded. Leo, the pope, came at last to
be convinced tliat all hopes of reclaiming him by
forbearance were in vain, and several prelates ex-
claimed against the pope's lenity without considering
tlrat he could not do any tiling arainst Luther witii-
out the concurrence of the German princes, and to
some of these the court of Rome had rendered it-
self obnoxious. The pope was roused as it were
from his slumber, and he began to place some con-
fidence in the new emperor Ciiarles, believing, at
tiie same time, djat the elector of Saxony would
not be so deaf to his own interest as to protect an
incorrigible heretic, w ho for three years together had
disturbed the peace of the church in opposition to
the ecclesiastical canons, the decrees of the general
councils, the letters or precepts sent by the popes,
and the opinionn of the doctors in the most cele-
brated universities.
The college of cardinals were often assembled, in
order to prepare the sentence with due deliberatiou,
and the most able canonists were consulted how it
might be expressed wiUi tiie most unexceptionable
formality. At last, on the fifteenlli day of June,'
(we must be formal) one thousand five hundred and
twenty, the bull, so fatal to the church of IJome,
was issued. Forty-one propositions, extracted out
of Luther's works, were therein condemned as here-
tical, scandalous, and offensive to pious ears.- All
persons were forbidden to read his writings, upon
pain of excommunication, and such as had any of
them in their custody, were commanded to conmiit
them to the flames. Nay, he himself, if he did not,
within sixty days, recant all his heresies, was lo be
excomnmnicated, and delivered unto satau for the
destruction of his flesh ; and all secular princes were
required, under penalty of the same censure, to seize
his person, that he might be punished m the manner
his crimes deserved.
The publication of this bull in Germany excited
various passions in difl'erent places. Luther's ad-
versaries exulted, as if his party and opinions had
been crushed at once by such a decisive blow. His
followers, whose reverence for the papal authority
daily diminished, read Leo's anathemas with more
indignation than terror. In some cities, the people
violently obstructed the pronudgation of the bull ;
in others, those who attempted to publish it were
treated with contempt, and the bull itself was torn
in pieces and trodden under-foot.
Luther had looked for this sentence some time,
but it did not in the least intimidate him ; superior
to ecclesiastical menaces, his mind triumphed, and
he rose in grandeur, in consequence of his enemies
attempting to depress him. Consistent with the
foolery of the age, he again renewed his appeal to-
a general council, and published some remarks ou
the pope's bull. It is certain, that in these remarks
there is a great deal of scholastic jargon, taken
mostly from the witlngs of St. Augustine ; but still,
as we have already observed, this was the fault of
the age more tlian that of the author's, learning was
then in loading-strings, aud the abominable jargon
of school divinity had in a' manner hardly left com-
mon sense in the world.
Luther in this case shewed iiimself to bea man of
spirit, and without shewing that mean, scrupulous-
pride so peculiar to the haseness of hypocrites, he
maintained a dignity of sentiment that will ever da
honour to his memory. He had the whole papal
power to engage with, and he was no stranger to
the ignorance and prejudices of his own country-
men.
As the pope had ordered Luther's books to be-
burnt at Rome, so this intrepid hero assembled the
members of the university of \\ ittemberg together,
and in solemn procession they burnt the pope's bull,
and this example was followed by the inhabitants of
several of the cities of Germany. The manner in
which he justified this action, was more provoking
than llie action itself. He collected from the canon
law some of the most extravagant propositions
with respect to the plenitude of power and unlimit-
ed authority of the popes, and the subordination of
all interior to him in ecclesiastical jurisdiction. To
these he added some remarks, which struck deep at
the power of the chuich of Rome, because they
tended to subvert civil government.
Such was the progress Luther had made, and such
was the state of his party when Charles V. came to
take possession, by »-lection, of the German empire.
No secular prince had hitherto embraced Luther's
opinions, no change in the established religion had
been introduced, and no incroaclmienis were made
on the reveimes or foundations of the clergy. Nei-
ther pal ty had yet proceeded to action ; and the
controversy, though conducted with great heat and
passion ou both sides, was still carried on in the way
of argumentation. A deep impression, however, was
made on the minds of the people ; their reverence
for ancient doctrines and institutions was shaken,
and the materials were already scattered which pro-
duced the combustion that soon spread itself ail
over Germany. ??tuilents crowded from every pro-
vince of the emi)ire to Wittemberg, and there some
of the greatest men who have done honour to the
Protestant religion, received the first rudiments of
their education. The field for religious controversies
was now opened, a sort of restraint was laid upon
the papal power, men began to see, and what was
still more to their honour, they began to speak their
sentiments with freedom, which their ancestors had
I!5TR0DUCTI0N TO THE PHOTESTANT RELIGION.
5,^9
not been permitted to do for a tliousaiid years
before.
inuring th<; course of these transactions, the court
of Home, though under the direction of one of its
al)lest pontiffs, neither formed its schemes with that
sagacit_v, nor executed t'l'.in « itli that steady perse-
verance which had long sendered it the most perfect
model of political wisdom to all the rest of luirope.
When Luther began to decl:ire aguinst indulgences,
two different methods of treating him lay before the
pope, by adopting one of which, the attempt it is
probable, might have been crushed, and by the other
it migiil have bit'ii rendered iimocent.
If Luther's first departure friMW the doctrines of
the church liad instantly drawn upon him the weight
of its censures, tlie dread of these might have re-
strained the elector oi Saxony from protecting him,
might have deterred the people from listening to his
discourses, or even might Jiave over-awed Luther
himself and his name, like that of many good men
before his time, would now have only been known
to tlie world by his honest but ill-timed effort to con-
vert the corruptions of the Romisli church; or on
the other hand, if the pope had early testified some
displeasure with the vices and excesses of those who
had been employed to publish indulgences, if he
had forbidden the mentioning of controverted points
in private discourse, if he had enjoined the dispu-
tants on both sides to be silent, if he had been
careful not to risk the credit of the church by de-
fining what 'had hitherto been left undetermined.
Luther would probably-have stopped short at his
first discoveries. lie would not have been forward
to put himself upon his own defence, and the whole
controversy might probably have died away insensi-
bly ; or being conlined entirely to the schools,
might have been carried on with as little detriment
to the peace and unity of the Romish church as
that which the Franciscans maintain «itb tlie Domi-
nicans concerning the immacdate conception, or
that between the Jansenists and Jesuits, concerning
the operation of grace. But Leo, by fluctuating
between these opposite systems, and by embracing
them alternately, defeated the effects of both. Ry
an improper exertion of authority, Lniher was exas-
perated but not restrained. Uy a mislakei* exercise
of lenity, time was given for liis opinions to spread,
but no progress nutde towards reconciling liim to the
cimrch, and even the sentence of exc<nnmunication
which at another juncture might have been decisive
was delayed so long that it became at last scarce an
object of terror.
Such a series of errors in the measures of a court
seldom cliargeable with mistaking its own true in-
terest, is not more astonishing than the wisdom
which appeared in Luthers conduct. Though a
perfect stranger to the uia.\ims of human prudence,
and incapable, from the impetuosity of iiis temper,
of observing them, he was led naturally by the me-
thod in which he made his tliscoveries, to carry ou
Ills operations in a manner which contributed more
to their success, than if every step he took had been
prescribed by tlie most arlfal policy. At the time
when he set himself to oppose Tetzel, he was far
from intending that Reformation, which he after-
wards effected; and would have trembled with hor-
ror at the thoughts of what at last he gloried m
accomplishing. The knowledge of truth was not
poured into his miiid, all at once, by any special re-
velation; he acquired it by industry and medrtalioii,
and his progress, of consequence, was gradual.
The doctrines of popery are so closely connected,
that the exposing of one error conducted hiui natu-
rally to the detection of others; and all the parts
of that artificial fabric were so linked together, that
the pulling down of one loosened the foundation of
the rest, and rendered it more easy to overturn them.
In confuting the extravagant tenets concerning in-
dulgences, he was obliged to enquire into the true
cause of our justification and acceptance with God.
The knowledge of that, discovered to him by de-
grees the inutility of pilgrimages and penances; the
vanity of relying on tlie intercession of saints ; the
impiety of worshipping them ; the abuses of au-
ricular confession; and 'the imaginary exist-
ence of purgatory. The detection of so inaiij
errors, led him of course to consider the character
of the clergy who taught them; and their exorbitant
wealth, the severe injunction of celibacy and the
intolerable rigour of monastic vows appeared to him
the great sources of their corruption. Lrom thenca
it was but one step to call in question the divine ori-
ginal of the papal power, which authorized and
supported such a system of errors. •
As the imavoidable result of the whole, he dis-
claimed the infallibility of the pope, the decision of ■
schoolmen, or any other hiunan authority, and ap-
pealed to the word of God as the only standard of
theological truth. To this gradual progress Luther
owed his success. His hearers were not shocked
at first by any proposition too repugnant to their
ancient jirejudices, or too remote from established
opinions. They viere conducted insensibly from ■
one doctrine to anotlier.
Their faith and conviction were able to keep pace
with his discoveries. To the same cause v\ as owing
the inattention, and even difference, with which
Leo viewed Luther's first proceedings. A direct
or violent attack upon the authority of the church,
would have drawn upon him at once the whole
w eight of its vengeance ; but as this was far from
his thoughts, as he continued long to profess great
respect for the pope^ and made repeated offers of
submission to his decisions, there seemed to be mo
6i0
INTRODUCTION TO THE PROTESTANT RELIGION.
reason for apprehending that he would prove the au-
thor of any desperate revoit, and he was suffered to
proceed step by step, in undermining the constitu-
tion of the church, till the remedy applied at last
came too late to produce any effect.
>5ut whatever advantages Lutlier's cause derived
either from the mistakes of his adversaries, or from
his own good conduct, the sudden progress and firm
establishment of his doctrines, must not be ascribed
to these alone. The same corruptions in the church
of Rome which he condemned, had been attacked
long before his appearance, and the same opinions
which he now propagated, had been published, in
different places, and were supported by the same
arguments. Waldus in the twelfth century, Wick-
liff in the fourteenth already mentioned, and Huss in
the fifteenth, had inveighed against the errors of
popery with great boldness, and confuted them with
more mgenuity and learning than could have been
expected in those illiterate ages in which they flou-
rished. But all these premature attempts towards a
reformation proved abortive. Such feeble lights,
incapable of dispelling the darkness which then co-
vered the church, were soon extinguisiied : and
though the doctrines of these pious men produced
some effects, and left some traces in the country
where they were taught, they were neither extensive
nor considerable. Many , powerful causes contri-
, buted to . facilitate Luther's progress, which either
did not exist, or did not operate with full force in
their days ; and at the critical and mature juncture
when he appeared, circumstances of every kind
concurred in rendering each step he took success-
ful.
The long and scandalous schism which divided
the church, during the latter part of the fourteenth,
and the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, had a
great effect in diminishing the veneration w ith which
the world had been accustomed to view the papal
dignity. Two or three contending pontiffs roaming
about Europe at a time, fawning on the princes
whom they wanted to gain, squeezing the countries
which acknowledged their authority, excommuni-
cating their rivals, and cursing those who adhered
I ) them, discredited their pretensions to infallibility,
£nd exposed both their persons and their office to
contempt. The laity, to whom all parties appealed,
came to learn that some right of private judgment
belonged to them, and acquired the exercise of it so
far as to ch use, among these uifallible guides, whom
iihey would phase to follow. The proceedings of
the councils of Constance and Basil, spread still
wider this dercspect for the Romish see, and by their
bold exertion of authority in deposing and electing
popes, taught the world that theie was in llie church
a jurisdiction superior even to- the papal power,
ivhich they had long believed to be supreme.
The wound given on that occasion to the papal
authority was scarce healed up, when the pontifi-
cates of Alexander VL and Julius XL both able
princes, but detestable ecclesiastics, raised new scan-
dal ill (.Christendom. The profligate morals oT the
former in private life ; llie fraud, the injustice and
cruelty of his public administration, place him on a
level with those tyrants, whose deeds are the greatest
reproach to human nature. The latter, though a
stranger to these odious passions which prompted
his predecessor to commit so many unnatural crimes,
w as under the dominion of a restless and ungovern-
able ambition, which scorned all considerations of
gratitude, of decency, or of justice, when they
obstructed the execution of his schemes. It was
scarce possible to' be fuinly persuaded, that the in-
fallible knowledge of a religion, whose chief pre-
cepts are purity and humility, was deposited in the
breasts of the impious Alexander, or the overbear-
ing Julius. The opinion of those who exalted the
authority of a council above that of the pope spread
wonderfully under their pontificates: and as the
emperop and French king, who were actually en-
gaged in hostilities with these active pontiffs, per-
mitted and even encouraged their subjects to expose
their vices w ith all the violence of invective, and all
the petulance of ridicule, and men's ears becoming
accustomed as it were to these, were not shocked to
hear Luther treat the papal power in the most ludi-
crous terms.
Nor did satire operate against the pope only.-—
Many of the dignified secular clergy, being the
younger sons of nobles families, who had assumed
the ecclesiastical function for no other reason but
that they found in the church people accustomed to
idleness, neglected the duties of their office, and
indulged themselves without reserve or fear, in all
those vices which generally spring from an immode-
rate degree of wealth.
Though the preachers were prevented by their
poverty from imitating the expensive luxury of their
superiors, yet gross ignorance and low debauchery
rendered them as contemptible as the others were
odious. The severe and unnatural case of celibacy,
to which both were equally subject, occasioned such
irregularities, that in several parts of Europe, the
priests were permitted to keep concubines. Nor
was this to be found only in the warmer climates,
where the passions are supposed to be more violent
than iii'the uorihern regions. It even extended to
the north of Scotland, where some of the old bi-
shops had thiee or four natural children; and lord
Hales has mentioned an instance and produced the
record of one Hepburn, bishop of Murray, havinof
five natural children legitimated by patent in one
day.
The degeneracy qf .m«n among the ecclesiastics
nCTRODUCTION TO THE PROTESTANT RELIGION'.
541
roinht perhaps, liave been tolerated with more in-
tlul^ence il' iht-ir exorbitant riches and power had
not cnal>led them at tlie same time to oppress all tlie
other orders ot' men. It is the genius of supersti-
tion, iVmd of every tliinj; poinpous or grand, to sot
no bounds to its liberality towanls persons whom it
esteemed sacred, and to think its expressions of
re<;ard tiefective, unless it hath raised tliem to the
height of wealth and anilioriiy. iience flowed the
extensive revemies anil Juiisdiction possessed by the
<iunch in every country in Europe, and w hieli were
become intolerable to the laity, from whose unde-
ceruiHg bounty they uere at (irst derived.
'i'he burdiii however, had fallen very heavy on
Germany, for alihough the people of that extensive
empire are naturally brave, and not much addicted
to levity, tenacious of their ancient customs and
strenuous supporters of their liberties, yet they had
fallen into the prevailing error, and were ruled by
tiie court of Rome, not as children imder paternal
Jurisdiction, but as wretched slaves, who were to
be fleeced of all their wealth, in order to maintain
a great number of indolent priests in luxury, idle-
ness, sensuality, and all sorts of debauchery.
While the clergy asserted their own pretensions
^vith so much zeal, they daily encroached on those
of the laitv. All causes relative to matrimony, to
Mills, usury, legitimacy, and even to their own re-
venues, were to be decided in their own courts. —
Nay, ihey were not satisfied with this amazing
power, they actually attempted to bring before them-
selves the cognizance of all civil causes, and to bc-
':onie judges between men in disputes concerning
civil property.
They had engrossed to them.selves almost the
utiole system of human learning; for the laity were
more intent on martial achievements, than on cul-
tivating their rational faculties, which was one of
the means by which they were kept in a state of ig-
norance.
The penalties inflicted by the ecclesiristical courts,
added great dignity to the judges, and filled the
minds of the people with terror. The censure of
excomnumication was originally designed to pre-
serve the purity of the church, that obstinate offen-
ders, whose impious tenets, or profane lives, were
a reproach to Christianity, might be cut off from
the society of tlie faiihud. '1 liis the corrupt clnirch-
men look care to improve to their ov. n advantage,
and inflicted liieir censures on the most frivolous pre-
tensions. W tioever incurred their displeasure were
excluded from all the privileges of Christians, and
deprived of their rights as men and citizens, and the
dread of this rendered even the most fivrce and
turbulent spirits obsequious to the authority of the
church.
Grievous however, as these encronehmentg of the
3G 6
j clergy mi^ht have been, yet they could have been
borne with much longer by the Germans, had llic
I revenues been bestowed upon their own countrynicn,
j but quite the reverse took place. The popes hail,
I for several ages, pretended a title to till up all vacant
I bisho|nics, and for that jiurpose they seized on th ;
rights of the secular princes in Germany bv sending
I some of their Italian creatures to take possession^ of
I the most opulent church livings. Here these Itali-
, ans received vast sums of money without doing any
I duty to entitle them to such a reward, and iliev ex-
I ercised such an unlimited authority as none but
! slaves could endure. The pope's favourite mistresses
I sold the benefices to those who bid the most monev
for them, for the holy head of the church loved wo-
men as much as the grand seijnior.
I These scandalous practices were not carried on In
{ secret, they were done publicly, and the avarice of
the church of Rome triiiin])hing over its former
I prejudices, pious men beheld with silent regret these
simonial practices, so unworthy the character of
those who pretended to be the ministers of a Chris-
tian church, while politicians complained of the
exportation of so much money to support idle
priests, whose scandalous lives had totally made them
odious to all ranks of people by degrading their
character even below the meanest of the human cre-
ation.
Such were the dissoKite manners, the exorbitant
wealth, power and privileges of the clergy before
the Reformation; such the oppressive rigour of that
dominion which the popes had established over the
Christian world ; and such the sentiments that pre-
vifiled concerning tiieui in (iernKiny, and in the rest
of Europe about the beginning of the sixteenth cen-
tury. Nor has this sketch been taken from the par-
ties concerned in that age, who might possibly have
been led into prejudices in consequence of their vio-
lent opposition to each other; it is formed upon
more anihentic evidence, upon the memorials ami
remonstrances of the imperial diets coolly enumerat-
ing the grievances under which the empire groaned,
begging earnestly for redress. Dissatisfaction must
have risen to a great height, when these grave and
solemn assemblies exposed the crimes with so much
acrimony, and if they demanded the abolition of
these enormities with so much Vehemence, we may
be assured, they uttered their sentiments and decrees
in more bold and virulent expressions.
To men thus prepared for shaking off the arbi-
trary papal yoke, Euther addressed himself with al-
most certainty of success. As they had lung felt its
weight and borne il with impatience, they listened
with joy to the first jpioposal for their deliverance.
Hence proceeded ihe fond and eager reception his
doctrines met with, and the rapidity with which
they spread over all the provintes of Germati}'.
542
INTRODUCTION TO THE PROTESTANT RELIGION.
Even tlic impetuosity ami fierceness of Lutliei- o spi-
rit, Lis confidence in asserting his own opinions, and
the contempt with wjiich he treated all who differed
from him, which in ages of more moderation have
been reckoned defects in the character of that re-
former, did not appear excessive to his contempo-
raries, whose minds were strongly agitated by those
interesting coniroversies which he carried on, ;ind
who themselves had endured the rigour of pspal
tyranny, aod seen the corruptions of that church
against which he exclaimed.
But besides all the means already mentioned,
which contributed toward facilitating Li'iher's un-
dertakings in bringing about the Reformation, there
uere some othirs not hitherti mentioned. Among
these one of the cLiet was the art of printing, whici:
took its rise about half a century before his time.
By this fortunate discovery, the facility of acquir-
ing and of propagating knowledge, was wonderfully
increased, and Luther's books, which must other-
wise have made their progress very slowly and with
uncertainty, in distant countries, spread at once over
all Europe. Nor were they read only by the rich
and the learned, w ho alone had access to books be-
fore that invention ; they got into the hands of the
people, who upon their appeal to them as judges,
ventured to examine and reject many doctrines
which they had^been enjoined to believe under the
severest penalty.
The eyes of the people began to open gradually,
they saw the impositions that had been put upon
them by designing priests, and they were glad to
patronize a man w ho bid fair to restore them to their
natural liberty.
But Luther was not alone in opposition to the
measures of the court of Rome. The great Eras-
iims, who was his contemporary, without being a
Protestant in possession, let loose the whole force of
his satire on the errors and superstitions of popery.
His acute judgment and vast erudition enabled him
to discover many errors, both in the doctrine and
worship of the church of Rome. Some of these
he co.iiuted with great solidity of reason and force
of eloquence ; others he treated as objects of ridi-
cule, and turned against them the inestimable tor-
rents of popular and satirical wit, of which he had
a great command. There was scarce any opinion
or practice in the Romish church which Luther
souglit to reform, but had been previously animad-
verted upon by Erasmus, and had alfbrded him
either matter for censure or raillery.
Various circuniStances however, concurred in
hindering Erasmus from pursuing the same course
as that whicli Luther embarked in. ITie natural
timidity of his temper; his want of that force of
mind which alone can prompt a man to assume the
character of a reformer; his excessive deference for
persons ur high stations ; his dread of losing the
pensions and other emoluments which their lib"rality
had conferred upon him ; his extreme love of
peace, and hopes of reforming abuses gracually,
and by gentle methods; all concurred to induce him
to repnss that zeal which he had once manifested
against the errors of the church, and to assuuie the
character of a mediator between Luther and his op-
ponents.
The diet of the German empire was summoned
to meet at Worms, an imperial city, to consider of
Luther's opinions, and thiiher this great and illus-
trious reformer was summoned to make his personal
appearance. In vain did his friends persn-ide hiiii
that he was in danger, he went in conscious i :no-
eence, and smiled at tlie menaces of his eneM les.
The recejtion he met with at Worms, was si.ih as
might have filled his mind with pride, had he acted
from any other motives than such as were purely
evangelical.
Greater crowds assembled to see him than had
been there when the emperor made his public entry,
and in this there was nothing at all remarkable; for
here was a poor monk who had boldly stood up
against the whole thunders of the Vatican, had brav-
ed the imperial power so far as it related to matters
of religion, and had ridiculed the superstitions of
the church and court of Rome with all the acrimony
of the severest satire.
It is true, the emperor had interest sufficient in
the diet to get a severe decree passed against him,
but his sovereign the elector of Saxony, who had
been his friend at the beginning, stood by him to the
last. His opinions were gladly embraced by many
great persons in Germany, they spread far and wide
among the populace ; learned ecclesiastics joined
him, and princes, to their everlasting honour, stood
up in the defence of what they sincerely believed to
be the doctrines of divine revelation.
In this manner, and from circumstances that no
human v^isdom could have Ibreseen, the papal power
received a fatal blow in Germany, and the eyes of
other European nations were so far opened, that
the love of knowledge spread itself into many other
counliies. Princes indeed, from the worst of mo-
tives, did all that lay in their power to check its
progress ; but neither civil tyranny, nor ecclesiasti-
cal anathemas could answer the end. It is true the
Germans set the example; and all those who lived
in the more southerly climate had neither zeal nor
courage to copy after them, yet the rising plant was
nourished by the hand of divine providence; it bore
down before it every sort of opposition, and even
the smaller states of Switzerland opposed the papal
power, and took the sacred scriptures for their guide
in all matters of a religious nature. Sweden and
Denmark soon followed their example; England
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE LUTHERANS.
545
and Scotland from motives that will be mentioned
afterwards, did the same.
Whatever progress Luther 'made in the work of
Reformation, seemed only to i>oiiit out (he way to
something more complete, and the divines in other
nations in>proved on the plan he had laid down.
Eut without entering into a discussion of these
things, we shall lay down the plan of that most
arduous part of the svork that lies before us. First
we are to treat of such religions as are established
under the name of Protestantism in different n;.tions,
and then of those who are commonly called Dis-
senters. In the first, we shall fmd some few varia-
tions in discipline, though little in doctrines; but in
the second a great number in both. And here we
shall adhere so strictly to the truth, tlat none will
desire to condemn us without first acknowledging
their own ignorance or guilt.
The Papists have reproached us with being di-
vided into a great number of sects and parties, and
by this they have laid hold of the ignorance of those
whom they intended to make proselytes, without ac"
quainting them, at the same time, that Protestants
never persecuted each other with so much severity as
the Dominicans have the Franciscans in the Romish
church. We are willing to acknowledge that we
do not all agree in every trifling circumstance ; but
iii those |)oints upon which salvation depends, there
has not till lately been any matter of dispute; and
even where such matter of dispute took place, it
was carried on ]><; men who did not so much enquire
after the truth as they sought an opportunity to gra-
tify their pride, and establish their impoitance.
We are ready to grant, that consistent with our
accountsof the primitive church, there may be some
variations among us; but none of these wherever
an ecclesiastical establishment of religion has taken
place, can effect the salvation of mankind. As
for those who have dissented from civil estai)lish-
ments, we shall treat of their sentiments with can-
dour, and leave the reader to judge purely for him-
self.
As Lutheranism takes place in respect of anti-
quity before all the other civil establishments of the
Protestant religion in Europe, and it has been more
generally embraced with respect to locality, so it is
necessary that we should begin with it, confining
ourselves to its doctrines, discipline, worship, and
government, as a Christian church, and point out
how far the several establishments of Protestantism
may dfter, whether hi kingdoms at large, or in more
contracted provinces.
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE LUTHERANS.
Jl HE account we have given'of the Reformation
in general, will lead every intelligent person to make
a proper enquiry into particulars ; and here we shall
first take notice of the times when, and the places
where, the Protestant religion according to the plan
laid down by Luther, was established, for at the
Reformation, the prophet's words were verified :
" Kings sliall be thy nursing fathers, and queens
thy nursing mothers."
Saxony, and the county of Mansfield, revived
Lutlierauism lo'il, and the same year the elector
of Saxony, who had all along favoured Luther, de-
sired him to appoint preachers to reform the people
in every part of his dominions. The same year it
was received at Kreichsaw, Goslar, Rostock, Riga,
in Livonia, Rentling, and at Hall, in Swabia. In
1522, it was established at Augsburg, Hamburgh,
Treptow, Pomerania and Prussia. In lo'iJ, it was
established iu the Duchy of Lunenburg, Kurem-
burg, and Breslaw. In 1525, throughout the whole
Landgravate of Hesse. In 1528, at Gottingen,
Limgou, and Eimbech. In 1530 at Munster, and
Paderborn, in Westphalia. In 1532, at Llm, and
Ethlingen. In 1533, at Grubenhagan, and Hano-
ver. In 1534, in the Duchy of Wittemberg. In
1535, at Clothus, in the Lower Lusatia. In 1536,
in the county of Lippe. In 1538, in the Electo-
rate of Brandenburgh, in Bremen, Hall, in .Saxony,
Leipsic, in Misnia and Quedlenburg. In 1539, at
Embden, in East Friesland, Hailbron, Halberstade,
and Magdeburgh> In 1540, in the Palatinate of
the Duchy of Nemburg, Regensburg, an<l Wisniar.
In 1542, at Buxton de Hildershem, and at Osna-
burgh. In 1543, in the lower Palatinate. In 1546
at Mecklmburgh. In 1552, in the ^larquisate of
Durlach, and Hockburg. In 15,;G, in the County
of Benthuem. In 15G4, at Haguenaw, and in the
lower Marquisite of Baden. In 15C8, iu the whole
Duchy of ^Iagdebnrg.
Here was a rapidity of progress which no human
344
RITES ANP CEREMONIES OF THE LUTHERANS.
wisdom cotikl iiave foreseen ; for besides all the
places already mentloiied, Lutlieranism was esta-
Wislied in Sweden, Denmark, and jS'orway. It mevs
. not like Mahomctanisin, pro])a5ated by the sword,
. nor like popery supjiorted by the gibbet and the
stake. It ccmsisted of a rational address to the un-
derstandings of men, and divine providcsice prepared
them to receive it.
The system of faith, errbraced by the Lutherans,
was drawn up by iSIelancthon, a dear friend of
, Luther's, IJoO, and presented to the emperor
Charles V. It was designed to support all the
' points of the Reformation, and oppose the leading
principles, and corrnpt practices of popery. This
( is called the Augsburg confession, because Melanc-
. thou presented it to the emperor in that city, and it
^ was divided into two parts, the ftnst of which con-
. tained the follouing articles:
The 1st acknowledged, and agreed lo the deci-
sions of the tirst four general councils, concerning
the Trinity. — The '2d admitted of original sin, de-
fined it di.ferently from the church of Rome, mak-
ing it to consist only in concupiscence. — -'Jlie 3d
contained the substance of the apostles' creed. — The
4th maintained, against the Pelagians, that a man
•. cannot be justified by the mere strength and capa-
• city <;f natiue; and, against Roman Catholics, that
justification is the effect of faith, exclusive of good
works. — -The 5th agreed witli the church of Rome,
. that the word God, and the sacraments, are the
means of conveying the holy spirit, but differed
from that communion, by asserting, that this divine
operation is never present w ithout faith. — The (illi
affirmed, that our faith ought to produce good
works, purely in obedience to God, and not in or-
der to our own justilication. — The 7th made the
church to consist of none but the righteous. — The
Sth acknowledged the validity of the sacraments,
. though administered by hypocrites or wicked per-
sons.— The<)th asserted against the Anabajjlisls, the
necessity of infant baptism. — The KXh acknow-
ledged the body and l)lood of Christ under the con-
secrated elements; adding that this mysterious pre-
sence in the holy sacrament continued with the ele-
ments only during the time of receiving, and that
the Eucharist ought to be given in both kinds. — The
1 1th granted the necessity of absolution to |>enitents,
Lut denied their being obliged to make a particular
-confession of their sins. — 'fhe I'Jth condemned the
Anabaptists, who affirm, that whoever is once jus-
tified caunot fall from grace; as also tlie Novations,
.who retiised absolution to sins committed after bap-
;,ti∋ asserting withal against the church of Rome,
ihata repenting sinner is not made capalile of for-
giveness by any acts of penance whutever. — The
• J3th required actual faith, from those who partici-
.jiate of the sacraments. — The 14th forbad those
who were not lawfully called, to teach in the clnirch,
or administer the sacraments. — The loth appointed
the observation of the festivals, and prescribed
the ceremonies of the church. — The l6th acknow-
ledged the obligation of ciVil laws, and approved
the magistracy, propriety of estates and iDarriage,
— The 17th acknowledged the resurrection, heaven
and hell, and condemned the two following errors
of the Anabaptists, and fifth monarchy men; viz.
That the pu-niHimieut of the devils and tlie damned
will have an end, and that the saints will reign with
Christ a thousand ye;!rs upon earth. — The 18th de-
clared, that our wills are not sufficiently free, in
actions relatmg to the promoting of our saivatitn.
— The Ujlli maintained, that notwithstanding God
created man, and still continues to preserve him, he
neither is, nor can be, the author of sin. — Tlie
COth aftirmed, that good works are not altogether
unprofitable:— And the 21st forbad the invocation
of saints.
The second part of the Augsburg confession is
altogether in opposition to the church of Rome,
containing the seven principal abuses on which the
Lutherans founded tlie necessity of separating from
the communion of that church.
The 1st head enjoined communion in both kinds,
and forbad the procession of the holy sacrament.- —
The '2d condemned the celibacy of priests. — By the
3d private masses were abolished, and some part at
least of the congregation were obliged to connnu-
nicate with the priest. — The 4th declared against
the necessity of making a particular confession of
sins to the priest. — The oth rejected tradition. — The
(ith disallowed monastic vows: — And the 7th as-
serted, that tlie power of the church consisted only
in preaching the gospel, and administering the sa-
crament.
This confession of faith was signed by the elector
of Saxony, and his eldest son, by the marquis of
Rrandenbourg, by the landgrave of Hesse, the
prince of Hamault, anil the republics of Nuremberg
and Rutlingena. It was argued before the emperor
Charles V. but rejected; the Roman Catholics hav-
ing a majority of votes in the council. This was
followed by a conference between seven deputies of
each party; in v\hich, Luther being absent, jNIe-
lancthon, by his mollifying explanations, brought
both sides to an agreement m relation to fifteen of
the first twenty-one articles. But the conference
broke up without adjusting all the differences between
them.
In considering these articles, it appears, that in
most of the capital doctrines of religion upon which
salvation depends, there were but few differences
between the Lutherans and Calvinists. Consub-
stantiation was one, absolution another, and an
official priority in the clergy a third. The truth is
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE LUTHERANS.
M5
tiiost of^llie reformers ihroii^liont every part of ]•"«-
rope, were of tlie same sentiments with St. Austin,
who so slii)n<;ly siipportecl tlie doctrine of ahsohttc
preilostinalion, and eflicacious grace against the
Ptlajiann.
Hut 1)0 these things as tlicy will, it is certain that
altliiingli Lnther, in his commentary' on the epistlt;
to tlie Gulatiaiis, wrote in defence of free grace, yet
liis followers (lid not remain long in that opinion;
for we fiiul that hefore the middle of the last cen-
tury, their preachers began to assert the doctrine
of free-will, which is now an universal tojiic in tlieir
pulpits, although no such thing is inserted in their
confession ot faiili, already printed. But in this
they are not much ditVerent from some other Pro-
testant churches, perhaps being of opinion with
bishop Hmni t, that men may subscribe to a particu-
lar system he does not literally believe, and put u hat
construction upon it he pleases. This opinion of
bisliop Uurntt is not much unlike the conduct of
a friar, who having; a desire to a fowl in Lent,
flourished his knife m his haiul, and said, " Citpon
lie Cod," and then eat it with the utmost avidity. —
Mr. IJIackburne the author of the Confessional,
thinks that when men have no other way of procur-
ing a subsistence than by that of subscribing to a
certain formulary wliiili tliey do not ap()rove, that
they may temporize and coniplv.
'I'his lias some connection with the conduct of
the emperor of Germany, who granted a safe con-
(hict to John Huss and Jerome of Prague, when
they Went to the coimcil of Constance, and after-
wards coi)durted them to the slake, declaring no
faith should be kept \\\\\\ heretic.''. Without sin-
cci ity tliere can be no religion ; and if systems can-
not be written in such' language as is miderstood,
then there is an end of all uniformity of seirumenfs;
and such evasion being used by so many Protestants,
has done more hurt to their cause than nil the ma-
chinations of Uomish priests. In all Protestant
countries men may dissent from the established re-
ligion, if they are not satisfied wuh the terms of
conformity, and it is more honourable to live even
ni a state of poverty, than for a man to wound his
conscience, by declaring his assent to what he does
not believe to be truth.
But to rt-turn to the subjcr t. 'I he next thing to
ho. considered is the worship of the l>utht raiis, for
viorship must always be considered as one of llie
essentials of religion.
The worship in the LutheVan churches has a near
afiiniiy to what we have already mentioned iu our
account of the primitive Clui^tians, oiiiv that the
Lutherans wear gowns and suipliccs, which were
not in use till a considerable time after Coiitaiistine
the Cireat. If we were able to form any notion of
the worship practised in the chuich during the fifth
36 G
century, it was much the same, if not entirely so, as
what the Lutherans use at pieseiit. Mosheiin, ii
Lutheran divine, and lato president of the univer-
sity of ( lotteiigen, is of this opinion in his ecclesi-
astical history, and that leariu d gentleman freely
acknowledges, that thev have in their churches si ill
too ina;iy ceremonies, as well as too many festi-
vals.
All their churches are built in length from east
to west, which is of great antiquity and still ob-
served by Protestants m general, e.\cept by tin';
Scotch, who build their places of worship in u pro-
miscuous iiianiKT. When tin; Lutherans first go into
their churches, they stand looking towards tlie altar,
which is always at the east, and in that attitude
otter up their devotions in private. The women sir
in the middle of the church, and the men round
about in the galleries. The public service begins
with the organ plaung and then all the people rise
up and sing an hymn or psalm, to which they are
directed by the preacher or reader. After this, the
minister iu his gown goes into the pulpit and prays,
the people all looking towards the ejist, and some
bowing to the altar. At the conclusion of the first
prayer, which is a form though not read, the miuLi-'
ter falls down upon his knees and remains in silence
for some time. He then.rises up, and all the peo-
l)le turn their faces towards him. He then reads
out of their liturgy, the gospel for the day, and de-
livers a sermon from it, without notes; for through-
out the whole world, no churches, whether Greeks,
lionian Catholics, or Protestants, evpr read ser-
nions to the people, except the English.^ Sermoa
l«eing over, the minister repeats a short prayer,
the people having their faces towards the east, and
then the organ begins to play, when they sing ano-
tlier hymn. The minister then pronounces the bles-
sing.
'lliis is the forenoon service, for they seldom have
any preaching in the afternoon, the whole consist-
ing of prayers and singing. In the afternoon, as
soon as the minister enters within the rails of the
altar, dressed in his surplice, he gives out the psaliu
to be sung, repeating the first line, when the organ
strikes up, and all the people join in singing. 'i"he
minister stands with his bai k to the people, much
lujhesame manner as the Itomish priests when they
celebrate mass ; but at the beginning of every new
hvmn, turns to them and repeats the tirst verse. —
lliey are extremely fond of music, and, indeed,
irreat part of their worship consists of it; but they
do not make the sign of the cross, nor do they use
any holy water like the Roman Catholics. These
however, are only tlie outlines of their religious
worship, for they have many otiier practices which
might be attended to. This much, however, is
necessary to observe, that they arc the least re-
H6
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE LUTHERANS.
moved from the church of Rome of all the Pro-
testants.
It was Luther's intention to change the whole
form of divine service as practised in the Romish
church; but he met with powerful opposition from
several of the German princes, which is not to be
wondered at, when we consider tliat the people of
Lurope were in that age, little better than barbarians.
In the celebration of the eucharist, he looked upon
wine as sufficient without any mixture of water,
and masses for the dead were abolished. He ex-
horted all true Christians before they approached
the communion, to prepare themselves by fasting
and prayer, and although he declared, that auricu-
lar confession was not absolutely necessary, or to be
insisted ort, yet he held it to be a salutary practice,
and by no means to be rejected and contemned. —
He found no fault with the canonical hours, but
ordained, that the people worship in the church
twice upon every Sunday; that there siiould be
prayers and sermon in the morning, and singing in
the afternoon ; that the gospel should be expounded
in the morning and the epistle at vespers, and that
the saints' days should be kept up. Lent is still
kept by the Lutherans, and during that time, all
those who are come to partake of the eucharist
at Easter, confess their sins to the minister of the
parish.
It is certain that confession took place in the
Christian church a little time after Constantine the
Great ; but it was never magnified into such a degree
of esteem as it is now held by the Roman Catholics
till many hundred years afterwards. Upon it much
of the power of the clergy depends, and Luther re-
tained it in his ritual, although it has no foundation
in the sacred scripture.
The Lutherans consecrate their churches in the
following maimer : — The pastor, and the greatest part
of his congregation, meet near the parsonage house,
or at some convenient place adjoining to the church
intended to be consecrated, and afterwards march
in procession two and two, once at least, and some-
times thrice round it, singing hymns all the way. —
As soon as this act of devotion is over, they enter
the church, where the service is again opened with
singing. After which, some portions of sacred
scripture are read, and a sermon preached on the
.solemnity of the meeting. If the revenues of the
church will admit of it, the superintendant is in-
vited to be present, to assist at the ceremony and
give his benediction to the church, and consecrate it
with some form of his composing, which favour is
acknowledged by a gratuity, and a genteel entertain-
ment.
There can be no manner of doubt but that as the
Lutheran religion is established by law in niany
countries, and tolerated in some others, so there must
be considerable differences in the ceremonies, al-
though none of a very essential nature. We have
the following account of the consecration of a church
in tiie neighbourhood of Dresden, performed so
lately as 1730.
The procession set out from the place w here the
Lutheran service had been first performed, and the
students and scholars sung all the way. After them
went the superintendant, who is much the same
with them as our bishops, carryuig a large bible,
and the pastor of the parish with a chalice in one
hand and a patiu in the othei', followed by two
deacons.
One of the deacons carried the small chest in
which the book of their discipline was deposited,
and the other carried a copy of the book itself. A
numerous train of Lutherans of all ranks brought
up the rear, and in this order they marched to the
church, where there were several anthems sung, ac-
companied with instrumental music.
After this, the superintendant preached a sermon
on the solemnity of the occasion, and there was a
grand entertainment provided.
The superintendant repeated a few prayers over
the ground upon which the church stood, and no
doubt but from that time it became sacred. It is
certain, that the holiness of times and places have
been frequently insisted on ; it is equally certain,
that it has no foundation in the New Testament. —
St. Stephen the first martyr, who suffered death for
Christ, said before the Jewish Sanhedrim, " God
dwelleth not in temples made with hands." But let
us attend to what is said by the late Mr. Hervey,
an author esteemed and admired by Protestants of
every denomination.
Speaking of gratitude, he says, " Here I recol-
lected, and was charmed with Solomon's fine ad-
dress to the Almighty, at the dedication of his fa-
mous temple ; with immense charge and equal skill,
he hjtd erected the most rich and finished structure
that the sun ever saw, yet upon a review of his w ork
and a reflection on the trauscendant perfections of
the godhead, how he exalts the one and abases the
other. The building was too glorious for the n)igh-
tiest monarch to inhabit, too sacred for unhallowed
feet even to enter, yet infinitely too mean for the
Deity to reside in. It was, and the royal worship-
per acknowledged it to be, a most marvellous con-
descension in uncreated excellency to put his name
there."
The whole passage breathes such a delicacy, and
is animated with such a sublimity of sentiment, that
I cannot persuade myself to pass on without repeat-
ing it. But will God indeed dwell on earth.'' Be-
hold ! the heaVeu and heaven of heavens cannot
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE LUTHERANS.
547
contaiji tlice, how much less this house that I
have buililed. 1. Kings, viii. 27. Medit. Vol.1
Pr 5.
Uudoubtedly, these sentiments of Mr. Hervey
are extremely fine, and in all respects consistent
with the gos])cl dispensation, nay, with the purity
of religion 111 general; for what sanctity can there
be in any place where the heart is polluted, the con-
science detiled, and the soul not reunited to God.
Whenever ceremonies are strenuously adhered to,
the life of religion is generally lost, and all sinks
down into formality. W'e have a remarkable in-
stance of this in a controversy that took place in the
London newspapers, I7(i<i. It was occasioned by
the following circumstance.
])r. Joseph Butler, the celebrated author of
the Analogy between Natural and Revealed Re-
ligion, delivered a charge to the clergy of Durham,
in which he made use of the following expressions:
— " There may be a form of religion where no re-
ligion exists, but there can be no religion widiout a
form."
There was nothing in these words that any sen-
sible man could look upon as superstitious; for as
we are a composition of flesh and blood, we must
either have some forms in our religious worship,
or we must become quietists. However, Mr.
Blackburne, the author of the Confessional, laid
hold of these expressions ; and not contented with
representing bishop Butler as a superstitious person
he actually accused him of having died a Roman
Catholic. But this leads us to treat of the disci-
pline of the Lutherans.
The validity of the English ordinations, although
episcopal, has been called in question; but it was
ably defended by father Le Conraycr, who was
himself a Roman Catholic. But if such objections
liave been made to the churc'.i of England, we need
not be surprised to find some treating the JAitherans
as not canonically ordained; for although they have
bishops or superintendants, yet they have no episco-
pal ordination. It is a rule in all Protestant churches
except in England, never to ordain a mini to be a
minister till he is presented to a living ; for say they,
a shepherd is of no manner of use without a flock.
For this reason, the Lutherans like the Calvinists,
grant licences to young men to preach, but they are
not to take upon them any charge of souls.
The young gentlemfen among the Lutherans, who
have finished their studies at the university, and are
declared qualified for the clerical office, are gene-
rally sent as assistants to such ministers as are far
advanced in years ; and these are called expectants.
Their business is to perform all the divine -offices,
except that of administering the sacrament, and
hearing the confession of penitents, that being con-
fined to such as are ordained.
These young men frequently succeed the aged
ones when tliey dli ; iiiid here wu may observe, that
it is much to the i;f)nour of the Ociman princes who
are Protestants, that although they have the right of
presentation to livings, yet they generally give it to
the people, leaving them at liberty to chuse their
own niiniiters.
The day for the ordination bciiig fixed, the candi-
date repairs to the chinch where he is to be ordained,
in the presence of 'iveral ininisters, ecclesiastical
judges, and the cone legation of the people. A
sermon is preached, after which, tlie candidate
makes a confession of his faith verbally ; for they
are not permitted to use notes. In the prayer after
sermon, the candidate is nuntioned by name, in
words to the follownig import :-— "A. B. attending
here to be admittid and ordained a minister of the
gospel, by the imposition of hands, according to
the apostolical institution ; let us pray for him, that
God Almighty would vouchsafe to inspire him with
the holy spirit, and b^tow upon him an abundant
portion of heavenly gifts."
As soon as the minister withdraws from the pul-
pit, they sing the few; .*>/>//77(/s Sanctis tliat is, the
hymn beginning with the words, Come iloJy (jlwst,
but not in Latin, as is the practice with the Roman
Catholics, but in the vulgar language of the country
where they reside. Then the superintendant with
about five or six clergymen, repair to the altar, fol-
lowed by the candidate, who as soon as they are
entered, falls down on his knees before them. —
Here the superintendant, addressing himself to his
colleagues before mentioned, and having repeated
the candidate's request, desires them to join with
him in prayer on his behalf. After that, he reads
the certificate of his free election by the people, and
then they join in prayer the second time. The
prayer being over, the superintendant speaks to the
ministers, his colleagues, in the following words : —
" Dearly beloved brethren in our Lord Jesus, I
exhort you to lay your hands on this candidate, who
presents himself here before us, in order to be or-
dained a minister of the church of God, according
to the ancient apostolical institution, and to concur
with me in vesting him with that sacred office." —
After this, they all lay their hands on the head of the
candidate, when the superintendant says, " Be thou,
and so remain to be, devoted to the service of
God."
This being over, the superintendant addresses
himself to the person thus ordained, in terms to the
following purpose : " Being assembled here through
the aid and assistance of the Holy Ghost, we have
made our humble supplications to God for you, and
hope that he will vouchsafe to hear our prayers. —
Wherefore I ordain, confirm, and establish you, in
the name x>i the Lord Jesus Christ, pastor and spiri-
£43
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE LUTHERANS.
'tual instructor of the 'saints belonging to llie church
jof C. D. to govern it in the fe:ir ot God, anil have a
watchful eye over it as- a faithful shepherd over his
■iiock."
The -superintendaut having, pronounced thevcs-
Jiortation, withdraw.^ from the altar, and the stated
minister approaches it, dressed in Lis sacerdotal
vestments, tO: read the common service, and to con-
secrate the bread and wine, which he administers to
the new pastor, who receives it upon hi'S knees. —
Borne few bynins, and the usual benediction con-
.chide the ceremony. After service is over, all the
pastors retire to the vestry, where they congratulate
-in Latin the party ordained. The superintendaut
.afterwards r'j'ninds him of the great importance of
the past)>ral charge, and presses home tlje numerous
obligations he has laid himself under, the most ma-
terial of \\liich are the following.
As a pastor, he is to. look upon himself as the
shepherd and father of his Hock; he must make the
sacred scriptures the foundation of all his discourses,
and not broach new doctrines, whatever may be his
.private sentiments witli respect to established no-
.tions, yet he is to be careful not to make ihein pub-
lic astdoubts, lest he should mislead those who are
weak. He must not look with contempt on his
congregation, nor must he leave it without assigning
such a reason as shall satisfy the superintendaut that
.he is sincere. He nutst concern himself with no
political or state .affairs, nor interfere in any private
.dispute, unless it be to reconcile the parties, by act-
ing the part of a mediator, which was the practice
of the primitive Christians. .He .must not follow
.any trade, nor mechanical employment, or be con-
cerned in connnerce. It .is true, that if he has
gardens, vineyards, or any small piece of ground,
he may cultivate them to the best advantage, so as
it does not in any manner interfere with hi.s duty. —
He is to live in peace wilh his biethren, the clergy,
.and entertain, a charitable opinion of their actions.
Last of all, he is obliged to reside wilh his people,
but he is, by no mean^, to-4iave more churches than
^ne.
'J he minister thus ordained, is invested, or put
jnto the actual possession of his congregation, and
^11 its temporalities. The superintendaut confers
the investiture upon him in the presence of the whole
.^hurch of which he is constituted 'and appointed
pastor. In Saxony, all the clergy are exempted
/rom the payment of tuxes, and so it is hi some
.other parts.
Their superintendants so often mentioned, are, in
.Sweden and Denmark, called bishops ; and it is true
ihey are invested with episcopal power, but they
do not pretend to a jure divino, or divine right, in a
.direct line of succession from the apostles. In J )en-
prdvl the king appoints tiie bishops, and the bishop
of Copenhagen ordains the others. "This ordinatirm
is. performed in the church of St. ^lary in Copen-
hagen, in presence of the bisliop and several pa.5tors.
The superintendant of Zealand, who is also bishop
of Copenhagen, is ordained by the bisliop who jte-
sides nearest hir.i. The bishops are chosen from
«mongst the rest of the clergy, and, in general, are
men of fair characters.
They go t\vice every year to the- general assstnWy
of the clergy, which consists of the snpenntemiants
of the provinces, and the ministers of pari.'hes, who
are sent by the people for that purpose. Ihe civil
governor of the province- presides at all tfiese meet-
ings, but he does not interfere-in -their debates, unless
they happen to censure the government,, and then
lie dissolves them. ' These bishops, ot supeiJntend-
ants, have power invested in them to inspect into
tlie lives of the clergy, and to examine what progre.w
the students make in the schools. All the school:'
in Denmark are -established by royal authority, and
supported by roy.il -muniticence out of the crown
lands, and this may be one of the reasons v*ny we
seldom reeet with a -mBU from that country who is
not well ac(]uainted with religion.
The church of Sweden is governed by an arcli-
bisbop and -ten bishops, and over every ten parishes
there is an inspector, or overseer, who gives an
account of the rest of the clergy to the bishop four
times in the year. In Germany, and some parts of
Switzerland, where the Lutheran religion is pro-
fessed, there cannot be such an exact regularity with
respect to clerical dominion, many of of the states
being so small, that they cannot support a superin-
tendaut; but still the worship and government are,
as much as -can be, the same; for except in some
things relating to doctrines ihe Lutherans are much
the same as they weie when their great founder es-
tablished them.
j\ll their disputes are regulated and adjusted in •
the assemblies of the clergy ; for as these Lutheran
ministers are prohibited from meddling with slate
affairs, so the government seldom interferes with
their disputes. When any new regulation takes
place the civil power generally gives it a sanction ;
but without that sanction it cannot be reduced to
practice, so as to become binding either on the
clergy or laity.
I'he school-masters, or instructors of youth in the
Lutheran churches, are young men who have passed
examination at the university, and such as they call
expectants, they being afterwards ordained to the
ministry if chosen by tiie people. Such, indeed,
should be tiie qualilications of ail those who teach
youth ; and perhaps it is owing t*» the want of these
qualifications, that there are so many who under-
take to teach things .they are ul.terly uuaccjiiainttii
with themselves.
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE LUTHERANS.
549
The Liitlierans have public prayers and sermons,
oftencr than any other Protestants in ICurope. Tliis
is perliai's, one of the worst practices in tlieir
church; tor as God ordered but one day in seven to
be ke|>t holv among his ancient people the Jews, so
the Primitive Christians never assembled but on the
first day of every week. Every thing is beantit'ul in
the order of Providence ; and whenever men dejiart
from labour, to attend divine w orship, exce])t at such
limes as the sacred scriptures have appointed, they
act inconsistent with tlie order of God, and in ge-
neral do nuieli injury to their families. Nay, it fre-
q«iently iiappens, that those who are more than or-
dinarily anxious after the exterior part of religion,
have seldom any sincerity, but rather bring a disho-
nour upon it. 'I'his first opened the months of
deists, for it is veiy remarkable, that our most ce-
lebrated deists were such as contracted prejudices
against the Christian religion, in consequence of the
clergy preaching and praying two or three times a
day like angels, when they lived the lives of devils.
Of this we nnght produce many examples : but we
sliall have occasion to take notice of some, when we
come to anotiier part of this work.
It is certain, that there are still in the Lutheran
church several superstitious . custoins, inconsistent
with the purity of Primitive- Christianity ; for they
generally delay their funerals till Sunday, in order
to have a prayer and a funeral sermon, v\ hich their
ministers always preach on the death of any of their
hearers whether old or young, rich or poor. These
sermons are, for the most part, full of flattery, than
which notliins in the world can be more useless or
insignificant ; for whatever rest we may wish our
departed friends, yet we are left till the judgment
day in a state of ignorance concerning them.
We have already observed that the Lutherans have
altars in their churches, for the celebration of the
holy communion. Thi-y likewise make use of light-
ed tapers in their churches, with a crucifix on the
altar, and sometimes they have incense ; but some
of these things are not general, being confined to
particular parts.
Some of their divines urge, that these things add
a lustre and dignity to divine worship, by fixing the
attention of the people ; others complain, that the
priests lay too great a stress on these ceremonies, by
considering them as essential to religion, it is cer-
tain that many of them pay too much regard to
these nimecessary, or rather absurd trifies. Nay,
we need not hesitate to call them dangerous .' for
whenever people, during divine worship, are led to
seek anv or the least assistance from carnal objects,
religion itself becomes to them a carntil thing, and
the purity of spiritul Christianity is defaced.
Their minds, says a pious author, are led away
from beholding the great God of their salvation;
37 (3
and we are well persuaded, that the introduclion
of such ceremonies into the primitive church soon
after the time of the emperor Constantine the Great,
made way for all the ridiculous, and heathenish rites
of the papists.
The Lutherans preserve a vast number of popish
ceremonies, and in the observance of some thev are
very particular. Thus, their bells ring to public
prayers and .sermon, but never to vespers or matins ;
for strange as it may appear, the Lutherans retain
the canonical hours ; and, in some places, part of
their service is said in Latin.
1 hey all use organs in their churches, not only
to strike the ear the more agreeably, but also to lead
the people into a sort of concert with them. But
besides organs, they have in all their cathedral
churches a vast number of other musical instru-
ments, especially on their solemn festivals ; but
these often give ollence to the more sober part of
the people.
It is necessary to observe in this place that nunne-
ries or convents for women are still kept np in seve-
ral places where Lulheranism prevails. These nuns
however, are not bound down by the entanglement*
of vows; for they may leave the convent whenever
they please. In every religious house there is an
abbess, and the nuns lie two and two in a bed, in
very decent apartments. Each of them has a small
closet, where they work, read, or pray; and they
have a chapel, wherein divine service is performed
on Sundays and Fridays.
Their priest wears a kind of stole, made of fine
crimson velvet, and a crucifix embroidered with sil-
ver when he reads prayers at the altar, but when he
goes into the pulpit he has nothing on but his sur-
plice. These nuns dress like other women, and may
marry when they please.
Happy for Britain, had the revenues of the con-
vents at the Reformation been applied to the same
valuable purposes; but, alas! there is no such thin"'
to be found. Nor do we read of any thing of this
nature, except it be those small convents that were
established in Holland, when the French Calvinisls
first fled thither for refuge after the revocation of
the edict of Nantz.
They were called religious dormitories, and con-
sisted chiefly of ladies of prudence and discretion,
under the direction of ancient matrons, refugees
like themselves, but of fortimes sufficient to com-
n;and respect in their retirement, and vested with
the authority of abbesses, as far as the Protestant
religion would admit of. They spent their time in
prayer, reading the sacred scriptures, and other
books of devotion in public ; but in these societies
there were no sermons preached, nor sacraments
adminis-tered. It is generally believed, that at the
Reformation, it was the design of Luther to abolish
'jSO
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE LUTHERANS.
I'estivals aiul'many other ceremonies, wliich still pre-
vail ill the religion that bears his name : but he found
the stream of popular jirejuciice too strong for him
to suppress it. .
In some Lutheran countries, the people go to
chuiich on the nigiit of tlie nativity of our blessed
Saviour, with lighted candles or wax tapers in their
hands. There they spend the whole night in sing-
ing, and saying their prayers by the light of the
torches. Sometimes they burn such a large quantity
of incense, that the smoke thereof ascends in the
form of a whirlwind, and their de\x)tees uiay be
said with propriety, lo have their minds wrapped up
ill it. In Germany it is customary during such
festivals, to make entertainments for their frietids
and relations, and to send presents one to another,
especially to the young people, whom they amuse
with very idle and romantic stories, telling them,
that our Saviour descends from heaven on tiie night
of his nativity, and brings with him all soits of play-
things.
' They have another whim or conceit eqaully ridi-
culous, and that is, of wrapping an infant in swad-
dling clothes, and laying it in a cradle, in order to
represent the infancy of our blessed Lord. They
•likewise stroll about in all sorts of masquerade
dresses, which is frequently attended with very fatal
consequences; because, mistaking one another, quar-
rels ensue, and in the scufHe tlie innocent often
sufl'er where no affront was intended.
They have a sort of vagabonds, who, during the
Christmas holidays, sing hymns about the streets,
and these are considered by the vulgar, as persons
who have real religion at heart. In times of war,
these wretches are pressed into the army ; but no
sooner are they gone, than the women supply their
places. Id Saxony, tliey used foiilierly lo erect
may-poles in all their churches on Ascension Day ;
bnl tliis practice was abolished in 171.5, because it
induced the people to cut down the trees in the
neighbouring forests and to prevent riots, which fre-
quently happened on these occasions.
'Ilicy all celebrate the jubilee of their Reforma-
tion from popery, and on such occasions several
jioeirs are written in honour of Luther. Many of
the German princes have, in vain, attempted to jmt
an end to their vast number of holy days; but the
popular prejudices, as in all other cases, so in this
prevented tliem from succeedi^ig according to their
wishes.
We have already treated slightly on the Lutheran
fonn of worship, we shall now proceed to consider
il more minutely and particularly.
In 1 J23, Luther drew up a sort of liturgy, which
in many things, differed not much from the mass of
the Roman cliurch. In that formulary he called
the communion of bread and wine, a ceremony in-
slituled by Christ which all Christians should d<iem-
sacred ; but treated with contempt the canon of the
mass. And yet in this liturgy there were so many
tilings like popery, that it was not an easy matter to
separate the ideas. He alloweil the Nicene Creed,
w liicli has given offence to many Protestants, to be
read in the church ; nor does it appear that he made
any objection to the creed of St. Athanasius. He
orderexl that no water should be mixed with the
wine in the sacrament; this was certainly right,
because water was ne\er used but in the warmer
climates, where the strength of the wine led to
intoxication. As for private confession before the
communion, he said it was useful but not necessary.
He ordered that hymns should be su;;g after di-
vine service was ended, some of which were to be
in Latin, and others in the vulgar tongue; but that
the rest of the service should be icad in a lan^uaoe
known to the congregation. In ail this we may
see, that at that time, Luthei had but dark no-
tions of the purity of Christianity. He was no
stranger to tlie corruptions tliat had crept into po-
pery ; but either in consequence of his own pniu-
dices, or of those of the people, he would not, or"
could not entirely heal them. However, some
churches where the Lutheran religion is professed,
have one ritual, and some another. Some are more
clogged with ceremonies than others, and some
more rational.
This will appear the more consistent witli truth,
w hen we consider, that in Sweden the liturgy differs
from that in Germany, or in Denmark. At Nu-
remberg in Germany, there is but little difference in
the outward form of divine worship between the
Roman Catholics and the Lutherans; only that the
latter renounce the pope's supremacy. 'Jhis was
one of the healing measures proposed by Melanc-
thon, but that reformer was a time serving man.
He loved indolence more than reformation, and be-
ing destitute of activity, he had no courage to sup-
port Luther, whose views were great, and whose
spirit was undaunted.
!Melaiiclli!)n has been much cried up by Protes-
tants in general, as a divine of great moderation
pnd as one who did not desire to carry things to ex-
tremity in the lirst instance. However, we are not
to judge of the motives from wliich he acted, but of
his conduct, as it appears on})ublic record. There
are many sentiments in his works tiiat seem to
breathe a spirit of peace ; but if mi n are once con-
vinced tl::it the purity of the Christian religion has
been contaminated, and errors established in it as
truth, then it is necessary that every true believer
should testify against theqi. To be timid in such
matters, is to give up all attachment to the truth, it
is to betray the cause \^c have embai^ced in, and to
wound our consciences; but we shall afterwards
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE LUTHERANS.
551
give our readers a more enlarged account of tliese
ihiiigs, when we tjcut of the Reformation in utlier
nations in I'^urope.
Much has bien said concernlnf; tlic notions wliitli
the Lutherans entertain with regard to tlic sacrament
of the cucharift; but as all these are coufused and
contradictory, v»e shall here endeavour to lay the
whole truth before the reader, as ta! en from one of
their most eminent writers, viz. Melaucllion. He
says, " Our very children are not ij;norant, that at
the linly coumu\iiiou, we receive beyond all con-
tradiction the body and blood of our blessed Lord
aud Saviour- J tsus Christ; and although that mys-
•lery is so far above our common or human capaci-
ties that we can never comprehend it, yet we tii Mily
believe and rely on the veracity of those words of
our Saxionr, 'Take, eat, this is my body, Sec' —
He who with a few words was able to satisfy the
hunger of several thousands of people, and could
walk on the sea,— could, at the celebration of his
own supper, perform and bring to pass- what was
iniiilied in these words he had expressed." It is
verv probabJ-e, that the most bis^otted Roman Ca-
tlwlic would sul).scribe to this opmion, and yet tlrey
are inveterate enemies to th.e Lutherans.
Those who are of the Lutiieran o|)inion in Ger-
many, are obliged to come to the minister of the
parish, either on Wednesday or Friday jirevious to
the communion, and this is done ou purpose that
they may open their minds without reserve. This
is called confession, but it is by no means conducted
on such superstitious principles as among the Ro-
man Catholics. It is true, that common practice
and Ic^ig usage give a sanction to many thmgs,
which althougli no way imptjrtant in themselves,
nor any way essential to religion, yet are consuk-red
;is .sacred bv those who have not had it in their
jiowtr to make a proper eiKjuiry. \\ e have a strik-
ing instance of this in Patkuil, a rrentlonran of uni-
versa! kuowledge who had l>€en brought up a Luthe-
ran, but was, without changing his religion, many
-■ears ambassador from the Czar, Peter the Great,
to I'tw elector of Saxony, then king of Poland. —
That great man had been, contrary to the law of
nations, seized on by a party of Swcdisli dragoons,
and chained to a stake in tlie camp of Ciiarles XI I.
near Pirna, upwards of six monibs. In vain-didlie
])lead his privilege as an amiiassador ; in vain did
he assert, that he had never done any thing against
the honour of his native country, Livonia, which at
that time belonged to Sweden. I'he unfci-iing
Charles ordered him to be broke alive upon the
wheel, one of the most horrid and barbarous deaths
that malice could invent. 'I'he day before he was to
suffer, the chaplain of a Swedish regiment came to
him by order of the king, and after a few formal
expressions, said, " I au» come to you wilb such a
message as the prophet brought to good king Heze-
kiah of old, Set thine house in order for thou shalt
die and not live."
The poor distracted prisoner begged to know in
what manner lie was to be put to ilealh, but this
was a question the clergyman co.nid not answer; for
as we have already observed, the Lutlierau minis-
ters are not to meddle w itli politics. Patkuil told
him, that lie cuidd not dii' in peace without confes-
sing his sins, and the clergyman desired him to
prepare himself for it against the next mornin"-. —
He did so, and when he had confessed his sins, he
told the minister that he was ready to die. If a
gentleman, who had obtained a liberal education,
who was acquainted with all the sciences, and who
had made a distinguishing figure as a njinister of
stale, thought this formulary necessary in order to
promote his eternal hai)piness, how then can we
blame those poor creatures, whose minds were never
enlighted with human knowledge. Patkuil .suffered
death after live hours torture, and the learned Kcys-
ler, the ' German traveller, takes notice, that from
that period Charles's atiairs first went into confusion
and at last eiuled in ruin; but this we only mention
by way of digression. •-
On the Sunday, when the communion is to be
adminisiered, the minister immediately after sermon
prays to Almighty God for all in particular who are
to partake of that holy ordinance. There is no form
of prayer, however, for tliat purpose ; but the mi-
nister is at hberty to make use of such words as he
thinks proper for the occasion. After prayer,
they sing a hymn, and while it is singing, those
who are to comnrnnicate, advance towards the altar,
and fall down on their knees, at least as many as can
appro;;ch it at once, for the rest stand behind in a
praying postiue. As soon as the iivujn is over, the
minister siiys, let us pray, and repeals at the same
time, the i^ord's prayer, and after that he reads the
words of the institution of the Lord's Supper.—
In some places the whole congregation sing with an
audible voice, both the prayer anil the words of tlie
institution. After that they receive the conununion,
much in the same maimer as in the church of
I>n<i!and, iKimelv, kneeliiig before the rails of the-
altar.
In some- parts- of Saxony, the minister rings a
little bell two or three times after a very solenui man-
HLT, which custgm is both needless and impertinent,
especially among people who are Protestants, and
\^ho pay- no regard to the adoration of the host. —
liuleed, they look upon everything of that nature
as idolatry ; and yet we may lind, tliat men may in
words despise idolatry,' while tliey are actually ido-
laters in practice. In most of die Lutheran church-
es, the jiastor, before he administers the sacrament,
puts on his surplice, and over that a vestment with
552
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE LUTHERANS.
several crosses fastened to it, which, however,
ought not to be compared with the stole worn by
the Roman Catholic priests, there being no resem-
blane between them.
In some places, the pastor, after he has read the
gospel at the altar, throws the vestment before-
mentioned over his head and lays it on the table. —
After the creed is sung, he goes into the pulpit and
preaches in his surplice, and then he returns to the
altar, where he again puts on his vestments. How-
ever, many of them never put it on till the commu-
nion begins, and that is amongst them reckoned the
most decent practice.
Some of their devotees, as among the Roman
Catholics, consider the bestowing of habits on the
priests as a very meritorious action ; and in several
of their churches they have eight or ten different
sets: So profuse is superstition in bestowing what
can be of no service to mankind, and so vain is hu-
man pride in placing some sort of confidence in
what consists, merely, of empty shew. Mechan-
ical religion is the worst that ever could take place
in the world, and notwithstanding the bold assertions
of Mr. Hulme, we may venture to affirm, that those
who give encouragement to it, are no friends to
■Christianity.
\We have already observed, that in many places
• they keep wax candles burning on their altars dur-
ing the time of celebrating the communion. But
can any thing in the world be more idle than to burn
candles at noon day. But the whole force of this
part of our argument is taken away by allegories ;
for they tell us, as Christ instituted. the holy supper
at night, so we should always receive it with can-
dles burning.
They might just as well assert, that as the primi-
tive Christians were obliged to meet in the night,
on account of the violence of persecution, so all
our meetings, even in a land of liberty, should be
nocturnal assemblies. This is amdoubtedly one of
the most idle arguments that ever was advanced;
but when men embrace only one half of the truth,
it is not strange, to see them again returning to
■error.
However, when the communicant has received
the sacred elements, he falls down on his knees to
return thanks to God for the spiritual nourishment,
and in some places the communicants congratulate
each other on that joyful occasion. As for the num-
ber of times for the communicants to partake of this
sacred institution, they are not fixed but voluntary ;
some partake of it every Sunday, but these are only
what are called devotees.
No minister can receive the communion from his
own hands, that being absolutely forbidden by Lu-
jjher's doctrine.
On the evening of the day before the communion
is administered, there is always a preparation ser-
mon, and this custom has obtained in several other
reformed churches ; on that occasion, all tliose who
are to communicate are obliged to be present, and
those who neglect it without shewing a reasonable
cause, are liable to the censures of the church. —
Although in general they receive the conmiur.ion
kneeling, yet in some places they take it standing ;
but for this there is no fixtrd rule, which often cie-
ates a great deal of confusion in their public assem-
blies.
The Lutherans make use of red or white wine,
just as opportunity serves, in the celebration of tlieir
communion. They never administer the sacrament
to infants, but it is common enough for them to
carry it to such as are sick, or on a death bed, at
the same time observing a great many ceremonies.
And here it is necessary to observe, that such com-
muiiion carried to the sick and dying persons, bears
a near afHnity to the viaticum of the Homau church,
except in the act of adoration. Nay, this commu-
nion of theirs may be called by the same name as
tiie Romans ; for the Lutheran priest says to the
communicants, that it is a suitable provision for
them in their journey to the other world, 'llie term
which the Lutherans make use of for viaticum, is
expressive of the very same idea, and brings to our
remembrance the ancient customary fee, paid to
Charon by the heathens ; for it was from the hea-
thens the papists borrowed it, and the Lutherans
have, in a great measure, retained it.
Whether the term viaticum was looked upon as
too superstitious by the Lutherans, as being popish,
we cannot determine ; but this nmch is certain,
that they have left it out of their ritual, and now
they call it the communion of the sick.
As for the ceremonial part, it has been reduced
to the following ceremonies.
1st, to the confession of the communicant, which
is preceded by a prayer, and followed with an abso-
lution pronounced by the confessor in the name of
the ever blessed Trinity.
Secondly, the communion administered to the
sick person, preceded also by a prayer, and accom-
panied with singing a psalm of praise and hope, most
commonly the 23d, or 103d, according to the version
made use of by the Lutherans, and several other
Protestants, and a collect or prayer suitable to the
solemn occasion.
Thirdly, the benediction which is delivered in the
most solemn manner, recommending the departino-
soul to the arms of the Lord Jesus, to enjoy ever-
lasting happiness in heaven.
In those parts where the Lntherans are the most
superstitious, the priest when he comes into the
chamber of the sick person, takes a table, \\hich
he places in the form of an altar, by covering it w it^» .
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE LUTHERANS,
lapestry, a fme ciliiisou clylli, ami setling two
liglileil caiidlLS upon it. Belwccii the caudles he
places a cruciiix, and si:ch otlui things as are ob-
jecls of superslJlioii among iheni. .ll should be ad-
ministered in presence of sonje of the relations ot
the sick person, but when there are no relations,
then the neighbours are to be invited ni. Everv
person prtboit is permitted to partake with the sick
liiau or woman ; and for lluit purpose tiicy must
have notice sent them before, that they may be
duly prepared. The J.utlieraiis ilo not only cany
their communion to the sick, but also to such as aie
aged and intirui, so as to be incapable of atten<iiiig
public worship. To these persons the minister,
VI ho gives the connnuiiion to them, makes a seri-
ous exhortation, whicli may, wuh propriety, be
called a domestic seruion, after a family couimu-
uion.
We shall now proceed to consider their manner
of confession, which is looked upon as higlily ne-
cessary wherever the Lnlheraii religion is eslablibhed.
And here it is proper to add, that it contributes
much towards aggrandizing the power of the cler-
gy. If on the one hand, it relieves the agonizing
pains of the soul, and gives a sincere comfort and
consolation to a wouuded conscience, it creates on
the other hand, an awe, veneration and respect for
their pastors, who, by such acts of confession, be-
come tile spiritual directors and physicians of their
people.
Ihey adijiinister their cures in the name of the
Lord, but in the same name denounce curses on
those who will not take what they prescribe. How-
ever, let the veneration, respect and authority of the
Lutheran preachers or confessors be ever so great,
yet it iails vastly short of what the iJouush priests
procure for tliem.selves. The following was deli-
vered to the author by an eminent Lntliei uii minister
lately deceased.
" Before the communion, the person who is to
receive, confesses his sins to the uiinister, who,
agreeably to the sacred scriptures, pronounces the
full remission of sins to all such as truly repent. —
This confession is not particular like that of the
Roman Catholics ; for the minister does- not pry into
secret afi'airs.
it is sufticient for the penitent or intended coiti-
niuiiicant, to declare in general that he has sinned,
and what man would deny that? This is a thing
implied in religion; for what purpose wouhi it be
necessary for men to attend to sacred duties, to ask
pardon of God, to beg for his assistance, and
praise liim for his many uurcies, if they were not
sinners ; that is, if they had not transgressed against
the divine law. However, the practice of coutes-
sion among the Lutherans is not always tlie same, it
varies in ditferept places according as prejudices
'31 7 A
may happen to aggrandize it, or the freedom of eii-
ijiiiry sink it almost beneath the lowest sort of coii-
teinpt.
in some places tlie whoK- body of people go to-
gether to their pastor, in order to confess their sins,
and one of tliem reads a general confession, after
which the confessor asks if their sentiments are all
one and the same. After the answer is given in the,
aftirm;itive, tlic minister makes a forniiil exhorta-
tion, longer or shorter, as he thinks proper; and
that, together with the absolution, concludes the
ceremony. This is the general custom in most
populous towns, where it would be, in a mannerj
impossible to attend to every private individual. —
In some places, the minister proposes the three
following questions to those who are to confess their
sins : —
First, he asks them whether they repent sincerely
of those sins of which their consciences accuse
them ? Secondly, if they sincerely believe and
profess that the body and blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ are really and actually present in tlie elements
of bread and wine? And, thirdly, if they promise
to persevere in the J^uUieran faith to their lives' end?
This last question implies a principle inconsistent
with toleration, and consequently with Christianity,
and it is well known, that the Lutherans are gene-
rally very stiff' in tliut particular; not with regard to
the Roman Catholics only, likewise to the Calvinists
who have often made them the most generous pro-
fessions of brotherly love. ^
At Nuremburg, and in some other places, im-
position of hands is practised when absolution is
given, and this is of considerable antiquity : for it
seems to h'ave taken its rise about the middle of
the fifth century, when the Christian religion
was beginning to give up its reality for an empty
vain shadow. The form and manner of doing it
is this: —
The mhiister, whom we may call the confessor,
lavs his hands three times on the head of the penitent,
repeating, in 9, solemn manner at each exhortation,
the name of one of the tliree persons in the blessed
Trinity. After which he says to ll»e juniitent, "Go
in peace, and the grace of our l^ord Jesus Christ
be with you." — Making at the same time, the sign
of tl;e cross.
As to their modes of confession, they either stand,
sit, or kneel, just as they please, so that we find they
are far from being so snper.stilions as the papists.
And yet almost all the Liuiitran irinisters take mor
iiey from their people when they come to confess
their sins. Having been accused of this as a slmo-
niacal practice, they have endeavoured to extenuate
the enormity of the crime, by telling their accusers,
that it is a part of their revenue. A popish priest,
w ho takes goods as well as money, could have said
S.5-4
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE LUTHERANS.
no more. W'.icncver money is taken for a spiritual
gift, the aitt itself ceases tube spiritual, and many
who call tlieuiselves ministers, make it appear to the
vorld that the desire of gratifying their passions,
tramples over all regard they can have for religion.
As they have a vast number of fasts and festivals, so
their superintendanis exercise a high authority on
those occasioyis ; for they are sure to order the cler-
gy to preach on whatever topics they think proper,
and to prescribe rules for their conduct during every
part of the soiemnily. During their fasts, the
shops are shut up, all manner of exercise ceases
but devotion ; thougii on tlieir festivals, and even
on Sundays, they will play at cards in the after-
noon.
We shall, in the next place, proceed to their form
of excommunication. In Denmark and Sweden,
it is accompanied with very severe penance. In
the Danish ritual, we are informed, that the person
excommunicated, when he first appears in the
church, is turned out with disgrace by the clerk of
the parish, in the ])iesence of the whole congrega-
tion. However, if tiie excommunication be of long
continuance, he is not excluded from the privilege
of attending public worship and joining in the con-
gregation during sermons, and other acts of public
devotion; but he is obliged to sit in a place appoint-
ed, and some 'distance from them; and when the
minister comes down from the pulpit, the clerk
before-mentioned conducts the exconnnunicated per-
son out of the church. This has a near resem-
blance to some of the practices of the Primitive
Christians when their church was on the decline.
As to the Swedes, their form of excommunica-
tion is equally rigid and severe. V^ e are assured by
a traveller, who visiied that country, that he saw at
Lincoping, a young woman w ho had been guilty of
.some rash mi.sdenieanor, and who, by consequence
lliereof, had rendered herself obnoxious to the
church, exposed to public view upon her knees,
from break of day till noon, in the church porch,
upon an eminence, like a criminal's Uar, erected for
that particular purpose.
It is probable however, that might have been a
civil punishment and not an ecclesiastical censure.
Such young women as are not ashamed of exposing
themselves by drinking to excess, or the commis-
sion of any other odious and abominable vice,
are punished in the same manner at the Hague. — •
There is not therefore, a possibility of forming a
proper notion o.*' this sort of Swedish punishment,
because we know not whether it is of a civil or reli-
gious nature.
It is true, their discipline is severe, but no eccle-
siastical censures are to be inflicted through the co-
ersion of the civil power. This is much to their ho-
nour, and we are sorry to say that there is one Pro-
testant church in the world whore this practice^
prevails. In a word, the Lutherans admit of the
lesser exconununication ; but as to any civil pains
and penalties bLiiig inflicted on the delinquents, they
are ne\er thought of. Probably, the civil power,
in arbitrary countries, may sometimes deviate from
what is here laid down ; but still there is nothing in
the ecclesiastical constitution of their cliurihes that
can give any autliority for such a practice. Excom-
numication is the casting a person out fiom anions'
the faithful, but excejjt ni the church of Rome, and
in one single Protestant church, the punishment
ceases with the declaration of the minister, which,
according to the sjiirit of Christianity, should
always be of a spiritual nature.
Lulher has given us a formulary baptism in tlie
vulgar tongue, iji order that every person present
might understand it, and in this we iind many of
[ the ceremonies used by the Roman Catholics left
out, particularly that of breathing upon the infant,
which however was, from a mistaken notion, prac-
tised in ancient times. Exoicism, or commandinf
the devil to go out of the child, is still observed,
and the sign of the cross is retained.
As the Lutherans retain a large share of popish
superstition, so they make it a rule to baptize their
children as soon as possible after they are born. la
case the child should be too weak to be carried to
the church, they baptize him at home, and on such
occasions one or more godfathers must attend. — ■
When they imagine the infant to be in danger, then
the midwife baptizes him, just as they do among the
Roman Catholics.
If a child is found exposed in the streets, and a
note is left along with it, intimating that it had been
baptized, no regard is paid to tliat iiiiiniation, so
that it is carried to the church and bajilized in pub-
lic. They never baptize idiots when they anive at
years of maturity till they have regained the use of
their reason. All legitimate children are baptized
before divine service begins, but bastards after it is
over. *
There are baptismal fonts in some of the Luthe-
ran cliurches, but not in all of them. In several
of the Saxon churches, the figure of an angel v\ith
a bason in his hand, descends fioin the ceiling by a
private jmlley, or some other secret machine, and
presents ihe bason to tlie minister, who is to baptize
the child. In some other places, a table is brought
out of the vestry, and ?placed before the altar with
the bason upon it, but this custom prevails more at
Augsburg than any where else.
After the preliminary questions which are alvia^s
common at baptisiii, the minister makes a discourse
by way of exhortation, aiid then he exorcises the
devil in the following words, " Get thee hence thou
miclean spirit, and make room for the Holy Ghosl"
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE LUTHERANS.
T1;c mn)i?tcr at (lie same time makes tlie sign of the
cross upon the infant, saying niito him, " Receive
the sign of the cross, anil be a fiiilhfui soldier of
• Jesus Christ, in the name of the Father, Son, and
Holy Chost." He thi-n baptizes the ihiKI by dip-
ping him three times in tlie water, in llie n.inie of
the biesstci 'I'rinity, and the wlioic ceremony con-
cludes with an exiiortation and a blessing. And
here we must not omit to take notice that the Luthe-
ran ministers exact' fees from those who have their
children baptized; but we shall have occasion to
mention this practice as taking place in some other
reformed countries in Europe, and indeed, in many
of tlieni.
'1 lie next tiling to be taken notice of, is their
form of contirmation, which has no afiinity to that
of the Romish church ; for they make no use of
oil, and any common pastor of a congregation may
perform the ceremony. 'l"he young person wiio
comes to be conlirmed, must give a satisfactory an-
swer to all (piestious proposed to him by the minis-
ter, which practice is very much like that of the
primitive church. A\ hen they have answered all the
questions proposed to ihcm, the minister delivers a
suitable exhortation, and the congregation sing an
hymn, and then the ceremony concludes with a
prayer and the benediction.
The Lutheran discipline with respect to matri-
mony, is regular and uniform. In order to the con-
summation of niarrige where there is no lawful
impediment, the parties present themselves at church
before their pastor, who asks them whether they are
mutually agreed to enter into that state ? and there-
npon they join their right hands, and make an ex-
change of their rcspsjctive rings. 'Ihen the pastor
says, "A. Jc ]5. being desirous to enter into the
holy state of matrimony, before ail this congrega-
tion here present, 1 do hereby declare them husfband
and wife, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy
Ghost, one God, Aim'u." After that he repeats,
without a book, several texts of scripture, tliat en-
force the duties of husbands and wives; and the
whole ceremony concludes with a prayer for their
prosperity in time, and their happiness in elernitv.
it is proper to observe, that the J^utherans never
marry any of their people on fast days, and few but
the lower sort of people go to the church to have
the ceremony performed ; for those in genteel life,
arc generrdly married at their own houses in the
evening; the ceremony however, is tlie same, con-
sisting of prayers and exhortations.
In some parts of Germany where the people are
married publicly, the streets are strewed with flow-
ers, and there is a great deal of other unnecessary
parade, not worthy of being mentioned. In the
morning of the w eddlng day, whicii is very frequent-
ly ou a Sundciv, the bridegroom goes out of his own
house to visit his mistres.i, but before he goes out,
the door and windows of his house are adorned with
flowers, to give intiinatioii to the people that he i.s
to be married.
At his first setting out a young girl throws some
of the flow I IS into his face, after which he gels
into a chaise, or carl, according as his circumstances
will permit, the horses being grandly adorned. —
\\ hen he meets his mistress at her own apartments,
he quits liis carria«;e, and both she ami he go in'ano-
ther to tlie church, the streets being strewed with
flowers; and as soon as they arrive at the church,
the nuptial knot is tied, by which they are bound
together for life.
We come at last to their funeral ceremonies, or
at least to that last stage which puts an end to hu-
man existence.
'I'he dying Lutheran has no extreme unction ad-
ministered to him, no outward ai)plication of relics-,
he receives no comfort or consolation from a cruci-
lix being put into his hand. He is buoyed up with
no ho])es from the virtues arising from a monk's ha-
bit, and he expects no happiness after death, in con-
sequence of a number of masses having been said
for him. His whole dependence is on the merits of
Christ Jesus, and he receives spiritual consolation
in consequence of the admonitions and exhortations
he receives from his pastor. But notwithstanding
they are very superstitious; nor is it an easy matter
to divest the mind of superstition, without running
it into deism. ^
On the day appointed for the interment of the
corpse, the relations and friends of the deceased
meet together at the house where he died, and the
minister of the congregation resorts thither at the
same time, attended by a train of young scholars,
who, no doubt, come to learn the nature of the ce-
remony; for mechanical religion is not easily attain-
ed to. These youtl^s sing two or three hymns before
the door where the deceased lays, after which they*
march in the front of the procession, having either
a cross or a large crncitix carried belbre them. An
inferior clerk, or some young scholar appointed for
that pur|)0se, marches close by the side of the
corpse with a small cross, which is afterwards fixed
in that part of tlie church, or church-yard where the
body was interred. The relations and friends of the
deceased follow the corpse, the men first, and the
women after them. Hnring tlie procession, their
bells are, for the most part, lolled out of respect
and complaisance to the deceased, and several
hymns sung as^hey march along. It is customary
likew ise to open the coflin at the grave,- and^take
farewelof the deceased, singhig at the same time,
several hvuiiis suitable to the occasion.
When they nail up the coffin for the last time,
the minisler reads a prayer, and pronounces a bene-
556
RITES AND CEREMONIES OE THE LUTHERANS.
diction or blessing. If a funeral sermon is to be
preached, then the corpse is carried into the church
and the discourse generally consists of a great deal
of flat'.ery, because the minister is paid for it. As
iu all other things, so in their funeral ceremonies,
the Lutherans difler much from each other; but
this indeed, is not much to be wondered at, when
we consider how much we differ in the small island
of Britain.
In some parts of this island, a woman must not
attend a funeral ; in many other parts, her presence
■s considered as necessary. What then shall we say
to those differences \ihich take place among the Lu-
therans ? The answer is plain and easy, they depend
upon locality and ancient custom, without any con- -
nection with religion.
It is necessary to observe in tliis place, that al-
though Lutheranism is professed in many countries
on the continent of Europe, yet sometimes it hap-
pens that the prince is of one persuasion and his
people of another. Thus, the elector of Saxony is
a papist, yet all his subjects are Lutherans. The
king of Prussia and his court are Calvinists, and
yet almost all his subjects are Lutherans. That
illustrious monarch has drawn up the following con-
fession of his faith, which will ever do him great
honour. It was written at a time when he was in
very precarious circumstances ; but the w hole may
serve to shew the <;learuess of his head, and the
goodness of his heart.
It was presented to the diet of the German em-
pire at Ratisbon, 1744, and the substance of it is
as follows : —
1. 1 do not believe in the ordinances of the pope,
nor even in the writings of Luther, Reza, or Cal-
vin ; but I believe in ihe adorable 'I'riiiity, and I
make his holy word the foundation of my faith, nor
shall I ever believe any thing that clashes with it,
even though an angel from heaven should reveal
it.
2. I believe also that. I shall be saved, together
-Avith all true (,'hristians, by the blood of Christ, his
suffering, and dying for ub.
3. As I profess there is no salvation in any other
name, I would not be stiled a Luth.eran, a Calvinist,
.nor a Papist — but a Christian.
4. With regard to eternal election or predestina-
tion, this is my private opinion, that the merciful
•God hath called all men to salvation; and it is not
for want of being called if they are not saved, but
through their o\mi wifkedncss and obstinacy in op-
posing divine grace, and by reason of their corrupt
liearls, and their sins, that they are condemned
tlirougb the just judgment of God.
b. As to good works, it is my opinion, that there
(jmiist necessarily be good works v^liere there is a true
faith ; for faith and good works can no more be
separated, than light from fire; nevertheless it is
an error to believe, that nuui can merit heaven by
good works, or liiat lie can be saved but by true
faith. Uov^ then can the merit of good works save
us.
6. With regard to baptism and the Lord's sup-
per, it is iny opinion, that 1 have been v\ ashed from
sin in baptism; not by the water, but by the blood
of my Lord and Saviour .Jesus Christ, and have
been by it received into the eternal covenant of
grace with God the Father, the Son, and the lioly
Ghost : sol am nourished in the holy supper at the
table of the grace of Jesus Christ; and, in virtue
of this sacrament, am rendered partaker of all the
benefits which iny Saviour hath purchased by his
wounds and death, and am become an inheritor of
life everlasting ; whence I believe, Ihat those who
believe in God, and seeketh ^iiis salvation in tire
blood of Jesus Christ, and leadeth a true Christian
life, may die the death of the righteous, and shall
be saved.
7. I leave to every one liberty of faitli and con-
science; protesting, before the face of God, that I
am determined to live and die in this plain confession
of faith: neverlheless, I leave to all good people
to judge, whether 1 am cold, hot, or luke-warm.—
I am far from believing, that the service of Catho-
lic priests promote the salvation of souls ; have
learned by the experience which I have had, that all
their actions are not to the honour of God, and the
salvation of men, but solely to their own lionour,
and to be respected ammig men.
8. It is with reason that I scruple to bp called a
papist, a Lutheran, or a Calvinist, because, accord-
ing to the custom and opinion of the world, it is not
sufficient to take the name of a Christian, but we
must be engaged to some particular church, and
make profession of its failh ; and as the pure re-
formed religion best agrees with my religion, I
think it not improper to call myself a reformed ;
although I see no cause to say, there is the least
difference between my confession of faith and the
pure Lutheran religion : I would not, hov\ever,
be called a Calvinist; but am, and .shall always be,
a refornu'd Christian : — that is to say, one that is
disengaged from all error in the doctrine of faith,
and who believes all that I have before mentioned ;
but a Calvinist is one who makes the doctruie of
Calvin the rule of faith.
9. As Calvin was a man he might be mistaken,
since no man is perfect : but I regard Calvin, Lu-
ther, and others, as chosen instruments of God,
drawn by virtue of the Holy Ghost from the dark-
ness of popery, and that they shewed the true way
to life; but as they were fallible, 1 do not call them
labbies. I profess not to believe any doctrine that
is not agreeable to the word of God, believing that
RTTES AND CEREMONIES OF THE LUTHERANS.
i5t
i* is my duty, as St. Paul advises, to try all things,
and hold fast that «liicli is good.
It has been commonly reported that the king of
Prussia was a deist; this has been believed by
many, and yet let us only consider these dift'erent
articles as lliey are here before us. Every Chiistiau
who is a Prolt slant, would subscribe to them if
presented to liirii. it will be asked, that as there
remains not the least doubt of their having been
dictated by this illustrious hero, from what motives
did they flow .' To tins we would answer, that in all
cases where there does not remain the shadow of a
doubt, we are to consider the conduct of our fellow
creatures in the fairest point of view.. We have no
evidence that the Prussian hero ever denied the
truth of divine levelation ; for as to the many scan-
dalous w ritings that have been imputed to him, there
is little doubt but that they were written by some
profane wits, who never either saw his majesty or
knew his sentiments.
The famous book, entitled Eikon Ba^i/icaii, ran
through eight editions of two thousand each, in the
compass of two years, merely because it was re-
puted and asserted to be the work of Charles I.
and yet we have undeniable proofs that it was not
vritten by that prince. Some years ago, a book-
seller, a man of ingenuity, drew up a small piece,
which lias had an amazing run, because it was whis-
pered that it had been written by a noble lord lately
deceased. Thus we may irequently find r"renchnien
of learning and ingenuity, writing and publishing
things under the names of princes, and ministers of
state, which although lively and entertaining, con-
tain but little of the truth.
It has been just the same with the king of Prussia.
\ oltaire, and D'Argens, brought a great number of
refugees to his court, and these men lieing of too
abandoned characters to expect encouragement from
a virtuous monarch, retired to Holland and pub-
lished some gay tritles under his name; or at least,
they insinuated that they had been written by him.
The states general ordered them to be burnt by the
common hangman; and surely, had the king been
author of them, he would not have suffered this act
of indignity to go unpunished ; for it is \\ell known
that he has, by being in possession of East Pries-
land, a power at any time, to invade their terri-
tories.
In this manner the f.rst characters may be tra-
duced, and men may be represented as the authors
of sentiments vhich 'liey hold in abhorrence, it is
acknowledged by all, that the Prussian monarch
wrote memoirs of the house of Brandenburgh ; and
Mliat man will sav that there is anv thiii2; derogatorv
to the truth and honour of the Christian religion f
He maintains a Lutheran minister in everv one of
his regiments, who is not suffered to remain at home
but must go to camp with the troops. This does
not look like a prince upon whom.jreligion sits so
very light, as has been represented by some person*
of the present age. '
15ut w ho were those persons who first represented
his Prussian majesty as a deist ? We answer, the
same profligates who published systems of debauch-
ery, and then gave it out that they were written by
him. Men who had enjoyed some favours from
him, but because they could not get into the pleni-
tude of power, to gratify their ambition and sup-
port their unbounded extravagancies, stabbed his
character in the most tender part, by foisting their
spurious predictions upon him.
\\ e have dwelt the longer on this circumstance,
for the honour of our own country, because, not-
withstanding we have many deists amongst us, yet
not one of them was ever guilty of such mean beg-
garly actions. 'I'hey were Frenchmen who wrote
the books alluded to, and as insincerity and false
politeness are the characteristics of that nation, they
are extremely welcome to all the honour that arises
from a conduct so mean and base. We do not de-
sire to import French vices, we may perhaps have
enough, and too many of our own ; but the dignity
of our country, the honour of our nature, the sin-
cerity of our dispositions, and above all, the regar4
we as well as our ancestors have for the truth, leads
us to treat with contempt, every thing inconsistent;
with the duty we owe to those, who, for their illus-
trious actions, will shine bright in the annals of
Europe. But to go on with our subject.
'Ihus we have given an account in the most im-
partial manner, of the first Protestant church in
Europe with respect to time, and shall conclude
with a few remarks.
First, although the Lutheran church has yet too
many popish ceremonies in it, yet, when we con-
sider every thing, it is surprising they have not
mnre. Luther had the power of the house of
Austria to oppose, as well as the cunning ami ma-
lice of the court of Rome. Most of the German
princes, who supported him, had nothing more in
view than to get themselves delivered from the gall-
ing yoke of popish slavery, and to keep that money
themselves, which had been annually sent to the
Roinish treasury. Such men as these did not seek
for simplicity in worship, rites and ceremonies were
more agreeable to tlieni, because thcv captivated the
senses. Nor was it less difficult to engage llic pre-
judices of the common people, who were grossly
ignorant, and long accustomed to popish ceremo-
nies. It was wise in Lutlier to begin with removing
a few of the nuisances, reserving the others for
some more favouraUe period, when the minds of
37
^58
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCTI OF ENGLAND.
the people would be belter prepared to comply with
innovations, and more ready to part with their fa-
vourite ceremoipes.
Secondly, although the Lutherans retain a great
many absurd ceremonies, yet in many things they
are better reformed than some other Protestant
churches. "^I'hiis they have no plurality of livings,
and the clergy are obliged to reside with their peo-
ple, so that they are all personally known to them.
T. hey are so zealous in the dis( harge of their duty,
that the people almost adore them. Wherever they
are met, either in the streets or in the fields, alF
liats are off to them; and from the regulaiity and"
simplicity of their lives, their ministry has a vast
effect on their morals. It is the pious lives of mi-
nisters that must make religious e.verciscs have a due
and proper effect.
Lastly, as to the time when this religion is to be
further reformed, it is not for us to enquire ; we arc
satisfied that the means of salvation are to be found
in it, and where these are properly improved, the
end must be left to divine wisdout.
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF
ENGLAND, &c.
JoLENRY VIII. ascended the throne of. England
1509, and married the widow of his brother Arthur,
a circumstance th;it produced the most serious ef-
fects. Henry had been taught the jargon of school
divinity, with a vicsv as is thought of making him
archbishop of Canterbury ; but his brother's death
changed that design. \Vhen Luther opposed the
pope, a book w as published in Henry's name against
the opinions of that illustrious reformer, and al-
though it was generally believed that Dr. Jno. Fisher,
bishop of Rochester was the author, yet the king,
in consequence thereof Iiad the title of defender of
the faith conferred on him.
It has been proved by loid Hebert, and several
other writers of credit, that Henry had resolved to
sue for divorce from Lis queen sometime before he
saw Anne Coieyn. He had a large ingredient of
superstition in his character, and he imputed the
death of his two sons to the divine vengeance for
having married his brother's widow,; and he was
extremely desirous of male issue, to prevent all
disputes about the succession. He was startled at a
doubt suggested of the legitimacy of the birth of
his daughter Mary ; and being a prince of violent
passions, longed to be united to a lady of more en-
dearing qualities than his present queen, who had
not many personal attractions. His scruples, which
are ascribed to the writings of Thomas Aquinas,
were encouraged by his favourite Wolsey, who
hated Catherine on account of her disapproving of
liis licentious manner of living, and was equally in-
censed ag:iinst lier nephew the emperor, for having
twice baffled him in the design he had formed of
obtaining the papal chair.
As the king jjassiouately desired to obtaiu Cathe-
rine's consent to a separation, he sent several bishops
to her, together with as many noblemen, to persuade
her to dro|) her appeal, but all in vain; and when
they endeavoured to persuade her to submit her
cause to the decision of four ecclesiastics, she said,
she would pray to God to send the king happiness,
that she was his lawful wife, and would abide by
her right, until the court of Rome should declare
the contrary.
By this time Henry, having thrown off all obedi-
ence to the pojie, and got himself declared head of
the church. 'J he bisiiops and dignified abbots had
■gi anted the king a large sum of money, which in-
duced them to attempt to make the inferior clergy
pay a part of it. Stokcsly, bisliopof J^ondon, sent
for some of the priests of that metropolis to meet
him in the chapter-house, to propose an assess-
ment, hoping, if he could obtaiu the consent of a
few at first, the rest would follow their example. —
But all the London priests being apprized of this
intention, went thither in a tumultuous manner, ac-
companied by a great number of their people, who
all declared they would ^lot pay any thing. They
had already burst open the door, and a sharp con-
flict ensued between them and the bishop's servants;
but his lordship dismissed the rioters with his bles-
sing, assuring them, that they should never be called
in question for disturbance.
But notwithstanding this promise, he complained
to the chanchellor, by whose order, fifteen priests
and five laymen were committed to prison. The
kitig alarmed at this tumult, resolved to convince his
people, that though he had shaken off the papal
yoke, his intentions were not to violate the rights of
the established chuith, and therefore ordered the
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
5.59
laws against heretics to be rigorously executed, an
order wliich was intended wiih tlie death of two
priests and a lawyer, vho were all three burnt in
Stnithti>>ld.
The lawyer was James Bain'iam, a gentleman of
the middle t;-mple, who liaving on a former occa-
sion been taken up, was put in prison in Sir Tho-
mas More's house, and whipped at a trie in his
garden, called, "the tree of truth." This was done
because he would not discover where he had con-
cealed his books, nor accuse his fellow students in
the temple. He was sent to the tower, and there
so racked llwt he bec.ime lame. He aljjured and
had his lil;erty, but was so disconsolate, that he
professed his repentance in a congregation, held in
a private house in Bow-lane. On the succeeding
Sunday, he went to St. Austin's church with the
New 'lestament in En,;lish iu his hand, and the
obedience of a Christian man in his bosom. Here
lie was taken up, and after tlnee hearings condemned
and exetuli'd. Sucii e;.3cutions were common
enough 111 this reign, and yet even at that time Henry
■was supporting the Lutherans iu Germany against
the pope and emperor, — a conduct becoming a pro-
found politician.
In January lo.'l.'j, Henry assembled the parlia-
ment to consider the internal state of the kingdom,
when the commons, having been previously in-
structed by the court, presented an addrcs, beseech-
ing his majesty to consent to the reformation of
sundry abuses which had crept into the immunities
enjoyed by the clersy. The king answered, that
before he could assent to a proposal of such im-
portance, he would hear what the clergy had to say
in their own defence. This step was taken to shew
them, that as they were odious to the parliament,
how much they stood in need of his royal proteo-
tion.
This year the king was privately married to Anne
Boleyn, whom he had created marchioness of Pem-
broke, and the English nation were much pleased
with tiie match, because the queen favoured the
iieformalion. But the great object the king had in
View, was to procure the divorce with Catharine;
for whatever steps had been hitherto taken for that
purpose, the affair lay undecided. Dr. -Cranmer
was a person iu whom the king had great confidence,
and being in (jermanv, when Wareham, archbishop
of Canterbury died, he was sent for to discharge the
duties of that important ofKce.
April the olh, the convocation met, and declared
the pope had no right to grant dispensations con-
trary to law, and therefore the marriage with Ca-
tharine was void. Accordingly Cranmer repaired to
Dunstable, where Catharine had been summoned
to make her appearance near Haugiiton-Park, the ■
place of her residence; she rejected the citation,
/
upon which Cranmer pronounced sentence declar-
ing her marriage null, as being contrary to the la\Y
of (Jod, anil by another sentence lie confirjned the
king's marriage with Anne Boleyn, who was crown-
ed on tiie tirst of June, to the no small joy of the
people.
'I'his part of Henry's conduct so incensed the
pope against him and Cranmer, that ho threatened,
if ail these proceedings were not immediately an-
nulled, he would proceed to the sentence of excom-
munication. At this time the duke of Orleans,
next heir to the crown of France, was to be mar-
ried to the princess Mary of Medieis, aiul the cere-'
mony was to be graced with the pope's presence,
who was to meet the parties at Marseilles. Francis
I. king of France, wrote to Henry, desiring him
to send an ambassador, to treat with the pope, and
although Henry saw that he had proceeded too far
to retreat, yet he sent the duke of Norfolk as am-
bassador, to accompany Francis, to meet the pon-
tiff at Marseilles.
Along with the duke went Stephen Gardener,
bishop of Winchester, Sir John Wiiilop, and Sir
Francis Bryan, accompanied by Edmund Bonner, ;i
clergyman of yeat impudence and resolution. Af-
ter the ceremonies of the nuptials were over, Fran-
cis desired the pope to satisfy t!ie king of England,
but his holiness, in order to save the honour of the
holy see, insisted on judging the cause in a consis-
tory of cardinals. Bonner, who was ignorant of
this resolution, demanded an audience of the pon-
tiff, and tnid him that Henry had appealed to a fu-
ture general council, for any papal sentence that
either was or should be given against him. The
pope said he would take the advice of the cardinals,
and in a few days after told him, that the appeal
could not be received. But Bonner, without being
intimidated by this answer, proceeded to ratify
archbisliop Cranmer's appeal from the reversion of
the sentence he had pronounced. The pope was so
exasperated at Bonner's presumption, tiiat he threat-
ened to have him thrown into a (chaldron of melted
lead. Francis was equally offended at Bonner's in-
solence and indiscietion and he promised to assist
the pope in taking vengeance on him for such an
outrage ; but nevertheless he suffered him to make
his escape. This was the same Bonner who be-
came such a cruel persecutor in the reign of queen
Mary.
January 1,5, l.3.'J4, the parliament inet, and re-
pealed the statute against heretics passed in the reign
of Henry IV. The king and parliament did not,
however, intend to exempt those accused of heresy
from the flames; for by the new law the delin-
quents were still liable to suffer the same punish-
ment as before. But in order to hinder the clergy
from being sole judges ill such cases, it was enacted
«60
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
f that heiel'tcs should be tried according to the laws
of the kingdom, without any regard to the canon
law, by another act it was decreed, that no syiiod,
or couvocation of the clergy, should be held with-
out the royal licence, tliat the king should appoint
thirty-two persons from the parliament and clergy
to examine the canons and constitutions of the
church ; that those who were necessary should be
retained, and all the rest abolished.
This parliament confirmed the statute of ainiales,
prohibiting the po])e from receiving for the future
any money out of England ; they also enacted, that
• for the future, tlie pope should have no share in the
election or confirmation of bishops : but that in cases
of vacancy, the king should send his licence to the
dean and chapter, to elect a new bishop ; and if the
election should not be made in twelve days after
the date of the licence, then the power of electing
should devolve on the king. In the external govern-
ment of the church, these things had some appear-
. ance of a progress towards a reformation ; but
although the king had abolished the papal power,
yet he did not intend to part with the ceremonies.
In the mean time, the pope was not without his
. emissaries in England, anany of wh^n did all they
, could to raise tumults throughout the nation.
Elizabeth Barton, commonly known by the. name
of the Maid of Kent, had been taught by doctor
Bocking, a canon of Christ-church, in Canterbury,
and Richard Master, the priest of the parish of Ad-
dington, where she resided. This «onian was sub-
ject to fits, and often uttered very incoherent ex-
pressions, which the two impostors resolved to im-
prove on. They told her she was inspired by the
Holy Ghost, and taught her what to say when she
fell down in pretended, instead of real fits. Vast
crowds of people followed her, and to them she
told that the king would be destroyed by some
signal judgment, for having renounced the pope's
authority. Some men of learning and eminence
were so weak as to follow this impostor, -who had
been trained into these practices by artful designing
priests. Bishops, abbots, and monks, held private
meetings with her, pretending to believe all her
blasphemies, and llie affair at last became very
serious.
One Petp, preaching before the king at Green-
wich, told him he had been deceived by many lying
prophets ; but a true Micaiah warned him, that the
dogs should lick his blood as they haii licked the
blood of Ahab. Heiny bore this insult with great
temper; but, to undeceive the people, appointed
Dr. CorreUv to preach before him on 'the next Sun-
day, when that priest ji^stificd the king's proceedings,
a?id branded. l^eto with '.he epitiiets of dog, rebel,
slanderer, and traitor. He was interrupted by one
Xlston, a friar, who called him a lying prophet,
who established the succession of the crown upoid
adultery, and spoke with such virulence, tliat the
king was obliged to interpose, and command him to
be silent. At last these impostors became so inso-
lent, that the king ordered the maid, with her accom-
plices, to be brought before the star-chamber. — -
There they confessed the whole mystery of iniquity,
and soon after were brought to a scaffold in St. Paula
church-yard, at which place the articles of their
confession were read in their hearing. They were
sent to the Tower, and as soon as the parliament
met, they were all attainted of high treason. On
April 20, following. Barton, with five priests her
accomplices, were executed at Tyburn, and there
she confessed that she had been deceived by those
artful impostors.
As soon as the parliament was prorogued, com-
missions were sent all over the kingdom to tender
the oaths of allegiance and supremacy. These oaths
were taken by the majority of the clergy, and Fisher,
bishop of Rochester, and Sir Thomas More, abso-
lutely refused them; for which they were both cora-
n)itted to the Tower, and afterwards executed for
high treason. I\Iore, though a man of wit and learn-
ing, yet^vas a violent persecutor ; for while he was
chancellor, a great many persons, both clergy and
laity, had suffered for the gospel.
As the monks had insulted the king with personal
abuse, and seduced his subjects from their allegiance,
so he was determined to proceed against them with
rigour. For this purpose a commission was ap-
pointed to visit all the monasteries, and Cromwell
was made visitor general, who a[)pointed substitutes
to act in his stead. There they discovered such
scenes of vice, debauchery, and impudence, as were
disgraceful to religion and shocking to human nature.
The visitors, ^\ho were no friends to the monastic
life, did not fail to exaggerate many things, by repre-
senting the monks as all ef|uaily vicicws, whereas
some of them were very inoffensive jjersons. They
told them, that in order to avoid punishment, tliey
must give up their houses to the king, who- would
make a suitable provision for them during life. —
Many of them complied with this, but refused to
take the oath of supremacy.
Soon after this the parliament met, and passed an
act, dissolving all convents whose revenues did not
exceed tWo hundred pounds a year. This was a
fatal blow for popery, for there were many of these
in the kingdom. By tliis statute, three hundred and
seventy-six religious houses were dissolved, and the
sum of thirty-two thousand pounds a year was added
to the royal revenues, besides a capital of above one
hundred thousand pounds in the plate, ornaments
and effects of the convents and churches. A motion
was made in the convocation, during this parliament,
to have the bible translated into Ei-.ulish in a more
viSiik-.
RTTtS AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
:,(yi
^correct nmniu-r than Tiiidal's, but this was violently
Disposed bv tlie l*a[)ists. However, a petition was
<irawn lip to the king, and he gave orders for that
purpose; it'was printed at Paris about three vears
afterwards, but who the translators were is not cer-
^•liiily known. It is taken I'roni the vulgate Latin,
«s appears from the !;rand copy still |)resprvc(l in
the king's library in the British iSLiseuni, where all
the capitals are embellished.
In the begiiniing of tt-.is year the nnfortntulc
queen Catharine died in the c^stk of Kiml)olton, in
Huntingdonshire, and was burred in the abbey, now
the cathedral of i^eterborongh. She sunk into a
decluie after the king had willulrawn his aflCclians
from her, but she would never resign her title of
queen, though frequently in)portnned to it by Hen-
ry. \\ hen she found her end drawing near, she dic-
tated a most affectionate and passionate letter to the
.king; she did not upbraid him with the treatment
she had met with, but prayed fur him, begging that
God Mould bless him. She recommended her
daughter Mary to his tender care, and likewise her
servants, all ^ which Henry complied with. For
whatever scruples he misht have had concerning the
vjdidity of his marriage, yet he never accused that
princess of any thing indecent or unbecoming her
character. She was (^crtainly, in many respects a
devout princess, according to the notion§ of those
times, but she was bigotted and fretful, which, in
some measure, alienated the king's aftections from
her. Henry seemed to be affected with her death,
but his queen (Anne Boleyn) was so indecent in her
behaviour as to speak of it with marks of greatest
pleasure in company.
His majesty was now beginning to be cloyed with
tiie pos):ession of Anne IJoleyn, the charms of lady
Jane Seymour having captivated his unsettled mind.
Anne was no stranger to this, and therefore in order
to provoke his jealousy, she practised some very in-
discreet levities, which were construed into crimes.
She vras committed to the tower as having been
guilty of adultery with two of the gentlemen of
the privy chamber, Weston and Brerton, and like-
wise with one Smeton, a musician. The evidence
against her did hardly amount to a presumption, but
she was found guilty of high treason, in having vio-
lated the king's bed, and received sentence to be
burnt alive, which was afterwards changed into be-
teading. Sh.e was executed within the walls of the
tow< r, and her body thrown into an empty chest
where it lay several days.
Thus fell Anne Bole}n, whofe fate h;is been
matter of much dispute. She is said to have been
a lady of unafTected piety, and was certainly of a
very charitable disposition, and an encourager of
genius and learned men. She was naturully vf.la-
lile, and in soaic cases, indiscreet. 15) her educa-
37 7
tion in France, she had contracted a kind of viva-
city, that did not suit the manners of the llnglisli
court, and much less the impetuosity ot' the king's
temper, to which she undoubtedly fell a sacrifice.
j\il those accused of having been cunctrned with her
were executed at the same time. Her brother and
two more were beheaded, but Smeton was hanged.
Nothing so much justilied Anne Boleyn as tire con-
duct of the king, who, on tlie very day after her
execution, married the lady Jane Seymour. So lit-
tle regard did he pay to common decorum, or tiie
opinion of his subjects, over whom he had estu-
blisliL'd and exercised the most arbitrary sway.
But that the king might convince his subjects,
that he had no intention to part with the po[)ish ic-
ligio)!, though he had abolislied the papal power, he
issued strict ordi rs, that several things should be at-
tended to in public worship as they had been in for-
mer times. '^I'hat the mass was to be still said m
latin ; image worship was to be retained, prayers fur
the dead were to be oljserved ; the seven sacraments
were to i)e solemnized in the same manner as be-
fore ; prayers to saints were to be strictly observed ;
the doctrine of purgatory and works of superoga-
tion were stij^ retained, and indeed, every thing
elfe in the Romish church, except obedience to the
pope.
All those who either opposed, wrote, or spoke
against these articles, were to suffer deaih as here-
tics, and the statute was executed with the greatest
severity throughout the kingdom. Many, both
clergy and laity, were burned alive at the stake, or
racked on gibbets.
The people of England who had long groaned
under the power of the clergy and papal extortions,
were well pleased with the abolishing of the pope's
supremacy; but they were not so well satisfied with
the suppression of religious houses, thinking it un-
just, that they should be all destroyed f(>r the vices
of a few, anti that what the piety of their ancestors
had dedicated to God, should be consigned to pro-
fane uses. The gentry used to ])rovidG for their
children and decayed friends in those houses, and
to be entertained themselves at the tables of the
abbots. Travellers were lodged there, and the
poor relieved by the alms daily distributed at mo-
nasteries.
The "act of Parliament which suppressed them,
enjoined that the farmers should keep up the same
ho'.pitality as before, and the king sold the lands to
the nobles, at an easi/sr rate for lliat purpose. But
this hospitality was neglected, and in a short time it
was taken no notice of. Books had been w ritteii
to expose the characters of the monks, but this did
not hinder their being punished, when shoals of
them wandering from place to place, in a distressed
and bogging condition, told their own tale, and com--
c
>62
KITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
plained of the cruelty, and impiety of their treat-
ment. To prevent their being restored the new pro-
prietors thought proper to destroy their nests : —
churches and convents were pulled down; the bells
lead, and other materials were sold, and this havock,
being visible in all parts of the coiiiitry, shocked
abundance of persons, besides the simple and de-
vout v\ho lamented, that their relations were likely
to remain the longer in purgatory, through the want
of masses being said for their deliverance. To abate
something of the general clamour, the king restored
fifteen convents of men, and sixteen nunneries, who
had been the least exceptionable in their conduct,
which subsisted till the general dissolution of abbeys,
but this dill not prevent insurrections.
The first that broke out was in Lincolnshire,
where one Dr. Mackrel, Prior at Borliiigs in tbat
county, called himself Cattain Cobi.ek, gathered
twenty thousand men together, s\vearing them to
be true to God and the king, and drew up their
grievances in a few articles, which were transmitted
to court. These articles acknowledged the king's
supremacy, desiring he would take the advice of his
nobility and redress their grievances. Adding, that
they w ere afraid more of their religious houses
would be suppressed, their churches pulled down,
and their plate sold.
Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk, was sent
against them with a declaration from the king, tell-
ing them he would grant none of their requests,
and at the same time commanding them to deliver
lip their leaders. The answer enraging them, they
seemed disposed for a march to London, but some
gentlemen of the county whom they had forced to
join them, moderated their resentment, and sent the
duke word, that nothing would contribute more ef-
fectually to disperse them, than a general pardon.
A new proclamation, was accordingly published,
requiring them to return home, if they expected
mercy ; for whilst they continued in arms, no par-
don would be granted. This induced most of -them
to return home.'' but captain Cobler, with the rest
of the ring-leaders, was taken and executed.
What disposed the king to give these insurgents
hopes of mercy was the advice of a much greater
body of rebels beivg got together to the number of
forty-lhousaiid men in Yorkshire. This rising was
upon the same principle, and for the same reason as
the others ; but it was the more formidable, in con-
sequence of being in the neighbourhood of Scot-
land.
One Robert Askew, a private gentleman, but of
a turbulent disposition, put himself at the head of
the rebels, whose march was called, "The Pilgri-
mage of Grace." Some priests marched before
them, with crosses in their hands, and on their ban-
ners th^y had a cruciii.x with five wounds and a
chalice, and every one wore on his sleeve as a badge
of the parly, an emblem of the five wounds of
Christ, with the name of Jesus wrought in the mid-
dle.
As is generally the case with rebels, they pre-
tended that they were come to drive evil counsellors
away from the king, or in other words, they were
to dictate to him in what manner he was to govern
the nation.
Lee, archbishop of York, and Thomas lord Dar-
ry, surrendered Pontefract castle to the rebels, wlso
soon afterwa! ds seized on the city of Yirk, and the
town of Hull : but Scarborough and Skipton held
out against all their efforts.
However, the example of the archbishop and lord
Darcy encoutagtd the inhabitauis of JJurham, Rich-
mond, Lancashire, and VVesUnoreland to join the
rebels. Geo. I'albot, earl of Shrewsbury, marched
against them wilh so much zeal and diligence, that
he did not wait for the king's orders, not doubting
but his service would merit a pardon for this pre-
sumption. The king made him commander in chief
of all his forces in the north, and proposed joining
him in person, but was diverted from it by Shrews-
bury and Norfolk, whom he had sent to the army.
These noblemen sent notice to the king, that it
would be dangerous to bring the rebels to a general
engagement ; but the best way would be to gain
them by amusing treaties, their numbers being so
very great that they could not keep long together for
want of provisions.
The earl sent a herald to them with a proclama-
tion, requiring them to lay down their arms and
submit to the king's mercy ; but Askew, who as-
sumed all the dignity of a prince rather than a ge-
neral, would not suffer the proclamation to be read
when he heard what were the contents. The king's
troops did not exceed tive thousand men, and with
these the noblemcii took post at Doncaster, where
thev fortiiied the bridge, and lined the river, to hin-
der the rebels from marching southward. Askew,
with an army at least six times as numerous, had re-
solved to force a passage; but heavy rain falling on
the two days hejiad appointed for that purpose, the
fords became impassable, and Norfolk ma'de use of
that opportunity to engage him in a treaty. This
afforded an opportunity for some agents he had em-
ployed among the rebels to insinuate, that their leaders
were making terms for themselves, and would leave
the rest to be hanged or ruined. The poorer sort
whom Askew would not suffer to plunder the coun-
try for subsistence, were already reduced to great
necessities, and hearkening the more readily to these
suggestions, disbanded in great numbers, and re-
uuiied home to their families. Norfolk seeing the suc-
ce.ss of his measures, proposed their sending depu-
ties to court with their demands, offering at the
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CMURCII OF ENGLAND.
563
same time, to accompany them, in order to inter-
cede ill tlieir belialC. 'I'liis he knew would take up
some tiuie, and most ot" them would disperse Ijeliire
his reluiii. Sir Robert Lierkiii, and Robert
15owes, two gentlemen wlioliad been taken at Hull,
and I'oiccd to {jo along with the rebels, were sent to
Windsor; but they did not receive the king's answer
till most of the insuruents had disbanded. At last
the king pardoned the whole rebel army, except six,
who were not nienlioned. As the rebels hud no
hopes of seeing their grievances redressed, and as
every one imagined that he might possibly be one of
the six excepted, so tliey rejected the terms with
disdain.
It was therefore found necessary to enter into a
new treaty, and three hundred of the rebels were
sent for to Doncaster to treat w ilh tlie ki.ig's com-
missioners. The demands niaio by these men,
were the most exorbitant that could have been
thouglit of. They were, that he should lestore all
the religious houses, their former revenues, ac-
knowledge the pope's supremacy, and in a word,
disannul all the acts that had been made against
even the grossest abuses in popery. They added
further, that the king must remove all his ministers,
and chuse in their room such as would be favourable
to the Roman Catholic religion. However, the
king beir.g advised thereto by the duke of Norfolk,
and the earl of Shrewsbury, told them in general
terms, that he would call a parliament to consider
their requests, and in the mean time to make them
easy, he granted a general pardon, upon which they
all dispersed. From what has been said concerning
these two rebellions in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire,
we tind that the opposition made to the Reforniation
arose, not so much tVom motives of what is com-
monly called superstition, but rather from temporal
interest.
The poor had long enjoyed many temporal pri-
vileges, in consequence of the existence of religious
houses, and the farmers seldom paid any money,
the abbots being contented with a share of what the
earth, the flocks, and ihe rivers produced. But
now these lands were seized on by the rapacious
nobilitv, who obtained grants of tfiem from the
crown ; and as by the statute of alienations, they
had a right to dispose of these, so they fell into differ-
ent hands ; and it frequently happened, that every
new landlord raised the rents, vxhich tenants were
oblii'ed to pay in money. There is, therefore, no
wonder that a change so sudden and so unexpected
should carry on discontents and raise tumults
among the people, and we have been the more ex-
plicit coneeriinig these things, because, without a
proper knowledge of them no man can understand
the history of the Reformation in England. Rut to
letuiii to the subject.
\\'liether the people were not satisfied that the
pardon would be inviolably adhered to, or whether
the clergy were dibsalislied at not obtaining all their
deniands, a fresh rebellion broke out in the north,
though not so dangerous as the former, 'i'wo gen-
tlemen of Cumberland, Nicholas Musgrave and
'I'homas I'ilby, raised an army of eighteen thousand
men, with which they attacked Carlisle ; but being
repulsed by the eilizens, wire in their return routed
by the duke of Norfolk, who put all the orticers to
death by martial law, with about seventy private
persons, so that of all their leaders, only Musgravi:
made his escape. Sir Francis Biggot, and one Hel-
ium, attempting to surprise Hull, were taken and
executed. The pretence of this second rising in
the north was, the king had promised to call a par-
liament to meet at \'ork, to settle all the disputes,
but he not having complied, they once more took
the field. The reason assigned by the king was,
that they had broke through the faith of treaties, and
consequently they were not to be trusted, so that he
would not call a parliament to redress their griev-
ances, till such time as they would be quiet.
'I'he duke of Norfolk, displaying the loval stand-
ard, executed martial law wherever he saw it re-
quisite; Askew was put to deatii at Hull, and some
abbots and priors were executed at York. Lord
Darcy was beheaded on Tower-hill, and lord Hussey
at Lincoln. The former, on his trial, accused the
duke of Norfolk of having encouraged the rebels to
persist in their deniands ; but this nobleman's great
services set him above all suspicion. The duke de-
nied the charge, and offered to clear himself by
single combat; but the king declared himself satis-
lied with his conduct. The executions were not all
over till June, and in July the king published a
general jrardon for all the rebels in the north, which
was received with great joy, and putting an end to
the people's fears, re-established the peace of the
country.
October 12, this year, was born Edward VI. to
the inexpressible joy of the whole nation, and much
more so to the king himself, who ardently wished to
have an heir male of his own body. The prince
was the son of his beloved queen, lady Jane Sey-
mour, who died within twelve days after she was
delivered. Some of our ignorant historians have
been bold enough to assert, that Henry gave orders
to the midwife who delivered his qneen, to dispatch
her. But that this is a falsehood, will appear to
any person who looks info the loyal letters in tiie
British ^Museum, where there is one written by this
queen herself, a few days before she died, declaring
that the king had always treated her with tender-
ness.
In 1538, the king, finding that such of the abbeys
as were still left were nurseries of rebellion, and
w
<564
RITES AND Ceremonies of the church of England.
plots against !iis crown and dignity were daily hatch-
ing in them, set on foot a second visitation, and the
commissioners were to make a minute inquiry into
every parliciilar relating to their estates, their ditties,
their manner of livin'j-, and their vices. They were
to inquire what number of images they had, by what
names liiey were called > How many pilgrims fre-
quented their shrines annually, and what money they
paid .' They were further to make a faithful report
■of all the miracles said to have been wrought at the
■shrines of these images, and they were to be laid
before the king in his council, that he might take a
-proper account of them, so that the subjects should
not Ije imposed on, as they had been in times past.
This producetl a detection of an almaat infinite
number of impurities, besidesholy cheats and pre-
. tended relics, made use of to encourage superstition,
rather than devotion, in the people, and to draw
them to pilgrimages, where they might be fleeced of
.their money. The horrid crimes of Sodom and
•Gomorrah are said to have been committed at Battle-
■Abbey, Christ's-church in Canterbury, and in several
other convents. The visitors found innumerable
-instances of whoredom, adultery, and unnatural
crimes, which ought not to be mentioned; and it
'Was discovered, that the monks had taught the nuns
how to procure abortions. In all this there seems
to have been nothing exaggerated, for the confining
such vast numbers of persons by the most solemn
oaths to a state of celibacy, must have naturally led
to the commission of unnatural crimes ; for God
having appointed the regular manner in whiclrhunKin
passions are to be gratified, those who lay nnneces-
sary restraints upon iliem, set aside tlie order of the
divine Being, and open a large field for the com-
ciission of the most unnatural crimes.
With respect to monkish idolatry and deceit, Read-
ing seems to have bet n the repository of the nation.
There was found the figure of an angel with one
M'ing, which the monks affirmed to have brought
over from Palestine, the- spear that pierced our Sa-
viour's side, together v.ith such a number of pre-
tended relics, as took four sheets of paper to contain
; their names. At Sti Edmimdsbury, some coals were
shewed, said to be the remains of those with which
St. Lawrence: was roasted; the paruigs of St. Ed-
; mund's toe nails ; the penknife and boots of St.
Thomas-a- I^ckit ; a piece of the real cross on
' which Christ sutVered, and a vast quantity of other
leiics. .indeed, it would take up a whole volun)e to
describe the whole, for they were endless; they were
sent dp to London, and such as were of no manner
of use, were carried' to Smithfield, where they were
made a bonfire of; and one Fount, a friar, was
burnt along with them for denying the king's supre-
macy. There was something extremely natural in
sti.ding their friar into another world along with his
gods; for as he pretended that they bad often ele-
vated his affections while he prayed before their
shrines, so the last kind offices they could do him
was, to send him from the fiery furnace into eternitv.
One would naturally conclude, that the monks,
after the detection of such impostures carried on by
them, would have subnritted to any thing rather
than a public trial, and to surrender their houses to
avoid the indignation of the king and Cromwell's
anger, who, as visitor general, was no fricid to them ;
nay, indeed, some of their vices had been of such a
glaring nature, that as no excuses coufd -be pleaded
to extenuate them, so many ef theui sigaed con-
fessions which were sent up to the king.
There were among the abbots and priors of the
mitred convents; some who h-adbeen preferred shice
the breach with the court of Rome; and ihese rea-
dily agreed to -resign, either from hopes of being
advanced to bishoprics, or because they w ished for a
reformation. The pensions granted to some odiers
induced them likewise -to resign; but that which
occasioned the destruction of most of the aljbeys
was, the conduct of their superiors ; who, e.tpecting
a change of religion, and the ruin of their societies,
had taken "fines, and granted leases of lands for twice
ninety-nine years, at little or no rent; alienated a
great part of the estates of their convents, and had
been guilty of all kinds of depredations for which
they stood responsible. The abbot of Glastonbury
broke open a house where the plate belonging to his
convent was lodged, and sent it to the rebels, for
which he was hanged and quartered ; the judges
having construed this part of his conduct into an
act of high treason. The abbots of Heading and
Colchester shared the same fate; and, indeed, there
were so many inferior monks aiid friars hanged, that
there is no wonder the papists should point out
Henry as a bloody tyrant; for as no papist will ever
shew mercy to a Protestant, so, to use the words of
Mr. Sterne, " every person who is possessed of false
religion, hates those who possess the true."
One would have thought that this severity of the
king towards the monks, would have induced him
to embrace some things proposed by the reformers ;
but quite the reverse took place, for he was deter-
mined to persecute all those v\ho acknowledged the
papal supremacy, and all those whb disputed the
validity of the popish ceremonies. Of this we have
a striking instance in the case of Lambert, who had
been formerly minister in the English factory at
Antwerp in Flanders, but was dismissed on account
of his denying some of the popish tenets. Return-
ing to London he kept a school some years, "and one
Sunday going to hear Dr. Taylor preach concerning
the real presence in the sacrament, he sent him a
letter containing his reasons for differing from his
sentiments. This letter was shewn to Craamcr, who
RITES AI«iD CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
565
was still of his old opinion concerning transubstan-
tiatioi), and he sent for I^anibert to converse with
him. Ciaiinier s;iid all he toiild to dissuade the man
fioni his o|)inions, but this was in vain, for Lambert,
in order to display iiis loo;ical powers, appealed to
the king. This was like Gill Bias's going out of the
frying-pan into the lire.
Lambert's appeal gave great pleasure to the king,
because it gave him an opportunity of displaying his
knowledge in theology ; for such was the temper of
this prince, that if he iiad thought there was a more
learned man in his kingdom than himself, he would
have ordered him to be hanged up in terrorem. —
\\ hat a happy thing to have such a learned king !
For this poor insignificant purpose, the nobility,
great officers of state, and the judges, were assem-
bled in Wesliuinsler-hall, where the king himself sat
as president. There the culprit was brought, and
the trial was opened by a speech delivered by Dr.
Day, who declared to the assembly that the end of
their meeting was to hear the king convict the pri-
soner of heresy.
Here was judgment before evidence, and sentence
before conviction, so that we may say in the words
of a noble lord, " In vain are judges learned, in
vain do they study to be upright, if the channels
through which justice should How are to be stopped."
This mock trial, wliicli lasted seven hours, ended
just as niigiit have been expected ; for poor Lambert
was brow-beaten, and told that if he would not
recant his ei'rors, he would be burnt. Lambert re-
fused to comply, and the cnusequcnce was, that he
was burnt in Smithtield with circumstances of the
most horrid cruelty. His last words were, " None
but Christ, none but Ciirist."
Soon after this, in consefjuence of the dissolution
of the monasteries, the king received an annual re-
venue of near two hundred thousand pounds, besides
an immense quantity of plate ; for that of St. J£d-
mundsbury alone amounted to live thousand marks
of gold and silver. All this, however, did not make
him ricii ; for his own prodigality, joined to the
rapacious desires of his courtiers, induced him to
SQuaiider awav these revenues which might have been
useful m promoling the education of youth, and
supporting the aged and irdirm.
It was much about this time, that Cranmer pro-
cured an order from the king U, have a proclamation
published, granting every person who chose it, to
have a bible in his own house. The year before
this, English bi!)les liad been fixed in the most con-
spicuous places in tiie churches for the people to
read in ; but now they were penuitted to have them
in their families. Hitherto we have been able to
trace out some of the steps by which the Roforni-
ation was brought about in England; for Htury,
though a Jiierciiess arbiliary tyrant, yet as au ijibtru-
•JO i
ment in the hand of divine Providence, brought
about (hat Reformation which he never intended to
complete. His worst of passions promoted the
glorious design, and God, the universal Lord of na-
ture, providence, and grace, made him an eminent
instrument in his hands, to open the way for the
establishment of that religion which now takes
place in this nation; and thus we may learn, that
while men are gratifying their own sensual desires,
God is making them [lerform his woiks. We must
not pass over this part of the reign of that illustrious
tyrant Henry V'HI. without taking notice of the fate
of Cromwell, earl of Essex, especially as most of
our writers have represented that nobleman a friend
to the Protestant religion.
We are told, that he was the son of a blacksmith
at Putney, but this certainly is as great a falsehood,
as that of cardinal \V olsey's being the son of a but-
cher at Ipswich. Cromwell was a man of learning,
and as such he made the tour of Europe, after
which he was taken into the family of cardinal
VVolsey, who rcconmiended him to the king. Hi§
advancement to grandeur was rapid, and it is certain
that he rcrse to be Henry's prime minister of state.
Like other courtiers, he was compliant with court
measures, and justice or injustice were all one to
him, so as he pleased his sovereign. Having acquir-
ed a superficial knowledge of religion, and seeing
the wicked lives of its profe'ssors, he considered the
whole as a cheat, and consequently trampled upon
every moral obligation in compliance w ith the will
of his sovereign. He was neither a Papist nor a
Protestant, but he was willing to be either, just as
circumstances happened. He pronounced sentence
of death upon poor Lambert the school-master, and
it was common to see him conduct. papists to the
flames for denying the king's L-upreinacy.
He thought no crime too great so as he could
please- his royal master, and although he was inde-
fatigable in business, yet his ambition seems to have
been unbounded. It is generally supposed that he
fell under the royal displeasure in bringing about the
'match between the king and Aune of Cleves : but
be that as it will, thus much is certain, that when
he was arrested, he shewed such pusillanimity of
temper as was by no means consistent with the cha-
racter of a minister of state. It was proposed at
first to try him at common law, but his enemies be-
lieving they would not by that method have it in
their power to convict him, had recourse to a much
shorter expedient, and that was to bring in a bill of
attainder." This easily passed through both houses,
and Cromwell was in consequence lliereot ordered
for execution, which was iutlicted with some cir-
cumstances of barbarity.
The seizing the lands belonging to the great ab-
bess, and the disputes among the courtiers coucern-
D
566
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGCAND.
ing the partition of tliejn, every one pretending to a
share, occasioned insurrections almost every where,
particularly in -the north, where superstition seems
to have taken deepest root. Many of the nobility
entered into conspiracies, and some of them having
corresponded with cardinal Pole, whom the king
had proscribed, were executed. Pole was grandson
to the duke of Clarence, and second cousin to the
king, and allhough a priest, the pope had promised
to seculaiize him, if the people would place him on
the throne. 'Ihis almost deluged the nation witlu
blood, and executions were so frequent, that the
people seemed to pay little regard to them.
There was one grand object Henry had in view
at that time, namely, to prevail on his nephew, James
V. king of Scotland, to join with him in shaking off
the papal yoke. For this purpose he sent Sir lialpli
Sadler to Edinburgh, with instructions to press
James to dismiss cardinal Beaton from his councils,
and to seize on the abbey lands. The Scottish
clergy prevailed on James to reject the proposals
hiade by his uncle, but at the same time promised
to meet Henry at York. This alarmed the Scottish
clergy so much, that they raised a considerable sum
ot money and presented it to James, who was a
very extravagant prince, and then he broke his pro-
mise of meeting his uncle at York.
•Henry, enraged at being trifled with in this man-
ner by James, rcturned'to London filled with deep
resentment, but he met with another misfortune upon
his return, which had almost discomposed his rational
faculties. We have already observed, that Anne
Boleyn was put to death on some slight suspicions,
but now the king had a consort who had been guilty
of repeated acts of lewdness, all which she confessed.
'J his was Catharine Howard, niece to the duke of
Norfolk, who was executed within the walls of the
Tower. She was not tried at common law, but
attainted along with that abandoned woman, the
countess of Kochford, who had given evidence
against Anne Boleyn. Henry having raised an
army, sent it to chastise the Scots, and both meeting
at Solway, a few miles beyond Carlisle, the latter
were defeated, and the flower of their nobility taken
prisoneis by the English. This had such an effect
on James, that he died in a state of madness, leav-
ing behind him an infant daughter named Mary.
Henry ordered the Scottish prisoners to be treated
V'ith every mark of respect, and having nothing so
much at heart as uniting the two kingdoms, lie pro-
posed a match between his son Edward and the
young queen of Scotland. This was much relished
by the prisoners,' and the king generously suftered
them to return to their country loaded with presents,
that they might communicate the proposal to their
next parliament.
Cardinal David Beaton had forged a will in the
name of the late king James V. appointing himseff
regent of Scotland, so that every alliance with
England was found to be impracticable while that
prelate was at the head of affairs? but of this more
afterwards.
Soon after this, Henry resolved to marry a sixth
vife, but as not one of all the maiden ladies in the
kingdom would trust their lives to his suspicions, so
he gave his hand to lady Latimer, commonly called
Catharine Parr, daughter of Sir Thomas Parr,
whose name she had assumed on the death of her
husband.
This lady was an intimate friend of Cranmer's,
and under these two worthy persons the Reformation
went on gradually, notwitlistanding the violence of
the king's passions. Henry, though a sworn enemy
to the papal power, yet was no less so to all those
who opposed the Romisli ceremonies. Nothino-
was more common than to see a bigotted Papist,
for denying the king's supremacy, and a Protestant,
forrefusing to comply with the ceremonies, chained
to the stake together and burnt ; and notwithstand-
ing the minds of the people began to be wonderfully
enlightened. By reading the bible, they found that
there was avast difference between what was written
Ml the New Testament and popery. Primers and
catechisms were distributed by Craniner among the
lower orders of the people, and the Reformation
might have been completed had the king given his
consent to it.
In this state was religion in England, when Henry
VIII. died, on Friday January 28, 1548, according
to the present style. A little before he expired, he
sent for his dear friend Cranmer, who had retired
to Croydon, that he might have no share in the
attainder of the duke of Norfolk, who was his
mortal enemy.
The character of Henry VIII. has been variously
represented, just as the wantonness of men's pas-
sions led them to misrepresent the truth. In vain
among contending parties do we look for the picture
of the man.
Till he advanced in years, and became rather cor-
pulent, he was extremely handsome, tall and well
shaped, with a graceful countenance, set off by
means of the dress used in that age.
■ Having in his youth learned all the jargon of the
schools, so as to be able to dispute with his clergy,
he became vain to excest, and embraced every oppor-
tunity of shewing his parts. His long q^tachment
to Wolsey, is a proof that he was not always fickle
in his disposition ; and his proposal of marrying his
son to the queen of Scotland, will serve to shew,
that lie was not ignorant of the interests of the peo-
ple. The provocations he received from the po^ie
and his adherents were great, but he took an ample
revenge. His seizing on the revenues of the con-
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
567
vents, enabled him to reward his fnvmirites, and
S\:pi>ort his extravagances. It was generally under-
stood that he spent all the money belonoing to the
convents. The reverse is the truth : he founded
and endowed that noble structure Trinity College,
in Cambridge, with many other structures tor the
education ot youth.
The most striking part of his character is, that
of living eigliteen years with Catharine, who bore
him stveral children, and then parting witii hor. —
This was certainly from notions of superstition in-
stead of those coninionlv assigned.
Whatever hand divine Providence took in punish-
ing this king, it is not for us to determine; hut
thus much is certain, that after his divorce he was
never happy with any other queen, at least not
long. Anne Boleyn, lor irritating his jealousy by
the levity of her conilnet, was beheaded. Jane Sey-
mour died twelve days after the birth of her first
child. Anne of Cleves was divorced the day after
the king married her. Catharine Howard was a
common prostitute, for which she suffered death. —
And Catharine Parr had nearly lost her life, for
disputing with the king about religion. Upon the
whole, Henry was one of those men whose cha-
racter seem to be marked with great vices, while, at
the same time, they have many shining qualities. —
He was a happv instrument, in the hand of Pro-'
vidence, of laying the foundation of the Protestant
religion, although he never desired to see it accom-
plished. He died in the tirm belief of a future state
of rewards and punishments, and with seeming con-
trition for his past life.
He was succeeded by his son Edward, a pious
youth, then in the tenth year of his age. The first
thing relating to religion after the accession of tlris
prince, was a general visitation of the churches,
and the Reformation was begun in real earnest. All
shrines and images that had been left standing were
taken down, the lessons and epistles were read in
English, and every thing was conducted with regu-
larity.
The grand design that Cranmer had. in view was
to abolish the whole of the Popish rites and cere-
monies ; and in this he was greatly assisted by the
duke of Somerset, uncle to the young king. Never
did Ret'ormalion proceed more gently and gradually
than in this reign ; the conduct of Somerset, the
protector, and of archbishop Cranmer, ought to be
imitated by all those who wish to conduct things
with moderation, and prevent any sort of violence
from taking place. The reading the lessons, epis-
tles, and gospels in English, was of the utmost ser-
vice to the people, by enlightening their minds in the
knowledge of the truth, and exposing Popish er-
rors. But our celebrated reformers did not stop
here.
The next thing, was to have the whole service of
the church read in I'jiglish; and for that purpose a
commission was granted to several learned men to
revise the popish liturgy, and make another more
agreeable to the genius of the gospel.
The next thing the reformers proceeded to esta-
blish was that a register should be kept in every
parish, of births, marriages, and funerals ; and no
priest was to preach any where, but in his own pa-
rish, without a special licence. In churches where
they had not a large JInglish Bible, one was to be
puicliased in the space of three months; and before
the expiration of one year, Erasmus's paraphrase of
the four gospels, and the acts of the apostles lately
translated into English, were to be placed in every
church for people to read in. I'lvery clergyman lui-
der the degree of bachelor in divinity, was obliged
to procure a copy of the same paraphrase for his own
use, and the bishops were lx> enquire from time to
time, w hat proficiency the clergy had made in the
study of the sacred scriptures.
As the priests knew little of preaching and much
less of the nature of theology, so it was found ne-
cessary to publish a book of homilies or sermons, to
be read every Sunday and holy day in the churches.
This was the more necessary, because the people
were running into mad extremes ; some considered
the priests as being in possession of a secret, by
which they could bestow salvation on whom they
pleased; whereas, on the other hand, some imagined,
that in consequence of the death of Christ they
were to be saved, let them live in whatever manner
they would. To rectify these abuses, it was incul-
cated in the homilies, that salvation could only be
obtained through the imputation of Christ's merits-
but then, that no sinner was to expect justification
before God, unless he lived in such a manner as be-
came the rules laid down in the gospel. Many
books were wiittcn at this lime against image wor-
ship, and archbishop Cranmer published a catechism
containing the genuine principles of the Christian
faith and duty. f
I'he next thing taken into consideration w'as, the
admitting the laity to the cup in the eucharist. —
This had been long denied them, but now an ordi-
nance was published, wherein every priesl was or-
dered to give the sacrament in both kinds to the
communicants, and a new communion service was
framed. The celibacy of the clergy came next
under review, and it was declared, that as not only
n^any of the primitive fathers were married men,
but that even some of the apostles had wives, so it
was both unjust and unlawful to exclude the clergy
from that privilege. It was therefore granted to
every clergyman, and many of them availed them-
selves w ith an act so consistent with common jus-
tice, and natural reason.
568
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
But while tliose who wished well to the interests
of religion, were carrying on the work of reforma-
tion, some of the nobility and gentry, who had ob-
tained grants of the crown lands, exercised great
cruelties over their tenants. The rents were raised
above double their ancient value; instead of corn,
money was to be paid, and tlie people were really
distressed. England, at that time, exhibited a
shocking picture to every generous mind. Farmers
who had lived in affluence, had tlieir rents doubled
four times ; the iron hand of oppression was heavy
upon them, and whatever their affections might
have been to the Protestant religion, yet the love of
ease and the enjoyment of afBuence, naturally led
them to wish for the return of those happy days
they had enjoyed under popery.
These murmurings became at last of a very seri-
ous nature ; for there were insurrections in almost
. every part of the country, particularly in Yorkshire,
where they had been before raised, and even as far
as Cornwall. All these insurgents demanded, that
the old religion should be restored ; , but to have
complied with the demands of mobs, would have
been a strong instance of the weakness of goveni-
inent, and a proof lliat they were ready at all times,
Vi'hen it suited their own conveniences, to give up
those rigiits and privileges which had been bestowed
ou them by their sovereign.
The Cornish men rose in a vast body, and were
so audacious as to attack the city of Exeter. Lord
Russell was sent against them, and arrived just time
enough to relieve the city. The chief part of the
rebels were sent to London and executed : many of
the lower sort were put to death by martial law, and
the vicar of St. Thomas was hanged up ou the top
of tlie steeple of his own church, dressed in his
canonical habits, with his beads hanging round his
girdle.
Much about the same time, a formidable insur-
rection broke out, in Norfolk, headed by one Ro-
bert Ket, a tanner, but extremely rich, for he was,
lord of three manors. The pretence made use of
by this rebel was, th.nt the people had been oppressed
by the inclosing of commons : and therefore he and
his company went about tlie country destroying all
those inclosures , which had been set up to exclude
the tenants from common right. They took pos-
session of the city of Norwich; but Dudley, earl i
of Warwick, having been sent against them,, he
stormed the place. One . hundred and thirty were
killed, and sixty being taken were immediately
hanged. The rebels, enraged to see so many of
their friends hanged up, became in a manner despe-
rate, and attacked the tarl, but the royalists killed
two thousand of them, and put the rest to llight. —
Ket and his brother were t'^ken the next day hid in
a barn, the former of .whom was hanged over the.
walls of Norwich castle, and the latter on the top
of VVymundham steeple. Nine others suffered in
the same manner, being all hanged up on a tree,
which the rebels called the Oak of Reformation.
Some of the vagabond priests of the county of
Norfolk had forged a story, containing what thty
called a prophecy, in the following words : —
The country kuffs, hob, duck and liick,
With clubs and clouted shoon;
Shall till up Dafferdale with blood
Of slaughtered bodies soon.
The countenance given to these insurgents by
the popish party, induced government to have a
watchful eye upon such persons as were suspected.
For this reason, Bonner, bishop of London, was
taken into custody', and -coinmitted to the Marshal-
sea, where he remained several terms, for such was
his disposition, that when he was brought before
the council, he revuled-thera with the most oppro-
brious language.
During this reign, several foreigners, men of re-
putation and learning, arrived in England. They
had been invited over by archbishop Craumer, who
was respected and beloved by all llie Protestants in
Europe. Amongst these was Peter Martyr, a per-
son well skilled in the knowledge of the lathers, of
a sweet natural temper, a healing disposition, and
one who desired, as far as lay in his power, to re-
store every thing relating to the church to its original
state of genuine purity. He was accompanied by
several others, the most celebrated of whom was
Martin Bancer, a man of learning, but rather of
austere manners. These gentlemen proposed a vi-
sitation of the universities, for .some of the colleges
had been so much injured, that there was not a
sutKciency left to support them. These foreign rs
were undoubtedly men of undei standing in their own
country, but it was rather an impiudenl step to
bring them over to England, at a titne when the peo-
ple's minds were unsettled as to religious principles.
'I'his will appear the more consistent with truth,
\vhen we consider in what manner they conducted
themselves.
Having adopted the notions embraced by Luther
concerning the real presence in the sacrament, they
were continually disputing in favour of it, ai:d this
created them a great mwiiy enemies in England. — ■
I'he English in their ovi n country were convinced of
the falsity of that doctrine, and as the great Cran-
mer had published his catechism, concerning the
devotion of the sacrament, much regard was paid-
to it, and some of the foreigners were treated ^ith
great contempt.
As we are jtt^ating of those steps \^hith lead to
the Reformatitrn of the church of England, so we
niTES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CIIURCII OF ENGLAND.
acg
are oblig^fJ at tlie same time, to take notice of ever}'
obstacle lliat hiippcntd in its [inigress, not only from
.those who wcie iJiofesscd papists, but alst) such as
assuiiu'd the uaiDC of Protestants. This w ill appear
the more necessary, when it is considoreil, that some
of the sects which sprung up at that time, have
since obtained a name in several European nations,
and will make a most dislintjuisliing iigure in the
latter part of this work. Indeed, iu treating of
thtse HKitiers we are obliged to trace things from
the orisjinal fountain, for without that, no proper
knowledge can be attained.
. Much about tlie same time that the foreign
learned gentlemen above mentioned anived in Eng-
land, .some gentlemen, or rather enthusiaslics, came
over to this coimtry, who, instead of shewing a
grateful sense of tlii' favours they had been treated
with, found fault with all the ordinances of the
rbtirch of ICnglaiid; and they condejnned the llefor-
niatitiU as not purged from the errors of popery. —
In the infancy of a Keformation, nothing could
have a more fatal tendency, or more likely to pre-
vent its succeeding than such a nonconformity and
division amongst its professors, for at this time
great divisions happened among the reformed in
"Germany.
The chief of these foreigners was John Law, a
Polish baron, who came over with several of his
couutrynjen, and a great number of German refu-
gees, to whom he acted as a pastor. He had been
some time settleil at Embdeii, in East Eriesland ;
but the fears of persecution had driven him from
thence, and then he took shelter in England. He
ap])lied hinisrlf in behalf of his people, to the duke I
ol Somerset, who then acted as protector to the i
young king. Accordingly, a charter was granted
them to settle in Austin I'riars, within the city of I
London. x\ charter was likewise rrranted under the
great seal constituting these foreigners a body poli- '
tic, under the direction of John Law, their super-
mtendant, and four other ministers, with a power to
incjcase their number and chuse their successors, if
the king approved of it. At the same time several
other foreigners settled in i;ngland, but they had
all such wild romantic notions concerning religion,
that they attempted as far as lay iu their power, to
bring every thing into a state of confusion.
At the same time a vast nnnilier of Anal)a])tists
took shelter iu England, who hud been driven out
of Germany by the violence of persecution. These
people, however innocent their sentiments might
have been with respect to religious principles, and
how ever inoffensive they w ere to the powers in being, j
yet such was the intolerent principles of the times, •
that they were considered as o!)jects of punishment. ]
A commission was granted to prosecute the.se peo- j
pie, whom the law at that time called heretirs; and i
38 7
many of them being seized recanted their errors,
except Jane Boucher, and George Van Parin, bolk
of wiiom were natives of Holland, and these were
burnt alive at a stake.
The litingy of the church of England having
been established in parliament, it was considered as
necessary, that a conlession of faith, or articles of
religion should be drawn up. This was consistent
with the practice of the reformed chnrches in gene-
ral; for as the papists had reproached them with
holiiing ojiinions contrary to the Christian system,
so it was necessary that they should u.se these me-
thods, in order to prove their innocence to the
world. During the whole of this period, refomia-
tion went on in such a rapid manner, that nothing
but iiibnite wisdom, for wise pur|)oses could have
stopped il ; but wherever God acts, let men be
siknt.
It was at this time that the famous, or rather in-
famous council of Trent lirst met, and notw ithstand-
ing all their zeal, yet they could not obliterate the
light of truth, nor overpower the religion of Pro-
testants. The priests in that council liad no inten-
tion to give ajiy countenance to the Protestant re-
ligion ; they were persons interested in the fate
of popery; and they knew that they must stand or
fall by it. For this reason, instead of .abolishing
any of tlie ancient rites and ceremonies, they not
only imposed new ones, but even obliged the peo-
ple to subscribe to new articles, which were nierft
matter of speculation betore. The acts of the
council of Trent ruined the popish interest, while
if properly regulated, they might have established it
on the most pernianient foundation.
The grand object before this general council was
the settlement of some disturbances that had takes
place in the Christian world. The provocation on
the part of the court of Home had been so great,
that it could not be vailed over; and the concessions
made by the Protestants were treated with contempt.
H.nd the bishops, or other deputies in this council,
considered the duty they owed to the churcli, they
would have abridged the papal power, ordered the
mass to have been said in English, granted the cler-
gv liberty to marry, and church communion in i>otli
kinds. To this it may be added, that had they
granted a privilege to their peo|>le to enter into a
free entiiiiry into matters of taith and dutv, they
might iiave established their credit, and the Koman
Catholic religion, under a few modifications, might
have now been the estal)lished religion of lliese
countries w hich we n'osv inhabit.
In 1 j.5.'), king E.dui'.rd, the greatest prodigy that
perhaps ever lived, considtriiig his tender age, found
himself in a decline, and although several of the
facidty told him that he might survive tlie malig-
nancy of his disorder, yet he set Lis mind upon
676
RITES i\x\D CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
heaven, uithoiit iieglertiug tlie oblig;itions lie was
under to his people. That which struck deepest into
bis iniiid, was the legaid he had for the Protestant
rehgion. It Mas in his power to alter the will of
liis father; and therefore upon mature consideration
he thought that as his sister Mary was a bigotted
papist, and so far as he knew, the education of
Elizabeth had been little attended to, he made a will
in favour of lad)' Jane Gray, grand-daughter of
Mary queen of France, youngest sister of Henry
VHl. This was one of the most striking instances
of bad policy that ever could have taken place. —
Lady Jane Gray had been but lately married to lord
Dudley, and she did not court any such dignity.
The tlecorated crowns and regal dignities were be-
neath her notice. Her mind was enlarged with hu-
man know ledge, she was endowed with the most
unaffected j'iely, her heart was a stranger to conten-
tions, but an ambitious father-in-law prevailed upon
her to assume the regal dignity, which brought her
and her husband to the block. Tlie pojiish party
were still strong in England, the leaven of old pre-
judices was not totally worn out, different passions
Jed to different ends, and the bigotted Mary was
seated on the throne of England. Had this princess
!)cen endowed with the least spirit of common hu-
manity, she would have looked on the lady Jane
Gray as an object of compassion ; but consistent
with the temper of that family from which her mo-
ther descended, being a most merciless tyrant, she
.suffered her and her husband to be both put to
death under some degrees of torture that are a dis-
grace to human nature. The cause of Edward's
death was a decline, which was improperly treated
by some persons who were ignorant of the nature of
liis disorder. He was certamly a very pious prince,
and from the latter part of his conduct it seems that
a year before his death, he had given over ail hopes
of life. He was an enemy to persecution on account
of religion, and in learning, he exceeded many
who were double his age. He seemed to have no
pleasure in any thing besides that of doing good.
Men of great learning came from all parts of Eu-
rope to visit this more tlian illustrious prince, and
Cardan, a learned physician, in returning from
Scotland, where he had lieen to cure Hamilton,
archbishop of St. Andrews, of ihe venereal disease
waited upon I'.dward, and found iiim so amazingly
learned in the languages, that he declared he hail
never met \\i:h such another Ixfore. Ujion the
whole, lie was one of those illustrious characters
t!iat is but too seldom found on the throne, and at his
death he left the church of England almost as nuich
reformed as it is at i>rescnt. When his denth Mas
made known, and particularly during his funeral,
there was an universal dejection displaying itself, as
it were over the whole kingdom, and the people
seemed to have been v,el] persuaded what part IMary
would act.
No sooner had Mary got possession of the throne
than she resolved to re-establish the old religion,
for mass was said in her own chapel. Being of a
revengeful disposition, she sought every opportunity
of sacrificing those to her malice who had given the
least encouragement to the Reformation. She
had taken the oath of supremacy in her father's
life-time, but her priests easily gianted her absolu-
tion.
Having called a parliament, she found the mem-
bers so obsequious to her will, that popery was easily
established. Orders were sent to all the counties,
and indeed to every civil ofiicer in the kingdom, to
take into custody all those who did not go to mass,
so that in a short time all tiie prisons were full. — -
The horrid cruelties indicted on these })oor sufferers
are well known to all those who have lead the his-
tory of England ; but if the reign of this princess
was violent, God so ordered that it was short. It
was the last struggle the Protestant church of Eng?
land had with popery, so far as to resist unto death.
It was like that darkness which generally takes place
before the day breaks, to make way for the rising
sun. Stakes were erected and faggots lighted in
most towns ni England ; people were not tried in
the civil courts, but before the bishop's chancellor,
and he having declared them heretics, sent a certifi-
cate thereof into chancery, upon which a writ was
made out, directed to the sheriff" commanding that
they should be burned alive. 'J'his princess conti-
nued her cruelty to the last, and died forsaken by
Philip of Spain her husband, despised by herneigh-
bours, and abhoired by her subjects.
The accession of Elizabeth to (he throne of Eng-
land, on the death of her sister Mary, is the grand
epocha of the Reformation of l^lngland. This prin-
cess had l)een brought up with great care under
Aschani, whose works are now well known. She
was not only acquainted wi(Ji the French and Ita-
lian, but even with the Latin and Greek. The so-
litary manner in which she lived during the reign
of her sister, gave her an opportunity of improving
her mind, and the continual fear she laboined under
of being put to death as an heretic, led her to con-
der those points upon which salvation depends. —
She was at her accession to the throne, twenty-five
years of age, but had nothing in her countenance
that was engaging. A fatal, blow was given to the
pajjal power by her father, when he took oft' the
j)ope's supremacy ; the minds of the people were
beginning to be gradually, and, ;>s it were, imper-
ce|)tibly enliglileiied, and her brother I'ldward had
almost established the Protestant religion. The
grand work however, was left for her, and slie pro-
ceeded upon such principles of moderation as will
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CFKTRCII OF ENGLAND.
Ml
ever do iifinour to lur memory. Havins; assembleH
l.ur council topiflluT, she |no|>osciI cnllnig a new
pai'liaiuciit, ill which Sir Nichola!; li.icoii, as lord
ketpcr, sat j>residciit. In this pailiaincnt it v\as
agreed upon, though not without nuuh opposition
from the popish parly, that a convocation sliould bo
assembled, to consider the articles of rcliwioii, and
the state of tlie lituriy tliat ha.J been set forth in riic
reign of Edward \ 1. The clergy were commanded
not to preach on dis])uted points, till such time as
the opinion of the convocation should be taken, and
the consequence was, that a committee of clergy-
men were appointed so revise the liturgy, and make
vhat alterations they thotight proper, leaving the
whole to the inspection of parliament. The next
thing was to call home all the l^iotestant ministers
Mho had taken refuge abroad during the reign of
queen Mary, and some of these being men of learn-
ing, they were advanced to the highest places under
government, liut this leads us to take notice of
the state of religion at that time in England.
Learning was beginning to rear her head, but she
had many di.fticulties to struggle with. Inveterate
prejudices were not easily eradicated, and religion,
the grand ornament of human life, was so little
attended to, that they did not care nuich what they
embraced. Those who had been long accustomed
to idolatry, were loath to refrain from image worship,
and others, who thought reformation necessary, had
but very confused notions concerning- it. Thus it
was no easy matter to st«er between the two ex-
tremes. lUit the intrepidity of the queen surmounted
all difficulties, and rose superior to opposition. A
svstem of articles were drawn up. thirty-nine in
number, which in many things dilYered materially
from those drawn up in the reign of Edward A'l.
These we shall consider in the order they lie before
us, because we shall attend to what was originally
intended in our account of Protestant churches,
namely— to give an account of the faith, worship,
discipline and government, of every Protestant com-
nninitv established by law in Europe
There has been much objection maile concerning
the validilv of the articles of the church of England,
but it is our business to consider them with moder-
ation ; we are not to enter into disputes, but we will
freely acknowledge our own sentiments, even con-
cerning the most disputed points ; and when we do
so, we hope it will not lie considered as arrogant.
In every thing of tliat nature it is becoming the dig-
iiifv of the historian to spewk wilhrtiit- partiality or
prejudice, and to acquire honour without seeming
to look for it. We shall, tiiertfore, proceed to ex-
amine these articles one l)y one, and make sucli
reflecliions on them, as appear consistent with Com-
mon sense, and with the Christian religion.
The first article in ihechuich of England iSj that
which should constitute the foundation of all reli-
gion whatever; namely, the being of a God, and the
eyisience of the (■\er blessed Trinity.
The second article relates to the divinity, as well
as the human nature of Christ, aiid this is upon tlie
most orthodox principles,
'I'lie third article relates to Christ's descent into
hell, ami tlie modesty which the authors have ex-
pressed cannot be too nliich commended. In the
reign of Edward VI. the article was very different
troni what it is at present, and savoured strong of
popish superstition; but here the word hell is sim-
ply mentioned, without diiining vhat is meant by
it, leaving every one at liberty to judge for ''imself.
Hell no where means a state of punishment in the
writings of the ancient fathers, but merely the state
of departed souls ; and so it is in Luke xvi. where
we find both Lazarus and the rich man ; nay, Abra-
ham himself was in liell. That is, they were con-
fined in that place where all the sonis, both of the
righteous and the w icked, were to remain till the
resurrection : but not in the same condition, bccaOse
the wicked are in continual terror, and the righteous
in joyful cheerful hope. But as different notions
have been formed concerning our Saviour's descent
into hell by the reformers abroad, so our worthy
divines, who compiled the articles, made the words
general, without imposing such a fixed sense upon
them, as should set aside the right of private judg-
ment.
The fourth article contains a declaration, tliat
Christ rose from the dead, with tiie same body tliat
was crucified on mount Calvary, and buried by Jo-
seph of Arimathea. This is a grand article in the
Christian religion ; for had Christ not risen with the
same body with which he suffered, then his follo^^ers
could have no hopes of ever rising from the grave.
As his descent into hell was to make them look with
pleasure on the state of the dead, so his resurrection
was to remove all fears from their hearts ; for be-
cause Christ lives, so we shall live also. Nay, we
may add further, that if we only in this life have
hopes, we are of all men most miserable. For what
is life? \Vhat are all tlie enjouncnts of this world,
which are of siuh a transitory iHiisliing nature, were
we not to have a firm persuasion that we are to exist
hereafter .''
The fifth article' asse'rts tire divinity of the Holy
Ghost, whicli is another fuiidanieiilal article of the
Christian religion ; for it is by tiie spirit of God we
are sealed to the day of redemption, that is, till the
resurrection day, when the work of our salvation
will be completed;
The si.xtli article is another of great imjiortance,
for it asserts, that in all things the sacred scriptures
are sufHcient to make men wise unto salvation. It
is certain, however, that to assert that we take the
*?4
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
scripture for the rule of our faith, is a very ambi-
g.ous expression ; for it may be construed into any
sense whatever. In this article the books of the
Apocrapha, that are not to be found in the Hebrew,
and were never acknowledged as canonical by the
Jews, are totally excluded. They were, however,
, permitted to be read in the churches, for the example
of life and instruction of manners, but this has been
complained of by some other J'rotestant churches,
because, in .some of these books, there are several
stories of too loose a nature to be read to Christian
congregatioiis. As it. is our intention to adhere to
.the- strictest impartiality, in giving an account of our
Protestant brethren, so we shall take notice of such
of the articles as exceptions have been made to, by
whom made, and for what reason, leaving the reader
to judge for himself.
The seventh article is a noble description of the
true sen^e in \\hich the Old Testament should be
; read ; for it distinguishes between the ceremonial
and moral law, pointing out what is binding on
.Christians, and what has been abolished by the sacri-
fice of our Redeemer.
The eighth article asserts the validity of the three
creeds, 'ihis is one of those articles which has been
much objected to by the people called Arians. It
is certain, that the creed called the Apostles, may
be subscribed by any Arian in the world ; for although
it asserts the divinity of the three persons in the ever
blessed Trinity, yet it says nothing either concerning
their unity or equality.
The Nlcene creed was written against,tlie Arians ;
for it asserts, in the most positive terms, the unity
.and equality of the three persons in the ever blessed
Trinity. The ttiird, commonly called the Creed of
St. Athanasjns, carries things nmch furllier tlian the
Nicene, for it pronounces damnatory clauses against
all those who do not believe in the doctrine of the
'J'rinity.
It is certain, that in the primitive church, every
congregation had its own creed, but they never dif-
fered in any of those points that relate to the essen-
tials of religion. They were the same in substance,
but not in words. So.me great men in the church of
.England have complained of the Athana'iian Creed,
, particularly archbishop Tillotson, who, in a letter
to bishop Burnet, says, " I wish we could get well
rid of it."
The ninth article asserts the doctrine of original
sin, that is, that all uiaii kind are conceived and born
in sin, so that no man can be accepted by his maker,
without the interposition of a mediator. The doc-
trine of original sin was never denied In ti>€ church,
tin the time of Pelagius, who was learnedly con-
futed by St. Austin.
All the Protestant refonneis acknowledged this
ilLH.trine till 1(J03, when Arnainius, a Dutch divine,
wrote against it, and was followed by several of hit
countrymen, which occasioned the calling the synod
of Dort.
The tenth article asserts, that man cannot, by the
freedom of his own will, nor by any powers he can
exercise, obtain the divine favour; which article
seems to have been uniformly believed by the primi-
tive church. It is consequent to, and naturally fol-
lows, original siji; for if men come into the world
in a stale of corrupiion, coiiseque-iuly it must re-
quire almighty power and sovereign grace to renew
them in the image of God, lost by theirtirst^paients'
transgression.
The eleventli article asserts, that-ineri are justified
and made acceptable to God, through the impu-
tation of Christ's righteousness. This -article natu-
rally follows the otlvers that went before, for if we
have no power to turn to God of ourselves, then
there must be another person to save us from divine
wrath; ami certainly he who becomes our surety,
transmits to us liis merits, or his lighteousuess.
•The twelfth ailicle establishes the doctrine of
good works; as -flowing from faith in Jesus Christ.
This article is expre.ssed with all the caution imagin-
able; for certainly all good works flowing from a
lively fuith in Jesus Christ, are evidences of our be-
ing his disciples. It is very observable, that the
sincere Christian, who performs llie greatest number
of good works, pays the least regard to them, nor
does he put any confidence in them.
The thirteenth article asserts, that nothing can be
acceptable to God, which does not flow from faith
in Jesus Christ. This sentiment was, in general,
believed by the primitive fathers ; for we find only
three of them of a diiferent opinion, namely, Chry-
sostom, Justin Martyr, and Gregory Nazianzen. —
The grand dlfticulty is to settle the dispute, whether
the heathens, who lived virtuously, could be saved,
although they had never been favoured with the liglit
of the gospel .' This question has been nobly an-
swered by bishop \'\ ilkins, in the last chaptei- -of his
book on natural religion. He says, " That the
mercy of God, as well as all his other attributes,
is a great depth; and as he has not .told us what he
will do with th<? heathens, so it is vtry improper
that we should tell him what he ought to do." This
we know, that none ever was, iiorever will be saved,
but through the merits of Jesus (Christ, who was the
lamb slain from the fouiKlation of the world ; but
in what manner God may comnuHilcate that blessing,
is what we ha.ve no manner of business to pry into.
Let us re^t satisfied, that the judge of all the earth
will do what is right.
The fourteenth article overthrows the po|)lsh nO'-
tion of men being able to do more good works thau
they are commanded to perform in the gospel. 'Dils
notion, which is what a sober heathen would have
PxITF-S AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
573
been ashamed of, was not heard of in the Christian
church till many yeai.s after the time of Coiistan-
tine the Great, nov have we any account of it till
after the tenth century. All Protestants of what-
ever denomination, whether established by law or
otherwise, are of the same opinion with regard to
this article, as the church of England.
The tifteenih article asserts one o,f the grand fun-
damental doctrines of Christianity; namely, that
Christ was in all things like unto us, sin only ex-
cepted ; and so far as we know, this doctrine never
was denied, either by the Roman Catholics, or Pro-
testants, nor by any who ever assumed tlie name of
Christians, except some of the ancient heretics. —
And here it is necessary to observe, that the first
reformers considered the justification of sinners
through the imputation of Christ's cighteousness,
as a necessary consequence of his having taken our
nature upon him. Nor does it appear from the
Nvhole scripture account, that it could be otherwise;
but had Christ descended among us in his glory we
could not liave received any benefit: from him,
but it was the will of the Eord our God to make
the captain of our salvation perfect through sufter-
ings.
The sixteenth article relates to sin after baptism
and militates against the popish notion of venial and
mortal sins. It is well known, that every offence
against the law of God is a sin ; but the papists, in
order to make a proper distinction for the sake of
aggrandizing their clergy have told us, that those
venial or rather trifling sins, may be a-toned for by
penance; whereas grosser crimes, which they call
mortal sins, can never be forgiven. H^e is a dis;
tinction without a given rule, and a conclusion
<lravvn before the points were stated. In order to
oppose this popish notion, the church of England
is plain and explicit; for as all sins are offensive to
God, so the blood of Christ is sufficient to cleanse
the most impure sinner from all wickedness, and to
render him acceptable to the Divine Being.
The seventeenth article relating solely to predes-
tination ; and it must be acknowledged,- that it is
. here defined in a more modest and scriptural sense,
than in any of the systems drawn up by the other
reformers m Europe. It is certain, that some of
the reformers abroad, when treating of this article
made use of verv unguarded expressions, which
■\vhich led some of those, who were otherwise pi-
ously disposed, to despair, while the profane plung-
ed themselves into deism. But here the cluiri.h of
England takes the middle line between the two ex-
tremes. She acknowledges the doctrine to be a
scriptural one, but conscious of the weakness and
depravity of human nature cautions her members to
be. upon tlieir guard against enquiring too minutely
ILtO il.
%jo —
The eighteenth article contains an enlarged scli-
timent indeed; for it declares tliat no man can be
saved in consequence of his belonging to a particu-
lar sect or party, but that salvation alone is through
the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ. This
article was extremely necessary to be carefully
inserted, because, that when the Reformation took
place, many of the people were so ignorant, that
they thought they might be saved by the merits of
the saints. Here the church of England, to her
everlasting honour, has given the glory of men's
salvation to that Redeemer who purchased peace and
pardon for them with his blood. If Christ did not
come into the world to save sinners, why did he die
on Mount Calvary? If Christ Jesus is not the
Redeemer of lost mankind, and the sole hope the
sinner can repose any confidence in, then there i:t
an end of our religion and our preaching is vaia
indeed.
The nineteenth article asserts, that the church of
Christ consists of a body of persons, who willingly
consent to be obedient to every rule laid down in
the gospel. This was the more necessary, because
the papists had asserted, that the whole of those
who in words professed the Christian religion, wer«
members of the church. This article further asserts
that no church is, or can be infallible; and it gives
us three instances, besides that of Rome. It is cer-
tain, that Christ will have a boily of people in the
world, who will worship him in all ages till his se-
cond coming: and it may be added further, that the
gates of hell shall never prevail against this church;
but then it must be remembered that there is* no
promise that this church shall be local. God has
his churches frequently where men do not discera
them.
The twentieth article asserts the power of the
cliurch in decreeing rights and ceremonies, and al-
though this article is expressed in the most cautious
tfirms, yet it has been the occasion of much con-
troversy. The dissenters were exempted from sub-
scribing to this article, and yet we cannot see with
what propriety. Had the declaration here made
been that the church's power was absolute, then we
should have been in the same condition as the pa-
pists. But it is quite otherwise, for the church is
not to declare any tlUng to be binding on the peo-
ple that is contrary to the scriptures. Indeed, there
does not seem to be any ambiguity in the words of
the article, for all the popish errors are carefully
guarded against.
The twenty-first article relates to general coun-
cils, which were originally called by the Roman
emperors; but least too much confidence should be
placed in their decrees, the church of England has
declared, that they have no such things as infallibi-
lity in them. Composed of fallible men, tbey are
?4
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
liable to err, and tlierefore all tlieir decrees must
be tried by the test of sacred writ. It is certain,
that general councils have erred, or at le;ist, this
much is certain, that they have not all been infalli-
ble; so far from it, we frequently meet with one
council anathniatizing another, and if this is the
case, uhere is the truth to be found. General coun-
cils are nothing more than ecclesiastical bug-bears
or scare-crows; but ancient usage had conferred
upon thcni a sort of sanctity, embraced by the ig-
norant and nourisiied by designing priests.
The twenty-second article relates entirely to pur-
gatory, a notion which the papists had embraced
partly in consequence of not understanding what
had been written by thcpiimitive fathers, and partly
to court favour with the heathens. It was neces-
sary that our reformers, consistent with their cha-
racters as Protestants, should oppose this doctrine;
for although it may, in the common acceptation o)
the word, have some affinity with Christianity, yet
in general it is totally repugnant to it. It procures
much money to the priests, whose heathenisli
tricks, preying upon the ignorance of the people,
can at all times make them subservient to their
purposes.
The twenty-third article relates solely to ordina-
tion, that is, that no person shall take upon him
the office of a minister of the gosjiel till he is regu-
laily appointed for that purpose. Bishop Stilling-
fleet, speaking of this article, says, there is no am-
biguity in it; for he believed that every church
might ordain their ministers in whatever planner they
thought proper. It is certain, that there is necessity
for a regular succession of ministers in the Christian
church, and in the primitive times, notwithstanding
the violences that took place, this was never inter-
rupted. It may, however, be carried to a supersti-
tious iieight, and therefore the church of England
lias expressed herself in very general terms concern-
ing it.
The twenty-fourth article militates against the
popish practice of having worship celebrated in a
language which they do not understand. At v\hat
time this abominable practice took place does not
appear, but we are certain it was not sooner than
the tenth century. As a proof of this, there are
several liturgies extant written in the sixth century,
and in the language of those people for whom they
were composed. Nay, the author asserts further,
from liis own knowledge, that there are several
liturgies still extant in the Saxon language, written
long before the use of Latiu ones was imposed on
the people.
The twenty-fifth article relates to the doctrine
of sacraments in general, and gives as clear a defi-
nition of them as ever could have been given by any
Protestant divines whatever. They are defined to
be the synibols of an unseen object, which they cer-
tainly are. They are the representations, says the
church, of something that happened, but not the
object itself.
The article, liowever, admits of nothing as a
sacrament, except what is pointed out to be such
in scripture. Contirmation and penance, matrimo-
ny and extreme unction are wholly excluded from
the number. This may serve to shew, that the de-
sign of the English reformers was to level their
whole power against the strong bulwarks of popery,
to strike at the root of their princi])les by which
it had been long supported, and establish in room of
it a system of religion consistent with the doctrine
laid down in the New Testament.
The twenty-sixth article asserts that the efficacy
of the sacraments taken, received in faiili, does not
depend on the merits of the person who administers
them. To understand this article rightly, which
does not in the least militate against the papists, we
must attend to the following circumstance: — About
the time of the Reformation, when light was begin-
ning to spring up in the minds of men, there were
several people in Europe who embraced very erro-
neous opinions. Among these were some Germans
who came over to England, and tauglit that the sa-
craments were of no avail, nor could the person
wiio received them obtain any benefit, unless the
minister by whom they were given was a real be-
liever.
This was a most destructive notion, for admitting
it to be true, then there is an end of all divine insti-
tutions. When a pious Christian goes to receive
the sacrament, how does he know but the person by
whom it is administered is an hypocrite. And is the
favour of God to be lost in consequence? No,
God forbid.
It was to oppose this notion, that the article we
are speaking of was written, and it is expressed in
modest and manly terms. While it regulates the
notions of men's putting any merit or confidence
in the person who administers the sacrament, it, at
the same time, enforces the necessity of ecclesi-
astical discipline, and points out the duty of minis-
ters in the clearest manner. This article is agreed
to by all Protestants whatever, but none of tlieir
confessions are expressed with so much modesty as
here, uhere we do not meet with a single dogmati-
cal expression.
The twenty-seventh article enforces the doctrine
of baptism by water, as a sign of our adoption into
the church, as sons of God by regeneration. The
words of this article are so clearly and plainly ex-
pressed, that even a child may understand them as
soon as he has learned his catechism. It concludes
RITES AND CERPIMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAN'D.
A/.-
with enforcing iiifmit baptism, not only as useful
and aijreeal.le (•) llie word of <J0(t» bin us iiecessuiy.
ll si.'unis •() iiHve l»t-en on this juiiK ijile, tliul the
rubric m;is iiistrltil in li.e oftiLe tor tlic bini;il of the
deud, wbicli |)i-ohibils its being read over such us
died nnbaptized.
Tlie tweiity-ciglitli article treats of tlie Lord's
.Su|)per, as one of the sacraments of the Christian
church. It is considered, in its genuine sense, as a
sign of tliat charity which shouhl always distinguish
Christian churches. 'I he j)opish doctrine of iran-
subslantiation «as totally abolished, and declared to
be contrary to the nature of a sacrament. It is
added further, consistent with the seni>e of the sacred
scriptures, that as a sacrament is no more than a
visible sign of something which it is to point out,
so the bread and wine must be received by failh, as
emblems of that body which was broken, und that
blood wiiich was shed for sinners.
The t^^enty-llinth article is a necessary conse-
quence of the preceding one, for it is inseparably
connected with it. It declares that no person can
obtain any benefit from the partaking of the sacra-
ment except the righteous. The article further ex-
presses a strong caution to those who would partake
of the sacrament to be on their guard ; to be cauti-
ous in eKaminiiig themselves, lest that which was
intended to protnote their spiritual interest, should
even seal their condemnation. - It is certain, that
nothing is more dangerous than to trifle with and
make light of religious ordinances. It hardens the
mind, and in general the person embraces deism.
The thirtieth article enjoins the receiving the sa-
crament of bolh kinds, \\hichwaslhe practice of
the Christian church from the death of Christ even
so late as the tenth century. Nay, it was not then
totally denied, for even two hundred years later, we
find several writers standing up in defence of it. It
is certain, that those who believe in transubstanti-
ation, must consider the blood in the wafer, and were
it not for that doctrine which contributes so nnich j
towards enlarging and aggrandizing the papal power,
jirobably the papists would have granted the sacra-
ment in both kinds to the laity at the Reformation.
The thirty-first article differs a little from the se-
venteenth, for it asserts that Christ died for the sins
of the whole world, both original and actual, which
notion was afterwards improved on by James Armi-
rius. This article, as it differs somewhat from St.
Austin's notions, so it is proliable that our reformers
borrowed the sentiment from the fathers of the an-
cient Cireek church. It is certain, that this senti-
ment riuis through tiie works of Chrysostoni, Gre-
gory, Nazianzen, Basil, and many others. And it
is generally acknowledged, that the death of Chris':,
as it surpasses all human comprehension, so it may
be of infinite efficacy; but here we leave the reader
to judge foi himself.
Tlie thirty-second aril le relates to the marriage
of the clergN, and (ondeiini!; the popish doctrine on
tliat subject, it is certain that no p;;rt of the New
■^i'estanient enjoins celibacy to tlie clergy ; and, dur-
ing the iirst four centuries, we constantly lind them
mentioned as married n)en. If any lived single lives,
they did so from choice, without being obliged
thereto by any positive command. Celibacy among
the clergy began to be encouraged about the sixth
century, when the monastic life became in vogue,
but still it was not imposed. Nay, so late as the
tenth century, we find IJunstaii, Archbishop of
Canterbury, entering into a violent struggle svith the
secular clergy, who refused to put aw ay their wives.
This struggle continued till the tvvelflli century,
when we find Henry 1. of England, giving counte-
nance to celibacy among the clergy, and the conse-
quence was, they kept their Limmers, an old word
for prostitutes.
The thirty-third article relates to the sentence of
esconiiiiunication, but it is not so clearly expressed
as some of the others. 15y the proper judge that
hath authority to publish this sentence, is undoubt-
edly meant the bishop's chancellor, who is generally
a layman, at least he always acts under that charac-
ter. By his authority here mentioned, must be un-
derstood that authority which he derives from com-
mon law; for in the primitive church, and among
all other Protestants except in luirope, excoinmuui-
cation is considered as a spiritual action.
The thirty-fourth article relates to the tradition?
of the church, and it contains a clear definition of
them. The latter part of this article has been much
objected to, where it gives leave to all national
churches to change their rites and ceremonies as
often as they j)Iease, so as they be done to edyfying.
Tlie word edifying has by some been considered as
too loose and vague, because the papists tell us, that
their ridiculous ceremonies are calculated for that
purpose ; but our reformers seem to have had no-
thing more in view than to establish what was con-
sistent witli the tnilh, and they looked upon all
others as absurd and unnecessary.
The thirty-fifiii article establishfs the doctrine that
the homilies were to be read. But as these vener-
able discourses are but little known in the present
age, we shall take some notice of them.
The ignorance of many of the clergy, and the
unsettled state of the church at the time of the Re-
formation, induced many of the greatest men at that
time, to draw up a set of discourses, in the form of
sermons, on the principal points of the Ciiristian
religion. One of those were to be read every Sun-
day in the parish churches, till such time as the
576
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
clergy could learn to compose sennons for them-
selves. This was of great service to the cause of
truth at tiio time of the Reformation, for these ho-
milies, having been drawn up very judiciously by
men of learning and piety, they prevented llie people
from relapsing into popery, and establislied the prin-
ciples of religion on their minds.
The thirty-sixth article asserts, tl;ie necessity and
utility of episcopal ordination. This sentiment is
founded on a notion, that there had always been in
the church a regular succession of clergy from the
days of the apostles ; some great divines however,
were at that time of a different opinion, particularly
Jewel, bishop of Salisbury, and Grindal, after-
wards archbishop of Canterbury. Many of the
inferior clergy contented that it was sufficient for
presbyters to ordain presbyters ; and as these pre-
tended to promote a purer Reformation than had
hitherto taken place in the church, they were called
in derision Puritans. This article is not so much
disapproved of by the Dissenters as some are apt to
imagine, for they allow the validity of English ordi-
nations although they do not consider it necessary
to impose them.
The thirty-seventh article establishes the supre-
macy of the civil magistrate in all things, and over
all persons, whether civil or ecclesiastical, and this
has occasioned much .contention. Jt is certain,
however, it was in some measure necessary at the
Reformation, because tlie clergy had been long ac-
customed to Gall the pope .their head. Some prin-
ces indeed, made. a bad use of this act, by turning
out bishops whenever they pleased; but nothing of
that sort has happened for a considerable time. In-
deed, it lodges a vast power in the crown, but while
that power is not abused, we ought not to complain.
All the power granted. in this article to (he king over
the clergy is of a civil. nature, for he is not (xermit-
ted to administer divine ordinances, butVnerely to
preserve the external peace of the church, and pre-
^fent factious clergymen from disturbing govern-
ment.
The thirty-eighth article is levelled against the
German Anabaptists, who sprung up at that time,
many of whom, as we have already mentioned, came
over to England. These people asserted, that all
Christians should have their goods in common, and
that none should be richer than the others. This
=was owing to a mistaken notion concerning the first
■ Christians in Jerusalem. This was never enjoyed
:by the apostles, for Ananias and Saphira were told
by Peter, that they luight have kept their estate to
themselves. It is said, we acknowledge, ,that they
bad all things in common; but it is no where said
they were commanded to have them so.
The Christians at JeAisalcni were warmed with
,She love of the truth ; they loved each other ; they
had but a very precarious title to their possessions,
while they were hated by the Jews and persecuted
by the Romans. The afflictions of many of their
brethren were great ; the Jews considered them as
blasphemers, and the Romans treated them as rebels.
It was, therefore, necessary that they should assist
each other; but when the cause was removed, the
efi'ect naturally ceased. We have a strong proof of
this in several of the apostolical epistles, where the
rich are exhorted to be charitable to the poor; and
had there been an equality of property, there would
have been no need to tins exhortation.
The thirty-ninth and last article, relates to a
Christian man's oath. This article, although it does
not expressly say so, seems likewise to have been
levelled against the Anabaptists ; who not consider-
ing properly the meaning of our Lord's words,.
"Swear not at all," declared that alj'oaths were, in
their own nature, sinful ; whereas, all that Christ
had ill view was to put an end to two things, which
viere then much encouraged by the Pharisees: First,
the frequency of swearing in common conversation,
when there w as no necessity for it ; and, secondly,
swearing by heaven, by the temple, the altar, the
sacrifice, and such other things as w-ere not objects
of divine worship. The apostle, in writing to the
Hebrews, explains every doubt concerning this
point. God swore by himself, because he could
swear by none greater, that was, that the Messiah
should be priest for ever after the order of Melchi-
zedeck. And the same apostle adds, that -in oath is
necessary to put an end to controversies among
men. If it vvas not for the solemnity of an oath,
there woidd be an end of civil society ; for such is the
state of human nature, that although men may
sometimes perjure themselves, yet there is generally
a dread on their minds, when they go into a court
of justice to swear.
Such are the articles of religion in the church of
England, and when we consider all the circum-
stances attending the framing of them, wc are really
led to admire them. Let us but reflect, that tlie
authors of them had been brought up in popish su-
perstition ; were proscribed and persecuted by queen
Mary; obliged to take shelter in foreign countries,
where they met with men of different sentiments.
And yet these men returned and compiled a system
of divinity as little liable to .exceptions, if not less
so, than any other systems framed by different Pro-
testant churches. In perusing the articles it ap-
pears, that in all those points which have been mat-
ter of dispute, and occasioned much controversy,
the Enghsh reformers have conducted themselves
witli the greatest moderation. If a few expressions
may happen to appear ambiguous, even the ambigu-
ity gives peace of mind to the subscriber, because
■ iu consequeiicc thereof, he can put wiiat sense lie
RITF.S AND CERE^IONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
577
-pleases upon tlicm. The church of Kngland alloxys
of no infallibility in hnman iieings, and thcretorc as
her fundamental articles were \\ ritten by men, so if
any sentiment should displease the person who
comes to subscribe them, he is at liberty to refrain,
so as he gives up all jiretensions to the temporal
emoluments annexed to tiie subscription.
The next thing in order is the worship used in
the church of England, and here we shall (irst take
notice ©f the Liturgy, or Common Prayer iu gene-
ral, and then proceed to consider its different parts,
omitting only the catechism, as that has been fully
explained in our account of the articles. For all
catechisms are no more than articles of religion, or
public confessions of faith, drawn up in a plain
easy manner, for the use of youth to be learned at
school.
Before the Reformation, the Liturgy was only in
Latin being a collection of prayers made up partly
of some ancient forms used in the primitive church,
and partly of some others of a later original, ac-'
tonnnodated to the Romish religion, at that time
the religion of England. But, when the nation in
Icing Henry VHIth's time, was disposed to a refor-
mation, it was thought necessary both to have
the service iu the English or vulgar tongue, and to
correct and amend the Liturgy, by purging it of
those gipss corruptions which had gradually crept
into it.
And, first the convocation appointed^ coitimittee,
A. D. 1537, to compose a book, \\hich was en-
titled, The Godly and Pious Institution of a Chris-
tian Man, containing a declaration of the Lord's
Player, the Ave Maria, the Creed, the 'I'en Com-
mandments, and the Seven Sacraments, &.c. This
book was again published in KHO, with corrections
iiuA alterations, under the title of, A Necessary
J)octrine and Erudition for any Christian ^lan. —
Jn the same year, a committee of bishops and other
divines was appoiuled by king Henry V HI. tore-
form the rituals and oflices of the church : and the
next year the king and clergy ordered the prayers
for processions, and litanies to be put into English,
and to be publicly used. Afterward in 1545, came
cut the King's Prioier, containing the whole Morn-
ing and Evening Prayer in English, not very differ-
ent from what is in our present Book of Common
Prayer. 'I'hus far the Reformation of our Liturgy
was carried in the reign of Henry \ HL
In the year 15-VS, the fnst of king Edward VL
the convocation unanimously declared, that liie com-
munion ought to be adinmisiered in both kinds :
thereupon an act of parliament was made, ordering
it to be so administered. Tiien a committee of bi-
shops, and other learned divines, was appointed
to compose an uniform order of communiou, ac-
cording to ijje rules of scripture, and the use of the
m 7
primitive churcii. The committee accordingly met
in Windsor-castle, and drew u|> such a form. This
made way for a new commission, impowering the
same persons to finish the whole Liturgy, by draw-
iutj up public offices for Sundays and holy days, for
baptism, coiilirination, matrimony, burial, aud
other special occasions.
The committee appointed to compose this Liturgy,
1.
J.
4.
5.
().
Thomas Craunier, archbishop of Canterbury.
'I'homas Cioodiick, bishop of Ely.
Henry Holbcck, bishop of Lincoln.
Gei,rge Day, bishop of Chicester.
John Ship, bishop of Hereford.
Thomas 'J'hnlby, bishop of Westminster.
7. Nicholas Ritiley, bishop of Rochester, and
afterwaros of London.
S. Dr. Win. May, dean of St. Paul's.
9. Dr. John Taylor, afterwards bishop of Lin-
coln.
10. ]^r. Simon Kaynes, dean of Exeter, and
master of Queen's Coll. Camb.
11. Dr. John Redman, dean of Westminater, and
master of Trin. Coll. Camb,
IG. Dr. Richard Cox, dean of Christ's Church,
Oxon.
13. ISlr. Thomas Robinson, archdeacon of Lei-
cester.
Onr excellent Liturgy, thus compiled, was revised
and approved by the archbishops, bishops, and cler-
gy of both the provinces of Canterbury and York,
and then confirmed by the king and three estates in
parliament, A. D. IJ49.
But, about the end of the year 1550, exceptions
were taken against some parts of this book, which
were thoii::ht to savour too much of superstition,
Archbishop Craunier therefore proposed a new re-
view, and, to this end, called in the assistance of
Martin Bucer and Peter Martyr, two foreigners,
whom he had invited over from the troubles in
CJerinany. These, not understanding the English
tongue, were furnished with Latui translations of
the Liturgy. 'J'he principal alterations occasioned
by this second review were, the addition of the sen-
tences; exhortati'in, conres.<ion, and absolution, at
the beginning ot the morning and evenini; services,
V\hich, in the first Common Prayer book, began
with the l>ord's Piayer; the addition of the (Jora-
mandwienls at the beginning of the comniuiiion-of-
ficc; the removing of some rites aud ceremonies re-
tained in tiie former book, such as the use of oil iu
confirmation, the unction of the sick, prayers for
departed souls, the invocation of the Holy Ghost at
tlip consecration of tlie eui hari-t, and the prayer of
578
IJITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
oblation that used to follow it ; the omitting the ru-
bric, tliat ordered water to be mixed with the \vine;
with several other less materi;ii variations. The
habits also, which were prescribed in the former
book, were in this laid aside ; and lastly, a rubt:ic
was added at the end of the communion office, to
explain the reason of kneeling at the^ sacrament. —
The Liturgy, thus revised and altered, was again
contirmed by parliament, A. D. 1551, with this de-
claration, that the alterations made in it proceeded
frtom curiosity rather than any worthy cause. But
both this and the former act in 1548, were repealed
in the first year of queen Mary, as injurious to
the Romish religion, which she was resolved to re-
store.
Upon the accession of queen Elizabeth, the act
of repeal was set aside, and several learned divines
appointed to make anothei review of king Edward's
Liturgies.'
These (according to Cambden and Strype) were : —
1. Dr. Matthew Parker, afterwards archbishop
of Caiiterbuiy.
2. Dr. Richard Cox, aftersvards bishop of Ely.
3. Dr. May.
4. Dr. Bill.
5. Dr. James Pilkington, afterwards bishop of
Durham.
6. Sir Thomas Smith.
7« Mr. David Whitehead.
8. Edmund Grindal, afterwards archbishop of
Canterbury.
9. Dr. Edwyn Sandys, afterwards archbishop of
York.
10. Mr. Edmund Guest, afterwards bishop of
Rochester.
It was debated at first, which of the two books
of king Edward should be received. At length the
second was pitched upon, and confirmed by par-
liament, which commanded it to be used, " \Vith
one alteration or addition of certain lessons to be
used on every Sunday in the year, and the form of
the Litany altered and corrected, and two sentences
added in the delivery of tlie sacram* nt to the com-
municants, and none other, or otherwise."
The alteration in the Litany here mentioned was
the leaving out the deprication, from the tyranny
of the Ijishop of Rome, and all his detestable enor-
mities, and adding these words to tiie petition for
tie sovereign, " Strengthen in the true worshipping
of thee, in righteousness and holiness of life." —
Tue two sentences, added in the delivery of the sa-
crament, were; "The body of our Lord Jesus
Christ, &c. and the blood of our Lord Jesus
Christ, 8cc." which were taken out of king Ed-
ward's first book, whereas, in the second book,
these sentences were left out, and in the room of
them were used, "Take, eat, or drink this," wiih
what follows ; but now in queen Elizabeth's book,
botli these forms were united.
There are some other variations in this book from
the second of king Edward. T he first rubric, con-
cerning the situation of the chancel, and the proper
p^ace for reading divine service, «as altered; the
habits enjoined by the first book of king^ Edward,
and forbid by the second, were now restored ; at
the end of the Litany was added a prayer for the so-
vereign, and another for the clergy. Lastly, the •
rubric, that was added at the end of the commu-
nion-office, in king Edward's second book, against
our Saviour's corporeal presence in the sacrament,
was left out in this. This was done, that the afore-
said notion might remain as a speculative opinion, ■
not determined ; it being the queen's design to unite
the nation, as near as possible, in one faith.
In this state the Liturgy continued without far-
ther alteration, till the first year of king James I.
when a conference was held at Hampton court,
between that prince with archbishop Whitgift, and
other bishops and divines, on the one side, and Dr.
Reynolds, with some other Puritans, on the other :
the result of which was, the adding some forms of
thanksgiving at the end of the Litany, and an addi-
tion to the catechism in relation to the sacraments.
Also, in the rubric at the beginning of the office
for private baptism, the words Lawful minister
were inserted, to prevent midwives and laymen from
presuming to baptize; with one or two more small
alterations.
But, immediately after the restoration, king
Charles II. at the request of several of the Presby-
terian ministers, issued out a commission for a new "
review of the Liturgy, impowering Jwelve of the
bishops and twelve Presbyterian divines to make
such reasonable and necessary alterations as they
should jointly agree upon. Nine coadjutors were
added on each side, to supply the place of any of
the twelve principals, who should happen to be ab-
sent. Their names are these ;
Oil the Episcopalian side.
Principals.
1. Dr. Frewen, archbishop of York.
'2. Dr. Shelden, bishop of Londou. .
3. Dr. Cousins, bi'ihop of Durham.
4. Dr. Warner, bishop of Rochester.
6. Dr. King, bishop of Chichester.
6. Dr. Henchman, bishop of Salisbury.
7. Dr. Morley, bishop of Worcester.
8. LSr. Sanderson, bishop of Lincoln.
9. Dr. Laney, bishop of Peterborough.
10. Dr. Walton, bishop of Chester.
MTKS AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
579
11
. Dr. Stern, bishop of Ciirlislc.
VJ
. J)r. (jaudci), bishop of Exelcr.
Coadjutors.
1.
Dr. Ivufse, dean of Westminster
2.
Dr. Hc>lin.
3.
Dr. Hackett.
4.
Dr. Barwick.
5.
Dr. G mining.
6.
Dr. Pearson,
7.
Dr. Pierce.
8.
Dr. Sparrow.
9.
Dr. Thorndike.
On the Presbyterian side*
Principals.
Dr. Tieynolds/
Dr. Tuckiicy.
3.
Dr
Conant.
4.
5.
Dr.
Dr
Spurstow,
Waiiis.
6.
Dr
M anion.
8.
Dr
Mr
Calamy.
. Baxter.
9.
Mr
. Jacksou,
10
. Mr
. Case.
11
. Mr
. Clark,
la
. Mr
. Kewcomen.
Coadjutor^,
1.
Dr.
Horton,
2.
Dr.
Jacob.
3,
Mr.
Bates.
4.
Mr.
Rawlinson,
5.
6.
7.
Mr.
Dr.
Dr.
Cooper.
Lightfoot.
Collins.
8.
Dr.
Woodbridge.
9.
Mr.
Drake.
These commissioners had several meetingsat the
Savoy, but to very little purpose ; the Presbyterians
reviving all the old scruples of the Puritans against
the Liturgy, and adding several new ones of their
own. Jiaxter had the assurance to affirm, that our
Liturgy was too bad to be mended, and contideutly
pretended to compose a new one, which he thought
proper to offer to the bishops. Upon this the con-
ference broke up, w ithout any thing being done, ex-
cept that son.e particular alterations were proposed
by the cpiscoplal divines; which, the May follow-
ing, were consliU red and agreed to by the whole-
clergy in convocation. The principal of these al-
terations were, that several lessons in the Calendar
were changed for others more proper of the days ;
tlie prayers for particular occasions were disjoined
from the Litanv, and the two prayers to be used in
the F.mbei-weeks, tlic prayer for the paiiiameiit, ihut
for all conditions of men, and the general ihaiiks-
giviiip, were added. Several of tlie collects were
altered ; the epistles and gospels -were taken out of
the last translation of the bible, i)cing read before
according to the old translation. The office for bap-
tism of tliose of riper years, and the forms of prayer
used at sea, were added. In a woril, the whole
Liturgv was then brought to the state in which it
now stands, and was unanimously subscribed by both
houses of convocation of both provinces, on Friday,
Dec. 20, 1 661. And being brought to the house of
lords the March follo\\iug, both houses very readily
passed an act for its establishment ; and the earl of
Clarendon, then lord Chancellor, was ordered to
return the thanks of the lords to the bishops and
clergy, for their care and industry shewn in the re-
view of it.
We shall subjoin Dr. Comber's character of the
Liturgy of the church of England. " No church
was ever blessed with so comprehensive, so exact,
and so inoffensive a Liturgy, as ours; which is so
judiciously contrived, that the wisest may exercise
at once their knowledge and devotion, and yet so
plain, that the most ignorant may pray with under-
standing ; so full, that nothing is omitted, which
ought to be asked in public; and so particular, that
it compriseth most things which we would ask in
private ; and yet so short, as not to tire any that have
true devotion. Its doctrine is pure and primitive ;
its ceremonies so few and innocent, that most of
the Christian svorld agree in them; its method is
exact and natural ; its language significant and per-
spicuous, most of the words and phrases being taken
out of the holy scripture, and the rest are the ex-
pressions of the first and purest ages, and in the
opinion of the most impartial and excellent Grotius,
who was no member of, nor had any obligation to ■
this church, the English Liturgy comes so near the
primitive pattern, that none of the reformed churches
can compare with it."
Again he says, " In- the prayers a scholar -can dis-
cern close logic, pleasing rhetoric, . pure divinity,
and the very marrow of the ancient doctrine and
discipline; and yet all made so familiar, that ibe
unlearned may fafely say, Amen."
As in the ancient church the readt-r always spoke
a fe\v words to the people before he began the ser-
vice, so in the church of lingland, one verse of the
sacred scripture is repeated. Ihere is something
praise-wurthy in beginning divine worship with some
part of sacred scripture, because it is gi\ing pre-
ference to inspiration above every thing human. — It
is really bestowing honour on God, and it is well
known, that the sentences are most judiciously col-
lected. They all iutimate someibing leading to the
580
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
confession of sins ; and these ore followed by the
exhortation. The confession that follows is ex-
pressed in very striking language, and such as is easy
to be retained in the memory.
It has been much controverted by several other
Protestants, whether a minister should pronounce
the absolution. But if any person reads this form,
he will lind it is no more tiian a declaration that
■ Godwin pjirdon sincere penitents. It supposes;
that those who have on their knees confessed their
sins, are contrite and penitent, which gives them en-
couragement to hope for mercy.
It has becH objected, that the Lord's Prayer is too
frequently repeated, so as to make it like a charm ;
but with respect to the controversy, we shall not
meddle with it, leaving every man at liberty to judge
for himself. And here it is necessary to observe,
that every minister in the cliurch of England may
}>ray extempore before sermon if he pleases, only
it is reckoned necessary to conclude with the -Lord's
-Prayer. If this was more attended to, it would
remove many objections that are constantly made
against formality and repetition. The marquis of
Halifax, who served four sovereigns in the highest
departments of the state, recommended this practice ;
and lie used to say, that when he knew a minister's
.jife to be pious, and heard him pour out the effu-
sions of his heart before sermon in extemporary
prayer, it always affected him, and made a lasting
impression on his mind, by charming him with the
love of religion.
The Arians andSocinians make strong objections
to the greatest part of the Common Prayer, because
it every where asserts the unity of the three persons
in the ever blessed Ti inity : but these objections
have been ably aiiswcred by many eminent divines,
and also by laymen.
Another objection was made to the Litany by the
Presbyterians at the Savoy conference, jiarticnlarly
these words, "From fornication and all other deadly
sins," &c. Now by deadly sin has been generally
understood the popish doctrine of mortal sin, but
surely the compilers of the Liturgy never meant so.
'Jliis will appear the more probable, when we con-
sider that fornication is here called a deadly sin ; for
vhat man will assert that sin to be unpardonable?
All that seems to be meant is, that as fornication is
,a breach of an absolute precept, so it is dangerous in
any person to commit it as well as other sins of a
similar nature. But we think this need not be en-
:largedon; we shall only add, that it has been ob-
jected, that some of the collects have been taken
out of the Honiish mass book. If it is allowed that
the collects are good, then the objection falls to the
ground; for it might, witii yquid propriety, be ob-
jected, that we should not be called Christians, be-
,caujse the papists call themselves by that name; and
so on in thousands of other instances. Let us keep
all they have good among them ; and let what is
useless be retained by themselves, lieforination may
be carried too far at some particular periods. Pro-
bably the first reformers thought so, and therefore
they left these things for a more favourably oppor-
tunity. As for Litanies, we shall here observe what
many learned men have said of them.
In the Christian sense of the word, a l^ifany is a
solemn form of supplication to God. Eustbius,
speaking of Constaiitiue's custom of making his
solemn addresses to Goilin his tent, says, he endea-
voured to renuer God propitious to him by his sup-
plications and Litanies. And Arcadius, iji one of
his laws against heretics, forbids them to hold pro-
fane assemblies in the city, eitiier by niglit or by dav,
to make their Litany. At that time, the public
prayers, hymns, and psalmody, were all comprised
under the general name of Litany- Afterwards the
word came to signify a peculiar sort o( prayers used
in the church ; concerning the original of whicU
learned men are not agreed.
At first, the use Ot Litanies was not fixed to any
stated time, but they were employed only as exigen-
cies required. They were observed, in imitation of
the Ninevites, with ardent supplicatious and fastings,
to avert the tlireatening judgn}eiits of fire, earth-
quakes, inundations, or Iioslile invasions. The days
on which they were used, were called Rogation-
days. Several of these days were appointed by the
canons of different councils, till the seventeenth
council of Toledo decreed that Litanies should be
used in every month throughout the year. And so,
by ^degrees, these solemn supplications came to be
used weekly, on Wednesdays and Fridays, the an-
cient stationary days in all churches.
As to the form in which Litanies are made,
namely, in short petitions by the priest, with res-
ponses by the people. St. Chrysostom derives the
custom from the primitive ages, when the priest be-
gan, and uttered by the spirit some tilings fit to be
prayed for, and the people joined the intercessions,
saying, " We beseech thee lo hear us, good Lord."
When the miraculous gifts of the spirit began to
cease, they wrote down several of these forms,
which were the original of our modern Litanies. — ■
St. Ambrose has left us one, agreeing in many
things with that of our own church.
About tiie year 400, Litanies began to be used
in processions, the people walking barefoot, and
repeating them with great devotion. It is pretended
several countries were delivered from great calami-
ties by this means. About the year tiOO Gregory
the Great, out of all the Litanies extant, composed
the famous seven-fold Litany, by which Rome, it is
said, was delivered from a grievous mortality. —
This has been a pattern to all tlie western churches
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
581
since; to which ours of the church of England
conies nearer than that of the Koniisli missal, in
whicli later popes have inserted the invocation of
saints, which our reformers justly espiniged. These
processional Litanies having occasioned nuidi scan-
dal, it was decreed that the Litanies for the future
sliould only be used within the walls of the church.
The da) s appointed by the ijlli canon of our
church, for using the Litany, are Wednesdays and
Frida\s, the ancient fastmg days of the primitive
churcl) ; to which, by the rubric, Sundays are added
as being the days of the greatest assembly for divine
service. Before the last review of the counnon
prayer, the Litany was a distinct service by itself,
and used some time after the morning prayer was
over. At present it is made one office with the
inorning service, being ordered to be read after the
third collect for grace, instead of the intercessional
prayers in the daily service.
By the tifteenth canon, whenever the Litany
is read, every householder dwelling within half a
mile of the cliurch is to come, or send one at least
of his household, to join with the minister in
prayers.
'i'here is one great advantage to Christians in the
worship used by the church of England, and that is
the reading of the psalms and lessons, and it is sur-
j)risiug that this should not take place in all Protes-
tant churches. The advantage is not only to those
w ho cannot read, but it refreshes the memories of
the best scholars whatever. Nay, it has been as-
serted, that were the scriptures not read in our
churches, we sliould become in a short time such
barbarians as our ancestors were two thousand years
ago. But let us here consider the practice of the
ancient church on this head, and then take notice of
our own, that the reader may make the compa-
rison.
in the ancient church, the reading of the scrip-
tures was one part of the service of the catecliu-
mens, at which all sorts of persons were allowed to
be present for instruction. 'ITiu lessons were always
two at least, and sometimes three or four. The au-
thor of tlie constitutions speaks of four lessons, two
out of Moses and the pro[)hets, and two out of the
gospels and epistles. The church of Rome seems
to have been a little singular in this matter: for, till
the time of pope Celestlue, about 400 years after
Christ, they read no lessons out of the Old Testa-
ment, but only out of the New ; whereas in all
other churches, they read lessons out of both.
The method of reading the scriptures seems al-
ways to have been governed by some rule, though
this niigiit vary in different churches. St. Austin
tells us, there were some lessons^o fixed and appro-
priated to certain times and seasons, that no others
might be read in tllCir stead. He particularly iii-
39 • 7 ii
stances in the festival of Easter, when for four days
successively the history of Christ's resurrection was
read out of the four gospels. In like manner, on all
other festivals, they read those parts of scripture,
which related to tlie particular fcsiival.
Particular books of scripture had their particular
seasons of the year, in wliich they were more espe-
cially read. I'hus the Acts of the xApostles vi-as
read immediately before tlie feast of Pentecost, and
in Lent they usually read the book of Genesis. The
book of Job and Jonah were both read in tlie Pas-
sion-week, and the prophet llosea was read on the
Vigil of our Saviour's passion. Though we have
no complete Lectionarium, or Calendar of Lessons
extant, yet we are sure their reading the scriptures
was some way methodi.ced, and bn^ight imder rule.
The first Calendar of this kind is thought to be Hip-
polytus's Canon Pasclialis, which Scaliger and Go-
thofred take to be a rule appointing lessons for the
festivals. But Bucheriiis, and others, give another
account of it, which leaves the matter uncertain.
There is a Lcctionariuin under the name of St. Je-
rome; but the best critics look upon it as counter-
feit. Some time after, there were several books of
this kind composed for the use of the French
churches. It is observable, however, that the
lessons were sometimes appointed by the bishops
at discretion. Ferrarius gives several instances
of this practice out of St. Austin, and St. Chry-
sostus.
As to the persons whose office it was to read the
lessons, it is propable, that during the two first cen-
turies, they were the deacons, or in imitation of the
Jevvish church, sucli as the bishop or president for
that time appointed. But, in the time of St. Cy-
prian, it was the peculiar office of the readers, who
were become an inferior order of the clergy. The
reader, before he began to read, was used to say.
Pax vobis, Peace be with you, which was the
usual forni of salutation at the entrance of the
offices in the church. This custom continued till
the third ct<uncil of Carthage made an order to the
contrary, appointing tliat it should be said by some
other minister. St. Chrysostom mentions two other
customs introductory to the reading and hearing the
scriptures. The first is the deacon enjoinitig silence
and attention before the reader began. The second
the reader's beginning every lesson with, "Thus saith
the Lord."
There is a distinction made by some between the
longer and shorter lessons, used in the ancient
church. The longer lessons are said to be used at
the long noctarnal or anlelucan service, and the
shorter at the other canonical hours of prayer. But
this distinction could have no place till the canon-
ical hours were settled; which was not till the
fourth or fifth century. It is probable, these
5S'2
RH'ES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
shorter lessons were no other tliau lie psafin-!; or
anliplioiial hymns collected out of the psalms, for
the service of the several hours of devotion.
It is observable, lliat, in some churches, other
books weie allowed to be read by way of lessons
and instructions, besides tlie canonical scriptures,
such as the passions of ihe martyrs on their proper
festivals, the lioniiiies of the fathers, the rpislles
and tracts of pious men, and the letters coninunii-
catory of one church to another, with other writ-
ings of the like nature. Eusebius tells us, the book
called ileimcs Pastor was anciently read in the
church. Dionisius bishop of Cor:nth, says, they
lead Clemens Ronianus's j-rst epistle to the Corin-
tliians, and another written by Soter, bishop of
Uome. Sozoiiieij tells us, the Uevelations of Peter
were read once a year, on Good-Friday, in many of
the churches of Palestine. Many other instaiiccs
aie to be met «ilh in ecclesiastical authors.
Our own church in tlie choice of lessons, pro-
ceeds as follows. For the first lesson on ordinary
clays, she directs, to begin at tlie beginning of the
year with Gei;esis ai;d so to continue on, till all ihe
books of the Old Testanient are read ever; only
omitting the Chronicles (\\hich are for the nictst
part the same with the books of Samuel, and Kings)
and other particular chapters in other books, either
ijr the same leison, or because they Contain genea-
logies, names of persons, or places, or other mat-
ters less prot table for ordinary hearers.
The course of the first Ussons for Sundays is
resnlated after a dift'erent manner. FVom Advent
. to Septuagesima Sunday, some particular chapters
of Isaiah are appointed to be read^ because that
book coiuaius the clearest prophecies concerning
Christ. Upon Septuagesima Sunday Genesis is be-
gun, because that book -Ahich treats of llie fall of
man, and the severe jndgnient of God on the world
for sin, best suits with a time of penance and morti-
fication. After Genesis follow select chapters out
of the books of the Old 'Feslaroeut, as they lie in
order; observing that, on festival Sundays, such as
F^aster, \^'hitsuuday, &c. the particular history re-
lating to the day is appointed to be read. On the
festivals of the saints called saints-days, the church
appoints lessons out of the moral books, such as
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiasticus, and Wis-
dom, as containing excellent precepts and instruc-
. tions for the conduct of life.
As to the second lessons, the church observes the
same course both on Sundays and week-days: read-
ing the gospels and Acts of the Apostles in the
morning, and the epistles in the evening, in the
same order they stand in the New Testament; ex-
cepting on saints-days and holidays, when such
lessons are appointed, as either explain the mystery,
.jebte the history, or apply the example to us. —
Tluis, by the prudence of our church, the Old Tes-
tament is read over once, and the new thrice in the
year, some particular parts of both, for particular
reasons, excepted.
In treating of the whole public service used in
the church of J'.ngland, v<e are under the necessity
of taking notice of all the ol>jectioiis commonly
made to it by all denominations of Christians. 'Flus
is the more necessary, because, by taking these
things in a proper point of view with candour, it
nuiv be tlie means of settling some of our unhappy
controversies, or at least making Protestants love
each other as brethren.
It is well known that there are holy dars onlered
to be oliservcd in the church of England, yet they
are not imposed, being left wholly to people's own
discielion. If any of these hi;ly days have been
used to a bad pur])ose, the fault does not lay hi
them, but in the depravity of human nature. Did
God become man for us, and must we bocoue
beasts? An afternoon's debauch \\ill follow verv ill
after a forenoon's sermon; and thereiore those v\ho
keep xlays holy, should keep llieni jioly to the Lord. •
The first and most solemn of the times observtd in
the church of Fhigland, is lent.
The word Lent, in the old Saxon language, sig-
nifies llie Spring, and is thereiore used to denote
this holy seii^on, which belongs to that part of the
year, it being observed by Chri-tians as a tinie of
hniniliation fjcfore Easter, the ti'cat festival of our
Saviour's resurrection.
The observation of this fast is of very great anti-
q,nity in the Christian church. The l^atins call it
Ouadragesima, which word denotes the number
forty; whence this fast was (ailed (Quadragesimal,
but whether from its being a f;ist of forty days, or
only foity hours, is matter of dis])ute among the
learned. They of the Romish chinch, and some of
the Protestant coniinunion, maintain that it was
always a fast of forty days, and, as such, of apos-
tolical institution. Others think it was only of ec-
clesiastical institution, and it was variously observed
in dlflf(!rent churches, and grew by degrees from a
fast of forty hours to a fast of forty days. This
latter is the sentiment of iMorton, bishop Taylor,
du Moulin, DaiUe, and others.
The church seems to have limited the term of
fasting to forty days, iif regard either to the forty
days, in which God drowned the world; or to the
forty days, in which the children of Israel did pe-
nance in the wilderness; or to the forty stripes,
wherewith malefactors were to be corrected; or be-
cause Moses fasted this number of days, as did
Elias the same space of time; or because the Nine-
viles were allowed precisely as many days for repen-
tance; or, lastly, and most probably, because our
blessed Saviour himself, when he was pleased tp
UrTES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
38::
ftist, observed the same length of time. For some,
or all, of thfse reasons, the church used this mim-
bir (if davs, as liie common solciiui number belong-
ing tu eslraordiriarj huiiiiliation.
As to tiie original of this Quadragesimal fast,
learned men are inclined to believe, it was not in-
siituted by the apostles, at least uot as any necessary
rule obliging all men to fast forty days ; and that for
ihe following reasons: First, because there is some
•irobability, that at first it \\i:s only a f;:st of forty
liQurs, or llie time that our Saviour lay in the grave,
ll at is, the Friday and Saturday befine Easter. —
'J iiis appears from 'rertuiliaii and Irena-us, wiio
speak of (christians observing those days, inwiiiih
the bridegroom was taken from them, agreeable to
these words of our Saviour; "'Fhe days will come
thai the bridegroom siiall lie taken from them, and
then shall they fast." However, it must be con-
fessed, those authors speak of more days than two
asoliSfTved in many churches, only wiUi tliis dif-
ference, that the (irst were obscrv* d as more neces-
sary, being founded on the words of Christ himself,
and the others weie at the church's free liberty
and cli^iice, us being purely of ecclesiastical insti-
tution.
Secondly, because, if this fast was of apostoli-
ral institution, it is scaice accountable how suih a
great variety in point of time should immediately
happen in the observation of it; some churches
keeping it only three weeks, some six, some seven,
and )et none of them hitting upon the precise num-
ber of forty days. It is oliservable however, that
ihey all agreed in calling this fast Quadragesimal,
ajid assigned dilitient reafous for this appellation.
J^ent consisted not of above thirty-six fasling-days
iu any chiuch; for though some churches kept it
s.x weeks, which make fort\-two days, yet all Sun-
days were excepted out of the fast; and then six
days being subducted, there remained but thirty-six
d;i)s of fasting. \\ ho first added Ajh-M ednesday,
and the other three days to the beginning of Lent,
in the Roman church to make ihcm forty, is not
agreed among their own writers. Some say, it was
the work of Grego'ry the Great; but others ascribe
it to Gregory II. v\ ho lived about an hundred years
aJler, in the beginning of the \ llllh century.
The g( neral design of this institution is thus set
furih by St. Chrysostom: "Why do we fust these
f >rty da)sr Many thereto-'ore were used to conio to
the communion indevoully and nicousidcrately, es-
jvecially at this time, >\heu Christ first gave it to his
ttisciples. Therefore our forefall.ers, considering
t!ic mischiefs arising froi.-. such careless approaches,
meeting together, appointed forty days for fasting
and |)rayer, and hearing of sermons, and f(ji holy
assemblies; that all men, in these days, being care-
fully purified by provrs and alms deeds, and fasting,
and watching, and tears, and confession of sin?,
and oiher the like exercises, might come accordins^
to ihtir capacity, wiilr a pure conscience, to the
holy lalile."'
Uut if we enquire more particularly into the rea-
sons of instituting the Lcnt-fast, Me shall lind them
lobe these following: First, the apostles' sorrow
for the loss of their master. l"or this reason tl"e
auciciils observed those two days, iu which our Sa-
viour lay in the grave, with the greatest strictnes.s.
Secondly, the declension of Christian piety from its
lirst and primitive fervour. Thiidly, that the cate-
chumens might prepare themselves for baptism, and
t!ie penitents for absolution; Easter being one of
the settled times of baptizing the catechumens and
absolving the penitents.
'Fliis solemn season of fasting was universally ob-
ser\ed by all Christians, though with a great liberty,
and a just allowance for men's iidirmities; and this
was in a great measure left to liicir own discretion.
If men were in health, and able to be»r it, the rule
and custom was for them to observe it. On the
other hand, biulily infirmity and weakness v^ere al-
ways admitted as a just apology for their non-ob-
servance of it.
The manner of observisig Ijcnt, among those wlio
were piously disposed to observe it, was to abstain
from all food till evening. Whence it is natural to
conclude, that the pretence of keeping Lent only by
a change of diet from Hesh to fish is but a mock fast,
and an innovation utterly unknown to the ancients,
whose Lent-fast was a strict and rigorous abstinence
from all food till the evening. "^Fheir refreshment
was only a supper, and then it was indiflerent whe-
ther it was flesh, or any other food, provided it was
used with sobriety and moderation. But there was
no general rule about this matter, as appears from
the story which Sozomen tells of Spiridion, bishop
of Trimiihus, in Cvpnis; that a stranger once hap-
pening to call upon him in 1-cnt, he, having nothing
in his house but a piece of pork, ordered that to be
dressed and set before him ; but the stianger refused
to eat flesh, saying he was a Christian; Spiridion
replied, for that very reason thou oughtcst not to
refuse it, for the word ot (iod has pronounced all
things clean to them that are clean.
Lent was thought the proper season for exercising
more abuiidaiitly all sorts of charity. Ihus what
they spared from thfir own bodies, by abridging
them of a meal, was usually given to the poor. They
likewise employed their vacant hours in visiting the
sick and imprisoned, in entertaining strangers, and
reconciling ditferences. 'l"he imperial laws forbad
all prosecution of men in criminal actions, which
might bring them to corpoial punishment and tor-
ture during this whole season. J^ent was a time of
n;;)re th:in iitdinary strictness und devotion ; ami
5.84
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
therefore, in many of the great churches, they had
religious assemblies for prayer and preaching every
day. They had also frequtut communions at this
time, at least on every sabbath or Lord's day. Ail
public games and stage-plays were prohibited at this
season ; as also the celebration of all festivals, birth-
days and marriages, as unsuitable to the present oc-
casion.
. These were the common rules observed in keeping
the Lent fast, when it was come to the length of
forty days. But there was one week, called the
Hebdonias nia<ina ; or the great week before Easter,
which they observed with a greater strictness and
solemnity than all thq rest. This is usually called
the Passion-week, because it was the week in which
our Saviour suffered.
The Christians of the Greek church observe four
Lents. The first commences on the fifteenth of
November, or forty days before Christmas. The
second is our Lent, which immediately precedes
Easter. The third begins the week after AVhitsuu-
day, and continues till the festival of St. Peter and
St. Paul. The number of days therefore comprized
in this Lent is not settled and determined, for they
are more or less according as \\ hitsunday fails
sooner or later. Their fourth lent commtnces the
first of August, and lasts no longer than till the fif-
teenth. These Lents are observed with great strict-
ness and austerity. On Saturdays and Siuidays they
indulge themselves in drinking and using oil, which
are prohibited on other days.
Lent was first commanded to be observed in Eng-
land by Ercombert, seventli king of Kent, before
the year 800. No meat was formerly to be eaten
ill Lent, but by licence, under certain penalties. — -
And butchers were not to kill flesh in Lent, except
for the victuallhig of ships, &:c.
The next thing to be taken notice of, is Baptism,
the first sacrament in the Christian church. As to
what manner this is observed in the church of Rome,
we have already taken notice in our accounts of the
popish ceremonies. We know of but two objec-
tions that ever have been made to the form of bap-
tism, as practised in the church of England, but
these will betaken notice of afterwards.
We have already seen, that the church of England
defines baptism to be, not only a sign of profession,
and mark of difference, whereby Christian men are
discerned from others that be not christened; but
it is also a sign of regeneration, or new birth,
whereby, as by an instrument, they that receive
baptism rightly, are grafted into the church: The
promises of tlie foregiveness of sin, of our adoption
to be the sons of God, by the Holy Ghost, are visi-
bly signed and sealed, faith is coniirmed, and grace
increased, by virtue of prayer to God. She adds,
that the baptism of young children is in any wise to
be retained in the church, as most agreeable with
the institution of Christ.
In the rubrics of her liturgy, she prescribes, that
baptism be adniinistered only on Suudays and holy-
days, .except in cases of necessity. She requires
sponsors for infants ; for every mate child two god-
fathers and one godmother; and for every female
two godmothers and one godfather. We find this
provisioji made by a constitution of Edmond, arch-
bishop of Canterbury, A. D. 1230; and in a synod
held at Worcester, A. D. 1240. By the xxixlli
canon of oiir church no parent is to be admitted to
answer as godfather to his own child.
The form of adnnnistering baptisu) is too well
known to require a particular account to be given
of it; and we shall oidy observe some of the more
material did'erer.ces between the form, as it stood in
the first lituigy of king Edward, and that in our
Common Prayer Book at present. First, in that of
king Edward, we meet with a form of exorcism,
founded upon the like practice of the prnnitive
church, which our reformers left out, when they
took a review of the liturgy in the 5th and 6th of
the king.. It is as follows : —
Then let the priest, looking upon the children,
say,—
" I command thee, unclean spirit, in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,
tliat thou come out, and depart from these infants,
whom our Lord Jesus Christ hath vouchsafed to call
to his, holy baptism, to be made members of his
body, and of his holy congregation. Therefore,
thou cursed spirit, remember thy sentence, remem-
ber thy judgment, remeniber the day to be at hand,
wherein thou shah burn in everlasting fire, prepared
for thee and thy angels. And presume not here-
after to exercise any tyranny towards these infants
whom Christ hath bought with his precious blood,
and by this his holy baptism called to be of his
flock."
The form of consecrating the water did not make
a part of the office, in king Edward's Liturgy, as
it does in the present, because the water in the font
was changed, and consecrated but once a month.
The form likewise itself was something dift'erent
from that we now use, and was introduced with a
short prayer, that Jesus Christ upon whom, when
he was baptized, the Holy Ghost came dow n in the
likeness of a dove, and would send down the same
Holy spirit, to sanctify the fountain of baptism ;
which prayer was afterwards left out, at the second
review of it.
By king Edward's first book, the minister is to
dip the child in the water thrice; first dipping the
right side; secondly the left; the third time dipping
the face towards the font. This three-fold immer-
RITES AXD CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
i)65
sion was a very ancient practice in tlie Christian
cliiircli, anil nsed in lionotir of tlie lioly Trinity ;
though some later writers say ii was ilone to repre-
sent the death, burial, auil resurrei tion of Christ,
together with bis tliree da)s' continuance in the
grave. Afterwards, the Ariaus making an ill use of
it, l>y persuading the people that it was nsed to de-
uote, that the three persons in the Trinity, were
three distinct substances, the orthodox left it olT,
and nsed only one single iuimeision.
i\v the first Coiunion Prayer of king Edward,
after the child -.vas baptised, the godfathers and god-
mothers were to lay their hands upon it, and the
niiuister was to put on hini the whole vestment,
commonly called die Chrysonie, and to say, " Take
(his while vesture, as a token of the innocency,
which, b\ God's grace, in this holy sacrament of
baptism, is given unto thee; and for a sign whereby
tlion art admonished, so long as thou livest, to give
tJiyself to innocence of living, that, after this tran-
sitory life, thou mayest be partaker of the life ever-
laiting. Amen." As soon as he had |)ronounced
these' words, he was to anoint tlie infant on the head,
saying, " Almighty God, the Fatlier of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who hath regenerated thee by water and
the iloly Giiost, and hath given unto thee remission
of all thy sins, may he vouchsafe to anoint thee with
the unction of his lioly spirit, and bring thee to the
inheritance of everlasting life. Amen." This was
manifestly done in imitation of the practice of the
primitive church.
The custom of sprinkling children, instead of
dipping them in the font, which at lirst was allowed,
in case of the weakness, or sickness of the infant,
has so far prevailed, that immersion is at length
<)uite excluded. \\ hat principally tended to coiihrm
the practice of affusion, or sprinkling, was, that
several of our English divines, living into Germany
and Switzerland, during the bloody reign of queen
Mary, and returning home when queen Elizabeth
came to the crown, brough back with them a great
zeal for the Protestant churches beyond sea, where
tliey had been sheltered and received ; and, having
observed that, at Geneva, and other places, baptism
was administered by sprinkling, they thought thry
could not do the church of England a greater piece
of service than by introducing a practice dictated by
so great an oracle as Calvin. This, together with
the coldness of our northern climate, was what con-
tributed to banish entirely the practice of dipping
infants in the font.
Lay-baptism we find to have been permitted by
both the common prayer books of king Edward, and
that of queen Elizabeth, when an infant is in imme-
diate danger of death, and a lawful minister cannot
be had. This was founded upon the mistaken notion
of the impossibility of salvation without the sacra-
39 7
roent of baptism ; but afterwards, when they came
to have clearer notions of the sacrament, it w as una-
nimously resolved in a convocation, held in the year
157.>, that even private baptism, in a case of ne-
cessity, was only to be administered by a lawful
minister.
'I'lie objections made to the office of baptism are,
first, the use of godfatliers and godmothers. At the
PefornKition, it was absolutely necessary that ihey
should have sponsors for infants, lest their parents
should have brouglit then) up in the popish religion.
It was the same in the primitive church, aj has been
already taken notice of, to prevent the children from
being brought up heathens. At present, when we
consider that almost universal depravity of manners,
so prevalent among the people, we are led to wish
that pious persons could be found, who would take
care to see the children bioughl up in the fear of
God. On the other hand, vviien we reflect on the
conduct of those persons who frequently assume the
characters of sponsors, such as driniken sots and
giddy girls, who never intend to pay any regard to
the Solemn promise they have made, as it were, be-
fore God and a Christian congregation, we are apt
to wish that none were adnritted but such as would
do their duty. We know but of one law in die
church of England that forbids a father to be spon-
sor for his own child, but long usage has given a
sanction to the present practice. Let sponsors,
however, beware of mocking God, but if they take
that office upon them, let them endeavour, through
the divine assistance, to discharge their duty.
The second objection is, that made to the use of
the sign of the cross. We have already taken notice,
that this was used in the primitive church, and lord
King thinks it lirst began about the middle of the
second century. Aft'fer that time, it began to bo
generally practised, but not imposed, so that people
were left at liberty to use it, or let it alone. Soon
after the time of Constantine the Great, it was be-
come so universal, that it was considered as an im-
posed duty on the clergymen to cross the children iu
the sacrament of baptism.
We find from what Ave have taken notice of be
fore, that the ritual for baptism in the beginning of
the reign of king Edward, liad sometning in it very
superstitious. As for the making the sign of the
cross, there can be no harm in it, unless people be-
lieve that it has sotnelhliig in it of a sacred nature.
Those who submit to it as the mode used in the
established church, should look upon it as an indif-
ferent thing, but those who consitler it as incon-
sistent with the word of God, sliould by n ) means
use it. There is, however, in this country, but little
leason to complain, for there is such liberty for
tender consciences, that although the minister can-
not dispense with the act of uuiforinity, yet any mail
4
I
586
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
who is of opinion that baptism is absolutely neces-
sary to infants, may apply to the Dissenters^ none
of whom use the sij^n of the cross.
The next thing to be considered is confirmation.
In the primitive times, this was a grand ceremony
in the church. It frequently followed immediately
after baptism, wiien the party made a solenm pro-
mise before the bishop and all the congregation
present, that he would live according to the rules of
the gospel. He was then admitted to the comrim-
nion, after the bishop had prayed for him, and laid
his hands on his head. It was absolutely necessary
that such a declaration should be made, especially
as the peojile were but ne^^ly converted from hea-
thenism. And the same circumstance took place
here immediately after the Reformation. It was ne-
cessary that the ministers of parishes should know
to whom they administered the communion, and
therefore it was ordered, that those who intended
to partake of that holy ordinance, should first be
instructed in the principles of the Christian religion ;
for no solemn mystery enjoined in the New 'I'esta-
ment must be triHed with.
It is therefore appointed both by the canons and
by several public acts, that all those who are to be
confirmed, nmst produce a certificate of their know-
ledge from the minister of the parish where they re-
side. This ordinance is observed by the Lutherans,
and although not attended to by many Protestants,
yet we shall have occasion to point out wherein they
have soniething like it. Indeed, we do not know
that ever any of the Protestants spoke or wrote
against confirjnation, but in some of their writings
we find them complaining of abuses in the cere-
mony, namely, it is not attended to with that awful
reverence it was in the primitive church. All we
can say on this head is, that our bishops should con-
sider whether it would not be much better to visit
their parishes once every year, than once in three
years. Bishop Jewel used to say, "A bishop should
'die preaching, and surely the gates of heaven must
be ready opened for that minister who leaves this
Avorld doing his duty."
We come next to the eucharist or sacrament of
the Lord's supper, which in all Christian churches
■ makes a part of divine worsiiip. This sacrament,
as well as that of baptism, was instituted by Christ
.himself; and by many divines it has been called
■Christ's last legacy to his people. It was constituted
to be kept up in remembrance of him to the end
of the -world. We are assured by Pliny, in his
-epistle lo the emperor Trajan, that the Christians
met on one day in seven, and had a feast together.
This feast was no other than \\hat we now call the
communion. In the beginning of Christianity, the
%vhole church or body of Christians met together;
and those who had been baptized vvje admitted to
the communion. But as they began to multiply, a
more rigid discipline w as found necessary, catechu-
mens, penitents, and all who were found guilty of
any scandalous offences, were debarred from the
communion; the former, till they had been properly
instructed, and the latter, till they had given suffi-
cient proofs of their amendment. The bishop al-
ways washed his hands before he consecrated the
elements, according to thi; words of the psalmist,
" I will wash my hands in innocency, so will I go
to thine altar." But as these things have been
treated of at large in our account of tl>e primitive
church, we shall tiierefore only take notice of some
traditions concerning the efficacy of the eucharist,
which we have carefully collected from different
hist'iriiuis. These traditions, however, are not
relaled as facts, but merely as forgeries invented,
when the purity of Christianity was on the decline.
Optatus tells us, that some Donatisls, who, in
their mad zeal against the C'atholics, ordered the
eucharist which they liad consecrated to be thrown
to their dogs, but not without an immediate sign of
divine vengeance on tiieni ; for the dogs, insteail of
devouring the elements, fell upon their masters and
tore them to pieces.
Again it is related of St. Laurence, that beinof
extended on a red-hot gridiron in order to suffer
martyrdom, the sacramental bread and wine which
he had just before received, rendered him quite
insensible of the force and violence of the fire;
and that this surprising event converted a great
many people, who were present to see the execu-
tion.
The acts of St. Stephen relate a remarkable story
concerning the eucharist, of one Tharticus, an aco-
lyth, who, as he was carrying home some of the
consecrated elements, met with a company of sol-
diers, who demanded of him what he was carrying,
and upon his refusal to discover the sacred mysteries
to those infidels, they beat him to death. The story
adds, that God confirmed his piety and prudence by
a miracle ; for the soldiers, though they searched all
over him, could not find what he wished to conceal
from them.
jNIacedonius, bishop of Constantinople, in the
fourth century, and a great persecutor of the No-
vatians, having long hated some of those poor
people, obliged them, against their will, to com-
municate with him, by forcing open their mouths
and thrusting the eucharist down their throats,
which to them was the most insupportable of all
punishments.
The I'jstorian Sozomen relates, that a certain
woman of the Alacedonian sect, being obliged by
the threats of her husband to dissemble an inclina-
tion to embrace the Catholic faith, came to church
in order to receive the eucharist, where, iastead ci"
niTES AXD CEREMONIES OP THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
9Sf
swaHowing the conspcrated bread, slie privately
conveyed it away, and put anotlier piece she had
brought witli her iiito her mouth. But by the judg-
ment of God, wiicnshe endeavoured to cat it, she
found it clianged into a stone, upon wliich she be-
came a sincere convert to tlie Catholic faith.
■St. Austin rtlalos of one Acacious, that he came
into the woi III with his eye-lids so closed that he
could see nothing, and tlial his mother, by applying
the eiicharist to his eyes in the forni of a plaister,
brought iiini presertly to sight.
W e are likewise told by .St. Austin, of a young
girl who being posses.sed by the devil, and having
continued twenty-eigiit days without nourishment,
was dispossessed and j'erfcctly restored to health, by
partaking of the eucharist.
We liave mentioned these tilings for the benciit
of our Protestant readers, who ought to be on their
guard when they read the writings of the ancient
fathers. And here we may find, that just after the
time of Conslantiiie the Great, the priests began to
extol the eucharisl so much, that the foundation of
the corporeal presence was laid. The inagnif}ing
any thing beyoiul its proper merits, or the design for
w hich it was appointed, is first superstition, and then
generally ends in idolatry. This is always the effect
of will w orsliip, or doing w hat is not commanded ;
and if we can here find such a name as that of St.
Austin giving countenance to such notions, we need
not be much surprised at finding the same in latter
writers.
The compilers of our Comnion-Prayer Book
originally extracted this service out of several ancient
liturgies, as those of .St. Basil, St. Ambrose, and St.
Gregory; but Boucher having found great fault
with it, it therefore went under several alterations.
The office was originally designed to be distinct,
and consequently to be used at a different time from
morning prayer. A custom which bishop Overall
says was observed in his time in York and Chichester;
and he imputes it to the negligence of the ministers,
and carelessness of the people, that they are ever
huddled together into one office.
By the last rubric after this office, part of it is
appointed to be read on every Stuiday and holy-day,
ttiough there be no communicants ; and the reason
ieeuis to have been, that the church may shew her
fea<liness to administer llie siicrainent upon those
da\s, and that it is not hei's, but tlie people's fault,
tl'.at it is not administered : or it might be so ordered
for the sake of reading the Ddcalogue, or Ten Coni-
niaiidments, the Collects, Epistles, and (iospels, and
the Nicene Ci"eed; together with the Offertory, or
.•■.eutences of scripture, and the prayer for Christ's
church.
As there has been nineh dispute concerning the
propriety of having altars in churches, where there
is no sacrifice, w'c find it necessary to take some no-
tice of the place where the church of iuigland orders
the eucharist to be celebrated. And here, it is ne-
cessary that we should first dc-cribo the progress of
the piimitive church, and then compare it with the.
practice of the reformed.
I'liis holy table was distinguished among the pri-
mitive Christians, by tiie name of altar; and Mr.
Mcde thinks it was usually so called for tiie two first
ages, and that the name table is not to be found in
any author of those ages now remaining. How-
ever, it is certain they did not mean by the altar,
what the .lews and heathens meant, either an altar
adorned with images or idols, like those of the hea-
thens, or an altar for bloody sacrifices, which was
the use of them both among the Jews and Gentiles.
But for tlieir own mystical, unbloody sacrifice, as'
they called the eucharist, they always owned they
had an altar, which they scrupled not to term in-
differently by that name.
The communion-tables, or altars, of the primitive
Christians, seem to have been made only of wood,
till the time of Constantine, when stone altars were
brought in, together witii the stateliness and mag-
nificence of churches. The pontifical speaks of
silver altars, dedicated by Constantine. And, as
the materials of which altars were made, were chang-
ed, so the form and fashion of them began to be
changed likewise : l"or whereas, before, they were
in the form of tables, they now began to b# erected
more like altars, either upon a single stone, or pil-
lar, in the middle, or upon an edifice erected like a
tomb.
Among the primitive Christians there never was
more than one allar in a church. One bishop and
one altar, is the known aphorism of Ignatius. Some
are of opinion, that, anciently, there was but one
allar in a whole city, or diocese, belonging to a
bishop; notwithstanding there were many churches.
But this is a point involved in too much obscurity
to be easily determined.
In some of the more stately churches, as that of
Sancta Soj)hia at Constantinople, the altar was over-
shadowed with a sort of canopy. It was raised in
the form of a little turret, upon four pillars, at each
corner of the altar. The heads of the pillars were
adorned with silver bowls, the top of it was in the
form of a sphere, adorned with graven flowers. —
Above the sphere stooil the cross : and tiie several
arches below, between the pillars, were hung w'itli
veils or curtains, which served to cover ;;nd conceal
the whole altar. Sometimes the Holy Ghost was
represented, in the effigies of a silver dove, hovering
over the altar.
The holy vessels, which they made use of to ad-
minister the eucharist in, niaile anoiiier part of the
omaiiieiits of the coniuiunion-table, or altar. The
5S3
PJTES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
materials, it is true, were sometimes no better than
plain glass or wood; but, ia the more stately
chiirclies, they were often ot gold or silver. What,
this holy furniture consisted of, we may judge from
an inventory ot communion plate, giveu in to the
persecutors by Paul, bishop of Cirta. There we
find two gold cups, six silver cups, six silver water-
pots, seven lamps, and some other things.
As to the ceremony of bowing towards the altar
at the first entrance into the churches, Mr. Mede
tliinks there is no plain demonsiration of it in the
ancient writers, but some probability of such a cus-
tom derived from the Je\?s, who used to bow them-
selves down towards the mercy seat. It is certain,
the Christians, both of the Greek and oriental
churches, have time out of mind, and without any
known beginning thereof used to bow towards the
altar, repeating the words of the publican in the
gospel, "God be merciful to me a sinner," as ap-
pears by the Liturgies of St. Chrysostom and St.
Basil, which custom not being founded on any
known decree, or canon of a council, and being
agreeable to the practice of the Jewish church, to
which the Christians succeeded, may therefore f;iirly
be supposed to have been derived to them from
some very remote and ancient tradition.
The comnuniion-table or altar in the primitive
cliurch, was placed at the upper end, not close to
the wall, as it is at present, but at some little dis-
tance frc*) it; so that liie bishop's throne might be
behind it, and room enough left in a void space to
encompass or go round it. And this is the meaning
of Eusebius, who speaking of the church of Pauli-
nus, says, " He set the holy of holies, the altar, in
the middle," not in the middle of the nave, or body
of the church, as some have misunderstood it ; but
in the middle of the bema, or sanctuary, at such a
distance from the upper end, as that (he seats of
bishops and presbyters might be behind it. Dr.
Hanimond, and other learned men,, think this posi-
tion of the altar, in the Christian churches was in
imitation of tire altar of the Jewish temple, to
which the psalmist alludes in those words, "I will
wash my hands in innoceucy, and so will 1 compass
thine altar."
At the beginning of the Reformation in England,
a dispute arose, whether the communion-tables of
the altar-fashion, which had been used in popish
time, and ; on which masses had been celebrated,
should be still contrnued. This occasioned a letter
from the king and council of all the bishops, requir-
ing them to pull down the altars; and, when the
Liturgy was reviewed in 1551, the rubric was al-
tered, and the priest was directed to stand on the
north side, not on the altar as it was before, but of
the table.
In the reign of queen Elizabeth; when the Refor-
mation first received a civil establishment, then it
was that our reformers displayed a considerable share
of 1 moderation. They appointed that the commu-
nion-table should be either in the church or cliancel,
but not a word concerning altars. In this man-
ner things continued till the reign of Charles I.
when one half of the people ran mad in favour of
Puritanism, and the otiier half in favour of super-
stition. The love of ceremonies trampled ever the
love of truth, and- opposition to govern;nent was
considered as a virtue. It was at that time that Dr.
Laud caused the Book of Sports to be published,
by which people were permitted to play at all sorts
of games after divine service on Sundays. This
circumstance proved fatal at that time to the churcli
of England, but affliction taught her leaders wisdom.
In 16.34, Laud procured an order, that all those
tables where the people communicated, should be
removed from the middle of the church, and placed
within ratis on the east end of the chancel, and thi<
was to be called th.e altar. It is impossible to de-
scribe all the confusions that took place on this
occasion. The Puritan miiiisterf, by their affected
austerity, had gained on the mnids of the peoj)le,'
who were become as nii;t!i slaves to ihem as evci-
they had been to the popish priests. They said,
that to set up altars, was the same as to set up po-
pery, and as some of the cleigy were more forwai'd
in tliis affair than others, so it occasioned many
tumults, fomented by the Puritans, and laughed at
by the papists.
At Grantham, in Lincolnshire, the vicar of the
parish procured a piece of painting from one of the
remains of an abbey, and liad it placed within the
altar. All his hearers vvei-e Puritans, and the setthip;
up the painting drove them almost stark mad. And
heie it may be justly said in the woi'ds of a cele-
brated author, "There were fire and tow assem-
bled." The vicar loved ceremonies, and the people
hated them. A combination of the parishioners
went to the church to demolish the altai-, and the
vicar to defend it. A stout battle ensued, in vvhicli
the vicar, who seems' to have been a man of courage,
lifted a form upon his shoulder, and knocked down
five or six of the assailants. The clergy who can-
not teach people wisdom, should drive it into them.
Here was a fine opportunity for the papists to
laugh at the simplicity and weakness of Laud, who,
to use the words of bishop Burnet, " Drove all things
into confusion." Ward, who wrote a book called
England's Reformation, takes notice of this, when
he says.
What mischiefs did in Kirks arise^
By setting tables altar wise ;
How Grantham's vicar by the rabble.
Was bang'd about the communion-table.
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
5S0
-l?y the act of uniformity, none is to communicate
in public, but at tlie altar, and they are to receive
the clemunUs kneeling. 'I'he ceremony of kneeling
at the sacrament is observed by the Lutherans and
the duMcli of England, but not by any other Pro-
testants that we know of. In this country, it has
occasioned inucli contention, and a variety of dis-
putes. 'I'his much is certain, that kneeling at tlie
commuHion was not used in iht: iiriinilive church till
after the time of Constaiitinc the Great. And yet
tliere can be no harm in the ceremony, so as it is
not used to superstition. It is certain, that the ru-
bric has cautioned people ap;^ainst rnnnin;^ into super-
stition, and pcihaps to the liberal and enlarjied in
seiuimeiit, it will be nuich the same whether liiey
commemorate thec'calh of iheir Redeemer kneeling
or standing. In all things of an inditl'erent nature,
people should be left to their own discretion ; for
where the conscience is once wounded, there can
remain no peace of mind. Last of all, let us con-
sider that tliis holy ordinance is a fea^^t of charity,
and was considered as such by llie primitive Chiis-
tians. \\ ith what great care then ought we to ex-
amine ourselves, whether we have any grudge or
malice against our neighbours, for we ought not to
go to the Lord's table with any besides those with
whom we could wish to sit down in heaven.
Marriage, as in all other Protestant countries ex-
cept one, must in England be performed by a cler-
gyman. That marriage is in the law of nature a
civil institution, is known to every historian, and
the sentiment is established by all modern writers,
who have treated of the laws of nature and nations.
'I'hc Jewish marriages were civil contracts, attended
with some innocent ceremonies, and the bishops, in
llie |>runitive ages of Christianity, never meddled
w ith tliosc things, their sole care being to prevail on
the people to live in a state of chastity, according
to the a[)ostolical institution, " Let every man have
li;s own wife, and everv woman her own husband."
\\ e are not exactly certain as to the lime when
the ClnisUan piiests first claiaied the privilege of
marrying the people, all that we know is, that it was
practised before the reign of the emperor Justinian,
who lived in tlie sixth century. That emperor pub-
lished an edict, forbidding any person to perform
the ceremony of marriage except a clergyman. —
To enforce the clerical power, he made this a prin-
ciple in the pandects, and from that time till the
time of the Uelorniation, it was an object of great
cmoluiiie..t to the priests who performed the cere-
niony, and to the popes who assumed the power of
setting aside mairiages whenever they pleased.
At the Heformatioii, the Lutlierans did not follow
the popish rule of making a sacrament of marriage,
but still they retained many of the ceremonies. In
the church of England it is likev\i3e declared not to
39 7
be a sacrament, but the privilege of performing it is
still confined to the clergy; and by the mariiagc act
1734, tliere are several restrictions laid upon this
bond of union, that where unknown before. Tlii?
act has defeated its own intention, which W'as that
of preventing young persons from marrying without
the consent of their parents or- guardians. Avarice
inspired the sentiment, and pride supjiorted its ope-
rations, IJy this act, destructive of the r.atural
rights of the human race, dreadl'ul enormities have
been committed. Those who found they could not
elude the force of it in England, made elopements
to Scotland, where they were married without the
consent of their parents ; and these marriages arc
declared by the court of session, the supreme court
of judicature in lliaf part of tiie island to be legal ;
and this decision has been aftirmed in the house of
lords, from whose decree no ap[>eal lies.
But as most of these matches were, and still are
concUided in the heat of youthful unguarded pas-
sion, and as the parents frequently withdrew from
them what was intended as a marriage portion, so
povertv creates uneasiness, brings on a coldness be-
tween the parties, and they are seldom happy. —
But this is not the worst eli'ect of the act, it ope-
rates shockingly, and with a baneful influence on the
morals of those in high life. Young ladies, being
forced by their parents to enter into the marriage
state with persons who have nothing to reccommend
them but money, are tempted to engage iTl unlaw-
ful pleasures, and to this is owing the vast number
of divorces that have taken place in this country. —
Indeed, these have been multiplied so much of late
years that the lower classes of people, copying the
example of their superiors, have as it were laushecl
at all moral obligation, and endeavoured to unhinge
ttie basis of human society. The evil has spread
far and wide, and we should not have been so expli
cit on it, had it not been learnedly animadverted
upon, by some of the members of both houses of
parliament, who are in their ])rivate and public
characters, an ornament to human society. Me-
thods have been proposed to put a stop to the grow-
ing evil, but they have all met with violent opposi-
tion, and where it will end God only knows.
The church of England, though she docs not
consider marriage as a sacrament, yet looks upon it
as an institution so sacred, ihiit it ought always to
be celebrated by an ecclesiastical pel son. And by
several canons of our church, it is decl;<red to bo
no less than prostituting one's daughter, to give her
in marriage without the blessing of the priest. But
marriages without this sanction are ni t, therefore,
null and void, for, though the positive law of man
orch'.ins marriage to be made by a priest, that law
only makes marriages otherwise solemnized, irregu-
lar, but does not dissolve them.
590
RITES AND CEREISJONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
There is no canon, or custom of this realm,
v^hich pnihibils marriages to be solemnized at any
time. The ecclesiastical courts, it is true, pretend,
that a licence is necessary, to impower persons to
marry, diirins; siuli times as are said to be prohi-
bited, viz. i'roni j\dvent-Sunday, to the Octave of
the Epiphany inclusive ; frotn Septuagesinia-Sun-
day, till the Sunday after Easier inclusive; and
from the first of the Rogvuion-days, that is, the
Monday before Ascension-day, till the day before
Trinity-Sunday iiiclusive. During these pretended
prohibited times, they allow no person to many by
banns only, as at other times of the year.
For better security against clandestine marriages,
the church orders, that all marriages be celebrated
in the day time. By the LXlId canon, they are
ordered to be performed in time of divine service ;
but that practice is now almost, by universal con-
sent, laid aside and discontinued. The canonical
hours for celebrating matrimony are, from eight to
twelve in tlie forenoon. Formerly it was required,
that the bridegroom and bride sliould be fasting,
when they made their matrimonial vow ; by which
means they were secured from being made 'incapa-
ble, by drink, of acting decently and discreetly in
so weighty an affair.
The impediments to marriage are specified in the
102d canon of our church, and are these: 1. A
preceding marriage, or contract, or any contro-
versy or suit depending upon the same. 2. Consan-
guinity or affinity. 3. \\ ant of the consent of parents
or guardians. In Henry Vlllth's time, an act was
passed, that marriages, solemnized aiid consum-
mated, should stand good, notwithstanduig any pre-
contract, that had not been consummated. But this
was done only to gratify the king : and therefore, in
the next reign, this act was repealed. As to the
impediment of consanguinity or afhiiity, iSiere is a
table of prohibited degrees drawn up by archbishop
Parker, and set forth by authority in \oH5.
There is one objection that has been made to the
ceremony of marriage in the church of England,
and that is the use of the ring. Among tlie ancient
heathens the ring V"J8 considered as an emblem of
eternity, because a ring has no end. We lind seve-
ral instances of this in ancient history, particularly
among the Egyptians, and it was to please the hea-
thens that the Christian clergy, about the latter end
of the si.xth century, adopted the ceremony. From
tkat time till the Reformation it was kept up ; but
in the Greek church, the parties in marriage ex-
change rings with each other, so that both husband
and wife has one each. At the Reformation, it was
retained by the Lutherans, and by the church of
England, but all other Protestant churches e.xploded
it. However, as the English Dissenters are all
obliged to marry in the church, they use the ring in
common with others, except the Friends, vulgarly
called Quakers, who never make use of it. All we
have to say concernhig this dispute, is, that we do
not think it worth the mentioning, nor a subject of
serious enquiry. If women will have husbands, no
doubt but they will accept of the ling along with >
the male partner ; for as Mr. Gray says,
" What female heart's averse to gold."
It puts us in niind of what Cartwright, the Puri-
tan minister said, when being asked what objec-
tions he had to a square hat, answered, that his
head was not square. There are some other reli-
gious disputes v\hich might be teniijnatsd in the
same manner.
We 'are here obliged to take notice of another ob-
jection made by several persons, and that is against
the following words, " With my body I thee wor-
ship." This was a dreadful bugbear to some en-
thusiasts in the last century, who did not understand
what the word worship pointed out. They imagin-
ed that worship and divine service were synonymous
terms. Now the simple meaning of the expression
is, that as the Christian dedicates himself wholly to
Gdd, so the man \\\\o enters into the marriage state
should consider, that he is so connected w ith his
wife, as not to have any thing to do with harlots.
As marriage is necessary on many accounts, and
as it is one of the ordinances appointed to be ob-
served in the church, so it ought to be attended to
with great care ; nor was it ever despised but by
libertines. The comforts of society, the mutual
assistance that the one sex should give to the other,
the propagation of the human species, the care of
bringing up children, and industry of providing for
ihem, are all included under this name. The de-
bauchee may enjoy a tempoiary pleasure, attended
with a severe re|ientance ; the virtuous man who is
married knows the sweets of human life. If he is
afflicted, he has a helpmate to sympathize wiih him ;
if he is in a state of j)rosperity, then she will par-
take of his comforts. Their children will grow up
together as ornaments of human society, as saiiits
prepared fo.' heaven, and on a death-bed it will be '
tlieir consolation that they have not lived in vain.
We cannot conclude this article better than in the "
words of Milton, the greatest poet pcihaps that
ever lived in the world, next to the inspired writers.
Hall, wedded love! mysterious law ! true source
Of human ofi'spring! sole propriety
[ii paradise, of all things common else !
By thee adulterous lust was driven from man,
Aniong the bestial herds to range : by thee,
Founded in reason, loyal, just, and pure.
Relations dear, and the charities
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
591
Of father, son, and brother, first were known;
Perpetual foimtaiuof dotnestic sweets!
Here love his golden shafts eniitlo}.s, here lights
His constant lamp, and waves his purple wings :
Here nigns and revels: not in the bought smile
Of harlots, loveless, joyless, iiiiindcur'd,
Casual fruition ; nor iu court-asnours,
Mix'd dance, or w aiiton mask, or midnight ball.
Or serenade, which tl;e starv'd lover si?igs
To his proud fair, best quitted with disdain.
The next thing to he. considered is, the visitation
of the sick, a duty which hath been attended to
amongst all ranks and denominations of Christians,
and it points out a fixed belief of eternity ; for what
occasion would there be to visit the sick, if there
was not a belief of an awful change taking place
soon afterwards. We know but of one objection
that has been made to the ofHce for llie visitation of
the sick, and that is, the absolution. Undoubtedly
there are here some words that miglit have been more
clearly expressed, so as to remove all sorts ot doubt,
and to extinguish ambiguity ; but where is perfection
to be found in human things? It appears by the
rubric, that the minister is to pronounce this abso-
lution in conseqitence of a firm persuasion that the
sick man is a real ]ienitent ; and as he does it by the
authority of Christ, consequently we should iinagine
that no real Protestant would consider it in an im-
proper light. We are loath to enter into disputes of
that nature ; but this much is certain, that absolu-
tion to sick persons was very early used in the
church, even before the time of Constantine the
Gteat ; but if it was turned to superstition after-
wards, we are not to answer for it. being convinced
that the church of England gives no encouragement
to it, unless a few simple words can be construed
to that purpose.
The burial of the dead naturally follows the visi-
tation of the sick, and ll>e rubric enjoins that it shall
not be used for any that die unl)a;itised or excom-
municated, or who have laid violent hands on them-
selves. These words of the rubric have occasioned
much controversy; for fkst, it S'Bpposcsj or at least
insinuates, that those who die unbaptiscd cannot be
sived. This notion was never eml)raced in the
Christian church till the tenth century, when it was
established into a law by the council St. .lohn de
Lateran. Secondly, as to persons excommunicated
hi the church of England, they may be so for civil
offences, and to deny them Christian burial, accord-
ing to the rites of their own church, is joining civil
and ecclesiastical jurisdiction together. Lastly, as
to those who have laid violent hands on liieniselves,
the general practice of this country has set aside the
barbarity of the rubric. Inquests generally set
aside common homicides, because it is imagined
that none would put an end to then- lire.", unless
they were madmen. To despise life, indictites a
privation of judgment, and therefore we generally
iind that our inquests return their verdicts Luiiaci/.
llov\cver, this is not all, the sentiment arises accord-
ing to the sense of tlie rubric, from a belief that
those who lay violent hands on themselves can have
no time to repent, and consequently are lost for
ever.
That self-murder is a horrid ciime is not to be
disputed, and God forbid thai we should stand up
in defence of it ; but then who is to li;nit Divine
Omnipotence? Mr. Clark repeats a story, which
although perhaps not true, yet it may serve to point
out the sentiments of a charitable Christian.
A very profane man riding one day on horse back,
fell and was killed in the very act of swearing. That
his S'>nl was gone to hell most people believed, and
yet a bye-staiider declared he heard a voice utter the
following words : —
Betwixt the saddle and the ground,
Mercy was sought, and mercy found.
We mention this, not as a real fact, but only to
point out what are frequently the sentiments of men
on such a subject. Great caution should be used
in forming notions of the state of our departed
friends. God has ways to govern the exertions of
his glorious attributes, with which vre are utterly
unacquainted, and to acknowledge our ignorance is
the sure way to attain to wisdom.
'rhere is, however, another objection to this cere-
mony, which has been frequently made by the Dis-
senters, and that arises from the repetition of the
words, " In sure and certain hope of lesurrection to
eternal life." By a sure and certain hope can only
'be meant a well grounded hope, and that is such an
ho{>e as is founded upon rationvii principles. There-
fore, if thsre is any ambiguity in the expression, it
does not seem to arise from superstition in our re-
tormers, but rather from a charitable principle. -
The next ceremony in the church of England is,
that of returning thanks to iIk; great Godof nature
and providence, for delivering women in child-birth.
This practice is atti?nded to in one form or other by
all the Protestant churches we know of, whether
established by law, or Dissenters. And can any
thing in the world be more just? Natural religion
points out that we should return thanks to God for
every favour we receive from him, and Christianity
enforces the duty by the most solemn sanctions. —
Our gratitude should at least be, as far as lays in our
power, proportioned to the iienefits we have received ;
and what sufferings in this life can be compared
with those of a woman who goes through the pains
of child-bearing ." And, if the affliction is so gicat,
*92
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
if there is a liviii<? mother, ^nd what is still more,
a livhig child ? Mow cheerfidlj should those coii-
< cenied go into the house of God, and acknowledge
the obligation they are .under to him. So far as We
know, there has never yet been any exception made
to a single passage in this office, by any of our Dis-
senting brethren. It follows the practice of the
Jewish church, in which ibey were to offer a turtle-
-dove, or two young pigeons ; but Christianity re-
quiies'the sacriiice of the heart.
1"he commination, the last ceremony to be taken
notice of, has its rise from a practice in the ancient
church, when the bishop, or in his absence, any
other lawful minister, declared, that tliose wlio had
not repented of gross sins or immoralities, should
not presume to come to thg Lord's table. That
such a practice existed in the primitive church, is
ackn_owledged in the rubric to this office. . The
whole ceremony is plain and simple, and the man
who is conscious of his guilt, may freely acknow-
ledge himself as cursed in the sight of God for the
sins he has committed, without losing hopes of the
divine favour, which no doubt will be communi-
cated to iiim in consequence of his accepting of
salvation, according to the terms offrred iu the
gospel.
Such is the public service of the church of Eng-
land, and, pel haps, upon a dispassionate inquiry, it
will be found that very i'ew exceptions in the eye
of reason can be made to it. 'Jliere can be no criti-
cishig, however, in these affairs, so that we must
speak with candour, concerning all those who diflfer
from us.
The next thing to be considered iu tlie church of
England is, her government, which is ditfeient from
all other Protestant churches in the world. She is
the same in iier discipline, and both these must be
explained to the reader.
England is governed in ecclesiastical matters by
two archbishops, and twenty-four bishops, and under
these, by deans of cathedrals, arch-deacons, rectors,
;iiul vicars of parishes ; all which must be properly
attended to, especially as viC must soon take notice
of Calvinism and the church of Scotland.
Though bishops, iu the primitive church, were all
vested with the same office, yet as Christianity in-
, creased, it was found necessary to enlarge the epis-
copal power; therefore, as before, there was com-
monly a bishop placed in every great city, so now,
;iu every metropolis, as the Romans called it, or
.mother city, of every province, wherein were courts
of civil judicature, there was a metropolitan or
archbishop, wiio had ecclesiastical jurisdiction over
all the bishiips of that province. His jurisdiction
consisted in ordaining, or nitifying the elections and
ordinations of all other bishops ; and once a year
he was to suintnou them all to a synod, in which he
presided, to inquire into their conduct,^ to censure
with suspension, or deprivation, and to hear and
determine causes between contending bishops.
Dr. Bingham is of opinion, that archbishop was
originally but another name for patriarch ; though
in process of time their jurisdiction became dis-
tinct.
The ill's t establishment of archbishoprics in Eng-
land, if we may credit Bede, one of the most an-
cient writers of the English nation, was in the time
of Lucius, said to be the lirst Christian king of
England; who, after the conversion of his subjects,
erected three archbishoprics, at London, York, and
Landaff, then called Caerleon. The dignity of
archbishop continued in the see of London 18 J
years, till, in the time of the Saxons, it w as trans-
lated to Canterbury, where it has continued ever
since, and York leuiains a metrupolitical see to this
day.
i\ugustin, the monk, who was sent by pope Gre-
gory, to conVtrt the English nation, in the reign of
Jithelbcrt, king of Kent, was the first bishop of
Canterbury.; but Theodore, the sixth in succession
after him, was the iirst archbisliop of that see. 'Die
archbi.shopg of Canterbury had anciently the pri-
macy not only over England, but Ireland also, and
all the bishops of the latter were consecrated by
him. He was staled by pope Urban II. " Alterius
Orbis -Papa ;" he had a perpetual Icgantiue power
annexed to his archbisliopric ; he liad some marks
of royalty, such as the power of coining money,
Sec. Since the Reformation, he is styled Primate
and Metropolitan of all England : archbishop Cran-
mer was the first who b(ue this title. As to pre-
cedency, there have been ancient contests about it,
as also about the oath of canonical obedience, be-
tween the two aichiepiscopal sees. Some anti-
quaries will iiave it, that the archbishop of York
was originally piimate of the British church; for
London never was a Roman colony, or the seal of
the Roman emperors, as York was, where both Se-
verus and Constantius Chlorus lived and died, and
where (Jonstantine the Great was born; and from
hence they infer, that, where tiie emperors resided,
that was the most likely place to have pre-eminence
above the rest. However it be, in the reign of
Henry I. WilJiam Corbel, archbishop of Canter-
bury, obtained from the pope the character of le-
gale, by which lie secured to himself a superiority
over the see of York, which he \isiled Jure Lega-
tionis. But after his death, ihe contest still con-
tinued. For we find, that in the reign of Henry H.
a synod being called at Westminster by the pope's
legate, the archbishop of Canterbury coming fiist,
seated himself at the right hand of the legate; but
York coming afterv\ards, refused to take the seat
on the left hand, and demanded Canterbury's place,
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
J93
■wliich the latter refusing, York snt down in his lap.
This occasioned the s\iiod to bre;'k up in disorder,
and both parties appealing to the pope, the contest
wiis decided in tavonr of the see ot Canterbury,
«liich enjoys the precedency to tiii^ day.
The privileges of the arehbisiioj) of C.interhury
are, among others, to crown tlie kings of lingland;
to have prelates for his officers; as the hisliop of
London his provincial dean ; the bishop of Wuiciies-
ter his chancellor ; the bishop of Lincoln iiis vice-
chancellor; the bishop of Salisbury his precentor;
the bishop of VVorcester his chaplain; and the
bishop of Rochester his crosier bearer; which last
office, since the times of popery has ceased. He
is al^ the first peer of England, next to the royal
family.
The archbishop of Canterbury hath the supreme
government of ecclesiastical matters, next under the
king. I'pon the death of any snftVagan bishop, the
custody of his see devolves upon the archbisho|); he
liath a power of censuring any bishop in his pro-
vince; he halh an ancient right to preside in all
proviiiciid councils of hissutfragans, which formerly
were held once a year, but have been discontinued
a long time ; so that his power of examining things
throughout his province is devolved to his courts;
of which he holds several, as the court of arches,
prerogative-court, court of peculiars, &c. and he
has the probate of wills.
As to the archbishop of York, he is now styled
primate and metropolitan of England, and takes
place of all peers, except the archbishop of Can-
terbury, and the lord Chancellor. He had origin-
ally the primacy, not only over twelve English
sees, but also over all the bishoprics of Scotland.
But Scotland has disowned -his prerogative many
.years since, and the archbisiiopric itself hath swal-
lowed up several smaller and more inconsiderable
bishoprics ; so that the whole province is now
reduced to four sees; Durham, Chester, Carlisle,
and Man,
Scotland, whilst episcopacy prevailed in that
eoiuilry, had two archbishops; viz. of St. Andrews
and Glasgow ; the former of whom was primate of
Scotland.
Wales also anciently boasted of an archbishop,
Tvhose see, as has been observed, was established at
Caerleon; and was afterwards translated to St. Da-
vid's. But the plague raging very much in that
countrv, the archiepiscopal see «as agaiit removed
to Doll in Bretagne; where this dignity ended. —
Notwithstanding which, in after ages, the Britons
or Welsh, commenced an action, on that account,
against the archbishop of Canterbury, but were
cast.
Ireland has four aicbblshops : of Armagh, Dub-
lin, Cassil, and Tuain, of wlioin the archbishop of
Armagh is primate of all Ireland.
A The earliest account we have of l?ritish bishops,
is carried up no higher than the council of Aries,
assembled by the emperor Constantinc, in the fourth
centurv; at \\hich were present the bishops of Lon-
don, York, and Caerleon.
Before the Norman conquests, bishops were
chosen by the chapters, whether monks or preben-
daries. From the conqueror's time to the reign of
king John, it was the custom to chuse bishops at
a public meeting of the bishops and burons, the
king himself being present at the solemnity, who
claimed a right of investing the bishops by deliver-
ing to them the ring and liie pastoral staff. It is
true, the popes endeavoured to gain the election of
bishops to themselves; and this occasioned great
smuggles and contests between the Roman pontiffs
and our kings. At length, alter various dis[)utes
between king John and the i)ope, the former by his
charter A. 1). 121,5, granted the right of election
to tije cathedral churches. A statute, in the reign
of Henry VIIL settles the election of bishops as
follows :
" The king upon the vacancy of tiie see, was to
send his Conge d'asiire to the dean and chapter, or
prior and convent, and nv case they delayed the
election above twelve days, the crown was empow-
ered to nominate tihe person by letters patent. —
And, after the bishop thus elected, had taken an
oath of fealty to the king, his majesty, by his let-
ters patent under the broad seal, signified the elec-
tion to the archbishop, with orders to coniirm it and
con-secrate the elect. AikI hiHth, if the person as-
signed to elect and consecrate, deferred the perform-
ing their respective offices twenty days, they were
to incur a pracniunire." But a statute of Edward
VI. made a change in tlu' manner of electing bishops, .
and trmisferrcd the choice wholly from the deans
and chapters to the crown. "^I'lie preamble in the
first place alledges the inconveniences of the former
manner of electing, from the circumstances efdelny
andexpence. Aftei' which it is said in the pream-
ble, " that the said elections are in every deed no
elections, but only by a writ of eonge d'eslire have
colours, shadows, and pretences' of election : that
they serve to no pur|)ose, and seem derogatory and
prejudicial to the king's prerogative royal, to whom
only appertains the collation of gift of all archbi-
shoprics and bishoprics, and suffragan bishojw,
within his higliness's dominions." This statute
therefore enacts, that " for the future no conge d'es-
lire shall be granted, nor any election be made by
the dean and chapter, but that the arciibishopric or
bishopric shall be conferred by the king's nomina-
tion in his letters patent," But this aiteratiou made
39
7 L
>m>,i-
594
RITES AND CEREMONIES 0|
CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
byrthe statute of king Edward, is no longer in force,
aud the custom of sending down the congi; dVslire
is tT'j stored. JUK
('Upon tlie vacancy of a bishop's see, the ^Bf
-grants a license, under the great seal, to llie dean
and chapter, to elect the person whom by his letters
missive he hath appointed ; and they are to chase
no other. . The. dean and chapter, having made their
election -accordingly, certify it under their connnon
seal to the kmg, and to the archbishop of the pro-
vince, and to the bishop thus elected; then the king
•gives his royal assent under the great seal, dnetted
.to the archbishop, commanding him to confirm and
consecrate the bishop thus elected. The archbishop
then subscribes his iiat contirmatio, and grants a
commission to the vicar general to perform all the
acts recjuisite thereto; who thereupon issues out a
^summons to all persons who may object to the elec-
4ion, to appear,- &c. which citation is affixed on the
.door of Bow church. At the time and place ap-
pointed, the proctor for the dean and chapter ex-
liibits the ro>al assent, and the commission of the
.archbishop, which are both read, and accepted by
the vicar ;^eneriil. 'I hen the new bishop is presented
hy the proctor to the vicar general : and, three pro-
clamations being made for the opposcrs of the elec-
. -tion to appear, ..and none appearing, the vicar gene-
; .r.il coutiwns and ratifies the choice of the person
, .elected, 'iv. ho takes the oaths of supremacy, canoni-
. ;Cal obedience, and that against simony.
VTill this act of contiruiation is ■ pi rformed, the
.bishop elect may be rejected, because there may be
reasons assigned why he should not be made a bishop ;
which is ihe.reijeon of .the above-meutioued citations
and proclamations.
After contirmation, 'the next thing to be done is
consecration ; which the archbishop performs by
the imposition of hands and prayer, according to the
form laid down in the Common Prayer Book. —
Which done, the bishop is complete as well in rela-
. tion to spiritualities as temporalities. Justice Dod-
ridgc, in his argument of Evans and Ascne's case,
sa_\s, there is a spiritual inariiago between the bishop
and his. church, which is begun by election, con-
tracted by contirmation, and consummated by con-
secration.
A. bishop of England is a peer of the realm, and,
as such, sits and votes in the house of lords, lie is
a baron in a three-fold manner, viz. Feudal, in re-
. gard of the temporalities annexed to his bishopric;
by writ, as being summoned by writ to pailianient;
iiiid by patent and creation. Accordingly he has
the piecedence ot all other barons, and votes as ba-
ron and bishop. But though their peerage never
was denied, it has been contested whether the bishops
have a right to Note in criminal matters. This right
..was disputed as early as the reign of Henry 11. and
e find this decision of the controversy; archbishops,
(isiiops, Sec. in like manner 'as the rest of the ba-
rons, ought to be p!'esei;t at the judgments in the
king's courts until it come to diminution of mem-
bers, or to death.
The reason which the canonist give, why bishops
should not be present in cases of blood is, because
they conliact an irregularity thereby. Yet arch-
bishop Cranmer, being one of the privy-council to
F^dward Vl. signed the warrant for the execution of
I'homas ^Seymour, lord high admiral of England.
And th,e archbishop of Canterbury was the first in
commission at tire trial t)f- Mar^- queen of Scots. —
And, m the ear! of Strafford's case, in the reign of
Charles I. \ihen \\ illiams archbishop of York^ de-
clareil his opinion, that the bishops ought not to be
present at tiie passing of the act of altaindcr, it
was looked upon as betraying a finidamentai right
of the whole (jider. At present, the bishops luive
their votejfin the trial aud arraignment of a peer;
but, before sentence of death is passed, they with-
draw, and vote by their proxy.
'I he jurisdietuin of a bishop, in England, con-
sists in collating to benefices; granting in.stitulions
on the |.re.stutalion of other patrons; connnandiii"-
induction; taki'ig care of the profits of vacant be-
nefices for the use of the successors ; visiting his
diocese once in three years ; in suspending, depriving,
degrading, and excommunicating; in granting ad-
ministrations, and taking care of the probate of
wills : these parts of his function depend on the
ecclesiastical law. By the common law, he is to
certify the judges touching ligitiinate and illegitimate
births and marriages. Ami to this jurisdiction, by
the statute law, belongs the licensing of physicians,
chirurgeons, school-masters; and the uniting small
parishes: vhich last privilege is now peculiar to the
bishop of Norwich.
The bishops' courts have this privilege above the
civil courts, that writs are issued out from them in
the name of the bishop himself, and not in the king's
name, as in other courts. The juilge of the bi-
shop's court is his chancellor, anciently called i'lccle-
sioi Causidicus, the Church Lawyer.
The bishops of Scotland anciently exercised their
episcopal functions wherever they were, there being
no distinct dioceses in that kingdom till the reign of
Malcolm-Ill. about the year 1070. Whilst episco-
pacy prevailed in that kingdom, the form of church
government stood thus : In every parish the cogni-
zance of some offences belonged to the cession, ;»
judicature where the minister presided ex ofKcio. — '
But, if the case proved too intricate, it was rcferretl
to the presbytery, a sujierior judicature consisting of
a certain number of ministers, between twelve ami
twenty. I'he moderator of this assembly was named
by the bishop. Above all, was the convocation, in
i
RTTKS AXD CF.REMOXIKsVTv THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
595
■ vrincli the arrlibisliop of St. Andrews presidwl. — -
Ami, besides these, every hishop, for ihe causes of
testaiiifiits, &c. had his oflicial or comtr.issary, who
was jiiil^e of that court withiu ll:c diocese. The
bi.shops of that kingdom were likewise lords of
parliament.
In tiie rei^n of [fenry II. A. D. 1 177, the Scotch
bishops and abbots ob1i<xed themselves by oath to
own the archbisho]) of York for their metropolitan,
and consented that their successors should repair to
^ ork tor consecration. Hut in the reign of Kdward
I\ . A. D. 1471, the pope made the church of Scot-
land independent of the see of York, induced to
rt by complaint of bisiio[) Graham, that, when
England ami Scotland were upon terms of hostility,
flie Scotch bishops had iu> opportunity of having
recoui-se to their metropolitan, and briiiging appeals
to him.
'l"he ecclesiastical government of Ireland hath
been from ancient time by bishops, consecrated either
by the archbishop of Canterl)my, or by one another.
IJnt in the year 1 15<2, as we find in Pliili|) of l"lat-
t-esbtn-y, " Christianus, bishop of Lismore, legate
of all Ireland, held a famous council at Miaih,
where were present the bishops, abbots, princes,
dukes, and magistrates of Ireland; and there, by
authority of the |'ope, with advice of tlie cardinals,
and consent of the bishops, abbots, and others, there
met together, four archbishoprics were established
in Ireland, Armagh, Dublin, Cassil, and 'i'uam."
The bishop of the Isle of Man is a baron of the
Isle. He has this peculiar privilege, that, if any of
his tenants be guilty of a capital crime, and is to be
tried for his life, the bishop's stevvard mav demand
him from the lord's bar, and try iiim in the bishop's
court, by a jury of his own tc^nants ; and, in case
of conviction, his lands are forfeited to the bislio]).
A\ hen the bishopric is vacant, the lord of the Isle
nominates a person, and presents him to the king of
I-.ngland for his royal a.ssent, and then to the arch-
bishop of \ ork to be consecrated. Aficr which he
becomes subject to him as his metropolitan.
The next officer to the bishop in precedency, is
the dean, who, with great propriety, may be called
the master of the cathedral, or ])resii!cnt of the
chapter. His ollice is just what the deacon's was in
the ancient chincli, for his duly is to govern e\erv
tiling of a domestic nature belonging to the catlie-
(iial. He sits as president among tiie canons ami
|;rei)endarics. His name is first mentioned in all
leases grante<l by the chapter, and in the king's writs,
which are directed for the election of a bishop. —
riii-v are frequently advanced to bishoprics, or at
least liieir olhcc is considered as leading to it.
As there are two foundations of cathedral cJiurchcs
in l-"ngland, the old and the new, the new erected
by He'Ty VIll. so there are livo ways af creating
deans. Those of the old foundation, as the deans
of St. Paul's, York, 8cc. are raised to that dignity,
^uich after the same manner as bishops ; the king
(irst sending his warrant, the chapter electing, anrl
the king coiitlrniing the election. Those of t!ie
new foundation, whose deaneries were raised upon
the ryiiis of pr.ories and convents, such as the deans
of Canterbury, Durham, Mly, Norwich, Winchester,
&c. are donative, and installed by a shorter course,
namely, by the king's letters patent, without any
election or coiitirniation.
'I'ln re are cathedral churches that never had a
dean, and in which the bishop is head of the chap-
ter, and in his absence, the archdeacon ; .such are
the cathedrals of St. David and Landaff. There
are also deans without a chapter; such as the dean
of Rattle in Susse.\ : and there are deans without a
jurisdiction; as the dean of the chapel royal, &c.
A dean, without a chapter, has a jurisdiction in the
ecclesias-tical matters, arising in the several parishes
within his peculiar. Rural deans, who, originally,
exercised jurisdiction over deaneries, and afterwards
became only the bishop's substitutes, to gran!; letters
of administration, probate of wills, Sec. are now
quite laid aside, and their ofKce is lost in tliat of the
archdeacons and chanceilors.
A dean and chapter are the bishop's council, to
assist him in the affairs of religion, and to assent to
every grant, which the bishop shall innke to bind his
successors; and as a deanery is a spiritual dignity,
a man caniiot be a dean and prebendary of the same
church.
Though ecclesiastical bodies, in cathedrals, are
very ancient in Miigland, yet it docs not appear, that
they had any jurisdiction peculiar to themselves dur-
ing the Saxon times. Sir F.dward Coke says, there
were chapters, as the bishop's council, before they
had distinct possessions, and that the bishops parted
with some of their possessions to them, and so be-
came patrons of the prebends of the church.
In the reign of king Charles I. a remonstrance
was presented to the parliament, by the Presbyte-
rian partv, setting forth the great revenues, and the
little use of deans and chapters. And, the same
\ear, so fatal to episcopacy and the hierarchy, the
coinnions voted, that all deans, deans and cha[)ters,
prebendaries, canons, Jcc. should be abtplished, and
their lands employed to the mlvunceinent of learning
and |>iety.
The next officer in the church of Fngland is, the
archdeacon, and he may be called the bishop's vicar
or subsliiute, as he acts great part of what was the
duty of the bishops formerly ; and though arch-
deacons, in these last ages of the church, have usu-
ally been of the order of presbyters, or priests, yet
anciently they were no more than deacons ; as the
name imports. But how the archdeacon came by
59<5
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
his honour, and after what manner he was invested,
is a matter of some dispute among learned men. —
Salmalins, and some others, are of opinion, that
originally he was no more than the senior deacon.
Others thiiik, the dignity was always elective, and
in tile hrcait of the bishop: and St. Jerome plainly
asserts, that the office went not by seniority, but by
election.
The office of archdeacon was always a place of
groat honour and reputation; for he was the bishop's
constant attendant and assistant; by which means
he couimonlv gained such an interest, as to get him-
self chosen before the presbyters, to succeed the
bishop. His business was, 1. To attend the bishop
at the altar, and to administer the cup, when the
bishop celebrated the eucharist. He was to order
all things relating to the inferior clergy, such as to
appoint readers, acolythists, subdeacons, &.c. 2. He
was to assist the bishop in managing the church
revenues assigning their several portions to the poor,
orphans, 8cc. Upon which account, Prudentius,
describing the office of St. Laurence, whom he
makes to be archdeacon of Rome, among other
things, assigns hiui the keys of the church's trea-
sure, and the care of dispensing the oblations of
the people : and he introduces the heathen persecu-
tor demanding of him those treasures, which he
promising to do, in a short time brought before him
the poor, the lame, the blind, and the rnfirm, tell-
nig him, those were the riches, which he had in his
custody. 3. Another part of his office was to assist
the bishop in preaching, and in ordaining the infe-
rior clergy. 4. He was also invested with the power
of censuring deacons, the iiderior cleigy, but not
presbyters. 5. As to his jurisdiction, it will admit
of a dispute, whether it originally extended over the
whole diocese, or was conlined to the city or mother
church. In the middle ages of the church, there is
no question but his power extended over the whole
diocese. 6. Valesius observes, tliat the archdea-
cons were also called Cor-Episcopi. 'i'his may
seem at first only a corruption of the Chorepisco-
pus, because, in latter ages, the power of the an-
cient Chorepjscopi dwindled into that of the arch-
deacons. But wiien it is considered, that the dea-
cons anciently were called the bishop's eyes, ears,
mouth, or heart, it will appear very probable, that
the archdeacon was called by way of eminence,
Cor-episcopi, i. e. the bishop's heart.
How long this office has existed in England, can-
not well be known; but probably long before the
Norman conquest. At present there are sixty of
them, because some bishoprics being large, it is
necessary there should be in them more than one.
The office is not altogether a sinecure, but it is not
much imlike it, and sometimes we find the bishop
of a diocese acting the part of archdeacon in ano-
ther. It does not prevent them from holding oflicr
livings, even at present, nor is a dispensation ne-
cessary. Some of them have been advanced to bi-
slioprics, without having any other dignity in the
church; and at present they are to suninton the
clergy to meet them at some particular place, where
they hear a sermon, and deliver a charge. On these
occasions a free gift is bestowed upon the archdea-
con, and he makes jiresentations either to the bishop
or the spiritual court of every thing he finds amiss.
It is his duty to examine candidates for the mhiistry.
This part of his duty, however, generally devolves
on the bishop's chaplain.
The rectors and vicars of parishes are the next to
be considered. The rectors are those wIkj have the
whole emoluments of the livings without any de-
ductions. On the other hand, the vicars are such
as whose livings were either subject to cathedrals,
or to religious convents. Many of both are pre-
sented by the king, and others by the lords of ma-
nors. By the constitution of the church of Eng-
land, no clergyman, who is an incumbent, and has
the tithes, is obliged to preach more than one ser-
mon .on Sunday ; but prayers are to be read in the
afternoon. This was the reason why a new order
of the clergy took place about the latter end of the
reign of queen Elizabeth, and these were called
lecturers. They were at that time mostly composed
of Puritan ministers, who scrupled to read the pray-
ers, on account of the ceremonies. 'I'hey were mert
of sour tempers, full of austerity, excessively proud,
and continually abusing such of the bishops as were
fond of ceremonies. Their followers were among
the lower orders of the people, over whom they
exercised an unlimited power. Many of the ladies,
however, were their adherents, and the noblemen,
disaffected to government, took them into tlieir fa-
milies, as tutors to their children.
When Dr. Laud was advanced to the see of Can-
terbury, he resolved to change many thhigs in the
Protestant church of England, and he began with
putting an end to the lectureshipsi. Nothing could
have been more iniquitous, for the people paid
for the lecturer, who was not provided for lliem by
law.
At the restoration, l660, lectureships were re-
stored, and they have continued on the same footing
ever since. And here it is necessary to observe,
that as these lecturers are paid by the people of the
parish, so their choice or election falls on the house-
keepers in general. They have no right to demand
any thing; but we hope there are few men of piety,
whether churchmen or Dissenters, who will refuse
them so small a pittance, especially as they dis-
charge their duty, trusting in the benevolence of the
parish.
There is one complaint, frequentlj made by the
l^ITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF EiNGLAND.
597
paiisliioners against the ministers of their parislies,
and lliat Is, that although thty p:iy ''"^'■" lecturers,
yet the iucunibeut can at any lime refuse liini the
pulpit. That the incumbent has a right to do so by
law cannot be disputed ; but it h^s been considered
US extremely hard, by several well-meaning pious
men, that as the law has made no provision for
sermons in the afternoon, so wiien the people are
willing to pay a preacher, it is rather cruel to hinder
Iheni.
it is undoubtedly the (juty of the rector of every
parish to deny his pulpit to a man of scandalous life,
vhose character Ins been blackened by the most
enormous crimes; but we really believe, the peojde
seldom, if ever chuse such pt rsons, but quite the
reverse. Siiine small diflerence in sentiment should
not induce the minister of a parish to disoblige his
ueople; for in such cases he wdl be little esteemed
uy them ; and if preachers are not esteemed, their
public ministrations will have but little effect on the
hearers. \\'e cannot comprehend every thing, but
in all religious disputes, we ought to lake care that
the people may not be confused in their notions,
because confusion in these matters generally leads
them to Deism.
'J"he last order of the clergy, and such as have no
benefices annexed to their titles, are the chaplains,
and these by statute, '2\ Henry ^ HI. are to be kept
by particular persons. The act, however, contracts
the number in the lollowing manner : — ^An archbi-
shop is alioMed to have eight ; a duke, si.\ ; a dutch-
ess, two, besides the six her husband has, and sh&
has a right to retain two after she is a widow, and
although she should n)arry again ; a marquis is ol-
lowed live; and an earl the same number; tlie lord
Almoner, two; a viscount, four; a baron, three;
t!;e widows of viscounts and barons, two each; a,
hivliop three; the ohancellor, six ; chief justice, one;,
clerk of the closet, two; muster of the rolls, two;
Comptroller of the household, two ; dean of the
ciiai)el, two; a knight of the garter^ three; secre-
tary of stale, two ; treasurer of the household, two :
a'ld the wardens of the eincjue ports, one. liy '25
of Henry \ HI. every judge of the kings-bench,
and common-pleas, the chief baron of the exche-
quer, the king's attorney, and solicitor general, is
peruiitled to retain one chaplain, who sliall be at-
t-'udaut on his person, and may have one benefice
without being resident on it. And by statute 3J of
the same king, the j: room of the stole, the treasurer
of the king s cliamber, and the ch:incellor of the
dutchy, are allowed to retain one chapl-.;in each.
Before we conclude this account of the church of
England, it is necess.iry we should say a few word.s
concerning the convocation ;■ for although that court
has never been permitted to do any business- during
the last sixty years, yet it stil! nieetb on ihc second
40 7
day of every session of parliament. It is an assem-
bly of the clergy of England, by ll.eir representa-
tives, to c(Misult of ecclesiastical matters, and con-
sists, like parliament, of an upper and lower house.
In the upper house, all the archbishops and bishops
sit, and in the lower, the interior ckrgy, who arc
represented by their proctors ; consisting of all the
deans and archdeacons, of oue proctor for every
chapter, and two for the clergy of every diocese,
in all one hundred and forty-three divines, viz. —
tweuty-two deans, lifly-lhree aixhdeacous, twenty-
four prebends, and forty-four jjiociois of the dio-
cesijn clergy. 'J'lie lower house cliuses its prolo-
cutor, or speaker, and presents him to the archbi-
shops and bishojis of the up[)tr house. His business
is to take caie that the members attend, to collect
their debates and votes, and to cany their resolutions
to the upper house.
The lower house of convocation was formerlr
called together by two distinct w rits. The first was
the parliamentary, or king's writ, to tlie bishops of
every diocese, summoning them to parliament, with
a chmse iij it, requiring each-chapter to send one
of their body, and the clergy of each diocese two
proctors, to represent them in parliament; and
whence some have been of opinion, that the clergy
sat, together with the laity, in pailiament, till the
reign of Henry VHI. when they fell under a prie-
nuniire, by subniilling to Cardinal Wolsey's legatinc
power, and forfeited their seats there. It is certain,
the lower hoiLse of convocation, in the next reign,
apprehended they had a right to sit in parliament,
and therefore petitioned the upper house to inter-
cede with the king and protector, that tiiey might
be restored to the same. This was again attempted
in the latter end of queen Mlizabeih's reign, and
in that of king Jaine-s 1. but still without success. ,-'
The second swit by which the clergy were assein*
bled together, was called the- provincial writ. IJy
the I'trst writ, they were a mere slate convention, and
not a church synod ; andthe intent of llieir meeting
was, to consult abiMit their civil rights, and to grant
a })ortion of tlicir estates towards the *i!pport of
the govcrnmeiil. But, the clergy not looking upon;
j themselves as obligt'd to obey this lay summons,
I archbishop Winchelsea. prevailed with king Edward
I II. Ip discharge them from it: and from that time,
j when 'the king issued his parhainentaiy writ to the
I bishops, he sent anotlier to tiio archbishop, to sum-
I mon ail his provincial bishops to the convocation. —
[ This second writ was to secure their obedience to
I the foniier, aud to make the assembly more canon-
ical, as meeting by virtue of a summons Iron) their
' archbishop, 'i his vyrit is now ordered by the lord
I chancellor, and transniilted by him to itie archbishop
. of Canterbury, who issues liicreiipon his mandate
to the bishop of LonJo!>, as dean of his province.
M
RITKS AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
The clergy, assembled in convocation, had tlie
power of giving away their own money, and taxing
themselves; a power wliich they continued to ex-
ercise from the Reformation till the 15th year of
Charles H. from which time they receded from that
customary right, and were for that reason discharged
from two of the four subsidies given by tliemselves,
and then in arrear; and it was for this reason, that
from the time before-mentioned, the rectors and
vicars, who were to be taxed for their spiritual
preferments, were allowed to vote in elections for
knights of the siiire, that they might still be virtually
taxed by themselves.
The power of the convocntion is limited by a
statute of king Henry VHI. They are not to make
any canons or ecclesiastical laws without the king's
licence, nor, when permitted to make any, can
they put them in execution but under these restric-
tions:—
1. Such canons must not be contrary to the king's
. prerogative.
2. They must not contradict any statute, or the
common law.
3. Nor must they alter any known custom of the
realm.
They have the examining and censuring all here-
tical and schismatical books, persons, &.c. but there
lies an appeal to the king in chancery, or to his
delegates. The clergy in convocation, and their
servants, have the sanie privileges ^s members of
parliament.
The reason w hy the convocation is not permitted
to sit, was originally owing to the unhappy disputes
that began after the Revolution, between the high-
ehurch party and those who favoured moderation.—-
In the latter end of queen Anne's reign, these dis-
putes were not only carried onwith an unbecoming
heat, but some of the disputants went almost stark
mad. Mr. Dodwell wrote a book to prove, that the
human soul is mortal, but becomes immortal by bap-
tism, so as the ceremony is performed by those
ministers who have received episcopal ordination. —
This book was levelled against the Dissenters, but
it was answerei! by the churchmen. Dr. Atterbury
attempted to prove that the convocation had a power
. equal to that of the parliament, but he was learnedly
, ans.wered by Nicliolson, bishop of Carlisle. And
Dr.Sacheverell did not content himse'f with f;iving
all the Dissenters to t!ie devil, iie actually called all
those of his own brethren hypocrites, who were not
e'lually violent with himself. The whole nation
was ill a flame, the people were driven to a state of
ixeligions insanity, the Dissenters had their meetings
pulled down, and the moderate part of the clergy
were in danger of sharing the same fate.
This occasioned the making the riot act, and
such was the madness of the people, that a club of
high-churchmen in a public-house, went to another
public-house in Salisbury-court, where there was a
club of low-diurch, or moderate men, and pulled
the house down to the ground. For this offence,
some of the rioters suffered death, and of course
their families were ruined.
The learned Dr. Hoadly represented to his ma-
jesty George F. that such tumults would never cease
while the convocation was permitted to do business,
because their disputes tended to inflame the minds
of the people. 'I'hese things having been taken into
consideration, it was resolved on in council, that the
convocation should be still summoned to meet, but
on the day of their meeting they sliould be adjourned.
We have been the more explicit concerning these
matters, because we could wish the reader to know
as much as possible.
The last thing to be treated of is, the discipline
of the church of England, or the means by which
good order is kept up, and delinquents punished.
lo all civil establishments of religion, there must
be a power lodged somewhere, and in general this
is vested in the clergy, excej)t in the church of
England, where tiie proceedings against offenders are
carried on, in what is called the bishop's, or spiritual
court. The proceedings in these courts are carried
on by the bishop's chancellor, who is generally a
doctor of the civil law; but if he happens to be a
clcrgvman, he gets another to act for him, who is
called his official. Adultery, blasphemy, refusing to
pay tithes, Iraducirtg the characters of their neigh-
bours, together vvrth many other gross immoralities,
arc cognizable in this court.
The proceedings begin by citation, which issues
from the court, and is delivered by an officer called
Aparitor. if the person who receives the summons,
treats the order with contempt, then he is liable to
be excommunicated, and he can be arrested for the
plaintiff's costs. And even supposing he should be
able to pay the bill of costs, yet he cannot get
admitted into the church again witliout doing pe-
nance. Excommunicated persons are much in the
same condition as if they had been proscribed.—
They cannot have their children bii|)tized ; they can-
not be admitted to the communion ; they cannot sue
in any action in law, so as to obtain property ; they
cannot be admitted to swear as evidences in a court
of justice; they cannot mari^ ; — and, in a word, the
sentence is dreadful, for it even denies the excom-
municated person the conimon rights of Christian
burial. The proceedings i.i these courts are v( ry
expensive, and it is dangerous to be concerned in
them ; but they are calculated to teach people not
to offend.
The public e.xamination of the childreu is a ue»
UTTES AND SEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
509
«cssary part of the discipline of the church of Eng-
land, and it is much to be wished that it was more
aitended to than it is.
'ITie catechi'im of the church of England is drawn
up, after the primitive manner, by way of question
and answer. Originally it consisted of no more
than repetition of the baptismal vow, the creed, and
the Lord's prayer: but king James I. ordered the
ijishops to add to it a short and plain explanation of
the sacraments; which was accorduigly performed
b\ bishop Overall, then dean of tet. Paul's, and ap-
j)roved by the rest of tiic bishops.
'Hiis catechism is universally allowed to compre-
hend a summary of the Christian doctrine ; it being
so short, that the youngest children may fix it in
iheir memory, and yet so full, that it contains all
things necessary to be known and j.ractised in order
to salvation.
' The times appointed for catechising are Sundays
and holidays. By the first book of Edward VI. it
was not required to be done above once in six
weeks. But, upon Bucer's objecting to the interval
of time as too long, the rubric was altered, but ex-
pressed notwithstanding, in indefinite terms, leaving
it to be done as often as occasion requires. Indeed,
the fifty-ninth canon enjoins every parson, vicar, or
curate, upon every Sunday and holiday, to teach and
instruct the youth and ignorant persons of his pa-
rish, in the catechism set forth in the book of
Common Prayer ; and that under pain of a sharp
reproof for the first omission, suspension for the
second, and excommanication for the third.
In the other parts of the discipline of the church
of England, the niinister is obliged to visit the sick,
and to baptize such children as are in danger of dy-
ing without the benefit of that ceremony. In re-
fusing to perform any of these ceremonies, he is
liable to be informed against in the spiritual court,
and niav be suspended from his living by the bishop.
It is, however, not a very easy matter to proceed
against clergymen in these matters, and perhaps the
fcw£r disputes take place between the ministers and
tiic parishioners the better. This should always be
attended to, that no offence be taken against religion.
Clergymen are not to enjoy any more benefices
with the cure of souls than one, unless any obtain a
second by a dispensation from the lord chancellor.
However they may, at the same time, enjoy sine-
cures in cathedrals.
The holding i)luralities of livings has been much
complained ot', as inconsistent wuh the institution
of the Christian cluirch, and much has bceu w ritten
on the subiecl by Dr. Newton on the oiie IkhkI,
and Mr. Wharton on the other. It is certain, that
it was not known till the middle ages of CiirisUau-
ity. England is the only Protestant country where
it is permitted, and non-residence has been a conti-
nual bone of contention. The late bishop Burnet,
in his charge to the7;Tergy of the diocese of Salis-
bury, mentioned an expression made use of by one
of the ancient fathers, when a young man came to
be ordained, and who' wanted to hold two livmgs;
the good bishop asked him how he was to discharge
the duty of both? He answered, he would do th^
duty of one himself, and the other could be done by
a substitute. " Yes, answered the bishop, you may
get the duty done by a substitute, but you will be
damned in person." This had such an eflfect on
Mr. Kelsey, a pious clergyman, that he gave up
one of the two livings he enjoyed, and Dr. Burnet
had so much regard for him on that account, that
he made him his archdeacon, in order to set an ex-
ample to tile rest of his brethren.
In all these matters of dispute, we shafl not con-
cern ourselves; because where there is sucli a gene-
ral toleration as we enjoy, there can be but little
room to complain, lliere is not a Protestant church
in the world, but what will own its imperfections :
If this was not the case, then we might, like the
Roman Catholics, pretend to the belief of infallibi-
lity, a notion which we utterly disclaim.
Upon the whole, no Protestant church has pro-
duced greater scholars, better writers, or more pious
Christians, than that of England; and where the
means of grace are to be found, it is our fault if
we do not use them in a proper manner. However,
the rigour of the ecclesiastical law may appear to
some, yet the innocent need not be afraid of it ; and
as for non-residents in parishes, if they are culpable
of a fault, the people are no losers in general there-
by, because they generally find substitutes or curates
to perform the duty for the henrers. Thus, where
there is no loss there should be no complaint, and
this should reconcile us all to those circumstances,
which sometimes create diversity of opinions. —
The members of the church of England live in
peace with those who differ from them in reliu^ious
sentiments, leaving every man (o worship God ac-
cording to the dictates of his own conscience. —
They are not led away by those prejudices, which
look place in former times; they consider their
Protestant brethren travelling to heaven as «ell as
themselves, and therefore they are much to be ho-
noured. Long may true religion flourish anion"-
them : — may their ministers become an ornament to
their profession, and the people au honour to the
gospel ; and to use the words of the apostle ; " Let
every one who nametb the name of Christ depart
from iniquity."
600
THE HISTORY OF CALVINISM
-IL HE next religious profession iu order among
Protestants, is that of Calvinism, established first
at the little Kepublir of Geneva, afterwards iu se-
veral of the Cantons of Switzerland ; and professed
by almost one half of the jieople in France, before
the revocation of the edict of Nantz, IGSJ. In
1 j60, it was established in Scotland, as w'lU be
mentioned afterwards, and it is now the national re-
ligion of t)ie Seven United Pi ovinces; and through-
put most of the American provinces this system is
professed.
In giving an account of this religion. Me shall be
extremely impartial, and point out ho« far the pub-
lic profession of Calvinism difl'ors in one place from
another, beginning with the life of its illustrious
founder.
John Calvin was born at Soissons-a city of France,
June 6, IJO9. His father's. name was (jenaid Cal-
vin, who gave his son a libejal education.
Trom the granuirar school, he sent him to Paris,
and placed liim with Maturinus Corderius, a man
well esteemed both for probity and learning.
His father, from the beginning, designed him for
the study of divinity, whicli he judged him to be
much inclined to, being religiously addicted from
his childhood. He |)rocured a benefice of the bishop
for him, in Soissons, in which place Jxjhn, before
his ordination, preached divers sermons to the peo-
ple. But this purpose of his w as afterwards altered ;
lor his father, seeing the study of the law was the
j;urer step to riches and honour, altered his mind,
and his son, growing" into acquaintance with a cer-
tain kinsman of his, was by him instructed in the
true religion, whereupon he applied himself to
the study of the sacred scriptures, and began to
abominate the superstitious services m the popish
church.
Whilst he was employed in these studies, he neg-
lected not that of divinity, so that he preaclicd divers
sermons in a- neighbouring town. But whilst he
was»thus busied, news came to him of his father's
death, which called him back into his own country.
Having settled his affairs there, he went to Paris,
being now about twenty-four years old. After a
few months stay at Paris, he grew acquainted with
all that professed the reformed religion ; and among
the restj with Stephen Forgeus, a famous iner-
chant, who afterwards sealed the truth with his
blood.
From henceforward, at the earnest request of al!
those that held their private meetings iu Paris, hei
laid aside all other studies, and wholly applied him-
self to that of divinity. At this time Nicholas Cope-
was rector of the university at Paris ; who, being to
make an oration 011 All-saints d;iy, at the instigation,
of John Calvin, spoke of religion more purely and
clearly than he used to do. This the parliament of
Paris was angry at, insomuch that they cited him
before them; but, as he went, some of his friends
advised-hiin to take heed of his adversaries; wbeie.>
upon he returned home, and immediately after left
Fraiyce and went to Basil.
'Fhe ofKcers, sent by the parliament, searching for"^
Cope, went into Calvin's house, who, by chance,
not being at home, tjiey ransacked' his studv, and
amongst his papers, found many of his friends' let-
ters, which had like to. iiave endangered the lives of
many. But it pleased Uod to divert that storm, by
the prudent ami pious diligence of the queen of Na—
vane, the only sister of king Fraiicis, a woman of
admirable wit. and exceedingly tender of the pro->
fessors of theieformed religion. She also sent for
Mr. Calvin to her court, used him very hospitably,
and heard bun gladly. ButMr. Calvin liiuliiig Pa-
ris too h(jt for his abode, went to Xantouge, where,,
he sojourning w ith a friend, at his request, drew Ufv
short admonitions, which w-ere dispeised amongst
certain priests, to be taught to their people, that so
they might by little and little, be drawn to search
out the truth.
About the same time, observing that there were
many in F'rance that knew, and were convinced of
the truth, and yet indulged themselves as if it were
enougli that they reserved their hearts J'or Christ,
though they were piesent at the Popish services, he
published two elegant epistles; one, to exhort the
flying idolatry ; the other on the popish pne^thuod.
But whilst lie (Calvin) was thus employed, be met
with grievous seditions at home.
The gospel indeed was entertained, and popery
abjured in Geneva ; but niap-y were not reformed
from the profane and scandalous courses v\hich
they had learned of the popish clergy; and the
ancient feuds amongst the chief families were not
HISTORY OF CALVINISM.
60 i
yrt laid iisiife. Tlicse, at first, were gi'ully ndino-
iiisherl, and, wlioii tliat prcviiiled nut, nioie sliarply
rupieliendctl ; ami, when jet they continued stub-
bom, and the citv, bv the factions of private per-
sons, was divided into parties, I"arr«l), Calvin, and
Carodus, openly professed that they could by no
means administer the Lord's sup|)er to persons who
"vit^e at sMch enmity amongst tliemselves.
Lpon this occasion, the Syndics wliicii were
chosen for tliat year at Geneva, who, for the time,
are the chief magistrates, assembling, tlie captains
of the seditious persons, so far prevailed, tiiat tiiese
three worthy servants of Clirist were commanded,
within two days, to depart tlie city. When this
decree was brongiit to Calvin, he said, "Truely,
if 1 had served men, I should have had but an ill re-
ward ; but it is well — that I have served him wlio
rfoth always perform to his servants what he hath
once promised."
Calvin went to Basil, and thence to Strasbourg;
vhere, by desire of the senate, he was made professor
of divinity, which place he discharged with great ap-
plause of learned men ; and bv the consent of the
.senate, planted the I'Vench church there, and settled
discipline in it. Calvin sttlled in another place,
and a new church was erected.
At this time, cardinal Sadolet, a man of great
eloquence, seeing the fiock deprived of such able
and vigilant shepherds, thought it tit time to ensnare
them; for which end he wrote letters, directed to
Ids dear friends as he called them, the senate, coun-
cil, and people of Geneva, in which he omitted no
arguments, whereby he miglit persuade them to re-
turn into the bosom of the Homish church. There
was no man in Cieneva that would undertake to an-
swer him; so that probably these letters would have
done much mischief, but that they were written in
a foreign language. But when Calvin had read
them; forgetting all the wrongs which liad been
done him, he returned an answer so spi edily and
eloquently tiiat the cardinal, despairing of accom-
plishing his end, wholly gave over his design.
j\Ir. Calvin continued at Strasbourg to the year
l.VH, in which the emperor Charles V. assembled
two diets, the one at\\'orms, the other at Hatisbon,
for composing the differences about religion: at
both wiiich ^Ir. Calvin was present, to the great
advantage of the churches, and where he was most
loviugij entertained by Phdip Melanclhon, and
Gasper Cruciger. He also had much pii\ate con-
ference with tiiein about the sacrament of the J^ord's
supper, and they could not but approve of his opi-
nion therein. The city of Geneva began to call for
Farrell and ("alvin; but when, by no means, they
could recover Farrell, uiey used all their eiideavouis
to procure Calvin; and for that end, sent ambassa-
dors to Strasbourg. The senate of Strasbourg were
40 7
<'xcccd!;!g!y !i;i-.i-jiiii!g (a lieailen to it ; and Calviii
himself, abhorring to enter into new troubles, ana
finding great success attended his ministry at Stras-
bourg, did absolutely refuse to return. Besides,
Bucer, and the other pastors, did profess tlieir great
unwillingness to part with hini.
But the Genevians still pressing hard for liim,
Bucer at last thought ttieir requests should be con-
descended to. This falling out just at the linie when
Calvin, with Bucer, was going to the diet at Ratis-
bon, his return was delayed for a time ; when they
chose Peter Viret: and, indeed, this made Mr.
Calvin far more willing to return, when be saw that
lie was to have such a colleague.
Mr. Calvin went to Geneva, September the 13th,
1.541, being singularly welcomed by the people,
and especially by the senate, who acknowledged the
wonderful niuicy of God towards them, in restor-
ing him to tliein. And whereas the senate of Stras-
bourg had decreed, that, after a time, he should
return to them again; that of Geneva would never
give k over, till they had reversed that decree, which
at last, was yielded to by thwse of Strasbourg, yet
with this proviso, that the pension, which they had
settled upon him, should still be continued to him.
But Mr. Calvin could never be persuaded to receive
if, carinu: for nothins less than for riches. Mr.
Calvin being thus restored to his churc!), and per-
ceiving that the city needed such bridles, he pro-
fessed tliat he could not comfortably exercise his
ministry among them, except, together with the
doctrine of the gospel, they would embrace the
Presbyterian government, for the well regulating of
the church. Hereupon elders were chosen, and a
model of government was drawn up.
His ordinary labours were these: every other
sabbath he preached tw ice ; Monday, 'Fuesday,
\^ ednesday, he read his divinity lectures ; every
Thursday he assisted in the consistory for the eccle-
siastical discipline. On Fridays he read a lecture
for the clearing hard places of the scriptures ; an-
swered many adversaries to the truth ; wrote many
letters to sundry places. So that we have cause to
w onder how it was possible for one man to undergo
so many businesses.
Besides his forementioned labours, he had also
the charge and business of a family, and many fo-
reign employments ; for God so blessed his ministry,
that from all parts of the Christian world, he was
sought to, partly for advice in matters of religion,
and partly to hear him preach; so that, at the same
time, there was an Italian church, an Euglish church,
and a Spanish church, and the city seemed too little
to entertain all that came to it for his sake.
In 1 J4'J, Mr. Calvin met with many afflictions,
some at home, but especially by the fury of the ad-
versaries of the tiiith abroad iu France and Italy,
6Q2
illSTORY OF CALVINISM.
whence . they drove away many professors of the
gospel, for the comfort of v.honi he laiil himself out
exceedinfjly, writing many encouraging letters every
way, bo'h to those that were escaped, and to those
that ytt rctnained in the lion's jaws.
In Ij-io, was that abominable and cmcl edict
which the parliament of Aquitane set furlh against
the poor Waldenses of Merindol, Cabriers, and those
j^iarts ; wheieby unlieard-of cruellies were exercised,
not against sor.ie few, but against all of then;, with-
out any distinction of age or sex.
Some of those tiiat escaped, flying to Geneva,
Calvin was the more afBicted for them, and careful
of them, bt cause, a little before, he had written
consolatory letters to them, and sent them faithful
pastors, and had also, where they were in danger
before, preserved them by his intercession to the
German princes.
In 1546, one of the senators, in a public assem-
bly of the people, blamed Calvin as one that taugiit
false doctrine, suborned, as was supposed, by two
of the college of pastors, both of them being
drunkards, and, therefore, fearing the seventy of the
laws. But Mr. Calvin made little account of this.
Yet tlie man who accused him was called before the
senate, and, his cause being heard, was condenuied
for slander; and those two drunken ministers who
had set him on, were removed out of their places.
The year 1547 proved far worse; indeed that age
saw not a more calamitous tijne than it was : the
chinches of Germany seemed (o be utterly subverted,
the Protestant princes taken, and cities yielding up
themselves after so great labours used, and so great
difKculties passed through, in planting the gospel
amongst them.
With what grief ^Ir. Calvin was afflicted for the
desolatioi>6 of the churches, is not easy to express,
especially if we consider that great affection which
he bore to them, though far remote from him, which
indeed was no other than if he had supported them
all upon his shoulders. Indeed he was wonderfully
grieved when he heard of those holy men, his worthy
friends Philip jSIelaucthon, Bucer, Peter Martyr,
&c. in so great danger, that they seemed nearer death
than life.
In the midst of these contentions, the church of
Geneva did wonderfully increase, and Mr. Calvin
was very solicitous to entertain and provide for such
as were banished for the name of Christ. In the
year 1650, the church of" Christ enjoyed peace, and
then it was decreed iu Geneva, that the ministers,
not only in their sermons, which many neglected,
and others heard with small profit, but, from house
to house, should divide the city amongst them, and
require of every family an account of their faith ;
by which means it is scarce credible what benefit
accrued to the people.
At this time a grievous persecution rising at Paris,
it was a great concern to Mr. Calvin; many being
taken when they were assembled in St. James's-
street, for the celebration of the Lord's Supper,
being about eighty in number, the rest escaping by
the benefit of the night ; who, the liext mor;iiug,
w ere led to prison, loaded w lih scorns and reproaches,
though some of them were noble women of good
account.
There were also some false witnesses furnished
against them, when the credulous multitude were
too apt to believe; there were, therefore, seven of
them brought forth to be burned, amongsl whom
there was a noble womar>, who, with six others,
shewed admirable patience; and whereas they were
accused of promiscuous whoredoms at their meet-
ings, a learned man who had lately been their pastor,
easily confuted those lies ; and the Germa.i princes
interceding in their behalf, which Mr. Calvin pro-
cured with admirable celerity, the tempest was, in
a good measure, blown over.
The year 1559 was famous for the league entered
into between the two most potent kings of Spain
and France, strengthened by affinity betwixt them,
which was likely to prove fatal to Geneva. In the
mean- time Calvin, though sickly, laboured hard,
comforting the afHicted churches; as also by his
frequent and fervent prayers, craving help of God.
Whilst all things \\ere full of terror, the king of
France, in the great marriage solemnity which was
made for the confirmation of the peace, iu his run-
ning at tilt, received his death wound, and that by
the hand of the captain of his guard, by whom, a
little before he had apprehended and imprisoned
several senators.
At this time the Bohemians sent tw o of their bre-
thren to Calvin, to desire his judgment about some
matters of religion, whom he Ipvingly satisfied, ex-
horting them also that they would cuter into a nearer
conjunction with other reformed churches. At the
same time also, queen Mary being dead, and queen
Elizabeth succeeding, many of the I'rcnch relying
upon her piety and humanity, fled for refuge into
England, with the consent of that reverend divine
Edmund Grindal, bishop of London ,• and craved
leave of her, that one miglit be sent from Geneva,
to plant a French church there.
Towanf^ the latter end of this year, king Francis
of France, died suddenly, and that in such a junc-
ture of liine, when all things seemed desperate. —
King C!)ar!es IX. a child, was scarce entered on
bis reign, when by a herald, letters subscfibed with
his name were brought to Geneva, wherein he
complained that many were sent from thence, who
infected his kingdom, desiring that they miglit be
presently called back; threatening, that otherwise
he would revenge the injury.
HISTORY OF CALVINISM.
003
Calvin, bcinj lioreupoii sent far by ilie senate,
answered in his own, and in his collea"j;ue's names,
that, at the request of the churches of Trance, they
had exhoited certain men who were sound in the
faith, and of a holy life, tiiat they should not be
wanting to lend their help to llieir country in so holy
a cause; and that this they had done, not to disturb
the kiligdoni, but that the people miglit be tanglit
the gospel of peace ; and, if they were accused for
any tliini^ further tiian this, they were ready to an-
swer their accusers before the king : so this business
went no further.
In the year 15G2, God gave peace and liberty to
tlie French churches, by a public edict of the king -.
but not long after the king of Navarre, presently
after tbe duke of Guile had coniiuitted that al)oniin-
able massacre at Vassy, begiin a civil war, which con-
tinued many years after, to the miserable devastatifw
of France. It cannot be .«poken how umdi (Julvin
was afflicted tlierewith, which so far increased his
disease, that it was easy to divine, that it would not
be long before he would be translated to a better
life; yet he did not desist from exhortuig and com-
forting every one, nor from preaching and reading
his ordinary lectures.
In lliis manner CaWiii continued to practise the
duties of his function till be sunk under a variety
of intirmities, and at last died on the third day of
June, I5t)3, much beloved by the people of Geneva,
and much esteemed by all the Protestant churches.
His works are numerous, and amongst them is a
commentary on the bible, written in elegant Latin.
15ut those which chiefly demand our notice are, his-
institutions of the Christian religion. Calvin had
been brought up to the study of the civil law of the
Romans, and therefore he considered, or imagined,
that every science should be reduced to a system. —
Thus he drew up iiis famous institutions of the
Christian religion, on the same plan as that laid
down by the emperor Justinian, and followed by all
the Civilians. It is certain, that systcn>atical learn-
ing gives people a clearer notion of the truth than
any other methods that can be made u^e of; but
still it is equally certain, that systems may be too
slavishly attended to. If systems are considered as
mere matter of speculation, and not imposed as ab-
solutely binding on the conscience, they may be in-
nocent enough; but when they are imposed as the
real sense of the word of God, they sometimes
■wound the tender conscience, and lay a siumbling-
bljck before the weak and well-meanins.
It is acknowledged by bishop Burnet, Mr. Brandt,
aad other writers, that all the Protestant reformers
e nbraced the same notions with St. Austin, bishop
of Hippo, in Africa. That Luther did so, appears
ckfident from his commentary on the epistle to the
G ilatiaus; and that the English reformers were of
the same opinion, api-vears from perusing the thirty-
nine articles. Calvin, however, was the first person
who reduced the sentiments of St. Austin into a
system, and iliose who will read his works in a dis-
passionate manner, will tiud that he has done Justice
to that celebrated father. That Austin was opposed
by all the Greek fatlieps in his time, is certain, but
this docs not concern us at present. All we have to
do is to point out those grand distinguishing marks
by which the doctrine of St. Austin is known, and
the .«ysteraalical manner, into which it was reduced
by Calvin, and, iiv some measure, tliough not in
every tliiiig, still adhered to by tliose people called
Calviiiists.
And, tirst, they assert that God made all things,
in a state of perfection, and entered into a covenant
with our first parents, that they should enjoy eter-
nal life, in consequence of their obedience to the
law, which he had prescribed as the rule of their
conduct : that had they continued to obey this law,
they would have become immortal as the angels,
and death could have had no dominion over them.
But should they transgress this law, then they were
to be subject to all the miseries of this life ; to dealli
itself both temporal and eternal. That in conse-
quence of our first parents disobeying this com-
mand, the divine malediction was to descend to all
their posterity, and tiic earth was to be cursed for
their sake. That is, they were not to receive those
instantaneous productions which the garden of I'^den
afforded, but they were to labour hard in order to
procure sustenance.
Secondly, that our first parents did forfeit the
divine favour, hy^ eating the forbidden fruit, and
having been declared guilty by the Almighty Lord
God of providence and grace, they were excluded
from his favour, and all their descendants w ere in-
volved in the general dreadful calamity. This fall
of our- tirst parents, not only involved us in their
guilt, but in the ordinary way of geueration, ,con--
veyed to us a natural propensity to evil. . All -the
faculties of the human soul were dis<}rdered, that
glorious fabric wliicii God had erected after his own
image, was in a manner reduced to a heapof ruins,
and man, who had come pure from the hands of
his maker, became, by the domineering slavery of
his passions, like one of tho beasts that perish. —
This was the origin of evil (we speak in the words of
the Calvinists) and from that dreadful ])eriod, there
Iras been little but sin in the world. All the evils
that have taken place, have been caused by the fall
of man ; he has become obnoxious to his maker,
and the beasts of the fiL-ld, over which he was mac'e
the universal lord, are now become his enemies;
when he fell he was without hope, because he knew
the eternal mandate would hold good^ for God is the
fouataio of truth and cannot lie.
M4,
HISTORY OF CALVINISM.
Thkdly, it ivas afscrleii by St. Austin, and em-
'uraced by Calviii, that no ii'.aii had it in his power to
turn to Uod \>heu he pleasod, but that he must wait
-for the operation of efiitacious grace. This senti-
nievit liasoccissioned much controversy ; and although
there are some expressions in the apostohcal epistles
that give counltnauce to it, vet they should be read
with much cautinn. Our notion of God should
always be founded on the prniciples of moral recti-
tude; but here we are led into an amazing difficulty,
w hen we cmne to consider w hat moral rectitude is.
Human nature objects, that it is inconsistent with
tlie divine attributes, to exact obedience from the
man who has it not nl his power to perform it, and
those feelings peculiar to men as rational beings,
leach them, that the merciful Lord of the universe
cannot act the part of a tyrant. ,
' On the otiier hand, it is asserted, that God has a
right to dispose of his creatures in what Bianner he
thinks proper, and that he may exact obedience
without giving any reason for so doing. And here
the words of the prophet Isai;ih are brought in to
support the sentiment. " My ways are not as your
ways, nor my thoughts as your thoughts." J I is
certain that Omnipotence cannot be limited, and it
is blasphenjy in men to set bounds to the divine per-
fections.
Our Lord says, " Ask and it shall be given you,
seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened
unto you." And again, the prophet Isaiah says,
" Let the sinner forsake his w ays, and the unrighte-
ous man his thouglits, and Jet him return unto the
Lord who will have mercy, and our God who will
abundantly pardon." In these, and in many olher
expressions in the sacred scriptures, there sten>s to
be no privation of the will Implied. There are,
however, objections against tliis, in support of tlie
original sentinwnt.
.'I'hus it is said, that " No man can come unto
nie,. except tiie father which sent me draw him." —
In our humble opinion (for we will not dictate to
any one) these words do not refer to the privation
of the human will, but theyseem to be an allusion
to those words of the prophet, " I will allure them
into the wilderness, and there will I speak coniU)rt-
ably to them." The alluring goodness of God leads
men to repentance : for what disobedient son w ould
not obey hi* father.if he was to treat him with ten-
derness .? Tt is said several times in scripture, —
" None ever sought God ni vain," and therefore let
every one make a proper use of those powers given
them, and then most certainly God will command
Lis blessing.
The next article in the systematical plan of Cal-
vinism, w hich deserves our notice, is that of predes-
tination. Like the article concerning the freedom
of the human will, it has been much animadverted
■on, and perhaps little- understood. Wc cannot, nndcr
tlie present head, take notice of it in its utmost point
of view, being obliged to confnie ourselves to the
' sense in which St. Austin broached it, and how it
was retained by Cab/in.
We are certain, that the sacred scriptures, both
of the Old anil New Testanitnt, give some sort of
countenance t(j the doctrine of predestination; but
the grand question is, does this predestination apply
to individuals, or is it only the ordinance of God
at large .? it has been contended that it should be
taken in the former ^eiise, and the sentiment has
been founded and supported on tlie following prin-
ciple.
"God looking down upon ih.e human race, saw-
that all mankind would be disobedient to his coui-
mand.s, and therefore he fixed what should be their
inevitable fate. He ordered it so, that these people
should never be able to make a proper use of the
means of grace so as to lead them to eternal hapjM-
iiess; or at least these means should not be conveyed
to them in an efficacious manner. And yet at the
same time, it was asseiti'd, that the clergy should
teach the people to comply M'ith liie ])lan laid down
ill the gospel, v\ithont considering that at the same
time they were denied llie exercise of the freedom
of the human will." Ctilvin seems to have consi-
dered the doctrine in the follow ing light.
•" He believed that God had rixed an eternal pur-
pose to save some part of the human race, and to
reject the others; but as that was a secret which no
human being could know, consequently it was the
duty of ministers to exhort i4^ their people alike.
'Ihis la.st sentiment is much favoured by several ex-
pressions in the sacred scriptures, and particularly
in the New Testament, and probably it is in conse-
quence thereof that some of the genuine Calvinists
exhort their people to duties, without pruiig into
the divine decrees." Tli^God knows what shall
happen to his creajwes flPthis world cannot be de-
nied; but that he lays an vilfn pulse upon their wills,
has been disputed. We do not chiise to enter into
this controversy, for we are cirlain, that there is
enough in the sacred scriptures to give satistaction
to every humble enquirer, and make men wise unto
salvation.
It must be acknowledged, that the Divine Being
sees all that passes in the course ol this life, and has
it, as it were, all before liim, from the beginning of
time, till the commencement of (rteinity. To deprive
God of prescience, is to rob him of one of his at-
tributes; but then we may believe that God knows,
without saying that he lays a restraint on our ration-
al powers. i)r. Edwards of New Jersey has writ-
ten with great judgment on this subject, and such
was the effect of this treatise, that it induced lord
Kaimes to alter the scccnd edition of his discourses
HISTORY OF CALVINISM.
Ca5
on religion and morality. But no writer we know
of ever came up to the Icarnrd lord Stair.
'I'lial iiobleiiiaii, who had seen much of the worhl
nnd served the crown fifty years, in one of liis me-
ditutiuiis, says, "That to beliene in the prescience,
or fore-knowledge of God, is the same tiling as to
hfelievu in predestination; for if God foresees what
will iiappei) and does not cliange it, then the effect
is the same as if he had appointed it." And lie adds,
that there is a comfort in believing a doctrine which
sets the Onini|)otence of God in such a grand point
of view. " Did my gracious God (says iiis lord-
ship) create me and send me into this world? J)id
he bring me under the liglit, and within the sound of
the everlasting gospel .' Did he give me pow er to
embrace that go.spel, and will he sutfer me to perish ?
Js'o: I will say with Luther, — I can trust mv soul
wi'h God."
The next article in Calvinism, and that which
distinguishes it from ArmiHianisni, is particular re-
demption. "^Jhat is, that Christ died to save only a
select number of the human race, 'i'his naturally
follows the doctrine of absolute predestination ; for
if God has appointed that a certain number of the
human race shall be saved, and no others, conse-
quently Christ could only have died for that num-
ber, and the efficacy of his death could not reach
any further.
The nature of this work leads us into the neces-
sity of taking notice of every disputed point in re-
ligion ; but still we could wish the reader to judge
for himself. Iliat Calvin taught that there was
such a thing as particular redemption, cannot be
denied; for this is plain throughout the whole of his
in.stitutes. And yet this celebrated reformer seems
to have thought otherwise ^t some tinie.s; for in his
(Ximnientary on the parable of the king'u making a
niarriage feast for his ^an, he says, that the njan
wIk) had not the weddinjf garment was condemned
by the evidence of his oxtdSMPvience, because he
might have had it — if he CTrose ; and this may .serve
to shew, that men had a power to comply with the
terms offered in the gospel. 'J'hus we find how
difticult it is to keep to the positive words of a sy.s-
tein, while the sentiment is disputable. It is cer-
tain, that there may be difierent conclusions drawn
from many intricate passages in scripture, and in all
Buch cases we should be humble, without prying
into the secrets of the Almighty.
Another, and a very important article in St. Aus-
tin's svstem, is that of final perseverance, which
was embraced by Calvin. There are many passages
in the sacred scripture, that may be understood as
not only favouring this doctrine, but even enforcing
U. Thus it is sajd, " the path of the just man is a
shining light, that shineth more and more until the
perfect day," and again, "'those whom he ouce
40 -
loved, he It.ved to the end." Nay, there are many
other cx|)ress»oiis stronger lu support of the doctrine
than these above quoted, and itjvre are others that
appear quite the contrary. Thus it is said, " let
him that standeth take heed Itst he fall." Manv
great and pious men have beht-vcd, that althcdigh
(jod will not forsake his people who love and serve
him, yet they may forsake him, and become objects
of his displeasure. This seems to have been the
opiiiion of the ekgunt and pious Dr. Watts, viheti
he says.
Unshaken as the sacred hi'I,
And iirin as mountains be;
Firm as a rock the soul shall rest,
That leans, O Lord, on thee !
The greatest objection made to this doctrine, i,e,
that it leads to carnal security, keeping men ofl' ihat
holy caution and strict guard which should regulate
all their actions. It is further objected, that it tills
the mind with pride, by teaching people to believe,
that they themselves are more worthy of the divine
favour than others. Perhaps there is too much
truth ill this; for surely we may trust in the divine
veracity, without running into presumption.
Mr. Neale, in his account of the death of Oliver
Cromwell, has recorded an anecdote which we shall
consider as true, because it comes from the pen of
such a candid writer. He tells us that when Oliver
Cromwell lay on his death-bed, he was attended by
the most eminent divines of the independent persua-
sion. Amongst these was Dr. Thos. Godwin, then
president of Magdalen college, Oxford. This gen-
tleman, whose writings are dull and tedious, seems
to have been a great favourite of the protector's; for
Cromwell asked him seriously, " whether there was
a falling off from grace." Ciodwlii said there was .
not; then replied ("lomwcil, "I am ctrtaiii I ones
had grace." And in these seiitiincuts this man
died.
'I"o conclude, the.se disputed pohits are exceed-
ingly dangerous, when handled without cauliuii and
moderation; but they have been treated with re-
spect by the wise of all deiioiniiialioiis. 'Iliey have
created much contusion, and yet tine would imagine
there was no necessity for any thing of that nature.
God has revealed enough for us to know, in order
to make us hap})y, both in time and in eternilv, and
therefore it is irreverent, as well as indecent and im-
pious in us to enquire into secrets, which to know
can be of no service to us, nor even make us w ise
unto salvation.
The wit of the profane, the malice of the satiri-
cal, and the laugh of the debauchee, have been all
united to ridicule those notions which St. Austin
broached, and Calviu taught. This will appear
6'J6
HISTORY OF CALVINISltL
from an attentive considtration of the following
verses of Mr. Drydeu.
But here the doctors eagerly dispute,
Some hold predestination absolute:
Some clerks maintain, that heav'n at first foresees,
And ill the virtue of fore-sight decrees.
If this be so, then prescience binds the will,
And mortals are not free to good or ill ;
For what he first foresaw he must ordain,
Or his eternal prescience may be vain.
As bad for us if prescience had not been :
Tor first, or last, he's author of the sin.
And who says that, let the blaspheming man
Say worse, ev'n of the devil, if he casi.
For liow can that eternal pow'r be just
To punish man, who sins — because he must ?
Or, how can he reward a virtuous deed,
\Vhich is not done by us, but first decreed f
I cannot boult this matter to the bran,
As Braduardin and holy Austin can :
If prescience can determine actions so,
'I hat we must do because he diil foreknow ?
Or that foreknowing, yet our choice is free,
Not forc'd to sin by strict necessity.
This strict necessity they simple call
" Another sirt, there is conditional.
Th.e first so binds the will, that things foreknown,
l>y sponlantiry, not choice, are done.
Thus galley-slaves tug w illing at their oar.
Content towork in prospect of the shore,
But would not vork at all if not constrain'd
leforc.
I'hat ether doers not liberty restrain;
3Uit man may citlier act, or may refrain ;
lleav'n made us agents free to good or ill.
And forc'd it not though he foresaw the will.
Freeilom was first bestowed on human race.
And the prescience only held the second place.
.If he could make such agents wholly free,
I'll not dispute, — the point's too high for me :
For heaven's unfathom'd pow'r what man can
sound,
l)r put to his omnipotence a Viound?
lie made us to his image; all agree, ^
That image is the soul, and that must be, ^
Or not the maker's image, or be free. J
-But whether it were belter inan had been
J^y nature bound to good, not free to sin,
1 wave, for fear of splitting on a rock.
Having said tlius much concerning the doctrinal
principles of the Calvinists, we must now proceed
to their worship. All the reformers pretended to
simplicity, but all did not attain to it. Of this we
:.!]ave a striking instance in the Luihtrans, who have
.yetiiincd many of the popish ceremonies. On the
other hand, the clrtirchT)f England kept in the muU
die, between the two extremes, while the Calvinists
attempted to strip religion of all those gaudy orna-
ments which it had borrowed from superstition. —
In Geneva, where Calvinism was first propagated,
in Holland, in some of tiie German provinces, and
indeed every where but in England and Scotland,
their form and manner of worship is the same. —
There may, indeed, be some few differences, but
they are of such a trifling nature as not to be worthy
of notice. .,At Geneva, and in Holland, as well as
in all the provinces of Germany, and Switzerlaiui.
where, Calvinism is professed, the service is con-
ducted ill the following manner : —
The minister goes into the reading-desk, aiic)
having told the people to lift up their hearts to God,
begins with a short prayer, begging the divine
presence to be w ith them, during die whole of the
worship. Tliis being oVe'r, he reads two or three
chapters out of the Ohl or New Testament, accord-
ing to his own discretion, and then a psalm or hymn
is sung.
He then reads the Ten Commairdment, which.arc
followed by the Apostles' Creed, and another hymn
or psalm is sung afterwards. And here it is neces-
sary to observe, that in most of the Calvinistical
churtlies abroad, they have organs, together witlj
some other sorts of instrumental music.
1 his part of the 'service being o'-er, the minister
goes into the pulpit, and repeats an extemporary
praver for the whole state of mankind in the woilil,
and then a discourse follows, which is either a ser-
mon on a particular text, or a paraphrase of some
passage in the sacred scripture. The sermon being
over, another hyinii is sung, at'ter which the congre-
gation arc dismissed with a blessing.
\\ ith res{)ect to the sacrament of baptism, it is as
amongst us, administered to their infants, but they
do not use the sign of the cross, nor have they any
godfathers or godmothers, every father being obliged
to stand sponsor for his own child. On which occa-
sion he binds himself to sec it brought up in the
fear of God.
In the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, they are
not confined to any rule w ith respect to the mode of
atlniinistration, nor have they any altars. Some of
the communicants receive' it kneeling, some silting,
and others standing. This allowance granted to
teiiiler consciences is much to be commended ; for
what may appear trilling to one man, may have a
most formidable appearance to another.
The Calvinists abroad, that is, on the continent
of Europe, also observe several hply days, such as
Christmas, Easter, Whitsuntide, with some others ;
but they do not pay superstitions regard to them. — >
However, we find in the acts of the general assem-
bly of the church of Scotland in lo<j4, something
HISTORY OF CALVINISM.
607
rcmarkalile on tliis subject. King James told the
geiicnil asseiiildy of the clergy, that the j)co|)le of
<jeneva ke))! their Christmas and their i'asch ; and
i)rav, said he, what warrant have they for it? It
is nothing but will-worship, and, like the service of
tlie church of England, — it is an ill said mass in
I'.nglish. James, however, changed his sentiments
afterwards, and became a persecutor of those very
peojile whose piety and religion he had extolled.
In the discipline among the Caivinists, there is
sonietliing that bears a near affinity to the ancient
church, livery congregation has its 6\\n minister,
and under him are a certain number of respectable
persons, called IClders. 'I'hese elders are ordained
by the imposition of the liands of the minister, and
tlieir business is to visit the sick from house to house,
and to pray with them.
If They are to be men of fair characters, against
whom no complaint has bccu preferred, and they
are to examine, in the absence of the minister, all
those who- desire to come to the connnnnion. They
are to uive notice to the minister of all such per-
sons as Jead scandaluus and innnoral lives, thai
ihev may be cut oft" from the congregation of the
faith lul.
They arc to take care that no part of tlieir own
conduct shall give such oftence, so as to bring, the
gospi-l into disrepute ; and they arc to be at all times
readv to assist the minister with their advice. This
orilcr among the Cahinists seems to have come in
the room of the presbyters in the ancicnf chinch,
who were always to assist the bishop, both by their
council and otherwise. These men arc not elected
for a 'lime, as churchwardens are in England, but
they are ordained for life, and nothing can set aside
the exercise- of their ofhce, but some crimes of a
scandalous nature.
The next order of oflicers in the Calvinistical
churches abroad are deacons, whose business it is to
visit the poor, and distribute as much money as the
church allows for that purpose. They are elected
by the people, and a^)|H)inlt'd l)y the minister; they
are to carry the elements of "bread and wine round
to the coin nun licants: tliey are to see that the
widows and orphans are provided for in a proper
maimer, and that (,'hrislian parents bring up tlieir
children in the fear of God. '1 hey are to give a
faithl'ul account to the minister and elders in what
manner they have disposed of the money comniittc<l
to their care ; and they are, by their coiukict, to set
an exani[)le before all those who belong to the con-
gregation. 1 hey are to be extremely cautious into
what company soever they go, and they arc to main-
tain a conscience void of ollence towards Coil and
man.
The first time we hear or read of deacons in the
Christian church is in Acts vi. and as to their oflice,
it seems to have succeeded that of the I.«vitcs am'on*
the Jews, who wiie to be ministers and servant?
under the old law. 'l"he following account of the
ordination of primitive deacons will, no doubt, g!»e
some satisfaction to our readers.
The ordination of a deacon, in the primitive
church, differed front that of a presbyter, both in
the form and manner of it, and also in the gifts and
powers coiilerred thereby. The ordiriation of the
former might be performed by the bishop alone, wh<»
puts up his prayer in general that ''Cod would make
his face to shine upon his servant, wlio was then
chosen to the oHicc of a deacon, and till him with
the holy spirit and power as he did Stephen thn
martyr; that l-,e, behaving himself acceptably, uni-
formly, and nnblameably in his oflice, might be
thought worthy of an higher degree, 5tc."
As to the office of deacons, the most common
and ordinary was, to be attendant on the bishop or
presbyters in the service of the altars, to take care
of the holy table and all the onianients and utensils
belonging to it. In the next place, they were t<»
receive the otlVrings of the people, and to present
them to the i)riest, at the same time reciting the
names of those that ofiered. In some churches,
but not in all, the deacons read the gospel, both
before and at the communion service. At Alexan-
dria, the archdeacon only reads the gospels, and iu
some churches, on high festivals, the bishop him-
self, as at Constantinople, on Easter-day. lint it
was something more iieculiar to the otKce of dea-
cons, to assist the bishop and presbyters in the
administration of the encharist : at w hich their busi-
ness was, to distribute the elements to the people
who were present, and carry them to those that were
absent. 15nt they were not allowed to consecrate
them :it the altar; as appears from the testimonies
of Hilary, Jerome, and the author of the consti-
tutions; who assign as a reason, that deacons were,
reckoned no priests, or but in the lowest degree. —
As to the sacrament of baptism, it is evident, they
were permitted, in some cases, to administer it solely,
as appears from Tertullian, Jerome, and the council
of Eliberis.
Another part of the ofHce of deacons was, to be
a sort of monitors and directors to the peojvle, in
the exercise of their public devotions in the church.
To which purpose they made use of certain known
forms of words, to give notice when each part of
the s(?r«o<' began.
The deacons had a power to preach, by licence
and antlfority from the bishop, but not without it :
which was likewise the case with relation to the
power of reconciling penitents, and granting them
absalutioii; this privilege being allowed them only
in cases of extreme necessity, when neither bishop
nor presbyter was at hand to do it. It may be
HISTORY OF CALVINISM,
feckoned also among tlieir extraordinary offites, that
they were sometinies deputed by the bisliops to be
their representatives and proxies in general councils.
But, ill pryvincial synods, they were allowed to give
their voice, as well as the presbyters, in' their own
name.
There are two things more to be observed con-
cerning tlie office of deacons, in churdi assembhes.
'I'he first in, that they had a power to rebuke and
chastise those who behaved iiidecenlly in tlie cliureli.
The other is, that before the institution of the in-
ferior orders in the church, such as sub-deacons,
exorcists, catechists, See. the deacons were employed
in performing all the offices which were afterwards
committed to tiiose orders.
But, beside* these offices, which properly belonged
to the service of the cliurch, the deacons had im-
ployriient out of the church. One of these was, to
lie the bishop's sub-almoner, and to take care of the
necessitous, such as orphans, widows, virgins, pvi-
soners, and all the poor and sick, who had any title
to be maintained out of the public revenues of the
church. Another of these offices was, to inquire
into the morals and conversation of the people, and
to male their report thereof to the bisliop. I'pon
this account, the deacons were usually styled the
bishop's eyes, and ears, Iiis mouth, his right hand,
and his heart; because by their ministry he took
cognizuvice of men's actions, as much as if he him-
.'elf had seen or heard them ;. and because, by them,
he sent orders and directions to his flock, and by
them distributed to the necessities of the indigent.
For this reason, there being a great variety of bu-
siness attending the office of a deacon, it was usual
to ha\e several deacons in the same ciiurciu In
some they were precisely to the number of seven,
in imitation of the lirst church of Jerusalem. But
this rule was not observed in other churches, the
niiuiber of deacons benig indifferent, as the busi-
iiebs of each church required. In that of Constan-
tinople particularly, the number was so great, that
we tind them liniiled to an hundred, for the service
of the great church, and three others only.
'ihe qualifications requned in deacons, were much
the same as those required in bishops and presbyters ;
'•xcept that in their age, there was some ditference.
Deacons might be ordained at twenty-tivc years of
age, and not before ; whereas bishops and presby-
ters could not be ordained till thirty.
The ceremony of the ordination of deacons
in the Romish church, is briefly this. The candi-
date prostrates himself before the bishop, who con-
fers on him the Holy (jhost, laying his right hand
only on his head, to signify that he does not receive
it so fully as the priest. An acolyth puts on him the
stole and dalmatica; after which tliebisKop presents
him with the book of the gospels : the ceremony
concludes with the prayers of the bishop and peo-
ple. It is the deacon's office to tncense the officiat-
ing priest or prelate; to lay- the corporal on the al-
tar; to receive the patin or cup from the sub-dea-
con, and present them to the person officiating, to
incense the choir; to receive the pix from the offi-
ciating prelate, and carry it to the sub-deacon; and
at the pontifical mass, when the bishop gives the
blessing, to put the mitre upon his head, and to
take off the archbishop's pall, and lay it on the
altar.
The Maronites of mount Libanus have two dea-
cons, \\ho are nieiely admiiiisirators of the tempo-
ralities. Dandini, who calls lliem il signori diaconi,
tells us, they are secular lords who govern the
people, set iu judgment on all their differences, and
treat w ith the Turks concerning the taxes, and other
matters.
In England, deacons are not capable of any ec-
clesiastical promotion, not so much as to be admit-
Sed to a donative ; all benefices requiring the incum-
bent to be in the priest's orders. Yet he may be a
chaplain in a family, curate to a beneficed clergy-
man, or lecturer to a parish church. A man may
be ordained deacon at tweutv-three vears of a^e^
anno eurrente ; but it is expressly provided, that the
bishop shall not ordain the same person both a dea-
con and a priest in the same day. The form of or-
daining deacons declares, that it is their office to
assist the priest in the distributing of the holy com-
munion; in which agreeably to the practice of th&
ancient church, they are confined to the administer-
ing of the w ine to the communicants.
St. Paul requires, that deacons should be chaste,
sober, and blameless; that they should be neither
great drinkers, nor given to filthy lucre; that they
should hold the mystery of faith in a pure consci-
ence; that they slit>uld be well approved, before
they are admitted into the ministry ;, that they should
be husbands of one wife, and take care of their
liouses and families.
'i'he lust thing to be attended to is, their govern-
ment.
In Geneva, and in Holland, they have their pres-
byteries and .synods, but tio gencial assemblies as in
Scotland. Political states are jealous of political
disputes, and I'lieiefoie they take care that the clergy
shall meet as seldom as possible together. Had tin*
rule been attended to in the middle ages of Christi-
anity, perhaps vie should not have bad so many vio-
lent disputes as we have at present.
All offences of a common, ordinary nature, are
first_consideied by the minister aaU the elders, and
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
609
if- the delinquent does not cliuse to comply witii
their decision, he may appeal to the presbytery. If
after their decree, he tliinks himself aggrieved, he
may appeal to the synod, wiiose sentence is binding.
J?ut tliere are no civil jicnaltics inflicted upon the
liclinqueiit as in I'^ngland, for lie is only excluded
Ironi churcii comniuMiun, and church privileges.
Such is the nature of the Calvinistical religion
on the continent of Europe, and when it is consi-
dered how nearly we are connected with its j)rofes-
sbrs, it will naturally point out that we should con-
sider them as brethren. JJid they persecute to death
Servctusi' 'J'lie church of iMiglaiid has burnt Pio-
testants who had been declared heretics! Are they
without episcopal ordiuatiour — the church of Scot-
land knows nothing of bisliops. Do they reject
the ring in marriage ? — this does not deserve our no-
tice; for to take up the idea of the ingenious author
of a tale in a tub, Peter kept all his gaudy orna-
ments upon him; Martin stripped off a few, but
still left his clothes in a decent manner; but Jack
went farther, and ])ullcd off both the late and the
clothes. It is certain, that the CaKinislical reli-
gion, as professed on the conliueut of Europe,
affords all the means of grace, and opens the way to
eternal happiness. In that form of religion, many
pious Christians, many eminent divines, have been
brought up, and where God has bestowed his bles*
sing on the appointed means, let man be silent.
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
Vv E have already, in our account of Calvinism
in o-eneral, considered the nature of those senti-
inent.s, concerning which there has been so much
dispute. A\ e have stated the objections made
against them, with the answneis that hav.e been of-
fered. We have shewn in the most candid manner
from whence those disputed sentiments took their
rise, and uu\ulling to enter into controversy, we
have referred them to history. W c have considered
the Calviuists in a general point of view, as parti-
cularly established in some nations in luirope. We
sliall now consider them as a national church, begun
by inlinite wisdom, supported by Almighty power,
refulatt'd by unerring Providence, and at present
one of the glories of tire Protestant world. And
here we are sorry to observe, that although the peo-
ple of England are united under one government
with those of Scotland, yet there are many of the
former utterly ignorant of the religion of the latter.
Nothing is more common in England than to call
the people of Scotland Dissenters, whereas they
have their own church established bylaw. Nay,
so firmly is the church of Scotland established, that
it cannot be overtliiown, uidess there is a total re-
volution.
This will appear evident, when we consider in
what manner the king of Great Britain swears to
protect, defend, and support that church. The
moment the deatii ot the king is made public to his
successor, the h<.ir takes his place in the council,
and it is intimated to him, that he cannot be pro-
41 7'P
claimed tlH he has sworn before their lordships that
he will maintain the church of Scotland as by law
established. This oath is administered in the Scot-
tish fashion, by the king's holding up his right hand,
and solemnly swearing, that he will do nothing to
injure the church of Scotland, but support her in
all her rights and privileges. A copy of this oath
is recorded in the books of the privy council, and
then a messenger is dispatched to Edinburgh, who
gives it in to the court of session, -where it is read,
and ordered to be recorded in the lords' register
office.
Here we find a vast privilege bestowed' on the
church of Scotland, beyond that of England ; for
in England the king does not swear to maintain the
church till his coronation. This privilege was
claimed by the people of Scotland, in that crjnven-
tion of estates, 1689, which declared the throne
vacant, and voted in -William and Wary. It was
again insisted on by the whole nation of Scotland,
at the union 1707. It was claimed, not as a favour,
but as a right, and the king of Great Britain can
no more dispense with it, than he can \\ith any of
the fundamental laws of the constitution. We have
been the more explicit on this subject, that our
readers may be made acquainted with it, and that
they may know every particular; for, as a cele-
brated author says, " \Ve phould not only learn
every thing, but wc shpnld fern every thing well."
We shall now prodded to consider this church in
a manner altogether diflcrent from those who have
610
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
\gone before us ; for we can assert, that the history
of this church was never yet properly written,
though often attempted.
In the treating of it, we shall lay down the fol-
lowing principles, to direct us in the narrative.
First, a general view of the history of that
church.
Secondly, a more particular state of it since the
Reformation.
Thirdly, its -various forms of worship during tliat
period.
Fourthly, its various forms of confession during
that time.
And lastly, its present state in doctrine, worship,
discipline, and government.
And first — with respect to a geueral view of reli-
gion in Scotland.
Religion, according to reading, report, and ex-
perience, is the first consideration that attracts a
man's attention in Scotland. But, when we speak
of religion, we do not mean that propensity for
agitating controverted points of divinity, which has
possessed the clergy of most countries and ages ;
but we mean that plan of doctrine and disciphne,
which, in a well-regulated state, ought to be adapted
to the constitution of the government, without re-
gard to the dreams of bigots, or the talk of enthu-
siasts. ISovv it is impossible to understand the pre-
sent state of religion m Scotland, in the sense of the
words which we have laid down, without a review
of. their ecclesiastical constitution; and by tiiat re-
view we shall be enabletl to form a pretty clear idea
of their ancient government, not only in their church
but their state.
The introduction of Christianity into Scotland,
Avas by monks, who were without the means of
transmitting orders of any kind to their successors,
in the manner which the churches of England and
Home now prescribe. The name of the person « ho
•was at their head, was.Regulus, said to be a Greek :
Th^y were driven on tlie coast of Scotland by acci-
dent, and after liis death, tjjey of themselves, elected
and ordained another to preside in their principal
church Kilrimont, now St. Andrews, without ap-
plying to the, court or church of Rome. That this
■was the case, unquestionably appears from the ca-
nons of the council of Calcluith in England, in
the year 8l6, the fifth of which prohibits any
Scotch clergyman from exercising his functions in
England, because, say the makers of the canon,
it is uncertain to us by whom he is ordained, or if he
is ordained at ail. In like manner, the sixty-fifth
of the Capitularia «£ .tlie French king, is concern-
ing the Scots who caa'tfebiustlves bishops, and or-
■ dain certain persons without the licence of their su-
.jieriors.
AVe know it may be pretended that the ScQts
spoken of here were tlie Irish, and even the learned
have a vulgar notion, that when the word Scots oc-
curs at this time, the Irish are understood ; and in a
few, but a very few, instances of higher antiquity,
we may admit the fact to have been so; but at the
time -here mentioned, there can be no doubt but that
the North British Scots were meant.
That their religion was void of many errors, and
superstitions which then prevailed; that their man-
ners were blameless, their zeal indefatigable, their
piety unaffected, and their submission to their supe-
riors, such as became good Christians and subjects,
could be proved by many unquestionable cotcmpo-
rary autliorities, which can have no room here. — -
■^i^hey went by the name of Culdues, or Culdees,
which is not, as the Scotch historians ignorantly
imagine, a contradiction of the words Cultoris Dei,
but two ancient Pictish or Celtic words ; Cul, a
Hood, from whence we have the word Cowl, and
Due, Black, because of their wearing black hoods,
iso that tlie people of the country distinguished them
by that appellation.
The pliiinness, virtue, and piety ef the Culdees,
gave offence to the church of Rome, whose corner
stone is founded upon a succession of priesthood,
derived from bishops depending upon the pope; and
pope Celestine sent one Paladius, with a large train
of followers to preside over the Scots, about the
year 430. Every one knows what impression high
pretensions and great pomp have upon weak minds.
Paladius soon formed a pai ty amongst the chief in-
habitants, who received his clergy, and believed in
the name of the pope. Tins occasioned a scliism ;
the Culdees were favoured by the Pictish j>rinces,
and the Romanists by the descendants of the ancient
Celts, who had been settled before the Picts were,
in Scotland ; and to whom the Picts gave the re-
proachful term of Scots. This name was then ap-
propriated to many of the northern adventurers, in
different parts of Europe ; and luidoubtediy, was
derived from the Scyths, the n)aternal nation of all
those various clanned barbarians, who, at that time,
deluged Europe.
As they were themselves Celts, when a part of
tliem landed in Scotland, they naturally fell in with
the old Guidels, or the ancicBt Caledonians, who
were Celts likewise : and their singularity of lan-
guage and manners, soon Cemented a i'riendshrp be-
tween tlieni. The Picts, on the other hand, who
had pushed the Guidels westward, in tire same man-
ner as the Romans had pushed the Picts nortliward,
were tl)e descendants trf the Belgic Gauls; and
though they w«re likewise of Cehic original, yet
their commtmications had occasioned a great differ-
ence in their language and manners from the Guid-
els, whom we may term the Aborigines: whereas
the Belgic Gaul?, the ancestors of the Picts, liad
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
Oil
not been settled in l?i itaiii above four score years be-
fore the invasion of it by Julius Ceesar. As the
Picts, about the lime of the landing of the Scots,
undoubtedly professed Clirislianity, it was easy for
the Cuidecs to cement a friemlshiji willi iheni. The
degeneracy of the Pictish princes, giving the old
inhabitants vast advantages, the Cnldees sometimes
sufteied great )Jersecntions, till Alexander the first,
one of tiie wisest and best of the kings of Scotland,
wanting to abolish all invidious dislinctions amongst
Ins subjects, restored the Culdees, about the year
)!1S, to their primitive lustre, though he could
not to their sanctity of uiannois. 'I'liis was a se-
vere blow to tiie interest of the church of Rome in
Scotland ; and she oinitted no practice to procure au
exclusion of the Culdee ordination. They, how-
ever, kept their ground, and the cliief pastor, who
continued to be of their own choice, and to hold
his seat at St. Andrews, was digniiied v.iih the
name of Scotorum Episcopus, i>ishop of the Scots ;
but that denomination was afterwards changed into
liscop. Alban. bishop of Albany.
David, the brother and successor of Alexander,
ha\ing great connections with England, was eaten
up with superstition, and suffered a Romish legate
to hold councils in the most southeily parts of Scot-
land, and prevailed with Robert, tiien the chief of
the Cnldees, to receive a coadjutor from the bishop
of Chester, and to appropriate the revenues of the
tiller Culdee.s, to defray the expeuce of extravagant
buildings at St. Andrew's, the stupendous remains
of which are still visible there. This revived the
interest of the Romanists in Scotland, and David
finding tiie Culdees to be too well established for
liim to think of exterminating them, sought only to
persuade them to accept of papal ordinations and
consecrations, which never had as yet been admitted
of amongst them. The more sensible, however,
amongst the Culdees, were not to be either Mattered
or frighteued out of tlieir rights and properties, and
continued to make a vigorous opposition to the Ro-
manists, though by that time several other sees, tilled
with popish bishops, had been erected in Scotland.
But the Culdees, who were now only a handful,
found it impossible to make liead aganist the am-
bition of the popes, favotued by the weakness of
th( ir own princes.
in the year 1'250, their right of ordination and
consecration came to be questioned, and the pope
appointed the abbot of Dumfern)ling, and another
t;teiesiastjc, to summon the chief Culdee, whom the
record does not style l>ishop, but Preposilus, Pro-
vo.it, to ap])ear before thcni at the church of liiver-
keithen, to answer for the crime of rebellion against
the ."iee of l^ome, and to inquire whether the Cid-
dees had a right to celebrate diviire oflices. That is,
diey were to inijuire into tiie wght that the Cuidces
had to confer orders; and celebrate divine ordinances.
It appears, iiowever, from the same record, that
Adam Malkarwiston, the head of the Culdees, and
his brethren, refused to submit to this tribimal ; nur
do we find any thing decisive was done till the year
l'<27'5, when one \\ ishart, after receiving cpisiopal
orders at Scoon, was thrust by the pope and tin-
king of Scotland, Alexander the Third, upon the
Culdees. He was succeeded by Eraser and Lam-
berton, against whose elevation the Culdees made a
vigorous resistance ; but their head being ill enough
advised to appeal to the see of Rome, pope IJonifaee
the JMghlh coiifinued Lamberton's election, and the
Culdees, notwithstanding all their struggles, were
never afterwards permitted to liave any voice in the
election of a bishop of St. Andrews.
Such of the liislorians of Scotland, who were
really I'roteslants, were ignorant of the facts we
have laid down in this short review ; and they are
stifled by the papists and popish Protestants.
"^l^he dispute, however, between the Culdees and
the Romanists had the happy etl'ect, that the laity,
especially tliose of the greatest power, of Scotland,
never could be reconciled to the latter ; and the
papal power had less influence with them, than it
liad amongst any people in Europe, l)efore the time
of the Reformation : therefore the w isest of their
kings were always sure of being supported in the
frequent and vigorous oppositions they made, not
only to the power, but to the visits of papal agents.
'J'he tirst prince of the Stuart family, who devi-
ated from that wise policy, w'as .lames the Eifth,
who, to a thorough hatred of England, which was
his family's ruling passion, joined cruelty and bigo-
try, vices till then unknown to the blood of Stuart;
but a mUconception of his own and his people's in-
terests with regard to England, served materially to
pave the way for the Reformation. His Dowager,
who succeeded him in the administration, a weak
bigotted woman, governing Scotland by Erench ma-
gistrates, Erencli soldiers, and Erench councils, ren-
dered the Reformation a measure of necessity as well
as choice.
The kings of Scotland had always been bounded
in their prerogative, not so much by the positive
laws of their country, as by the unlimitted exercise
of power, which the feudal constitutions gave to the
gifat landholders over tiieir dependents, whom they
styled their vassals. 7liese great landholders, a.s
we have seen, had always hated the Romish bishops,
whose power rested solely upon the regal authority :
and Scotland is the only nation in EurojK>. into
which the R-oformation was introduced witiiout op-
position from any lay sul)ject. Nay, what is still
more remarkable, while I'.ngland and other nations
were reforming by slow, imperfect degrees, the
Scots reformed all at once, so thoroughly, from the
6I2
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
errors of Uie chiircli of Rome, tiiat all tlie deviations
that have been since made from their original re-
formation, Iiave been in favour of poperv.
Diit this Reformation, glorious as i-t was in some
respects, was not without lamentable consequences
in other. For zeal lighting upon ignorance, and
interest prompting riot, the whole was a scene of
confusion, and effected by agents so totally illiterate
that the Scotch presbyterian clergy continued long
distinguished for their ignorance, and for not having
produced one man of learning, or eminence in
letters. This was the more extraordinary, as- they
had all the means of erudition in their possession,
and their incomes, in general, were not only greater,
and less precarious, than those of the foreign Pro-
testant clergy, who made great figures in learning,
but than those of the lilnglish, the most learned in
the world.
Many of the Scotch Roman Catholics, at the time
of the Reformation, made great figures in Europe
by their learning, and the reformers succeeded in
t'leir attempts by a conduct and character diametri-
cally opposite. Rutin this nothing was affected,
for they were really as ignorant as they appeared to
be ; and bigotry in them, being destitute of know-
ledge, they relapsed into the most dangerous abuses
of what we may call practical pojiery. Hie church-
men usurped a power not only over the consciences,
but even the persons and estates, of the laity ; their
excommunications were attended, if possible, with
worse consequences than those of Rome, for they
always inferred the loss of all property; in many
cases, that of liberty ; and in some, that of life it-
self.
The nobility of Scotland, who, till the union of
tlie two kingdoms, had perhaps the truest notions
of public liberty of any set of men in the world,
found themselves, by this frantic conduct of their
clergy, in the case of Acta°on. They were ready
to be torn to pieces by the very dogs they had so
liounded out upon others, and who seldom relumed
without their prey; and, to save themselves, they
were obliged to resume the shape of men, wliich
they had for political ends discontinued for some
lime after the Reformation. Meanwhile, the part
they had to act w as dangerous ; for the ambition of
the court, and of the clergy, though pointed differ-
ent ways, was equally threatening to public liberty.
James the first, Charles the first, and Charles the
second, hated not only the Presbyterians, but all
moderate Protestants, worse than they did the Pa-
pists ; while the Presbyterian clergy were ever
willing to prefer the most iiorrid scenes of civil
war to a submission either to the king or the no-
bility.
The power of the latter, however, carried it for
a moderafe episcopucy, founded in a great measure,
upon the plan of the Culdees; for we do not find
in general, that their bishops thought it necessary
to have recourse for their consecration, either to
Rome or to England. The madness of Laud in-
fluenced Charles the first to break this excellent
scheme, by introducing many fopperies into tlie
public worship, which the common people looked
upon as Popish, and, throwing oft' all restraint,
they reverted to the extreme from which they had
been reclaimed ; for from the year lG40 to the year
1660 the Presbyterian clergy in Scotland exercised
over the laity a power more than papal, which the
nobility for the sake of public liberty, endangered
by the practices of the court, and attacked by the
power of England, were once more obliged to sub-
mit to, till the restoration took place.
Had it not been for this frantic behaviour of the
clergy, who had thereby forfeited all esteem with
the nobility and great landholders of Scotland, the
Scots never could have been brouglit to have re-
ceived Charles without terms. It is true they made
an effort, and sent deputies for tiiat purpose, but
they betrayed the j)eople of Scotland, as Monk did
those of I'.ngland, and the ministers of Charles ever
after alledged, in vindication of their despotic admi-
nistration, that their master, being restored without
terms, had a right to govern as he pleased, a peo-
ple who, having been rebels to his governineiit, now
subsisted only through his clemency, 'ihe Scots '
were not united among themselves so well as to
dispute this doctrine, and the odium into which
the clergy had brought tliemselves with all the civil-
ized sensible part of the kingdom, made the aboli-
tion of Presbyterianism there go down without a
struggle.
The earl of Clarendon knew too little of the
temper and disposition of the Scots, and was too
much wedded to certain formalities without the es-
sentials of episcopacy, to make a right use of a
juncture so critical for the interests of his master.
The episcopacy which was restored, was indeed
more moderate than that contended for by Laud,
for the people were not offended by the use of the
book of Common Prayer; and their public service
differed very little, if any thing, from that of the
Presbyterians. Many faults, and those irretrieva-
ble, however, were committed in the restoration of
episcopacy in Scotland, which was very different
from that in England, where many gr-eat and emi-
nent confessors for the cause of monarchy and loy-
alty, upon the breaking out of the civil wars, were
yet alive, and had a title to the highest ecclesiastical
preferments.
In Scotland, excepting in a few of the northern
parts, the clergy had avowed themselves to be the
enemies of monarchy and episcopacy ; they had
acted accordi'.ogly, and Sharp, with some of the
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
tii5
more inoderale amongst them, Iiad won llie confi-
dence of main- of ihe nobility, by proinising, as one
of tlie deputies from tlie clei'^y, to insi.st upon tlie
continuance, and at the same time the restriction,
of Presbyteiianisni in Scotland. JJut Sharp de-
ceived all his constituents, and he not only accepted
of tlie primacy of Scotland, but consented that he
and his brethren should be consecrated in I'.nj^land.
lint neither this s!e|i, nor the rcstorin<^ bi.shops to
their seats in parliamnit, could have produced any
consiiierahle disaflcction amongst the Scots either to
cpiscopa< y or to the family of die Stuarts, iiad it
«ot been tliat most of the men made choice of for
ijishops, were a set equally profligate and illiterate;
and they who were not, were men bred to books
without either inclination or talents for public busi-
ness, even in their own functions. The whole epis-
copal order in Scotland was thus exposed to haired
and contempt. 'I'o hatred, not only on account ol
their apostacy and treachery, but on account of the
cruelties they countenanced against tlie I'resbyte-
rians ; which were sucli as would have disgraced
the reign of a Nero or Domitian ; and to contempt,
on account of their putting tlieinselvcs n[)on the
same iooting with the old nobility, witiiout posses-
sing one good quality that could entiiie them to
notice, far less to elevation.
Mean while the nobility, and the men of sense in
Scotland, loved episcopacy, though they hated pre-
lacy, but the court could not be brought to disjoin
them. 'J'his produced a few ill-judged insurrections
in the west, which were easily suppressed, for the
natifui in general hated Presbytery, and the success
of the government was crowned by scenes of the
most horrid cruelties, abetted and impelled by tlie
I>relates. Those cruellies were defended by Sir
George Mackeiuie, a great lawyer, and lord advo-
cate or attorney s;eneral for Scotland, but a mere
tanutic both in ielij;ioii and politics. It became no^v
the avowed principle at the council board in Eng-
land, that the king in Scotland was above law, and
might goves-n it, as he actually did, by a military
force. '1 he same tloctrine was recommended to the
<ouncil board of Scotland, where divisions ran so
tilgh, that each party sought to streii'jithen itself by
an implicit obedience to the will of the court and of
tl:e bishojjs.
This w as the critical period that effected the re-
volution under the prince of C)runge. 'J'he Scots,
in general, saw tliemselves in a real state of slavery,
under the most worthless and contemptible of men,
and this consideration superseded all others. The
men of spirit amongst them, applied more early than
the J'-nglish did, to the prince of Orange ; and the
consequence was, that the revolution met witli le.ss
difticuliy from the Scotch, than it did from the
Kaglish parliament.
^1 7
The crown being settled, religion cainC' next un-
der debate, and the inclination both of court and
parliament was to have continued it upon the same
footing it was on before. But the ( omiecljon which
the prelates knew to subsist between king VVilliaiii
and the enemies rather of their persons than of their
order, made them distrust his sincerity. Thev
thought that king James might yet retrieve his aft'aiis
by the power of rrancc, and by the Highlanders.;
who, had their general, the viscount of Dimdee,
survived the defeat which he gave to the government
troops at Gillicranky, would certainly have changed
the face of affairs in Scotland. They considered
that if king James should be restored, after their
submitting to king William, they were to e.\pecL
no favour; and that should he not be restored, many
of them would be bionght to a severe account for
their illegal conduct in the last two reigns. All
these, and other motives, influenced them to stand
out against the revolution, and- as the necessity of
the juncture could admit of no delay. Presbytery,
but not of that bloody tyrannical kind that was
abolished at the restoration, was again restored by
act of parliament in Scotland.
i5ut the same case happened after the revolution,
that had happened at the Reformation. 'Ihe few
clergymen in Scotland, who, by their learning were
qualitied for their functions, were episcopists, who,
influenced by their bishops, and tlie prepossessions
in which they had been educated, disclaimed king
\\ liliam's title to the crown ; and thus the govern-
ment was obliged to fill up the vacant churches with
men who had nothing to recommend them, but zeal
against the exiled family and the routed clergy. —
The nation, however, in general, was discontented
with the restoration of Presbytery ; the ef)isco-
palians formed a strong party, the men of the greatest
fashion and interest in Scotlaiul-became their fol-
lowers, and they of Presbytcrianism were thereby
so mortified, that, excepting in some trifling in-
stances, their conduct, ever since the revolution, has
been excellently adapted to that plan of civil power
which ought to be pursued in a free country ; nay,
we should be wanting to that sincerity we profess,
if wc did not give it as our opinion, that the estab-
lished clergy in Scotland have done more than any
one set of men (the legislature exc<'pled) in liritain,
to keep the crown in the family of Hanover.
Mean while, though it may perha|>s st'em unfair
to attribute a virtuous conduct to an interested mo-
tive, we cannot hel]) saving, that the very existence
of their order depended upon that attachment, since
nothing is more certain, than that before the last
rebellion in 1745, the nation in general was much
more inclined to episcopacy than to Presbytcrianism,
and it is incredible to believe with what spirit the
former was supported, both amongst the jurant and
6l4
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
nonjurant part of their persuasion. The extinction
of the rebelHon, however, left the established church
in triumphant possession of every thing they could
claim, but that which they could not recover, we
mean the hearts of the people.
1 his, we are afraid, was owing to the degeneracy
of discipline ; which must always happen in any
body of men where the individuals are vested with
a parity of power. The Roman senate long held
out against it by means of the censorship, and pri-
vate virtue will ward it otF for some time: — but it
happens unfortunately for the Scotch, clery, that
their constitutional powers are very limited, and their
influence was owing to that authority which they
had over the minds of the people, prepossessed w ith
an opinion of their virtue. VV hen that opinion was
gone, their authority vanished, and they had nothing
but power to trust to. However, we are not to
imagine, that there are not in the established church
of Scotland many divines whose virtues would do
honour to any church : but we are afraid their
numbers are not sufticiiiit to revive the veneration
of the people for their order.
This appeared eminently upon the extinction of
the rebellion, when, encouraged by their public ser-
vices, they came to a resolution of applying to the
legislature for some favours that really seemed very
reasonable, but in the opinion of the people pointed
towards an augmentation of their own livings. To
our knowltdge, the ministry was extremely well dis-
posed towards them : but so incredible an opposition
arose to them from people of all ranks in Scotland,
that when they were ill enough advised to push the
affair into pailiament, the ministry did not think it
prudent to support them, and the spirit of oppo-
sition was carried so far against them, that they lost
every reasonable point they aimed at, merely through
a prepossession that they intended to aim at what
was unreasonable.
The bounds of this volume will not suffer us,
though we could easily enter on a detail of the
causes, why the Scots, a people that formerly be-
lieved in their clergy, hold them now so cheap. —
The want of discipline, as we observed before, is
the obvious cause, and that is occasioned, in a great
measure, by a superficial education, by which the
younger part of the clergy learn just as much as to
have a contempt for all learning that requires pains
and application. Thus some of them commence
4eists, and some enthusiasts. The abilities, whe-
ther natural or acquired, of both, are pretty much
alike; and the complexion of the man generally de-
termines the walk into which he strikes, whether
it be that of enthusiasm or irreligion. The former
resigns all freedom of thinking, the latter abuses
it: — the one carries zeal into bigotry; the other
liberty into licentiousness : aud, iu both, ignorance
is the ruling principle. Instead of studying that
sound philosophy, which reconciles religion to rea-
son, theone part of them cons over the shallow ob-
servation of Shaftsbury, the illiterate remarks of
Chubb, the false reasoning of Collins, and the se-
cond-hand objections of Bolingbroke to the Chris-
tian religion. The other part of them disclaim all
what we call human learning, and though not less
contemptible than the former, yr^t they are less dan-
gerous, as long as the power is -so circumscribed as
it is.
We are obliged to be the more plain concerning
these things, because people in general are apt to
believe either too much or two little. Thus, if a
Scotchman is an enthusiast iu favour of his church,
he will tell you with an unblushing boldness, that
their church could never have any errors in it. On
the other hand, the libertine, or profane person
will tell us, that the clergy in Scotland are all hypo-
crites, but we shall take more notice of this after-
wards. In other respects there are many valuable
things in the church of Scotland, but we must
write of things as they are, without considering what
they should be.
We come now, Cdly, to consider the circutnstan-
ces of that church in a moie enlarged point of view,
and also from historical evidence, to bring every
circumstance open to public view.
In England, the Reformation was gradually car-
ried on ; in Scotland it was sudden. I'he Romish
clergy knowing that their young queen had been
educated in France, had great hopes of their reli-
gion being supported by her in all its cruelly. This
made them attempt to despise the iancient nobility,
«hose spirits were too high and too proud to brook
the affront, especially as it came from men of ob-
scure birth, who had nothing to recommend them
besides their church livings. Mr. Knox was invited
over from Geneva, where he hiul resided several
years as an assistant to Calvin and Beza. This was
in 1538, and the nobility making choice of such a
man as Knox, is a strong proof of their good sense.
He was a man of a bold, intrepid spirit, who feared
nothing, and consequently became the happy instru-
ment in the hand of Providence, of introducing the
reformed religion among a rude people. The bi-
gotry of Mary of Guise, the queen-regent, obliged
the nobility and gentry to form themselves into soci-
eties for their. own preservation, and these were call-
ed the lords of the congregation, '1 he queen-re-
gent drew up an army in order to give them battle,
but finding herself too weak, and her men of the
same opinion with the lords, she promised to grant
them a toleration till the parliament should meet.
Had the queen kept her promise, things might
have been conducted in a more moderate manner
than they were j but just about that time [li59] her
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
615
brothers, the cardinal and duke of Guise, the avowed
enemies of the Refoinialion, planned the league of
Canibrav, bv whiuh an association %vas entered into
to extirpate the Protestant religion. A copy of this
was sent over to the queen-regent, who, not doubt-
ing but siie would be supported by a train of Papists,
ordered several clergymen to be burnt alive for
preachin^r the Protestant doctrines. Tiiis exaspe-
raltdthe lords of the congregation, who had the
uholc body of the country people on their side, and
they marched through l-ifesliire with Mr. Knox along
with them. 'I'he queen went eastward from Stir-
ling-castle to give them battle, but she was too weak.
h>he had then recourse to her former practices of
amusing tbeni with false promises, but they would
not trust her. 'J'hey marched northward to Perth, a
tow n situated on the river Tay, very near the bor-
ders of the Highlands. There was a ('arlhusian
convent, where king James I. was murdered, 143(i,
It is certain, that the reformers had no intention
at first to commit any violence, but provocation
drove them mad.
A few days before they came to Perth, two men
had been burned alive, and one woman drowned,
for.no other crime besides that of eating a capon on
a Friday. The people saw what was to be their
fate if the clergy were to exercise a coercive autho-
rity, not only over their consciences, but also over
their persons. It would have been prudent in the
Ronii'jh clergy to have left the town for a few' days,
especiallv as they knew they were hated by the peo-
ple; but just as if they had courted their own de-
struction, oneof the priests ordered the chapel door
of the convent to be set open, and began to say
mass. This was considered as an insult offered to
the lords of the congregatioii, upon which their
followers tore the priest's robes from off him.
brought out all the utensils of the chapel, and made
a bonfire of them in the street. The town was
now in an uproar, the people were exceedingly ex-
asperated against the priest, and in a few hours the
whole convent was levelled to the ground.
The army then inarched westward to Stirling,
near to which they demolished the mitred abbey of
Cambus Keneth, and indeed every cathedral and
collegiate church or convent wherever they came,
except at Glasgow, where the town's people bore
arms and defended their cathedral. The queen-re-
gent took shelter in the castle of Kdinburgh,
where she died soon after, probably of a broken
heart, on being told of the devastation that had
been made among the relics of the ancient supersti"
tion.
From Glasgow the reformers marched eastward
to Edinburgh, and happened just to come into that
city, while the priests were preparing to begin a
procession, in honour of St. Giles, the titutar saint
of that city.
The priests went into the high church as it is
called, to bring out the image of the saint, but some
Onlucky rogue had stolen it away. Vexed with the
disappointment, they borrowed an image from ano-
ther church, which was carried about in procession^
and the people called it in derision, 1 ouiig St. Cities.
The procession being over, the mob lore the priests
vestments to pieces, mounted St. Giles on the back
of a jack-ass, led him to the Grass-market, the
common place of execution, where his saintship was
tied to a stake and burnt.
Just about this time, when Scotland was in a state
of confusion without a sovereign, their young queen
being then in France along witii her husband Fran-'
cis 11. that monarch was killed in a tournament,
and Mary was left a widow, about the nineteenth
year of her age. Application was made to her to
call a parliament, to settle disputes concerning re-
ligion, and writs were sent over to Scotland for that
purpose, before she herself arrived.
This parliament met at Edinburgh, August 24,
1560, and by it the Protestant religion was esta-
blished by law, although the queen, who arrived the
next year in Scotland, refused to give her assent to
it. This act, however, was always considered as
the basis of Reformation in Scotland, and although
another act passed in 1.5G7, yet there was so much
studied ambiguity, such vague expressions, and such
appearance of duplicity, that those of the reformed
religion saw through the intended deception, and
insisted that the first act should bo the security of
their religion.
-At the same time that the parliament met in Au<
gust loGO, a general assembly of the clergy were
summoned to meet in the high church of Edinburgh,
of which assembly the famous Buchanan was presi-
dent, though he was no more than a layman. Rut
these were violent limes, and there was no regu-
larity. This, was the first assembly of the church
of Scotland, and its decrees were important. Thir-
teen of the mitred abbots attended as members of
this assembly, and the rest were formed by some
priests, who were willing to embrace the Refor-
mation, and by some zealous men, who had com-
menced preachers without being ordained to that
office. It was agreed, that they should embrace in
some part the discipline of the church of Geneva,
but then it was difficult to find out in what manner
the external government of the church was to be
conducted. it could not be by presbyters and
synods, because they had not a sufficient number of
ministers, and as for episcopacy they abiiorred it. —
They took a middle line, for they sent as many
ministers as they had, to the most capital towns, and
6\6
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
jn the counfn' parts they appointed persons whom
tlipy called riaders, who were to read the scriptures
as often as the people came to church.
Above these they pppointed another set of men,
who had no ordination at all, and tiiese were called
siiperintendants. 'I'hoy were but few in number. — •
Spoliswood was appointed to superintend all those
comities wliich lie soiilhward of luiinbiirgh. ^Vin-
ram, who had been formerly sub-prior of the con-
vent of St. Andrews, was appointed superintendant
of life and its neighbourhood. iMr. l^skine, a
•jawyer, was appointed to snpei intend the counties
lying north of the Tay, as far as the county of I\Iur-
ray. Mr. Willocks, who had been Iwmerly an
augustine monk, was appointed superuitendant of
Glasgow, and the western counties; and Carsewell,
a franciscan t'riar, was sent to Argyle and the isles.
The duty which these supertendants were to per-
form, was of a very important nature. They were
to visit every parish in their boimds, and they gene-
Tally preached at least twelve times every week. —
They were to inipiire into the conduct of the clergy
and readers, aiid see that churches should be pro-
vided will) ministers as soon as any could be pro-
cured. They were to hold svnods for church dis-
cipline, but when the general assembly met, they
were to take tiieir places as ordinary ministers, and
to submit to church censures with those of the lower
order. Here was a sort of moderate episcopacy,
and an episcopacy suitable to the state of Scotland
at that age.
The superintendants were likewise to preside -at
all ordinations of '.iie clergy, which may serve to
shew that the Scots at that time diil not pay any re-
gard to a Jure Dititio ; or a divine right conferred
by orders. Their characters were blameless, and
they were reverenced while tlicy were beloved by
their peoj)le. W henever there was a vacant con-
gregation, they endeavoured as far as lay in their
power to supply the want of a minister, and under
their nourishment, as men who wished well to the
interests of .Christianity, the chutch of Scotland
grew and flourished ; the sooner they could jirovide
ministers for vacant churches, their labours decreased
of course: although most of them were advanced
in years, yet they thought no hardship too great, so
as they could promote the interest of their fellow
Christians.
Such w as the state of the church of Scotland till
the year 1570, when a new revolution, though of a
5hort duration, took place, which flowed from ava-
jice, and was maintained by ambition. The Scot-
tish reformers, like all those who undertake to set up
new religions, had made a public declaration of
their own disinterestedness, but they soon found
that the benevolence of their people was not sufli-
icieut to support them. On the other hand, the no-
bility, embracing such a favourable opportunitr,
laid hold of the greatest [lart of the church lands,
and left the clergy to starve. To treat men with in-
humanity, who arc set up as the public guides in
religious exercises, is unju^, cruel and impious:
and W'hat encouragement could these men have to
prosecute their studies, and teach the people, while
they were lel't to starve.'' 'J'he clergy saw their folly,
and the nobility triumphs d over their weakness.
There was, however, a necessity of savingr ap-
pearances, of putting on the garb of the hypocrite
when truth was in a manner extinguished. A mo-
tion was made in one of the parliaments, that the su-
perintendants were beginning to grow old, and
therefore it would be much better to appoint bishops
in the diflerent dioceses, but that they should still be
suliject to a general asseuiblv. Accordingly some
old friars were appointed to these offices, without
knowing for what reason, 'i'he nobility, however,
had their own interests in view; for their dcsinu
was, that these men should have the name of
bishops, while they themselves onjoyed their emolu-
ments.
As they had no more than a name, thev were
called Tnlchau bishops, a term that we must explaiu
to the reader, 'i'he word is' Sa.\ou, and signifies
deception. <\Vhen a calf in ScotJand is taken from
the Cow in ortW to be weaned, they dress an image
resembling the young one, which they put under
her teats, to make her let go her milk. 'J'his image
is called Tulchan, because it represents what it is
not.
As this form of church government took its rise
from unjustifiable motives, so it could not be sup-
posed that it would last long. The parity of power
in the general assembly gave the members an oppor-
tunity of censuring the bishops, and J)(niglas, who
had been promoted to the «ee of St. Andrews, was
degraded. Indeed these Tulchan bishops had no
power, hut they were tools in the hands of a brave
but ambitious nobility. They were dispised bv the
very persons who set tlieni up, and they were con-
sidered as time-.serving creatures by the people. —
Their ministry was not attended, and every general
assembly called them to an account for their con-
duct.
During the ^vhole of this period, the kingdom of
Scotland was, as it were, drenched in blood, owin"
to their unhappy civil dissentions. Almost all the
inhabitants were Protestants, and yet dividing them-
selves iuto two parties, they supported different
interests. One of the parties took part with their
unfortunate queen, who was then a prisoner in I'Jig-
land ; and the other supported the aristocracy of
Scotland.
The power of the nobility had been strengthened
by a succession of minorities ; and w hen we con-
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
fl)7
aider that the king was then no more than an infant,
we need not be surprised to find that the high spirits
of tlie Sootlish noljihty led them to dispise nio-
iiarcliy, and triiniplc upon municipal institutions. It
is certain tliat they did so, but that leads us to con-
sider a more important period of the history of the
church of Scotland, which, in some measure, gave
rise to the form it now enjoys. The event could
not be ascribed to a single cause, but to many. The
pride of tl:e nobility, the ignorance of the clergy,
the njinority of the sovereign, the unsettled state of
affairs in the nation, tl.e disputed points between
the contending parties, all conspired towards bring-
ing about an event, which, although small in its first
appearance, yet was in the end, great in its conse-
quences.
The nobility continued to support the nominal
bishops, although they were in general men oi so
pliant tempers tliat they lost all credit with the lower
ranks of the people. The king was an infant,
the nobility were employed in cutting each others
tiiroats, the clergy were starving, and discipline was
neglected ; so that every thing bid fair to promote
an ecclesiastical Reformation in the then Protestant
church of Scotland.
In the )ear 1 J74, Mr. Andrew Melvill, returned
to Scotland from Geneva, where he had spent some
years under the tuition of the famous Theodore
Beza. If we take the character of this man from
the episcopalians, it is very striking indeed. Mr.
Sage says, "He was a man by nature fierce and
fiery, restless and ungovernable. Education in him
had not sweetened nature, but nature had soured
education, and both these conspiring together,
formed a true original; a piece composed of pride
and petulence, of malice and mischief; he could
make as free with the sceptre as with the crozier,
and could treat with the same contempt, the purple
and the lawn-sleeves."
On the other hand, the Presbyterians in Scotland
have represented him in a light ijuite the reverse. —
It is certain, he was a man of some learning, and
as for his attachment to the religion of Geneva, it
is a speculative notion, whjch must be left to every
one's own private judgment.
i*>o sooner had Mtlvill returned to Scotland, than
he was appointed one of the professors in the L iii-
vcrsity of St. Andrews, and minister of a parish,
'i'his naturally called him to the general assembly of
.the clergy, where he harangued in favour of the
discipline of Geneva ; which lie represented as
superior to all others. It took mightily with the
people, but it was opposed by the nubility, who to
colour their sacrilegious use of the church-money,
wanted to retain the poor Tulchan bishops.
The controversy, however, was carried on full
six years, till at last the Presbyterian party carried
41
it in a general assembly of the clergy iield at Dun-
dee IjSO. King .lames \T. of Scotland was then
only fourteen years of age, but he took the govern-
ment upon himself. It is certain, he loved tlif-
Presbyterians, and would never have quarrelled with
them, had not their intolerable insolence forceil
him to it. They not only presumed to dictate to
him as a Romish confessor, but, they even abusetl
him openly in their own churches; and, to use the
words of Dr. Robertson, who is himself a l'rc.<by-
terian minister, "'i'he pulpit was disgraced by be-
ing used as a vehicle to revile the sovereign, and
stir up contention among the people." One Black,
preaching in the chapel-royal at Kdinburgh, told his
sovereis;n, " a kings were the De'il's bairns ;" that is
all kings were the devil's children. Of these ind*;-
cent expressions Dr. Robertson observes, that the
preacher deserved the most severe chasliseineiit; but
the king oidy banished him out of the country, along
with si.K others.
The reformed clergy, in all countries, brought
along with them intolerant principles; and thus,
when the king of Scotland was petitioned to sup-
port the Protestant religion, it was implied that li<-
should extirpate the Roman Catholics, .lames sel-
dom went into a church but he was insulted : and
one time, because he refused to dismiss his kinsman
the earl of Lenox, from his presence, and banish
him from the country, the clergy stirred up the peo-
ple at Edinburgh, who besieged the king in the
parliament-house, crying out, in the words of the
Old Testament, " The sword of the Lord and of
Gideon, the day shall be either theirs or ours." —
The king would have been barbarously torn in
pieces, had not the earl of Mar come down froin
the castle with a party of soldiers and rescued
him.
This usage exasperated James so much against the
Presbyterians, that he never loved tiiem afterwards.
He began to abridge their power, and curb their
insolence, by giving up all his share of the crown
lands that had formerly belonged to the bishops, and
appointed thirteen ministers to assume that name,
but still they had no episcopal ordination. They
were not Tulchan bishops, because they had reve-
mies; but still they were without power, and their
ministry was confined to single congregations. —
Things continued going on in this maimer till the
death of qneen Elizabeth, 160J, when James suc-
ceeded to the crown of England. Then it was that
this prince resolved to introduce the episcopal form
into his ancient kingdom of Scotland, but he pro-
ceeded with creat moderation, alwavs bestowins
the bishops lands on such men as were most esteemed
for their abilities.
It does not appear that James ever thought of
causing the Scottish clergy to be episcopally ordained
&
618
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
till he was persuaded tliereto by Boncraft, archbi-
shop of Canterbury ; nor indeed did this prince see
the scheme wholly reduced to practice. It is true,
three of the Scottish bishops were sent up to Lon-
don and consecrated, and on their return they con-
secrated their brethren; but most of the clergy re-
fused to be re-ordained by them, and still kept their
churches.
Li 1616 James went down to Scotland and held
a general assembly of the clergy at Perth, where,
by a 'Small majority, he got the following arti-
cles declared to be binding on the church of Scot-
land.
First, that the cross should be used in baptism.
Secondly, that confirmation should be used.—
Thirdly, that Christmas, Faster, Whitsunday, and
Trinity Sunday should be observed. Fourthly, that
the sacrament at the Lord's supper should be re-
ceived kneeling. And lastly, that baptism should
be administered in private to infants. These are
commonly called the five articles of Perth, and tin y
vere the same year confirmed by a small majority
in the Scottish parliament, but it gave great of-
fence to the people, and to the majority ot the
clergy.
]t is perhaps from this period, th.it we must date
the original of the civil wars. The clergy who
haled the ceremonies were very popular; they prayed
for two hours together before sermon, and the ser-
mon itself w as seldom less than live hours at a time.
This intiamed the passions of the people who ad-
mired them, because they spent most of their time
in abusing the king and traducing the bishops. They
ingratiated themselves witii the ladies, who are gene-
lally the most easily caught by the priests, and they
pretended that they frequently got answers to their
))rayers from heaven. Many of the poor old w omen
who were not addicted to enthusiasm, were desired
to pray, and bring an answer to one of the pious
ladies. Some of the ladies were women of high
rank, and their husbands, vho were no great friends
to the bishops, were easily brought to j(jin them.—
'iheir ministers, during the summer, had private
meetings with their friends, and plans were laid to
irritate the people against episcopacy.
In this manner things went on till \C>3:^, when
Charles L went down to be crowned at Fthnburgl),
attended by Laud, Lindsey, archbishop of Cilasgow,
who came to assist at the coronation, hated the cere-
monies, and Laud thrKst him away from him with
contempt, because he was not dressed in the ponti-
fical habits. A parliament was called to enforce
the observations of the Perth articles, and when the
clerk-register had collected the votes, he declared
that there was a majority against the motion. The
cierk was seconded by lord Balraerino, the earl of
Cassels, and other noblemen, which somuchen-
ra<red the king, that he demanded the roll of the
names, and declared that there was a majority in
favour of the bill. Accordingly the act passed, and
then the king ordered the chancellor to command
any person who contradicted him to come forward
to the bar, and swear that what Cassels had said was
true. By the law of Scotland, to say tliat the king
tells a lie, is high treason, so that none would ven-
ture to do it, and the act was recorded.
Charles returned to England, but left the Presby-
terian ministers in Scotland, meditating a dreadful
revenge. They had their meetings in private every
summer, and having heard that a common-prayer-
book was to be sent them from England, they dis-
patched some of their agents to London, to prevail
upon their Puritan brethren to say all they could in
favour of the liturgy, for they knew that if ever it
.ihould be sent to Scotland, it would answer all they
had in view, namely, to extirpate the bisiiops, and
oblige the king to grant themselves the emoluments
of the church. i\ll their wishes were gratified ; for
ill UiJG, Laud sent down the prayer-book, which was
to be read publicly in the churches of Eihii burgh,
on Easter-Sunday of the next year, 1637. In the
mean time, a great immber of Presbyterian mmisters
held a private meeting at Edinburgh, and it was
agreed, that one Janet Geddes, a zealous woman,
should take her seat near the reading desk, and
knock down the dean if he came to read the book.
The chancellor, who at that time was Spotiswood,
archbishop of St. Andrews, the great officers of
state, the judges of the court of session, and the
magistrates of Edinburgh, all attended in the high
cliurch of that city, in order to hear the new service
book read, which was just a copy of the English
liturgy.
Ko sooner had the dean begun the service, than
Janet Geddes took up the stool on which she sat,
and at one stroke knocked him down in the reading
desk, calling aloud at the same time, " Out, fye,
you false thief, do you say mass at my lug." As
much as if she had said, " Go out, for shame, you
false thief, do you intend to say mass in my hearing."
Ward, speaking of this transaction, says.
How Janet Geddes, that shrewd quean,
Pelted for reading it, the dean.
The whole congregation was in an uproar; the
dean was carried out almost dead, the bishop of
Edinburgh had his robes torn, and would have been
murdered, had not a nobleman present taken him
into his coach; with great difficulty the chancellor
made his escape, the judges were insulted, and the
prayer-book was burnt by the populace at the
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND:
€9
Gross. It was attempted to be read at one more
of tlie cluntlies of Edinburgh, but met with tlie
same fate.
The couiilrv was now in an "uproar, all ranks of
j)eoj>le assembled, and the chancellor Spotiswood
went uj) to London with an account of these things
to the king. The king ordered the praver-book to
be discontinued, and sent down the duke of Hamil-
ton to a general assembly to be held at Glasgow. —
In Scotland there are sixty-eight presbyters, each of
which sends three niinisters and two elders to the
general assembly, and the universities send five, so
that the whole nundjer amounts to four hundred
and sixty-five. The author of this has perused the
records of that assembly, and finds that nine out of
ten of the ministers, were such as had been long
disaffected to episcopacy, and the elders were noble-
men and gentlemen of high rank, who hated the
bishop.s. IVom such men the episcopal clergy had
every thing to fear, and the Presbyterians every
thing to hope. They met at Glasginv, and Hen-
derson, one of the most learned Presbyterian minis-
ters, was chosen president, or, as they call him,
moderator. The duke of Hamilton recommended
unanimity and moderation, telling him at the same
time, that the king would grant every reasonable
request so as they did not attempt to injure the
established church ; but they had higher objects
in view, and therefore, the first thing they did was,
lo summon all the bishops to appear before them.
It was not to be supposed that the bishops woidd
obey such an order, and therefore they proceeded
to excommunicate the whole of them, declaring at
the same time, that their order was contradictory to
the word of God, and to the constitution of the
church of Scotland. Such proceedings being con-
trary lo law as it then stood, because their proceeds
ings looked with impudence in the face of several
acts of parliament; duke Hamilton came tjp the
assembly, and in tlie king's name dissolved them,
declaring that it would be high treason for them to
sit any longer. He might as well have declared it
lo be high treason in them, either to eat or drink,
for they had the populace on their side, whose con-
sciences they domineered over, and who^e passions
they could turn to what purposes they pleased.
Accordingly, they continued to sit till they had
overturned the wliole frame of episcopacy, and then
marched an army into England to support the
Puritans, who had the same views as themselves. —
The king was obliged to pacify ihem, and next year
he came to Edinburgh, where he called a parlia-
ment, and ratified all their proceedings. But soon
after this, the English having taken up arms, the
king erected the royal standaid at Nottingham, and
the civil v^ars beguuj of which we shall at present
take no farther notice, than that the Scots had an-
active hand in them. Their clergy, who disliked the
bishops, greedily swallowed their revenues, and
reigned like arbitrary tyrants.
'i'lie provocation given by the Scottish clergy to'
Oliver Cromwell, was in all respects unsufferable,
and therefore, while they were silting in their gene-
ral assembly at Edinburgh, IdM, he sent one coloncl-
Cotterel w ith two regiments of dragoons who dis-
persed ihem,and beat the rogues march behind them,
till they were oiri of the west-gate of that city. — ■
Huiiiig the reign of the [irotector, they were pro-
hibited from meeting, except in their presbvteries
and synods, for Cromwell knew how to deal w'nh
those like himself. • At the restoration, presbytery
w as abolishedj and established again at the revolu-
tion, as we have noticed before ; but we must now-
proceed to take notice of other particulars relating
to this church, which at present makes such a dis-
tinguishing figure in the island of Great I'ritain, for
the erudition of its clergy, and their faithful dis-
charge of their duty.
We come now in the third place, to consider the
various forms of worship that have taken place iu
the church of Scotland since the Ueformalion, down
to the present time. l"he revolutions, indeed, are
neither great nor numerous, but still they command-
our attention. . It cannot be supposed, that in die
infant state of the reformed church of Scotland,
that the form of worship could be regular, and vet
notwithstanding this, we iind that natural principles,
and a regard to some parts of divine revelation,
induced the Scottish reformers to follow almost en-
tirely the ancient practices as observed before the
time of the emperor Constanline the Great. We
have a form, in what is commonly called John
Kno.\'s liturgy; but that did not remain long. It
was adapted for the readers, and it died with them.
They begun by reading the Lord's Prayer, and the
Ten Comniaiuiments, « ith the Creed, and then there
was a prayer before sermon, which always con-
cluded with the Lord's Prayer. This form seems
to have continued till lj80, when Presbytery was
established, and then things took a different turn.
Before that time, there . were but few sermons
preached in Scotland, for the clergy were so igno-
rant that they knew but little of tlie sacred scrip-
tures; some of them were enthusiasts, and others
were men who had no learning at all, and a third
sort were those who had formerly been Romish
priests. From such a medley, little good could have
been expected, and the divisions that took place in
the country, and which in a manner unhinged the-
basis of morality, induced the people to forget all
those obligations they were under to themselves, to •
their neighbours, and to God. The worship in that
•620
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
church wns perfonried sometimes in one form, and
■ sometimes in another, and confusion iu llie slate
occasioned confusion in the church.
When Presbytery took place in the clnnxh of
-Scotland 1580, altiiough conducted by a parcel of
insolent, bigotted, unlearned zealots, who knew
nothing of toleration, with respect to matters of
- conscience, yet the leaders had the good sense to
point out an unif >rni practice of religious worship.
'I'hey ordered that the public service of the church
should be conducted in the following manner:
W liile the people were assembling in the church,
'the leader, or, a« they call him, the precentor, read
two or three chapters out of the Old or New Tes-
tament, and in the choice of these, they were left to
their own discretion. The congregation being as-
sembled, the minister came into the pulpit, and
repeated a short prayer, after which he read the
Apostles' Creed and the Ten Commandments, but
the people made no responses. This part of tlie
ceremony being over, the minister delivered a dis-
course, which iiud some relation to the subject mat-
ter of the sermon that was to follow, and then he
prayed for the general state of the world and of the
nation. The text was then read, and the sermon
preached, after which a psalm was sung, and a prayer
followed, the service for the time being concluded
-by the general blessing. It is certain, that such a
form of w'orsiiip was very plain and simple, and in
many respects consistent with the nature of the an-
cient church, and both the Presbyterians and the
Episcopalians complied with it, without making
any objections till the Westminster assembly 1645.
That form of worship varied in some measure from
the other that liad gone before but in few things of
a material nature.
Tlrese were times of popularity, when the preju-
tlices of the common people run high, and when
the clergy were willing to keep tliem in good hu-
mour. 'l"he Scottish clergy had at that time an
unlimited power over the consciences of their peo-
j)le, and they endeavoured to introduce an external
form of worship, which differed no more from the
old, than that of a temporary compliance with tem-
porary superstition. 'Ihe clergy of Scotland, how-
ever, did Hot all at once embrace this change in their
form of worship, but some of the zealots carried it
to the other extreme. Instead of that rational form
uf worship which had taken place before, they in-
troduced many innovations, w hich even exceeded all
those laid down in therr common directory for pub-
lic worship. It is true, that this innovation was
contrived by the general assembly of divines at
Westminster, and there are many things in it very
rational, and consistent with the practice of the
primitive church, but still many of the preachers did
i!ot conform themselves to it. Xu all respects, and
under every occurrence, where the circumstances of
the times gave tliem an opportunity, tliey varied from
the prescribed form. Thus some of them used the
Lord's Prayer at the conclusion of their devotions,
and others did not. Some of them, instead of read-
ing the scriptures, made long discourses to their peo-
ple, and during the whole space of time that took
place from the death of Charles I. till the restoration
they never prayed for the civil government, though
that duty is injoined in their directory ; for what man
could ever dispute the force of that duty, unless he
was deprived of reason.
The directory for the church of Scotland is com-
posed in words to the following Import, and although
they do no"; admit of any forms, yet we shall find
that they hue something formal. Tliat directory is
here set down, and we shall have occasion to take
notice afterwards, how far irwas complied with at
the revolution, and how it is attended to in that
country at present.
When the congregation is to meet for public
worship, the people having before prepared their
hearts thereunto, ought all to come, and join therein ;
not absenting themselves from public ordinances,
through negligence, or upon pretence of private
meetings.
Let all enter the assembly not irreverently, but in
a grave and seemly manner, take their seats or
places without adoration, or bowing themselves to-
wards one place or another.
The congregation being assembled, the minister
after solemnly calling them to the worshipping of
the great name of God, is to begin with prayer.
In all reverence and humility acknowledging the
incomprehensible greatness and majesty of the Lord,
in whose presence they do then in a special manner
appear, and in their own vileness and unworthiness
to approach so near him ; with their utter inability
of themselves to so great a work, and humbly be-
seeching him for pardon, assistance, and acceptance
in the whole service then to be performed ; and for
a blessing on that particular portion of his word then
to be read ; and all in the name and mediation of
the Ijord Jesus Christ.
The public worship being begun, the people are
wholly to attend upon it; forbearing to read any
thing, except what the minister is then reading,
or citing; and abstaining much more from all pri-
vate whisperings, conferences, salutations, or doing
reverence to any person present, or coming in ; as
also from all gazing, sleeping, and all other inde-
cent behaviour, which may disturb th« minister or
people, or hinder themselves or others in the service
of God.
If any through necessity be liindered from beinw
present at the beginning, they ouglit not, when they
come into the congregation, to betake themselves
HISTORY OF THK CIlUHCH OF SCOTLAKn.
(tit
fo lliilr prnatc liovotions, but reverently to compose
iliRinselves to join with the assembly m that ortli-
nuncc of God which it tlien in hand.
JiPaHing of llie word in the congregation, being
jKirt of the public worHliip of God, wlicicin we ac-
knowledj;e oar dcpend;nice upon him, and subjec-
tion to him, and one means sanctified by him for
t! t; edifying of liis j)eople, is to be jjerloriULd by
the pastors and teachers.
Howlieit, siK-h as attend the ministry, may occa-
sionally both read the word, and exercise tlieir gift
in preaching to the ccmgregation, if allowed by the
Prosbytery therennto.
All the canonical books of the Old and New
TcstamLiiis, but none of those which are coin-
monlv called Apocrypha, shall be jntblicly read
in the vidgar tongue, out of the best allowed tran-
^lalion, distinctly, that all may hear and under-
stand.
I low large a portion sliall be read at once, is left
fo the wisdom of the minister; but it is convenient
that ordinarily one chajiter of each testament be
ro.id at every meeting ; and sometimes more, where
the chapters are short, or the coherence of matter
requireth it.
It is requisite, tliat all the canonical books be
read over in order, that the people may be better
acquainted with the whole body of the scriptures;
and ordinarily, where the reading in cither Tes-
tament endeth on one Lord's day, it is to begin the
next.
We commend also the fervent reading of such
scriptures, as he that readeth shall think best for the
edification of his hearers ; as the book of Psalms
and such like.
When the minister who readeth, shall judge it
necessary to ex)>ound any p^rt of what is read, let
it not be done until tiie whole chapter or psalm
be ended ; and regard is always to be had to the
time, that neither preaching or other ordinances be
straightened, or rendered tedious; which rule is to
be observed in all other public performances.
liesides the jiublic reading of tiic holy scriptures,
every person that can read, is to be exhorted to
read the scriptures privately, and all others tiiat
cannot read, if not disabled by age or otherwise,
are also to be exhorted to learn to read, and to have
a bible.
After reading of the word, and singing of the
psalm, the miinster who is to preach, is lo endea-
vour to get his own and his hearers' hearts to be
rightly afiecled with tlicir sins, that they m:y all
movirn in sincerity before the Lord, and hunger and
thirst after the grace of God in Jesus Clirist, by
proceeding to a more full confession of sin with
shame and holy confusion of face: and to call upon
the Lord to this effect.
To acknowledge our great sinfufness: first, )jy
reason of original sin, which beside the guilt that
makes us liable to everlasting damn ilioii, is the seed
of all other sins, lialli d(j>raved and poisoned uU
the faculiics and j)owcr.s of llie soul and body, doth
defile our best actions, and were it not icsfrained,
or our hearts renewed by grace, would break foilli
in innumerable transgressions, and the gualest re-
bellions against the l^ord, that ever were coinmilttrf
by the vikst of the suns of men. And next by rea-
son of actual sins, our o«h sins, the sins of luagis-
trate.t, of ministers, and of the whole nation, unto
which we are many ways accessary.
W liicli sins of ours receive many fearful aggra-
vations, we having broken all the commandments of
the holy, just and good law of God, doing iljat
which IS forbi(Men, and Icavijig undoJ.ie what is en
joined, and that not only out of ignorance and iii-
linnity, but also more presumiuuously agai:-5,t the
light of our minds, checks of our conscifiiccs, a;id
nio'.ions of his own holy sj)irit to tlie contrary, so
that we have no cloak for our .sins; yea, not only
despising the riches of CJod's goodness, ("orbearance,
and long suffering, but standing out against many
imifatio!i6, and offers of grace in the gosuel, not
endeavouring as we ought, to receive Ciirisi into our
hearts by faith, or to walk worthy of him in our
lives.
To bewail our blindness of mind, hardness of
heart, unbelief, impenileiicy, security, lukewarm-
ness, barrenness, or not endeavouring after niortiti-
cation and newness of life, nor after the exercise
of godliness, in the power thereof; ami that the best
of us have not so stedfaslly walked with God, k€])t
our garments so unspotted, ivu' been so zealous of
his glory, and the good of others, as we ought,
and to mourn over such other sins as the congren-a-
tion is particularly guilty of; notwiihslanding the
manifold and great mercies of our God, the love
of Christ, the light of the gospel, and Ueformalion
of religion, our own purposes, promises, vows,
solenni covenants, and other special obligations to
the contrary.
To acknow ledge and confes<t, that as we are con-
vinced of our guilt, so out of a deep Lense thereof,
we judge omselves unworthy of tlit: smallest bene-
fits, most worthy of God's fiercest wrath, and «f
all the curses of the law, and lieaviest judgments in-
flicted upon the most rebellious sinners, and that
he might most justly take his kingdom and gospel
from us, plagi'C us with all sorts of spiritual and
temporal judgments in this life, and after cast us
into utter darkness, in the lake that burncth with
lire and brimstone, where are weeping and gnashing
of teeth for evermore.
Notwithstanding all which, to draw near to the
throne of grace, encouraging ourselves with hope
41
•7 s
622
HISTORY OF THE CHUUCH OF SCOTLAXI>.
of a gvnciciiis answer of our prayers, in tlie riches
I'.uil all sufilciency of ihat only one o'uialioii, the
satisfaction and intercession of the Lord Jesiis
^Christ at tlie riglit hand of his father; and in confi-
dence of the exceeding great and precious promises,
of mercy and grace in tlie new covenant, through
the sanio mediator thereof, to deprecate the heavy
wrath and curse of God, which we are not able to
avoid, or bear; and humbly and earnestly to suppli-
cate for mercy, in the, {ree and full remission of
all our sins, and that only for the bitter sufferings
and precious merits of that our only Saviour Jesus
^ Christ.
\^ That the Lord would vouchsafe to send abroad
^■- his love into our h.earts by the Holy Ghost, sea!
unto us by the same spirit of adoption, the full as-
surance of our pardon and reconciliation, comfort
all that mourn in Zion, speak peace to the wounded
and tionbled sf.irit, and bind up the broken hearted ;
and as for secure and presumptuous sinners, that he
would open their eyes, convince their consciences,
and turn them from darkness unto ligiit, and from
the power of Satan unto God, that they also may
receive forgiveness of sin, and an inheritage among
them that are sanctified by faith in Christ Jesus.
V/ith remission of sins through the blood of
Christ, to pray for sanctiiicatiou by his spirit; the
mortification of sin dwelling in, and many times ty-
rannizing over us, the quickening of our dead s})irits
with the life of God in Christ, grace to fit and en^
able ns for all duties of conversation, and callings
towards God and men, strength against tempta-
tions, the sanclilied use of blessings and crosses,
and perseverance in faith, and obedience unto the
end.
To prny for the propagation of the gospel and
kir.gdom of Christ to all nations, for the conversion
of the Jews, the fulness of the (ientilts, the faU of
iVnti-ChrisI, and the hastening of the second coming
of our Lord j for the deliverance of the distressed
< liurrhes abroad, from the tyranny of the i\nti-
<hristian faction, and from the cruel op})ressioiis
and blasphemies of UieTuik: for the blessing of
CJod upon all the reformed churches: especially
lipon the churches avid kingdom of England, Scot-
land, and Ireland, now more strictly and religiously
united in the solemn national league and covenant,
and for our plantations in the remote parts of the
world: more particularly for that church and king-
dom whereof we are members, that therein God
would establish peace and truth, the purity of all
his ordinances, and the power of godliness; pre-
vent and remove ^heresy, schism, profaneness, su-
perstition, security, and imfruitfulness under the
means of grace, heal all our breaches and divisions,
and preserve us from the breach of our solemn co-
venant.
To pray for all in authority, especially for the
kiryg's majesty, that God would make him rich in
blessings, both in his person and government ; esta-
blish his throne in religion and righteotisiiess, save
him from evil council, and make him a blessed and
glorious instrument for the conservation and propa-
gation of the gospel, for the encouragement and
protection of them that do well, the terror of all
that do evil, and the great good of the ^^lK)le
church, and of all his kingdoms; for the preserva-
tion of the queen, the religious education of the
prince, and the rest of the royal seed ; for a bles-
sing upon the hight court of parliament, (when sit-
ting in any of these kingdoms respectively:) the
nobility, the subordinate judges and magistrates,
the gentry and all the commonality ; for all pastors
and teachers, that God would iill them with his
spirit, make ihein examplary sober, peaceable, just,
holy, and gracious ui their lives ; sound, faithful,
and powerful ill their ministry ; and follow all their
labours with abundance of success and blessing;
and give unto all his people pastors according to
his own heart; for the universities, and all schools,
and seminaries of church and commonweallh, that
they may Hourish more and more in learning and
piety; for the particular city or congregation, that
God would pour out a felesfeing upon the ministry
of the word, sacraments, and discipline, upon the
civil government, and all the several families and
persons therein; for mercy to the afflicted under
any inward or outward distress; for seasonable wea-
ther and fruitful seasons, as the time require; for
averting the judgments that we either feel or fear, or
are liable unto, us famine, pestilence, the sword,
and such like.
And, with confidence of his mercy to his whole
church, and the acceptance of our persons through
the merits and mediation of our great high priest ^
the Lord Jesus, to profess that it is the desire of 1
our souls to have fellowship \\iih God in the reve-
rent and couseionable use of his holy ordinance;
and, to that purpose to pray earnestly for his grace
ami effectual assistance to the satisfaction of his holy
sabbath, the Lord's day, in all the duties thereof,
public and private, both to ourselves and to all other
other congregations of his people, according to the
riches and excellency of the gospel this day 'cele-
brated and enjoined.
And, because we have been unprofitable hearers
in times past, and now cannot of ourselves receive
as we should, the deep things of God, the mysteries
of Jesus ^Christ, which require a spiritual discern-
ing, to pray that the Lord who teacheth to profit,
would graciously please to pour out the spirit of
grace, together with the outward means thereof,
causing us to attain such a measure of the excellency
of the knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord, aud in
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
62,'>
liiiii of llie iliiiigs \vliic:li belong lo our peace, Uiat
we may accouiit all lliiiigs but us iiolhini^ in compa-
rison of liim: auil that \vc, tawtinc; the lust fruits of
the glory that is to be itvcaled, may long tor a more
full and ])trfect communion with him, that ulicrc
lie is we may beal^o, and enjoy tl;e fuUness of those
joys and pleasures, which aie at his right hand for
evermore.
More pariicularly, ll.at God woiiKl in a special
manner furnish iiis servant, now culled to dispense
the bread of life unto liis household, with wisdom,
fidelity, zeal, and utterance, that he may divide the
word of God aright, to everyone his portion in
evidence and demonstration of the spirit and power
and that the Lord would circumcise the ears and
hearts of the hearers, to hear, love, and receive
with meekness, the ingrafied word, which is able
to save their souls, make llieni as good ground to
receive in the good seed of the word, and strengthen
them against the temptations of satan, the cares
of the world, the hardness of their own hearts, and
whatsoever else may hinder their protitable and
saving hearing; that so Christ may be so formed in
them, and live in them, that all their thought may
be brouglit into captivity, to the obedience of Christ,
and their heart established in every good word and
work for ever.
We judge this to be a convenient order, in the
ordinary public prayers; yet so, as the minister may
defer, as in pruilence he shall think meet, some part
of these petitions, till after his sermon, to ot^Vr up
to God some of the thanksgivings, hereafter ap-
pointed, in his prayer before bis sermon.
Preaching of the word, being the power of God
unto salvation, and one of the greatest aiui most cx-
.cellent works belonging to the ministry of the gos-
pel, jhonld be so performed, that the workman need
not be aslianied, but may save himself, and those
that hear inm.
It is [leoupposed, accordi:ig to the rules for ordi-
nation, that the minister of Christ is in some good
measure gilttd for so weighty a service, by his skill
in the oriental languages, and in such arts and sci-
ences as are handmaids unto divinity, by his know-
ledge in the wiiole body of theology, but most of
alt in the iioly scriptures, having his senses and heart
exercised in tiieni above the common sort of be-
lievers, and by the illumination of God's spirit, and
other gifts of editicaiitji, which, together with read-
ing and studying of the word, he ought still to seek
by prayer, and an humble heart, resolving to admit
and receive any truth not yrt attained, whenever God
shall make it known unto him. All which he is to
make use of, and approve in his private prepara-
tions, before he deliver in public what he hath pro-
Tided.
Ordinarily, the subject of hjs sermon is to be
some text of scripture, holding foiili some princi-
ple or head of religion ; or suitable to some sjieciid
occasion emergent; or he may go on in some chaji-
ter, psalm, or book of the sciiplnrc, as he shall
sec (it.
Let the introduction to his text be brief and
pcr.spicuous, drawn from the text itself, or con-
text, or some parallel place of general sentence of
scri|)turc.
if the text be long, as in histories and parables it
sonutimes must be, let him give a brief sum of it;
if short, a paraphrase thereof, if necessary : in both
looking diligently to the scope of the text, and
pointing at the chief heads and grounds of doctiine,
which he is to rai.'-e from it.
In analvsin^ and divitlin"- his text, he is lo res,ard
more the order of matter, than of \>ords; and nei-
ther to burthen the memory of the hearers in the
beginning, with too many members of division,
nor to trouble theii' minds with obscure terms of
art.
In raising doctrines from the text, his care ought
to be, first, that the matter be the truth of God :
secondly, that it be a truth contained in, or grounded
on that text, that the hearers may discern how God
teacheth it from tlience: thirdly, that he chiefly
insist upon those doctrines which are principally
intended, and make most for tlic edification of the
hearers.
The docti ine is to be expressed in phiin terms ;
or if any thing in it need explication, it is lo be
opened, and the consequence also from the text
cleaied. The parallel places of scripture conlirming
the doctrine, are rather to be plain and penitent,
than many, and if need be, sonicvihat insisied upon
and applied to the purpose in hand.
The arguments and reasons are to be solid; and,
r.s much as may be, convincing. The illnstra'.ions
of \\liat kind soever, ought to be .'"nil of light, ai;d
suih as may convey the truth into iho liearti's heart
with spiritual delight.
If any doubt, obvious from scripture, reason or
prejudice of the hearers, seem to arise, it is very
rrqiiisile to remove it, by reconciling the seeming
ciiii'erences, answering the reasons, and discovering
and taking away the causes of prejudice and mis-
take. Otherwise it is not lit to detain the hearers
with propounding or answering vain or wicked ca-
vils, which, as they are endless, so the propouniiing
and answering of them doth more hinder than pro-
mote edification.
He is not to rest in general doctrine, although
never s^j much cleared and confirmed, but to brnig
it home to special use, by application to his hearers;
whicli albeit it prove a work of gicat jjifficulty to
himself, requiring much prudence, zeal and medi-
tation, and to the natural and corrupt man, will be
G24
HISTORY or TliE CnURCII OF SCOTLAND.
very liiijileasaiit : vet lie is to eiidcavour to iH'rforiti
!t ill such a iiKiiiutr, llmt iiis aiuiilois tnay (eel tlie
word of Ciod to be quirk and powerful, and a dis-
cenier of the fhoiighti and iiilenis of the heart; and
if that any unlielievcr or ignosaiit person be present,
lie ituiy have the secrets of his heart made manifest,
and jrive glory to Gud.
In the use of iiibliuclion or information in the
knowledge of some trnlh, which is a coiiscjouenre
fiiini his doctrijies, he may, when convenient, con-
i;rni it by a few fiiin aiguinenls from llie text, in
hand, and otiier places of scripture, or from tiie
nature of that common place of divinity, av hereof
that truth is a branch.
Jn confutation id false doctrine?, Ire is neither to
raiL-e an old lurcsy from the jj;rave, nor to mention a
Ijl.isplanions opinion unnecessanlv ; but if the peo-
ple be in danyir of an error, he is to confute it
soundly, and endeavimr to satisfy their judgments
and consciences against all objections. I
In exhorting to duties, he is, as he sees cause, to
teach also the means that help to the performance of
them. J
111 dilioitatlon, reprehension, and the pui)lic ad- i
monition, w hich lequire special wisdom, let him, '
•as there shall be cause, not only discover tlie natuie
and greatness of the sin, with the misery attending
it, but also shew the danger his hearers are in, to
be overtaken and surprised by it, together with the
icmedies and best way to avoid it.
In applying comfort, whether general against all
• temptations, or particularly against some special
troubles and terrors, he is carefully to answer such
objections as a troubled heart and atKicted spirit may
suggest to the contrary.
It is also -sometimes requisite to give some notes
of trial, which is very profitable, especially when
performed by able and experienced ministers, with
circumspection and prudence, and the signs clearly
grounded on the holy scripture, whereby the hearers
may be aljle to cxaiinne themselves, whether they
have attained those graces, and performed those du-
ties to which he exhortelh, or be guilty of the sin
reprehended, and in. danger of the judgments threa-
tened, or are such to whom the consolations pro-
poimded do belong, that accordingly tiicy n^ny be
ijuickened and o.'.cited to duty, humbled for their
wants and sins, aficctcd with their danger, and
strengthened with comfort, as their condition upon
examination shall require.
-And, as he needeth not always to prosecute every
.doctrine which lies in his text, so is he wisely to
make choice of such uses, as by his residence, and
conversing with his flock, lie tindeth most needful
tuid seasonable ; and among these, such as may most
draw their souls to Christ, the fountain of light,
holiness and comfort.
This method is not prescribed as necessary for
every man, or upon every text ; but only reconi-
rnended as being found by experience to be very
much blessed of (iod, and very ht'Ipful for the peo-
ple's understandings and memories.
lUit the servant of Christ, whatever his method
be, is U\ perform his whole ministry.
J. Painfully, not doing the work of the Lord
negligently.
'2. l*laiiily, that the meanest may understand, de-
livering the truth, not in the enticing words of man's
wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and
power, lest the crass of Christ should be made of
non-eU'ect; abstaining also from an unj>rofitabIe use
of unknoun tongues, strange phrases, and cadances
of sounds and words, sparingly citing sentences of
ecclesiastical, or other lumian writers, ancient or
modern, be they never so elegant.
.'). I'aithfully, looking at the hoiioor of Clirist,
the cotivejsion, edification and salvation of liie peo-
ple, not at liis own gain or glory, keeping notliing
back which may promote those holy ends, giving to
every one his own portion, ami bearing indifitrcnt
respect unto all, without ncg'esling the meanest, of
sparing the greatest in tlieir sins.
4. Wisely, framiiii» a^l his doctrines, exhortations,
and especially his reproofs, in such a manner as majr
be mo:.; likely to prevail, shewing all due respect
to each man's person and place, and not mixing with
it his own passion or bitterness.
.5. Gravely, as bccomelh the word of God, shun-
ning all such gesture, vice and expressions, as may
occasion the corruptions of men to despise iiiai and
his ministry.
fi. \\ itli loving affection, that the people may see
all coming from his godly zeal, and hearty desire to
do them good. And,
7. As taught of God, and persuaded in his own
heart, that all that he teaches is the truth of Christ;
and walking before his flock as an example to them
in private ; earnestly, both in private and public,
recommending his labours to the blessing of God,
and watchfully looking to himself and the flock,
whereof the Lord hath made him overseer; so shall
the doctrine of truth be preserved micorrupt, many
souls converted and ])iiilt up, and himself receive
manifold comforts of his labours, even in his life,
and afterward the crown of glory laid up for him in
the world to come.
Where there are more ministers in a congregation
than one, and they of different gifts, each may more
especially ap|)ly himself to doctrine or exhortation,
according to the gift wherein he most excelleth, and
as they shall agree between themselves.
'Jhe sermon being ended, the minister is
'i'o give thanks for the great love of God, in send-
ing his sail Jesus Christ unto us: Fos' the coiniAUiw-
lilSTORY OF THK CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
625
ration of !;is lioly spirit; ft)r the liglit and liberty of
tin- glovioiis gos])el, and the rich ami lieaveiily l)l-'s-
sinjjs reveali'd therein, — as viz. election, adoption,
jnstiticalion, saiitiiication, and hope of glory ; for
tlie adniir;ible goodness of God, in freeing the land
from anti-cliristian darkness and tyranny, and for all
otlicr national deliverances; for the Ueforniation of
religion; for the covenant; and for many temporal
blessings.
To pray for the continuance of the gospel, and
all ordinances thereof, in their purity, power, and
liberty.
'I'o turn the chief and most useful heads of the
sermon into some few petitions; and to pray that it
lii;n' abide in the heart, and bring forth fruit.
To pray for preparation for lieatli and judgment,
and a watching for the coining of our ].r)id Jesus
C lirisf. To intreat of God the forgiveness of the
iiuqiiitics of our holy things, and the acceptation of
ou.~ spiritual sacrifice, through the merits and medi-
ation of our great high-priest and Saviour the Lord
Jesus Christ
-And because the prayer which Christ taught his
disciples is not only a pattern of prayer, but itself a
most comprehensive prayer, we recommend it also
to be used in the prayers of the church.
And whereas at the administration of the sacra-
ments, the holding public fasts anti days of thanks-
giving, and other special occasions, which may afford
matter of special petitions and thanksgivings; it is
requisite to express somewhat in our public prayers,
as at all times, it is our duty to pray for a blessing
upon the churches, the armies by sea and land, for
the defence of the king, parliament, and kingdom :
li^very minister herein is to apply himself in his
prayer, before or after his sermon to those occa-
sions ; but for the manner he is left to his liberty, as
God shall direct and enable him in piety and wis-
dom, to discharge his duty.
'Ihe prayer ended, let a psalm be sung, if witli
conveniencv it may be done. Alter which, unless
some otiier ordinance of Christ that concerneth
the congregation at that time be to follow, let the
minister dismiss the congregation with a solemn
blessing.
Before baptism, the minister is to u^e some words
of instruction, louihiiig the institution, nature, use
and ewds of this sacrament: — Shewing
'Ihat it is instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ;
that it is a seal of the covenant of grace, of our in-
crafiiiig into Christ, and of our union with him, of
remission of sin.s, regeneration, adoption, and life
eternal : That the water in baptism representelh and
signititth, both the blood of Ctirist, wliidi taketh
av.ay all guilt of sin, original and actual, and the
sanclifyi;ig virtue of the spirit of Christ, against the
dominion of sin, and the corruption of our sinful
42
nature: That baptizing or sprinkling and washing
with \^ater, signifielh the cleaiisinj; from sin by the
blood, and for the meiit of Christ, together with
the niortilication of sin, and rising froni sin to new-
ness of life, by virtue of the death and resurrection
of Christ; tliJt the promise is made to believers and
their seed, and tli:it the seed and posterily of the
laiihful, born within the church, have by their birlh,
interest in the covenant and right to the seal of it,
and to the outward privileges of the church under
the gospel, no less than the children of Abiaham in
the time of the Old 'iV'Siament; the covenant of
grace, for substance being the same; and the grace
of God, and the consolation of believers, moie
]ileiitiful than before. 'Ihat the son of God admit-
ted little children into liis presence, embracing and
blessing them, saving, for of such is Jie kingdom
of God; that children by baptism are solemnly rCf
ceived into the bosom of the visible church, dis-
tinguished from the v%'orld, and them that are with-
out, and united with believers, and that all who are
baptized in the name of Christ, do renounce, aiul
by their baptism are bound to tight against the devil,
the world, and the flesh. That liiey are Clirisliaus
and covenanted holy before baptism, and tiierefore
are they baptised. That the inward grace and vir-
tiire of baptism is not tied to tliat very moineut of
time wherein it is administered, and that the fruit
and power thereof, reacheth to the whole course of
our life; and that outward baptism is not so neces-
sary, that through the want thereof the iufunt is in
danger of damnation, or the parents guilty, if they
do not condemn or neglect the ordinances of Christ
w hen and where it may be had.
In these or the like instruments the minister is to
use his own liberty, and godly wisdom, as tiie igno-
rance or errors in the doctrine of baptism, and the
edification of the people shall require.
He is also to admonish all that are present.
To look back to their bajitism ; to repent of their
sins against their covenants with God; to stir up
their faith, to improve and make the right use of
their baptism, and of the covenant sealed thereby
betwixt God and their souls.
He is to exhort the parent,
To consider the great mercy of God to him and
his child ; to bring up the child in the know ledge of
the grounds of the Chvistian religion, and in the
nurture and admonilioii of the lA>rd, and to let hirri
kn')w the danger of God-u wrath to himself and his
chrld, if he be negligent; requiring hi« solemn pro-
mise for the perfoimauce of his duly.
'lliis being done, prayer is also to be joined with
the word of institution, for sanctifying the water to
this spiritual use, and the minister is to pray to the
following effect : —
Thai tlie J..ord, who hath not .left us as strangers
6s6
HISTOHY OF rilE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
without tlie covenant of promise, but called us to
the privileges of his ordinances, would graciously
vouchsafe to sanctify and bless his own ordinance of
baptism at this time; that he Mould join the inward
b;i',)lisu) of his spirit willi the oiitwaid baptism of
water: make this baptism to the infant a seal of
jidoption, reniis-iion of sin, regeneration and eternal
life, and of all the other f.roniiaes of the covenant
of grace ; that the ciiiid may be formed into the
likeness of the death and resurrection of Christ,
and that 'the body of sin beini; destroyed in him, he
may serve God in new ncss of life all his days.
Then the minister is to densand the name of the
child, which being told him, he is to say, calling tlie
child by his name,
1 baptise thee in the name of the Father, of the
Son, and of the IJoly Ghost.
As he pronounces these words, he is to baptise
the child with water; which for the manner of doing
it, is not only lawful but sufficient, and most ex-
pedient to be, by pouiing or sprinkling of the water
on the face of the child, without adding any other
ceremony.
I'his done, he is to give thanks and pray, to this
or the like purjjose : ^
Acknowledging, with all thankfulness, that the
Lord is true and faithful in keeping covenant and
mercy ; that he is good and gracious, not only in
that he numbereth us among his saints, but is pleased
kIso to bestow upon our children this singular token
and badge of his love in Christ : that in his truth
;',nd special providence, lie daily bringetii some into
the bosom of his church, to be partakers of inesti-
mable benefits, purchased by the blood of his dear
son, for the continuance and increase of his church.
And praying, that the Lord would still continue,
and daily confirm, more and more, this his unspeak-
able favour : that he would receive the infant now
baptised, and solemnly entered into the household of
failb, into his fatherly tuition and defence, and re-
member him with the favour that he sheweth to his
people, that if he shall be taken out of this life in
his infancy, the Lord, who is rich in mercy, would
be pleased to receive hiui up into glory ; and if he
live and attain the years of discretion, that the Lord
would so teach him by his word and spirit, and make
his baptism effectual to him, and so uphold him by
his divine power and grace, that by faidi he may
prevail against the devil, the world, and the flesh,
till in the end he obtain a full and final victory, and
so be kept by the power of God through faith unto
salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The communion, or supper of the Lord, is fre-
quently to be celebrated : but how often, may be
considered and determined, by the ministers and
other church governors of each congregation, as
they shall tiiid most coaveuient for the comfort and
edification of the people comiintted to tiieir charge.
And when it shall be administered we judge it con-
venient to be done after the morning sermon.
The ignorant and the scandalous are not fit to re-
ceive the sacrament of the Lord's Supper.
Where tliis sacrament cannot with conveiiiency be
frequently administered, it is requisite that public
warning be given tlie sabbalh day before lite admi-
nistration thereof; and that either then, or on some
day of that week, something concerning that ordi-
nance, and the due preparation thereunto, and par-
ticipation thereof be taught, that by the diligent use
of all means sanctified of God to that end, both id
public and private, all may come better prepared to
that heavenly feast.
W lien the day is come for administration, the
minister having ended his sermon and jirayer, shall
make a short exhortation; expressing the inestima-
ble benefit we have by this sacrament, together with
the ends and use thereof, setting forth the great ne-
cessity of having our comforts and strength renewed
thereby, in this our pilgrimage and warfare. IIow
necessary it is that we come unto it with knowledge,
faith, repentance, love, and with hungering and
thirsting souls after Christ and Ids benefits : how
great the danger to eat and drink unworthily.
Nex't, he is in the name of Christ on the one part,
to warn all such as are ignorant, scandalous, pro-
fane, or that live in any sin or offence against their
knowledge or conscience, that they presume not to
come to that holy table, shewing them, that he that
eateth and drinkcth unworthily, eateth and drinkctli
judgment unto himself; and on the other part, he
is in especial manner to invite and encourage all that
labour under the sense of the burden of their sins,
and fear of wrath, and desire to reach out unto a
greater progress in grace, than yet they can attain
unto, to come to the Lord's table, assuring them, in
the same name, of ease, refreshment, and strength,
to their weak and wearied souls.
After this exhortation, warning, and invitation, the
table being before decently covered, and so conveni-
ently placed, that the communicants may orderly sit
about it, or at it ; the minister is to begin the action
with sanctifying and blessing the elements of bread
and wine set before him, the bread in comely and
convenient vessels, so prepared, that being brokeji
by him and given, it may be distributed amongst the
communicants : the wine also in large cups ; having
first in a few words shewed, that those elements
otherwise common, are now set apart and sanctified
to this holy use, by the word of institution and
prayer.
Let the words of institution be read out of the
evangelists, or out of the first epistle of the apostle
Paul to the Corinthians, chap. 11. ver. 23. "For
I have received of the Lord," Scc to the 27th ver.
1
HISTORY OF THE CHLRCII OF SCOTLAND.
627
U'liici) tliti iniiiisler may, wlien he scetli riquisitc, ex-
plain and a|)|)ly.
I.tl llie |ir;iypr, tliaiiksgiving, or blessing of tlie
breiid and wine, l>e to lliis tftoct :
^\ nil liniuble and lieaity ackiio\«Iedgnu'nt of tbe
gitalncss of our misery, from wliicli nuillicr man
nor angel was able to deliver us; and of our great
unworlliiness of tbe leajt of all God's iiiercii-s, to
give thanks to Ciod for all his benefis, and especially
for that great boiictit of our redemption, the love of
(jod the I'atlier, the sufleriiigs and merits of the
J.ord Jesus Christ, the Son of (.iod, by wliitli we
are delivered; and for all means of grace, the word
and sacraments; and for tins sacrament in particular,
by which Christ and all his benefits are applied and
sealed up unto us, which notwithstanding the denial
of llicm unto oihers, are in great mercy continued
unto us, after so much aiid li)ng abuse of them all.
To profess that there is no other name under hea-
ven, by which we can be saved, but the name of
Jesus Christ, by whom alone we receive libertv and
life, have access to the throne of grace, are admitted
to cat and drink at his own table, and arc scaled up
by his spirit to an assurance of happiness -and ever-
lasting life.
I'.ariiestly pray to God the father of all mercies,
and God of ail consolation, to vouchsafe his gracious
presence, and the etfcctna! woikiuv: of his spiiit iaus,
and so to sanctify tlu se elements both of bread and
wine, and to bless his own ordinance, that we may
receive by faith the body and blood of .Jesus Christ
crucified for ns, and .«o to feed upon him, that he
may be one with us, and we with him. that he mav
live in us, and wc in him, and to him, w lio hath
loved us, and given himself for us.
^11 which he is to endeavour to perform with
suitable affections answerable to such an holy action,
and to stir up the like in the peo])le.
The elements being not sanctided by the word and
prayer, the minister being at the table, is to take the
bread in his hand, and sav in these expressions, or
other the like used by Christ or his apostle uj)on this
occasion :
According to the holv institution, command and
example of our blessed Saviour Jesus Christ, I take
this bread, and having given thanks, I break it and
give it unto you. Then the minister, who is also
iiimself to communicate, is to break the bread and
give it to the communicants : Take ye, eat ye, this
is the body of Christ which is broken for you, do
this in remembrance of him.
In like manner, the minister is to take the cup,
and sa;y in these expressions, or other the like, used
by Christ, or the apostle, upon the same occasion :
According to the institution, command and exam-
ple of our Lord Jesus Christ, I take this cup, and
give it unto you (here he givelh it unto the commu-
liicatits): This cup is the New Testament in the
blood of Christ, wiiicli is shed for the reiui>sioii of
the sins of many : Drink ve all of it.
Alter ail hive CMmnuinicatedj the mini>^ter mav in
a few words jiut them iu mind of the grace of Gotl
ill Jesus Christ, held foith in this Siicraiiient, and
exhort ibein to walk worthy of it.
'Jhe minister is to give solemn thanks to God, for
his rich niercy and invaluable gocxhicss vouchsafed
to them in that sacrament, itnd to intreat for [lardou
lor tiie effects of the w hole service, and for llie gra-
cious assistance of his good spirit, uliriebv ihev may
be enabled to walk in the strength (jf that grace, as
becometh those who have received so great pledges
of salvation.
'J'lic collectioiv for the poor is so to be ordered,
that no part of the public worship be thereby hin-
dered.
The Lord's day ought to be so remembered before
hand, as that all worldly business or ordinary call-
ings may be so ordered, and so timely and seasonably
laid aside, as they niay not be impediments to the
due sanctifying of the day when it comes.
The whole day is to be celebrated as holy to the
Lord, both in public' aiul private, as being the Chris-
tian sabbatli. 'i'o wiiieh end it is requisite, that
there be an holy cessation, or resting ail the dav,
from all unnecessary labours, and an abstaining, not
only from all sports and pastimes, but also from all
worldly woids and thoughts.
'I'hat the diet of that day be so ordered, as tirat
neither- servants l)e unnecessarily detained from the
[lublic worship of God, nor any other persons hin-
dered Irom the sanctifying tliat day.
J hat there be private preparation of everv person
or family by prayer, for themselves, and for God's
assistance of the minister, and for a blessing upon
his niriiistry, and by such holy exercises as may fur-
ther dispose them to a more comfortable coinnui-
nion with (lod in his public ordinances.
That all the people meet timely for pu!)lic w orship,
that the whole congregation may be present at tlio
beginning, and with one heart solemnlv j(Jin together
in all parts of the public worship; and not depart
till the blessing is pronounced.
That what time is vacant, between or after the
solemn meeting of the congregation in public, be
spent in reading, meditalion, repetition of sermons,
especially by calling tin ir families to an account of
what they have heard, and catechising of them, holy
conferences, praying for a blessing upon the public
ordinances, singing of psalms, visiting the sick, rich
relieving the poor, and such like duties of piety,
charity, and mercv, accounting the sabbath a de-
light.
Although marriage be no sacrament, nor peculiar
to the church of God, but common to mankind, and
5C3
HISTORY OF TMF. CHURCH OF SCOTLAKO.
of puLilic intpr(-st in every ccnimon-wcillli, yet be-
CKiise such as iiiuivy are to marry to tlie Lord, and
liave special iieed of instniction, direction, and cx-
liortatioii, from tlie word of God at their entering
into such a iie\v condition, and of tlie blessing of
<jod upon them theiein ; we judge it expedient, tliut
marriage be solemnized by a lawful minister of the
Avord, that he iiiav accordingly counsel them, and
pray for a blessing upon them.
Marriage is to be betwixt one man and one wo-
man only ; and they such as are not within the degrees
of consanguinity or atfiiiitv, nor prohibited by the
word of (ii.d. And the p:\rlies are to l)e of years of
discretion, iit to make their own choice, and<.upon
good grouiids to gi^e tiieir nuitnal consent.
Before the solemnizing of marriage between any
)ersons, their purpose of marriage shall be publivh-
t'd by the minister three several sabbath days in the
congregation, at the place or places of their most
useful and constant abode respectively. And of this
publication, the minister, who is to join them in
marriage, shall have sufficient lestimony, before he
, proceed to solemnize llie marriage.
Before the publication of such their purpose, if
th.e parties be under age, the consent of the parents
■or others under whose power they are, in case the
parents be dead, is to be made known to the
church officers of that con^refialion to be recorded.
The like is to be observed in the proceeding of all
others, although of age, whose parents are 'living,
for their first marriage. And in after marriages of
either of those parlies, they shall be exhorted not to
contract marriage, without first acquainting the
parents with it if with conveniency it may be done,
endeavouring to obtain their consent.
I'arents ought not to fojce their children to marry
without their free consent, nor deny them their own
consent w ithout just cause.
xVftir the purpose or- corrtract of marriage hath
been thus published, the marriage is not to be long
deferred. Therefore the minister having had con-
venient warning, and nothing being objected to hin-
der it, is publicly to solemnize it in the place ap-
pointed by authority for public worship, before a
competent number of credible witnesses, at some
convenient hour of the day, at any time of the year
except on a day of public humiliation, and we ad-
vise that it be not on the l^ord's day.
And because all rililions are sanctified by the
, word and prayer, the minister is to pray for a bles-
sing upon llieui to this effect: —
Acknowledging onr sins wliereby we have made
ourselves less than the least of all the mercies of
God, and provoked him to inibittcr all onr comforts
earnestly in the name of Christ to intreat the Lord,
whose presence and favour is the happiness of every
condiliun, and sweetens every relation, to be their
portion, to own arid accept them in Christ, wito
are now to be joined in the honourable estate of
marriage, the covenant of their God. /^i\d that ua
he hath brought ih.ein together by his providence, he
would sanctify them by his spirit, giving them a
new frame of heart, fit for their new estate ; enrich-
ing them with all graces, thereby they may perform
thexlutics, enjoy the comforts, undergo the cares,
and resist the temptations, which accomjiany that
condition as becomcth Christians.
The prayer beiTig' ended, it is proper that the
minister do briefly declare unto ihein out of the
scripture—
The institution, use, and ends of marriage, with
J the conjugal duties, which in all faithfulness they
are to ]<erform .to each other, exhorting them to
study the holy word of God, that ijiey may learn to
live by faiih, and to be content in the midst of all
marriage cares and troubles, sanctifying God's name
in a thankful, sober, and holy use of all conjugal
comforts, piaying much with and for one another,
watching over and provoking each other to love and
good works, and live together as the heirs of the
grace of life.
After solemnly charging of the persons to be
married before that great God, who searcheth all
hearts, and to whom they must give a strict account
at the last day, that if either of them know any
cause by precontract or otherwise, why they may
not lawfully proceed to marriage; that they now
discover it. The minister, if no impediment be ac-
knowledged, shall cause first, the man to take the
woman by the right hand, saying these or the like
words : —
I N. do take thee N. to be my married wife, and
do, in the presence of God, and before this congre-
gation, promise and covenant to be a loving and
faithful husband unto thee, until God shall separate
us by death.
Then the woman shall take the man by his right
hand, and say these words: —
I N. do take thee N. to be my married husband,
and do in the presence of God, and before this con-
gregation, promise and covenant to be a loving,
faitbful, and obedient wife unto thee, until God
shall separate us by death.
llien without any further ceremony the minister
shall in the face of the congregation, pronounce
them to be husband and wife, according to God'-^
ordinance, and so conclude the action with prayer to
this effect : —
That the Lord would be pleased to accompany
his own ordinance with iiis blessing, beseeching iiiui
to enrich the persons now mariied, as with other
pledges of his love, so particularly with the com-
forts and fruits of marriage, to the , praise of his
abundant mercy, in ajid through Jrgus Christ-
HISTORY OP THE CUtIK H OF SCOTLAND.
<s2>)
A register is to be carefully kept, wlierein the
names of the pariies so luariied, with ilie time of
tlic'ir iiiairiage, arc forthwith to be fairly recorded
in a book piovidcd for -that purpose, for the perusal
of all whom it may concern.
It is the duty of the minister, not only (o teach
the people committed to his charge, in public, but
privately, and particularly to udmoniiih, exhort, re-
j)rove and comfort them, upon all seasonable occa-
sions, so far as his time, strength, and personal
safety will |)(,'rmi(.
He is to admonish them in time of health, to
prepare for death; and for that pm pose they are of-
ten to confer with their minister about the estate of
their souls: and, in times of sickness to dt-sire his
advice and helji, timely and seasonably before their
streng-th aiid underslandina; fail them.
Times of sickness and afHiclion, are special op-
portunities put into his hands by (iod, to minister a
word ni season to weary souls : because, then the
Consciences of men are, or should be more awak-
«ned, to bethink themselves of their spiritual estates
for eternity ; and ,sataii also takes advantage then
to load them with more sore and heavy temptations.
"J'herefore the minister being sent for, and repairing
to the sick, is to apply himself with all tenderness
and love, to administer some other spiritual good to
to his soul, to this efiect :
He may, from the consideration of the present
sick, instruct him out of the scripture, that diseases
come not by chance or by distempers of body only,
but by the wise and orderly guidance of the good
hand of God to every particidar person smitten by
them. And that whether it be laid upon him out of
displeasure for sin, for his correction and amendment,
and for trial and exercises of his ^race, or for other
special and excellent ends, all his suflferings shall
turn to his profit, and work together for his good,
if he sincerely labour to make a sanctified use of
God's visitation, neither despising his chastening,
nor \( a.xing weary of his ctirrection.
If he suspects him of ignorance, he shall examine
him in the principles of religion, especially touching
repentance and faith ; and as he seeth cause, instruct
him in the nature, use, excellency, and necessity of
those graces ; as also the covenant of grace, and
Christ the Son of God, the mediator of and coii-
cirning remission of sins by faiih in him.
He shall exhort the sick person to examine him-
self, to search and try his former ways, and his
estate towards God.
And if the sick person shall declare any scruple,
doubt, or temptation, that is upon him, instructions
9nd resolutions sliall be given to satisfy and settle
Inm.
If it appear that he hath not a due sense of liis
sins, endeavours ought to be used to -convince him
of his sins, of the guilt and desert of them, of the
tilth and pollution which the soul contracts by them,
and of the curse of the law, and w rath of God due
to them ; that he may lie tiuly alTected with, and
humbled for them; and withal to make known the
danger of defeniiig repentance, and of neglecliiig
salvation at anytime offered; to awaken his con-
science, and rouse him out of a stu|)id and secure
condition, to apprehend the justice and wrath of
God, before whom none can stand, but he that
being lost in himself, laycth hold upon Christ bv
fi;ilh.
If he has endeavoured to walk in the ways of
holiness, and to serve God in npiigljtness, allliougii
not without many failings and infirmities; or if his
spirit be broken will) the sense of sin, or cast down
through want of the sense of God's favour, then it
will be fit to raise him up, by setting before him ihe
freeness and fulness of God's grace, the sulhciency
of righteousness in Christ, tlie gracious offers in tlie
gospel, that all who repent ami believe with all their
heart in God's mercy through Christ, renouncing
their own righteousness, shall have life and salvation
in him.
It may be also useful to shew him, that death hath
in it no spiritual evil to be feared by those that are
in Christ, because sin, the sting of death, is taken
away by Christ, who hath delivered all that are his
from the bondage of the fear of death, triumf.'hed
over the grave, given us victory, is himself entered
into glory, to prepare a place for his people : .So
that neither life nor death shall be able to separate
them from God's love in Christ, in whom such are
such, though now they must be laid in the dust, to
obtain a joyful and glorious resurrection to eternal
life.
Advice also may be given to beware of an ill
grounded persuasion on mercy, or on the goodness
of his condition for heaven so to disclaim all merit
in himself, and to cast himself wholly upon God
for mercy in the sole merits and mediation of Jesus
Christ, who hath engag<'d himself never to cast off
them, who in truth and sincerity comt; unto him. —
Care also must be taken, that the sick person be not
cast down into despair, by such a severe represen-
tation of the wrath of God due to him for his sins,
as is not mollified by a reasonable propounding of
Christ and liis merit, for a door of hope to every
penitent believer.
When the sick person is best composed, niay be
least distui l)ed, and other necessary oUices about hiiii
least hindered, the minister, desired, shall pray with
4lim, and for him, to this effect :
Confesshig and bewailing of sin original and ac-
tual, the miser.ible condition of all by nature as
being children of wrath, and uider the curse, ac-
knowledging that all diseases sicknesses, death, an<]
630
IlISTOPvY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
hell itself, are t!ic proper issues and effects thereof:
inipjoring God's mercy for the sick person tlirough
tiie blood of Clirist, 'besoecliiiig- that CJod woidd
open Ills eyes, discover unto him his sins, cause liim
to see himself, make known to him the cause w hy
Ood smitelli him, reveal Jesus Christ to his soul for
righteousuiss vnd life, give unto hiin his holy spirit
to create and strengthen faith, to lay hold upon
Christ, to woru in hmi comfortable evidence of his
love, to arm agaiiist teniptations, to take off his
lieait Iroiii the world, to sanctify his present visita-
tion, i-j furnish him with patience and strength to
bear it, and to give him perseverance in failh to the
end.
That if God shall please to add to his days, lie
would vouchsafe to bless and sanctify all means of
his recovery to remove the disease, renew his
strengih, and enable him to walk worthy of God,
byatuithlul remembrance, and diligent observing
ot such vowsand ])romises of holiness and obedi-
ence, as men are apt to make in times of sickness,
that he may glorify God in t!ie remaining part of his
life.
And if God hath determined to fniisli his davs by
the present visitation, he may iind such evidence of
the pardon of his sins, of his interest in Christ, and
tiernal life by Christ, as may cause his inward man
to be lenewcd wiiile his outward man I'e :ayelh ;
that he may behold death without fear, cast himself
xi holly upon Christ without doubling, desire to be
dissolved and to be with Christ, and so receive the
end of his faith, the salvation of his soul, through
the only merits and intercession of the Lord
Jesus Christ, our only Saviour and all-sufllcient
Kedeenier. '
'i'he njiuistcr shall admonish him also, as there
shall be cause, to set ins house in order, thereby to
prevent iacouveiiiences, to take care for the pay-
ment of Lis debts, and to niake restitution or satis-
faction where he hath done any wrong, to be recon-
ciled to those v.ith whom he hath been at vari-
ance, and fully to forgive all men their trespasses
against him, as he expects forgiveness at the hand of
God.
Lastly, tiie minister may improve the present oc-
casion to exhort those about liie sick person to con-
sider their ow n mortality, to return to the Lord and
make peace with him; in health to prepaie for sick-
ness, death and judgment, and all the days of their
appointed lime, so to wait imtil their change come,
that when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, thev
may appear with him in glory.
When any person departeth this life, let the dead
body, upon the day of burial, be decently attended
from the house to the place appointed for public
burial, and there immediately interred without any
cereuiony.
And because the'customs of kneeling down and
praying by, or towards the dead corpse, and othir
such usages in the place where it lays, before it be
carried to burial, are superstitious: and for that,
praving, reading, and singing; both in going to, an<l
at t'le grave have been grossly abused, are no way
beneticial to the dead, anri have proved many wavs
hurtful to the living, tl'crefore let all such thmgs be
laid aside.
Houbeit we judge, if very convenient, that the
Ch.ristian friends, which accompany the dead body
to the place appointed for public burial, apply tliein-
selves to meditations and conferences suitable to llir;
occasion; and that the minister as upon other occa-
sions, so at this time, if he be present, may put them
in remembrance of their duty.
That this shall not extend to deny any civil res-
pects or differences at the burial, suitable to th.e
rank and condition of the party deceased whilst he
was living.
V> hen some great and notable judgments are ei-
ther inflicted upon a peo]>le apparently imminent,
or by some extraordinary provocations notoriously
deserved ; as also, when some special blessing is to
be sought and obtained, public solemn fasting,
which is to continue the whole day, is a duty thai;
God expccteth from the nation, or people.
A religious fast requites total abstinence not only
from all food, unless boddy weakness do manil'estly
dis.ible from holding out till the fast be ended, in
which case somewhat may be taken yet very spa-
ringly to support nature when ready to faint; but
also from all worldly labour, discourses and thoughts,
from all bodily delights, although at other times
lawful, rich apparel, ornaments and such like, du-
ring the fast, and much more from whatever is,
in the nature or use, scandalous or offensive; as
garnish, attire, lascivious habits and gestures, and
other vanities of either sex, which we recommend
to ail ministers in their places, diligeuliy and zea-
lously to reprove, as at othei" times, so especially at
a fast without respect of persons, as here shall be
occasion.
ik'fore the public meeting, each family and per-
hon apart, are privately to use all religious care ; to
prepare their hearts to such a solemn work, and to
be early at the congregation.
So large a portion of the day, as conveniently
may be, is to be spent in public reading, and pteach-
ing of the worrl, with singing of psalms lit to
quicken affections suitable to such a duty ; but espe-
cially in prayer to this or the like effect:
Giving glory to the great majesty of God, the
creator, preserver and supreme ruler of all the world,
the better to affect us thereby with a holy reverence,
and awe of bim. Acknowledging his manifold,
great, and tender meicie-s, especially to the church
mSTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
G3I
and nation, llie more effectually to soften nnd abase
our hearts Lctoie him. Huinbiv coulessiiig ot' sins
of ail sorts, Willi their several aj/gravalions : jiislily-
iiiE: God's ri\;ht(.ous juduimciit-i, as beiiiij far kss
than our sins do de^irve ; yet humbly and earnestly
iniploring iiis mercy and grace tor ourselves, the
church and nation, tor our king and all in authority,
and for all others for whom we are bound to prav,
according as the present exigence requireth, with
more s)>ccial in>portuiiity ainl enlurgcnient than at
other times. y\pplying bv fuilh the promises and
goodness of find for pardon, help, and deliverance
from th',- evils felt, feared, or deserved, and for ob-
taining blessings which we need and expect, toge-
ther with a giving up of ourselves wholly- and -ior
ever unto the Lord.
In all these, the ministers, w'lO are the mouths
of the people rtnto (iod, ought so to speak from
their hearts upon serious, and through premedita-
tion of them, that both themselves and die people
may be much aftected, and even nu Ited thereby :
especially with sorrow for their sins, ihat it may be
indeed a d»v of deep humiliation and afflictin<j' of
the soul.
Special choice is to be made of sucii scriptures
to be read, and of such texts for preaching, as may
best \>ork the hearts of the liearers to the special
business of the day, and most dispose them to liu-
nnliation and rejientance ; insisting most on those
jiarticulars, which each minister's observation and
experience tell him are most condueing to the edifi-
cation and reforuKitioii of that coiigregati<jn to
which he preachelh.
Uefore the close of the public duties, the •minis-
ter is in his own and llie people's name, to engage
Ins and their own hearts ttj be the Lord's, with pro-
tested purpose and resolution to reform whatever is
amiss among tbem, and more particularly such sins
as they have been more remarkably guilty of; and
to draw nearer unto- God, and to walk more closely
and faithfully with him in new obedience than e\er
before.
He is also to admonish the people with ai! im-
portunity, that the work of that thy doth not end
w ith the public duties of if, but that they are so to
improve the remainder of the day and of their whole
life, in re-inforcing upon themselves and their fami-
lies in private, all those godly alTectious and resolu-
tions which they professed in public, as that thev
may be settled in their hearts for ever, and them-
selves may more sensibly fmd that God hath smei'. a
s.veet savour in Chiis^t tor their performances, and
is pacified towards them, by an-wers of grace, in
pardoning of sin, in removing of judgments, in
averting or preventing of plagues, and in conferring
»f blessings, suitable to the conditions aud prayers
of his people by Jesus .Christ.
Beside solemn and genera! fasts enjoined by au-
thority, we judge that at other times congregations
may keep da\j of fasting, as divine proviilcnce
shall !:dinin;s'.er to ihein speci.il occasions. And
also that families may do the same, so it be not on
days whertin the congregation to which thev do
belong, is to meet for lasting or other public duties
of W'orslii)).
When any suchday is to be kept, let notice be
given of it, and of the occasion llitreof some con-
venient time before, that the people may the better
prepare theinsLlves thereunto.
'I'he day being come, and the congregation, after
private preparations, being assembled, the minister
is to begin with a word of exhortation- to stir up the
people to this duty for which they are met, and with
a short prayer for God's assistance and bjessin", as
at other conventions for public worshit), accordin"
to tlie particular occasion ot tlieir meeting.
Let hiin then make some pithy narration of the
deliverance obtained, or mercy received, or of what-
ever hath occasioned that assertibling of the con"Te-
gation, that all may better understand it, or be
minded of it and more aftected with it.
.And because singing of psaln>s is of all others
the most proper ordinance for expressing of jnv and
thank.'^giving, let some pertinent psalm or psahns'
be sung for that purpose, l.>efore or after the readiiv
some portion of the word, suitable to t!ie present'
business.
Then let the n;iiiister who is to preacli, prdceed
to further exhortation and prayer bet'ore his seriiion,
with special reference to the work; after \\h:c]i let
him preach upon some text of scripture (lertineiit to
the nccasioii. ■
The sermon ended, let him only pray as at other
times af'er preaching is directed, with reinenitirance
of the necessities of the church, the king, and State,
if before the sermon they were omitted, but enlar-c
himself in due and solemn thansgiving for ff)rmer
mercies aud deliverances, more especially for that
which at the jiresent calls them together to "ive
thanks; with Imnible petition for the continuance'
and renewing of (iod's wonted mercies, as need
shall be, and sanctifying grace to make a right use
thereof. And so having sung another psalm suita-
ble to the mercy,' Jet him dismiss the congrcntion
with a blessing, that they have some convenient
time for their repast and refreshing.
But the ministiT, before their dismission, is so-
lemnly to admonish them, to beware of all excess
and riot, tending to gluttony or drunkenness, and
much more of these' sins themselves, in their eatiii"'
and refreshing, and to take care their mirth and
rejoicing be not carnal but spiritual, which may
make God's praise to be glorious, and themselves
humble and sober : and that both their feeding and
633
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
rejoicing may leiidt-r lliem more cheerful, enlarged
furtlicr to celebnile his praise in the midst of the
congregation, when they return into it, in the re-
maining part of that day.
\\ hen the congregation sliali be again assembled,
the h.ke course in piaying, reachng, preaching, sing-
ing ot psalms, and ofteiing up of more praise and
tlianksgiving, that is Ijcfore directed for the morning,
is to be renewed and continued so far as the time
will give leave.
At one or both of the public meetings that day,
a collection is to be made for the poor, and in like
manner upon the day of public himiiliation, that
their loins may bless us, and rejoice the more witli
us. And the people are to be exhorted at the end
of tiie latter meeting, to si-eiid the residue of that
day in holy duties, and testifications of Christian
love and charity one towards another, and of rejoic-
ing more and more in the Lord, as becometh those
who make the joy of the Lord their strength.
It is the duty of Christians to praise God publicly
by singing of psalms together in the congregation,
and also privately in the family.
In singing of psalms, the voice is, to be tuneable
and gravely ordered: But the chief care must be, to
sing with understanding, and with grace in the heart,
; ma king melody unto the Lord.
That the whole congregation may join herein,
every one that can read is to have a psalm-book, and
all others, not disabled by age or otherwise are to be
exhorted to learn to read. But for the present,
where many in the congregation cannot read, it is
convenient that the minister, or some other lit per-
son ^appointed by him and the other ruling officers
do read the psalm, line by line, before the singing
thereof.
Thus we have here a complete directory for pub-
lic worship, and when all the circumstances are
considered, an imconccrned person will be surprised
that such a con)posilion should be drawn up by a
body of men, differing in many sentiments concern-
ing the externals of religion, but all agreeing in tlie
essentials At the same time, it must be acknow-
ledged, that this directory comes nearer to the pri-
jnilive form, than any of those in the reformed
churches abroad; but tliis leads usto take notice, in
the third place, of their various, confessions of faith,
from lime to lime.
The church of Scotland, at the Reformation 1;)60,
had no regular confession of faith, nor articles of
religion, but as to fundamental points, they were
like the rest of the'l'roteslant world. TJiatis, they
held all those seirtiments as genuine, that were em-
braced by the church of Geneva, and in the church
of England, except so far as the articles of that
church relate to church government.
In 156 1, Mr. Knox and some other divines, drew
up a confession of faith, which continued to be the
uniform standard of doctrine of the church of Scot-
land, till IG45, and ihis system, containing forty-
three articles was constantly subscribed both by
Episcopalians and Presbyterians. In all these arti-
cles, where the subject matter is disputable, the
Scottish reformers have conducted themselves with
great modesty, and much more so than the ^Vest-
niinster divines. In their account of p'edestination,
they speak with the same moderation as the church
of England; and although l!}e whole is consistent
with the doctrine of St. Austin, yet it is not carried
to an extravagant heigiit, nor are dogmaticiil asser-
tions made use of.
I'his system of religion was so «el! esteemed,
tliat no fault was found with it by the | eojile of
Scotland till the famous Westminster assembly,
when some of the members, who v>ere violent in
their tempers and high in their notions, objected to
it as favouring the Arminian scheme, which was
really false, there not being one article in it but
what every Calvinist might subscribe. This ancient
Protestant confession of faith is but little known in
the present age, except by those who are curious in
searching into such matters. It is, however, a no-
ble composition, and is worthy of those men, who
although but little acquainted with human learning,
yet had tlie fear of God, and the love of true reli-
gion implanted in their hearts.
There is one thing very remarkable, namely, that
when episcopacy was established l66'i, not one
word w as mentioned concerning a system of articles.
Perhaps there never was such a blunder committed
before. An established church without a system,
is like a body without a soul. And yet this want of
articles in the episcopal church of Scotland was
never called in question till 1082, \Vhen the test act
was proposed, and carried through parliament, by
the influence of the duke of York. This infamous
act was ejcpressed in words to the follow ing purport,
or import. 'Every person was to «wear that he
would support file Protestant religion as'-by law esta-
blished. Here was a studied ambiguity, calculated
to serve the ends the Roman Catholics had in view;
and nothing could have induced the people of Scot-
land to give their .consent to it, had it-iiot been the
terrors they were under of coming once more under
the severity of Presbyterian discipline.
The-oaliivvas taken, by some of the nobility, btrt
vvheu it was proposed to the earl of Argyle, he
asked, what was the religion by law established^
The bishops of Scotlaod were at that time poor,
ignorant, worthless .men; but this question put them
to what they liad never done before, namely, the
blush. It was then proposed in council, that a sys-
tem should he fixed on, and after many debates,
that of loGl w'.as-made choice of. The Presbvte-
HISTORY OF THT: CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
63i
fians did not object so much to the form of the old
confession, as ihey did to its moderntion, and as for
the Kpiscopaliatis, many of th^ni treated nil sorts of
religion willi contempt, lint this was not all : —
There was an ambiguity in the words of the act,
which seemed to have been studied by some very
artful person. Thus by the words " Protestant re-
ligion" it was not said wliethcr it was episcopacy, or
presbytery. This seems to have been contrived to
irritate all those who were of the presbyterian per-
suasion; but tlie snare was laid equally for the
virtuous amongst the episcopalians. The act ap-
l)ointiug the reformed religion as the establishment
of .Scotland was never .signed by queen Mary, and
theiffore when it was said, " by law established," '
the Papists had it still in their power to insinuate
that there was no religion but theirs established by
law. The sensible part of the Episcopalians saw
through the deception, and the oath was rejected by
them, while the Presbyterians treated it with abhor-
rence.
The horrid murders that took place in Scotland,
in consequence of this act, are well known to all
those who are properly acquainted with the history
«f that country. 15ut then it should be considered
that the duke of York was a merciless tyrant, and
the Scottish bishops were mean obsequious wretches.
It is true, this system which had been embraced by
the church of Scotland under all her forms for at
least eighty-five years, was acknowledged by the
Episcopalians till the revolution, and by some of
them afterwards. But this leads us to consider their
second system, which was fran>ed by the assembly
of divines at Westminster, was the formula of doc-
trine for the church of Scotland till the restoration,
anil has been so ever since the revolution.
This system is a ^onipilation of those doctrines,
which were propagated by St. Austin, and embraced
by nuM.t of the Protestant reformers. The senti-
nionts are sti iking, and the language is engaging. —
Itifldividid into thirty-three articles, all of which
we sliall take notice of.
'I'hc first article relates to llie holy scriptures, and
points out the necessity of divine revelation, to bring
men to a •slate of hnpjtiness, where the light of
natural reason fails. It enumerates all ihe books of
<he Old and New T-esiament; it disclaims all reli-
ance on cliurch authority, or traditions, and allows
nothing to be the fiMindation, or ground woik of
■our faith and obedience, but the truths contained in
the sacred sriiplurcs.
'ihe second article asserts' the doctrine of the
"Triivily in nniTy, a sentinwnt that most Christians
agree, in, excepting a few ICnglish dissenters. This
article IS well expressed, and a I the positions are
Supported by such texts of scripture as are incon-
tiaJictory. And here it may not be impropcrto
4'i
observe, that this article of the Christian faith was
never called in question till the middle of the foilrth
century.
The third article relates to predestination, and here
the notion is carried much higlier than it is in the
seventeenth article of the church of Kngland. Jt is
certain, there are some very unguarded expressions
in this article, and others that clearly j)oint out a
forced construction put upon scripture. The greatest
fault in this article is, that the assertions are too
positive and dogmatical, 'i'he persons who framed'
them, seem to have looked upon theinselv(ss as iii-
fartible, or otlicrwise they would never have pre-
tended to dictate to their fellow-creatures in matlers'
of no manner of im])ortaiice.
The fourth article is one of those which is acknow-
ledged by all the inhabitants of the world, uiilesr
tliey are Atheists, or F.picureans. This article as-
serts, that the world was created by Almighty
power, and that all tlie three persons in the ever
blessed Trinity were concerned in it. It is certain,
that no object can make itself, no being form its
own existence. There is in this article a line drawn
between natural and revealed religion, a circum-
stance too seldom to be met with iujnodern systems
of divinity.
In a regular course, the fifth article rela'tes t»
Providence. Some parts of this article are rather
harsh, and many of the expressions unguarded; but
in general there is something noble and grand in the
whole. God is here acknowledged -to be tl)e sove-
reign Lord of the creation, and ■consequently has a
right to dispose of his creatures in what manner he
pleases. The article concludes by taking notice,
the same Providence which takes care of the
world, exercises the same care over the church of
God.
The sixtti article relates to the fall of man, and
all the sentiments in this article are expressed with
care and jirecislon. 'i'lure are few people in the
world who will <leny the existence of original cor-
ruption; for common experience poiiil^ it out. —
\\ hy should men be so prone to sin if there is not
a contamination in the nature .^ Why should all the
faculties lie corrupted, if there was not an original
cause ? The case is [ilalii and obvious, and agrees
with the doctrine of the church of England.
The seventh article relates to the two covenants,
nnmely, t!io*e of works and graci'. This article as-
serts, that the covenant of works, was a condilional
engagement, entered into by tlie great Jehovah and
our first parents, concerning' personal obedience. —
The covenant of grace was an eiigagenunt entered
into by (Jod on the one part, and his son on the
other, to reuL-em our fallen race. 'Fhe words in this
article are stiff and affected, and there are some
very ambiguOuS' ■Expressions made use of. Thia,
7 X
6.34
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
fiowevcr, is not so mivch to be imputed to the
framcrs of the articles, as to the tempers of those
people Milti «hom things were conducted. Cod in
ins goodness promotes the interests of his creatures,
and he loves that all his subjects should do the
Same.
The eighth article relates to Christ, as a mediator
between God and man. 'I'liis is one of the funda-
mental articles of the Christian faith; for what ne-
cessity could there iiave been for Christ's taking our
nature upon him, unless it was by his mediation to
make up that breach which sin had procured. It is
through ('hrist, as a mediator between ofFem^d
power and offending sinners, that we must look for
acceptance. The papists, although they pray to
angels and saints, yet allow Christ to be tlie Su-
preme Mediator. Nay, nothing is more common
tlian to hear an Arian mentioning Christ as a medi-
ator, although at the same time he attempts to rob
him of his glory.
The ninth article relates to the freedom of tlie
human will> and is n)nch the same as that in tlie
church of England, only that it is more full and
txpressive. it is grounded on all those passages of
.sacred scripture, which point out the omnipotence
of God ; but it is certain that many of these pas-
sages relate to the general purposes of God, and
«ot to the condition of individuals. We shall not,
however, meddle with the controversy, but leave
every reader to judge for himself.
'I'he tenth article follows the ninth of course, and
relates to effectual calling, or, as it is commonly
expressed, efficacious grace in bringing men to a
sense of sin, and a knowledge of the necessity they
are under of being justitietf through the imputation
of (>hrisi's righteousness.
The chain of principles in this compendium is so
regularly interwoven, that the actual justilication of
a sinner follows immediately in the eleventh article
after effectual calling. And here, in conformity with
all the Protestant churches at the Reformation, it
is asserted that no man can be justified before God
so as to be saved eternally, but through the impu-
tation of Christ's righteousness. Certainly it is the
."safest W'ay for a man to trust for salvation in the
righteousness of Christ, raihsr in any thing done by
himself. It is, in the words of the old proverb,
" Erring on the safe side." For sorely the man who
lias a low and humble opinion of himself, will be
the most ready to do good works; so that if the
sentiments concerning the imputation of Christ's
righteousness should not be true, yet he will be
able to obtain salvation on the score of his own
merits.
Adoption of course follows, by which is meant,
sinners being adopted or admitted as the children of
God, and heirs of his glory. The term U borrowed
from the civil law of the Romans, which permitted
a man who had no childieu to inakechoice of one,
whom he called by his own name, and left him his
estate. In such cases, no law-suit could be entered
into by the collateral relations, the adopted person
being to enjoy the whole secure and uiiinolesteil. —
As this supposed a right of possession among the
Romans, as well as a right of disposal, so adoj)tion
in a Christian sense imports God's absolute power
and fiecdom to bestow- his mercies, favours, and-
blessings, whenever he pleases.
The thirteenth article is concerning sanctification,
which naturally follows adoption. It is certain,
that without holiness or good works, all pretensions
'to justilication and adoption are vain. It is, how-
ever, a very melancholy consideration, that the most ■
zealous professors of religion are the worst of men.
The man who is justified and adopted into the family
of God, is holy, humble, meek, charitable, and
virtuous ; whereas the bold hypocrite who tires hea-
ven with his prayers, and talks to people of his ex--
periences, is only ripening for hell.
The fointeeiith article is concerning saving faith, -
and here the doctrine of the appropriation has beeij-
held forth as a leading principle. It is certain, ih^t--
this was in general the notion embraced by. the >
reibrmers throughout Europe, and it follows «x-'
actly the doctrine of 'St. Austin. In the . cniireh,'
before the time of Austin, faith was considered as a
tirm belief that Christ was what he is represented in
scripture; namely, the second person in the ever-
blessed Trinity, God and man ; that he was born of
the Virgin Mary, that he suffered under Pontius Pi-
late, and that he arose again and ascended into hea-
ven. To believe this, was all that was required of
the ancient Christians, only that they were to depart
from all sorts of iniquity. St. Austin, however,
introduced the notion, that there was a necessity for
the apf)ropriating act, and in this he has been fol-
lowed by the reformers. Mr. Hervey defines the
appropriating act in the following words, " Christ
is mine, grace is mine, pardon is mine, and why ?
because I feel sanctifying operations in my heart."
Perhaps Mr. Hervey was right, for surely the man
who feels within himself an inclination to do good,
must have the grace of God in his heart. By those,
however, of enlarged sentiments, faith has been lo-
gically defined in the following words: —
1. Faith is the belief of something being true, in
consequence of a firm persuasion that the person
who related the fact could not tell a lie.
2. But God is the author of Divine Revelation.
3. Therefore, to believe the Old and New Testa-
ment to be true, is saving faith.
The fifteenth article is concerning repentance,
which must always make a part of religion, where
men believe themselves to be sinners. There arc
HISTORY OF TFIE CflURCII OF SCOTLAND.
CSS
TiQ. Cliristfans tliat we know of, who deny the doc-
Iriiit ot" repentance, only thai some wlioin we shall-
have occasion to mention iil'ierwards, believe that it
flows troiii the freedom of the huiimuwiil, wlieretis
the article before us asserts, that it is efl'ecle<l by
divine grace. 'I he Arniinians say, tiiat reptntanre
goes before faith, and iIk; Calvinists insist tliat it
follows after.
The si.xteenlh article is concerning good ' worlts,
which is what may be called an excrescence. We
have already considered the article on sanctitication,
and in the name of common sense, do not good
works flowing (rom iaith in Christ Jesus Ijecouie
siinctifjcation. What is sanctification, is it not the
effect of every duty flowing from evangelical princi-
ples? 'I "he church of ]£nglaud has treated of good
works and sanctitication as one -andthe same, and we
will freely acknowledge, that to separate them is
little better tlian insanity. We must acknowledge,
howaver, .that the. hypocrite makes .use of the word
sanctitication, while the true Christian glories in
good works without trusting in tbeui.
The seventeentiL article relates to the iinai perseve-
rance of the saints, which is one of the grand arti-
cles in that system which St. Austirv taught, and
which was reduced into a system by Calvin.- It is
ctrtaiii, tliat when we consider the slate nf luiinaii
nature, tlie pride. of men, and their ill-grounded
expectations, -this article will appear to us clogged
with dangerou.s consetjucnces. 'I'biis the person who
believes be Cfliinot fall from grace, is a()t to be so
vain in his own conceit as to neglect moral duties.
I'erhaps this is the greatest error in modern religion,
and we can almost venture to atlirm, that it has laid
the foundation for crimes , ■■ W hile men are on their
guard. Cod will be with tliein ; while they indulge
•ihemselves insecurity, they \< ill be in danger.
'I'he eighteenth article is little more in words than
a repetition of the last^ It is on the assurance of
salvation. Whatever men may believe, whatever
they may embrace as their own private sentiments,
they ought to be extremely cautious how they make
them public to others. Ask a man whether he is
sure of salvayon, and perhap.s the boldest professor
will decline answering in the atiirmative.
'J'he nineteenth article relates to the law of God,
and'this is plain and expressive, it distinguishes the
law of God into two diflferent parts, as tirst, that
made with, or given to Adam, which has com-
monly been called the moral law, though v. ith great
impropriety. Secondly, the ceremonial law, by
^vhich through sacritices and other signiticant types,
the whole gospel dispensation was pointed out. —
Thirdly, the fundamental law of the Komans,
which related to the security of civil property, as
well as the preservatioa of life ; and lastly, the
law of Christ wliich comprehends all that is useful
in any of the others.
'I he twentieth article i.s concerning liberty of
conscience, and here we are sorry to ob'>eive that
there is a studied ambiguity runs through ihe whole
of !t. Jt is- remarkable, that above forty years after
the Hefornialion, the Protestants should have re-
tained iutolerunt principles. • To consider this arti-
cle-in a superficial light, it would seem that the
framers of it had been friends to cccle.siasliciil and
civil liberty, but a person who is acquainted with
reason, cannot be deceived with such tlimsy pre-
tences. The whole article has been drawn up by a
very artful person, who seems to have been no
stranger to the school of Loyola.
The twenty-tirst article relates to the Christian
sabbath, or Lord's day, and it is certain, that this
was a duty observed by the primitive church, except
by such as were slaves to heathen masters. In this
article the sentiments are clearly expressed, and
point out all those duties which the sincere Cliristiau
should practise. This much is certain, that if the'
religious observation of the sabbath was more at-
tended to than it is, it might be of great service to
the world in general. - There is something that has
a heavenly appearance, in men SL-tting apart some of
their time for religious duties. • One day in seven is
observed by the Mahometans, cue by the Jews, and
one by the Christians.
Article twenty-second relates to oaths or vows,
and here the atithois have adhered very strictly to
the scriptural sense. It is certain, that the Yorm of
swearing in England does not carry' along Vvifh it,
that solemn dread which should be upon the minds
of the people. But here the dtity is explained in a
clear, comprehensive, expressive manner.
'I'he tv\enty-lhird article relating to tire civil'
magistratt", is very ambiguously exjucssed. This
much is Certain, that the Iramrrs of the article deli-
vered sentiments which contradicted their own prac-
tise.- They were, at tliat time, in a state of rebel-
lion-, and yet they here expressed t^lemsclvcs as loyal
subjects.
'Ihe twenty-fourth article relates to marriage, aild
when we consider every thing in it, we shall find,
that it is, in all respects, consistent with the moral
law- of nature, and the gospel of Christ. There are
some strong invectives agaiust people despising the
marriage state, and perhaps it would be much better
for the people in the present age were they to attend
more to this sentiment.
The twenty'liftli article relates to the universal
church, and this is much the same in substance, as
the article on that subject in the church of England.
It disclaims all pretensions to infallibility, and de-
clares the pope of Kooie to be anti-christ. It asserts
63S
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
that Christ is tlie head of the church, in opposition
to alt those whom they call Erastians, who give that
power to the civil magistrate.
The tweuty-sixth article jcoucerns the comtnunion
of saints as united to Jesus Christ tiieir living head.
This is an important article of the Christian faith,
and in it that doctrine is dearly expressed. It is
certain, that all believers on this earth maybesaid
to be in a slate ,of communion, like cliildrcn of the
same family, and Iteirs of the same iuheritauce. As
they all partake of tlie same etfects of the death of
Christ, and are all to e(ijoy liis presence for ever, so
there is nothing more necessary than that they should
be united.
The twenty-seventh article relates -to the -sacra-
iDents, and although the sentiments of the person
who framed it are the same with those of the church
of England, yet the Westminster divines have ex-
plained themselves with greater precision. Like
the church of England, they here declare that there
are but two sacraments, and that they are only visi-
ble signs of inward invisible grace.
Article twenty-eight is oa baptism, and here these
divines have kept in the middle between the two ex-
tremes. The article asserts, that it is a great sin to
delay baptisix), and rauch more so to despise it ; but
abhorring the popsih notions, as well as those em-
braced by some Protestant churches, that it is abso-
lutely necessary to salvation.
The twenty-ninth article is on the Lord's supper,
and the same sentiments are retained in it as in the
church , of England, only that there is no antbi-
gtjity, the whole being e.\pressed in the clearest
manner.
The thirtieth article relates to churcii censures,
which will be taken more notice of when we
come to , treat of the discipluie of the church of
Scotland.
'I'he thirty-first article relates to synods, or coun-
cils, and here it is necessary to remaik-, that although
the Pdritaus, condemnetl the twentieth article of the
church of Jiugland, which^ives power to theclmrch
to appoint rites and ceremonies, yet here we find
the same seutiraent advanced, and indeed) in a much
more ambiguous .jmanuer, than in the chureh of
;EnaUiud.
The thirtyisec^wid ariicie relates to ibfefttate of
ineu after death, aaul the resurrection. There are
-two, tiling ncct:ssa(;y to be attended toijn tlii« ar-
'I'he first of which is, that the framers of it disr
ckiui the notion that tlie souls of peojjle sleep from
the time of their death till the resurrection. This
notion is at present, embractd by many of the Eng-
lish dissenters, who seem to be glutted with liberty
and fond of novelty.
The second thing in this article, is the commou
opinion, that the- souls of the righteous go into hea-
ven at di'ath, and tlie souls of wicked men into hell.
It is very surju-ixing, liiat any man who lias read'
Lulte xvi. should ever rtm away with such an absurd^
notion, that human soul:^ either go to heaven or hell
at death. Theexpress words in that chapter assert,
that there are two states, one for the righteous, and
the other for the wicked.
The lieatliens, as appears from the sixth book of
Virgil, thought thus, and Christ speaks of such a
separate -state, as afforded an opportunity for the
happy and miserable to see each other. This was
the se-is« of tiie primitive church ; for as Christ had
taken onr uature upon him, 4>nd as he was not: glo-
rified himself till he ascended into heaven, conse-
quently our happiness will not he complete till our
bodies and-toids are united.
The thirty-third and last article is concerning the
general judguient. This is an article of natural
religion, and is strongly enforced by divine revela-
tion; the natural principle on which it .stands, is
the inequality of the distribution of justice and
mercy in this world. Our notions of God are, that
he is just, and that he will reward virtue and punish
vice. Now, as vice often reigns triumphant, while-
virtue is depressed, it is consistent with the divine
attributes, that God should appoint a day for
a general retribution. However, concerning this
article, divine revelation has not left us in the dsrk^
for Christ himself has assured us, that he will come
in glory to give to every one according to his works.
Aiul Paul, the great apostle of the Gentiles, speaJc-
ing on this, subject in the court of Areopagus,
said, " He haih appointed a day in which he
will judge the world in righteousness." Acts xvii.
32.
Such are the articles contained in that formulary
drawn up by the assembly of divines at Westminster,
and at present embraced by the chnrch of Scotland.
It is certain, that, it contxiinsacomplete and methodi-
cal syHtem of Austin's opiuioiis and Calvin's doctrines.
It is equally certaia, that there are seiftiments in it
which were n6>t known in the Clmstian church, till
the fourth ceutury. \A'ith respect to the civil power,
it has a studied, or rather a forced ambiguity, but
this must be ascribexl to the spirit and temper of that
age when it was conipilcd. When this system was
dtauTi up, a copy fairly enssrossed on vellum, was de-
posited iu. the chapt-l of Henry VH. at Wtstmiusterj
where the members of both hou.ses gave their assent
to it; for the parliaraerrt was at that time without a
king. The parliament of Scothiul ratified this co«-
fession 1649, but it was abtJished at the rtstortition»i
In 1690, it was established as the fundamental articlaist
of religion in the church of Scotland ; and, at pre-
sent, every professcrr in ithe-ir uaiversities^ every proba-
tioner, and every minister, previous to his ordiuatioi^
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
must subscribe to it. It is not, however, imposed
on the civil niiigistrates, nor in Seotluiul arc lliere
any sacnmiental tests.
The ehureli of Seotland has two catcehlsms, Ixith
drawn up in the same manner, only that tin- one is
a composition to be read, the other is a siniplv cate-
chism to he !i()t by heart, liolii these cate( hisms
are divided into a nuire regular ])lan than any perhaps
in the universe. They consist only of three parts,
namely, lirst, what the scriptures teach us to believe
concerning God ; secondly, an account of that
duty which (jod requires of men; and, lastly, an
illustration of all that the chuiciies should attend to
in this life.
The shorter catechism of the churcli of Scotland,
is one of the most beautiful tompendiunis of Cal-
vinistical divinity that ever was wiitlen. The senti-
ments are striking, the language is nervous, thougii
adapted to the meanest capacities, and the doctrines
are such as in general may be supported by scriptuie.
The questions are drawn up in such an easy manner,
that the weakest capacity may return tiie answer in
an easy manner; and they are so connected together,
that tliey seem to resemble the links of a chain ; for
remove the answer to one of the questions, and you
discompose the whole.
Having said thus much concerning the funda-
mental articles of their religion, we shall now en-
deavour to lay before tlie reader the present state of
their church in all its different parts.
j\iul lirst, with respect to its government.
The church of Scotland is at present, and has
been ever since the revolution, governed in the fol-
lowing manner:
In every parish there is at least one minister, and
sometimes two, but where tiiere are two, tliey are
equal in power ; for no individual minister in tiie
church of Scotland has authority over another. In
every parish, besides the minister, there are a few
reputable men chosen, whom they call ciders. 'J'he
number of these men are according to tlie extent
of the parish, and they are solemnly ordained for
life. Their business is to visit the sick, and prny
with them in the absence of the minister ; to lake
care that parents bring up their cliililren in a iiro|)er
manner; to inquire into all acts of in>morality, and
make a report thereof to tlie kirk session.
The kirk session is composed of the minister and
those elders, and they meet at least once every week,
and in country places most commonly on Sundays
after the service is over. They inquire into every
complaint against any of the parishioners, and if it
is for fornication or 'idultery, they iidlict the follow-
ing censures upon them.
There is in every parish church a seat erecteil in
a most conspicuous part, where the otTcnder must
sit three several Sundays, and receive as many rc-
42 . 7
bukes from the minister; but from this sentence the
offender may appeal to the presbytery, of which we
shall speak afterwards.
The lowest order of ofTicers in the churcli of
Scotland are their deacons. These men, like the
elders, are in number according to the extent <jf the
palish. 'Jhev are always reputable housekeepers,
and their duty is to inquire into the state of the i)oor,
to administer to them tiie alms of the congregation,
but they are not permitted to sit in any church judi-
catures.
The presbytery is composed of the ministers of a
certain district, which, according to tlie situation of
the country, may be from ten to sixteen ])nrislies. —
From each parish an elder goes as well as the minis-
ter, and they meet once every six weeks. They
hear all appeals from the church session, and they
elect ministers to represent themselves in the genenJ
assembly.
An appeal from the presbytery lies to the synod,
which is composed of the whole members of three
or four presbyters, and they meet twice in the year,
and review the proceedings of the presbyteries. In
both these meetings the president, or, as they call
him, moderator, is always chosen from among the
ministers. He proposes the questions and collects
the votes ; and both in presbyteries and synods attor-
nevs are allowed to plead.
Above all these is the general assembly, which,
properly speaking, may be called the parliament of
the chinch of Scotland. 'I'his council is composed
of three hundred and forty-live members, being
ministers and elders, together with commissioners
from the .universities. They have, ever since the
revolution, met at Fdiiibnrgh, in the last week of
Mav, and the king sends down a commissioner to
represent his person. W hen t!ie commissioner ar-
rives at Fdiiibuigli, he walks in procession to the
high church, where a sermon is preached by the
moderator, or president for the last year. Divine
service being over, the assembly meets in an aisle
belonging to the church, where there is a throne
covered with crimson velvet. The commisvioner
takes his seat on the throne, and three steps below
him is the [iresident for the l.nst year, with the clerk,
who is always a minister, at a table belore him. The
commissioner, who is, during his ofiice, styled his
grace, receives the commission from the bag-bearer,
and delivers it to the moderator, who reaches it to
the clerk.
The clerk reads the commission first in Latin, and
then in English. It is always to the following im-
port. It begins with a declaration of his majesty's
love and regard for the church of Scotland; an
acknowledgment of the favours his family are under
to that churcli; and this is followed by an exhor-
tation, that iLey will promote the interest of virtuo
633
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
and nioialifv, (liat tlicy will send able teachers
among the poor Highlanders, that they tnay be
broiiglit up in the fear of God, as useful nienibers
of bociety. The coinmissioii being read and re-
corded, two candidates are named to be moderator,
and the inajorily of voles carries the election. The
new moderator tlien goes up to the chair, and con-
stitutes the assembly by prayer.
As soon as prayer is over, tiie high commissioner
delivers a speecii from the throne, concerning- the
state of the nation, and recommends to tliem peace
and unanimity, and rejoices in having been honoined
to represent his majesty's person in such a learned
and reverend assembly. After this he withdraws,
and the first thing done is to draw up an address to
his majesty, vviiich is given to the commissioner,
who transmits it to the secretary of state. The
C'xt tiling done by them is to grant a warrant on
the exchequei to pay one thousand pouiKt.-i towards
supporiing the charity schools in the Highlands, and
then tliev: proceed to chuse their committees, which,
in general, is the business of the first day.
Next day they enter upon such business as was
left uiilinisiied the preceding year, and every mem-
ber has leave to speak to the question proposed. —
Council, who must all be advocates, are permitted
to |)lead in all matters of dispute; so that what a
leained author says is true, namely, that the general
assembly of the church of Scotland is the school of
eloquence.
The commissioner jnay come as often as he
pleases to the assembly, but he must not interfere in
their debates, nor has he so much as a vote. The
business before the assembly is either byjappeals or
original actions, which are prosecuted by summons.
Tlie appeals are of various sorts, and such as perhaps
may have been carried from the kirk session tlirougli
the ]nesbytery and synod.
The original actions are of a more important
nature, and for the most part relate to the settlement
of ministers. From the Reformation to the year
1649, the patrons of parishes presented ministers to
vacant churches, but from fiiat time to the resto-
ration, they were elected by the people.
From the restoration to the revolution, the right
ol patronage returned to its old form, but at the
revolution, when presbyterv was established, IfiQO,
the right of i)atronagcs was abolished. At the union,
1707, it was enacte.d, that tiie revolution settlement
.should continue; but the "higs, having by their am-
bition, pride, and avarice, forfeited all claims to the
.royal favour, queen Anne, in 1710, changed her
jninistry, and niade choice of such persons as were
then called high churchmen.
These men hated ihe.chnrch and people of Scot-
land, not only on account f)f the siaiplicitv of their
xeligion, but li^cewise because they were endeavour-
ing to'do all they could towards suppressing popery,
and bringing the present family to tlie throne. In
order, therefore, to please the Jacobite party, and
provoke the members of the church of Scotland, a
liill was brought into parliament to restore the right
of patronages. Some of the Scottish members op-
posed this bill, well knowing the fatal consequences
that would attend it, by provoking the peo))le and
dishonouring religion. Others, however, had more
interesting views ; and as for the English members^
thev gave themselves no concern about it, so that
the act passed with very little opposition.
It is impossible to describe the discontent that
took place among all ranks of people in Scotland,
when this act took place, and, notwithstanding, it
must be mentioi.cd to the honour of the Scottish
nobility, that it was many years before they availed
themselves of this [nivilege. In time, however, they
did, and it has occasioned much mischief. But the
conduct of the church of Scotland on these occa-
sions has been reftlly praise-worthy. The patron
must present the probationer to the presbyteries
within six months, and if they find that he is not
qualified, they will leject liiin. On the other hand,
when they do find him qualified, but at the same
time likely to be olmoxious to the ])eople, so as to
render his ministry inci^ectual, they do all they can
to persuade the patron to send another, who is likely
to be more useful. Nay, in some cases, the pres-
byters will remonstrate, and refuse to proceed to the
ordination, and this brings many appeals before the
general assembly, but from their decision there is no
appeal.
Besides the general assembly, there is another
court, which may be called the privy council of the
church of Scotland, because it is composed of a few
deputies, who prepare business for the next assembly,
though they can make no acts of their own, but only
draw up papers, and inquire whether the presbyteries
have obeyed the orders of the assembly. This court
is called the commission of the assembly, and meets
at I'.dinburgh as often as they )>lease, for they have
no fixed times. They consist chiefly of .such as are
most celebrated for their learning, wisdom, piety, and
such other qualities as may enable them to discharge
all those duties incumbent upon them, as the fathers
and guardians of the established church.
The young clergy in Scotland have few tempting
objects liefore them, besides that pleasing one, name-
ly, to seek to u in the hearts of their people. When
the young gentlemen have finished their studies at
the university, they are examined by the presbvteis
of the bounds where they were born, and it is done
in the following manner:
'I'lie candidate having considered, a theses, or head
in divinity, delivers in a critical explanation of it,
and answers all the objections usually made agaiiwt
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH Or SCOTLAND.
G39
It. He tlicn delivers iu Latin a ciitical discourse on
one of llie Hebrew psalms; after xviiicli, on the
next day, lie delivers a discourse in linglisli, in the
form of a sermon, bolli critical and praclical. 'J'liQj|t"
examinations lake np several days, and on the fast
of these comes the grand qucstiouary trial, in which
every ministir has a right to ask what questions he
jileases; and if satisfactory answers are given, the
\onng slndrnt receives a licence to preach in any
church in Scotland to which he may be invited;
but he is not to administer the sacraments till he is
ordained, nor is he to be ordained till he obtains a
parish living.
W hen a n)inistcr dies, or is removed from one
church to another, the presbytery meet in'the bounds
where the church is in, and appoint one of them-
selves to go aiid preach once lo the people, and he
aflixes a paper on the church door, declaring it va-
cant. If no person is presented by the patron in six
months, then the right tails to the pres^byteiy; but
in such cases they always give np their right to the
people. When one of these probationers is pre-
sented or elected, he must attend the next meeting
of the piesbytery, wheie he undergoes a second ex-
amination, and pel foinis the same exercises as be-
fore. He must likewise brmg a certiiicate of his
JiHjral coiiJuct, and then one of the pnjsb^tery goes
with him to the church door, and reads a paper
which he tixes up, intimating, that if any person can,
M ilhin forty-two days, mention any thing against him,
they are to come and prove it, otherwise thev will
proceed to his ordination. If no objection is made,
then the pnsb\teiy meet at the parish church where
the probationer is to be ordained.
C)ne of the ministers preaches a sermon on the
nature and duty of the ministerial office, and ano-
ther delivers a discourse on the necessity and regula-
rity of ordination. The candidate then repeals his
confession of failli, which consists of his notions
concerning the chief heads in divinity. He then
declares before them, that ho will not deliver any
thing that is contrary to the W eslniinster confession
of failh; and suljscnbes it, as an oath, in a book
kept for that purpose.
'I'hen one of the miuisters prays, and the candi-
date kneeling down in the middle of the congrega-
tion, all the members of the presbvterv lav their
hands upon his head, the moderator acquainting
him, tlial he is ordained to tlie work of the ininistrv,
after which ihiy all give him the right-hand of fel-
lowship} as a brother. This part of the ceremony
is followed by the ctmgregation singing an hvnin or
jisalin, after ulucli llie moderator or president goes
up to the pulpit, and delivers a discourse to the new
ordained minister, exhorting him to consider v\hat
a charge he has taken upon him; to be tender and
alitctiuuatc to his people, not plaguing and perplex-
ing them with new doctrines, but inculcating the
solid truths of the gospel; and, by his own exam-
ple, to teach them as much as by his doctrine. To
be careful to instruct the youth; to visit the aged
and inlirm ; to be careful of what company he keeps
lest he should bring a blemish upon his character. —
lie is to consider himself as if he was married to
his |)e(ij)le, that like an afleclionatc father, a tender
husband, or a faithful shepherd, to behave in all
lawtul things, to every one, that he may bii:<g up
his people in the fear and worship of (Jod, so as to
pre|)are theui for everlasting hajijiincss. He is t»
teach hiku further, that he is lo live in peace and
harmony with his brethren the clergy, and pay a
proper obedience to all the ordinances of the church.
On tiie other hand, he is to exhort the peojile to
consider their pastor as one placed over them by
divine Providence, according to the plan of the
gospel, and that they are to attend to his ministry as
if he had been one sent from (.iod. And thisis not
a presumptuous expression; for whatever is done
according to \\ hat is enjoined in .the w ord of God,
may justly be said to come iVoni God.
Tlius every minister under the New Testament,
if regularly ordained, though perhaps in various
forms, couies from God; and let his conduct after-
wards be ever so bad, yet this does not aftect the
graces, that God will bestow in consequence of his
ministry, to those persons who never imagined him
to be an hypocrite. The people are to be told, that
it is their duty to receive his instructions with cor-
diality, to be meek and humble, not to enter into
any disputes w itli lilini ; but to consider him not
only as a man of the same passions with themselves,
but likewise as one who is to give an account of his
conduct at the judgment-seat of Christ.
The next thing to be considered iu the church of
Scotland is her worship: and we have already taken
notice that it has varied little since the Ueformation
till the revolution. jMlhough there were many
changes in the government of the church of Scot-
land fioni the KeforiiKilioii till tlie \\ estiiiins'.er as-
sembly 1645, yel there were no changes in the wor-
ship till that time; for the mad attempt to establish
the liturgy, was momentary in its own nature, but
dreadful 111 its consequences. \\ e have already
treated of the manner in which ilie people of Scot-
land worshipped God in public till tiie revolution,
and since that tioie no changes of a material nature
ha\e taken place; for alllioiigh they have not a li-
Iiiigy, yet it may justly be said of them, that things
are liuiie decently and I'.i order.
The service alwavs beijins with singing, and some-
times the minister reads the' psalm before it is sung;
l>ut in soHie congregations it is read by the clerk,
whom, according to the ancient form, they call the
prc(x:ntor.
64o
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
The psalm Leinj over, the minister desires tlie
people to join with liini in pravcr and siijijilication.
'1 Lis praver stldoin exceeds ten minutes, which per-
haps :s as Ion;; as any prayer should be, unless peo-
ple would tell God idle tales.
The prayer being over, the minister reads part of
a chapter, and then makes several reflections oft
every verse. This tliey call the lecture, and it gene-
rally takes up hidf an hour. This is perhaps the
best method tliat could have been contrived to in-
struct people in the Christian religion, and it is owing
to this that the people of Scotland know more of
religion than any others in the svorld. In Scotland,
it is common for a young minister to begin either
with a particular book in the sacred scriptures, and
sometimes with the whole New Testament, Mhich
he goes over regularly. In general, he meddles no
farther with criticism than is necessary to illustrate
such passages, and explain such things as ihe peo-
ple may be unacquaintetl witli. But the practical
reriections exceed every thing that can be imagined
in the whole system of the civil establishments of
religion; for by these, men are taught to know what
use they should make of the scriptures, and by car-
rying home and repeating them to their children,
they train them up as it were in the nursery of grace.
I he lecture being over, two or three verses of a
psalm are sung, after which the minister prays a few
minutes, and then he begins the sermon, which sel-
dom takes up more than half an hour. Their ser-
mons consist of, first, an explication of the context,
with the sense of the text itself; secondly, a doc-
trinal proposition, as drawn from the words them-
selves ; thirdly, an illustration of the doctrine, in a
few leading general heads, and then he concludes
with a few piactical inferences. The sermon being
fiver, the minister ]irayf for the whole state of the
world, and then a few verses of a psalm are sung,
after which he dismisses the people with the common'
blessing. '1 his is the service during the forenoon,
but in the afternoon it is only one half as long, be-
cause there is then no lecture.
In some of the remote parts of the country, where
the ministers are more zealous in the discharge of
their duty than in great towns, they assemble the
people a third time together, during the summer
season, and recai)ilulalc to them the heads of all that
has been declared to them before, in the preceding
part of the day. Then the people are enabled to
remember almost every thing they have heard.
We come next to the administration of the sacra-
ir.ent of baptism, which is carried on in the same
manner as mentioned in the directory. They have,
however, varied a little from the rules of the com-
pendium, in the administration of the sacrament of
the Lord's Supper. We have already seen how it
Ytas to be in the directory, but the frequency of its
administration, which, by the constitution of the
church of Scotland, was to be only four times in the
year, was considered by many of the more zealous
of the clergy, after the revolution, as injurious to
their order, by taking away some of the solenmitv,
uhich they looked upon as inseparably connected
with the church order.
During the violent persecution that took place in
Scotland, in the reign of Charles II. the Presbyterian
ministers were mostly proscribed, and therefore met
in mountains, or in woods, and tlieir sermons con-
sisted of violent invectives against th.e civil govern-
ment and the bishoi)s. They found that the best
way to inflame the passions of the people, was to
celebrate the communion as seldom as possible, and
somewhat like the Romish processions, to keep the
people, as far as related to their consciences, in a
state of slavery.
That ancient leaven of su|}erstition was retained
by those ministers \\ho composed the first general
assembly of the church of Scotland after the revo-
lution. They were men of little knowledge, sour
tempers, and a sort of unfeeling apathy distinguished
every part of their conduct. They therefore pro-
posed, that the best means to keep the people in
subjection, was to make iheir solemn occasions, as
they call them, as frequent as possible. Accord-
ingly, they laid down a new plan for the adminis-
tratio") of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, s\hicl),
although never reduced to a law by any of the acts
of their assemblies, yet grew into practice, and has
been, with very little variations, adhered to ever since
in Scotland. The method is this : —
Two Sundays before the sacrament is to be ad-
ministered, the minister gives notice to the people,
and the elders of the congregation are to make a
report to them concerning the morality of their con-
duct, that the sacred ordinances may not be pro-
faned. On the Thursday before the celebration,
live or six ministers assemble at the church, and the
day is kept as a fast. The inhabitants of many of
the neighbouring parishes assemble, and there are
sermons preached, not only in the church, but also
in a tent in the church-yard, or perhaps i4i a neigh-
bouring field. It is amazing to think what numbers
of people assemble on those occasions, and some-
times, like the procession to Loretto in Italy, they
make parties of pleasure.
Fiiday being a sort of interval, those who live in
the parish, and near to it, return home to their own
houses, but those v\ho perhaps have come sixteen,
or twenty, or thirty miles, procure lodgings either in
farm-houses or barns ; and here, to use the words
of Mr. Sandmian, they sometiu;es on these occa-
sions increase the number of the human species, for
religion will not make people idle.
Ou Saturday several serjnous are preached, both
HISTORY OV THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
C-ll
in the church aiul in the chuirli-varcf, where ilie
tent is erected, and llien the\ ret/re lill SuikJu) moni-
iiiiT- it is tlirii tluit tlie gruit d;iy Ix'^iiis. 'J lie
minister of ihe parivsh goes to the cl.uitli, niid
preaches what he cali,s the action serLnon, alter
wliiili he prepares the people lor the conitnuiiion,
by debarring all those iVoni partaking of it, who
know of any ininiorality in tlit-ir conduct, that they
have nt)t made satisfaction for to the church.
A table is covert d in the middle isle of the cliurdi,
and the minister having consecrated the elennnts,
the ciders carry llieni round to the people. Pie-
vious to the distribution of the elements, every per-
son who is to communicate, delivers to one of the
elders a leaden ticket, v\hich is a token from the
minister that he has been examined, and is properly
prepared for that holy ordinance. The person who
has not got this ticket is rejected, and iiiust immedi-
ately depart. As soon as those who have iiiled the
first table, have paitiiken of the elements, a psalm
Is smig, and tin \ retire to make room for others. —
And thus it frequently happens that there may be
ten or more, of these tables served at once. The
Communicants being all served, there is a sermon
preached by the minister of the parish, and the con-
grigalion are dismissed from the church.
IJul this is not all : during the \vholc time this
ceremony is carrving on in the church, sermons are
preaching in the tent, in the church-yard, or per-
haps 111 an adjacent field. These sermons sometimes
used to continue till midnight, but at present they
are much more regular. Monday concludes the
eeremonv, for on that day two sermons are preached
in the church, and as many in the church yard,
after which the people retire to their own habita-
tions. It is certain, that this looks nmre like the
popish processions than any thing that bears the
name of Christianity, and an attempt was made
some years ago to set the practice aside; but it was
all in vain, for p()putar prejudices ran so hii^li in fa-
vour of it, that such of the clergy as countenanced
the motion, were looked upon as lukewarm, time-
serving wretches, v\ho had no regard for tlie inter-
ests of religion, and who, in slu^rt, were destitute
of real piety.
Education makes a part of religion in Scotland,
for both in public and private, means are used to
promote it. '1 bus, the first thing they learn is the
ihorter catechism, and this tin y repeat not only at
home to their parents, but also at school, «heie the
master pra\s with them mornings and evenings. —
On every Sunday morning before the service begins
two boys stand up in the gallery, and a third in the
clerk's desk. Him in the desk asks the boy on the
left hand, the tirst question in the catechism, who
having answered it, he turns to tie other on the
right, and desires him to prove the atiswer from
43 7
scripture, who does it. They have printed cate-
ehisms with these proofs, and they are obliged to
get them carefully by heart. In three Sunday- they
go over the catechism in this manner, and then three
oilier bu\s take their places.
There is another part of their educition that
ought to be attended to by everyone who would
form a just notion of the church of Scotland. And
that is, that every man and woman servant, as" well
as the boys and gills, are obliged to repeat, when
they come home, the te.xt upon which the minister
preached, and such as begin to grow^ up, must,
wliii) ;hi'\ come home, repent the points or head.s
upon which the minister preached, and as muuk
more as they can remember.
15efore the family sit down to snpper, the master
takes his place, and asks the question.'? in the cate-
chism of his children and servants. That being
over, every one is ordered to bring in his bible,
when the master in a few words, prays lor a bles-
sing on what they are going about to perform. —
Alter this they sing a psalm, and one ot the young
persons reads a chapter in the bible; sonieiiines
two or more are read, and the family-worship ends
by the master praying with his people, who all
kneel down in a decent and reverend maimer.
These devotions are performed every evening, but
the catechism never is asked on these occasions,
except on Sundays. In many parts of the country,
family worship is performed in the mornings as well
as in the evenings,- and here let us calmly consider,
whether this does not exceed any thing that we read
of in other nations. There is another thing which
contribute much towards keeping u|) the life and
power of religion in Scotland, and that is the con-
duct of the clergy, who being always with their
people, they vi.-it them from house to liuuse, pray
with them, and e.xhort them to mind religion, to
take care of their families, to be tender to their
servants, and to live peaceably with their iieigh-
buurs. And all this is done in such a particular
manner, that they are almost adored. 1 hey never
interrere with their people's innocent amusement,
but they do not join willi lliein in such things, well
knowinl:, as Mr. Pennant says, "The least de-
gree of levity sinks the clerical character into con-
tempt."
In their funerals in Scotland, the people, like
those in England, bury their dead either iiv churches
or in church-yards: and it may be proper to observe,
that at baptisms and marriages they pay no fees, ex-
cept a mere tritie to have their names registered in
the parish books. This indeed is the practice in all
other Protestaut churches, except England, where
It is often extremely difficult for the couple to get
married, or get thi ir children baptized, because of
the cxhorbitunt fees. Tor funerals, the people of
64«
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
Scotland pay no fees, except for registering the
uame, and a smail matter to the grave digger.
In iheir fniierals, the clergy never attend, unless
invited, and they neither read prayers, nor do tliey
make a discourse at the grave, as is done among
Dissenters in I'^ngland. The corpse is carried in a
plain decent manner to the grave, and interred
without any other ceremony besides that of the
men just taking oft" their hats when they body is let
down into the grave. In most parts of the coun-
try, the mourners return home to the house where
their friend died, spend the evenmg in eating,
drinking, and smoking, and this they call the
Dergey, which answers to the dirge among the
ancient Greeks. At some of these funeral solem-
nities, the lower order get drunk and quarrel, per-
haps about the merits of the deceased, about
religious sentiments, or somethhig of politics; but
this is no more than ie common to human nature.
It has been a custom with them, from the most
early ages, to sit up and drink in the room where
the deceased lies, from his death to his interment;
.and although they are not so ridiculous as the Irish
in the.«e practices, yet there can be no doubt but
both were borrowed from their heathen ancestors.
There are but few parts of Scotland where the wo-
men are permitted to accompany the corpse to the
grave; but if it is in the country parts, they all
tome to the door when the corpse is carried out,
and stand in a mournful condition till the bearers
have carried it out of siglit. They used formerly
to wrap them in clean linen, and they are not now
restrained from that practice, but they have got
much into the English fashion, and the greatest
number of them, jiarticularly the gentry and people
of fashion, bury in flannel.
\\ hen one of their gentry dies, circular letters,
■written in tiie following manner, are sent to the re-
lations of the deceased, desiring their presence at
the funeral, wliich is generally complied with.
" SIR,
Your presence is desired here on Monday next,
to accompany the funeral of my late spouse, M. 15.
from this to the place of her interment.in ihe.church-
yard of M, and you will oblige
Your friend and servant, .C. JB."
Saturday, September 11, 1778.
To Mr. H ^y, at L.
All the other letters differ in nothing more than
this, except in the qualities of the persons.
In some of the market towns in Scotland, when
a person dies, and is to be bin-ied, the sexton of the
parish goes round w ith a hand bell, and repeats the
following words : —
" Dear brethren, I let yoti to wit tliat onr neigh-
bour, X y lieth dead at his house in R. stree%
and as he is to be interred to-niorrow at two o'clock
in tlie afternoon, your company is desired at the
funeral."
Such are the particulars that relate to the church
of Scotland. If there are faults in any jvart of ha
establishment, perhaps they are as few as in ar.y
other Protestant church in the world; and to look
for perfection among men, would be to expect
what never happened in the «or!d. It is certain,
that errors crept into the C'hristian churcii long
before the death of the apustles, or why should
those holy men have taken notice of them in their
writings. There is not one of the epistles but
what mentions some of these errors, and when we
consider what troubles took place in Scotland at
the time of the Reformation, and for many years
after, it will appear almost a miracle that their
church should at present be so well governed as it
is. It has all those means of grace that can be ne-
cessary, in order to bring men into a state of salva-
tion; and if it differs from other churches in some
points of discipline, it is certain that many of these
bear more to the primitive form. Sir JKenelem
Digby, who was actually a Roman Catholic, used
to tell the I^audian i>arty, in the reign of Charles I.
" That if they wanted to form their church ®n the
model of the ages, they must take the example
from Scotland."
Before we dismiss this article relating the church
of Scotland, we must take notice of two or three
sects of people w ho have sprung from it, and are at
present very numerous in that country.
643
ACCOUNT OF THE SECEDERS.
7 7 E have already mentioned some of tliose mis-
chiefs whicli took place in Scotland conct-iiiins the
patroniige act, but as the people of Enprlaiid are
but little acquainted with then), we shall here lay
them before the reader. The nobililv and gentry,
who had the right of presentation, did not avail
themselves of those emolmnents or privileges arising
from the act, till more than twenty years after it
passes. The first who set them the example was
one from \%hom it was least expected. This person
was the great John, duke of Argyle, a nobleman
whose ancestors had been for a long si ri( s of years
Strongly attached to the Presl)yterians, and for whose
opposition to the measures carried on by Charles II.
two of his ancestors were publicly beheaded. That
duke was, in 17"-, ill enough advised to present one
Mr. Raimie to the parish of Mukart, of which he
V as the patron. The presbytery refused to ordain
him, upon which an appeal was brought before the
generiil assembly, and a select body of their own
members was sent to perforin the onlination. This
exasperated the |>eople so much, that not above one
family would go to the church.
In the mean time, those members of the presby-
tery who had refused to ordain him, were called to
a severe account. Four of them were summoned
before the general assembly, and refusing to acknow-
ledge that they had acted in a disobedient manner,
they «ere deposed, and their churches declared va-
cant. The year following, I'our more of iliem were
deposed; and, in general, the country was in a state
of discontent. Those people who adhered to their
discarded ministers, formed themselves into societies,
and, at last it was agreed, that they shoul.l set up a
separate conitnunion from the established church.
As they had no (fuuche>:, nor meeting, (hev preached
for some time in the fields; and as their djaracters
v^ere popular, they soon procured a vast number of
followers, e«pecia11y among the lower ranks of the
people.
It is certain that these men were not destitute of
abilities, at least t! ey were useful preachers, accord-
ing to ll.a Culviiiistical system. Some of their
printed discourses would do honour to cleravnien,
who hiid far gn nlcr op|)oi (unities of improving
tJicnsselves than ever they had; but in some thiiics
they were weak, and in others they were proud and
bigolted. Tliej had assumed a sourness of temper
iiiconsislcnt with the Christian religion, and some-
thing equally unfeeling with that of a stoic. 'I'iiey
were either weak or vain enough to believe, (hat hi
conseqtience of that popularity the) had acquired
among the people, they could bring about a revolu-
tion in the church and state, in the same manner
as their ancestors of old had done, \>hen they were
a>isisted by the nobility, whom, in liicir infant veais,
they ha<l trained up in principles of rebellion. lint
alas! the nobility had become their enemies, they
saw into their duplicity, and therefore they left them
to the whole vengeance of the civil power.
Here was an infatuation without a legal remedy,
and men who had received the benefit of a liberal
education were weak enough to imagine that they
could produce etfects without being in possession uf
those causes from which they naturally (low'. They
had many consultations with their people, and Jt
was some time before they could form a proper plau
in order to reduce their machinations to j)ractice.
They hated the Episcopalians, who were at that
time very numerous in Scotland, and they equally
abhorred the civil power, for not doing what was
not in its power, without acting contrary to law-
It was an easy matter to inflame the passions of the
people, but it was not so easy to trample upon a
mild benevolent government. Perhaps an evil spirit
possessed them ; for they went like madmen up and
down the country, preaching to their thousands and
ten thousands.
It is well known that when the English and Scotch
Presbvterians agreed to oppose king Charles I. they
professed a great deal of loyalty ; but this loyalty w as
to be in consequence of the king's complyuig with
all their demands, and conferring ufion them all those
enioluminis which formerly belongeil to the bishops
and other dignified clergy. This induced them to
enter into an engagement which they called the so-
lemn league and covenant, but the best title that can
be given it is, a bond of rebellion. It was an asso-
ciation to overthrow the established church, and
abridge the power of the civil magistrate; and yet it
\< as carried on under such specious pretences ot loy-
alty, thiit we are apt to imauine that wh;it has been
oftii) s:iid is true, that there were some Jesuits
among llu'in.
Tlie following is an e.xacf copy of that famous
cuveiiant.
644
ACCOUNT OF THE SECEDERS.
We noblemen, barons, knights, citizens, bur-
gesses, ministers of the gospel, aiu! commons of
all sorts in the kingdoms of England, Scotland, and
Irela-id, by tlie providence of God, livin^; under one
kin^; and being of .•ue reformed religion, iiaving
befoie our eyes the glory of God, and the advance-
nunt of the kinsrdon) of our Lord an! Savioin- Je-
sus Christ, tlie honour and happiness of the king's
majesty, and his posterity, and the true public liberty,
safety and peace of the kingdoms where every one's
private condition is included : and calling to mind
the treacherous and bhjody plots, conspiracies, at-
tempts and practices of the enemies of God, against
the true religion and professors thereof in places,
esppciuily in these three kingdoms, ever since the re-
formation of religion, and iiow much their rage,
power and presu'-iption are of late, and at this time,
increased and exercised, whereof the deploralile estate
of the chiircli and kingdom of Ireland, the distressed
estate ol the cliurch and king joni of i^nL'Tand, and
the dangerous estate of the church and kingdom of
Scotland, are present and public testimonies. "We
have now at last, after oilier means of suj)plication,
remonstrances, protestations and sufferings, for the
preservation of ourselves and our religion, from utter
ruin and destruction, according to the commendable
practice of these kingdoms in fonner times, and the
example of God's people in other nations, after ma-
ture deliberation, resolved and determined to enter
into a mutual and solemn league and covenant : —
\\ herein we all subscribe, and each one of us for
himself, w ith our hands lifted up to the most high
God, do swear,
1. That we shall sincerely, really, and constantly,
through the grace of God, endeavour in our several
places, and callings, the pr(:serv:;tion of the reformed
religion in the church of Scotland, in doctrine, wor-
ship, discipline, and government, against our com-
mon enemies. The reformation of religion in the
kingdoms of England and Ireland, in doctrine, wor-
ship, discipline, and government, according to the
word of God, and the example of the best reformed
churches; and shall endeavoui To bring the churches
of God in the three kigdoms, to the nearest con-
jniiction and uniformity of religion, confession of
faith, form of church government, directory for
worship and catechizing, that we, and our posterity
after us, may as brethren, live in faith and love,
that the Lord may delight to dwell in tlie midst
of us.
2. That we shall in like manner,, without respect
of persons, endeavour the extirpation of popery,
prelacy (that is, church-government, by archbishops,
bishops, their chancellors, and commissaries, deans,
and chapters, arch-deacons, and all other ecclesias-
tical otKcers depending on that hierarchy) snper-
i»tition, heresy, schism, profaneness, and whatsoever
shall be found to be contrary to sound doctrine and
the power of godliness, least we partake in other
men's sins, and thereby be in danger to receive of
their plagues: And that the Li)rd may be one and
his name one in the three kingdoms.
3. We shall, with the same sincerity, reality and
constancy in our several vocations, endeavoui with
our estates and lives, mntu illy to preserve the lights
and privileges of the parliament, and the liberties of
the kingdoms, and to preserve and defend his ma-
jesty's person and authority, iii the preservation and
defence of the true religion, and liberties of the
kingdoms : That the w oi Id may bear witness with
our consciences of our loyally, and that we have no
thoughts or intentions to dimir.isli Ins majesty's just
power and greatness.
4. VV^e shall also, wilh a faithfulness, endeavour
the discovery of all such as have bee.'i or shall be in-
cendiaries, malignarits, or evil instruments, by hin-
dering the reformation of religion, dividing li.e king
from the people, or one of the kingdoms from an-
other, or making any faction or jiarties among the
people, contrary to this league and covenant, that
ihey may be brought to public trial, and receive
condign punishment, as the degree of their offences
shall require or deserve, or the supreme judicatories
of both kingdoms respectively, or others having
power from them for that effect, shall judge con-
venient.
.5. And whereas the happiness of a blessed peace
between these kingdoms, denied in former times to
our progenitors, is, by the good providence of God,
granted unto us, and has been lately concluded, and
settled by both parliaments, we shall each one of
us, according to our place and interest, endeavour
that they may remain conjoined in a iiim peace and
union to all posterity, and that justice may be done
upon the wilful opposers thereof, in maimer expres-
sed in the preceding article.
fi. We shall also, according to our place and cal-
liilfj in this common cause of religion, liberty, and
peace of the kingdoms, assist and defend all those
tiiat enter into this league and covenant, in the main-
taining and pursuing tiiereof, and shall not suffer
ourselves directly or indirectly, by whatsoever com-
bination, persuasion or terror, to be divided and
withdrawn from this blessed union and conjunction,
whether to make defection to the contrary part, or
to give ourselves up to a detestable indifferency, or
neutrality in this cause, which so much concerneth
the i;l<>ry of God, the good of the kingdoms, and
honour of the king, but that all the days of our
lives zealouslv and constantly continue therein, against
all opposition, and promote the same according to
our power against all lets and impediments whatso-
ever ; and that w hat we are not able oiuselves to
suppress or overcome, we shall reveal and make
ACCOUNT OF TOE SECEDERS.
645
Idiown, iViat it may he timely prevented or rf moved.
j\\[ wliitli \vi: shall ilo as in llie sight of Cod.
And because these kingdoms are guilty of many
sins, and provocations against God and his son Jesus
Christ, as is too manifest by onr present distresses
and dangers, the fruits thereof: \^'e profess and de-
clare before C«od and the world our unfeigned desire
to be humbled for our own sins, and for tlie sins of
these kingdoms, especially that we have not, as \vc
ought, valued the inestimable l)enefit of the gospel,
that we liavc not laboured for the purity and power
thereof; and that we have not endeavoured to re-
ceive Christ in our hearts, nor to w alk worthy of him
iu our lives, which are the causes of other sins and
transgressions so mucli abounding amongst us, and
our true and unfeigned purpose, desire and endea-
vour for ourselves, and all others under our power
and charge, both in public and in private, in all
duties we owe to God and man, to amend our lives,
and each one to go before another in the exampic of
a real reformation ; that the Ja>1(I may turn away his
wrath and htr.ivy indignation, and establish these
churches and kingdoms in truth and peace ; and this
coveiiaut we make in the presence of Almighty God,
the searcher of all hearts, with a true intention to
perform the same, as we shall answer at that great
day, « hen the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed;
most humbly beseeching the Lord to strengthen us
by his holy spirit for this end, and to bless our de-
sires and proceedings with such success, as may be
deliverance and safety to his people, and encourage-
ment to other Christian churches groaning under or
in danger of the yoke of Antichristiau tyranny, to
join in the same, or like association and covenant,
to the glory of God, the enlargement of the king-
dom of Jesus Christ, and the peace and tranquillity
of Christian kingdoms and conuncni-wealths.
It is well known, that under that mild government
vhich has taken place since the revolution, no body
of men whatever could have publicly sworn this
bond or covenant, without either sulijecting them-
selves to all the penalties inflicted by the riot act, or
even to hii.h treason. Their ministers were popu-
lar, but they were, at the same time, craftv. '^I'hey
kut \v how to accomm>(iate their self-inteiest to the
enthusiastic, madness ol the people's pas ,')ns ; and,
at the same time, they had the art to screen them-
selves from the Sword of the civil magistrate. —
Every pretender to liigh and cvelated attainments in
religion, is an iirlful politician; and it fref|uentlv
happens that very insignificant creatures, who have
ac(|uired an ascendency over the consciences of the
people, can plan out schemes that would do honour
to tlie genius of a Machiavel.
Thus we (ind, that when these discarded ministers
could not, widiout making a solemn processini; to
the place of execution, swear to observe the solemn
43 8 a
league and covenant, thev contrived (to use the words
of Saudinian) to make an image like it. The same
artful writer says, that it is as much like the original,
as a child ever was like its faiher. 'i'his new cove-
nant is a sort of bond of union among them, that
ihey will do every thing to support tlie church of
Scotland, and, as far as lies in their power, endea-
vour to bring about a reformation. It is certain,
that had it been drawn up in the most learned
schor>l of the Jesuits, it could not have been more
ambiguously expressed. Thousands of meanings
might he jiut u|>on the words, and people of any
denomination might swallow it without clioaking
themselves, as they did, when they look the test in
that country.
This covenant being thus framed, it was consi-
dered as meiitorious to sid)scribc it, as if they had
dependid lor salvation njxin it. lly this time the
weak lit luded people liad built meetings with tliatch-
ed roofs, for the artful preachers, who demanded
from each of them a small sum of money for the
benefit of their ministry.
The next thing to be done was to renew their
covenant, as they call it; and for this purpose many
thousands of mad brained people assembled at most
of their meetings, where there were generally above
a dozen of ministers ; for by this time, their num-
bers were increased by some young probationeis
having joined them, who could not get places in the
established church. The popidarity of their dis-
courses had a vast effect on vulgar minds, and they
reigned triumphaHt over the consciences of the
people.
It is impossible to conceive how these people
spread themselves over many parts of Scotland,
within a few years. Wherever there was an impro-
per minister among those of the establishment, one
of their preachers received an invitation, and a new
meeting was built for him. As oidy a few of the
regular probationers chose to join them, so they set
up an academy to teach a few of their sons; and it
may justly be said, that they knew just as much of
learning as to despise it. They were ntt<'rlv un-
acquainted w ilh history, or any of that sort of know-
ledge which enlarges the human mind, and makes
man an ornament to society. They were actually
taught to tlespise such learning, and perhaps had one
of them been seen reading the best poem in the
world, he woultl either have been excommimicated,
or have stood, as Allen Kamsey savs,
" \\ ith a hot face before the ho'y band."
The meaning is, he would have been obliged to
mount the black stool of repentance. As for read-
ing of plays or novels, though ever so innocent, it
would have bt cu as bad as holding a correspondence
646
ACCOUNT OF THE SECEDERS.
with the devil. Tlicy were not permitted to read a
book written I)) a cliurch of England divine; and,
as for bishops, tlieir names were never nientiont'd
bnt \\illi contempt, and as men who were at war
with Christ Jesus. But if they had not learning,
they had zeal, and a large share of assurance. For
any of them to smile was reckoned in<lecent, but to
laugh was abominable. The more gloomy coun-
tenances tliey put on, the moie t'.iey were esteemed,
and they sung theii' sermons in a lung drawing strain.
Sucli were liie lirst preachers whom the Seceders
brought np, and we can assure the reader, that the
picture here drawn is far from being too highly
coloured. They began their ministry by inspiring
the people with a violent hatred to the ministers of
the established church, so that in many parts, when
the ministers went round to visit their parishes, these
people, who hstd joined the new religion, shut their
doors upon them. None of them would employ
servants who went to the parish chinch, if they
could procure any other; but when they were forced
to employ some, they made their lives miserable by
disputing concerning religion. ,
The next thing to be done, was to prepare the
people for swearing the covenant, and this was la-
borious work for the ministers indeed. Their houses
could not contain the vast numbers of peo|)le that
came to them to be examined concerning their
knowledge of this son of the solemn league, so that
they were obliged to take them into the meetings. —
'Jhere they explained to them the nature of the oath
they were to take, and they pointed out the neces-
sity they had been under to make a new covenant,
as it would have been dangerous in them to swear
the first till a more favourable opportunity, so that
it was only a temporary covenant. The whole of
the candidates having been examined, such as the
in lister and his elders approved of, received tickets,
as a certificate of their qualifications, and these they
■were to give back when they came to swear the
covenant.
The day fi>r this ceremony being fixed, ten or a
dozen of their ministers repaired to the place, wliere
there were two tents erected in the fields, besides
the service in the congregation within the meeting.
After sermon was over in the ineeting, there was a
vast deal of formalities, all those who had not
tickets were conmianded to separate, and hear ser-
mons at the tents. These sermons consisted of in-
decent and violent invectives against the established
church, and forced allegorical constructions of such
passages in the Old Testament as lelated to the tem-
poral state of the Jews, which had no more to do
witli their new made covenant, than the Alcoran of
the Turks, or the man in the moon.
In the mean time, the names of all the candidates
for swearing were called over, and they were com-
manden to hold up their right hands, which they did
after they had delivered their tickets. It happened
very unfortunately, for some of those who had been
rejected, thrust themselves in among the ticket-men
and women, so eager weie tliey to swear to the son
of the solemn le.igue. These were thrust out,
which frequently created much confusion, and kept
the ceremony back a considtrable time. However,
as there were a couple o! sermons going forward
in the tents, they had no more to do than to repair
thither.
All the malignants, which is a most dreadful
word amongst them, being driven out of the meet-
ing, the minister held a scroll in his hand, and read
the covenant to them, which being done, he asked
the people, who were still holding up their hands,
whether they would subscribe it, which they all ea-
gerly did, and afterwards there was a sermon of two
or three hours in length, a prayer of about an hour
long, and one of the psalms, that contains the word
covenant was sung. The subscribed roll was kept
in the meeting, and if by any mischievous accident a
subscriber went to the parish church, got a girl with
child, was found at a dancing bout, or in an ale-
house, his name was first eraced out, and then he
was excommunicated. Those who retained their
attachment to the covenant, were perhaps as fully
persuaded of their own salvation, as a Romish
devotee is when he conies from the confessor's
chair.
No person was to have his child baptized, nor be
admitted to the communion, till he had first sworn
and subscribed the covenant. It was the lest of
their faith as well as their obedience; and it was the
first question asked when these people met together,
" Have you taken the covenant?" The rebellion
broke out soon after, and it must be acknowledged,
that these people gave many striking instances of
their loyally. Whatever might iiave been their
madness in other tilings, they were no strangers to
that sort of conduct which would entitle them to
the favour of government. They knew what their
ancestors had suffered from the Stuarts, and they
had no reason to expect any mercy had a popish
prince been placed on the throne of Britain. This
made them exert themselves to the utmost, to keep
their people in a state of loyalty. Nay, many of
ihem took up arms ; and when the city of Glasgow
raised a regiment of seven hundred men, one half
of these were Seceders, who behaved gallantly at
ihe battle of Falkirk, and would certainly have de-
feated the rebels, had not the dragoons ran away in
a cowardly manner.
Such was the condition of these people when the
rebellion was suppressed, and then they quarrelled
among thiMiiselves. The reason was this:
One Campbell a fiery hot-headed man, pretended.
ACCOUNT OF THE BURGHERS.
•647
that no members wlio were burgesses, or froemeii of
corporations, should be adniiUed to lake the cove-
nant ; because, when these burgesses take up ihtir
freedoms, tliey swear to maintain tiie religion as by
law establislied. On the otlier hand, allliough tlien
cunning prevented them from swearing to eMiipate
the established religion, yet they knew it meant so
as soon as a favourable o|>portunity ottered. Tliere
was certainly some sense and reason too in what this
man said, and it appears that he had too much ho-
nesty to approve of a mental reservation.
In consequence of this, a division took place
among them, and tlie numbers on each side were
nearly equal. Young men who had served their ap-
prenticeships in corporations, were loth to be de-
prived of their freedoms, nor did they know where
to seek for a living. In most of the towns in Scot-
land, when a young woman marries a non-freeman,
she can convey the freedom to her husband, if her
father was free. This, to some young women, was
as good as a marriage portion ; but here was an at-
tempt to set the whole aside. Both parties thought
themselves under a necessity of swearing, but they
dilVeied about the mode. The tempers of the mi-
nisters were too fiery to be reconciled, and an anti-
pathy against each other took place, equal to that
between cats and mice. They consequently divided
themselves into two parties, the one called Burghers,
and the other Anti-burghers ; both of which we shall
here consider in their proper places.
Of
the Burghers.
Those who were called Burghers, where the most
moderate, but not the most numerous. '1 hey were
however, very subtle; and the distinction they made
concerning the nature of the two oaths, would have
done honour to the school of L.oyt)la.
They asserted, that to swear to support tiie reli-
gion as by law established, was to support the Pres-
byterian religion as it had been established by the
parliament of Scotland in the year l640, after tlie
famous Glasgow assembly 16 >8, and to adhere to
the solemn league covenant; but as at the revolu-
tion the solemn league had not been recognized or
acknowledged, and as the patronage act had set aside
one of the articles of the union, consequeiuly the
then esiablished religion was not according to lavy ;
so that when burgesses took their oaths in their cor-
porations to maintain their established church, how-
could thev mean the then church of Scotland, which
was not legally established, but only that which was
ovevtiirown at the restoration.
The !>ense was neither more nor less than this;
they might swear one tiling and mean another. Now
It is well known, that all oaths should be expressed
111 words free from ambiguity, or a double lueaMiiig.
i'he oath that the persons took who were made fiee
ill corporations, was clear, 'ihey were to maintain
the religion as by law cstabliilied. In ihe same
manner that tlie burgher-miuislers taught their peo-
ple to take this oath, a |)a])ist might take it in ling-
land. Every Roman Catholic in tiiis country Ijelieves,
that his religion was established by law, because it
was once so; and the papists have here the advan-
tage over the Presliylerians, who are called burghers.
l"or the popish religion was actually established by
the consent of parliament, long before the Norman
conquest; whereas, if we iiieliide the solemn leairnc
and covenant, with the abolition of the righs of pa-
trons to present to ecclesiastical benefices we shall
find that the Presbyterian religion, in the manner
contended for by the Seceders, was not established
in Scotland till lfJ4<J, when there was no king, but
only a junto of both houses of parliament.
However, the burghers continued to admit those
to swear the covenant who had taken the corpora-
tion oaths, and still put their own Jesuitical meaning
upon it. They were followed by such of the mem-
bers of corporations as made choice of ihein for
preachers ; and these were followed, or imitated, by
many who knew nothing of the nature of an oath.
The Burghers were most numerous in the towns,
the Anti-burghers in the country. But a vast revo-
lution had taken place in the notions of the
Burghers.
As the others carried things into the wildest ex«
treines, so the Burghers inclined towards moderation.
They became gradually more and more so, and they
receded from the mode of imposing their covenant,
except to those who denied to swear it, which is now
done in private. They think tliere is no sin in hear-
ing a minister of the established church of Scotland
preach, so as there is no errors in his doctrine; by
which is meant, he is a sound Calvinist : nay (and
wonderful it is to relate) they will actually go and
hear a ISIethodist preach without beiug censured.
This will appear the more surprising, when it is
considered, that the late Mr. V\'hittield wanted to
cultivate a friendship with the Seceders before they
split in parties, but they would have nothing to do
with him, unless he would acknowledge himself to
be a guilty sinner, for having been ordainetl liy an
anti-chrisiian bishop, namely, Dr. Benson, bi'-iiop
of Gloucester, and for preaching in the parish
churches of Scotland. At present, the numbers of
the liurghers are daily dwindling away, and proba-
bly they will die with the present generation. Heats
in religion are like fevers in the human body, and
the patient is soou killed ur cured.
643
ACCOUXT OF THE ANTI-BURGHERS.
Of the Anti-Burghers.
We liave already observed, that the Burghers
were more moderate than the x\iiti-Biirghers, and
Me shall now lay before the reader the difference of
spirit that took |ilace between them.
The first thing done by the Anti-Burghers was, to
excommunicate the Burghers, which they did in as
solemn a manner as thcv had formerly sx^orn ti:e
covenant. One Mr. Halph Erskiue, a very popular
preacher, who was one of the second four deposed
by the general assembly, took part with the
Burghers, and the greatest part of his congregation
adhered to him. This man had two sons, bolli mi-
nisters among the Scccders, and they had' taken the
same side with the Anti-Burghers. Like their
father, they were both popular, and probably, not-
ivithstanding their diffeivnt sentiments, yet they had
a putenia! regard for him. But be that as it will,
their brethren, the Anti-Burgher ministers resolved
t^ make the same trial as the inquisitors do when
tbey -senj the nearest relations to apprehend the
accused person, and tells him that he must conquer
nature by grace.
These two young men were pitched upon to ex-
communicate their own father. If there was a ne-
cessity for excomn)unication taking place, it would
have been more decent to have come from the
mouth of a stranger than a son ; but wherever the
externals of religion are contended for without the
internals, cruelty takes place in the heart. The
young ministers were obliged to comply, and seemed
cheerful when they did so. The form of these ex-
communications is as follows :
A tlay is appointed for a fast, and a tent erected
in the fields, where several inflammatory sermons
are preached to crowds of poor \\ orking people,
who have left their employments to be witness of
the solemn scene. The case of these people leaving
their lawful employments, and some of tiiem travel-
ling twenty or thirty miles to hear inflammatory
discourses, which, so far from being consistent
with the gos])el, are sufficient to take their minds
away from it, leads us to mention the following
anecdote by way of digression.
In the memorials of Mr. John Livingston, a fa-
mous minister in Scotland, during the last century,
there is a singular relation concerning one Euphan
M'(.Jullan in the parish of Kinneucher in Fifeshire.
it was thus:
"Euphan M'Cullan in the parish of Kinneucher,
a poor woman but rich in faith. I have heard the
lady Cuhoss tell the following things of her. That
sli.e seldom or ever prayed but what she got a posi-
tive answer. That she one time desired her to
pray for the temporal state of her family, and when
she enquired what answer she got, Euphan said the
answer was, " He that provides not for his own
house, has denied the faith." Whereat the lady
said, " Now you have killed me, for I go to preach-
ings and communions here and there, neglecting the
care of my family." Euphan replied, *' Madam,
if you are guilty in that sort, you have reason to
be humbled for it; but it wa^ not said in that sense
to me, for the Lord said, " He that provides not
for his own, is worse than an infidel. ^V'ill not I
provide for her and her house, seeing she is mine r"
This passage affords matter of very serious re-
flection. The irreverent familiarity in the address
to the deity— the great God of heaven and earth, is
indeed horriijie. What is there here but the dregs
of popish credulity? How can Protestants object
to the visions of St. Clara, St. Bridget, and St.
Terressa, and yet justify the visions of Euphan
M'Cullan. Sec lord Hale's Remarks, page '255.
But to return to the subject :
After sermon there is a long prayer, and then the
preacher, who is to repeat the excomniiniication,
goes up into the pulpit, and for the most part orders
the hundred and ninth psalui to be sinig, in which
so many dreadful curses are imprecated on the ene-
mies of God. Where they find the enemies of God
mentioned, they apply it to the enemies of the
church under the gospel ; whereas it relates only to
those heathen nations v\ho fought against the Jews.
The psalm being ended, the minister prays for a
blessing ui)on tl;e curse he is going to pronounce,
and then all the people standing up, he reads the
crime the offender is guilty of, and then says, " For
tUese and for all other acts of disobedience to the
church, I being a minister of Jesus Christ, and hav-
ing power and authority from him, do, in his name
and by his authority, excommunicate and cast out of
the true church of God, A. B. and deliver him up
to satan to be tormented in the flesh, that his soul
may be saved in the day of the Lord." He con-
cludes, by praying that God would ratify, seal, and
confirm the sentence he has pronounced.
These are i)retty words, perhaps the reader may
say, to be pronounced by a son against his father.
But the most remarkable thing in the words is, that
satan, the grand adversary of mankind, is here made
a minister of the gospel ; he has the excommuni-
cated person put under his tuition, and by torment-
ing his flesh he is to bring him to a sense of the
dreadful sin of differing with another in opinion.
It was imagined the Burghers would have returned
the CDUiphnunt and exconnnunieatid in their turn,
but they tlid not, only that on the excomiannication
davs they preached in their ow n chuiches against
the Anti-burghers. Some may imagine they did this
to keep their people together, but v\hatevcr might
be in that, there w as no manner of necessity for it ;
ACCOUNT OF THE ANTI-BURGHERS.
649
because at that time they were so exasperated
ap;uiiist each other, lliat they wouhl have cuutiiiued
without seiinoiis a whole year, ratlier tlian go into
each other's meetings. However, at present, tlie
Burghers are as great Latitudinariaus as the Metho-
dists are in England.
On the other hand, the Anti-burghers still continue
to take the covenant, and like the lloinan Catholics,
to liate all those \\ho difler from them in opinion.
Thi'V are as severe in tiieir discipline as over, and not
lonn since, a poor taylor, who was clerk to one of
their meetings, was silenced from singing a single
sta\e, merely because he went one working day into
another meeting.
"Sometime ago, a report was made to one of
their ministers in Scotland, who is at present the
ohief leader of the party, that two young men of his
congregation had been admitted into the society of
free-masons.
The minister, imagining he had now an opportu-
nity of disclosing to the public all the secrets of tree-
masonry, which frighten so many peojile, sent for
the young men to his own house. \\ hen they came,
they were threatened, under the penalty of church
censures, that they would reveal to him the secrets
of free-masonry. Their answer was, they coidd not
do it, but if lie pleased they would make him a mason
and then he would kno\\ ail.
Not so enraged were the Scribes and Pharisees,
when Jesus made them condemn themselves by their
own words, nor so einaged was the consul when
Polycarp set all his torments at deliance, as the Anti-
burgher minister was when the yoinig men gave
him such an answer. He raged like a nuidman,
and told them they should be excommunicated. He
was as good as his word ; but the yoiuig men ap-
pealed to their synod, whicii is tlie highest court the
Secedcrs have. This made things worse, for it
occasioned the excomnuiuication of all the free-
masons in Scotland that belonged to them ; and all
tliese turning to the Burghers, who readily admitted
them, became a valuable acquisition to the latter.
Many other instances of their superstition might
be mentioned, but we shall only relate the fol-
lowing.
It was the custom formerly in Scotland, and is so
still in many parts, for the women to fan the ehaiV
from the corn bi fore it is ground into nu-al. This
was tedious, but it was an ancient custom. An inge-
nious artist made a uiachie.e that stood in the inside
of the mill, having Hat thin boards to go round by i
means of a coiuh clion v. ith. the wheel.
A miller near Edinburgh had one of them made,
and this man bein;; a Secct^ler, the same minister who
had the dispute with the free-masons, happening to
call at the mUler's, he looked at the mucliine. It
displeased han much, and he told him to take it
43 8
down, for those who were so new tangled as to set
up sueli machines, would in time toHow the wolf in
sheep's clothing, meaning Mr. \\ hitfield. 'i'he
miller stood amazed to think what connection his
fanners could have with religion, and refused to pull
them down. I pon that he was exconununicated
and went to the Burgheis. They have but one meet-
ing in London, and so wedded arc they to their an-
cient opinions and practices, that although they have
no more occasion for it than a cart has for a third
wheel, yet once every year they mi\st have a mitiister
sent up to them from Scotland to assist tluir own
pastor ill administering the sacrament. As none of
them in Scotland will be married by the established
clergy, the ceremony is performed by their own
ministers, so it is generally supposed that when
the minister comes up from Scotland, he marries
such as desire it privately. It would not be pru-
dent in their own minister, liecause he might bring
himself into trouble, Idit as the other is to set off
for Scotland, so he is out of all manner of dan-
ger. However, they do not consider that these
marriages are illegal, for disputes might arise if a
law suit w as depending between one of them, con-
cerning a will made in favour of one of their chil-
dren, and tliu opposite party, who had been born in
legal wedlock.
Supposing the judges should order both parties to
produce a certificate of their marriage, where would
the Anti-burghers be found. The man would tlien
rertect on the injury he had done to the child, and
the child himself would have cause to remember it
ever after. Some of them go down to Scotland and
get married, but those are few in number; for the
greatest number of them are working men, and few
of them can bear the expence. On the otlier hand,
the Burghers are so regardless about these things,
that they are married in the churches.
No people in the world have a stronger hatred to
the Methodists than the Anti-burghers. The mi-
nister had a scuffle with the miller, and afterwards
wrote a book, wherein he endeavoured to prove,
first, that Mr. Whitfield's doctrine was diabolical.
Secondlv, that it was a lion id siii for any one to hear
him preach. Thirdly, that the justice of God would
overtake him. In this w<jrk is die following remark-
able passage : —
" As for the grntleman himself, while he is under
a ruinous delusion, and tlieuby led out into the
horrid path we have l)eeu describing, w hieh, besides
all its otlier dreadful tendencies, is calculated for ga-
thering upon him his ow n blood and the blood of
nudtitudes ; thus his condition loudly reipiires the
pitv of all who know liini. And I know no way
wherein to sliew it, then by a\oiding his com-
pany, that he may be made ashamed of his conduct.
Ill this manner it is that we aie called to the ex-
650
ACCOUNT OF THE PRESBYTERY OF RELIEF.
ercise of love to his person, and a desire fo his
recovtrj'." '
An account of the Pre.shyten/ of relief.
The third and last sort of Presbyteries, who arose
in Scotland in consequence of tlie patronage act,
havt called themselves the Presbyltry of relief.
To understand this term rightly, it is necessary to
observe, thai the people in Scotland have, ever since
the Reformation, loved those doctrines which point
out salvation as only to be obtahicd through the im-
putation of Christ's righteousness. ISiovv it has
unfortunately happened, that many of the young
preachers presented by the patrons, were of different
sentiments; and some of thein went so f;ir as to
poHit out to their hearers all those doctrines as true,
which coniniouly go under the name of Arminianism.
This was too good a name for them to assume, for
Apninianism never dtnied the imputation of Christ's
righteousness, only that it allowed there was a free-
dom in the human will. Whereas, their young
preachers in Scotland, often preached whole sermons
without nienlioning the name of Christ as a media-
tor. Ihis was sliocking to those people who had
been brought up in the principles of their own con-
fession of i'aith and catechisms ; but they did not
chuse to join the Seceders.
It was said that a club of young divines met at a
bouse in Edinburgh, to ridicule the doctrines of
CaKiti ; and certain it is, that one of them, who
was no more than a probationer, and a schoolmaster,
had his licence taken from iiim, for publishing a
pamphlet on that subject. In answer to this pamph-
let, one Dr. Weatherspoon, minister at Paisley,
about six miles from Clasgow, published an essay,
entitled, " 'Vhe Ecclesiastical Characteristics." In
this treatise he endeavoured to prove, that most of
the clergy of Scotland taught nothing but downright
Heathenism, or, as they call it, morality. For this
he was called before the synod of (Glasgow ; but
having no proof of his being the author, the case
Was dismissed. As Weatherspoon was continually
fjuarreiliug with his people, and as they had insti-
tuted a law-suit against him for defamation, he went
over to America, wliere he was made president of
tbe college of New Jersey, and is at present one of
the members of the congress.
However, he did not leave Scotland till he had
laid a plan for a schism in that church. He col-
lected together as many of the popular clergy who
had poor livings as he could, and tiid them, that if
they would leave their churches without joining the
Sep eders, they would Hud a powerful assistance from
many of the people. They would build them meet-
ings and their livings v. ouhl be doubled.
Aceordinglv, many l^ett their churches and had
some meetings built for them. It was sonic time
before they could fix upon what name they should
assume, and therefore, as they were to give relief
to those people wlio were plagued by the moral
preachers, they took upon themselves the name of
the Presbyttry of Heliff.
This circumstance did not tnke place till within
these twenty years, but tlie ministers did not find'
their account in it. The>»r moderation was equal to
that of the established church and to th< Buiaheis.
which did not suit the tempers of the people. 'i'Lere
were some other circumstances much against them,
one of which was, that most of their meetings were
built in jjopulous towns, where none of the moraT
preachers had been settled. The people foini.; no-
thing new, and tlieiefore many of ihem returned
home to their own churches. Another circumstance
was, that one of them deserted his flock, and settled
at thi' head of a populous congicgatieu in Loudon,
because the salary was tour times as much as they
could allow him.
It is certain, the clergy cannot live without mo-
ney any more than other men, but they ought to
examine from what motives they leave a poor for a
rich congregation. It is a maxim among the laity,
that a clergyman never leaves a rich benefice to go
to a smaller one, and undoubtedly it is in general
true, as it is with all other professions, and yet we
have known instances to the contrary, both among
the clergy and laity. However, when a body of
poor people are indulgent to their pastor, he ought
not to leave them.
But with respect to these people, or rather to their
clergy, they are but few in number, and they hold
a synod on every year. Their form of discipline
IS weak, and they are followed only for their popu-
larity. Like the Seceders, they visited their people
from house to house, and do all they can to keep
them in their interest. They are industrious in the
discharge of their pastoral office, but they now have
academies, like tlie Seceders who are more numerous,
for the education of young men for the ministry.
As their reasons for separating from the church of
Scotland were the most trifling that could be ima-
gined, so they have not many friends among the
better sort of people ; and as they do not deal much
in invective or abuse, they are considered as luke-
warm by the vulgar.
Many of them have left their first principles, and
are daily returning back to the established church.
Some of their preachers have made attempts to join
the established cliurch again, and obtain livings, but
an everlasting door is shut against them. la a word.
ACCOUNT OF THE CAMEROXIANS, OR MOUNTAINEERS.
651
they will only exist a few years longer, for few inen
arc sooiiur baiiLiupts than those who Ciwry on tlie
wholisah' triide in rehgion. When the nioli\es tlsiit
at hr-it a induc<.(l man to change his religion are onco
found lo he insincere, he is despised hy ail parties,
and, in general, couverls are but little esticnied.
Upon the whole, we shall concludi^ tiiis article hy
observinji, that all these parties which have s)>rung
from the established church of Scotland, sw« ar the
same articles of religion, teach the children tiie same
catecliisni, and observe the same form of worship,
so that thei-e is no difteience but in the covenant.
Aceount of the Camcioiiia/is, or Mountaineers.
This sect of religious people did not take their rise
from any of the causes alrt-ady mentioned. They
existed long before the revolution. One Mr. Ca-
meron, a Presbyterian minister, having made his
escape from the battle of Hotli well-bridge, 1679,
tied tt)\vards the south, and being tollowcd by about
three hundred men of his own sentiiiieiils. they once
more renewed the covenant, and began their march,
having first read a proclamation, setting forth that
the king had no right to the throne, because he
had taken the covenant, and afterwards ordered it to
bi; burnt by the hands of the common executioner ;
that they were determined to turn out the bishops,
and have them punished, as the Amalakites were of
old l)v llie divine command; that they were to re-
store the kingdom of Christ in Scotland, and once
more to revive it to its ancient glory. They meant,
that they woukl overthrow the government both in
church and state, and put all those to death who
differed from them in religions sentiments.
These mad brained people, who had been driven
by oppression to desperation, vainly iniagined, that
they wouKI be joined by the country people as they
M-ent eastward; but alas! instead of meeting with
new reinforcements, Sir John Graham, afterwards
Lord DuntUe, came up with them at a ]>lace called
Aud's Moss, where they were mad enough to at-
tempt opposing the king's forces. They shot two or
three of the dragoons, who had not so much as fired
upon them, and then Sir John ordered his men to
tktUick them. Cameron, their leader, was killed,
with about thirtv more, and nio^i of the others were
taken prisonvis, and. the rinirleaders were executed
at Eiliiibnrgh in a'lttost barbarous manner, among
whom was one Mr. Hackstone, a young gentleman,
who assisted in the nmrder of Sharp, archbishop of
Si. Andrew s. The remainder of the prisoners were
sent to the colonies in Amt»rica.
From this tjine till the revolution, some of these
madmen assembleti ou the mountains, from which
circumstance they were called M ountaiueers, and
sometimes Cameronians. ^^'hcn king James puh-
hsheil the indulgence for liberty of conscience, they
would not accept of ii, but followed one Mr. James
Renwick, a yoimg probationer, who was afterwards
hanged at Edmbnigh a few months before the revo-
lution.
^\ hen the revolution took place, they would not
acknowledge it, because the covenant was not re-
stt)red, and because king William would not abolish
episcopacy in Eiiglaiid. 'J'hey continued to preach
on the mountains for many years after the revolution,
although they were at liberty to build meetings. Af
tlie union, they abused government so much, that
some of them were imprisoned, and others set in the
pillory. One of them being asked in the court of
justice by what authority he abusell government,
pulled out his bible from his pocket, and told the
judges that it was by the authority of that book
whicli he believed their lordships had never read,
riiey hated the present family on the throne as much
as they did the Stuarts, and being a sort of fifth
monarchy men, would acknow ledge no king but Je-
sus. Some of the established clergy, who had little
learning and less knowledge, took part with them,
and one more impudent than the rest, told his hear-'
ers that king George I. had no more right to the-
crown than a moor-cock.
This man escaped the vengeance of the civilf
power, but he was despised and excommunicated.
He died some years after at F,dinbuigh, and always
was called the nioor-cock. In latter times, these
peojile had private ineefings in different parts of the
south of Scotlaiul, and nianv scandalous stories were
told concerning them, some ot which perhaps were
not true.
These people are much dwindled away, there
being but only a handful of them left, but they still
retain their old sentiments. TJiey are Calvinists
w ith respect to the teinis of acceptance, but their
notions concerning ecclesiastical and civil power are
abominabie. They many their own pioplc, and
baj>tizc their children, 'ihey have still no meetings
but in private houses, and they discard, all those who
differ from them. They admit of no toleration, and
if they had power, probably they would make a very
bad use of it.
They are in general treated with much ccmtempt,
and sometimes they deserve it. Some of their mem-
bers joined to the Seceders, and for that were sent to
the devil, by 'a warrant of exconunnnication. Their
meetings are as private in -Scotland as those of the
Roman Catholics, and they are of .such unsocial tem-
pers, that few sober, sensible persons will keep c(un.
pany with them. Tht ir worship is the same as that
observed in the church of Scotland, but in their -er-
inons they are continually abusing the clergy and the
government. 'Ihty are, however, too insignitii rtnt to
be brought to punishment for theii- insoleoce.
652
ACCOUNT OF THE GLASSITES, COMxlIONLY CALLED THE
SAIN DEM AM ANS.
Ti
HESE people did not take their rise in Scotland,
in consequence of the patranage act, tor they ciis-
claim every connection with all tlie established
churches in tiie world, but of this we suall take no-
tice afterwards, when we come to speak of their
principles. In tlie mean time, having read all the
books published by them, and conversed with many
of their leadeis, we shall lay l>etbre the reader a
faitiiful account of them, for although some persons
who are but little acquainted willi history and less
with divinity, may be disposed to laugh at iheir
simplicity of worsliip and government, yet many
good things will be found amongst them.
In the year 17-7, IMr. John Glass, minister of
a parish church near Dundee in Scotland, published
a book entitled, " The testimony of the King of
Martyrs." His chief design in that work was to
prove, that as Christ's kingdom was not in this
world, so it could no where receive a civil establish-
ment. That It might be persecuted or tolerated ac-
cording to the will of prhices, but all those bear-
ing the name of Christian ministers, who accepted
of civil emoluments from the state, were unac-
quainted with the gospel, and enemies to Christ's
kingdom.
These notions alarmed the clergy of Scotland, in
the same manner as Dr. tloadly's sermon had
alarmed the clergy in England, 'i'liey did not know
what might be the consL.juence, for had the princi-
ple advanced by this man once been established,
the crown might have seized on their revenues and
left them and their families to starve. It is certain,
that statesmen are not alu ays the most pious Chris-
tians, and there have been times when such a favour-
able circumstance would have been made a bad use
of. However, this man although an excellent rea-
soner, was too obscure to create much division or
defection among his brethren, had not their public
indicators called him forth from his retirement, and
niad<^ him conspicuous on the theatie of the world.
He was summoned before the presbytery, and
made a most able defence, and because they could
not answer him, they deposed him. He appealed
to the synod, where he defended himself still more
ably, but the clergy were his most bitter enemies.
He was obliged to ap|)eal to the general assembly,
who were very unwilling to lose a man who was
esteemed in his parish, and an honour to the church.
They reversed the decrees of the presbytery and
synod, restored Mr. Glass to his ministry, and or-
dered the cause to be brought on before thejiiselves
in the first instance.
In the mean time, the sober persons who were
members of the assembly, were willing to lot the
ati'air drop; for as Mr. Glass's ministry was confined
to his own parish, and as in his general doctrine he
taught nothing inconsistent with the fundamental
articles of their own religion, they could not see anv
danger in it. To this they added the character of
the man, which was fair and respectable.
The affair came on again before the general assem-
bly, about two years after, and the arguments took
up four days. Some of the members, especially
the elders, were men of high rank, and amongst these
was the famous Duncan Forbes, lord advocate of
Scotland. Besides the lord advocate, there were
several other gentlemen and noblemen of high rack,
members of the assembly, who pleaded strongly in
favour of Mr. Glass. They represented that his
opinions were only of a speculative nature, nor had
they any immoral or irreligious tendency. They in-
sisted further, that to depose a man of Mr. Glass's
knowledge and approved virtue, would be to do an
injury to the church of Scotland.
These worthy members were seconded by some
of the most respectable of the clergy, and by all the
commissioners from the universities. They said that
they could not see any hurt in the doctrines tau<»lit
by Mr. Glass, for, with respect to the grand article,
namely, the atonement made by Christ to reconcile
us to his father's love, he was of the same senti-
ments with themselves. They added, that to pro-
ceed in such a summary manner against him, would
be acting inconsistent w ith their characters as repre-
sentatives of the church of Scotland ; and therefore
they begged, that every sober member of the assem-
bly would drop all thoughts of the prosecution.
However, this moderate party was strongly op-
posed by those of moie violint tiijinpers, particularly
because Mr. (ilass had made an^attejiipt to rob thein
of their popularity without seeking ;uiy to himself.
Here we may learn that both parties were bad poli-
ticians, for men may court popularity while they
seem to despise it, and they may set up themselve
ACeOUXT OF THE GLASSITES.
Gjj-
as the idols of the people, while ihev pretemi, or
nillier aftcct, to be cloathcd with iiuDiility. 'J'liere
arc some secret springs of iiiiinan actions wliich the
Judgtiient day alone can reveal.
It is certain, that had the niajority of the assembly
j)roceedcd on principles of moderation, they might
have kept a worlliy minister in the chnrth, who was
beloved by his people, and esteemed by all who
knew him ; but the ititwlerarit principles of some
were siuli, that when the question was put, it went
against him by a great majority. Accordingly he
was deposed, and another minister put in his room.
"^I'his was much complained of by the people ot
.Scotland in general, but there was ho appeal froin
the act of the general assembly.
In the next jjeneral asseniblv a motion was made
to reverse this decree, and the former act was re-
scinded ; for it was ordered that \lr. (Hass might
offer himself a candidate for any church that became
vacant. 'J'his privilege, however, he did not avail
himself of, for he gathered together a few people,
and proposed to them a new plan of religion. This-
plan of itligion came, periiaps, as near to the primi-
tive chinch as any we have mentioned. Jjut this
leads us to consider tile principles upon whicli ihis
new, or rather old religion, was conducted. By old
religion we mean its affinity with the primitive
church), by new reli^on we consider its revival.
It is- certain, that Mr. Glass's notions were not
popular, but still he procured some followers-. —
Good sense pays no regard: to- popularity,, but vanity
courts alii.
The principal' heads- of that religion^ laid down by
Mr. Glass were,, that,.
First, there can be no civil establishments of
religion consistent with the plan laid down in the
gospel'.
Secondly, that human learning is of no maimer
of service to Christianity, but that every man, let
him be ever sx) ignorant, may tuke upon hitu that
©ffice.
Thirdly, tliat no Christian congregation can be
properly constituted milcs.s there are a plurality of
ministers.
Fourthly, that thei* is not an instance in the
whole of the New Testanient, wheieiri individual
Miiuisters administered the sacrament, without some
to ass-i.<.t them.
F"iftid\, that no person who calls himself a. Cliris-
tkBi), call eat blood.
iSixlhlv, tiiat in all accusations against the moral
rJiuracter,'- of njembcrs of the congregation, there
was to be no ap|)ea!.
Sevenihlv, tliat when the accused per-son was
escommuniGated, he v\as to be hated by all the
people with whom he bad fownerly any coiinec-
taaii.
Eighthly, they were, at llic iimr of their admis-
sion into the congregation, to declare, that the re-
ligion ihey formeily embraced, was no less th iii
hypocrisy.
Ninthly, at the time of tlieir admission, they
were to kiss all the women and men in the congr*^.
nation.
Tenthly, they were to be obedient to all the orders-
of the church, and they were not to be absent with-
out shewing a very reasonable excuse.
Lastly, they were not to take j)art in any politi-
cal disputes, but in all things to be obedient to the'
laws of the country, so as they did not intcrfei-tv-
with the dictates of their consciences. They were-
to attend to the words of Christ, render unto C;e-
sar the things that are Ca;sar's, and unto God' the
things tluit are God'is-.
I..et Cffisar's dues he over paid,.
To Cassar and his throne ;
But consciences- and souls- were made;.
To be the Lord's alone.
These are the fundanicntal principles laid down
by ^Ir. Glass, and like the founder of all new reli-
gions, he soon found' himself followed by some:
l)ersons, who, periiaps were instigated thereto by
vanity. It is certain; that their religion was not
much relished by the people of Scotland, and yet
there are times and circumstances which give a
sanction to every thing. But we shall now consider
them in a more enlarged point of view. VVe are-
the more ready to do this, because but few people'
in England know any thing of these people. We
s4iaH therefore go on to give an account of their dis-
cipline, doctrine, aud worship, and leave thereader
to draw from it what Gonchisions he please?. In
this account it will be found, that nothing has- been
said to injure them; and while we atteiul to historv,
we hope that no man will condemn us ab-Ueing guilty
of partiality.
Before we mention the peculiarites- of these
people,, we shall take notice of that grand distin-
guishing mark which is little known to- the people
of our country in general, and exclaimed severely
against by those who are the greatest pretenders to
religion.
Their faith, or general articles concerning the
li ading principles of religion, are the same as the
most rigid Calvinists, except in one j)oint. Thev
believe in eternal election- and reprobation, and"
carry these notions to a great, and perhaps too great
an height. But they denv final perseverance, and
assert thaf no maii'Can tell whether he will be saved'
or not. They looU upon what the Calvinists call
tlie act of approbation to be great presumption aris-
ing from s[)in!tial pride, and as for the conversion of
the Methodists, they call it blasphemy.
4n
8 G
§54
ACCOUNT OF THE GLASSITES.
Tliey define faith fo be a firm belief of every
tiling related corictrning Ciirist, and particularly his
resiineclioii ; and ihcy believe fiuiher, tliut this faitli
leads men to all sorts of good works, but they are
not to imagine, that lliey know themselves to be
the children of Cod.
They are to attend to the apostle's words not be
high-minded, but fear. To be continually on their
guard, lest they should fall into any snare ; but
lliey are not to make an ostentatious display of re-
ligion, and as for what the Methodists call experi-
ence, and w hich is so called by sorac other churches,
they are to look upon it as a sure mark of a child of
the devil.
In every congregation, they have a plurality of
ministers, whom they call elders, and indeed they
may have as many as they please, because they
pay them no money. They are tradesmen of all
degrees and ranks, and it is matter of fact, that
we have heard a chimney-sweeper preach amongst
them.
They have also several deacons, whose business
it is to watch over all seculai- affairs of the church,
and visit the members from house to house, to
watch as spies upon their conduct, and above all
things to take care to observe whether they keep
company with any of the Methodists, or with such
of the Dissenters as profess to any sort of experience
in the things of God.
If the wife of an elder or a deacon should die, he
may marry again, but he must no longer be a
church officer, 'i'his practice they ground upon the
Words of St. Paul to Timothy, where he says that a
bishop shoidd be the husband of one wife, and so of
the deacons. Certainly this is one of the most forced
constructions that ever was put upon a text since
the New Testament was written. For certainly the
apostle can never mean any thing more, than that the
ministers of the gospel should have but one wife at
a time. As for their appealing to the primitive
church, where they tell us that no mention is ever
made of a bishop or deacon having any more than
one wife, it no way applies to their case, for the
following reason :
When a single man was ordained a bishop or dea-
con in the primitive church, he seldom married after-
wards, because compassion for the fair sex and chil-
dren he might probably have had, led him to believe
he must soon sutler a violent death which frequently
happened. He did not despise marriage, nor did he
distrust God, but he adhered to the exhortation of
St. Paul ; he that marrieth doth well, but he that
marrieth not doth better ; and this is certainly the
sense of the words, which allude to the afflicted state
of tlie church at that time.
Again, when married men were appointed deacons
Of bishops, and their wives died, for the same reasons
they seldom married again, though there was no
precept to the contrary. These people we are treat-
ing of, have had several learned men among them,
but none of them seems to have been much acquainted
with church history.
When a person desires to be admitted into their
congregation, the deacons and sometimes the other
members, go and converse with him not concerning
his moral character, but merely his faith, and if he
makes use of one unguarded expression, he is cast
out, that is, he is left as one who has too much re-
ligion to be admitted amongst them. They are
amazingly jealous of all the Methodists, and all those
who believe in appropriations, and they would rather
wish to find the candidate whistling a merry tune,
than singing a psalm.
When the candidate is approved of, he comes to
the meeting where every member is at liberty to put
what question he pleases to him, and then it is put to
the vote, whether .he shall be admitted or not. This
is done by holding up their hands ; but if one
should be of a different opinion when their names
are called over, then that man, who is of a differ-
ent opinion, is excommunicated ; for these people
admit of no differences in opinion, saying that this
man must be an unbeliever, or otherwise he would
not have voted against the church.
In examining these candidates, there are several
curious questions put to them. And here it is ne-
cessary to observe, that most of those who have
been admitted amongst them, were such as believed
in the appropriation. It is against this famous arti-
cle that they level the whole force of their spiritual
thunders.
Some of these questions are as follows :
Have you ever been at the tabernacle ? And how
often .' Have you ever been a dabbler in religion ?
Was you ever converted ? These questions are an-
swered in the aftirmative ; but here the candidate
says, I imagined so, though I find all to be delusion.
Did not you think yourself in the straight road to
heaven, in consequence of your experience work at
the tabernacle ? I did so. And what do you think
of this experience work now i I look upon it as a
delusion, and that all those who are believers in it
are deceived.
He then proceeds to ask him several other ques-
tions, such as whether he approves of eating of
blood, and his answer must be in the negatives, or he
is rejected. This notion of theirs is founded on the
apostolical injunction, in 1 Cor. 15, but the late lord
Barrington in his Miscellanea Sacra, has made it
appear that this injunction was never intended to
reach any further than the apostolic age, being only
of a temporary nature, not to offend the Jewish con-
verts. The Sandemanians, however, ask the ques-
tion ; W^hy then is it joined with fornication ? The
7VCC0Ux\T OF THE GLASSITES.
65c
reason (says lord Barrington) is, that fornication was
not reckoned as a ain among the Gentiles, but rather
esteemed as a virtue. Nay, to sucli an extravagant
degree was lewdness carried, that it actually became
a part of tlieir leniple service.
Tiiey had places in their temples, where the priests
retired in private with their women, and tins was
reckoned very honourable. It was therefore the
more necessary to caution the Christian converts
against this, because they had been so long accus-
tomed to such practices. Thus they were to re-
frain from eating things otVercd to idols, lest it
should oft'end their Christian brethren ; from things
strangled, and from blood, lest it should offend the
Jews ; and from fornication, not only as a crime for-
bidden in the gospel, but also as contrary to natural
religion. See Barrington's Miscellanea Sacra, Vol.
II. page 16.
The last of the questions generally proposed to
him, is conctrning infant baptism; for they have
the same emnity to the Anabaptists as to the iSletho-
dists. The reason they assign for baptizing infants,
is, that all the human race are in a passive state,
that they can do nothing for themselves ; and there-
fore to pretend that people could be qualified for
baptism was to set up the doctrine of merit. This,
however, is a mistake, for the Calviiiistical Ana-
baptists disclaim any such notion ; they say, that
as there is not an instance in the ^^ew Testament of
a child being baptized, so it w'as never commanded
in the primitive church, nor were any baptized till
they were properly instructed. They mention this
only as a speculative opinion, not as a dogmatical
assertion.
When the candidate is approved of, the elders
kiss him and then the deacons. After that, the
names of the people, men and women, are called
over, and the new admitted member kisses every one,
man or woman, old or young, rich or poor. Per-
haps our readers may consider that this must be a
very merry ceremot)y, but we can assure them, that
it is conducted with great decorum and decency,
being done in the meeting where every person is
free to come. The kissing affair being over, he
receives an exhortation, and the congregation is dis-
missed.
We must not leave this part of the subject, with-
out making a few remarks on this ceremony, of which
these people are as tenacious as they are of the great-
est precepts in the gospel.
Throughout the whole historical part of the Old
Testament, we read of the people kissing each other
in a way of friendship when they met in tlie streets,
or in the fields; and it is related, that Joab took
Abner by the beard and kissed him, while, with
his right hand, he plunged a dagger nito his heart.
There are many parts of Europe where the men kiss
each other when they meet, and it has been the
practice of the eastern nations from the earliest ages
of time. It was the practice in the Anglo-Saxon
time, when the Danes invaded this coimtry, and these
barbarians used frequently to stab those whom they
sainted. From this horrid practice arose the word
used in England, when people desiring their neigh-
bours to drink to them, say, " I'll pledge you." That
is, you shall give nic security, or 1 will take security
of you, that you will not injure me. So far we have
considered it in a civil light, let us now consider it
in the sense the Sandemauiaus use it, namely, as a
religious duty.
'Jliey ground their practise on the words of the
apostle to the Romans, " Salute one another w ith
a holy kiss," that is, with a friendly kiss, or a kiss
of charity. Now the epistle was writing to peo-
ple who had been formerly Heathens, but were then
converted to the faith in Christ. As the practice
of kissing each other continued both amono- the
Jews and Ge-itiles, so it appears that St. Paul had
nothing further in view than to point out to them
that whenever they met and kissed each other, it
should be done in a charitable, friendly manner.
That the action itself being an indication of love
and friendship, so there should be no deceit in the
heart.
That this was what he had in view, will appear
the more evident, w hen we consider, that the apos-
tie never says kiss each other in your churches,
where indeed no salutations took place; for all
was composure and decorum. The most ignorant
person knows, that when we meet our friends, we
shake hands as it is commonly called, and therefore
the precept itself relates to no more than common
forms of civility.
The next thing to be considered is, in what man-
ner they excommunicate their people ,• and we caa
assure our readers that he must be a verv artful man
who is able to live as a member of one of their con-
gregations one single year. They profess to have
all things in common ; and yet when any of their
members become rather uncommonly free in his de-
mands, they part with him. From this we may learn
that words or professions in religion are one thing
and reality another.
As their deacons are constantly on the watch, so
when they find a brother offending, they go and
tell him of it, and if he freely acknowledges his
error, and promises amendment, then ne person is
to take any further notice of it. If he persists in
what he is accused of, the deacon takes two or three
more, and if they can persuade him, then it goes no
further, nor is it made publie to any but themselves.
But if he still persists in his obstinacy, it is mentioned
publicly in the church, and he is sent for, and if he
cither refuses to come, or when he does come, to
656
ACCOUNT OF THE GLASSTTES.
satisfy llie church tbat he was not in an error, then
the elders put the vote to the people, whether he
should not be excommunicated, to which,, when they
have all given their assent, one of the elders prays
that the offender may be delivered over to satan to
be tormented in the tiebii, until he is brought again
into the church. Upon, that, all ihe congregation
turn from him with a sort of supercilious contempt
or disdain, as if he was unwort^(jv of their company,
and they are strictly commanded, that whenever they
meet with him, they will not speak- to'him ; they will
n(»t wish hint any happiness, nor will they do any
thing whatever to serve him. They are the most in-
veterate enemies in the world to those who have been
cast out of their congregations ; and many of their
members- openly declare, that those who were cast
out of the church, should have no compassion shown
them. This is jierhaps what may be called religious
barbarity, of wliich there is a little too much in the
world.
It is- a maxim with these people, that if a niem-
feer has been once excommunicated, he may be r-o
admitted upon condition of his repentance, but he
must first undergo a very severe penance. They
must come constantly to the meeting, and they must
bear all the scoffs and sconis-of the members, with-
out seeming to be displeased; Like the Inquisitora
iji Spain, and the Seceders in Scotland, he is to con-
quer n:iture by gyace. And indeed it requires a good
deal of grace to boar all the arti'onfej he receives-.
When he is re-admitted, he receives a sharp rebnke
for his backsliding from the trutlj, and. a catition. to-
be on his guard, for the future.
If a member is- excommunicated' a second time,
Ike can never be admitted again, and then he gene-
rally beei>mes a Ueist, if not worse. We knew a
rich man', who is stiU -dive, and' v>as- excomnmni'
cated the first time, becausi' he had dropped some
expressions- that seemed to militate against infant
baptism. He was re-admitted, but being loth to part
with his money whan demands were made upon
it, under pretence of supplying the wants of the
poor, he was again excomnuinicated, and knowing
that no furtlier favours would be shewn him, he
took a room in an ale-house, where he preached
the Sunday evenings to a rablde, who only laughed
at him, and tlien gave himself up to all manner
of debauchery. Nothing was more common than
to heui' him over his-eups, singing, the words-of tha
poet: —
I was a fanatical preaclieri,
And tuyn'd up my eyes when I pray'd";
But my hearers hrilf starved their teacher,
J?"or they believ'd not a word that 1 said.^
Another wa* exoanioiunicated a second time, for-
refusing to play at blindman's-buff on Sunday aftep
service was ov^r,, in the meeting, and that man turnedi
first Antinomian, then Deist, and at last died, per-
haps, (if it be possible) an Atheist. Such- are tite
cfiiects of people's dabbling in religion.
That our readers may understand what is me'ant
by playing at blindnia«.'s-buff, we must explain it lo>
him historically.
Mr. .James Hervey, m \'755; published' his The-
roH and Aspasio, one of the most agreeable systems
in Calvinism that ever was- written.. And it may-
be said of this author, that his- works- have been readl
and esteemed: by Protestants of all denominations;
for whatever mi)iht be his particular sentiments con-
cerning dispnted points> yet: the beautiful- manner
of writing, his fine' descriptions of nature, and?
above all the fervent piety to be found in eveiy-'
line, made his works esteemed by all lovers of true
reiigron.
However, one Mr. Robert S'andiman, ai merchant
at Perth, and one of the people called Glassites, iu'
Scotland, wrote a book entitled Letters on Theron
and Aspasio,. which offended the (Calvinistical Dis-
senters in London. A correspondence was cntered^
into between Sandeman and. some oP the Dissenting,
ministers, and the consequence was-, that Sandcmani
himself went up there and established a meeting.
As the Dissenters- generally put on an austejx' coun-
tenance- when they come out of their meetings ;,
and as the Methodists are fond of talking con-
cerning religion,. Mr. Sandeman went to the oppo-
site extreme, and ordered, that his follo\rers, on-
every Sunday after service, should light the candles,,
and. play at blindman's-buft'. 'J'he meeting house
where this, was performed was in Bieech-lane, and'
multitudes of people, from idle curiosity, went tO'
see it It became an object of ridicule,, and they
found themselves under the necessity of dropping it.
It seems to have been- done from political motives,
to ridicule the sour austerity of the Indepcndent.s,
but it did not answer the end,, for these people are
the same as ever.
That men should set up such' diversions in places
set apart for public worship, is really amazing, and
we firmly believe, that had it not been for their
metajthysical: notions, all the rakes in London would-
have joined them, in ordeii to have an opportunity
of pluv4ng with the women. 'Phere was some-
thing in the pr-actice like that of the Adamites of
old, but for the honour of the Sandenianians this
practice is now set -dside.
We now come to their form of worship, vhich is
plain aud siiiiple, though not without some austerities,,
and oilier formalities, that have, but little connection'
with Christianity.
On Sunday morning, they. meet so early us nine
o'clock, and' the elders being seated in a place niucH;
ACCOUNT OF THE GLASSITES.
6j7
resembling a niangfir, one of tliein calls upon a par-
ticular person in the congregation to pray. This
person is followed by two or tliree more, who all
pray in the same manner. Then they sing a psalm,
or, as they call it, a religious song, and one of ti)e
deacons prays. After this, a person appointed for
that purpose, reads three or four chapters out of
both Testaments ; and such is the superstition of
those people, that in their ordinary course of read-
ing, they read with the same pleasure the chapters
tliat contain nothing but names, as they would any
chapter in the New Tcstaii^ent.
The reading being ovci , another song is sung, and
then one of the elders delivers a discourse to the
people. As these elders are in general men of
no learning, and as all sorts of reading are prohibited
among lliesu people, e.\cept the bible, we need not
be at a loss to consider tiie complexion of their
sermons. They use no nicthod, but deliver a dis-
course, which might do as well without a text as
with one. It i-; certain, that as their discourses are
the eflusions of ignorance and pride, so they are
calculated to keep the people in the same unhappy
state. 'J'hey must not exhort the people to any
duty, for were they to do so tliey would be excom-
nmnicated. The whole consists of a dissertation on
what they cull the truth, and it is doliveied in such
a manner that the most profound metaphysician
cannot understand it. Their discourses are certainly
the least calculated to promote piety of any in the
w orld, except those of another sect, whom we shall
have occasion to mention afterwards.
l"he afternoon service is the same as that of the
forenoon, but in the interval of worship another
ceremony takes place. For this practice the Sande-
manians liave been much ridiculed, though from the
following in\estigation, it will ajipear, that there
may be weakness in it without wickedness. It has,
indeed, no concern with the essentials of religimi,
but then it must, or at least should be, observed,
that all of them w ho set up new systems of divinitv,
pay more regard to the externals than the internals'.
\\ e read nnich in church history concerning the
love feasts, or feasts of charity of the ancient Chris-
tians. That they took some victuals to their
churches is certain, and the poor fed at ti;e expence
of the rich. 'I'here was a temporary necessity for
this, because many of the Christian convirts were
slaves, consequintly they could not go to the place
of meeting without leave of their cruel masters. —
Those who are acquainted with the Roman history,
know well that slaves under the Roman Government
were slaves indeed. It was a great favour, and but
stldoin granted to thcs-e poor creatures, to attend the
Clnistian assembly, and when they did so, there is
reason to believe, that when they returned home, no I
iood was allowed them. It was therefore necessary, -
44 8
that those who were in affluent circumstances should
have compassion on them, and supply them with
those necessaries which their cruel masters denied
them.
The practice, therefore, was, for the primitive
Christians to carry food along with them to the
church, part of which they eat, and gave the rest to
the poor. This seems to have continueil till the
reign of the emperor Constantine the Great, after
which, according to the rules of common sense, it
ceased to be in use.
This short sketch we have given of these things,
is, in all prob:ibility, consistent with the truth ; and
we can appeal to the greatest historian in the world,
whether one assertion has been made of, that is
not, in one sense or other, confirmed by the first
fathers of the Christian church. It was considered
in this light through the midille ages of Christianity,
and in that sense it was considered at the Reforma-
tion. And this leads us to consider the practice of
the Sandenianians.
At noon, w hen divine service is over with those,
people, they have a feast in their meeting. On the
Saturday before, the deacons go to a butcher's, and
buy as much meat as they think will be necessary,
and this is dressed in a kitchen adjoining to the lueet-
ing. In that kitchen they feast, or in other words,
have a plain dinner with small beer. The meat is
purchased at the expence of the rich, and the poor
dine gratis. As soon as dinner is over, the diftcrent
members adjoin to public houses, where they call
for what they please, and then return to the meet-
ing. We shall make no further animadversions on
this subject, than to declare that it is an idle unne-
cessary ceremony. Those ancient Christians were
in a continual state of persecution, their love for
the brethren was strong, and they did every thing
they could to supply their wants.
On the other hand, the Sandemanians are not in
such circumstances; they enjoy the blessings of a
free government; and they are at liberty to go home
to their own houses without molestations. And vet,
notwithstanding their slavish attachments to a ridi-
culous, though tempovary institution, has induced
them in this, as in most other ihings, to make it as
singular, by embracing the shadow, like tin; dog in
the fable, when perhaps thev lost the substance. —
"I'hose who are fond of trifles in religion, seldom
or ever know any thing of the vital parts. The
man who loves religion, pays little regard to the ex-
teriors, while he tinds that the heart is renewed, and
the conduct changed.
The Sandenianians are not numerous, either in
England or Scotland, for they have so many cere-
monies, that people are afraid to have any thing !o
do with them. 'I'o this may be added, that thev
fleece every rich member, in order to support the 1
658
ACCOUxVT OF THE DISSENTERS.
poor. The youn2; man in the gospel, did not like
to sell his possessions, and people, who are dealers
in religion, ;ire not willing to part with their money.
When salvation can he obtained without money,
there are generally a great numher of religions peo-
ple ; but when money is required, they generally
drop off. Srrange that such circumstances should
take place, but what can be strange in human na-
ture ? Nothing, indeed, to those who are acquainted
with it.
I'hese people, according to the primitive practice,
celebrate the communion every Sunday, and it is
done in a plain decent manner. We shall conclude
our account of them, which has been delivered in a
candid manner, by inserting the following hymn,
drawn up in a few verses, written by cue of their
preachers on his death-bed.
When to my sight thou God appears^
I'm filled with sudden fear.
Thy justice with uplifted arms,
O'er whelms me with despair;
The formal signs of grace no more,
Relieve my troubled heart,
And past experiences of love,
Add torture to my smart.
What shall I say? My prayers and tears
Are impiotis in thy sigiit!
I am remov'd as far from thee
As darkness from the light.
Is there no room for mercy left I
Is grace for ever gone ?
I'll mind the years of thy right-hand.
And wontlers thou hast done.
How to be one with soi?s of men,
Immaiiucl did not scorn;
And how from Mary's virgin womb,
The holy child was born.
I'll mind the greatness of that love,
\\ liicli in his breast did burn,
When all the wrath of God for sin,
Upon his soul did t:irn.
And did the father's dearest son,
Go mourning to the grave J
And did he die for sin, that grace
Might dying sirmers save.
See from the grave the prince of peace,
In glory bright appears.
No further proof of hope I'll seek,
This quiets all my fears;
This beam of hope within the cloud,
Sure token is of grace;
Where wrath did frown, now mercy smiles-
In lovely Jesu's face :
This sign of grace relieves my heart,
'Tis ease for all my pain,
I will not blush to see my God,
Because the lamb was slain.
ACCOUNT OF THE DISSENTERS.
JLN treating of the people called Dissenters in
Lnglaud, we are brought into a large wide extended
field. We have prejudices to combat with, we have
to du with men of opposite sentiments, and yet we
think it is in our power to conduct the whole upon
the prhiciples of reason and religion. There are
three objects which are to be in view :
First, the reasons viliy the Dissenters left the esta-
blished church.
Secondly, how far the Dissenters continued in one
body.
Lastly, what is the condition of the Dissenters at
present.
These must be Tirought into one point of view,
and they must be treated historically. For this pur-
pose we shall begin with the history of these peo-
ple; and the reader may be assured, that truth shall
dictate what we say, and candour shall direct our
peu.
When the Reformation took place in England
most of the Protestant divines were enemies to the
ceremonies, and it was the wish of all sober serious
persons that they should be abolished. However,
tlie disposition of queen Elizabeth, was quite to the
contrary. This created a great deal of disturbance :
for those who did not approve of the established
religion, became obnoxious to government. Those
people, wiio opposed government, entered into ca-
bals, they had private meetings together, and there
were severe prohibitions issued out against them.
Still, however, the contagion took deep root, and
the more these people were oppressed, the more they
encreased. They were called Puritans because they
aimed at a purer reformation ; but the worst of all
was, they wanted to reform the church without re-
forming themselves.
They were great enemies to all public vices, but
at the same time they sought to aggrandize their.
ACCOUNT OF THE DISSENTERS.
Cj9
own power. They had liltle ceremony, but much
cuiiiiiiiu;. They ingratiated thenistlves with the la-
dies, wliose passions aic easily j)layLHi upon, and by
a eondiict of that nature they procured a sort of
temporary subsistence. This was the lime when
lectureships were tirst establislu d, and thus a set of
men were alh>vved to preach in the churrhes, with-
out being obliged to comply with the ceremonies.
Shockini; that the church of England could not pro-
cure afternoon preachers, but the queen would never
allow it.
It is in a manner impossible to describe what
these people, who were in derision called Puritans,
suffered. 'I'hey were fined and imprisoned, and
such as denied the queen's supremacy were executed
as traitors. Cirindal archbishop of Canterbury, was
a man of great moderation, and did all he coidd to
moderate the rigour of the act of uniformity, but
sl.e was inexorable. The queen inlierited the obsti-
nate spirit of her father, and therefore, when she
once fixed her mind upon a thing, it was impossible
to turn it.
Sandys, archbishop of ^ ork, and Home, bishop
of Winchester, were of the same moderate senti-
ments, and superior in moderation to all these was
Jewel, bishop of Salisbury. These were men whose
names will ever be levered, for their moderation.
They had been sufferers during the reign of queen
^lary, and for their own safety had tied to Switzer-
land. There they and many of their brethren were
kindly entertained by the famous 15ullinger, and they
kept up a correspondence with him as long as they
lived. In many of the letters that passed, they pro-
fessed a dislike to the ceremonies and habits, and
wished that they could be removed.
From these letters, of which Dr. Burnet has given
us some extracts, we learn, that many of the great-
est men at the Reformation were Puritans. That
is, they did not think the church properly reformed,
and as the queen had it in her power to call a new
parliament to settle these disputes, so nothing was
more reasonable than that she shoidd have doTie it;
but the queen dictated to all her parliaments.
About the year 1568, a society of people met to-
gether at Rygate in Surry, and having a minister
along with them, they formed themselves into a con-
gregation, after the model of that at Geneva. They
met privately, but Parker, who was archbishop of
Canterbury before Grindal, and who had received
many favours from the Protestants abroad, became a
most violent persecutor. Strangi% that a man who
had been obliged to leave his native country on the
score of religion should become a cruel persecutor of
Protestants, who only differed from him iu a few
trifling matters.
The truth is, to use the words of good Di-. Seeker,
^ur reformers, when they left popery, brought per-
secution along with them. They formed all their
notions of church government on the theocracy of
the Jews, and they vainly and ignorantly imagined,
that all people should be of the same mind. Strange
infatuation I but nut more so thiin true.
W'hitgift, who succeeded Grindal, was as violent
a persecutor as i'arker, and therefore there is no
wonder that the Puiitans increased in number almost
every day. By a prescriptive right, the university of
Cambridge has authority to send out four preachers
to any part of I'-ngland, who may be chosen lec-
turers, and serve the duties of their office without a
licence fiom the bishop. These men made many
converts among the clergy, and before Whitgift
died, two-thirds of the people were Puritans. A
severe act was made, enforcing the act of uniformity;
prisons were filled with delinquents, and many fami-
lies were ruined.
Aylmer, bishop of London, who had suffered un-
der queen Mary, became a most violent persecutor
of the Puritans, and it is amazing to think what
mmibers of pamphlets were written in ridicule of
this persecuting bishop. There is at present a large
collection of them in the British Museum, and some
of them have very laughable titles. We have reallj
perused several of them, and one of the titles is,
" Have yoii any more Work for the Cooper." —
Aylmer was the son of a cooper in Essex.
Another is entitled, " Foxes and Firebrands," in
allusion to Sampson and the Foxes. Jn this pamph-
let there is, as in most of the others, something in-
flammatory indeed. It w as written by one Bell, or
Beale, (for he is called by both names) and the
poignancy of the satire strikes to the heart. It was
levelled against the bishops, particularly Whitgift
and Aylmer; and Ward, the papist, having laid hold
of a copv of it, played away in his usual manner ■
upon the Protestants. -
How Whitglft's hamprr'd by a fell,
Hot-headed Puritan, call'd Bell ;
How he and bishops, nine or ten, ,
Their grievances tell to the queen ; ,
She kindly promises redress.
But first comes death to summons Bess.
In the other world she meets with dad.
Eager to know w hat new s she had ;
After some thund'ring discourses,
Both vanish iu a cloud of curses. .
Thus, from these lines we may find what pleasure
it gives to the Homan Catholics to see Protestants
destiny each other ; what Protestants can condemn
the Koman Inquisition, while he sets up one himself.
It is certainly true, that a little before the queen
died, she had formed a scheme to put every Puritan
in the natiou to death. She was then in her dotage,
660
ACCOUNT OF THE DISSENTERS.
and the state of her mind on her death-bed was such
as the most miserable creature in the world would
not wish for.
In the year I6O8, James VI. king of Scotland,
ascended the throne of England by succession, being
the great grandson of Henry \'II. by his eldest
daughter the princess Margaret, married in 1503, to
James IV. of Scotland.
In our account of the church of Scotland, we
have already taken notice of the numerous provo-
cations which James VI. received from the Presby-
terians, and he left his native country vvitb a fixed
hatred against them, ^\'itll this circumstance, haw-
ever, the English Puritans seem to have been un-
acquainted, for they had great hopes of James, and
the king willing to sliew his moderation, as well as
to display his parts in theology, having ordered a
conference to be held at Hampton Court, 1(304,
Reynolds, a man of sense, with four other divines,
attended for the PutitMis ; but these were to be op-
posed by all the bishops. It must be acknowledged,
that it was indecent in the king's being present,
because it took away the freedom of debate, and
his majesty himself brovvbeated the Puritans.
Indeed this was only a mock assembly, for what
could the poor Puritans do when they were brow-
beaten by their sovereign, who ought to have been
absent. The Puritans had no more notion of a
toleration than the churchmen, but they wanted a
dispensation from the use of the habits and cere-
monies. This, however, the king would not comply
with ; for so grossly had he been insulted by the
Scottish Presbyterian ministers, that he thought
there could be no loyalty where there was no bishops.
" No bishop, no king," was a common expression
with Jumes.
The Puritans having lost all hopes of success, had
recourse to methods so artful, that we may conclude,
that there are not a more dangerous set of men in
the world than clerical combinations, who are long-
ing for those emoluments which their factious dis-
jiositions deprive them of, and to which they have
no title by merit.
Their first scheme was 'o ingratiate themselves
with the ladies, and it is well known what powerful
influence a popular preacher can, at any lime, have
u])oii female minds. They were readily admitted
into the houses of the nobility and gentry, and how-
ever strange it may appear, yet nothing is more true
than tliat poor obscure preachers actually influenced
the elections for members of parliament. To use
the old saying, " They moved heaven and earth to
get Puritans returned to serve in parliament," and
as they were employed to instruct the young noble-
men and gentlemen, so they brought them up in
principles of rebellion, which at last overturned the
constitution both in church and state.
From the Hampton-court Conference, till the
year 1640, there was not a single election for a
member of parliament, but what was influenced by
the Puritan ministers. They took a severe revenge
on James, for not complying w ith their request ; for
they got their pupils to oppose all his measures in
pal liament, to distract his councils, and render him
odious to his sul)jects.
They had studied that sort of eloquence which is
calculated to rouse and inflame the passions ; but
when we peruse one of their sernjons, we find them
to be very poor compositions. There is a critical
review of some of their works written by the late
Dr. Doddridge, in manuscript, which the author of
this work has perused, but w here it is now he can-
not say, though perhaps it may be iu the Dissenters'
library.
At last, the long wished-for period arrived, when
those Puritans were to come out of their places of
concealment, to strip off the borrowed mask, and
appear in their real colours. Their brethren iu
Scotland had set them the example, and tliey joined
cordially together, till they overlunied episcopacy in
Scotland as well as in England, and on the ruins of
the former established the Presbyterian religion, on
the ruins of the latter nothing at all; so from the
year lG40 till 1()G0, it may be justly said, that Eng-
land contained almost all the religions in the world.
Having thus brought the history of the Puritans
down to their splitting into parties, and sharing the
church livings among them, we shall now treat of
every denominatioii w'parately, that the reader may
be able to form a proper notion of them. And
we shall begin with that sect which is not the most
numerous, yet looks upon itself as the most re-
spectable^
661
ACCOUNT OF THE PRESBYTERIANS,
jL he PrPsljyterians may be divided into llic four
following chisses: first, CaKinists; — secoiuil}', Ar-
niinians ; — thirdly, Aii.iiis ; — ;iiid, lastly, Sociiiiaiis.
Cnhiiiutical Prcihyterians.
Wf have already taken notice of all those who
are C'alvinists in other parts of the world, and also
in Scotland, we must now consider such as come
uiidir that name among the EiioTish Presbyterians.
Thiy are, indeed, but few in niniiber, but what re-
mains of them are very rospKctable. 'Jill the latter
end of the reign of king W illiaui, all the Dissenters
were Calvinisis, but now they are divided, as wc
shall have occasion to take notice of afterwards.
The Calvinists among the English Presbyterians,
have, properly speaking, no discipline at all. They
have no Prcsbjteries, no synods, but only meetings
of their iniiiisters, whin and where they please. — -
^Vhcll a minister dies, they send an invitation either
to a M)uiig student, or to one \\\\o is settled in a
smaller charge, and if they approve of him, they
elect him as their pastor. Every member of the
congiigatiou has a vote, but still there is as little
freediim in these elections, as there is for members
of pailiament; for the rich order the poor to vote
in whatever manner they please.
M hen the day is fixed for the ordination, a great
number of people assemble, and the ceremony is
begun with prayer. After that some suitable chap-
ters of scripture are read. This is followed by a
general prayer for the state of the world, and the
nations. A psalm is then sung, and the sermon
follows. The SCI inon is always on the nature of
theclciical otVue, its origin, necessity and utility.
'Jlie [>ri siding minister after another psalm has been
sung, iiKinnls the pulpit and delivers a discourse,
which gener.iily turns upcni the nature of the pasto-
ral oflice, but more particularly on the then state of
the church, the time when it was first established,
jls succession of ministers, the character of the last,
and the success that alteiidLd him in the discharge of
Ins duty. All this is done in oriier to stimulate the
otlur, to abide in the pructice of his duly, and the
people lo revere their pastor.
44 8
The candidate then delivers his confession of
faith, but he is wot otjiiged to subscribe to any arti-
cles whatever. This is exactly the pnuiitive custom,
and that is the reason why we have so many creedst,
their being at least four hundred extant in the writ-
ings of the fathers.
As these young men, who are to be ordained, are
in sentiment Calvinists, so their confessions are con-
sistent therewith.
After his confession is read and ajjproved of by
the ministers and peoi)le, he kneels down and is or-
dained by imposition of hands. A psalm is then
sung, and then all the ministers present give him the
right hand of fellow'shi|). One of the ministers
then goes up into the pulpit, and delivers a charge
both to the new ly ordained minister and the peojile ;
aiid this much in the same manner as in the church
of Scotland, only that the ICnglish charges are sel-
dom so much to the purpose.
When they admit a member, they are \cts dif-
ferent from the Sandcmanians, and much mure so
from Christ and his aposths. Christ came not to
call the righteous, but sinners to repentance; and
the Sandcmanians do not chuse, if they can avoid
it, to admit any into liieir communions, but such as
are of the most abandoned characters. Christ came
with oft'ers of solvation to a sinful world ; but it is
probable, that the Sandcmanians look out for im-
moral people, that they may have an opportunity
of shewing their power in excommunicating theni
as soon as possible.
The Calvinist Presbyterians, however, admit
none but rigliteous people among them. Sinners
may come and hear, but none but saints can go to
the communion. I'lie candidate is examined pri-
vately by the minister and elders, of wlium they
have generally two or three, and next Sunday after
sermon, the minister tells the congregation, that such
a person has been examined as to Ins knowleilge in
the sacred scriptures, and the Christian religion;
that they have enquired into his moral character,
and that they now propose to the church, whether
he should not be admitted a member. This is put
to the vote and geneially carried.
These peo|)le must have a high notion of church
fellow bhip, to put themselves to all tins trouble fur
almost nuihiijg. There is no new privilege the^'
662
ACCOUNT OF THE ARMINIAN PRESBYTERIANS.
cnn obtain, hiit lliat of going lo the coiinnunion.- —
1 hey are not like llie pi iniilive Chiislians, who con-
sifleird eadi oilier as hrelhrc;n ; ami ihey arc not
like the Friends, vulgarly called Quakers, who never
suffer their poor to want. Jiut the Calvinislical
Presbyterians act with tlieir poor as the miiversity
did with Dean Swift, that is, SjihnJiii Graii/i, or
special grace. It is Irnc, money is coHecletl for the
poor, or at least under iliat pretence ; but the sole
distribution of it is left to the discretion of the mi-
iiister, and he gives to whom he pleases. This is
not church fellowship; for in ail congregations,
tliere should not be one person in want, while the
rest of the members are enjoying afHuence.
This is one of the greatest dishonours to religion
that ever yet took place in the world. It makes the
poor really to doubt the truth of the sacied scrip-
tures, and it brings the rich under the denomination
of those against w hoin Christ promised a woe, be-
cause of their manifold offences. This is a melan-
choly consideration, but we may see instances of it
every day ; and we know that human bodies, en-
dowed with rational ' souls, are such compositions,
that no advices, no instructions, uo exhortations,
w ill liave any fora", if charity and compassion to the
poor are neglected.
They seldom or ever proceed against delinquents,
wnless their crimes are of a glaring nature, and tlien
they excommunicate them; but not as the Seceders
or the Sandemanians do, for they send them a sum-
mons to atlend on some weekly meeting, where they
tell them the nature of their guilt, and if they pro-
mise repentance, or profess it, they are forgiven.
But if they remain obstinate, they give them a writ-
ten paper, signed by the minister and elders, inti-
Kiatiiig, that ihey are no longer members. If the
offending brothers refuse to come to the meeting,
they send them notice by a post letter.
in their worship they are not much imlike the
primitive Christians. They begin with a short
prayer, after whicli, one or more chapters are read,
but they make no remarks on them, as they do in
Scotland, so that their people are but very little ac-
quainted with religion, 'i'lic reading being over,
they sing a psaln), which is followed by the general
prayer, and that by another psalm.
Then follows the sermon, which is read out of a
manuscript, which they put within the leaves of
their bible. The sermon is seldom much less than
au hour m length, and generally tedious. When they
administer the communion, the minister stands in a
square pew before the pulpit, and the people come
as near to him as possible. The elders carry the
bread and wine to thein, after which, an hymn is
sung, and the ceremony concludes with prayer. The
cenHUunion is, for the most part, administered in
the afternoon, after sermon is over; but for tiii^
practice there is no other rule but custotn.
In baptizing their children, they are much the
same as in the church of Scotland, for the fiMnisior
).erforms the ceremony either in their meelins or at
the parents' houst s. 1 here are no other particulars
relating to ihein worth menlionmg, only that thev
ha\e Several acanemies for the eiiucation of their
young men for tiie miiustry. '^Ilieir preachers are
more jiopnlar than some of the other Dissenters,
but their numbers are now very small.
Account (if the Anniitiait Prcslu/t^
cna.'is.
The Arminian Presbytciians are very numerous
which leads us to give an account of the peoi)le
who tome under that denomination.
We have already had occasion, and that frequently
to mention, that with respect to the teiins of accep-
tance with God, all the refoimers were of the samp
opinion as St. Austin. This will ajipear evident to
every one who peruses Luther on the Galatiims
Calvin's institution, the thirty-nine articles of reli-
gion in the church of England, and the old Scottish
confession of faith. It is inconsistent with the im-
partiality we have hitherto adhered, to give our own J
oj)inions on the subject. From the death of the *
apostles, there are near one hundred years obscured,
by something worse, if possible, than Egyptian
darkness. If there were any writings among the
Christians, they are now lost to us; and as for the
epistles that go uniler the name of Ignatius, they are
undoubtedly spurious.
This, however, is certain, that from the lime of
Clemens Romanus, down to the time of St. Austin,
all the writings we have are against him. Whether
there were any who held the same doctrines before,
is utterly unknown lo us. The argument strikes
two ways, and indeed, with equal force.
First, it is remarkable, that although there were
many writers before St. Austin, yet not one of tlicni
eiTibraces the same sentiments with him. Secondly,
had his doctrine been new, is it not natural to be-
lieve that he would have been powerfully opposed.
And yet we read of no one person who did oppose
him, except the famous Pelagius. In this state of
uncertainty, we leave the reader to judge for him-
self, and proceed to lay before the reader, some ac-
count of Armiuius !iin)self.
James Arminius was born at Haerlem in Holland,
1580, his father being a very reputable man in that
place. I'rom his most early youth, he discovered
such a sweetness of temper, that he became the ad-
miration of all who knew him. About seveiiteen.
ACCOUNT OF THE ARMINIAN PRESBYTERIANS.
6G3
fiavinw muile great progiess In giiimninr leiiniiiiiT, lie
was siiU t(j llif iiiiivcisitv ot CiLMUv;i, \i here he stu-
died diviiiiiv, cliiircli history, and criticism. He
read liver all Uic ( ^reek frillurs, and iinbiberl their
seiitinieiits. W hen fatigued with study lie \v;Jked
out into a grove of trees, near the side of the lake,
wiiich has ever since been called Aruiifiius's \^ alk.
Having tal en liis degrees, he left the university,
with the charnctei' of a pious young geutlenKin, and
an excellent scholar. Indeec', l!:ere can be but little
doubly remaining concerning his extensive know-
ledge, when at only the age of twenty-live he was
appointed by the states-general, professor of divinity
in theii' nin\ersity of 1-cyden. He began his lectures
witli discourses on the epistles to the Romans and
(lalatians, v. here it is suj)pr)sed the strength of the
Caivinisiicai arginncnt lays.
It was now tiiat Ainiinins began to teach pulilic-
ly tliosc sei!tin)ents which he had long embraced. —
'I'he force of conviction from the ])eiusal of the
Greek fathers led him to it ; and it is an establislied
maxim, that what men believe to be true they will
teach.
His sentiments have always been reduced to the
following points :
First, liiat by predestination is meant, God's eter-
nal purpose to st-.id the gospel to whom he pleases,
and in that sense, he understood the words, God
will have mercy on whom he will have mercy, and
whom he will he hanleneth. By hardening people
he understood, that God woidd withhold I'rotn them
tiie blessings promised to believers by the promulga-
tion of the gospel.
Secondly, he asserted, that in conformity with the
Greek church, God had given every man power to
turn from sin to righteousness, and, in that sense he
understood those words. Ye will not come unto me
that ye may have life. And again, all those expres-
sions in the bible, upon which exliortations are
founded; for as he said, what occasion for exhorta-
tion to men to perfornx any duties, if they have not
ihe power to do it.
Thirdly, that as for the sin of our first parents,
it runs along with us, and is implanted, but not im-
puted, otherwise (said he) how can it happen, that
some are sanctified from the womb.
Fourthly, that the death of Christ was a sacrifice
suiWcicnt to make an atonement for the sins of the
whole world. He gave himself a ransom for all. —
He did not assert, that by the death of Christ all
mankind would be saved, because many of them
would not embrace the offered conditions ; but he
had taught; that the sacrifice itself was sufficient to
make a complete atonement. In this he has been
followed by the pious and ingenious JDr. Watts,
■.\lio says,
He came to make tlie blessing flow,
Far as the curse is fjuiui.
Lastly, in confornHty wiili the ancient Greek
church, lie a.-serte;!, that there was no such thing as
final perseverance, for men might at any time fall off
from grace, h] this sense he understood the words,
IJe not high-minded, but fear, and let him who
standelh take heed lest he fall. Am\ again, that that
parable of (Jhrist's, where, speaking ot an ;ipostute,
he says, 'Ihe last end of that man shall be worse
than the fiist. And he likewise adverted to all those
passages where there is an intimatum of failing oft'
from grace.
The apparent novelty of these doctrines, at a
time when men's minds were not projieily settled
concerning leligiotis disjuites, because they had not
been hilherio contradicted, creaieil much contusion.
James I. of Englaiul, who pretended to have
much knowledge in theological controversies, wrote
a severe letter to the States-general, in which he
inserted, that Arminius should be burnt alive. —
Perhaps this sentence might have been put in ex-
ecution, had not Arminius died soon after. His
sentiments, however, did not die with him ; for many
learned men in Holland embraced them, among,
whom was Episcopiu.s (it should be bishop) and the
famous Grotius, celebrated all over luirojie for his
treatise on the laws of peace and war. Political
interests, took place with polemical disputes, and
James I. of F'ligland, though a man of learning,
like a true pedagogue, inlincnccd the Protestant
princes to call (what is vulgarly called), a general
council. Just as if the gosi)el of Chiist Jtsus,
which is so clearly revealed in the New Testament,
could be belter illustrated by a parcel of priests
w ith gowns and cassocks. 'I'his council, or rather
synod (for so it was called) tnet at Dort, l(iI7, and
there were seveial conunissioners from all the Pro-
testant states in Europe. They met in the ciiurcU.
of Dort, where we have seen paintings of the most
celebrated amongst them, particularly the famous
bishop Hall.
As the assen>bly was composed of partial men, it
was no difficult matter to get the opinions of Armi-
nius condennicd. They were condemned, and those
who professed them were thrown into prison, among
w horn was the famous Gr<jtius, w ho made his escape,
and was afterwards taken into the service of Chris-
tina, queen of Sweden.
But notwithstanding all the rigour made use of by
James, and the other Protestant princes in Europe,
Arminianism giew and lloinished. All the Lutherans
embraced it; and this much is certain, that at the
restoration of Charles II. in I66O, theie was not a
disine in the established. church of any note, who
G64
ACCOUNT OF THE ARIAN PRESBYTERIANS.
did not preach tlie same doctrines. It has for many
years become as it were universal in the cliurch of
Enghiiid, and it is to be found in many parts of
Scotland : but this leails us to consider in m hat man-
ner the English Presbyterians first embraced it,
together with its causes and couseijuences.
About tlie year I69I, just after the toleration act
took place, some books were published concerning
Antinoniian principles ; for before that time, the
generality of the English Dissenters were Calvinists.
This provoked one Dr. Williams, a man of vast
fortune, some learning, but no eloquence, to write a
book, entitled, " Gospel Truth Stated." In this
\^■ork he deviated froiti many of his brethren, who,
in their Miitings, had made salvaiion an aljsolute
thing, vvhiieas lie made it C(>ndltional, di,'peniling on
faith. He said, diat repeiitiuice must come before
faith; whereas the C'alvinisls jjad always asserted,
that there could be no rei>entance without faith. —
Tliis man was undoubtedly a moderate Calvinist, or,
in other words, a -stiict Aruiir.ian. But from this
time a schism took place among the Protestant Dis-
senters in England. The most learned among them
inclined to Dr. \\'iMiains' notions, and what is rather
remarkable, they improved upon them. Every year
thev became more :nid more loose in their doctrines,
till at l;i«t their sermons were little better than .sy.s-
tems of deism. 'Iliey seemed, as they still do, to
take a pleasure in teachiug their people just what
tliev niay read in Seneca, or l4>ietetus, without so
nuicii as adiiering to any thing iu the -gosjud. The
coiiseipienee has been, that they are forsaken by
their people, and left in distress. They have nothing
now left them bat to preacli against government,
and as most of their hearers are rebels, this procures
then'i a scanty subsistence. The ministers are still
jnimerous, but the hearers are few ; for their dull
tediogs discourses will Jiot go down witli the gene-
rality of people.
Thev are undoubtedly very inipolilic in one part
of their conduct ; for although they know that it is
-consistent with human nature to court popularity,
yet they affect to despise it. The consequen.ce is,
they have few hearers left, except such as are ene-
mies to die government. Indeed, it may j\istly ■t>e
^''aid of them, tiiat in order to starve themselves and
their fannlies, they have embraced all the sentiments
of the Arians and Sociiaa\!s, and the truths of the
gospel are rather nauseous to them. But we shall
iiave occasion to mention another sect of Dissenters
still more erroneous than th.y. In all their public
oiHces these people are the same as those we have
already alescriijtd.
Account uflhe Aiiaii Prc^hi/lcnuns.
WeVjiiaVe aireadv, in the course of this work,
taken notice of the origin of those peoj)lc called
Arians, who sprung up at Alexandria about the
middle of the fourth century. Liille notice has
been taken of tliem by the writers of the middle ages;
but at the Reformation some persons actually dc»
clared themselves to be of these sentiments.
This, indeed, is not much to be wondered at,
when we consider the unsettled state of the times,
the agitations into Mhich men's minds v, ere thrown
by a change from the grossest supeistitiovi to rational
religion, and the religious disputes which naturally
took pla(,e in consequence of agiiate<l arguments
concerning the worst of all subjects, namely, pole-
mical divinity.
However, after the Reformation was establisl>ed
in those nations which embraced it, we find but very
little account of the Arians for more than a ceutury.
in 16 iG, two of tlienj were burnt alive at Eichiield,
in Stafl'oidshire, on the abominable act of Henry
IV. and the Puritans in New Enghmd, burnt about
thrc e or fom- more, during the time of Oliver CrOm-
well.
Persecution, during the reign of Charles II. kept
the English Dissenters in one mind ; but no sooner
did the revolution take place, and men were allowed
that liberty which is the inherent right of every
rational creature, than they abused it to licenti-
ousness.
About th€ year 17'20, one Mr. Pcarce, a Dissent-
ing minister at Exeter, who had wrillen a learned
treatise in defence of his brethren, began to broach
some new doctrines concerning the 'J'rinity, which
created much confusion, and many of the ministers,
who were very numerous in those parts, entered into
an association, to prefer a bill of indictment against
Mr. Pearce, for deuving the doctiines of the Trinity.
This was such an instance of madness as c.muot be
paralleled in church histoiy, but to the everlasting
honour of the grand jury, the bill was returned Igno-
ramus. These doctrines, however, spread far and
wide, and within a few years many of the Presby-
terians embraced them; and, indeed, it may be
added, that those amongst theui who woidd wish to
shelter ihemse'lves under the name of Arminians,
arc now beconu^ Arians.
There are now some things necessary to be taken
notice of in treating of the Arian Presbyterians, and
the rather so because there were Arian in England
some years before they declared themselves to be of
those sentiments. If a man -.goes into one of their
congregations, unless he is of a parlicnlar geiiiu^
he will not know what they mean. A fritnd of the
author has heard some of them, tor a whole hour
together, hold out the glory of Christ, and, at the
conclusion, declare that he was no more than a
created being.
Their congregations are numerous throughout
ACCOUNT OF THE ARIAN PRESBYTERIANS.
cr,fi
England, but llic licaiers are so few, that they are
not able to support tlie minister. Their sermons
are, in general, to the ignorant, very ambiguons, hut
to those who know any thing of (Christianity, they
nre worse than heathenism, ^lost of their rongrc-
galions begin (o drop off, and there is no wonder,
for those who love the New Testament, love Jesus
Christ as a saviour, l^ut it would seem, that these
7\rian Presbyterians, in order to support their wild
romantic notitjns, did every thing in their power to
drive their people away froin their assemblies. The
author of this has actually heard one or more of
their ministers, spend the whole of their sermons in
<.'ndeavouiiiig to make it appear, that Christ was not
an object of worship. That he was a mere man
whom God had created, but they, at the same time,
allowed him to be a mediator bclw,een God and
sinners.
How this can be reconciled to all the acconnts we
have of the Disine H.edecmer, we leave the reader
to judge. We may justly say, that if Clnist was
not God, and otic v\ ilh ll.e father, our faith is vain,
and we have believed in vain. Let us only consider,
liow ditTerent from this the senticnents ol the most
-pious men have Ijeen in all ages and nations; anil it
was esteemed the pecidiar gloiy of Protestants, to
look upon Christ as their Sa\iour.
And here is the very strength of tin? argument ;
for if our sins were committed against an iniinile
Ining, conscijncntly none but one of an equal na-
ture, coidd make an atonement for them.
All the hopes that a sinner can ha\e, must be
through the mediation of Christ, and those who
despise that mediation, cannot expect the divine
mercy. All blessings were first promised to Cliiist
in his human nature, and these were to be trans-
mittel b\ hini to all his faithful followers.
Some of the Arian Piesliyterians have compilinl
a new litiugy, which is perhaps, the worst conipo-
.sitiou that ever was read by mm. Tn the midst of
their prayers, we find them denying the disinity of
Christ, and they seem to dwell with pleasure on
the subject, lint we must not stop here. Be not
surprised reader. Thcv have actuallv made a new
Bible.
One of their teachers, celebrated for mangling
the works of i-ome of the greatest ijivines, actually
t>.ok it into his head to collect into one book, all
those texts of scripture that suited his purpose, and
recommended unto his people not to read any other.
H this was not making a new bible, it will be diffi-
cult to say what i«.
It is obsrucil by the pious Mr. Henry, that the
way of sill is downwards, uiat is, as soon as men
Uave the truth, and the w ay where they could tliul
u.-t to tiieir souls, tluy continue sinking as it were
downwards into darkness and error. Of this the
follow ing spi cimen of the errors df the Ariaii Pr.s-
byterians may suffice.
Some of their preachcr.s have boldly asserted, that
the soul of man dies with the body, which shews,
that tliev are what the Epicuriaus wen- among the
heathens, and the Sadducees among the Jews. It
is a lamentable truth, that several people, in conse-.
quence of reading thosi^ wrinngs, have given them-
selves lip to all sorts of debauchery.
Some others <^f their preachers have a.sserted, that
the soul sleeps, from death, till the general resurrec-,
tion. This is an ancient heresy, for we read of a
sect of peojde commonly called soul sleepers, who
appealed in Egypt, in Svria, befoie the time of
Constantine the Great.
There is a third sort, at the head of whom is a
divine, famous for his knowledge iii politics, viho
asserts, by eternal punishment is meant, eternal
annihilation. They say, that alter the last judgment
is over, and tlu' righteous acquitted by their Lord,
the w icked w ill be condeinned and burnt to ashes
with the earth. Now these [)eoi)le must be mate-
rialists, for how Could the file burn the soul.
W'ti have mentioned these things not from motives
of ill-nature, but comjiassion, and to shew that there
is no end to error. What man who has read the
writings of those Dissenters who died about four-
score years ago, such as Bates, Howe, Baxter, and
iiuni\ others, would imagine that they could be suc-
ceeded by nu n w ho are greater (niemies to the Chris-
tian religion tiiaii the Deists are, nay, who actually
deny one of the leading principles of natural reli-
ligion, namely, — the iminortality of the soul. A
very intelligent person, who is now a Dissenting
minister, once observed to us, that ever since the
pulilication of Dr. \\ illiams's book on Gospel
Truth, the English Presbyterians have been succes-
sively plunging as it were into errors ; and as they
have made a new bible, so they may, in time re-
commend a new God.
It is, however, melancholy to consider what dis-.
traction they have driven the peojile into. Those
who used formerly to go regularly lo their meetings, -
and h'jard the gospel preached, seldom go now to
any place of worshi[) at all.
There is, however, this ailvantage uttciids them
and their iniuistration, namely, that they cannot do
much harm, for the largest ineeiing they have has
only a few hearers. Two of their chief preachers
in London, preacheil away both their congregations,
and both nieetings were advertised to l)e let. Most
of their ministers are very needy, and it is but a fevir
years since the Calviuistical Presbyterians made a
colli clion to supplv the wants of one of them. —
How strong must the hatred these men have to the
44
8 F
666
ACCOUNT OF THE SOCINIAN PRESBYTERIANS.
divinity of Cliiist bo, wlien tliey will siifiVr all these
har(lsfi:i)=, latlier than inculcute tliosc tnit'is that
\veie taught by llieir ancestors.
But still there are exceptions. About twenty
years ago, a noble lord, equally famous for his
knowledge in poliiics and heresy, Hxec! his eyes Upon
such clergymen, whetlier Dissenters or others, who
denied the divinity of (|lhrist. Of those there were
three brothers, all Arian Presbyterian ministers.
His lordship sent one of these to study physic, and
the other two he presented to livings in the church
of England. Thus for the sake of livings, the men
who denied the divinity of Christ, could not only
subsciibe the thirty-uine articles, but even read the
Athanasian Creed.
In all their ceremonies of worship, they observe
the same forms which we have already mentioned,
except those who read their printed liturpy, but that
is only in a few places. Some of them read a
prayer in manuscript, and their sermons are all
written. They have no discipline nor government,
and in their congregations, the people seem cold
aiid insensible, while the preacher is delivering his
iiioia! harangue, or dojireciating the glories of Christ
Jesus. No n w members are added, therefore there
v.ill be probably none left after the present gene-
ration.
\V e shall conclude this article by observing, that
such peo|)lc as belong to tliem, never instruct their
children in any catechisms, so that they are shock-
ingly ignorant. They do not so nmcli as know those
very points by which their religion is distinguished.
The cold lifeless manner in which the minister
preaches, makes them despise all religion, or at least
Dot to regard any.
Account of the Suciiiian Prcshi/tciiaiis.
Solomon, the wisrst prince that ever lived in the
Morkl, says, there weie four things he could not
uiidersland, namely, — the way of a ship in the sea ;
the way of an eagle in the air; the way of the co-
nies on the rocks; and the way of a man with a
Hiaid. But what would that great prince have said
had he lived in our time, to see such variety of
forms and sentiments in religion as wo have amongst
lis, and all those bearing the names of Christians
and Protestants. Perhaps he would have said,
as he did on another occasion, " God hath made
man upright, but he hath sought out many inven-
tions.
There is nothing has contributed more towards
the propagation of popery in this country, than the
various sects we are divided into. 'l"he tirst thing a
KomisU priest advances in conversation with such
Protestants as he intends to convert, is our dififer-
enco in religion. He tells tlio person, tiiat the Ro-
man Catholics are all united, whereas, the Protes-
tant religion is like a dreadful monster with a great
number of heads. But he does not sto() here.
He tells him, that one sect denies the divinity of
Ciirist; another that of the Holy Ghost; a third
the inimorlalily of the soul ; a fointh the resurrec-
tion of the body ; a tifth the eternity of hell tor-
ments, 5cc. Sec. Sic.
This is the way they make converts, as they call
them ; and it is told by themselves, that within these
tw enty years, they have drawn over to their commu-
nion above twenty thousand Protestants, many of
whom were Dissenters. And this is not nuich to be
wondered at, when we consider, what a thing it is
for weak minds to be distracted about religious opi-
nions. These poor unfortunate people, no sooner
embraced popery, than they imagined themselves
delivered, as it were, from Egyptian bondage.
A few years ago, a young Presbyterian minister
turned Roman Catholic, and was ordained a priest.
He was so zealous, that he was sent on the mission
to Scotland, where he had been brought up, and
actually boasted of his having made some hundreds
of converts.
A few years ago, a Socinian minister in London,
preached away all his congregation; and one of
them, a person of sense and great abilities, turned
Roman Catholic. That man is still alive, and
boasts that there is seldom a week in which he doc3
not gain some proselytes. But to proceed with our
subject.
Faustus Socinus, from whom these people take
their name, was a physician of some repute at Si-
eima in Italy, about the time of the Roforniation.
The jirofligacy of the court, and the corruption of
the church of Home, convinced him, that Christi-
anity was not to be found there. And as he had
been taught to believe in the unity of the church, so
he iniagiiud that Christianity was nf)t to be found
among the Protestants, because they were divided
into many parties.
However, as nothing could please him that he saw
or heard, lie resolved to make a new rtligion to suit
his ow n fancy.
He taught, like the Arians, that to believe in the
divinity of Christ, was to destroy the unity of the
godhead ; adding, that if there were three persons,
there might be three hundred, or any number what-
ever. He said, that the texts made use of to prove
the divinity of Christ, ought to be understood in a
different sense.
The Arians admit, that Christ existed before the
world was created ; but the Socinians say, he had
no existence till his body was formed in the womb
of fhc virgin. As for the incarnation of Christ,
ACCOUNT OF THE SOCINIAN PRESBYTERIANS.
607
dicy tfiiiik tliat it is not to be consiiiciccf as miracu-
li>us ; anil the)' iiKiintain, tiiat it cimiiot be pi ovod
from Uic >.iciL'(l sciipIuii'S. Tiny s;iy, that liati it
bwn iiocessarv to believe in tile inearniitioii, the
bible would haw mentioned it. One would think
thoe poopl-e had never read the bible, tor the incar-
nation was prophesied in the Old Testament, and
rt is related at large in the New.
About tour years ago, a Sociniaii minister wrote
a pumphlel to prove' that tlie virgin .•-pokin ot" in
Is;iiah, was not the \'irgin Mary, and that tlie thild
to be bora was Hezekiah. in answer to this, Mr.
Sluirj) wrote a le.nned tract, and ho was seconded
by a pious German divine, now at Iles.se-Cassel.
One would have thought this was sufficient to have
refuted the Socinian, but he had recourse to a me-
thod, which had it not been taken notice of, might
have soon deprived us both of the Old and New
Testament.
Mr. Sharji had observed, that the very words of
the proplut relating to Christ's incarnation, are, by
]VIalthe\v the evangelist, applied to Christ in chap-
ter I. and II. L'pon that the Socinian wrote a
pamphlet, attempting to prove that those two chap-
ters are spurious, and forged by some of the ancient
fathers.
He was going to have proci eded in the same
maimer with thetii-st two chapters of St. Luke's
gospel, but Mr. Sharp answered hiin in such a
masterly manner, that probably he w ill be silent for
e\Tr.
They teach, that man was of his own nature
mortal, even before the fall, and was never endow ed
with original righteousness, consequently there can
be no original sin by the fall of Ada'n. That we
have a power to do good or evil whenever we
please. That knows not'ning of what is to happen,
even to-morrow. That the cause of predestination
is not in God, brtt in man. That God predestinates
no one in particular to be saved. 1 hat he might
have forgiven sin without Christ's death ; _for as he
is the universal Lord, so he niight do with his crea-
tures as he pleased; he might give up his light to
punish.
They add further, that as Christ was a mortal
man, so it was necessary that he should die; and
this, say they, shews he was not Goil, bccau.se God
cianiot die. That the death and all the sufferings
of Christ were for no oth«-r purpose, than to shew
an example fur people to imitate. That Christ
ma^e no atonement for sin, nor was his death of
any great service to mankind. That God hath ex-
alted Christ in heaven somewhat above the saints,
but still he IS a dependent being. That baptism i.s
an indifierent thing, and mav either be used or not.
'I hat the torments of hell mean no more than that
the soul and body shall be both anniliilated. We
shall not mention the dreadful consequences which
might be drawn fioni these principles, because
it might iniuro many persons in t!ie pres; nt age,
whose minds We hope, are will established in the
faith.
They say that every .sort of discipline is no more
than ecclesiastical policy, and certainly so it is, but
they have none. I'hat jiastors are all equal, and
to tliem w ith the elders belong the gyvcrumeiit of
the church.
The pastor:il function consists in preaching, prav-
ing, visiting the sick, and administering the sacra-
ments. They admit of no more sacraments than
two, viz. Baptism, and the Lord's supper.
A sacrament say they, is an oath, or an engage-
ment to perform something; and when they partake
of the comnumion, they sit round a table, like the
Calvinists, there being no difference between them
in that particular.
The Sociniaiis are charged willi measuring their
faith by the narrow bounds of their reason. God
(say they) never commanded, that man can believe
what cannot be comprehended. That we are cre-
ated with an uiiderstaiidiug tit to conceive, and we
should reject what we cannot comprehend.
Anil here we would ask, if any man could ever
yet comprehend God. " Canst thou by searching
(says Job) find out G'od, canst thou find out the
Almighty unto perfection:" Plato, a heathen,
said, speaking of God, " Truth is his body, and
light is his shadow." Simonides, a Sicilian philo-
sopher, being asked by his king Dionysius, what
God was, asked sonu' time to consider of an answer,
but at last returned for an.iwer, that the more he
considered the more he was lost in ad.niiration, at
the boiuidless nature of the .subject.
Toiaiid and Tiudal, attempting to write in defence
of Socinianism, became professed deists, and wrote
against the Christian religion.
Mr. \\ histon, who was himself an Arian, being
one day in conversation witli Chubb, who was a
Socinian, he (W histon) told him it would not be
long before he embraced deism, and he did so.
It is certain, that those who reject mysteries-,
must, at the same time, reject divine revelation ;
and here we may say, with a great man, " Nothing
is more reasonable than to believe that to be true
which is above reason ; what notion can a man form
of thn soul, any more than that it is a living active
principle, which he feels within himself, but cannot
in any manner comprehend."
The Socimaiis often speak verv disrespectfully of
Christ, particularly in their sermons, and always
treat of a future st-ite, as but very iBiperfectly re-
vealed. They are apparently happy, that GotI has
not made the gospel dispensation clearer than it isj
and yet ihcy will not believe what is revealed.
668
ACCOUNT OF THE INDEPENDENTS.
Dr. Blair, ;in author and a divine, justly admired
hy liis brethren, the ministers of llie church of scot-
land, has made some tine remarks concerning the
notions ol the Socinicius. It appears (says the Dr.)
ta be tlie i>Iaii of the Deity, in all his dispensations
to mix li^^ht v.itli darkness, evidence with uncer-
tainty. )Vliatc\cr the reason of this providence be,
the fact is Uii(5cniab]e.
God is described in tlie Old Testatpent, as a God
that hideth iiiinself. Clouds and darkness are said
to surround him. His way is in the sea, and his
path in the great waters, his footsteps are not known.
33oth the works and the ways of God are full of
mystery. In the ordinary course ot his govennneiit,
innumerable events occur, which perplex us to the-
Utmost. There is a certain limit to ail our enquiries
in religion, -beyond which, if we attempt to proceed,
we are lost in a maze of inextiical.le difficulties.
Even that revelation which affords such material
mstruction to man concerning his duty and his hap-
piness, leaves many doubts unresolved. See iilair's
Sermons, ser. iv. p. '2yO.
ll is certain, that if men could comprehend every
thing revealed ; if they coidd see the veil drawn
aside, and the mystery of God's moral government
unfolded, there would be an amazing change, but it
would be for the worst. Men would neglect those
duties they owe to society, to their country, their
families and themselves. Human life would pio-
cure no object sufficient to rouse the mind to a state
of activity, nor to urge the hand of industry. JS'ay,
it has been supposed, perhaps with good reason,
that were men to behold the glories of a future
state, they would deprice themselves of its blessings
by rushing upon their own destruction.
It has pleased our God to conceal many things
from us, that' we may give evidence of our hui.nihiy
and o'vr contidence in him. To set up leasoii as li.e.
boundary of our religion, is an attempt to inake
ourselves greater than the glorious angels in heaven.;
For the apostle, speaking of tlie work of inau's re-
demption, says, " Which things the angels desire
to look into." Which implies, it was then too
great for them, and will remain -so till Christ has
finished his mediatori-.il office.
How different from these sentiments are those of
the humble believer .'' How oilei: docs he exclaim
with joy,
Thy mercies still thou dost impart,
With every added day,
Above the rest, O give an lieail,
Its tribute still to pay.
Th' angelic host forever pure,
My late raiurns shall bless,
Nor slu nor sorrow ever more,
Conspire against my rest.
Those false- KUggc sti<jne, Uesli aud blood;
Did interpose beiovy.
Shall then beclear'd and understood.
Anil unmix'd friendship tiow.
We have said the more concerning the Sorinians,
because they are, with respect to the Presbyterian
clergy, the most numerous in England, but many
of them have not above a dozen oi heaiers. In
their w:orsiiip they are the same as the Arians, and
for the most part they arc very similar; they havq
already preached away most of their hearers, and
probably there will be but few left soon.
ACCOUNT OF THE INDEPENPENTS.
JiT is remarkable, that in treating of the different
sects among llie Protestant Dissenters in England,
we generally tind them divided and subdivided into
parties. To what can this be owing, says the unbe-
liever in Christ? Can there be any truth in the reli-
gion of those people, who are daily projecting r.ew
schemes, and changing these as often as their capri-
cious humours direct them. ^ Here let the deist not
triumph ; for we could make it aj)peur, that there
arc more .differences among those people, who call
themselves Freethinkers. Thus,' Toland was an
eiiemv to all those sentiments that distinouish Chris-
tians from other people in (he world. Tindal was
of a quite different opinion. lilount denied the
immortality of the soul aud shot himself. Boliiig--
broke was a professed debauchee, and family at-
tempted to overthrow the Scripture History. WC
have only nieutioiied these few instances, in order-
to shew, that there are no people in the world more-
inconsistent tliau the writers among the deists, when
they ridicule the differences among j'roleslants.
These diftertnces among Protestant Dissenters
are ao triBing, that they seldom affect the essentials
of religion ; and jjcople ought to bear- with each
ACCOUNT OF THE INDF.PENDENTS.
COj)
other, ntirl he tenderly obligmg, viliiout aflforciiiig
an opi)ortuiiity for either the (iHpists or dfisls to
triumph over llieir xveakness,
'I'he liiiiopeiidents, as thev are now in England,
inav be dniiled into two seels, n;ini(|v, the ni;ulars
ami the irregul:ns. I'he resiilar Indcjicndents are
those «ho have been brought u|) at their academy,
tnul reciived as much learning as wc shall have occa-
sion to take notice of afterwards. Tlie irregular
JndepinHents consist of the lowoi ranks of people,
who have for some tinie attended the ])re«chiiig of
the Methodists, but are seduced away by some of
their iViends, who lia|j]ien to have a greater volubility
of speech th-aii the others. But of each of these
ill their order.
Accounl of the Ilegiiliir LiJependenis.
These people were called originally Brownists,
from the folio\xing circumstance: —
Mr. Robert Brown, a Puritan preacher, in the
diocese of Norwic-h, had been much persecuted by
the bishops, and frt-quently thrown into prison.
This Mr. Brown was descended from an ancient
and honouiable family, in the comity of Rutland,
and nearly related lo the great lord treasurer Cecil.
He received his education in Corpus Christi College,
111 Cambridge, but having conceived early prejudices
against the ceremonies, he went about the country
preaching in private houses. Having had an infor-
mation lodged against him in the spiritual court, he
was degraded from his oflice, and being then a
\ouiig man, he went and lived some time privately
with his father.
He could not, however, be restrained from
preaching and inveighing against the bishops and
the ceremonies. For this he was imprisoned no less
than thirty-two times, and at last forced to leave the
kingdom. Upon this he retired to Middleburgh, in
Zealand, with several of his followers, where he
formed u chuK h upon his own [ilaii of discipline. —
This happened in 15Sf), but in three years after,
15S<), they split into so many parties, that Brown
left them and returned to Eiiland, where he re-
nounced bis principles. .After this he became
rector of a parish church in Northamptonshire,
where he lived an idle and dissolute life, and having
assaulted one of his neighb»urs, he was coniniitted
to the gaol of Northampton, where he died, lG30,
in the eighty-first year of his age.
The Brownists held the same notion with respect
to the terms of acceptance, as the Calviuists, but in
tlieir discipline they were uncommonly rigid. 'I'hey
taught, that every congregation was a church iude-
■i-i 8
pendent of any other, and this is the reason why
they are called Independents.
Some of their reasons for separating from the
chuich of England were, tliat the laws and the
queen's injunctions, had imposed sever.il tilings that
were not ill the gospel. 'Ihat there were several
gross errors in the service of the church, which
were made necessary for the communion, and im-
posed accorilingly. 'I'hat if persecution for the-
sake of conscience was inconsistent w ith Chi istianitv,
the church of England could not be a true one.
That the constitution of the hierarchy was too bad
to be mended. 'I'hat the very pillars of it were
rotten, and that there was a necessity for a total
reformation.
'I'hese people sulTered much, alone; with the other
Puritans dm nig the reign of queen I'^lizabeth, and
many snfl'ered death with remarkable constancy for
the principles they professed.
In I j'Jj, the Brownists were become so numer-
ous, that Sir \\ alter I{aleigh declared in parliament,
that there were upwards of twenty iliousand of ihein
in the counties of Norfolk and Essex, and in the
neighbouiliood of London. Those near London
being more numerous than any where else, they
formed themselves into a congregation, and chose a
pastor. They had many learned men among them,
particularly Ainsworlh, whose exposition of the
Pentateuch and the Psalms, is one of the best books
in the world. But the congregation was soon dis-
persed, and fifty-si.\ of the members sent to prison,
where some of them perished for want of the neces-
saries of life.
Hereupon they petitioned the lord treasurer, set-'
ting forth the hardships they laboured under, but
liieir petition was rejected. These jieiseculions
obliged many of them to go over to Holland, where
they set up themselves in most of the principal
towns. In the reign of James I. the persecution
carried on against them was greater than before;
but these people, although persecuted, split juto
parties, and did all tliey could to injure each other.
About the year UilO, they assumed the name of
Indepcndtiits, and one Mr. Robinson, a learned
man amongst them, returned to England, and formed
a congregation, w hich met in the Borough of Sonth-
uaik, where there is a meeting to this day. It is
called Deadman's Place, because the Dissenters
have a burying ground adjoining to it.
But this little society having been informed
against by the bishop's pursuviant in I6''C;, forty-
two of them were apprehended and thrown into
prison. Some of these were admitted to bail, but
no favour was to be shewn to their pastor ; upon
which he petitioned tlie king for leave to depart
from England, vxhich was granted him. He, with
about thirty of his followers, went over to New
-670
ACCOUNT OF THE INDEPENDENTS.
England; and Mr. Canne, who wrote the niarghial
notts on the Bible, was chosen pastor in his room.
INIr. Canne, preached in private houses, but the
rage of the persecution drove him and his iollowers
over to Holland, where they estabiislied a congre-
gation at Amsterdam.
Mr. Howe, was their next minister, who was
thrown into prison, where he died. As opposition
is the life of argument, so persecutiou promotes
religion, whether true or false. Tliese people in-
creased to an amazing number, and although almost
all of them were of different sentiments, yet they
were either called Puritans or Brownists.
Tliey continued to meet in Deadman's Place as
usual ; but one Sunday, whilst tliey were celebrating
divine worsliip, they were surrounded by the marshal
of the King's-beiich, and committed to prison. —
Next day they were carried before the house of
lords, and accused of denying the king's supremacy
iu ecclesiastical matters, and with preaching con-
trary to the statute of uniformity. The house, how-
ever, did not proceed against them in a summary
manner, but dismissed them \\ith a gentle repri-
mand. Nest day a great many people went to see
their meeting, and weie so phased with its sim-
plicity, that they embraced their notions, and be-
came converts.
History addresses itself to a period far more dis-
tant than the dreams of wild enthusiasts, or the
blasphemies of madmen. She undertakes to hold
out truth to public notice, without regard to factions,
or any attachment to parties. She is to dress up
truth in her native colours, and leave the impartial
reader to judge. This is not an easy matter in the
midst of contending parties. We are not to be
swayed or biassed by inveterate prejudices, any more
than partial attacliiuents. So just are the words of
the poet.
So from the time we first begin to know,
We live and learn, and not the wiser grow :
But he who trutli from falsehood would discern,
Must hrst disrobe the mind, and all unlearn.
To disposses the child tlie UKjrtal lives.
But death approaches eer the man ariives :
Ihus truth lies hid, and eer we can explore
The glittering gem, our fleeting life is o'er.
W.e have, however, endeavoured to avoid all these
extremes,; wciiave considered that all Imman beings
are liable to err,; and sensible of our own weakness,
we shall continue our account of these people witii
i!nparti;)lity and «ith tenderness.
In the year lG4l, when the Puritans began their
grand attempt to overturn the government both in
ehurth and state, many of the Independent ministers
re'.r,uned to England ; and so unsettled was the state
of affairs at that time, that some of these men were
chosen ministers of that famous assembly of divines
which met at Westminster, and overiurned the whole
frame of episcopacy. The Independents were more
favoured than the Presbyterians ; and as they had
no objection against money, they accepted of the
grand tiinrch livings, while at the same time, they
were exclaiming against clerical ]io\\er.
When the Presbyterians in 1648, petitioned the
parliament against the tolerations of the Sectaries,
which was seconded by the Scots, the Independents
presented a counter-petition from the city, signed by
a great number of hands. The parlian)ent upon
this, called upon tlie Presbyterians to prove their /«a-
(l/viiiiim; and an assembly of them met for tiiat
purpose; but the Independents withdrew, and left
them, not eliusing to have any hand in the affair.
The army, at this time, was composed nf Inde-
pendents mixed with Anabaptists, and other Secta-
ries, who, when they found the Presbyterians even
in their treaty with the king, insisting upon unifor-
mity, without making the least provision for that
liberty of conscience they had been contending for,
grew outrageous, and at last buried king, parli.iment
and presbytery, in the ruins of the constitution.
As Oliver Cromwell was an enemy to clerical
power, and a friend to universal toleration, they
were one of his chief supports during his usurpation.
They petitioned him for leave to hold a synod, in
order to publish to the world an uniform confession
of tiieir faith; for they were become very consider-
able, ^riieir churches were greatly increased, both
in the city and country, and many rich and substan-
tial people had joined them, but they were not
agreed upon any standard of faith or discipline,
tliongh their brethren in New England had done so
ten years before. The protector yielded to their
importunity, but did not live to see the effects of it.
About a month after the i)rotector's tieath, a
meeting was held in the Savoy between the Presby-
terians and th-e Independents, and they appointed a
committee to draw up a new confession of faith,
which differed but little from that of the Westmins-
ter confession. At the end of the confession is a
chapter of discipline in which they assert, that every
society of vi.^ible professors agreeing to walk toge-
ther in the faith and order of the gospel is a com-
plete church, and has full power within itself to
elect and ordain all church officers, to exclude all
offendeis, and to do all other acts relating to the
editicatioH and well being of the church. That all
ordinati< ;!!= shall take place in consequence of the
pastors being ilecteil by the people; and they are to
be set apart bv fasting and [irayer, witli t'je imposi-
tion ot hands; but even without the imposition of
hands, thty are to be declared duly ordained; lior
shall any person object to their being ministers of
ACCOUNT OF THE INDEPENDENTS.
671
the gospel; for they consider the act of ordhialion
as ill its own nature, rather indifterciit lliuu binding.
They disallow the power of all .stated synod.s and
presbjtcries, and all sorts of conventical ehurches
over parlieular assemblies, bnt admit, that in cases
of dithcultj or diiTerence relating to order of doc-
trine, clnuches may meet together by their messen-
gers, to give advice, but not to e.xercise any autho-
rity. They say farther, that churches agreeing in
the fundamentals of religion, should keep up a com-
miniion with their brethren. And it is true that the
ministers and rich people do so, but the poor are
generally neglected.
At iiresent, the Independents have many meetings
in England, but iheir ministers are for the most part
poor. Indeed this is reasonable; for if they have
no compassion for those in distress, so it would seem
inconsistent with the dictates of common sense, that
any people should shew compassion to them.
They have an academy v. here their young minis-
ters are brought up, but not one of them can be ad-
mitted till he has lieclared tliat he has been converted.
The guatest number of these young men are taken
from menial empioynunts, and they are first em-
ploytd to learn as much Latin as Casar of Borgio
acquired. They then lay hold of a Greek grammar,
and acquire as much knowledge of that ancient lan-
guage as to be able to read a cha])ter in St. John's
gospel. In Hebrew they go over Robertson's edi-
tion of the Psalms, and here their knowledge of
languag s stops.
During their leisure hours, a minister comes to
the academy, and delivers them some lectures on
ihetoric and logic, which they are vain enough to
call the fine arts. An attempt was made, a few
years ago, to introduce amongst them the study of
the mathematics, in order to make them reasont-rs ;
but tlieir governors could not undertake the making
of compasses, lines and circles, so that their young
ministers have just as much learning as one would
naturally imagine who attends to the nature of things,
and considers the constitution of the Cliristian re-
Tlie iie.xt thing to be considered is their ecclesi-
astical polity, if it deserves that name. \\ hen one
of their young men has accjuitied himself so well as
to be made choice of for a cliurch, about half a
dozen of the neighbouring ministers assemble, with
a great many of the people. The ordination is con-
ducted in the same f-jrin as among the Presbyterians,
but the confession differs.
The following ronfession of faith, delivered by
Mr. 'Hiomas Bradbury, in l^oudon, July 10, IT'J?,
is almost similar to all (hat have been delivered since,
and ui^y serve as a specimen.
" Forasmuch as, upon these occasions, many have
taken in hand to Si t forth, in order, a declaration of
those things which are most surely believed among
us ; I desire to make the same good profession before
many witnesses, and, according to my measure of
the gift of Clnist, give a reason of tlie Ixjpe that is
in me, with meekness and fear, and especially at this
time, when by fasting and jnayer, and laying on of
hands, I am to be separated for the woik whcreunto
the Lord hath called me; though I be less than the
least of all saints, and not worthy of this grace, to
preach the unsearchable riches of iJliiist.
Anr. I. I iheretore declare my belief, that the
books of the Old and New Testament, which are
commonly received amongst us, canie not by the
will of man, but the holy men of God spake as they
were moved by the Holy Ghost, and ure profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and instruc-
tion in righteousness.
II. This, through grace, I will always adhere to,
as the great rule of my faith and ministry ; to this
law and testimony I j>rofess to bring every opinion ;
this I promise, in a dcpendanee upon him who has
the residue of the spirit ; I apply to these serij)tures
as the best discovery God hath made of himself ia
this life; I here learn what God is, and what he
doth. This includes both his nature and glorious
perfections; it includes both his eternal «nity and
trinity of persons.
HI. I believe that the Lord our God is one Lord,
there is none besides him.
1\ . I believe there are three that bear record in
heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost,
and that these three are one. This I would avow as
a truth, and humbly adore as a mystery.
V. I believe that this one God, Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost, is a spirit. The king eternal, immor-
tal, invisible, from everlasting to everlasting, merci-
ful and gracious, long sufi'eriiig, and abundant in
goodness and truth, but who will take vengeance on
bis adversaries, and not at all acquit the wicked.
VI. I believe that he created all things, and for
his pleasure they are and were created; that his
government reaches over the whole creation; that his
providence extends to all creatures, and tlieir actions,
and that the fore-knowledge of God over-rules the
corrui>tioi)s of men.
\ II. I believe that God made a covenant with
our hrst parents, as the common root of all ilieir
posterity, and ga\e them a righteous law, with this
establishment, that lie that does these things, shall
live by them ; but in the dtiy tliat ho offended, ha
should suieiv die.
\ III. I believe, that by one man's disobedience,
our natures are not only guilly but impure, aiid thai
we lie dead in trespasses and sins.
IX. 1 believe that God resolved to gloi^^y him-
self by redeeming some of the lost race: that he
did, from all eternity, predestinate some to th^• adop-
672
ACCOUNT OF TFIE INDEPENDENT??.
tion of cliii(?ien, whose names are written in lieiven ;
tliat this fltctioii was free, and it will have a certain
issue ; tiiat the reninant are saved accordi)ig to the
electiin of grace, not for the works wlticii they should
aftern ards do, but according to his ow n juirposc and
<;race before the world began.
X. I believe that tkis design will be etfectual to
the happiness of all those.
XI. I believe that the only method of obtaining
this happiness v\v:s by appointing one mediator be-
tween God and man, the man Christ Jesus; giving
a certain number to him, and setting him forth to
be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, for the
remission of sins, that God might be just, and yet
the elect be saved.
XII. I believe the divinity of our great Lord and
Redeemer ; that he is over all, God blessed for ever-
more; that he thought it no robbery to be equal
■with God, but receives a divine homage. I believe
this word was made tlesh, and dwelt among us : —
this is the mystery of godliness, great without con-
troversy, that God was manifest in the flesh I be-
Jievfe him to be a teacher come from God: that he
was made a priest for ever: that he is the king of
saints, of whose kingdom there shall be no end. —
In all these capacities he is head of tlie church, and
the Saviour of the body, appointed to be the heir
of all things; but inore especially lord over them
who are given to him.
XIII. I believe he went about doing good, de-
lighting to do the will of him that sent him, by the
which will we are sanctified: that he was made a
ci;rse for us, suffering in both the parts of his human
nature; that he was the Messiah, who should be cut
off to finish transgression, and make an end of sin:
tiiat there is no other name given under heaven
V hereby men can be saved.
XIV. I believe when he had by himself purged
our sins, he was buried, and lay part of three days
and three nights in the belly of the earth.
X\ . 1 believe that God raised him to heaven,
loosed the pains of death, because it was not possi-
ble he should be holden of it. I believe he as-
cended up on high, is seated on the right hand of
God, as the advocate of his people and the judge
of the world.
XVI. I believe that whom he predestinated, them
he also called, and whom he has called, them he
also justifies freely by his grace. The blessedness
of this consists in God's imputing righteousness w itii-
out works. I believe that we lay hold on his mercy
by faith, and that not of ourselves, but of the gift
of God: that the people of God receive the adop-
tion of sons, and there is a change in the disposition
of those who are heirs of the grace of life, owing
to free love and to Almighty power. I believe that
ttie ransomed tjf the Lord grow in grace, and that
he who has begun a good work in them, will por-
fonn it unto the day of .lesus Christ. No man shall
be able t« pluck them out of his hands.
XV 11. I believe he is to be wors!iii)pcd v.itli re-
verence and godly fear. I beliive thsit we are to
own this Lord in societies, and that there is a com-
munion with all that in eveiy place call upon the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ, both theirs and
ours, and that Jesus Chrisit will be with them to the
end of the world.
XVTII. I believe he hath given us several com-
mands and institutions, which we, as (Jhristians,
are obliged to perform, one of which is baptism in
water, in the name of the Fatlftr, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost, taught us all things what-
soever lie has connnanded, admonishing one anollicr
in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. And by
eating bread and drinking wine, in remembrance of
him, we are to continue stedfast in doctiine and fel-
lowship, and in breaking of biead and in prayer.
XIX. 1 believe, that in all lliese parts of worship,
one is our master, even Christ ; no man having
dominion over our faith and liberty.
XX. I believe that the Christian, at his death,
enters upon two blessings, a complete purity and
satisfying enjoyment, that the spirits of just men
are made perfect, see Christ and know him as them-
selves are known: and that more perfect felicity
which will follow the resurrection and universal
judgment. For,
XXI. I believe there shall be a resurrection of
the dead, both of the just and unjust : th^t Christ
hath authority to execute judgment, because he is
the son of man : that the angels, who sinned, are
delivered into the chains of darkness; both they and
the wicked, who know not God, nor obeyed the
gospel of his dear son, shall go into everlasting
punishment, but the rigliteous into life eternal.
The other particulars relating to the regular In-
dependents lead us within the veil, obscurity is en-
lightened, darkness to the human eye vanishes away
before our sight, and we can see them in their native
colours.
Their eongregations consist of a minister, two
deacons, and, in conjunction with them, the whole
of the congi egation. These forns a sort of congre-
gational body, taking upon themselves the same
power as a general council. The minister is elected
by the people at large, with this reservation, that
they can turn them away whenever they please. —
This is, perhaps, a very extraordinary way of pro-
ceeding, and yet mc meet with Something like it in
ancient ecclesiastical history.
In their discipline they profess to be like the
primitive Christians ; that is, they will never publish
the faults of each other until they are exconimnui-
cated. This appears lo be as strict a piece of hy-
ACCOUNT OF THE INDEPENDENTS.
67S
pi^rrisy as ever lor>k place in the world, and we
biuil give a specimen i»f it iifterwards.
Al ptTsent, in tlieir lorin ot' worship, the)' differ
a litilf iVoni the Presbyterians, but still, even in
that diffeicuce, they are not iMiiform. In all their
iiieeiings tiii'V brum \Mtli a |)s;ilin, and then loilows
a prayer. In some, after the prayer is over, they
begin the strmon, wiiieh generally lasts an hour;
and the minister must take great care not to drop
one single word that looks like an exhortation to
duty. 'J"he whole sermon has some resemblance to
a system of disinity, without the conclusion. In
some of their churches they sing three times during
divine service; but, in general, their sermons aie
the same, only with this ditierence, that some of
their young ministers have boldly ventured to imitate
th( ir ancestors, such as Hates, Howe, and others.
It is necessary to inform the reader concerning
this vast difl'crence in the mode of preachii>g hetw een
the j)resent Independents, and those v\ho lived at
the time ot the revolution.
In 1708, one Mr. Hiissey, a minister at Cam-
bridge, published a heavv, tedious volume, to shew
that no minister had a right to make any offers of
grace or salvation to sinners. This is not original
Calvinism, but it is an inference, or consequence
deduceablc from it; at least from that part of it
called absolute predestination. For if God has
elected one part of mankind, and reprobated the
other, what occasion is there for exhortation, seeing
man has no power to comply. This is a popular
objection of the Armiuians, which has already been
in a measure refuted. It is not hereby meant to
charge the Independents alone with this conse-
rpeuce, as many other sectarists, and even some in
our established church, adopt the same opinion. — If
we might be allowed to give our advice on so im-
portant a subject, we should rather think the ex-
press command of our Lord should be more attended
to than any of these traditions of men ; and if in
r^zekiel's days, the dead bones were commanded to
live, why should not the same method be taken un-
der the superior brightness and vivifying nature of
the gospel dispensation.
There is an apparent inconsistency in establishing
the above consequence from a belief in absolute
predestination, among a people who, in general, pro-
fess to have been converted from the ways of sin,
under the Methodists ; for this is the case with the
modern Independents. It is pretty generally known,
that exhortation is their fort, and that they bad rather
forego systematic divinity than lose an opportunity
of earnest exhortation.
When a man or woman desires to be admitted a
member, the minister and deacons confer with him,
inquire into his character with a strictness and pre-
cision which does honour to them. If it is found
45 8
such ns «ill bring an honour to religion, as well as
an onianunt to tlii:ir congregation, he or she is then
told to wiite out an accotnit of his Christian cx-
perienci', and <>f the manner of his conversion.
This account is givi-n to the mini'^tjT, who having
pci used it, desires the candidalc to be at the niei t-
ing on the next Lord's day. When service is over
in the afieriioon, the minister, with the deacons, anilr
the priiuipal members of the congregiHion, meet
together in a large pew before the cli rk's desk,,
calli'd the fable pew, because it is there they ad-
minister the Lord's Supper,
The candidate is then called upon, and the minis-
ter, pulling the |)aper out of Ins pocki t» t<'lls the
pcoplv- that he is come to read the Christian expe-
rience of A. B. The paper is then read,, whicll.
generally contains, lirst, a confession of his original
and actual transgressions against God, his deep con-
viction of guilt on that account, and his hearty de-
sire of enibrariug that salvation which is revealed in
the gosp( 1 : he then ])roceeds to relate the method
and- manner by which divine grace operated upon his
heart ; but as these ar« so various, we cannot fix any
particular one, only we believe, that the general
way which God takes to bring sinners to the know-
ledge of himself, is through the instrumentality of
the preached word. He then professt^s liis desire to
become a member of that jyarticular church, and
assigns his reason for it, which is generally this, that
he cannot any longer conscientiously abstain from
obeying the positive command of Christ, which is
binding upon all Christians, viz. the participation of
the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. It is a general
rule, not only with the Independents, but \\ ith most
other sectarists, not to admit any one to their com-
munion, until they have undergone some exami-
nation of this nature.
As soon as the paper is read, the candidate is de-
sired to retire into the vestry, and while he is there,
a consultation is held among the minister and mem-
bers of the church ; they then determine whetlier
in the judgment of charity his experience is genuine,
and such as will entitle him to church fellowship ;
added to which, they also judge of his character and
conduct in the world ; if these correspond with
their sentiments of propriety, the candidate is made
acquainted therewith, the minister gives him the
right hand of fellowship, and he is from that mo-
ment a member of the church. It is generally con-
trived that the day of admission is upon a Lord's
day, when the sacrament is administered, and then
the new admitted member immediately communi-
catt^s with the church.
Should the candidate be objected to, either from
some inconsistency in his moral conduct, or should
the account of his experience not correspond with
the tenor of gospel conversion, he is exhorted to
u
674
ACCOUNT OF THE INDEPEMDENTS.
■ Gontmue some time longer under the ordinances ;
' to be diligent in his attendance on Lord's davs, and
to be very circumspect in his behaviotir. ^^fter a
longer or shorter tria], he is admitted or totally
: rejected.
As .for tlie present state of the regular Iiidepend-
ents, it ratlier resenddes a stwidini; pool, whereas
fornieriy it was as a rapid current. They have sonic
rich peo|)le aiiionjist them, and many poor; they
consist chiefly of old members, and their additional
converts are not very VKiiricraiis. They are' rather
: in a declining than a prosperous state : we hope this
. 16 not a sign of a decay of religion and virtue in tlie
M'orld, but that people in general see less necessity
■ than forinei ly for dissenting froni tXtc established
church of England.
Irregular ludepi'iKleiifs.
It is not from any ill natured prejudice, nor any
: thing like malevolence that we call these people by
■such a name. This would be very uidjecotning
those who arc candidates for the public favour ; im-
partiality alone, and notiiing less can captivate men
of reason, ai:d obtain iheir good opinion. The
audior did not rightly know by what name to call
Ihein, till being one day in company with a doctor
in divinity amongst the regular Independents, the
ifeverend doctor said, " They are our Irregulars." —
The reader must not be left in the dark, he must
know who these people are, and who are those fol-
lowers who support their ministry. To understand
this rightly, it will be necessary to observe, that soon
after the establishment of Methodism in this coun-
try, by those iirst instilutors of it, Messrs. Whillield
and \\'esley, many of the preachers in their separate
^connections, thinking they had equal abilities with
the rest of their brethren, took meetings, and be-
came Independents themselves. Having been ren-
dered popular by their connection willi one or the
other of the above reverend gentlemen, and substi-
tutin^g loud declamation in the place of sound rea-
sonii.ig, they soon collected a sufticient nundier to
till their meeting-houses. We will not say tlial their
con^r(igations were the most respectable, they gene-
rally consisted of the unharned and the poor, and
.not by any means so repulabic as the regular Inde-
pendent congregations. Their discipline was iriuch
the same, but many parts of their conduct different.
\^ e have already ol^served, that the regular Inde-
j)endents have an education in tlieir academies, but
not the best that can be obtained, slopping vastly
-^hort of that erudition which in our opinion is
.necessarv Xo ibrm a Christian minister. But the
ineguhns .'.ire still at a lov.cr ebb, as thcr are in '
general ignorant of systematic divinity, as well as
common education : however, their public harangues
are popular; they tend to inliame the passions, and
set the affections at work: what wonder if under
such influences as these, the judgment should some-
times be misled and the [)racliee be consequently
erroneous. It is not our business to enquire by
what motives they are actuated, we shall leave that
to him, before whom all hearts are o])eii, all desires
known, and from whom no secrets are hid ; whose
prerogative it is to try the reins and search the hearts
of the children of men. But this iiuich is certain,
that they have a great tuiniber of followers, and
yet they have neither system nor discipime. Strang<j
that -a religion should exist willioiit these, and yet
It is true. Their terms of communion are laiher
unceitani, any person of good character, and what
they in their separate congregations call orthodox
principles, may be admitted. Men of business
sometimes join them, and it is often jiroved that they
benelit themselves considerably, as it is a general
ma^im with them to encourage those of then own
communities; this is very natural, and we will not
blame them ior it: self-love pievails amongst man-
kind in so eminent a degree, that \\ lien weencouiage
others of the same opinion, we are only gratifying
this predominant princijile.
^\ ilh res|)ect to their manner of preaching, it
would require a more able pen to defend it in every A
particular; this is a very essential branch of a minis- ^
ter's office, and where it is not properly conducted,
the effects will be lamentable. I{eligion itself, in
such congregations, will be disesteemed at least, if
not totally neglected. It cannot be expected that a
minister without learning should convey much knov\t-
ledge to the people under his care. These irregular
Inde|)endeiits pursue tiic same method as the rcvt-
lais, by taking a text, and from thence preachinuf a
discourse, though some people will have jt, that they
take leave of their test immediately, and that their
discourse is as suitable to any other. The discourse
is generally unconnected, and not well calculated to
impress the minds of the auditory with a becoming
reverence and devotion, if they have little or no
education, we may be sure that rhetoric has not
been studied by iheni, much less ])roper gestures or
cadences. They do wisely, circumstanced as they
are, to ridicule the art of preaching, and explode
all manner of attention to propriety of action, of
sounil and judicious reasoning in the pulpit. We
are afraid lliat the sum total of their harrangues
amount in general to this, / oi et pn'tcrcii iii.iiL
\\ e are w iliiiig to hope and believe, that notwith-
standing these evident marks of impropriety and in-
decorum, that they have some real merit, in being
frequently the means of reclaiming the viciou.s,
especially among the vulgar; for though they are
ACCOUNT OF THE ANABAPTISTS.
67.^
thus detecled 1)\ people who have iheir eyes open,
yit the iiKijorilv i>l' iiiaiikiiid, who judge of things
at first si>;lit, and take evtrv thuij; lor gospel tin y
hear, are fascinattd hy then- jjieaciiin!;;, whitli ope-
rates by different ways, in some people, by raising
their minds to an exalted pitch of enthusiasm, and
by sinking olliers into desperation. Upon the
whole, it is beliived that some good is done by then),
anil that tiioy are a mean used by the hand of piovi-
dence whose works are altogether marvellous, and
who fre(]ueutly brings good (;iit of apparent e\il.
We would reconunend it to the ministers who
rank themselves under this denomination, to act in
a compassionate manner to their hearers, to consider
tiie poor as greater objects of compassion than the
rich, to make the truths of the gospel appear in a
more amiable liglit than they do, to cease itom de-
claiininu ag:iinst other panics and professions, evi-
deully better (piaiilied in every point of view, and
to make their public dissertations more a matter of
study. They would then make a proper improve-
ment of the trust committed to their care, and ac-
<]uir<' as much honour as would make amends for
all their deticiences. They would do well to fol-
low the advice ami example of the blessed Saviour
of men. lie knew well the false hopes and falla-
cious reasonings of the heart of man ; how prone
men were to form themselves into parties and dis-
tinguish themselves by trifling inventions. In the
business of religion and the great concern of souls,
all that is short of obedience to God's commands,
and a life of devotedness to his service, is nothing
but trick and evasion, frolli and folly. Consequently
if any man build on such deceitful g.'-oimds, and
Willi such slight materials, he must and can expe( t
no other, than that his house should fall upon liJa
head, and he perisii in the ruins.
The irregular Independents have, in general, no
proper notions of ecclcsiasliciil discipline, nor any
idea of systems of divinity. They have no regular
plan, every congregalion assuining some particu-
larity. Tiiey a\e titily iiidepei:tknt in tlie strictest
.sens.- of tile woid. In the fonn of their worship
they aie nearly the same with the regular Indepen-
dents, only with this difl'erence, they frequetuly use
the Loids prayer in public, which the olhets do
not. What can be the reason of the latter disusing
it we will not pretend to assert, unless it is tliat
tlieii objection to all forms is so great, that they
will not accept of one, even from the mouth of
truth itself.
After all that has been said, we are happy to af-
firm from ouro\\n knowledge, that there are many
exceptions amongst the irregular Independents, bo'.Ii
iipniiters and people. Men of learning -.nid ahihlies,
who are actuated by the purest piiiici|-Ks, who
study as much as is in their power to rentier religion
a pleasing and delightful science, who are, in one
word, — an ornament to their profession, and whose
names will be respected, while virtue has any coun-
tenance in the world.
ACCOUNT OF THE ANABAPTISTS.
JlX treating of these people, -we are obliged to take
notice of their divisions and sub-divisions, tor they
are even as much divided as the Presbyterians. —
They are called Anabaptists, for their practice of
baptizing believers only ; and they say, that the
mode of baptism should be by immersion, accortling
to ihe method used by the primitive Christians, or,
at least, during the three fust centuries. i hus they
claim an immediate descent from Christ and his
apostles, and assert, that the constitution of their
cimrches is from the authority of Jesus Christ him-
self, and his immediate successors.
Some historians, indeed, deduce their origin as a
sect from much later times, and ailiun, that they
first sprung up in (jermaiiy, and separated them-
selves from the Lutherans, because the doctriue ul
these reformers was imperfect, or not brought to
the primitive standard; as the proper mode and sub-
ject of baptism, was not allowed by ihein to be ne-
cessary, in the performance of the rite. Therefore,
they re-baptized their followers, condemning infant
baptism as iniscri| tural, and of no effect; whence
they arc called by the reproachful name of Ana-
baptists.
'i'hey insisted on plainness of dress, and simpli-
city in worship. They hioI only exelHiined aguin-st
the chnieh and powtrof Home, but also against all
those who opposed liberty of conscience. It i.s not
at present our business to enter into a polemical ar-
gument concerning the lime of baptism. Lord
King has made it appear, and perhaps to a demon-
slration, that it never was used m any other sense
676
ACCOUNT OF THE ANABAPTISTS.
than by immersion, till after the time of Constan-
tine the Great. One oltjeclioii liis lordship admits
of, and tliat is, tliat when people were converted
from Paganism on their death-be<l.s, and desired to
be Itaptized, they were only sprinkled.
In Cierniany, Switzerland, Italy, an<l many other
yarts of Europe, many of the Anabaptists suffered
martyrdom before the Reformation took place; and
Dr. Wall, the greatest English writer in defence of
infant baptism, admits, that there weie some thou-
sands of Anabaptists in the worki before the tion-
bles broke out at Mun.sler, in Germany.
It is pretty clear, from the writings of many
learned men, that Dr. John Wickliffe, the first
English reformer, either considered infant baptism
as unlawful, or at least not necessary, and he denied
that sin was taken away by baptism. Some of
A\'ickliffe's followers maintained, that the children
of believers are not to be sacramentally baptized,
and that it was impossible to give children ecclesias-
tical baptism, saying, they were sufiiciently clean
aud holy, because ihey w ere born of holy and Chris-
tian parents. But to go on with the history of these
people, as a general body before they split into so
many parties.
Though several Anabaptists were put to death
and other banished for their opinion, during the
reign of Henry VIII. yet they still continued to en-
crease. Bishop Burnet says, that at this time, lo47,
there were many Anabaptists, in several parts of
England, and tliey were generally Germans, whom
the revolutions of that country had driven over.
Upon Luther's iirst preaching in Germany, there
arose many, who, building upon some of his prin-
ciples, carried things much further than he did. —
Upon this many of them argued, that the mysteries
of the 'I'rinity, Christ'^ incarnation and sut^'erings,
and the fall of man, were philosophical subtleties,
not derived from scripture nor necessary to salvation.
We shall have occasion to consider these points
more at large hereafter.
They rejected, in |)articular, infant baptism, as a
duty not enjoined, or so much as mentioned in scrip-
ture. Many of them, however, had opinions dif-
ferent from each other, but they all went by the
name of Anabaptists.
April 12, 1747, there was a complaint brought
to the council, that with the strangers that weie
come into England, some of that persuasion had
tome over, and were disseminating their errors, by
making proselytes, so a commission was ordered,
and the archbishop of Canterbury, w'ith some other
bishops and lords of high characters, were appointed
by a commission under the great seal, to examine
and search after all those people called Anabaptists,
and indeed, all such as did not go to church.
They were to endeavour to reclaim them, to en-
join them penance, and give them absolution, or
if they were obstinate, to excommwnicate ilieui
and deliver them over to the civil power, to he
further proceeded against, tliat is, they were to be
burnt. Ill May, the same year, some tradesmen of
I London were brought before these comiijissioiurs
, and ordered to abjure their former opinions, parti-
cularly they were to acknowledge, that infant bap-
tism was a Christian satranieut.
One of these who thus abjured, was commanded
to carry a faggot the wf xt Sunday to St. Paul's,
where there would be a sermon setting forth Ins he-
resy. But there was another of these extremely
obstinate, viz. Joan Bocher, commonly called Joan
of Kent. She denied, that Christ was truly caiiiate
of the virgin, whose Hesh being sinful, he could not
take any of it ; but the word, by the consent of the
inward man in the virgin, took flesh of her. There
must have been many more of these sentiments at
that time; for how could a poor ignorant woman
form notions that would have puzzled tlie most
learned philosophers to comprehend.
The commissioners took a great deal of pains
with this woman, and had many confeiences with
her, but she was so extravagantly conceited of her
notions, that she rejected all they said with scorn.
Upon this she was condemned to suffer death as an
obstinate heretic. We are sorry to say that this
happened in »lie beginning of a Protestant reign. —
The pious young king Edward withstood all .the
solicitations of his council for signing the warrant
for her execution, declaring, it was doing in fact
what they had condeni'ied in the church of Rome,
and that he would not drive her headlong to the
devil. At last the king was persuaded by archbishop
Craiimer, who urged that her crime was an iin-
peachment of the apostles' creed, and that blas-
phemers were to be stoned to death, according to
the Mosaic dispensation. The king, overcome by
Cranmer's arguments, put his hand to the bloody
warrant, though not without shedding tears, de-
claring he would lay all the charge on the arch-
bishop before God. Accordingly the woman was ex-
ecuted, being burnt alive ; and soon afterwards Geo.
Van Paris, a Dutchman, was committed to the
flames in Smithfield.
A faithful historian must neither conceal virtue
nor vice, and the crime of a Protestant archbishop
must no more be veiled over, than the guilt of a
Koman pontiff, or a Spanish inquisitor.
Cranmer's conduct on this melancholy and re-
markable occasion, is a striking proof of the corrup-
tion of human nature, even in the midst of good
actions. The archbishop, with many other good
men, endeavoured to promote the reformation of
religion in England, and yet they could not help
I bringing along w ilh them, from the church of Rome,
ACCOUNT OF THE ANABAPTISTS.
G77
the vilest dregs of practical popery, lliis is a
matter of very serious consiilcration, niid should
tciicli men to be on tlieir guard, wlu-n tlicy cliau'^c
from tlie practices of a corrupted clniich. Let llicm
K\nc all tliat is bad behind, and Ijrnig ail that is
goorl alorij; with liiem.
The arguments made use of by dainncr, to in-
duce tiie young king to sign the warrant for the ex-
ecution of a poor in;nr)raut niad-braiiird woman,
jx.ints out to us the sliockina; notions, and the balelid
iiiducnre, that ignorance of the sacred truths c)f tht:
New Testament will alwavs have on the minds of
people. He argued from the Mosaic law, that the
l»las|>heuier was to he stoned to death, and it is very
true; but the archbishop did not so nnich as know
wiiiit was meant by a tiieocracy. He imagined, that
because God, as the real sovereign of the Je\^ish
jicople, |)ermitted them to put blasphemers to death,
SI Chii'^tiaiis were to do the same. lUit we pilv
lite man, while we detest the aclioli.
l"he papists rijoiee in this act of cruelty, and
rcfoit ba( k persecution on the Protestants. Philips,
in his life of cartlinal Pole, while he is contriving
t-very means to blacken the characters of the re-
formers, takes care not to let this pass unnoticed. —
However, if we Protestants have persecuted, we
learned it from the papists, nor shall we attempt to
vindicate such unchiisliau piiuciples.
In the reign of queen Idizahelh, the Anabaptists
inci'cased, and were subjected to imprisonment and
bain^htnenl. Some few, as Dr. Fuller observes, re-
canted their errors, but two of them were burnt in
Smithticld.
Ill the reign of James I. among the persecuted
eNiles that lied to Holland were several Anabaptists,
who set up a church under the pastorship of Mr.
John Smilli, who had been a minister of the estab-
lished tluucli ; but they were violently opposed bv
the other Puritan exiles, from whom they received
much Jnise in books written ag;iinst their opinions.
In tliis reign Edward \\ ightnian, a Haptist, of
Rurton u|)on 'i'reiit, was burnt at Litrhfield. He
was the last martxr who suiTeicd liy this cruel sta-
tute of liuniing heretic s in England. .And it may
be remarked, that William .Sawtre, the first that
suffered in that manner for hi.s religions opinions,
was supposetl to have denied infant baptism; so that
this seel had the lionour both to lead the wav and
bring up the rear of all the martyrs ihat suffered in
Eiialand upon the bloody statute of Henrv IV.
In the year i()'M, sonio Anabapli>Is tran.sj)orted
ihen;sclvts to New England, wheie, frir a lime,
ihey met with very bad treatment frinn the Iude|)eii-
i-h-nts, who though they had fled from persecution
ihcniselves, yet persecuted with great crueltv both
the Baptists and Qnakeis. Dr. Mather, in his his-
tory of New England, has declared, thai many of
45 b
the Ba|)lists were very worthy honest men; and that
Mr. \\ illiauis, one of their preachers, being ba-
nished from Salem, settled at a place called Provi-
dence, where ho gathered a church t'jgether and
was vcrv instrumeiual i;i oblaimng n charter for the
government of Rhode Island, of wliidi lie was frc-
«|uenlly chosen governor, and diat lie ilid all in his
power to convert the Indians in his neighbonihood.
He published a treatise on their manners, language,
and temiH-rs, and when peace was restored in New
England, the Baptists spread tliemsehes throughout
many parts of the conlinenf.
In l(i4.;, there was a dispute or confidence li< Id
in the IJorough of Smithwark, between 1);. Eeatly
and some Anabaptist preachers, of which the doc-
tor has published an account, but it is supposed to
be a very partial one; for from the title page, to ihft
latter end, there is a spirit of bitterness runs thiongli
it. During the civil wars of the last oeiituiy,. they
eiicieasedin vast numbers, and no less wrileis than
Dr. Hainmoud and bishop Taylor, spoke favourably
of their sentiments. In l(i4.3, the Baptists pub-
lished their confession of faith, and in UJ4(), it was
licensed by order of the pailiamciit. Except in
the articles of baptism, and church government,
this contession diffi red very litile from that of
W estminster now established in the church of Scot-
land.
However, thev were now persecuted by the Pres-
byteiians, just as they had been beiuie by the Epis-
copalians. But in ISIarch, l(i47, a declaiatioii of
the lords and commons was published in their favour,
induced thereto by the great numbeis oi' them, then
in the army, and in most of the corporations in
llngland.
'lliis declaration has the folk)win5 words:
" 'I he name of Auaiiaptism hath, indeed, con-
tracted much odium, by reason of the extiavagaot
piiuciples and practices of some of that name in
(iermany; tending to the disturbance of government
and p<ace of all states, which opinions and jnacticcs
abhor and det( St ; but for their opinion against the
baptism of infants, it is only a dillerence about a
circumstance of time in the adniinisliation of an or-
diiuniee, wherein, in former ages, as W( II as this,
learned men ha\e differed both in opinion and prac-
tice. Am! alihoiigh we could wish that all men
would satisfy themselves, and join with us in our
judgment and praetjce in this point, yet herein we
hold It tit, that men should be convinced by the
wcjid of liod, with great gentleness and reason, and
not diiven to any thing by force au<l violeiue."
The J*rotestauls, however, did not abide long in
those senlimenl,s of motleration ; for the very next
year, KilS, they ivnblished a cruel ordinance for the
jnmishmeut of blasphemies and heresies, by which
every sect, but the iigid Piisbyteiiuns, were con-
678
ACCOUNT OF THE ANABAPTISTS.
<lcmneil; ami upon tliis oiciinaiicfi several Baptists
were pcisecutcti, merely for their opinions about
baptism.
Tlic siiort rest they enjoyed towards the close of
the nsurpatiiin, was succeeded by a most cruel per-
secution, duiing great part of the reign of Chailes
II. "she story of Venner, the iiflli monarchy man,
is well known, who at the time of the restoration,
sallied out from a house in Coleman Street, with
some of his hearers, parading the streets, and knock-
ing down every person who came in their way. —
'1 heir professed intention was, to set king Jesus upon
his throne, 'i'hese infatuated people believed, that
the milleuium was then to take place, and Christ
was to reign with his peoj)le a thousand years.
It is cei'tain, that the Anabaptists had no more
concern with this insurrection of Vcnner's, than
they had witli the election of a pope of Uome, but
the Presbyterian parly at court embraced the oppor-
tunity of wreaking tlieir vengeance on tlic whole
body of those innocent people. We call tlieni in-
nocent; for where men's notions do not tend to\var(ls
disturbing govermnent, or promoting immorality,
they may be justly esteemed innocent, and not ob-
jects of public censure.
Aljout lour hundred of these people were crowded
into Newgate, besides many in other prisons. But
at the coronation they were set at lilierty i)y the act
of indeiimity. Tiiey published a declaration, wliere-
m they testiiied their, abhorrence of \ enner's iiisur-
rcclion, and all ihey begged for was, liberty to meet
together, to worship God according to the dictates
of thieir consciences This, however, did not avail
them nuicli, for they were conthuially persecuted
during ihe whole of that reign.
John l!nn\an, one of their preachers, was con-
tiuod in prison eleven years, in Bedford gaol, where
ho had no other way of procuring a subsistence, but
by knitting of purses, and in that afllicted state he
wrote his Pilgrim's Progress, a book that will per-
haps be read to the end of the workl.
'ihe famous bisiiop Pati ick, author of the Com-
mentary on the Bible, wrote a book under a similar
title, vxliich the witty earl of Rochester riiUculed in
the most severe manner, when compared with that
of Buuyan's.
The Baptists continued to suffer much in Eng-
land till king James 11. published his indulgence,
and at last tliey were entitled to all the benefits of
the toleratio\i act, which leads us to consider what
they have been since, and what they are at present.
'I'he Anabaptists are, by their own choice among
themselves divided into the following classes or
rather parties : ,
1st, Calvinists.
Cdly, Ariaus.
Sdly, Sabattarian Caivinists.
4thly, Sabattarian Arians.
We shall treat of all these in their order.
Of the Caltiiii-ilicdl AnahoplisU.
All the Anabaptists, from the time of the Refor-
mation, till some time after tiie revolution, wers
Caivinists, but they soon split into parties, the com-
mon consequence of the al)use of liberty. Not that
we would \'v ish to abridge the least part of the toh'-
ration act, but only to shew, that the best things may
be made the worst use of; and here we would not
have it understood, that we are opposing any of
those parties, but merely giving an historical account
of them.
The Calviuistical Anabaptists are the most ninne-
rons of their sects, and it arises from a circumstance
that M ill surprist' the reader.
It is owing to this, tiiat those who are best quali-
fied for delivering their sentiments in public, \\\\\
become most popular. It is so among the Homau
Catholics, and in all Protestant countries where the
sermons are delivered without notes. It is, in a
great measure, owing to the cold indiflerent manner
in w hich sermons are read, that tiie established clergy
have become mipopular, and the dissenting meetings
empty. This observation was made by bishop Bur-
net so long ago as the year JGy'2, in one of his
charges to his clergy.
It is an established maxim, that no part of human
learning is necessary towards qualifying a man to be
a member among tiie .Inubaptists, besides that of
being able to read the Bible, and a few other reli-
gions books.
They have therefore made it a rule, to pick out
such of their hearers as are the most popuJar to
hnrangne the people ; and these they send to their
country congregations, which are extremely numer-
ous. Their high pretensions to piety, their earnest
manner of addressing themselves to the passions of
their hearers, and their strict attention to the duties
of their functions, bring after them a vast number
of followers, but cliieHy among the lower classes of
the jjeople.
We must acknowledge, that they have had a Gill
and a Brine, and some others among them. These
were like constellations in a clouded sky, and some
of their valuable performances have dispelled the
mists of ignorance and infidelity, and reconciled
many seeming inconsistencies in the Christian sys-
tem.
\^'hen a man presents himself to be admitted a
preacher among them, he is only asked whether ho
ACCOUNT OF THE ANABAPTISTS.
(T7?)
has been converted by divine grace, imd wlictlu-r lie
(•oiisidcis iiit'iiiit liaptisiii :is inconsistont witli llic
word of (iod. IK- is liki;\vi?e to irive lii.s uRseiit t»
evt'i V tiling prot'essod \>y his coiniminily, wliicli iire
the doclriiif.s of Ciiiviiiisni. 'l"o llicse lliev add
same ot" their own which Calvin never inteiidl'd. —
It is not eiioii;:h fur thcin to allow of ett-rnal repro-
bation, luit like the Indfpiiulents, they- draw that
conckision from ii tiiat cxhartations art; ninici'tssary.
Calvin, ill sevi ral of his seniioiis, froqiienlly say*,
" O sinners, \vc otter yon Christ;' which, iiidied, is
no more ihaii tlie apostle saiil, when he told tiie
Curinthiaiis that he preached Christ. ]5iit these
people answer to- this, that they have no Christ to
olior. It iiiiiiHt not be improper to ask thcin,
wlielher preachiii!;' the gospel, and preaching Christ,
ate not synonymous terms r As all the promises in
the Old Testainetu were made first to Christ, so they
are like an inheritance, to descend to jjelievcrs in
the same manner as an estate descends to a son. —
It hehevers are heirs of Christ, and if the inherit-
ance itself comes by the rjospel, then is not preach-
ing the i;ospcl the ofl'ering of (.'hrist to s'inncis as a
Saviour.
The ministers of this jk rsnasion take great pains
in their prcachin;:, lo aftecl the hearers with the im-
portance ot their doctrines, and use every nielhod
to rouse the passions, and inlkience the heart, to
high and heavenly pursnits; the attempt is laudable,
and in it we must w ish tliem success.
They have some decornm and order in their ser-
mons, which we think would have still more effect
npon the hearts and lives of their hearers, did tliev
accustom themselves to draw practical inferences. —
As the ministers are generally men of abilities and
piety, it is rather to be wondered at that they do not
only see the necessity for this manner of proceeding,
but also break through that prejudice which has so
long been a barrier lo it. It is remarkable, that all
our Saviour's discourses consist of ex|)laiiatioiis of
the law, and are always mixed with exhoi talioiis.
Nine parts out of ten oi' the apostolical epistles
consist of earnest e.xhortatioiis to duty, and strange
that it should ever have entered into the heart of
man, to neglect such an useful part of preaching. —
The most strenuous Calvinists in the church of
Scotland, who are the Anti-burgher Scceders, seldom
spend less than one- fourth part of their sermons in
tlie most fervent exhorlalions to duty ; for they con-
sider, with the apostle, that when the foundation has
been once laid, they should endeavour lo raise the
superstructure.
But here let it be observed, that we are as- well
convinced of the necessity of teaching principles,
as any of the Anabaptists are, but we consider it as
only one part of preaching. We are no more to
leave any tiling undone, than we are to do what is
forbidden, A constant direction on speculative
opiiiions-niav enable men to talk of religion, bni in-
ferences drawn lioinlhem (ptalit'y llieiii for hea\cn.
In their admillni;^ ot nu nd)eis, they ditVer niueli
from die Independents. 'I'hey do not call upon
them to make u display of all those I'avonrs v>hich
have been shewn to them by divine goodness ; and
that in a public ni;imier before the face of a whoh-
congregation. But still they have something similar
to it, and sonielhing, jicrhap^, even more public.
^Vhell a person d< sires to be admitled a uienibir
into one of their societies, he is examined slrii t'y
by the minister and deacons, as to their knowledge,
and a strict inquiry isniade into his moral charactci-.
Christ received sinners; and his apostles, so far from
making inquiry into the moral characters of their
new converts, received them as sinners, and pointed
out liieir moral duty afterwards. 'Ihis is only a hint
b\ the bye ; it is not our intention to recommend the
dissolute and profane, a^t least while they continue
so, as proper members of any church, but the .syna-
gogue of Satan: we only mean to say, that true pe-
nitents have a right to the blessings cif the gospel
dispensation. The beiietils of the sal\ ation provided
in tlie gospel exttnd to simicrs, and aie calculated
only (ur such: the whole need not a physician, !)iit
those who are sick. Christ came- not to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance.
]5ut we mnst not look for primitive purity in- reli-
gion among any set of people. The truth is, the
Calvinistical An:d)aptists rest so much on speculative
notions, and Inive such an antipathy to the tertu
good works, that they run into errors in tin; extreme.
'I'liis is rather absurd, because their' own notions
point out grace irresistible. However, there is such
an inconsistency in human notions, and in inunaii
actions, that nothing less tlran the judgment day
will clear up.
However, when the candidate has been examined
and approveil of, he is ordered to come and be bai>-
ti/ed. In the eonntry, this ceremony is frequently
performed in a ditleient manner from that used in
London. One of- the Anabaptists, perhaps more
zeidons than many of his brethren, told us, that he
was plunged in a river in Pembrokeshire, in South
Wales, after the ice had been broken to make way
for the ceremony.
It is rather diH'ercnt in London, where the cere-
mony is performed before a numerous ami respecta-
ble congregalion.
'i'he candidate comes near to a font, or rather a
reservoir of water, in the centre of the meeting
having a robe around him to conceal his nakedness,
and the minister walks into the water before him.
The minister being up to the middle in the water,
the candidate approaches towards him in a very
reverend posture. Then the minister lays him back,
G30
ACCOUNT OF THE ANABAPTISTS.
andlioldsiiim in the water till lie repeats tliese
« ords :
" I ba])tize thee in the name of the Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost."
Tliey then go out of the water together, and a
sermon is preachtd suitable to the occasion.
Tlie mode of conducting liiis ceremony is -some-
tjines very solemn; the minister generally quotes
those passages of sciipture which are suitabJe to the
purpose, and which, in his opinion defend the
pr.iitice of aihdt baptism. It is very cert:iin, tiiat
when Christianity was first promulgated, adults
were baptized, and so were children too, other-
wise we should not hear of the baptism of whole
households.
W iih respect to discipline, tiiese people have
none in particidar, but they excommunicate tiieir
members in the same manner as the Independents.
'I hey make provision for their poor, and have many
collections ior that pinpos;-, vet tliere is a discre-
Uonafy power left in the minister to give what part
of it to whom he pleases.
In ail other respects, tlicy are like the Indepen-
dents, and .differ but little from them, except in tiie
article of baptism. How far such men act consis-
tently wiih the rides laid .down in the gospel, is not
our business to enquire. To be censorious is in-
j-onsistent with that impaitiality which should at all
times distinguish the character of an historian ; to
he remiss in taking notice of some abuses, would
point out a fawning disposition. I<ct God be true,
;uid let every man be a liar.
OJ tlic Ariaii and ^oc'ininii AiKihaplhU.
We have already taken notice of those Anabap-
tists who are called Calvinists, we must now pro-
ceed to consider such as are of a different denomi-
nation.
The first Aria« Baptist preaclier in England wa^s
Dr. John Gale, who made his (irst |}ublic appear-
ance about the beginning of this century. That
he was a man of some learning cannot be denied,
and liis book, in answer to Dr. Wall, discoveis
amazing abilities. But, notwithstanding all liiis,
he contracted, in his early youlli, the most violent
prejudices against every thing, cither in Calvinism
or Arniinianisu). The most part of liis sermons,
consisted of invectives against the godhead of
C'.rist, and Wiliat was |>ractical consisted of flo
more than what a common heathen would have
d.divered. iSo mention of Christ as a Ilcdeemer,
,n ) notice ol his offices as a mediator, no eidiveniu'f
hope of pardon through his meiits or acceptance,
ill coiisfc'ouence of Ins rightcoui^nesSj — ;but a heavy
conmientary on the words virtue, good men, snd
all such other titles as we iind meiuioned in iieuthcR
authors.
Jn consequence of this man's preaching, a sort of
schism took place amojig the Auabaptrsts, but of a
•very extraordinary nature.
The^clergy encreased, and the laity decreased. —
There is something in ihit, resembling the conduct
of live liuiKhed shop-keepers setting up in a city,,
I to sell a new commodity, w-hih', at life same time,
they could not have one hundred custouhcrs. It is
] certain, that no man can live witliout tiie common
I necessaries of life; for scll-pieservation is the liist
! principle in natural religion. Poverty should be
I borne with resignation, when it comes as an ordi-
j uary dispensation of divine Providence; ijut we are
1 not to court poverty, 'i his much, how ever, is cer-
j tain, tliat these n)esi, in coiiseqiieiice of having de-
j nied 't!;c divinity of Christ and of the Holy Ghost,
' drove the greatest part of their hearers away, so
tiiat l,heir familie-s were left in distress.
In all disputed ])oinl« concerning religion, it is
best to err on the safe side, iJiat is, it is much better
to rest satisfied with a ileclaration of our own itino-
rauce, than to run nito au o|>-posite extreme. It is
ccitain, that the d(jctrine of the Trinity is taught
both in the Old and New 'i'esf.imcnt, anil it i-t
equally certain, that we are not able to comprehend
it. Then in such cases, is it not much bettt r to
wait with humility, till ,God lays ojieu all these se-
crets to us.
In all these things ackno^\ledge th' Almighty first,
And where we can't unriddle, learn to tiu^t.
With respect to the discipline of these Arian
Anabaptists, they have but little, and their meetings
are deserted of hearers. '^Iheir discourses are in ge-
neral, such as an ancient heathen would blush at..
Every thing tirat strikes at the root of the fnnihi-
mcntals of Christianity, has been adojitcd by lliem,
and properly «peaking, they may be con-iidered as
enemies to Christianity. Is it the resurjection oyf
the body, they are sure to start some doubts con-
cerning it? Js it the niedJatorial office of Christ .''
It is laughed at with contempt. Is it tie salvation
through the redemption wrought by Christ.^ It is
ni>n«ense.
■^riiis brings to our reniendjrance what Sir Mat-
thew Hale says, \iz. that nothing can make the
people so immoral as moniJ preaehuig.
In their ceremonits there are no iliffr renocs be-
tween them and tlie Calvuiistical Anabaptists, oniy
that the Aiians admit any person whatevir to coiii-
niiniicatc w idi them, who oidy subset ibe towanis
supporting their mci tings.
All the miuisteis of their persuasions, are such as
i\CCOUNT OF THE SABATARIANS.
6B1
li;ive received a liberal education, so in that particu-
lar they diftcr from many others. But notwith-
standing ail tlieir learning, they arc left to starve.
Undoubtedly, the hatred these men have to Jesus
Christ as a mediator, must be very shocking, when
they can sulyiit themselves to. all sorts of want,
that they muy have an opj)0rtunity of blaspheming
Ins name.
There arc not many of them at jivosent in Eng-
land ; for this much is certain, that no attachments
to systems will ever go down with the people where
the doctrine is uot popular. They have no rule by
which they can proceed in cliurrli censures; for as
there is no gate to come in, so tliere is no opposition
against tluir going out.
In a word, these people arc, perhaps, as deslituti;
of Christian knowledge as the iieatiiens. Their mi-
nisters are enemies to the gospel, but the people do
not so much as know any thing conceruin;; true
religion. However, we sliall have; occasion to speak
of some sects more inconsiderable than those, aiid
such as are but little known by the generality of
people in the present age. ^
ACCOUNT OF THE SABATARIANS.
JLN treating of these people, there are two things
necessarv to be considered.
Fust, their general principles, and secondly, their
present slate.
As for their principles, we are naturally led to
enquire into the origin and authenticity of what we
commonly call the Christian sabbath. And here
llie following questions naturally present themselves
to us for solution.
First, is it a moral principle, that one day in seven
should be kept holy to God ?
To this it is answered, that it is not moral, nor
has it any connection with natural religion. That
some of our time should be set apart for the wor-
ship of the Divine Being, is beyond all manner of
dispute, but that one day in seven, or in seven
hundred should be observed, natural religion does
not point out.
Secondly, was this a patriarchal institution .■
The answer is, it was not, for it took place long
before. We read, that when (?od finished the glo-
rious work of the creation, he rested from his la-
bours, and nronounctd the whole to be good. This
was on the seventh day, and it is iniim;.!od, that the
seventh day from that period should be a time of
rest among men.
It is impossible, at this distance of time, to say
in what maimer this sacred institution was attended
to in the antid;Uivian world. Perhaps, nay it is
pTob;d)le, that the neglect of this iiisiiiution, was
one of these sins, forvhiclithe people -vere des-
troyed by the deluge. Whctliei the sabbath, or one
day in seven was observed l)y the patriarchs, cannot
now be known; only this much is certain, that in
all the accounts we have of them, it is not so much
as mentioned, although the narrative is particular iu
other tlungs.
But then it will be enquired in the thir^l place,
was the observation of one day in seven among the
Jews, a ceremonial or a moral institution? The an-
swei is, that in some sense it was both ceremonial
and moral ; ceremonial so far as it was connected
with the Jewish law ; moral, as being the efi'ect of
some Divine revelation. As a ceremonial practice,
it took place among the Jews ; and it is well known,
that these people were so superstitiously attached
to the observance of it, that many hundreds of
them were massacred by Antiochus I'^piphanes, be-
cause they woidd not tight on that dav.
()u the other hand, the moral obligation was
quite of a different nature, for it w as reasonable that
some time should be set apart for the worship of the
Divine Being, and as the .Tews believed that the
high command came from God, so they were under
the most absolute and indisputable necessity to con-
sider it as moral.
There is a morality in natnr:il riligion, which
cannot be known unles'^ we attend to the state of
man in this world. But in Dixiiic Bivolation, there
is a necessity of believing, that whatever G oil re-
veals is moral. If we believe a precept inculcated
by Divine revelation, we must believe it to be mo-
ral; for what can be immoral that (iod prescribes
as a duty. In judging of all these things, we are
to consider, how far the evidence will su])port us
through the whole of the argument, and then, if
anV donbt arises we are to draw the line between
natural and revealctl religion.
AS
8 K
682
ACCOUNT OF THE SABATARIANS.
15ut this leads lis to consider the state of the
Chii.stiaa sabbath under the New Testaineiit dis-
peii-iatioii.
Willi respect to the New Testament dispensation,
here is a grand question indeed. It is certain, that
Christ came to put an end to all carnal ordinances
in the law of Moses. He came not to destroy any
thing moral in that law, but to fulfil in his own
person, every thing pointed ont by the difteient types
and shadov, s. Christ taught the Jews tiiat the sab-
bath should be kept, but not in the manner they
kept it ; for the Pharisees had made it a rule, not
so much as to do good to the afflicted on that day.
To convince ihem of the depravity of their conduct,
he asked them, or rather asked their consciences,
whether it was lawful to do well on the sabbadi
day, and then wrought a miracle.
When Christ said, it is Jinia/icJ, the wtfole law
of carnal oidinances fell lo the ground, and the veil
of the temple was rent, and the partition wall was
broken down that separated the Jews from the Gen-
tiles. What command Christ gave to his disciples
concerning their keejiing the day of his resuireclion
cannot be known. VVliether he did so or not, this
much is certr.in,, that his disciples considered the
first day of tl)e week as coming in the room of the
Jewish sabbatii.
Thus we read. Acts xx. 7- " And upon the first
day of the week, when the disciples came together
to brtak bread, Paul preached unto them."
Now it is not said, that he called tiiem together,
but that he found them met there according to their
constant practice. In the Revelation (i. 10.) St.
Joliii says, " I was in the spirit on the Lord's day."
Now whetlirr Chiist desired them to remember him
on that day, or whether they did it in gratitude for
the maiiv blessings he liud procured for them, is not
certainly known. No! they were blamed for im-
posing the observance or non-observance of the
sabbaih.
It seems, however, that many of the Christians
•n (Jaiatia kept the Jewish sal/bath, for which they
were severely reprimanded by the apostle Paul. —
However, it was tlie uniform custom of the primi-
tive Christians, to meet on the lirst day of the week,
as fre(iuent!y as they had an opportunity. 15ut this
duty could not be in)posed, because many of the
first converts were slaves.
When the church obtained peace, under the
emperor Coustantine, then the first day of the week
WQS religiously observed as the Christian sabbath,
and about two hundred years afterwards, the em-
peror Justinian published an edict, commanding,
that all Christians should observe that day, by attend-
ing public worship in the churches. It has never
since been observed by the Christians, as we know
of, except those whom wc are just going to mention.
Account of the Calvinidical Saoafarians^
These people, called Calvinistical Sabatarians, ar€
all Anabaptists; though they are not very numerous^
yet they are very rigid in tlieir iwtions. They sav,
that the institution of the sabbath is not ceremoniaf
but moral, because it took place inuiiediately afier
the creation. They added further, that there must
have been some traditional account of its being ob-
served by the p-ilriarchs, else Moses would never
have inserted it into his law.
It is certain, that many of the rites in the Jewish
law, were observed by the patriarchs ; for it is gene*
rally allowed, that Moses did no more than reduce
them to a system. And if this was the case, sajt
they, why might not the sabbath be observed by
these ancient fathers.
I'here seems not to be much force in this part of
the argument, for we cannot suppose that the very
men who were called and instructed by our Saviour
himself, would have kept tlie resurrection day in-
stead of the seventh sabbath. To this we may add
conjecture, that as God ordered the seventh day of
the week to be observed in memory of the creation,
and as the work of man's redemption was the
greatest event that ever took place here below, so it
was necessary that it should be commemorated as
long as the existence of time, till Christ should make
his second appearance, 'iliis is certainly the best
way lo consider the subject ; and it is certain, that Jj
nothing can be more dangerous, vague, and uncer- "
tain, than to take disputed points of religion by in-
ference or implication (the very thing here done),
when, at the same time, a better proof offered it-
self.
Now it i.s certain, that the observation of the first
day of the week as the Christian sabbath, hath been
imiforndy observed by all those who bear that
name, except a few ; and this is evidence much
stronger than any thing that can be taken by impli-
cation. Thus far we think the argument rests iu
favour of those who keep the first day of the w eek
as the Christian sabbath, but we are not to dictate
to any one. Men are to be judged by the evidence
of their consciences, in consequence of that degree
of knowledge which they have had opportunity of
acquiring.
These Calvinistical Sabatarians differ in nothin"
from the Calvinistical Anabaptists, except in wor-
shipping God on Saturday. They have very little
discipline in the churches or meetings, and their
sermons are generally void of exhortations. They
are very morose in their tempers, and in general
uncharitable to those who differ from them in sen-
timents.
When they admit members among them, they are
ACCOUNT OF THE SABATARFAXS.
683'
very slrirt in making inquiries into all tiiat can be
knowir concerning all those notions they formerly
embraced. They also inquire info tluir moral
characters ; for although these people believe that
no moral duties can be of any service in the article
of divine acceptance, yet they like to be- moral
themselves, and to have nior;i! people anionii them.
Tlieir public devotions are the same as those of
the Independents and Ca!vinislical'Anab;'ptists ; and
when they excommunicate one of-' their members,
thev seldom re-admit him to thtir communion.
They have but few hearers,- and these are in gene-
ral so pliable, that tiiey keep both the Jewish and
(Jhristiun sabbaths, flere is an inconsistenrv, not
only in speculation, but in practice; but what can
w-e look for in human naluie." It is possible that
ttiese people will die away with the present ijene-
ration; for as they were never very numeroU'--, so
they are daily dropping off. They are ali Mille-
iiari;»ns, that is, they believe that Christ will reign a
thousand \ ears on the earth ; which notion is em-
braced by many of the- other Dissenters. There
are no otlier particulars relating to them worth men--
tioning, not do- they make mu( h figure at present.
Tfie Allan Sabatniiiins.
These -people are the most pliant of any in the
uorld, for they generally act in a double capacity.
Thus they preach in their own meetings on Satur-
days, as the real sabbath, and in other meetings on
Sundays, as the Christian sabbath. Upon this last,
however, it is probable that they are rather a sort of
assistants to the Arian Anabaptists. But let them
act from whatever motives they think proper, yet
this much is -certain, they are not popular.
Jt is ren)arkable; that whatever popularity may
take place among the vulgar, yet when men of
knowledge preach tlie truths of the gospel in their
primitive simplicity, tliey are generally followed,
and they arc obeyed in consc<|uence of their lives
being a practical comment on their preachi!)g. On
the other hand, when a preacher forsakes the gospel
of Christ, and attempts to deprive him of his glory,
the people sit with indifference under his cold life-
Jess discourses, and tliey drop oft" one by one, while
the poor infatuated preacher is forsaken.
We have already seen how this applies to tlie
cause of the Arians in general, and to none can it
be more particularly applied than to the Arian Saba-
tarians. If ever they mention the name of Christ,
U is with some mark of reproach, and not with that
mark of reverence one would naturally expect from
those who would make us believe th' y were his
.'•jUowers.
But here let us stop a irttle. Perhaps thesr mcn<
are not Clnistians. 'I'licv observe part ot tlie
.l<'wisii law, but they reject the divinity of Christ. —
They pretend to a nioie than ortiinary zeal for the
sacred scriptures, and yet their sirinons ure nothing
more than dull moral precepts. 'I'hey have this
advantage, however, above the Calvinislical Saba-
tariaiis, in that they exhort their people to duty.
It would not be difficult for ii man of mufer-
standing to make a good sermfut out of two of
theirs; for the Calvinistical Sabatarians would fiir-
nisli him with speculation, and the Arians with duty.
As these men are, in gi ntral, necessitous f(r t'.iO
necessaries of life, aiMl as tiiey are but little regarded
by those few people who folrow them, so some of
them are obliged either to foiloNv mechanical em-
ployments, or, if they have education, to keep
schools.
And here we would make an observation, that
perhaps was never before committed to writing,
namely, that the Arians, Sociiiians, and Arminians,
all sing ill their public ■.^olsl■.;p Dr. \\ atts"s Ps.ilms.
Now It is well known that the doctor's imitation of
the psalms is purely Calvinistical ; and how these
men who deny the divinity of Christ and the H<ly
Ghost, can sing that in their public worship, whi<'li
is totally opposite to their principles, we are not able
to account for.
To hear a minister preach a full hour against all
the glories of Christ's kingdom, and at the same
time, order a psalm to be sung in public worship
contradictory to what he had before advanced, is
one of the greatest paradoxt s in the world. Nay,
I we will not hesitate to declare, that it is a very-
I serious matter. L'or true religion i.s of anumforni
I nature: no part of it must clash or interfere with
I another; all must be beautiful, regular, and uni-
form; but how can this 'be found w lure there is a
total opposition.
These people ailmit their members by inTmcrsion
in ripi r years, but indeed they make so few con- •
verts, that they do not practice this ceremony much.
I The j-.ersjii to be baptized, has a declaration of his
taiih drawn up on pur[)ose for him by the minister, •
who reads it to the people that are in the meeting.
This confession has always something in it
against the Iriuity, and against all systems of divi-
nity ; and yet these people are the most systemati-
cal in the world, for every one has a system of his
own.
"^riiey have no manner of discipline, which indeed
would be unnicessaiy ; for what great occasion has ■
iliut schoolmast( r for a rod, whose school contains
but few scholars. In their public worship they are
like the other Arian Disstnters, and they generally
select a cliapter of the bible to read before sermon.
They read their bermons to the people in a dull
648
ACCOUNT OF THE FRIENDS, OR QUAKERS.
lifeless manner, so that it cannot be supposed that
they will make nmcii impression upon them. Pro-
bably in a few years they will be totally extinct; for
at present, perhaps, there are not a great number
in the nation.
ACCOUNT OF THE FRIENDS, COMMONLY CALLED
QUAKERS.
JlN treating of these people in an Iiistorical man-
ner, we are obliged t<* have recourse to much ten-
derness. That they diriVr from the generahty of
Protestants in some of the capital points of reli-
gion cannot be denied, and yet, as Protestant Dis-
senters, they are included under the provisions of
the toleration act. It is not our business to enquire
whether people of similar sentiments had any exis-
tence in the primitive ages of Christianity; perhaps,
in some respects they had not; but we are to write
of tlum nut as what they were but ^hat thev now
are. That they have been treated by several writers
in a very contemptuous manner is certain ; that
they did not deserve such treatment is equally
certain.
The appellation Quakers, was bestowed upon
tliem as a term of reproach, in consequence of
their apparent convulsions which they laI)oured
inider when they delivered their discourses, because
they imagined they were the effect of divine inspi-
ration.
It is not our business, at present, to enquire
whclher the sentiments of these people are agree-
able to ihe gospel, but this much is certain, that
the first leader of them, as a separate body, was a
man of obscure birth, who had his fnst existence in
Leicestershire, about the year l(j'24. In speaking
of this man we shall deliver our own sentiments in
an historical manner, and joining these to what has
been said by the Friends themselves, we shall en-
deavour to furnish out a complete narrative.
He was descended of honest and respected pa-
rents, who brought him up in the national religion :
but from a child he a|ipeared religious, still solid,
and observing beyond his years, and uncommonly
knowing in divine things. He was brought up to
husbandry and other country business, -and was
particularly inclined to the solitary occupation of a
shepherd ; " an employment,'' says our author,
that very well suited his mind in several respects,
both for its nmoceucy and solitude; and was a just
emblem .of his after ministry anil service." In the
}ear l64(J, he entirely forsook the national church,
in whose tenets he had been brought up, as before
observed; and in l64'7 he travelled into Derbyshire
and Nottinghamshire, without any set purpose of
visitinsj particular places, but in a solitary manner
he walked through several towns and villages, which
way soever his mind turned. " He fasted much,"
says Sewell, " and walked often in retired places,
with no other companion but his bible." " He vi-
sited the most retired and religious people in those
parts, says Pemi, and some there were, in piety,
short of few, if a'ly i.i this nation, who waited for
the consolation of Israel nigi)t and day; as Zacha-
rias, Anna, and Simeon, did of old time. To
these he was sent, and these he sought out in the
neighbouring counties, and among them he sojourned
till his more ample ministry came upon him. At
this time he taught, and was an example of silence,
endeavouring to bring them from self-performances;
testifying of and turning them to the Lght of Christ
« itliin them, and encouraging them to wait in pa-
tience, and to feel the power of it to stir in their
hearts, that their knowledge and worship of God
might stand in the power of an endless life, which
was to be found in the light, as it was obeyed in the
manifestation of it in man: for in the word was life,
and that life is the light of men. Life in the word, light
in men; and life in men too, as the light is obeyed,
the children of the light living by the life of the
word, by which the word begets them again to God,
which is the regeneration and new birth, without
which there is no coming into the kingdom of God,
and to which whoever comes is greater than John;
that is, than Johns dis|)ensation, which w:!S not
that of the kingdom, but the consummation of the
legal, and fore-running of the gospi 1 times, the lime
of the kingdom. Accordingly several meetings \i ere
gathered in those parts ; and thus las time w as em-
ployed for some years.
In the year ltjo'2, he had a visitation of the great
work of God in the eaith, and of the way that he
was to go forth, in a public ministry, to begin it.
He directed his course northward, and in every
place where he came, if not before he came to it,
ACCOUNT OF THE FRIENDS, OR QUAKERS.
fi4f)
Tie had liis particular exercise and service slicwn to
liim, so lluit the Lord was liis loader indeed." Ho
made great numbers of con\erls to his oi)inions,
and nianv pious and good men joined him in liis mi-
ni.slry. These were drawn lorlii espeeiallv to visit
the puljlic assemblies, to reprove, retorni, and
exhort them ; sometimes in markets, fairs, streets,
and by the higlnvay-side, "calling people to repen-
tance, and to return to iho Lord, with theii' iiearts
as well as their moullis; ilirecling them to the light
of Clnist within tlujn, to see, e.xamine, and to
consider their wavs by, and to eschew the evil, and
to do the good anil acceptable will of C>od."
They were not without opposition in the work
they imai>incd themsthes called to, being often set
in the st(xks, stones), beaten, whipped and impri-
soned, tluHigh HS our author oljserves, honest men
of viood report, that had left wives, children, houses
znd lands, to visit iheni with a living call to repen-
tance. But these coercive methods rather forwaided
than abated their zeal, and in those paits they
brought over many proselvtes, and amongst tliem
sevt rai magistrates, and others of the better sort.
'1 hey apprehend( d the Lord had forbidden them to
pull oft their hats to any one, high or low, and re-
rjuired them to speak to the people wiliiout distinc-
tion, in the lauijuage of thou and lliee. They
scrupled bidding people goocj morrow, or good
Higiit; nor might ihev bend the knee to anv one,
eteii in supreme authority. Both men and women
went in a plain and simple dress, different from the
fashion of the times. 'Lhey neither gave nor ac-
cepted any titles of respect or honour, nor would
tiny call any man master on earth. Several texts
ef s( ripture they quoted in defence of these singu-
larities; such as "swear not at ail." " How can ve
ijelieve, who receive honour one of another, and
seek not the liononr which com«s from Ciod only.-"
&c. Sec. 1 hey placed the basis of religion in an
inward light, and a sensible impulse of the holy
spirit.
In lfi.'j4, their llrst scparnfe meeting in London
Was held m the house of iiobeit Diiiig, in \\ atlni<;
street, for by that time they fiad spread themselves
into all parts of the kmgdom, and had in many
places set up meetings or assemblies, particularly in
Lancashire and the adjacent parts, but they were
sliil exposed to great perseeutiens and trials of every
Irind. One of them in a letter to the protector,
Oliver Cromwell, represents, that though there are
jto penal lav,s iu force obliging cnen to comply with
the establi.shed religii>n, yel the Quakers aie exposed
Mpon other aciHUmls; lliey are fined and imprisoned
tVir refusing to take an oath ; for not paying their
tithes; for disturbing the public assemblies, and
jueei-ing in the streets, and places of public resort;
some of them have been whipped for vagabonds,
and for their plain speeches to ii\e magistrate.
I'nder favour of tl;e then toleration, they opened
their meetings at the I5iill and Month in Aldersgale
street, wlieie women, as well as men were movtd
to speak. Their zeal transported them to some ex-
travagances, which laid them still more open to the
lash ot their enemies, who exercised various seven-
ties upon them throughout the next reign. Upon
the sii|)piessioii of Veiiner's mad insurrection, llie
government having p^iblished a proclanialioii, for-
bidding the Anabaptists, (Quakers, and lifth monar-
chy men, to assemble or meet together under pre-
tence of worshipping God, except it be in some
parochial church, chapel, or in private Iiouscs, by
consent of the persons there inliabiting, all meet-
ings in other places, being declared to be unlawful
and riotous, ike. the Quakers thought it expedient
to address the king thereon, which they did iu the
following words : —
"Oh King Charles!
Our desire is that thou niayest live for ever in
the fear of God and his council. We beseech thee
and thy council, to read these following lines in.
teiuier bowels, and compassion for our sufferings,
and for your good :
And this consider, we are about four hundred
imprisoned, in and about this city, of men and
women from their families, besides, in the county
gaols, about ten luindied, we desire that our nieet-
[ nigs may not be broken up, but tiiat all may
come to a fair trial, that our iimocency may be
cleared up."
London, l6tli day, Hth month, 1660.
On the CSth of the same month, they pnl)lish8d
the declaration referred to in tiieir address, entitled,
" A Declaration from the harmless and innocent
people of God called Quakers, against all sedition
plotters, and fighters in the woild, for removing
the ground of jealousy and suspicion, from both
magistrates and people in the kingdom, concerning
wars anfl iij;!iliiigs." It was pieseiited to the king
' the 'ilst day of the eleventh month, 166(1, and he
promised them upon his royal word, that they
I should not suffer for their opinions, as long as ihey
i lived peaceably ; but his promises were very little
. regarded afterwards.
In Uifil, they assiimrd courage to petition the
' house of lords for a toleration of their reliaioii, and
lor a dispensation from taking the oaths which they
j held unlawful, not from any disaffection to the
j government, or a belief that they were less obliged
1 by an affirmation, but from a persuasion that all
j oaths were unlawful; and that swearing, upon the
46
8 h
^jO
ACCOUNT OF THE TRIEXDS, OR QUAKERS.
yiost solei'Jii ccrasioDP, was toi bidden in tlie New
Tcs'ainent. Their petition was itjecled, and instead
ol' gnintnig them relief, an act was passed against
tiieni, the preamble to wiiich set forth, "That
whereas several persons have taken up an opinion,
that an oath, even before a magistrate, is iinhnvfnl,
and contrary to the word of God; and whereas,
under pretence of religious worship, the said per-
sons do assemble in great numbers in several parts
of the kingdom, separating themselves from the rest
ot his majesty's subjects, and the public congrega-
tions and usual places of divine worship: be it
therefore .enacted, tl'.at if any such persons, after
the e4lh of March 1601-2, shall refuse to take an
oath when lawfully tendered, or persuade others not
to do it, or maintain in writing or otherwise, the
unlawfulness of taking an oath; or if they shall
assemble for religious worship,' to the number of
live or more, of the age of fifteen, they shall for
the first offence forfeit five pounds; for the second,
ten pounds; and for the third shall abjure the realm
or be transported to the plantations: and the justices
of peace at their open sessions may hear and finally
determine in the affair."
'Jhis act had a most dreadful effect upon the
Quakers, though it was well known and notorious,
these conscientious persons were far from sedition,
or disaffection to the government. George I'ox,
in his atldiess to the king, acquaints him that three
thousand and sixty-eight of tiieir friends had been
i4nprisoHed since his majesty's restoration; that
tlieir meetings were daily broken up by men with
clubs and arms, and their friends thrown into the
channel, and trampled under foot till the blood
gushed out which gave rise to their meeting in the
open streets. A relation was printed, signed by
tvvelve witnesses, which says that more than four
thousand two hundred Quakers were imprisoned;
and of them live hundred were in and about Lon-
don, and the suburbs; several of whom were dead
in the gaols.
However, they even gloried in their sufferings,
which increased every day; so that in lfJ65, and
the intermediate years, they were hanassed without
example. As they persisted resolutely to assemble,
openly, at the Bull and Mouth, before mentioned,
the soldiers, and other officers, dragged them from
thence to prison, till Newgate was tilled with them,
and multitudes died of close confinement, in that
and other gaols.
Six hundred of them, (says an account published
at this time) were in prison, merely for religion-
sake, of whom several were banished to the plan-
tations. In short, says Mr. Neale, the Quakers
gave such full employment to the informers, that
they had less leisure to attend the meetings of other
Dissenters.
Yet, under all these calamities, they behaved
with patience and nnjdesty towards the government,
and upon occasion of the Rye-liouse plot, in 168'i,
thought proper to declare their innocence of that
sham plot, in an address to tlie king, wherein, ap-
pealing to the searcher of all hearts, they say, their
principles do not allow them to take up defensive
arms, much less to avenge themselves for the inju-
ries they receive from others: that they continually
pray for the king's safety and preservation; and
therefore take this occasion humbly to beseech his
majesty to compassionate their suffering friends,
with whom the gaols are so tilled, that they want air
to the apparent hazard of their lives and to the en-
dangering an infection in divers places. . liesides,
many houses, shops, barns and fields are ransacked,
and the goods, corn and cattle swept away, to the
discouraging trade and husbandry, and impoverish-
ing great numbers of quiet and industrious people;
and this for no other cause, but for the exercise of
a tender conscience in the worship of Almigiity God,
who is the sovereign Lord and King of men's con-
sciences.
On the accession of James IL they addressed
that monarch in these words : —
" Whereas it hath pleased Almighty God (by
whom kings reign) to take hence the late king
Charles II. and to preserve thee peaceably to suc-
ceed ; we thy subjects heartily desire, that the giver
of all good and perfect gifts, may please to endue
thee with wisdom and mercy, in the use of thy great
|)o\ver, to his glory, the king's honour, and the
kingdom's good. And, it being our sincere resolu-
tion, according to our peaceable principles and con-
conversation (by the assistance of Almighty God,)
to live peaceably and honestly, as becomes true and
faithful subjects under the king's government, and a
conscientious people that truly fear and serve God,
we do humbly ht)pe, that the king's tenderness will
appear, and extend with his power to express the
same, recommending to his princely clemency, the
case of our present suffering friends hereunto
annexed."
When James, by his dispensing power, granted
liberty to the Dissenters, they feegan to enjoy some
rest from their troubles; and indeed it was high time,
for they were swelled to an enormous amount. —
They, the year before this, to them glad release, in
a petition to James for a cessation of their suffer-
ings, set forth, that of late aljove one thousand, five
hundred of their friends, both nien and women had
been imprisoned, and that now there remain one
thousand three hundred and eighty-three ; of which
two hundred are women, many under sentence of-
pra;muuire; and more than three hundred near it,
ACCOUNT OF THE FRIENDS, OR QUAKERS.
C51
for refusing llie oath of allegiance, because tl'.i'y
tould uol s«eur. 'ilnec liiiiitlied :inil rillv liuvo diod
ill |iii,st)ii siiioe the year I'iSO: in London tlic g;iol
of Newgate liad been crowded, williiii lliese two
ycais, sometimes widi near t\\eiily in a room, where-
by several have been sutfocated, and others, who
have been taken out sick, have died of niali;j;nant
fevers within a few days. Great vioiencos, outruije-
ous distresses, and woeful havock and spoil have
been made upon people's goods and estates, by a
company of idle, extravagant and merciless inforin-
ers, by prosecutions on the conventicle-act, and
others ; also on qui tarn writs, and on otiu r pro-
cesses, for twenty pounds a month, and two-thirds
of their estates seized for the king. Some had not
a bed left to rest on, others had no cattle to till the
ground, nor corn for food or bre.Ki, nor tools to
work with; the said informers and bailitfs ni some
plates breaking into houses, and making great w asle
and spoil, under pretence of serving the king and
the church. Our religions assemblies have been
charged at common law with being rioters and dis-
turbers of the public peace whereby great numbers
have been conliiied in prison without legard to age,
and many conlineil in holes and dnngemis. The
seizing for twenty pounds a month has amounted to
many thousands, and several who have employed
some hundreds of poor people in manufactures, are
disabled to do any more, by reason of long impri-
sonment, they spare neither widow nor fatherless,
nor have they so nmch as a bed to lie on. The in-
fonrers are both witnesses and prosecutors, to the
ruin of great numbers of Sober families; and justices
o{ the peace have been threatened with the forfeiture
of one hundred pounds, if they do not issue out
warrants upon their informations. With this peti-
tion they presented a hst of their friends in prison,
in the several counties, amounting to four hundred
and sixty.
JJuring the reign of king James II. these people
Were, through the intercession of their friend Mr.
Penn, treated with greater indulgence than ever they
had been before. They were now become e.\tremely
numerous in many parts of the conntiy, and the
settlement of Pensylvania taking place soon after,
many of them went over to Anuiica. I'here they
enjoyed the blessings of a peaceful government, and
cultivated the arts of honest industry.
As the whole colony was the property of Mr.
Penn, so he invited people of all denoniiir.itions to
come and settle with him. An universal liberty of
conscience took place : and in this new colony the
natural rights of mankind were, for the first lime,
established.
The Friends arc, in the present age, a very harm-
less inoflensive body of j)eople ; but of that we
shall take more notice hereafter. l$y their wise re-
gulations, they not only do honour to themselves,
but they are of vast service to the conununity ; and
here we are led to consider their tenets widi resp< it
to the grand articles of the Chrisliun failh, and their
discipline concerning chuicli comnuinion.
They profess faith in God, by his only begotten
son Jesus Chjist, as being their light and life, tis
well as their oiilv way to the father, and a mediator
with the father. That (iod created all things by his
son Jesus Christ; and that the Father, the \\ oid,
and the Holy Spirit are one Divine Iking, insepa-
rable, one true, living, and eternal God, blessed for
ever. That the word, or son of man in the fulness
of time, took our nature upon him and became a
perfect man, according to the flesh; was miracu-
louslv conceived by the power of the Holy Gho t,
and born of the \ irgin Alary ; declared to be the
son of God, according to the spirit of sanctitica-
tion, by the resurrection from the dead. 'I'hat in
this word was life, and the same life was the light
of men, the life and light w ithin us ; and that uieu
are to believe in this light, Christ Jesus.
That as man he died for our sins, rose again, and
was raised up into glory; he having by that one great
universal offeiing, become a sacrifice for peace,
atonement and recont illation between God and man.
'I'hat Jesus, who sittelh on the right hanil of the
majesty of heaven, is our king, high-priest, and
prophet in his church, and by his sjiirit also uiaketh
intercession in our hearts. That the gospel of this
grace should be preached in the name of the Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost, being one in power, wisdom
and goodness in the work of man's salvation, and
that all our prayers aie answered by the Father
through the Son.
That Christ's body that was crucified was not the
godhead, yet, by the power of (iod, it was raised
frt m the dead, changed into a more glorious condi-
tion, and ascended into heaven.
Firm and living faith in Christ Jesus the son of
the living God respects his being and fulness, and
also his making himself known in the soul in every
degree of his light, life, spirit, grace, and truth, llie
immediate cause, author, object, and strength of our
living faith ; which light and life of the son of God,
when tridv observed and followed, will bring us to
the adoption of sons.
It is true, we are not to undervalue the holy scrip-
tures, nor slight the preaching of liie word, as being
outward helps and instruments in the hand of God
for the conversion of sinners, nor do we set them
up in opposition to the light of the spirit of God or
Christ within ; for his faithful messengers are minis-
ters thereof to turn people to the same spirit and
light within them.
It is certain, that great is the mystery of godli-
ness in itself; that God should be manifested in the
.<>o2
ACCOUNT OF THE FRIENDS, OR QUAKERS.
ilcsh ; and it is a great and piecioiis niysteivof god-
Jiness and Cliristiaiii.y, that (Jhn^it should Lit; spiri-
tually and effectuallv iiuiiiifcsted in men's licyits.
-Ciiiist is revealed to dl (rue lielievers, treeing them
from the l)onda<;e of" sin, in their wisdom, rigli-
teousness, sanctiticatioii and rcdenijiUon. 'J'liis
mystery of godliness in its own being aiid glory,
lialh been.and.n)u«t be testified, preached and be-
lieved, where (jod is pleasotl to give conuuission,
and prepare pcoj'.je's iiearLs lor llie same.
As touching liie resurrection of the dead, we be-
lieve as the seriptnre lestiries, " that if in this life
M'eonlv l>ave iiope, we are of all men the most nii-
seiable." That the soul or spirit of every man or
v.onian shall be resumed ui its own distinct and pro-
per being, andevery soul shall have its proper body,
iis Cod is pleased to give it A natural body is
sown, a spiritual body is raised ; and though this
rorrnptiblc shall put on incorruption, and this mor-
tal shall put en immortaliiy, the change shall bo
nuch as flesh and blood cannot inherit the knigdoni
of God, so we expect our bodies to be spiritual in
tl*e;rt«inrection, and that they shall far excel what
our bodies arc at present; but how the dead are
raised, or with wiiat body they come, we submit to
the wisdom and pleasure of Almighty God; for we
cannot presume to determine.,
As to the doctrine of the final judgment, we be-
lieve, that God hath committed all judgment unto
his son Jesus Christ, and he is appointed to be both
the judge of (]uick and dead, and of the states and
end of all mankind. Thai Jesus Christ, who has
so deeply suffered, and endured so many indigni-
ties shall in the last and great day manifestly appear
in glory, attended with all his glorious and 'heaveiily
host and retiwie, to the terror and amazement of all
those w ho have denied him ; but to tlie glory and
triumph of the righteous, the faithful follow<-:s
and friends of Christ. It is a righteous thing with
C'od, that they who suffer with hiiu, should ap-
pear with him in glory and dignity, when he shall
appear at last to judge the world and princes thereof.
A\ hilst those who now evade and reject the i\iward
convictions and judgment of the light, and shut up
the records or books thereof in their own con-
sciences ; they shall be at last opened, and every
thing judged of the things recoidcd therein, accord-
jjig to their works.
These artichs are giMierally approved of by most
of those Christians w hom we call ordiodox ; but as
a eiia.'-ge wa.s brought against liie (^Juaktrs for having
embraced the notions of Sucinus, in vindication of
themselves they added a few more articles to their
4;reed. These are as follows:
I. Tiiat Jesus of Nazareth, who was born of
tlie Virgin Mary, is .the true ^Messiah, the Christ
the son of God, to whom all (he prophets "ivc
witness; and that we do highly value his death
sulieriiigs, works, ofliees, and merits, for the re-
deniptiou of mankind, with his laws, doctrines and
uiinistrv.
JI. That this very Christ of God, who is the
Iamb of (Jod that takeih away all the sins of the
world, was slain, was dead, and is alive for ever
in iris eternal glory, dominion and power with the
father.
in. That the holy scriptures are of divine
authority, as being given bv the inspiration of
God.
IV. And that magistracy, or civil governnieni,
is God's ordinance, the good ends lliereof being for
the punishment of evil doers, and the praise of tUem
that do well.
These articles were added by one Geor"e White-
head, a noted man auKMig them; and here it may
be necessar\ to observe, that these peojde pay very
great regard to the scriptures, and to many other
doctrines of the gospel.
Bajjtiam is not practised by these people. Thej
say, that it is ivot outward washing with water that
makes the heart clean, by which men are fitted for
heaven. Mr. Barclay, in his apologv, endeavours
to prove tliis proposition in the following manner
viz. " As tliere is one Lord, and one faith, so there
is one baptism, which is not the putting away the
filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good con-
science before God, by tb.e resurrection of Jesus
Christ. And this baptism is a pure and spiritual
thing ; that is, the baptism of the spirit, and by
which we are buried with him ; that l)eino- washed
and purged from our sins, we may walk in newness
of life; of which the baptism of John was only a
figure, which was commanded for a time, and not
to continue for ever." Such are the sentiments of
this learned man concerning infant baptism, or in
general all water baptism whatever. Irle adds fur-
ther, that infant baptism is a mere human invention;
for w hich iieitlier precept nor practice is to be found
in scripture.
Concerning the sacrament of the Lord's supper
he advances, " that the communion of the body
and blood of Christ is inward and spiritual, which
is the participation of his flesh and blood, by which
tl>e hiward man is daily nourished in the hearts of
those in whom Christ dwells; of wliicii things the
breaking of biead by Chiist with his disciphs was
a figure, wiiicli they even used in the church for a
time, who had received the substance for tlie sake of
the weak ; even abstaining from things strangled
and from blood ; the washing of on« another's tcel,
and the anoiutin"; of the sick with oil ; all which aie
conunauded w ilii no less authority and soieiiaiiiy
ACCOUNT OF THE FRIENDS, OR QUAKERS.
603
than the former ; j'et seeing they arc only the sha-
dows of better things, so (hey cease in such as have
obtained the substance."
It is not our business to enquire whetlicr Mr.
Barclay's sentiments be true or not; his apology,
however, was soon after its first publication trans-
lated into Latin, which even led foreigners to read
it; and the anllior hits seen translations of it in
French, (Jerman, and liow Dutch.
Having thus far considered the principles of the
Friends, commonly called Quakers, we shall pro-
ceed to give some account of the various parts of
their discipline.
In 1667, George Fox recommended the setting
up of monthly meetings throughout the nation, the
friends having only had their qu-.irterly meetings. —
" And the Lord appeared (says George) unto me,
and bid me si"e what I must do, and how men and
women's niontiily and quarterly meetings should be
ordered and established in England, and other na-
tions, and that I should write to them where I came
not to do the same. Accordingly, having recom-
mended the setting up of two monthly meetings in
London to take care of God's glory, and to admo-
nish and exhort such as walked disorderly, and not
according to the truth ; then I passed forth into the
counties again, and advised that monthly meetings
should be settled there also, for the same purpose,
which was done according to the gospel order, in
and by the power of God; and in the year I668, I
went over for the same purpose to Ireland. From
thence I went to Scotland, to Holland, to Barba-
does, and to many parts of America, advising
friends to settle monthly meetings in those countries ;
all which was accordingly done.
The good effects of these monthly meetings dis-
covered themselves in tlie refoiniatiou that took
place among our friends, and they were acknow-
ledged even by those who did not join us." These
monthly meetings \a ere more or less in number, as
the case required, in every respective county. —
These meetings called quarterly, determined every
thing too hard for the monthly ones, and prepared
matters for the general yearly meetings. In all
these meetings they are equal in power, they have
no person to preside over them, because they ac-
knowledge none but Christ for tlicir head. They
have no disputes concerning differences, but endea-
vour to convince each other in the spirit of love and
meekness. In these meetings they enquire into all
the wants of their brethren.
In tlieir proceeding against offenders, they act
as follows: — He is visited by some of the friends,
and the fact he is charged with is laid before hiin.
They labour w ith much love and zeal to convince
his conscience that has been out of the way of his
duly. They keep in view the glory of God, the
46 8
good of his soul, and the honour of their profes-
sion. It connnonly liap]H'ns, that he is prevailed
on to own his fault, and profess sincere repentance ;
and then the thing is never mentioned to him after-
wards.
The monthly meeting cliuse some of the gravest
of their friends to visit such as are absent, to con-
verse w ith them, to take care that the poor be pro-
vided for, to promote piety, charity, and friendsiiip,
in families, to take care that the children of the poor
be instructed, clothed, and in all things provided
for.
Although they supply the wants of all their own
poor, yet this does not prevent them from being
charitable to the poor of other religious denomina-
tions.
The questions asked by those whom we have
already mentioned as visitors, are the following : —
I. Are ministering friends in lo^re and unity with
one another, and with faithful brethren in their own
meetings ?
II. Do none of them travel abroad in the work
of the ministry, without a certificate from their own
monthly meetings .''
HI. Do they give way to each other, and to
strangers ?
IV. Do none overcharge themselves with business
to the hiuderance of their service .'
V. Are they sound in their ministry ?
^T. Do any of them burthen their hearers with
words without life ?
Vn. Do they adorn their doctrine by a suitable
conduct and conversation, as good examples iu all
respects ?
The sensible reader will acknowledge, that these
are very important questions ; but their discipline
concerning marriage, merits the attention of Protes-
tants of all denominations.
The man and woman present themselves to the
men and women at the monthly niei tings where they
reside, and there deliver their intention of taking
each other as husband and wife, if the said meeting
have no material objections against it.
The principal conditions of their acceptance are
j the following: —
I First, It is an established rule, that no man pro-
pose marriage to a woman, witlidut the p)evious
consent of his own and her parents, or guardians;
and if the unbridled affections of any should have
precipitated him into a breach of this rule, he is
required to remove the offence, as is also the wo-
man, and give satisfaction to such parents and guar-
dians, and to the meeting to which they belong, bv
a due and open acknow hdgment of the offence, and
condemnation of themselves for it, and to get the
consent of their guardians before they can proceed
with the marriage.
M
654
ACCOUNT OF THE FRIENDS, OR QUAKERS,
Secondly, That tlie parties be of the same opinion
and judgment in matters of religion, and professed
members of this society.
Thirdly, That none shall marry within such de-
grees of consanguinity or affinity, as are forbidden
by the law of God.
Fourthly, If either of the parties has given offence
to their friends formerly, by some act of scandal,
they are to acknowledge it, which is generally done
in writing.
If no objections are then made, notice of the in-
tended marriage is published iu the meetings, where
the man or woman resides, or did reside, which
must be done before the marriage is solemnized, in
order that convenient time may be granted for satis-
faction concerning their clearances of all scandal of
previous contract, and every thing else.
The parties are required to give their attendance
a second time at the monthly meeting, which is
usually the next ensuing, when the parties appointed
to make the inquiry, return and give the answer,
which, if proved satisfactory, the parties are at
liberty to proceed to the accomplishment of the
marriage.
These marriages are solemnized in the common
ordinary meetings, which hath had this good effect,
to make public, and strongly recommend this decent
and comely order to all sober friends.
Here the man and woman take each other as
husband and wife, and promise, with God's assist-
ance, to be lovii'.g and faithful in that relation, till
death separates them. Of all these proceedings, a
narrative is kept hi the manner of a certificate, to
whuli the husband and wife first set their hands,
thereby making it their own act and deed, and some
of the persons present do the same. Tliis certifi-
cate is afterwards written into the record of the
meeting.
As for second marrying they attend to the follow-
ing things : —
First, If the man be a widower, or the woman
a widow, and have children by a former husband or
wife, that provision be previously made for such
children, where it can conveniently be done.
Secondly, Friends should not proceed to second
marriages, till at least one year is elapsed from the
death of the former wife or husband, and the prac-
tice accordingly has been such; for to do otherwise
would look indecent.
To their general meeting at London, which as-
sembles the third week in May, are admitted friends
from all the churches they have in the world, to give
an account of the state of every particular church,
which from some parts is done only by writiiig,»'and
then a general epistle is sent to all the churches.
These epistles, from their general meetings in
London, have something in them of a very pious
and moral tendency, of which we shall afterward?
give a specimen. In the mean time, we cannot
help observing, that of all religious denoininations,
these people suffer more than others. They are
obliged to pay all sorts of taxes, and yet none of
their poor become burdensome to the parislies. •
The Papists have had greater indulgences shewn
them than the Friends, and there are numbers of
Papists in the workhouses in England. It is true,
those of the Quakers, or Friends, must be also ad-
mitted, on condition of their applying for it ; but
we cannot say but it is rather cruel, to make men
pay for the support of the poor, seeing they support
all their own, and that in so decent a manner.
The following epistle was written by that great
ornament of the literary world, Dr. John Fothergill,
at the yearly meeting at London, May 29, 1779. —
It will serve to shew what are the sentiments of
those peaceable people under the then unhappy
circumstances of affairs.
Dcar/i/ beloved f fiends and brethren,
In the love of God, and the fellowship of the
gospel, which we have, with deep thankfulness of
heart, in a good degree experienced to attend us,
both in our meetings for worship, and those for
transacting the affairs of the church, we affection-
ately salute you, with fervent desires that brotherly
love, peace, and concord, may continue and increase
amongst us, and that a tender and Christian con-
cern may come upon all, in their respective stations,
for the maintenance of good order, and the promo-
tion of truth and righteousness upon earth.
By accounts received from the several quarterly
meetihgs in England, and by epistles from Wales,
North Britain, Ireland, Holland, New England,
New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland,
North and South Carolina, and Georgia, we are in-
formed, that love and unity are generally preserved
in the churches, to many of which divers have been
joined through convincement; and that a consider-
able number of well-disposed youth appears in
various parts.
The sufferings of our brethren in America have
been great in many places, especially in Pennsyl-
vania, the Jerseys, Long-Island, Rhode-Island, and
Nantucket. These sufferings have principally arisen
from that confusion and distress which are insepara-
ble from war, from the laws enacted for promoting
military services, and from acts enforcing declara-
tions of allegiance to those in power.
The Friends who were banished from Philadel-
phia, have been pernritted to return to their habita-
tions, excepting two, who died in exile ; and some
of those who were imprisoned have been set at
liberty.
It is with satisfaction we understand, that their
ACCOUNT OF THE FRIENDS, OR QUAKERS.
65
meetings for worsliip and discipline are tliily kept
up, and liiat notwitlistaiiding the difticultics and
clLuigers wliioh sunound tlieni, friends attend llieni
M-itli diligence, and many from remote places ; their
minds arc often tendered therein, and united in love
one to another, and in deep sympathy with tiie
suflorfrs arii'ingst them. And it cvidcntlv appears,
that the turning of the mighty hand of the Lord
upon them hath not been in vain ; but tliat, having
learned by the things they have suffejed, and from
the apprehension of future probations, they are en-
gaged to wait for that divine help, protection, and
support, which alone can enable them to endure
with patience and holy resignation the trials that are
peiniittcd to attend them.
Our i)rethren in those parts gratefully acknow-
ledge the kiiulness and regard of friends in England
and Ireland, in so early and liberally contributing to
tlie relief of their distresses. Many, tVom easy cir-
cumstances, have been reduced to grfeat hardships
and necessities, but have been measurably kept in a
state of contentment : tluse have shared the bene-
volence of those who have been preserved from the
like sufferings. It appears that their afflictions,
though grievous in divers places, have tended to
awaken many to a proper sense of their condition,
and to increase a watchfulness and care, that they
may walk answerable to the mercies received, and
taithfui in the testimonies committed to their charge,
against wars, and otiier antichristian practices.
May a deep sympathy wiih our afflicted brethren
affect every mind ; and may we all watch unto
prayer, that it may please the Divine Majesty to
shorten the day of their distress.
The sufferings of friends brought in this year
from England and Wales, being chieHy for tithes,
and those called (hurch rates, amount to three
thousand, seven liundred, and sixty-three pounds ;
and those from Ireland to one thousand two hun-
dred, and lifty-four pounds.
Inasmuch as we have sufficient ground to believe
that the true gospel ministry is freely received from
the Holy Head and unchangeable Iligh-Priest of
the Christian church, and by hini commanded to
be freely given; we cannot esteem the laws of men,
made in the apostatized state of the professing
churches, as of any force to supersede his divine
law, or to warrant us to act in violation thereof;
we therefore exhort you, brethren, be true and
stedtast in tlie faith once delivered to the saints,
and deeply suffered for by divers of the Protestant
martyrs, as well as by our own faithlul predeces-
sors. However any amongst us, to whom blind-
ness in part hath happened may swerve from the
law, and from the testimony, suffer it not to fall
as in the streets, through your weakness, or the
want of your example ; lest for your denial of Christ
before men, he deny you before his father and the
holy angels.
Let us also remind such as may be remiss in at-
tention to the teachings of the grace of God in
their own hearts, that the kingdom of Christ is a
peaceable kingdom ; antl though his servants walk
in the flesh, they do not war after the flesh. He
commands them to love their enemies ; and many
who have followed him in the regeneration, and
abode under his government, have found tiiemselves
restrained from all wars and fightings ; which are
not of the spirit of the Saviour, but of that of the
destroyer of mankind. Relieving this, we cannot
consistently take any part therein ; nor be con-
[ cerned as owner of armed vessels, in letters of
I marque, or as purchasers of prize goods; neither
can we assist in the sale of them :— for whoever
j amongst us so confederate with the captors, afford
1 evident tokens that they either prefer the gain of a
j corru()t interest to the convictions of divine light in
I their own consciences, or that they are become in-
I sensible of them; botii which must tend to their
condemnation.
j Now, dear friends, seeing our time is ever silently
i upon the wing, and the opportunity afforded us for
the important' work of preparation daily shortening;
knowing also, that the solenm period advances,
j vvherein every indnidual, however occupied in this
transient diode of being, must soon l)e called hence,
and may, in a moment unexpected, be broken off
from every temporal connection, by that aweful com-
mand, " Give an account of thy stewardship, for
thou mavest be no longer steward :" Let us be visfi-
lant, and in earnest so improve the precious time
alloted us, that when this awakening call approaches,
our consciences may not accuse us; but our faith
may be firm, and an admittance granted us into that
city which hath foundations, whose builder and •
maker is God!
See that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but
as wise, redeeming the time, because the davs are
evil. Peace be to the bielliren, and love with laith
from God the lather, and the Lord Jesus Christ. —
Grace be to all them that love our Lord Jesus
Christ in sincerity."'
Eph. v. 15.— vi. 23.
Before we conclude the account of these people,
it may be necessary to observe, that as the I'rieiids,
commonly called Quakers, will not take an oath in
a court of justice, so their affirmation is permitted
in all civil affairs ; but tluy cannot prosecute a
criminal, because in our courts of justice all evidence
must be upon oath.
656
ACCOUNT OF THE NONJURORS.
V 7 E have bad already occasion to treat of differ-
ent sects of Protestants, who embraced sentiments
arising from disputed points in theological systems,
or n)etapl!vsical disquisitions. We shall now pro-
ceed to point out a party whose religion is founded
on politics.
The N (injuring religion is, in all respects, a poli-
tical system, and is founded on an opposition to the
revolution settlement ; but this cannot be understood
till we consider it historically. This natinaliy leads
us back to a period before they took their rise. As
in religious disputes there ought always to be some
sort of candour mixed with the argument, so politics
should be treated with modesty. Tlie grand point
in dispute between these people, and the established
churches of England and Scothind depend entirely
on the revolution settlement, but why it should be
so, must be explained to tlie reader.
The sectaries in England, who brought king
Charles to the scaffold and the block, had two ob-
jects in view. The first was to procure the church
livings, and the second to obtain a power to domi-
neer over the consciences of the people. Religion,
w ith them, was considered in the same light as it was
with pope Alexander VI. and his natural son Caesar
of Borgia. For it is well known, that they over-
turned the constitution in church and state, and
trampled on the ruins of their plundered country. —
The consequence was, tiiat the two royal brothers
were obliged to seek refuge in foreign countries
while they were very young. Complaisance to those
who supported them during a state of e.xile, induced
them to embrace the Roman Catholic religion.
In 1660, Charles returned and was crowned king
of Great Britain, but concealed his religion till his
dying day. At the same time James returned along
with his brother, a confirmed papist. The Presby-
terians thought to have ingratiated themselves with
the young sovereign, but his father's sinTtrings could
not be effaced, they sunk deep into his mind, and
therefore he resolved to set up episcopacy in Eng-
land and in Scotland.
Accordingly episcopacy was established both in
England and Scotland; and the Presbyterians, who
had been turned out of their churches, were pro-
secuted upon the act of uniformity. That these
people who had trampled on the constitution in a
manner unknown before in all the annuls of his-
tory, deserved a little chastisement cannot be dis-
puted, but at the same time it must be acknowledged
that the extension of the regal powei' went too far.
Many of the people who had suffered under the
cruel and inhuman government of the sectaries, for-
getting the charity they owed to their fellow crea-
tures, and tlie duty they owed to God, took every
opportunity of retaliating. There is no grudge,
(says Mr. Sterne) like a religious one ; for false
religion alwajs discovers itself in seeking revenge.
Here was a large field opened for the clergy, who
accepted of the civil emoluments, to exert them-
selves in persecuting those who in point of govern-
ment differed from them in sentiments. And
although the sectaries who had overturned the go-
vernment and murdered their sovereign, had no
right to expect any favours, yet it was the duty of
the episcopalians to have treated them with lenity.
True Christianity is known by its peaceable and
forbearing disposition, false religion by its under-
mining arts.
Never, perhaps, were the Protestant clergy of
England in a more corrupt state than duiing the
reigns of Charles II, and James II. Finding that
the enjoyed the royal favour and that nothing could
give so much pleasure to the court as the persecut-
ing of the Dissenters, they exerted themselves to the
utmost in that horrid employment. In their pulpits,
they taught that the king was above law, and ihat
it was the greatest sin in the world to call his autho-
rity in question. They were ridiculed by the poets,
as appears from the following lines :
Each day unto my flock I taught.
Kings were by God ajipointed;
And told damnation was their due,
Who touch'd the Lord's anointed.
Passive obedience and non-resistance were favour-
ite topics with them, and they carried these notions
to such an extravagant height, that had they not
been restrained by notions of self-interest, they
would have established arbitrary power. However,
the indulgence granted by king James II. ]6S7,
opened their fyes, and they began to seek for their
own interest.
When the revolution took place, all those who
held church livings, were commanded to take the
F.NGUSH XOXJUlfORS.
6',7
onlVis of allegiance, but many refused to do it, among
mIioui was SaiKToft, arclibisliop of Caiiterbiirv, to-
gether willi many of tlie infeiior cicrgv. 'I'licsc
men were turiitd out of llieir livings, and therefore
we arc obliged to consider lliein in a tw o-fold jitjjnt
, of view, lirst, as English Nonjurors, and, second-
ly, as Scottish ones.
Kiiglish Nonjurors.
Tiio reign of king William was, in all respects,
a system of severity. But this is what generally
happens after every revolution. Prejudice creates
anger, and anger exercises itself in cruelly. I'liese
pei)];le sit up separate congregations, and there is no
doubt but they imagintd, liowever vainly, that the
exili d piince wixdd be restored to ilie throne. They
taught the doctrine of passive obedience and non-
resistance so long that thov W( re in a manner afraid,
or rather asliameil to recede from tlair former pro-
fessions.
It would have been very well for them, had they
confined themselves to the duties of their office, in
teaching the doctrines of Christianity ; but the most
wretched thing of all was, they sought to (hiblili>in
po!iti<s. They were <onlinuaIly iiatching plots
against government, and many persons sulVered in
conseqnince of their knew notions. Had these men
considers d the nature of Christianity they would ne-
ver have acted in this manner, but their notions v\ere
carnal, and their views selfish.
Some of tliem, however, ran into wild extremes
and what will ever appear rcn)arkable, they met the
Papists half way on the road. L.ike some patriots
in the present age, they took pleasure in doing every
thing they could to disturb government, and at the
same tin)e, they felt the iron hand of opposition
from the whigs. The whigs, ihi^e inveterate ene-
mies of all, who opposed them in search after ])laces
of honour or rmolumeuts, were the most severe
against the Xonjuring principles. Tli< y could have
borne with any thing, so as an opportunity presented
itself to wreak their vengeance on the Nonjmors.
The reason is obvious. 'l"he whi'jrs were seekiuu: for
places, the tories were discarded. Had the Nonju-
rors not meddled w ith the atfalrs of goveriinient in
Kngland, they might have lived in peace ; but w isdoni
is not to be conveyed to fools, nor knowledge to men
of no understanding.
The I'"nglisli Nonjurors became obnoxious to go-
vernment. On the accession of George I. future
ages w ill read, with detestation, the accoimt of ca-
bals that were set up in order to oppose government
on the one hand, and support it oti the other. The
grand principle upon whieh these people founded
their doctrine was hereditary right. How far they
4G 8
could act con.'.islent with the dignity of i.itional
creatures in doing so must be left to the judgment
of every man who knows any thing of the history
of England.
Is hereditary succession a principle in our law- i
The answer is in the negative. We shall piove it
from historical evidence.
W illian i)l)lained the crown of Kngland by con-
quest. His eldest son Robert did not succeed him,
bill he was succeeded by his second son William
Kufus. liufus, dying witiiont issue, was succeeded
by his broliier Henry 1. while Robert tlie heir ap-
parent, was still alive ; and who for his pietensions
to the crown, had his eyes put out and died a piisoner
at Bristol.
Stephen succeeded by force without right, and
Henry H. succeeded on the heredilarv hue. Prom
that lime till the death of Uichard JI. it went on,
when a very remarkable levolution took place. Henry
1\'. had but a slender lille to tlie crown, and that
crovs n sat tottering on his head. Soon after the wars
commenced between the houses of York and Lancas-
ter, and, consistent with the right of hereditary suc-
cession, neither of them had any i ight to the crow n.
'ITie Stewarts succeeded in a real hereditary right to
the crown of England, but the jusiice of the nation
pointed out, that they had no right to trample on the
liberties of the snbjeels.
It is inuch to be lamented, though it is true, that
while the Dissenters were rioting on the spoils of
their deluded people, the Nonjurors were inventing
schemes for the subversion of government.
The English Nonjurors coiituved all things wrong.
In |>lotling against the government, they involved
their hearers in many difticnllies, and some of them
were apprehended and executed. This, indeed, is
not much to be wondeied at; for the Nonjurors
were, in those times, what mock patriots are at pre-
sent in luigland. All their ceremonies are the same
as those of the established chureh, and the ditterence
is only of a political natiire. They are, however,
dwindling away, and possii)ly there are not above
tvvenl\ meetings of them in I'.i;gland. 'I liev read the
church service, but instead of praying for king ( ieorge,
they pray for the king in general terms ; but then it
nuist be observed, that no more than Jive of them
are permitted to meet together, exclusive of the mi-
nister and the clerk. That tlicy should subsist long
cannot be expected, that they have subsisted so lung,,
is an insult to common sense.
AccoHiil of the Scottish Xoiijiirois.
The Scottish Nonjm-ors were more numerous than
C58
SCOTTISH NONJURORS.
those in En!>!;nid, and, in some respects, tliey were
more respecUible.
The nobihty of Scolland had just notions of pub-
lic liberty, whether civil or ecclesiastical ; and had
the episco])al party acted with prudence, modesty,
and decency at the revolution, their order would not
have been overturned. But quite the reverse took
place. King \\illiani was desirous of establishing
episcopacy in Scotland, or rather coutinuing it upon
its former establislinient, and most of the Scottish
nobility concurred in that sentiment. However, the
ciHscopal clergy acted just as tliey had done some
time before, namely, as if they had laboured under a
penal infatuation.
J)r. vMexander Ross, a man of some learning,
but high clerical notions, was at that time bishop of
Edinburgh. This man was deputed by his brethren
the Scottish clergy, to wait on king James, when
tliey heard that the Prince of Orange intended land-
ing in England. They offered that if king James
would support them and their order, they would
stand by him to the last. The meaning was, they
■would assist him in establishing Popery and perse-
cuting the Presbyterians.
This, however, was rather the act of the bishops'
than of the whole body of the clergy, for many of
the episcopal clergy were at that time shining orna-
ments to religion in Scotland. Mr. Nairn, Mr.
Charters, and Mr. Annan, were men of great
moderation, and wrote some things that will ever
do honour to their memory. But to return to Dr.
l{os,s.
'^I'he bishop had not got above half way to T^on-
don, when he heard that the king was fled, and
that the prince of Orange had arrived in Ixnidon.
L'nder such circumstances he knew not how to
act, and therefore wrote to his brethren in Scotland
for their advice. In the mean time he continued his
journey to London, u'lere he met with Dr. Hickes,
dean of \V orcester, and some other clersvmen who
afterwaids made a shining figure among the English
Nonjurors.
Had Dr. Ross considered the interests of his bre-
thren, he would have in their name, without any
authority from them, professed loyalty to king Wil-
liam esjjecially as the convention of estates both in
England and Scotland, had voted him and his prin-
cess the crown.
We have already taken notice of the behaviour
of some of the Scottish bishops in our account of
the episcopal church of that nation, namely, that
as the Presbyterians were mad, so the bishops per-
secuted tl'.em, not only with unrelenting cruelty,
but actually committed depredations on the liberties
of the subjects, and the fundamental laws of the
constitution.
For these, and for many other malversations,
they had great reason to imagine that they would
be brought to a severe account had their religion
been countenanced, and men of virtue and modera-
tion would have been placed in their room. It is
true, that they knew the greatest part of the nation
was inclined to support the order, while they hated
the prelates. Many of the ancient nobility, who
above thirty years ago had sniiered under the merci-
less cruelty of the Presbyterians, were still alive, and
they dreaded being brought under the same inquisi-
itorial power.
It is certain, that the Scottish nobility, and a vast
majority of the commons, \^■ould have supported
episcopacy, had the bishops taken the oaths to the
new government ; but the whole number (14) re-
mained obstinate, and above five hundred private
ministers followed their example.
Under such circumstances it was necessary that
there should be some form of religion established ;
and in the midst of their disputes, the following
article was presented to the convention of estates at
Edinburgh, and was admitted an article in the
claim of rights: "That prelacy, or the superiority
of any office in the church above presbyters, is and
has been a constant grievance to this nation, ever
since the Reformation (they having been reformed
from Popery by presbyters) therefore it ought to be
abolished."
Upon this article being admitted in the claiii of
rights, episcopacy was overturned, and presbytery
established.
As it was on the construction of this article in
the claim of rights that the Scottish Nonjurors
always vindicated their conduct in opposing the
government, so we shall consider it more particu-
larly.
And the first Inquiry is, were the Scots reformed
front Popery, by persons solely clothed with the cha-
racter of presbyters ? The answer is in the negative.
In the first general assembly which met at Edinburgh
1560, there were no less than thirt<cn bishops and
mitred abbots, all of whom embraced the reformation,
and three of them secularized. Now the whole as-
sembly did not consist of above thirty persons, as
appears from their records in the advocate's library,
and about seven of these were country gentlemen
who never had entered into orders. This brings the
number up to twenty, and if to these were added
William Ilarlaw, a tailor, and Andrew Scrimshaw,
a baker, there will only remain eight; four of whom
had been Popish priests, and the other four were
zealous preachers, but not only clerically ordained.
Thus it appears, the church of Scotland was re-
formed from Po|)ery more by the assistance of pre-
lates than of presbyters.
Secondly, whatever the character of the Scottish
reformers was, whether of Presbyterian principles or
SCOTTISH XON.TUl^Or^S.
fi.>a
not, c;in it be inferred that presbytery was more es-
teeiiiwl, anil episcopacy an iul()leral)ie grievance,
from the Kefoinuition to the revolution ?
The answer is, it was not. For even the Uefor-
niation was itself a sort of moderate episcopacy, and
even presbytery had not been long established, wljiii
the insolence, ioiiorance and hypociisy ol the cli igy,
lost them the alfections of those who had the least
regard to decency and good order.
Whatever might have been the conduct of the
bislio])s in Scotland before the breaking out of the
civil wars, this much is certain, that the inferior
clergy were an ornami nt to their profession. Nay,
such was the lenity of governnunl, that the Pres-
byterian ministers were tolerated in their parishes,
without being obliged to take institution from the
bishop.
Another circumstance may sene to shew, that
the people of Scotland w ere not averse to episcopacy
at that time, nor indeed during the whole of that
period alluded to, namely, the answer wliich the
doctois of Aberdeen gave to the Presbyterian minis-
ters \(ho came to desire then> to sign the national
covenant. They said they could not do it without
a breach of their oath, to maintain episcopacy as by
law establislied. To this it was answered by the
Presbvterians, that there was nothing in the cove-
nant against episcopacy, but that they might swear
it without iiijming their order.
Aijain, when the restoration took place, the Scot-
tish nobililv and gentry denied to restrain the f.ower
of the Presbvterian clergy, and whatever violences
were committed during the reigns of the two royal
brothers, yet this much is certain, that episcopacy,
had it been jiroperly conducted, was not then a
grievance to the nation.
The third inquiry suggested by this article is, was
episcopacy a grievance when the article was estab-
lished in the claim of right .' It is answered, it was
not. So far from being a grievance, it was received
by nine-tenths of the people. It is true, there were
several court sycophants who were longing to enjoy
the estates that had been set apart for thesupp<irt of
the bishops; and in the western counties many of the
people were led by some Presbyterian ministers,
who endeavouretl to drive all things into a state of
confusion. These men, «ho had nothing in view
besides that of supporting their interests, and nourish-
ing their pride, went all round the country endea-
vouring to iuHuence the elections of members who
were to compose the convention ot estates at Edin-
burgh. There is no wonder that they should be
able to procure a majority ; for wherever thev went
thev pullfil down the houses of tlie episcopal clergy,
turned them and their families out of doors, and
stripped them of every thing that was valuable, setting
fire on what they could not carry away.
The fourth question, is whether, su]iposing the
atlirmative included within the parenthesis, would
that have been good and suiHcient reason for the
abolition of episcopacy ?
The afhrmatives are two, first, prelacy was an
intoleiiible grievance, and, scccjiidly, the Scots were
relormed from Popery by Presbyters.
In answer to the first, immi^lv, tl'Ht it was an in-
tolerable grievance, the fact has been already dis-
proved ; but that does not come within the limit of
the argument. It is, whether the real existence of
the grievance can vindicate the conduct of those who
abolished episcopacy, or, in other words, whether
such an assertion, includeil within a parentlu sis,
could with any propriety, make an article iu the
claim of rights .''
The answer is obvious. It could not.
For, first, was not the Jewish institution under
the Mosaic economy, a most intolerable grievance
to the people, and yet they were obliged to submit
to it, because it was the command of God .' Second-
ly, when the Christian religion received a civil estab-
lishment, under the emperor Constantine the (neat,
the Heathen priests consiuered this as an intolerable
grievance ; but that did not invalidate the authenti-
c:ity of the gosjiel. No civil estabJishmcnt of religion
can become an intolerable grievance, unless power
is either abused or misapplied.
The second article w ilhin the parenthesis is, they
were reformed from Popery by Presbyters. The
contrarv has been already proved ; but we are to
suppose the assertion to be true, and try its validity
by the strength of reason.
Now it is well known, that in Scotland, the peo-
ple were converted to the knowledge of Christ, bv
the ministry of some poor monks, who certainly had
no ceremonial ordination at all, for this plain reason,
there was no such thing as canonical ordination at
that lime in the world. Now, can it be inferred
from this, that monks not ordained are always to "o-
vern the church of Scotland ? Consider the absurdity ;
but this is not all.
Some nations in the eastern parts have been con-
verted by Jesuits; but is this any reason that they
should still govern them r Nay, if we pay any re-
gard to ecclesiastical hist<ir\, we may affirm, that
some people were converted by the ministry of fe-
males ; and for that reason must the churches in that
country, or those countries, be now governed by wo-
men ; the thought is absurd, and nothing less than the
distraction of the times could have given countenance
to it, so as to put it into a public claim, made bv the
people of Scotland, to have the whole form of their
religion changed.
These arguments are not ours, but those of Mr.
Sage, the learned author of the Fundamental Charter
of Presbytery, and who was himself a Nonjuring
()60
vXCCOUXT OF THE METHODISTS.
iiiinister. It is certain, that tliey carry a sort of con-
• ;viclioii along with lliom ; and it is eqiiiilly certain,
tiiat the poor Noiijtirors in Scotland suffered many
cruel linrdsliips during the reign of king Wiiiiani,
ain'i tinder the whig ministry in the begiiuiing of tlie
reigu of queen Anne.
In !7L1, an act passed by whiih the Nonjuriiig
ministers were '^jerniitted to open meetings, upon
condition of their reading the book of Coniinon
Prayer ; and some of iheni complied with it. But
the greatest part retained their ancient form of
worship, which came nearer to the primitive plan
-than any of the Protectant churches whatever.
Ko^-ifver, the gentry xi-ere fond of the English
t;erenionies, and the Nonjuri.ig clergy were witling
to comply, in-order to procure a subsistence. Tlius
when the last rebellion broke out in Scotland,
there w^ere above three hundred of their meetings
in that coimtry, who all read the book of Common
Prater, onlv they omitted the name of the king, but
prayed for the Ling in general, by whom they meant
the pretender.
Thev are now dwindled away, and although tlicre
are still a great number of Episcopalians, in Scot-
land, yet they are mostly such as arc well affected to
ACCOUNT OF THE PEOPLE CALLED METHODISTS.
iL IlESE people are the most numerous at present
of any sect that has sprung ii[) since the revolutiim.
That they have been niucii traduced is certain, but
whether they deserve -all the epithets that have been
bestowed upon them, the reader may judge for him-
self. Some of their first founders are still alive, and
one of them has written the follo\\ing account of
their princii>les. Dr. Johnson has justly observed,
that every man is the best judge of his own o])inions;
and therefore \vc shall, in compliance with what the
doctpr savs, lay before our readers those principles
■Nvliich they held in their own words.
1. "The distinguishing marks of a Methodist are
not his opinions of any sort. His assenting to this
or that scheme of religion, his embracing any parti-
• cular set of notions, his espousing the judgment of
one man or of another, are all quite wide of the point.
Whosoever therefore injagines, that a Methodist is a
man of such or such an opinion, is grossly ignorant
of the whole affair: he mistakes the truth totally.
'.We believe indeed, that all scripture is given by in-
spiration of God; and herein we are distinguished
from Jews, Turks, and Intidels. We believe the
written word of Gnd to be the onl}'. and sufticieiit rule,
both of Christian faith and practice; and herein we
are fundamentally distinguished, from those of the
Poman church. We believe Christ to be the eternal
Supreme God; and herein we are distinguished
from the Socinians and Arians. But as to all opini-
ons which do not strike the root of C'hristianity, we
\think and let thijik. So that whatever they are,
whether right or wrong, they are no distinguishing
niaiks of a Methodist.
'2. Neither are woids or phrases of any sort. We
,i3o not place our religion, or any part of it, in being
attached to any peculiar mode of speaking, any
quaint or uncommon set of expressions. The most
obvious, easy, common words, wherein our meaning
can be conveyed, we prefer before others, both on
ordinary occasions, and when we speak of the things
of God. We never therefore willingly or designedly
deviate from the most usual way of speaking ; unless
when we express scripture truths in scripture words
(which we presume no Christian will condenm.)
Neither do we afl'ect to use any particular expressions
of scripture, more frequently than others, unless they
are such as are more frequently used by the inspired
writers themselves. So that it is as gross an error,
to place the marks of a Methodist in his words, as
in o])inions of any sort.
3. Nor do we desire to be distinguished by ac-
tions, customs or usages, of an indifferent nature.
Our religion does not lie in doing what God liutli
not enjoined, or abstaining from what he hath not
forbidden. It does not lie in the form of our ap-
parel, in the posture ©f our body, or the covering
of our heads ; nor yet in abstaining from marriage,
nor from meats or drinks which are all good if
received with thanksgiving. Therefore neither
will any man who knows whereof he ainrms, tix
the marks of a Methodist here; in anv actions or
customs purely indifferent, undetermined by the
word of God.
4. Nor, lastly, is he to be distinguished by lay-
ing the whole stress of religion on any single part
of it. If you say, "Yes, he is ; for he thinks we
are saved by faith :" I answ er you do not under-
stand the terms. By salvation he means, holiness
of heart and life. And this he affirms to sprin"
from the faith alone. Can even a nomju)^ Chi is-
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
6v..
trau deny it? Is this placing a part of ielia,ioii for
tilt; whole? Do wc then make void the law ihroiigh
fiiilli ? God forhid ! Vea, we estahlish the law. —
\\ c do not place ilie wliole of reli;j;ion, as too many
do, God knowtth, cilker in doing no harm, or in
•doing good, or in using the ordinances of God: —
Ko, nor in all of them together; wherein we know,
■by experience, a man may lahour many years, and at
the end have no true rcliti^ion at ail, no more than he
had at the beginning. Much les.-> in any of these;
or, it may be in a scrap of one of them : like her
Avlio fancies herself a virtuous woman, only because
she is not a prostitute; or he who dreams he is an
honest man, merely because he does not rob or steal.
May the Lord God of my fathers preserve me from
«u<;h a poor starved religion as this ! \Vere this the
mark of a Meliiodist, 1 would sooner chuse to be a
sincere Jew, Turk, or Pagan.
.5. What then is the mark ? W'ho is a Methodist
according to yoiu- own account? I answer: A
Mi-thodisl is one, who has the love of God shed
aoroad in his heai t, by the Holy Ghost given unto
him: one who loves tht; Lord his God with all his
heart, and vith all his sotd, and with all his mind,
and with all his strength. God is tiic joy of his
heart, and the desire of his soul ; which is constantly
cr\ing oul, " \\ liom have I in heaven but thee, and
there is none upon earth that 1 desire besides tlice !
^ly God and my all! thou art the strength of my
heart, and my portion for ever."
6. He is therefore happy in God, yea always
happv, as having in him a well of water, springing
iij) into everlasting life, and oveiflowing his soul
with peace and joy. Perfect love having now cast
out fear, he rejoices evermore. He rejoices in the
Lord always, even in God his Saviour: and in the
lallier, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom he
iiath now received the atonement. Having found
redemj)tion through his blood, the forgiveness of liis
sins, he cannot but njoice, whenever he looks back
on tl'.e horrible pit out of which he is delivered,
wlun he sees all his transgressions blotted out as a
cloud, and his iniquities as a thick cloud. He can-
not but rejoice, v.lienever he looks on the slate
v> herein lie now is, being justitied freely, and having
peace with God, through our l>ord ,lesus Christ. —
For he that believtth hath the witness of this in
himself: being now the Son of God by faith; be-
cause he is a sou, God lialli sent forth the spirit of
his .Sou into his iieart, crying out, Abba, J'atlierl — •
Ani\ the Spirit itself bearelh witness with his spirit,
that he is a child of God. He it joiceth also, wlun-
e\er he looks forward in hope of the glory that shall
be revealed; yea, this his joy ia full, and all his
bones crv out. Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Je^ us Christ, who, according to his abim-
dunt meiTy, Jialh begotten me :gain to a living hope
'It) 3
of an inheritance incorruptible, midefiled, and that
fadeth not aw:iy, reserved in heaven for me.
7. And he who hath this hope thus full of im-
mortality in every thing gi^eth tlianks ; as knowing
that this (whatsoever it is) is the will of God ai
Christ Jesus concerning him. From him therefore
he cheerfully receives all, saying, good is the will
of the Lord ; and whether the Lord giveth or luketh
away, etpially blessing the name of the Lord. For
he huih ieained m whatsoever state lie is, therewith
to be content. He knoweth both how to be abased,
and how to abound. livery w here, and in all things,
he is instructed, both to be full, and to be hungry,
both to abound and suft'er need. Whether in ease
or pain, whether in sickness or health, whether in
life or death, he giveth thanks from the ground of
his heart to him who orders it for good : knowing
that as every good gift comelii from above, so none
but good can come from the Father of Light, into
whose hands he has wholly committed his body and
soul, as into the hands of a faithful creator. He is
tlierefore careful (anxiously or uneasily careful), for
nothing; as having cast all his care on him that
careth for him, and in all things resting on him,
after making his request known to him with thanks-
giving.
8. For indeed he prays without ceasing. It is
gi\en him always to prav and not to faint. Not
that he is always in the house of prayer ; though he
neglects no opportunity of lieing there. Neither
is he always on his knees, although he oft( n is, or
on his face, before the Lord his God. Nor yet is
he always crying aloud to God, or calling n])on him
in words. For many times the spirit maketh inter-
cession for him with groans that cannot be uttered :
but at all times the language of his heart is this,
" Thou i)rightness of the eternal glory, unto thee is
my mouth, though without a voice, and my silence
speaketh unto thee." And this is true [irayer, the
liltiiig up the heart to (jod. 'I'his is the essence of
prayer, and this alone. But his heart is ever lifted
up to God, at all times and in all places. In this
he is in ver hindered, niiuli less iiilerruiited by any
l)eison or thing. In retirement or company, in
leisure, bnshiess, or conversation, his heart is ever
with the Lord. ^Vllether he lie down, or rise up,
(iod i* in all his thoughts ;. he walks with God con-
tiimallv, having the loving eye of his mind sld! tixed
upon him, and every where seeing him that is in.-
vi.^ible.
<). And while he thus always exercises his love
to (iod, bv praying without ceasing, rejoicing ever-
more, and ill every thing giving thanks, this com-
mandment is written in his heart, that he who loveth
God, loves his brother also. And he accordingly
loves liis neighbour as himself; he loves every man
as his own soul. His heart is full of love to all
60C
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
niankinH, to every cliild of the Father of the spirits
of all flosJi. That a man is not persoiiully known
to him, is no bar to his love ; no, nor that lie is
knovrii to bt: such as he approves not, that he repays
hatred for his good-will : for he loves his enemies,
yea and the enemies of God, tlie evil and the uii-
thaukful : and if it be not in his power to do good
to them that hate him, yet he ceases not to pray
for them, though they continue to spurn his love,
and stiil despitefiilly use him and persecute him.
10. F'or he is pure in lieart. The love of God
has jjurified his heart from all revengeful passions,
from envy, malice, and wrath, from every imkind
temper, or malign affection. It hath cleansed him
from pride and haughtiness of spirit, whereof alone
Cometh contention ; and he hath now put on bowels
of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness,
long sulVeriug; so lliat he forbears and forgives, if
he had a quarrel against any, even as God in Christ
hath forgiven liim. And indeed all possible ground
for contention, on his part is utterly cut otf ; for
none can take from him what he desires, seeing he
loves Kot the world, nor any of the things of the
world, being now crucified to the world, and the
world crucitied to him ; being dead to all that is in
the world, l)oth to the lust of the flesh, the lust of
the eve, and the jiride of life ; for all his desire is
unto God, and to the remembrance of his name.
11. Agrcealile to this his one desire, is the one
desire of his life, viz, not to do his o\\ n will, but
the nill of him that sent him. His one intention
at all times, and in all things, is not to please him-
self, but him whom his soul loveth. He has a sin-
gle eye; and because his eye is single, his whole
body IS full of light. Indeed, w here the loving eye
of tiic soul is continually fixed upon God there can
be no darkness at all, but the whole is light, as
when the bright shining of a candle doth enlighten
the liouse, God thtn reigns alone. All that is in
the sold is holiness to the Lord. 'J'heie is not a
motion in his heart but is according to his will. —
Every thought that arises points to him, and is in
obedience to the law' of Christ.
I'2. And the tree is known by its fruits; for as he
loves God, so he kt eps his comnKindments ; not only
some, or most of them, but all, from the least to
the greatest. He is not content to keep the whole
law, and offend in one point, but has in all points a
conscience void of offence towards God and towards
man. Whatever God has forbidden, he avoids ;
hath enjoined, he dolh ; and that whether it be little
or great, hard or easy, joyous or grievous to the flesh.
He runs the ways of God's commandments, now he
hath set his heait at liberty. It is his glory so to
do ; it is his daily crown of rejoicingi to do the will
of God on t 111 th, as it is done in heaven ; knowing
it is the highest privilege of the angels of God, of
those that excel in strength, to fulfil liis command-
ments, and hearken to tlie voice of his word.
13. All tlie commandments of God he accordingly
keeps, and that with all his might: for his obedience
is in jjroportion to his love, the source from whejicc
it flows ; and therefore, loving God -with all his
heart, he serves him with all his strength. He con-
tinually presents his soul and boHy a living sacriiice,
holy, acceptable to God : entirely and without re-
serve devoting himself, all he has, and all he is, to
his glory. All the talents he has received he con-
stantly employs, according to his master's will;
every power and faculty of his soul, every member
of his body. Once he yielded them unto sin and the
devil, as instruments of unrighteousness: but now,
being alive from the dead, he yields them all, as in-
struments of righteousness, unto God.
14. liy consequence, whatsoever he doth, it is all
to the glory of God. In all his employments of
every kind, he not only aims at this (which is im-
plied in having a single eye) but actually attains it.
His business and refreshmentg, as well as his prayers,
all serve to this great end. ^Vhether he sit in his
house or walk by the way, whether he lie down or
rise up he is promoting in all he speaks or does, the
one business of his life: win iher he put on his ap-
parel, or labour, or eat and drink, or divert himself
from too wasting labour, it all tends to advance the
glory of God, by peace and good-will among men.
His one invariable rule is this, whatsoever ye do in
w'ord or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord
Jesus, giving thanks to God and the father by him.
io. Nor do the customs of the world at all hinder
his running the race that is set before him. He
knows that vice does not lose its nature, though it
becomes ever so fashionable; and remembers, that
every man is to give an account of himself to God.
He cannot, therefore, even follow a multitude to do
evil. He cannot fare sumptuously every day, or
make provision for the flesh to fiilfjl the lusts thereof.
He cannot lay up treasures nponeaitli, no more than
he can take fire into his bosom. He cannot adorn
himself (on any pretence) v.ith gold or cosily appa-
rel ; he cannot join in, or countenance any diver-
sion'which has the least tendency to vice of any
kind. He cannot speak evil of his neighbour, no
more than he can lie, either for God or man. He
cannot utter an unkind word of any one ; for love
keeps the door of his lips. He cannot sjieak idle
words: no corru]jt communication ever comes out
of his moutl:, as is all that w hich is not good, to
the use of edifying, not lit to minister grace to the
hearers. But whatsoever things are pure, whatso-
ever things are lovely, whatsoever things are justly
of good report, he thinks, and speaks, and acts,
adorning-the doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ in
all things.
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
GG3
\6. Laslly, ns lie has time lie does good unto all
men ; unto neighbours ami stranijcr.s, friends and
enemies; and tliat in every possible kind, not only
to tlieir bodies, by feeding the hungry, ilotlinig the
naked, visiting those that are sick and in j)rison ;
but much more does' he labour to do good to their
souls, as of the ability «hicli God giveth to auflken
those that sleep in death; to bring those who are
a\vakent;d to the atoning blood, that, In ing justiliod
by faith, they may have peace with CJoel, cimi to pro-
voke those \\ho have peace wiih God to abound
more in love and in good works; and he is willing
to spend and be spent herein, even to be offered up
on the sacrifice and service of their faith, so they
may all come unto the measure of the stature of the
fulness of Christ.
17. These are the principals and practices of our
Sect; these are the marks of a true Methodist, lly
these alone do those who are in derision so called,
desire to be ilislinguished from other men. If any
man say, " \\ hy these are oitly the common, fun-
damental principles of Christianity !" Thou hast
said : so I mean ; this is the very truth ; I know
they are no other, and I would to God l)oth tiiou
and all men knew, and walked l»y the conniion prin-
ciples of Christianity. The plain, old Christianity
that I teach, renouncing and detesting ail otiier marks
of distinction : and whosoever is what 1 preach (let
him be called what he will, for names change not
the nature of things), he is a Christian, not in name
only, but in heart and in life. He is inwardly and
outwardly conformed to the will of God, as revealed
in the written word. He thinks, speaks, and lives
according to the method laid down in the revelation
of Jesus Christ. His soul .is renewed after the
image of God, in righteoustiess and in all true holi-
ness, and having the mind that was in Christ, he so
walks as Christ also walked.
18. By these works, by these mark." of a living
faith, do we labour to distinguish ourselves from the
unbelieving world; from all ihos<> \\hose minds and
lives are not according to tlie gospel of Christ, lint
from real Christians, of ' whatsoever denomination
they be, we earnestly desire not to be distinguished
at all ; nor from any who sincerely follow after what
they know they liave not attained, ^lo: whoever
dolli the will of my father who is in heaven, the
same is my brother, sister, and mother. And 1 be-
seech vou brethren, by the mercies of Gci,I, that
we be in no wise divided among ourselves.
Is thy heart light, as my heart is withtiiine? I
a.sk no farther questions. If it be, give me thy hand.
For opinions or tenets let us not destroy the w ork of
God. Dost thoiilovc and serve God? It is enough.
I give thee the right hand of fellowship. If there
can be any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of
love, if any fellowship of the spirit, if any bowels
of mercies, let us strive together for the faith of the
go.spel, walking wortiiy of the vocation wherewith
we were calleil, with all lowliness and weakness,
with long sutiering, forbearing one another with
love, endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit
in the bond of peace. Let us remember there is
one body and one spirit, even as we are called w ith
one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one
baptism, one God and father of all.
Such is the character of a Metliodi»t, as drawn
up by the late reverend Mr. .John Wesley. His
character^ both as a preacher and a writer, are so .
well known throughout every part of the British do-
minions, that it is needless to enlaige ujjou either iii
this place.
Of the principles of the Methodists.
Although we may have occasion afterwards to
treat of some persons called Methodists, who differ
much from the followers of Mr. Wesley, yet we
considered it as most proper to treat of the latter
first because they are the most aneient as well as the
most numerous.
We shall liicrefore lay befine the read(;r those
piinciples which every follower of Mr. Wesley pro-
fesses to hohl, in his own words.
And first, of justification by faith;
" I believe justitication by faith alone; for I am
firmly persuaded, that every man of the offspring of
■ Adam is very far gone from original righteousness,
and is, of his own nature, inclined to e\il. That
this corruption of onr nature in every person born
into tiie world, deserves God'.s wratli and danniation.
That therefore, if ever we receive the remission of
our sins and are accounted righteous before God,
it must be only for the merits of Clirist, by faith,
and not for our own works or deservings of any
kind.
Nay, I am persuaded, that all works done before
justification, have in them the nature of sin ; and
that, conscqueiuly, till he is justified, a man has no
power to do any work pleasing and acceptable to
God.
I believe three things must go together in our
justification. On God's ])art, his great mercy and
grace ; upon Christ's part, the satisfaction of God's
justice, liy the offering his body, and shedding his
blood, and fulfilling the law of God perfectly ; and
upon our part, true and living faith in the merits of
Jesus Christ. So that in our justitication there is
not only God's mercy and grace, but his justice al.so.
And so the grace of God does not shut out the
righteousness of Christ in our justification, but only
shuts out the righteousness of man ; that is, the
f)04.
•ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
ri<>hteoiiS!iess of our works; and theiefoio the apos-
tle St. Paul rcquiics nolliing oil the,-pait of man,
but only a true and living faith ;. yet this faith does
not sliiit out it-pentance, hope, and lose, which are
joined uitli faith in every one that is ju.stitied, but it
shuts them out from the office of justifying ; so that
although they are all ]>resent in him that is justified,
yet they justify not all t5)gelli€r.
Neither does faith shut out good works necessa-
rily to be done afterwards ; but we may not do
them to this intent totally to be justilied by doing
jhem. Our justification comes freely of the mercy
of God: for v.hereas all the world are not able to
j)jiv any -part towards their ransom, it pleased him,
without any of onr deserving, to prepare for us
Christ's, body and blood, whereby our ransom might
be paid, his law fullillcd, and his justice satisfied. —
Christ therefore is now the righteousness of all them
rhat truly believe in him. He for them paid the
ransom bv his tieath. He for them fulfilled the law
in his life. So that now in him, and by him, every
believer may be called a fidtiller of the law.
But let it be observed, the true sense of those
words, " we are justified by faith in Christ only,"
is not, that 4bis our own act, to believe in Christ,
or this our faith which is within us, justifies us
(for that were to account ourselves justified by
some act of virtue that is within us); but that,
although we have faith, hope, and love within us,
and do never so many good works, yet we must
renounce the merit of all, of faith, hope, love, and all
other virtues and good works, which we either have
done, shall doj or can do, as far too weak to procure
our justification : for which therefore we must tiust
only in God's mercy, and the merits of Christ. —
For it is he alone that taketh away our sins. To
him alone are we to go for this; forsaking all our
virtues, good words, thoughts, and works, and put-
. ting our trust in Christ only.
In strictness therefore, neither our faith nor our
works justify us, that is, deserve the remission of
our sins ; but God himself justifies us, of his own
mercy, throu;.;h the merits of his Son only. Never-
theless, beca;.:se by faith we embrace the promise
of God's mercy, and of the remission of our sins,
therefore the scripture says, that faith doth justify,
vea, faith without works And as it is all one to
sav, faith without works, and faith alone justifies
us, therefore the ancient fathers from time to time
speak thus : F'aith alone justifies us. And because
we receive faith through the only nieiits of Jesus
Christ, and not throug,h the merit of any virtue we
have, or work we do; therefore in that respect we
. reiiouiTce, as it were again, faith, works, and all
, other virtues. For our corruption through original
sin is so great, that all our faith, charity, words
, and works, caunot merit or deserve any part of our
I justification for us : and therefore we thus si>pak,
humbling ourselves before God and giving Christ
all the glory of our justification. \\\\\ it should
also he observed, wiiat that faith is whereby we are
justified. Now that faith which brings not foith
good works, is not a living faith, but a dead and
devilish one. For even the devils believe, that
Christ was born of a virgin, that ho wrought all
kind of miracles, declaring himself to be very
God; that for our sakes he died and rose again,
and ascended into heaven, and at the end of the
world he shall come again, to jnrlge the quick and
the dead. This the devils believe, and so they
believe all that is written in thi> Old and New Tes-
tament; and yet still, for all this faith, they are but
devils. They remain still in their damnable estate;,
lacking t!ie true Christian faith.
The true Christian faith is, not only to believe
the holy scriptures and articles of our faith are true,
but also to have a sure trust and confidence to be
saved I'rom everlasting damnation by Christ, whereof
doth follow a loving heart, to obey his command-
ments. And this faith neither any devil h:ttli nor
any wicked man. No ungodly man hath or can
have this sure trust and confidence in God., th.at by
the merits of Christ his sins are forgiven, and be
reconciled to the favour of God.
Of CJuistian Perfection.
" Perhaps the general prejudice against Christian
perfection may chieHy arise from a misapprehen-
sion of the nature of it. We willingly allow, and
continually declare, there is no perfection, in this
life, as implies a dispensation from doing good,
and attending all the ordinances of God; or a free-
dom from ignorance, mistake, temptation, and a
thousand infirmities necessarily connected with flesh
and blood.
F'irst, we not only allow, but earnestly contend,
as for the faith once delivered to the saints, that
there is no such perfection in this life, as implies any
dispensation from attending all the ordinances of God
or from doing good unto all men while we have
time, though especially unto the household of faith.
And whosoever they are who have taught otherwise,
we are convinced aie not taught of God. ^^ e d;ire
not receive them, neither bid them good speed, lest
we be partakers of their evil deeds. We believe
that not only the babes in Christ, who have newly
found redemption in his blood, but those also, who
are grown up to perfect men, unto the measure of
the fulness of Christ, are indispensibly obliged and
that they are obliged thereto is their gloiy and crown
of rejoicing, as oft as they have opportuuity to eat
ACCOUNT or THE METIKjOISTS.
701
brrad, and drink wine,. in remembrance of him ; to
search the scriptures ; by fasting, as well as tcnipe-
laiice, to keep their bodies under, ami bring iheiii
into subjection; and above all, to pour out their
souls in prayer, both secretly and in the great cou-
gre'Tation.
\Ve secondly believe, and therefore speak, and
that unto all men, and with mucl. assurance, that
there is no such perfection in this life, as implies an
entire deliverance, either from ignorance or mistake
in tliinn:s not essential to salvation, or from mani-
fold temptations, or from numberless infirmitit s,
\\ltere«itli the corruptible bodvj more or less, pres-
ses down the soul. This is the same thing uhich
we have spoken from the beginning ; if any teach
otherwise, tlity are not of us. We cannot tind any
ground in scrijiUiie to suppose, that any inhabitant
'if an li )use of clay is wholly exempt either from
bodily inlirmities, or frt)m ignorance of many things ;
or to imagine any mere man is iiica))abie ot mis-
take, or of falling into divers temptations: No;
the servant is not above his master, nor the disciple
above his Lord.
It is enough that every one who is perfect shall be
as his master. But what then, it iiuy be asked, do
vou mean by one that is perfect, or one that is as
his master ? We mean, one in whom is the mind
which was in Christ, and wlio walkith a& he also
walked ; a man that hath clean hands and a pnre
heart; or that is cleansed from all Hllhiness of flesh
and spirit : one in whom there is no occasion of
stunibliiiir, and who accoidhigly doth not commit
sin. ^l"o dctiiic this a littli more purticnjarly, we
understand by tliat scri|;tural expression a perfect
man, oine in whom God liaiii fultiHed his faithful
word, " From all your fillhiness and from ail your
idols will I cleanse you. I will -.dso save you from
al! your nncieanuess." We understand hereby, one
whom God hath sanctiiied throughout, even in body,
soul, and spirit: one who walketh in the light, as
he is in the light, in whom is no darkness at all ;
tlii: blood of Jesus Christ his son having cleansed
him from ail sin.
'J'his man can now testify to all mankind, I am
rnicifiid with Ciirist; nevertheless I li\e; yet not 1,
bv't Christ livt'ih in me. lie is holy, as God who
hath called him is holy, both iii heart and in all
manner of conversation, lie lovelh the l^ord his
God with all his heart, ami seiveth him with :dl his
fttn ngtii. He lovtth his neighbour, every man, as
hiinsdf; yea, as Chiist K)ved ns: them in particu-
1 ir that despitefully use him and persecute him, be-
cause they know not the Son neither the l-"ath( r. —
JiKh'ctl hts soul is all love, filled with bowels of
TiK^rcics, kimhiess, meekness, gentleness, long-snf-
foritTg. And his life agroetb thereto, full of the
work of faith, the patience of hope, the labour of
love : and wliatsoevcr he doth either in word or
deed, he doth it all in the name, in the love and
power of the Lord Jesus. In a word, he doth the
will of GikI on earth, as it is done in heaven.
This it is to be a perfect man, to be sanctified
throughout, created anew in Christ Jesus; even to
have a heart so all-flamirtg with Uie love of God, to
use archbishop I'sher's words, as continually to of-
fer up every thought, word, and work, as a s|)iri-
liial sacriticc, acceptable unto God through Christ.
In every thought oi' our hearts, jii every word of
our tongues, in every work of our hands, to shew
forth his praise, who hath called us out of darkness
into his marvellous light ! O that both we, and all
who seek the Lord jcsus Christ in sincerity, may
thus be made pertect iu one !"
if there be any thing unscriptural in these words
any thing wild or extravagant, any thing contrary
to tlie anah)gy of faith, or the experience of adult
Christians, let them smite me friendly and reprove
me; let them imparl to me of the clearer light God
has given them. How knowest thou, O man, but
thou inayest gain tin brother.' but he may at length
come to the knowledge of tiie truth f and thy laiiour
of love, shewn forth with meekness of wisdom,
may not be in vain ?
Of the Assurance of Jiislljication.
" I believe that conversion, meaniii^fliereby jiis-
tificalion, is an instantaneous work ; and the mo-
ment a man has living faith in Christ, he is con-
verted or justified; which faith he cannot have,
without knowing he has it.
I bdicve the moment a man is justified, he has
peace with God : which he cannot have, without
knowing that he has it.
The first sense of forgiveness i« often mixed
with d'uibt or fear: but the fVdl assurance of liiilh
excludes all doubt and fear, as the very term im-
plies.
Of the Conditions of J iidificaliGu.
" I believe every man is iicniteiit before he is
justified; he repents, before he believes the gospel.
Ikit it is never before, and grnerajly long after he is
justified, that Chiist is foimcd in him ; and that this
penitence and tontiition is the wurk of thelloly
Ghost.
47
8 P
702
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
Yet I believe that all this is nothing towards, and
has no influence on our justification.
Again, 1 believe that in order to obtain justifica-
tion I must go straight to Christ, with all my ungod-
liness, and plead nothing else.
Yet I believe we should. not insist upon any thing
we do or feel, as if it were necessarily previous to
justification. No, nor on any thing else."
Of the Effects of Justification.
" I believe a man may have a strong assurance if
he is jutified, and not be able to affirm he is a child
of God.
A man may be fully assured that his sins are for-
given, yet may not be able to tell the day when he
received this full assurance; because it grew up iu
him by degrees.
A man may have a weak faith, at the same
time that he has peace with God, and no unholy
desires.
A man may be justified who has not a clean heart,
neither the indwelling of the spirit."
To sum up the whole, Mr. Wesley desires not a
more consistent account of his principles than the
following words :
" Our spiritual state should be considered, and
distinctly, under each of these views.
1. Before justification; in which state we may
be said to be unable to do any thing acceptable to
God: because then we can do nothing but come to
Christ ^^llich oiiglit not to be considered as doing
any thing, but as supplicating, or waiting to receive
a power of doing for the time to come. For the
preventing grace of God, which is common to all,
is sufficient to bring us to Christ, though it is not
suflicieut to cany us any further till we are jus-
tified.
2. After justification. The moment a man comes
to Christ by faith, he is justified, and born again:
that is, he i.s born again in the imperfect sense, for
there are two, if not more, degrees of regeneration ;
and he has power over all the stirrings and motions
of sin, but not a total freedom from them. He has
Christ with him, but not Christ in him. Therefore
he hath not yet, in the full and proper sense, a new
and clean heart, or the indwelling of the spirit. —
But being exposed to various teuiptalions, he may,
and will fall again from this condition, if he doth
not attain to a more excellent gift.
3. Sanctilication ; the last and highest state of
perfection iu this life. For then are the faithful born
again in the full and perfect sense. Then have they
the indwelling of the spirit. Then is there given
unto them a new and clean heart, and the struggle
between the old and new man is over.''
Mr. Wesley in " An earnest Appeal to men
of Reason "and Religion," thus further expresses
himself in regard to the principles of the Metho-
dists :
" Although it is with us a very small thing to be
judged of yoiT or of man's judgment, scein'T we
know God will make our iniiocency clear as the
light, ai)d our just dealing as the noon-day; yet are
we ready to give any that are willing to hear, a plain
account both of our principles and actions ; as hav-
ing renounced the hidden things of shame, and desir-
ing nothing more, than by manifcstaiiou of the
truth to commend ourselves to every man's consci-
ence in the sight of God.
We see, and who does not, the numberless follies
and miseries of our fellow^creature. We see on
every side, either men of no religion at all, or men
of a lifeless formal religion. We are grieved
at the sight, and should greally rejoice, if iiy any
means we might convince some, that there is a bet-
ter religion to be attained, a religion wordiy of
God that gave it. And this we conceive to be no
jther than love ; the love of God and of all man-
kind ; the loving God with all our heart, and soul,
and strength, as having first loved us, as the foun-
tain of all the good we have received, and of all we
ever hope to enjoy ; and the loving fevery soul which
God hath made, every man on earth, as our own
soul.
This love we believe to be the medicine of life,
the never failing remedy, for all the evils of a disor-
dered world, for all the miseries and vices of men.
Wherever this is, there are virtue and happiness
going hand in hand. There is humbleness of
mind, gentleness, long-suffering, the whole image
of God, and at the same time a peace that passeth
all understanding, and joy unspeakable and full of
glory.
This religion we long to see established in the
world, a religion of love, and joy, and peace, hav-
ing its seat iu the heart, in the inmost soul, but ever
she\^iiig itself, by its fruits, continually spriugiog
forth, not only in all iimocence, for love worketh no
ill to his neighbour, but in every kind of beneficence
spreadmg virtue and happiness round it.
This religion have we been following after for
many yiars, aa many know if they would testify ;
but all this time, seeking wisdom we found it not ;
we were spending our strength in vain. And being
now under full conviction of tliis, we declare it to
all mankind: for we desire not that others should
wander out of the way, as we have done before
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
70.3
I
tlicm ; but rather tliat they may profit hy our loss,
tlia^ thty may go, though wt; did not, liaving tlien
uo mail to guide us, the straight way to ilic religion
of love, even by faith.
Now faith, supposing the scripture to be of
God, ia the demonstrative evidence of things unseen,
the supernatural evidence of things iiivisibts, not
perceivable by eyes of flesh or by any of our uatu-
lal senses or faculties. Faith is that divine evidence
wliereby the spiritual man discernctli God and the
things of God. It is with regard to the spiiiiual
world, what sense is with regardjto the natural. It
is the spiritual .situation of every soul that is born of
God.
Perhaps you have not considered it in this point
of view, therefore i will explain it to you a little
farther.
I'aiih, according to the scripture account, is the
eye of the new-born soul, llereby every true be-
liever in God, seeth him who is invisible. Hereby,
in a more peculiar manner, true lile and immortality
have been brought to light by the gospel; he .seeth
the light of the glorious gospel of God in Christ
Jesus, and beholdeth what manner of love it is
which the father hath bestowed upon us, that we,
\v!)o are born of the spirit, should be called the
sons of God.
It is the ear of the soul, whereby a sinner hears
the voice of the son of God aud lives ; even that
voice alone which awakes the dead, and says, son
thy sins are forgiven thee.
It is the palule of the soul, if I may be allowed
the expression ; for hereby a believer tattes the good
word, and the pow crs of the world to come ; and
hereby he both tastes and sees that God is gracious
and merciful to him as a sinner.
It is the feeling of the soul whereby a believer
perceives, through the power of the highest over-
shadowing him, both the existence and the presence
of him, in whom he lives, moves, and has his be-
ing; and indeed, the whole invisible world, the
entire system of things eternal. AndJiereby in par-
ticular, he feels the love of God shed abroad in his
heart.
By this faith we are saved from all uneasiness of
mind, from the anguish of a wounded spirit, fioni
discontent, from fear and sorrow of heart, and from
that inexpressible lothuess and weariness both of tlie
world, which we had so helplessly laboured under
for many years; especially when we were out of
ithe hurry of the world, and sunk {nto calm reflec-
tion. In tlib we find that love of God, and of all
mankind, which we had elsewhere sought in vain.
This we know and feel, (and therefore cannot but
declare) saves every one tliat partakes of it, both
from sin and mistn, from every unhappy aud every
melancholy temper.
If you ask, " Why tlien have not all men this
faith? all at least, who conceive it to be so happy
a thing,.? Why do they not believe immediately i
We answer according to scripture, it is the gift
of God. No man is able to work it in hiinsc If. It
is the work of omnipotence. It requires no less
power thus to quicken a dead soul, than to raise a
body that lies in the grave.
It is a new creation, and none can create a soul
ai>c\v, but he who at first created the heavens aud '
the earth.
May not your own experience teach you this?
Can you give yourself this faith ? Is it now in your
power to see, or hear, or taste, or feel God ? Have
you already, or can you raise in yourself susception
of God, or of an invisible world f 1 suppose you do
not deny that there is an invisible world ? Now is
there any power in your soul whereby you discern
therein him that created you ? Or can all your wis-
dom and strength open an intercourse between your-
self and the world of spirits? Is it in your power
to burst the veil that is on your hearts, and let in
the light of eternity ? You know it is not. You
not only do not, but cannot, by your own strength,
thus believe. The more you labour so to do, the
more you will be convinced it is the gift of God.
It is the free gift of God not on those who are
worthy of his favour, not on such as are previously
holy, and so far to be crowned with all tlie blessings
of his goodness, but on the ungodly and unholy ;
or on those who, till that hour, were fit only for
everlasting destruction ; those in w horn was no good
thing, and Whose only plea was, God be merciful
to me a sinner. No merit, no goodness in man,
])recedes the foregoing love of God. His pardon-'
iiig mercy supposes nothing in us but a scene of
want, sin aud misery. And to all who see, feel, and
own their w ants, and their utter unbelief to remove
them ; God freely gives faith to remove them, for
the sake of him in whom he is well pleased.
This is a short j.lain sketch of the doctrine we
teach : These are our fundamental principles, and
we spend our lives in conflrminif others therein, and
in a behaviour suitable to them."
After a great deal of shrewd and pertinent reason-
ing, he goes on to vindicate those doctrines in a
manner peculiar to himself. ,
" Perhaps (says he) the first thing that occurs to
your mind at present, relates to the doctrines which
we teach. You have heard that we say, " men
may live w ithout sin ;" and have you not heard that
the scriptures say the same ? Does not St. Paul
plainly say, that those who believe do not continue
in sin: that they cannot live any longer ihtrein?
Rom. vi. ICi. Docs noi St. Peter say, he that hath
suft'cred in the flesh, hath ceas<,d from sin r That
he should no longer live to the desires of men, but
704
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
to the will of Goc), 1 Peter iv. 1, 2. And docs
not St. John say more expressly, he tViat conimittelh
sin is of the devil : Tor this piu-pose, the Son of God
was manifested, that he might destroy the works of
the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not
commit sin ; for his seed remainelh in him, and he
cannot commit sin, because he is born of God, 1
John iii. 8. And again, we know that whosoever is
born of God sinnetli not, ch. v. 18.
You see then it is not We that say this, but the
: Jjorti. These are not our words, but his. And
who is he' that replieth against God? Who is able
to make God a liar? Surely he will be justi&d in
his saying, and cleared when he is judged. Can
you deny it? Have you not often felt a seci-et check
when you was contradicting this truth ? And how
often have you wished what you was taught to deny ?
Nay, can you help wishing for it at this moment?
])o you not now earnestly desire to cease from sin,
to commit it no more? Docs not your soul pant
after this glorious liberty of the sons of God ? And
what .strong reason have you to expect it ? Have
yoa not had a poof of it already ? Do you not
remember the time wiien God first lifted up the
light of his countenance upon you? Can it ever be
forgotten, the day when the candle of the Lord first
shone upon your head ? You then had power not
to commit sin. You found the apostle's \\ortls
strictly true. He that is begotten of God purifieth
himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
But those whom you took to be experienced
Christians, told you this was the only time of your
esj)ousals, this could not last for ever, vou must
come down the mount, and the like, which shocked
your faith.
You looked at men more than G<id, and so be-
came weak like another man, wlrereas, had you then
had any to guide you according to the truth of Ciod,
had you tlien believed the doctrine yon now blame,
you had never ■ fallen from your steadfastness ; but
had found that in this sense a!so, the gifts and call-
ing of God are withovic repentance.
Have you another objection nearly allied to this,
siaiiiely, that we preach perfection? The term you
camiot object to, because it is scriptural. All the
tlifficulty is to iix the meaning of it according to the
word of God. And lliis we have done again and
again, declaring to all the world, that Christian
perfection does not imply an exeinj)tion from igno-
rance, or mistake, or infirmities, or temptations ; but
that it does imply the being so crucified with Christ,
as to be able to testify, 1 live not, but Christ liveth
in me, and hath purified my heart by faith, Acts xv.
9. It does imply the casting down every high thing
tliat exalteth itself against the knowledge of God,
and bringing into captivity .every thought to the
obedience of Christ. It does imply the being holy,
as he that bath called us is holy in all mannef of
Conversation ; -and, in a word, the loving the Lord
our God with all our heart, and serving him with all
our strength.
Now, is it possible for any who believes the scrip-
ture to deny one tittle of this ? Yon cinnot : you
dare not : you would not for the <?or!d ; you know-
it is the pure word of God : atid this is the w hole
of what we preach : this is the heighth and depth of
what We, with St. Paul, call perfection: a state of
soul devoutly to be wished for by all wlio have tasted
of the love of God. O pray for it without a?asing;
it is the one thing you want Come witii boldness
to the throne of grace, and be assured, th«i when
you ask tliis of God, you shall have the petition yoti
ask of him. We know indeed, that to man, to the
natural man, this is impossible ; but vvc know also,
that as no Mork is impossible with God, so all
things are possible to him tiiat believcth.
For we are saved by faith. But have not yoti
heard this urged as another objection against us,
that W'e j'lJ-each salvation by faitli alone ? And does
not St. Paul do the same thing ? By grace, sailh
he, ye are saved through faith. Can any wojds be
more express? And <isewhere, Believe in the Lord
Jesus, and thou shalt be saved. Acts xvi. 31.
What we mean by this, if it has not been suffi-
ciently explained already, is that we are saved from
our sins, only by a confidelice in the love of God.
As soon as we behold what manner of love it is
which the Father has bestowed upon us, we love
him, as the apostle observes, because he first loved
us; and then is that commandment written in your
heart, that he who loveth God loveth bis brother
also: from which love of God and mauj meekness,
humbleness of mind, and all holy tempers spring.
Now these are the very essence of salvation, of
Chi'istiaii salvation, salvation from sin; and from '
these, outward salvation flows, that is, holiness of
life and conversation. Well, and are not these
things so? If you knovv in whom you have believed,
you need no further w itnesses.
But perhaps you doubt, whether that faith where-
by we are thus saved, implies such a trust and con-
fidence in Goil as we describe. " \ ou cannot
think faith implies assurance ; an assurance of the
love of God to our souls, of his being now recon-
ciled to us, and having forgiven all our sins." Ami
this we freely cuiifess, that if number of voices is to
decide the qtiesiion we must give it up at once; for
^ou have on your side, not only souis who desire
to be Christians in deed, but ail noiiiinal Christians
in every place, and the Komish church, one and
all. Nay, these last arc so vehenieiit in your de-
fence, that iu the famed eotincil of Trent, they have
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
705
(ii'orrcd, " If rrnv man liold trust, confidence or as-
stiiance of pardon, to be essentiul to faitli, let liuu
be accursed."
Thus docs that council anathematise the church
of l-2nghuul, for slie is convicted thereof by her own
confession. The very words in the homily on sal-
vation are, " Even the devils believe that Christ was
born of a virgin ; tiiat ho wrought all kind of mira-
cles, declaring himself very God; that for our sakes
he suffered a most painful death, to redeem us from
death everlasting. These articles of our faith the
devils believe ; and so they believe all that was writ-
ten in the Old and New Testament ; and yet, for
all this faith, they are but devils. They remain still
in tluir danmablc estate, lacking the true Christian
iaiih."
The right and true Christian faith is, not only to
fcelieve the holy scriptures and the articles of our
faith are true, but also to have a sure tryst and con-
fidence to be saved from everlasting danmation
through Christ : or, as il is expressed a little after,
" a sure trust and confidence vhicii a man halh in
God, that by the merits of Christ his sins are for-
given, and he reoohciled to the favour of God."
Indeed the bishop of Rome sailh, " If any man
hold this, let him be an Anathema Maranaihu."
But it is to be hoped papal anathemas do not move
you. You are a member of the church of Eng-
land, Are vou r Then the controversy is at an end.
Then hear tlie church. Eailh is a sure trust which
a man hath in God, that his sins ure forgiven. Or
if you are not, whether you hear our church or no,
' at least hear the scriptures. Hear believing Job
declaiing his faith, 1 know that my redeemer liveth.
Hear '1 liomas, when having seen he believed, cry-
ing out, my l.iird and my God. Hear St. Paul
clearly d> scrihnig the nature of his faith. The life 1
now live, I live by faith in the Son of God, who
lo\td me, and gave himself-for me. Hear, to men-
tion no more, all the biiievers who were with St.
Paul when he wrote to the Collossians, l)oaring wit-
ness, V^'e give thanks unto the Tatiier, who hath
delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath
■ transhited us into the kingdom of his dear son; in
whom we have i-edemption through his blood, even
the f igi\eiies>< of sins.
lint what need have we of distant witnesses f You
have witness in your own breast. For am I now
5-jicaking to one that loves God ? How Co'.ie you
then to h)ve him at first r W as it not -b* cause you
knew that lie loxed you; l^id you, could you love
G'od at all, till you tasied and saw that lie was gra-
cious r that he wirs merciful to you a Sinner: W hat
avails then controversy or stufe of words r out of
thine ow n month r You own you had no love to
•God, till you was !»eti9ible of hjs to you. And
whatever expressions any sinner who loves God uses
47 8
to denote God's love to him, you wll always, ypon
exaniinatiuii, find, that they directly or indirecjy
imply forgiveness. Pardoning love is still at the
root of all. He who was otl'ended is now recon-
ciled. The new song which God puts in every
mouth, is always to that effect, O I..ord 1 will praise
thee: though thou wast angry widi me, thine anger
is turned away. JJchoM, God is my salvation. I
will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah
is my strength and my song : he is also become my
salvation, Isa. xii. 1, '2.
A confidence then in a pardoning God is essential
to true faith. The forgiveness of sins is one of the
first of those unseen things, whereof failli is the evi-
dence. And if you are sensible of this, will you
quarrel with us concerning an inditferent circum-
stance of it? Will you think it an im])ortant objec-
tion that we assert, that this faith is usually given in
a moment ? First, let me iutreat you to read over
that authentic account of God's dealings with men,
the Acts of the Apostles. In this treatise you will
lind, how he wrought from the beginning on those
who received remission of sins by faith. And can
you find one of these (except perhaps St. Paul) who
did not receive it in a moment ? But abundance you
lind of those who did, besides Cornelius and the
three thousand. And to this also agrees the expe-
rience of those who now receive the heavenly gift.
Three or four exceptions only have I found in the
course of several years. Perhaps yon yourself may
be added to that number, and one or two more
whom you have known. But all the rest of those,
who from time to time among us have believed in
the Lord Jesus, were in a moincnt brought from
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto
God.
And why should it seem a thing incredible to you
who ha\e known the power of God unto salvation,
whether he hath wrought this in your soul or no,
for there are diversities of operations by the same
spirit, that the dead should hear the voice of the
Son of God, and in that moment live .^ Thus he
uselh to act, to .shew, that when hi' willilh, to do
is present with him. Let there be light, said God,
and there was light. He ."pake the word, and it
was done. '1 hns the hetiveiis and the rarth were
created, and nil the hosts of them. And this man-
ner of acting in the present case, liighly suits both
his power and love. 'I'here is tiierefore no hiii-
derance on Ciod's part : since, as his majesty is, so is
his mercy : and whatever hindrance there is on the
jKirt of iicin, when (>od speuketh, it is not. Only
a-k then, () sinner, and it shall be givui thee, even
the faith that brings salvation; and that without any
merit or good \Voik i)f thine; for it is not of works,
Id any man should boast. No, it is of grace, of
gruce alone; for nulo liim that workelh not, but
706
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
• believelh on him that justifleth the ungodly, his faiili
is counted to him tor ligliteousuest;.
" But by talking thus you encourage sinners." I
ilo encourage them, to repent; and do not you ? Do
you not know how many heap sin upon sin, purely
tor want of such encourageoient? Because they
think " tliey can never be forgiven, there is no place
for repentance left." Dofis not your heart also bleed
for them? ^\ hat would ^oii tliiuk too dear to part
with r \\ hat would you not do, what would you not
sutler, to bring one such sinner to rej/euti^nce? —
Could not your love endure all things for iheni ? Yes,
if you believed it would do them good, if you bad
any hope they would ever be better. Why do you
believe it would do them good ? Why have you not
a hope that they will be better ? Plainly because you
do nut love them enough ; because you have not
that charity which not only endiireth, but .it the same
time believeth and hopeth all tliuigs.
" You still think we are secretly undermining, ii
not openly destroying the church." What do you
mean by the church .'' A visible church, as our article
deiines it, is a company of faithlul, or believing pec-
ple, believing in the truth. Tins is the essence of
a church ; and the properties thereof are as they are
described in the words that follow, and the pure
word of God be preached therein, and the sacra-
ments duly administered. Now then, accorciing to
this authentic account, what is the church of Eng-
land ? \\ hat is it indeed, but the faithful people, the
true believers of England ? It is true, if these are
scattered abroad, ttiey come under another consider-
ation. But when they are visibly joined, by assem-
bling together to hear the pure wortl of God
preached, and to cat of one bread, and drink of one
cup, they are then properly the visible church of
luigland.
It were well if this were a little more considered
by those who so vehemently cry out, '^Fhe church!
the church', as ihose of old: The temple of the
Lord ! the temple of the Lord ! ?iot knowing what
they speak, nor whereof they affirm. A provincial
or national church, according to our articles is, the
true believers of that province or nation. If these
are dispersed up and down, they are only a part of
the iiivisilile church of Christ ; but if thev are visibly
joined by assembling together to hear of his wosd,
and partake of his supper, liiey are then a visible
church, such as the church of England, France, or
any other.
This being premised,! ask, how do we undermine
or destroy tiie church, the provincial visible church
of England? The article mentions tint e things as
essential to a visible church : Itt, X.iving faith, with-
out whicli, indecil, there can be no church at all,
neither visilile nor invisible. 2dly, Preaching, and
cousequeiuly hearing, the piire vvord of God, else
that faith would languish and die. And 3d!y, A due
administiatiun of the sacraments, the ordinary nuaiis
whereby God increaseth faith. Now come close to
the question: in which of these points do we uuder-
mine or destroy the church ?
Do we shut the door of faith ? do we lessen the
number of btlievinij people in England ? Only re-
member what faidi is, utcoiuing to our homilies,
viz. "a sure trust and contidence . in God, that
through the merits ol Christ my sins are foi given,
and i am reconciled to ihe favour ot God," and we
appeal to all mankind, do we destroy this faith,
which is the life and soul of the church ? is there,
in ii.ct, less ol this faith in England than there was
before we v\ent forth ? 1 liiink this is an assertion
which tlie father of lies himself wiii scarce dare to
utter or raainiain.
With legal d then to this first point, it is undeiii-
^ible, we neitl ..-I uncieiniriif xmr destroy ihe church.
i he second dung is, tlie preachiag and heaiing the
pure word of God. And do we innder tiiis? Do
we hinder any minister from preacliing the pure
word ot God? Irany preach not at all, or not the
pure word of God,is the iundenr.-.'-e in us or in ihcm-
seives ? Or do we lessen the number of those that
liear the puie word of God r Are then the hearers
;iic!eoi", vv'hether rgad or preached, fewer than were
ill times past? Are the usual places of worship less
freijuented by means of our preaching ? W hereso-
ever our lot has been cast for any time, are the
ciivirches emptier than they were before ? Surely
none that has any regard left cither for truth or mo-
desty, will say, that m this point we are enemies to,
or destroyers of, the church.
'Hie third thing requisite, if not to the being, at
least to the well-being of a church, is the due ad-
ministration of the sacramerrts, paiticulurly that of
the Lord's Supper. And are we, in this respect,
uiulenuiners or destroyers of the church ? Do we
either by our exanijile or advice draw men away
from the Isold's table ? Where we have laboured
most, are there the fewest communicants? iJow
does the fact stand in l^ondon, Bristol, Newcastle ?
O that you would no longer shut your eyes against
the broad light, s\hich encompasses you on every
side.
I believe you are sensible by this time, not only
how weak this objection is, but likewise how easy
it would be, terribly to retort every branch of it
upon most of those that make it; whether we speak
of true living faith, of preaching the pure woid of
God, or of the due administration of the sacraments,
both of Baptism and the L(jrd's Supper. But I
spare you. It sufficeth that our Gt)d knowelh, and
u ill make manifest, in that day, w lieiher it be by
reason of us or you that men abhor the offering of
the Lord.
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
707
Others object, " that we do not observe tlie laws
of the church, and thereby underiiiiue it." Wlial
laws? The rubrics or cuiiDus In eveiv parisli where
1 have been curate yet, 1 have obser\ed the rubrics
witli a scrupulous exactness, not t'oi «ratli, but for
conscience sake : and this, so far as belongs to an
unbencticed minister, or to a private member of the
church, 1 do now. 1 will just menti(>n a few of
them, and leave you to consi'ier which of us has ob-
seived, or does observe them most.
1. Days of fasting or abstinence to be observed :
The forty days of Lent.
The Ember-days at the four seasons.
The three rogation days.
All Fridays lu the year, except Christmas-day.
2. So nianv as intend to be partakers of the holy
coniiiumiiin, shall signify llici' nanics to the curate,
at least s.jiiic tiir.e the <i; y betiire.
And if any oi 'be'-ie be sn open and notorious evil
liver, tiifc curate shall iuvirtise hmi, tint la any wise
he presume iioi (<i come to the Loid's table until
he hath openly declared himself to have truly re-
pented.
3. Then, after the Nic^ne creed, the curate shall
declare unto the people what holy-d'iys or fasting-
days are in the week foliouint; to be obsirved.
4. Ihe niiiiistei' sliall first receive the communion
in both kinds himself, and then proceed to deliver
the same to the bishops, priests and deacons, in like
manner, if any be present, and after that to the
people.
5. In cathedral and collegiate churches, and col-
leges, where there are many priests and deacons,
they shall always receive the communion with the
priest, every Sunday at the least.
6. The children to be baptized must be^ready at
the font, immediately after the last lesson.
7. The curates of every parish shall warn the
people, that, without great necessity, they procure
not llieir children to be baptized at home in their
houses.
8. '1 he curate of every parish shall diligently,
upon Sundays and holy days, after the second lesson
at evening prayer, openly in the church, instruct
and examine so many children as lie shall ihink con-
venient in some part of tiie Catechism.
9. W hcnsoever the bisliop shall give notice for
children to be brought unto him for their confir-
mation, the curate of every pari>h shall either bring
or send in writing, with his hand subscribed there-
unto, the names of all such persons within his
pai'sh as he shall think tit to be presented to the
bishop.
Now the question is not. Whether these rubrics
ought to be observed (you take this for granted in
making the objectiiin~), but whether in fact lliey have
been obseived, by you or me most, many can
witns?-. I have observed them punctually, yea
sometimes at the hazard of my life : and as many, I
fear, that you have not observed them at all, and
that several of them you never pretendeel to observe.
And is it you that are accusing me, for not observ-
ing the rubrics of the church : \\ hut grimact; is this !
" O tell it not in Gath! publish it not in the streets
of Askelon!"
With regard to the canons, I would in the first
place desire you to consider two or three plain ques-
tions.
1st, Have you ever read them over.
'idly. How can these be called " the canons of
the church of England r" seeing they were never
legally established by the church, never regularly
contirmeil in full convocation?
3dly, By what right am I recjuired to observe such
canons as were never legally estaljlished ?
And then I will join issue with you in one ques-
tion more, viz. U liether you or 1 have observed
ihem most ?
To instance only a few.
Can. '29. No person shall be admitted god-father
or god-mother to any child before the said person
h;;th received the holy communion.
Can. 5y. Every parson, vicar, or curate, upon-
every Sunday and holy-day, before evening prayer,
shall, for half an hour, or more, examine and in-
struct the youth, and ignorant persons of his parish.
Can. 64. Every parson, vicar, or curate, shall
declare to the people every Sunday, whether there
be any holy-days or fasting-days the week follow-
ing.^
Can. 6S. No minister shall refuse or delay to
christen any child that is brought to the church to
him on Sundays, or holy-days ti> be christened, or
to bury any corps that is brought to the church or
chmch-yard.
N. B. Inability to pay fees does not alter the
case.
Can. 75. No ecclesiastical persons sliall spend
their time idiy, by day or by niglil, playing at dice,
cards, or tables.
Now, let the clergyman who has observed only
these five canons for one year last past, and who
has read over all the canons in his congre'gation, as
the king's ratihcalioii straitly enjoins him to do once
every year, let him, I say, cast the first stone at us,
for not observing tlie canon so called of the church
of England.
However, we cannot be, it is said, friends to the
church, because we do not obey the governors of it,
and submit ourselves, as at our ordination we pro-
mised to do, to all their godly admoiiitioiij and in-
junctions. I answer, in every individu;d )>oint of
an indifferent nature. We do and will, by the grace
of God, obey the governors of the church : but the
708
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
testifying tlie gospel of tlie grace of Gcni, is not a
point of an indifferent nature. The ministry which
we have received of the I-ord Jesus, we are at all
hazards to fulfil. It is the burthen of the Lord
wi)ich is laid upon us here ; and we are to ohey God
rather than man. Nor do we, in any ways, violate
the promise which each of us made when it was
said unto him, " Take thou authority to preach the
word of God, in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." We then pro-
mised to submit, mark the words, to the godly
admonitions and injunctions of our ordinary. But
we did not, coukt not promise to obey such injunc-
tions, as we know are contrary to the word of Goil.
But why then, say some, do ye leave tlie church ?
Leave the church! what can you mean.'' do wc
leave so much as the church-walls ? your own eyes
tell you we do not. Do we leave the ordinances of
the church r you daily see and know the contrary.
Do we leave the fundamental doctrine of the church,
nanuly salvation by faitii i Is it our constant theme
in public, in private, in writing, in conversation ?
Do we leave the practice of the church, the stand-
ard whereof are the ten couimandments? which are
so essentially inwrought in our constitution, as little
as you may apprehend it, that whosoever breaks one
of the least of these, is no n)embcr of the church
of England. I believe you do not care to put the
cause on this issue. Neither do you me;ur this, by
leaving the church. In truth I cannot conceive
what you mean. I doubt you cannot conceive
yourself. You have retailed a sentence from some
body else which you no more understand th;u) he."
Mr. Wesley tlien takes a retrospective view of
the state of religion before the Metliodistical doc-
trines were preached, and tlie happy change produ-
ced thereby in the following words :
" Before I conclude, 1 cannot but iutreat yoh
who know God, to review the whole matter from
the fouiidation. (Jail to mind what tlw state of re-
ligion was in our nation, a few veal's since. In
whom did vou iind the holy tempers that were in
Clirist? Bowels of mercies, lowliness, meekness,
gentleness, conicinpt of the world, patience, tem-
perance, long-sutfering ? A burning love to God,
rejoicing eveiuiore, and in every tiling giving
thanks, and a tender love to all mankind, co-
vering, believing, lioping, enduring all things ?
Perhitps you did not know one such man in the
world. But how ni;\iiy ibal iiad all unholy tempers ;
What vanity and pride, what stubbornness and self-
will, what anger, fretfulness, discontent, what sus-
picion and resentment, what inordinate affections,
what inegidar passions, what foolish and hurtiul
desires might you find in those who were called the
best of men .' in those who made the strictest pio-
fession of religion? and .how i<:vv did you know who
went so far as the profession of religion, who had
even the form of godliness ? Did you not frequently
.bewail, wherever your lot was cast, the general
w ant of even outward religion ? how few were seen
at the public worship of God? how much fewer at
the l.,ord's table? and was even this little Hock zea-
lous of good works, careful, as they had time, to
good to all men ? On the other hand, did you not
with grief observe, outward irreligioti in every
place? Where could you be for one week, with-
out being an eye or an car witness of ciusing, swear-
ing, or projihaneness, of sabbath-breaking, or drunk-
enness, of quarrelling or brawling, of revenge or
obscenity? Were these things done in a corner? did
not gross iniquity of all kinds overspread our land
as a flood ? yea, and ilaily increase, in spite of all
the opposition which the children of God did or
could do figaiust it.
If you had been then told, that the jealous God
would soon arise and niauilain his cause, that he
would pour down his spirit from on high and renew
the face of the earth ; that lie would shed abroad
his love in the hearts of the outcasts of men, pr(i-
ducing all holy and heavenly tempers, expelling
anger, and pride, and evil desire, and all unholy and
earllily tempers; causing oiUvsard religion, the
work of faith, the patience of hope, the labour of
love, to flourish and abound ; and wherever it
spread, abolishing outward irreligion, destroying all
the works of the devil : if you had been told, that
this living knowledge of the Lord would in a short
space overspread our laud ; yea daily increase, in
spite of all the opposition which the devil and his
cliildren did or could make against it : would you
not vehennnlly have desired to see that day, that
you mi'Jit bless God and rejoice therein 1
Behold the day of the Lord is come. He is
again visiting and redeeming his people. Having
eyes, see ye not? having ears, do ye not hear ? nei-
ther understand with your hearts? At this hour tli»
Lord is rolling away our repi'o;K;h. Already his
standard is set up. His spirit is poured out on the
outcasts of men, and his love shed abroad in their
hearts. Love of all mankind, meekness, gentleness,
humbleness of mmd, holy and heaveni) atiections,
do take place, of hate,, anger, piide, revenge, and
vile or vain affections.' HeiKe wherever the power
of the Lord spreads, springs outward religion in vdl
its forms. The houses of God are filled; the table
of the Loid is thronged on every side ; and those
who shew their love of God, slii-w they love their
neighbour also, by being careful to maintain ;,ood
works, by doing all manner of good, as tliey have
opj>ortunity, to all men. 'iliey are likew ise careful
to abstain from all evil. Cursuig, sabbath-breaking,
drunkenness, with all other (however fashionable)
works of the devil, sue not onto uanied among
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
709
tliem. All this is plain, demonstrable fact. For
this is also not done in a coiner. Now, do you ac-
knowledge the day of your visitation? do you bless
God and rejoice therein?
What hinders 1 Is it this, that men say all man-
ner of evil of those whom God is pleased to use as
instruments in his works? O ye fools, did ye sup-
pose the devil was dead ? or that he would not tight
for his kingdom ? and what weapons sliall he tiglit
with if not with lies ? Is he not a liar, and the fa-
ther u( it ? Suli'er yc then thus far. Let the devil
and his children say all manner of evil of us ; and
let them go on deceiving each other, and being de-
ceived: but ye need not be deceived also. Or if you
are, if you will believe all they say : be it so, that
we are weak, silly, wicked men, without sense,
■without learning, without even a desire or design
of doi:)<; gi)od : yet 1 insist upon the fact. Christ
is preached, and sinners are converted to God. This
none but a madman can deny. We are ready to
prove it by a cloud of witnesses. Niiilier therefore
can tlie iiifirence be denied, that Gud is now visiting
his pe•lpl^^ O ihat all men may know in this their
day, the things that make for tiieir peace." ,
Mr. \\ esley, in his Farther Appeal, thus answers
the charge of enthusiasm brought against tiie Me-
lliodists :
" I assert, that till a inan receives the Holy Ghost,
he is without God in the world; that he cannot know
the things of God, unless God reveals them unto
him by his spirit : no, nor have even one holy or
heavenly temper, without tlic inspiration of the Holy
One." Now should one who is conscious to liim-
self, that he has experienced none of the.'-e things,
attempt to confute these propositions, ei''-ier from
scripture or antiquity, it might prove a ditllLuit task.
W hat tliLii sliall lie do? ^^ hy, cry out, " Enthusiasm,
Fnthusiasni !" and the work is done.
But w hat does he mean by enthusiasm ? Perhaps
notliing at all : few have any di.-linct idea of its
meaning. Perhaps '" something very bad," or, some-
thing I never experienced and do not understand."
Shall I tell you then, what that "terrible something"
is ? 1 believe thinking men mean by enthusiasm, a
sort of religious madness; .1 false imagination of
being inspired by God ; and by an enthusiast, one
that fancies himself under the intluence of the Holy
Ghost, uiieii in fact he is not.
Let him prove me guilty of this who can. I will
tell you once more the whole of my belief on thtse
heads : and if any uiau will shew me, by argument,
not hard names, what is wrong, I will thank God
and him.
Eveiy good gift is from God, and is given to man
by the Holy Cihost. By nature there is in us no
good thing ; and there can be none, but so far as it
IS wrought iu us by that good spirit. Have we any
47 ' 8
true knowledge of what is good ? This is not the
result of our natural understanding. 'J'lie natural
man discernelh not the things of the .spirit of God :
so that we never can discern them, until Ciod reveals
them unto us by his spirit : reveals, that is, unveils,
uncovers ; gives us to know what we did not know
before. Have we love? It is shed abroad iu our
hearts, by the Holy Ghost which is gi\en unto us.
He inspires, breathes, infuses into our soul, what of
ourselves we could not have. D<ies our spirit re-
joice in (jod our Saviour? It is joy in, or by the
Holy Ghost. Have we true inward peace ? It is
the peace of God wrought iu us by the same spiiil.
Faith, peace, joy, love, are all his fruits ; and, as
we are figuratively said to see the light of faith, so
by a like figure of speech we are said to feel this
peace, aud joy, and lo\e : that i.s, we have an ni-
ward experience of theiii, which we cannot liiid any
fitter words to express.
The reasons why iu speaking of these things I use
those terms, inspiration particularly, are, 1. Because
they are scriptural. <2. Because they are used by
our church. 3. Because I know none better. The
words " inlluence of the Holy Ghost," which I sup-
pose you use, is both a far stronger and a less na-
tural term than inspiration. It is a far stronger,
even as far as "flowing into the soul" is a stronger
expression than " breatliuig upon it;" and less na-
tural, as breathing bears a near relation to spirit;
to w liich flowing in has only a distant relation.
" But you thought 1 had meant immediate inspi-
ration." So I do, or I mean nothing at all. Nor
indeed such inspiration as is sine mediis. But all
inspiration, though by means, is immediate. Sup-
pose, for instance, you are employed in private
prayer, and God pours his love into your heart. — ■
God then acts immediately on your soul : and the
love of him which you then experience, is as imme-
diately breathed into you by the Holy Ghost, as if
you had lived 1700 years ago. Change the term. — ■
" Say, God then assists you to love him." Well,
and is not this immediate assistance? Say, " His
spirit concurs with yours." You gain no ground.
It is immediate concurrence, or none at all. God
a spirit acts upon your spirit. Make it out any
otherwise if you can.
I cannot conceive how that harmless word, imme-
diate, came to be such a bugbear in the world. — ■
" \\ liy I thought yon meant such inspiration as the
Apostles had : and such a receiving of the HolyGhost
as that was at the day of Pentecost." I do, in part:
Indeed I do not mean that Christians now receive
the Holy Ghost in order to work mira( les; but they
do doubtless now receive, yea, are filled with the
Holy Ghost, in order to be filled with tiie fruits of
that l>lessed spirit. And he inspires into all true be-'
lievers now, u degree of the same peace aud joy.
^iS
A€COim*F OF THE METHODIi^TS,
and love, \vliicli the apostLs felt in tlieraselves on
that day, when they were first tilled with the Holy
Ghost.
I have now considored the most matcrit'i ohjec-
tions I know, wliich have been lately mode agiiiiist
the great doctrines I teach. I hi;ve produced, so
far as in me lay, the strength of those objections,
and then answered them, I hope, in the spirit of
meekness. And now I trust it appears, that these
doc'nnes are no otiicr than the doctrines of Jesus
Christ : that they are all evidently contained in the
word of God, by which alone 1 desire to stand or
fall ; and they are fundamentally the same w ith the
doctrines of the church of England, of which I do,
and ever did profess myself a ri'.eniber."
By these extracts the reader will see the princi-
ples of these iionest, if mistaken people, and will
come to such cnuclnsion as his reason and under-
standing will tOurd hun. It will not be expected of
me to give niv opinion ; it is the Ijusiness of an his-
torian to relate facts, and not to comment upon
them, particulirly in cases where religion is the con-
cern, and in which I think, every man has a natural
right to follow the determinations of his own judg-
ment: but before I give a brief history of iheir rise,
&,c. after this recapitulation of their principles and
doctrines, I shall set before my readers what they
say in answer to one or two of the most popular ob-
jections or calumnies raised agamst them ; the first
of which is, " That they create divisions in private
families." Their able Apologist thus refutes it,
" Accidentally we do. For instance, suppose the
entire family to have the form and not the power of
Ejodliness, or to have neither the form nor the pow-
er in either case, they may in some sort agree toge-
ther. But suppose \siien these hear the plain word
(i{ God, one or two of them are convinced, " This
is the truth, and I have been all this time in the
broad way leading to destruction :" these then will
begin to mourn after God, while the rest remain as
tiiey were. Will they not therefore of consequence
divide, and form tliemselves into separate parties ?
Must it not be so, in the very nature of tilings?
and how exactly does this agree with the words of
our Lord ?
Suppose ye that I came to send peace upon earth 1
I tell you nay : but rather division. For from
henceforth there shall be five divided in one house,
three against two, and two against three. The fa-
ther shall he divided against the son, and the son
against the father ; the mother against the daughter,
and the daughter against the mother : the mother-in-
law against the daughter-in-law, and the daughter-
in-law against the mother-in-law. Luke xii. 51. 52.
53. And the foes of a man shall be they of his
own household. Matthew x. 56-
Thus it was from the very beginning. For is it
to he supposed, that a heri'ln-n parent would long
endure a Christian child? or that a heathen liushand
woiihi a<jree with a Christian vi ife ? unless either the
bf iievii'.z ^^ife could gain her husband ; or the unbe-
lieving lius-iand prevailed on the wife to renounce
hei' way of woi shipping God: at least unless she
would obey him in going no more to those socie-
ties or couveiUitks, as they teraied the Christian
assetiiblies.
Do you think now, I have an eye to your case ?
Doubtless I have .'' for I do not fight as one that
beateth the air. Why have not I a right to hinder
my own wife or child from going to a conventicle '?
and is it not the duty of wives to oliey their hus-
bands ? and of children to obey their parents ? (>nly
set the case seventeen hundred years back, and.
your own conscience gives you the answer. What
would St. Paul have said to one whose husband for-
bad her to follow this way any more? What direc-
tion would our Saviour have given to him, whose
Father enjoined him not to hear the gospel ? His
words arc extant still, •' He that loveth father or
mother more than nie, is not worthy of me. And
he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not
worthy of me." Matt. x. ;^7, 33. Nay more, " If
any man cometh to me, and hatetli not, in compa-
rison of me, his father and mother, and wife and
children, yea, and his own life, he cannot be my
disciple." Luke xiv. 26.
O, but this is not a [>arailei case ; for they were
heathens .• but 1 am a Christian. A Christian ! Are
you so ? Do you understand the word ? Do you
know what a Christian is ? If you are a Christian,
you have the mind that was in Christ ; and you so
walk as he also ^♦alk. You are holy, as he was
holy both in heart and in all manner of conversa-
tion.
Have you then the mind which was in Christ?
and do you walk as Christ walked? are you in-
wardly and outwardly holy ? I fear not even out-
w ardly. No ; you live in known sin. Alas ! how
then are you a Christian? What, a railer, a Chris-
tian? a common swearer, a Christian? a sabbath-
breaker, a Christian ? a drunkard or whoremonger,
a Christian? Thou art a heathen barefaced! the
wrath of God is on thy head, and the curse of God
upon thy back. Thy damnation slumbereth not. —
By reason of such Christians it is that they holy
name of Christ is blasphemed. Such as thou they
are, that cause the very savages in the Indian woods
to cry out, " Christian much drunk. Christian beat
men. Christian tell iies, Devil-Christian ! me no
Christian."
It may be observed above, that the Methodists do
not separate from tlie church, nor dispute about the
externals or circumstances i>f religion; they approve
of and adhere to theni; all that they learned when
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
71t
tliey wri'e children, in their Catftliism ami Com-
iDon Pravci' IJook. Thiy were bi>nj uiul h:xi\ up in
llie church of lliiglaiid, and desire tu die tlieuin.
Tiiev al\va>3 were, and now are, tiny say, zcaiuus
for the church ; only notwith a Idiud zeal.
They do not indeed lay the stres.sof their religion
on aiiv opinions, light or wrong; niitlier do they
«ver b<j;iu, or willingly join, in any dispute con-
ccrnin<; iIumu. The wxight of all religion, they
3lp]>relRnd, rests on holiness ot lieait and lite ; and,
consequently, wherever tliey come, they press this
with all their might. I1((W wide then is their case
from that of the Protestant Dissenters in general ?
They avow edly separated from the church : The
Methodists utterly disavow any such design. They
9cvertly, and almost continually, inveighed against
the doctrine and discipline of the church they left:
tiiese a])prove both the doctrines and discipline of
our church, and inveigh only against ungodliness
and unrighteou.sness. They spent great part of
their time and strength in contending about exter-
nals and circumstantials ; the Methodists agree with
the church of England in both ; so that having no
time to spend in such vain contention, they have
their desire in spending and being spent ; and pro-
moting plain practical religion. " 1 am sick (says
Mr. Wesley) of opinions: I am weary to bear
tbeni ; niy soul loaths this frothy food. Give me solid
and substantial religion : give me an humble, gentle
lover of God and man; a man full of mercy and
good fruits, without partiality and without hypocri-
sy : a man, laying himself out in tlie work of faith,
tlie patience of hope, the labour of love. Let my
soul be with these Christians, wheresoever they are
and whatsoever opinion they aro» of. \\ hosoever
t4iu» doth the will i>{ my father which is in heaven,
riie sar.ie is my brother, and sister and mother."
With regard to the charges of making men idle,
and thereby beggaring their families, and of driving
men out of their senses, Mr. Wesley llius answers :
" This objection liaving been continually ingitl for
some years, 1 w ill trace it from the foiuidation. —
Two or three years after my return from America
one captain Robert Williams of Bristol, made afii-
davit before the then Mayor of the city, that " it
■was a connnon report in Georgia, Mr. \\'esley took
peo])ie off from their work, aiul made them idle by
preaching so much."
The fact stood thus : At my first coming to Sa-
uaunah the generality of the people rose at seven
«r eight in the morning ; and that part of them w ho
were accustomed to work, usually worked till six in
the evening. A few of them sometimes worked till
seven; which is the time of sun-set there at Mid-
summer.,
1 inintediately began reading prayers and expoimd-
ing the second lesson both in thu moruiiig and eveu-
ing. The morning service begnn at five, and ended
at, or before six : the evening service b( gan at se-
ven. Now- supposing all the grown persons in the
town IkkI been prestnt every nioriiiiig and evenin"'
would this have made them idle .' W ould thty here-
by have had less, or considerably more lime for
working! The same rule I follow now, both at Lon-
don, Bristol, and Mewcastle-upon-'l")ije : conclud-
ing the service at every place, winter and sumuier,
before six in the niorniug, and not ordiiuiiily begin-
ning to preach till near seven in the evening.
Now do you, who make this objection, work
longer tlnoughout the year, than from six to six?
Do yon desire that the generality of people should?
Or, can you count them idle that work so long ?
Some few are indeed accustomed to work longer. —
These I advise not to come on week days : and it
is apparent that they take this advice, unless on some
rare and extraordinary occasion. But i hope none
of you who turn them out of their enii)|oyinent,
have the contidence to talk of my making them idle.
Do you, as the homely phrase is, cry \\ h lirst ?
I admire your cunning, but not your modesty. So
tar am I from either causing, or encouraging y{)ur
idleness, that an idle person, known to be such, is
not sufTered to remain in one of our societies ; we
drive him out, as we would a thief or a murderer.
" To shew all possible dilignice," as well as fruga-
lity, is one of our standing rules ^ and one, con-
cerning the observance of which, we continually
make the strictest enquiry.
" But you drive them out of their senses. You
make them run mad."' Nay, then they are idle with
a Vengeance. This objection thereibre being of the
utmost importance, deserves our deepest considera-
tion.
And first, I grant, it is my earnest desire to drive
ail the w orld intt) what yon probably call madness :
I mean inward religion, to make them just as mad-
as Paul was when he was so accounted hv I'estns.
I grant, secondly, it is my endeavour to drive all I
can into what you may term another species of
madness, which is usually preparatory to this-, -and
wlwch 1 term repentance or conviction.
jSow, what if your wife, or danr;hter, or -acquain-
tance, after hearing one of these ti. Id-piea( hi rs,
should come and tell you, that they saw dainiiHUi n
befoie them, and beheld with the eye of their mnid
the horror of hell ! What if they siiould tremble
and quake, and be so taken up, partly with sorrow
and heaviness, partly with an c ariicst desire to be
delivered from this danger of hell and daii>iiation, as
to weep, to lament, to mourn, and both with words
and behaviour to shew themselves weary of life .' —
Would you scruple to say, that they were stark
mad ? that these fellows had driven them out of
their senses .' and that whatever writer it was, that
712
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
talked at this rate, lie was fitter for Bedlam than any
other place ? '
Vou have over?liot yourself now to some purpose.
Tliese are the words of our own church. Yon may
read them if you are so inclined, in the first part of
the 'homily on fasting. i\nd, consequently, what
you have peremptorily determined to be mere lunacy
and distraction, is that repentance unto life, which,
in the judgment botii of tlie church and of St. Paul,
is never to be repented of.
I grant, thirdly, that extraordinary circumstances
have attended ti)is conviction in some instances. A
particular account of these I have frequently given.
\Vhile the word of God was preached, some per-
sons have dropped down as dead : some have been,
as it were, in strong convulsions ; some roared aloud
tlx^ugh not witli an articulate voice-; and others
■spoke the anguish of their souls.
This, [ suppose, you b'.iieve to be perfect mad-
ness : but it is easily accounted for, either on prin-
ciples of reason or scripture.
First, on priwciples of reason. For how easy is
it to suppose, that a strong, lively and sudden appre-
hension of the heinousness of sin, the wrath of God,
and the bitter pains of eternal death, should afiect
the body as well as the soul, durnig the ■j)resent laws
of vital union ; should intercept or disturb the ordi-
nary circulation, aTid put nature out of its course.
Yea, we may question, whether while this pain sub-
sists, it be possible (or the mind to be affected in so
violent a degree, without eome or other of these
bodily symptoms following ?
It is likewise easy to account for these things on
principles of scripture ; for when we take a view of
them in this light, we are to add to the consideration
of natural causes, the iigeucy of those spirits who
still excel in natiual strength ; and as far as they
have leave from God, will not fail to torment whom
they cannot destroy ; to tear those tliat are coming
to Christ. It is also remarkable, that there is plain
scripture precedent, of every symptom which has
lately appeared ; so that we cannot allow even the
conviction attended with them to be madness, with-
out giving up both reason and scripture. ^
I grant, fourthly, that touches of extravagance,
bordering upon n.adness, may sometimes attend
severe convictions. And this also is easy to be ac-
counted for, by the present state of the animal
oeconomy. For we know fear or grief, from a tem-
porary cause, may occasion a fever, and thereby a
dehrium.
It is no way strange that some, while under strong
impressions of grief or fear, from a sense of the
wrath t)f God, should for a season forget almost all
things else, and scarce be able to answer a common
question. That some should fancy they see the
tiamcs of htll, or the devil and bis angels around
them; or that others, for a space, should be afraid,
like Cain, who said, " whosoever meeteth me will
slay me."
All these, and whatever less common effects may
sometimes accompany this conviction, are easily
known from the naturiil distemper of madness, were
it only by this one circumstance, that whenever the
person converted tastes the pardoning love of God,
they all vanish away in a moment.
Lastly, I have seen one instance, and I pray God
I may never see another, of real lasting madness.
A few years since, I took one along with me to
Bristol who was under deep convictions, but of as
sound an understanding, in all respect, as ever he
had been in his life. 1 went a short journey, and
when 1 came to Bristol again, found him really dis-
):racted. 1 enquired particularly at what time and
place, and in wliat manner this disorder began. And
I believe there are above threescore witnesses alive
(1749) who arc ready to testify the truth of what
lollows.
When I went from Bristol he contracted an ac-
quaintance with some persons who were not of the
same judgment with me. He was soon prejudiced
against me. Soon after, when dur society were met
together in Kingswood-house, he began a vehement
invective, both against my person and my doctrine.
In the midst of this he was struck raving mad, and
so he continued till his friends put him in Bedlam ;
and probably, his madness was imputed to me. —
Perhaps there may be many instances of madness
procetding from a variety of causes that we cannot
comprehend.
Supposing for instance, that a person hearing me
is strongly convinced that a liar cannot enter the
kingdom of heaven; he comes home and relates
this to his parents, or friends, and appears to be
very uneasy. These good Christians are disturbed
at this, and afraid he is running mad too. They
are resolved he shall never hear any of these
fellows more, and keep to it in spite of all his
entreaties.
They will not sufftr him while at home to be
alone, lest he should read or pray; and perhaps, in
a little while they will constrain him, at least by
repeated importunities, to do again the very thing tor
which he was convinced the wrath of God cometh
upon the children of disol)edience.
What is the event of this \
Sometimes the spirit of God is quenched, and de-
parts from him. Now you have carried the point.,
The man is as easy as ever, and sins on without any
remorse. But in other instances, w here those con-
victions sink deep, and the arrows of the Almighty
stick fast in the soid, you will drive that person into
real settled inadness, before you can quench the sp'-
rit of God. I am afiaid there have been several
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
713
instances of tlils. You liave forced the man's con-
science, till he is stark iiiad ; but then, i>i:iy do not
impute the madness to me. Had you icli Imn to
my direction, or rather to the direction <.rt" the spirit
of God, he would have been filli-d with love and a
sound mind : but you have taken the matter out of
Uod's hand ; and now you have brought it to a
fair'conclusiou !
How frequent this case may be, I know not. —
But doubtless most of those who make lias objec-
bon, of our driving men mad, have never met with
6uch an iiistanee in tiieir lives. The common cry 's
occasioned eilhei by ti:ose who are convinced of
sin, or those who are inwardly converted to God;
mere madness botli, ;.s was observed bciore, to those
uho are will out God in the v. .ild. \ et I do not
deny but you n)ay have seen one in Bedlam who
said he had followed me. But observe, a madman's
saying this is no proof of the fact ; nay, and if he
really had, it shuuld be farther considered, that his
being in Bedl-.ini is no sine proof of his being mad.
Witness the well-known case of Mr. Periam; and
I doubt more such are to be found. Yea, it is well
if some have not been sent thulier fi^r no oilier rea-
son but because they followed me; their kind rela-
tions either concluding, that they must be distracted
before they could do this, or perhaps hoping that
Bedlam would make them mad, if it did not tiud
them so.
And it must lye owned, that a confinement of such
a sort is as fit to cause as to cure distraction ; for
what scene of distress is to be compared to it r To
be separated at once from all who are near and dear
to you; to be cut off from all reasonable conver-
sation ; to be secluded from all business, from all
reading, from every innocent enteriainmint of the
mind, which is left to prey wholly upon itself; dav
and night to prone over your misfortunes ,• to be shut
up day by tlay in a gloomy cell, with only the walls
to employ your heavy eyes, in the midst either of
melancholy silence, or horrid cries, groans, and
laughter intermixed; to be forced by the main
strength of those " who laugh at human nature and
compassion;" to take drenches of nauseous, ])er-
haps torturing medicines, which you know you ha\e
no Uf'td of now, but know not how soon you may,
possibly by the opening of these very drugs on a
weak and tender constitution. Here is distress ! It is
an astonishing thing, a signal proof of the power of
God, if any crealuie who has his senses when that
confinement begins, does not lose them before it is
•at an end !
How must it heighten the distress, if such a poor
wretch, being deeply consineed of sin, and growing
Morse and worse, as he probably will, seeing there
is no medicine here for his sickness, no such physi-
cian as his case requires, be soon placed among liie
47 S
incurables ! Cun imagination itself paint such a hell
upon earth .' where even " hope never comes, that
cmnes to all !" For what remedy ? If a man of
sense and humanity should ha]>pen to vLsit that house
of woe, would he give ttie hearing to a madman's
tale? or, if he did, wuuld he credit it? " Do we
not know, might he say, how well any of these will
talk in their lucid intervals." So that a thousand to
one he would concern himself no more about it,
but leave the weary to wait for rest in the grave !"
The first public appearance of the Kev. Mr. Geo.
Whitfield, of Pembroke College, O.xford, who was
an ordained clergyman of the church of England,
abf>ut London, was in the )ear 17^7, when he and
his associates preached up and down in the fieliis
to vast multitudes of people, with an energy that
struck every one, particularly in MoorfieKis, on
Kennington Common, Blackheath, Scc. and for some
time they were admitted also into the churches to
declare their peculiar opinions, till the indolent
clergy were roused by their extraordinary popularitv,
and the church-wardens fearing damages to their
pews. Sec. they were generally refused the use of
the public pulpits. The uncommon fervour thev
expressed, a simple yet persuasive eloquence, and the
mortified and laborious life they led, procured them
not only most numerous auditors, but their doctrines
such a multitude of followers, as astonished the
guardians of our church : l)Ut whilst they themselves
indolently persisted in their old rout of staled preach-
ing, Mr. Whitfield, particularly, with a rapid pro-
gress, took from them thousands of their hearers,
especially of the lower sort, and brought many more
to a sense and abhorrence of their vices, and to
attend his preaching, w ho, ])( rhaps, had never been
at any kind oi" worship before.
\\ hilst the clergy ra%'ed both in the pulpit and in
print against this novel doctrine, as they styled it,
and with what jiistice may be seen above, this labo-
rious preacher, despishig all danger antl fatigue, not
only formed societies in England of his followers,
but traversing, time after tiitii , immense tracks of
land and water, proselyted multitudes m all paits of
North .\merica, and extendi d !iis cares even to the
inhabitiints of the infant colony of Georgia, where
that wise anil excellent governor, Mr. Oglethorpe,
well knowing an attachment to religious principles,
and a life of virtue and self-denial, were spurs to
industry and eeonomy, received him with open
arms, and gave him all manner of assistance. Here
he at length erected an orphan lnjuse for poor and
deserted children; an institution that bids fair to be
an extraordinary benefit in that country; the most
authentic account of whieh establishment, by an im-
partial eve-witness, and published in justice to the
Methodists, may be seen in the Londuu Magazine
for the year 1745, page GOJ.
714
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
'' In' tliese Clirisfiaii labours, perilous voyages, and
• painful journeys through the wilderness of Aine-
, rica, he was foHowed by Messrs. John and Charles
Wesley, his faithful and aljle coadjutors, who with a
zeal aud constancy second only to those which actu-
ated the primitive apostles and the disciples of our
. Saviour, thought no hardships insuruionntable, no
dangers too terrifying in prosecuting the work they
supposed themselves appointed to.
Oi his own and his brother's conversation, &c.
and of the necessity or becoming field preachers,
^h. John Wesley gives the following account:
" I was ordained deacon ui 1 72 j, and priest in
the year following; but it was many years after this
before I was convinced of the gieat truths above re-
. cited. : During ;'ill that time I was utterly ignorant
of the natiue and condition of justification. Some-
• times [ confounded it willi sauctification, particu-
larly when 1 was in Georgia.
" At other times I had some confused notions of
the forgiveiuss of sins : but then I took it for granted
the time of this must be, either the hour of dt atli,
or the day of judgment. I was equally ignorant of
the nature of saving faith, appreliending it to mean
no n)ore than a " firm assent to all the propositions
contained in the (Xld und New Testament." As
soon as, by the great blessing of Gori, I had a clear
view of these things, I began to declare them to
others also. I believed, and therefore I spake. —
"W herever I was now desired to preach, salvation
was my only theuie. My constant subjects were,
" i3eJieve in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shah
be saved. Hiui Lath God exalted to be a prince
and a Saviour, to give repentance and remission of
sins." These I explained and enforced v\ith all my
might, both in every church where I was asked to
preach, and occasionally in the religious societies of
London and Westminster ; to some or other of \\ hich
I was continually pressed to go, by the stewards or
other members belonging to them.
"' Things wore in this posture when I was told,
*' I must. preach no more in this, that, and other
" cluuches." The reason was usually added without
• reserve, " Because you preach such doctrine." So
much the more those who could not hear me there,
flocked together when I was at any of the societies;
where I si)olvc more or less, though w ith nuich in-
convenience, to as many as the room I was in could
contain. But after a short time, findiu" these rooms
could not contani a tenth part of the people that
were earnest to hear, I determined to do the same
thing in England which I had oitcn done in a
warmer climate; namely, when the house would not
contain the congregation," to preach in the open air.
This I ijccordingly did, fint at Bristol, where the
society-rowms were exceedingly small, and at Kings-
wood, where w-e.had no room at all; afterwards in
or near l^ondon. And I cannot .say I have ever
seen a more awfn! sight, than when, on Rose-Green,
or the top of Hannam-Mount, some t^iousands of
people were calndy joined together in solenm wait-
ing upon God, while ^' they stood, and under open
air adored the God who made both air, earth, hea-
ven, and sky." And whether tl>ey were listening to
his word, with attention still as night, or were lifting
up their voice in praise, as the sound of many wa-
ters, many a time have I bc-eu constrained to say in
my heart, " How dreadful is this place! This also
is no other than the house of God! This is the
gate of heaven !"
" Be pleased to observe, 1. l^iat I was forbidden,
asby a general consent, to preach in any church,
though not by any judicial sentence, for preaching
such docti inc. This was tlie open, avowed cause :
there was at that time no other, either real or pre-
tended. 2. That I had no desire or design to preach
in the open air, till long after this prohibition. 3,
That when I did, as it was no matter of choice, so
neither of premeditation. There was no sciieme at
all previously formed, which was to be supported
thereby; nor had I any other end in view than this,
to save as many souls as I could. 4. Field-preach-
ing was therefore a necessary expedient, a thing sub-
mitted to, rather than chosen ; and therefore sub-
mitted to, because I thought preaching, even thus,
better than not preaching at all ; first, in regard to
my own soul, because a dispensation of the gospel
being committetl to me, I did not dare not to preach
the gospel: secondly, in regard to the souls of
others, who I fevery where saw seeking death in the
error of their life."
The effects of their preaching are thus described
by the same hand. — "Just at this time, when we
wanted little of filling up the measures of our in-
iquities, two or three clergymen of the church of
England began vehemently to call sinners to repent-
ance. In two or three years they soimded the alarm
to the utmost borders of the land. Many thou-
sands gathered together to hear them ; and in every
place where they came, many began to shew such
a concern for religion as they had never done before.
A stronger impression was made on their miiuls of
the importance of things eternal, and tiuy had more
earnest desires of serving God, than they had ever
had from their eailicst childliood. Thus did God
begin to draw them towards himself, with the cords
of love, v\ith the bands of a man. Many uf these
were in a sb.ort time deeply convinced of the num-
ber and lieinousness of tluir sins. 'J'hey were also
made thoroughly sensible of those tonpers whiih
are jus! ly hateful to God and man, and of their ut-
ter Ignorance of God, and entire mability either to
know, love, or serve him. At the same time, they
saw in the strongest light the insignificance of their
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
715
•outside religion ; nay, and often confessed it before
God, as the most aboniiii:il)le li)|vocrisy. Tiius did
tliey sink deeper and deeper into that repentance
vhich must ever preceje faith in the Son of God.
Auil from hence spring fruits meet for repentance.
Tlie drunkard commenced sober and temperate ; the
whoremonger abstained from adultery and fornica-
Jion ; the unjust from oppression and wrong. He
that had been accKstomed to curse and s«ear for
many yeai"s, now swore no more. The sluggard
began to work witii his own hands, that he might
eat his own bread. The miser leanied to deal liis
bread to the hungry, and to cover the naked with a
■garment. Indeed the whole form of their lives was
changed. They had left oil' doing evil, and learned
-toido well.
But tfiis was not all. Over and above tliis out-
ward -ciiange, they began to experience inward re-
ligion. The love of God was shed abroad in their
lieaits, which they continue to this day. Tlicy
J<)\e him, bicans-e he iirst loved ns, and withheld
-not trom us his son, his only son : anil this love
constrains them to love all mankind, all" the chil-
dren of the Faiher of heaven and earih, and inspires
them with every holy and heavenly temper, the
whole njind that was in Christ Hence it is that
they are now uniform in their behaviour, unblame-
able in all maiuier of conversation : and in whatso-
ever state they are, they have learned tlierewith to
be content: insomuch that now they can in every
thing give thanks. They more than patiently ac-
•quiesce, they rejoice and are exceeding glad, in all
God's dispensations towards them ; for as long as
they love God, and that love no man taketh from
lliem, they are always happy in God. Thus ihey
calmly travj on through life, being never wearv nor
taint 111 their minds, never repining, murnimiiig, or
dissatisfied, casting all their cares upon God, till
the hour comes that they should drop this covering
of earUi, and rtimn into the great father of spirits :
then especially it is that they rejoice with joy un-
speakable and full of glory. You who credit it not,
come and see. "
In London, particularly, a great change was soon
perceived in the nrijnriiy of ihc ce>n)nion people ;
an mursual seriousness appeared in their connte-
nances, they refrariie<l from profane cinsing and
sueariug, and the alehouses were deprived of their
usual inebriated guests. Mean time the more aban-
doned of the rabble, wh.om no precej)ts couU
reach, no future denunciations of puiiislinient deter
from wickedness, spared not reproaches, and even
freciuenliy proceeded to open insults and abuses of
the preachers, who were as' warmly defended by
their ])artisaus, so as often to occasion tumults and
riots, that were mulnaily charged by the Methodif^ts
and their opposers on each other, and kept the pub-
lic for years in perpetual dispute and agitation. But
at length, now increased to a prodigious number,
they began to form societies apart, for worship in
their own way, and to appoint stewards and other
officers for the better regulation and government of
those societies; the principle of which, in London,
are the Tabernacle and Foundery near Moortields,
the Tabernacle in Toltenham-Court-lload, with
many others, in Vhe city and suberii.s. Their found-
ers have increased their numbers in Scotland and
Ireland also, where they pursued their mission with
the utinost success; and in many places in England,
where religion was seldom heard of, they have pro-
duced order, humanity, civility, and a serious re-
gard to divine things, particularly amongst the col-
liers of Kingswood, and the fells about Newcastle.
If the reader desires to enter into particulars with
regard to their history, he would do well to peruse
the several journals of Mess. Whitfield and Wesley,
as we only propose here a general view of their rise
2cc. Indeed it is a peculiar circumstance, that no
sect in so few years, ever became so numerous,
though they have met with mild treatnsent from the
goveinment, and have endured no persecution for
their opinions, which has generally helped to in-
crease, rather than to decrease the followers of a
new system of doctrines. With regard to the com-
mon people, or the mob, who are ever of the na-
tional ifjigion, so far as drinking, swearing, and
rioting extends, the appearance of the founders of
Methodism, in the usual vestments of clergymen,
captivated them, and prevented many disorders that
would have risen, had persons not distinguished by
that reverend garb endeavoured to exhort an instruct
them ; and yet, according to Mr. Wesley's account,
he himself was, once paiticularly, in great danger
of losing his life: and the Methodists suffered by
the spoils and ravages of desperate and wicked
mobs, in Staftbrdshirc, in the year 1743, to the
amount of five hundred and four pounds, seventeen
shillings, at the lowest computation, owing to a
shameful connivance, peihaps under-hand encou-
ragement, of those who should have restrained or
punished them for their diabolical excesses. Jii
fact, too nianv of their opposers merit the cliaracter
Mr. Wesley has given them. " I have heard some
afJirm, says he, that the most bitter enemies to the
present w ork of God wore Pharisees. They meant
men who had the form of godliness, but denied the
power of it. Hut 1 caniKjt say so. The sharpest
:idv< rsaries thereof, tnilcss we migiit except a few
honourable men, whom I may be excused from
naming, were the scum of Cornwall, and the ra>»bl^
of Bil^toIl and Darleston, the wihl beasts of Wal-
sal, and the uirnkeys of Newgate."
In line, the very enemies of these people will
scarce deny that they have greatly contributed to
716
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
reform and establish order and civil'ty amongst the
common people ; tiiat they are (I mean the real Me-
thodists ; for Presbyterians, Quakers, and every
sect, have been personated as well as they, for in-
terested or villainous purposes,) a peaceable, up-
right, and praise-worthy set of people ; that they
cannot upon their principles distress, but must add
strength to the hands of government, and that their
rise and amazing progress have jjfoused the esta-
blished clergy from that lethargy into which they
had fallen, and invigorated them to be attendant on
the charge to which they were so solemnly ap-
pointed.
Ilieir favourite doctrines have found their way
also into the pulpits of our churches, and many
excellent preachers, who do not leave the church on
that account, inforce them at this day from their
pulpits. The great spread of Methodism has cer-
tainly contributed to set ptople in general upon
thinking of matters of the greatest moment to them,
and I will venture to assert, from my own observa-
tion, that there has been such au appearance of se-
riousness, and such a concern for religion, visible
in all ranks of people, since it has so much pre-
vailed, as cannot be remembered in any such period
of time since the restoration.
We shall conclude this head with a brief ac-
count of their manner of worship, church-disci-
pline, &.C.
With regard to their manner of worship it is like
that of the church of England, save that they allow
themselves to continue long in extempore prayer,
and that they sing such hymns as are approved by
the society. Indeed they allow of lay-preachers,
or suffer unlearned men to preach or exhort, in their
places of worshij). " I am bold to affirm, says Mr.
Wesley, that tliese unlettered men have iielp from
God for that great work, the saving souls from
death, seeing he hath enabled, and doth enable them
still to turn many to righteousnes. Thus hath he
destroyed the wisdom of tlie wise, and brought to
nouglit the understanding of the prudent.
When thev imagined they had eftlclually shut the
door, and blocked up every passage, whereby any
help could come to two or three preachers, weak
in body as w ell as soul ; who they might reasonably
believe would, humanly speaking, wear themselves
out in a sliort time : when they had gained their
point, bv securing, as they supposed, all the men
of iearuing in the nation, lie that sittetli in heaven
laughed them to scorn, and came upon them by a
way they thought not of. Out of the stones he
raised up those who should beget children to Abra-
ham. ^V c had no more foresight of this than yon.
iSay, we had the deeix:st prejudices against it, until
we could not but own, that Ciod gave wisdom from
above to these unlciuued and ignorant men ; so that
the work of the Lord prospered in their hand, and
sinners vvere daily converted to God.
Indeed in the one thing which they profess to
know, they are not ignorant men. I trast there is
not one of them who is not able to go Uirough such
an examinatiou, in substantial, practical, experimental
diviuity, as few of our candidates for huly orders,
even in the university, I speak it with sorrow and
shame, and in teuder love, are able to do."
There have been some difleience amongst the
leaders of these people, particularly between Mr.
Whitfield and Mr. Wesley, relative to the doctrme
of reprobation; but they agree in the terms of ac-
ceptance: in smaller points, each thmks and lets
think: and Mr. Wesley says he reverences Mr.
Whitfield, both as a child of God, and a true mi-
nister of Jesus Christ. We could wish ail reli-
gious disputes had been managed with equal can-
dour.
As to the discipline of the Methodists we cannot
give a better account of it, than is contained in a
small tract, eniitled. The Nature, Design, and ge-
neral Rules of the united Societies in London, Bris-
tol, Kingswood, and Newcastle upon Tyne, 7th
edit. 1702, which we shall therefore lay before our
readers.
" 1. In the latter end of the year 1739, eight or
ten persons cainc to me in London, who appeared
to be deeply convinced of sin, and earnestly groan-
ing for redtujption. They desired, as did two or
three more the next day, that I would spend some
time with them in prayer, and advise them how to
flee from the wrath to come, which they saw conti-
nually hanging over their heads. That we might
have more time for this great work, I appointed a
day when t4iey might all come together, which from
henccforwaid they did every week, namely, on
Thursday, in the evening. To these, and as many
more as desired to join w ith them, (for their number
increased daily,) 1 gave those advices from time to
time, <*liich 1 judged most needful for them; and
we always concluded our meeting with prayer suited
to then' several necessities.
1. This '.vas tlie rise of the United Society, first
in London, and tlien in other places. Such a so-
ciety is no other than " a company of men having
the form and seeking the power of godliness, united
in order to pray together, to receive the word of
exhortation, and to watch over one another in love,
that they may help each other to work out their sal-
vation."
3. That it may the more easily be discerned,
whether they are indeed working out their salvation,
each sccitty is divided into smaller companies, called
clasfes, according to their respective plact s of abode.
There are about twelve persons in everv class, one
of whom is suled the leader. It is his business, 1.
ACCOUNT OF THE >rETH^DISTS.
'1-7
Tosee each person in his class^ once a-wcck at the
least, in order to cnquiro liow tht i souls prosper ;
to a(ivise, roprove, comfort or exhort, as occasion
niav require; to n;c. ive what they are willing to
■ give lowaiclthe relief of the poor. 'i. To meet the
minister and the stew ards of the society once a-week
in order to inform the niini.stcr of any that are sick,
or of any that walk disorderly and will not be re-
proved; to pay to the stewards what they have re-
ceived of their several classes in the week jirecediiig,
and to shew their account of what each person has
contributed.
4. Then: is one only condiiion previously requir-
ed in those who desiieadmiuance into these socielies
" a desire to flee fi osn the w rath tt) come, to be saved
from their sins." But wherever this is really fixed
in the soul, il will be shewn by its fruits. It is,
therefore, expected of all who continue therein, that
tliey should continue to evidmce their desire of sul-
fation.
I'iist, by ddius no harm, by avoiding evil in eVery
kind, especially that which is most generally prac-
tised : such as, the taking the name of (iod in vain :
the profaning the day of the Lord, either by doiny;
ordinary work thereon, or by buying or selling;
druuki uncss, bu>ing or selling spiiitu.uis liquors, or
drinkiug lliein, uniess in cases of extreme necessity ;
lighting, quarrelling, brawling, brother going to law
with bioiher; returning evil for. evil, or railing for
railing ; the using many words in buying or selling
inicustomed goods; the giving or taking things on
usury, that is unlawful interest; uncharitable <>v un-
prolitable conversation, particularly speaking evil of
magistrates or of ministers; tloing to others as we
would not they should do unto lis ; doing what we
know is not for the glory of God, as the putting on
of gold and costly apparel ; the taking such diver-
sions as cannot be used in the name of the Lord
Jesus; the singing those songs, or readmg those
bor)ks, which do not tend to the knowledge or love
of God; softness, and needless self-indulgen( e ;
la\iug up treasures upon earth; borrowing without
a probability of paying, or taking up goods without
a pVobability of paying for them.
5. It is expected of all who continue in these
socielies, that they should continue to evidence their
desire of salvation.
Secondly, by doing good, by being in ever kind
merciful after their power, as they have opportu-
nity; doing good of every possible sort, anfl as is
possible to all men: to their bodies, of the ability
which God giveth, by giving food to the lumgry, by
clothing the naked, by visiting or helping them that
are sick, or in prison ; to their souls by mstrucling,
reproving, or exhorting all we have any intercourse
with; trampliug under foot that enthusiastic docliine"
of devils, that " we are not to do good ujiless our
48 8
heart be free of it :" by doing good especially to
them that are of the household of faith, or groaning
so to be; employing ihem preferably to others, buy-
ing one of another, helping each other in busiuess ;
and so much the more because the world will love
its o^^ n, and them only ; by all possible dili;j,encc
aiut frugality, that the gospel be not Warned: by
running with patience the race which is set before
them, denying themselves, and taking up their cross
daily ; submitting to bear the reproach of Christ,
to be as the tilth and off-scourging of the world ;
an<l looking that men should say all maunei' of evil
of them falsely, for their Lord's sake.
6. It is expected of all who desire to continue in
these societies, that they should shew forth to their
brethren that they desire salvation.
Thirdly, by attending upon all the ordinances of
God; such as the jjiiblic worship; the ministry of
the word either read or expounded ; the Supper of
the Lord; family and private prayer ; searching, and
.fasting, or abstinence.
7. 'i'hese are the general rules of our societies, all
which we are taught of God to observe, even in his
written word, the only rule, and the sufficient rule,
both of our faith and practice ; and all these we
know his spirit writes on every truly awakened heart.
a there be any among us who observes them not,
who habitually breaks any one of them, let it be
made known unto them who watch over that soul,
as they must give an account. We w ill admonish
him of the error of his ways; we will bear with
him for a season; but then if he repent not, he hath
no more place among us. \\ e have delivered our
own soids. ,
The Methodists, of whom we are still speaking,
in general terms, have in some places, as in Totten-
ham-Com-t-Koad, built alms-houses for their most
destitute poor; but still they have a great many in
the common workhouses. They have also at several
tunes raised considerable sums for the relief of
foreign Protestants; and their works of love during
the late war, will ever be remembeied to llieir
honour.
^\ e shall conclude this general history of the
Methodists, with another quotation from Mr. Wes-
ley, in answ er to the current report of his receivino-
great emoluments "from his situation, as being at the
head of a religious body of peoj)le.
" But, perhaps you have heard, that we rcgaril no
cliurch at all ; that gain is the true spring of all our
actions; that I, in particular^ am well paid for my
work, having thirteen thousand pounds a year at the
Foundry alone, over and above what I have from
Bristol, Kingswood, ISewcastle, and other parts ;
-and that whoever survives me, T\ill tind I have made
a good use of my time, for 1 shall not die a beggar.
" I freely own this is one of the best devised ob-
718
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
jections wliich has ever yet been made, because it
Hot only puts us upon proving a negative, which is
seldom an easy task, but also one of such a nature
as scarce admits of any demonstrative evidence at
all. But for such proof as the nature of the thing
vi'ill admit of, I appeal to the manner of my life
from the bepjmniug. Ye who have seen it, and not
with a friendly eye, for these twelve or fourteen
years last past, or for any part of that time, have
you ever seen any thing like the love of gain therein ?
JJid I not coiitinuidly remember the words of the
l>ord Jesus, " It is more blessed to give than to re-
fcive." Ye of ()\ford, do you not know these
things are so r What gain did I seek among you .'
Of whom did I take any thing ? From whom did 1
covet silver, or^old, or apparel r To whom did I
deny any thing w'licii 1 had, even to the hour I de-
parted from \t>u r
" \ e of J'.pworth and Wroote, among whom I
niiiiistered for nearly the space of three years,
\vhat gain did I seek among you i Of whom did 1
take or covet any tiling- i" Ye of Savannah and Fre-
■tlrica, among whom God afterwards proved me,
and shewed me what was in my heart, what gain did
1 seek among your Of whoiji did 1 take any thing?
Or whose food or apparel did I covet, for silver or
gold ye had none; not more than I myself for
months when I was in hunger and nakedness. Ye
yourselves, and the God and father of om- Lord
. Jesus Christ, know that I lie not."
Whatever truth may be in what Mr. Wesley here
insinuates, by making appeals in writing, is not our
business to determine ; but certainty he took the
worst of all methods to prove a negative. A nega-
tive can be well supported by granting one half of
the positive.
Thus every Methodist will admit that Mr. Wesley
received considerable sums annually. Might not he
have acknouledgetl this, and convinced the public
that it was spent in works of jii^ty and charily. —
Had he done so, he would have proved a negative,
tl'.ongh not perhaps to the satisfaction of some strict
inijuirers. — Let such as think it worth their while
to read the copy of Mr. Wesley's will, as published
^by Dr. (joke and Mr. Moore.
The giving the clergy, of any dejiomination, mo-
ney to bestow upon the poor, is one of those vvenk-
n( sses in humaii nature, which helped to form, ami
.Continues to suj>poit, popery. If a man is in pos-
session of money, and has a heart capable of -parting
with' some of it ior the use of his fellow creaturts,
;iie ouglit, f«r two reasons, to be the donor himself.
'F'irst, because lie should know the person whom he
relieves; and secondly, that he n\uy keep himself
from pride, by. conceuling his ckuiity as much as
possible.
The author of this work knew a lady of hiuli
rank, and of a' charitable disposition. As is coiii-
mon in such cases, she was frequently beset by the
clergy, who were constantly representing to her the
state of the poor, and begging money for their re-
lief. Her constant answer was, " 1 will speak to
\i honi I relieve, send them to me."
But to go on with what Mr. Wes^Iey advances
further in his defence.
" But, it is said, things are fairly altered now. I
cannot complain of wanting any thing, haviiior the
yearly income of the bi.sliop of London, over and
above what I gain at other places." At wiiat other
places, my friends.' inform yourselves a little belter,
and you will tind, that both at Newcastle, Bristol,
and Kingswood, the only plac«s, beside London
where any collection at all is made, the money col-
lected is both received and expended by the steward.-;
of those several societies, and never conies into mv
hands at alJ, neither liist nor last. And vou, or any
who desire it, shall read over the accounts kept by
any of these stewards, and see, with your own eves,
that by all these societies I gain just as much as
you do.
The case in I^ondon stands thus : In November,
I7.'3(), two gentlemen, then unknown to n4e, Mr.
Ball and Mr. Watkins, came and desired me once
and again, to preach in a place called the Fonndrv,
near Moortields. With much reluctance 1 at length
complied. I was soon after pressed to take that
place into my own hands. Those who were most
earnest therein, lent me the purchase-money, which
was one hundred and hfteen |)ou;i(k. Mr. Watkins
and Mr. Ball then delivered. me the names of several
subscribers, who offered to pay, some .four, or six,
some ten shillings a year towards the re-payinent of
the purchase-money, and the putting the buildinns
into repair. 'J'his amounted one year to near t\v<)
htindied jvrounds, the second to about one hundred
and forty, and so the last.
The united society begun a little after, whose
weekly contributions, chiefly for the poor, is received
and expended by the stewards, and comes not into
my hands at all. 15ul there is also a qipirterly sub-
sciij)tioii of many of the society, which is nearly
equal to that abov« mentiowed.
The use.s to which these sabscriptioivs have been
hitheito applied, are, first, the payment of that one
luuidred and fifteen pounds ; secondly, the repairing,
migbt almost say rebuilding, that vast, imcouth
heap ofsTuins at the Foundry : thirdly, the building
galleries both for men and women: fourthly, the
eiilaigirtg the society-room to near tlidce its fiist
bigness. All taxes and occasional expenccs are like-
wise defrayed out of this fund. And it has been
hitherto so far from yielding any overplus, that .it
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
7W
lias never siifiiced for tliesc purposes yet. So far
from it, llutt I ;ii)i still in debt, on these accounts,
near lliree hundred pounds, so much have I hitherto
gained by preacliing tJie gospel ! besides a debt of
one hundred and fifty pounds still remaining on ac-
count of the .schools built at Bristol ; and anotiier
of abovf two hundred pounds on accoinit of that
now building at Newcastle. I desire any reasonable
man would sit d/iwii and lay these things together,
and let him sec, whether (allowing me a grain of
common sense, if not of common honesty) he can
possibly conceive, that a view of gain would induce
nie to act in this manner.
^ ou can never reconcile it with any degree of
-common sense, tliat a man who wants nothing,
who has already all the necessaries, all the conveni-
ences, nay, and many of the superthiities of life,
and these not only independent of any one, but less
liable to contingencies than even a gentleman's free-
hold estate, that sucii an one should calmly and de-
liberately throw u() his ease, most of liis friends.
Ills reputation, and that way of life, which of ail
others is most agreeable both to his iiatural temper,
and edu<ation : that he should toil day and night,
spend all his time and strength, knowingly deslioy
(I firm constitution, and hasten into weakness, pain,
fliseascs, death, to gain a debt of six or seven hun-
dred pounds !
iJijt supposing the balance on the olher side, let
me ask you one plain question, " I'"i>r what gain,
setting conscience aside, will you he obliged to act
thus? to live exactly as 1 do? For what price will
you preach, and that with all your niight, not in an
easy, indoieiit, f»s!iionaJ>le way, eighteen or nine-
tem times every week ? and this throughout the
yiar: \\ h^it shall I give you to Iravi I seven or
t ight huiidrt'il milts, in all weatiiers, every two or
three months : I'or w hat salary will you abstain from
all other diversions, than the doing good and prais-
ing (jodr 1 am mistaken if you would not prefer
strangling to such a life as this is, even wiih thou»
sands of gold and silver.
From v\hat is here arUanctd by Mr. Wesley, no-
thing conclusive can be drawn. In ail <iisputed
])(>iiits, "we aiv to hear b<itli parties. \\ e are nut to
lie h d away by the assertions of an individual, nor
by all "the opposition made by an adversary. It is
certain, that much abuse has been poured otit upon
the people called Methodists. That soric part of
it might have been, and stillis true, ^^ ill appear from
lite coiieliiding part of this nunative; that tite great-
est ])uri is false, will appear to every uupixjudiced
reader. If some of the Methodists are uiiciicuiii-
^pect, we can only say, that their religion does not
ti-ach thein to be so. 'J his will appear the more
evideut, if we consider what they iheiuselvts have
written concerning their original, and which we
shall deliver in their own words.
A shorl Ilisloii/ of {hose Docfiities zvh'uh arc stylal
Mef/iodisiii.
1. It is not easy to reckon up the various accounts
which have been given of the j)eople called Metho-
dists : Very many of them as far remote from truth,
as that given by the good gentleman in Ireland. —
" Methodists! Aye they are tlie people, who place
all their religion in wearing long beards." .
'i. Abundance of the mistakes which are current
couceming them, have undoubtedly sj)ruiig from
this: Men lump together under this general name
many who have no manner of connection with each
other: And then whatever any of these speaks or
does, is of course imputed to all.
»}. 'I'he following short account may prevent
persons of a calm and candid disposition from doing
this : although men of a warm or prejudiced spirit
will do just as they did before. But let it be ob-
served, this is not designed for a defence of the
Methodists, so called, or any part of them. It is a
bare relation of a series of naked facts, which alone
Hray remove abundance of misunderstandings.
In Movember 17'i9, four young gentlemen of
Oxford, Mr. John Wesley, fellow of Lincoln-
college, ISIr. Charles Wesley, student of Christ-
church, Mr. Morgon, commoner of Christ-church,
and Mr. Kirkham, of Merton College, began to
spend some evenings in a week together, in reading,
chicriy the Greek Testament. The next vear, two
or three of JMr. John Wesley's pupils desired the
liberty of meeting w ith them ; and alterwards one
of Mr. Charles \\ esley's pupils. It was in ] 73'2
that Mr. Ingham, of Queen's College, and Mr.
Broughton, of Exeter, were added to their num-
ber. To these, in April, was joined Mr. Clayton,
of Brazen-nose, with two or three of his pupils.
About the same time Mr. James Ileivev was per-
mitted to meet with them, and in 173.">, Mr. \\ hit-
lield.
5. The exact regularity of theu- lives, as well as
studies, occasioned a young gcutleman of Christ-
< hurch to say, ".Mere is a utw set of Methodists
kpiung up." All'idnig to some ancient phvsicians
who were so called. The uame was new and
^piaiut: S:. it took immediately, aud tlie Methodists
were known uJi over the miiveisilv.
G. They were all zealous members <^)f the church
ol England, not only tenacious of all lier doctrines
so far as they knew iheni, but of all her discinlme
to iht- Hiiiiutcst jcirtumstance. They were likewise
750
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
Zealous observers of all the university-statutes, and
that for conscience sake. But they observed neither
these nor any tiling else, any further than they con-
ceived it was bound upfon them by their own book,
the Bible ; it beiisg their own desire and design to
be downright Bible Christians ; taking the Bible, as
interpreted by the primitive churcli and our own,
for their whole and sole rule.
7. The one charge then advanced against them
V as, that they were righteous overmuch ; that they
were abundantly too scrupulous, and too strict, car-
rying things to great extremes. In particular, that
they laid too much stress upon the rubrics and
canons of the church ; that thoy insisted too much
on observing the statutes of the university ; and that
they took the scri|)tures in loo strict and literal a
sense; so that if they were right, few indeed would
be saved.
8^ In October 17'?5, Messrs. John and Charles
Wesley, and Mr. Ingham, left England, with a de-
sign to go and preach to the Indians in Georgia. —
But the rest of the gentlemen continued- to meet,
till one and another was ord;tinen and left the uni-
versity. I>y which means, in about two years lime,
scarce any of them were left.
9. In February 1738, Mr. Whitfield went over to
Georgia, witii a design to assist Mr; John Wesley,
but Mr. Wesley just then returned to England. —
Soon after he- had a meeting with Messrs. Ingiiam,
Stonehouse, Hall, Ilutchins, Kinchin, and a few
oilier clergvnien, who all appeared to be of one
heart, as well as of one judgment, resolved to be
Bible Christians at all events, and wherever they
were, to preach with all their migiit, plain, old, Bible
Christianity.
10. They were hitherto perfectly regular in all
things, and zealously attached to the church of
England. Meantime they began to be convinced,
that bv grace we are saved through faith; that jus-
tification by faith was the doctrine of the church,
as well as of the Bible. An soon as they believed,
they spake, salvation by faith being now their
standing topic. Indeed, this implied three things,
1. That men are all by nature dead in sin, and
consequently children of wrath. 2. That th.ey are
justified by faith alone. 3. That faith produces
inward and outward holiness. And these points
they insisted on, day and night. In a short time,
they became popular preachers. The congrega-
tions were large wherever they preached. The
former name was then revived. And all these gen-
tlemen, with their followers, were intitled Metho-
dists.
11. In March 1741, Mr. Whitfield being re-
turned to England, entirely separated from Mr.
Wesley aud his friends, " Because they did not
hold the decrees."' Here was the first breach,
which warm men pei-snaded ]Mr. Whitfield to make,
merely for a difforence of opinion. Those indeed
who believed Universal Redemption, had no desire
at all to separate. But those who held Parlicular
Redemption, woidd not hear of any accommoda-
tion, being determined to have no fellowship with
men that " were in so dyngirous errois." So there
were now two sorts of Methodists, so called ; those
for Particular, and those for Geii^ftial Redfiuption.
12. ISot many years jiassed, before William
Cudworth and James Kelly separated from Mr.
Whitfield. These were properly 2\ntinoniians, ab-
solute, avowed enemies to the law of God, which
they never preached or professed to preach, but
termed all Legalists \, ho did. With them, preach-
ing the law was an aboinuiation. 'i hey had nothing
to do with th.e law. Tluy would preach Clnist, as
they called it ;, but without one wort! of holiness
or good works. Vet these were still denominated
Methodists, although difi'ering from Mi. Wiiiliidd,
both iu judgment and practice, abu!ida:illy more
than Mr.' Whitfiehl did fVoni Mr. AVeslcy.
13. In the mean time, Mr. Venn and Mr. Ro-
maine begnii to be spoken of: And not long after,
INIr. Madan and Mr. Berridge, with a few other
clergymen, w^ho, although they had no connection
with each otlier, yet preaching salvation by faith,
and endeavouring to live accordingly, to be Bible-
Christians, were soon included in the general name
of Methodists. 7\nd so indeed were all others. who
preached salvation by fnith, and appeared more se-
rious than others. Some of these were quite regu-
lar ii: their manner of preaching : Some were quite
irregular, though not by choice ; but necessity was
laid upon them; they must preach irregularly, or
not at al! : And others were between both; regular
in most though not in all particulars.
14. In 17f5'2, George Bell, and a few other per-
sons, began to speak great words. In the latter
end of the year they foretold, that the world would
be at an end on the G8lh of February. Mr. \Vesley,
with whom they were then connected, withstood
them in public and private. This they would not
endure: So, in January and February 17G3, they
separated from him, under the care of Mr. Max-
field, one of Mr. Wesley's preachers. But still Mr.
Maxfield and his adherents, even the wildest enthu-
siasts among them, go under the general name of
Methodists, and so bring a scandal upon those with
whom they have no connection.
15. At present, those who remain with Mr. Wes-
ley are mostly church of England men. They love
her articles, her homilies, her liturgy, her discipline,
and unwillingly vary from it in any instance. Alean-
time, all who preach among them declare, we are
all by nature children of wrath. But by grace we
are saved through faith : saved both from the guilt
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
7'2l
and from the power of sin. They endeavour to live
according to vvliat tiny preacli, to be plain, l!il)le
Christians. And iht-y meet together at convenient
times, to encourage one another llierein. They ten-
derly love many that are Calvinisls, though ihey do
not love their opinions. Yea, they love the Anti-
nomians themselves, but it is with a love of com-
passion only, for tliey hate their doctrines with a
perfect hatred ; ihey abhor them as they do hell-
fire; being convinceil that nothing.can so effectually
destroy all faith, all holiness, and all good works.
Hi. With regard to lliese, Mr. llelly and his ad-
herents, it would not be strange, if they should grow
into reputation. For they will never shock the
woild, either by the harshness of their doctrine, or
the singularitv of their behaviour. But let those
who determine both to preach and live in the gospel,
expect that men will say all manner of evil of thenj.
The servant is not above bis master, nor tiie disciple
ab<jve his IahA. if then they have called the master
of the house Heelzebub, how much more ihein of
his household .' It is their duty imlecd, as lielli in
them, to live peaceably with all men. l?iil\\hin
tliey labour after peace, tlioy will make llieniselves
ready for battle. It is llieir constant endeavour to
]»lease all men, for their good, to edification. ]5ut
vet they know it cannot b<' done. They remenibtr
the Wdid of llie apostle, If I yet please; men, I am
not the ser\ant of Christ. They go on, therefore,
through honour and dishonour, thioughe\il report
and good report; desiring only, that iheir master
may say in that day, " Servants of God, well
dmie."
As thcso people are extremely numerous in Eng-
land; as there are undoubtedly among them manv
men of rial pietv, and iis Mr. Wesley has declared
hiniseir to be an Arn>inian. we must here take notice
of what he says on that subject.
We have already talten notice of the Armitiian
Presbyterians, but their notions are not the same
witii those of .Mr. Wesley. Mr. Wesley's notions
are the same as those taught l>y Ariniiiius himself.'
and we nmst ackno\\ ledge he h;is defined them in a
clear, as well as a judicious niamier
I. To say " This man is an .Vrmiuian," has the
same effect on many hearers, as to say, " This is a
mad dog." It puts them into a fright at once : ihey
run away from hin» with all speed and ililigence ;
and will hardly stop, unkss it be to throw a stone at
tlie dreadful and mischievous animal,
'2. 'Ihe more luiinielligdile the word is, the better
it answers the purpose. Those on whom it is ii\t,
know not what to do. Not understanding what it
means, they cannot tell v. hat defence to make, or
how to clear themselves from the charge. And it
is not easy to remove the prejudice which others
liave imbibed, who know- no more of it than that it
is .something very bad, if not all that is bad.
3. To clear the meaning tlu'refore of this andii-
guons term, may be of use to many; to those who
so freely pin this name upon others, that they may
not say what they do not understand ; to those that
hear them, that ihey may be no longer abused by
men, saying they know not what; and to those upon
whom the name is fixt, that they know how to an-
swer for themselves.
4. It may be necessary to observe, first, that
many confound Arniinians with .Arians. 15ut this
' is entirely a different thing : the one has no resem-
^ blance to the other. An Arian is one who denies
I the godhead of Christ ; we scarce need to say, the
supreme, eternal godhead ; because there can be no
(jod but the supreme, eternal God, unless we will
make two Gods, a great Goil and a little one. Now
none have ever more tirndy believed, or more strongly
asserted the godhead of Christ, than many of ihc
(so called) .\rniinians have done ; yea, and do at this
day. Arminianism, iherefore, whatever it be, is
totally different from .Vrianism.
3. 'i he rise of the word was this, James Ilar-
mens, in Latin, Jacobus Arminius, was tirst one of
the ministers of Amslerdau), and afterwards pro-
fessor of divinity at I.tyden. He was educated at
(jeneva; but in the year 1,M)1, began to doubt of
the principles which he hael till then reeiivcd. .And
being more and me)rc convinceil that they were
wrong, when he was vcsteel with the professor-
ship, he publicly taught what he believed the truth,
till the year l(i(K), he died in peace. But a few
years after his death, si.mc zealous men, with
the prince of Orange at their head, lurie>nsly
assaulted ;dl that lulil what were calleel his opinions,
anel having pu)ciiieii them to be seilemnly cem-
deinned in the fainejiis synoil of Dort, not so nume-
rous or learned, but full as impartial as the council
or svnod of Trent, some were put to death, son)e
banished, some imprisoned for life, all turned out
e>f iheir emplovnu nis, and made incapable of hold-
ing any office either ;n chureh or state.
f). 'the errors chaiged upon these, usually termed
i\rminians, by iheir oppenieiits are: five: I. 'That
they eleny original sin. 'J. 'That they di ny justitica-
tion bv faith. .'5. 'That they ile ny absolute predes-
tination. 4. That ihey eleny the grace of God to
be irresi.slible. And o. 'That they afhrm, a believer
may fall from giace.
\Vilh re'gard te> the two first of these charges,
thev pleael nut guilty. 'They are entirely lal: e. No
man that ever liveel, even John Calvin himself,
even asserted either original sin or justification by
faith, in more strong, more ch'ar and express terms
than Arminius has done. 'These two points ihere-
48
8 u
fid
ACCOUNT OF THE METHOmSTS-
frjre are to be set out of tlie question : I>i tliese
bolii ])arties agree. In tliis respect there is not an
liiiir's breadth difference between Mr. Wesley and
Mr. Whitfield.
7. Bill there is an undeniable difiference between
Wie Calvinisis and Arminians, with regard to the
three other questi'ins. Heie they divide: The f'or-
nicr believe absolute, the latter only conditional
predestination. The Calvinists hold, 1. God has
absolutely decreed, from all eternity, to save such
and such jiersons, and no others, and that Christ
died for these and none else. The Arminians hold,
(iod has decreed from all eternity, touching all that
have the writltii word, lie that beiievetli, shall be
saved: He that beiievetli not, shall he eoiidennud.
And in order to this, (!lirist died for all, all that
Mere dead in lres|rasses and sins: tliat is, for every
child of Adam, .snice in Adam all died
,S. The C-.dvinists hold, secondly, That the sav-
ing grace of (lod is absolutely irresistible: That no
nv.in is any more able to resist it, than to resist the
s'.roke of lightning. I'he Arminians hold, that
although tlieic uiav lie some moments wherein the
grace of God acts irresistibly, yet in general any
man may resist, and that to his eternal ruin, the
grace wliereby it was the will of God, he should
have been eternally saved.
9. The Calvinists hold, thirdly. That a true be-
liever in C'hrist, cannot possiUlv fall from grace.
1 he Arminians hold, that a true believer may make
shi])wreck of faith and a good conscience : That
he may fall, not only foully, but finally, so as to
pLjrish for ever.
10. Indeed the two latter points, irresistible grace
:nid infallible persevercnee, are the natural conse-
t>iiences of the former, of the unconditional decree.
For if God has elernallv ami absolutely decreed to
save such and such persons, it follows, both that
they.caimot resist his savi\ig grace, else tliev might
miss of salvation, and that they cannot resist. So
t'lat in effect, the three questions come into one,
'" Is predestination absolute or conditional ."" The
Arminians bt lieve it is conditional : the Calvinists
that it is absolute.
1 I. >\\\ay then with all ambiguity ! Away with all
-expressifins which onlv puzzle the cause, l.et ho-
nest luen speak out, and not play with hard words,
which they do not understand. And how can any
'luan k-now what Arminius held, v\ho has never read
one pag-e of his writings ! Let no nuin bawl I'.gainst
Annniiiiiis, till he knows what the term means. —
And then he will know that Ainiinians and Calvin-
ists are just upon a level. And Arminians have as
«uic!i right to be angry at Calvinists, as Calvinists
have to l)e angry at Arminians. .lohn Calvin \\as
a jiious, le;unedj sensibje miui : and so was James
Harmtns. Many Calvinists are pious, learned, sen-
sible n)en : and so are nrany Arminians. Only the
former hold absolute predestination, the latter coii^
ditional.
12. One word more. Is it not the duty of every
Arminian preacher, first, never in public or in pri-
vate, to use the word Culvinist as a term of re-
proach ; seeing it is neither better nor worse than
calling names ? a practice no more consisti nt wiih
good sense, or good manners, than it is with Chris-
tianity. Secondly, to do all that in him lies, to
prevent his hearers from doing it, by shewing th< m
the sill and folly of it. And is it not eqe.illv thft
duty of every Calvinist preacher, first, never in
public or in private, in preaching or in convt r-
sation, to use the word /Vrminian as a term of re-
proach .' Secondly, to do all that in him lies, to
prevent his hearers from doing it, by shewing them
the sin and folly thereof. And that the more
earnestly and diligently, if they have been accus-
tomed so to do; perhaps encouraged therein bv his
own example.
'i'he Arminian Methodists have several different
sorts of societies, and likewise charitable institu-
tions, of which we .shall take notice as they lay in
order, according to their seniority. The fiist of
all these was called the Band Society, because they
entered into it upon promises and engagements to
abide !)v a certain number of rides.
The design of our meeting is to obey that com-
mand of God — Confess your faults one to another,
and pray one for another, that you may be healeil.
To this end, we intend,
1. 'I'o meet once a week at the least.
C. To come punctually at the h<nir appointed,
without some particular reason.
.'{. To begin, those of us who aie present, ex-
actly at the hour, with singing or prater.
I 4. 'I'o speak each of us in order, Irei ly and plaiii-
J Iv the true state of our souls, with the faults we
I have conmiitted in thought, word, or deed, and the
teuipations we have felt since our last meeting.
i 5. To end every meeting with prayer, suited to
] the state of each person present.
I (i. To desne some pers(Hi aii!f)ng us to speak his
own stat>^ first, and tlun to ask the rest in older, as
maiiv and as searching questions as may be, con-
cerning their state, sins, and temptations.
Some of the questions proposed to every one be-
fore l:e is admitted among us, inav be to this eftect :
1. Have vou the foigiveiuss ot your sins r
2. Have you peace with CJod, through our Loid
Jesus Chiist ?
S. Have vfin the witness of (ioirs spirit with
yourspiiit, that you are a child of God.^
ACCOUI^T OF THE METHODISTS:
7C,<j
4. Is the love of God slieil abroad in your lieart?
5. Has no sin, inward or outward, dominion over
you ?
6. Do you desire to be told of yo'tir faults ?
7. Do yi>u desire to be told of all your faults,
and tliat plain and home ?
'• 8. Do you desire, that every one of us shoidd
tell you, from time to 'time, whatsoever is in liis
heart concerning you?
*). Consider ! Do you desire we should tell yon
whatsoever we think, wiiatsoever we fear, whatso-
ever we hear, concerning you ?
10. Do yon desire, that in doing this, we should
come as close as possible, that we should cut to the
fjniek, and search your heart to the bottom.'
11. Is it your desire and design, to be on this
ai'd all other occasions, entirely ojjcn, so as to
speak every thing that is in yoin- heart without ex-
ception, without disguise, and without reserve ?
Any of the preceding questions may be asked as
occasion may offer : llie live following at every
meeting :
1. What known sins have you committed since
our last meeting f
C What temptations have yon met with .?
3. Mow « as von delivered?
4. What have yon tiioiight, said, or done, of
which voii doubt whether it be sin or not ^
o: Have you nothing you desire to keep secret.'
You are supposed to have the faith that over-
cometh the world. To you therefore it is not
grievous.
1. Carefully to abstain from doing evil
cular,
any thing
n parti-
jl all on the
I. Neither to l)ny or sel
Lord's day. . .
C. To taste no spirituous liquor, no dram of any
kind mdess prescribed by a physician.
■ .;. I'o be at a word, both in bu\in'_j and selling.
4. To pawn nothing, no, not to save life.
h. Not to mention the fault of any behind his
ba( k, and to ■-lop tho.'-(' short that do.
ti. To wear i>') needless ouiatnents, such as rings,
%ar-fingK, necklaces, late, rnffii s.
7- To Use no nvtdless self-indidgeiice, such as
taking suuff or tobacco, unless prescribed by a |)hy-
siciaii.
II. Zealously to maintain good works: inpaiti-
cuhir,
1 . To give aims of such things as you possess,
ur.dtlrat to tire utmost of yotn- power.
'1. To repr<'ve all that sin m your sight, and that
m love and meekness of wisdom.-
d*. To be patterns of diligence and fi ugality, ot"
self-denial, and taking up the cioss d.iily.
HI. Constantly to attend on all the ordinances of
God : in particular,
1. To be at clunch, and at (he Lord's tabic ever^
week and at every pulilic meeting of the bauds.
'2. To attend the ministry of the word every
itiorning, unless distance, business, oi- sickness pre-
vent.
.J. To use private prayer every day, and family
prayer, if you are the head of a family.
4. To read the sciipturc, and meditate thereon,
at every vacant hour. And,
.5. To observe, as days of fasting or abstinence,
all Fridays in the year.
It is in general a maxim in moials, that there
can be no existence of religion without knowledge,
and knowledge must be acquired by education, by
instru( tions from those advanced in years, and by
c( iiversalion with the world. By the world, we
mean those people who have a great deal of human
knowledge, and behold human nature operating in
jtractiee. We shall take it for granted, that what
Mr. Wesley says concerning his own schools is
true ; and indeed, there can remain little dou!)t of
it, because, as the Methodists have many enemies,
so if a falsehood was advanced in print, it would be
no difficult matter to contradict it.
The foUcuiiig Account of the Mcthotlist School
near Bristol, in thus related.
1. Our design is, with God's assistance, to train
up children in every branch of useful learning.
C. We teach none l)ut boarders. These are taken
in, being between the years of iji.v and twelve, in
order to be taught Heading, \\ riling. Arithmetic,
I'.ngiish, Frencii, I^atiii, Cicek, Hebrew, History,
(leographv, Chronologv, Ifhetoric, Logic, litliic?,
(■eometrv, Alu(l'ra, I'iivsics, Music.
'2. The School contains eiiiht chisses :
In the iiist class the children read instructions for
children, and lessons for child:eii; and begin learn-
ing to write.
Fn the second class they read the manners of the
ancient Chiistians, go on iir writing, le:irn the short
I'.nglisl) grammar, the short Latni giammar, read
Pi;vleclioi!es Pueriles; traiislat( them into Lnglish,
and the instructions for children into Latin : \y.nt of
which they transciibe and repeat.
in the third class they read Dr. ('av<-s Primitive
Christianity, go on in writing, perfect themselvej
in the Lug I ish and Latin Grauimur; lead Corderii
724
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODlSTS.
CoIIoquia Selecta and ITistoria> StlectiE ; translate
llisioiia; Sulectie into English, and Lessons for
Children into Latin : Part of which they transcribe
and repeat.
In the fourth class they read the Pilgrim's Pro-
gress, perfect themselves in writing, learn Dil-
worth's Arithnutie, read Castellio's Kenipis and
Cornilius Nepos : translate Castellio into English,
and manners of the ancient Christians into Latin ;
transcribe and repeat Select Portions of Moral and
bjacred Poems.
In the fiflli class they read the life of Mr. Hali-
biirton, perfect themselves in arithmetic ; read Select
Dialogues of Erasmus, Phsedrus and Sallust : trans-
late Erasmus into English, and Primitive Christian-
ity into Latin ; transcribe and repeat Select Portions
of Moral and Sacred Poems.
In die sixth class they read the life of Mr. De
Twenty, and Kennet's Ronrjn Antiquities: tliey learn
Jlandal's Geography : read Ciesar, Select Pints of
Terence and Vclleius Patercuhis; translate Erasmus
into English, and the life of Mr. Haliburton into
I^aiin ; transcribe and repeat select portions of sacred
hymns and poems.
In the seventh class they read Mr. T-aw's Chris-
tian Perfection, and archbishop Potter's Greek An-
tiquities : they learn IJenxelii Introductio ad Chro-
nologiam, with Marshall's Chronological Tables:
r(nid Tully's Offices and A'irgil's iEneid : translate
Bengdius in luiglish, and Mr. Law into Latin:
lean), tliosc who have a turn for it, to make verses,
and the short Greek Giannnar: read the epistles
of St. John: transcribe and repeat select portions
of Milton.
In the eighth class they read ]Mr. Law's Serious
Call, anil Lewis's ILbrew Antiquities: they learn
to make themes, and to declaim : learn Vossius's
JHietoric: read Tully's Tusculan Questions, and
Sckcta ox Ovidio, Virgilio, Horatio, Juvenale,
I'ersio, Martiale : perfect themselves in tlic Gret^4
Grammar: read the Gospels and Six r>ooks of
Homer's Iliad: translate Tully into English, and
Mr, Law into Latin: learn the short Hebrew
Grammar, and read Genesis: transcribe and repeat
Selecta ex Virgilio, Horatio, Juvenale.
4. It is our particular desire, that all who are
educated here, may be brought up in the fear ot
(iod; and at the utmost distance :is far from vice
in general, so in particular from idleness and effemi-
nacy. "^Ihe children therefore of tender parents,
■so called (who are indeed offering up their sons and
their daughters unto devils), have no business here ;
for the rules will not be broken in favour of any
person whatsoever. Nor is any child received un-
less his parents agree, 1 . That he shall observe all
the rules of the house; and 2. That they will not
take him from school, no, not a day, till they lake
him for good and all.
J. The general rules of the house are these :
Eirst, 'Ihe children rise at four, winter and sum-
mer, and spend the time till five in private ; partly
in reading, partly in singing, partly in self-exami-
nation or meditation (if capable of it) and partly
in |)rayer. They at first use a short form (which
is varied continually) antl then pr;iy in their own
words.
Secondly, At five they all meet together. From
six they work till breakfast. For as we have no
play-days (the school being taught every day in the
year but Sunday), so neither do wa allow any lime
to play on any day. He that plays when he is a
child, will play wli€n he is a n»an.
On fair days tliey work, according to their strength,
in the garden ; on rainy days ni l!ie house. Some
of them :ilso learn music : and some vt' the larger
will I'.e employed in pliiloso|>i ical experiments. Hut
particular care is taken that ihey never work alone,
but always in the presence of a master.
We have diree masi» rs ; one for teaching reading,
and Iwo toi the languages.
Tlnrdly, The scliool begins at seven, in which
languages are taught till nine, and then writing, &c.
till eleven. At eleven the children walk or work.
At twelve they dine, and then work or sing till one.
They diet nearly thus :
Breakfast, mdk-porridge and water-gruel, by turns.
Supper, bread and butter, or cheese, and milk by
turns.
Dinner, Simday, cold roast beef.
Monday, iiashtd meat and apple-dumplings,
Tuesday, boiled nuitton.
Wednesday, vegt tables and dumplings.
Thursday, boiled mutton or beef.
Friday, vegetables and dumplings : and so in lent.
Saturtlay, bacon and greens, apple-dumplings.
They drink water at meals : nothing between
meals. On Friday, if they ehu'-e it, they fast till
three in the afternoon. I'^xperience shews, this is
so far from impairing liealth, that it greatly conduces
to it.
Fourthly, From one to four languages are taught,
and then writing. Sec. till five. At live begins the
hour of private prayer. From six they walk or
work tdl supper. A little before stven the public
service begins. At eight they go to bed, the young-
est iirst.
Fifthly, They used to lodge ail in one room, but
now in two, in which lamps burn all night. Every
child lies by himself. A master lies at each end of
the room. All their beds have mattresses on them,
not feather beds.
Sixthly, Ou Sunday, at six, they dress and break-
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.^
725
fast ; at seven, learn Iiymns or poems ; at nine, at-
tend tliL' public scrvic:^ ; at twelve, dine and sing;
at two attend the public service, and at four are
privately instructed.
G. The metliod observed iu the school is this :
The First Clnss,
Morn. 7. Read.
Aflern. 1. Head.
10. Write till eleven;
4. Write till five.
The Second Class,
M. 7- Read the Manners of the Ancient Chris-
tians.
8. Learn the English Grammar: when that is
ended, the Latin Granmiar.
10. Learn to write.
A. i. Leani to construe and parse Prselectiones
Pueriles.
4. Translate into English and Latin alternately.
TJie TJiird Class.
M. 7. Read Primitive Christianity.
8. Repeat English and Latin Grammar alter-
nately.
9. Learn Corclerius, and, when that is ended,
Historia Sclecta;.
10. Write.
A. 1 . Le;irn Corderius and HistoriiE Selectas.
4. Translate. /
M. 7.
8.
9.
10.
A. 1.
'4.
M.6.
8.
9.
10.
A. 1.
4.
M.7.
8.
48
The Fourth Class.
Read the Pilgrim's Progress.
Repeat the Grammar.
Learn Castellio's Kempis, and when that is
ended, Cornelius Nepos.
Write and learn Arithmetic.
Learn Kenipis and Cornelius Nepos.
Translate.
. The Fifth Class.
Read Mr. llaliburton's Life.
Repeat the Grammars.
Learn Erasmus ; afterwards Phaedrus : then
Sallust.
Learn Arithmetic.
Learn ICrasmus, Phaedrus, Sallust.
Translate.
The Sixth Class.
Read Mr. Renty's Life.
Repeat the Grammars.
9. Learn Csesar ; afterwards Terence : then
Velleius Pateraulus.
10. Learn Geography.
A. 1. Learn Cu.'sar, Terence, Patcrculus.
C. Read Roman Antiquities.
4. Translate.
The Seventh Class.
M. 7. Read Mr. Law's Christian Perfection.
Learn the Greek Grammar ;
the Greek Testament.
Sat. Learn Tully ; afterwards-
rM. W. F.
J and read
•)Tu. Th. S
C Virgil.
10.
. 1.
3.
Learn Chronology.
Learn Latin and Greek alternately, as in
the Morning.
Read Grecian Antiquities.
4. Translate) and make verses alternately.
The Eisjith Class.
M.7
10
Read Mr. Law's Serious Call.
M. Th. Latin.
Tu. Frid. Greek.
W. S. Hebrew ; and so at one in the after-
noons.
Learn Rhetoric.
A. 3. Read Hebre\» Antiquities.
Mond. Thurs. Translate.
Tues. Friday, make verses.
Wednesday, make a theme.
Saturday, write a declamation. ;
All the other classes spend Saturday afternoon in
arithmetic, and in transcribing what they learn on
Simrlay, and repeat on Monday morning.
The price for the board and teaching of a child,
including his books, pens, ink and paper, is fourteen
pounds a year, while he is in the school ; after he
has gone through the school, twenty, and he is thtn
to find his own books.
The following method is to be observed by those
who design to go through a course of academical
learning.
FIRST YEAR.
Read Lowth's English
Grammar,
Latin
Greek
Hebrew
French
"Grammars,
Spanheim's Introduction
on the Ecclesiastical
History.
Puft'eiidorf 's Introduc-
tion to the History lif
Europe,
8x
726
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
Corn. Nejios,
Sallust,
Caesar,
Ttillj's Offices,
Terence,
Ph*drus,
iEiieid, —
Dilvyortli; Randal, Ben-
gel, Vossius,
Aldridi and Wallis's
Logic,
Laiigbain's EtJiics,
U'utcUwsofl on the Pas-
the
iMoral and sacred poems,
Hebrew Pentateuch,
with the Notes,
Greek Testament,
Matt. — Acts, with
Notes,
Xenophon's Cyrus,
Homer's Iliad,
Bishop Pearson on the
Creed,
Ten A'ols. of the Chris-
tian Library,
Teleiiiaque.
SECOND YE JR.
- Look over the Grani-
uiars,
Read Veil. Patercxilus,
'i\isculan Questions,
]']xcerpla,
\'n\ji Opera,
Iaisus ' Westmonasteri-
ensis,
Cinonological Tables,
Euclid's Element,
AVell's Tracts,
Newton's Prineipia,
IMoshen's Introduction
to Chureli History.
Ushur's Annals,
Buinet's History cf the
Reformation,
Spencer's Fairy Queen,
Historical Books of the
Hebrew Bible, ,
Greek Test, ad fincm
Kurou 'Anabasis,
Homer's Odyssey,
Twelve Volumes of the
Christian Library,
Ramsay's Cyrus,
Racine.
THIRD YE JR.
'. Look over the Gram-
mars,
. Livy,
SuL'tonius,
Tuiiy de Fiirihus,
jSIusie Angiicantc,
"Dr. Burton's Poemata,
Lord Forbes' Tracts,
Abridgment of Hutchin-
son's Works,
Survey of the Wisdom
of God in the Crealiini,
.RoUin's Ancient His-
tory.
Hume's History of Eng-
land,
Nenl's History of the
Puritans,
?>! ikon's Poetic V.'orks,
Hebrew Bible, Job —
Canticles,
Greek Testament,
Plato's Dialogues,
Greek Epigrams,
Twelve Volumes of the
Chrisiian Library,
Pascal,
Cornell le.
FOURTH -YE JR.
Look over the Gram-
mars,
T:i{-itu8,
Grottii ilistoi'ia Belgica
Tuiiy de Natui;a
Deoium,
Clareridcn's History,
Ne.il.'s l!i:st<)iy of New
luigluiid,
Antonio Solis's History
of Mexico,
Shakespear,
PiTedinm Rasticum,
Carmina Quadragesi-
malia,
Philosophical Transac-
tions abridged,
Watt's Astronomy,
Compendium Metaphy-
sicffi,
W^att's Ontology,
Locke's Essay,
Malebranche,
Rest of tlie He'brew Bi-
ble,
Greek Testament,
Epictetus,
ISlarcus AntotrinTts,
Poetae Minores,
End of the Christian Li-
^brary,
La FaiTssite de les Ver-=
tueshuniaineSjQuesnel
sur les Evangiles.
W'hoe-ver carefully goes through tliis course, .will
be a better scholar than nine in ten of the graduates
at Oviprd or Cambridge.
Tlie only remarks -we would make on this plan of
education is, that it is far from being a bad one ;
but soniG of the books are tiot well chosen, because
they clash with each other in sentiment. It is true,
that learning cannot be acquired pro})erly without
hearing both sides of tlie argument; but this would
be much better in riper years, than when people aie
unacquainted with knowledge.
As for thei)' Love-feasts, we shfill only observe;
that soinethhig of a similar nature was observed in
tiie primitive times ; but tluit arose from motives of
necessity, when the poor slaves who had been con-
verted to the CIniifctian religion, were entertained at
the public expence. At present there can be no
necessity for auy sach thing, because those who seek
to relieve the poor, may do it at their own homes.
At these Love-feasts they eat a biscuit or bun,
drink a glass of water, and sing about half a score
of hymns. The expence for buns, water, and
hvmns, is defrayed by a subscription from their o%\n
body; and as no specific sum is required of any
person, every one is left at full liberty to give
according to ability or nicliuatioii : the overplus, if
any, after dcfrayjiag the above expeiicei-:, is religiously
devoted to the poor.
They have another ceremony whicli has been
much conii)liiiued of, and ihat is mIi::! they call
their v.atch-nights ; in which they sit ulioie nights,
singing hymns hi their Bieeiiugs, of which the fol-
lowing is a specimen:
1. Join all ye ransom'd sons of grace.
The holy joy prolojig,
A+rd shout to the iieueemer's praise
A solemn, iniduight song.
2. Blessing, and thanks, and love, and might,
Be to our Jesus given,
Who turns our darkness into light,
Who turns our hell to heaven.
ACCOUNT OF TTIE "METITODISTS.
3. Tlihlier our' faitliful souls lie leads,
Tliitlier he bids us rise,
W ith crowns of joy upoii our heads
To meel him in the skies.
4. To seal the universal doom, '
Tlu! sikifs he soon shall bow ;
But if you must at Jiiiduight come,
O let us meet thee nu:c.
It is true, tlie primiti^'e Christians met in tiie
night, as appears from the famous epistle written by
Plii'y the coii--ul to the cmjieror Trajan, about the
bfginnins; of the second century: But this was
owing to persecution, when tlicy were prohibited
ifrom meeting in the day. The followers of Mr.
'Lesley are under no such necessity, for thc-y are not
persecuted, nor arc they excluded from any of llie
beneiits in the toleration act. It is very certain,
that their sitting up a whole night ni their meetings,
must ren(k:r them incnpable of labour next day ;
and this, instead of being consistent with religion,
is quite contrary to it. For God has ordered every
thing so wisely, that one shall not clasii with another.
The last thing to be taken notice of concerning
t^ese people is, the manner in which they are, or at
l«ast believe themselves to be, converted. And yet
they are very contradictory in these things. A
person of high rank shewed the author the following
epitaph, which lie copied from one of their gravcT
^toues at Margate.
" Here lies A. B. who was sauctitied from the
womb, and whose sins were pardoned through the
merits of Christ."
W here tiie epitaph-maker learned his divinity we
tiiid! not say, but surely lire absurdity is unparallel-
ed. A man was sanctified fr(>n\ the womb, which
iui)dies, tliat he had never been giiiltv of sin, and
vet iiis sins were pardoned thrungh tin; merits of
Christ.
Me could give many instances of these real or
iinaginary conversions ; but some of them would
rather ofi'end a delicate ear, and others would affoid
matter of lamentation to those 'who love Cinist in
reality, and rtjoice to do his will. We shall, how-
ever, insert the account of one written by a I'atlier
relating to his son. It is an honour for a man to
love his chdd, hut it is a real happiness to see him
geing on in the fear of God throiigii.all the atflic-
tioa«: of \.Wi< life.
Accuttnt of ihe Coiirt'iritm nitd Dt-af/i of Thomas
Jlih/ieiia.
My son, Tiiomas Ilitchcns, was born Apiil 14,
17 -J. lie Went to sciiool till he was about tea
years old. From school he went (o work at the
stamps in dressing of tin ore, iu which employnjent
he continued about six yeai-s. Afterwards he wrought
iu the tin-woi-ks under ground, till about a year be-
fore his deatli. Then he went to dress tin-leavings
for me, having five or six boys under him. At the
same time he ploughed, sowed, mowed, reaped, and
managed my husbandry ; understanding every thing
both as to the tin and the land, so that \\c had
scarce one in the neiL;hbourhood like him.
lie was from a chdd of a vc'ry sober and a very
sweet bj'haviour, and remarkably dutifid to his pa-
rents. But about nineteen he began to go to revel-
lings and hurlings, and sometimes to be merry with
his companions. Of this I now and then told hitu,
but not sharply : for I counted both him and his
brother mighty good young men. And was not a
little proud, when people told me, " I had two likely
sons, and as stout men as any in the parish." I
thought it best, tlierefore, to lot him have his li-
berty ; especially as 1 then saw no great harm in
these things.
But he had done with these from the hour he
first heard the Gospel of the grace of God. Me
then chose to suffer affliction v\ith the people of
God, ratlicr than enjoy all the pleasures of sin. He
had no fear in the hotest of tlie persecution. While
the jnob were pulling down the house in which we,
used to meet, he stood at a small distance all the
time, being nothing terrified, and encouraged his
I)rol!!er, and said, '' God will deliver us ; only let
us trust in him." Nor was he nt all moved, wlicii
the showers of stones obliged us to stop up all our
windows with whole deals. One night we heard a
great tumult and noise, as of much people and
many cries ; and it w as told us, they were at the
house of one of our brethren, who lived about a
quarter of a mile off. Thomas did not tal;e time
to go llie roiul way, though it was exceeding dark,
but ran directly thiough the grounds and over the
hedges, till he came to the house.
The mob, hearing the sound of feet, ran awav,
not one being left behind. So, said Tliomas, the
scripture is fullilled; "One of you shall chase a
thousand." As he came into the house, the faoiilv
too, were preparing to run out of it. But hf soon
conviiucd them tliey had no cause to f( ar, and they
mightily rejoiced together, and praised God \\]t,>
had delivered them out of the hands of uureasonabie
and cruel meii., AH the wii^dows and doors were
dashed in pii'ces, but none of tlie fuindy hurt at all,
notwillisitiudisig tl.e vast quantities of stones whieli
had fallen on all sides 'of them. One very lai-e
stone they found in the cradle, close by a Utile
child. Hut the dnld was nc>t hurt. So that m all
things they saw the baud of God was over them iur
good.
7'iS
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
About eighteen moutlis ago, -while his brother
William and he were working iu the pit with ano-
ther man, wiio cried for help, and Thomas ran to-
wards the place where he was. In rtmuiug, his
liglit went out ; but he found tl.e niau by his voice,
though not till he was almost covered in. Before
he had cleared him, the eartli calved in again, and
he was very near covered himself. And but tiiat it
slopt, they knew not but in one minute more they
must both have perished together. William hearing
the no!-e, made up to the place, and in some time
relieved them both. Of this Thomas often made
mention, praising God for his wonderful deliver-
ance. ~
Some account of the manner wherein he found
peace with God, two or three month.s after his bro-
ther, I lately found in his pocket book. The sub-
stance of it was this :
" In reading the three first chapters of St. John,
while I was iu much trouble and heaviness of soul,
the Lord gave me great con)fort : especially from
these words, " To as many as believe in his name,
to them gave he power to become the sons of God."
But soon after I was slript of all, and thought God
had left me a final cast-away. IS'evertheless I went
into my closet, and with a heavy heart said. Lord 1
praise thee, that thou hast not given me over imto
death. But how shall I appear before thee.' V\ hile
I spoke, the Lord answered and applied these words,
I am thy righteousness ; which burst the cords that
before kept my spirit down.
J^Ie often comi)lained, that when he found great
joy, he was in the greatest danger, both of pride and
lightness. And therefore said, he had much rather,
if it were the will of God, be always in a mourning
slate. He likewise found great temptation to pride
\\ hen he was most blesr in speaking to tiie people.
And this was the main reason of his not stirring up
the gift of God which was in him.
He frequently repeated those words of St. Paul,
" It is good for a man not to touch a woman." —
And those of Job, " I have made my covenant with
my C}es; why then should I think upon a maid r"
He was very jealous over himself when he was in
company with those of a different sex. And if no
man besides himself was there, he generally quitted
the compasi as soon as he could.
In the latter part of his life he was much grown
in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ. He sometimes saw, as he said, anger or
pride in himself ; but they had no power: JN'eitlier
had they love or desire of any creature ; they were
all in subjection under his feet: he was more and
more dead to all earthly things, and filled with the
lire of God's love. The work of God had a deeper
root in his heart, and he was more settled and esta-
blished in the grace of God.
After his brother's death, he declared he could
not rest through the earnestness of his desire to fol-
low him. However in the mean time, he put iu
practice w hat Samuel spoke of, namely, meeting all
the family once a week. He reproved me and his
mother in several things; but we could not reprove
him in any. I could not convince him or Samuel of
sin, for two years or more.
On Wednesday September 10, iji the evening he
found hiinself out of order : He went to bed some-
thing ejrlier than usual, and soon appeared to be
in a high fever. But his confidence in God was
still the same, and all his words, boili that night
and the next day, convinced all who came near
him, 'tliat the peace of God contiiKiaiiy ruled in his
iieart.
On Thursday evening, between nine and ten, his
sisters sitliiig by him, he said, " Lord, shall I call,
and wilt tiiou not answer .f No: It cannot be.—
Thou hasi prornisd, every one that asks in faith
shall receive." 'i'hen he begin praying for his
father and mother;, for his brothers and sisters, and
in particular for her that sat by him. " O my God
marry her to thyself. Make her all glorious within.
Give her an undivided heart." He then prayed for
himself. " Now come, O my God, and sanctify
me wholly. Press me closer to thyself. Thou
knovvest, this is all my desire. Give me power to
declare thy wondrous woiks before I go hence. —
" O Death, wh^re is thy sting? O grave, where is
thy victory."
As Mary Bis vine came to the bed-side, he Rooked
on her and said, " Now I am free. Now my heart
is at liberty. I will praise my God as long as I have
breath." After speaking much to the same effect,
he lay still a small time, and then broke out into
exceeding loud, vehement prayer, his voice being
quite altered and every sentence pronounced with
uncommon emphasis. He prayed first for all estates
and conditions of men; that the church of Christ
might spread over all nations ; that ten thousand
times ten thousand might be converted to God, and
all the people of the earth praise him. Then he
prayed for all the ministers of the gospel, from the
greatest even to the least : especially for those whom
God had lately employed to seek and save those that
were lost in Cornwall. Afterwards he prayed for
John Trembath that he might live to the glory of
God, who had brought him back from the gates of
death, and might be a means of saving many souls
from the bitter pains of eternal death. He then
prayed for the society, O Lord, unite them as the
heart of one man. O Lord give them eyes to see
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODISTS.
7C9
whereinsoever they have departed from Thcc. O
take iVoiii tliem the spirit of mitbuiikfuliicbs, aud
snfti-r them not to bite or devour one another. —
Ileal thou thair backslidings and spread over tliem
the banner of lli>" hjvc !"
With prayer there was continual praise intennixt.
Sometimes he was blessing God for what he had
done, then jprayjng, " O luy God finish tiiy work
and take me into thy kingdom. Is this tiie day, O
my God, tliat I shall kiss my brother in Paradise?
O Lord, the angils have aheady praised Thee at
my conveision. Ls this the day that 1 shall praise
Thee with iheiii ? Yes,.0 my God, I am now going
to join them, to sing praises to thee for ever."
Then he ))rayed with great earnestness for Mary
Bisvine and his own sister, both ^\llom lie had in
the bejiinning of the evening desired to stay with
him till he was in eternity, that they might never
grow weary or faint in their minds, that God w'ould
send down the spirit of sanctificatioii into their
hearts, and give them resigned wills to bear what-
ever iiis providence should lay upon them : Adding,
They fhall run and not be \v;>ary. 1 know we shall
meet together, and sing praises unto him that sitielli
on t!ie throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever."
He went on, " C) how good is God to me, tliat
he hath given me a tongue t'> praise him I A little
M hile, yet a little while, and I shall praise him in
heaven 1 O the goodness of God, that I a worm of
the earth, shall stand there, upon Mount Sion, with
the three hundred forty and four thousanti, which
have waslieil their robes and made them white in the
blood of tlie Lamb! Mere is a privilege; here is a
wonder, that I am ma<le a son of God! I am a
son of God and a joint^heir wilh Christ, and 1 shall
soon be where I shall behold him for ever; I, even
r, who have been a backslidt r from God ! But he has
healed inv backslidings and loved me freely."
Soon after he said, " I love ihee, O my God,
thou knowest I love thee, because thou hast first
loved me. O what manner of love is this, that
God should stoop to love me? And he is coming to
carry me home. O ! I see, thousands and Icn thou-
sands of angels ! Do you not see them ? O brother
Trembatli, do you not see what a glorious place 1
am going to? 1 am going to join with angels and
arch-angels, and widi all the company of heaven.-^
I am going to reign with God, among ten thousands
of his saints, and to bask in the beams of his love
for ever."
Then looking on Mary Bisvine he said, " Can't
you see Jesus Christ coming, wilh an innumerable
company of angels, antl ihe golilen banner displayed ?
They are coming to carry me to the bosom of n)y
God. Open their eyes O God, tliat they may see
them. O what a good God have 1 served! I am
sanctified, soul, body aud spirit. I am whiter than
48 8
snow.- I am waslied in the blood of my Redeemer.
Why, I am all God. My heart is full of God! O
let them who hear me uow, praise ihee forever and
ever."
" And yet 1 have been unfaidiful (o my God. —
For he gave me a gift, but I improved it not. I
thought I was not worthy to stand in the highwavs
aiul call simicrs to repentance But, O God, thou
hast forgiven me this also, and I will preach thee
now as long as I have breath."
He ceased not thus praying and praising for an
hour. His parents then coming in, early on Friday
morning, he said, " O my mother, you will not
weep to see me going to such a loving God. Mv
father and mother will not be backsliders. No; t
know God loves them, and that we shall all meet
together in heaven, to praise him to all eternity." —
Then looking on his brother, about twelve years
old, he said, '' stand oft" for fear you should catch
the distemper, for I fear you are not prepared to
die. You have played away the grace of God. —
The harvest may come before you arc renewed in
the image of God, and then how will you appear?
Cry mightily to God. Strive wilh all your nnglu. —
Call upon liim, aud God will hear."'
He then said, " Right my feet, that I may lie
straight, to resign my breath. \\ hen I am dead,
do you sing me all the way, sing my body to the
grave, lay me by my brother, and at the same time
my spirit shall be joined to his, and to ten thousand
times ten thousand of angels and sjiirits, shiging
[iraises to God and the Laud) for ever."
Having spoken till he had no breath left, he
paused ; and iu a short time began again, " Hear
now the words of a dying man, a living wonder, a
Christian triumphing over deatii ! O w hat a God do
the Christians serve ! What a God I have served !
Praise him with me for ever. Behold tl;e immense
goodness of onr God. O tliat all the work! knew
our God! He hath now made my heart Irce, that I
may praise him, and I cannot stop s\hile I h.ave
breath. Go, tell all the world of this. O breiuren!
What a good God do we serve: Be not afraid to
tell it abroad : Go, shew it to all people, that they
may come and serve him too.''
\Vheii he stopped sp< aking, the oppression on his
breast retmned. This he took notice of, and said,
'' While 1 am praising God my heart is free; but
when I cease I feel this load agaiii. But I may well
bear this, for this is all the hell I shall have." —
Then he broke out,
" See a soul escape to bliss,
" Keep the Christian festival."
" He hath washed n:c, and I am whiter ihnn snow.
God is mine, and I jm Gi>d's. I shall soon I'e wuli
him." Thus he coutinucd tdl be couid speak uo more.
rSO
ACCOUNT OF THE ANTINOMIANS.
HIS sect is so named from twotjreok words,
wliich mean contrary to the law ; feiguif) ing a con-
tradiction between two laws, and between two arti-
cles of the same law.
The first wiiom we read of was one John Agricola,
vilio lived about the niiiWIe of the fourteenth cen-
tiiiy, and who tauglit that the law is no way neces-
sary under the gospel : That good works do not
jivomote our salvation, nor ill ones hinder it. That
repentance is not to be preached from the ten com-
luundmenls, but only from the gospel ; or, in other
words, he was for carrying gospel liberty above all
moral rectitude, and for slighting the motives of vir-
tue as insufficient to further salvation.
They were not, however, in England, till iifter
the Ktl'ormation, and there were few of them till
tlie time of the civil wars in the last century. Some
of the Scottis!) Pre.sbyterians wrote against them,
and 'luth'rford in particular was for having them all
liaH;;(.d. itutherford was learnedly answered by
several clergyux'.i, amona; whom were the follow-
ing : — Tobias Crisp, D. D. who died in the year
1641. He was a good preacher and a good man;
was llrst zealous!;, attached to the principles of
Armiuianism, but chani^inghis opinions, ran into the
contra-ry extreme of An'inoinianism. The publisher
of his works says, " That his life \\';is so innocent,
and free from all evil, so zealous and fervent in all
good, that it seemed to be designed as a practical
confutation of the slander of those who would in-
sinn;ile, that his doctrnie tended to licentiousness "
He was possessed of a very large estate, wilh which
he did a great deal of good.
Mr. John Saltmarsh, of Magdalen College, a
man of a fine active fancy, says Aeale, no con-
temptible poet, and a good preacher, and chaplain
in the pailianient-aruiv. The manner of his death,
as related by liusliuoith, was very extraordinary. —
IJecember 4, UJJ7, bt ing at his house at Ilford, ni
Essex, he told his wife that he had been in a trance,
a!id received a message fiom God, which lie must
innnediately deliver to the army. He went that
niglit to l^oiidon, and next day to U indsor. Being
coiiie to the council of oHictr;;, he told fiiem, that
die Lord had left them ; that lie would not prosper
their conmltatious, but dcslioy them bv divisions
among themselves, because tlity had soiigtit to des-
,troy tlie people vf God, those who had stood by
them in the greatest difficulties. He tlien went to
the general, and, without moving his hat, told him,
that God was highly displeased with him for com-
mitting of saints to prison. The like message he
delivered to Cromwell, and required him to take
effectual measures for the enlargenitnt of the mem-
bers of the army, that were connnitted for not com-
plying with the general council. He then took his
leave of the officers, tellmg them, that he had now
done his errand, and must leave them, never to see
them any more. After which he went to London
and took leave of his friends there, telling them his
work was done, and desiring some of them to be
caretul of his wife. Thursday, December 9, he re-
turned to Ilford, in perfect health; iv \{ day he told
his wife that he had now finished his \\oik, and must
go to his father. Saturday morning, December 11,
he was taken speechless, and about four ju the a.'^ter-
Koon he died.
It is certain, that in the two volumes of sermons
published by Dr. Crisp's executors, and to which ,
notes have been added by. the late Dr. Gil!, there
are many things very exceptionable. It does not
satisfy him to say, that Christ's sufferings were for
the guilty, but he boldly asserts, that he was even
sin itself; a sentiment we know not what to make
of. It is true the Apostle says, "He hath made hiiu
to be sin for us ; but in atrolher place the Apostle
explains what he means by tliese words ; for he says,
" lie suffered the just for (h(> unjust." Thus had
Christ been sin itself, 'how coukl he have made an
atonement for it ? 'Hie words mean no more than
imputation, or a vicarous sacrifice, by which Cluist
was the substitute in the room of sinners.
M'ith resjxsct to the writings of Saltmarsh, they
are ver.y engaging at first sight, but upon a sober
review, the foice of the aigunjeiit wears off. As
the Anlinoniians were never \cyy nuniLroiis, so. there
are but few particulars relating to them worthy of
notice till the present age. In the time of the civil
wars, thecl'.urehes were iilied uith preachers of
many different denominations; some of whom were
Anlinomiaiis ; but from that time iiil the risi of
Methodi.sm, about farty years ago, they were not
much heard of in Liiglaud. Perhaps there were
not two nieetingE ; hut we sIdII now proceed to
point out what they then telievtd; and^ secondlv
what they aie. at present.
ACCOUNT OF THE ANTINOMIANS.
73r
Tliey believed, that the wliole work of man's sal-
vation was acconiphslicd by Jesus (Christ on the
cVoss. Tliai Christ's blood and our sins went awa^
together. That tlien ail our sins were taken away
bv Christ, and blotted out for ever. That notiiing
else beside faith is required in order to justllication
and salvation. That there is but one duty, \\liicli is
that of believing : one must do nothing, but quietly
attend the voice of the Lord. The gates of heaven
are shut up'Mi workers, and open to believeis. If
we do nothing for heavcii, we do as much as God
reqmies. To believe certainly that Christ sutfercd
di ath for us, is enough ; we want no more. We
arejustiticd by our submitting in our judgments to
the truth of God's <;r,ieo in Vjliiist Jesus. It is not
necessary that a man do any works that he may be
justified and sa\cd. God doth not require thee to
do any tiling that ihou niayest be saved or justiiied.
The law sets thee to work; but the gospel binds
thee to do noihnig at all. Nay, the works are nut
only not required, but forbiddeu. God forbids us
to wuik for juslilication , nud when the Apostle
Paid |)ress'd men to beiieve, it is as much us if he
had bid ihcnj not to work.
Tluu the moral law is nothing to man. From any
demand of the law no man is obliged to go one
st^fp, to give away one farthing, to eat, or omit one
morsel. For what did our ij.ord do with the law r
He abolished it. That a sjjnitual man beholdeth
justifying grace in believing, wiihout his obedience
to cunniiands for external wor^liip arid good works.
Col. ii. GO. That outward thhi;^s do nothing avail
to salvation. If love to God, and love to our neigh-
tour, and relieving the poor, be altogether unprofit-
able and unavoidable, either to justilitation or sal-
vation, then tliese outward works, ni submitting to
outward ordinances, viz. the ordniances of Christ,
are much K'ss available. Those persons bring in
the most dangerous kiiul of popery, and pervert the
gospel of Christ, who [K-rsuade Jiru, that if they do
not submit to tiie ordinances of the Lord Jesus, he
will not cont'e<- ihem Ix-fore his father. It is 'xtter
not to jiraclise Ihem on these g<-spel destroying prin-
ciple s, to ll:e ruining of our s.uls. A believer has
no inherent lightcou'uess : Gid will save us to the
utmost without any riiihtcousnt ss or holiness of our
own. To look for iuiiereiit righteousness is to dtiiy
tl'.e spirit, and trample under foot the blood of the
covenant. But bi licvcrs have not any inherent righte-
ousness ill tlietn. Our > i'^'itiou->uess is nodiing but the
i:npulal)on of the rigl te>.usnessof Christ. A believi r
JKis no holiness in hiiiisilf, but m '^ l.nst :>nly. 'I lie
uials of the spirit, cuuimonly called sanclitication,
such as love, gentieiiess, long-sutferiiig, goodiies-',
meekness, tempeiance, neither ma'i^e us holy btfore
(jod, nor ill our own consciences, that is, we are
not made good or huly by any inwjnd qualities or
dispositions ; but being made pure and holy in our
consciences, by believing in Christ, w<^ bear fortii
inwardly and oulwarilly the Iruits of holiness. A
believer does not increase in holiness as he increases,
in the love of God and jnan. The very nioment he
is justiiied, he is wholly sanclitied, and he is neither
more nor less holy from that lour i > tiie day of his
death. Kntire ju;^titication, and entire sanctifica'ion,
are in the sume instant, and neither of them is, there-
fore, capable of increase or decrease. We are to
grow in grace, but not in \ )line$s. The moment
we are justified, we are as pure in lieart as ever we
shall be. A new born babe is as pure in heart as a
father in Christ; there is no ditVerence.
In addition to this collective detail of the princi-
ples of the Antinoniians, we shall give our readers
the substance of a letter received from one of them,
which, perhaps, is a more perfect view of the prin-
ciples of the sect, and of many popular preachers,
who yet do not separate from the chinch, or the
sects with which they are united, on that account.
" This 1 have occasion to observe, that dm sooner
does a person believe and profess salvation ;ii( ue by
Christ, without works of righteousness^yas done by
him, but immediately upon his embracing such a
profession, he shall be branded with the uanie of an.
Antinoniian, tliough he should be at ihe '■ nit time,
notv\ilhstanding his change of profession, as to his
beha\iour and diportment in lile, as unblanaable
as the strictest legalist w hatever ; from whence it is
pretty evident, that the name of an Antinjmian is
given to many by way of repr^'ach or ridicule, and
that there are niany j'~ accounted, to whom the
charge does not justly belong ; because they disown
all their own works \u point of merit or acceptance
w ith God ; yet that is iio proof, but what they may
l)t found 111 the practice of all such good works as
are necessary for good government and economy in
society. They own the reasonableness and necessity
of these, but that they do not make up or constitute
any part of that kingdom which is sjiivitual, and is.
not of this world. As I am far from thinking that
the religion of Jesus consists merely in externals,
neither do 1 tiiiuk that an intricate system of doc-
trines, such as are superior lo a i.ommon understand-
ing, is in tile least necessary, but rather prejudicial
to those who would be iihlied by what th»\ profess.
There seems to me to be two very essential puiut.s.
alisoluiely necessary, namely, the knowledge of our-
selves, of the true state of human nature, and the
knowledge of salvation, ill and llirongh lile promised
Missiali or Redeemer; or, in otiier words, that
.l.sus is (lie son of God. th.it he died for our sins
ihid rose again for our justitication, agn cable lo the
scripture testimony ; that niau is a sinner, reason
and revelation afford us the most auijih; proof;-
from whence it is likewise evident, that he stands
732
ACCOUNT OF THE ANTIKOMIANS.
coiTvicted in liis best doings and performances by
the law of his maker, which spiritual and divine
comniandmeut entails condemnation on all M'ho
hope for mercy and acceptance by a jiartial and
imperfect obedience. As opposites tend to illus-
trate, so does an acquaintance with ourselves, \vilh
the frailty and infirmity of our nature, serve to illus-
trate the beauty and extent of divine graces, as nia-
nifest in the person of Christ our Saviour. To
speak with candour and impartiality for myself,
without reference to any person or party whatever. '
As a Chiistian, I acknowledge Christ as the only
foundation of my hope towards God, my acceptance
with him, and rejoicing in him : I rest all my con-
cerns for time and eternity with him, as my vvisdom
to guide me through all the mazes of life : I see
mercy consistent with justice, and a plenitude of grace
extending to the guilty, mid all in harmony with
every attribute of deity, in dnd through the one me-
diator between God and mart, the man Christ Jesus,
the harmony ami coiisistency of the sacred pages I
likewise see in hint, of whom Moses and the pro-
phets spake, every precept fulfilled by him, every
threatening endured by him, and every {Promised
blessing 1 lay claim unto, as my lawful i»herit;iHce,
in and through him, my glorious and exalted head.
In consequence of this relation between Christ, as
the head and the church, his members, unspeakably
great and extensive are the privileges which they have
a claim unto, and yet with reverence they acknow-
ledge the pre-eminen.ce of their head in all things.
The name of Jesus, a Saviour, is to me a sound
more striking, more excellent, more harmonious,
than the most melodious notes from the best tuned
ms-trumcnts. The whole creation, in its vast extent
and variety, is to me as so many striking figures of
that consummate beauty and perfection, which
dwells in his adorable person; every amiable cha-
racter by wliich he stands distinguished, is to me
tidl fraught \fith instruction, admiration, and con-
solation ; he is precious and honourable in my es-
teem, and the language of the apostle iSs with me
very familiar; that is, "I count al! things but loss
for the excellency of the knowJed<;e of Christ Jesus
my Lord, &c." While I hear of various sounds
from the various sectaries, as having learned to dis-
tinguish the voice of the true shepherd, I know that
never varies. 1 see no danger of running into error,
■while 1 liave recourse to, and gather all my supplies
fr«ni him, as the fountain of truth itself. Thus/ 1
go on in dependanee upon, and intercourse with, my
Lord and Saviour, as, having a glimpse of his glory,
I sometimes contemplate the pleasures that must
necessarily result from a happy and immortal exist-
ence. 'J'ill that period .^^hall commence, my pre-
vniljiig prayer and supplication is, that he would
teach me in all things by his influence and spirit,,
that, under a sense of my own insutiiciency, I ma»
rely upon his fidness ; that, with a becoming grati-
tude of soul, 1 may acknowledge every instance of
his goodness in all the dispensations of his provi-
dence and g'ace; that I may have a continued sense'
of his presence, which contains the fulness of joy;
the views of his reconciled countenauce, which makes
life pleasant, and gives a true relish for every rational
enjoyment, in fornung a just estimatioai of persons
and things ; imploring in all suLmis';io;i to the Di-
vine will, so as to be able to justify him in the
whole of his dealings towards the, children of men.
But perhaps you may say, what is all this without
the external and practical part i 1 answer, as the
lesser must of conseqiience be subservient to the
greater, so, where the religion oi Jesus has its pro-
per influence on the mind, every thing that is com-
mendable and praiseworthy, every thing becoming a
reasonable man, becoming a 'Jhrisiian, will be tlie
natural prr^duct, as much as t,i)od fruit is the natural
product from a good tr*'e."
Perhaps persons acquaiutedvith the principles of,
the modern ,\niinumians will be siit-prjsed at some
things in this let?tfci-, •awd'the vein of Christian cha-
rity that is visible in'it. In short', the writfer seems
n'/t to be willing to be called by that name.
With respect to the ])ie'sent state of Antinomians,
they are much' on the decline. God has implanted
something in iiunian nature that teaches even the
heathens to shudder at the thoughts of a religion
which does not inculcate morality. W hy did Christ
do good here below, unless it was-t-o shew us'an
exaniple, as well as to make an atonement for our
sins.' Why did Chri-st teach his followers to do good,
and at the same time point out to them the nature
and necessity of holiness, if it was not to make a
part of h.is religion. AI! the apostolical epistles are
full of injunctions of that nature.
Religion has been defined by that great divine
Mr. Clement Ellias, in his Scripture Catechist, to
be a dedication of the whole man to the will of
God.. ISow, surely Christ never came into this
world to establish a system of licentiousness, and
licentiousness it reiust be, unless tLe subject matter
is bordered by sanctions. The sanctions of all reli-
gions are obligatioijis to duty ; and the word duty
imj'lies three things, viz. our duty to God, to our
neighbour, and to ourselves. Our duty to God im-
plies our attendanc^e upon all such divine ordinances
as are prescribed ici his word. To be sincere and
keep ourselves pine from al! manner of pollution,
and to wean ourselves as much as possible from the
world. Our dutyr to our neighbour consists in doing
thera all the good. ofKces we can, consistent with
the nature of our. consciences ; aud lastly, ow duty
ACCOUNT OF THE C ALVINISTICAL METHODISTS.
733
to ourselves consists in aUending to those two above-
nicntionod, because the more " c do so, the more
we promote our own temporal and eternal interests.
Ail these things are, however, despised by the
Antinomians, and they teach, that men may sin as
much as they please; because however God may
hate sin, yet he takes pleasure in forgiving it. Tiiis
sentiment will, peihaps, appear dreadful to those
who have any idea of the divine perfections, of the
state of liuman nature, and tlie Chiistian dispensa-
tion. Those who name the name of Christ, should
depart from iniquity ; but what encouragement can
there be fqr virtue, or moral duties, while people
are taught to believe, that they are altogether unne-
cessary.
So far as we know, these people have not above
two or three meetings in England, but consistent
with the nature of thi'ir practices, and indeed the
practices of all those who believe in such senti-
nuiils, they discuss their religion in public houses.
As morality is an unnecessary tiling, and as holi-
ness, say they, can be no evidence of faith, so some
of them meet in a room in a public house every
Sunday evening, liaving before them that much des-
pised book the Bible. Each member pays for a
pot of beer, which is drank by the company in a
social manner. Then a text of the sacred scripture
is read, and every one in his turn is called to deliver
his opinion concerning it. A great deal of jargon,
with no meaning ensues, and every thing is said that
can possibly be thought of against holiness or good
works. The sacred scriptures are debased to the
w orst of purposes; namely, to set open the flood-
gates of profaneness; and yontJi are corrupted un-
der the prostituted name of religion.
A few foolish, weak and insignificant persons
attend these meetings, and we may venture to afi'irni,
that it is tiie worst llnng they can do. They do all
they can to pervert the scriptures, and to trample
under foot every divine institution. Sell'-inteiest
may leach or induce them to mind their duty in this
world, but as for eternity, they arc so unconcerned
about it, that those awful thoughts which generally
affect the minds of Christians, make no impression
on them.
We are sorry to conclude this article with declar-
ing, from the best information, that all the Antino-
miaii^s in England, were originally what we com-
monly call Irregular Methodists. The warmth of
die imagination often misleads the judgment, and
induces men to take that to be true, which after-
wards they find to be false. The knavish tricks
practised by men who pretend to a superior rank in
piety, prejudice weak minds against religion, and
lead them into all sorts of absurdities. Constantine
the Great used to say, that if he saw a bishop guilty
of an irregularity, he would conceal it, lest it should
give oft'ence to those who were weak. Happy, if
those who pretend to superior knowledge in religion,
would attend to this maxim ; but this naturally leads
us to take notice of another sect not yet fully d«s-
cribed.
ACCOUNT OF THE CALVLMSTICAL METHODISTS.
A- HERE was nothing more necessary than that
these people should follow after the Antinoniians,
for the two following reasons.
The Arniiriian Methodists have acted upon a plan
which we shall not call consistent, ihough it is plau-
sible. On ihe other hand, the ^Vntinomians have
ran into wide extremes, and set up a system of li-
ceniiousness.
We liave already seen that the Arminian Metho-
dists make faitli the condition of silvation; that is,
that tvvry. person wiio believes the gospel as revealed
in the i^ew 'I'pstament,, antl practises the duties en-
joined, will be saved. Om the other hand, we have
considered the Antinoiuians as oveilhrowmg all (l;e
sanctions by which rt;llgiou is bounded, and 'rauip-
hug upon , liie rights of luunuu society. Between
49- ' 8
these two extremes, we have seen the Calvinistical
Dissenters, screwing things up to an ungovernable
height, trampling on the right of private judgment,
and establishmg sentiments of a ver_\ disputed nature,
with a dogmatical certainty.
Whether the Arminians, the Calvinists, and the
Antinomians, are in some things mistaken, is not a
matter of proper enquiry in this work : but certain
it is, the Methodislical Calvinists ha\e iiilcrwoveii
with tlieir system something from Armiiiius, and
something from Calvin. They were to abide by all
the higii points iu disputed theology, but liiey were
to draw from them w hat conclusions they pleased,
and they thought proper to steer such a course as
should take in those of diflerent seniimeiits.
At the head of these Methodislical Calvinists was
734
ACCOUNT OF THE CALVINISTIC \L METHODISTS.
tbe late celebrated and reverend Mr. George Whit-
field. He was, in all respects, an original. He
had perhaps, never his fellow in England, or indeed
in the world. From what motives he acted we shall
not say, for to his own master he standed or falleth.
We hsve read those letters which give an account of
his conversion, but whatever may be contained in
them, we .shall draw no harsh conclusions. To
preach, to write, and to live, all are different things.
Preaching may nourish our pride, in consequence of
public popularity. Writing accounts of God's deal-
ing with us may cause us to be esteemed as saints of
God, while we have no interest in his favour, and
consequently do not live a life corresponding with
the holy gospel of Jesus Christ, who requires since-
rity in all our actions. But all these things we have
nothing to do with, on the present occasion, nor do
■we think them at all applicable to INIr. Whitfield,
whom we believe to have been an eminent servant
of God, and a happy instrument in his hand of
turning many from the evil of their ways.
Mr. Whillield had been early connected with
Mr. Wesley, but they separated their interests, on
account of a difference in sentiments; Mr. )\'iiit-
field holding fast the Calvinistical doctrines, while
^Ir. Wesley embraced the Arminian system, and
propagated his notions with the greatest assi-
duity.
Notwitlistanding, at the decease of ^Ir. Whit-
field, in consequence of an agreement made between
theniSLlves, that the survivor should preach the
other's funeral sermon, Mr. AVesley delivered a dis-
couise to his memory, at Tottenham-Court chapel,
before a very crowded auditory. Adjoining to this
chapel they have a burying ground, which has been
j)roperly consecrated, and where every office is ob-
served in the most regular manner.
Considerable collections are made at this part of
the town, and at the Tabernacle near Moorfields.
The expences of carrying them on being very great,
but the surplus is always employed in sending out
ministers to various parts of the kingdom, and the
residue divided amongst the poor and necessitous.
The followers of Mr. Whitfield are, in some of
their practices, much the same as the adherents of
Mr. \\ esley. They have also their love-feasts, and
preaching thrice on sabbath day, besides service at
two or three times in the week.
The executors of Mr. Whitfield have the direc-
tion of these two very large places of worship in
the neighbourhood of London, which we have al-
ready mentioned, and where vast numbers of people
attend the ministrations of those who occasionally
officiate.
These people have also a great number of other
meetings, but so far as we know, they have no
stated preachers, but admit all those who offer their
services.
As they have been always patronized by the Coun-
tess of Huntingdon, so that lady has caused several
chapels to be erected for them in the most populous
towns in England. Here however it is necessary ta
observe, that in those chapels of Lady Hunting-
don, the service of the church of England is used ;
so tliat none arc admitted, but such as have received
canonical ordination. Li some of those chapels,
clergymen preach who have been brought up in the
university ; but in general, they are such as have-
received a private education. To make up some of
the deficiencies in the want of preachers. Lady
Huntingdon has established an academy iu South
Wales, where young n)en are brought up, and when
they have acquired the rudiments of learning, these
ycung gentlemen get into orders ; we are not cer-
tain how mucii this practice is approved of by many,
learned men in the church, who are of the same
sentiments with her lad^vship.
A little learning with much reading, a good me-
mory and a sound judgment, might easily qualify
a man to be a good preacher, and a very useful
pastor. If these young men really serve God; if
'hey are what they call themselves, regenerated per-
sons, then they will by all means, teach their peo-
ple equally by their examples as by their preaching ;
if It makes an impression on their hearts, they will
be afraid to give any offence, so as to have the gos-
pel blamed.
It is certain that the rules laid down by Mr. Wes*
ley, for the regulation of his societies, have more
the appearance of primitive Christianity, than those
of Mr. Whitfield. Why the latter did not strike
into the same line, we know not, but notwithstand-
ing, the Whitfield, or ratbi-r the Calvinistical Me-
thodist preachers are more popular than Mr. Wes-
ley's Arminian ones.
Their public service in their meetings has little
difference, and indeed the chief distinction consists
in their hymns. The Calvlnists use a set of hymns
for themselves, calculated according to the doctrines
they maintain ; but Mr. Wesley has hymns for all
occasions whatsoever. There is generally much heat
among new converts. And thus it happened, that
some years ago persons were employed to sing hymns
in support of each other's doctrines.
We have an instance of a similar nature iu eccle-
siastical history :
When Chrysostom was bishop of Constantinople,
he wrote hymns in defence of the Trinity in Unity,
and employed several to sing them about the streets.
The Arians did the same in favour of their opinions,
and it frequently happened, that when two of these
hymn-singers met, a battle ensued, a circumstance
that might have been reasonably expected.
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIANS.
735
ri> their private families, tlie Methodists are all
moif or less, verv loud of singing hymns. It was
first proposed by their leailcrs as uselul to take place
of tlif common songs whicli aie profanely liuiig,
many of which contain ninch obscenity. In this
respect the design of the Methodists seems to have
arisen from pious motives-; but then we siiould
attend to what our Sa\iour says, " never to cast oiir
pearls before swine."
Thus it too li equeatly happens,, that as- obscene
b:dl:ids inflauic tliu passions of youth, so the fre-
quently singing of hynuis, especially in the presence
of a promiscuous company, takes oft" the force of
religion, defeats its own intention, and without de-
sign opens the mouth of blasplicmera.
We know but little of any public charities esta-
blished by these people, except a few alms-houses
in Tottenham-Court-Road. As for sentiments con-
I'eriiitig church government, they are professed La-
titudinarians. They look upon all forms of church
government in the same point of view, which is as
nuicli as to say, that they look upon them as not
of Divine institution. In this they are not singular,
for Mr. Hooker, bishop Stillingfleet, and archbishop
Leighton, were all of the same opinion.
It is certain, that wc ought not to contend much ■
about the externals of religion, so as we can only
attend to the internals ; but notwithstanding, there
ought to be a form of church government, according
to the original plan. But we shall conclude this
article with one observation, namely, " That loose
notions ooncorning the externals of religion, lead to
loose practices iu the iutermils." ' •
ACCOUNT OF THOSE PROTESTANTS CALLED MORAVIANS.
I
T is well known that every denomination- of
Christians iu the world pretend, that their doctrine,
worship, discipline and government, comes nearest
to the primitive plan. And here it is- necessary to
observe, that the few lights we have to direct us for-
upwards of one hundred years after the death, of tlie
apostles, have rendered things very confused; for
we may be almost certain,, that the rites and cere-
monies used iu the third century, were, for the most
part, human inventions.
That the Moravians should pretend to the some
high original, is not to be doubted ; and we find them
doing so, and. calling themselves by the itame of
United Brethren.
Count Nicholas Lewis Zinzendorf, prince of the
German empire, gave rise to this sect. He was
born in 1700, and in 1721, when he came of ago,
he began to put in practice a scheme he had forme<l
some years before when he was very young. lie
was joined by several persons, who were of his own
way of thinking, and settled at Berlholsdorf, in
lipper Lusalia, an estate which he had purchased,
giving the curacy to a student of the same senti-
ments with himself.
Berlholsdorf soon came to be kliown for this sort
of piety. News thereof was brought to Moravia,
by a carpenter named Christian David, who had been
before in that country. He embraced every oppor-
tunity of instilling his sentiments into the minds of
tlie people, with a distaste for the superstitions of
the church of Rome> and aivinclination to the Pro-
testant religion.
Having engaged two or three of these proselytes
to leave their native country, witli - their families.
Count Zinzendorf receive<l them kindly at Berthols-
dorf. They were directed to build a house in a
wood, about half a league from that village, so that
on St. j\[artiu"s Day, 17'--, these people held their
first meeting there. It is said, that they foresaw
that God would kindle a light in this place that
should enlighten all- the country. Christian David .
was so sure of the future growth of this settlement,
that he divided the spot of ground round it into
quarters, and marked out iu what directions the
streets were to run.
The event has not contradicted his prognosti-
cation. x\ good many people from Moravia and •
elsewhere, to shelter themselves under the protec-
tion of Count Zinzendorf, flocked to this new settle-
ment, and built houses, and the Count himself fixed :
his residence there. In a few years it became a
considerable village, having, an orphan-house, and
other public buildings. Thirty-four houses were
built there iu the- year 17?^, and in 1750 the num-
ber of its inhabitants amounted to si.x hundred. An
adjacent hill, called the Huth-Berg, gave occasion ■
to these, colonists to call their place Huth-dez-
Heman, and afterwards Hern- Huth, which maybe
interpreted the guard or protection of the Lord, and
from this the whole sect has takeu its name.
;lfi
ACCOUNT OF TIIF. MOR AVIANS.
The Tloniluitois soaii ostiililislied anions lliom-
selvos a si>rt »>t iliscipliiie, wliicli closolv uuiics tlioni
to oaoli uilior, divides them into ililVerent classes,
juus them under an entire dependence on ihi'ir su-
perioi-s, and confines them to custoii>s, exercises of
lievotioiis, and to tlic i>bserving of ditVerent sorts of
little rules which, in some respects, inav be called a
pn>per bond of union.
The dilVerenee of age and sex, and (he situation
their members are in \\itli respect to matrimony,
constitute these ditVereut classes. There are classes
of married Hten, married women, w idowers, \\ idow s,
maids, batchelors, and children. Each has its direc-
tor chosen by its members. The same employments
the men haye among thenjseKi>^i, are also among
the women, whiih are exercised bv persons of. their
own sex.
l".\t?r_y member is daily visited by one of his class,
who gives him exhortation, and takes rare of the
actual stale of his soul, whereof he makes a'report
to the- ehlers. FrtHjueiitly paitieular assemblies are
.iitid in each class, and general ones bv the whole
society. The overseers, or leaders, have also their
private meetings, to instruct one another concerning
the giiidimce of souls. The members of each class
are sub-di\ided in people tliat are unconverted, or,
as they call it. dead, the awakened, the iijnor.int,
willing disciples, and ifisciples that have made a pro-
gress. .Proper progress in spiritual things is given
to each of these sub-divisions : but above all, great
care is taken of those that are spiritually dead.
'Jliey pay great attention to the instruction of
youth. Besides those that have the care of orphans,
there are others intrusted with the eikicatiou of
other children. Cumt Zinzeudorf 's zeal sonietimes
carried him so far, as to lake eliiUireu to his own
lunise to r.istruct them, and these amouflted in msm-
ber to twenty, wliereof niue or ten slept in his hcA-
chamber. There are assembles held of Jittie child-
ren, who are n«t in a coniUtion to walk, and these
isre carried thither, llyums are sung in tliese meet-
ings, and prayers made, suitable to the capacity of
4hese inf.mt hearers.
'n»e elder, co-elder, anj vice-elder, superintend
all the clastes. There are lil\ewi^e informers by
^{I^ee, some of liitm known, some of them kept
seci-ct, besides a great many other employments and
titles, the detail of «hich would be too long and too
tedious here.
A^reat.part of their worship consists in siiiguig.
They prttiud tiiat children in paitieular aic instruct-
ed in" tiieir relijiiou by hynuis. Count Ziiueiidorf
relates a very extraoruiiuuy thing iu his Natural
•KidectiouSj viz. " that the clurnters of the society
ijii;st hiwc received a particular and almost inimita-
ble gilt of God: for wlien they are oLliged to sing
at the head of the congregtitiou, their songs are
:i!".vays a connected repetition of those matters that
had bien preached just before."
At all hours, whether day or night, some persons,
of both sexes, are appointed by rotation to pray for
Ihe society. And what is most remarkable, these
people, without call, clock or watch, are acquainted,
by an inward feeling, when their hour comes in,
which they are to perform their duty.
\N hen the brethren perceive that tl>e zeal of the
society is declining, their devotion is revived, by
celebrating .\gapes or love-feasts.
The -fasting of lots is much practised among
them. 'I'Tiey make use of it to learn the will of the
Lord.
Tile elders have the sole right of making matches-
No promist of marriage is of any validity without
their consent. The maids devote themselves to the
Saviour, not that their intent is never to marry, but
to marry only such a person, vvitii respect to whom
God shall have made known to them with certainty,
that he is regenerated, instructed in llie importance
of the conjugal state, and appointed by the divaie
director to enter into that state.
All is extraordinary at Heruhut. The most stub-
born diseases vanish there without help : very rarely
one dies of a fever. But it is common to die there
of a cold, detlusion, or such like other indisposition,
'lliese are at least things Count Zinzeudorf atlirms
in a writing, dated .January '24, 17^-. and presented
to the ministry of the court of Dresden.
\\'e do not find that the llernlinters to the year
17-9, pretended to be any thing moiethan members
of the Lutheran church at liertholsdorf. Indeed
they were all of them either born among Lutherans,
or converted from popery to the faith of the Augs-
burg confession ; and if some amongst them enter-
tained ideas of Cilvinism, Count Zinzeudorf took
care to cure them of it. But fi-om this time the
llernhiiters, undoubtedly with a view to set their
society off to lietler advantage, would pass for a
sprig of those Bohemfan and Moravian brethren,
who, a long time before Luther, lived sejiarated from
the Uomish church, and who in the tinie of the re-
formation enlered into brotherly correspondence vviUi
the two great Protisi.int societies, but without luiit-
Ing wiih either of thtni. And C<nint Zinzeudorf lias
since that time ever talked in this strain. He pretends
that these brethren orighially were of the Greek
church, and in process of time had united with the
Waldenses, who derived their tM'igmal from the La-
tin cluireh.
He bestows the greatest encominins on this Mo-
ravian church, so much renowiu-d in fornic-r times,
eclipsed and forgot afterwards, and at hugth, if cre-
dit may be given him, reviifed under his iiispices at
Herahut. He gives her the tmist poinj.. jhs 'illes ; as
The Church of the Cross, The Church of the
ACCOUNT OF T[IE MORAVIANS
7 -37
Lamb, Tlic Church of the Blood and Woiindg, The
Thcocrary, A jiroph; %\htretml') iicvtr wa* gueti the
hkf, Thcv arc the hundnd forty-four llioiwanH ser-
vant* of God mutlkcd on ihtir for<:Iu-:id)i, whereof
St. John makes mention in liit Ucvcljtion.
'Iliis descent would, without douht, do honour to
llcrnhuttsm, but there is a necessity of pro%iiig it
first, l^t us examine whether it lias ever yet been
proved r So far from it, that » vcn setting aside the
doctrine of the llrnihuters, which openly cotitra-
dicts tiiis vain-clorious pretention, it lias b< en ac-
kti'jwledged and proved by one of their own bishops,
that the ancient Moravian brethren mixed with the
reformed in Poland, and that not one of those that
Srofessed their doctrine remained in Bohemia and
Iora\ia, where it has been entirely extirpated ever
since 'he year If/iO. llic Moravians, who retired
to Henihiit, and who are the mo-t inconsiderable
part rA the inhabitants of that village, have notliing
ojmraon with the ancient Boiiemian and Moravian
brethren. They are Homaii Catholics converted to
the Protestant reli^on, as the Ilernhuters them-
gelve?; ackno«led;;;e.
As the Hemhut society wxs begun upon the es-
tate of Count Zinz<;ndorf, under his protection, by
his care and benefactions, and arcordii*^ to his ideas
and views, it was but natural he should have a great
authority over it. And so it happens; he has always
been the soul, the oracle, and the primnm mobile of
it. He tells us himself that he hu-> always been at
the head of hi'? s<ct, bolli in temporals and spiritiiaN,
and iiis disciples say the same. Though titles could
add nothing to his authority, jtl lie has not disdained
them. He has even made alterations in them at
oHferf-nt times. From the year 17-fi, he was called
the Trustee or Guardian of the Br<;thr«-n, which
happened in a singular mamicT, as be tells us him-
self.
Chriitian David, the carpenter, of whom men-
tion has been madf, being oure in the count's apart-
ment to talk with him, all on a sudden gave him
tl-rts title, which afterwards wa.s confirmed by the
iinanimons consent of the society. In the month
of Mar'.h IT')'^, he resigned this dignity. In Sep-
tofiil>er I73'i, llie society press<-d him to take it uj;on
IjBii, delivering to him an apj>'jintment or call for
tbnt purpose, in form of an act, signed by the bre-
tbieii and sisters that wfTC of the privy council of
the society. At that time he rcfii-ed to comply,
b'Jt granted their retjnest »"me months after, upon a
new sipp'/Hifotn'f, dated Ja";uary 2G, 1733.
In l7.'T7, Coaiit Zinzemlorf, viho, from the age
of seveiitf en, had believed he K-d a call from pro-
vidence to an eccle*aiSiicil state or condillun in life,
a:id «ho had already public)'> preactjed in some of
the Luth-raii churches, got hims.lf coiisecia!ed bi-
shop of his sect. From that time, according to the
" Custom of Bishops," he mad<: use of his Chris-
tian oarae^ and that '/ his v:t:, viz. Ludovicus .Mo-
ra-.iensLs. llie f/iclafc of thi* new-fashioned crea-
tion, nevertheh.ss did not suffer liims'.If to be daz-
zled by the lu»tre of his mitre. He tells us himself,
that he hwd very little forwardness to make a figure
as a bi'hop: and in llic third general »yDO'l of
Hernhntism, held in Gotha in I7V), he lai^l down
his episcopal dignity; which however had m.-de n'>
change with respect to his office of trustee or guar-
dian of the brethren. It appears at leaAt, that hf.
was still veiled v^ith it in 1742, because at that tia-e
the brethren discharged him from it. But this wa«
only done with a view to give him a much more
honourable title, viz. fliat of miriister plenipotenti-
ary and ccconomist, w ilh a power to nominate a suc-
cessor, and an express clause, that nothing shonH
be done or concluded without his consent. He did
not accept this new promotion till toward) the close
of the following year. lately we see him style
himsdf L^jrd Advocate of the Cnitas I'ratrum.
Count Zinzeudorf has very early b< en about ex-
tending his sect. He hai ient his ftllow-labourers
throughout the world. He himself has been over
all turop<;, and at least twice in America. Frota
the year \7i", a new society hai» been set up in
Greenland; and before the end of the prccding
year the missionaries of Hemhutisin had already
passed tlie line. 'Ilie s'>ciety p08M;sses BethhHiem
in Pennsylvania; and hxs a settlerrient amor;gst tl»e
Hottentots. China ia <ute red into its plan. But it
has no where made better conquests than in the
British European dominions, in the Liiited Pr'>-
nnces, and in Wetteravia ; in the last province,
however, where their views were discovered, tJjey
have again lost ground. Tliey ha'ie a's'j Ixen turned
out of the Dam.=h dominioa^, where ibey had made
a settlement.
A discipline so much overburdened an that of
Hemhuti*m, could wn very well take place bul in
a small society ; and we find, that in prop<jrtion as
this sect came to spread abroad, it was thought
necessary to forego, In some measure, the rigf>»i/ of
its rule, in order to accommodate the institution to
the taste, humour, and ideas of the cew pro«elrtes.
'Hiis gave rise to the m'wlifications, forms, and dif-
ferent usage* now in being among these -ectaries. —
Coimt Zinzendorf caJLs them tropes, types, ai>d at
this very time there are three of Ujenj, viz. the M'>-
raviaii trope, or type, which is the ir^rtt ancietit; the
I^theran, whieh appears to }iim the most salutary to
the children of God; and the reformed or Calvio-
isfic trope, for which he als'* has a great regard, and
whereof Mr. de Watte^.lle, his sor^u*-ia.v, was
elected Li^op in 17-i3. We cautvt exactly u.y
49
'JJi
739
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIANS.
wlioreiii the above three -modifications differ from
each other : these are secrets probably known bj
llie adepts alone.
Thus much they have thought fit to acquaint the
public witli, that the Boheii)i:ui confession is received
by the first trope, the confession of Aughbuig by
the second, and that of the reformed churches in the
United Provinces by the third. Indeed from the
year 1748, Count Zinzcudoif lias made all the tropes
receive the Augsburg confession ; however, it is
pretended, that this has made no confusion among
these several modifications.
Condescension being what has given rise to these
tropes. Count Zinzendorf, from the same motive,
sliews a genera! inclination to all Cliristian commu-
nions. He would have wrote to the pope, had he
known what title to give him. He has even been
persecuted for having maintained that the pope was
not the Antichrist. He has sent a deputation to the
patriarch of Constantinople, which has been very
well received. He shews a great attachment to
Lutheranism, whereof he constantly pretends him-
self to be a member. He boasts of being a minister
of that church, and affirms, in spite of all that can
be said to the contrary, that he and his brethren be-
lieve no other doctrine than what is taught by that
c jmnumion. He is of late become more favourable
t) Calvinism, than he was in the beginninsr. It was
in his power, says he, to have rooted it out from
among the brethren; he however declined it. Al-
though, according to hiin, the taking of oaths is not
prohibited; yet the society, wherever it. settles, is
known to be averse to them, and that probably out
of complaisance to the Mennonists or Anabaptists.
He declares in general, that whoever embraces Hern-
hutism need not change his religion. Such advances
as these cannot but infinitely facilitate the propa-
gation of the sect, which already boasts of deci-
mating all nations, and pretends it has a right to all
the children of God, of whatever persuasion they
be.
Though Count Zinzendorf tells us, that he has
sometimes met with resistence from the brethren,
and that they have contradicted him ; yet it appears,
in general, that they have shewed great docility both
for him and those he has been pleased to make par-
takers of his authority. Submission to the will of
the superiors of the society is a very essential article
of his system.
He teaches, in his sermons to the synod of Zeist,
that God obeys the voice of his servants, that is to
say, of the brethren : but that it is required, that
first of all they agree with their friends, that they act
in concert with'their chief. The tractableness which
he prescribes them must go so far as to suffer them-
selves to be led, step by step, like little children, by
men whom he calls ministers of the Holy Ghost,
and of the church, representing tliem as being sq
many living images of our blessed Saviour. The
irkson)eness oftluis obeying without reserve is great,
it must be owned; but then it is much alleviated liy
the notion that is instilled into them, that their supe-
riors receive from Christ himself the orders that are
given. This the Count inculcates among, his flock
with equal care and assiduity. Every thmg is done
by the Saviour's injunction : " Jesus will have it so,
the Lamb commands it :" this is the style of the
ministers of the society. According to them the
Saviour gives his orders on the very moment they are
to be executed. He will n»t suffer that those who
are to obey them have time to consider. " Thus
business is ilone quickly, all at once, and, as it were,
in post haste." These are the Count's own ex-
pressions, who looks upon this method of the Savi-
our, as a condescension he has for his children, with
whose weakness he is not unacquainted. He knows,
adds he, for instance, how it is with a maid, when
she is apprised she is to marry : therefoie lie dotii
not willingly let persons know their destination much
before-hand.
The sending of missionaries, according to tliis
sect, is a business in which the Saviour is particu-
larly concerned. Ciiunt Zinzendorf informs us mi-
nutely what the Saviour prescribes in this matter. — ■
For instance, some of the society earnestly desiring
that those of their brethren, who had been pitched
upon to be sent away, should be dispatched a day
sooner than the Saviour had ajipoiuted : the Count
opposed this motion with so much steadiness, that
it was dropped. It was to no purpose they ob-
jected, that the captains who were to take them on
board at Rotterdam, would pay no regard to the day
appointed by the Saviour : he resolutely answered,
" They w ill do it ; or if not, our missionaries will
come in another manner, to the place for which they
are destined." This example of the Count's bold-
ness will appear less astonisliing, when we attend to
w hat he tells us fm ther, viz. that he has found by
experience, that the brethren, when the Saviour
directed them in their travels, have performed amaz-
ing things; things which no art, no human precau-
tion ever could attain to. He himself has once,
withcnit human assistance, made a voyage in eleven
weeks, which another Hernhuter could not compass
in less than sixty-si.x, because he was in the hands
of men.
" The Saviour," continues this great apostle, in a
prophetical strain, in his .'33d sermon, preached at
Zeist, "protects his people in" a quite wonderful
manner. My wishes and desires are, that 1 could
bring it to pass, that we could have a couple of
ships, no matter of what bulk, that belonged solely
to the society, and which the maritime powers might
not suspect of carrying on a trade, or being eui-
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIANS.
739
ployi'd in smuggling: which may be possible to
obtuiii, and depontU only on a favourable moment :
then we could see wondci-s. For, at proscnl, our
aftairs are too nmcli blended with the business of
men, with their interest and views; ihi.-i makes a
great alteration, and cannot but iiave, some way or
other, an infiiienee over the brelliren. But were it
once to become the Saviour's business alone, then
he would let us see wonders on the fea. He would
not only cause us to make voyages with great swift-
uess, but to land where never any body landed. A
tempest would be sufficient to bring us to the in-
tended place, in case leave was denied us to enter
a port, we should be conveyed into some inaccessi-
ble bay, at some miles dislance from the port,
where we might land, and uo body could find fault
M'iih it, because it would appear, that we were
ajiived there by stress of weather. This would cost
nothing to the Saviour, it would be a play to his
angels."
Count Zinzendorf tells lis himself, that the com-
mission of t!;e society was never calculated for a
general conversion of the heathen ; that the time of
this great event is not. as yet come ; but that the
society being an election, a chosen people, it must
have the firstlings, or first fruits, here and there
among the heutiiens.
Tiie little number the brethren have hitherto con-
verted to the Christian faith, is but a comfort which
the Saviour has granted them to make them amends
for their labours, and they believe themselves well
I'cwardcd for their toil, if in two hundred voyages
they make but one hundred converts. He also tells
us, that tlie Hernhnters, in order to acquire the
firstlings of paganism, chuse to look out for them
amongst those heathens, that have had the least or
no communication at all with the j)retenders to
Christianity, rather than among the last.
As the brethren have always a great number of
labourers on the roads, oftentimes among these their
chief himself with his family and retinue ; and as,
besides, their undertakings, and the acquisitions
they make require considerable expencc, it is neces-
sary they should have what is called the .sinew of all
great schemes, money. Thus we find they have
betimes established a fund called bv them the Lamb's
or the Saviour's chest, which is become very consi-
derable by the contributions and donations of the
proselytes of Hernhutism, and its favourers. From
the beginning, two brethren were trusted with it ;
of v^ horn one kept the chest, and liie other the key ;
but Count Zinzendorf has always had the principal
directicn over it. This addition of temporal con-
cerns must infallibly have crushed him under its
weight, he being already so much taken up with the
spiritual one's of his society, had he not found in
the countess, Lis spouse, a proper assistant to share
his fatigues with hiin. In a manuscript history of
the society, whereof the count gives us some ab-
stracts in the iipj.endix of his Natural Rcfiections,
it is said, that Ins lady, during a time of twenty-six
years, has so well husbanded the scanty funds of the
society, that nothing was ever wanting either in his
family, or amongst the brolheiliood, though there
had been a necessily of furnishing from thence above
one million of crowns for sundiy undertakings. — ■
Upon the whole, it is well known, that whoever
desires to be received as a brother, is not welcome
among them unless he contributes to the chest. The
count says himself, " That the ceconomists of the
society mav say to a young rich man, Fither give us
all thou hast, or get thee gone; give us all thou bast
or thou canst not be with us."
^\e have already hinted at the rapid progress
made by Hernhutism. Here follows another curi-
ous detail, which Count Zinzendorf himself gives us
in his Natural Reflections, Sce. wrote in the years
1748 and 1749. This will shew if credit maybe
given to v\ hat he says, what situation the sect was
in at that time. The society, says he, had almost a
thousand labourers dispersed all over the world. —
This number however, was not yet sufficient; for,
in proportion as they worked, the harvest increased.
Twenty- four nations had been awakened from their
sjtiiitual drowsiness, by the care of these apostles.
" We preach, says he, to an innumerable imiiiber
of souls in fourteen languages, amongst whom,
without reckoning those that do not belong to the
Protestant religion, nor the Jews and heathens,
there are at least twenty thousand people that were
not born Lutherans, whom we nevertheless convert
to the Augsburg confession, and indeed we cannot
recommend to them a better constitution, than^the
church of the brethren. We have, adds he, ninety-
eight establishments, amongst which are castles
that have CO, 50, or 90 apartments." The mission-
aries of the Hernhuters do not go and preach iu
every place, where their ministry is required. On
the 28lli of February, 1748, they had received
above one hundred and seventy invitations, only
from Easter of the foregoing year, with regard to
which they had not as yet taken any resolution. —
In 'he mean while they are not idle. In the year
1740, they had already made two hundred voyages
by sea. As to the progress the sect has made
abroad for these three years, I shall not venture to
speak of as we have not sufficient materials tor the
purpose ; but as for the success they have met with
in these kingdoms, and are daily making, every
body is an eye witness of. It is to be supposed,
that their success from the year 1749, must surpass
that of the two years above mentioned."
Since the publication of the above account, the
Moravians have not perhaps, increased, as the writ-
740
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIANS.
ings of Mr. Tliniiiis, anrl xhp. narrative of Andrew
Frey,liave done tlieiii grtat disseivice with the sober
part of iiiaiikiiul. 'Iliey were esta!)lished liere, in
England, by an act passed in June 1749, and are in
considerable numbers in this kingdom and its plan-
tations, as well as in Ireland and ScotlarKJ. The
puljlic have yet felt no inconveniency from their ad-
mission and toleration, nor are likely to feci any,
as they are in general, an industrious set of people.
We come now t3 the tenets of Hernhutism. As
long as Hernhutb belonged to the church of Ber-
tliolsdorf, the society was held in jircat esteem, and
not at all suspected to differ from the confession of
Augsbnrg. 'i his was the reason, for which the
tlieological lacnLty at Tubingen, did not seruple to
grant them those testimonials, to which Count Zin-
zendarf ha.s since that time always referred himself,
to prove the soundness of his doctrine. We do not
know, nor is it material to enquire, whether Count
Zinzcndorf began to broach his new doctrine, im-
mediateJy upon the beginning of the first establi.sh-
nient of the society at Hernhnt; it seems more
likely, that as he enlarged his plan, he enlarged his
iKstions also. Thus nmch is certain, that it is no
easy matter to come at the tenets of this sect, on ac-
count of the great obscurity affected by their teach-
ers. Tliey seem to make it their study, to speak
and write that they may not be understood. It is a
rule among them, to speak to those that are not
, initiated into the mysteries of the thcoh)gy of blood
and w ounds, that is to say, their ow n theology, in a
nianner, that they may not be able to tell again any
-thing of what they have lieard. They act, says
'Count Zinzendorf himself, in the same manner as
Que would do, who, to catcli people that are too
C'-.uious, writes in a character they arc not able to
(lecypher. They succeed wonderfully in this kind
oJ' style. Sonietinws they aro quite unintelligible.
At other times they liegin to express themselves
clearly, but on a sudden become too obscure to be
luidei stood. They are seldom entirely clear, and
neveriiseless shew often too great a clearness. For
indeed lliose thnigs that escape them, and are ea<jy
,to be understooi:!, do no honour cither to tiiiir judg-
).-,cnt or understanding. 'J'lie reader will be con-
vinced of it by Ihe si)ecimens we are going to ^ly
before him." We shall tak'i a great nund)er of them
from Count Zinzendorf 's theojogicai opinions, and
!ijs sermons preached iji America, and at Zeist, in
llje province of Utrecht. 'J'hese lust, to the nimdier
of tifty-six, were dejivered to tlie s\i)od of the
brethren,. heJd at the last-mentioned place in 1746,
and are printed antl .published by the society in one
vyiimie. The Count has not put his name to it;
for, according to a letter inseitcd in 5iiegfiied's
Beicheideiie Beluchtung, directed by liim to all kings,
/.kctors, princes, 5tc. be has, left, off. Jong ago, to
put his name to his writings. But it is impossible
to read these sermons, w ithout perceiving him to be
the author; besides this he declares himself very
clearly in the preface, w here he says, that the busi-
ness of the author of these sermons is to exercise
the office of syndic of the synods, to superintend
the records, to administer the liturgy, to prepare
matt-ers and propose them. We the more wilhngly
make use of these sermons, as they iiave been
preached for the instruction of several fellow-
labourers, English and Dutch, lately received among
the sect, and since the preacher proposes there to
himself, to put into a better light cei tain central
ideas, by which one ought to regulate one's action^-,
w ords and thoughts. If it be possible to meet any
wherewith the tenets of Hernhivtism, it must be
in them.
W'e begin with the idea this sect has of the scrip-
ture. Though Count Zinzendorf doth not, as yet,
think proper to disown the scripture, yet tlie indif-
ferent manner, in which he gives his opinion of it,
shews what he aims at. He says in a sermon
preachetl at Philadelphia, that the style of the sciip-
ture is sometimes like that of a carpenter, sometimes
like that of a iisherman, or of a toll-gatherer. --
Christ himself had spoke very meanly, and used
many a phrase becoming a peasant, which is now
looked upon to imply something of quite a difler^-nt
nature, since we are unacquainted with the manner
of speaking used by the journeymen of Nazareth.
He prescribes a method to his missionaries, liojvrto
deal with the comptrollers of the scriptute, by wJiom
he means those that desire proofs of every doctrine
out of the scripture, "viz. that they ougl:t to prove
all such things by the defects or imperfections of
these writings, which those comptrollers pretend to
make good by the perfection and inl-jliibility of the
scripture. The reading of the scripture appears to
him to be more dangerous than useful to the
society.
According to Count Zinzendorf, -the doctrine that
God the Father is our Creator, the Sou our Kc-
dcemer, and the Holy Ghost our .Sanciitiei-, is a
false doctrine, and one Of the capital eriors that
reign in Chiisteudom. -Creation and sanctitication
ought not to be ascribed to the Fatiierand tin- Holy
Ghost. To avoid idolatry, peojde ought to be ta-
keii from the .Fadier and Holy Ghost, and con-
ducted to -Christ, with whom alone we liave to do.
llie ancients ucver dre;m4t of a Tiinity; whoever
.jidores the Father and the Holy (ihost, differs not
fr«in a servant of Ju|)iter, Mereuiy, Apollo, or of
any great hero to whom the ancient-s gave th*' title
God. Our great doctor appears so positive of the
orthodoxy of his new opinion, that he calls the the-
ology received among Christians, a dry one, and
.good for nothing else ihau to.amuse dogs. and sv;iiic,
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIANS.
741
unbelievers and atheists, invented by the devil, and
that such as teach us are Satan's professors. Sa-
tan lias tliought witliin himself, says he, " Men shall
not come to see iho Father," that is the true Father,
who is -the Saviour, according to Count Zinzendorf;
*' Fll conduct thcui round about the Saviour, Fll
represent to them a phanlum of a leather, and they
shall think, as the Jews formerly did, that this is
their God; thus the Saviour shall not get them. —
Hy tills means, I'll keep them in my power, whdst
they think within thejnselves they are very wise.
The mistake among Christians, adds he, arises from
their not coniprelieiuinig, that it is honour enough
•for the Father, to be the Father of (Jod the Crea-
tor of all things, and to be his own and only
Father.
The Holy Ghost is called by the Hernluiters, the
eternal wife of God, the mother of Christ, the mo-
tiier of the faithful, die mother of the chuich. —
Count Zinzendorf, in tiie sixtli part of his Natiual
KeHeclions, gives a long detail to justify this change
he makes in the common Uieology. He looks upon
it as importar.l and mcessaiy ; com])laining much,
that, since tlie Heforuialiou, people are in gross ig-
norance concerning llie person of the Holy Ghost,
and that the divines in this article commit a very
palpable omission, lie adds, tiiat such as cannot
Comprehend the mystery of the 'Frinity in the man-
ner he explains it, want undoubtedly uprightness of
heart more than understanding.
Thus It appears, that the son is chiefly the object
of the Hernliuters worship. 'I'liough Count Zin-
zendorf in plain words calls him the carpenter Jesus,
liaving taken along with him, into his glory, the
poor figure he made in (his world, yet the most ten-
der names are given iiim. lie is called their Lamb,
their little Famb, their little Jesus. 'Fhey make his
name of the feminine gender, calling him their mo-
ther, their mannna Jesus. The creation, redemp-
tion, and sanetificatiiiir is the work of Christ, but
the Father and Holy Ghost minister to him in ail of
them, which is the identical word thev use in ex-
pressing tiiemselves on this head. " Whoever be-
lieves in Christ, though he knows nothing more of
the Godhead, will be saved. 'J'he apostles, to avoid
idolatry, had not baptized in the name of the Father,
the Son and Holy (ihost, but in Christ's name oulv.
God had darted his Son as a flash of lisihtninir, and
the Son by his nicarnatiou had made a parenthesis
in the Godhead. What in coimnon life is called a
grandfather, a falhi r-in-law, such was the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ. 'Fhe Son had taken it as
a favour, that lie was allowed to become man and
go out of the Godhead. Christ had not conquered
as God, but as a man, with the same strength we
conquer. God had assisted him, and he assists us
also. Cluist had not hud the least power more than
49 . 9
we have. He had laid aside his Godliead, and
wrought miracles as men are able to do."
'Fhey have a great devotion for the five red
wounds of the crucilixion, but that which Christ
received in his side is extolled above all the rest. — •
This is " dieir favorite wound, the very dear little
holy opening, the precious and thousand times pretty
little side." They kiss this wound, they kiss the
spear that ma<le it, and would kiss the soldier whose
hand had conduclfd the spear ; tliey thank liim for
it. It is m this opening tiiat the faithful rejioses
himself; there he breathes, there he sports, there he .
lays down sometimes length-wise, sometimes cross-
wise: there is his country, his house, his hall, his
little bed, his little table : there he eats, there he
drinks, there he lives, there he praises the dear little
Lamb.
'Fhe Hernliuters have this distinguishing charac-
ter of fanaticism, that they reject reason, reasoning
and philosophy. 'Fhe children of God do not in-
struct themselves out of books. To demonstrate
religion, to make it as evident as four times four
are sixteen, is an useless and superfluous labour. — •
Faith does not require the least demonstration. It
is brought forth in the heart by the Holy Ghost,
'^ihe children of God believe, because thty find
j)leasiire in believing. Nevertheless this faitli pro-
duced without reasoning, serves them instead of al[
other things. No other commandment should be
preached to men, than that of believing. This is
Count Zinzendorf's doctrine.
Regeneration comes of itself, without our being
required to do any thing towards it. It is a capital
truth, says our Moravian bishop, that such as have
not leceived grace, that are not yet children of
God, that have not yet a feeling of their reconcilia-
tion, that do not know yet upon what terms they
are with their Creator and Saviour, ought not to be
engaged to prepare themselves for it by any action,
good works, good resolutions. They must be told,
that ail that has *ljeeu believed hitherto to be a
preparation for coming to God, is rather an liin-
derance to their salvation. Itegenerationfis brought
about suddenly, all at once. One moment is suffi-
cient to make lis free to receive grace, to be trans-
formed to the image of the little Lamb.
A person regenerated enjoys great liberty. He
doth what the Saviour gives him an inclination to
do, and what he has no inclination for, he is not
obliged to do. He doth what the Saviour makes
him do, for he is the master, in w hose power it is
to make laws and to repeal them ; w ho at all times
can change the oeconomy of salvation ; make cri-
minal what was virtuous, aud virtuous what was
criminal.
it is wrong to say that a regenerated person doth
any thing ; properly speaking they do nothing. It
ACCOU^;T OF THE kORAVIAXS.
IS die Saviour that acts for them. He is with res-
pect to the Saviour as a chikl, whose hand one
guides, yet who beheves it is himself that works,
and rejoices at it.
On the great day of judgment the Henihutcrs
will not be placed on the Saviour's left hand among
those that are goats ; this is to be understood of
course. Nor will they be amongst those called the
sheep on the right hand of the_ judgment seat, ii
place of honour they look upon too mean to be
assiscned them. Count Zinzendorf tells us, that the
words, " Holy angels comnig with the Saviour m
Lis glory," denote the saints coming along with
him, and that the Hernhuters will be those saints
that accompany him. He adds, that such as do not
die Herr.h.uters, will have mercy on lliat day, i)ro-
vided tiiey think fiivourably upon their dying bed of
those belonging to tliat sect.
The circumcision of the Saviour has, according
to them, .served to sliew of what sex he Vvas. it
lias likewise restored to honour that part of the hu-
man body, which as a con.sequence of Adahi's fall,
vas become a disgrace to it ; insomucli, tliat it is at
present the most noble, and the most respectable
part of a man's body. The sisters are exhorted ne-
ver to think of it, but with sentiments of the most
profound veneration. They are even thought to
make a scruple of respecting men for any other rea-
son. The organ of generation of the other sex is
no less honourable It has been sanctified by the
birth of the Saviour. We abate of the strength of
our author's expressions whilst we abridge him, for
fear of offending the modesty of our readers.
All the souls are of the feminine sex. There are
only aiiinid', and no aninii, says the Moravian bi-
shop with great elegance. To think that there are
male souls, would be, according to this profound
divine, the greatest folly, a chimera, which ought
not to enter the thoughts of a Christian, were he
even in the midst of an high fever. Ail that is of
the male quality, and was adapted to our body, is
detached from it as soon as it is interred. It belongs
not to its natural and primitive st&te : it is an addi-
tion made to it afterwards : it is the seal of the office
■which the male sex is intrusted with. For, our sex
is an eiijployment, an office. Jesus is the spouse of
all the sisters, and the husbands, in the most pro-
per sense, are his procurators, his agents, in every
respect like those ambassadors in ancient times,
who, on marrying a princess in the name of their
master, put a booted leg in the wedding-bed. A
husband is also properly no more than a chamber-
lain of his wife ; his office is but for a time, and ad
interim. However, the titles which thecount gives
him are not less glorious : he is Vice-Christ, Vice-
God. The sisters are conducted to Jesus by the
ministry of their husbands, who thus are their savi-
ours in this world. When therefore a marriage 5g
mad(^, what is the reason of it ? Because there was
a sister, ^^ ho should be brought to the true spouse
by the incdialiun of such a prociirator. Count Zin-
zendorf, in a conference On this subject, held at
Osy with the seventh-day men, made use of the fol-
lowing expressions, which, to avoid scandal as much
as possii)!e, we shall soften a little :
" Christ in his person, is not only espoused, but
even weddi?d toe^ery Iteliever."
From w hat has been said, two consequences na-
turally result, which have not escaped the count. — ;
The one is, that whoever knows himself to be a man
ought to acknowledge the dignity that is in hi.n,
and honour the choice that has been made of his
person. The other, that marriage is the most pre-
cious depositum the Saviour has intmsted with I, is
church ; tliat is to say, without doubt, to the society
of Hernhuters, and the most important mysteiv to
which he has given them the key. Considering this
we cannot at all be sui prised at being told, that ihey
look upon all that art' married out of their society
to live in fornication and adultery.
The u'.ale sex consists of married men, unmarried
men, and widowers. According to their original
plan, all that had passed the twenty-tirst year, should
be married. After these years, say they, the state of
marriage is a brutish state, a state of madness, where
lio one knoweth himself.
Besides this division of men into these classes,
there is another more general one, by which they
are distinguished into two choirs ; one instructs the
m;irried people of both sexes, and the other the un-
married ones. Zinzendorf was very strict in his
discipline ; and indeed he seems to have had all that
austerity which constifnies the founder of a sect. —
In this he differed much from Christ ; for our Savi-
our not only went about doing good, but he never
refused to eat or drink with men, although of most
profane characters.
Such are the outlines of the history of these peo-
ple; but we shall consider them in a more extensive
point of view, after briefly stating some of their
opinions, as drawn up by Mr. Wesley; and then,
from their own writings, we shall see whether his
assertions aie true or false.
" They believe and teach, says ]\Ir. Wesley, that
Christ has done all that was necessary for the salva-
tion of mankind; that consequently we are to do
nothing, as necessary to salvation, but sincerely to
believe in him ; that there is but one command and
one duty now, namely, to believe in Christ; that
Christ has taken away all other commands and du-
ties, having wholly abolished the law ; that the be-
liever is therefore free Irom the law, and is not ob-
liged thereby to do or omit any thing, it being in-
consistent with his liberty, to do any thing as com-
ACCOUNT OF THE MOP.AVIANS.
r4;l
Bfianilcd. That there is no sucli iliina; as ik-grecs
in failh, or x\tak taiih, since iie has no lailli who h;is
anv (ioul)l or Icar. Thai we an- sanclitiid, wiioilv
thi' moment we -.ire jusliliid, and nt-illicr more nor
less lioly to the tlay ot" our death ; tiitirc sancalica-
tion and entire jiisiiticalion Ijeiiig in oiie and the
same iiilLiesl. I'hal a believer is nevef sanctified
or holv in himself, but in Christ only, lie has no
holnieis iu hnnself at all, all his holmess bring im-
puted, not inherent. That a man may feel peace
vhich passeth all undervtinding, ni;iy rejoice with
joy unspeakable and tnll of i;i<>ry, aud have the luve
of God and of all maiikiiui, with dunnnion over idl
sin; and yet all this ma'i be only nature, animal spi-
rits, or the force of nnagination. 'i'hat if a n)an
leu'ards prayer, or teaching the scriptures, is coin-
nioidy as niatteis of duty; if he judges himself
obliged to do these things, or is troubled when he
does them not. he is in bondage, ho has no faith
at all, but is seeking salvation liy tlie works of liie
law. That, theielore, till we believe, we ought
not to pray, search the scnptuies, or communicate.
We leave the reader to form w hat notion he pleases
of these sentiment," \hich border near upon the
Antinomiau scheme; but then he must hear what
they have to say for themselves, which we shall re-
late with the strictest impartiality, after we have
given the history of their missions.
History of the Missions of the Uiiiled Brethren, as
given hij t/wmse/ves.
The first mission sent out by the united brethren,
was to the Island of St. Thomas, the occasion of
which was as follows. A negro having come to vi-
.sit Hcrnhtiih in Germany, wliere these people were
settled, he told the brethren thai his mother, a negro
voman, w ho lived in that island, would be glad to
hear of the Saviour.
'J'his stirred up a desire in some to go thither, and
Leonard Dobee, afterwards a Moraviaii bishop,
resolved for the sake of these poor heathens, evin
to become a slave himself, if he could lind no other
means of preaching the gospel to the Negroes. He
went to St. 'ihomus's in the year 17^-, and began
to declare to them the word of revelation.
He was followed by others, and the testimony of
the death of the Lord of life and glory, for the shis
of the world, began to operate upon the hearts of
the poor negroes. In 173(j, the first of three ne-
groes who had embraced the gospel, was baptized,
and then a sort of opposition arose.
I'he white people, from some false principles,
hindered the conversion of the negroes to Christia-
nity. The uiissiouaries, and those negroes who
came to thi"'in to hear the piospol, were obliged to
endure and sufl'er much. 'J he late « ount Zin/en-
diirf, whose zeal fur the hap|)iiiess of his lellow crea-
tures, antl [)articulai ly of the he.idjens, toukl not
be restrained by any dilUcullies, ariived in the island
of St. '1 liomas in the year 17^!)- He found some
of the missionaries in prison ; but, upon his reque».t,
the governor set them at liberty. I'Vom that lime
the gospel has been prcaclwd thi-re uninleriupledly,
althijugh the negroes have, ever since then, undei-
<ione inanv hard-hips, and borne many artiiclions for
the sake ot the gospel.
The ministry of the brethien of St. Thomas, and
the two adjoining islands of St. Crux and St. Jan,
has been crowned with great success, so that many
thousands of poor benighted negroes have been en-
lightened, and have believed in the name of the Lord
Jesus, and been brought to the cnjoyineut of the
blessings purchased Iiy his blood.
Tliese negroes are also a proof that a genuine re-
formation in principles and practice is always inse-
parable from true conviction, and the proprietors
of the estates acknowh dge this tf> be the fiuit of the
gospel ; that their slaves, since tiny have believed in
Jesus, are become faithful, obedient, and diligent;
yea, the magistrates themselves have more than once
declared, that the baptized nations are a greater se-
ciM'ily to them than their forts. The brethren have
built chapels for the negroes for divine worship iit
each of the three Danish islands, and the number
of negroes who are now under the care of the bre-
thren, amount to about six thousand. Many of
these poor creatures are very pious, and when they
die, if is gentrrdiy in a triu!npliaiit manner, trusting
for salvation in the merits of Christ.
In the year 1754, some gentlemen of considerable
possessions in Jamaica, being much concerned for
the salvation of the souls of their poor negroes,
desired that a mission might be established in that
islam! which was agreed to; and they, with a zeal
tliat is uncommon this age, made the mission in the
beginning to be attended with gr( at success. This
mission has been the only one begun by us that met
with encouragement in the beginning. It was soon
seen diat the Holy Ghost had prepared the hearts
of many of the negroes to receive the gospel, and
some fruits appeared quickly. But though the
diihculiies from without were not ot such a nature
as to obstruct the labourers of the brethren, as was
apparently the case in other places, yet in a few
years, the seed which had sprung up seemed to whi-
ther and die away. But these last ve.rs, there has
been a most blessed revival, and the word has been
preached at several places in the island with such
success, that there are now several congiegations of
baptized negroes, who adorn the doclrnie of God
our Saviour.
7H4
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIANS.
'In tlie island of Antigua a mission has also been
established since the year 1756. 7"hough the pro-
gress of the gospel has not been so rapid, nor the
effects so striking here as in Jamaica ; yet many ne-
groes have received the word of atonement with
joy and are become partakers -of the redemption in
tlte blood of Christ. The brethren have a house
and chapel at St. .John's, where, according to our
latest accounts, many negroes attend the preaching
constantly. The brethren preach also to the negroes
on the several plantations.
The last mission sent to the Caribbce Islands was
•to Barbadoes. The negroes on this island were of-
ten the subject of the, thoughts and prayers of many
of the bretinen ; but when the way and manner of
establishing a nvission there was taken into conside-
ration, we suvi! difficulties which seemed jnsurmount-
»We. After-making an attempt which did not an-
swer, in tlie year 17G.3, a brother in England re-
solved to go thither, to attempt to bring the negroes
to tlie J«now-lcdge of the truth. He was joined soon
by aiKfthcr brother from America. These mission-
■ aries found favour in the eyes of some of the gentle-
Hicn of the island, and many negroes shewed a desire
to hear the glad tidings of redemption from sin by
tlie blood of Christ. The work of the Holy Ghost
was soon apparent. The missioiiaiies were enabled
to purchase a spot of ground, to tit up a dwelling
for themselves, and a hall in which the negroes
could meet. Many fruits already appear, and some
negroes have been baptized.
Jiesides these islands on which missions are esta-
blished, the brethren have visited several others;
and as the negroes, who have received the faith,
are often either solil or transported to estates of
:their masters' on otiier islands, they have brought
the glad tidings of great joy to the negroes there ;
and we have reason to believe, that they prove a
good savour, even .\\heie ihere are no established
missions.
We will now turn our eyes to Asia, though we
cannot give you so joylul an accoinit from that
quniter of the globe, as you have above from Ame-
rica.
In the year 1759, with the concurrence of the
court of Denmark and the Asiatic Company at Co-
pjnhagen, a cylony of brethren went to Traufpie-
Dar, in the neiglibomhood of which they formed a
Settlement, with a view to a mission muong the In-
dians on the coast of C<jromondel, and particularly
to establish a setlleJiient on the iSicobar Islands.
At length, in; the year 1708, tliey accomplished
wliat they had almost given up as impracticable, viz.
the establishment of a small Cidony in the Nicobar
islands. The Indians received them kindly, gave
tlieni land to live on, and, l)y the last accounts, we
have reason to believe, that as our brallireu learu
the language, these poor Indians will reap the bles-
sings of the gospel. Of the six who went the first
time to these islands, two departed this life very
soon.
Some brethren have also gone to Ceylon, at two
diflercnt times, to try, if possible, to bring the gospel
among the'^Cyngaiese ; but they could not obtain
their aim, though their abode there was not entirely
without fruit.
In the year 1747, two brethren went to Persia,
with the view of fmding the followers of the ancient
Magi or Gauri ; but tliey could not obtain their
aim, on account of the troubles of the war, which
raged there at that time.
The empress of Russia having granted the breth-
ren some land in the kingdom of Astracan, on the
banks of the Wolga, a colony is iiow established
there, ajid we are not without good hopes that God
will bless and enable them to bring the gospel
among the heathens who are on the borders of that
country, and who already -shew a particular affection
for them.
Thus in Asia a begimiing is made, and we cannot
but hope that our Lord, who has opened th.e door,
will grant us to see the same happy effects as are
evident in so many other places.
The fruilis of the travail of Christ's soul upon the
natives of this quarter of the globe, are seen in the
greatest numbers among the negroes in the Ameri-
can islands, who carne frory tlie coast of Guinea,
and other parts of Africa. Even as early as in the
year 1737, two brethren went to Guinea, to preach
the gospel to the negroes there; but one of them
departing this life soon after their arrival, no farther
attempt was niade to establish a mission on the coast
of Guinea till the year 1767, when, at the desire of
the African company at Copenhagen, and after an
agreement had been made by the said company, and
con(iniu?d by his Danish majesty, live breihren went
thither in one of lh<' company's shi|)s.
Ijiit Very soon after their arrival, three of them,
among the rest the chief missionary, were taken off"
by a malignant fever. The remaining two spent
some time m a cickly state at ihe Danish fort; but
last ycai' three bretliren more went to them, attended
by another to assist them in settling in their proper
habitation. One of the three who went last, de- '
parted this life toon after his arrival.
The Danish governor presented the brethren to the
king of Athem, who rtct ived them into his friend-
ship, and gave them leave to settle in any part of his
territories wherever they might chuse. Thereupon
they sought out a proper place, where, by the last
accounts, they were employed in building a house,
in order to enter upon the work of the mission.
An attempt has also been jnade to bring the gos-
_pel aiuony the Hjotieulots at the Cape of Good
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIANS.
74.';
Hope. Our brethren lived five years among thein,
begun a school for the cliilthi'ii, and baptizod iilso
seven adult Hottentots. 15ut certain circumstances
interfering, this mission could not be continued.
I could also give you an account of some other
attempts of the brethren towards the furtherance of
the kingdom of Jesus in Africa, but as they do not
properly belong to the class of missions among the
heathens, I shall only name two to you.
One of these attempts has the Copta in Egypt,
aiid Abyssinia for its special object; and three breth-
ren are now resident at Cairo iu Egypt, for that
purpose.
The aim of the other was directed to the salvation
of the poor Christian slaves in Algiers. Our brother
Kiciiter went thither in the year 1740, where he,
while preaching to the slaves sick of the plague, got
die same disorder, which proved the means of his
dissolution. Anothir brother staid there from the
year 1744 to 1748, serving, and preaching to the
slaves.
, 1 will not take up more of your time in relating
many other important and striking incidents attend-
ing our mission. But I cannot conclude this part
of my narrative without mentioning our present
attempts to form a mission on tlie coast of Labrador,
among the savage Esquimaux.
In tlie year. 1752, some merchants in London
fitted out a ship for that coast, and they had the
good intention of assisting the brethren to form a
mission among the Indians there. Accordingly four
missionaries went with this ship, and took the frame
of, and materials for, a house with them, intending
to stay in that country, and to dwell among the
Indians. They arrived safely upon the Cf>asl, and
the missionaries erected their house on a convenient
spot. The ship sailed further northwards, with a
view to trade, some Esquimaux came on board, and
appeared very kind and loving; but at length enticed
the mate, who was a brother, and some others away
from the ship, under the preteuce of trade, and then
murdered them.
After those on board had waited some davs in vain
for the return of their companions, they sailed back
to the place where the four brethren had built their
house, and from thence to Europe. The four mis-
.sionaries were obliged to return with the ship, to
help to work her ; though some of them left Labra-
dor with great reluctance, notwithstanding the im-
minent danger to which they would be exposeil, by
their slaying alone among the cruel savages. 'I'he
same vessel sadid thitiier again next year, and the
bodies of those «ho had been murdered were found :
but that was all they obtained by this vovage.
Still the Esqumiaux were objects of our ^special
atteiitiou ; and in the year 17(j4, a brother, who
had been in Greenland, and had learned the Green-
49
landish language, being impelled m his own mind
to go among the I'^squimuux, went with the blessnig
of the congregation to Newfoundland, and from
thence to Terra Labrador, where he, after suinicjunt-
ing many diflicidties, got a .-iglit of ihs Esquimaux.
It was a great joy to him, and no less a surprize to
them, that they could understand each other. J{y
this means it was discovered, that the supposition of
our brethren in Greenland, that the Esquimaux and
Greenlanders were originally the same nation, was
matter of fact ; and thus a friendly intercouse com-
menced between the brediren and Esquimaux.
In the year 17<)5, the same brother, with three
others, went again to Newfoundland and to the coast'
of Labrador, being encouraged thereto by the wor-
thy governor of Newfoundland, commodore Palliser,
by the Board of Trade and Plantations, and by the
J^ords of the Admiralty. Two of them went from
Newfoundland in a small vessel, to reconnoitre the
coast, but to little purpose. But the chief conse-
quence of this voyage was, that at length the Esqui-
maux came down to Chateau bay, and our brethren
had frequent opportunities to speak widi ihem of
their Creator and Redeemer, 'lliere was also a
peace and treaty concluded between the Esquimaux
and the English, and the former promised that they
would be obedient to his majesty king George, See.
By this interval the brethren and the Esquimaux be-
came better acquainted, and the latter invited the
former to come and live among them.
As it was the wish of the brethren to be a bles-
sing to this nation, and to reside among them, so
we could not but desire to have it in our power to
form a settlement among those heathens, and to have
such a parcel of land, that the Esquimaux who
sought their salvation, might dwell there together
unmolested. Application being made to govern-
ment for a grant of land, we met with all the en-
couragement we could wish ; but the execution of
the grant was delayed till the year 17')9.
In the mean time a conipany of Esquimaux com-
ing in the year 1708 to Chateau bay,, began again
their old practices of murdering and stealing. These
were attacked by a party of English, and several
were killed on the spot, and some taken prisoncjs
and brought to Newfoundland. But a woman, and
her son about six years old, and a boy of about
thirteen or fourteen years old, were brought to I'ing-
land. 'ihis boy was given by governor Palliser to
the brethren's society for the furtherance of the
gospel. The woman and her son were tieated with
great kindness, and her Royal Highness the Prin-
cess dowager of Wales, the duke of Gloucester,
and sundry persons of distinction took notice of her,
and loaded her with presents. She was sent back
with her son in the year 17')1), by the olbcer with
whom she came to England. The ubovc-mcntione*!
9 c
746
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIANS.
l)oy, wliose name was Karpik, lived some time witli
us in Clu isea, and was a real pleasure to all those
who saw him. He was lively, docile, and of quick
natural parts ; and though he had sometimes fits of
sulleniicss and obstinacy, yet in general he was very
good natured. He was in June 1769 sent to our
settlement at Fuhieck in Yorkshire, under the care
of one of the four brethren v\ho had made the
voyage to Labrador in 1765, and who could speak
Greenlandish.
Karpik was taught there to read and write, and
made a good proficiency. His kind guardian spoke
much with him of the miserable state of an unre-
conciled sinner, and of the love of his Creator. —
His heart was touched and often aflected, and he
could at last begin to ask questions upon these heads
himself. At length lie was taken ill with the small
poXi The missionary finding he was a proper ob-
ject, baptized him on his sick-bed, in the presence
of as many as the room where he lay could conve-
niently hold ; and the baptism was performed in the
Esquimaux language : soon after he, as the first fruit
of this savage nation, departed with joy, calling
upon the name of the Lord. We felt pain on ac-
count of this loss ; for we loved the youth, and
hoped, that he would in time prove of real service
to his nation.
Lvery thing touching the intended settlement be-
ing agreed upon, some brethren in London resolved
to form a company, and fit out a ship to carry the
missionaries to the coast of Labrador in order to vi-
sit the Esquimaux, to fix upon the land on which a
future settlement should be made, and to prepare
every thing in tlie best manner they could for that
purpose. Accordingly a ship was bought, and fitted
out and sailed in May 1770. Three brethren went
as missionaries, and several accompanied them as
assistants. Our Lord's providence procured us a
captain fit for the purpose. This voyage has been
crowned with success; they have been preserved
from great danger, and have been favourably re-
ceived by the Esquimaux, 'i'he missionaries have
jireached the gospel often to them in large and small
companies, and they have reason to hope, not
wjthout effect. Thus far the Lord has graciously
helped us.
Now we are preparing to form a settlement
among them, aud as the Esquimaux are noted for
their thieving, treacherous and cruel disposition, we
trust in the Lord, that he will protect our brethren,
vhen they live among them, aud help us also with
regard to the-*ousiderable expences this expedition
will be attended with. Having already greatly ex-
ceeded the bounds of this narrative, we will not
dwell upon other attempts of the brethren which are
now iu hand, but proceed to the question : By what
means are the brethren enabled to support such very
large undertakinsfs ?
Our missions among the heathens have been fur-
thered and supported with great zeal and concern of
heart by the late Count Zinzendorf, from their very
beginning, to his entering into the joy of his Lord.
At first the missions were but few, and the expences
required for their support did not aniOunt to very
considerable sums. But as the missions became
more numerous from time to time, some members
of the congregation, and other friends, found them-
selves moved to take share in, and promote, by vo-
luntary contributions, the furtherance of the gospel ;
and this they did either by assisting the brethren's
missions in general, or one or another mission in-
particular.
As these missions continually grew more and
more numerous and considerable, God has caused,
his kind assistance also to increase. ^ et now and
then, particularly when new establishments were
formed, the brethren who were appointed to provide
for the missions, have been obliged to borrow nxj-
ney for the purchaH of as much land as was need-
ful for the buikiing. of dwellings for the missiona-
ries, &c. till they were enabled to pay it off again,
as it came in. But that every thing relating to the
missions might be transacted iu a suitable aud or-
derly manner, sensible and faithful tneu are chosen
from time to time, at the synods of the u\iity, who
are appointed deputies to manage the diaconate of
the missions. They have the general care of the
external aifairs of the missions in all parts of the
world ; they receive the voluntary contributions
from the brethren's congregations and from other
fi iends ; for the missions have no other funds than
tliose contributions ; they do their utmost to defray
the necessary expences by this means, and they keep
regular accounts of the receipts and disbursements.
'J'he diaconate of the missions have not only the
care of providing for the missionaries on their vo}'-
ages and journeys by laud and sea;.of supporting
them, as far as lies in their power, A\hen they are
among the heathens ; but also of providing for their
children in the schools appointed for the education
of our children in Europe or America, and also for
the widows of such ^\ho depart this life iu the la-
bour among the heathens.
The brethren who at present are employed iu pro-
viding for the missions in general, have an arduous
task; they serve joyfully the work of Gtid among
the heathens without any salary, and their only re-
compence is, that they are employed in such an
important cause of cur Lord, and that they assist in
the propagation ot the gospel.
It would be impossible for these brethren to pro-
vide all that is required for the support of the mis-
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIANS.
747
•ions, if on tlic one Imnd the Lord liad not onkiiidlcd
a 2eul in our congregations, and in the iiearts ot the
members iheroof, and ot" thosi' tVii-nds out of our
ciri'le, who wish to see tlic kingdom of Ciod comr,
and who have been informed of the circumstiinccs
of our missions, to take share in, and to h'nd real
assistance to this work of dod, so that the poorest
are willing to throw in tiieir mites: and if, on the
other hand, our missionaries, and their assistants
among tlie heatlieus, did not make it tlieir concern
to be as frugal as possible. 'I'lie missionaries, as
much as their occupation in preaching the gospel,
and taking care of the souls of the poor heathens
vill permit, do their utmost to earn their own bread
by their own hands, and thus to ntake the care of
those employed in providing what is necessary for
the missions, as easy as possible to them. This is
more particularly the case in some places, as in St.
Thomas, where om- brethren have been able, through
llie regulations they have made, to provide for their
maintenance almost entirely ; so that now commonly
nothing falls upon the diaconate of the missions,
except the journeys and voyages thither ami back
again, and such extraordinary e.xpences, as building
of chapels, &c.
in the year 1T4'2, some brethren, who lived in
Ix)ndon, formed themselves into a society, by the
name of the Ihethren's Society for the furllierance
of the G(is[)cl, with a view to assist in this blessed
Uork, to which they were the more encouraged, as
a- great part of the missionaries who pass and re-
pass, naturally go by the way of London. This
little society in the beginning did more than they
themselves, at first, could have expected. It was,
liow( vtT, for Several years in a declining state. ]{ut,
about two years ago, the old members of the society
formed themselves anew into a body, to which they
added several others. Since then they have con-
tinued in a state of blessed activity, and been en-
abled, by their own voluntary contributions, by gifts
from friends out of our circle, and by two small
legacies, to lend real assistance to the missionaries
who have passed through London, and among the
rest they have defrayed the wlioie of the passage of
the missionaries who went this year to the coast
of Labrador; and they hope, by tlie blessing of the
Lord, to lend considerable assistance to the estab-
lishment of the mission settlement on that coast
ne.\t spring.
Thus they afford a great assistance to the general
diaconate of the missions. ^ ou havt a more full
accoinit of this Society for the furtherance of the
Ciospil, ill a letter from J. II. to a friend, published
ill the year 17(38.
1 cauuot conclude w ithout observing, that as there
is no fi.\ed salary settled upon any missionary, nor
any prospect of their ever gaining the least pecu-
niary advantrfTC by their entering into this service,
nothing but the love of Christ can constrain them
to ('iigage in this work; and their only re^^ard is,
when they see the heathens, overcome by I)i\ine
grace, bo\^ing their knees unto, and joining already
here below in praising " the Land; that was slain,
who has loved us, and washed us from our sins iu
his own blood."
Kotwitlislanding all the regulations made, as
above related, we are often in pain that it is not in
our power to give more eflfectual assistance to those
who, in the service of our Lord among tlie heathens,
venture tlieir lives, and carry their souls in their
hands, and to render their arduous work more easy
to them.
Thus, my dear friend, I have given yon a brief,
though a much longer account, than I intended.
He who has bought the souls of men with his
own blood, and who " shall have the heathen for his
inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for
his possession," be praised for what he has d(jne by
means of the brethren : and I am persuaded, that all
those who love the Lord Jesus Christ, and wish for
the happiness of their fellow -creatures, will join in
prayer, that the Lord of the harvest may continue
to bless and prosper this important work, until " the
knowledge of the Lord coverelh the earth even as
the waters cover the sea."
The Esquimaux, who arc the inhabitants of the
coast of Labrador, have been hitherto known under
no character but that of thieves, murderers, and
savages; but the brethren of the mission found them
much deticient from what they had been represented.
They found they were the same with those in Green-
land, from the similarity of their language, and the
aflinity of their customs. Many brelhrm offered
themsehes to enter upon tliis arduous undertaking,
though they were not ignorant of the dangers that
attended it. Out of these, three married couple,
one widower, and seven (ingle men were fixed upon
to begin this settlement. 'I'lie names of them were
as follow^ :
Jens Haven, who was the first biothcr that went
in searcli of the Esquimaux, felt that even before he
went to Greenhiiul, an impulse to carry to this sa-
vage nation the gospel of their redemption; and un-
dismayed by the many difficulties and dangers which
he had met with, and might still have to encounter,
he went with his wife in his company.
'I'iie next was CInistiau Laersen Draheut, an old
missionary, who had served the Lord twelve years
among the Greenlanders, waited as a widower many
yeajs, with earnest desire that the door might be
opened to the Esijuimaux, and that he might end
his days in the ministry of the gospel among them.
He accordingly set sail the third lime for the coast
of Labrador.
74S
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIANS.
The tliird was Clirifitoplier Braasin^ a physician
and surgeon, who was stirred up in his visit to
Greenland; he devoted himself to the service of the
Lord, and amongst these savages went thither with
his wife.
Next to him was John Shneder, born in Moravia,
who had been also several years an assistant to the
mission in Greenland, but afterwards waited a con-
siderable time in America, till the door should be
opened to the Esquimaux ; but at length he obtained
his wish to have his wife along with him to Labra-
dor.
Joseph Necesser was another valuable and pioiis
assistant, who had been many years in Greenland;
and along with him was Stephen Sensoii, who had
for some time the cave of the mission. To these
were added, four other brethren, who were all un-
married, but who did every thing in their power to
promote the gospel amongst the heathens.
These came altogether from their different habi-
tations to Lindsey-house, in Chelsea; and their
simplicity, indefatigable zeal, and elevatedness of
thoutjht, were an edification to all those who con-
versed with them.
At the request of some of the brethren, it was
resolved upon to send out more missionaries to con-
vert the heathens, and to collect among themselves
sums sufHcJent for that purpose. As it was neces-
sary that the missionaries should be provided with
every thing that was w anting, tJierefore the materials
of a house were formed at Chelsea, and constructed
•in such a manner that the whole could be easily
taken in pieces, and as easily formed together. This
was done in order to aeconmiodate them when they
arrived at a distant shore, where they migiit be in
want of the common necessaries of life. Bricks,
mortar, boards, shingles, cast iron stoves, and all
necessary furniture, was provided for them, partly
here, and partly in Newfoundland. And as they
had but very little hopes 'if procuring their subsist-
ence by husbandry or fishing, [therefore a quantity
of suitable provisions for a year at least, and cloaks
proper for that inhospitable climate were sent with
them. Though w:hat was provided was scanty, yet
they received it with great thunkfulne?s ; and their
joy in hopes of being a blessing to the Esquimaux,
made them superior to all the difticulties and in-
conveniences.
Government Shewed a kind attention to their
safety; and Mr. Byron, who succeeded Sir Hugh
Palliscr in tlie government of Newfoundland and
Labrador, was so good as to issue a proclamation,
forbidding every one to molest the brethren in Uieir
settlement, or to give them any disturbance what-
ever. The owners, who had resolved to pu! chase a
ship merely for this mission, had iu the preceding
years sustanied a considerable loss, and yet tliey
determmed to purchase a larger ship, for the carry-
ing the brt^tluen to Labrador, they being paid by
the brethren's society for propagating the gospel.
Every thing benig prepared for the vo\age, they
were, at a solemn meeting at tlie brethren's chapel)
in Eetter-lane, London, on May 5, 1771, recom-
mended in a sincere and aftecting prayer, to the
gracious protection and keeping of our Father in
heaven, and to the grace and presence of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and to tlie kind guidance of the Holy
Ghost. On the 8rii of the same month, they went
on board the ship with contident and joyful hearts,
and arrived, after a tedious and troublesome voyage,
at St. John's, in Newfoundland, on the iirst of July.
They met here with much kindness from some of
the inhabitants ; and having soon completed their
stores, sailed on the 7 th for Labrador.
This last part of their voyage was still more dif-
ficult and dangerous. They were often obliged, on
account of storms, to run into bays between num-
berless islands and sunken rocks, with which this
coast abounds. They %vere often environed with
great mountains of ice, and ice-tields, which were
terrible to the veiy mariners : but the Lord iielped
them out of all the dangers with which they were
encftmpassed, and gave them the joy to see, inett,
and speak, at sundry times, with some of the Esqui-
maux. As soon as the Indians heard that they were
brethren who would dwell among them, and that
Jens Ingoak, little Jens, so they called brother
Haven, was there, they expressed much joy, and
were very ready to sei-ve them, by giving them direc-
tions how to find the harbour which they had chosen
the foregoing year. They cast anchor in the desired
haven, on the 9th of August; and their first busi-
ness was to return tlianks and praises to the Lord,
whose help they had so often experienced.
They went on shore the next day, being the 10th
of August, to take a nearer view of the ground, and
to fix upon the spot on which they would erect
their house. One of the texts appointed for that
day in ail the brethren's congregations was particu-
larly expressive and encouraging. It was,
" Thou shall bring them in, and plant them in
the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O
Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in,
in the sanctiiary which thine hands have established."
Exod. .\v. l6. To which was added the collect,
" We surely arc a work of thine own hand,
" Thy souls, on whom thou'st deign'd thy blood
to spend,
" By thy holy spirit to tliee directed,
^' A cov'nant people, by free grace elected
" To endless bliss."
ACCOUNT OF THE ^lORAVIANS.
749
They immediately set about erecting their house,
inclosed it with palisades, and were so far ready, on
the 22d of September, that they could enter into it
and lodge in two rooms ; and the wortliy captain,
»\vho had, witk his crew, given them all possible
assistance, could set sail for England on the '24th of
September.
The place which tlic brethren have cliosen for
their hajjitalion upon the main land, is so situated,
that both the Nunentruak tribe, who dwell on the
islands between them and the open sea, an<l the Es-
quimaux, who usually go from the south to the
north and back again, pass by it , a^d thus they have
(an opportunity to hear the gospel there.
Brother Drachart began directly to preach the
gospel of reconciliation to the savages, while the
rest of the brethren were employed m building. —
Their situation was critical, it was, as one of them
writes, as if each with one of his hands wrought in
the work, and with the other held a weapon; for it
^ was necessary for them to use all precaution, and to
P be constantly upon their guard against the attempts
of a nation, to whom stealing and murdering were
become, through habit,, a second nature. But,
praised be God, who pitserved them with such a
powerful arm, and who turned the hearts of the
Esquimaux to such friendship towards the brethren,
thai there was no occasion to make u.se of any kind
of weapons against them. The brethren soon dis-
covered a very considerable difterence between the
conduct of these savages now, and when they first
saw them. Formerly they were bold and impudent,
and looked upon the Europeans as upon dogs, giving
them the appellation Kabluners, that is, barbarians,
but called themselves Innuit,^ which signifies men.
Now they expressed ihcir desire to hear the good
Dews, and shewed, of their own accord, that they
had no secret murdering knives concealed in llieir
sleeves, nor bows and arrows, nor darts hid in their
kajaks, small boats, sharp at both ends, the ribs are
made of wood; these are covered altogether with
seal-skin, in the middle is a hole, into which the
man thrusts his legs, and tlie lower part of his body,
and sits wish his legs e.\tended. These boats hold
but one man, who makes use of a paddle, and can
get very speedily forward.
They began to prove by facts, that their usual
address to the brethren, when they first met them,
' Ikingutegekpogut, we are friends, was truth, and
flov\ed from their hearts. The brethren therefoic
conclude the journal which they sent to Eumpe
with these words : " We luive reason to thank our
Lord for preserving us hitherta beyond all our ex-
pectations, and all our brethren and sisters, and
iviends, who hear this, will praise the Lord with
us."
The owners resolved to scud the ship again in
50 9
tiie spring of 1772, but as their fonner loss was con-
siderably increased by the lust voyage, they deter-
mined to send her to fish upon the banks of New-
foundland, before she sailcil to Labrador with the
provisions sent for the brethren's use this year.
The ship stayed longer out than was expected, and
did not return to London until December. '1 his
delay gave us much concern, and we were not with-
out painfid a]ipreliensions ; but our good brethren
in JSaiu had reason to have more frigliilul and anxi-
ous thought 'on account of the ship's remaining sq
long absent from them.
After the de[)arture of the ship in the foregoing
year, they had enough to do lo finish their house,
and to secure themselves against the cold which is
nmch more intense there than in Greenland, ulthougli
their house is almost seven degrees more to the south
than our settlement in that country. The ice does
not thaw, so as to clear the harbour, till towards the
end of June.
Though they did all in their power to obtain fresh
provisions by hunting, fowling, and fishing, yet they
got but a very su\all quantity, having shot but two
rein-deers, and ai)out an hundred ruypers, a bird a
little bigger than a partridge. This was certainly
but a small pittance for such a large family.
As the ship, after having concluded the fishing oa
the banks, had a very slow passage to Labrador by
reason of contrary winds and much ice, and did not
reach Unity-harbour until the end of October, the
brethren began to give up all hopes of her arrival,
and of their getting any provisions this year. They
had but two pieces of flesh-meat left, and very little
of other provisions, and had the dismal prospect of
starting for want of the necessaries of life. They
therefore sought out and gathered all the red and
black berries under the hills, dried them, and laid
them carefully by. From the Estiuiniaux they could
expect little or uo assistance, notwithstanding the
good will several of them testified ; for these poor
improvident savages suft'er often themselves so great
want, lliat some, almost every year, die through
hunger.
Thus situated, their distress was turned into the
greater joy, when the ship at last, contrary to their
expectations, appeared in Unity-harbour on the CHtli
of October. In their letters they express themselves
on this occasion thus :
" Had you seen the joy that reigned among ns,
when we heard that the ship was arrived, you would
certainly never forget it; for wc had given her up,
and had devoted ourselves to the most extreme de-
gree of poverty. I cannot say that a dejected
spirit ruled among us befori-, but we were resolved
to surrender ourselves uj> lo all cireunistances, hop-
ing and trusting that he who has sent us hither,-
who has counted our hairs, and without whuse pci*-
760
ACCOUNT OF TfiE MORAVIANS.
mission none of them could f;ill the o-roimd, would
preserve us." In another letter it is remarked,
"The ship's staying away so long had two effects;
first, it convinced us that nothing was impossible to
the Lord, and that he can command the seas that
they sliouid remain open, that, though so late in
the year, the ship could come hither. Secondly,
it made us more thankful for the provision sout to
us."
Touching the main object of their settlement, one
of them writes as follows :
" The word of the cross, and of the great atoning
sacrifice, has been, at every opportunity, yea witli-
- out cessation, preached by ns unto the Esquiinanx.
Brother Drachart has pai ticularly shewn great faith-
fulness iR-rein ,- for he scarcely e^ers]>eaks with them
of any thing else. They hear it, and for the great-
est part wonder at it. Sometimes they will not hear,
but go away from him, arid begin to laugh ; yet he
is still patient, and goes on in hope. \\v discover,
however, joyful traces in some, that the word of
the cross, which can even melt rocks, does not re-
turn without leaving some effects on one or another
of them. May our Saviour grant that it may soon
take deep root in their hearts !"
Notwithstanding the excessive cold in winter,
some of the missionaries ventured to go over the ice
and snow on a visit, and to preach the gospel to the
< Esquimaux in their winter houses, which are built
of pieces of snow.
I'he manner of forming these houses is this : they
chuse a large drift of snow, dig an oval hole in it as
Jafge as they want the house. They then cut out
pieces of snow of three feet long, two feet broad,
and one foot thick ; with these they arch over Hiis
hole. Instead of a window, they cut a hole in the
arch, and fix in a slab of ice, which gives tolerable
light. Tliey dig a long crooked low entry through
the snow to the dwelling, and use a slab of frozen
, snow for the door. They leave an elevation of
about twenty inches in the midst of the house, on
which they lay skins and sleep.
The missionaries were not only received and
Jodged in a very friendly manner by the Esquimaux,
but they were constantly visited by numbers of them
as soon as they could drive from their habitations on
the island to the brethren's dwelling, over the fro-
2en sea, on sledges drawn by dogs. And as soon as
the ice was gone, the visits were still more nume-
rous.
Thes sledges are sometimes drawn by fourteen,
by twenty, yea, they have seen twenty eight dogs
before such a sledge. 7'hey run all abreast. Their
harness is all bound together in a thick thong, which
passing through a strong ring, is fastened to a sledge.
The driver also binds all the reins together; his
whip has a handle of about ten inches or a foot
hnig, but the lash is from twenty to twenty-four feet
in length, and he can govern his dogs tolerably ex-
pertly. These poor dogs are all half starved ; they
frequently eat their harness^ and are then beaten most
unmercifully.
The Esquimnux can go much more conveniently
from place to place in their kajaks and women's,
boats, w hen the water is open, tlian on their sledges
over the ice, and are not so much exposed to the
cold, 'i'liis is the reason of the visits being more
numerous in summer than in winter;
The confidence of the savages to the brethren,
had increased in -such a manner, that they asked their
advice in all their circtmistances. A particular in-
stance of their confidence and attention to the bre-
thren had occurred this year. There arose such a
quarrel betvvecn some of the Esquimaux of Nnnen-
guak and Ai-bartok, that the latter threatened to
murder the former. Those of Nuncnguak therefore
tied to the brethren and desired their i)rotection. — •
I'he brethren would not disappoint their good ccm-
fidence, but promised to protect them, upon condi-
tion that they would concur with them in endea-
vouring to make peace bctrveen them and their ene-
mies. Not long after, one of their enemies, who
vsas resolwd upon murder, came also upon the bre-
thren's land. i?y the desire of these Esquimaux,
who complained of this man, and who were ten in
number, among whom was Tugluina; the husbtuid
of the \\ ell-known woman Mikak, and his brother
Seguliak, a meeting was appointed between him
and them, in the presence of the brethren.
The ten accusers, one after die other, delivered
their testimonies against the accused, and he de-
fended himself as well as he could ; but they pushed
him so hard, that at length he began to weep. Then
brother Drachart began to shew unto them, that
God would, by this opportunity, convince them of
their wretched condition, and bring tliein into ano-
ther and happier way of thinking. He asked the
accused, whether he was sorry for his wicked mur-
dering thoughts and intentions ? whether he would
lay them aside, and would for the future love his
countrymen as his brethren .' and some more such
questions. As he answered all these questions in
the affirmative, and not without emotion, he then
addressed the accusers, and asked them whether they
would forgive all that had passed, make peace, and
would also for the future love him as their count y-
man? Nine of them expressed their readiness to for-
give him, but one would not give an answer. Bro-
ther Drachart took this man aside into his chamber,
and asked him why he would not forgive ? At first
he replied, that he did not believe that the accused
meant honestly what he spoke with his lips. Dra-
chart represented unto him, that God could change
the hearts ; that he himself had such a bad heart that
ACCOUNT OF TOE MORAVIANS.
7.51
God must change it, t\-hy then would lie not fMgive
his countrvinan i' 'l'hroui;h this conNersation he be-
came so tender, that he derluied his willingness to
lay aside all enmity. lie went back iiiio the assem-
bly with Draihart, and publicly declared his readi-
ness to forgive. 'I'lius peace \%as not only es^a-
blislied among thcMi, but the Ksquiinaux resolved
among themselves, that when any ilitlerences should
for the future arise, or evil iv|)ovts he spread of each
other, they would go directly to the brethren, heg
to have such another meeting, and make up their
diftereuces amicably. Thus the Lord approved his
servants to the savages as peace-makers, and thereby
strengthened their faith, that he vould, in his good
time, open their hearts and ears, that lluy may be-
come obedient to the faith.
With this hope, and with an emboldened mind,
they concluded the first year of their abode among
these savages ; and by the accounts received of their
preservation and cheerful perseverance in the work
of the Lord, the congregations of the brethren were
tilled with praise and thanksgiving.
We cannot help mentioning, that sister Haven
was delivered of a son, uho was baptized in the
Esquimaux language, and called John- Benjamin. —
The Esquimaux were exceeding fond of this child.
Another sister was delivered, but the child was still-
born.
But with a view to come more to the assistance
of the mission by council and deed, both in their
internal and external affairs, the brethren to whom
the svnod has committed the government of the
chuixhes resolved to send one of their members to
Labrador in the spring of 1T7'3. For this purpose
thev pitched upon the Rev. Paul E. Layritz ; and
notwiihsianding his age being then sixty-six, he de-
clared with cheerfulness his readiness to undertake
this difHcult and dangerous voyage. His wife also
determined to go with him, to be a comfort and
pleasure to the three sisters at Nain.
lliey resolved to go on board a ship that was to
sail for iSewfoimdIand, and either to stay on board
•while they were tishing, or to wait at St. John's till
the ship should return from the banks, an;l then em-
bark for Labrador.
The owners of the ship were again losers, and
therefore under the necessity of making an addition
of fifty pounds to every hundred of the original
stock, to enable them to tit out the ship for the next
voyage. However, they ventured to resolve upon
the purchase of a small vessel, which could carry
brother and sister Layritz, and brother Beck to La-
brador, as soon as the ice would permit.
Brother Beck was the eldest son of John Beck,
the oldest missi' ..ary to Greenland, but was educated
from his seventh year in Germany, and some years
ago was sent back to be thoroughly instructed iu the
Greenland language by his father ; and thn.<t he was
properly qualihed to be employed among the Esqui-
maux.
They arrived safe and well in the harbour of St.
John's on May Mh, and much kindness was shewn
to them by Mr. Burnet, at that time judge of the
. Vice-admiralty court, to whom the worthy governor
Shuldham had recommended Mr. Layritz, as al.so
by several other worthy gentlemen. In all these
undertakings tiny met with great success, and it may
be justly said, that the gospel flourished under their
preaching.
After Capt. Mngford and brother John Hill had
purchased and fitted out a small sloop, brother Lav-
litz and his company embarked on the 22d of I\laV,
on board this little sloop, from twenty-five to thirty
tons burden, called the George, commanded by Mr.
Wilson, and sailed for Labrador: but al'ter sailinw
three days, they were stopt by a held of ice, which
extended beyond the bounds of their sight, and were
obliged to run with a contrary wind, and in a storm
into the bay Notre- Dame.
Eight days alter, they ventured, in company with
another sloop from I'ogo, to sail through the broken
pieces of ice but were under the necessity of return-
ing to the bay, and got back to their former place
with great danger. At length they set forward on
their voyage, sailing slowly along the coast, and on
the 2-Hh of June they made the soufliern coast of
Labrador, and the next day got sight of the Esqui-
maux in the eight kajaks. These, on being called
to, in the maimer and words usunl in Greenland,
soon came on board, behaved friendly, and were
very attentive while some Greenland verses were
sung, concerning the redemption by our Saviour.
They invited the bretliren to visit them on Camp
island, where they had pitched their tents. The
sloop accordingly sailed thither, and although these
Esquimaux, who dwell to the south, and are called
Arbartoks, are of the worst kind, yet they received
their visit in a very friendly manner, about lifty old
and young Indians heard the gosjrel, which brother
Layritz preached to them in their wooden tents, and
brother Beck interpreted; they listened with eager
attention, and promised to visit tlie brethren in
Nain, and to hear more of the.sc good words. Some
days after, some of their countrymen, about two
hundred in number, in six shallops, met the litthe
sloop on the coast, surrounded her, and behaved so
peaceably, that they did not look like the former
thieving and murdering ICsquimaux. They all knew of
the brethren in Nain, and some related that thev had
slept there last winter, and that they had heard there,
from brother Drachart, the very same good words
which brother Layritz now told them.
At length they reached the latitude of Nain, after
having escaped many dangers, and particularly one
752
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIANS.
on the lotTi of Jnly, when they run upon a slioal,
and were obliged to unload the vessel upon an island
that lay near them ; and thus, through the grace of
God, they got off without damage. Here they were
at a loss, not knowing how to steer safely througli
the islands and rocks which extend far into the sea
before Unity-harbour ; but they got sight of an
Esquimaux woman's boat, the owner of which
offered to pilate them through Byron's-Road to
ISain.
What they call a woman's boat, is a large boat,
t^ie ribs of which are made of wood, but the whole
is covered with seal-skin. One of these boats will
lipid a ^^hole family, with their utensils, and a great
number of dogs. They are always rowed by the
women, and therefore called women's boats.
Thus they arrived safe and well in Unity-harbour
on Jidy '23th, and were received with the greatest
joy, which the brethren and sisters expressed by
floods of tears, as their visit was quite unexpected,
and particularly because a sister was come to them.
The very tsrjuimaux, who to the number of two
hundred, had pitched twenty-one tents on tlie strand,
were full of joy. Eighteen kajaks came to meet the
sloop as she ran into the harbour, and weie hung to
the sloop on the right and on the left, and the Es-
quimaux came on board to welcome the visitors.—
When they landed, they were surrounded by two
hundred, younjj and old, and escotted by them to
the house of the missionaries with every token of
At the numerous visits of the Esqunnaus, of
Mhom thirty-six tents full had been there at once in
the beginning of July, the missionaries were used to
visit them every morning in their tents, and to in-
quire, whether they had kept what they had heard,
in an honest and good lieart f Towards evening they
had always a meeting Avitii the Esquimaux, to which
■they were called by tl^e sound of a bell. In these
meetings, first a verse out of the Greenland Hvmn-
Jsook, was given out and sung, which many of them
retain, both as to the words and tune, so that they
can join very wtH in singing them. After this the
gospel was preached to them in a concise manner.
Sometimes ihey were asked, whether they uiKler-
stood what they had heard ? and upon their desiring
it, it was farther explained to them. The Esqui-
maux thcDiselves often ajsked for a more particular
explanation. In the first meeting, at which brother
Liayritz was present, he delivered a short discourse,
which brother Drachart interpreted : then one of
the most distinguished heads of a family, (for there
are no national chiefs or heads either among the
Gveenlanders or Esquimaux. They are all equals,
though some Angekoks, v\ho are cunning, and have
bodily strength, have some influence upon their
touutrymen, but not as cliief or head). The head
of a family, who has naturally an authority o-ve.r his
family, stood up, and answered in the name of the
rest, that they were not only very thankful to the
brethren that they came unto them, dwelt aniono'
them, and told them such good words, but, he added,
" we will give our hearts to the Saviour," Mhotn
they call Anaursisok, " we will .Relieve in, and love
him."
They also declared the same, some days after, in
the presence of lieutenant Curtis, who had been
sent by the governor in a king's schooner, to see
how the brethren went on, and at tlie same time to
survey the coast.
Upon this occasion, about thirty of the heads of
families were assembled. Mr. Curtis desired bro-
ther Drachart to inform them, that his excellency
the governor had given orders to acquaint them
that they must leave off stealing and murdering : for
whosoever should be found guilty of these crimes
for the future, must be punished with death. Fur-
tliei', they should go no more to the south under
pretence of getting wood for their bows and arrows-
but if they were under necessity to go ihitlier, they
should not do it without taking with them a certifi-
cate from the brethren. Hereupon (hey replied, It
ic right that a thief and murderer be punished with
death, for he deserves it ; but since they had heard
the gospel of Jesu^, they had no more stolen or mur-
dered, and they would for the future, do so no more.
They had not been at the south these three years,
since they, the Nunenguaks, had heard the gover-
nor's proclamation ; and if any of them should be
obliged to go to the south, they would bring a letter
from their brethren, meaning the missionaries. Mr.
Curtis assured them of the love of the king and of
the governor, and they expressed their thankfulness
in a very hearty and friendly manner.
This testimony must, agreeable to the truth, be
given to them., that they became from time to time
more attached to, and more confident towards thp
brethren. When they go from Nain to the islands
or the; sea, they commit the goods they most value
to the brethren to keep for them ; yea, they often
leave their wives and children under the inspection
and care of the brethren until tluy return. On this
account the brethren resolved to build a store-house
for them, in w hich they can lay ^ip such provisions
as th«y can procure and sjtare in summer, that so
they may be able to dwell with the missionaries in
winter, and to hear the word of God daily and
richly.
It cannot he said as yet with certainty that they
are convert; d, r.nd therefore the missionaries will
not baptize any, tiil they iind souls who ar«. truly
awakened by the Holy Ghost, and- are indeed ear-
nestly concerned and desirous to obtain grace,
ihrough the redemption by tiie blood of Christ. It
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIANS.
wust however be owned, that the preaching of tlic
gospel unto them has not been in vain. The gnat-
eat pail of those who dwell around the missionaries
arc often much aflccted at what they hear of liie
Saviour of sinners, and have a respect and awe for
llie uaaic of Jesus. But it is very hard to convince
them of their sinfulness and corruption ; for although
tiiey were forineily the most abject slaves of their
brutal passions, and committed all manner of tleshly
sins, theft and murder, yet they know how to ex-
cuse tl)euiselvcs with all kind of subterfuges as well
as the I'Airopeans.
The liars comfort themselves and make use of the
plea, that they are no thieves ; the thieves that they
are no murderers ; and the murderers that they are
not as bad as the Kablunets. And although they
have some notion that there is a great Lord, who
created heaven and earth, yet they have no kind of
divine worship among them, or any way of paying
devotion to this Creator.
They seem to be also without any sense of con-
demnation, and are always very expert at stilhng
remorse of conscience. But since they have heard
the gospel, they begin to see and acknowledge the
heinousncss of sin, also to confess that tliey are
sinners, 'and many feel the necessity of having a
Saviour. The divine efficacy of the gospel has
approved itself unto them. The example of the
missionaries and their assistants, and their walking
conformable to the gospel, is a confirmation of
what is preached unto them, and attended with
pleasing eftect, that the Esquimaux instead of being
as formerly, like a herd of wild boars on the forest,
appear now, as brother Drachart expresses it,
" like a flock of sheep round about the brethren."
Formeily, no European would have ventured
himself alone with the Esquimaux, or have spent a
night with them on any consideration: but now the
missionaries visit them in their winter habitations at
a considerable distance from Nain, sleep among them
many nights successively, preach theie the gospel to
tliem, reprove them on account of their heathenish
custon:s, and even stop the months of their Ange-
koks, or pretended conjurors, ordering them to be
silent, in the midst of their incantations.
Nothing can be said to all this, but, This is the
Lord's donig ! Eor the poor Esquimaux are so be-
MJtched with the fable of Toiigaisuk, the evil spi-
lit, and their Torngaks, or familiar spirits, that ihcy
undertake nothing vithout consulting them, and
are terribly afraid of them. They have among them
even women, called Uliseitsoks, who pretend to
have such a spirit, that make a kind of rumbling
uoise in ihtir bodies, which noise these women af-
terwards explain, and that is looked upon as a pre-
diction. They are so attached to lliese old fables
50 9
and deceits, that it is very difficult to turn them from
them. They would gladly keep their Torngaks,
and at the same lime believe in our Saviour. I'he
Angekoks observe, that by preaching of the gosjiel,
their craft is in danger of being entirely ruined, and
therefore use all their cunning and influence tha^the
poor Esquimaux may not become believers.
All this makes the following example, which
occurred in the foregoing year, the more remark- V
able :
A man, whose name was Annauke, departed this
life, calling ujion the name of the Lord Jestis. The
biethren saw him the first time, four years before,
at Chateau-bay, when the peace was made by go-
vernor Palliser with the Esquimaux, lie then had
all the appearance of a thief and murderer ; but in
the following years, heard the gospel frequenlly,
and experienced the power thereof in a renrarkable
maimer, so that his features w ere softened, and from
a bear he became a lamb. He pitched his tent iu
Nain, stayed there, iu the year 177'^, till autumn,
and iu November removed to his winter-house,
which was at a considerable distance from the bre-
thren. He came sometime after from thence, and
that on foot, to Nain, merely to hear the gospel.
Towards the end of the year and the beginning
of January it is not possible, either for the Euro-
peans or Esquimaux, to pass or repass, as there are
then commonly the greatest falls of snow, the ice
first sets in, but is not passable on the sea. There-
fore the brethren heard nothing more of Annauke
till brother John Schneider visited the Esquimaux
in their winter-houses, and Annauke's wife came
herself in February to the brethren in Nain. Theu
the brethren heard that Annauke fell sick in De-
cember , and it was soon evident that his end ap-
proached.
The Esquimaux are so extremely afraid of death,
that they are shocked and terrified to hear even the
name of a dead j)erson mentioned. But Annauke
turned to our Saviour, and decland that he did not
chuse to stay any longer in the world, but would go
unto him. His wife, Niviarsina, when she observ-
ed that his end approached, began, according to th«
custom of the Esquimaux, to howl and cry, and
asked him, " O, my dear husband, wilt thou leave
me and thy two children?" The dung Annauke
answered, " Weep not, 1 go to the Saviour, who
loves mankind so much."
This was the more striking, as he had no Chris-
tian at liand to instruct him, nor none near him
whom he might be desirous to please, by speaking
of Jesus and expressing his reliance upon, and love
to him. And what was still a more ch ar proof
that this was the efi'ect of a real work of the Holy
Ghost in his heart, was, that he, as the Angekoks
754
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIANS.
who lived in the same place, related to brother
Drachart will disp!e;'sure, would not have an An-
gekok to come to him !ii siciviiess, althoug'h the Es-
quinjaux, as soon as they tall sick, send threctiy for
an Angekcik, who acts the physician, making use
of certain spells over the sitk for their rec:jvery. —
Yea, Annauke since his death, is commonly des-
cribed by the Esquimaux themselves, as the man
vrhom the Saviour took to himself. The mission-
aries, therefore, by all that they before had seen
and heard of this man, and by the manner of his
departure out of this life, can justly look upon him
as the firstling in that country, upon Mhom o»n' Sa-
viour certainly fulfilled his word, " Him that cometh
to me, I will in no wise cast out."
The above instance gave the brethren more cou-
rage to form a class of catechumens of some in
whc«e hearts there appeared evident traces of the
work of the Holy Ghost. In this class they are to
be more particularly instructed in the ways of
God.
The brethren have also resolved to erect a proper
church for the Esquimaux, in which the gospel may
be preached to some hundreds at once, as the room
ill which they have preached in their house is much
too small.
Certain it is, that the missionaries and their assist-
ants lead a most difficult, inconvenient, and to flesh
and blood, uncomfortable life in this rough and in-
hospitable climate. Tlie cold is, as has been alrea-
tly mentioned, and as the thermometer proves, much
more intense than in Greenland. And although
they burn in their large stoves of cast iron great
quantities of wood, by day and night, yet the win-
dows atjd walls arc all the winter covered with ice,
and the bed-elothes freeze to the wall, lium freezes
in the air like water, and rectified spirits, in the
coldest weather, soon become thick like oil. The
therinometer is commonly from December to April
teventy degrees below the freezing point. The sea
freezes so far out, between the islands, that they
cannot get a sight of open water from December to
June. Some of the brethren ventured to go in
February to the Esquimaux about forty miles dis-
tant from Nain, but they endured the most extreme
iKirdships from the cold.
Though wrapped up in furs, yet their eye-lids
froze in such a manner together, that they were
obliged continually to pull the ice from them, and
to keep their eyes open with their fingers. One of
them returned with a pain in his side ; another with
bis haad frozen artd swelled like a bladder ; and it
was a mercy of the Lord whom they serve, that
they were cured. The Esquimaux, who live cbielly
on blubber, and who have probably falter and more
oily blood, can certainly endure cold better than the
£uiopeaus ; but there are however instauces that the
Esquimaux themselves are frozen to death in winter.
The few summer months are, on the other hand, so
much the hotter, the thermometer rising to the
eighty-sixth degree. But then they are plagued with
an amazing swarm of malignant musketoes, which
sting so violently, that they often return home with
swelled faces.
There can be no expectations of any thing like
agriculture, so as to produce grain ; this is evident
from the trials already made. Some small gardens
which the brethren have laid out and cultivated,
produce some saliad, turnips, hardy cabbages and
radishes, but potatoes freeze when they have shot up
no higher than about half a foot.
By hunting and fishing they have hitherto been
able to procure but very little jjrovision, because
their situation ujKin the continent is not at all fa-
vourable thereto. Besides, the great number of
Esquimaux dogs, that must seek their own mainte-
nance, prevent the success they might have in catch-
ing fish, as these half-starved dogs, at low water,
run into the nets, tear out and devour the fish, and
moreover tear the nets to pieces.
Thus the brethren must be supported chiefly by
the provision sent to them annually fnun Europe,
such as flour, salt meat, rice, peas and barley, and
are heartily thankful, partly, that friends are always
found who contribute thereunto, and partly that
they can earn something by the work of their hands
to lighten in some measure the expence of support-
ing themselves. They begun last year to build
boats for the Esquimaux, and to make sundry im-
plements for their work, and utensils for their
houses, and receive in payment whale-bone and
blubber, which they send hither towards their ex-
pences.
By building boats we have reason to hop* that
one great advantage will be obtained, namely, that
the Esquimaux will be delivered from the tempta-
tion of going to the south to steal boats. And by
the implements and utensils made for them by the
brethren, they will be from time to tinse more ena-
bled to get and increase what is necessary for their
own support.
Though, by these means the outward situation
of these poor savages may be greatly improved and
rendered more human, yet it is certainly of incom-
parably greater importance, that they be brought to
Jesus Christ by the preaching of the gospel : that
they be sanctified by the' true faith in him ; and
thereby, with greater certainty, be civilized and
made moral human creatures.
It is this consideration that enables the missiona^
ries and their assistants, notwithstanding their most
difficult situation outwardly to hold out with cheer-
fulness and full of faith, in that call which the Lord
has givea theni; until the Esquimaux; iu ih'is re-
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIANS.
75*
mote part of the earth, shall see the salvation of
God. Brother Layritz, dii his safe urrivul hi-re with
his wile on the 28tli of October, assurcil ii.^, as an
eye witness, that this was the disposition of tttose
brethren ami sisters.
They had this last year, (1774,') by means of a
sloop, an opportunity of visilnig .six liabitations of
the Esqniniaux ^vhich lie farllier north ; they were
received in a friendly and conlidcnt nianner, and
most prcssingly entreated by the poor savages, many
of vkboBi had never seen an Enropean before, to
come and dwell among llicni, and to bring them the
good words of their Creator and Savionr.
Is the acquiring wealth and fortunes, which last
not for ever, but pas^ away, allowed every where,
to be a suiiicieut motive for long voyages and the
enduring great hardships .? surely it is a more noble
motive, yea, it is of intinitely greater use, if con-
sidered merely in a rational point of view, to
endure hardships even the greatest, if soids, who
are however our fellow-creature.s, are thereby saved
from death, brought into a state of peace and hap-
piness, and obtain a well grounded hope of a bles.sed
Homorlality. The love of Clirist, who, though
be tiiought it no robbery to be equal with God,
made himself of no reputation, took upon him the
foiiii of a servant, submitted to be despised and
rejected, and became obedient unto death, yea, to
tlie death of the sliameful cross, to redeem us,
must certainly impel the hearts of the missionaries,
stimulate then- zeal, and make them willing to per-
severe \\\t\\ patience in the midst of all, even the
greatest hardships.
Blessfd be ilie name of the Lord who has not
permitted the labour and trouble of our bredireu
among the heathens to be in vain. \Vc have now
bad many years experience, that our gracious Lord
has crowned the simple preaching of the gospel of
his iiK-arnation, sufferings and death, with blessing,
has owned it in grace, and thereby the eyes of tiie
heathens have been opened, and they have been
turned from darkness to light, and from the power
of satan to the living God. What the most just
and excellent moral precepts cannot effect, what all
the power of philosophy cannot produce, what all
the eloquence and arguments of mt-n cannot accom-
plifh, is done by the word of reconciliation through
the blood of Clirist. Of this the heathens, who
bave received the faith, are a living and incontestible
proof.
To proselyte men from one superstition to ano-
ther, from one speculative system to another, or
from one sect or outward form of worship to ano-
ther, whether by arguments, or outward pomp, or
by any other methods, is indeed no business, for
the sake of which our uiissiouarics would give
themselves so much trouble and imdergo such diffi-
culties. But to be instruments to direct and bring
souls to him, in whom the Gentiles shall trust, and
to \". horn ev,erv knee shall bow, of things in heaven
and tl.ings on earih, and things under the earth, it
is well worth while to venture life and limb to effect
this. For it is indubitable, that when men, though
ever so wild and savage by nature, are brought to
the knowledge of salvation in Christ Jesus, by the
Holy Ghost, they will of course become good and
us(^ful subjects, and benevolent fellow-citizens of
the world.
Rules and jirlicles for the Govcrmnetit of the
Churches of the L idled Brethren.
Some of these articles are so plain and inoffen-
sive, that little need be said concerning them.
Art. I. This society is not formed in opposition
to any otlicr of the like nature, nor is it to interfere
with the charities of any society whatever.
II. This society is to consist of members of the
brethren's church, and is properly established here
in London, where tbey will regularly meet; yet
members may also be chosen, who reside hi other
places of the British dominions or elsewhere.
III. But besides the aforesaid members of the so-
ciety, persons w ho are not of the brethren's church,
but are friends and well-wishers of the fiirllierance
of the gospel among the heathens, may be chosen
as honorary members of this solely ; to w honi,
from time to time, accounts will be communicated
of the work of our Lord among the heathens
through the brethren's missions ; and such honorary
members mav be admitted occasionally to the meet-
ings of the society.
There is something in this article, at first sight,
glaringly engaging. It seems to promise a large
share of charily ; and yet, if we attend to it strictly,
we shall find that it contains both ostentation and
meamiess. Ostentation, Jn holding it forth as an
iionour to be admitted into their society ; and mean-
ness, in looking for subscriptions to support their
cause.
IV. The design of this society being to assist
those missionaries and their helpers, whom the di-
rectors of the missions of the brethren's church
may send to the heathens in different parts of the
world, we will not confine our assistance of those
missionaries to gifts and contributions only, but it
will be our great pleasure to promote this amiable
work with our best services, in all respects, by en-
tertaining them during their abode in Luglaud, and
7^6 -
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIANS.
also supplying them witli all necessaries for their
passage to the places of their destination, aiul during
tiieir residence at those places.
V. Ahhoiigli our chief aim is to furtUer the gos-
pel, and aesist the missionaries in the British domi-
nions in America, and other parts of the worid,
yet we are also desirous to give all possible aid to
the brethren's missions among the heathens in other
countries.
VI. And whereas the united brethren, for many
years successively, have appointed deputies, and
committed unto them the care of the heathen mis-
sions and the management of the contributions,
wliich, for the unavoidable expences attending this
work of God, are given freely, from time time, by
the'iirethren's congregations and by others; we will
therefore act in connection and fellowship v> ith these
deputies; on which account our secretary and other
brethren of the committee are to cultivate a constant
correspondence with them, that we may be informed
of the occasions requiring our assistance, and be
ready to assist.
VII. And whereas the aforesaid deputies of the
brethren's church have ahvays a corresponding
agent, who resides in London, to execute their com-
iiiissions, we will always be ready to .give him all
the assietance we can therein.
VIII. ■ Every one of us is willing to add his mite
to those free gifts made at stated times, in the bre-
thren's congregations, for the service of the mis-
sions among the heathens. But besides this, a box
shall be placed in-the room where we meet, into
Y.hich every member of tlie« society may put at any
time what he thinks proper; all which is to be em-
ployed for the use of the said missions. The com-
mittee is to tiike an account of this money as well
as what may come in by way of donation, legacy
er otherwise, and also how it is expended ; and this
account is to be laid before the socitty once in three
uiunlhs.
It is remarkable, that the gospelvvas propagated
' at first without the assistance of power, money, or,
indeed, any encouragement from men. A^nd yet
the tender plant grew, aiKi spread far and wide. —
Whereas, in modern times, thousands and ten thou-
sontls of pounds, are collected to propagate the gos-
pel, and yet few converts are made. l"'or this there
must be some reason, but whatever we may imagine
it to be, we shall leave the reader to form his own
judgment.
IX. If this society, or one or more members
tliereof, -should be appointed trustees of any lands,
for a settlement among the heathens.; in that case
we engage to be faithful to our trust, and not claim
for ourselves, at any time, what shall be settled upon
us in trust.
Jhk. TliC ordinary meeting of the society to be
once a moutli, at a time and place to be determinei
uptrn by the society, and as soon as can conveniently
be after the day, on which accounts of tlie progress
of tite gospel, especially among the heathens, are
usually read in the brethren's cliapel.
XI. The society is to chuse a committee, con-
sisting of six members, a secretary and one or two
servants; ^ne of the Committee is to be appointed
treasurer, and all the ordained ministers of the bre-
thren's church present in London, are to be looked
upon as members of the committee, and each of
them to have a vote.
XII. The members of the committee are to act
as deputies of the society, and are to meet once a
week, or as often as may be thought needful for the
dispatch of business, and four of the committee are
impowered to do business.
XIII. The committee may call an extraordinary
meeting of the society when business requires.
XIV. The x;ommittee is impowered, upon any
emergency, to borrow in the name of the society,
or contract debts of any sum not exceeding lifty
pounds.
We cannot iiijprove of these money affairs in re-
ligion. There is some reason to imagine, that the
passions of men, iuHuenced by corrupt nature, have
too much effect on modern religion. We are con-
vinced, that God once gave his blessings on means
of a different nature ; and history tells us, that as
the same means have not been used since the time of
the emperor Cowstantine the Great, so the same
ends have not been found.
XV. At the first meeting of the society in every
year, the six members of the committee, the secre-
tary and the servants are either to be continued in
their offices, or others elected in their places.
'i his article has been copied from one of those be-
longing to a benefit society. There ofKcers are very
rich and greatly esteemed, otherwise they would
not be eagerly sought after. All officers, court
pride, and human j)assions will be as mucli gratified
in a club of common mechanics, as in the first
lord of the treasury, or the high chancellor of
England. The reason is plain, learning and know-
ledge, improved by virtue and adorned by piety,
lift the characters as it were, above every thing hu-
man.
XVI. Upon the decease or removal of any mem-
ber of the committee, or luiy other incident requir-
ing a new choice, the committee is to propose such
person or persons to the society whom they think
proper for the office.
XVII. Such persons ought to be members of the
brethren's congregation, of a good capacity and a
good character among the brethren as well as among
their fellow-subjects.
XVIII. Persons proposed by the committee to
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIANS.
757
Ae society, for members of the committee, are to
be chosen bv the majority of the members of tlie
society then present.
XIX. Whenever any new member or meml)rrs
are to be proposed to ihe society, the committee is
first to consider whether such person or persons,
may be of use to the" socit-ty in carrying on tlie
atiuve-nientioned purposes; and if the persons
proposed by the conunittte are approved of by the
unanimous choice of the society, by ballot, then
such person or persons are to be admitted mem-
bers.
XX. But if on the ballot, there should be any
ni'gative to the choice of the person proposed, tlie
member or members objecting, are to mention his
or their objection to some member of tlu; conmiittcc,
when the case is to be reconsidered ; and if tlie ob-
jection c;!n be removed, to the satisfaction of the
objector, such person or persons may be proposed
a second time to the society ; and if no new negative
appears upon the ballot, he or they arc to be then
adiditted mcinbcis.
XXI. No member of the society is to acquaint
any one, either of his being propcxsed or (hoscii a
member of the society, for this is to be done by the
secretary, or some other member of the committee
appointed for it, as circumstances require.
XXII. No person once admitted into this soci-
ety is to be removed out of it, but after mature
consideration of the committee, and with the con-
sent of the majority of the society ; and a person
thus removed, not to be re-admitted but by ballot.
XXIII. When any new members are admitted,
the rules of the society are to be read to them, and
each new member is to subscribe them.
XXIV. The society may form new articles, which
are consistent with the tenor of the above articles
and the well-heing of the society, as circumstances
may hereafter require.
XX\'. The above rules are not to be altered but
on mature deliberation, and in a meeting of the so-
ciety, and by a majority of votes ; and previous to
any alteration a month's notice shall be given, ex-
pressing the nature and design of the alteration pro-
posed to be made.
I pon the whole, these articles are of a very car-
nal nature. They point </Ut much of worldly wis-
dow, but little of that uhich is from above. We
coiild wish there was nothing human in religion but
just the common r ntward means, and we sincerely
believe, that the real servants of God are frequently
to be among those who are reputed to have no reli-
»:ion at ail.
Account of all those So'-ietifs rchirh the United Bre-
ihien have in rlijcient pints of the IVoiid.
It is very remarkable, that these people., although
not much Lnown in England, yet arc extremely nu-
merous. Of this we shall have occasion to take
notice afterwards, so as to endeavour to account
for that secrecy, which prevails among ihem.
The places where the congregatit)ns of the Brc-
tlireii are at present settled, are of different kinds,
and many of these congregations are not very nu-
merous. Some have been settled by the brethren
on spots which were not at all inhabited before, mere-
ly with this intent, that only members of the con-
gregation shall dwell there, and that they might be
entirely unmixed with others. These places are
called ill the strictest sense Congregation-places : for
example, Hernhuth, Gnadenfrey, r'ulneck, Bethle-
hem, Salem, Sarepta, &c.
Farther, the Brctliren have built tlicir place of
worship and the dwelling-houses of the members of
the congregation, contiguous to some towns and
villages inhabited by other people, yet in such a
manner, that their buildings stand together on one
spot, or in the same street, and are, as much as cir-
cumstances will admit, some more and some less
separated from the rest of the public or private
buildings of the town or village. These are called
in a more extensive sense Congregation-places ; such
as Neusalze, Neuwicd, Ochkbrook, &c.
Again there are other congregations of the Bre-
thren, the members of which do not dwell together,
but are scattered in the cities, or towns, or in the
country round about; they however assemble in the
same place of worship, and their regulations are
suited to their circumstances. These are called
City and Country Congregations, for instance Lou-
don, Amsterdam, Pliiladilphia, Scc.
The same disliiiction is to be made with regard to
the missions of the Brcthn n among the heathens.
Some of the congregations, gatliered tojtether by
the gospel from the heathens, dwell together in one
place; for instance. New Ilcrnlinth and Liehten-
fels in Greenland, at Langi ntoutviumk, that is, the
City of Peace, in North ..\merica; also at Sliaioii
on the Sainaiiea in Surinam. These may be pro-
perly called Town-Congregations of the <-onverted
heatnens. Others of the healhens, who have been
brought to Oirist by the ministry of the Brethren,
live dispersed, as the negroes in the \Ve->t India
Islands, and the Indians on the Gorentvn in Suii-
iiam ; but they come to the prenrhiiig, and to par-
take of the sacranienls, to the church or meeling-
house, \\hich the nii>>sionari< s ha\e built near tlicir
own dwellings : These may be called lu the most
50
9 F
758.
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIANS.
proper sense, Mission-Settlements. By this des-
cription every reader will be able to determine, to
which of these classes each congregation or mission
of the Brethren belongs. Now they shall be men-
tioned according to the countries and governmtints
under wliich they dwell.
1. -In the empire of Germany, and first under the
elector of Saxony.
Hernhuth in Upper Lusatia, on the high road be-
tween Lebau and Zittau, upon the manner of Ber-
thelsdorf, lately the domain of Count Zinzendorf,
and now of baroness de VVattewille. This place
was begun in the year 1 722, and this congregation
received afterwards a conhrmation of its orders and
regulations from government.
Niesky also in Upper Lusatia, upon the manor of
Trebus, twelve miles from Goerlitz. This place
was begun in the year 1742, by exiles from Bohe-
mia. Here is at present the Pa;dagogium of the
Unity of the Brethren.
Klein Welke, also in Upper Lusatia, about three
miles from Budissin on the road to Berlin, was be-
gun in 1756, and is built very near the old village
of the same name. Most of the members of this
congregation are of the Vandal nation.
At Barby, in the county of the same name,
twenty-four miles from Magdeburg, a congregation
of the Bsethren has been gathered ever since the
year 1748, after the government had given the pa-
lace and bailiwick to Count Henry the 2Sdi Reuss,
and others on a lease, and had granted the chapel of
the palace to the congregation of the Brethren for
their Divine worship. The theological seminary of
the Unity is in tiiis place; in this seminary or col-
lege, students are prepared for future service among
Christians or heathens.
Gnadau, on the electoral domain Doeben, six
miles from Barby, and eighteen from Magdeburg.
In the year 176.5, the government gave the palace of
Barby, with its appurtenances, and the domain
Doeben, to Count Henry the 25th Reuss, upon a
perpetual lease, with a view that a settlement might
be made here, after the manner of the Brethren's
Congregation-places ; whereupon a beginning was
made to build such a place in the year 1767, not far
from Doeben.
fi. Under the government of the king of
Prussia.
Gnadenberg, in the principality of Jauer in Sile-
sia, o;i the manor called Gross Krausche, three
miles from Bunzlau, was begun in the year 1743,
after having received a special royal grant for it.
Gnadenfrey, in the principality of Schweidniz iii
Siltsia, about nine miles from Reichenbach, on the.
manor of Oberpeilau, was also begun in the year
1743. This congregation is at present the largest
of the Brethren's congregations in Silesia.
Neusalz, is a new built place which the Brethren
began to erect in 1745, near the town of Neusalze
on the Oudcr. This settlement of the Brethren wa»
by order of the king, laid out in a regular manner
iu the year 1744, and was in a very flouiishing con-
dition before the last war in Silesia. Bat in the
year 1749 it was plundered iu a cruel manner and
totally reduced to ashes. The loss the Brethren
sustained hereby in worldly goods was great, but all
the Brethren and Sisters, lying-in women, the sick
and children, escaped from the flames, and after
many and various difficulties, they arrived in the
neighbouring congregations, in Silesia and Upper
Lusatia, sate and well. In 1763, the rebuilding of
this place was taken in hand by the desire of govern-
ment, and a congregation of the Brethren has been
again settlid there since that time.
These Silesian congregations have their own bi-
shop, who resides in Silesia.
In Berlin, a Bohemian congregation of the Bre-
thren, adhering to ti.e Augustin confession, has
be-en gathered together ever since the year 1744,
and they declared their sentiments before a royal
commission iu the year 1747. They have a public
Congregation- House, in which they have Diviije
worship agreeable to the constitution of the Bre-
thren's congregation.
Also in lii.xdorff, three miles from Berlin, in the
year 1737, a congregation of the Brethren of the
Bohemian nation were collected, and have built a
Congrtgation-House and place for Divine worship.
"I'he congregation here was plundered in a very
severe manner in the year 1760, but at the same
time experienced from the hands of God a gracious
preservation of their persons.
At Nordean in East-Friesland is also a congrega-
tion of the Brethren. They have a public plate of
worship, and enjoy undisturbed liberty. This con-
gregation was bfgun under the goverumeut of the
last prince of the East-Friesland.
3. Under the government of the duke of
Saxe-Gotha.
Neudietendorff, fifteen miles from Gotha and six
from Erfurth. In the year 1742, a considerable
number of the Brethren of the Lutheran troops
came together here. After many difficulties they
have been in a more prosperous state since the year
1753, and received iu 1764 a grant from the govern-
ment.
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIANS.
739-
Since llieii the congregation has increased consi-
d( rjblv ill llie number ot their iHtmbcrs and in their
buiiiliiigs.
4. Under the government of Count Reiiss.
Kborsdorf in Voigtland. There has been in this
place since tlic end of the former centnrv, an Ecele-
sioiii, a pious society, wliich encreased from time to
time, and after many vicissitudes, ihey sought in
the vear 1743 to establish an entire union with the
con;iregations of the Brelhien. Thus it can\e to
pass, that a regular congregation of the Brethren
\\as established there ; apiece of land was ceded to
them by llie reigning counl, that they might enlarge
their seltlenient, and an act in favour of the evange-
lical Bretlu'cu's congregation was issued in the year
1761.
5. Under the government of the Count of
Neuwied.
At Neuwied, a congregation of French reformed
Brethren and Sisters, who emigrated from Ilernhaag,
vas begun. The reigning count gave them a grant
of the necessaiy privileges in the year 17ol, and re-
newed the said grant in a more ample manner in the
year 17oG. The Brethren were put in possession
of a square of the city, for the nse of tlie congre-
gation, to erect on it their place of worship and
Congregation- Irtonse, and other necessary buildings
for the choirs and families ; and since then a pretty
numerous congregation is collected here. The
Greatest part of the congregation members are
French reformed, yet as several Germans moved
thither from time to time, Divine worship is per-
formed there in both these languages alternately.
6. In the United Provinces.
Id Zeyst, iii the province of Utrecht, a beginning
was made ni 17-18 to build a Congregation-place in
tvvo squares betvxeen the palace and the village. —
The congregation has built in the year 1768, a new
Congregation-Hou.se and place of worship, and en-
joy complete church-liberty under the government of
the states of Utrecht. The preaching of the gospel
here, both in the German and Dutch lar.guages, is
attended by many from other places.
In Amsterdam there has been a congregation of
^e Brethren ever since the year 1738. They have
had a place of worship there these many years patit,
and live quiet and undisturbed. ■
In Haerlem is also a small congregation of the
Brethren, who have also a public worship.
The United Brethren have also several missions in
the province of Surinam in South America, they ai«
tin' foliovving :
In raramaribo is a small Hou.se- Congregation,
who dwell there to receive the missuinaries from
i'.urope, to lorwaril them to tlitir posts among the
heathens, and to provide them with necessaries, —
They have a house of their own, and maintain them-
selves, as the Brethren seek to do every where, with
the work of tluir hands.
In Sharon on the Saramica, is a congregation
gathered out of the .Vrrawack nation. It was begun
in the year 1737, and consisted of some baptized
Indians, who were obliged to fly from the rebellious
negroes in Berhiee. The same was the case with
Hope, on the river Corentyn, on the borders of Ber-
bice; here the Indians, who live scattered on theuf
Cassabi plantations, arc niiuistcred unto in the g«s-
pel, by some missionaries.
In Quama, not far. fium llie head of the river
Saramica, the brethren have a mission among the.
free negroes ever since the year 170j. This is, as
may be easily c<mceived, one of the most toilsonie
and most difficult missions, but has however brought
forth joycHis fiuit, as a negro captain .Viabini, is
become a believer in the Lord Jesus, is baptized,
and walks worthy of the gospel.
7. Under tlie government of Great Britain there
are, in Europe, in North America, and in the West
India Islands, sundry congregations and missions of
the Brethren.
In London thepe has-been a congregation of the
Brethren ever since the year I'-i'l. They have a
chapel in- Nevil's-court, Fetter-lane, and another in
Chelsea ; near the last is their burying-gronnd. —
There is divine service in botli of these chapels every.
Sunday,
At Bedford is litewise a congregation of the
Brethren ; they have built at one- end of the town,
since the year 1741, a chapel, a congregation-house,
and houses for the single Brethren ami single Sisters.
The congregation itself vi as settled here according
to the constitution of the Brethren in the year 1744.
To this congregiilion belong the Brethren's chapel.'j
and societies at Northampton, Riscly, &c. where thq.
gospel is preached by the Brethren.
At Ockbrook, five miles from Derby, there has-
been a congregation of the Brethren ever since the
year 1750. Since then they have erected oh a small
estate, bought for that purpose near the village, a
chapel, a single Brethren's and a single Sister's-
house, and some other dwelling-houses.
Fuliieck, near Piidsey, and si.x miles from Leeds,
in Yorkshire, is a congregation-place, built particu-
larly for that purpose. The beginning of the build-
fm
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIANS.
ings was made in tlie year 1744, and in the follow-
ing years the congregation-house, in which is the
oiiapcl, called Grace-hall, as alio houses for the
single IJretincn, single Sisters, and Widows, weie
built. Here are slso the economies or schools, in
which the children of labourers, who cannot take
care of their children on account of the duties of
I their offices, are educated.
The four following congregations are under the
inspection and direction of the elders' conference of
I'ulneck, viz. —
Pudsey, to which the members of the congre-
gation and societies in the neighbourhood of Leeds
and Bradford belong.
VV'yke, to which those who dwell in the places
near Halifax belong.
Mirfield, to which thpse in the neighbourhood of
Huddersfield anc'. Wakefield belong.
Little Gum nil rsal ; but these four congregations
have their own labours and chapels, in which meet-
ings are kept on Sundays, and in the week days.
At Dukeufield, a village in Cheshire, about eight
miles from Manchester, is also a congregation of
the Brethren : they have a new chapel and two
dioir-houses, one for the single Brethren and one
for the single Sisters.
At Leominster in Herefordshire, there has been
a congregation of the Brethren ever since tlie year
1739 ; they have their own chapel.
At Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire, SouthWales,
a congregation of tlie Brethren was ako collected
in the same year.
At Bristol, in the year \7'i5, a number of the
members of the society was formed in a congre-
gation. They have a new-built chapel in the parish
of St. James. To this congregation belongs the
congregation at Kingswood, which lies about four
miles from Bristol, and has a chapel ; and in Bath,
a city well known on account of its waters, there is
a new-built chaj^el and a congregation ever since
the year 1765.
At Tetherton in Wiltshire, there has been a con-
gregation of the Brethren ever since the year 1748.
But as some members of the congregation came to
live near the chapel, they called their proper pre-
n)ises Lamb's-acre. The Brethren's chapel in
Malmsbury belongs to this congregation.
Besides these congregations the IJiuted Brethren
have chapels in several parts of England, where
their ministers preach tlie gospel with blessing ; for
instance, at Apperly m Gloucestershire, Fronie in
Somersetshire, Plymouth in Devonshire, Fairlield,
in Lancashire, as also at Air and Irwin in Scotland.
In Ireland are the following congregations of the
Brethren.
in Dublin, the capital of the kingdom, since the
year 1750, they have two chapels at each side of
the river Lifty, which runs through the city, one in
Great Booter-lane, the other in Staft'ord-street.
Upon the townland Bullikemiedy, in the county
of An-him, the Brethren have begun to build a new
congregation-place, which is called Grace-hill. —
Beside the congregation-house, in which is the
chapel and two choir-houses, several other private
houses are built and inhabited.
]?al!ymaguigan, in the county of Derry, on the
West side of the famous Lough-neagh, is also a new
built congregation-place, to W'hich belongs a chapel
of the society at Lisnamara, where a congregation
of the Brethren was settled in tlje year 1759.
Ballonderry, on the east side of the aforesaid
Lough-neagh : here has been a congregation of the
Brethren ever 8ii>ce the year 1755. To this con-
gregation belongs the little congregation at Kilwar-
lin ; the latter has also its own chapel.
At Drumargan, about four miles from Armagh,
has been a Brethren's congregation ever since the
year 1759. And finally,
At Coot-liill, tw«nty-sis miles from Armagh, a
congregation of tlie Brethren was collected in the
year 17(35.
In America, and first, in the province of Penn-
sylvania, are the following congregations of the
Brethren.
Bethlehem, the chief congregation-place of the
Brethren in North America, in the co-unty of North-
ampton, fifty miles from Philadelphia, on a branch
of the liver Delaware, which has retained the In-
dian name Lechai, or Lechi. The latitude of this
place has been taken at sundry times, and found to
be 40 deg. 37 min. N. L. This place was begun
in the year 1741, at a time when few Europeans
were in this district: a considerable number of
missionaries h-ave been sent from this congregation
among the heathens.
At Nazareth, nine miles north of Bethlehem, a
large building called Nazareth-hall, has been erected,
in whieli is the ch ipel, where the congregation of
the Brethren dwelling in their several habitations
about Christiansbrun and Gnadenthal, meet and
have divine service on Sundays and holiday;. In
Nazarclh-hall is also the P*dagogium of the Unity
in America. In the year 1771, the Brethren be^an
to build a new congregation-place near the hail.
Litiz, a new congregalion-pliice in the county of
Lancaster, seventy miles from Philadelphia. The
building of this place was begun in the year 1757,
and there are now, besides the chapel and congre-
gation-house, choir-houses for the single Brethren
and single Sisters, and a good many houses for
families.
At Lancaster, the county town of that namcj
ACCOUNT or THE MORAVIANS.
?6l
there has been a congregation of the Brethren ever
since tlic year \746. 'I lie congregation hert> h;is a
church, a congrcgutiou-housc, and a buijiug-grouiid
in tlie town.
In Vork-tcwn, or, as it i.s sometimes called, York
on the Cadoras, twenty-four miles from Litiz,
there has been a congregation of the Brethren ever
since the year 175 J, who liave built a congregation
house, as also in
Mount Joy, formerly called Donnegal, sixteen
miles from Litiz. In the to\viisI)i|) of Bethel,
twelve miles from Mount Joy, near tl.e blue Moun-
tains, a congregation of the Brethren was settled in
the year 176J, but in the last war they were
obliged to Hy from tlie cruelties of the savage In-
dians, but after the conclusion '>f the [leace lliey
gathered again together around their congieg.ttiou-
house.
At Hebron, in the township of Libanon, sixteen
miles from Litiz, formerly called Quiltope-iiill, a
beginning has been made of a congregation-place
ever since the year 1757, near the congregation-
Louse, as also.
At Enunaus in the township of Salisbury, for-
merly called Magunlsky, eight miles from Bethle-
hem, ilie Indian war proved an occasion, that
those who had belonged to this congregation since
flie year 174'2, and who lived scattered up and
down, drew together, and erected habitations near
their congregation-house.
In Heidelberg in the county of Berks, twenty-
four miles from Litiz, there has been a congregation
of the Brethren ever since the year 174.:).
Shoeiiek not far fr(>m Nazareth was erected as a
congregation-place in the year 1757. The mem-
bers of the congregation who live on their planta-
tions beyond tlie limits of the land belonging to
Nazarctli, attend divine service there.
In Gnadenhuetten on the JIahoni, there was for-
merly a considerable settlement of the jireihren, but
it was destroyed by the Indians in the year 1755,
but a congregation of the Brethren now gathers
a-'ain toiiether there.
in the city of Philadelphia there has been a con-
gregation of the Brethren, ever since the year 1741,
of the English, and another of the German nation ;
but ill lime they uuited, and became one congrega-
tion. However divme service is performed in both
languages alternately. 'Ihey have a church, a coii-
gregatioii-house, and burying-gromid.
In the province of new Jersey at Oldnian's
Creek, thirty miles below Philadelphia, there has
been a congregaiion ever since the year 1705. And
in Greenland, ihii ty miles from Bethlehem, is a new
scUlement of the Brethren, which was laid out in
tile year 1771-
111 the province of New York, and in the capital
51 9
of the province, theue has been a congregation o'
the j^rediren, ever since the year 1741, which has a
church, a congregalioii-house, and also a buiying-
ground in the city.
In Dutchess county, an hundred miles from New
York, upon the borders of New England is Sehiem,
a small Brelhren's congregation ever since the year
1758.
In the province of Rhode Island at Newport,
there has been a congregation of the Brethren ever
since the year 1758, which has a new chapel and
burying-ground in the town.
In the province of Maryland, six miles from
Fredrick's town and one mile from the river Manak-
osy, there has been a congregation of the Brethren
ever since ihe year 1757- They have also a chapel
at Carol's manor, twelve English miles from thence,
in whicii the gospel is preached by the Brethren to
a company of English people.
In the province of North Carolina, on the lands
of Wachovia, are three congregations of the Bre-
thren.
Salem, the chief place in the centre of the land ;
the Brethren began to build this place in. the year
17r)(i.
Betliabara, the first y>lace whicii the Brethren
began to build in \\atliovia, in the year 1753: it
lies six miles north of Salem.
Bethany, nine miles north of Salem ; the buililing
of this place was begun in 170O.
Besides these, there are two places in W'achovifi,
Fricdland, five miles south-east of Sal<!ni, and
Eriedberg, eight miles south of Salem, where the
gospel is also preached by the Brethren.
The United Brethren ha\e also established, in the
English dominions, several missions among the hea-
thens with blessed cfl'ects.
From these missions has arisen,
An Imlian congiegation in North America,
whicii was gathered in ChekomekoK, and was com-
posed of Slahikandeis and Waiiipaiios. As this
concresratiou was situated at difterent places from
time to time, it is necessary to prevent a misunder-
standing, as if diflerent congregations were at those,
ditferent places, to describe tlieir removals more
paiticiilarly.
W hen the above-mentioned Indian congregation
were driven from Cliekon.ekok in 174(i, the greatest
part of tlieni went to Belhlthcm, where many new
converts from the Delaware nation joined them. —
From thence they went, in 1748, to the Mahoni,
and built Goaclcnhuctten, twenty-live miles to the
noiih of Bethlehem; and in 1754 ihey built a new
place on the Lecha, a mile from Oh! Gnadndiuetten,
and called it New Gnadenliuetten : but as this place
•\:;s destroyed by the savage Indians iu 1755, they
lied to Bethlehem.
762
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIAXS.
Part of iliem built in 17.37, a nc." place called
Nain : another part removed behind the Biur Moiii)-
tnins, and built habitations upon a spot ];siichased
by the Brethren, on tiic rivulet Weckquetank, twen-
ty miics from Nazareth. But upon the breaking
out of a new Indian war, in the year 17*53, they
AVere, though entirely innocent, s'.ispected by some
white people of being secretly connected with their
savage countrymen.
By these suspicions Ihoy were brought into the
greatest danger, so that their lives vveie not secure,
but were taken under the protection ol' government,
and brought to Philadelphia, and first placed on
'Province Island, and then lodged in the barracks of
the city. After the conclusion of the peace, they
were sent by the governor and assembly up into
the Indian country upon the Susquchannuh, at the
iTiouth of the creek VVikilusing. Here they built a
village,, and called it Friedenshiiettcn. This proved
a means that many Indians believed on the Lord
J"esus Christ, and part of them settled at this pluce,
and part of them settled at a place thirty miles far-
ther up the Susquchannah, called Tsciiechschequa-
liik. But when, in the year 1768, the six nations
sold a large district to the English, in which lay also
Friedenshuetten, the English congregation could stay
there no longer.
They accordingly forsook their new and fine built
village, which consisted of thirty-nine good houses,
and ten huts, and departed from thence in the month
of June 1772, being upwards of two hundred, to
settle beyond the Ohio on t!ie Muskingum river,
between Lake Eiie and the Ohio. According to
the last accounts, they arrived there safe, and have
Jaid out a new place, called Wiikiktuppek, that is,
Schoenbrunn, a beautiful spring.
Another Indian congregation of the Brethren had
collected themselves through the ministry of the
missionary David Zeisberger, in the Indian town
tjoscgoschaig, not far from Venango, two days
journey above Pitsburg. These removed, in 1771,
to the Beever Creek, which falls into the Oiiio, a
day's journey below Pitsburg, and built for them-
selves a village, called Laiigeutoutenunk, or city of
peace.
On the island of Jamaica, belonging to Great
Britain, a missi(m was begun in the year 17J4, and
soon was bnttiched out into seveial missions, on
account of the iliitanc.e of the places from one to
another; in each of these ['acts the gospel is
preached to the poor negro slaves in the Ivnglish
JangUHge, ami they are embodied into the Christian
church by holy baptism. The places wliere these
niis.si(uis are settled are, at present, sis in number,
viz. Carniel, Boguo, Mtscipotainia, Elini^ Eden,
atad Isltiud.
On the Island of Antigua the Brethren began a
mission am'oug the negroes in the to\M) of St. Johu
in the year 1756. They have not only a church for
t!ie negroes in tlie town, but they preach with bles-
sing on sundry plantations oi'.t of the city.
On the ls!a!)d of B.irLado-S the Bit thren have
a negro church a few miles from Bridge-town,
but preach as in Antigua, upon seve.al planta-
tions.
This mission was begun in the year 17r>7.
I>astiv, t!ie Brethren made a niission-seltlcment
undt r the Biiiisb government in Esquimaiix bay, on.
the coast of Labrador, in the year 1771, with a
view to bring the glad tidings of the incarnation of
God, and of his nientorious life and sufferings, to
the Esquimaux, The place where they have settled
and built a house is called Nain, and lies in the 57
dcg. N. lat.
Vll. Under the Dauieh Government.
By royal rescript dated December lOih 1771
leave was granted to the Evangelical Bretlrren, ad-
hering to the unaltered Augustin confession, to esta-
blish a congregation-place of the Brethren in the
duchy of Sleswick, and at the same time was grafted
to the missions of the Brethren in the Danish domi-
nions out of Europe all necessary church liberty,
and other immunities. According to this grant, a
new place of the Brethren is laid out and begun on
the late royal domain Tjs'.rupl.off, in the bailiwick
of Hadersleben, and this place is called Christian's
Field.
New Hernhnth, upon the West Indian Island of
St, Thomas, is the oldest mission of the Brethren
among the heathens. The first missionaries went
thither so early as in the year 1732. The lunnber
of the negroes who are ministered unto by the Bre-
thren with the word and sacrament, is so greatly
encreaged, and their dwellings so distant from the
negro church in New Ilernhuth, iliat the Brethren
have built,
In Niesky, formerly called Crnmbay, a new
negro church, as also ilweiiings fur the mission-
aries.
The baptized negroes and catechnmens ar-e divi-
ded, as the nature of their situation required, into
these two congregation:!, and each mgro belongs
to that congregation which is nearest to his h;;bita-
tion.
Friedonstiial in St. Croix nerir to Bassin, or the
town and haven. At this mission-establishment
the brethren built a spacious negro church and
dwelling-house in 17-33. But there were mission-
aries of the brethren oi; this islami twenty years
before the church was built, litre also, as in St.
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIANS.
7 G.I
'jn>oma9, llie iiegi'o congregation increased so much
tliiit it was needful to divide it into two congrega-
tions :
'1 hcrefore a new negro church and dwelling for
the niissionnries was built in 177i; on the west end
of the island, near Christianstadt and called I'ried-
*iisberg. 'I'liis gave occasion to a new awakening
among the negroes.
In St. .I;:n ilie niission-settleinent of the Brethren
is called Bethany.
As St. 'rii'.inas and St. Jan lie but a league dis-
tant from cadi other, the mission in St. Jan was
taken care of by the Bretiircn in St. Thoruas. But
as the negroes earnestly requested, that a missionaiy
ivigiit reside there constantly, a proper negrt> churcli
and a dwelling house were built there in the year
1753. Since tl'.eu the number of the baptized is
greatly increased.
• New Htrnhulhin Greenland on B-ial's River in
llie sixty-fooidi dog), ',;■ north latitude, is the fir.st
congregation of the BiCtliren iu Greeidand. 'I'his
mission of the Brethren was begtui as early as the
year 173,).
Lichtenfels, one hundred miles soutli of New
Henihuth on the Fisher Fiorlc, i.^ the other congre-
gation of the Bielhren in Greenland, and was begun
in the ye.nr 17.5S.
A fuil account of these two congregations of the
Brethren in Greenlapd is to be fomid in Crantz's
liist. of Greenland, Octo. published in Gerwiany
in 1765.
, In the Brethren';; Garden near Tranquebar in the
East Indies, is a settlement of tlip Brethren since
the year 1760, from whence they take care of the
mission among the liciitiie-ns upon the Nicobar
Inland.
■ The mission at Naucaweri, one of the Nicobar
islands, was begun in the year I7G8. The mission-
aries wait there wiih great impatience till onr Savi-
our shall open the ears and hearts of the heatltens
■for the gospel.
9. In the Russian Empire.
• A congregation of the Brethren was established
3t Sarepta in the kingdom of Astrakhan in the year
1763.
The most Jiracious permission was jiiven by an
Tmpenal Ukase to tiie Lnited Brethren to come into
the empire und to enjoy a complete libeity of con-
«<-ience, and of exercising their religKjii agreeable
to their own church-constitution and discipline. —
'I'hey chose for their settlement a piece of land
twenty-four miles below Czurizin on the rivulet Sar-
^»a, which runs into the Wolga, and since then have
tjccted not only dwelling-houses for fainilit^, but
also a single Brethren's and sin^ia Sisters' house,
and iu the year 1772 u cougiegatiou-house and a
chapel.
In St. Petersburg also the ein()ress of Rusii.i,
iu the jear 176(i, niade a inesent ot a large house
to the Brethren to perform iii\iiie servi(5c in accord-
ing to their rites. Since then the Brethren preach
in it every Sunday.
X. l^asily, it is not to be passed over in silence,
that there are also live Bieihren in Africa, at Grand
Cairo in I'-yypt, v^ith a view to serve die Copts witli
the gospel, and if our Loid pleases, to go in time
to Abystinja.
The present state of the United Brethren.
The whole oi those congregations whom we
have now mentioned, call themselves United Bre
tin en, or Associated Brelhien, and Protestants ad-
hering to the Angustin confession. They are how-
ever, distinguished by ditVerent appellations, and
are classed m ditferont ranks. Al! those who are of
the Bohemian ehureh, are called the Ancient Bre-
thren, and take place of the otiiers. Proselytes or
converts are generally admitted into tliis society
alter they have been iu the others; for there are
some mysteries in this, concealed frein the other
societies.
It is probable that they borrow this practise from
the Christians who lived about liie latter end of tlie
fouith century. For at that time the heatiiens who
were candidates to be admitted into the chnrcii,
slojd at the door till all tiiose called Believers,
passed by ; then the heathens were adniill'^d to hear
the sermon, and were examined as to ttieir know-
ledge; but were obliged to retire, before ihe Bc;-
lievers went to the communion, Tliis practice did
great hurt to the cause of Christianity ; for the hea-
thens saiil that they, the Clni.>;lians, met to commit
unnatural practices. This will be always the case,
where there are secrets, while the diflerent se.xes
meet together. Let us only consider the ridiculous
stories that have been told concerning the Free-ma-
.vons, and perhaps all of them are false. It has
also happened that the nocturnal meetings of the
Methodists have induced people to accuse them of
what peihaps they never were guilty ; but then there
ought to be no secrets in religion. Am I to answer
at the judgment seat of Christ for all my actions,
befoie aiij;e!s and men? and .■■iiall I be ashamed or
afraid to be seen iu my religious duties here belovv ?
we should not only avoid doing evil, but we should
avoid seeming to do .^o.
It is certain that allhoii-h tlicse United Brethreu
764
ACCOUNT OF THE MORAVIANS.
pretend to follow the confessions set forth by I^iithcr,
yet thty have embraced a variety of other senti-
ments.
As the Arians spend irlost of their time in the
pulpit, in degn-.ding the glories of the Lord Jesus
Ciirist, so these people called United Biethren for-
i;-et all that honour due to God the Father and the
Holy Ghost, under pietence of extolling the Sa-
viour. -All extremes are connected with insanitv ;
and therefore those who would understand true reli-
gion, so as to reap any benefit by it, must Itarn that
God is not to be found ni the tormenting iire, or
the riiging whn Iwind, but in the still small voice of
a holy life.
Every congregation among the United Brethren
has its peculiar pastors ; they are, in some measure,
distinct from each other, and yet they are at the
.•^ame time united. And thus to preserve the unity
of the spirit in the bond of peace, they have synods
which meet at difterent limes to regulate all their
external aflfairs. The members of these svnods
Iiave free lii)erty to declare their sentiments with
freedom, upon whatever subject comes before them.
Those who do not chuse to speak, may deliver their
opinions in writing ; but the votes are always ballot-
ed with the greatest care.
As tlii? is a religion that admits both sexes into
offices, so a great nunil)er of females generally at-
tend. There may be many reasons for this besides
natural inclinations, but we shall take no notice of
them. Perhaps they are as innocent as tlie quakers
are reputed to be, and we iiope they are so.
\\ hen any thing of a dubious nature is proposed
concerning a disputed point in scripture, and the
members of the synod cannot agree concerning the
discus.'ion of it, then they cast lots. The casting
/of lots is of great antifjuity; but how far such a
practice can be justitied according to the Christian
Jiistittiiion, the reader may judge.
In the rest of their discipline they have some-
tliing like the Sandein'.niaus, for as there is a great
(leal of washing of lett, so their coiiduct is very
severe to those whom they excommunicate. They
resemble the Methodists in singing a number of
hyams, and they are so much attached to this prac-
tice, that their children are asked questions in verse
8ung by the elders, and answered by the young ones
iu the same manner.
As for their keeping many things secret, we shall
not judge them sliictly, being willing to think chari-
tably ol all men ; but this much is certaiii, that it
cannot be done iu conformity with the primitive
church. The piiinilive Christians were obliged to
meet in private in the night, to avoid the furv of the
heathens, but here these people called Brethien
enjoy a free toltr..tion. Whether they lock the
doors of their meetings during any part of their
worship, we know not ; but if t^ey do, they are
guilty of a breach of the toleration act.
We could wish that all things were free and open,
that there might be no concealment; for wherever
things of a religious nature are concealed in private
suspicions arise, and scandal is thrown upon men,
who perhaps, may be totally innocent.
From the whole account we h.ave given of them,
we have learned but little concerning the method
of treating their poor membeis. We have already
seen, that there are several societies of Christians in
the Protestant world, who take no care of their
poor ; and where popery is established, all ciiani.itile
donations are given to the monks. The Sandijniani-
ans pretend to take great c;;:e of their poor; but
when they think it too troublesome to support them,
they have an easy method of parting.
The Friends really take care of iheir poor, whe-
ther old or young ; and although these people are
often treated with much contempt, yet they are, in
the great article of unaffected charity, the most
respectable in the world.
" True religion and undefiled before God, is this,
to visit the fatherless children and widows, and to
keep ourselves unspotted from the world."
No man will believe that person's religion to be
genuine, whose heart is not open to the vvants of
his fellow-creatures, as well as to his brethren in his
own profession. The primitive Christians were
charitable to their persecutors, which was copying,
in all respects, the character of their Divine Rcf-
deemer ; who created bread to feed the hungry, v\ho
went about doing good.
As for the United Brethren, called Moravians,
it appears they collect gi eat sums of money, but we
believe the greatest part of it, according to their
own accounts, is expended in missions among the
heathens. The Jesuits have done the same, and
little success has attended either. Perhaps the
Divine Providence frowns upon those practices,
wiiicli are not undertaken in his way, and refuses
to confer such upon them, because they look for
the praise of men. Bat we will iiot dwell upon
these things. God Almighty suffers many transac-
tions to tiike place in this lower world, which our
bewildered and circumscribed understandings can-
not account for. Perhaps there are many things in
the works of providence, which we look on as evil,
but which in the end may be attended with the most
beneiicial consequences. It is likewise not impro-
bable, (nay we believe it to be true) that many per-
sons in liieir religious characters have been grossly
misrepresented, by those who know little or nothing
concerning them. It was so with the primitive
ChrisUans, it is certainly so with some of the mo-
dem sects. We shall iheiefore 'ake leave of the
Moravian Brethren, and proceed to another seet.
765.
ACCOUNT OF THE MUGGLETONIANS.
I
N that fertile nge for the propagation of new |
relij^ions, !(>."> 7, the people of this country, espe- |
ciiillv the lower ranks of tliein, not only turned
preachers, l>ut likewise prophets. Some pretended
to foietel future events; others said tliey were
apostles risen from the dead ; while a third sort had
the assurance to assert, that they were some of those
persons who had been prophesied of in the book of
Revelation.
Ansong these were Lodovicus Mugglcton, a jour-
neyman taylor, in Rosemary-lane, and \V ni. Reeves,
a cobhlerj in the same place. 'Iliese two men meet-
ing togetlier at a public-house in the Minories, pro-
jected a new scheme of religion, iu order to impose
on the people.
They knew that the religionists who had gone
before them, had not carried their pretensions iiigh
enough, and therefore they gave out that they were
the two witnesses prophesied of in the book of
Revelation, who wtie to appear before the end of
the world. They held fortli to the misguided multi-
tndf on Towtr-hill, and on all the places of emi-
nence near the city. They were followed by a vast
number of people, which gave so much oflVnce to
the Presbyterians and Independents, that they pro-
cure d an order from Oliver Cromwell to have them
punished.
Oliver, it is well known, was never an enemy to
toleration, and therefore, all tliat he would grant
was, that these madmen should be whipped through
the piincipal streets of the city. The culprits- bore
their punishment with (hat stubborn fortitude which
ever distinguishes enthusiastic and ignorant cha-
racters.
As persecution is the life of religion, so these
men were more followed by mad people than ever.
It was found in vain to persecute tin ni any longer;
and it may be justly said of them, that they turned
the brains of one quarter of tli« vulgar people in
London. They published four volumes iu 4to.
which the author of this work has perused.
When we consider the nature of these compo-
sitions, and the characters of the men to v. horn they
arc asciibed, we are led to believe, that like Maho-
met of old, tliey had some assistance. Probably
rjnie of the other «ectaiists drew them up, with the
sole view of having it in their power to wreak their
vengeance on these men ; for among all interested
51 9
preachers, there is the same antipathy as between
cats and mice.
When the restoration took place, the Muggleto-
nians were frequently dispersetl by ll.e Guards, and
many of them put into prison. It was the great
misfortune of these people, that although they pre-
tended to the spirit of prophesy, yet they could not
foretel what was to happen to themselves. Just
like the foi tune-tellers of the present age, who,'
although they pretend to help people to stolen
goods, and tell a girl who is to be her husband, yet
they cannot foresee when a constable will come to
take them into custody.
However, they went on with their fanaticism, and
continued making proselytes till after the revolution
took place, and then they sheltered themselves under
tlie toleration act. Bat they had powerful enemies
to contend with. 1 he Presbyterians hated them,
because they treated their ))0or, mean, clerical cha-
racters with contempt : and the Independents did
all they could to injure them, and traduce their cha-
racters, because thiy led away many silly old women,
whose credulity and pockets often furnislied them
with a dinner.
And yet these people grew the more ; and their
leaders, in order to keep them to themselves, de-
claimed against the vices of the Presbyterians, and
the pretensions of the Independents. They told
them, that they were all impostors, and wretches
who lived on the fruits of the people's hpnest indus-
try. There might have been some tiuth in this,
but we have some reason to believe, that the Muii-
gletoman teachers were as mercenary as those whom
they opposed. Opposition in disputes concerning
religion, may shift the outward character of the
man, but it cannot change his nature. We may add
further, that in all polemical disputes concerning
the exteriors of religion, the means arc changed ;
but the end held in view- is the same.
And that end is ileillier less nor more, than to
triumph over the credulity of the people ; to pro-
cure emoluments at their expence; to triumph over
their ignorance, and to represent themselves under
the characters of saints, while, in reality, they are
like devils. This was the case viiih the Pharisees
of old, and it will remain to the end of tlic world,
as long as fal'e religion is known, and while there
is an hypocrite on earth.
765
ACCOUNT OF THE MYSTICS.
At present we must compare the Muggletonians
to those passionate lovers, who, alter being cloved
with enjoyment, become as cold as the aged and
infirm. At first they were fired with uubriilled zeal
of religion, inflamed with superstition ; but they
gradually cooled, and are now a set of jolly fellows,
wiao drink their pot, and smoke their tobacco.
There is one thing, however, relating to them,
tliat must not be forgotten.
When their first apostles found themselves draw-
ing towards their end, they did the very same almost
that Mahomet had done before. They tailed the
people together, and told them they ^\ ould come
again on earth to visit them ; but tiiey did not, like
the Arabian impostor, fix the time, which undoubt-
edly was a master stroke o( policy.
Their followers, in the present age, still retain
that notion ; and they believe, that these two apos-
tles, or witnesses, will meet them when they are
assembled together. They meet in the evenings of
Sundays, at obscure public-houses in the out-parts
of London, and converse about those of their sect
who have gone before them. They have very little
serious diecoursq, but are extremely free^ sotuetinii^s
going home jdrunk.
It does not appear tliat ever they had any public
plates of worship, for their first founders preached
any where. Those Muggletonians of the present
agt, make no account of either faith or duly, unless
h can be called faith to believe in the coming of
their founders. It is a sort of faith indeed, but it
is not that which Christians are taught to believe.--
Their conduct in treating religion in such an irreve-
rent manner, has had very pernicious effects on the
morals of the people. It has induced many of them
to become deists and practical atheists ; and we
have knov\n several persons, who, from Methodists,
commencec'r Muggletonians, and at last reposed
, themselves quietly in the bosom of the church of
Jiome. These converted Muggielonians are em-
ployed by the priests to pervert as many Protestants
as they can, and they generally have but too abun-
dant success.
The origin of the Muggletonians e.xhibits to us a
melancholy picture of those times when England
was without government either in church or state. —
The people were not content w ith hearing the Pres-
byterians, Independents, Anapabtists, &c. Scc. who
shared the duirch livings among themselves, but
they even encouraged tailors, cobblers, tinkers, and
allsorts of low vulgar mechanics to mount their
stools and chairs in the streets and on dunghills. —
Nay, they collected money for the preachers, which
answ ered their end niueh better than their trades. —
As the conduct of the ministers in the churches had
induced them to Iciid a helping hand to carry on the
work of reformation, so when the restoration took
place, both the established clergy and the court, let
loose their fury upon all sects indiscrimiiiately.
Some of the Muggletonians wei-e thrown into
prison, and others were put m the stocks, where
tliey continued preaching to the people. Some of
them were transported to the colonies in America;
but as the Presbyterians had great power there, they
haiassed them from one province to another, till'
death relieved them from their hardships.
Tlie intelligent reader will be able to assign a
reason for their <:ontinuanGe in this age, vshen all
religions are taught, but very few duties performed.
The last thing we shall take notice of concerning
these people is, that it is a melancholy consideration
that men should live in the world without enjoying
the smallest share of sense arising from religion : —
That instead of looking forward to the blessed hope
of immortality, they believe in notliing but the
resurrection of two impostors. To this we may
add, that there must still be a considerable number
of these people in different parts of England ; for
only a few years ago a new editioii in three volumes
quarto was printed, of the rhapsodie-i of Muggleton
and Reeves, and had there not been people to
purchase them, they w ould not have been printed.
ACCOUNT OF THE MYSTICS.
^y E have left our account of these smaller sects,
till the concluding part of this work^ because they
were never (to .use a military phrast,) properly em-
bodied.
So far as we know, the first Mystic writer was
St. Austin, bishop of Hippo, in Africa; Hut this
celebrated lather Uul not dissent from the religion
as established in the empire. It is true be collected
together a considerable number of young men, who
lived with him in cloisters adjoining to his church,
ai.d he tauglit them those notions that are to be
found in his confessions.
Soon af'fir lus death, wc hear of nothing but igno-
laace, occasioned by the mundatious of the barba-
ACCOUNT OF THE MYSTICS.
v6T
nans ; and llic first Mystic writer that lived afliT
liiin, seems to have been Bude, an Anglo-Saxon
monk, who lived in tliu abbey of Tinmoulh, in
Korthnmberland.
The next Mystic writer we meet with is St. Ber-
nard, who flourished about the eleventh century,
and was employ-. d by the pope to preach up the
crusades. In latter times wu meet witii Keinpis,
Bona, and Drexiliiis, in all of whose writings there
are many fine things. But we must now consider
them as a general sect ; and strange as it may ap-
pear, a woman was chiefly concerned in the insti-
tution of them.
Madam Bourignou, a French lady, and a Roman
Catholic, some time before the revocation of the
edict of Nantz (I fjS5), published several pieces on
divine love, spiritual .nindedness, the elevation of
the soul to Christ, the looking above all earthly
things, to r>ject, or at least consider, the externals
of religion as mere trifles, and to retire within them-
selves for the purposes of contemplation.
As the popiih religion consists chiefly in cere-
monies, so the French clergy were greatly alarmed,
and Madam Bourignou, not kuo\\ing what mischief
they might do her, left her native country, and re-
tired to Iioliand.
In the mean time the sect bad spread far and wide,
and the great Fenclon, archbishop of Cambray,
wrote a book, entitled, the Mu\ims of the Saints,
in which he' attempted to vindicate many of those
sentiments professed by Madam Bouiignon. The
Catholic clergy were alarmed, and notice was sent
to the pope.
After two years consultation, the pope, with his
cardinals, condi-mi.ed the book, and the archbishop
acquiesced in the censure. It does not seem, how-
ever, that he relmquished his opinions; for iiv-his
posthumous works, he left a vir:dication of what he
bad written before.
Tiie proselytes to Madam EourignonV opinions
increased daily, and some of them came over to
England. They did not set up separate congre-
gations, but they [r.ibJished a considerable numl)er
of books, by which they disseminated their sentiments
all over the kingdom. They ran into wild extrava-
gancies, and although they were at first very in-
oficnsive, yet in llie end tliey became most mys-
terious indeed.
A.s all violent disorders in the human body eilhc-r
kill or cure, so violences in religicui have the same
tendency. This was the case with the Mystics,
i*ho, by their violent attaclnnent to things above
religion, lost what reason they had. Their suc-
cessors, however, have become more sober, and
several gi: at men both in the cliurch of Englarid,
wid among the Dissenters, have embraced their
opinions.
Among these were the late pious Mr. Law, and
the amiable Mrs. Uowe. The writings, however,
of these celebrated persons, are far from beino- con-
temi>tible. They contain the most elevated flights
of fancy, and exalted thoughts of divine goodness.
We shall conclude tliis article with observing,
that whoever would devote themselves to the study
of religion, should take a little practical religion
along with them. We are such a composition of
flesii and spirit, that nothing less than human means
can [iromote divine institutions.
If men would think soberly, and look into their
own hearts, they would not be led into such extra-
vagancies as they generally are. In the present awe,
mistakes are to be found in many of our sects, and
the greatest part of them have been owing to the
multiplicity of hynnis. Of these we shall just give
a specimen, and leave the reader to judge for him-
self. We could give stronger specimens, but think
the following will be sutKcient.
Jesus, God of our salvation,
Give us eyes thyself to see.
Waiting for the consolation,
Longing to believe on thee :
Now vouchsafe the sacred power.
Now the faith diviue impart j
Meet us in this solemn hour,
Shine in every drooping heart.
Anna-like within the temple,
Simeon-like we meekly stay.
Daily with thy saints assemble,
Nightly for thy coming pray :
While our souls arc bow'd before thee,
While we huniblv sue for srace.
Come, thy people's light and glory,
Shew to all thy heavenly face.
If to us thy sacred spirit
Hath the future grace revcal'd.
Let us by thy righteous merit
Now r»^ceive our pardon seal'd :
To eternal life appointed.
Let us thy salvation see,
Now behold the Lord's anointed.
Now obtain our heaven in thee.
Upon the whole, the Mystics, 'xho at present
seem to have hearts inclined towards piety, but very
confused heads, with minds susceptible of serious
impressions of religion, by neglecting the use of
reason ipcy run into a vast number of .ibsurdiiics. —
By imaginin<< themselves to be svrougbt upon liy su-
perior nnd supernatural influences, tiiey neglect the
usj or divine i»?velation. 'I'hey embrace t'u -hadow
for the Eubslancc, and although .\e would not call
i them ( '•iminal, yet we are certain that they are
' niistakeu.
76d
ACCOUNT OF THE FRENCH PROPHETS.
jfiLTIIOUGH, so far as we are able to learn,
there are none of these people now in London, nor
in any part of Britain, yet they made no small
figure about the beginning of the present century.
Their origin was as follows :
After the revocation of the edict of Nantz, l6SJ,
not less than fifteen hundred thousand Protestants
left France, and settled in Protestant countries. —
These men, who were for the most part very inge-
nious artists, carried the manufacturies of France
along with them. Many of these Protestants brought
the silk trade along with them to England, and they
received all that encouragement which is due to
persecuted merit. The elector of Brandenburgh,
grandfather to the late king of Prussia, invited
some thousands of them to settle in his dominions;
and the kings of Denmark and Sweden, who had
their own interest in a better light than the Gallic
monarch, assigned them places to reside in.
This therefore weakened the trade of France, by
lessoning her power, in depriving the country of its
most useful ii;habitants. Here was a noble oppor-
tunity for t!ie I'reiich ministry to revive the interest
and honour of their country by putting an end to
the iron hand of oppressive power, by restoring the
su'jjects to their natural rights and privileges. Here,
Low ever, bigolry got ihe better of self-interest, and
the love of Supersiilion triinnplied over all tiiose
duties which' men o'.ve to their fellow-subjects.
An edict passed, that every man who should be
found making his escape out of France, should be
condemned to the gallies for life, and some thousands
of these people were apprehended and suffered tlie
prescribed p-^niishment. The violence of tiie per-
secution raged v\ ith the greatest severity in the soulii
of France, which induced the people who had no
opportunity of' making their escape, to take shelter
in those barren mountains called the Cevennes.—
Tiiere they sufii'ered many hardsiiips, which naturally
filled their minds with notions altogether super-
stitious. Fixing carnal senses on the most repu-
table providential passages in the Old Testament,
ihev begun to itnaginne they weie divinely inspised,
and assumed the name of i)ropliets : pretending, at
the sam« time, to that sacred character which ought
always to be treated with respect.
Ntcessity furnished these people with an oppor-
tunity of making their escape to Geneva, where
they were kindly received, and furnished with raoney
to carry them to Holland, by the way of the Khiue.
From Holland, a whole cargo of these enthusiasts
came over to London, and they began to shew their
importance in a very remarkable manner indeed. — •
They laboured at the ends of the most remarkable
and most conspicuous streets in Loudon, declaiming
against popery, and condeninnig, with the bitterest
violence, the whole frame . of the chui ch of Eng-
land. They denounced the severest judgments on
queen Anne for not extirpating all the papists in
Lurope; and they propliesied, that withm a few
months England would be destroyed.
On this subject of religious madness, Voltaire,
contrary to his usual way of writing, has a very just
remark. " Queen Anne (says this author) was well
known to have a strong attachment to the church of
England; and although a little superstition might
be fourid in her conduct, yet she did not choose to
have her favourite church ridiculed. She therefore
ordered her attorney-general. Sir Thomas Parker,
to proceed against these enthusiasts in a sumniary
manner. Accordingly they were ordered to be
whipped round St. Paul's church-yard; and at every
lash they received, they prophesied a curse against
her majesty, and against the nation." But this
conduct had not the desired effect, for they had
daily great numbers of converts, so that for some
time London was little better than in a state of con-
fusion.
It was not, however, sufficient for them to make
converts ui London, they sent missionaries as far as
Scotland. Here one Cunningham, a common me-
dianic, preaclied in the streets of Edinburgh, to a
tumultuous mob ; and the Presbyterian ministers
began to imagine, that the French Prophets were
devils indeed. They were afraid they sh(juld lead
away their people from their churches, and bring
their ministry into contempt.
The magistrates of Edinburgh acted more pru-
dently, for they caused Cumiingham, awd about a
dozen of his followers to be apprehended and com-
mitted to prison, and like the Muggletonians, they
were so ignorant of future events, that they did not
know vvhut was to happen to themselves. During
his confinement, Cunningham wrote a book full of
rhapsodies, bordering on blasphemy, pronouncing a
thousand curses on Scotland; but the magistracy
ACCOUXT OF THE FRENCH PROPHETS.
TC9
took no further notice of it, than to order liiiu to
Le wliippcd tliiongli llie citv.
For some time ;ifter Cuniiinglnm had been re-
leased iVom his imprisoninciit, his lolfov-crs attempt-
ed lo dissi'ininiUe ihpir scutiiueuts in the dilferciit
towns in Scotland, but the Prcshyteriun ministers
formed a (dan to have them ail knock^'d on the
head. It i-s certain that enthusiasm will cany men
to great lengtlis, even in a bad cause; but the
FjcjuJi Propiu-t« in Scotland had not fortitude suf-
ikitiit to submit wilii patience to be massacred,
according to the plan laid down by some zealous
Presbyteiian ministers. 'I'hty had less zeal and more
prurience than one would have expected from men,
■vsiio, in all other respects, were darkened in their
iniderstandiiigs.
Sliniuialed by motives of self-preservation froni
the fury pf the e«ragtd Presbyterians in Scotland,
they wisely crossed the Tweed, and joiired their
friends in London. It does not appear, that, pro-
perly speaking, they had any meetings ; for in their
opinion, temples built with hands were places too
profane A)r them to exhibit in. They had tents
erected in the fields leading towards Islington, wi>€re
ihey harangued eveiy day to a promiscuous multi-
tude. This created many disturbances, and fre-
quently led the Middlesex Justices from their bottle
to see them set in the stocks. Sympathy for the
sufterers operated on the minds of the vulgar, and
tbcir bold pretensions to the spirit of prophesy in-
duced the ignorant to consider them as divinely in-
spired. In proof of this, we shall nien;<.jn the
following fact, related to the author by an eminent
surgeon now alive, and who enjoys two consider-
able places in public hospitals.
Oiie of these madmen having asserted, that in
proof of his diviiie mission, he would die on a par-
ticular dav, and on the third day he would rise from
the dead; a wag present, laid him a wager on the
strength of his prophecy. The prophet, who knew
not in .what mariner the materia medica operated,
resolved to try the experiment, and the day was
fijted. In the mean time the enthusiast went to the
failier of the geullenrau already uicniioutd, who
kept an apolhccsiy's shop in Old-street. lie asked
for as much opiurn ns would make him sleep one
night. Having obtained that, be bought twice as
nmch, vainly imagining that if one-third part of the
quantity would make him sleep one night, conse-
cpiciitly the remainiler would make him sleep two
nights more, after which he would arise fn.ni the
dead, and give a con\incing proof of his mission.
Accordingly he swallowed the three doses of
opium, and \m friends, who had been let into the
secret of his design, and who wtjre as ignorant 'as
himself, had him interred in the bnrynig-groiind
belonging to the pari'^h church of Crippkgate, situ-
ated in \V hiie-Cross-street. The fiaterinty of pro-
phets continued singing hymns round the grave tilt
the e.xpiration of the three days, and the people iii
the neighbourhooJ were driven to such a state of
e>;pectalton, that they neglected their lawful employ-
ments to behold this miraculous event.
At last the appointed time arrived ; thousands and
ten thousands of fools atttndijci, and the grave was
opened ; but, alas ! instead of the prophet's making
his appearance in the iaiid of the living, the coroner
issued his warrant for a jury to be summoneti, lo
iiKjuire in what inauner he cam.e by his death. —
'l"he verdict was found self-murder, and he was
buried with a stake drove through his body, in the
cross-way n -ar Doghouse bar.
This was a most fatal stroke to the French Pro-
phets; their credit sunk into contempt, and they
soon after dsvindled away. Indeed, for some time,
the London prisons were filled with them ; and the
pillories exhibited scenes of amazement for the idle
and the profiigate. Some of thenx were traiispovled
to America, but they were soon driven out of that
country, because both the Presbyterians and liide-
pendeuts threatened lo have theui brougl.t to punish-
ment. It is very probable this would iuive taken
place, had not liie civil governors taken part with
these unhappy entiuisiasls, and seat them again to
England.
It stems that about this time, they began to cool
in their zeal, and they dwindled aivay ui such a
gradual manuer, that no reuiains of them are kit.
51
<) I
770
ACCOUNT OF THE FIFTH MONARCHY MEN, COMMONLY
CALLED MILLENAmANS.
JLT is probable that maiiy of our readers never
heard of this sect, and therefore it is proper we
should say something concerning them, especially
as they are not only ef great aittiquity, but are like-
wise numerous in the present age. It is true, they
are not considered as one body of people, because
they are scattered through the different denomuia-
tions of Protestants, and some of the same sen-
timents hav-e often been fouud among the Roman
Catholics.
It is not our business here to enter into thdt sort
of controversy which might distract the minds of
our readers; but we could say a thousand things
concerning the conduct of the council of Nice,
which, in the year 325, settled the canon of tlie
sacred scripture, Mr. Toland has asserted, that if
the council of Nice had a right io determine what
was the canon of the sacred scripture, tliey must
have been divinely inspired ; for all the living wit-
nesses and writers had been dead many years before
the oldest members of tliat assembly was born.
Now it is well known, that even the council of
Nice rejected some of those books which we now
consider as canonical. And this iias given rise to a
question, viz. wlielher if tlie scriptures acknow-
ledged to be canonical by the council of Nice ware
written by Divine i{isi>iration ? And secondly, whe-
ther Divine inspiration should guide the hand of
every transcriber ?
We shall not enter into the nature of this contro-
versy; the learned are Avell acquainted with it, and
.we know the weak cannot bear it. There are sub-
jects which particular persons may discourse on, but
w« must not make tliem known indiscriminately.
This leads us to consider the origin and progress
of these people caljed Millenarians. The Apoca-
lypse, or tlte book which we now call the Revela-
tion of St. John the Divine, was not recognized in
the church as canonical, till the end of the fifth ccn-
turv. It is certain, there are some expressions in
that book which bear sUong marks of a Divine ori-
jiinal'; but it is upon a particular expression that the
lioetriue of the Millenarians has .been fvjundtd.
The passage alluded to is in Revdation xx.
" And I saw au angel come down from heaven,
hayin" die key of the bottomless pit, and a great
clialu in his hand,
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent,
which is the devil and satan, and bound him a thou-
sand years,
And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut
him up, and set a seat upon him, that he should de-
ceive the nations no more, till the thousand years
should be fulfilled; and after that, he must be loosed
a little season.
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and
judgment was given unto them :
And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded
for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God
and which had not worshipped the beast, nor his
image, neither had received his mark upon their
foreheads, or in their hands ; and they lived and
reigned 'vjih Ciirist a thousand years.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the
thousand years were finished. This is the first resur-
rection.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection : on such the second death hath no
power, but they shall be priests of God, and of
Christ, and shall reign with liim a thousand years.
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan
shall be loosed out of his prison,
And shall go out to deceive the nations, which are
in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog,
to gather them together to battle : the number of
whom is as the sand <>f the sea.
And they went up on the breadth of the earth
and compassed the camp of tlie saints about, and
the beloved city ; and fire came down from God
out of heaven and devoured them.
And the devil that deceived them was cast info
die lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and '
the false prophets are, and shall be tormented day
and night for ever and ever."
Now it is vui-y probable, that diese expressions
are rather figurative than otherwise ; for days are
often mentioned as years in scriplur'e; and it is said
that a thousand years are in the sight of God but as
one day. However, it will appt-ar that some of the
ancitjiit Cl'-istians, who never saw the book called
die Apocalypse, or Uevflation, believed the same
sentiment contained in the above passage, I'he
first of these was Ircneus, an , rJiji- whose good-
ness of heart was far superior to the clearness of
ACCOUNT OF THE IMILLKNARIANS.
liis head. The notion itself was carnal, but it was
easily embraced and greedily swallowed by the weak
Chnslians in those early ages.
But wiih respect to what had been advanced by
Ireneus, it was trifling to the notions broached by
Origen. That father, celebrated for his learuin<r,
became equally celebrated, or rallier despised for
his preachmg doctrines unknown to the Christian
cliurch before his time. Origen had learnhig without
knowledge, and piety without prudence. He was
acquainted with human wisdom ; he loved that
which was divine ; but his passions were too stron"'
to be brought under proper restraints.
A little learning is a dangerous thing,
Drink deep, or taste not the pieriau spring ;
Their shallow draughts into.\icate the brain.
But drinking largely sobers us again.
However, it became an established notion among
the primitive churches, that Christ, at his second
coming, was to reign with his saints on earth a
thousand years ; and then the whole plan of re-
demption was to be completed. We are not certain
ho>A- far tliis sentiment operated in the middle ages
of Christianity ; but we are certiau that it was re-
ceived soon after the Reformation from popery. We
shall therefore proceed to consider in what manner
these seiitnneuts were propagated, who the persons
were who embraced them, and by whom they are
countenanced in tl:.^ present age. This leads us into
the history of the civil wars, an age when new reli-
gions grew up as fast as mushrooms do from their
beds, and who vanish away like Jonah's gourd.
When the civil wars broke out, the views and
designs of the Puritans were discovered both bv the
church-men, whom they opposed, and by the Re-
publiran party, who countenanced them. They had
before that time been considered under the general
name of Puritans, as men who sought for a purer
refornK'tioa than had taken place in the rei^n of
queen Elizabeth. To promolti the destruction of
church and state, they concealed their real senti-
ments ; but no sooner had they got into ihe posses-
sion of the church liviugs, than they pulled oft" the
mask, and, like Pandora's box, as many religions
flew out as were sufticient to have darkened the
air.
Among soipe of these Psudo reformers were a
great number of Filth Monarchy Men, or Mille-
•narians; and so fund were they of this notion, that
they excommunicated their hearers who refused to
be of \}ie same sentiment wi'h themselves. Many
books were written oil the bdicf^of Ciirist's coming
to roign with bis saints a thi.asand years on earth,
and it was considered as much an article of religion
as the existence of God, or the incarnation of
Christ.
Some of those men who taught this notion were,
in other respects, considerable in the literary world;
but wliene\er new religions are broached by men of
learning, they must not expect to find it wholly
engrossed by themselves.
They vvill find competitors to enter the lists MTth
them, and it will frequently happen, as it too of;oa
does in the physical world, that the quacks will have
more followers and greater fees, than those who
have been regularly bred to the profession.
This was the very case with the Fifth Monarchy
Men in England ; for no sooner had they published
their sentiments and procured a considerable number
of followers, whose imaginations they wrought up
into a state of confusion, than utany of their hearers
turned preachers, and taught for themselves. It
might have been supposed, that a person of such n
cool disposition as Oliver Cromwell certainly was,
would have done something towards suppressing
these people ; but tlien it must be considered that
the Independents, whom he always esteemed, sup-
ported his government. Now he could not, with
propriety, have attacked the spawn of his own parly,
without giving them offence ; and as mere nominal
preachers have no mercy, consequently he might
have been, for such an action, deprived of his life
and his dignity.
The more sober part of the Millenarians, or Fifth
Monarchy Men, only believed that Christ would
reign a thousand years before the general resurrec-
tion ; but the madmen who sprung up under them,
carried the notion much higher. 'I'hey were Hot
content to wait till Christ's second coming; they
, had fixed a time for setting the crow n on his head.
Of this the following is a remarkable instance.
In IttOO, and on the very d;iy on which king
Charles II. was crowned, a considerable number of
these madmen met in Coleman-street, in London,
where they were headed by one Veimer, a fiery,
ignorant preacher. In the morning he delivered a
discourse to them, in which he told them, that the
day was come when Christ was to ascend his throne.
Having lirt'd their imaginations with the highest
raptures of enthusiasnj, and finling them ready to
obey him in every thing, he ordered them to sally
forth into the streets, and kill every person who re-
fused to join with them.
This was reailily complied with, and these in-
fatuated men made a more tlian drejidful havoc in
the streets. The guards were brougiit to <fisj)erse
them, and several of them were killed. A consi-
derable number were taken into cuHody, among
whom was V< nner, llie riiij;leaiier, who, with nine
of his d<hide<i followers, were execHted in dift'ereut
parts of the city.
Trf
a
ACCOUNT OF THE HUTCHINSONIANS.
This instance of madness afforded a pretence for
tf.e coirupted court to wreak its vengeance upon the
•whole body of Noa-confoniiists, although it is cer-
tain tbiit they had no concern in it. Whatever
niirht have been the sentiments of inany of tlie
Dissenters at that time, this much is certain, that
they never intended to act in the same manner as
Venner. They kept their opinions to themselves,
buuVenner rednceiL them to practice. This vas a
dreadful stroke to the Fifth Monarchy Men, and
from that time they have niade no great iigure in
Bn2,land.
At present they are confined to writers, and there
is now ill the church of England a learned bishop
who has embraced the sentiment concerning tha
Millenarians. We acknowledge the sentiment to be
of a disputable nature, but still we think it tou
carnal to make a part of the Christian religion. — ■
However, we sh;ill leave every one to his own opi-
nion, witiiout pretending to judge of things above
our coraprehensiou.
ACCOUNT OF THE HUTCHINSONIANS.
Ti
HE fnrther we proceed in our accounts of sects
and parties in religion, the more the curiosity of
our readers must be stimulated, because we are of
opinion, that many of them were seldom heard of
before. However, that they either exist, or did
exist, we can make appear.
To understand the nature of this sect, we must
consider, that about the time of the Reformation,
or at least, soon after it, there were some feint at-
tempts made to improve the study of the Hebrew
language. Laudable as a proposal of this nature
might have been, yet it might have been entangled
with a variety of difticulties, had not the attempts
made to suppress the inquiry, defeated its own in-
tention.
• AIL the Hebrew manuscripts were written without
the points or vowels, and these points or vowels
were, at the same time, used by the Jews. The
grand question was, whether the Hebrew languJige
vas to be read with the Masoretic points, or v^ hether
the letters Alep/i, He, Van, Jod, and Gnain, should
be substituted in place of the common vowels. —
These dift*rent methods of reading created much
confusion ; and the Jews, by the use of the points,
had fixed a sense upon the scripture which had never
been known before.
Our first reformers had learned the Hebrew ac-
cording to the Jewish method, by the use of the
Masoretic points ; and as these points put a wrong
construction on the sense of the scripture, conse-
quently the deists took the advantage, while the
Jews triumphed over the weakness of the Christians.
In particular -it was objected by the deists, that the
Mosaic account of the creation was, in all respects,
inconsistent with the principles of natural philo-
sophy, according to the expeiimeats that had beea
made in latter ages. Hence the interests of divine
revelation were concerned, and therefore it was
either necessary, that we should acknowledoe that
Moses never taught a system of philosophy, or that
he was not di' inely inspired, because he c&ncedled
from us those things which can be easily fcn^>^^■!^ by
common experience, at least by the use of midern
philosophy, which has been for some time reduced
to a system.
This naturally leads us to the investigation of the
sect of whom we are now treating.
John Hutchinson was the son of a farmer in
Yorkshire, and as his f.-.ther's sole desicjn was to
bring him up to be a iand-sfrward to some noble-
man, he sent lum ,!o school to be educated in those
rules of mech.-iiiicai science which naturally leads
thereto. When he had completed himself in men-
suration, and the other practical parts of the sci-
ence.'f, he returned from school to his father, and at
that time the following cirruaistance took place.
In the village where Mr. Hutchinson's lather
lived, a stranger unknown to any person in the
country, canje to ask for lodgings, and old Mr.
Hutchinson took him into his bouse. It was never
known who this stranger was, but after he had been
about three weeks in his new lodgings, he told Mr.
Hutchinson, he would for his board and lodoinw
teach his ,son die languages.
The father embraced the proposal, and in the
compass of four years our young student was enabled
to go through not only the Roman and Greek clas-
sics, but likewise to make a considerable figure in
the Hebrew. The education of the young man be-
ing completed, the stranger left the place, and never
was heard of afterwards. There are circumstances
of this nature to be found in hiftory, and reasocs
ACCOUXT OF THE IIUTCHIXSONIANS.
773
may be o'ssigned for tlieni, which none but the intel-
ligt'iit c;in answer.
l'"iiriiislud with all the learning of the sihoofs,
tlioitgli dissemir/rflt fl tliiongli the cliiinnel of a pri-
vate eilucalion, Mr. Ilutcliinson tiiiuie an amaziDg
progress in the stiiHy of tlie ancient writers, and
betwei n nil of them he ran such a parallel as to
j)i int out the ilitTfrtnce between tlu- Mosaic eeo-
Iiomy, and ll-e i!i)thoI'>gy of the Greeks. To the
k-novvh-ilge of langiiiigflS he added that of philosophy,
and by comparing the ancient with liic mud( rn sys-
tems, he formed those notions which have made no
iucoiisiderable figure in this nation. By inconsider-
able \vc mean, lii.it some celebrated persons, who
shall be mentioned afterwards, have embraced them.
Ml'. Ilntchinsoii being, as it were, at leisure in
the eiijoymt nt of a sinecure place, inider the dnke
of Sonu-f-et, master of the horse, began to compare
the ancient a)id modern philosophy, and found that
he could not find the truth in either. He examined
the Hebre\A' language with great care, and from his
inijujry, published a book under the title of Motes
Piiitrij'iit, which he laid down as the ground work
of ail liis oilier compositions.
Tiic design of this work is to prove that Moses
laid down a perfect system of j)hilosophy ; that the
sacied scriptures of the Old Testament had never
been rightly translated ; that Moses never taught
auy thinc; contrary to the planctaij system, but
really established it; and whereas Sir Isaac Newton
instituted the notion of there being a vacuum in
nature, lie opposed it by asserting there was a plenum.
That ail heavtiily bodies went round the sun by a
sort of compressure. "^
With respect to the«ternis »f acceptance with
God, he af-serted, that they were clearly revealed by
Moses and the pi'.phtts; but he strongly 0)>posed
the nupntatioii oi {Jlnist's righteousness, lie leantd
litoie to the Ainiinian than the Calviiiisii< al hide of
the qaesiiou; but his notions were a mixture of
loth.
Imoui these seutimenls a new sect was formed,
whieh has continued ever since. There are many
learned men of his opinion, and three TIebrew
Lexitsiis have been published to support al! his sen-
tunents. 'i he Hutehinsonian writers arc more se-
vere against their antagonists, than the papists are
agi.inst the Protestants. There is a certain harsh-
ness of expression used by them, that does not be-
come the mild doctrines of the gospel. We know
but of one single exception to this general charge,
and that is, m \\w lord piesident Forbes. 'J'hat
learned gcnllcman has di<ssed the Ilutchinsonians
in the most amiable ciiaracters indeed. While he
illustrates the prluripks laid down bv Hutehinson,
Jit viadieate'^, al ihe same time, all the great truths
ol li'.e Chrisliau religion, and sujjports divine reve-
al . 9
lalion upon principhs little attended to by Christian
_ ifivines, and utterlv unans\verable by the deists. It
is certain that his works have been of more service
in promoting tlie cause of religion and virtue, than
one half of the books in the pn sent age.
At present the Ilutchinsonians are rather a senti-
mental than collective body of people; they are to
be found among almost all deiioniinalions of Pro-
testants, and the notion itself has been the means of
reviving ihe studv of the Hebrew language. It has
stimulated many persons to inquire into ti.e sacred
oracles, and notwithstanding the levity of the present
age, yet we are certain, that there are more persons
in Britain at present acquainted with the oriental
languages thnn ever were known at one time, since
ihe Reformation.
As for places of worship, properly speaking, th' y
have noHc; for those of the lower sort who reside in
London, meet, like the Muggletouians, in public-
houses. We have been present at one of thc^e
meetings, in a club-room up stairs, at a noted public-
house in the Strand. The members consisted, for
the most part, of discarded Methodist?, Indepen-
dents, and Saudernanians ; but we could not tind oie
pirson that had made choice of ibis scheme till he
had been ex] ellej out of another. AiuJ this leads
us to consider the vast impropriety in the conduct
of our modern Calvinistical Disstnters, in excom-
municating their members.
The action is weak, foolish, and wicked. It Is
weak, because they turn onl from among them those
who have it in their power to expose some things
that will not bear a proper scrutiny. It is foolish,
because they turn away those who contribute to-
w;;rds supporting their ministers in a state of idle-
ness. And, lastly, it is wicked, because no sooner
have they discarded one of their members, th;.n they
do all in their power to pr>)n!ote his ruin. Here is
a con!plic;ttion of guilt, attended with, many aggra-
vating cireuinsfanees. Some of them know them-
selves to be very irregular, and why ih.en should they
I hunt down those who only go hahes witli them in a
course of practical iinpiely?
I This conduct of some Dissenters has been at-
] tended with two conseqnc nces : First, it has made
1 the diseardetl niembi rs form schemts of new reli-
V gions ; and then finding nothing but knavery where-
e\er they joined themselves, they liuve eomnienced
either papists or deists.
At present, when the Ilutchinsonians meet in their
public assemblies, one of ihim reads, and another
ex|)lains a passage of sciptnre as well as he can ;
then a third juays, and when they have dianka little
porter they are dismissed.
Having already taken notice that ra< •. of cur ne\T
religions are formed of the excoimi'uuica'ed mem-
bers of other societies; vt must now <i?dare these
774
ACCOUNT OF THE HUTCHINSONIANS.
members were otice celebrated for their high attain-
ments in piety and divine expeiicnce. Tliey were
celebrated for traducing the v/ords raorality, or good
works. Grace, experience, the stats of their souls,
and such like expressions, made the whole of their
conversation ; but Iqt them be once discarded, they
treat with contempt all their boasted experiences,
and when they are tired with dabbling in religion,
they give themselves up to ail manner of profaneiiess.
There are but few instances v> here it is other'Aise,
and where that does happen, it should be ascribed
more to a gracious Providence, than to any thing
else. This should caution young people to be ui>oii
their guard against the force of temptation, which
will be sure to assault them if they are not serious
in the matter of religion. If they can overcome
the temptation, it will be to their everlasting ho-
nour, of which we shall give a single instance,
wis'iing we had it in our power to produce many
more.
About sixteen years ago, a person of an extraor-
dinary turn, had read almost every book that he
could lay hold of; and what was still more remark-
able, he remembered almost every thing he read.
Instructed in his early youth in the principles of
Christianity, he had always the highest value for
every thing of a serious nature. Brought up a
Dissenter, and in sentiment a Calvinist ; he entered
into communion with the Independents. He had not
been long among them when he began to point out
to their leaders the necessity they were under of
reforming many abuses; and among other things,
that of provuhng for the poor. This Mas strongly
opposed, and one of their ministers observed, that
as they paid the poor rates, so the parishes ought
to take care of those who were in want.
Another proposal was made by this person in the
meeting, which met with the same fate as the for-
mer. It was, that the ministers should keep a list
of the names of his people, their places of abode,
and their circumstances ; and that they should inti-
mate upon their removal, what places they went to.
That the minister should visit every person, at least
four limes in the year, to inciuire into his circum-
stances, and to invite such as were poor, to come to
the meeting, and in a teiider and affectionate raau-
ner, be relieved by their brethren.
This was a dreadful proposal, and every raeaoj
were thought of, to get rid of this Iroublcs.ime
guest. The worst of all was, he had done rather
more good than any of them, so that it was difficult
to fix the charge, so as to get him excommuiii(,ated.
They had frequ< nt consultations concerning llii-se
matters during the compass of six months; and at
last, two favourable opportunities presented diem-
selves.
London was at this time m an uproar, concerning
the playing at blindman's-buff, and this obnoxious
Independent went frequently to see their m,..hie5S.
As he was always free iw his couversation, and
sometimes imprudently satirical, he fiequcntly ridi- '
culed his brethren, so that he was reputi d to be a
Sandimanian. The next plea against him was, that
in consequence of having a large family, most of
whom had been long cunfmed to .sick beds, he had
been under the necessity of contracting some debts.
A peremptory demand of payment wus made upon
him, at a time when it was well known it was not
in his power to comply, and thus the affair was
brought to a conclusion. The offender was ordered
to make his appearance before the congiegation :
but as he made it a fixed rule never to go where his
temper inight be ruffled, and well knowing what
w as plotting against him, he was immediately ex-
communicated.
As for this mean exercise of clerical power, the
man would have made no account of it, but no
sooner were they got quit of him, than they went
about wherever he was known, and traduced his
character in such a manner, that he was left with
his family in distress. But notwithstanding that more
than heathenish cruelty, yet this man never despised
tiire religion. He gave up all connection with reli-
gious societies, and minded only religion itself. —
He considered religion as a living principle, which
must be reduced to actions, and traduced as a hea-
then, he went on in an uniform course of duty.
As what has been here advanced is the most so-
lemn matter of fact, so it is hoped it will have a
proper effect, and tiacji people, in the words of the
apostle, to be well grounded in their own minds,
before they change their religious seutimeuts.
rrs
ACCOUNT OF THE QUIETISTS.
*lJlF all the sects we have hitherto treated of, this
bears the nearest resemblaiKC to that oi ihc Mys-
tics, only that tliis sect has been long confined to
till' Raman Catholic church, whereas the Mystics
joined ilie Protestants.
The lounder of this sect was onp Michael de
Muliiios, a Romish priest, and a man ot some
learning, wlio lived in France, and aiierwards in
lialy, towards the latter end of the si.stli century.
'1 he name is taken from an absolute state of rest
and inaction, which the soul is supposed to be in,
vhen arrived at the state of perfection. This state
of perfection is called by them llie 'inactive life.
To arrive at this, a man is fust to pass through
the progressive way, that is, through a long course
of uniform obedience, imposed by the fear of hell.
Hence he is to proceed into the illuminative way
before he arrives at perfection. He must go tlirough
combats and violent pains, that is, not only the
usual business of the soul, and the common priva-
tions of grace, but also infernal pains.
He must believe himself to be damned, and the
persuasion that he is so, must if be lives, be upon
him several years.
St. Francis de Saiis, a Jesuit says, the Qnietists
are so fully persuaded of this, that they will not
suffer any body to convince them to the contrary.
Abd indeed it is needless to make the experiment,
for enthusiasts are seldom convinced, even by the
most rational arguments that can be made use of,
but remain obstinate to the last. They shut their
eyes against the truth.
These men believe that they shall be amply re-
paid for all their suti'erings, by the embraces of
God, which they imagine will raise them to a state
equal to their maker.
Their sentiments concerning God, are wonder-
fully pure and disinterested. They say they love
him for himself, on account of his own perfection,
independently of any lowards or punishments. The
soul, says he, acquiesces in the will of God, even at
the time when he precipitates it into hell. Nay,
instead of begging mercy on this occasion; one of
theui, whose name was 13. Angelo de Foligy, cried
out, " Haste L<iid to cast ine into hell, do not de-
lay if thou hast abandoiud me; but haste my de-
struction and cast uie iiito the abvss."
At length the soul, after long enduring many suf-
ferings, enters into rest or quietude. Here it is
wholly employed in contemplating its God. It acts
no more, thinks no more, desires no more, but lies
perfectly open and at large, to receive the grace of
God, who, by means thereof, draws it where it
will and as it will.
In this state it has no occasion for pravers, or
hymns, or vows : because where the spirit labours,
and the mouth is open, the soul is the most weak
and impotent. The soul of the spirit is as it were
laid in the bosom, and between the arms of God;
where without the making motion or exerting any
action, it waits and receives the Divine grace. It
then becomes happy, quitting the existence it had
before. It is now changed, and it is transformed,
and, as it were, sunk and swallowed up in the Di-
vine Being, insomuch, as not to know its being
distinguished from God liimself.
Bishop Burnet gives the following account of
the Quietists, or JSIolinists, in one of his letters
from Rome.
" The new method of Molinos doth so much
prevail in Naples, that it is believed he hath above
twenty thousand followers in this city ; and since
this has made some noise in the world, and vet is
generally but little understood, I will give you some
account of him : He is a Spanish priest that seems
to be but an ordinary divine, and is certainly a very
ill reasoner when he undertakes to prove liis opinion.
He hath writ a book, wiiich is entitled il Gnida
Spirituale, or. The Spiritual Guide, which is a short
abstract of the Mystical Divinity ; the substance of
the whole is reduced to this, that in our prayers and
other devotions, the best methods are to retire the
mind from all gross inuiges, and so to form an act
of taith, and thereby to present oui selves before
God : and then to sink intoasilence and cessation of
new acts, and lo let God act upon us, and so to fol-
low his conduct : This way he prefers to the mul-
tiplication of many new acts, and different forms
of devotion, and he makes ••mall account of corporal
austerities, and reduces all the exercises of lehgioii
to tiiis simplicity of mind.
He thinks this is not only to be proposed to such
as live in reiipious houses, but e^en to secular per-
sons, and by this he hath proposed a great refoima-
^76
ACCOUNT OF TI^E QUIETISTS.
tion of inpfi's nahvds and maunera ; he hatli mai>y
priests in Itulv, but cfiictlv.iii Naples, lliut dispose
thoBu wlio confcs- ihuniselvcs to tbtm, to follow his
niertiods. The JeDiiils have »et themselves much
against this conduct, as foreseeing that it mav much
weaken the empire that superstition hath over the
minds of the people, that it nray make religion be-
come a more plain and simple thing, and may also
open a door to enthusiasm : they also pretend that
his conduct is factions and seditions, tliat this may
bleed a schism in tlic church. And because he saith,
in some places of his book, that the mind may rise
up to such a simplicity in its acts, that it may lise
in some of its devotions to God immediately, with-
out contemplating the hiiinanity of Christ, they
have accused him, as intending to lay aside the doc-
trine of Christ's humauiiy, though it is plain that he
speaks only of the purity of some single act;. —
Upon all those heads they have set themselves much
against Molinos ; and they have also pretended, that
some of his .disciples have infused it into theii' peni-
tents, that they may go and communicate as they
find themselves disposed, without going first to con-
fession, which they thought weakened nmch the
yoke, by winch the priests subdued the, consciences
of the people to their conduct : yet he was much
sivfiported both iu the kingdom of Naples and Sicily ;
he hath also many friends and followers at Rome.
So the Jesuits, as a provincial of the order, assured
iiic, finding they could not ruiu him by their own
force, got a gieat king that is now e,\lreme]y iu the
interest of their order to interpose, and to represent
to the pope the danger of such innovations.
It is certain the P9pe understands the matter very
little, and that he is possessed with a great opinion
of Moliuos's sanctity ; yet upon the complaints of
some cardinals, tliat seconded the zeal of that king,
he and some of his iollovicrs were put in the In-
fjuisiriun, where they have been uo\r for some
months, but still they are well used, which is believed
.to How from the good opinion that the pope hath
of him, who saith still, that though he may err, yet
he is certainly a good man. Upon this iniprison-
nieut Pasquin said a pJeasant thing in one week;
one man had been coudeinned to the gallies for
somewhat he had said, another had been liiuiged for
soniewli:.t he had writ, and Molinos was put in prison,
whose doctrine consisted chietly in this, that men
ought to bring tlieir minds to a state of inwarn
quietness, troBi which the name of Quietists was
given to all his followers. The Pasquinade upon
all tliis was^ If we spt ak wc are sent ,to the -gdlics,
if we write we are hanged, if we stand quiet we are
))ut up in the In<ju;sitioii ; what mu-it w«; do then f
Vet his followers at Naples ire not daunted, but
they believe he wiii come out of tliis trial vic-
torious."
Some years after the cardinals had cWidetrinf d tlie
opinions of Molinos, ino*t of th.eni were ihiveu out
of Italy; but this persecution caused thcia to i:i-
crease rather tiuui detrea'^e. Some of the popish
clergy became converts to ilieir opiniou-i, which in-
duced tiie fainoi;s Bo.ssui t, bishop of Mcaux, to
write against them. They might, indeed, have
suffered much in France, but the clergy were too
much engaged in persecuting the Protestants. — •
However, no sooner was that perseculi )n over, than
the jjiiests, who are seldom found idle while any one
opposes them, let Jori-e all their fury upon their own
brethren the Molinijiis; for however mad these Mo-
lini-its might liave been in their speculative notions,
yet they never denie'^the papal supremacy, nor did
they refrain from any of the rites and ceremonies
of the church of Rome. They .set. up no separate
farm of worslii|> ; they made 'no schism in that
church ; i)ul the Roman Caiholics punish people as
well for their thoughts, as for thcu' v. ords or actions.
Some of these Qiiietis!,') (led into Huiland, where
they published seveial books, but they still attended
the Romish chapels in that country; for we do not
find that any of them ever embraced the Protestant
religion.
But notwithstanding all this, the Romanist* never
considered them as sound in the faith, nor did tliey
always agree among themselves, so that it would be
impossible to form a system of their speculative
notions, without running into a variety of wild, ab-
surd contradictions.
Many of these Quietists went up into Germany,
where they were persecuted with as much violence
by the Lutheran clergy as they had been formerly
bv the Romish priests. The pulpits thundered out
against them ; the learned wrote books, and drew
up long lists of their heresies ; and then gave them
by derision the name of Pietists, and tlieir religion
Pietism.
These people are taxed in general as being in-
diftercnt to all the exteriors of religion, and in Ger-
many despising the symbolical books of the Luthe-
rans. Their notions concerning the Trinity are said
not to be orthodox, and they Jook upon creation and
providence as an imnidalion from the Deity.
They are accused of beiiig Miilenarians ; of pre-
tending that all religicni consists in the contempla-
tion of G( d ; t'lat in this state the soul is no ways
guilty of the od'ences committed by the body; and
that all actions sre necessary, good or bad.
Jacob Bohem, a native of Poland, having read
some of the books written by the Quietists, resolved
to turn author himself. He was by trade a shoe-
inaktT, but he had accinired some knowledge in
reading cabbalistical iUkI chemical books. His mind
was well turned for entluisiasm and fanaticism ; he
bragged of visions and drearnsj which he displayed
I
ACCOUNT OF THE PRE-ADAMITES.
777
in matters of divinity ami piiilosopby; all wliicii Iip
piet(:iided to cluar up in a book entitled " The
Grand Mystery," which is a theological, chemical
comment on tienesis, written in the German lan-
guage. Thix being printed, made a vast nimiber ol'
enthusiasts.
It is likily that this shoemaker, notwithstanding
the superior genius he pretended to, did not well un-
derstand his own meaning. For he is always absurd,
and often ambiguous, liki- one who has but con-
fused liolions of the subj..ct. His followers endea-
▼oured to clear up his notions, by substituting some
of their own. 'i'hus, for instance, they owned a
perfect unity iu the divine essence ; and yet they
imagined it contained a three-fold principle of all
things. Tims tire was God ; the light of the tire,
the knowledge and wisdom of God, the son of
God; and the Holy Ghost is the unity by which
the light enlightens. This opinion was embraced
bv manv of the ancient heretics, as well as by some
of the heathen philosophers; for accordiiig to this
system, God and the whole world is but one com-
plete being. I'hey have many other wild notions,
and there are many persons in to the world who read
tlieir raptures of enthusiasm.
It does not appear, that there are any of thein
among the Roman Catholics in the present age ;
but vast uumbers of sects have sprung from them
in Germany, for almost every town or city has its
nieeling for them. '1 hey have no forms of worship,
but ill that paitictilar pretty much rcsenible the
Quakers. Indeed it would be unnecessaiy for them
to have forms of worship, seeing ihey never pray
but wlun they imagine themselves to be divinely in-
spired. It is the same in their sermons, whicli are
always rhapsodies of wild non-sense, conimunicnted
as it were by madmen.
Although in some things they bear a near resem-
blance to the Mystics, yet those of the latter per-
suasion whom we have now in England, are far from
being so extravagant as these. It is certain, how-
ever, tliat the Englisli Mystics have given eiieourage-
inenl to the printing of some of Jacob Bohem's
books, but what success they have had we know
not.
Thus we have given the best account we could
procure of the Quieti.sLS, which is extracted from
impartial histories written of them ; and iiere it ap-
[icars that a system of entliusiasm, consisting of
dreams and visions, has been embraced by a great
number of Protestants, even after tiie Roman Catho-
lics, who broached it, had returned back to the
bosom of their holy mother church. Enthusiasm
will be always sure to gain a great number of fol-
lowers, hut reason and good sense, we are sorry to
say, seldom make many converts.
ACCOUNT OF THE PRE-ADAMITES.
V y E have already taken notice of some ancient
heretics who were called Adamites, and v^ho \rerc
such abouiiuable wretches, that they met naked in
their assemblies, and committed the most indecent
hiscivious actions. This brouglit much trouble to
the Christians, who, because they also met in the
nights, were all included under the general censure.
iBut the sect wo are now goi;ig to treat of were very
dilTerent; for their notions were purely of a specu-
lative nature.
About the middle of the last century, one Pyre-
rjus, a foreign Piotestant, wrote a book, in whieli
he attempted to prove, that there were nwn in the
worTd long before ^\dam ; that when he was created,
there were many thousaiids of people on this haiiit-
ab'e world, and that God's making the world ai- Ktit
liniewai i.crely an allegniy. He said, that P,ve s
being called the mother of all living, implied no
more than that iLe whole race of the elect should
descend from her.' Tliat as Setli was but the tUird
son of Adam, it could not wuh propriety be said,
that men should call upon the name of the Lord
when he was born. These words, " Calling on the
name of the Lord," mean no more than that men
began at that time to call upon God by another
name than that by wiiich be was known before. — •
To tliis he adds, the account of Cain's marrying a
V, ifc in the land of Nod, and this he advances as a
proof, that tiicre were many families at that time in
the world.
To these arguments, wiiicli have bf>en made use
of by many deistical writers, it may be reasonably
supposed, that as the birth of Selh was not till
many ye;us after the f.di, so there can remain little
doubt liut Adam had many children in that time. — .
B'lt of these things we shall take particular notice
afterwards, when »ve have Mated more at lurge t},g
history and seutiineuts of these people.
52
9l
778
ACCOUNT OF THE PRE-ADAMITES.
Ill the mean time, as the Vre-Ailamites made some
Boise in Germany, tlie people of England sent for
copies of the book written by Pyrerius; and as they
■were daily broaching new rerigioiis in Uiis coinitry,
so they made one of this. It might be said of the
sects in this conntry at that time, that, like Noah's
dove, they could lind no rest for the soles of their
feet ; that is, their various changes from one forln
of religion to another, had gradually disordered their
minds, and the frame of moral duty was every day
sinking into a state of weakness. I'his made them
lay hold of every new seheme of religion that pre-
sented itself, but the more they sought to enjoy rest,
the less they could find.' They \^ere, in some sense,
kke the ancient Athenians, who, having set up altars
to all the gods they could hear of, and not being
able to find a new one, erected an altar in one of
their public places, with this inscription, " To the
unknown (iod."
Several books were written to prove the doctrines
advanced by Pyrerius, and many converts were made
to his o|)inions. Some of these English Pre-
Adamitcs had been Presbyterians, others Anabaptists,
but all of them belonged to the sects.'
They continued to increase till the restoration, but
wonderful as it may seem, it does not appear, that
even in those unsettled times, when every blockhead
mounted the pidpit, that any of them obtained
church livings. Peihaps there were none vacant, or
which is more probable, Oliver Cromwell did not
chuse to give encouragement to any new sects who
would oppose the Independents.
At the restoration they were included under the
general name of Dissenters, and some of them suf-
fered the same hardships with all the other religious
sectaries.
Having said thus much concerning their origin
and progress, we shall now proceed to consider the
remainder of their sects at large ; and here we are
sorry to say, that it most comxnonly happens, that
those who undertake explaining the sacred scrip-
tures, without understandmg them, generally run
into errors. There are two things to be attended
to in reading the sacred scriptures, which must not
Ije forgotten by those who would reap any advantage
from them.
First, that there are many things in them above
human comprehension, which so far from weakening
their authority, serves only to confirm it. For if
men cannot always miderstand the secret things of
nature, how shall they comprehend the hidden mys-
taries of God.
Secondly, there is a sufficiency in them to make
us wise unto salvation, and this is what we should
give proper attention to.
Sifl and death, according to this system, was long
before Adam, but they did not live and reigu over
all mankind. Sin and death were dead, tliey had no
stiug. This is, say they, expressed by St. Paul ia
these w ords, " Until the law, sin was in the world,
but sin is not imputed where ti'.ere is no law." —
And by consequence, death hath no po'wer over
mankind. But the same apostle says, " By ouo
man sin entered into the world, and death by sin,
and so death passed upon all men." However, to
maintain this very strange and unaccountable system,
they are obliged to admit, that before Adam mea
lived like beasts.
The election of the Jews is a consequence of the
same system, for it tegan at Adam, who u their
father; God is also the father of the Jews, having
espoused their chinch to himself. He is likewise
their mother, for the Gentiles are only adopted
children, as being Pre-Adamites. The scriptures
call them only men, or children of men ; and some-
times they are compared to unclean beasts; whereas
the Jews are said to be the children of God, as
having been made of a more perfect nature than the
other nations which he had created.
This distinction was very flattering, in regard to
the Jews, who were thus raised to a superior order
of men. The whole has the appearance of a wild
romance, and ypt they attempt to prove it.
In order to this, he compares the first chapter of
Genesis, where it is said God created man by his
word, with the second, wherein Adam is introduced
as the work of God's own hands.
Again the forty-seventh psalm joined to the forty-
ninth, in which tlie Gentiles are expressly called the
sons of the earth ; and this they believe to be an
evident proof that God created two sorts of men ;
the Jews then being made of a finer mould, had all
the reason on their side not to be inquisitive about
the other nations, who drew their origin from the
Pie-Adamitcs. This was not an effect of their pride,
but a self-consciousness of their own dignity. '1 hey-
were by this second creation to live eternally, whilst
the Pre-Adamites and their posterity were doomed
to death, as a natural consequence of the corrup-
tability of the matter of which they were composed.
Moreover, the Jewish genealogies are clearly traced,
from Adam their first father; whereas, in the pedi-
grees of the Gentiles, no order is kept, no knowledge
is preserved of their origin.
From these proofs, as they call them, drawn from
the scriptures, they proceed to others out of the
Jewish Rabbles.
Adam, say the Rabbies, had a tutor named Sam-
bosccr, and who could this be but a Pre-Adamite?
Cain having killed his brother Abel, was afraid
lest he should kill himself. He became captain of
a band of robbers, who were they ? He married,
yet Adam had no daughter. V*'hat wife could be
get ? He built a tow n j what architects, masons, car-
ACCOUNT OF THE PRE-ADAMITEg.
779
penters, and other workmen did he employ ? The
aiiswcr to all these questions is, in one, Pre-
Adamifes. Thty add further, that the Eg;yi>tiau
and Chinese chrouohigies, reach many ihousaiul
years backward before Adam was created; and the
pyopU' who lived ihen niiistliavc been Pie-Adamiles.
It is certain that the Mahometans believe there
were Pre-Adaiiiiles, and they have actually given us
the names of some of them. The Pre-Adamites
believe further, that there was to be two Messiahs,
one of whom is come, but there is another in time
to be sent to the Jews.
Tiies;; are all the particulars we have been able
to collect concerning this extraordinary sect; and
the notion seems to have been collected in part from
all the heresies that ever yet sprung up in the world.
It is surprising that such men should call themselves
Christians; for all Christians, let their notions in
other respects be ever so invidious, still profess to
believe the IJible.
Now, had no notice been taken of the creation
and fall of man, except in the Old Teslament, there
might have been some reason to doubt ; but through-
out the New Testatnent the Mosaic account of the
fall is frequently referred to, and considered as the
fundamental article upon which tlie necessity for
Christ's making an atonement is built. As for Cain's
marrying a wife while Adam had no children, is hut
a silly objection ; because this event might have
happened above one hundred years after the creation
of' the world, and certainly Adam might have had
many daughters in that time.
Their notion that men lived like beasts before
Adam was created, they have taken from the pagan
mythology, as appears from many of those poets ;
but what will men not do wl;en left to the indulgence
of their own corrupt fancies? The -truth does not
give them satisfaction, they seek out for something
new, and then they are less satisiied than before. —
They add one fiction to another, till tiieir religion,
if it deserves that name, would put a heathen to
the blush. It is even more ridiculous than that of
Somniono-Codonfi in the East Indies, or any of
those we have treated of in other parts of the
world.
We shall conclude tliis article in the words of the
late learned lord president Forbes, in his excellent
thoughts on religion, where he supports the Mosaic
history with a strength of argument not known
before.
" The thing Moses begins with, is the creation of
the heavens qnd the earth by the Deity ; which
though true to the conviction of all mankind, no
aiicient wise-men ever found out. Here is no ridi-
culous theogonia, no eternal chaos, no fortuitous
concourse of atoms, but a fair and true declaration,
" In the beginning God created the heavens and the
earth."
Uc further takes notice of the institution of the
sabbath ; which, though the ancients observed, they
knew not tiie reason or occasion of.
'i he declaration of this undiscovered truth gives
strong picpossession in favour of the rest.
Tlic next important thing is, that man fell from a
state of innocence. This, as has been said, every
living man must find to be true upon examination;
and yet none of the wise, whose works have come
to us, ever tliought of it : nothing more certain,
nothing more important to be attended to ; nothing
less known: hut this Moses distinctly relates as the
cause, or at least the occasion, of every thing that
followed.
The third thing he remarks is, the confusion, and
desperate state, in which man was upon the fall ;
ashamed of his fault, without hope in the mercy of
God, and therefore studious to hide himself from
him. This, the fall being true, iiiusl necessarily be
true too ; and therefore we readily believe Moses.
The fourth thing he relates is, that God revealed
his purpose of mercy to mankind, and thereby deli-
vered them from dread, despair, and confusion.
The words, in which Moses relates the promise of
mercy, are, that " the seed of the woman shall
bruise the head of the serpent," and " the seed of
the serpent shall bruise his heel."
These words, which are all that is said, do not,
it is true, say that this seed of the woman should
be sacrificed ; though " bruising the heel" looks
mighty like the suffering of the lower and least no-
ble part of that seed ; nor do they say that sacrifice,
and the observances of the law, were then instituted.
Hut it appears plainly, that soon after, Cain and
Abel offered, and that at a stated or appointed time,
it appears Noah sacrificed, and that, in his days,
man was commanded to abstain from eating blood,
as a thing sacred; it appears the patriarchs did so,
without any precedent, institution, or conmiand-
ment, recorded, and that their saciifices were re-
spected by the Deity ; and it appears that all the
nations of the earth, who sprung from the first pa-
rents, practised sacrifice with nearly the 3ame rites :
wherefore, it may fairly be concluded, that sacrifice,
and the rites thereto belonging, were instituted upon
the first promulgation of the evangelium, the tidings
of mercy, and from that institution were transmitted
to ail mankind, and it would imply an abiurditv to
suppose, that this emblematical, commemorative
observance was instituted without mans knowing
the reason and meaning of it.
We know by history, without the help of Moses,
that all mankind sacrificeil in hope of mercy; from
reason we liiscover, that those hopes must have bcea
780
ACCOUNT OF THE LABADIST<?.
founded on revelation, and that sacrifice, which of
itself couid signify nothing, must have been no more
than a memorial, by institution : and now from
Moses we learn, that those hopes were actually
founded on explicit revelation by the God of na-
ture ; and that sacrifice, which the same God says
ill itself signifies nothing, was practised just after,
by the favourites of the Deity, and acceptable by
him ; and that.he gave a new model of that institu-
tion, correcting abuses, in the wilderness.
We learn nest, from Moses,' that God was
pleased at diiyeient times to appear to, and converse
with men, Adam, Enoch, Noah; and that never-
theless, men corrupted themselves so monstrously,
an early instance whereof is Cain's killing his bro-
ther Abel, that the Deity brought on a flood, which
destroyed the whole earth, and with it all men, ex-
cept Noah and his family.
This flood all ancient nations have confused tradi-
tions about; and though exuviaa, still remaining
near the surface of the earth, give very strong evi-
dence of it, yet there is no sensible account of it,
from the ancients ; which strongly raises the credit
-and authority of Moses's writings.
By the direction to take iuto the ark a greater
number of clean than unclean beasts, and by Noah's
practice, immediately after the flood, of sacrificing
of every clean beast and bird, it is evident the dis-
tinction of clean and unclean does not depend ori-
giuaily on the lawr of Moses, but has its origin be-
fore tiie flood, probably at the first publication of
grace to Adam.
As the flood destroyed all the corrupted, and to
Noah and his family was a deraonstiatioti of the
power of, and obedience due to, the Deity, this
great event was a total extirpation of all false reli-
gion ; and, humanly speaking, it was to ije hoped
the faith and religious service of men would have
continued long pure.
But that was not the case : for, as Adam's son
Caiu sinned early, so did Noah's son Ham; he me-
rited to be i>ronounced accursed of his father, sooa
after the deliverance frouj the flood. And before
t\\e memory of i!;at dreadful judgment was lost, men
meditated the si Sing uj> a false religion and service
to the heavens ;it Babel; which the Deity disap-
pointed, by confouiitling and dividing their imagi-
nations, so that they separated and dispersed at that
time.
Such were the seni;ii:inls of this great man, and
whoever reads his accf' .'ot of the creation of the
world, will cease to reject the Mosaic history. It
is the misfortune of all oj; Deists, and framers of
new religions, that tliey sc; up their own reason ia
opposition to divine revelation. And tJiey seal their
argument with a fixed resolution not to pay any re-
gard to what is proposed to them, so that they are
left to the wickedness of their own hearts, aud justly
forsaken by tiieir maker.
ACCOUNT OF THE LABADISTS.
JLdABADIE had been brought up a Jesuit in
Fiance, then became a Protestant, and was made
a minister at Middleburgh, ia Zealand. He was
eloquent, but not very learned ; which defect was
supplied by art and cunning. His dispute against
Wolsogue, minister at Utrecht, on account of his
treatise concerning the interpretation of scripture,
shews him to have been contentious and even sedi-
tious. His behavicuir in that quarrel was unfair and
deceitful ; so that his enemies vveie not quite in the
wrong, when they described him as an haughty,
proud, self-ccnceited, stubborn hypocrite.
Yet he had admirers, who praised his humility
and modest carriage, and undertook his defence
with so much wafmtli, highly approving his project
of reforming even the grand Calvinistical reformers
of the United Provinces, that a schism had like to
have ensued in the church of Middleburgh.' But
his design failed, notwithstanding all the endeavours
of his friends. He was deposed from his ministry
by the synod of Dort, in May 1669, having before
that been suspended from his function by the synod
of Norde.
The sentence of his deposition says, " That from
his first coming into Holland, he designed to reform
the church, and maintained that this was to be
brought about by a separation, and setting up a new
church of the elect;" which he actually began at
Middleburgh, and in other places. He taught that
whoever could, or thought ht, should have tree li-
berty to speak in their assemblies, on whatever te.Kt
was proposed.
ACUQUTCT or THE LABADISI'S.V
%tl
" God has ^en p'tasieH to l«?nr at last tiic piay-
9T% tears, and groans ot" his litlle ones, and opened
a way to a h.ippv separation. 'I'iiis sejjiiratioii hns
becH and now is very advantac;eous to us, since vre
are y^out tlirre hundred well ciiosen nienibers in our
assembly all elect, and breathing a true Christian
cpirit.
We giv€ thanks to Ciod who hiilh chosen tis, all
•r one hcRrt and soul, unanimous in speaking o|)only
all truths, rcrnicilying all abust-Si in doctrine, in ad-
ministering the Hiicramcnls, and in morals, with a
full intention to refoini ourselves according to the
nodcl of the primitive Chrislians. We meet twice
a day, monung and evening, and thrice <hi Sun-
days.
We do not preach in pnlpits, but all sit on
fefcnchcs without any difference between the rich and
Ae poor, excepting tliat the piistt>rs, eldcirs, or those
wiio speak, sit on a bench made like the rest, but
somcwiK'.t higliet, in order to be seen and heard. —
Modesty, union, humility, zeal and piety, are such
amongst us, that wc dady give God (hie praises for
tjse e.'^abfohment «f ow church. We have several
doctors and eminent persons, humble, fervent, and
pious.
No abtise is tolerated, no excess nlloMcd in dress,
ornaments and Viuiities ; nor are the trudcs subser-
vient to them encouraged. Our lives are n>aiked
in every point by the rule and standard o( the p}»'
pel and apostolical doctrine, being firmly resolved to
become a living representation of die primitive
diurch, in, our belief and practice. ■ "^ '
Many are astonished, but nisiny ate drawn in
from other places; for God has almost every where
adi:^itted some to us, and to ou'r ;;;)trtts.
Even thrs day> being the first of the j»ear lfi69,
■*e niet before dsy-light to espl-ain the si.xth and
seventh verses of ilx: fifth chapter of the first epistle
to the Corinthians, and are Ailiy bent on casiitig
away the old leaveu."
Notwithstanding tiie opposition viliich Labadie
met with, yet there weie several persons of note
■mho embraced his doctrines, and jtined themselves
tt> his party. Some of whom -we!* e.spelled France.
• Labadie and Madam Bourignon were confempo-
jporics, but their spirits did not unite. Jjibadie was
not sniritu.il enough to be her solleague, and too
stubborn to become her disciple. Both were of an
artful, troublesome temper, and therefore it was
impossible that they should agree together. The
enlightened woman despised the regenerated man.
At last Labadie died at Aleua, 1 67.4, in the arms
of his beloved Schunnan, and left Peter Yvon to
succeed him, who brought the Labadists together at
Wiwert in Friesland, a manor belonging to the fa-
mily of Somerdjke. He had before spread his fa-
natirism from Middlebmgh to Amsterdam, aud he
58 9
I had litewisc a stttleincnt near Clkrahist, where ho
I set up a print iug-housc. From thence he went
through WestplnWia, and at last to Hamburgh. —
Every Mhere he made proselycg'^ of both sexes, till
one Anthony de la ?.Iarguo published his reasons for
leaving his sect, which aithoTigh it tlirew iheni into
disrepute by the discovery then niatic, yet they are
not extinct, for some of them are still to be found
in Frieslaisd and Groninjfen.
These Labadisls were always by the Dutch con-
sidered as a sort of Quakers ; but although they
may resemble them in some things, yet in otiitrs
there is a vast difference. We do not know that
there were ever any of these Labadists in England,
and the reason seems to be, their notions were not
known during the civil wars, w'hen the soil for new
and unheard of religions was so rich, tiiat every'
doctrine, howe\er absurd, was embraced as soon a»
taught.
(Connected w'ilb- the Labadists were two small
sects, formed by Voet, a'great lawyer, and Cocceius,.
a celebrated divine. At first, they agreed in most
things with the Labadists, but at last tiiey quarrelled
concerniilg a wlrimsicai method of explaining the
scripture. Cocccms pretended to teach the people
to preach without study or labour, which strangfi
thin«^ are always taking with the vulgar, and they,
think them sublime, for x\ ant of understanding tiiem,
and h)ok upon them as deep mysteries, because they
afre obscure.
This singular method is reduced to the following
heads.
First, the periodical changes of the chtach. Of
theNew Testament, which they find in every text.
Secondly, the types and figures without end oT'
measure, drawn from the ancient history and worship.
1 Thirdly, an evcr!:isting affectation of applying to ■
! Clirist and the gospel.
j Fourthly, discovering modem events in tire an-
1 cieirt prophecies.
Lastly, the numberless and exagtrerated disfinc-'
tior.s betwixt th.e faithful under the Mosaical disnea- '
sation and Christianity. '
The explanation of these tvpes and figures always*
serves to amuse the vulgar, whereas to mordity aud
sound divinity frequently prove tiresome. After •']],
we are not to condemn one side or the otiier, only
that we must, according to the design of this work,
take notice, tiiat the followers of Cocceius maintain,
that the command given to the Jews to keep one day
in seven for rest, is part of the ceremonial law, from
the observance of which Christ has freed us. That
"Christ will reign temporally on earth, after the
destruction of Anti-Christ, and that the Jews are ta
be converted at that time.
?^3
ACCOUNT OF TilE LABADISTS.
One of the thief tenets of tlicee peuple, is lo ba-
nish nioiiility fioui their sermons, whicd they look
upon as unreasonable. For as St. Paul often men-
tions, th^it the law is abolished, and its opposition
to the gospel ; so they pretend, that preaching up
-duty and obedience, the justice of God and his
rights, the awe in which we ou^ht to stand of him
and his judgments, which are relative to the law, is
the same as giving a new law to t!ie spirit of slavery,
by reproaches and threatenings contrary to the gos-
pel, which breathes only sweetness and grace.
They say, that Christ dying for us has not only
taken upon him the punishment due to our sins, but
our very sins themselves, and drawn from ihence
consequences against the necessity of repentance.
To conclude our account of this sect, we must
observe, that many of the ancient lieathsns and
primitive heretics were such ; nay, they are to be
found among the heathens in the East Indies, and
among the Mahometans. All these novelties take
their rise from an unsettledness of mind, from a vain
desire to be wiser than God has ordained; and in
this people copy. exactly after the conduct of their
first parents, who, to satisfy tlieir curiosity, eat the
forbidden fruit, and so involved themselves and their
whole jjosterity in ruin.
Fiom the beginning, a rational being, unaided by
learning, and the experience of forn)er ages, could
easily discern the hand of an intelligent, wise, power-
ful, and very bountiful creator, in the whole and in
every part of tlie fabric of this system that fell
under his ken ; and could as easily discover his own
■ obligations to, and his dependence on that Being.
And accordingly we see, by the earliest accounts of
time that have come to our hands, all mankind, full
of a persuasion of their dependence, full of leve-
rence to the Deity, soliciting his favour and protec-
tion by prayer, by ceremonies, by sacrifices, some-
taues human, nay, of their first-born; and imputing
all their favourable or cross incidents that happened
to them, to the good-will or displeasure of the sove-
reign Being whom it was their chief study to please't
It is true, that the notions they generally entertain
of the Deity were imperfect, as well as their manner
of serving him corrupted; ciicumstances that can
easily be .iccounted lor from the weakness and per-
versei^esa of those who took t?ie lead in directing
their religious opinions aud practices. But slil! it
is undeniably true, that the grosis of mankind were
serious iu their belief of the existence of a Deity,
of their dependence on him, and of tiie occasioa
they had for his protection and favour.
To this general disposition of mankind it was in
part owing, that the gospel, upon its first publica-
tion, made so rapid and surprising progress. No
man at that time doubted of the existence of a
Deity, or of man's dependence on him. It was
easy to satisfy every one who admitted these propo-
sitions, that mankind, by the corruption into which
they had fallen, stood mightily in need of some in-
tercessor, some means by which they might be saved
from the weight of their sins. And it is no marvel,
that evidence given to men so convinced, that sal-
vation might be had through Jesus Christ, should be
received with gladness.
And accordingly we see, tliat in a trifle of time,
the herd of mankind, in defiance of all discourage-
ment, and of the most severe persecutions from
power, greedily embraced and professed this faith ;
and continued stedfastiy in the profession of it, not-
withstanding the monstrous absuidities with which
the teachers of that faith loaded it, and the more
monstrous and shocking lives and manners of the
teachers ; until of late years, that what ought to
have been improved into a blessing to mankind, has
unfortunately turned out to tlieir destruction.
In the period just mentioned, wicked and volup-
tuous men pursued wicked and voluptuous courses;
and many gross villanies and abuses were daily com
mitted hy profligate men, which the degenerate con-
dition of mankind produced. But still these wick-
ednesses were disguised, disowned, or some how
sought to be atoned for. The villain dissembled at
least, and was forced to wear a cloak of hypocrisy.
No man dreamed of professing, openly, that he
denied the being of a God, or his dependence on,
and being accountable to him. And, if any one was
indeed so foolish, as w ell as impious, as to entertain
such a notion, which by-tl;e-bye is with us a
question, there was no temptation for uttering it;
because there was no chance that any one should
concur in supporting such an opiuioa.
JS3
ACCOUNT OF THOSE WHO ARE CALLED IN HOLLAND,
COLLEGIANTERS AND RHYNSBURGllLllS.
Te
HESE people have been settled at Rhynsbiirgh
al'ove one hundred years, and they meet twice in
every year.
This is not known in the conntry, for they seldom
hold their assoiiiblies in public ; and it is not much
to be wondered at, tiiut foreigners should hardly be
able to know their names. The following account,
however, is authentic, as the author says he had been
for several years one of the chief members of their
society.
We must first take notice, that tliey are much
mistaken who take it for granted, that the Collegi-
anters and Rhynsburgliers are the same ; but to
clear up this matter, we must put theiii in mind,
that the Collegianters owe their name to the manner
in which their small societies were first formed. —
The nature of these religious meetings cannot be
better described, than by compaiing them to the
frientHy societies which we call clubs. They have
likewise some resemblance to the mystical schools,
which we have already mentioned in our account of
tliose people ; but we shall call them clubs.
In these clubs, therefore, every man may, and has
a right to speak concerning whatever religion he
may outwardly profess, what system soever he may
follow ; and this he may do, let his notions be ever
so much out of the common way of thinking. But
this is only granted on condition that he allows the
scri|/.ures to be divinely inspired. Whether church-
men-or laymen, everyone explains what te.\t he
thinks proper, and may utter freely whatever he
thinks concerning religion, cither in general, or in
regaid to any particular sect. Women are not
allowed the same piivilege as among Quakers; for
they must hold their peace, and, indeed, these clubs
do not pretend to have any thing to do with the
spirit, or with ils impulses.
When any one of the club speaks, he pretends
that it is the effect of his meditations o!i the sacred
scriptures, or of his own ingenious discoveries. —
Nor is the tlub to be kept under subjection by any
one doctor, or by three or four, who in most other
assemblies, keep all the discourse to tiieniselves.
Besides the club at Khynsburgh, where they are
most numerous, there are many others in several
towns and villages in Holland, at Amsterdam, Rot-
terdam, Uacrlem, Groningen, Lewardin, aiid mauy
others. As to tiie viliacjes, the rro'it noted dub
me-ets at Sardan, and is leinarkable for being coin-
posed of members wiio beiMng to various sects.-—
VoT, lest our readers should fotget it, we must onc«
more put them in mind, that in those clubs "nly one
essential point is agreed on, tlie divine inspiration of
the scripture. They are at full liberty to explain it
in what manner they please, and to build any sysltin
tliey think proper upon it.
Tiieir public exercise begins by reading a psalm
in prose, and singing one in rerse. Then a prayer
is repeated, which being ended, the text appointed
for the Christian entertainment is read. 1 he breth-
ren present arc then invited to make use of tho
freedom granted in those clubs, in stating such ob-
jections, in making what remarks, or giving what
admonitions and e.vhort.Uious they please. If no
one rises to speak, then those who were appointed
to handle that subject, rise and speak to it; for lest
the club should separate without any discourse, two
are alw ays appointed to speak : when they have
done, silence is kept for a considerable time, theu
any one may make what observations he pleases, to
what has been said. The whole ceremony concludes
with a suitable application and prayer.
No register is kept of the names of the members
belonging to the club, and in reality they are com-
posed of.people borrowed from all sect?, in order
to meet every Sumlav .ind Wednesday. If the divine
authority of holy writ is owned, none of them are
to be cnlleii h< unties: just like the sectaries in Juig-
land, who all acknowledge the authority of the sacred
scriptures, and yet in their explications all differ
from each other.
These clubs were begun about the year 16! 9,
and owe their be»innir.g to the sp'rit of persecution
which then raged in Holland, and drove njaiiy of
the people, as it aluajs does, into the wildest ex-
tremes. Tbiee brothers, of the name of Codde, all
Armiiiians, were the first founders of these clubs ;
one of them was a professor of Hebrew, and the
others were plain husbandmen. They were well
veiscd in tlie scriptures, which they Lad carefully
studied.
Arminianism was then at a low ebb, both because
it had been condenuied at the s)nod of Dort, and
likewise upon political accounts, so that when auy
784
AGCOUxNT OF THE CGLLEGIANTERS AND RHYNSBURGERS,
of that profession were discovered, ihey were frc ated
gs the enemies of God and society. Tije Arminian |;
iTiisiisters were forbid preaching under the severest
peuaities. Many of tliem were banished, and others
were thro*h into prison. Many of tliem had their
goods seized, and rewards were offered for appre-
hending their persons, while their wives and chiidren
were left unprovided for. A') this was occK'ioiied
by the eruel acts of the CHlvinistical synod of Dr.rf,
which hud no more right to decide on such things
than the man in llie nioon.
The first of these clubs was established at Wor-
mand, a village where one of the Vander Coddes
lived. A great number of Ariiiinian?^ v.iio could
not then meet openly, nor indeed privately, for fear
of being cast into prison, were overjoyed at meciiiig
■with this opporUmily of assembling together as
friends, under the name of a society very common
in that countt*}', and in which religion is never sup-
posed to be concerned.
When tlie heat of persecution abated, .several of
the Arniinian clerfry returned in'.o their own coun-
try, and offeied their services as pastors, but were
told by Vander Codde, that their new institution being
6n the model prescribed by St. Paul, did not admit
of pastors.
This club was soon removed to Rhynsburgh,
where it increased considerably, and was joined by
two famous pastors belonging to l!ie Anninians. —
Several other places in [Jolland followed this ex-
ample, «nd had also their clubs, which at iirst were
frequently di'sturbed by the civil power, but at hist
connived at.
This is the best account we could get of these
elubs, though others pretend t'lat they are of an
elder date, though estaljhshed on the same plan,
govenied by the same ruiis, and grounded on the
same expressions of St. Paul. This dispute may
fee ended by ovvning that the oldest of these clubs
were made np of B.iptists, and some other sectaries,
and that affer all, such nieetings^ may be held durinj;
aii -persecutions, as lias always been the case, and
probably always will be.
Biit these clubs were not confined to Holland. — -
©riadal, archbishop of Canterbury, in the reign of
<i)i;8en Eii^a-beth, gave great encouragement to them.
Of these w>e shall say a few words by way of
digression.
The time of their meeting was once a month,
rtPtffietimes twice, only chnrch-mcn were allowed to
s«>ea'k ; the subject, and the persons who were to
hrandle it, were a;vuointed before-hand. Th-e young-
est of those preachers began, and the others fol-
teWed accordiiig to their age, so that the oldest
preached last, reeapitidated what the others said,
c«i>ui mended what deserved it, aad cesisared I'aults
v/ith nnldue&s.
Their whole discourse was in order to coroparrr
the text in hand with others^ to settle its true aiul
genuine sense to the saeied writers' aim, the exact
confirmation of the words, the various translations,
the consequences that flowed from them, and to ex-
pose the false gl>>sscs of heretics and quibbling doc-
tors, w ho turn the meaning of the sacred scriptures
to pny sense they think proper.
But let us now return to the Dutcii clubs.
They made an open profession of toleration .*o
far, that la 1677 »nd in 1680, most of those clubs
in Holland, contributed largely to the enrichiuEj
and endowing at Amsterdam, the college of Orange,
which is founded also for tlte maintenance of or-
phans, not only of their own sect, but of others,
and tlie same has been doire in other places of HoK
land. A glorious efiect of that humane dis|K)sition
which ought to influence m&a, nGtwithstaudh-.g all
the disputes about religion.
As for the Rbyifsburgliers, they j«re composed
of people of many different opinions, wl:o from nil-
parts meet at Rhynsburgh, as they did in former
times at Jerusalem. They assoiiibltd only tn ice a
year, viz. at VVhitSHntide, and on the last Smiday
in Augu.st, to [.Kirtake of the Lord'-s-Supper ; and-
whoever leads a regiuar coui"se of life aCG:)rdi!iJ te
(he scnptitre precepts, may be admitted, whatever
opinion he may otherwise have, even about tlie na-
ture and essence of the sacrament.
The evening before the communion they are to'
spend in .self-e.xamination, and in reviev ing th( ir hearts'
and lives. Two discourses are preached before they
receive it, the first on the Lord'.s Supper in geijeiai-,
and the second on the death of Christ in particular.
They likewise explain their motives for jn«eting to-
gether in that vilhtga, to imite themselves as Chris-
tians and brethren, without distinction of parties,
without declaring themselves some for Paul' and
some for ApoUos, as the Jews celebrated their as-
semblies in their temples together, not minding the
disputes between the Phflrisees and Sadducees.-^-
They deplore the evils whicli flow from schisms.
" Is it not much better, say they, to admit every
Cliristian, who believes the scriptures, and endea-
vours to live up to its rules according to the lafr of
Christ, we therefore invite them all to take the com-
munion with us, without mindnig the odious appel-
lations with which they are bespattered, and m ithout
giving any room in our souls to that gall of bitter-
ness, which most men look upon as a proof of their
zeal for the doctrine of CInist."
These, and such discourses being ended, they
perform the communion service in the same manner
as the Calvinists. The alms collected from the
faithful are deposited in the hands of the sexton of
that village, who gives a receipt and distributes it
to the poor of Khynsbuvgh, This scleinnity is con=
ACCOUxN'T OF THE POLISH BRETimEN.
eluded with a thanksgiving sermon, just in the same
"manner as among the Calvinisfs.
Next morning ihcy take leave of one another,
with mutual exhortations to perseverance in the
true religion and faithful service of God. All may
speak, teach or administer the sacraments, yet their
functions are generally performed by men who are
prepared for it, and appointed thereto.
^fe\t to the Lord's Supper, the only remarkable
ceremony observed by them, is their baptism, of
vvhicli one of their own members gives the follow-
ing account. The candidate makes publicly his pro-
fession of faith, on a Saturday in the morning, be-
fore an assembly of the people held for that purpose.
A discourse is delivered on the nature and excellency
of baptism. The minister and candidate go toge-
ther to a pond behind the house belonging to the sect
which on some occasions, is used as a lodging-
house for travellers who have no money to pay for
resting at the inns. In that pond the catechumen
is baptized by immersion ; if he is a man he has a
waistcoat and drawers ; if a woman, a boddice and
petticoat, with leads at the bottom, for the sake
of decency, wliich is rather necessary than other-
wise.
The minister, in the same dress as the men wear,
is also in the water, and plunges them in it, pronounc-
ing at the same time, the form used by most Chris-
tian congregations. This l)eing over, they put on
their clothes, go back to the meeting, and hear mi
exhortation to pciseverance, in complying with the
precepts of Christ. A psalm is sung, and the whole
concludes with prayer.
These are the most singular customs observed by
those people, who in Holland are called Coilegian-
ters and Rhynsburgheis. Some have asserted, that
these sects are much diminished, but this is only itj
the outward appearance, for all our modern sectaries
have learned to dissemble better than their ancestors,
and that this disguise makes some over credulous,
but devoutly inclined people (latter themselves with
the hopes that heresy and libertinism lose ground.
But probably they are most in the right, who think
that the religion of Manunon docs get a superiority
over all. We must, however, suspend our judg-
ment, and desire that the grace of God niav be
granted to all mankind. This shoidd be the pious
wish of every Christian who desires the salvation of
the human race, without spending his time in con-
tentious controversy, which can never minister to
edifying. Talking of religion is one thing, obeying
its rules in sincerity is another. Let this mind there-
fore be in us, which was also in Christ Jesus, and
let us be followers of him as dear children.
ACCOUNT OF THE POLISH BRETHREN.
JL HESE people are a sort of Unitarians, and in
other peints of their doctrines they may be ranged
among the Socinians ; for they come the nearest to
them of any sect whatever. They are called Po-
lish, because they took their rise in Poland, although
at present they have churches in many parts of
Europe.
They assert, that the doctrine of the Trinity de-
stroys the Unity of the Godhead, and the simplitily
of the Supreme Being, adding, that if there are
three persons, there may be three hundred : and thus
a perfect system of Polytheism, or a plurality of
Gods is established. They pretend likewise, that
the texts made use of in support of the Trinity,
ought to be understood in another sense. Thus,
when Christ says, " I and the father are one," the\'
stay it means no more than that they had one object
in view in the plan of man's redemption.
As for the incarnation of Christ and his two na-
tures, tijey believe that doctrine to be useless to
tDankind, aad maintain that it carmot be proved by
scripture. For, say they, had it been necessary for
obUiining eternal happiness to believe the mystery of
the incarnation, the Bible would have nieutioned it
as clearly and distinctly as the other truths we are
obliged to profess openly. But we must not dwell
too long on such dangerous blasphemies. They say
that God does not know befoie-hand \^l)at will hap-
pen to men, and that the cause of predestination is
not in Ctod but in man.
Christ's body was mortal, and therefore it was
necessarv that he should sufl'er death in common
with the rest of mankind ; for like the Arians and
Socinians, they will not acknowledge his divinity.
In the preamble of their discipline, they give a
definition of the Christian religion ; it is, they say,
a rational worship, God being the eternal reason,
can requite nothing unreasonable or absurd to be paid
to him through Jesus Christ, there being no other
name by v. hieh men are saved, in spirit to exclude
ceremonies, and in triilh to reject the types and
shadows of the Mosaical law, with the hope of an
786
ACCOUNT OF THE POLISH BRETHREN.
immortal life, because such a worship must ensnare
us with a study of trust iu Gods goodness and ex-
pectation of immortality, ui couaideratiou of our
faithful compliance ^iih it.
But for this end two things are required ; first, to
admit no doctrine but that of the gospel, and to own
no other teacher but Christ. The other to raise no
building, but upon the foundation of Christianity,
that is, the true doctrine of Christ, who is, and
ought to be, the theme. of all those who profess it.
Christ being gone to heaven, it became necessary
that iu his absence tliis doctrine should be preserved,
and the faithful governed by wise, pious and learned
persous, who should not be the masters, fathers or
princes of the church ; for there is one only father
and sovereign «bith is God ; one only master which
is Christ; but they take up the deposit of faith, and
delivtr it to others as they received it. Our depen-
dence ii not on them but on Christ ; we do not obey
them, but Christ.
They ought not to exalt themselves above others,
nor ought the faithful to prefer the one to the other,
out of a bias or prejudice, in favour of a particular
person, to the detriment and injury offered to ano-
ther. Such behaviour would be a pernicious occa-
sion of anilirion in the church. Obey those who
are set over you, that is, shew them due respect, as
being the dispensers of truth. Submit to this same
doctrine tliey preach, as from Christ. In a word,
the church is a menarchy, and Christ is its only
monarch.
One of their writers divides the whole church into
>ix different parts, of which four are to lake care of
the ecclesiastical policy.
I. Patrons, or Protectors of the church.
II. The Pastors.
III. The Elders.
1\ . The Deacons.
The last-mentioned and the patrons, are to pro-
vide for the bodily wants; the pastors and elders are
to take care of the spiritual wants.
We shall call those patrons or protectors of
churches, who either buiid them or keep them in
decent repair at their ov\nespence. \\ hether they
are the lir'-t founders or only carry on the work by
others. Those also who provide a roainleaance for
the'pastors or elders, or raise charitable contributions
for t!.e poor belouging to a particular church, are
considered as props of the church. \\ e detest
anarchy as the root of great evils, but we do not
sUow any to usurp the supreme authority, which
belongs only to Christ.
The protectors and pastors must, or ought, mutu-
ally, to support and pay a deference to each other,
aod all unanimously consent, with joint endeavours,
to promote the glory of God, and the cause of re-
ligion. Pastors are the ministers of Christ, and dis-
pensers of the mysteries of God. They hold the
rudder of the ecclesiastical commonwealth, and
watch for the safety of the church, along with the
elders, and the other members of the consistory. —
The pastors are all equal ; their age and labour may
draw respect and veneration, but do not give them
any arbitrary autliority. The young ones must pay
great regard to those advanced iu years ; but ihey
ought not to take occasion from thcuce to behave
haughtily to their younger brethren. Age and ex-
perience must have some weight, when it promotes
the interest of the church, but the advice of the
younger must not be despised, when by coniniou
Consent their counsels are found both prolitable and
adapted to the state of the brethren.
Such is the account that these people give of
themselves ; and w ere their doctrines equal to their
discipline, we should not have much reason to find
fault with them. But to hear the name of Christ
so often mentioned with terms of respect, bv those
very men who mock at his mediatorial othce, and
despise all his glories, we are led to say with the
psalmist, " All men are liars."
Their elders are described as persons of known
probity, and great experience, who are jointlv com-
missioned to govern the church. Age and riches
are not considered in that choice, but virtue and
abilities. The functions of deacons are well known •
they are the treasurers of their respective churches,
and are to give an exact account of what thev re-
ceive for the mainteuance of widows, orphans, and
other poor.
These are the duties of the four orders, who o-o-
vern the policy of their churches.
The chusiug or ordaining of pastors, belongs to
the synod or assembly, who meet by authority of
their church, in order to examine representatives on
this important occasion. Elders and deacons are
chosen in the same manner. A good life and a solid
judgment, are the chief qualities required in elders,
preferably to learning. Their piety is a tacit con-
demnation of vice, and hinders its progress. A solid
understanding helps them in giving advice, and
composing differences. Deacons likewise may per-
form their duties without learning. Good sense and
a good conscience, w iih tried fidelity, are the only
necessary dispositions to tliat office.
\\ hen a pastor has a call, his election and ordi-
nation is performed in the following manner :
• W hether this be done in a general convocation of
the faithful, or in private and before a small assem-
bly, prayers and a sermon, with psalms, are requisite
as in the Sunday's office. They begin with singin"
and prayer ; the faithful are warned and disposed by
au exhortation, to the ceremony. The sermon is
ACCOUNT OF THE POLISH BRETHREN'.
787
always concerning the duties of a pastor, whicb be-
JDg ended, thrt-e pastors rise from their seats, and go
to the {>erson who is to be ordained, and who at
that time is kneeling. They lay their hands upon
him, and hold them on his head till prayers are
ended. These prayers being finished, and the or-
dained ptrson still kneeling, one of the three pastors
desires the faithful to pray for hnn. Then all kneel,
and conclude tlie ceremony with sineing a psalm
suitable to the occasion.
The sermon includLS tiie mutual duties of pastors
and elders, witli those subsisting between them and
their fl >cks. The union that should be found
among tiiora, which is not to be a bhnd obedience,
or slavish, the pastors ruling like fathers with pati-
ence. That they prefer the interest and welfare of
the flock to all other considerations, serving the
church with joy and freedom, not as mercenarv
hired servants, but giving good examples in order to
enforce their instructions, and avoiding to be con-
cerned in temporal atfairs, and worldlv carc.<, lest
their more essential duties should be neglected.
Pastoral functions consist in preaching, adminis-
tering the sacrament, visiting the sick, eshortinj and
praying for the faithful. Preaching is one of the
chief parts of their discipline. Prayers and psalms,
which are said and sung before and after sermon,
raises their hearts to the most elevated pitch of devo-
tion, and inriame their minds with devout zeal. —
The instructions are to be,
First, without any shew of erudition, wholly tend-
ing to editication.
Secondly, without disputes, and nothing to be
mentioned m them but what is necessarv to salva-
tion.
Thirdly, without eloquence, or any ornament by
flowers of speech, or anv choice or fine expressions.
Fourthly, without confusion, clear and methodical,
the arguments conclusive, earnestly moving sinners
to repentance.
Lastly, without enlarging much on particular
topics.
All their notions concerning divine things are verv
loose and carnal, and it may be justly said of them,
that they have no more than the outside of religion.
As they deny all sorts of mysteries in religion, so
they make very little use of the Bible but to suit
their purpose.
In celebrating the sacrament of the Lord's Sup-
per, they are plain and simple. Thev sit round a ;
table covered with a linen cloth, on which is placed
some bread, cut into small pieces, and an empty
chalice, into which the deacon pours some wine;
all this is decently covered till the hour of coinmu-
BJon service.
The pastor stands at the table, and having admi-
nistered the communion to the otben, he then takes
it himself sitting. Exhortation, prayer, and sinjing
of psalms, accompany this ceremony, which ends
v\ ilh a general blessing.
They reject infant baptism, nor will thev admit
any to that sacrament till they have made a profes-
sion of their faith. \Vhen they meet for that pur-
pose, the pastor explains the effects, excellencies,
and dignity of baptism ; makes an exhortation to
the candidates, and desires that God will baptize
them with his holy spirit. When all die pieople
present have said Amen, the pastor goes into the
water, and those who are to be baptised, go in like-
wise, and kneel. The minister then savs, " 1 baptize
thee with water, in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and may the
Lord Jesus baptize thee with his holy spirit." \Vhile
he pronounces these words, he puts one hand on the
head, and another on the chin of the persons to be
baptized, and dips them. He then comes out of the
water, and a psalm is sung, and the whole concludes
with prayer.
In the funerals of the Polish Brethren, the follow-
ing ceremonies are observed. The relations of the
deceased are left to their choice to bury either in
church-yards, or any where else ; for they consider
that as an indifl^erent thing.
The body of the deceased is placed in its coffin,
at the door, or in the ground-room of the house,
till the time of burial. The pastor then begins a
psalm, and sings it with the faithful present. He
then preaches a sermon, to comfort the relations for
their loss, and to exhort them to retieci on the un-
certainty and short duration of human life.
Then prayers are said, but not for the deceased,
for they never pray for the dead. All this bein^'
over, the assembly go out, and the pastor, standujo-
at the door, takes leave of the company in the name
of the deceased. Before the body is put into the
ground, another exhortation is made, accompanied
with a short encomium on the virtues of the de-
ceased, which is generally a piece of fulsome flattery.
The ceremony is concluded by eating and drinking.
\\ me is given in plenty to those who honour the
funenil with iheir presence, to drown sorrow, as i?
the custom of all the northern countries, and as it
was with many nations of old.
From what has been said of these people, it ap-
pears plainly, that they are a compound of Arianisra
and Socinianism. There is no doubt but thev thiiik
they do God good service by inventing a new scLeiye
of religion ; nor is there less doubt but that thev
look wiih the most sovereign contempt on all those
who differ from them in sentiment. We have our
Saviour's authority to assert, that many shall say
uoto Liiu, Lord, Lord, have we not cast out devils
788
HISTORY OF DEISM.
in thy name, and in thy name done wonderful things ?
but he will say unto them, depart from me, I know
ye not, ye workers of iniquity. It would be happy
for mankind, were they to attend more to the spirit
and power of religion, than to the externals. But
human nature has been the same in all ages, and
will be the same to the last.
We shall conclude with one remark, which we
do not remember ever to have heard made, and that
is, that the numeious sects to be met with, all pro-
fessing Christianity, and yet all in one thing or other
differing concerning its most important articles, are
a proof of its autheHticity. Were there no real
coin in the world, there would be none counter-
feited; and had not Christianity been a divine insti-
tution, we should not have found so many men,
from motives of interest or pride, setting up new
imitations of the genuine original.
HISTORY OF DEISM.
Jt^Y Deists is meant those who acknowledge the
being of one God, but deny all supernatural reve-
lation.
We shall consider them in a two-fold light: first,
as to their principles in general ; and, secondly, their
present state in Europe.
The generality of mankind know no difference
between Deists and Atlieints, yet they are widely
different ; not to say it is hard, even next to an im-
possibility, that there should be any real Atheists.--
The existence of a Supreme Being is so evidently
proved, the distinguishing characters of good and
evil, and their conser|uences, are so deeply engraved
in the consciences of every man, that they cannot
entirely throw off tiie notion of a God. Accord-
ino^ly we find, that the most unpolished and barba-
rous nations have always entertained some belief of
a godhead, and cannot be looked upon as Atheists.
The same must be said of the Chinese, of the in-
habitants of Japan, and of all idolaters ; for though
Tertullian says, truly tliat there is no God if he is
not one; yet it does not follow that all those who
worshipped more than one, thought that there was
none.
Atheism then is a chimera, but Deism is not so :
to own the being of one God, to worship him, yet
so as to embrace, out of policy, what religion soever
is most in vogue, and favoured by the government,
is as natural to the general bent of mankind, as to
live under that government as long as our affairs
require it, or our inclination leads us. As for those,
if there be any such, whose principles are destruc-
tive of public society, they might be thought to go
beyond Deism ; but either they are not serious in
their lawless schemes, which, if successful, would
prove their own rnin, as well as of the rest of man-
kind; or rather they act against their own know-
ledge, to acquire an empty reputation of senseless
wit.
On the other side, both in "civil and ecclesiastical
societies, several are accused of Deism, who are no
ways guilty of it ; and the mare they complain of
such usage, all their protestations serve only to
strengthen the prejudice conceived against them. —
Thus an indiSerency as to the various opinions
which divide Christendom, too extensive a toleration
of all sects, persuasions of divers kinds, such as
tljose of the Baptists, Socinians, Remonstrants, Sic.
Even too much freedom in censuring the faults of
church-men, and the quibbles of the schools, are
looked upon as the worst of Deism by fiery zealots,
or over-scrupulous Christians.
But the sect we are now giving an account of is,
of a mixt Deism, as is evident by their tenets. The
founders of it, were Pontian of Hattem, and another
Dutchman named Woutelaer, who, they say, ad-
ded some of their own notions to the system of Spi-
nosa, and interlarded the whole with some mystical
opinions of the Pietists. This sect of Hattem still
meets, but with so much privacy, that no one is
admitted to their assemblies unless lie can give evi-
dent proofs of his being a trusty member of their
society. This precaution is necessary to avoid the
grievous penalties inflicted upon them by an edict of
the states of Holland and West-Friesland, which
orders, that they shall be banished or cast into pri-
son, and severely punished as enemies to virtue, to
divine worship, and disturbers of the public peace;
that their books shall be suppressed, and the authors,
printers and publishers proceeded against as directed
in the edict about Spinosism.
Our curious readers may find a full account of
Baruch or Benedict Spinosa in Bayle's Dictionary,
to which may be added his life, published by Maxi--
milian Lucas, one of his disciples; he was born »t
Amsterdam, son of a Portuguese Jew. His' bold
explications of scripture occasioned his being excom-
municated, and cast out of the synagogue ; to avoid
HISTORY OF DEISM.
780
their pprscciuions, after they liaJ obtained his banish-
ment, he retired lo Hhynsburgh, then to V oorbiugh,
and lastly to the* Hague, where lie died. Lucas
praises much his morals, as to his forgiving injuries,
outward neatness, and disinterestedness.
He seems likewise, by a conversation which Lu-
cas relates, to have been of opinion, that (jod had
a body, and that there are no substances merely
spiritual.
Pontian of Hattem had been a minister in Zea-
land, in the foggy air of which country he invented
the system afterwards published by his disciple \Vo-
atelacr, who lived at j\nisterdani beyond the age of
thirty-four, and vented his doctrine whilst he sold
lineu. In the clandestine assemblies whicli he held,
he entertained his audience with the following unin-
telligible paradoxies.
1. Every criminal thought, -word, or action, is
the eli'ect of sin ; sin is a privation of God, of soul,
of life, it is the death of the soul ; whoever is sorry
for a bad thought or desire, is not .sorry that he
is a sinner, but that his sins are discovered, and
that God has made him know the state in which
he is.
•2. Owning criminal thoughts, words, or actions,
is not a confession of sins ; on the contrary, it is a
denial of being a sinner, since it is a denial of be-
ing dead ; for to be dead and to be a sinner is one
and the same thing.
3. All sinners are equally dead, being all equally
sinners ; sin may shew itself in one more than ano-
ther ; but it is essential to man, whoever is a sinner
this day, shall not be more so to-morrow ; the ac-
tion of man is not to be calKd sin, that appellation
belongs only to his state of dtath.
4. Actions therefore do not make the sinner ; but
they are sins only, because he was a sinner first ;
sin is the death of man, the actions are only his cor-
ruption, such corruption as manifests itself when
bodies are naturally dead.
5. Works, good or bad, do not change a man;
they only shew whether he be good or bad, as fruits
change not the tree.
6. God is immutable, and suffers no change in
regard to us, not even by our most criminal actions.
" He is not angiy at man because he has sinned,
but man sinned because God was angry with him."
Satan says, " Man has sinned, let him be punished."
God says, " Man is a sinner, that is, he is dead, I
must raise liim to life." No man can be pleasing to
God, till after his renimciation.
7. From thence he concludes that they who con-
demn their brethren are like ttie devil, and those
who are merciful to them resemble God. Man is
dead by sin, actions which are bad are the corruj)-
lioo flow ing essentially from death : to be angry at
62 9
bad actions is as extravagant, as to be angry at a
tkad corpse for stinking.
8. lie calls Christ Peace-maker. It is foolish to
enquire what faith a man professes ; there is but
one faith. Whoever thinks himself just is quiet,
he rests, and works no more ; his repose is the ef-
fect of his faith. I'hose who do not enjoy rest,
and go on with works, and do not think themselves
just yet, but endeavour it, those di\ide themselves
into sects, as Catholics, Mennonites, Socinians,
Arminians, &,c. they even belong to religions entirely
opposite to Christianity, as Judaism, Mahometan-
ism, and Paganism ; yet all these divisions make uo
ditVerence among them; they are all alike, says
llattem, they condemn Christ, crucify him over
again, and make him a liar and an impostor."
9. Three persons are one God, who denies one,
denies all three. Jews, Mahometans and Socinians
deny the son, who is the second person of the Tri-
nity; and therefore they reject God, therefore they
are Atheists. Catholics, Mennonites and Armini-
ans are Atheists, says llattem, because they are not
at rest in quiet, but take pains to give God glory,
and to do his w ill.
10. God alone can do his own will, man wor-
ships him and does his will only passively, by re-
ceiving his impressions, &c. Then all religion is
only passive.
11. Whoever prcteiids to any other but this pas-
sive religion is an Atheist, by calling tlie will of
God any other will but that of the Creator.
12. All those who believe that God has witliin
himself a law which men are required by God and
obliged to fultll, are Atheists and idolaters; becau?e
all religion consisting in this being p.-isive, it must
be a wild and vain imagination, to pretend that reli-
gious worship consists in obeying laws, supposed to
flow from God.
13. Then he concludes no one can believe in
God, unless he is insensible, immoveable, and has
no desires.
14. They have no faith in God, who are dis-
pleased at any thing that happens ; who are not
satislied either with their own conduct, or that
of others; who think tliey can do more, be
more holy and happy, and enjoy a more desirable
state.
15. So that whoever desires to be any thing else
than what he is, does not believe in God, even
though he should wish a sick person to recover, or
a drunkard to leave off drunkenness : censures and
punishments, repentance, desires and endeavours of
amendment are useless; men by such senliments
resist the will of God, and become inflexible to it,
and consequently are without true faith and Athe-
ists.
16. Tills indifference ought, according to Ilat-
790
HISTORY OF DEISM.
tern, to make a true faithful equally satisfied whe-
ther virtue or vice is predominant in himself or
others ; passiveness and quiet will be his only
virtues, these will keep him even from knowing
evil, and render him pleasing to God the Creator,
whom by the first article of the creed we are to
believe.
17- Tiie actions of men are their fruits, and are
such as those who do them : good fruits cannot be
expected from bad trees, men are essentially bad ;
it is therefore a wicked opposition to the will of
God, to require good fruits, and good actions from
tnen,
18. The son is the word of God and his v(isdom,
our prophet and doctoi', &c. all the expressions of
scripture teach us, that believing in him consists in
receiving his testimony as infallible. Now the tes-
timony of the Son of God is that the will of God
is not in precepts, that our actions are not the
obedience we owe him ; we obey by faith, and the
will of God is his eternal decree. We are neither
better nor worse by our actions.
19. The corruption of man is according to God's
will, man is naturally dead, naturally wicked, na-
turally damned, &r. yet our works are the works of
the Son of God, by which we know we are sin-
ners, dead, without soul, without God, in a word,
perfect Atheists, &c.
20. But a true faithful is not sorry for his sins,
lie owns them, humbles himself in the sight of
God, acknowledges that he is dead, and that as such
he can only spread infection, (commits sins) and
this is all the repentance and confession required. —
So says Hattem, and adds " That no one believes
in the Son of Xjod, but owns that he rejects the
divinity; to own a God is to deny that one is dead.
Who can understand this nonsense .? and what dread-
ful consequences llow from such principles V
■ 21. I^he love of God and our neighbour does
not consist in actions. This would be a denial of
God's justice ; and prove only as a disguise of our
hating the Supreme Being.
22. The love of God consists in faith, and that
is shewn by being pleased with the punishments
he inflicts, and those are our bad actions. Proba-
bly Hattem himself did not understand his own
expressions.
23. The faithful alone are filled, glad, and con-
tent, &.C. All is the work of God, therefore every
thing pleases them : they are always perfect, be-
cause they are such as God thought fit they should
be. Their works : re their punishments, they own
it and thus are just.fied : they alone are the regene-
rate children of God, his heirs, and are intimately
United to him by the most tender afl'ection ; which
Hattem and most Mystics e>\press after the model of
Solomon's Canticle by the most endeariDg words
employed in love aftairs.
These are the chief tenets of Hattem, a strange
jumble of Quietism and other heresies, with which
no doubt, our readers are sufficiently tired. These
sectaries were accused of Atheism and libertinism,
and no wonder; they supposed everybody else to
be Atheists, and by retaliation the same was objected
to them :. again, it was reported that they enlisted
men in the devil's name, and made them swallovi',
in a glass of wine, a paper with the word devil
wrote upon it ; that their teachers were wizards,
and used conjurations, which calumnies, if we be-
lieve this their apologist, had the desired Success in
reducing the Hattemites to fly their country, or to
abscond. We must not omit letting our readers
know that Pontiaa of Hattem had frequented the
Cocceian schools.
Some pretended wits who have lately renewed in
Holland the system of the soul of the world, and
the eternity of both, might with justice be reckoned
Spinosists and Deists more than Hattem. One of
them indeed pretends to be far from a Spinosist, by
establishing some difference betwixt God and nature.
The same writer maintains also, that the Trinity is
only three modifications of the Supreme Being, that
extension is essential to God, and is the second per-
son ; that creation is from all eternity, 8i,c. He and
some others, namely one Deurhof, have had some
followers, and held, as they do still, some assem-
blies, in a very private manner, to avoid the perse-
cutions which the magistrates might make against
them.
The ancient and modern wits have always endea-
voured to bring into contempt the religions settled
in every country ; but never thought fit to break
society upon that account with the rest of mankind.
And after all their arguments, have been forced at
last to own the necessity of some religion, not only
to keep men in awe, and out of fear, but because
they were convinced of the being of a God by dint
of^demonstrntion ; when forced so far, tley have
denied revelation, yet could not avoid acknowledg-
ing that God might reveal himself by some means
or other, that being so much above our reach of un-
derstanding, his authority must overcome all objec-
tions; thus these libertines. Deists, pretended wits,
with their bold enquiries, are reduced to own the
weakness of their boasted reasonings, and to hum-
ble themselves under the powerful hand of God.
They ought likewise to be reckoned Deists, who
believe that all religions- are equally agreeable to
God, provided they are not opposite to the law s of
nature. God they say loves variety in religious wor-
ship ; but if he has revealed any religion, that only
can be agreeable which he has prescribed ; and how
HISTORY OF "DEISM.
m
can man know, without revelation, what exterior
worship is acctplable to the Supreme Being T Thev
also tnust be deemed Deists, who, as 'i'uiand mid
Woolston, under pretence of cr\ing down supersti-
tion, have attacked religion ilselt', as being loaded
viih ancient errors, ancient frauds, ancient lies
which by length of time have been taken for truths,
and which the old heathenish Romans highly prised;
and I wish, says Toland, I might not be forced to
say that Christians do likewise. Superstition is no
doubt a great evil, fables and stories have brought
religion into disrepute, and cannot be countenanced
by any rational man, unless actuated by avarice, am-
bition, ignorance, or an over-credulous fear. We
must then conclude, that a truly religious man ren-
ders to God what is due to him, submits hinisell',
and the whole extent of reason, to his infallible
word; adores him in spirit and truth; loves him,
without servile fear, out of gratitude, and duty ;
expects all good from his bountiful hand ; despises
the terrors of death, and rejects all false notions of
an inexorable fate.
We come now to consider the present slate of
Deism in Europe, with its causes and consequences.
In Italy ahnost all the learned are Deists, except
the clergy, whose interest it is to be otherwise. —
The Italian Deists are, however, arrant hypocrites,
for they conceal their real sentiments while at home,
and go regularly to confession and mass However,
when any of them come into Protestant countries,
they pull off the mask, and condemn the whole of
Christianity.
In France they are more numerous than in Italy,
and many of them have written considerable works,
but then it must be remembered, that they get their
works printed in Holland. There is not, that we
know of, one polite French author in the present
age but is a Deist , and we are sorry to add, that
the worst of their books are translated into our lan-
guage, and many of them have been recommended
by a noble lord, more celebrated for what is vul-
garly called wit, than for either virtue or piety. —
Some of these books have been brought into our
schools, and the youth of both sexes have greedily
drank the deadly poison. What is here said, the
author knows to be true ; for going one day to visit
a young person to whom he was guardian, he heard
the dancing-master recommend some of these deist-
ical books. Fired with indignation, he threatened
to take the person under his care, together with
five more, away from the school, which had such
a good effect, that the books never made their
appearance.
As for the cause which promoted Deism in Ro-
man Catholic countries, we shall now consider llieni,
because they differ much from what is attended w itli
the same effect among Protestants. And here we
are extremely happj in being assisted by the German
traveller Keysler.
Every one knows, says Mr. Keysler, that no
books ill defence of the Protestant religion, are per-
mitted to be sold in Roman Cathohc countries.—*-
Now as these men of learning read the Bible in the
original, and as they are well acquainted with the
fathers and church history, so they are convinced,
that the Romish chwrch at present, has no connec-
tion with what it was ;i' the time of tlie emperor
Constantine the Great. Under tliese circumstances
they have no Protestants to converse with, nor have
they an opportunity of perusing such elaborate trea-
tises as ha\e been written against the pope and the
church of Rome.
Thus left in the dark, the poison sinks deep into
itieir minds; their prejudices become strong, and
athough they dare not openly mock the priests and
tlieir trumpery, yet they secretly despise them, and
ill their writings let loose against them all the effu-
sions of wit, and the virulence of satire. In vaia
are these men referred to the writings of Protestants,
when they come into countries where they can be
procured. These prejudices have sunk too deep,
they shut the eyes of their understanding, and un-
fortunately it happens, that most of our controversial
w ritings are not the most engaging, 'i'his is un-
doubtedly much to be lamented, but we have many
things to lament that cannot easily be remedied. —
Such are the causes which promote Deism in the
Roman Catholic countries, and let us now see what
are the effects.
A disregard for divine revelation first leads to a
settled levity of temper, and that levity gradually
carries on the person to pay but little regard to
mora' duties, although they profess themselves to be
professors of natural religion. They loath every
thing that is serious, because they have found the
Romish priests to be erroneous. They have not
that strength of mind to consider that the truth is
not lost, though many impostors have done all in
their power to darken it. Devotion is considered
with them as a trifle, and their conduct, as well as
their conversation, poisons the rising generation.
Let us now consider the state of Deism in our
country, w ith its causes and consequences.
The first Deistical writer that ever appeared in
England, was lord Herbert, of Cherbnry, a great
statesman, and brother to the pious Geo. Herbert,
author of the Divine Poems. This learned noble-
man, in his early youth, contracted the most invete-
rate prejudices against the Christian religion, and
the cause seems to have been the following. \\'hen
his lordship was a young man at the university of
Oxford, he saw many melancholy instances of the
abu.se of clerical power, in the bishops of the estab-
lished church persecuting the Puritans. He knew
79a
HISTORY OF DEISM.
that this was contrary to the sphit of the gospel, I
and here was the rock upon which he split. Had
he considered things in a calm, dispassionate man-
ner, he would have been led to believe, that the un-
worthy conduct of corrupt priests sliould never in-
jure the cause of Christianity ; on the contrary, it
seems rather to establish it, for if there was no truth
in Christianity, why so many impostors from time
to time, attempting to impose, under that sacred
name, upon mankind ?
His sentiments, however, took the wrong bias,
and he considered the M'hole of Christianity as a
cheat, and yet this nobleman was one of the most
arrant enthusiasts in the world.
The next Deistical writer was the famous Hobbs,
of Malmesbury, who opposed Christianity in con-
sequence of having read some treatises written on
absolute predestination. He said, that if God had
appointed all things, consequently mankind laboured
under an invincible necessity. In this instance,
perhaps, Hobbs was not a fool, at least he acted
consistent with the nature of tlie principles laid
down by the Predestinarians ; and we will venture
to affirm, that no man can believe that doctrine,
without admitting of a necessity. And if a neces-
sity is once admitted, then there is an end of all ex-
hortation, because the freedom of the human will is
destroyed.
- But the most striking case we shall mention is,
that of lord Bolingbroke, and we may venture to
affirm, that it applies to almost all the cases in
Deism during the present age.
Bolingbroke had been brought up in the house
of his grandfather. Sir Henry St. John, who was
lord keeper of the great seal under Oliver Cromwell.
1'he young man was of a lively disposition, but there
were seldom less than thirty dissenting ministers at
his grandfather's table every day.
The young man saw into the duplicity of some
of these, he became tired of their insignificant ex-
hortations, and more than mock prayers. He ima-
gined that the Presbyterian ministers visited his
grandfather with no other view besides that of filling
their pockets and their bellies, while their poor at
home were not considered. And is this Christianity
said he ? then let me be a heathen. We are sorry
to say that his lordship was as good as his word ;
for he had no sooner completed his studies, than he
undertook to publish a work in' order to prove the
falsity of the Mosaical history. It is certain, that
his lordship's treatise on that subject is one of the
most feeble in argument that ever yet was attempted.
That celebrated Deist Voltaire, with all his errors,
was sensible of what is here advanced, and therefore
in his philosophy of history he has recourse to ano-
tlier way of argument.
Bolingbroke was gross in his attacks, merely be-
cause he had detected some hypocritical ministers ;
but Voltaire was sly and artful, because he knew
that the only way to undermine the Christian system
was to act in a double, concealed manner. This
naturally leads us to consider the concludnig pari of
the argument, by pointmg out those modern prac-
tices which promote Deism in the present age.
It mnv perhaps seem strange to those who have
not given themselves much trouble to tliink, that
men, who have had the advantages of a liberal edu-
cation, who have investigated every part of civil and
ecclesiastical history, who know the tempers and
dispositions of men, who are not in the least unac-
quaintid with those evidences which support divhie
revelation ; we say, it may seem strange, that such
men should reject the Christian system. But there
are causes, which although little understood, yet
really exist.
And first, the conduct of many of our clergy
contributes towards promoting Deism. The cold
and indifferent manner in which they perform their
duty, the little regard they pay to Hie pastoral care,
and above all, their avaricious dispositions open the
mouths of blasphemers, and induce them boldly to
tell the clergy, that if ihey were not impostors, they
would act in the same niai.iicr as they taught.
Again, in the second place, the wicked lives of
those who make pretensions to high attainments in
religion, serve much towards the promoting of De-
ism. The Deists have learned what is asserted in
the New Testament, viz. that every Christian is a
new creature. Now as these high pretenders to re-
ligion are so far from being better lu their conversa.-
tion than they were before they assumed this new
character, consequently they tell tlieni that their re-
ligion is no more than a system of imposition ; for,
say they, unless religion serves to make us better
than we were before, where is the necessity for a
change ? Here the Deists do not consider that all
mere pretenders to relisiious attainments, have no
religion at all ; whereas die life of the real Cliristisn
is hid with Christ in God. They should consider
the tendency of religion, and not the conduct of its
corrupt professors. Let them say, is it of divine
original .' then let me embrace it, although I shall
be obliged to sit down in this woild with hypocrites,
and be ranked among many thousands of those,
who, professing the name of Christ, wottld put him
to death were he to come in the flesh a second time
as the Jews of old did.
Thirdly, as there is not a single crime that can
disgrace human nature, but has been committed by
those men who are called religious, so our poor,
unthinking young gentlemen, who have received a
good education, look upon the whole Christian re-
HISTORY OF DEISM.
T9S
ligion a* a cheat. The consequences flowing from
all tliese baneful principles are many, but we shall
only take notice of a few.
Fust, as men are led to consider religion with
contempt, so they pny little regard to moial duties;
and we hate thousands of Deists amongst us, who
know not the meaning of the word. To despise
relii;ion is no new thing, for ever since man lost his
original righteousness, he has had a stronger desire
to evil than to good. Strange contradictions in Im-
liian nature, to prefer misery to happiness ; for men
to set their own knowledge up as superior to that of
God.
A second consequence is, that men neglect, in
general, all those duties they owe to their families;
^hy should a man labour in this world who has no
hoj)es in (lc;ith. The believer looks upon himself
as an accountable being; the Deist, notwiihstauding
his pretensions to a belief of a future state of re-
wards and punishments, dies without hope; not
giving himself an opportunity to inquire, or time to
consider things in a proper manner. He forms his
notions of Christianity not from the religion itself,
but from the wicked lives of corrupt professors.
A serious inquirer after truth would never seek
for information but at the fountain head. He would
go to the sacred scriptures ; and having examined
the evidences which support them, he would rest
satislied, and leave false professors to, answer to
God. We shall conclude this article concerning the
Deists, in the words of the late pious and learned
lord president Forbes, a gentleman who saw deeply
into humi'.n nature, and who defeated the Deists
with weapons they were unacquainted w ilh.
" Atheism, Deism, and liie whole train of opinions
that attend what is commonly called free-thinkir.g,
flow from a settled disbelief and contempt of reve-
lation.
"This belief is, in a great measure, owing to the
want of a fair and unprejudiced examination of the
numerous and various proofs and evidences, that
support the truth and authority of the scriptures.
" But it is chiefly grounded on a firm persnasion,
that human understanding is a sufficient guide to
man, and the test and measure of matters of all be-
lief; so that v\e are at liberty, nay indeed bound, to
reject whatever does not answer those notions,
which, by what we call re;isoning, we have fixed.
" That modern discoveries, the fruit of genius and
application only, have fixed and determined to a
certainty the laws and causes of the principal ope-
rations, and phenomena of nature, which were
•wholly unknown to the ar.cieuts, and mistaken by the
atithon, of the books which are received as reve-
lation.
" That therefore these books, so far as tbey give
accounts of nature, contrary to experience, and de-
53 9
monstration resulting from if, ar« false; and con-
sequently can, in no other point, pass for. infallible.
" Tiiat tlie scriptmcs relate a great many marvel-
ous, improbable, nay incredible transactions, which
do not seem to be directed (o any purpose, suited to
sovereign wisdom and goodness ; and to contain a
world of institutions, laws, (.)bservances, and cere-
monies, which to freethinkers appear absurd, frivo-
lous, and ridiculous; unworthy the supposed author,
and improper to attain the proposed end.
" V\ lien any apparent mistake in natural philoso-
phy is objected to the scriptures, the answer com-
monly given is, in my opinion, stronger than the
objection, according to the vjews of the disputants
on eitli-r side; that these things, being incidental
only, are spoken ad captum humanum, and accom-
modated to the understandings uf those to whom
they were only delivered; though 1 confess, it would
be a much more comfortable answer, if it could be
said and proved, that the things objected to are true.
" When freethinkers ground themselves upon any
improbable, or, as they will call it, incredible or
absurd relation, there is no answering them without
bringing together and laying before them, the whole
evidence that serves for supporting revelation: which,
when poised in the scale against all objections of
this kind that ever have been made, in my opinion,
may certainly outweigh them ; but, the misfortune
is, the objectionable glares can be taken in by a very
moderate capacity, and requires no learning, and
but little attention to comprehend it; whereas, with-
out long study, great learning, close attention, and
a dispassionate and unprejudiced examination, the
evidence for revelation cannot be collected and
weighed. Whoever, tiierefore, lets in the strength
of the objection, and, for want of learning or atten-
tion, not to speak of natural prejudices, either can-
not, or will not, give himself the trouble to collect
and weigh the proofs on the other side, must nece—
sarily give it against revelation, and fortify himself
in his incredulity.
" And to this it is owing, that all those, who, in
this indolent and In.xurious age, pretend to polite-
ness, and aim at knowledge, and the reputation of,
understanding and science, Avithont any interruption
to their pleasures or pursuits, tuke up with objec-
tions .igamst revelation, without the painful exami-.
nation of tiie evidence that supports it, look down
with contempt on believers, as a parcel of prejudiced
enthusiasts, and inlist themselves with iVeethiukers,
as the honestest, wisest set of men living.
" And when men, carried by pleasures, or sunk in ,
indolence, settle once upon these notions, every in-
stitution, ordinance, or ceremony, appointed in sci ip-
ture, for which Chribtians cannot, or do not, assign
an adequate use or end, becomes fresh matter of
' objection, and tends to rivet and coniinu iufidelitj'.
T94
ACCOUNT OF THE PHILADELPHIANS.
" This facility of receiving and taking up with ob-
jections, and the criminal indolence and neglect of
those who do not give themselves the trouble to
examine, with due care, the merits of the answer,
has been long complained of, and lamented by all
who wish well to mankind, but hitherto in vain :
something more than argument must intervene to
cool them in the pursuit of pleasures, to rouse their
attention to their re>jl interest, and to determine them
to search with care and industry, before they will
let in so much as a suspicion that their objections
are ill founded ; or those objections must be over-
thrown by some other and shorter mean than the
complicated evidence for tlie authority of revelation,
else the objectors will never give themselves the
trouble to discover their mistakes."
To what has been here advanced concerning the
Deists, we must add, that they have for some years
had a chapel at Mary-le-bonne, where we can only
say, that the discourses delivered are far below hea-
thenism. We take up the writings of a Seneca and
an Epictetus, &,c. with pleasure, and we can find
no fault with tlicm, because they knew no better, but
we lament to find men Jiving under the gospel ad-
vancing notions subversive of it.
ACCOUNT OF THE PHILADELPHIANS.
Ti
HERE is not in the whole world, either a trade
or a profession, whether civil or religious, but en-
grossers will be found among them. We have po-
pular physicians, popular lawyers, and popular
divines, all of whom may be considered as engros-
sers. 'But here we have an instance of one single
sect engrossing as it were, to itself a title claimed
in common by all the rest.
Philadelphians signify Lovers of the Brethren ;
and it is well known, that ail sects whatever love
their brethren, if we may believe themselves ; nay
they all acknowledge it as a duty to do so, although
ve know that very few of them pay any regard to
it, unless they are rich ; then indeed they have many
friends, but to use the words of the wise man, " The
poor is abhorred of his neighbour." However, let
us proceed with this new religion.
The Philadelphians took their rise only a few
years ago, having at their bead a disaffected clergy-
man of the church of England. Their form of
■worship resembles that of the Dissenters in general ;
but as for their preaching, it is perhaps the most
extraordinary thing in the world. But of that we
shall take notice afterwards.
In the mean time, we have made ourselves per-
fectly acquainted with every thing belonging to these
people ; and so far are they from being what they
call themselves, viz. Lovers of the Brethren, that
properly speaking, they have no brethren at all. —
This will appear the more evident, when it is consi-
dered, that they are not incorporated into one body,
as most of the other sects are. Their congregation
consists of all those who please to come, let them
be of any denomination whatever. Indeed, there is
one thing constantly expected, and that is, that they
would bring some money along with them for the
support of the preacher. And here it is necessary
to observe, that among all the sects in this nation,
we know of none who preach gratis, except the
Friends and the Sandimanians. All others must
have money, otherwise they can have no accommo-
dation. JNothing is moie comiwon than to hear
some of our modern sectaries condemn the conduct
of Simon Magus, for ofl'cring money for the Holy
Ghost, and yet we never find that they refuse to
take money when they administer their spiritual
consolations ; nay, they frequently demand money,
and that in a too pereuiptory manner.
All the money collected at the Philadelphian
meeting is given to the minister, who agrees to pay
the rent out of it ; but he generally insinuates him-
self so far into the good graces of his hearers, that
they pay it for him.
They have no church discipline, which indeed
would be altogether mmecessary, especiiiiiy where
there is not a diurch ; for these Philadtlphians are
not a church ; they are not a body collective, but
their meeting is open to all comers. The people
do not so much as know one another, and the minis-
ter is so sensible of this, that he Aequently advertises
his sermons in the public papers. The novelty of
the name leads many people to the place, who ge-
nerally return as uninformed as they went.
When they first made their appearance, we were
led to believe that they had chosen their name from
the common meaning of the word, namely, that
they lived in love asd friendship together, as all
Christians are commanded to do. But no such
thing was intended, for the minister is with respect
to church government, a Latitudinaiian, that is, he
ACCOUNT OF TIIE PHILADELPTIIANS.
795
iocs not desire to have any connection with church
fellowsliip, but to range at large, submitting to any
foini that liis people may cliuse to pvescribe.
This iniiu'd is too much the ciiaracteristic of
many modern sects. It discovers no small share of
worldly wisdom, for when people enter into con-
nections, as all churches siiould do, then it is gene-
rally expected that tiiey walk by some rule and mind
prescribed duties. And among these, what could be
more important than that of providing for the poor.
Now, in order to avoid this very disagreeable and
,very troublesome duty, nothing can better suit the
purpose thau to preach at large, without being con-
cerned with any church whatever; for if the people
■will not come to hear them, and give them money,
they can keep their sermons to theniaelves.
We come now to consider their maimer of preach-
ing, and previous thereto, we must ask our readers
a few questions ; for we have some reason to believe
that we have more sorts of readers than one.
And now good reader, if you are a Roman Ca-
tholic, there can remain no manner of doubt but
you have read Dr. Chaloner's Catholic Christian
instructed. If you are a Lutheran, you nuist have
read Dr. Rambach's treatise on the suflerings of
Christ. If you are a Church of England man, you
must have read Haywood and Attorsole ; and, if a
Dissinler, Keach and Mather undoubtedly grace
your library. These are admirable writings in their
own way, and we are certain they have their admir-
ers. But now reader we will lead thee within the
veil, and shew things unknown to thee before.
The preacher of the Philadelphian meeting, not
content with what has been advanced by the writers
alreatly mentioned, has improved the notions of all
those who have gone before him. The fundamental
principles upon which his religion is founded, are
tlie following.
First, that there was an oral tradition, or unwrit-
ten law from the fall of man to the days of Moses :
and that this unwritten law was what the patriachs
adhered to.
Secondly, that the delivery of the law to Moses,
was notiiing but a republication of the old oral law,
and that there was no difference between the service
of the tabernacle and the worship performed by the
patriarchs.
Lastly, that tliere were so many mysteries con-
tained under the Levitical ceremonies, that if people
vrould carefully attend to Ihein, they would every
thing find in the gospel concealed under them. —
Thus for instance, the crossing the Red sea, points
out conversion ; the journey through the wilderness,
human life ; the crossing of Jordan, death; and
taking possession of the holy land, everlasting hap-
piness. But these are trifles to what we are going
to relate.
The Pliiladelpiiian minister sees wonders in the
sounding of the ram's horns, in the new moons, in
all the wasliings of tlie priests, in the turtle doves
and young pigeons, in clean and unclean beasts, ar.d
a thousand other tilings too mimerons to mention.
This allegorical interpretation of scripture has how- ■
ever a strong effect on the intellects of weak |>eo])lo;
And here it is surprising to consider, in what man-
ner we poor bewildered creatures form our notions
of religion on many occasions.
Thus we are not content witli common explana-
tions of the obvious sense of scripture, but we must
have recourse to far-fetched allegories and hidden
mysteries. However, the ceremonies were in part
a type of the gospel, yet divine wisdom had some-
thing else in view, in prescribing them ; namely, to
keep the Jews a distinct people from tiie heathens
around them. Nay, in some cases there was a phy-
sical necessity in it. Such was the state of tiie
country, such was the effect of the climate, that had
they been permitted to eat swine's Hesh, it might
have proved fatal and pri judicial to their health.
It was the same with blood, which they were
prohibited from eating, because it tilled the body
with corrupt particles. Some of the types indeed
were signilicant, but we are of opinion that a single
allusion to them in a sermon occasionally, is enough.
To dwell half an hour or an hour npon them, is to
prevent the preacher from making practical im-
provements. It leads the people into all that wild-
ness which is calculated to seduce their minds from
the truth, and makes them believe they see wonders
where none ever existed.
It is allowed, that in private meditation, allegory
is delightful, and it may even serve to kindle devo-
tion in the heart : but those things should be kept
within proper bounds. There are many things that
we may know, that ought not to be made public.
We ought to be extremely cautious in all things of
that nature, and therefore let our words be few.
We shall conclude our account of these people by
observing, that as they are not properly a commu-
nity, so there is reason to believe, they will die
away with the present generation. We have, in the
course of this work, said so much concerning new
religions, that we shall not here re-assume the sub-
ject. If a general toleration of all religious senti-
ments has increased in this country the number of
new religions, we must acknowledge that these new
religions have soon fallen into decay. And here we
cannot help remembering the words of the wise Dr.
Gamalial ; " Let all new religions alone, for if they
are of men, they will vanish away to nothing;
but if they are of God, they will flourish and be
established."
When the toleration act first took place, there
were but few sects among the Dissenters in Eng-
79S
ACCOUNT OF THE BOHEMIAN BRETHREN.
land, but they increased aoiazingly soon after. The
reason is obvious. Before the revolution they had
no opportunity of planning schemes for new reli-
gions ; but no sooner did that desirable event take
place, than ihey all set up for themselves on sepa-
rate foundations. And yet although some of these
were greedily embraced at lirst, yet many of them
are now sunk into oblivion, and probably more will
soon follow their example. This much is certain,
that the people of the present age have become as
it were, tired, of new religions. They have made
experiments, and they have cut their fingers. In
odier words, they have l)een misled, and they are
determined to be on their guard for the future.
ACCOUNT OF THE BOHEMIAN BRETHREN, COMMONLY
CALLED GYPSIES.
JL fUS sort of people being the dregs and sink of
all nations, our readers may wonder to see them
placed among fanatics and enthusiasts; yet we are
obliged to give an account of them, by reason of
tlieir origin, wiiich has some remarkable particulars
in it. \\ e give them the appellation of Bohemians,
but the Germans call them Zigenners, from which
the Italians name them Cingares. Borcl informs us,
that Boem, in the old language of the Gauls, signi-
fies bewitched, which seems to agree with the no-
tion of common people, that they can foretel what
is to happen, discover hidden things, and are well
versed in witchcraft. They go from place to place,
having no fixed abode, as tiie ancient Germans did,
and, in the north, the Druidesses, the Sybils, the
Voles and Fairies, so often mentioned by the Gauls.
Their first rise seems owing to the remains of the
Ijruids, who were brought into so much contempt
by Christianity, that having lost all credit and power
in the towns and cities, they were obliged to dwell
in caves, and to wander about the coi,mtry. Beggars
and vagrants are apt to associate together, which
renders it probable, that others from Africa and Asia
may have joined themselves to those Druids; for in-
stance, the Kaulits of Persia, who, like our Bohe-
mians, run about the country, live in other solitary
places, and have no religion or public worship, or
rules, or any Jaws. They swarm over all Persia,
and from thence spread southward to Arabia and
Egypt, northward to Tartary, and more distant places.
Accordingly they are called Gypsies, upon the same
account for which the Saxons call them Tartars. —
Our over-creduious ancestors vainly imagined, that
those gypsies or Bohemians were so many spies for
the Turks, and that in order to expiate for the crimes
v.hich they had committed in their own country,
they were condemned to steal from and rob the
Christians. A rare penance ! We have performed
such another, though in a nobler and more heroical
maunev, by taking the cross, and making war against
those infidels. But our opinion, that the Bolicmians
come from the southern purts of Asia and Afiica,
which our forefathers did not distinguish from Egypt,
before the way of going to the East Indies by the
Cape of Good Hope was found out, is grounded on
the testimony of one of the most ancient authors who
wrote concerning them. He relates," that in 1433, the
Cingares, who pretended they were Egyptians, came
into Germany ;" and, according to another writer
cited by Pasquier, they likewise came into France
much about the same time. The story is somewhat
curious. " They were (says that author), by extrac-
tion, of the lower Egypt, and having abjured the
Christian faiih, were driijen from their native coun-
try, became miserable, and an abomination to all
mankind ; the then emperor rejected them also, as
other Christian powers had done, and told them they
should go to the holy father at Rome. They went,
confessed their sins, and he enjoined them to go and
travel about the world, doing penance, not lying
in a bed, See. Tiiis they performed for five years
before they came to Paris ; the chief of them arriv-
ed there on the 17th of August 1-1'27, the rest on
the day of the decollation of St. John." The same
writer says, that the ears of all of them were bored
through, and had a ring, sometimes two at each
ear; their complexion was very black, and their
hair frizzled ; the women also very black and ugly,
and their hair like a horse's tail. 'I he habit of these
women was of old coarse fiax ; some of them were
witches, and looked into people's hands to tell then*
their fortunes. In a word, these Egyptians, ba-
nished apostates, despised by all mankind, and con-
demncd'by the pope to a wandering life, bear a vast
resemblance to oin- Bohemians. After all, the said'
author cited by Pasquier says, the pope did excom-
municate them, and all those who had their fortunes
told them, and that from Paris they went to Potoise,
on Lady-day in September, 1428.
We are inclined to trace the origin of the Bohe-
ACCOUNT OF THE BOHEMIAN BRETHREN.
731
.ininns still Iiiglier than tLose Egyptians, Uie ancient
Druiili, the Katilits <>(■ Pcrsi;t, or the ,Uxiaii3 of
yVniieiiia: Why maylhoy not owe lliuir rise to the
MciSiihuiiaiis, \vaii(.!(."rii)s; and dispersed in Tiniitia,
liuigaria, Scc. who were niistalveii f jr sectaries and
heretics of diver* kmd-i, under the name of Mani-
cha?ans, and upon whom the conipilers of herc-tical
catalogues have liberally bestowed a great number
of odious ajiptil.tlions, by which, in process of time,
Uiey became more black and hateful to orthodox
Christians, than the very devils ia hell. Thy Mes-
;^liajis arc supposed to have had their beginning un-
der the reign of the enijjeior Constautius ; They
were but few at fast, their uunibei increased gradu-
ally, and when they were tuken notice of,, as the
writers of the forulh yj;e charged llieni with the moat
of the Manicha:aji principles, they were reckoned
amongst those heretics. 'Ihe first penal laws again st
Schismatics and heretics were e,nacted at that time,
and put in exe£ution against the Messaliaus, w bo
being prosecuted, from pagans, and, idolater^, as they
were thought to be rallier tiian Ciuisliuus, becaiiic
most orthodox Chrlstiat^ out of fe*f or self-
interest. ^ >.!»;_: vir^r ..,• ,;.
As the Messalians are nientloned .nqra only ^s
bearing some resemblance -to the Bohemians, uc
shall oiijy relate wlifit way evidence their ccnforuiity
of sentiments and prjjctices, Ihfy did, not w orky
and lived by the uliui which tlxcy received, to imi-
tate the apostles whom CLr^t had foibid having any
possession. n., ■ . ■.
This constant idkness, their voluntary poverty,
their contempt of ail tlie conveniences of life, and
of all government, could not but lead them by de-
grees into a total neglect of discipline, and of all
laws : This occasioned great crimes and disorders
in their society; and among the sincere Messalians,
many others crept in who minded nolhiiig less than
their prayers, 'iliey were therefore accused both of
living together without observing any order, any
rule, or even the most common decency, and of
being true Cynics, who after wandering all day in
the fields, met at night, and lay in the same place,
without any regard to age, sex, Scc. The orthodox
moreover charged them with mahitaini-.ig that we
ought always to follow the dictates of nature, to
eat, to drink, to ease one's self when it requires it,
ami that no fasit is to be observed, but when n<?cf St
iary for the preservation or recovery of health: —
Besides all this, the orthodox of those davs re-
proached them with their meetings and nocturnal
feasts, in which the Pagans had heretofore taxed the
Christians, and which have since' been laid to the
charge of other iKodern heretics, to render them
ir.ore odious to the Roman Catholics.
We find in Italy about the close of the thirteenth
y, some Tjaticelli, who were also called Jji-
53 9
zoqui,.that is, bigots or cluwuibh,' upon account of
their uupolijhrd way of life, or btxause they pre';
tended to a gnatcr and more refined devotion. The
other name of Fraticelli, that is, lutle brothers,
either was given tliem because the first of theurwer©
monks, or rather it is the same as the name of Adel-
phiau, w hich was bestowed upo-a the Mcsualians. — ■
We shall soon see that there was some conformity
of sentiments bctwiit thorn: Their chief doct/jrs
were l?ietro Maurato auri PietiQ di Tussombronc i
bL|t an apostate tiiouk fiom thii couveat of Pongi^
lupi, was their rlnc^Ieader; at least it is so rc|iorlcd.
Be that as it will, these Fraticelli wandered about
the couutry like the Messalians, to avoid the pcrseT
cutions raied against them, upon account of their
lewd life, and of the errors w!;ich tjiey hold, the
u^xesspry consequence whereof was iheir shocking
disorderly behaviour. Both the Fraticelli and Mcs'^
sulians pretended that all goods ought to be in com-
uun, and condemned l;vii;g by the work of one^
hands. They denied all obedience to magistratis,
allowed a plurality 6f wues, and those to be in com-
moji ; to which the Grecian and Italian orthodo!|
added the heinous imputation of Ijolding their meet-
ings in the night, to fa<i more at liberty to commit
all sorts of crimes. We have informed our readers,
that.«ome ringleaders of the fanatical Baptists, and
sevejal of then followers, weie guilty of those thres
capital errors; wliich may serve both as an indirect
proof that the Fraticelli and Messalians probably
might not be accused without some grounds ; and,
by consequence, as a justiiication of the severities
used against them. But, after all, it must be owned,
that some particular persons might live and die in
that sect, without being acquainted with the bad
principles of their evil tendency, as but too many do
even amongst the orthodox ; and though liereaits
ought to be detested, certainly the inveterate hatred
against the persons is highly to be avoided.
But to return to our Messalians of Greece and of
the East, and to our Italian Fraticelli. If there
were- amongst them so many professed libertines, as
the hfstorians and controvertists of those times men-
tion, ignorance, joined to the persecutions raised
against, them; may have been tlie occasion of their
acti'.atly nutting in execution all the ciorinities of
their false doctrine. A young person, for instance,
commits a crime,, and by. that infamous action lo5 3
his repuTatibti ; hfc is' despised, abandoned by every
OT.c^;- s'o'Out of despair nms hcad-loi;g into ruin and
misery. This example needs no further comment.
We mnst likewise take notice here, that both
ancient ami modern cotitrovcrtists have oltcn repre-
sented sect^ and heretical systems as more dangeiout
than they appear to have really been. Some may
pretend to excuse this fault under colour of an uti-
bounded zeal against heresy; but zeal ought not ta
o
?98
HISTORY OF THE BRETHREN OF THE ROSY-CROSS.
be bitter, or to destroy charity ; and whilst a fiery
and subtle controvertist inveighs too harshly against
the venom of an erroneous opinion, he often does
more mischief to pnblic society than the very pei'son
who had taken it up without much consideration^
and probably might as easily have dropped it, if
pride and shame had not, sucli is human frailty !
prompted him to maintain it with obstinacy. This
same false zeal has often made the said writers tax
one and the said sect with maintaining inconsistent
and evidently contradictory opinions ; it cannot be
denied tiiat iniquity belies itself; scripture says it,
and we daily experience it. But that so many in-
consistent propositions should so often be justly
charged upon one and the same sect, is not very
much to be credited. The authors of those impu-
tations have been sensible of this defect in the
accounts by them given ; and instead of owning
fconestly their mistake, have invented new names of
derision and contempt, to upbraid the sects which
they had accused wrongfully of such palpable con-
tradictions. Thus the Manichaeans, the Messalians,
Jcc. were called by a name which m Greek signifies
a mixture of all sorts. Thus the Albigenses, the
Waldenses, the Lutherans and Calvinists, have been
nicknamed the sink and dregs of all prior heretics.
The name of Adelphians, bestowed on the Mes-
•alians, was taken from Adelphius, one of their
teachers : Flavian, patriarch of Antioch, having with
great art enveigled him to discover the most secret
articles of the doctrine which he held and taught,
obtained that he should be banished from Syria.
But to conclude our account of these sectaries ;
by wandering about, they in process of time went
further and further, from the place of their origin.
The persecutions they suffered, and ill treatment
they received from the Catliolics, and as we have
said before, had as great a share in banishing them
from cities and great towns, and rendering them
as odioiaS as theif erroneous opinioris and wicked
life. As they spread, so did their doctrine ; and it
is higlity probable, that in Europe, as well as in Asij,
they met many libertines who gladly associated them-
selves with them, upon account of the idle and lazy
life so mireh fecotnfnend'ed by that sect. Tares
soon grow amongst the good corn, and the common
people, who are apt to form their judgment not from
particular instances, but general conclusions, easily
mistook the good corn for tares. Thus they settled
in Greece, in Thracia, Bulgaria, Transilvania, Hun-
gary, and at last in Boivemia. In ail the countries
where the Sclavonian language is understood, the
Messalians took, or their enemies in derision gave
them, the name of Bogoniiles.
Their abode in Bulgaria and the neighbouring
countries, has rendered the word Bulgare odious
throughout Europe, chiefly in France and Italy. —
It may likewise be presumed, that they went from
Bulgaria and Hungary into Bohemia, at a time when
the Bohemians began to rebel against the church,
and upon that account the orthodox took the Bohe-
mians to be the same as the Bogomiles or Mes-
salians. This being also a critical time for the
church of Ciirist, and many beggars and miserable
wretches taking part in these divisions, all were
blended under the same denomination. Thus at
last the name of Bohemians is universally given to
vagrants and runaways, who have no settled notions,
laws or religion, who in well governed kingdoms are
banished from all cities or towns, and dwell in caves
and solitary places, and live only by begging or
stealing. If the romantic stories mentioned in the
public gazettes concerning some of these Bohemians,
who, within a few years, have made inroads through
high and low Germany, were of any authority, or to
be credited, the proofs of courage wiiich they are
said to give, must appear very singular and strange.
HISTORY OF THE BRETHREN OF THE ROSY-CROSS.
A. HIS society took its rise in Germany. — About
the year 1394, a young man, who from five years
«ld had been brought up in a convent, became ac-
quainted at the age of sixteen with some magicians,
learned their art, travelled into the East as far as
Arabia, where the doctors of that country taught him
■wonderful secrets, and foretold him he should be the
author of a general reformation. From Arabia he
•went into Barbary, and from thence to Spain, where
ke ffc<}ueuted the Moors and Jews wko were versed
in the Cabala. He there pretended to begin his
reformation, but being banished from Spain, he
came back into his native country Germany, and
died in the year 1484, being onsj hundred and six
years old. His body was not bucied, but only de-
posited in a grotto. Fate or sor^(e oracle had or-
dered that the corps should renialp in that state Oije
hundred and twenty years ; in consequence of which
decree, it was not found out till l(j04.
A German chronicle of the Rosicrusians, relates
HISTOHY OF TIIE BRETHREN OF THE ROSY-CROSS.
799
th« ffiscovery as follows : A Rosicnisian being pro
bablv more cunning than his bielhren, took notice •
of a ftone with a nail in it. He took out tlit- stone,
and found the grotto in which was deposiicd liie
bodv of their founder, with this inscri])tion, " At
the end of one hundred and twenty years 1 sliull bo
manifested." Over the inoiiumctit, after the.se four
letters, A. C. R. C these words were written, " In
mv life-time I have chosen this ccnnpendiuni of the
Morld for my tomb," and several hieroglyphical
figures about tiiem. The body held m its hand a
book in gold letters, which contained the praises of
the founder, and gave an account of the vast trea-
sures he had found, and of his dying without sick-
ness or pain, when aged above an hundred.
This discovery occasioned the esiahlishment of
the Brethren of the Kosy-(Jross ; and m 1(515, a
German printed and published their apology and
profession of faith.
At first the number of the Brethren wa.s only four,
then eight ; but it increased very much afterwards.
They were to remain in a state of celibacy, and to
make themselves known to the world by no other
name than the enlightened of the Rosy-Cross. —
Their laws and rules forbade them to receive any
reward for practising physic, and ordered them to do
it out of charity; to do good to all mankind; to
apply themselves to wisdom and piety: to reform
the religious worship, by retrenching all superfluous
ceremonies ; to maintain steadily all the principles
of the confraternity, which was to subsist to the end
of the world. Their chief customs and opinions
■were, to dress according to the fashion of the coun-
try in which they lived; to be present at least once
a year at their meetings, or to give a good reason
for absenting ; to wear constantly the character or
impression of the Rosy-Cross, as a token of the
brotherhood ; to look upon themselves as appointed
to reform all things, and as having the whole and
sole right to ail the gifts of nature, upon that ac-
count. They were to declare openly, that the pope
was Antichrist, and that a time would come, when
they should pull down his triple crown. They re-
jected and condemned the doctrines of the pope and
of Mahomet, calling the one and the other blasphe-
mies of the cast and west: they owned but two sa-
craments, and admitted only the ceremonies of the
primitive church. 'J'hey called tbcir society the
confiaternity of the Holy Ghost. They pretended
to a right of naming their successor, and bequeath-
ing to them all their privifeges and viitiies, as being
their representatives; to know by revelation those
who were worthy to be admitted as members of their
society ; to keep the devil in a state of subjection,
and to discover hidden treasures. They moreover
said, that their confralernity could not be destroyed,
because God always opposed au impenetrablecloud
to screen them from their enemies. Neither hun-
ger, tliirst, sickness, or any otlier infirmity, c<nild
hurt them ; if any brother died, his burjing-place
and their assemblies were to be kept secret for one
hundred and twenty years. They believed as a fun-
damental article of their faith, that if the sect failed,
it might be renewed at the founder's monument or
tomb. They bragged of having invented a new
laiigiuige, by which they could describe the nature
of every being; yet they did not make use of
speeches or parables; they avoided being thought
the inventors of novelties, and the account they gave
ot their wonderful performances, was not to be
deemed either iinpriKient, foolish, malicious, or de-
ceitful. But their bare word must be taken, and
these enlightened Brethren very much resemble
quacks and alchy mists in this point, as they did in
their jargons, and their boasteci mysterious sciences:
Accordingly they were all instructed, and had their
education in Arabian or German schools.
Moreover, the Rosicrnsians said, that another sua
which borrowed its light from the sun of this world,
enlightened the grotto in which their founder \Va9
deposited, and served to discov<T all the wonders of
the said grotto, some of which were engraved on a
copper-plate placed upon an altar ; where, for in-
stance, four figures are to be seen, with these four
inscriptions, " Never empty, The yoke of the law.
The liberty of the gospel, The gloi^ of God." We
shall not omit other strange things, which deserve
and rcfjtiire the learned comments of some alchy-
mist.'», or visionary cabalists ; several of which have
promised, as the Brethren of the Rosy-Cross, to
repair the breaches and defects of the world ; as if
nature was subject to decay, or the divine provi-
dence by which it is governed, could possibly be so
far weakened, as to suffer its own work to be des-
troyed. They likewise flatter themselves that ihcy
shall be able to restore the primitive strength of
constitution, and innoctncy of life in mankind ;
plenty and community of goods, the universal
knowledge of the sciences, and' the general agree-
ment of all nations, in an imity of the gospel, ia
unity of religion, and holiness of life.
Morhof mentions a diminutive sect, or a small
swarm of the Rosicrnsians, to which he gives the
name of Collegium Ro^iannm, or society of Rosay,
who was a visionary fanatic, and endeavoured to
settle that confraternity in Savoy, near Dauphine
about the year 16.]0. Their niimfjcr was not to ex-
ceed three ; one Mornius tried all possible ways of
being admitted for a fourth, but was rejected, and
could only obtain the favour of being reckoned as a
servant. This small society was entrusted with three
important secrets, perpetual motion ; the art of
changing metals ; and an universal physic.
What can be thought of such a society, which u
800
ACCOUNT OF THE MODERN ANTI-TPiINITARIAK«.
supposed perftjct in itself, adorned with universal
knowledge, possessed of all worldly treasures, ex-
empt from all human infiri'.iities; yet no more seen
' tiian if it had been composed of pure spirits ? all we
can say is, that it bears a great re.sembiauce to, and
deserves to be ranked amoiig fairy-tales. We must
own nevertUeless, that tlie common people are de-
Jighted, and love to eatertain themseives with such
fooleries. So the world is like to be for ever pes-
tered with quacks and fools.
Ihe Rosicrusians were much talked of. in France
in the first fifteen or twenty years of tlie last age,
and several w ho pretended to be of that society, were
<;ast into prison. The foolish credulity of the people
vas raised by the following bill posted up in all
public places: '■' We who are deputies from the
iiosicrusians, and dwell visibly or invisibly in this
town, by the grace of tiie most High , shew
and teach without books or notes, to speak all the
languages of the country where we please to live, to
4.1; liver our fellow cre-.itiires from deadly error." In
1()13, a Rosicrusian of Barbary, named Mulcy-Ibu-
liamet, with a haudihl of men, having overcome
the king of Fez and Morocco, was, thsy said, to
•conquer Spain. Some pretended Enlightened Bre-
thren appeared then in Spain, but were soon quelled
by the Inquisition. -
Much about that time, the pretended Enlightened
Brethren, before mentioned, occasioned some tu-
mults in Spain, as the Rosicrusians had done ; and
v.e must not omit giving our readers some account
of them. The singularity of tlieir notions, some
points in which Ihcy either did, or other people
\vere resolved to believe they; did agree with the
Rosicrusians, made them be esteemed one atid the
same sect. Neither shall we pretend to multiply
parties and divisions, but rank these Bulightened
Brethren amongst the most dangerous kind of coBr
templative men, and the most wicked Quietists ; if
what is reported of them be true, that tiiey believed
that when the mind is wholly absorbed in prayer,
and intimateiy united to God, it docs not becora*
guilty of any of the crimes committed in that statp
by the body. They moreover held, that the sacra-
ments w'cre tiseissR, &c. that ail good iw'prks v/ere
supplied by raising the hea;t to God. Tii6 Inquisir
tion taxed them with niaiiitaining seventy-six , erro-
neous opinions'"; and this is not to be wondered at,
since thiit tribunal is known to be very nice, and t^
require an cctraOrdinary exactness in religious mat-
ters. These Enlightened Drelhieii made their aj>-
pearnnce about the end of the sixteciuh age ; but
the Inquisition put an early stop to ilie progress of
their fanaticism. They shewed themselves again in
the neigiiboiiihood of Seville, in the beginning of
the sevtnteen'.h age, at which period of time they
were esteeaie«l to be Rosicrusians.
The Low Couiitries and Picardy, produced like-
wise, about liSJi, some such Enlightened Brethren
as those of Spain. A tailor named Quuitin, aqd
oneCopinof much the same trade, were the ring-
leaders of the Enlightened Fiemibh men; for in
those days, every man .was thought qualified to
preach. They are accused of holding, ihat inten-
tion alone makes sin, that the S[)irit of God partake-v
of all the .actiojis of men, and that iijuocency of
life consists only in being calm and «asy,- without
giving way to any doubts or scruples. This iuten->
lion, which alone makes the sin, does not diiVer very
widely from the mind intimately united to God,
whilst the body wallows in crimes. What dreadful
consequences might not follow from such doctrine,
in a state governed by fanatics so united to God,
and so perfectly weai}ed from matter.
ACCOUNT OF THE MODERN ANTI-TRINITARIANS.
Wi
E have already taken notice of the Anti^trini-
tarians in the primitive times of Clirisiianity ; and
likewise of those ar<iong the Protestant Dissenters.
We shall now proceed to give an account of another
set of Ariaiis, which have sprung up in the present
age; nay indted, not- many years ago. It is well
known that this vast specigs of Arianism, Socinian-
ism, and Deism, has induced many of the clergy
to seek to be excused from subscribing to the ihirty-
nhie articles. This was, perhaps, one of the most
extraordinary efforts of madness that ever took
place i for hov^ could those men e.Npect to enjoy
-i- <i,/i !);d !i>fi.'
pepiipjary emoluments from the church, while they
refused to comply with her commands. They knew
that every civil establishment of religion has its sys-
tem, which must be subscribed by its membtrg,
particularly the clergy. This is done in order to
preserve unifoTmity, that they may all preach the
same doctrhie, and not broach new opinions.
Had these men laboured under any scruple of
conscience, they would have left their livings, and
cither joined the Presbyterians, or set up separate
meetings. But no such event look place ; for they
went and took possession of their livings. It is true
ACCOUNT OF THE MODERN ANTI-TRINITAI^IAN?.
SOI
\re hire two or tliree exceptions; parliculaiW iii
tlie conduct ot" a rlcrnyiiian in the north of Eng-
land, who rtsigncfl liis living, and was rtct'ivc'il in
Loudon by those who longed for something out of
the common way.
This w:»s a happy event to our Arians, fur al-
though, in order to point out im disinterestedness,
he l)oast( d that he had left a beneiice worth three
hundred a year, from motives of conscience; yet
he liad no objection to accept of double that sum
from tiiose who followed him iii London.
A nobleman of a very popular eiiararter, became
one of this preacher's (irst hearers in J-nulon, and
his ( xaiiipie « as I'ollowed by several persons of con-
siderable rank. As our preacher liad been brought
up to read prayers, and consequently could not pray
without book, aud as the Common Prayer-buok of the
Church of England, every where asserts the diviiiily
of our Lord Jesus Cinist, so he could not with
propriety make any use of it, as it would have con-
demned his own principles.
To remedy this defect, he set to work and com-
piled a liturgy, partly out of the Common Prayer-
book, and parlly from his own invention. This
liturgy suits all the purposes' for which it was in-
tended ; for it is made according to the sentiments
of the Arians and Socinians.
Great care has been taken by the compiler to
convince his hearers, that he does not believe in the
doctrine of the Trinity. In some of his collects he
blesses God for sending his son into the world to
save sinners; but it may be asked, what does he
mean by salvation here ? The answer is neither less
nor more than that Jesus, as a created being, came
to shew us a good example both in his life and suf-
ferings.
Ihat he did so is certain, but surely this could
never constitute a mediatorial office. A mediator
is one who stands between the offender and offend-
ed, to reconcile the difference that has taketi place.
Now, according to the whole scripture account,
Christ was to e:iecute these ofKccs for sinners.
First, he was to bg unto them a prophet, to con-
vince them of sin, and point out to them the whole
will and purpose of God.
^5econdly, in order to restore the lionour. of a
broken law, and reconcile sinners to God, he was
to suffer what no created being could viitTer, namely,
the whole v>rath of God for sin. This is called
his priestly otfic*-, and it was for this reason that
he took upon him a human body, and a rational
soul.
Thirdly, as a king and supreme head of his
c'hurch, he was, by the power of his spirit, to sub-
due the wills and passions of his people; he was to
make them a willing people in tlie day of his
jiower; he was not only to rule over them, but he '
53 y 9
was to rule in their hearts, by the Holy Ghost. —
To renew their nature, to (ill iheir niind>* witU a
desire to do good to tiieir fellow-creatures, to be
cl(>lhe<.l with humility, ami to ^o on from one Uej;fee
of perfection to another, till .sutli time as tiiey
arrive before the Lord in glory.
Now, what has b< en here advanced conccrnini;
Christ's offices, could not have been performed by
a human being. Part of the prophetical ofHce
liiight,. indeed, have been perfornwd ; but no mor-
tal could have executed that of the piie»t, or the
king. What human beitiij could endure the whole
wrath of Go<i in his body and soul, for the sins of
a guilty world. It was utterly impif>-ibic for any
person less than God to make an atonement. I f
sin was committed against an intinite bi ing, then it
must be a power equally great that could satisfy
Divine justice.
But according to the notions of the modern
Anti-lrinitaiians, there was no necessity for such an
atonement, nor did Christ come to do any tliinj
more than to shew us a good example, and to in-
struct us in the way of duty. Why, the apostle
Paul could have done this, and so could the other
apostles; for we are certain they taught the same
doctrines as were taught by our Saviour, and so far
as we know, every oue of them sealed his testimony
with his blood, except St. John the evangelist.
These Anti-tiinitarians are composed of persons
wVio have no knowledge, in general, concerning
religion. !Many of them are in very elevated sta-
tions in life ; and they have of late built a grand
meeting for their preacher, with an elegant house
for his residence. And here we would observe,
that any man who can strike out something new, is
generally sure of success. This will in all respects,
apply to the case of religion ; and for the honour of
our Aiiti-trinitnrian adventurer, he is endeavouring
to make hay while the sun chines.
Thus, besides a considerable subscription from
his hearers, he has as ni'.ich provision, of the best
sort, sent him in from difl'erent parts of the country
every week as would support several families. —
There are no poor belonging to his meeting, for
chariiy and new religions seldom have much con-
nection together, 'i'his we know to be true, and
niiith nioie, though we would not be thought too
censorious.
Before we ccaiclude. this accoiuit, we would wil-
lingly make one observation, and the ra'her, because
it is new. And that is, that in most cases in reli-
gion, the vulgar enthusiastic preacher,- draws after
him tlie greatest number of followers. ]5ut these
are among the lower ranks of the people.
However, let not the great and t!ie learned, in
this instance, triunijih over the weak and ignorant.
The great can tincl us much pleasure ia running aftex
K
802
ACCOUxNT OF THE SWEDENBORGIANS.
a man who is seeking every opportunity in his power
to traduce the gospel of Christ, as the vulgar can
in running after the iguorant teacher, who does not
so much as understand what he is speaking of.
Many are carried away with a notion, that they
are the elected children of God, and therefore look
V'ith contempt on the rest of mankind. On the
other hand, the lukewarm in religion, who follow
the preacher, who despise the glories of Christ,
will not acknowledge that there is any thing fujier-
natural. In this manner they stifle the agonizing
pains of a guilty conscience, and live as if there
was not a God to whom they are to be accountable.
If these men were to consider the following sen-
timents of a great author, it might put them to the
Lluiih.
" The words Trinity and Persons are terms not
to be met with in the sacred book, and yet to those
terms, and the application of them, the revolt
against the doctrine is cliietly owing.
What the scripture acquaints us with, is this, and
no more : That it characttrises the Father, who is
the avenger of wrong, and rewarder of right, God;
that what it characterises the Son, the Word, the
Creator of the world, the Redeemer of mankind,
sent for that purpose by the Father, is God; that
the Holy Spirit, the Correspondent with, and Com-
forter of the spirits of men, is God ; and that never-
theless the Deity, the self-e.xisting Being, is but
One. That these matters are so, the scripture ex-
pressly declares ; and the manner in which it e.\-
presses the last proposition, Deut. vi. 4. is worth
attending to. Our translaters render it, "Hear, O
Israel, the Lord our God is our Lord." The ori-
ginal says, " Jeliovah our God is one self-existent
Being ;" for so the word translated Lord signiiies.
Now, what is there in our knowledge, in our con-
ceptions, or in our reason, that can qualify us to
determine the modus of the existence, or of the
action of the invisible Deity ? That we have no sort
of idea of the substance of that soul which acts in
us, or of the manner of its existence or actions, is
an agreed point : What impudence then must it be
in us, to pretend to determine, from our concep-
tions, or rather inability to conceive, the condition
or nftinner of existence and actiag of the Supreme
Being, the lea^t of whose works are in veiy deed
beyond our comprehension ?
The ancienti, less refined than we, disputed
about the ligure and form of the Deity; and
knowing none more perfect or noble, as tliey appre-
hended, than that of man, bestowed upon the Deity
a human shape and figure. The impropriety of
this gross imagination we see ; as we perceive, that
the ideas of extension, shape, and iigure, are not
applicable to spirit, according to the notions which
we have of it. But though we have not eyes to
discover the substance or properties of spirit, does
it certainly follow, that they have nothing in them
analogous to shape or figure, no properties bv which
they can be discerned, and distinguished the one
from the otiier, by God, or even by other spiritual
beings, to whonj he may have given eyes and under-
standing fit to perceive what we cannot? And as it
is not on the other hand, clear, that there may be
somewhat analogous to figure, some particular mo-
dus of existence of the Deity, of which our want
of ideas will not permit us to form any notion.
Had nature produced to our view such livinw
creatures as wild fiction can present to our fancy,
composed of three or more distinct bodies, abso-
lutely separated from each other, without any bodily
connection, but actuated by one and the same prin-
ciples, moving by one will, acting with one consent,
each affected by the accidents that touch either, the
one wounded by the blow that wounds the other,
and ail dying by the killing of one ; we should have
had no distinct conception of what the scripture
represents concerning the Deity. But dien, habitu-
ated to the sight of such an extraordinary creation
as has been mentioned, the sciipture-doctiine would
cease to be so shocking as it is to our wise men :
and yet, from their knowledge of the machinery of
nature, they will hardly take upon them to say, that
the Deity could not have created such an animal as
has been feigned.
ACCOUNT OF THE SWEDENBORGIANS.
Jl HE Swedenborgians, commonly so called, de-
note that particular denomination of Christians,
■who admit the testimony of Baron Swedenborg, and
direct their lives in agreement with the doctrines
taught ia the theological writings »f that author. —
Not that they call themselves by that name, or wish
it to be applied to them, since they rather choose to
be considered as the disciples of Jesus Christ, and
glory in the name of Christians, in preference to
any other title whatsoever.
ACCOUNT OF THE SWEDENBORGIANS,
80S
The. auAor from wliom tins denomination of
Clii istiaiis derive tlieir nnaic, was the son of a bishop
of West Gothia, in the kingdom of Sweden, whose
name was Swedbeig, a man of considerable learning
aud celebrity in his time.
The son was born at Stockholm, the 29tli Janu-
ary, in the year of our Lord IG88. He enjoyed
early the advantages of a liberal education, and be-
ing natumlly endowed with uncommon talents for
the acquirement of learuing, his progress iu the
sciences was rapid and extensive; and he .>iOon dis-
tinguished himself by several publications in the
Latin language, which gave proof of equal genius
and erudition. It may reasonably be supposed, that,
under llie care of his pious and reverend father, our
author's religious instruction was not unattended to.
This, indeed, appears plain, from the general tenor
of his life and writings, which are marked with
Strong and lively characters 0/ a mind deeply im-
pressed with a sense of tiie Divine Being, and of all
the relative duties thence resulting.
Perhaps the most authentic account of his general
Character and publications may be found in the
funeral oration, or eulogy delivered after his decease,
by Monsieur Sandel, Superintendant of the Mines,
kflight of the order of the Polish Star, and member
of the Academy of Sciences, at Stockholm, in the
great hall of the house of Nobles, in the presence
of the said Academy, on the 7lh of October, 1772.
The oration was puldished by the Abbe Pernetti,
and is annexed to his French translation of Sweden-
borg's " Treatise on Heaven and Hell." From this
oration, it appears that our author, at a very early
age, became an object of royal attention and favour,
being admitted to frequent converse with Charles
XH. then king of Sweden, and appointed by him
to the office of assessor of the Metallic College, a
place of great public trust, and of considerable
emolument. He was also ennobled in the year 1719,
by queen Ulrica Eleanora, and named Swedenborg,
from which time he took his seat with the nobles of
the Equestrian order, in the triennial assembly of the
states. He was made a fellow, by invitation of the
Royal Academy of Sciences, at Stockhohn, and had
a like honour conferred on him by foreign societies.
He lived in much esteem with the bishops and
nobles of his own country; and his acquaintance
was sought after by the most distinguished charac-
ters in various parts of Europe, with many of whom
he continued to correspond till his death.
To the above account of Monsieur Sandel, re-
specting the character of Baron Swedenborg, may
be added, the testimony of a learned and respectable
clergyman of the church of England, the late Rev.
Thomas Hartley, rector of Winwick, in Northamp-
tonshire, who was intimately acquainted* wi'h our
author, and who^ j«r a letter to a friend, thus ex-
presses himself: "€t may reasonably be snpposeci
that I have weighed the character of Swedenborg
in the scale of my best judgment, from the personal
knowledge I had of him, from the best information
I could procure concerning him, and from a diligent
perusal of his writings ; and, according thereto, I
have found him to be the sound divine, tlie good
man, the deep philosopher, the universal scholar,
and the polite gentleman."
The philosophical works, published in Latin, by
Baron Swedenborg, arc both numerous and import-
ant ; and many of them form a principal branch of
the literature cultivated in several universities on the
continent. One of these works is entitled, Prin-
cipia return Natinalium, sive novorum Tentaniinum
Flucuomena miiiidi elenientaiis P/ii/ofopfiice eip/i-
caiali, of which it is remarkable, that the writers of
the French Encyclopedic have enriched their obser-
vations on chemical subjects, by various extracts
from it. Another is entitled, Regiium Animak', and
contains a learned discussion on the various parts
and uses of the animal economy. But the theolo-
gical works which issued from our author's pen, are
still more numerous and more interesting. The
principal of them are the follnving: —
1. Arcana Caleatia, or Ileaveit/j/ Mi/iteries, in
eight volumes quarto, Mhich were published in dif-
ferent years, from 1749 — 1756, containing an ex-
position of the internal spiritual sense of the books
of Genesis and Exodus.
2. A Treatise on Heaven and Hell, from things
heard and seen, published at London, in the year
1758, in one volume quarto, containing a particular
account of both kingdoms.
3. The Delights of Wisdom, concerning Conjugal
Love, published at Amsterdam, in the year 1 758, in
one volume quarto, proving the sanctity and eternity
of that love.
4. Angelic Wisdom, concerning the Divine Love
and Divine Wisdom, published at Amsterdam, in the
year 1763, in one volume quarto, being a metaphy-
sical discussion on the divine nature and operation.
5. Angelic IJisdom, concerning the Divine Provi-'
dence, published at Amsterdam, m the year 1704, in
one volume quarto, demonstrating the operation of
Providence in things most minute, notwithstanding
appearances to the contrary.
6. The Apocah/pse Revealed, published at Am-
sterdam, in the year 1766, in one volume quarto,
containing an exposition of the internal spiritual
sense of that extraordinary book.
7. True Christian Religion, or the Universal The-
ologi/ (if the New Church, predicted bi/ the Lord in
Daniel, ch-dp. vii. 13, 14, and in the Apocalj/pse,
chap. xxi. 1, 2, published at Amsterdam, in the year
1771, in one volume quarto, treating of God the
Creati/r, and of Creation, of the Lord the Redeemer,
«04
.ACCOUNT OF THE SWEDENBORGIANS.
taiid of Redeinplioii, of the Haif./ Spirit, or the Di-
Xhne Operation, of l/i£ Diiiiie Triui'i/, of the Sacred
'Scripture, or IVord of the Lord, of the Decalogue, of
Faith, of Chai-il!/, cad of Covd tVorks, of Frecuilf,
of Hedemption, of Refor/aation and Regeneration, (f
iminttation, of Bopiisfti and the Ho/y Supper, of lie
Consnmmation of the Age, the Lord's Advent, and a
Neza Heaven and, a Nezi) Church.
To tlie above may be added, several smaller trea-
tises, as tlie Last Judgm-ent and Babylon destroyed,
■ — the While Horse treated of in the Apocalypse, —
the New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine, — the
JDoctrine of the Ncic: Jerusalem concerning the Lord,
conceiniiig the. Sacred Scriptures, concerning Faith,
and conceriiing Life, — a Sunimartf Exposition cf the
Doctrine of the New Church; and, lastly, r— a 2Vea-
tise on Lnfux, or concerning the Commerce of the
Soul and Body.
It does not appear that the theological writings of
B.iron Swedeuborg were much attended to during
his life time, except by his particular friends; but
after liis decease they began to be translated into
several modern languages, as the German, the Eng-
lish, and French, and were nurcli sought after l)y (he
serious and weII-di.sposed. The frst traHsliilion of
yny note into I'jiglish, was mrde by the Kiv. T.
Hartley, above named, fi .;ii the Latin Treatise on
Influx, and was acconipanied by a learned and ap-
propriate preface, and various, notes, in the year
1770. This was followed,' two or flirce years after-
yards, by a translation of the Treatise on Heaven
and Hell, Willi a preface and notes, by the same
translator. The increasing demand for these works
called for several new editions of each, and led to
Uie translation, by degrees, of ail the other theologi-
<;al works of om- author, so that now there is not
one but what has been rendered into the English
language, and gome of •the larger ones have passed
through several editions. Thcr<3 is reason to sup-
pose^ from the great demand for these publications,
that they soon because very generally read through-
out the kingdom; as it is a fact, that a society of
gentlemen, in Manchester, only formed for tlie pur-
pose of publishing and circulating them, have
printed, in the course of a few years, upwards of
10,000 copies, as appears from tlie annual reports
of the society- Various societies have also been
formed in different parts of Engh.iid, for reading and
' clJi)(our;>ing on these writings ; and in snmo of the
principal cjiics and towns, as in London, Bristol,
Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Mull, Bolton,
and some other snialltr towns, places of worship
have been opened .for the more public circulation of
the doctrines contained in those writings, from the
pulpit. ^ . . . . :
'i'he first and principal distinguishing doctriHC,
fonla^aed iij the wriiings of Baron Swedenborg, and
niainiained by his followers, relates to the persoa
and character of Jesus Christ, and to the redennp-
tion wrought by that Great Saviof.r. On this sub-
ject it is insisted, that Jesus Christ is Jehovah,
manifested in the flesh, and that he came into the
world to glorii'y his htiman nature, by making it one
with the di'.'ine. It is therefore insisted tur;her, that
the hwnaaiti/ of Jesus Christ is itself divine, by
virtue of its indissoluble union with the in-dwellin"-
Faliier, agreeable with the testimony of St. Pau!^
that, " In Jesus Christ dvvelleth all the fulness of
the godhead bodily," Coloss. ii, 9 ; and that thus, as
to his humanity, he is the mediator between God
and man, since there is now no other medium of
God's access to man, or of iiian's access to God,
but his divine humanity, which was assumed for this
purpose. I'luis it is taught, that in the person of
Jesus Christ dwells the whole Trinity of Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit, the Father constituting the
soul of, the above humanity, whilst the humanuy it-
si'lf is the Son, and the divine virtue, or operation
proceeding from it, is the Holy Spirit, forming alto-
getjier one God, just as the soul, the body, and.
operation of man, form one man.
On the subject of the redemption wrought by
this incarnate (jod, it is lastly taught, that it con-
sisted not in the vicarious sacrifice of one God, as
some conceive, to satisfy the justice, or, as others
express it, to appease the wrath of another God,
but in the real subjugation of the powers of dark-
ness and their removal from man, by continual com-
bats and victories over them, during his abode in the
world; and in ihe subsequent descent to man of
divine power and life, which was brought near to
him in the thus glorified humanity of this combating
God. The receivers, therefore, of this testimony
concerning Jesus Christ, acknowledge no other God
but him, and believe, th.at, in approaching his dt^ine
humanity, they approach at the same time, and' have
communication with all the fulness of the Godhead,
seeing and worshipping tSie invisible in the visible,
agreeable to the tenor of those words of Jesus
Christ ; " He that believeth on me, belie veth not on
me, but on him that sent me; and he that seeth me,
sceth him that sent me." John xii. 44, 45.
2. The second distinguisliing doctrine, taught by
the same author, relates to the sacred scripture, {)r
word of God, w'lich is maintained to be divinely
inspired throughout, and ccmsequ;'iitty to be the re-
pository of the vihole wijl and wisdom of the Most
Higii God. But then it is insisted, that this will
and w isdom are not, in all places, discoverable from
the letter or h:stf>ry of the sacred pages, but lie
deeply concealed under the letter. For it is taught
by liie author inider consideration, that the sense of
the letter of the holy word, is the basis, the continent,
and the Jirmamerit of its spiritual and celestiul
ACCOUNT OF THE SWEDENBORGIAN,^
80.5
senses, bein<» wrillcn According to the doclriiie of
corruspoiui'jiiccs beuveeii things spiritinil and things
natural; a\)d thus designed by tiic Most High as
the vehicle of couiiiiunication of the eternal spiritual
truths of his kingduiu to the minds of men. This
doctrine of corrcspondcuces is mu( h insisted and
enlarged on in the theological writings of JJaroii
Svvedtnborg, especially in his Arcana Coelestia,
and Apocalypse Revealed, in which works, it is
applis d as a key to unlock all the hidden treasures
of wisdom •.:jd knowlwlge contained in the historical
books of Genesis, Exodus, and the llevelatious.
It is further endcavouied to be shewn, that Jesus
Clirist spake continually according to this same
doctrine, veiling divine and spiritual truths under
natural images, e^jiccially in his parables, and thus
conimuiiicating to man the most impcrtaut mysie-
ries, relative to himself and his kingdom, uiider the
most beautiful and edifying figures, taken from the
natural things of this woild. Tlius, according to
Baron Swcdenboi-g, even the histoiical parts, both
ef the Old and New Te3taine£it, contain vast stores
©f important and sj>iritual wisdofi> under the out-
ward letter ; and this consideration, as he farther
asserts juslitits the pages of divine revelation, even
in those parts wliicli, to a comuion observer, appear
trifling, nugatory, and contradictory. It is lastly
maintained on this subject, that liie sacred scripture,
or word of God, is the only medium of communi-
cation and conjunction between God and man, and
is •likewise the only source of ail genuine truth and
knowledge respecting God, his kingdom, and ope-
ration, and the only sure guide for man's under-
standing, iu whatsoever relates to his spiritual or
eternal concerns. And here it may not be improper
to observe, that, by the respect paid to the guidance
tieiived from the sacred pages, a striking line of
distinction is drawn between this our author and the
common enthusiasts of the day, since it is notorious
that the latter are perpetually leading their deluded
diioiples to depend on the dictates of spirits, iu
preference to llie precepts of the eternal truth ;
whereas Baton Sweilenborg is perpetually pointing
out the great dan2L>r of such leadmg, and calling all
bis readers to be taught of God, by and througli the
precepts of his holy word^ intellectually and ration-
ally comprelicnded.
3. A third distinguishing 'doctrine, which m£\rks
Ihe character of the writings of Ijurou Swedeuborg,
is the docliine relative to life, or to ihat rule of
conduct on the part of man w iuch is truly accept-
able to tire Dtitv, and at the same time conducive
to man's eternal iiuppiness and salvation, by con-
joJni^ig him -with bis God. '1 his rule is taught ts
be simply this, io shun ail knoz^n evils as sins against
Ktod, and at the same time to tove, to cheiisl!, and
To practise s.h(Uiioetei' is ats€, virtuous and.holif, as
53 9
being most agreeub/e to the rri/I of God, and to the
spirit of hii precepts^ On this subject it is strongly
and repeatedly insiste'd, that evil mast of necessity
remain with man, and prove his eternal destruction,
unless it be removed by sincere repentance, leading
him to note what is disorderly in Ins own mind and
life; and when he iias discovered it, to figlit Reso-
lutely against Its influence, in dependence on the
aid and grace of Jesus Christ. It is insisted further,
that tliis opposition to evil ought to be grounded ou
the consideration, that all evil is sin against Cod.
since, if evH be combated 'from any inferior motive,
it is not tadicully remuved, but only concealed, ana
on that account is even more dangerous and des-
tructive Ulan before. It is added, that when man
has done tlie work of rej^cntance, by simnning his
hereditary evils as sins against God, he ought to set
himsdf to the practise of what is v.ise and good by
a faithful, diiigeut, and conscientious discharge of
all the duties of his station; by wliich means hia
mind is preserved from a return df the powers of
disoider, and kept in the order of heaven, and the
fulfdincnt of the great law of charily. For it is
perpetually maintained in the writings of Baron
Swedenborg, that the essence of charity consists in
man's loving his neig'nbour as himself, and that its
principal operation consists iu every one's discharg-
ing the relative duties which he owes to society, bj
acting uprightly, and in the fear of God, in his par-
ticular employmeiit^ whether it be that of a priest,
a judge, a soldier, a gentleman, a merchant, or a
mechanic. This idea of charity is grounded in the
consideration, that the society in which a man lives,
and especially his country, and the church of God,
are more properly his neighbour than any individual,
a;;d that consequeutl* the highest act of charity is
that which is exercised on those aggregate bodies of
men, by a conscientious performance of the offices
annexed to his particular function.
4. A fourth distinguishing doctrine, inculcated in
the same writings, is the doctrine of co-operation on
the pi.r: of mai;, with the divine grace or .igency of
Jesus Christ. On this suijcct it is insisted, that
man ouglit not indolently to hang down his hande,
under the idle cNpectation that G'od will do every
thing for him in the way of purilication and legene-
ration, without any escrtion of his own ; but that
he is bound, by the above law of co-operation, to
exert himaelf, as if the whole progiebs of hii puri-
fication ;ind regeneration depended entirely on his
own exertions; yet, in exerting himself, he is con-
tinually to recollect, and humbly to acknowledge,
ibut ujl liis power to do so is fi< ni a[)ove,<igreeable
lo lliedtelaraliijii of J'sus ChrJiil, " Vr'ithout me ye
can do uotbir.g."' John xv. 5. He is tliercfore
bound, according to tliii law, to enter freely on the
great Nvort^ of self-examination, aiid with the same
806
ACCOUNT OF THE SWEDENBORGIANS.
freedom to reject the evils whicJi such examhiation
discovers to his view ; also to ftiltil freely the duties
of his station, of whatsoever kind they be. Tiiis
law is shewn to be groiiiided on these two distinct
Considerations, first, the consideration of the freedom
M'itli which nian is perpetually invested, either to
work with God, or to work against him ; and, se-
condly, the consideration, that all conjunction be-
tween God and man must needs be reciprocal, or
mutual, agreeable to those words of Jesus Christ,
■where he says, " Abide in me, and 1 in you." John
XV. 4. It is therefore shewn, that without perpetual
freedom on the part of man, he \\ould not be a man,
but a machine, consequently incapable of living in
conjunction with his heavenly Father. And it is
further shewn, that, to effect this conjunction, it is
not sufficient that Jesus Christ be in the will and
purpose to accomplish it, or that he abides in his
disciples, but it is necessary also that his disciples
be mutually on their part in the will and purpose to
accomplish it also, or that they sliould reciprocally
abide iti him. Lastly, it is insisted, on this interest-
ing subject, that the doctrine of co-operation sup-
plies no ground for the establishment of man's merit
and independence on the divine aid, since it is con-
tinually taught in the writings in question, that all
man's freedom, as well as all his power of co-ope-
ration, is the perpetual gift of the most merciful and
gracious God, consequently that all merit, properly
so called, belongs to Jesus Christ alone, and nothing
at all to man.
5. A fifth and last distinguishing doctrine taught
in the theological writings of our author,' relates to
man's connection with the other world, ]and its vari-
ous inhabitants. On this subject it is insisted, not
only from the authority of the sacred scriptures, but
■also from the experience of the author himself, that
every man is in continual association with angels
and spirits, and that without such association iie
could not possibly think, or exert any living faculty.
It is insisted further, that man, according to his
life in the world, takes up his eternal abode, either
>vith angels of light, or with the spirits of darkness ;
with the former, if he is wise to live according to
the precepts of God's holy word, or with the latter,
if, through folly and transgression he rejects the
counsel and guidance of the Most High,
The author's experimental testimony on the sub-
ject is delivered very minutely in his Treathc on
Heaven and Hell, and is likewise occasionally ad-
■verted to in most of his other writings, forming alto-
gether, w ith those who can receive it, a most w eighty
demonstration of the existence of another world,
also of its laws and government, and especially of
man's interesting connection with it during his
abode in this woild. It is however to be noted, that
this experitneiatul testimony is never made the ground
of the revelation of any new law for the guidance of
man's life, because it is abundantly shewn that the
word of God is completely competent to that pur-
pose, containing every information which it is neces-
sary for man to know, in order to secure eternal hap-
piness. It is further to be noted, that an intercourse
with the other world, similar to what was enjoyed by
the audior himself, is never insisted on as necessary
or even expedient for others, since it is shewn, that
the guidance of heavenlv truth, derived from the word
of God, is to be regarded as mfinitely superior ta
every other knowledge, whether derived from visions
like those of the prophets of old, or from a spiritual
intercourse, resembling that which distinguished the
author.
Some other peculiar doctrines of lesser import-
ance, might be enlarged on in this place, if it was
deemed necessary, such as — the doctrine concerning
the human soul, as being in a human form ; — the
doctrine concerning the marriage of the good and
the true, as existing in the holy word, and in all
things in nature ; — the doctrine of the divine Pro-
vidence, as extending to things most nnnute, re-
specting man and the world which he inhabits; — the
doctrine concerning the earths in the universe, by
which it is taught, that all the planets in our system,
and in other systems, unconnected with our sun, are
inhabited by human beings : but to expatiate ou
these several doctrines might be thought tedious.
It was observed above, that in London, and some
of the other cities and great towns in England,
places of public worship have been opened, tor the
express purpose of preaching the above doctrines,
and of offering up supplications to the Uivine IJe-
ing, and celebrating his praises. In all such places,
particular forms of prayer have been adopted, in
agreement with the ideas of the worshippers, as
grounded in the religious sentiments above stated,
especially respecting the supreme object ot adora-
tion, who is acknowledged to be the Lord and Savi-
our Jesus Christ, in his divine humanity. But in no
place have any peculiar rites and ceremonies been
introduced, the worshippers being content willi re-
taining the celebration of the two sacraments of
Baptism and the Holy Supper, since no other rites
are insisted on by the author whose testimony they
receive.
It does not appear that on the subject of church
government and discipline, any thing has been either
recommended by Baron Swedenborg, or adopted
by the receivers of his doctrines. For it is believed
by a large majority of those receivers, and particu-
larly by a numerous body of the clergy of the
Church of England, who are disposed to think
favourably of our author's testimony, that it was
never his intention that any particular sect should
be formed upon his doctriies, but that all who re-
ACCOUNT OF THE SWEDENBORGTANS.
807
celve them, vhcthcr in the establishment, or hi any
otlicr conimunion of Christians, should be at per-
fect hberly, eiilior to continue in their former com-
munion, or to quit it, as their conscience dictates.
Accordingly the above-mentioned numerous body
of the clergy, together with many individuals of
their respective congregations, who are receivers of
the above doctrhies, think it proper still to continue
in tiie use of the rites and ceremonies of the Church
of Ennland, and under the episcopal government
established in that church.
England appears to have been the country where
the above doctrines have been most generally receiv-
ed ; nevertheless there are numerous readers of
tliose doctrines both in Wales, Ireland, I'rance,
Gerniany, Denmark, Sweden, Russia ; also in
America and the West India islands. At Copen-
hagen, it is well known, a magnificent church has
been lately built for the propagating of those doc-
trines, as likewise at Baltimore, in North America.
In regard to the numbers of the favourers of the
above doctrines, it is impossible to ascertain them
with any tolerable degree of correctness, especially
as the majority of them do not think it right to
separate themselves from that church conimunion
hi which they have been educated ; but, from the
increasing demand for the publications which con-
tain those doctrines, there is every reason to believe
the number of readers to be large, and increasing.
At least, it is a fact, that this is the case in the
town of Manchester and Its vicinity, where the
number of proselytes to the testimony of Baron
Svvedenborg has of late years swelled to a large
amount, so as at present to be calculated at several
thousands.
The three principal writers, who have opposed
the theological tenets of Baron Swedenborg, are
/Dr. Priestley, the Abbe Barruel, and the editor of
the Christian Observer. Dr. Priestley published
his objections about the year 1791, in one small
octavo volume, entitled, Letters to the Members of
the Nerc Jermalem Church at Birmingham. His
principal objection was to the doctrine which asserts
the exclusive divinity of Jesus Christ, and he com-
bats this doctrine with all the weight of those Soci-
iiian arguments which were so familiar to him. —
His objections were answered immediately in a very
able manner, by the Rev. J. Proud, the present
minister of York Street Chapel, St. James's Square,
Westminster, and in the following year, iu a still
more diffuse and more elaborate manner, by Mr.
Robert Hindmarsh, who was at that time a printer
in London, w hose reply was entitled, Leften to Dr.
Prieslkt/, in Jusner to his Letters to the Members
of' the jSieic Jerusalem • Church at Birmingham. —
ITic next opponent to the above doctrines was the
Abbe Barruel, who, in the fotirtb volume of his
Memoirs of Jacobinism, inserted a violent invectit'e
against Baron Swedenborg and his tenets, endea-
vouiiiig to prove him to be an impostor, a mailman,
an atheist, a mnteria/ist, and an enenii/ to all govern-
ment both civil and ecclesiastic. His calumnies
Were presently refuted by the Rev. J. Clowes, rector
of St. John's, Manchester, and late fellow of Tri-
nity College, Cambridge, in a work, entitled Letters
to a Member of L'arliament, on the Character and
l\ rilings of Baron Snedeiiborg, containing a full
and co/n/dele Refutation of all the Abbe Barrucl's
Calumnies against the honourable Author, in one
volume octavo. The last antagonist of our author,
was the editor of the Christian Observer, who pub-
lished his attack in that periodical work, for the
Month of Jime 1800, under the title of Observa-
tions on a small Worh, entitled A fere plain Ansuers
to the Question, H hi/ do i/ou receive the Testimoni/ of
Baron Sicedcnborg'^ addressed from a minister to
his congregation, by the Rev. J. Clowes. This
attack the Rev. author of the Plain Answers endea-
voured to repel, in a small pamphlet, entitled. Letters
to the Christian Observer, iu lepli/ to their renuirks
on his publication ; iu which letters the following
subjects are discussed. 1. The person and character
of Jesus Christ, as being exclusively the God of
heaven and earth. 2. The internal sense of the
sacred scriptures. 3. Justification. 4. 'I"he extra-
ordinary mission of 'Baron Swedenborg, as an ex-
positor of the sacred scriptures, and as a seer.
Amongst the assertors of the truth of the testi-
mony of Baron Swedenborg, ought also to be men-
tioned the Rev. T. Hartley, Rector of Winwick, in-
Northamptonshire, a man of j)rofouiul piety and
learning, who vindicated the character of our au-
thor, and the tendency of his writings, in two jire-
faces to the Treatises on Heaven and Hell, and oi^
IiiHux, accompanied with various notes and obser-
vations; also in a Letter to the translator of the
True Christian Religion, which stands annexed as a
preface to the English translation of that work. —
The names likewise of the Abbe Pernctti, librarian
to the king of Prussia, and of the Rev. Dr. Beyor,
of Goltenburg, ought not to be overlooked on this
occasion, since they were both of them very able and
strenuous advocates m favour of the character and
doctrines of Swedenborg, the fornier having pub-
lished his remarks in the relimiiK'.iy discourse pre-
fixed to his French translation of the Treatise on
Heaven and Hell; aii<l the latter having manifested
his partiality for the doctrines, by composing and
publishing three copious indexes, in one vulume
quarto, of all the matter contained in the theologi-
cal writings of our author, and of all the scripture
passages referred to and elucidateil in those writings.
-S'^S
ACCOUNT OF THE UNIVERSALISTS.
We liave oniy to observe on the subject of this
article, that the doctrines under consideration, if
true, must reeds be acknowledged to be of the ut-
most importance to the general interests of man-
kind. Some persons, it is plain, will be disposed to
doubt their credibilityj on the ground of the utter im-
probability, tiiat a mortal man, during his residence
in a materia! body, should have been permitted to
enjoy open intercourse with the world of departed
spirits, during the uninterrupted period of twenty-
seven years, and to have been instructed, during that
period, in the internal sense of the sacred scriptures,
hitherto undiscovered.
Others again (as appears from many respectable
instances, both amongst the laity and the clergy),
Will see nothing improbable in all this, referring the
case to those extraordinary dispensations of tlie pro-
vidence of an All-wise ar.d All-powerful Being,
who, in all ages of the world, has been pleased to
enlighten and instruct chosen servants concerning
his vviH and kingdom. At all events, it is beyond a
doubt, that every well-disposed Christian is bound,
by every obligation of good conscience, to take the
above testimony into serious consideration, and not
to decide upon it, until he has weighed it impartially
in the scale of his best judgment, and in the fear of
God, following the ^irudeut counsel of the Jewish
doctor, on a similar occasion, where it is written, —
"If this counsel or this work be of men, it will
come to nought; but if it be of God, ye cannot
overthrow it, lest haply ye be found even to fight
against God." Acts v'. 38, 39.
ACCOUNT OF THE UNH ERSALISTS.
UnIVERSALISTS, so termed from the belief
fhey have that men will be universally saved ; the
ibllowing are some of the reasons they advance: —
" The Auniniau proves from scripture, that God
is love; that he is good to all; that his tender mercy
is over all his works ; that he gave his son for the
world ; that Christ died for the world, even for the
whole world ; and that God will have all men to be
saved.
" The Calvinist proves also from scripture, that
God is without variableness or shadow of turning;
tliat his love, like hiuiself, alters not ; that the
death of Christ will be efficacious tovvards all for
TA horn it was intended ; that God v. ill perform all ■
his pleasure, and that his council shall stand. The
»uioii of tiiese scriptural principles, is the final
rtAtorati.>n of all men.
" Taking the principles of the Calvinists and
Arminians separately, we liiid the foriiitr teaching,
or at leas-t inferring, that God doth viul love all ;
but that he made the greater part of men to be
riidlt'ss monuments of his wrath : the latter declar-
irg the love of God to all : but admittuig his final
/"^i'li/ze of restoring the greater part. The God of
"the former is great in power luid Vvisdoni, but defi-
cient in goodness, and capricious in his conduct :
■« ho that views the character can sincerely love it ?
The God of the latter is exceeding gooil ; but defi-
cient in power and wisdom : who can trust stich a
thing ? if, therefore, both Calvinists and Armini-
ans love and trust the Deity, it is not under the
character which their several systems ascribe to
him ; but they are constrained to hide the imperfec-
tions which their \iews cast upon him, and boast .
of a God VI. hose highat glory their several schemes
will not admit."
The Universalists teach the doctrine of eleclionf
but not in the exclusive Calvinistic sease of it : they
suppose that God has chosen some for the good of
all; and that his final purpose towards all, is inti-
mated by calling his elect the Jirst born, and the Jirst
fru'ds of his creatures, wliichj say they, implies
other branciies of his family, and a futuie in-gather-
ing of the harvest of mankind.
They add, that the words rendered everlastutg,
eternal, for ever, and for ever and ever, in tlie
scriptures, are frequently used to express the dura-
tion of things that have ended, or must end. This
doctrine is not new.. Origeii, a Christian father,
who lived in the third century, wrote in favour
of it.
For still further information, the reader is referred
to a critical work, entitled, " An Essay on the Du-
ration of a Future State of Punishment and Re-
wards," by John Simpson, who has written several
e.'jcellent practical pieces for the illustration of
Christianity. — Mr. Winchester and others have alao
ably defended this system.
809
ACCOUNT OF THE RELLYAN UNIVERSALISTS.
JK'FXLYAN Universgliats, the followers of Mr.
James Keliy, who first commenced tlie ministerial
character in connection with the late Mr. George
Whitfield, a'ld wit'i the same seatiuients as are
generally maintained at the tabernacle. Tlity are
not observers of ordinances, such as water baptism
and the sacrament — professing to believe in only
one baptism, which they call an immersion of the
mind or conscience into truth, by the teaching, of
the spirit of God ; and by the same spirit they are
enabled to feed on Christ as the bread of life, pro-
fessing that, in and with Jesus, they possess all
things. They inculcate and maintain good works
for necessary purposes, but contend that the princi-
pal and only works which ought to be attended to,
is the domg real good without religious ostentation ;
— that to rL'Iicve the miseries and distresses of man-
kind, according to our ability, is doing more real
good than the superstinous observance of religious
ceremonies : in general they appear to believe that
there will be a resurrection to life, and a resurrec-
tion to condemnation ; that believers only will be
liinong the former, who as first fruits, and kings anil
priests, will have part in tlie first resurrection, ami
, siia'.l reign with Christ in his kingdom of the inille-
niur.i ; that unbelievers who are at'ter raised, must
wait the manifestation of the Saviour of tho woiiJ,
under that condemnation of conscience which a
mind in darkness and wrath must necessarily feel ;
that believers, called kings and priests, will be made
the medium of communication to their condemned
brethren — and, like Joseph to his brethren, though
he spoke rouglily to them, in reality overflowed witk
affection and tenderness ; that ultimately — every
knee shall bow, and every tongue confess, that ia
the Lord they have righteousness and strength : —
and thus every enemy shall l)e subdued to the kiuj-
dom and glory of the great Mediatpr.
ACCOUNT OF THE JOHNSONIANS.
JTOHNSONIANS, so called from the late Mr.
Johnson, a respectable dissenting minister of Liver-
pool : they do not apply this name to themselves,
but it is given to them by Christians of other deno-
minations. They must be regarded as a distinct
<lenomi!iation, as they will have no religious fellow-
ship V. ith those who dissent from their views of the
gospel, which are suiliciently discriminating, and
have sometiiT><:s applied to lljemselves the words of
15alaam, respecting the children of Israel, '' The
people shall dwoil alone, and shall not be reckoned
among the na'io:',-;."
They deny the pre-existence of Christ, and at
the same time believe that he is properly God :
because all the fi'lncss of the godhead dwells in
him: consequently may be said to maintain the in-
dwelling scheme. Tlv y assert that God cannot be
divi.ied into distinct ',)';rsons : so far ihey agree witli
the Unitarians. Th^,y cleiiy tlie doctrine of original
am; yet assert that t. > man will savingly believe the
gospel, unless brought by the special influsuce of
04 9
the spirit to receive it. They deny tire natural im-
mortality of the soul, and contend that the whole
of mail is at present mortal ; yet maintain the sepa-
rate existence of the soul between death and the
resurrection. They believe that God elected Christ,
and his people in him, from everlasting, that for
Christ and his church all things were created ; that
Christ would hav(! been manifested, his people born
again and exalteil to glory, though sin !iad never
existed ; that in that case the rest of mankind
would all have been happy in an inferior capacity,
as the servants of Christ, and his bride ihe church.
Against the decree of sin and reprobation they are
zealous. Faith they suppose to be a divine commu-
nication, the life of God in the soul. They contend
tlKit it is impossible for a real (christian to have any
doubts or fears respecting his interest in Cliri.t, or
acceptance with God. liespecting the atonement
and perseverance ot the saints they agree with the
Calvinists, and with other Baptists as to the mode
aud subject of baptislii. Thobe passages of scrip-
810
ACCOUNT OF THE SOUTHCOTTIANS.
ture which relate to the future restoration of the
Jews, they suppose to have a spiritual meaning, and
deny that prophecy authorizes our expectation of
their being restored to their own land. Those who
die in infancy they say will be raised to life In a
pure state, not to inherit the heavenly kingdom, but
to inhabit the new earth which will be formed after
Hhe conflagration, on which, say they, Christ and
his church will reign a thousand years, and tlien be
removed to some more glorious region. They con-
tend for the restitution of all the animal creation j
but believe that the wicked will be endlessly mise-
rable. Positive punishment, as inflicted by God,
they deny, and hold the language of scripture res-
pecting the future punishment of ihe wicked to be
figurative, and that their torment will naturalljr
arise from their state, aud exist iii their minds.
ACCOUNT OF THE SOUTHCOTTIANS.
South COTTIANS, from Joanna Soulhcott,
their reputed prophetess. Her supposed mission
began in 1792, and she has since obtained a number
of followers. She professes to be the instrument
under the direction of Christ, to announce the estab-
lishment of his kingdom on earth, as a fulfilment of
all the promises in the scriptures, and of that prayer
\vhich he himself gave to his followers; and more
particularly of the promise made to the woman in
the fall, through which the human race is to be re-
deemed from all the efl"ects of it in the end. She
also professes to have direct communications with
the Spirit of Truth ; and the following are selected
as containing the leading features of their sentiments :
— That the seven days of the creation were types
of the two periods in which the reign of Satan and
of Christ are to be proved and contrasted ; Satan
was conditionally to have his reign tried for six thou-
sand years, shadowed by the six days in which the
I^ord worked, as his spirit has striven with man
while mider the power of darkness ; but Satan's
reign is to Le shortened, for the sake of the elect,
?,s declared in the gospel ; and Satan is to have a
further trial at the expiration of the thousand years,
for a time equal to the number of the days short-
«i!ed. At the close of the seven thousand years the .
day of judgment is to take place, and then the whole
human race will collectively bring forward the tes-
•tiinony of the evil they suff'ered under the reign of
Satan, and of the good they enjoyed under the
spiritual reign of Christ. These two testimonies
■will be evidence before the whole creation of God,
that the pride of Satan was the cause of his rebel-
lion in heaven, and that he was the root of evil upon
earth; and consequently when these two great proofs
have been brought forward, that part of the human
race that has fallen under his power, to be tormented
by b'ing in the society of Satan and his angels, will
revolt from him in that great day, will mourn that
they have been deluded, will lepent, and the Saviour
of all will hold out his hand to them in mercy ; and
will then prepare a new earth for them to work
righteousness, and prepare them ultimately to join
his saints, who have fought the good tight in this
world while under the reign of Satan.
The mission of Joanna, it is supposed, will be
accomplished by a perfect obedience to the spirit
that directs her, and so to be made to claim the pro-
mise of bruising the head of the serpent ; and vvhich
promise was made to the woman on her casting the
blame wpon Satan, whom she unwittingly obeyed,
and thus man became dead to the knowledge of the
good ; and so he blamed his Creator for giving him
the woman, who was pronounced his helpmate for
good. To fulfill the attribute of justice, Christ took
upon himself that blame, and assumed his I'.umanity
to suffer on the cross for it, that he might justly
bring the cross upon Satan, and rid him from the
earth, aud then conipk-te the creation of man, so as to
be after his own image. It is declared that the seed of
the woman are those who in faith shall join with her
in claiming the promise made in the fall ; and they
are to subscribe with their hands unto the Lord, that
they do thus join with her, praying for the destruc-
tion of the powers of darkness, and for the estab-
lishment of the kingdom of Christ. Those who
thus come forward in this spiritual war, are to have
the seal of the Lord's protection, and if they remain
faithful soldiers, death and hell shall not have power
over them : and these are to make up the sealed
number of one hundred and forty-four thousand to
stand with the Lamb on mount Zion! The fall of
Satan's kingdom will be a second deluge over the
earth ; so that from his having brought the human
race under his power, a great part of them will fall
with him; for the Lord will pluck out of his king-
dom all that offend and do wickedly. The voice
which announces the coming of the Mesaiuh is ac>
ACCOUNT OF THE DESTRUCTIONISTS.
811
companied with judgments, and the nations must be
sliakeu and brought low before tliey will lay these
things to heart. When all these things are accom-
plished, then the Desire of Nations will come in
glory, so that every eye shall see him, and he will
give his kingdom to his saints.
It is represented, that in the Bible is recorded
every event by which the Deity will work the ulti-
mate happiness of the human race ; but that the
great plan is for the most part represented by types
and shadows, and otherwise so wrapt up in mys-
teries, as to be inscrutable to human wisdom. As
the Lord pronounced that man should become dead
to knowledge if he ate the forbidden fruit, so the
Lord must prove his words true. He therefore se-
lected a peculiar people, as depositaries of the
records of that knowledge ; and he appeared among
them, and they proved themselves dead to every
knowledge of him, by crucifying him. He will in
like manner put the uikl olive to the same test; and
the result will be, that he will be now crucified in
the spirit !
Joanna professes also to have had prophecies given
her, shewing how the whole was to be accomplished.
Among other things, the Lord said he should visit
the surrounding nation with various calamities for
fifteen years, as a warning to i/tis land; and that
then he should bring about events here which should
more cloarly manifest the truth of her mission, by
judgmeiits and otherwise ; so that this should be the
happy nation to be the first redeemed from its trou-
bles, uud be the instrument for awakening the rest of
the world to a sense of what is coming upon all,
and for destroying the Beast, and those who worsliip
his image.
Her books are written principally in rhyme, whicli
it must be confessed, is in a low, common, ballad
style; very uugrammatical, but which she purports
to be the language of the spirit of God. Some of
her advocates, men of education, and who offici^rte
in sacred things, declare that thir doggrel versifi-
cation is superior to Homer. That the reader may
judge whether her rhyme merits so high a character,
the following lines are selected, nor are they ihe
most objectionable.
SPIRIT.
" Simple among the sons of men
I always did appear;
And simple in the woman's form
I've surely acted here."
Again,
SPIRIT.
" If you can judge theheav'niy sound,
Such woman ne'er on earth was found.
To give such challenge unto man
And say that I am in her form.
Look, here's a woman, now believe it true,
That here's a Vtoman taken from my side.
That I've declared to man to be my bride.
I have chang'd the manhood and the Godhead's
here."
ACCOU>iT OF THE DESTRUCTIONISTS.
B
ETWEEN the system of restoration and the
flvstem of eiiillcss miseri/, a middle hypothesis of
the Jiiial destruction of the wicked (after having
suffered the punishment due to their crimes) has
been adopted more particularly by the Rev. Mr.
Bourne, of Norwich; and Mr. John Marsom, in
two small volumes, of which there has been a se-
cond edition, with additions. They say that the
scripture positively asserts this doctrine of deslrnc-
iioH ; that the nature of future punishment (which
the scripture terms death) determines the meaning
«f the words everlasting, eternal, for ever, Ike. as
denoting endless duration ; because no law ever did
or can inflict tfie punishment of death for a limited
period ; that the punishment cannot be corrective,
because no man was ever put to death either to
convince his judgment or to reform his conduct ;
that if the wicked receive a punishment apportioned
to their crimes, their deliverance is neither to be
attributed to the mercy of God, nor the mediation
of Jesus Christ, but is an act of absolute justice;
and finally, that the mediatorial kingdom of Jesuj
Christ will never be delivered up, since the scripture
asserts, that of his kingdom there shall be uo end.
«ie
ACCOUNT OF THE COV/HERDIANS.
JL HIS appellation they have not talcen to tV-cm-
selves, it has been given to them by others, iu con-
sequence of their rigid adherence to the principles
and discipline of the Rev. W. Cowherd, founder of
a small ch;ipei, which he calls Christ Chunk, in
Salford, near Manchester. This clergyman is a
literal^ character of considerable talent, and was
formerly a curate in the established church — it has
Leen supposed that he is an advocate and preacher
•of the doctrines of Swedenborg,- this, it appears,
is not the case ; for although he speaks, at times,
in terms of high ■cominendalion of the aliove au-
thor, yet he disclaims being one of his followers,
and entertains views arid opinions which the Swe-
•denborgians (so called) totally discard^ie seems to
rank Swedenborg along with Luther, Calvin, Wes-
ley, and other reformers and expositors, but that
he possessed greater gifts and endowments. Whereas
the real menibeis of the New Jerusalem Church
before treated of, see in Swedenborg not only the
rational expositor and enlightened teacher, but the
illiinniiuted seer; and they rank him among the
highly-favoured ones, who, as St. John, the pro-
phets, and apostles of old, liave been admitted into
spiritual vision, that they might thereby be prepared
and enabled, under tiie guidance of the divine influ-
ence, .to make known tlie great dispensations of
A3uth.to mankind.
The manner in which this sect view the incarna-
tion and redemption, we sh;'.!! give in their own
words, by an extract- from " the Report of a Con-
ference held" in their chapel above mentioned, " in
June and July, 1809," and which is laid down
(though, perhaps, not :n ihe plainest manner) as
follows :
" 1. That the divide spirit and the human spirit
have been from eternity uuited in the "" heaven of
heaven*^' the ' thri.re of God,' as intimately as the
soul and body of man are united into one person ;
— but not ' exclusively' ey^n there.
" 2. That on earth, the human was partially se-
parated from the divine spirit, at the fail of man.
" 3. Tl;jt in Jesus (Jlirist, the fallen, the carnal
spirit of ii an was ultimattly re-umled with its
appropriaie degree of the divine spirit, as 'that exists
— tr.iscparated from the throne — down iiito . our
world.
".4. That this divine spirit, descending from the
throue, aud pervading tlie universe, is that ' Holy
Spirit' v.hich came upon the virgin^ and assumed
Hiateriality at the iiicaruatioii.
" -5. That when this spirit, the spirit of truth,
the light that enlightens every man that comes into
iha woild, had, through the fieshly tabernacle of
Jesus Christ, diffused itself throughout this worM
o; man, as ether diffuses itself in our atmosphere;
it ;hcn began to exhibit the divine human appearance
(.J the heaven of heavens, as ether exhibits tlie re-
fracted image of the sun in oar atmosphere.
" 6. That this ' Image' of that divine human
appearance, which is given in the glorified human
spirit at the centre of creation, is the true Jesus
Christ whom we shall ' meet in the air ;' — that
' quickening spirit,' the * Mediator between God
and man,' ' by whom,' as refracted to the ' right
hand of God,' ail the faithful shall apparently pass,
when * he delivers up the kingdom to the Father,'
in the eternal lieaveus.
" 7- 'That the glory investing this '^ express image
of the r'atlier's person,' is again the ' holy spirit'
which was ' not given' forth in full manifestation
from the ' tiirone of Jesus,' till he was fully glori-
fied, or till Ids hitman spirit, leaving its fleshly ta-
bernacle on the cross, became one with the right
spirit of man as filled and united \vith the good spi-
rit of God throughout the universe.
" 8. That the material body re-assumed at the
resuscitation, and ' handled' by the unbelieving
Thomas, could spontaneously pass off from the
spirit of Jesus, as the * flesh and blood' which
' cannot enter the kingdom of heaven,' undoubtedly
deflagrated from the prophet Elijah, in the lire be-
held by Elisha.
" 9- That in this way, the ' body' of Jesus,
which had given offence to some, and n^ight have
caused idolatry to others, became truly and j>roperiy
a ' sacrifice for sin.'
" 10. And that, finally, the atonement or recon-
cdiation between God and man, was virtually effected
zchen the human spirit was re-united with the divine,
and fully accomplished against sin, when Jesus, by
voluntarily ' laying d:;ivu his life,' prevenied his ene-
mies from murdering hint :■ — thus ovtr-ruling their ■
zcicked design, for good to them and their posterity,
by preventing sin, — particularly the iiu of idolatry,
among Gentiles as well as Jews, even to the remot-
est generations.
ACCOUNT OF THE COWHERDIANS,
ft»3
Their itlcaa of jn«piration and of the Tiinify are
Uiiis exj^ressed in the same report.
" 1. 'I'tiat the patriarchs, Moses, the i)ropbets, the
apostles, and other holy men of old,' buiii<: possessed
of that right human spirit ever tilled with the divine,
which, in their surroniiding sphere, would receive and
refiect the divine image, as it is received and re-
fracted by the same spirit in our atmosplvcre ; it
must necessarily happen, in all their u'ltibsciired
states of mind and spirit, that they v\ouKl i-lc liie
Lord, or what tbcy talied the word of the Loul, ap-
parently standing near to tiiem, and by llie sugges-
tions of his spirit, there apparently speaking %<) them
as * a man does to his friend.'
" 3. That the rejiedcd inrjge of God is that per-
sonal holy Spirit, and the r^fraded iniaj;e of (lod
that personal Jesus Christ, by and in Nshojn alone
•tlie Eternal rather has ever been manife&tqd, and his
will and wisdom reve-led, to the sons of n<en.
'• 3. That the ofii: God, thus appearing in his son
and $pirit, did actually speak uii tlic la\>s and all the
^jrcdictions contained in the ijibie, and virtually pe*"-
t<>rm ill! the things ascribrd to him in the historical
-jjarts of the Old and New T<rstanients."
From this extract it appears, |.hat ^^ ilii tl>cm Jesus
Christ is termed the " Kl';FtlAC IF.D IMAGE of
<50D," and the Holy Spirit tire " i?EELECTED
IMAGE of GOD." Theae ideas, aid the pbra^-
ology in which they are expres;sed^ are, perhaps,
more novel than scriptural.
Respecting cluirch discipline, it must be observed,
tliat the reverend founder of this party, and a con-
siderable number of his adiiertnts, are strenuous ad-
vocates for the necessity of abstaining from animal
food, and all kinds of fermented liquors; — and tliis
abstinence is become the test of admission to the
Holy Supper, as adniinistered among them, a tic-ket
being given to such as conform to this' point of dis-
cipline ; — these circumstances have caused the epithet
of fint/.ifiesji-ciitcrs to be applied to them.
To support this system, they endeavour to explain
tliose passa^jt s of scripture which relate to the sacri-
lices and -burnt trtferiiigs of old, as not importing
liiat real animal were sl.iin, but that the skins of
animals were made use of to contain dried or pre-
served fruit-; and vegetables; as weH as the jr.ice or
tilood of l!ie grape — ■+ience, tl}ey think that they
have tlie authority of scripture on th^ir side, and
it is not our province to dispute it «ii!i thorn ; it is
for us to be Cuudid and faitlifai in th.e accounts we
give of the various religiouj piinciples profps<:(.d by
different denouiinatjons — as, liajvevi', a little p^iet-
ical arguuieut y^pean-d in some of the Manchester
T!ev\ spapeis, we shall copy it foi the information and
entertiiinincut of OMr readers. The first is ascribed
Vj the pen of tlieir leader, l!;e Rev. W C. and with
some sli^it ajteration?, has ^lecij qccftsioaally sung
as a hvnia.
HUxMANITY AND RELIGION PLEAD-
liSG AGAINST fLEfcjH JLAllNO.
* Eateus of ri.KSH !' criuld yqu decry
Our food and sacred laws,
Did you behold the laijibUn die.
And feel yourselves the cause ?
Lq, tiiere it .'Struggles ! fiear it mo-fp.
As stretcli'd beneath the knife ;
Its eye wou)d melt a heart of stuue !
How meek it begS) its life !
I|ad Gad for man its €e$h dc^igq'd.;
Matm'd by death, the brute
Lifejc^s to i« lad been coi^igu'd.
As is tjjp j-ipeii'd fruit.
Hojd, d^rifi^ tpan ! tky haud restrain—
God is the life iu all:
Jo smile at God, \»heu flesh is .slain !—
Can crjjne Jiiic this, ^e small ? W. C
JSee Proverbs xxiii. 20.
These verses produced the following reply, which
is said to have been written by Mr. F. M. Hodsoa.
^fr. EoiTon — Having read in yonr paper of
the ITtlj,^ few verses in delence of the old doctrine
against eating animal food, your insertion of the
following in reply thereto, will oblige your Constant
Reader, lti^oKA:.lUs.
Feb, Oa, \9,IQ.
RELIGION NOT SHACKLED AVITH
MEATS Ai^D DRINKS.
" Jl-cir and nndentand, n.ot thai zchicJi goetk
IJJTO the month, dt^kUi a inan."-^ j£sus.
" F.ATEE.s of HER?j*!''^-nowi)e it known.
Whatever plea you put on,
Turu'-ps and greens are good :dooe,
Biit better far with mutton.
IDater of c."ibbape — " Kill ond eiit'*
Ak w-ordi once said to Peter ;
* Acti 10. IS
54
P U
814
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODIST NEW CONNEXION.
For thee, around, the flocks do bleat,
Thou maj'st partake — Herb-eater.
Their flesh, if God did not approve
That we as food should eat,
Why say " all things that live and tnove
" To you shall be for meat ?"*
Why was the "fatted Calf" once slain
To feed the joyous throng,t
When, the lost son return'd again !
Would Jesus lead us wrong ?
Why feed with barley-loaves (tho' few)
" And fish much as they would "i^
If barley-loaves and fishes too
Were not both proper food.
Who told thee, " that had God design'd
" Their flesh should be our food,"
" Lifeless to us they'd been consign'd"
And thus been render'd good 1
"Hold, daring man !" thy pen restrain —
And hear tliy God declare,
*' The beast that dieth is unclean"
" Ye shall from it forbear !"|
O ^lan ! vain Reason's light how dim \
" As God's the life in all ;"
Upon your plan, we " smite at him,"
When cozes or coicslips fall.
Did Abraham, when with raised hand
" 1^16 beasts and birds he slezo,"
Smiting — oppose divine command ?||
" Or covenant renew T'
Strange to invert, while on the road,
The order of our life !
He rather " smites against his God,"
\Nho feeds domestic strife.
The necessity and salutary efix^cts of temperance
must be universally acknowledged; and perhaps, it
svere well if those whose habits of lite are given to
excess, would adopt (at least for a time) this disci-
pline ; especially if they cannot so far refrain as to
" prune what is superfluous" — but it is much la-
mented by many, that an attempt should at all be
made to shackle religion with " rchat ye shall eat, or
uhat ye shall drink, or iC'herea:ithal ye: shall be cloth-
ed :" and we are sorry to learn, tha{ rigorously en-
forcing this system of abstinence, has been the
unhappy cause of much family discord — the writer
of the reply seems to allude to this in his last stanza.
• Gen. 9. 3. t Luke 15. S3. * John 6. 11. § Lcvit. 17. 15. tl f'^"- 16. 9.
KILUAMITES; THE METHODIST JNEW CONNEXION, OR
NEW ITINERANCY.
ixlLR. WESLEY professed a strong attachment
to the Church of England, and exhorted the socie-
ties un<ler his care to attend her service, and receive
the sacrament of the Lord's Supper from the regu-
lar clergy. But in the latter part of his life, he
thought proper to assume the episcopal office, so
as to consecrate some to the office of bishops and
ordain several priests for America and SdRtland ;
but as one or two of these his bishops have never
left England, since their appointment to the office,
some think that he intended a regular ordination
should take place, when the state of the connec-
tion might render it necessary. During his life,
some of the societies petitioned to have preaching
in their own chapels in church hours, and the
Lord's Supper administered by the travelling
preachers. This request, however^ h« generally
refused, and where it could be conveniently done,
sent some of the clergymen who officiated at the
New Chapel London, to perform uiese solemn
offices.
The same request was renewed soon after his
death by many of the societies, when they had the
mortification to find that this question was decided
by lot, and not by the use of reason and serious
discussion ; which, together with some other real or
imaginary grounds of offence, soon brought on a
division and separation.
The grounds . of,, iliis separation, (which took
place in 1797), the .Methodist New Connexion, de-
clare to be cldirch government and discipline, and
not doctrines, as afiiimed by some of their oppo-
nents. They object to the old Methodists, for hav-
ing formed a hierarchy or priestly corporation ; and
ACCOUNT OF THE METHODIST NEW CONNEXION.
8i;
say, that in so doing, they have robbed the people
of tliose privileges, that, as members of a Cinisliaii
church, thoy :'re entitled to by reason and scripture.
The New ConncNion have, therefore, attempted to
establish every part of tlteir ehurch goveruineiit on
popular prii!i;nl',-s, and profess to liave united, as
much as possible, the ministers and the people in
every department of it. This is quite contrary,
say they, to tlif original government of the Metho-
dists, which, in ihe most important cases, is con-
fined only to the ministers, as appears by considering
their couferenoo or yearly meeting ; for of this
meeting, no person, who is not a travelling preach-
er, has ever been suffered to enter as a member. —
And mdeed, tliis is the puint to which the preachers
have always .stedt'astly atlhered with the utmost firm-
ness and resolution, and on which tlie division at
present is saiJ entirely to rest. They are also up-
braided by the members of the New Connexion,
for having abused the power which they have as-
sumed. The New Methodists have formally pro-
tested against most of these abuses, which are enu-
merated in various publications, and particularly in
the Preface to t/ie life of the late Mr. Alexander
Killiam, who took so active a part in the separation,
that he is considered by many, as the head and
founder of the New Conne.Nion ; and its members
are sometimes called Kilhamitea from him.
Though these are the points on which the divi-
sion seems principally to have rested, yet there are
several other things that have contributed to it. It
is frequently easy to foresee, and to calculate the
future changes in society, that the lapse of time
will produce ; and in no instance is this observation
better warranted than in this division, which most
persons have long expected. The attachment of
the old Methodists to the established church, which
originated in Mr. Wesley, and was much cherished
by him and many of the preachers, and also the
dislike to the church, in many others of the preach-
ers and of the societies, were never failing subjects
of contention. As all parties are distinguished in
their contests by some badge or discriminating cir-
cumstance, so here the recehiiig or not receiving the
Lord's Supper, in the established clmrcli, was long
considered as the criterion of Methodisfical zeal or
disaffection. Thus, the rupture that had been long
foreseen by intelligent persons, and for which the
minds of the Methodists had been undesignedly
prepared, became inevitable when Mr. Wesley's
influence no longer intt rfered.
The New Methodists profes* to proceed upon
liberal, open, and ingenuous princljiles, in the con-
struction of their plan of church government; and
their ultimate decision in all disputed matters, is in
their popular annual assembly, chosen by certain
rules, from among the preachers and societies. To
them it appears agreeable, botll to reason and the
customs of the primitive church, that the people
should have a voice in the temporal concerns of the
societies, should vote in the election of church ofH-
cers, and should give their suffrages in spiritual
concerns. This subject, when discussed in the
conference held at Leeds, in 1797, produced :) vari-
ety of arguments on both sides of the question ;
and on its being given against them, the dissentients
])roposed a plan for a New Itinerancy, and forn)cd
themselves into a meeting in order to carry it into-
immediate; Mr. William Thorn being chosen presi-
dent, and Mr. Alexander Killiam secretary. A
form of church government, suited to an itinerant
ministry, drawn up at the request of the meeting
by these two brethren, was soon printed, under the
title of " Outlines of a Coiistilatioii proposed for the
E-x ami nation, Amendment, and Acceptance, of the
Members of the Methodist Nezo Itineranci/," vihich,
with a few alterations, was accepted by the confe-
rence of preachers and delegates.
The preachers and people are here incorporated
in all meetings for business, not by temporary
concession, but by the essential principles of their
constitution ; for the private members chnse the
class leaders, the leader's meetmg nominates the
stewards, and the society contirnis or rejects the
nomination. The quarterly meetings are composed
of the general stewards and representatives chosen
by the different societies of the circuits ; atid the
fourth quarterly meeting of the year, appoints the
preacher and delegate of every ciicuil that shall at-
tend the general conference.
Further information respecting their principles
and discipline, may be found in a pamphlet, enti-
tled, " General Rules vf the Vniled Socieli'es of
Methodists in the Nezc Connetion." Their profes-
sions are at least plausible and liberal ; but as the
sect has yet been of but a few years continuance,
little can be said ofi it at present ; and it becomes
matter of curious conjecture and speculation, how
far its leading members, should they become firmly
estabished in power and influence, will act agreeably
to their present liberal professions.
In the year 1S06, the New Methodists had 18
circuits, upwards of 30 preachers, and about 5918
members in their connexion. The names of the
circuits then were, — Newcastle, Alnwick, Leeds,
Huddersfield, Halifax, Manchester, Asliton, Han-
ley, Liverpool, Chester, Wigan, Blackburn, Not-
tiugliam, Leicester, Hull, Sheffield, London and
Lisburn.
SiG
ACCOUNT OF THE BEREANS.
-OF.REANS, in modern church history, are a
-sect of Protestant Dissenters from tlie church of
Scotland, who take this title, not from choice but
necessity, as they foresaw, tlmt if they did not f!is-
-tiiiguish themselves by some name, they wotild be
flistinguished by others, by applyiuj; to them the
name of the founder' of the sect. On this accoant,
Mr, Barclay, whose modesty was such, that he did
'.iot wish his friepds to be called by his naniJe,
thought, with thera, the name Ber^ans as expressive
and suited to tlie Christian character as any other,
set:ng the believers of tiie gospel at Berea were
highly commended for their Christian conduct, i*i
■fJuily searchmg tlie sciiptuies, whicli is the duty and
interest of all believers of the gospel.
'i^ie Bereans tirst assembled as a separate body of
Christiaas in the city of Edinburgh, in autumn 1773,
and sooSt after in the parish of Fettercaivn.
The opponents of tiie Berean doctrines allege,
that this new system of faith would never have been
iieard of, iit|d (M^:Mr. Barclay, the founder of it,
l^een disappointed of a settlement in the cltnrch of
^cotbiid. A res^pectable clergyman of the Esiab-
'hshed Char^h has even hinted something to this
Jjiirpose, in Sir John Sinclair's " Statistical Account,"
<vol. ix. p. 5'j9-) But the Bereans, in answer to this
charge, appeal not only to Mr. Bare lay's doctrine
itr.ilbriiily preached in the church of Fettercairn, and
many other places in ih:«t neighbourhood, for foitr-
teeu years before that ben<?fice became vacant ; but
likewise to two different treatises, containing the
Bair.t; dectrir.es, published by him ten or twelve years
before tl>at,ptniod. They admit, ind^.'cd, that previ-
ous to May 1773, vvlien the General Asse-Tnbly, by
Sirstaiiiing the king's presentation in favour of Mr.
f^Oote, excluded Mr. Biircliiy from tiicceediTig to
the church of Feltc-rcairn (notwithslandine; tl»e al-
most unanimous desire of the parishioners) the Be-
ieanshad not left ^he established ciTUich, or^tternpt-
td to €fect themselves into a <]istiinct: societ}' ; but
tiiey add, that this was by no means necessary on
then- part, until, by the Assembly's decision, tiiey
were in danger of being not oivly deprived of his
iiystructions, lw.it of being scattered as sheep without
,« shepifCfd. And they add, that it Jvas Mr. Bar-
day's open and public avowal, both from the pwipit
and the press, of those peculiar sentiments which
ziow distinguish the Bereans, that was the iiist a^id
principal, if not the only causp, of the oppositioii
sot on foot against his settlement at Fettercairn, —
Since that time the sect af the Bereans have found
converts in all the principal towns in Scotland, iit
London, and many other places n> F.ngiaad, as wcsl
as in diSVront slates of America, &c.
The Bereans agree with the great majority of
Chrisijans, both Protestants and Catliolics, raspecfc-
ing the doctihie of the Trinity, which they Iwld as
a fundamental article of the Christian fuith ; and
they also agree in a great n>easure with the professed
princi]>les of bolli our established churches, respecl>-
insf prcdestinntkni arid election, though they aiiege
that these doctrines are not consistently taught in
either church. But they differ fiGai llie majority of
all sects of Christians in various other important
.particulars, such as, — ^
First, Bespectiug our knowledge of t'ne Deity. —
Ijpnn tills subject they say, that the majority of pro-
fessed Cln-istians stumble at tlie very threshold of
-revelatron ; and, by admitting the doctrine of natural
iTligiryH, naturni conxcienc£, natural aatices, ftc-c. not
founded upon revelalioti, or derived from it by tra-
dition, they give up the caose of Christianity at once
to the intidels ; \v ho tray justly argue, as Mr. Paine
in fact docs, in his Ag'e of Keasou, with all others
of hisintidel cast, that " there is no occasion for any
revelnticn, or woid of God, if usan can discover
his nature and perfections from 'tiis works alone." —
But this, the BcreiM)S argue, with other professors of
Christianity, is beyond the natural powers of liuman
reason, and therefore our knowledge of God is fiona
revelation alone: and that, without revelation, man
would never have entertained an idea of his ex-
istence.
Second, With regard to faith in Christ, niwl .assu-
rance of salvation turougli his merits, they differ
from almost all other sects wiratsoevcr. TJK?£e they
reckon inseparable, or nithcr the same, Ijccause
(they av^ue) God hath csprefsly declared, " lie Uiat
beiieveth shall be saved ;" and tlierefore, it is not
oivly absurtl, but impious, aiid in a manner calliiiw
God a liar, for a man to s.'iy, " 1 believe the gospe)^
•brrt have <loul)ts noverthcloss of my own i>alvution."
With regard to the vadous distinctions and deiini^
tions that ha^'e beim given of diiiiereirt kiuds of faith,
they argue, thut " thcj;c is nothing iucompreJibnsible
or obscure in the meaning of this word bs used io
ACCOUNT OF THE BEREANS.
tI7
scriphire ; but that, as faith, when applied to human
testinujny, gigniiies neither more nor less than the
ii:ere simple belief of that Icstinioiiy as true, upon
the authority of the testifier ; so wlien applied to
tlie testimony of God, it sij^iiilics precisely the belief
Qf his testimony, and restijii; -upon his veracity alone,
uilhout any kind of collattral support from cimcur-
rence of any other evidence or tesiiniony whatever."
And they insist, that as this failh is the gift of God
alone, so the person to whom it is given, is as con-
scious of possessing it, as the being to whom God
gives life, is of beh)g alive; and therefore he enter-
tains 90 doubts, either of his failh, or his consequent
salvation through the merits of Chiist, who died,
and rose again for that purpose. In a word, they
argue, that the gospel would not be what it is held
forth to b«, " ghid tidings of great joy," if it did not
briu8| full |)ersonal assurance of eternal salvation to
the believer; which assurance, they insist, " is the
present iiifaliihlo j>rivik'ge and portion of every in-
dividtial believer of the gospel." — These definitions
of faith, and its inseparable concomitant assurance,
they prove by a grtat variety of scripture evidence,
which our limits will not allow us to quote.'
Third, Consistently with the above definition of
faith, they say, that the sin against the Holy Ghost,
■which has ali;imed and perplexed so ma«y in all
ascs, is nothing else but unbeJief ; and that the ex-
pression, that " it shall not be forgiven, neither in
tins world, nor that which is to come," means only,
that a person dying in infidelity would not be for-
given, neither under the former dispensation by
Moses, (the then present dispensation, kingdom, or
government of God), nor under the gospel dispen-
sation, whieh, in respect of the Mosaic, was a kind
of future world, or kingdom to come.
Fourth, The Bercans interpret a great part of the
Old Testament prophecies, and in particular the
•whole of the Psalms, excepting such as are merely
historical or laudatory, to be typical or prophetical
of Jesus Christ, his sufifeiings, atonement, mediation
and kingdom; and they esteem it a gross perversion
of these psalms and prophecies to apply them to
the exptrJences of private Christians, in the manner
Qomraoniy done. In proof of this, they not only
urge the words of the apostle, that " no scripture
grophecy is of any private interpretation," but they
insist, that the whole of the quotations from the an-
cient prophecies in the New Testament, and par-
ticularly those from the Psalms, are expressly appli-
(1(1 to Christ. In this op;iuon, many other classes
oi Protestants agree with them.
fifth, Of the absolute all-superintending sove-
i^igiity of the Almighty, the Bereans entertain the
highest ideas, as well as of the uninterrupted exer-
tion thereof over all his works, in heaven, earth, and
hell, however unsearchable by bis creatures. A God
?4 9
without election (they argne) or choice in all his
works, is " a God without existence, — a inerc idol,
— a nonentit}-. And to deny God's election, pur-
pose and express will, in ail his works, is to make
him inferior to ourselves."
For farther particulars respecting the Bercan doc* ■
trines, we must refer the reader to the works of
Messrs. Barclay, Nicol, and Brooksbank. And to
these we have authority tn add a woik uow preparing
for the press (by Mr. James Donaldson, snectssor
to the late Mr. Barclay in the Bereau church at
Edinburgh), wherein the Icadmg points of difference
betwixt the Bereans and other professinsj bodies
armmd ilieni, will be handli^d ia the form of a dia-
logue, under the title of " Objector and Vindicator."
Having thus given a concise view of thy origin
and disiiMguishiiig doctrines of Bereanism, it o>dy
remains to mention a few particulars relative to the
worship and practice of the Bt-'reans, as a Christian
society.
Infant baptism they consider as a divine ordi-
nance, instituted in the room of circumcision ; and
they think it absurd to suppose, that infaius, who all
agree are admissible to the kingilom of God in hea-
ven, should nevertheless be denied the initiating sig»
of that high privilege on earth. They commemo-
rate the Lord's Supper in general once a month ; but
as the words of the institution fix no particular
period, they sometimes celebrate it oftener, and
sometimes at more distant periods, as may suit their
general convenience. But they cannot agree with
those who allege, that they cannot observe the Sab-
bath without shewing forth the Lord's death. In
observing this ordinance, they follow the primitive
apostolic plan, w ilhout any previous days of fastincr
or preparation, as they ajiprehcnd, that such human
institutions only tend to make an idol of the ordi-
nance, and to lead people to entertain erroneous
ideas of its superior solemnity and importance. Thoy
discard also in this ordinance, as unscriptural, the
popish, episcopal, and Presbyterian practice of con-
secrating the elements, or setting them apart from a
common to n holy use; as also setting apart the
water in bap. ism from a common to a holy use. —
They say that no change is possible (more than
needful), by any form of words that men can use. — •
The last and fullest account of that ordinance, 1 Cor.
chap. xi. simply says, "And vihen lie had given
thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat, &c." '1 hey-
insist, that the word thanks is incompatible with any
notion of consecration in u£e among men ; that the
Lord, acting the jiart of the Father's servant, did not
address the bread nor the cup, but his heavenly
Father, with thankfulness; leaving thus an example
to all ,his children, commemorating this ordinance,
to give thanks to their God and Father, for his love
shown in this, till their Lord come.
81g
OF ATHEISM AND ATHEISTS.
Bereans also hold in contempt the word sacra-
ment, as con)monIy applied to this ordinance and
baptism. The term, as expressed by the Latins,
saciamenliim, applies to the taking of an oath, v.hich
is not intended in showing forth tlie Lord's death,
more than in the ordiiuincc of prayer and praise. —
All ordinances appointed by God, :is proper for the
notice of his children, are works of faith, and la-
bours of Jove, while an oath is to put an end to
strife. Equal and universal holiness in all manner
of conversation, they recommend at ail times as well
as at the Lord's table. They meet every Lord's
day for the purpose of preaching, prayer, praise, and
«.\hortation_ to love and good works.
With regard to ailmission of members, their me-
thod is very sinij>le. — When any person, after hear-
ing the Berean doctrines, professes his belief and
assurance of the truths of the gospel, and desires to
be admitted into their communion, he is cheerfully
received, upon his profession before the church,
whatever may have been his former manner of life ;
because they know that all men, before they believe
the gospel, are dead in trespasses and sins. There-
fore they disclaim the practice of those who, making
inquiry into the former character of those who apply
for admission into their communion, admit or reject,
according to the nature of that report. This they
say is the very reverse of the conduct of the apostles,
who preached the gospel to the vilest of men ; and
the moment such professed tiie trutli of the gospel,
to such tltey gave tlie right hand of fellowship, with-
out farther ceremony. But if such an one should
afterward draw back in his good profession, or dis-
cover a practice foreign to tiie precepts of the
gospel, in that case he is first to be admonished,
and if thit has not the desired effect, he is to be
withdrawn from, as a disorderly walker, and left to
himself.
They do not think, as some professors do, that
they have any power or authority from scripture to
deliver such back.slider to Satan ; that power they
consider as the exclusive right of the apostles, to
wliom it was said, " Whatsoever ye shall bind on
earth, shall be bound in heaven," &c. Neither do
they think themselves authorised, as a Christian
church, to inquire into each others political opinions,
any more than to examine into each others notions
of philosophy. They bodi recommend and practise,
as Christian duties, subjection to la« ful autiiority ;
but they do not think that a man, by becoming a
Christian, or joining their society, is under any obli-
gation, by the rules of the gospel, to renounce iiis
rights of private judgment upon matters of public
or private importance.
Upon all such subjects, they allow each other to
think and act as each may see it his duty. They
require nothing more of their members, than au
uniform and steady profession of the apostolic faith,
and a suitable walk and conversation.
With regard to feet-washing, and the like prac-
tises, which some other sects of Christians consider
as duties,, the Bereans are of opinion, that they are
by no means obligatory. They argue, that the ex-
ample given by our Saviour of washing the feet of
his disciples, was not an institution of an ordinance,
but merely a familiar instance, taken from the cus-
tom of the country, and adopted by our Lord on
that occasion, to teach his followers, that they
ought, at all times, to be ready to perform even the
meanest otJices of kindness to each other.
ACCOUINT OF ATHEISM AND ATHEISTS.
JL HE word Atheist is of Greek original, and is
compo'unded of two terms signifying uithotit God.
Ill the strict and proper sense of the word it is cha-
racteristic of those who do not believe in the exist-
ence of a God, or who own no being superior to
nature. The same religionists, or rather anti-religi-
onists, have been known also by the name of Jii/ide/s,
yet the word Litidel is not confined to Atheists only,
but is now commonly used to distinguish a more
numerous sect, and is become almost synonymous
with Deist. Atheism has ever been so unacceptable
to uiankiud ia general, that its abettors have fre-
quently assumed a name more mild than that of
Atheists. Thus, about the beginniHg of the last'
century, they, as well as the Deists, styled them-
selves Freethinkeis, and of late they iiave adopted
the name of liluminaii, or of Philosophers.
He who verily disbelieves the existence of a God,'
as an inlinite, intelligent, and moral agent, is a direct-
or speculative Atheist : he who endeavours to instil'
atheistical principles into others, though they may
not be his own principles ; or rather, he who con-
fesses a Deity and providence in words, but denies
them in his life and actions, is a practical Attitist.
OF ATHEISM AND ATHEISTS.
81 S
Although, in some thing?, botli these are closely
united, yet in many tilings llicy differ, and, in some
respects, tliey aie quite the reverse. Thus, the
.speculative Atheist confesses a Deity for the most
part at least, in his life and actions, but denies him
ill liis words ; on the contrary, tlit practical Atheist
confesiies a Deity in iiis words, but dv-niis him in his
life and actions, llie former is much better than
l^is principles, the latter much worse ; for the one
does much good, which his principles do not enjoin,
while the other does a great deal of evil, which his
principles do not allow. Tlie former is a pr«f/(V«/
Atheist in principle, the latter a spcculadie Atheist
in practice. The error of the former seems to have
its seat in the head, that of the latter in t!ie heart ;
tor the one generally becomes Atheist from affecting
an appeal to his understanding, the other as fre-
quently from following the dictates of his will.
Lastly, the former, if, in truth there ever have
been any in the world, has been peculiar to some
ages, yet to none more than to the present; the
latter hath beuj too common in most ages of the
wojld.
As far as conduct is concerned, they differ only
in this, that the conduct of the practical Atheist is
attended with greater moral depravity, as it implies
that a man acts contrary to tiie conviction of his
own understanding. " There is but one thing in
the world worse than a speculative Atheist," says
Picus, earl of Miraudula, " and that is a practical
Atheist."
When and wheie Atheism first took its rise, we
do not pretend to say. That it existed, in some
sense, before the flocjd, may be suspected, both from
^^hat we read in scriptuie, and from heatlien tradi-
tion ; nor is it very nureasouable to suppose, that
the deluge was partly intended to evince to the world
a heavenly power as Lord of the universe, and supe-
rior to the visible system of nature. This was at
least a happy consequence of that fatal catastrophe,-
for, as Dean Shcilock observes, " The univeiiul
deluge, and tiie confusion of languages, had so abun-
dantly convinced mankind of a Divine Power and
Providence, that there \vas no such creature us an
Atheist, till their ridlcul'us idolatries had tempted
some men of .vit and thouijht, rather to own no
God, than such as the heathens worshipped.**
It is a good argument ad homineui, agaiii.^t the
Atheists, that Lucretius hiiiiself, the poet of Athe-
ism, pretends to tell us wheu Athciam began, and
■who he was who first dared to despise and deny the
being of a God. This, li- Siiys, was his he^o and
master, Epicurus. \ et this is nut true in fisct. —
What Plato tdls a young philosopher of his day,
has much more the appearance of truUi. — " Not
thou alone,'' says he, '' nor thy friends, have been
the lirst jvIiq have eiUertaiucd this (utlieistical) senti-
ment of God, but from time Inimcmorinl there have
been more or fewer who have laboured under lh:j
'disease."
Atheistical principles were long nourished and
cherished in Greece, and especially among the ato-
mical, peripatetic, and sceptical philosophers ; and
hence it is that some have asrrihed the origin of
Atheism to the philosophy of Greece; and if they
mean that species of lelined .Ithcism, which con-
trives any impious scheme of principles, by which
it attempts to accoiuit for the origin and gov^ -nment
of the world, without a Divine lieiug, they arc cer-
tainly in the right. For, notwithstanding there might
have been in former ages, and in other countries,
some persons irreligious in principle as w^il as in
practice, yet we know of none who, fonnin^ a phi-
losophical scheme of impiety, and pretcndinj to
defend their hypotheses by principles of reason,
grew up to a sect and erected colleges of athei.stical
learning, till the arrogant and enterprising geniuses
of Greece undertook that detestable pro>in&s. —
Carrying their presumptuous aud ungoverned specu-
lations into the very essence of the divinity, and
straining their eager sight to penetrate the pavilion
of darkness which encircles the eternal throne, at
first they doubted, and at length denied, the exist-
ence of a First Cause independent of nature, aud
of a Providence that superintends its laws, aud
governs the concerns of mankind.
These principles, together w ith the other improve-
ments of Greece, were translated to Kome; and,
excepting in Italy, we hear but little of Atheism for
many ages after the Christian sera. At Kome an
infallible Atheist occasionally started up, for popes
John y-ith and Alexander Gth, are both said to have
been accused of the crime.
Archbishop Tillotson, in his sermon on Proverbs
xiv. o4, says, " For some ages before the Refor-
mation, Atheism was confined to Italy, and had its
chief residence ut Rome. All the mentiou that is made
of it in the history of those times, the papists them-
selves give us, in the lives of their own popes and
cardinals, excepting two or three small phiiosophers
that were retainers to their court. So that this
atheistical humour amongst Christians was the
spawn of tlie gross superstition and corrupt manners
of tiie llumisii church and court. And, indeed,
iiothins is more natural th.an for extremes v.i religion
to beget one another, like the vibrations of a pen-
dulum, which, the more violently you swing it one
way, the farther it will return the other. But, in
thii list age. Atheism has travelled over the Alps,
and iufiitted France, and now of late it hath crossed
the sea, andinvaded our jiatjon, and hath prevailed
to amasenicnt."
But io this able wtiter, in conjunction with many
other clergy of the establishment aud otlicrs, wc
820
OF ATHEISM AND ATHEISTS.
owe its suppression amongst us ; for they pressed it
rfown with a weight of sound argiunent, fionj which
i^ has never been able here, and we trust never will,
be able in this nation, to raise itself. Indeed " this
cjpuntry, thank God, is not a soil fitted for so rank
a weed ; where scarce one solitary Atheist has ap-
peared, like a comet, once in a century, and, after
appalling and terrifying the iniiabitants with a tre-
lueudous but momentary blaze, has sunk at once
into obscinity and oblivion."
It is said, that, in the year 1623, there were in
Paris alone, 50,00() Atheists ; but had this been the
case, their principles would no doubt have unchris-
tianed France, long before the time they really did
sO. I)/*. Priestley observes, that when he visited
France, in 1774, " all her philosophers ai>d men of
letters were absolute infidels ; alid that he was repre-
sented by one of them, in a mixed strain of censure
aud compliment, as the only man of talent he had
met, who had any faith ui the scriptures. — Nay,
Voltaire himself, who was then living, was consi-
dered by theni as a weak-rninded man ; because,
though an unbeliever in Revelation, he believed in a
God."
That nation has tried of late to govern inav)kind
\vithout any religion at all ; to make reason the only
object of worship, and philosophy the only guide
of life. But the experiment has only proved, what
common sense might have taught them, that to estab-
lish Atheism in any nation, is a vain- attempt ; for
mankind in general will have some religion, whether
true or false.
But modern Atheism is not confined to ci-devant
most Christian ground ; we have reason to appre-
hend that the abettors of Atheism and irreligion
■were never more numerous, nor more widely scatter-
ed over Europe, than of late years, if not at this
present day, when our religion suffers with its author,
between two thieves. Atheism and Deism, and it is
hard to say which is the greater enemy of the two.
Atheism, in its primary sense, is a whole-length
picture of every heresy in the world; if it does not
comprehend, at least, it goes beyond them all, for
it professes to acknowledge no religion, true or
false.
As a religious sect, the very idea of Atheism, so
t&ken, involves a paradox, if not an absurdity ; for
religion implies every thing that Atheism denies. —
I\ is as impossible to conceive of such a sect, as it
is difficult to believe that there ever have been in the
world any speculative Atheists from real principle
^id theory. Most people deny that nature could
luring forth such an unnatural, monstrous production.
Ttev will allow those that are accounted such, to be
c^nly " Atheists in os'ent." " Speculative Atheism,"
sajs Dr. Bentley, '• does only subsist in qui; specu-
lation ; whereas really human nature cannot be
guilty of the crime."
Like the members of most other sects, Atlieisls,
or pretenders to Atheism, are divided among theui-
stlves : so far are they from holding thf same senti-
.nents, that their systeinS of opinion, if their hypo-
theses may be so called, are multiform and incon-
sistent, as visionary and irrational.
Some, with Protagoras and the sceptics, are satis-
fied with doubting and living in suspence as to the
grand article of human belief, the existence of a
God. Among others, who more confidently deny
his existence, or who would be thought to do so,
some, with Mr. Hume, have, at the same time,
denied a First Cause; of those who allow a First.
Cause, some have, however, denied it to be an iutef-
ligent agfut, supposing it to act by necessity, or,
more properly speaking, a being that never acts, but
is acted upon. Others who, with Epicurus, allow-
ing the First Cause to be an intel/i^^ei't a^eut, may
be said to admit a God, notwithstanding deny his
providence, and, of course, his moral attributes. — ■
Sqme again, who allow a general providence, have
rejected an universal or particular providence; con-
fining it, at their pleasure, to the heavens, to the hu-
man race, or to the genera of beings ; thus exclud-
ing, by their respective hypotheses, with Aristotle,
this earth, — with Pythagoras, every irrational being ;
or, widi the Stoics and others, all species and indi-
viduals. Lnsily, others who may be said to be or-
thodox, respecting their belief of God's providence,
have, however, unworthy notions of his attributes,
and such as, by remote, and often by immediate,
consequence, must destroy his very existence.
Thus, many have promoted the cause of Atheism
in the world, without intending it, by their framing
to themselves such notions concerning God, as have
no foundation, either in his nature, or in his word.
With respect to this world and its ongin, the two
leading false hypotheses that have prevailed, are —
that of Ocellus Luranus, adopted and improved by
Aristotle, that it was elernul ; and that of Epicurus,
that it was formed by ^fortuitous concourse of atoms.
But, should we wait till they prove either of these
hypotheses, by evident and demonstrative reasons,
the world may have an end before Epicurus and his
followers prove their atoms could have given it ?i
beginning; aiid we may find it eternal, a parte post,
before Aristotle and his followers can prove it was
so, a parte ante.
The principal tenets of the Freethinkers, may be
seen thrown together in the 1st volume of the Con-
noisseur, under tlie contradictory title of "The
Unbeliever's Creed."
" That the soul is material and mort?,l, Christi-
anity an imposture, the scripture a forgery, the.
OF ATHEISM AND ATHEISTSi
821
worship of God superstition, hell a fable, and hea-
ven a dream, our life without j)rovidence, and onr
death without hope, like that of asses and dogs, —
are part of the glorious gospel of Atheists."
Severe' moderns have believed in the eternity of
the world ; amoug others. Sir W . Temple, accord-
ing to I5ishop Burnet, and Dr. G. U. Toulmin,
author of a late work, entitled, " The Antiquity and
Duraiion of the World." The same doctrine is held
by many disciples of Spinoza, in France, as Mr.
Vcliity, and IVIr. Dupuis ; and perhaps by their bre-
thren of the London Corresponding Society, who
tell us, " Nature is our God, and the Universe our
Bibic." — See Anti-Jac. Review, vol. i. p. 2^1.
As to their worship we can say nothing, till we
receive information from the Atheists themselves;
or till we have seen a work published about the be-
ginning of the last century, by Mr. John Toland,
entitled, " A Form of Divine Service to the infinite
and eternal Universe."
Lucretius and Spinoza have defended Atheism. —
The latter wrote in the 17th century, and believed
tliat the universe is God. AsTohuid, Woolston and
Flume, used generally to pretend that they were
friends to Christianity, while Uiey were secretly aim-
ing to overthrow it ; so most of the abettors of
Atheism, unwilli.ig ope^ily to avow their principles,
have used arts equally disingenuous, to support their
feeble cause.
Half our danger does not arise from tracts pro-
fessedly penned m favour of Atheism and irreligion,
but from writings of other kinds, carrying nothing
hostile in their a|)pearance. The unsuspecting reader,
who sat down to inform or amuse himself with a
piece of natural or civil history, biography, a poem,
a talq, or a fable, if he have not his wits about him,
finds his reverence for the doctrines of religion, and
those who teach them, filcheci from him; rises, to
his great surprise, half an intidei ; and is not sure
whether he has a soul, a Saviour, or a God.
The dangerous tendency of several writings, some
of which were, perhaps, hut little suspected of
Atheism, has been shewn by ^Ir. W iihcrspoon, an
aljle writer of the last cenl;!!"., and llie principles
contained in them briefly svi;i.'n;ed up, in what he
calls " The Atlieniau Creed."
it is well known that Bayle's Dictionary contains,
;mder the mask of religion r.nd science, a whole
)nass of atheistical principles; cud since the above
was written, the same spawn of irreligion has been
'odustriousiy scattered all over t":c world, and espe-
••.•ially on the continent of Europe, in the wretched
productions of modern philosojihcrs, of various
shapes and sizes, under the name of essays, letters,
navels, histories, &c. from the bulky <juaito to the
sieagre pan)phlet.
An infallible auudote aga'mst atheistical tenets
54 9
may be found in the sermons preached at Boyle's
lecture, collected in three' volumes folio, — Bishfcp
Wilkins's Principles and Duties of ?\'atural Religion,
— Dr. Cudworlh's Intellectual System,^ — Abe'rhethy
on the Divine Attributes, — Fenelon and Bate on the
existence of a God, — More's Antidote against Athe-
ism,— Knight's Being and Attributes, of God, de-
monstrated, 8cc.
All the ablest laymen, and most profound philo-
sophers ot our nation, have beien the firmest be-
lievers in the existence and sup'erintendeiice of a
Deity. Indeed, as Lord Bacon has well lemarked
in his-Es-says, " A little philoso]>hy inclineth man'f*
mind to Ailieism, hut depth in philosophy bringeth
men's miii.ls about to religion; for, while the nun«l
of man looketh upop second causes scattered, it
may rest in them and go no farther ; but when it
beholdeth the chaiu of them confederated and linked
together, it must needs Hy to Providence and Deity."
The -being of a God may be proved, 1st, From
the marks of design, and from the order and beauty
visible in the world ; for, as Cato very justly says, —
" And that he is, all nature cries aloud." 2dly,
Confirmed by universal consent — See Bishop Stil-
lingfleet's Origincs Sacrae. 3dly, Proved scientifi-
cally from the relation of cause and effect. 4tl)ly,
From internal consciousness. 5thly, From the ne-
cessity of a final as well as cflicient cause. And the
arguments from these heads may be confirmed from
the history of the creation, and from the prophecies
and miracles of scripture.
The arguments for the being of a God are dis-
triViuted into two kiuds: 1st, Arguments a prion,
or those taken from the necessity of the divine ex-
istijnce. Gd, ^\rguments a posteriori, or those takeu
from riie works of nature.
Most peo)ile agree with Lord Chesterfield in be-
lieving, that the divine existence cannot be proved
a prioii, and that it cannot be doidjled a posteriori.
On ilie former , species of proof, however. Dr. S.
Claikc's Essay on the Being and Attribtites of God,
has been generally considered a niaster-piece ; and
of the latter, the following passage from Dr. Bal-
gny is a beautiful illustration :
" Of all the false doctrines and foolish opinions
which ever infested the mind of man, nothing can
possibly e/^iiui tlrat of Atheism, which is such a
monstrou"; contradiction to all evidence, to all the
pov.ers of understanding, and the dictates of com-
mon sense, that it may be well questioned, whether
any man can really fall into it, by a deliberate use
of his judgment.
" All nature so dearly points out, and so loudly
proclaims a Creator of infmite power, wisdom, and
goodness, that whoever hears not its voice, and sees
not his proofs, may well be ihonoht willully deaf,
and obstiuatel? blind.
SS2
OF ATHEISM AND ATHEISTS.
" If it be evident, self-evideBt to every man of
thought, that there can Le no effect without a cause,
what shall we say of that manifold combination of
eifects, that series of operations, that system of
wonders, which till tjie universe, which present them-
selves to all our perceptions, and strike our minds
and pur senses on every side! Every faculty, every
object of every faculty, demonstrates a Deity. The
iDeanest insect we can see, the minutest and most
contemptible weed we can tread upon, is really suf-
ficient to confound Atheism, and baffle all its pre-
tensions. How much more that astonishing variety
and multiplicity of God's works with which we are
contiiuialiy surrounded ! Let any man survey the
face of the earth, or lift up his eyes to the firma-
ment ; let hini consiiier the nature and instincts of
brute animals, and afterwards look into the opera-
tions of his own mind : will he presume to say or
suppose, that all the objects he meets with are no-
thing more than the result of unaccountable acci-
dents and blind chance ? Can he possibly conceive
that such wonderful order should spring out of con-
fusion ; or that such perfect beauty should be ever
formed by the fortuitous operations of unconscious,
unactive particles of matter ? As well, nay belter,
and more easily, might he suppose that an earth-
quake might happen to build towns and cities ; or
the materials carried down by a flood fit themselves
up without hands, into a regular fleet. For what
are towns, cities, or fleets, in comparison of the vast
and amazing fabric of the universe !
" In short. Atheism offers such violence to all our
faculties, that it seems scarce credible it should ever
really find any footing in the human understanding."
It must be owned on all bands, that the existence
of a God is desirable and highly expedient ; every
argument to the contrary refutes itself, and evidently
demonstrates w hat it is brought to deny. For, w hen
it is said, as by Mr. Hobbes and his followers, that
the notion of a God is not from nature, nor from
revelation, but from policy and state craft, then it
is owned to be for the good of society. When it
18 supposed that the world came into existence by
chance, and is every moment liable to be destroyed
by it, then is it dangerous to live in such a world.
When it is alleged that the world is eternal, and that
all things are by fatal necessity, then liberty and
choice are infinitely better. When it is argued from
supposed defects in the frame of nature, and in the
government of the world, then it is better that the
■world had been made, and were govemted by a per-
fectli/ tdse and gracious Being.
But, indeed, the being of a God is so necessary,
and withal, a truth so evident, tlrat an Atheist, almost
in any sense of the word, had been a creature unheard
of in the world, at least in the civilized world, had
Aie been guided solely by instinct and pommca sense,
had not human reason,' or rallter the abuse of if,
lowered some men to a level willi the brute creation,
from whii.b we are more distinguislied by our sense-
of religion, than by our reason.
The force of the argument from universal consent,
will appear when thus stated, according to the me-
thod used by Aristotle in liis Topics, in arguing from
authority. That which seems true to some wise
men, ought to appear a little probable ; what mo:*
wise men believe, is yet fni thcr probable ; that ia
which most men, both wise and unwise, da agree,
is still more highly probable ; — but w hat is received
as truth by the general consent of all mankind, iu
all ages of the world, hath certainly the highest de-
gree of evidence of this kiud that it is possible for
it to have.
In short, the arguments in proof of a Deity afc
so numerous, and at the same time so obvious to
every thinking mind, that to waste time or paper ia
disputing with a downright Atheist, is making to(^
great approaches towards that irrationality, which
may be considered as one of the most striking cha-
racteristics of the sect.
As to number, and the countries where found,
little can be said with certainty, unless perhaps by
themselves. Atheists in general lurk in secret, their
conscience and fears will seldom allow them to
shew themselves : to be open and appear, is the prOi-
perty of truth, the daughter of the light and of the
day. It may however be affirmed, that the abettors
of Atheism and irreligion were never more numerous
than they now are, or, than they have been of late.
The have compassed sea and land to find one nation
or whole people of brethren, and once thotight they
had really discovered one, and stood witli open arms
ready to give that polite people, the Hottentots, the
fraternal embrace. But we have reason to believe,
that, as has always been the case, they are more
numerous in Europe, and particularly in France,
Germany, and Italy, than any where else ; and, if
there is any thing criminal in their principles anil
conduct, those of Europe have, of all others, the
greatest danger to fear. But, whatever may become
of their persons, on their emigration, we cannot
help believing, with the epigrammatist Owen, that
their principles are confined to tiie four corners of
this world alone :
" Descendat tristem licet Athens in Orcum.
" Nullus in inferno est Athens, ante fuit."
The more noted Atheists, since the Reformation,
are, Machiavel, Spinoza, Hobbes, Blount, and
Vanini. And to these we may add Hume, and Vol-
taire, the Coriphaus of the sect, and the great nurst-
ing father of that swarm of them, which, in these
last days, had well nigh eaten out the vitals of Chris-
TH EOPH ILANTH ROPTSTS
823
tianity, and had thry been encouraged, would have
let't uDcousuincd not even the skeleton of religion,
or of any real virtue among men.
" The leoion of Voltaire," says the great and
good bishop Home, " was to right reason what a
monkey is to a man. And his leligioii, by which I
mean his speculations about the Deity, (for he had
MO other), was, aS near as we can discover, the same
with that of the Atheist Yaniui, whose principles
he evpresdy defended."
This Lucilio Vanini was an Italian ; and, notuith-
Standing it is said that he had proved to his judges,
in a siroug aad moving niamier, the existence of a
Deity, from a straw which he had picked up at the
bar before tlu?m, yet die parliament of Toulouse
jMououucud ou Jiim sentence of death, and he was
accordingly burnt there for his atheistical tenets,
A. D. 1019. lie confessed that he was one of
twelve who set out from Naples to spread their doc-
trines iu all parts of Europe. Yet, after all, few
will be iucliiied to defend his punishment, any more
than his principles ; for the man's eccentricities
through life, as well as his ravings after he bad beard
bis cruel fate, evidently shew that his sentence
should have been confinement rather than death.
Even in this country, direct Atheism, if openly
avowed, is a capital ofience ; for in an act of Par-
liament iu I6GI, c, 21, there is a clause to this pur-
pose: " Like as liis Majesty, with advice foresaid,
finds, statutes and ordains, that whosoever shall deny
God, or any of the persons of the blessed Trinity,
and obstinately continue therein, shall be processed,
and being found guilty, that they be punished with
death." Yet, in open detiance of this act (for I am
not aware that it is repealed), and with an unusual
effrontery and assurance, we are told that a Mr.
^Villiam Hammon of Liverpool, publicly declared
himself to be an Atheist. — Thus, " Whereas some
have doubted wliether there ever was such a thing as
a proper Atheist, to put them out of all manner of
(loubt, I do declare, that, upon my honour, I am
one. Be it therefore remembered, that, in London,
in the kingdom of England, in the ye;>r of our Lord,
1781, a mail has publicly decliiied bimsi^lf ao
Atheist."
'J'he conduct of this man, (00, creates a suspicion
that the faculties of his mind were at that time not
»o perfectly sound as might be wished.
Cato Zwack declared himself a downright Atheist,
and Dupont e^claimed, in the French Convention,
" 1 am an Atheist !" but these are the mere ebul-
litions of that intellectual process which was then
carrying on, and were said at a time when the ob-
servance of religious worship was punished, io
France, as an oft'ence against the laws.
The period of implicit reception, in that country,
appears to be over ; the period of implicit rejection
has succeeded ; and the period of just discrimina-
tion, it is hoped, will yet take place, however little
ground we n)ay have to conclude, from present ap-
pearances, that it is near at hand.
Meantime we close this article with the following
supplication, which the church of England, (whose
charity embraces all mankind), puis into the mouth
of all her members ; and we can readily believe,
that every reader of this volume, who calls himself
a Christian, whedier churchman or dissenter, or of
whatever denomination he be, will sincerely and fer-
vently join us in it, and add his hearty amen : —
" O God, the Creator and Preserver of all man-
kind, we humbly beseech thee, for all sorts and
conditions of men, that thou wouldst be pleased to
make thy ways known unto them, thy saving health
unto all nations.
" More especially, we pray for the good estate
of the Catholic Church ; that it may be so guided
and governed by thy good spirit, that all who pro-
fess and call themselves Christians, may be led into
the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of
spirit, ia the bond of peace, and iu rigliteousiiess of
life !" Atneo.
THEOPHILANTHROPISTS.
ThEOPHILANTHROPISTS, a name derived
from the Greek, signifying the love of God and
man. We rank these with the enthusiasts of the
-^lay, though they were of a more dangerous cast. —
They professed their principles^ in France, at the
beginning of the revolution. They were properly
Deists, had their places of worship, as they called
them, and for a time attracted some notice in Eu-
rope, it was an effort to make Deism the religion
of France, instead of Christianity, but they have
dwindled into obscurity, and are known only by Uie
common term of Deists.
824
ENTHUSIASTS.
JLT was tiot our intention to say aiiy tiling concern-
ing the religious enthusiasts of the day, because
such cannot be acknowleriged as belonging to any
sect of the Christian rehgion, who asserts things
inconsistent with those plain truths ht^ld forth in the
gospel; had not a modern writer introduced the
misguided followers of an ignorant, presumptuous
woman to the notice of the public. ,It may how-
ever serve to caution the veil-meaning Christians
-to avoid the senseless clatnor of fanatics ; and this
is the only apology we can offer to the intelligent
reader for intruding on his time and paiience.
In all ages from the time of the prophets to the
present day, in all ancient nations, and among the
moderns, from Joan of Arc, to Joanna Sout^icott,
some infatuated men and women, prefei:ring their
own proud dogmas to the plain scriptures, have
-pretended to divine communication. ISot in the
way which God appointed under the Mosaic dis-
pensation, nor by living faith, as under the gospel ;
but they have impiously asserted that it is by a vocal
and an externally audible conversation with the
anftil Majestif of Heaven. And notwithstanding
this is sufficient of itself to procure them a resi-
dence in Bedlam, jet numbers of individuals have
fallen, as it were, a sacrifice to the pride and vanity
of these impostures.
if tlie intelligent reader will turn over the pages
of ancient and modern history, he will find that,
'when nations were involved in war, witch-ridden
enthusiasm, treading on reason and scripture, has
always found advocates among the hordes of inferior
society. These tinder-brained mortals, lired witii
the expectation of an easij life, liigh posts, ami
.gulden plunder, have hurled their anathemas at
cluirches and states, at all sects and parties who
have opposed them ; and have consigned them to
destruction with the impious blasphemy of, thus
until the Lord. In the times of the prophets, when
people of this description made their appearance,
J50 deeply was human nature sunk in the smk of its
own vaiiliy, that the prophet was commanded to
say, Prophesij agnbist the prophets of Israel, that
prnphesi/, and say u/ito them that prophesy out of
their own spirit. Thus saith the Lord God, zcoe unto
the foolish prophets that follow their ozcu spirits, and
Jiave seert nothing. Theif have seen Ij/iiig divination,
snying, the Lord saith, and the Lord hath not sent
them.
Ill the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans,
during the abomination of the Delphian and Svbil-
lian oracles ; and among the Mjhomstans, num-
bers have pretended to be ins]-,iied by the oracular
gods, and by the spirit of Mahomet. Even in the
Pagan nations there are those iainous above others,
for their intimate acquaintance with ilie spirit of the
wooden god tlioy worship. More modern times
have also furnished us with serious proofs of the
weakness, folly, and blasphemy of this description
of men among the Christian nations: a short ac-
count of theiu may not be unsatisfactory to the
reader.
THOMAS OF MUNSTER,
In 1522, boasted that he had immediate commu-
nication with God, that by his means the empires
and principalities of this world were to be des-
troyed ; that the sword of Gideon was put into his
hands, to be employed against all tyrants, and for
the restoration of the kingdom of Christ ! He
excited the people to rebellion, and fought the land-
grave ; five thousand were slain. The hypocrite
was taken and put to death.
JOHN MATTHIAS,
In the year 153<2, a baker at Haerlem, professed
himself to be " Enoch the second high priest of
God, raised a rebellion, published edicts, and com-
manded every man to bring his gold and silver' into
tiie common stock." He was put to death by tlje
besieging army.
JOHN OF LEYDEN,
In the year lo34, by these pretensions, raised a
considerable army, who being besieged in the city
of Munster, caused himself to be made king; some
thousands were killed. He was taken and sufl'ered
a painful death. To these succeeded
HERMAN THE COBBLER,
Who declared himself to be a true prophet; and
at last t!ie son of God.
THEODORE,
Of Amsterdam, preached the doctrines of the
Pre-Adamites, and ran naked with his followers
through the city.
DAVID GEORGE,
In the year 1556, asserted that be was the triie
SCRIPTURE AND DIVINE REVELATION.
825
Messiah, sent down from heaven to be the horn,
redeemer, and builder of tlie tabcrnnclo of Israel.
The followiiin; particulars are taken from liis writ
ings. That tlie doctrines of Moses, tlie prophets,
and Christ, were not sufticient for salvation, but
his. doctrines only. That he was invested with
authority to bind and loose, and tiiat at the last day
he should judge tiie tribes of Israel. That the
scriptures of the Old Te*tan)cat, that Christ and
the apostles, referred to the coining of David
George. We might introduce many more of those
fanatics, who made tlieir appearan'-e in Germany,
France, Holland, and different nations, but the
blasphemies of David George seem to have out-
done every other contiueutal pretender to divine
communication.
KICHARD BROTHERS
Pretended to divine comuuniications, and although
there appeaj'ed but little either in his writings or
conversation to reconmiend him to support, yet he
found an advocate in an Hon. Member of Parlia-
ment, wlio, both in the house and out of it, held
him up to pnblic notice. Brothers foretold the de-
struction of London, and that this sad catastrophe
was to take place on a certain day. The period ar-
rived, and proved the fallacy of his weak predictions.
Other circumstances cf)ncuired to shew that he
laboured under a mental derangement; eventually it
was foinid expedient to conhne him in a lunatic asy-
lum, where he still remains.
Of Joanna Southcott and her communications,
we have already given a description, leaving the
reader to judg<2 for himself, and to draw his ow»
conclusions.
OF SCRIPTURE AND DIVINE REVELATION.
7^ HEN we say that the sacred scripture is the
word of God, we do not mean that it was all spoken
by him, or that it was written by him, or that all
that is Contained therein is the word of God : but
a distinction is to be made between those precepts
which inculcate justice, mercy, and holiness of life,
and the historical parts which show the consequence
of a life in opposition to those principles. The
first are properly sacred, because they not pnly lead
man to happiness even in this life, but give him an
evidence of things not seen, in the life to come ;
and thus are called the word of God, as these per-
fections can only have their origin from the fountain
of all goodness. The last, though some are the
words of good men — wicked men — the speeches of
Satan ; or in other words, the personification of an
evil spirit, and on this account cannot be called the
word, or words of God; yet even these parts have
a similar tendency, as they show the malice, pride,
and blasphemy of the spirit of wickedness ; and on
the other hand, the beauty of that spirit of divine
philanthropy, which throughout the whole Bible
breathes nothing but peace pix earth and good will
towards men.
Deists think it inconsistent with the dignity of the
Divine Being, that he should commission certain
men to write his laws in a book; but it will appear,
when duly considered, that there was an absolute
necessity for such a proceeding. Suppose the pre-
cepts of morality which were first given by God to
65 9
man, and handed to us by the Hebrew law-giver;
suppose the blessings of religion, which are the bands
of civil society, had never reached the shores of our
happy land ; what knowledge could we have boasted
of more than
" The iinlaiight Indian whose nntutor'd mind
Sees God in clouds, and liears him in the wind."
And, notwithstanding the Bible of nature had'
been before our eyes, not a single precept of mora-
lity should we have been able to have gathered from
tlie pages of this book. What was the state of the
ancient eastern nations IfiOO years before Christ?
rude, barbarous, and uncivilised; until Licurgus and
Solon introduced their code of laws in the west, the
greatest part of which were taken from the books
of Moses; they then became a refined and scientific
nation. Trom the Greeks, the Romans copied their
precepts of morality, and from the Romans^ the an-
cient people of Europe received the greatest part
of their moral laws. From which it appears evident,
that every precept of morality was taken iron the
Bible.
There is one argifment to prove the authority of
;he word of G«d, which cann<jt be overtMrned by
all the Deists in the world. If the Bible be not
the word of God, it must have been written, or in-
vented, either by good men, or wicked nitn; but if
it can be proved that it was neither w i r.ten nor in-
vented, either by good men, or wicked men, it must
S26
CHRIST, THE TRUE MESSIAH.
be the word of God. That it was not written, or
. compiled by wicked men, will appear from its own
evidence, for if it is to be judged, we must suffer
that evidence to appear in its defence. Can any
Deist be so weak as to suppose that wicked men
■who were in the love and practice of evil, would
frame laws to ptuiish their own vices in this world,
and condemn themselves to everlasting punishment
by declaring, the wicked shall be tinned into hell,
with all t lie nations that forget God?- And again.
Thou shalt not covet: this reaches the thoughts and
desires of the beast. These restrictions and decla-
rations are opposite to those things, which are con-
tained in the religious books of the Mahometan and
Pagan nations, which are the production of men,
in which permission is given to indulge in sensual-
ity. This, so far, is a ceitain proof of the divine
.origin of the Bible.
As evident it is that good men could not be the
authors of the Bible. For had it been compiled
by good men, the same good men ncitiier could,
nor would have given a lie to their profession by
calling it the word of God, as it would only have
been the word of. men: consequently the Bible
must be the word of God, inspired by him and thus
given to man.
It must be allowed that God createtl the first of
men; this being admitted,' as it cannot be denied,
we cannot doubt but he would give him a law, or
knowledge to conduct himself in life. Now whe-
ther the divine author of our being condescended to
speak it with an audible voice, — to write it on the
iieart, as is said in scripture, or whether he commis-
sioned man by that spoken law, or from that writing
on tlie heart, to write it in a book for the instfuc-
Jtion of posterity, it amounts to the same ; for the
law, or word of God, first spoken, or written on
the heart, and from thence written in a book, still
^remains to be the word of God, first given by him.
The possibility of .such inspiration must irecessa-
lily be allowed, .for certainly it was no more won-
<3erful for God to inspiie man to write his will in a
< book, than it was to «(sp?Ve him, or enable Inm t0
receive by continual influx, a regular train of ideas. :
The question has long been asked by Deists,'
How shall zee know that the Bible is the zcord of.
God? first, by being convinced from the Bible,
that the precepts therein contained are worthy o£
God; that the pure spirit which runs through the
whole, inculcates nolhwg hut love to G id a?id cha~
riti/ to all mankind, viz. Thou shalt loxie the Lord
thy God tdlh all thy heart. Deut. vi. 5. Thou shalt
love thi/ neighbour as thyself Levit. "kix. 18. Matt,
vii. 12. Luke x. 27. 'I'liese are the two great;
commandiisents which pervade every pag« of the
Bible, and which on this account is truly called
sacied: these are sacred duties. For the recorded'
wickedness of the Jews, or of any other uatioij
mentioned in the Bible, makes no part of the word
of God, any far*her thaa it shews that a departmd
from those precepts of true religion recorded therein,
necessarily draws after it that train of fatal' conse-
quences, which is the. result of that disobedience toi
the divine command, when the whole sum and sub-
stance of true religion contained in those two great
propositions, Thou shalt love the Lord thy Godzvith
all 'thy heart, and thy neighbour as thyself ; are not
manifested in the life of man.
Secondly, from the accomplishment of those
things foretold by the prophets, beginning witii.
M'vses, and which, to the astonishment of every
impartial man, have been fulfilling from their times
to the present day. Now as it must be evident,,
that none but God coidd open to man those scene*
of futurity, which have been realising for the space
of S.jOO years, and as tho.ie precepts of morality,
contained in the Bible could never be gathered from-
tlie book of nature, as man must have beea totally
ignorant in a savage stale ; and as it is clear that he,
could not have been reformed, or civilised without
a knowledge of those precepts, they must have beea-
given by the Creator: consequently, as far as demon-
stration can make truth appear, it is undeniable
proof that the sacred scripture is the word of God.
CHRIST, THE TRUE MESSIAIL
Ji-T is now 1800 years since tlie dispersion of the
Jews took place, agreeably to the words of Moses,
and during tliis great length of time, they have
been expecting their Messiah to make his appear-
ance. And notwithstanding that the whole of the
prophecies wliich. foretold the coming of the true
Messiah, liave been fulfilled in the person of Christ,
they contend that the Messiah is yet to come, and
that he will restore them to their own land, vvitli;
greatei' privileges than their progenitors enjoyed
under the most prosj)t'ious reign of their kings. — r-
They say, that he will subjiigate all nations to thenj..>
CHRIST, THE TRUE MESSIAH.
827"
and that Jerusalem is to be the grand centre of
government, from wlience they arc to semi fortli
laws to the whole world. Therefore in order to
shew, so as not to admit of a refutation, that the
IMessiah is already conic, and that tlie prophecies
were accomplished in him, we shall lay before the
reader a summary of those particulars, v liich it
\yas foretold by liie prophets, should take place at
his coming; that those things were acconiplisjied at
the coming of Christ : and that all those circum-
stances and things which were to take place at the
coming of the Mesaiali, and which took place at
the coming of Citrht, were of such a natuie, that
they never can take place again. 'I'his will, without
the possibility of a coiitraaiction, prove that he was
the true Mesiia/t.
In pursuing this important subject, I shall in a
great measuie contine myself to the objections, of a
modern writer among the Jews, viz. David Levi,
who in his " Dissertations on the Prophecies," l;as
collected the most formidable arguments from the
writings of the h'abbies and learned Jews, ancient
and modern, to prove that Christ wvm not the true
^Icssiah.
In the 24th chapter of Numbers, from the 15th
to the 24th versts, these writers say that Balaam
delivered four prophecies. Tlie Jirst comeiniiig the
noble descent of (he nation. But how this can be
called a prophecy we know not. The second con-
ccriiiiig their righleousness, but it was not possible
to apply this at any j)eriod to the nation of the
Jews, for the pages of their own history charge
thenj w ith a character the very reverse to that of
jjiety. Moses calls them *' a wicked, and a stift-
uecked generation," and the prophets are uniform
in representing lliem as a most rebellious people,
from the time that ihey came out of Egypt, to their
captivity in Babylon. Amos .'3. 1. to the end of the
chapter. j\ud the pinphet in the (Jlh chapter fore-
tels that they should ever continue in their rebellion
against God, to the time of their utter dispersion
over the whole wojld, verse 8lh. Behold, tlie eyes
of the Lord (jod are upon the sinful kingdom, and
J a;7/ dtstroif it from of the face of the earth : so
much for the righteousness of the ancient Jews,
according to their o.vn prophets.
In tlie 2f>d clia[)ter, verse 2.'3d, tlie Jews translate
tjie beth which is prefixed to Jueob, by the wor<l ///,
and the same to Israel, and read the passage thus,
mrclif t ere is no eneliunlmeuL in Jacob, neither is
Uiere ani/ divination in Israel. But in the iuiglish
Uanslati.'u, the betk is rendered b) the word against,
winch is undoubtedly, with this cmistruction, the
true rendering; viz. Stirt^/if iheiv is no enchantment
(,can succeed) against Jacob, neither is titere unif
did nation (cu:rsmceed) ac. ainst Israel. l'"or as
|3aljam and Balak wetti usin^ eucbautmeuts against
Jacob and Israel, it is absurd to translate' the beth
by in, and apply it to mean that there were no
encliantnicuts among them.
In the next prophecy they inform us, that Balaam
forettis the coming of the Messiah, and the restora-
tion of the Jewish natioi to their own land ; and as
this was not to be accomplished till the latter days,
he therewith consoles Balak by informing him, that
he would not at present receive any injury from this
people, for that (he thorough subjection of Moab
by tliein w"ould not take place till the latter days.
Tiom this prophecy of Balaam, Levi and all the
Jewish writers attempt to shew, that the subjuga-
tion of Moab and Edoui was not accomplished at
the coining of Christ, and ihal as it was to be ac-
coinpiished at the coining of the true Messiah,
Christ cannot be the true l\Iessiah; but that it
remains to be fulfilled when t!ie true Messiah slialf
come. As proof that these kingdoms were to be
subjected to the Jews, at the coming of their Mes-
siah, their writers refer to Obudiah, verse 1 7th.
and the house of Jacob shall posicss their possessions.
But their Rabbles have altogether mistaken the
apjjiication of thuse words of the propliet; for,
Irom the firi-t to the end of the iGlh verse, is con-
tained a prophecy against Edoni, and the 15tb and
l6th verses positively say, that the heathen, and
not Jacob, were to take possession of Edom. For
the dai/ of the Lord is near upon all the heathen, as
thoa hasl done, so shall it be done unto thee, rry
reward shall be upon thine own head. For as ye
have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the
heathen drink continually. The prophet, after li©
has declared that the heathen should take possession
of Edom, says, but upon mount Zion shall be deli-
verance, and there shall be holiness. If this is not a:
prophecy concerning Christ, it can neither have
meaning nor application, for it certainly cannot
have respect either to the Jews or to their Messiah.
Suiely the Jews will not be hardy enough to de-
clare, that holiness, which is only applicable to
God, zcho alone is holy, can in any sense be applied
to them, or to any people : but it is literally appli-
cable to Christ, zcho reus tempted in all points like
unions, and yet nilhout sin. So that instead of
the prophet prophesying that- the Jews should take
possession of the laud of Kdom at the coming of
their Messiah, it is a prophecy concerning the com-
ing of Christ, in whom holiness was only to be
perfected. For the government of Edom is evi-
dently said by the prophet to be ia esistenc*,- at the
i ruliilineiit of this prophecy, verse Kith, as ftwu hast
done, so shall i> be done unto thee, w liich words
would have been unnecessary, without meaning and
appliuiitlon, if the government and people i>f" F.dom
were extinct, when the Messiuii came. The an-
cient govermuent and people of Edom must tliere-
828
CHRIST, THE TRUE MESSIAH.
fore have been in existence at the fiiliilment of this
prophecy: but where is tlie guvennsiiriit of Edom
now? where are the people of Edom now? This
incontestibly proves that it cii.es not refer to the
Messiah who, the Jews s.iy, is to come, because
the ancient government and- pe(^>ple of Edom are no
more. Edom is, as it has been for iSOO years, in
possession of the heathen, bands of strangers,
whilfc rhe Edouiites are sunk into eternal oblivion.
But all this vas accomplished at the coming of
Christ the true Messiah, when the ht^Len, agree-
ably to the 'I'ords of the prophet, toc^v jiossession
of Idumea ; when every one of the iinju.tc of Esnu
tevie cut of hij s^oughter, verse 9- and, all the hea-
then have chunk coittiiiucllj/ upon the hoiy mountain,
to the present day.
The next in order are the prophecies of Moses.
The Jews have selected two, which treat on the
restoration of the nation, and the ilesiVUttion of their
enemies. But they have introduced one of the most
extravagant notions that ever entered into the mind
of man.
We are told of two descriptions of people among
the Jews; one, known to be such ; the other, \\ho
are secretly mixed with the people of other nations,
called, " the compelled ones." These, " as soon
as they can escape from the popish countries, relurn
to Judaism;" and to these they say, Moses ad-
dresses himself in the 30th chap, of Deut. ver. 1st.
And it shell come to pass R-hen all these things are
come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, rohick I
have set before thee, and thou shall call them to mind
among the nations ichither the Lord thy God hath
driven thee. But we ask any one who may be weak
enough to entertain such an opinion, why cannot
these compelled ones, as they are pleased to call
them, in any popish country, return to Judaism ?
they have had the privilege of doing so, and of
feeing protected in that worship in all popish coun-
tries. Therefore as there is no ground for such an
opinion, to apply the words of the inspired penman
to confirm such a fallacy, is no better than profa-
nation.
" Nothing (say they) of this nature took place at
the coming of Jesus;" — true, but Moses does not
■say that they shall return to Judaism. That the
Jews will be called, we believe, and that they will
finally hear the prophet, whom God was to raise up
from among them, we believe also ; but Moses has
no where said that this prophet should be raised
up to conduct them to Jerusalem, and to instruct
them in the rites and ceremonies of the dispensa-
tion, which was given by him, and which has been
understood by Jews in all ages since the dispersion.
Had this been the meaning of the sacred writer,
that they were to be called to Jerusalem, and that
ail the ceremonies and sacrifices of the Mosaic dis-
pensation were to be celebrated as described in the
books of Moses, there would not have been any
necessity for those words of the Lord to hini, chap.
18. 18, 1<J. I Tciill raise them up a prophet from
among their brethren, like unto thee, and I wilt put
my -iCords in his mouth, and he shall speak unto (hem
all that 1 shall command him ; because those words
clearly and incontrovertibly apply to a new dispen-
sauon, viz. and I ttill put my xoords in his mouth
not the OLD woeds, or law — and he shall speak
unto them all that I shall command him, not the old
law and ceremonies given to Moses. Neither would
there be any necessity for them to hearken to the
words of a new prophet svcording to the 19th
verse, if this prophet had only to communicate to
them what they were already well acquanied with, viz.
the rites, ceremonies, and sacrifices, even the whole
body of old Judaism. On the other hand, we have
an account of thousands of Jews being converted to
Christianity at this important period ; which is a
sufficient proof that those ancient Jews were sensi-
ble how ineffectual the Jewish .sacrifices were as to
the rencN»ing of the heart. The n:odern Jews are
also sensible of this, as they say, that they are ta
be concerted, the heart circumcised, and brouo-ht to
.'he same state of innocency as Adam teas in before
iliefall, and all this is to be done by miracles, signs
and wonders in the heavens, and in the earth, blood'
fre, and pillars of smoke. O ye Rabbies, what
miserable interpreters of the scripture are ye ! If
external signs, and wonderful operations, were cal-
culated to carry rational conviction to the mind in
order to bring about the circumcision of the heart
it might have been expected with the greatest confi-
dence when the law was given at Sinai, — when the
lihole nation sato the uzcful descent of the divine ma-
jesty— ichen the mountain shook at the approach of
the halloued infiience when the people solicited
Moses that he would speak to them instead of
God, lest they should die. Also in their journey
through the wiklerne'ss for forty years, when they
saw so many signs, wonders, and miracles. But
these were soon forgotten, from which it must be
evident that something more interior than what
affects the outward senses, is required, in order to
produce so desirable an end as the circumcision of
the heart.
But this circumcision of the heart, they inform
us, " was not accomplished during the continuance
of the second temple, nor at the coining of Jesus,"
from which they infer, that as it was to be done at
the coming of the Messiah, he is not yet come. But
these writers are not consistent ; they say, *' this
circumcision of the heart is not to be brought about
by God's depriving man of his free will ;" then as
many as believed in Christ through the preaching
of the apostles, aad saw the necessity of a " cir-
CITRTST, THE TTIUE MESSIAH.
BiJ
cumclsion of the licarf— instead of an outward
circumcision ; a circnnicision of the heart wliich
taught tiiem, that to oheif iea-% better than sacrifice,
and to hearken, than the fat of rams, and which
circumcision of the lieart could not he brought
about by tlie Jewish sacrifices, as is plain from the
above woids, without a belief in tiie great sacrifice,
Christ. I say with such, this circumcision of the
heart spoken of by Mosjs was acconiphshed at the
coming of Christ. It is not said that the hearts of
all tiie Jews should be so circumcised, it would be
a good thing indeed, if not only the hearts of all
the Jews, but also if the hearts of all who profess
Christianity were so circumcised. Daniel is of a
different opinion ; for he declares, not only con-
cerning tlie Jews,' but also other nations, that not-
withstanding all the signs and miracles which have
been done, or which may be done, tlie xeicked shall
do rcickedly.
We are told by Levi and the Rabbles, that all
shall kiioic the Lord, from the least to the greatest,
which they apply to the Jews; but it is evident
what the prophet's meaning is in this passage. In
all nations where God is worshipped agreeably to
the scriptures, wicked men know God; the devils
know God, the devils believe and tremble. But the
prophet was taking a retrospect of the wickednesses
of the Jew s, w hen they were so involved in idolatry
that the people from the least unto the greatest, did
not know the /rue God from the idol (Hods, because
they were not taught the knowledge of the God of
heaven, but were taught to worship the idol Gods
of the nations around them, and therefore he says,
speaking of this time to come, all shall know the
Lord from the least unto the greatest, even their
children who were then instructed in the worship of
idols, were to be made sensible that the God who
was to be worshipped was not an idol, but he who
made the heavens.
That this is the plain meaning of the above pas-
sage, and that it refers to Christ, will appear from
what follows. The Jews expect that when the
Messiah comes, the old covenant, the law-, sacri-
fices, and worship, are to be again restored as at
the first temple. But the prophet expressly denies
this in the preceding verses, 31, 32, 33. Behold
the dai/s come saith the Lord, that 1 will make a
new covenant with the house of Israel, and nith the
house of Jadah: not according to the covenant
that J made zcith their fathers in the dai/ that I took
them by the hand, to bring them out of the land of
Jigi/pt. But this shall be the covenant that I icill
make with the house of Israel, after those daijs, saith
the Lord. I will put mi/ late in their inward parts, I
and write it in their hearts. Thus does the prophet
declare that the covenant was not to be like that I
tv'hich was established with their fathers whca they i
do 10
came out of Egypt at Sinai ; not tlie Mosaic cove-
nant, but it was to be a new covenant, altogether
different from the other, which was to be entirely
abolished. All this was accomplished at the com-
ing of Christ, tlie old covenant was destroyed, and
he made a new covenant ; he taught them that hi»
law was to be of an internal, and not of an external
nature, that it was to be written on their hearts.
" Moses (w« are told) informs us of three most
important, and wonderful events which are to take
place at the coming of the Messiah, viz. the resur-
rection of the dead, the restoration of the Jews,
and the punishment of their enemies. The first is
expressed by his saying, / kill and I will make
alive ; the second by the expression, / have wounded
and I will heal ; the third, neither is there any cart
deliver out of my hand." The application of these
clauses is too absurd for notice. This notion that
the dead Jews are to rise again when the Messiah
comes, must raise a blush among the living Jews.
The application of the second to the restoration of
the Jews, is as absurd, viz. / have wounded and I
will heal; but to apply the third, viz. neither is there
any that can deliver out of my hand, to God's whet-
ting his glittering sword, and ripping up the nations,
who by Levi, and these Rabbinical writers, are
charged with being enemies to the Jews, is making
God a most merciless being, and could never have
been published by men of sane intellect respecting
divine things. I think it charitable to impute such
a conclusion to this cause, for if the Jews as a
body cordially believed it, it would prove them
monsters indeed ; and in such case, we may consider
it as a happy circumstance that they have not the
power to act in conformity with such opinions. —
But the Jews, as a body, are not to be charged
with such base intentions, they are no doubt the
whims of a few intemperate individuals; with cre-
dit to the Christian religion, we may adopt the
words of Levi, " this was not accomplished at the
coming of Christ."
Again. — These writers declare, that " all the
glory will be restored as in the first temple, viz. the
shechinah, or divine presence^ the ark, and cheru-
bim, the spirit of prophecy, fire from heaven, &c."
and all the proof they bring that this will be done,
is from the following passage, For thou shult hear-
ken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, l6 keep his
commandments, and his statutes, <chich are wiitten
in the book of this law, because thou wilt turn unto
the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all
thi/ soul. But many peisoiis, or even a wIkiI©
nation, turning to the Loid their God, and kct pmg
his commandments, is no proof that these things
will be again restored; if the old covenant, the old
law, the old sacrijices, the old ordinances, and the
whole body gf oid Judaism, (as observed) were to
»35
CHRIST, THE TRUE MESSIAH.
he a^ain restored ; lliere would be no occasion for
anoliier tenchcr like Moses, no necessity for that
promise, "I will raise them up a prophet from
among their brethreu, like unto thee, and will put
my words in his n5:>i,ilii, and ho shall teach unto tliem
all liiat I conimaiid him." From which it is evident,
that this teaciiiii^ « .13 tj be something new, and very
different from ihij oKI law, and the old teachiui; ;
for the Jews are a!! well ucqnaintwl with the old
teaching. Tliis is ;d<o said to be a future command,
viz. " he shall tcix-h-unto ihem all that I shall com-
mand lirni," not all that has been commanded in tlie
old law : from ail which it is as plain as demon-
stration can tnaketiitlh appear, that a new law, and
not the renewal of the old Mosaic law, was to be
gix en, agreeably lo these words of I\]oses, a total
abolition of all the Jewish sacriHces and ceremonies
Msa io be accomplished at tlie comiug of Uie true
^lessiah, which was fullilled at the coming of Christ,
and wiiich is undeiiiable proof that Cbnst was the
true Messiah.
Levi savs, " The third who prophesied of the re-
demption, and future restoration of the nation, was
Isaiah, which is contai.^ed in the Gd, Sd, and 4ih
verses of the second chapter, for ns the prophet
makes use of tlie expression, " in tkC latter day.s,"
it is clfiar that he thereby meant the days of the
Messiah, and thus say Kimchi and Abarbanal." —
Very well, and so say all Cinistians, for this is no
proof that Christ was not the true Messiah. On the
<:ontrary, it must be admitted on all hands to be con-
firming proof that he was the true Messiah, foi' these
are allowed to be the latter days if .ordnig to tlie
^Tu'^'- v , IT ., >fhom.
Ihese WTiters condemn all tiK"/ • lan writers
who say, that Christ, or the relig/ j Jhrist, was
to convince niany nations of tlML,f,,il -^ ''"'' eirors,
(hat it was to be a religion whi-'r i -J ihe strongest
tendency to promote peace, but^ • ■) such universal
peace as foretold by the prophets has ever taken
piace." It is reasonable to suppose that Levi, aiid
the Uabbics he quotes, had never read the Is'ew Tcs-
<tament. Christ says, " do unto others as ye would
they should do unto you ;" if this precept were ob-
served by all nations, there certainly would be uni-
versal peace, but if man, fiom motives which are
opposite to Cliristiaiiity, will do those tilings to
others which he would not have others to do to him,
no wonder there are wars and fightings : " Whence
<;ome wars and fightings ?" says tiie apostle, his an-
swer is contained in three words. Of your litnts. —
The religion of Christ has convinced many nations
of their errors, and it must be acknowledged by the
whole world, that lie lias founded a religion, which
%vhcn its precepts are observed, has the strongest
tendency to promote universal peace. Not so under
ibe Mosaic dispensation, for tkat was a. system of
warfare from the time of their coming out of Tlgypt,
to their final dispersion, and which must be very
strong evidence with the Jews, that Christ was the
true Messiah.
But the Jewish writers say, that " as the temple
was not rebuilt when Christ came, which was not
to be destroyed any more (agreeably to the words of
the prophet), Christ cunnot be the true Messiah." —
l"he passage they quote to {•rove this, is the seconJ
verse of the same chapter. " It shall come to paa*
in the latter days, that the mountain of the house of
the Lord shall be establislsed on the top of the
mountains, and exalted above ijie hill-;." They say,
" by the word established, it is plani .hat he meantj
it was to be fixed unalterably, of course it was noS
to be destroyed any more." As the Jews are led to
understand this literally, we ask them how it is pos-
sible for the mountain of a house to be established
on the top of mountains? Tliis is plainly a figura-
tive expression, the prophet reminds them of their
idolatrous worship, which was established, or per-
formed on the tops of mountains, or hills, and ha
informs ihem, that instead of worshipping idols on
the tops of mountains, as heretofore they had done,
the worship of the Lord, called the house of the
Lord, should be greater in its numbers and excel-
lency than ail the idolatrous worship on the moun-
tains, and that it should be exalted above tlve w orahip
of the gods of the hills.
The word Berocsh, when it is applied to time;
means, in tlie beginning, when it is applied to per-
sons and tlnngs, it means, the 7nosi excdlent, and
with the prefix beth, which means in, it will read,
" the mountain of the house .of the Lord shall bs
established in the most excellent of the mountains,"
No one can doubt but that this is a figurative ex-
pression, signifying the Cluistian church which va«
to be promulgrcted from Jerusalem, and which was
to be established at the coming of Christ, agreeably
to be his own word. But to apply this proj>hecy to
the building of a temple, or place of worship on the
top of a mountain, where all nations were to flow
unto it, literally, is not only c<nitradictory in point
of poaaibility, but it shows what a lamentable opi-
nion the Jews must have concerning ihe sanctity,
and the true understanding of the scriptures. In
the original the pa.^^sage is not the moiiiduin of tht
Lord's Ifvuse, but the mountain of tlie house of the
herd, and the masculine pronoun he, which jn the
translation is rendered by the neuter pronoun it,
refers to the word Lord, and not to house. The
verse truly reads, " The niouiUain of the house of
the Lord shall be established on the top of the
niountains, and exalted above the hills, and all
nations shall flock unto hin>."
Tlie Jewish writers assert, that the prophet ad-
dresbes the iiatiou, vfav Wt^. " Behold tliou sbak
CHRIST, THE TRUE MESSIAH.
8*1^
*all a nation tliat tlioo knoweat not," viz. a natioii
not in existence evidently ; " and nations that knew
not thee shall run unto ibee, because of the Lord
thy God, and for the holy one of Israel, for he hath
glorified thee." Hut this is a liiost profound mistake,
for the Jewish nation was then known, and the pro-
phet is addressing God, and not the Jewish nation.
The propliery is liirccttd to a single person under
the title of the Redeemer, beginning at (he 49lh
chap. ver. 7- " llius saith the I^ord, the Hcdeenier
«f Israel, and his holy one, to him whom n!;in dcs-
pistth, to him whom the nations abhorreih." Surely
no Jew in his senses v>ill again tell us, tJjat this Re-
deemer, this person despised by man, and abhorred
by the Jewish nation, is to be tlicir Messiah ? LeNi,
from the Rabbies, observe.s in another place, " tliat
he will bring with him such evident marks of his
Mejsi;ihshjp, that the nation will receive him with
open arms," instead of abhorring liim._ liut this
scripture was literally occomplished in Christ, who
was despised by man, and abhorred by the Jewish
nation.
If we pursue the projJiecy, we find in the next
chapter that the same person is spoken of, for this
cannot be a personilicalion of the Jewish natiou. —
How can it be said, " they gave their back to the
saiiters, and their cheeks to them that plucked oflf
the hair?" But the prophet evidently refers to the
Christian Redeemer, who literally gave his back to
the smiters, and his cheeks to them that plucked off
tec hair.
In the 4th and 'Ah verses of the following chapter,
ihe same divine person speaks by the prophet thus :
*■' A law shall proceed from me, and I will make my
jiidgment to rest for a light of the people, my righ-
teousness is near, my salvation is gone fortli, and
nmie arm shall jutfge the people, the isles shall wait
on me, and on mine arm shall they trust." A mo-
nifiu's reflection would convince any one that these
words cannot mean, either the Jews, or the Messiah
they expect to come. How can it be said that the
rigiiteousness of the Jews, or that the righteousness
of tlie Messiah they expect to come, is goitejhrth ?
As to the righteousness of the Jews, we have not
«een any thing of it in them more than iu Ciiristians;
and as to the second, vi/. the rig'ittousness of their
Messiah \^l;o they say is yet to come, his lighteous-
oess has not gone forili. It must appear equally as
clear that the words, " and ou mine arm shall they
trust," cannot mean that we the Gentiles arc to trust
■•r the arm of the Jews : we arc coninianded to trust
ill the arm of Gorl, and not in the arm of man. —
Again, ver. S. " My ritihteousness shall be for ever,
and iny salvation from generation to generation." —
Fiom '*hic!i it is obvious that the rigiiteousness of
ihe Jews is not meant, nor can the righteousncjs of
iiieir sisiuuary Messiah be imderstood^ but it refers
. to Christ whose righteousness only is for ever, and
whose salvation is from generation to generation?
I-K3t but the Jew look at the fruit of this righteous-
ness of Cliiist, and he will be convinced that it is
; the righteousness spoken of by the prophet, viz.
T/mu shall iove the Lord thi/ God rcith iiH ihy heart,,
and thi/ 2ieig/i(?oiir as thj/st/f; to which is added,
' do unto others, us i/c no'ild lltey should do luitd
you—^se.ll oil llioH liiist, give to the poor, and lake
up thy cross andfollov: me. V
The same vein of prophecy is pursued by the
prophet in the following 53d chapter, where the
s.ime person the Redeemer, is mentioned, and con-
j tinued ihroiigiiout the whoh;. Mere the Redeemer
H again introduced as having his visage more marred
than any man, and that he shall sprinkle many na-
tious. But can this be saitl of the Jews? are their
vi'iiiges more marred than the visages of others? havo
they, or are they likely to sprinkle many nations
from uncleanness? which must lujcessarily be the
case with them if this prophecy were applied to the
Jewish nation. But we see that thiir visages are
not mon; marred than any man's, and it is truly al)-
snrd to suppose tliat they aie to sprinkle the Hatioua
from uncleanness.
The same order is observed, as the prophecy goes
on iu the next chapter, " He is despised and re-
jected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief, surely he hath borne our griefs and car-
ried our sorrows." In the name of common sense,
can it be said, that the Jewish nation has borne the
griefs, and carried the sorrows of the Gentile nations?
tiiat ll-e Jews are wounded for our transgressions ?
that tlujy are bruised for our iniquities? that the
chastibenient of our peace is upon tliem? and tliat
with their stripes we are healed ?
But that Nihich renders it conclusive, that the
whole propliecy cannci mean the Jewish nation, or
the Messiah ihey expect to como, is the following
clause, ver, 8. '• AVho shall declare his generation ?
for he was cast out of the land of tlie living, for the
transgression of my people was he stricken," for all
know the origin and the generation of the Jews who
spiang from Abraham. iStither cau they suppose
that the words, " lie was cut off out of the laiid of
the living," can apply to the Jews, or to the Messiah
who is expected by them ; because tlicy vainly ima-
gine he is to restore them to universal empire, thertv
fore they cannot allow tliat either the Jc-.vish nation
or this Messiah is to be cut off out of the land of
the living. Again, " for the transgression of my
people was he stricken;" if by the words my pciple,
we are to understand the Jewish nation, then cer-
tainly they cannot be applied to mean their Messiah
also ;. and if on the other hand, we were to undi r-
stand that these woids, jT>y people, n)ean the Gcutile.
natioQS^Cor wboai the Jewish nation vtos slrickcu, a«
83«'
CHRIST, THE TRUE MESSIAH.
these writers inlorm us, tliey must acknowledge that
the Gentile nations are the people of God, wliich
will not be granted by them. For then, instead of
the nations " running to the Jews to be instructed
in the true word of God," as v.e are told by Jews
that they will, the Jews must apply to them for
such knowledge. Both these statements are against
so unscriptural a conclusion, which is a proof to
what a pitch of folly and blasphemy these writers
have worked themselves up; folly, in supposing that
a few Jews are to teach all nations the true under-
standing of tiie word of God; and blasphemy in
declaring that the Jewish nation is meant instead of
the Redeemer, wheu it is obvious throughout the
whole prophecy, that the person of the Redeemer,
and not the Jews, is mentioned by name.
These writers inform us, that at the return from
what they call the captivity, "the ark, the shechinah,
or visible symbol of the divine presence, will be
again restored to them, as it was in the first temple."
But the prophet Jeremiah expressly says in the lOth
verse of the 3d chap. " In those days saith the Lord,
they shall say no more, the ark of the covenant of
the Lord ; neither shall it come to mind, neither
shall they remember it, neither shall they visit it,
neither shall that be done any more." If this be not
a plain contradiction to such an assertion, then there
is no meaning in language. The lame tale that is
invented by the Jews to meet this declaration of the
prophet, who says that the ark which was destroyed
with the first temple, is never to be restored, is that
as it was customary for them to swear before the
ark and the altar, they are to be so holy at this
period, that they shall not have occasion even to
come before the ark, or to remember it, but they
shall do strict justice, and always adheit, to the truth
without an oath. Surely every rational Jew must
see the weakness, folly, and presumption of such a
perverted application of the original text.
The prophet Haggai says, ch. ii. Who is left
among you that saw tins hovse in her first glory '^
and Iwii' do you see it now ? is it not in your eyes in
comparison of it, as nothing? Thus saith the Lord
of Hosts, I re ill shake all nations, and the desire of
all nations shall come, and I mllfill this house with
glory, saith the Lord of Hosts. The glory of this
Matter house shall be greater than of the former, saith
the Lord of Hosts. But this certainly was not the
case, as it related either to the building, or to the
glorious manifestations at the time of the first tem-
ple, for at the return from Babylon, they had not
the Urim and Thummin, the Shechinah, or divine
glory, as at the time of the first temple. There-
fore these words of the prophet must evidently re-
fer to a new and spiritual dispensation, which was
to be manifested durihg the continuance of this
second tempk, lot tha woJiU oi the prophet are
positive, that the glory of this latter house shouM
be greater than of the former, and as this was not
so as to the external part, nor as to any thing if
contained, it plainly refers to a new religion, whicb
did not consist in outward ceremonies only, but
which reached the thoughts and desires of the heart.
Such is the religion of the true Messiah, the Lord
Jesus Christ. And in full and decided confirmation
of this view I ask. Where Is the second temple
now ? where is this building in which a display of
the divine goodness was to fill it with glory f ia
which the divine glory was to be greater than the
former i' It is not possible to understand that the
words of the prophet can apply to any circumstance
at this time of tlie world, because the second tem-
ple in which tliis superior glory was to appear, vva»
laid in ashes by the Roman army 1800 years since.
The prophet Micah also says, ch. v. '2. But
thou Betlijehem Ephratah, though thou be little
among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee
shall he come forth unto me, that is to be ruler in
Israel : zchose goings forth have been from of old,
from everlasting : which prophecy was literally
fulfilled by the Christian Redeemer, who came out
of Bethlehem. But what is become of Bethlehem
now .'' Bethlehem is no more ; nor can any one tell
us where ancient Bethlehem stood. Where are the
thousands of Judah? How inconsistent then it is,
for the Jews to contend for the coming of the Mes-
siah, and how plainly contradictory to the express
declarations of their own prophets to believe he is
yet to come, when all these signs of his coming are
unequivocally, and for ever past: and the whole
accomplished agreeably to the express declaration
i>f the prophets, in the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
But if we add to the above, the accomplishment
of ail those things foretold by Christ, concerning
the final destruction of Jerusalem, the dispersion
of the nation, and the abolition of their sacrifices,
which were to take place among that generation ;
every argument for a Messiah yet to come, must
fall to the ground. l*"or Jerusalem was taken, plun-
dered, and destroyed by the Romans ; the cities of
Judah were depopulated, the whole nation was dis-
persed over the earth agreeably to his words, and
uil their sacrifices and burnt-offerings, which only
constituted the Jewish church according to divine
appointment, as representatives of the coming of
the Messiah, have ceased for 1800 years.
In the o9th chap, and the 2 1st v. we are told by
Levi, and the Jewish writers, that the prophet pro-
ceeds to inform us, that the covenant which God
had made with them, and the prophecies delivered
by the prophet, should never depart from them^ so
as to become void, but should surely be accom-
plished.— As for me, this is my covenant with them,
CHRIST, THE TRUE MESSIAH.
e.13
salih the Lor(J : my spirit nhich is upon thee, and mi/
Kords u/iic/t I have put into thy mouth ; they shall
not depart from thy mouth, nor from the mouth of
thy seed, nor from the mouth of thy seed's seed, sailh
the Lord, from henceforth for ever.
- " Thus we are assured (say these writers) that
the law of Moses, which is the covenant God made
with the nation, as also the proj)hecies delivered by
tl:e niouth of the prophets, shall never depart from
the nation, 'but remain as an everlasting witness of
their future restoration."
Can any thing be so preposterously absurd as to
suppose that this covenant here mentioned by the
prophat, by the words, and my uords zihuh 1 have
put into thy mouth, is the law of Moses ? the
prophet is told in express words what was llie cove-
nant, viz. this is my covenant, my spirit rchich is
upon thee, and my zivrds, nhich I have put into thy
mouth. For it nnist be plain to every Jew, that the
law of Moses, which comprehended the immediate
communication by the Urim and Ihummim, depart-
ed from them ut tiie Babylonish capfivity, and never
was restored ; and what is also evident proof tliat
the covenant which, is said to be the spirit of the
Lord, and the words he had put into the moulh of
the prophet, was not the law of Moses; the \\hole
ceremonial law of Moses, containing the sacrifices,
has departed from them and their seed's seed for
ever, at their dispersion. Do the sons of Aaron, the
priests, as it is said they shall, blow with the trumpets,
which was to be an ordinance for ever, throughout
their generations? Numb. 10.8. Do the sons of
Levi stand to minister before the Lord, as it is ex-
pressly said they should for ever .' Is it not infatu-
ation in any Jew to suppose^ that he can prove his
descent from the tribe of Levi, which was carried
away captive before the captivity in Babylon, and
has never been heard of since 'i
It was commanded as a statute to bfe observed for
ever, that if a man killed an ox, a lamb, or a goat,
be was to bring it to the door of the tabernacle of
the congregation, for an offering to the Lord, when
the priest was to sprinkle the blood upon tlie altar
of the Lord, and whoever did not do this was to die.
Lev. 17. 7. Is this, which was ordained as a statute,
for ever, now observe d among the Jews? Surely it
must be clear to every rational Jew, ihat all these
statutes and ordinances are passed away for ever —
consequently the above words of this prophecy can-
not refer to the future restoration of the Jews, as
some of the Rabbles with Levi say they do, because
the law of Moses is not here referred to, as the
covenant which God made with the prophet, but his
spirit and his words, which he had put into his
mouth, viz. tlie prophecy given to the prophet,
which is not the law of Moses.
If we attend to the true meaning of k olani, which
65 ,
is in the translation, and aLo by Levi, trans!ated,ybr
ever, mc shall fmd that in these passages it has no
such meaning, for tliis word is used to signify a hid-
den or concealed lime, both indifinite and fniite,
pa.st and future. Exod. 21.(1. and he shall serve
him for ever, viz. until the jubilee, because at the
jubilee he was to be Iree from servitude. I Kings,
8, 1:3. a settled place for thee to abide in for ever;
but which temple of Solomon was destroyed '2j00
years since. Ecclcs. 1. 10. It halh been already of
old time. Hence the word o/ani, wiien applied to
things of time, never means that they shall endure
for ever, but to the end or tinal duration of the thing
spoken of, and which here plainly means the ]Mosaic
dispensation in all its fulness, with the communi-
cation of the spirit of God by Urim andThuniuiun.
So that we are here given plainly to undersland, that
the words of God by the mouth of the prophet, and
his spirit which was known by the communication
by Urhn, should nut depart but with the end of that
dispensation. This has been literally accomplished,
for the Shechinah, or the divine communication, has
never been visibly manifested since the captivity ia
Babylon.
Levi and the Rabbies inform us, that all the na-
tions will come, " not in pride and arrogance, but
in a low, humble, and submissive manner, prostrat-
ing themselves to them, not on account of their great
power, but for the sanctity and holiness of the divi-
nity that will then be in the midst of them, and
which (they say), is a demonstrative proof that this
prophecy was not fulfilled at their return from Ba-
bylon." It would be a pleasant thing indeed, not
only for the Jews, but also for Christians, to see
them in this state, that people should " prostrate
themselves before them, because of their holiness
and sanctity." But if some Jewish writers have
been so weak and infatuated as to fancy, that they
shall be a kind of demi-gods, surely the more intel-
ligent among them must be ashamed to carry such a
badge of consummate vanity. This passage has no
reference to the Jews. In the first verse of this
chapter, the prophet declares that the dawn of this
glorious state had then taken place in the following
words, " Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the
glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." Now if there
be any meaning in language, these words cannot
signify the future restoration of the Jews by the
coming of their supposed Messiah, because the light
which Levi and the Rabbies suppose to mean their
restoration, has not risen upon them yet, though it
is now near 3000 years since this prophecy was de-
livered. The obvious meaning of this prophecy is,
that God by the prophet made known his will res-
pecting the Gentile nations, that they should be
called to a knowledge of the true God. — Ver. 3.
" And the Gentiles shall couic to thy light." The
B
m
CHRIST, THE TRUE MESSIAH.
accomplishment of this prophecy is before the face
i)f the whole woild, for the Gentile nations, those
who were worshippers of idols, have received the
Scriptures, and have come to the knowledge of the
true God, while the Jews remain a dispersed people
among all nations : consequently they can lay no
claim to this light rising upon them to enlighten the
Gentile nations.
Levi and the Rabbies have attempted, and a mise-
rable attempt it is, to define the whole of this chap-
ter agreeably to their sensual passions and appetites.
Thus they say, " the dromedaries of Midian and
Ephah, shall bring gold and frankincense, the flocks
of Kedar, and the rams of Nabaioth shall be
brought to them, the sons of the strangers are to
build up their walls"— while the Jews are to be idle
gentlemen, and lookers on, blessing themselves that
they are not sweating beneath a scorching sun. —
Alas, ye Rabbies, what miserable interpreters are
ye ! but they have not attended to this circumstance,
viz. that if one part of the prophecy is to be under-
stood agreeably to the letter, every other part of the
same prophecy must be understood literally also,
which cannot be the case in this prophecy, for the
19th verse says, " The sun shall be no more thy
light by day : neither for brightness shall the moon
give light unto thee." Now, if by the dromedaries
of Midian and Ephah, the flocks of Kedar, and the
rams of Nabaioth, and the sons of the strangers who
are to build up their walls, we are to understand
that these things are to be literally understood ; then
by the same rule we must necessarily understand,
that the same literal sense is to be understood in
every other part of the same prophecy. And tlien,
in such case, the sun must no more give light to
them by day, nor the moon by night, for it is absurd
to tell us that this metaphorical passage refers to the
prosperity of the Jews, when every other part of the
prophecy is by them literally understood. Again,
verse £0. it certainly does not refer to the Jews, for
a very few years after the delivery of this prophecy,
their sun, which they understand to mean their na-
tional privileges, went down, when they were carried
captive, and mpue to bow the knee to the idols of
Babylon. Neither did their sun ever rise again, for
at the return from the captivity, they were governed
by strangers, the Rerodians and Asmoneans. The
glory of the lirst temple, the Urim and Thummim,
the Shechinah ar.d visible communication never re-
turned, and finally they were dispersed over the face
of the earth. How tLeii can these writers have con-
fidence to tell the world, that the words, " thy sun
shtU no more go down," have reference to the end-
less government of the Jewish nation ?
B5.!t sliould they continue to say that this has re-
ference to I'le fiiture happiness of the Jewish nation,
this view of the prophecy is altogether iocoBbisteiit
with the express words of the prophet, as abovo, for
the fact proves that this prophecy refers to the
coming of Christ, the true Messiah, to that light
which was to enlighten every man: " The Gentiles
have come to his light, and kings to the brightness
of his rising." From which it must appear, that this
prophecy has no reference to the future tem]>ora!
state of the Jews, but to the calling of the Gentile
nations to the knowledge of the true God.
But "_ Strangers (say they) are to stand up and
feed their flocks, the sons of the alien are to be
their vine-dressers," while thsy are to be called the
priests of the Lord — that they " are not to be en-
gaged in such servile services, but in the mediation
of the law of God, and in his service as priests,
and being thus at leisure, they are to eat the riches
of the Gentiles." Surely this is too absurd for re-
mark, the thinking and rational Jew must be ashamed
of it. If these infatuated writers had recollected
that in Great Britain, which is twice as large as the
land of Canaan, there are but a few thousands of
priests, and it is found they are too numerous,
though the flock is five times as large as the whole
population of the Jews in all the world, what then
is to become of a whole nation, of millions of
priests, who are to have nothing to do but to play
at religion, and priest preach to priest 1 If on the
other hand, they suppose that the country is to be
stocked with laborious foreigners, and that every
priest is to have a congregation, what must be the
e.\tent of a country capable of holding a popula-
tion to employ such a numerous conclave .'' the
whole earth would not be large enough. For if to
each priest were allotted five hundred persons, as a
congregation, and the number of priests were esti-
mated at two millions only, then these would be
sufficient for one thousand millions of people, being
far more than the population of the whole world.
Alas ye Rabbies, how have ye for ages mistaken
the obvious meaning of the sacred scriptures! how
long will ye continue to blow up the ignorant among
you with vanity ? with the vaiu hope of being the
lords of the creation, trees of the Lord's planting,
while your views go no farther than the gratification
of the sensual appetite, to have the riches of the
Gentiles, " the gold and frankincence of Midian and
Ephah, the flocks of Kedar, and the rams of Na-
baioth,"— to be " clothed in purple and fine linen,"
and to " fare sumptuously every day :" while all the
world, as you say, are to come " bending and bow-
ing themselves down at the soles of ycyr feet."
Levi thus concludes this dissertation by sayiug —
" from the explanation here given of this prophecy,
the following principles are obvious : 1st, God will
take vengeance on the dificrent nations ; '2iid, all the
tribes of the nation will be gathered together ; 3d,
Uie different aatioas of the earth will be subject to
OF THE BIBLE.
t
tS5
Israel — now as none of these importhnt events took
place at their return from Babjlon, as is clear from
all history botli sacred and profane ; and as it is
clear that they were not accomplished at the time,
nor in the person of .lesus, it is manifest that he
could not be the Messiah, and that these great and
glorious pramises remain yet to be fufilled in the
latter times, when the true Messiah will come to
redeem tlie nation"— This writerhas very judiciously
said, " from the explanation here given of this pro-
piiecy, the following principles are obvious" — But
as it is proved above agreeably to the original, the
obvious meaning of the words of the prophet, that
BO such events were to take place at the return from
the Babylonish captivity; ancl as the faqt is proved
in profane history, even in the histories of all na-
tions, that when Christ came, the Gentile nations
were called from idolatry to the worship of the f»ue
God, that even Asia, Africa, and E'jvope, received
the gospel ; agreeably to the express words of the
prophet in the third verse, viz. Jlnd the Gentiles
iJia/l come to t/u/ light, and kings to the brightness
of ihif rising. It is incontrovertible evidence that
this prophecy was accomplished in the person of
the true Messiah, the Redeemer of man, the Lord
Jesus Christ, and that the Jews have no foundation
whereon to rest their hopes, that the Messiah is yet
to come.
Supplementary Additions.
Jiaving in the foregoing pages given a full account of the various systems of religion prevailing, or nhich
hate prevailed in the world, at least so far us they are known ; we shall noic add some ititeresting
documents not to be found in the former editions ; these, our readers zcill doubtless consider as con-
tributing very essentially to the utility and value of the work. — Ituieed, it must be observed, that
since its Jirst publication a number of neze sects of religious professors hate arisen, of which a clear
account will be found in the present edition, and in no other.
The dissertation on " Christ, the trie Messiah," is also new, for ^hich tee are indebted to
Mr. John Bellamy, the author of Biblical Criticisms, <^c. '■'"
OF THE BIBLE, AND THE TRANSLATIONS THEREOF, -
Especially of the present English Translation.
./slS it is of the utmost importance to every pro-
fessor of that religion which is founded on the
Bible, that the Bible itself should not only be well
imderstood by him, but that its authority a^"^ work
communicated by inspiration from heaven should be
well ascertained, and moreover that the authenticity
of such copies of it as are now procurable, and the
correctness of those translations from such copies,
as are usually read and appealed to by us should be
established, we have thought it might be proper to
offer an inquiry of some length into these latter par-
ticulars, not less for the use of the biblical student,
than for the satisfaction of genera! readers.
Of the authority of the Bible, as received by in-
spiration from God, we shall at present say nothing,
presuming it is fully admitted by the reader; and
being aware that the necessary proofs requioUe to do
tJiis subject toleraljje justice, would extend these
summary- bints to an incouveukat length.
Of the original writers of the Bible.
It is very credible, that the patriarch Aliraham, to
go no higher into antiquity, possessed and brought
away, what information the books, or records, of bis
original country could communicate. For our own
part, we do not knosv that we should say any thing
m!probable, if we considered Noah himself as prac-
tising the art of writing; but, as great doubts havp
been entertained, whether this art be inoie ancient
that the intercourse of Moses with the Diviniiv ©n
Mount Horeb, we are unwilling to be thought too
sanguine, or too overweening. on this subject.
We think the remarks " on the nature. of seals,'*
are determinate for the nature of the seal of Jiidah
Gen. xxxviii, that it contained his name, or aopro-
priate mark, engraved on it. We .issnme ihis as
fact. But we think we discern traces ot a still aiore'
early employment of this noble art, in the .days of
836
OF THE BIBLE.
Abraham. We read, Gen. xxiv. 17. a passage v^iicli
has all the air of an abridgement of a title deed, or
conveyance of an estate, which indeed is its im-
port. " And the 1. field of Ephron, 2. which was
in Machpelah, 3. which was before Mamre, 4. the
field, 5. and the cave which was tl:-ereiii, 6. and all
the trees in the ticld, 7- that were in all the borders
thereof round about, 8. were made sure to Abraliam,
g. for a possession, 10. in the presence of the child-
ren of Heth, 11. before all that went in at the gate
of his city." A modern attorney would desire no
more than the inin>duction of a few phrases, to
make a deed of n^any skin from tliis passage ; and
(he whole history of this purchase and payment,
strikes us, as being not only according to the local
usages of the country, in the present day, but also
so minutely described, that we scarce think it would
have been so amply, and even punctiliously, inserted
into an epitomised history of the timeSj had wti the
origiuallaid before the writer; who, finding himself
able to communicate this ancient document to his
readers, embraced with pleasure the opportunity of
abridging it.
If tl>is be admitted as an instance of the art of
writing, and of such an art being practised in the
days of Abraham, we may justly confider, whether
that patriarch conld be the first possessor of it ? we
tliink not : and if, as the Rabbins say, Abraham
himself learned of Shem, and they say decidedly,
tliat " Isaac went to S,hem's school," we think we
may hesitate before we deny the possibility, at least,
that Slieni had preserved a liistory of former events,
which history lie commHiiicated to Abraham, from
whence it descended to Isaac, to Jacob, to Levi, to
Moses. We havje sometimes gone so far as to sup-
pose we discerned a difference of style between the
farly parts of the book of Genesis, and tlie original
writings of Moses ; but we say no more on this
subject ; we merely mention tliis by tlie bye.
We do not see that any injury is done to the just
arguments on behalf of the inspiration of scripture,
if we suppo:«e that Shem wrote tlie early histoiy of
the world; that Abraham wrote what concerned
himself; Jacob what concerned himself, &c. and
that, at length, Moses compiled, arranged, and edited
i» copy of the holy works extant in his time. We
shall see that a procedure perfectly analogous to this
■i*'as conducted by Ezra in after times ; on whose
edition of holy scripture our faith now rests, as it
rests in like manner on the prior edition of Moses,
if he wjs the editor of some parts ; or, on his
atith.ojity, if he was the writer of the whole.
Accepting Moses as the writer of the Pentateuch,
\ve.!sjay n£vertheless consider Joshua as adding some
snuaii matters to it, such as the history of the death
of Moses, Sec. and Plzra in later times, as adding
some other tmall matters to it, such as, varioys minor
observations, changes of njimes which had happened
during a lapse of many ages, particular directions
where such or such objects were situated, &c. for
the benefit of his readers; and let us say, for the
benefit of remote posterity.
When Vre come to the days, of Moses, we have
clear evidence of writf* n documents being composed,
purposely to deliver down to posterity the history of
past events. Moses not only was willing to write,
but he is specifically directed to write, by way of
record, and to take special care for the preservation
of those records, by placing them in the most sa-
cred of the national repositories; and under the
iraniediate care of those most intimately concerned
in their preservation.
We find this custom of composing Public Records
was continued in after-ages in Israel ; under the
Judges, under the Kings, and when the schism took
place between Israel and Judah, each of those
kingdoms preservea copies of the writings esteemed
sacred, whether historical or devotional. We have,
indeed, reason to be thankful, that beside the Jew-
ish copy of tije Pertateuch, the Samaritans have
pieserved their copy 'also, wiiich if it be, as many
learned men suppose, written in the truly ancient
Hebrew character, is so much the more valuable,
as ic has had less risk and less occasion of error,
than a copy transcribed into another dialect.
But this is not the only use which we think should
be made of this circumstance : we ought to recol-
lect the natural effects of party, in matters of reli-
gion, especially when heightened by political ran-
cour; we may be sure that the Samaritans would
suffer no alterations to be made in their copies by
any authority from the Jewish governors, and the
Jews, we well know, would have hardly received
even a palpable truth from " that foolish people
which dwelt' in Samaria."
Wherefore, when we find the copies preserved by
these two people generally correspondent, and dif-
fering only in some few minor matters, we ought
to admire the providence of God, which has thus
" made even the wrath of man to praise him," by
transmitting more than one copy of this leading
portion of holy writ, in a manner more certain,
and less liable to doubt, or collusion, or equivoca-
tion, than if a single copy had come through the
hands of one set of friends only, or had beerr pre-
served only by those whose unsupported testimony
might have been suspected of undue partiality, or
of improper bias.
We find the kings of Judah attentive to the ar-.
rangement of their sacred code in after-ages ; David
no doubt, authenticated the books of the prophet
Samuel, and we read that HezeViah employed seve-
ral persons to collect and arrange the Proverbs of
bolomon, and even to add to tliem, others which
OF THE BIBLE.
ftSS,
lliat prince liaJ left beliind Iiira. It is hsujIIv un-
dtrslood, that llic Psalms, Proverbs, and Etclesi-
astcs, were added under llezekiali ; also llie book
of Job, peihaps, tliough others lliiiik Isaiah.
The prophecies of JiMeiniaii were public ; many
of llieni Mere read to all the people, and belore ll>e
king, so that copies could not be raie : the same
may be said uf most of the minor prophets ; and in
shoit, of all that were near to the da}» of Nehc-
niiuh and Ezri,
It is very natural to suppose tlir.t those chiefs of
the Jewish people, after their r.tuiu from captivity,
would do their utmost to collect, preserve, and
maintain the di^^nity, of all the writings of their
sacred code ; and indeed, excepting the prophet
Malachi, we may coulidcntiv consider Ezra, as not
only collecting, but collating the copies of fornur
writings, and composing additions to the historical
nairations; not in the books themselves, withheld
ptrhaps, by their prior sanctity, but in that separate
history which we call the Chronicles.
Ileie we ought to mate a pause; because here
our faith rests on Ezra's editi<ni : and 1 doubt not
that this " scribe, well inslructed in the law," had
not only divine guidance, but good reasons too, for
what he did, and for his manner of doing it.
I suspect that we have so many instances of
Ezra's modesty, as we have marginal readings in our
Hebrew Bibles; which in ail amount to 840. —
These occur in vaiious places of the works e.xtant
before Ezra ; but tl-.ere are none in the prophet
Malachi, who has been supposed to be Ezra him-
self; if so, the reason for this cxcuiption from va-
rious readings is evident.
From the lime of Ezra, the Hebrew canon was
esteemed as conchuled: but between the tinies of
Ezra and Chiist, th.e books of the Jews became
objects of enquiry to neighbouring nations ; and
translations of them during this interval, being
undertaken by those whose language we als3 study,
these translations become very important to us:
who by their means have additional sanction to the
articles of our enquiry, and additional means of
answernig the put poses to which our enquiry is
ciirccted.
Traiiilations of the TIehrczc Scripltaes.
The first translation in order of time, and indeed
in }ionit of importance to us, is that Greek version
usually called the Scvi.nty or Septuagint.
'I'he Chahlee translations come ne.xl in order:
they are not to mueli tran"ilations as pr.raphrasea.
The Sjrlac tianslalion has been, by some, refer-
red to the time of Solomon ; by others to the time
o' Abgarus, king of Edessa; this is certainly more
probable, but i:> not universally admitted. It un-
questionably is ancient; and Dr. Pridtaux thiuLsf^
it was made within U)e tirst century uf A. D. and
that it is the best of all translations.
Latin translations do not date before the introduc-
tion of Chiislianily into Uome.
We are now to add to our consideration, beside
the Hebiew cojiies of the Old Testament, the seve-
ral books wl.jch Compose the Now Testament j
lhes_e were studied, cojiied, and translated, together
with the Hebrew scriptures, by Chi islians, whde the
Jews studied and copk:d only those which coutaiued
the principles of their ancient system.
Jes-ish. labours on Hebrew copies.
The attention of the Jews was by no mean* con-
fined to writing copies of the holy word ; they ma<ie
almost incredible exertions to preserve the genuine-
ness and integrity of the text.
'I'his produced %\hat has been termed the Masora,
the most stupendous monument in the whole history
of literature, of minute and persevering labour. —
The persons employed in it, and who afterwards
received from it the name of Masorites, were Jewish
literati, who flourished after the commencement of
the Christian x*ra. With a reverential, not to say
superstitious, attention, of which history does not
furiii-.h an instance to be urged in comparison with
it, they counted all the verses, words, and letters, of
all tilt; twenty-four books of the Old Testament, and
of each of those twenty-four books, and of every
section of each book, and of all its subdivisions. —
"The matter of the Masora," says Mr. Lewis, in
his Origines ITebra?ffi, vol. iv. p. I5f), " consists in
critical remarks upon the verses, words, letters, and
vowel points of the Hebrew text. The Masorci*
were the tirst who disjinguished ihe books anil sec^
tions of books into verses, and marked the nii.nbi r
of the verses, and of the words and letters in each
verse; the verses where they tliniight there wag
soineihing forgot; the words wliicli tll^■\ believed to
be changed; the letters which they thought ^uper-
Huous; the rcpelilions of the same vel^es; die dif-
ferent readings; ihe words which are u diiiulant or
defective; the nuinbirr of limes th^it the suuie word
is fouml ill the htjjnininj.', miJille, or end of a ver-e;
the difi'ereiit signilicatioiis of the s.ime word; the
a'Teenient or conjunction of one woid with ano-
ther; the number of words that are prnittd above;
which letters aie pronounced, and which are turned
upsidf down; and such ash.mg pc'rpi'n(!ici!Jar ; iht-y
took the number of each ; it was they, in «hbrl, mIio
invtntt'd the vowel poinis, the accents, jud made
divtrs critical a marks upon the punciuuion, and
abund^iuce of other things of equiil iiiiportince.
" A great pait of the labour •>( llu se Jewish d.»c-
t(.rs consisted in counting the lelttrs ot the ticLickV
66
10 c
838
OF THE BIBLE.
of Midiaelis in 17-0. A critical eilition was pub-
lished by Raphael Cliajim Basila, a Jew in Mantua,
in four parts, I74'2— 1744.
The iDost celebrated edition of the Hebrew with
a Latin translation, was that of Sebastian Munster.
The first vohiine of the first edition was printed in
1,334, t!ie second volume in 1535; the second
edition was printed iii !54t). It was the first Latin
translation hy nv.y of the separatists from the see of
Rome. Santes Pagninus was the first of the Ca-
tholics who made an entirely new Latin version.
It was published a! Lyons, in lo'iS, and has often
been repubhshL-d. 'ihat it is an accurate and failh-
fiii irauslation, all acknowledge, — lliat the Latiiiity
is barbajous, cannot be denied ; but, as it was the
author's pi. in, to frame a verbal translation, in the
strictest and most iiterul sense of that word, its
supposed barbarism was unavoidable, and cannot,
therefore, be imputed to it, as a fault. The cele-
brated edition of the Rev. Charles Francis Houbi-
gaut, of ti»e oratory, was j)ublished in four volumes
folio, with a Latin version and prolegomena, at
Paris, in 1753. The prolegomena and the Latin
version have been printed separately. The merit of
this edition is celeb) ated by all, who are not advo-
■cales for the Masora. By them it is spoken of in
tiie harshest terms. , Several manuscripts were oc-
casionally consulted by the author : but it is evident,
that he did not collate any one manuscript through-
out. Prior to Moubigant's edition, was that of
Keinecius, at Liepiic, in 1725, reprinted there in
1739. A new edition of it was printed in 1793,
tinder the inspection of Dr. Doederlein, and Pro-
fessor Meisner. It contains the most important of
tlie various readings collecteci by Dr. Kennicott and
De Rossi, printed under the text. For the purpose
of common use, it is an excellent edition, and sup-
plies the want of tlie splendid bui expensive editions
and coUations, of Houbigaut, Kennicott, and De
Rossi.
Those who extend their biblical researches into
Rabbinjsm, are recommended by tlie learned in
this iiranch of biblical literaluie, to the Biblia Rab-
binica of Rabbi Moses, published at Amsterdam,
ill four volumes folio, ia 1721 — 1727, which in-
tirely siiperseoed tlie Biblia Kubbiiuca of Romberg
and Biixtorf. The purchasers of it should see, that
the copy olfercd to ll'.em contains tlie treatise of the
Kabbi Abdias Sporno, de Scopo Legis, which, in
tlie copies dtsigncd for tale to Christians, is gene-
rally omitted.
Tl e reader will perceiv:e, that the Hebrew lan-
guage, iliough lost as a spolvtn language among tl.e
.lews, yet has been cultivated among tl.eiu hy their
men of learning : wliile the Christn ds, under all the
Oisadvantages of receiving the principles of this lan-
guage from Jewish instructor?, have laboured with
great assiduity, in acquiringa competent acquaint
ance with it, and even a deep knowledge of ila
powers. They have also been the first to collate
MSS. and to apply general learning to sacred lite-
rature : both these principles are honourable to their
skill and industry ; but both may be carried too far,
if they should be substituted for accurate under-
standing of the holy language itself, and correct
attention to its peculiarities, properties, and idioms. ;
But while we recommend strongly the ci'>sesi at-,
tcntion to the Hebrew language itself, we admit
frankly, that very great light has been oblaiiieti
from its sister dialects, of which .the Chuiriee is
one, and the Arabic is another, vhlch cannot be to0
highly prized. The Jews desj-iise this Arabic dialect,
but the disadvantage of despising it is to tiieiii-
selves.
The reader may now form a tolerable idea of the
state of the Hebrew Scriptures, liie Old Testament :
we are next to direct our atteuliou to the Scriptures
of the New Testament, which are written in Greek.
Of the present state of the Greek Muituscripts.
The Greek manuscripts, according to Welstein's
account, are written either on pauhment (or vellum)
or on paper. The parchment or vellum is either
purple-coloured, or of its natural colour ; and either
thin or thick. The paper is either silken, or of the
common sort ; and its superfices are either glazed,
or of the ordmary roughness. The letters are either
capital (generally called uncial) or small. The ca-
pital letters are either unadorned and simple, and
the strokes of them very thin and straight ; or they
are of a thicker kind, uneven and angulous. Some
of them are supported on something like a base,
others are ornamented, or rather burthened, with a
top. Letters of the first description are of the kind
generally found on the ancient monumcLits of Greece;
those of the last resemble the painlings of half bar-
barous times. Manuscripts, therefore, written in
the first kind of letter, are generally supposed to be
of the sixth century, at the latest ; those written in
tha second kind of letter are genei ally supposed to
be of the tenth century. The manuscripts wiitttn
in the small letters are of a still lalt 1 age. But even
ill the earliest manuscripts some uoiils are abbrevi-
ated. At the beginning of a new book, the four or
five first lines are often wiillcn in vermillion. There
are very few manuscripts of the entire Mew 'lYs'a-
ment. Tlie greater pa!t contain the gospels only ;
very few have the ApociJypse.
Ihe curioLis and extensive coliations, which have
been made of manusciipis within this century, have
shewn, that certain manusciipis ha", e an affinity to
each other, and that their (e.>it is 'listingeuohtd I'lnj
others by characteristic niaiks. Thia i.as enabkJ
OF THE BIBLE.
»3gc
ihe wTiters on this siilject to arrange them under
ccrt:iin general classes. 'I'licy liavc observed, thai,
as dilllrent countries liad difieront versions, accord-
ing to their res.peclive languages, their niunuscripls
naturaJ!) resembled their respective versions, as the
versions, generally speaking, were niaile tVoni the
mannscripts in common use. Pursuing this idea,
they have supposed four ]jrinripal exemplars: )st,
tlie western exemplar, or that usicl in the countries
where the Latin language was spoken; with this the
Latin version coincides : '2d, the Alexandrine ex-
emplar ; with this the quotations of Oi i'^cn coincide :
3d, the Ldcssene exemplar, from which the Syiiac
version was made : and 411j, tlie Byzantine or Con-
stantinopolitan excuipJar: the greatest number of
manuscripts written by the monks on moimt Athos,
the Moscow niaiuiscripts, the Stlavonian or liussian
versions, and the quotations of St. Chrysostom and
^'lieopliylact, bishop of Bulgaria, are referrible to
tins edition. The rcadnigs of this exemplar are le-
murkably diJTerent fron» those of the other exeni-
jijais; between which a striking coincidence appears.
A reading supported by all three of them is sup-
posed to be of the very liighest authority ; yet the
true reading is sometimes found only in the fourth.
From the coincidence observed between many
•Greek manuscri{>ts and the Vulgate, or some other
Latin translation, a suspicion arose in the minds of
several writers of eminence, that the Greek text had
been assimilated throughout, to the Latin. 'J his
seems to have been first suggested by ICrasmus; but
it does not appear that lie supposed the alterations'
were mad*; before the fifteentli century ; so that the
charge of Latinizing the nianuscrijits (hd not, in his
notion of it, extend to the original writers of the
inanusciipts, or, as tiiey are called, the writers a
prima inonu, but aft'ected only the subsefjueut iiiler-
jiolators, or, as ihey are called, the writers a fccuiidu
fTiaru. Father Simon and Mill adopted and ex-
tended this accusation ; and it was urged by \\ et-
stein with his nsual vehemence and ability, so that
;i came to be grncrally received. Bengel expressed
some doubts of it; and Sender formally called it in
fluesiion. He was followca by Griesbach and W uicle,
and finally brought over IVJiehaelis, who, in the fust
edition of his Inlipduction to the New 'I'estameiit,
had taken part with the accusers ; but in the fourth
edition of the same work, with a candour of viliich
there are too few examples, he diclared himself
persuaded that the charge was unbounded, and totally
abandoned his first opinion.
iiesuies the manuscripts v.hlch contain wIkjIc
Looks of the New Testament, oditr inaiiuscriplg
Lave been consulted; aaiong these are tlie Lecti-
onaria, or collections of detached parts of the Ntw
Testament, appointed to be read in the ;public eer-
»ate of tile cliuich. These are distjnijui'^hed into
the Evangelislaiium, or lessons frons tlie gospcJi,
and the Apostolos, or lessons from tho acts and
epistles. The quotations from the New Testamciif,
in the works of the aucieuts, have also been con-
sulted.
Prutcipal Greek Manuscripts now extant.
Tliese are the Codex Alexandrinus, in the Biilish
IMuseum; the Codex Cantabrigiensis, or Codex
Bezue, and the Codex Vaticanus. The Codex Atex-'
andrinus consists of four volumes ; the three first of
them contain the (^Id Testament; the fourth tlie
New '4'estaincnl, together with the first epistle of
St. Clement to the Corinthians, and a fragment of
the second. The Codes Cantabrigiensis, or the
Codex BezEe, is a Greek and Latin manuscript of
the four gospels, and the Acts of the apostles. Tlie
Codex Vaticanus, contained, originally, the whole
Greek Bible.
The respective ages of these venerable manuscripts
have been a siiliject of great controversy, and have
employed the ingenuity and learning of several bib-
lical writers of great renown. After a profound in-
vestigation of the subject. Dr. Woide fixes tho age
of the Codex Alexandrinus between the middle and
the end of the fourth century ; after a similar inves-
tigation, Dr. Kipling fixes the age of the Codex
Cantabrigieusis, or the Codex Bezag, at the second
century; but Mr. Herbert Marsh, in his notes to
Michaelis, vol. ii. p. 708— 71J, seems to prove de-
monstratively, that it was not written earlier than t!ie
fifth century. !Moiitfaucon .ind ithnuhini refer the
Codex Vaticanus to the fifth rentiny. In 178G, a
Jac-similc edition of the Ni-w 'Testament in the Co-
dex Alexandrinus was inibii^licd in LoiiiU»ii, at the
expeiirc of i\w University of Oxford, by Dr. Woide.
In 17.Q3, a /tft>.<//«//t' edition of the ('odex Cantabri-
gieiisis, or the Codex Bcza', wns publishtd at Cam-
bridge, at the oxpence of the Lnivirsiiv, by V)r,
Kipling. 'i'iic'se tdilions «'\l.i!)ir tiu'ir levjieclive
piototyjies, page for ji^ge. line for line, word for
woid. lontraction for cdiitraciiDn, lasnre (rtf rnsnre,
to a degree of similarily hardly iredilile. The ivpe*
were cast for iJic purpose, in aljihabels of- various
forn:s, that tJiey might be vaiied with the manuscript,
and represejrt it more exactly.
Poli/glotl edUiorii of the Bibk.
The first Polyglolt ih that of ('omp.'utum, or
Alcala. it is divided into six p.irls, and cfuipri'-rd
in four volumes folio. It has the Hebrew, Latin,
and Greek, j'l tbree diijtinct colu-inns ; llie C'haldee
paraphrase:, \^ilh a Latin int-trpretnlioii, is at the
bottom of tlijC .p3;ie, and the marjiiti i> filled vviifr
i the Hebrew and Chaldee jadicaifi: ihefuiixlli vciiuaie
i>6
iO D
Sl4ff
OF THE BIBLE.
cmjUiiins (Iw Oreek Testament, with no other trans-
lation than the Latin. It was begiiu in 1502, the
iaipresjt^oA xvas printed off in 1517, and it was
published iu 15Q3- The expeuee of the work,
which amounted (it is said) to 50,000 durats, was
wholly paid by Cardinal Xiuienes, of Spain.
It is certain, that Cardjual Xiuienes spared no
expence in collecting manuscripts ; but, whether he
|jud anj that were truly valuable, has been much
doubted. In 17S4, wheii Professor Birch was
engaged in his edition of the Bible, Professor
]Moldeiihawer went U) Alcala, lor the purpose of
discovering the i^anuscripts used in tlie Ximenian
JPolyglott. After much inquiry, he discovered, that
^bout thirty-five years before, they had been sold to
a rocket-maker^ of the name of Toryo ; and the
i;eceipt given to hiro for his purchase w'as produ-
ced!! The ConipUitensiiui Polyglott was followed
and e^'ceUed by the. Polyglott of Antwerp, printed
in that city in 1569 — 1572, in eight volumes folio,
vuder the duection of Arias MoiUanus. It con-
tains, besides the whole of the Compluteusian
edition, a Chaldee paraphrase on part of the Old
Testament, wihicb Catdiual Ximenes, having par-
ticular reasons for not publishing it, had deposited
m tlifi Theological library at Comphitunj. The
^ew T<?sta*^AiH hi»a the Syriac version, and the La-
t;n tr^nsJ.atiQii of Saiites Pagnuius, as reformed by
Arias M,oijtanus. Less beautifid, but more accu-
ifate, and coqiprchendiug more than any of the three
precedipg Poljglotts, is the Polyglott of London,
printed in 1633 — \G57, in six volumes, to which
the Lexicon Heptaglotfon of Casteli, in two vo-
lumes folio, is usually added. Dr. Bryan Walton,
al'terwards bishop of Chester, was the editor of it.
Tvvelve copies of it were printed on large paper:
one, of great beauty, is in the library of St. Paul's
lalhedral ; another « as in that of the Count de
Lauraguais; another is in the library of St. John's
College at Cambridge. It was published by sub-
scription, and is said to be the first book printed
ifi that manner iu England. Dr. Walton had leave;
from the protector to import his paper duty free.
Greek, editions of the Nezm Testament.
The first in point of, time, was that of Erasmus,
with a new Latin translation. He published five
editions of.it, in 1516, 1519, 1522, 1527, and
,1535. 1 he edition of 1519 is most esteemed.
The next edition of the New Testament in
Greek, is that inserted in the Complutensian Polyg-
lott. The learned agree in wishing the editors had
described, or, at least, specified the manuscripts
ihey luade^nse of. The editors speak highly of
iiiem ; but this was, when the number of known
manuscripts was small, an.d manuscript criticism
was in its infancy; so that, withoxv impeaching
either their candour or their judgment, their asser-
tions, in this respect, must be uivJerstood with
much limitation. It has been chai-ged on them, that
they sometimes altered die Greek text, without the
authority of a single manuscript, to make it con-
form to the Latin. Against this charge they have
been defended by Goez€, and, to a certain extent,
by Griesbach.
The editions of Robert Stephens are nest to be
considered. For exquisite beauty and delicacy of
typey elegance and proper disposition of contrac-
tions, smoothness and softness of paper, liquid
clearness of ink, and evenness of lines and letters,
they have never been surpassed, and, in tlie opinion
of many, never equalled. There are four editions
of them pubhsljed by himself, in 1546, 1549, 1550,
and 1551. His son published a fifth edition in
1569. The third of these is in folio, and has the
readings of sixteen manuscripts, in the margin. —
The two first are in 16"°, and of those, the first
(that in 1546) is the most correct.
. The first edition of Beza was printed in 1565;
he principally follows in it the third edition of Ro-
bert Stephens. He printed other editions in 1582,
1589, 1598. They do not contain, every where,
the same text. In his choice of readings he is ac-
cused of being influenced by his Calvinism.
The celebrated edition of the Elzevirs was first
printed at Leyden, in 1624. It was printed from
the third edition of Robert Stephens : where it va-
ries from that edition, it follows, generally, the edi-
tion of Beza. By this edition, the text, which had
fluctuated in the preceding editions, acquired a
consistency. It was generally followed in all the
subsequent editions. It has deservedly, therefore,
obtained the appellation of Editio ix'tepta. The
editors of it are unknown.
Editions with various readings.
The celebrated edition of the Rev, John Mill
was published at Oxford in 1707, after an assidu-
ous labour of thirty years. He survived the publi-
cation of it only fourteen days. He inserted in his
edition all the collections of various readings, wliicli
had been made before his time ; he collated several
original editions; procured extracts from Greek
manuscripts, which had never been collated ; and,
in many instances, added readings from the ancient
versions, and from the quotations of them in the,
works of the ancient fathers. The whole of the
various readings collected by him, are said, without
any improbability, to amount to 30,000. He has
enriched his work with most learned proiegomeiia,
OP THE BIBLr.
m
tmd a clear and accurate description of his manu-
scripts. He took the third edition of Stephens for
his text.
The edition of John Albert Bengel, abbot of
Alspirspack, i;i the ducliy of VVurteiiibcrg, was
published in 1734. He prefixed to it his " Int7v-
diiclii) ill Ciisiii Novi Testanienti ;" and subjoined
to it his " Apparatus Criticus £)• Epi/ogus." tie
altered the text, where he thouj^hl it might be im-
proved ; but, except m the Apocalypse, he studi-
ously avoided inserting in the text any reading,
vhich was not in some printed edition. Under the
text he placed some select readings, reserving the
whole collection of various readings, and his own
sentiments upon them, for his Apparatus Criticus.
All former editions of the Greek Testament were
surpassed by that of John James W etstein : it was
published in two volumes folio, in 1751, at Am-
sterdam. He adopted for his text the editio receptu
of the Elzevirs. 11 is collection of various readings
far suppasses tliat of Mill or Bengel. His notes
are particularly valirable, for the copious extracts
he has made from the Rabbinical writers. These
greatly serve to expl.iin the idiom and turn of ex-
pression used by the Apostolic writers and Evan>-
gelists.
Dr. John James Griesbach, whose edition of
the New Testament was first published in 1/75 —
1777, in two volumes octavo, at Halle. In the
year 1796, the first volume was reprinted, under
the patronage, and at the expence of his grace the
duke of Grafton. It has extracts from two hundred
manuscripts, in addition to those quoted in the for-
mer edition. He has collated all the Latin versions
published by Sabatier and Blanchini. His object
is to give a select and choice collection of the vari-
ous readings, produced by Mill, Bengel, and Wet-
stein, and of his own extracts, omitting nil such ;is
are trifling in themselves, supported by little autho-
rity, or evidently only errata.
There are many other respectable editions of the
Greek Testament ; hut those we have mentioned
are confessedly the principal. The edition by
Erasmus, with a slight intermixture of the edition
in the Complutensian Polyglott, are the principal
editions, from which almost all the subsequent edi-
tions have been taken.
Every person, to whom the sacred writing? are
dear, must wish them edited in the riost perfect
manner. It would reflect disgrace on the learned
of the Christian world, that any Pagan author
should be published hi a more perfect manner than
the word of God.
An Englishman must view with pleasuie- the use-
ful and maguiticcut exertions of his countiTraen in
tltis respect. Bishop Walton's Pohglott ranks first
in that uoWe and costly class of publications ; fo-
reign countries can shew nothing equal to Dr. Ken*-
nieott's edition of the Bible, or sinnlar either to Dr.
VVoide's edition of the Codex Alcxandrinus, or Dr.
Kipling's edition of the Codex Bezse : and iu the
vyhole republic of letters, nothing is now so impa-
tiently expected, as the completion of Dr. Ii..imes'»
edition of the Septuagint, of which the books of
Genesis and of Exodus are published.
Where the word of God is concerned, the great-
est moderation should be used ; and care should be
taken, that the assertions made, are expressed accu-
rately, and in such terms as prevent improper con-r
elusions being drawn from them.
Where the number of the various readings is
meniioned before persons, to whom the subject is
new, or in any work likely to have a general circu-
lation, it should be added, that their importance is
rather of a hterary than a religious kind ; and that,
whether considered collectively or individually, they
do not affect tho genuineness of the text, or thij
substance of its history or doctrine. The improve-
ments, wliich proposed ahenuions are thought tci
make, slioidd r.'Jt be exaggeratetl; it shouId1>e re-
marked, that alterations of tliat description are con-
fessedly few ; and that none of them affect the
gospel as a history, as a nde of faith, or as a body
of morality. Conjectural emendations should almost
always be resisted.
We proceed now to a subject more particularly
interesting to us a? Britons, which is, the history of
our national translations ; tliis has already engaged
the attention of the learned, by whose labours we
shall profit ou this subject, as we have done on tha
foregoinjj.
English translations of the Bible.
It would be very difficult to ascertain every Eng-
lish translator, or when the Scriptures were lirst
traiis'ated into the language of this country :
thai the Saxons read the Bible in their own langua^.
is an opinion well authenticated ; some parts at
least having been translated by Adelm, bishop of
Sherborne, Eadfrid (or Ecbert) bishop of Liiidis-
ferrie, tire venerable Bede, and ki;K' Alfred. iElfric,
abbot of Malmesbury, transir.ed the Pentateuch
Judges, and Job, wliicli were ; rinted in die year
1699. And the four gospels vere printed from' an
ancient MS. now in the Bodle:an library, 1571, un-
der the care of the martyrolor si .^uhn I'o.v, assisted
and encouraged by Matthew Parker, ..rthbrship of
Canterbury. The title is, " Tiit Gospels of the
FoNver Evangelists, transiatei I in the olde Saxons
tyme out of Latiu, into thi. vidgare tomig of the
Saxons, and now publi.she.i !"<)r (estimonie of the
same. A.c London by J ilm D::ye, dwelling oner
Aldersgate, 1571. Cu/il privilegio regia: majestalis
€4«
OF THE UrBLE.
per (Jeccmh'iim." And several parts of t'ue scnptuies
liad been from time to time translated by difterent
persons;' proofs of which, if not tlic very trai>sia-
tions themselves, exist in different libraries of this
5<ingdom. In particular, in the year 1349, the
Psalms, translated by Ilichard Koile, an hermit of
llampolein Yorkshire: and in tlie llarieiiin ai'd the
kind's libraries, arc specimens of other and dillerent
versions: and soon afterwards John Withl traus-
flated the New Testament.
Joini Wiclif was born about tlu: beginning of the
fourteenth centuiy, at Witlif, in Vorkshire. Ikmg
bred to leaniiiiff, he was sent to Queen's College,
Oxford, and admitted a commoner; but soon after
removed to Morton College, where he was a pro-
bationer, but not a frlle-.v. In 133n, he is said to
Jiave written a tract " Of the Last Age;" in which
he exposed the many corrupt ways used to ollai.i
ecclesiastical benefices. He gained considerable re-
jjiitation by defending the interest of the University
against the encroachments of the begging friars ,
;i!id was chosen warden of Baliol-hall, and presented
to the rectory of Fyliugham in Li.eolnshirc, wh!'.;h
lie afterwards exchanged for that of Ljtegarskall.
Decemlier 14, 13G5, he was nominated warden of
Canterbury College, incorporated into Christ Chureii
in Oxford, by archbishop I slip the founder ; but at
the death of the archbishop, ho, with three secular
fellows, were, in 1367, ejected from thence, and on
appeal the sentence was confirmed by the pope's
bull in 1370. After his ejeitment, he read lectures
in divinity in that University with such applause, that
almost every thing he said was received as an oracle.
In 1374, king Edward HI. nominated him, with tiic
bishop of iJangor and others, to be his ambassador
ito treat with the pope's nimcios concerning the pro-
visions of ecclesiastical benefices here in England,
claimed by the pope, and long complained of by
our ))arlianient as very injurious to the rights of the
English cljurch. As a reward for his faithfulness iij
'xecuting this commission, which was held at Bruges,
the king gave him the piebend of Aust, in the colle-
giate church of Westbury, in the county of Glo-
cester, and then in the diocese of Worcester (Glo-
ccster was elevated into a bishopric by king Henry
VIII.) with the rectory of Lutterwoi tli in Lejcester-
fihire. But having sliewed himself a defender of the
king's supremacy, and freely exposed the artifices and
encroachments of tiie papal power, nineteen articles
of accnsation were extracted from his lectures and
sermons, and transmitted to the pope (Gregory XI.)
who, on the 'ilst of May, 1377, dispatched to Simon
Sudbury, arclibishop of Canteibury, and Willi'im
Courtney, bishop of London, three bulls; by the
first of which, these prelates were ihrected to cause
Jelui U'iclif to be apprehended, imprisoned, and put
ill jjons : this gave the doctor a great deal of trouble,
and would, in all prdbabi'iity,'}iave ended in his deatW,
if he had not been protected by the duke of Lan-
caster, uncle to Richard II. who was then king.—
It seems that about this lime he set about translating
the whole Bible in English IVum the Latin ; pioba-
bly not being sutTiciently skilled in Hebrew and Greek
to translate frt>nj the original tongues. In 13S3, he
was seized witii a palsy, wt'iich, however, did not
prevent his attending the duties of his function till
the 'iSth of December 1384, when he was again
attacked, and died the 3 1th of the same mouth. —
There are several copies of this translation of the
New Testament in ditJ'nent librajies, both public
and private, though with some degree of variation.
In the year 1731, the New Testament was printed itt
folio, under the care of the Rev. Juhn Lev* is, minis-
ter of Margate, and chaplain to Lord Malton, with
a glossary.
In the year 1 j(i!f], William Tyndal piinteJ the first
edition of his New Testament.
William Tyndal, orTindale, orTyndall, oihcrwisa
Hitchins, was born somewhere in Wiaes ; and being
bred to learning, was placed iu Magdalen Hall, iij
Oxford, where now remains an original picture of
him. Here he took his degrees, and read lectures
privately in divinity to several of the students of that
hall, and fellows of the adjoining college. His
maimers and conversation, says Fox, in his " Acts
and Monument," were such, that ail who knew him
reputed and esteemed him to be a man of a most
virtuous disposition, and life unspotted. Wood says,
he was ex|Hlled for his Lutheran tenets ; and whether
he took any degree in that University does net
appear. -
Erom Oxford he removed to Cambridge, whence,
after some stay, he went to Little Sudbury, in G!o-
cestershire, where lie was entertained in the family
of Sir John Welch, as tutor to his children. Btit
being suspected of heresy by the neighbou- ing clcrgv,
with whom he had sometimes disputes about leiigiiin,
and beitig by them threatened and persecuted iii ilie
ecclesiastical courts, he, with the consent of Sir
John, left the family, and went to London, where he
for sonic lime preached in the church of St. Dun-
stan's in the west. Here he obtained tiie recommen-
dation of Sir Henry Guildford, master of the horse,
to Dr. Cuthbert Tonstal, bishop of London, to whom
he presented an oration of Isocrates, translated by
himself out of the Greek, with an t-pisHe to the
bishop, whicli he wrote by the advice of Sir Henry,
But the bishop's answer was, that his hotise was full ;
that he had more than hfe could provide for ; and
advised him to seek out in London, where he could
not fail of employment. Not being able to obtain
any, he was supported by Mr. Uunipliry Moiijnouth,
a draper and alderman of London, a favourer of
Luther's opinions ; v, ith whom he abode half u ycar^
OF THE LinLE.
94S
behaving in the most sober and temperate manner ;
fituriviiig night and day, and bending his thoughts
towuids the translation of the New Testament
into English. 13iit being sensible of the hazard lie
Would run by printing it in England, he resolved to
go into Germany, as a place of greater security and
rnore liberty. And this he was better enabled to do
by the assistance of his friend Mr. Monmouth,
vho gave him an annuity of ten pounds a year,
then a sufficient maintenance for a single man, and
i\s mndi as 'I'yndal desired. At his first leaving
England, he went as far as Saxony, where he con-
ferred with T.uther, and oilier eminent reformers.
From thence he returned, and settled at Antwerp,
where was at that time a considerable factory of
English merchants, many of which were zealous
■pToftssors of Luther's doctrine. Here he immedi-
ately set himself about his favourite work, the
English translation of the New Testament, in
which he had the assistance of John Fry, (or Frith)
and a friar i^amed William Hove, who wrote for
him, and helped him to compare the texts together ;
and in the year 1526, it was printed in octavo with-
out'a name, with an epistle at the end, wherein he
desired them that were learned to amend if ought
were found amiss. This edition is very scarce ; for
soon after its first appearance, the bishop of Lon-
don, being at Antweip, desired Augustus Packing-
ton, an English merchant, to buy up all the copies
that remained unsold ; and on the bishop's return,
they with many other books, were. burned at Paul's
Cross, savs F"ox. This, Dr. Jortin, in his life of
Erasmus, thinks was done by tlie bishop to serve
T_\ndal; however that be, the sale of these copies
put a good sum of money into Tyndal's pocket,
and enabled him to prepare another edition for the
press more correct than the former, which however
was not printed till 1 j34, he being probably hin-
dered by his avocations as clerk to the English mer-
chants, in which capacity he was received on his
tlrst going to Antwerp.
From the first edition 5000 copies were reprinted
by the Dutch printers in 1527, 15Q8, and in 1530;
but all these editions an* represented to be exceed-
inglv incorrect. In 1534, the Dutcli printed a fifth
edition, corrected by George Joye, who not only
<"!rrtcted the typographical errors, but ventured to
alter, and amend as he thought, the translation;
and soon after the second edition by Tyndal himself
appeared, in wbieb he complains of Joye s forestall-
ing'him, and altering his translation.
George Joye, «ho corrected the Dutch edition
of Tyndal's New Testamtnt iu 1534, (for this i'.e
was paid, according to his own account, 3 stivers,
or 4.'d. per sheet, receiving only 14s. Flemish for
the whole,) was an English refugee, born in Bed-
fcrrostiire, und educated in Peier-house, Cambridge,
56 iO
vyhcre he took his degree of Bachelor of Arts in
15IC, and that of Master in 1527, in which year
also he was admitted fellow ; but being accused of
heresy, he fled to Strasburg. He published a trans-
lation of Isaiah in 1531 ; the Psalter, and Jere-
miah, with the song of Moses in 1534. In the
reign of king Edward VL he returned to England,
ami died in his native country iu the year 1553.
Besides purchasing the copies of Tyndal at Ant-
wer[>, other means were fried : orders and monitions
were issued by the archbishop of Canterbury, and
the bishop of London, to bring in all the New
'I'estamcnts translated into the vulgar tongue, that
they might be bunicd, and to proliibit the leading
of theui.
His brother, John Tyndal, was prosecuted, and
sentenced to do penance ; his patron, aldennau
Monmouth, was imprisoned, and almost ruined.
In 1553, king Henry VHl. ordered all the books
containing several errors, &c. with the translation
of the scriptures coriiipted by William lyndal, as
well in the Old Testament as in the New, to be
utterly expelled, rejected, and put away out of the
hands of his people, and not to go abroad among his
subjects : a proclamation was issued to the same
purpose.
Tyndal's translation of the Pentateuch was printed
at Marlborough in Hesse, the year before, and that
of Jonah this yejir. Some are of opinion these
were all he translated, and Fox mentions no more;
but Hall and Bale, his contemporaries, say, that he
likewise translated Joshua, &.c. to Nehemiah ; which,
unless Matthew's Le so far a new translation, is most
probable. Fuller presumes, that he translated the
Old Testament out of the Latin, as his friends
allowed him not to have any skill in Hebrew; but
in this he might be mistaken. He finished his trans-
lation of the Pentateuch in "the year 1528; but going
by sea to Hamburgh, he suttVied shipwreck, with
the loss of all his bouks, papers, Sic. so that he was
obliged to begin the whn'ie again.
Tvndnl liiiHselt", in a letter lo John Frith, written
January 15S3, says, " I call (>'od to neotde against
the day we shall appear before oiir Lord Je-^ns, to
give a reckoning of our doings, that 1 never idtered
one syllable of God's word against, my conscience;
nor would do this day, if al! that is in earth, whether
it be honour, pleasure, or iiches, niight be given to
me. Moreover, I take God to witness to m) con-
science, that I desire of Gud lo myself in this world,
no more than that without winch 1 eanuyl keep his
laws."
It appears however, th;it the king, in pursuance
of his own settled judgment, thinking a great deal
of good might come of people's reading the New
Testament with reverence, and following of it, <on)-
maudcd the bishops to call to them the best learr:fi)
K
%i^.
OF THE BIBLt:.
of th^ tWjQ yniversrties, ami to csmae g new trauis«
Nation to be vitade that the people should not be
ignorant of God's law: but nothing being done, the
people still read and studied Tyndals ; therefore,
according tq the policy of the times, it was dcter-
mifled to get rid of so dangerous a hejetic; and the
kjng and covuicil employed one Henry Phillips, who
insinuated hin'S^'' 'Uto the acquaiptance of Mr.
Tyrjdal, aad Mr. Thomas, Poiutz, au English mer-
chant, at wbo'ie house he lodged : and at a favour-
a,ble upportuuity he got the procutator-geueral of
the emperor's court to seize ou Tjndal, by whom he
was brought to Vilvo^-deu, or Fiiforde, about 18
miles from Ant\vej;p ^ mid after bein^ impnisoned a
year and a hsif, notwithstanding letters in his favour
froni secretary Croiawell and others, to the coiu't at
Brussels, he was tried, and none of his reasons iu his
defence being admitted, lie was condemned by virtue
of the eaipetor's decree made in the assembly at
Augsbujgl^ iu the year 1536- His friend Mr. Pouitz
also was for spme time keptiu prison, but afterwards
iqa^e his escape. Being brought to the place of
execution, he was fi.ts,t strangled, calling out in his
last moments, " Lord, open the king of England's
eyes!" a>id then was burned. Thus died Willlim
Tyndal, with this testimony to his character given
him by the enipftor's. pioctwator or attorney-gexieral,
though his adversary, that be was " Homo doctus,
pius, et bonus ;" which Fox translates, a learned,
good, and godly man : and otliers who conversed \:«ith
him in the castle, reported of him, that " if he were
not a good Christian man, they could not tell whom
to trust."
The finst English Bible, or complete translation
of the scriptures printed, was that by Myles Cover-
dale, the tirst edition of which bears date 1535,
dedicated to king Henry VHI. This edition is
printed in folio, and the title, ornamented with an
emblematical border cut in wood, is
" Biblia, the Bible ; that is, the Holy Scripture
of the Olde and Nesv Testament, faithfully and newly
iranslatcd out of Douche and Latyn into Euglishe.
M.D.XXXV."
" St. Paul, 2 Thess. iii. Praie for us, that the
word, of God male have free passage and be glorified,
&.C."
" St. Paul, Coloss. iii. Let the word of Christ
dwell in you plentiously in all wisdom, Sic."
" Josiie i. Let not the boke of this lawe departe
out of thy moulb, but exercise thyselfe therein day
arid night." A copy is in the British Museum.
In bishop Coverdale's Bible we meet with the
fgllovving judicious remark, which shews the very
respectable knowledge and temper of diat great man.
" Now whereas the most famous interpreters of all
i;eve sondrye judgir.entes on the texte (so fur as it is
dame by the spiryte of knowledge ia the Holye
Gftoste) methynke no man shouUie be offended
thereat, for they referre theyr doynges in mekenes lo
llic spiiyle of trueth in the congregation of God ;
ai>d sure I am, that there commethe more knowledge
and understondinge of the scripture by their sondrye
Uanslacions, than by all the gloses of our sophisti-
call doctours. For tliat or»e interpreteth somthynge
obscurely in one place, the same translateth another
(or els he Uimselfe) more manifestly by a more playne
vocable of the same meaning in anothei' place."
More than common care seems to have been taken
by Myles Covcrdale in^ the language of his trans-
lation : we have some, but they are very few, in-
stances of barbarism, and none which are not author*
ised by the purest writers of the times in which he
wrote. To him and other translators of tl)e scrip»
tures, especially of the present Bible, by the aulho-.
rity of king James, our language owes perhaps more
than to all the authors who have written since : and
even though some of the expressions may appear
uucouth, their fewness renders them not otfensivej
they are never vulgar, they preserve their aucienb
simplicity pure and uudefiled, and in their circum-
stance and connexion perhaps but seldom could be
exchanged for the better : nor will this opinion be
condemned when it is considered, that that elegant
writer and learned prelate, bishop Lowtb, has con-
stantly used the \.'ords where he has not differed from
the translation ; aud whenever amendments have beeut
intended in the language of the scriptures, if we
have gained any thing in elegance, we have almost
assuredly lost in dignity.
Myles Coverdale waf bom in Yorkshire, in the-
reign of king Richard 111. or beginning of king
Henry VH. about the year 1434, and being educated
in the Romish religion, became an Augustine monk.
But afterwards embracing the Reformation, he en-
tered into holy orders. He seems little noticed
during the reign of Henry VHL; but soon after the
accession of Edward VL he was one of the. first,
upon the revival of the church of England, together
with Dr. Robert Barnes, that taught the purity of
the gospel, and dedicated himself to the service of
religion; and in the year 1551 was, on the decease <
of Dr. John Harman, consecrated bishop of Exeter,
being promoted for his singular knowledge in divi-
nity, and his unblemished character. " Propter sin-
gularem sacrarum lilerarum doctmium, moresfjiie piO'
Oatissimqs."
Under the change of religion in queen Mary's
reign, our bishop was, like others, ejected from his
see, and thrown into prison; but M. Machaebaeus,
superintendant in Denmark, and related to Cover-
dale's wife, obtained of Christian, king of Denmark,
who also had some knowledge of him, having;,seen
hull at his court in Henry VIH.'s time, to intercede
with c^ueen Mary iu his behalf ; which he did with
OF THE BIBLE.
M5
SDcli perseverance, that after some considerable time,
ami not without difficulty, lie \\:i:' released, and per-
mitted to go into baiiislimcnt. Two letters written
by Christian to queen Mary on this occasion, are
preserved by Fox in his Acts and Moiuniients.
Coverdale took up his residence principally at
Geneva, where he engaged with so.ue Protestant
refugees in a new version of the scriptures from the
Hebrew and Greek languages with notes, culled from
the place, The Geneva Bilde ; and after the death
of queen Mary, when the affairs in religion took a
diff'creiit turn, he came back to England, but not
immediately, probably because the translation was
not then tinished , and (says the author of his life in
tlie Biographia Brit.) refused to be restored to his
bishopric ; but this is hardly reconcileable w ith the
state of his poverty and complaiuts related by Mr.
Strype, who says,
" Old Myles Coverdale, D.D. formerly bishop of
Exon, and an exile, famous for translating the Bible
into English in the reign of king Henry Vlll. and
other good services to religion, had been hitherto
without any place of preferment, living privately in
and about London, and often preaching in the
churches there. For this very reverend man, that
had so well deserved of religion, our bishop had a
great concern ; and it troubled him much to see such
an one as it were, cast by, without that notice taken
of him that was due; and once cried out about it,
" I cannot excuse us bishops;" but somewhat, he
said, he had to speak for himself, that he had off^ered
him divers things, which nevertheless he thought not
xneet to accept of.
" This man, notwithstanding his great years, had
wotten the plague this year, and recovered, as though
God had some more work for him to do in the
church before his death. Grindal acquaints the secre-
tary herewith : telling him, that surely it was not
well, that father Coverdale, as he styled him, (^«/
nnle }ios onuiesj'uit in Lliiisfo ; i. e. who was in
Christ before us all, should now be in his age with-
out stay of living. And therefore, Laiidaff' being
void, he recommended him to the secretary for that
see, if any competency of living might be made of it,
alter it had been so spoiled and stripped by the last in-
cuinbeiit: putting him in mind here, that it would be
well if any means might be found, that things wickedly
alienated fiom that see might be restored. But, I sup-
pose, Coverdale caied not now to enter upon the
chiiige of a bishopric, considering his own age, and
his want of strength and activity, required to execute
such an office. But, in line, in the month of Febru-
ary, our bishop collated Coverdale to the parish of
S. Magnus, at the bridge foot; and withal, sued to
the secretary to obtain the favour of the <|ueen to
release him his tirst-fruits, which came to sixty
pounds audup>\ard£. And the venerable man pleaded
himself for this favour to be shewn him, for these
reasons, viz. that he had been destitute ever since
his bishopric had been taken away from him (which
was upon the death of king Edward); and that he
never had pension, annuity, or stipend of it, for ten
years now past. And that he «as unable either to
pay the first-fruits, or long to enjoy the same living;
not able to live over a year, and going upon his grave.
And lastly, adding these words, that if poor old
Myles might be thus provided for, he should think
this enough to be as good as a feast. And he en-
joyed his request.
The contents of his letter to the archbishop,
which will set forth his present condition were,
"That it would please him to join with the bishop
of London in suit for him to the queen, that, ia
favourable consideration, how destitute he had been
of a competent living in the realm, ever since his
bishopric was violently taken away from him ; I
being, said he, compelled to resign, and how- I
never had pension, annuity, or stipend of it, these
ten years and upwards; how unable also I am to
pay the first-fruits, or long to enjoy the said bene-
fice, going upon my grave, as they say, and not
like to live another year ; her majesty, at the con-
templation of such reverend, honourable, and wor-
tliy suitors, will most graciously grant me her war-
rant and discharge for the first-fruits of the said
benefice. And as 1 am bold most humbly to crave
your Grace's help herein, so am I fully persuaded,
(God willing) to shew myself again as thankful, and
in my vocation, during my short time, as fruitful,
and as quiet as I can.
" MYL. GOV. quond. Exoii."
"COth Jan. New Year."
It is to be observed, that many of the first re-
formers had a great objection to the ecclesiastical
habits, and to almost every kind of ceremony;
holding tliciv remnants of popery. The refugees,
who settled at Geneva^ «ere jiarticnhirly tenacious
in this respect, 'i'he expression, " .as quiet as I
can," seems to imply that such objecticns had been
made by Coverdale, and some arguments used to
prevail on liim to conform ; to which not consent-
ing, his other merits might not be sufficient to his
re-establi.-hment in the church.
" He wrote also in the beginning of February to
Cecyl the secretary, to the same import, to be a
means for him to the queen, to grant him the first-
Iruits of the said S. Magi us, ubich the bishop of
London had gently granted him '.lie pastorj ofhce
and benefice of. That heretofore (he pra.sed God
for it) his honour hnd e^er been his speiJ;il help and
succour in all his rightful suits. And thut, if now
(thiit poor old Myles might be provided for) it
would ple.ise him to obtain this for h;ni, he sho .Id
think this enou»h to be as good as a feast. And so
846
OP THE BIBLE.
,bes«eGhifl4J bltn to take this bis boldness in good
part, be committed bini and alibis to the gracious
.protection of the Almiwlity.
" MYL. COV. quond. Evofi."
" From I,ondon, 6th Feb.
Covoidale wrote a month or sis weeks afteuto
.tliL' arrhbi.sbop again, signifying that the Lord Ro-
ller t Dudley sent him a message, that tlif. queen had
, granted him his lirst-fruits. lie lived little more
than two years after, and died aged 31, living, as
.he promised the arclibishop, quiet, though not
coming up to the nuiformity required, v.hich had
occasioned so mucii unqnietn'^ss in others : and
perhaps relinquishing his parish before his death.
For he wis buried not at S. Magnus, but S. Bar-
tholomew.
At the convocation, 1.53G, probably, the clergy
agreed upon a petition to the king, that he would
be graciously pleased to grant unto the laity the
reading of the Bible in the English tongue ; and
that a U8\v translation might be made for that pur-
pose ; and soon after w ere issued injunctions to the
clergy by the authority of the king's bigbnesse, the
seventh article of which commands,
" That every person or proprietary of any parish
church within this realm, at this great feast of St.
'Peter mI vincula, [Aug. I.] next coming, provide a
boke of the whole Bible, both in Latin and also in
English, and lave the same in the quire for every
man that will look thereon : and shall discourage no
man from the reading any part of the Bible, either
in Latin or English ; but rather comfort, exhort,
and admonish every man to read the same, as the
very word of God, and the spiritual food of man's
soul ; whereby they may better know their duties to
God, to the sovereign lord the king, and their
ueigbbour : ever gentilly and charitably exhorting
them, that using a sober and modest behaviour in
the reading aad inquisition of the true ^gnse of the
same, they do in no wise stitly or eagerly contend
or strive one with another about the same, but
refer the declaration of those places that be in cqn-
troversy, to tlie judgment of them that be learned."
' The lirst edition of Matthew's Bible generally
known was printed in tl;e year 1537. The title is,
in an emblematical frontispiece cut in wood, " The
Byblo, which is all t'.ie Holy Scripture, in which
are contained, the Olde and Newe Testament,
ti uiy and purely trai.slated into English by Thomas
Matthew."
" Esaye 1. Heaiken to, yc heavens, and thoii
earth, geave eare, for the Lorde speaketh.
M.D.XXXVH."
*' Set forth with the king's most gracious lycence."
At the end.
" ^ The Elide of the Newe Testament of the
whole Byble."
" ^ To the honour an*? praise of God was thi«
Byble prynted and fyneshed in the yere of oar
Lorde God, a. M.D.XXXVH." _ '
The name of Thomas Matthew is said to have
been fictions, and used by the real editor John
Rogers from motives of prudence or fear; for
although no clamour was raised against Mylcs Co-
verdale for his translation, the name of Tyndal was
exceedingly odious fo the clergy ; and muc'.i trouble
might reasoruibly have been expected frotn au
acknowledged republication of his translation.
" None «ill deny, says Fuller, but that many
faults needing aiiiendment are found in the [Tyndai's]
translation, which is uo v/oiider to those who consi-
der; lirst, such an undertak'ng was not the task for
a man, but men. Secondly, uo great design is
inveiitfed and perfected at once. Thirdly, Tyndal,
being an exile, wanted many necessary accomoda-
tions. Fourtljv, his skill in Hebrew was not con-
siderable ; yea, geneially learning m languages was
then but in the infancy thereof. Fifthly, our Eng-
lish tongue was not improved to that expressiveness,
whereat at this day it is ariivcd. However, what
he undertook, was to be admired as glorious; what
he performed to be commended as profitable;
wherein he failed, is to be excused as pardonable,
and to be scored on the account rather of that age,
than of the author himself. Yea, Tyndai's pain*
were useful, had his translation done no other good
than to help towards the making of a better ; our
last translators having in expresse charge from king
James to consult the translatitin of Tyndal."
Matthew's Bible is composed partly f^rom Tyn-
dals, and partly from Coverdale's translations, with
some alterations, taking Tyndai's New Testament,
and such parts of the Old as were translated by him,
except that the prophecy of Jonah is of Coverdale's
translation ; neither is Tyndai's prologue prefixed to
Jonal), or any other prologue inserted, except to the
Romans, in that which is supposed to be the first
edition. Sundry alterations are made from Cover-'
dale, and some have been of opinion, that it was a
new work imderlaken by Coverdale, Tyndal and Ro-
gers, and that the latter translated the Apocrypha;
but Mr. Lewis things that Coverdale had none to-
assist him in his translation, and tliat he was not
concerned in that called Matthew's, but only John
Rogers, who made a few alterations, but not a !;iw -
translation.
John Rogers was a native of Lancashire, artd edu-
cated at Cu!J)bridge, where iie took the degree of
Bachelor of Arts in 1525. From thence he \vas the. ■
same year chosen junior canon in Cardinal W olsey"s
College (now Christ church), in Oxfi>rd, bat on tlie
publication of the six articles, he tied to Germany,
and was iippoiiited chaplain to themerchants at Am-
werp, iu whose service he resided soaie years. Ht're.
OF THE BIBLE.
847
falling into companv, and CoincvsiiJg with Tyndal,
and C'ovt'i'dalc (says Tox), he joined with ihtni in
that painful and most profitable labour of translating
the Jlible into the English tongue, (which is entitled,
The translation of Thomas Matthew) married, and
renounced popery. He wasafterwanis chosen pastor
of a congregation of Protestants at W'iiteinbcrg, in
Saxony, having attained a knowledge of the language.
In the n-ign of king Edward \T. he came back to
England, and was preferred to the vicarage of St.
Sepulchre's in London. Bishop Ridley likewise gave
liiui a prebend in the church of St. Paul's, and the
Dean and Chapter those him to be reader of the
divinity lesson there. Thus he continued till the
reign of queen Mary, v.lion, preaching a sermon at
St. Paul's, warning the people to guard against
popery, he was called before the council, and soon
after tried and condemned as an heretic. He was
the tii-st martyr who sutiered in that reign, being
burned at Sniithtield, Feb. -t, 1555.
Archbishop ijjainiier's Bible was printed in the
jfiar loCif), theuijh perhaps fust pro])osed in convo-
cation six years before, but had at that time proved
abortive; and now pn'ulishcd with a prologue by the
arei.biadop. In this BiLle, the Uanslations of Covcr-
<iule ana Matthew seem to be rt vised and coriected.
The Psalnis are those now used iu the Liturgy.
In the y-ear 1538, Grafton and \\ hitchurch had
obtained permission of king Henry VIH. to print
t!;e Bible at Paris; but wheii tl;c work was nearly
finished, by an order of the Inquisition, dated the
1 7th of December the same year, the printers were
inhibited luider canonical pains to proceed; and the
uhole impression of two thousand live bundled
copies was seized aud confiscated ; but by the en-
couragemont of the Lord Cromwell, some English
men returned to Paris, recovered the presses, types,
&c. and brought them to London, where the work
was resumed, and a Bible was finished in 1539, llie
title of which is,
" ^ The Byble in Englishe, that is to saye, the
content of idl the Holy Scriptuce both of the Old
and New Testamen:, tridy translated after the veryte
of the Hebrew ai.d G:eke textes, by the dylygejit
stiidye of dyverse excelk-ut learned niew, expert in
Vjic f-rsayde tonges.
" *ii Pryntcd by Richard Grafton anu Edivard
Whitef.urcli. CuiH priii'egio ad impriiutnduiii
iohi.m. 1539."
This was called Cr.mnier's BiUIe, on account of
the preface, or prolague, which was written by the
archbishop.
Th'iuias Craumer was born at Arslacton in N'ot-
tinghamshne, id the year 1489. He was edr.cated
at Citiiibridge, ad nitled a fellow of Jesus College,
and made one of tlve ex;i miners of those who took
Utgrtes lu dwiuily. By inairying he lost bis fellow-
56 ■ iO
j ship ; but his wife dying within a ycai he was r'in-
] stated. 'I'he occasion of his preferment was his
I opinion concerning the kingi. divorce, " That it
might be decided from the Scriptures, by learned
men in England, as well ai at Home ;" in conse-
quence of which Mr. Cranmer was sent for to court,
and made king's ch:tplain; and writing in favour of
the divorce, he was promoted to the archdeaconry
of Taunton. In 1530, being sent to Italy, Ger-
many, and France, to discuss the king's marriage,
the pope constituted him his plenipotentiary
throughout England, Ireland, and Wales. In
1532, he married again ; and on the death of arch-
bishop Warhani, was promoted to the see of Can-
terbury, and consecrated in 1533. In 1545 — 154(^,
he procured, a repeal of tlie six articles, the esta-
blishment of the connnunion in both kinds, and a
public liturgy, &.C. Upon king Edward's death he
appeared for lady Jane Gray, for which he was
summoned before queen Mary's council, and com-
mitted to the Tower. In the ensuing parliament he
was attainted, and found guilty of high treason. -^-
His treason being paidoned, he was nc.\t tried at
Oxford as an herdic, aird burned on the 2 1st of
March 1555-'), in the fJTth year of his age.
There are several editions of archbishop Cranmer's
Bible; in partitidnr, one in 1541, under the care of
Tonstal, bishop of Durham, and lleatli, bishop of
Rocliester; and another, printed at Roan, at the
charge of Richard Cnrmarden, 1556.
In November 1539, the king appointed lord Crom-
well to take especial care and charge, that no man-
ner of person or persons within this his riidni, shall
enterprise, attempt, or set in hand to print any Bible
iu the English tongue of anv manner .of volume,
during the space of live years next ensuing the dat"rj
thereof, but only such*:is sliall he deputed, assigned,
and admitted by the said lord Cronrweil ; aud it is
not improbable but this niiijht hn^e been dcuie iu
favour of Tri-.xrner's Bilile, whi.li appeared ;;t tl'.is
time: Bale calls it, Stfroi'iin rerp^^iuf/o, siii potius
tersio itoiii ; Uit Mr. Lewis say;, that it is neither
a bare rev)8;il, nor a eorrcct edition of t!ie English
Bible ; nor yet strictly a new version, but belwceu
both; it is what may be called a correction of Mat-
thew's Bible, wherever tlie ediior thonuht it needful.
Me takes in great part of Manhcw's marginal notes,
but omits sexcral, anS inserts others of Ins own.
Richard Tav*rner was born at Brisley in Norfol4c,
in the vear 1505, aiid firs'. (U.i«.red at Benet-college
in Cambridge: after a ye.ir ai:d y half spent in aca-
demical studies, he was -chosen one of the junior
canons of Clirist-church Ytheji C udinal-colJege) in
Oxford, where lie took the degree of Bachelor of
.Alt«, 1529. Eroni tiieiice i.e wtnt to Stane-lnn,
otherwise called Stroiid-lnii, dtsnoy(.d f'T the pur-
pose of building Soincrsel-houic, to study the law.
8'48
OF THE BIBLE.
and from thence to the Inner Temple, where, it is
said, his way was to quote the law in Greek when he
read any thing thereof. In 15.44 he went to court,
l)«ina; taken into the service of Sir Thomas Crom-
well; and in 1537 v.as made one of the signet m
ordinary : in which situation he made this recognition
of tke Bible, which was authorised to be read in
churches.
After lord Cromwell's death in 1540, Ire was
committed prisoner to the Tower for [publishing the
Bible; but he w;is soon acquitted, and restored to
the king's favour, and to his place at court, in which
he continued till the accession of queen Mary ; from
which time till her death, he retired to his seat called
Itforbiton-hall, in Surrey. He was afterwards a great
favourite of queeu Elizabeth, and received from her
the honour of knighthood. He died at Woodeaton
in Oxfordshire, in July 1575.
• The title of Taverner's Bible is,
" The Most Sacred Bible, which is the Holy
Scripture, conteyning the Old and New Testament,
translated into English, and newly recognized with
great diligence after most faythful exemplars, by
Rychard Taverner.
" Harken thou heaven, and thou earth gyve eare:
for the Lorde speaketh. Esaie i.
" Prynted at London in I'letestrete at the sygne of
the Sonne, by John Byddell, for Thomas Barthlet. —
" Cum privih-ffin ad imprimeiidum solum.
M.U.XXXIX."
In the convocation held February 6, 1542, the
archbishop in tht; king's name required the bishops
Mid clergy to revise the translation of the scriptures;
;<nd for that purpose different parts of the New 'I'es-
i;)iufnt were put into the hands of several bishops
tor their perusal : the archbishop took the gospel of
St. Matthew; Mark was, given to Longland, bisluip
of Lincoln; Luke, to Gardiner, bishop of Winches-
ter; John, to Goodrich, bishop of Ely; Acts, to
Heath, bishop of Roch.ester ; Romans, to Samson,
bishop of Chichester; I. and II. Corinthians, to
C.ipon, bishop of Sarum ; Ephesians, Philippians,
and Colossians, to Barlow, bishop of St. David's; I.
and II. Thessalonians, to Bell, bishop of Worcester;
'J'lmothy, Titus, and Philemon, <© Parfew, bishop of
St. Asaph ; I. and H. Peter, to Holgate, bishop of
Landaff; Hebrews, to Skip, bishop of Hereford;
James, the three epistles of John, and Jiule, to
Thyrlcby, bishop of Westminster; and the Reve-
lation, to VVakeman, bishop of Glocester, and Cham-
bers, bisliop of Peterborough.
Many objections v\'ere raised on various pretences,
and bishop Gardiner read a list of ninety-nine Latin
words, which he said would not admit of being trans-
lated into English. By this the archbishop found
that this motion ot translation would come to nothing.
And a deteruiinatioB of the king's to wrest the work
from the bishops, and place it in the hands of the
Unii'ersilies, seems to have had a similcr fate; for
the next year an act was passed wi:!i!h condemned
all Tyndal's translation a3 crafty, false, and untrue;
and enacted, that all books of the Old and New I'es-
tainent of his translation "should, by the authority of
this act, be abolished, extinguished, and forbidden to
be kept and used in this realm, or elsewhere in his
majesty's dominions. But it was provided,
- " That the Bibles and New Testaments in Eng-
lish, not being of Tyndal's tran.«latioi!S, should stand
in force, and not be comprised in this aboluion or
act. Nevertheless, if there should be found i;i anie
such Bibles or New Testamentes anie annotations or
preambles, that then the owners of therri should cut
or blot the same in such wise as they cannot be per-
ceived or read, on pain of losing or forfeiting for
every Bible, &c. 40s. Provided that this article
should not extend to the blotting, &c. any quotations
or summaries of chapters in any Bibles."
It was likewise enacted, " That no manner of
person or persons, after the firste day of October then
next ensuing, should take upon him or them to read,
openly to other in any church or open assembly,
within any of the king's dominions, the Bible or any
part of the scripture in English, unlesse he was so
appointed thereunto by the king, or by any ordinarie,
&c. on pain of suffering a month's imprisonment. —
Provided, that the chauncellor of England, capitaines
of the warrcs, the king's justices, the recorders of
any city, borough, or town, the speaker of the Par-
liament, &c. w liich heretofore have been accustomed
to declare or teache any good, vertuous, or godly ex-
hortations in anie assemblies, may use any part of
the Bible or holie scriptures as they have been wont;
and that every nobleman, and gentleman, being a
housholder, may read, or cause to be read by any of
his familie, servants in his house, oichardes, or gar-
den, and to his own familie, anie text of the Bible
or New Testament : and also every merchant-man,
being a housholder, and any other persons other than
womtn, prenti.ses, Stc. might read to themselves pri-
vately the Bible, &c. But no woman (e.xcept noble-
women and gentlewomen, who might read to them-
selves alone, and not to others, any texts of the Bible,
8cc.), nor artificers, prentises, journeymen, serving-
men, of the degrees of yomen or under, hcsband-
men, nor labourers, were to read the Bible or New
Testament in Englishe to himself or any other pri-
vately or openly, upon paine of one montli's impri-
sonment."
Grafton was called to account for printing Mat-
thew's Bible 1537, and examhied as to the great
Bible, what notes he intended to set to it : to which-
he replied, " that he added none to the Bible he
printed, when he perceived the king and the clergy
not willing to have any." Yet he was confined a
OF THE TBIBLE.
84»
prisoner in the Fleet six weeks, ami then released on
beiii^ bound in a bond of 300l. mitlier to imprint or
sell any more English Bibles till ihe king and clergy
should agree upon a translation.
And a^uin anodu-r jct was passed, July 8, 154-6,
whereby die huvnig and reading 'lyiidal's and Cover-
dale's translations was prohibited, as well as tiie use
of any oilier than what was allowed by act of Par-
liaineiit. Thas matters conlinned so long as king
Henry lived; but, on the accession of his son Kd-
\vard VI. they took another turn ; iLe llufonnation
was encouraged, and the acts whn n prohibited the
translation of the scriptures, were repealed. In-
junctions were issued, and sent into every part of the
kingdom, among other things enji>ining, that within
three months a Bible of the larger volume in Eng-
lish, and within twelve months Erasmus's Paraphrase
on the Gospels, be provided, and conveniently placed
tu the churches for the people to read iu.
Common Prai/cf,
The same year also, 1549, was printed the Book
of Common i'rayer, compiled by Cranmer, arch-
bishop of Canterbury ; Day, bishop of Chichester ;
Goodrich, bishop of Ely ; Skip, bishop of Here-
ford ; Holbeach, bishop of Lincoln ; Ridley, bishop
of Ivochester; Thyrleby, bishop of Winchester;
l>r. May, dean of St. Paul's; Dr. Taylor, dean of
Lincoln; Dr. Haines, dean of Exeter; Dr. Ro-
bertson, dean of Durham; Dr. Redman, master of
Trinity-College, Cambridge ; and Dr. Cox, almoner
to the king.
The title : " The booke of the Common Praier,
and administracion of the Sacramentes, and oilier
rites and ceremonies of the Churche : after the use
of the Churche of England.
." Loiidiiti, iu vfiiciiia Ruhaidi Grafton regij im-
jirensoris, cum prhikirni ad impriineudiim solum,
" Anuo Domini MDXLIX, Mense Mailij.
Division into verses.
On the death of Edsvard, wiien ^lary came to
the crown, many of the reformed tied into divers
parts of Germany, and some of them wiio resided
at Geneva, setting about a new translation of the
Scriptures, in the year 1557 the New Testament
W3S printed at Geneva by Conrade Badius, and is
said to be the first in English divided into verses.
Whatever the antiquity of the Hebrew vowel
points may be, the division of verses in the Old
'iVstameiit is antecedent to the discovery of print-
ing, or anv manuscripts that are known to exist;
but in the Greek m.imiscripts of the New Teslti-
ment, there is no distinction of verses, and when
they were first used by printers, is perhaps not very
accurately ascertained.
Robert Supliens is thought to have been the au-
thor or inventor of verses in the New Testament,
which (says his son in the preface to his Concor-
dance) be performed in a journey on horseback
[inter eijuitaiiduvi] from Paris to Lyons.
Father Caltnet says, " the first division of the
New Testament was made by Robert Stephens in
1551, and of the whole Bible in 1555." Michaelis
says, " verses were first used in the New Testament
by Robert Stephens in 1551, and in the Old Testa-
ment by Hugo de St. Claro, a Dumiiiican monk in
the twelfth century." But a Latin Bible, translated
by Sanctus Pagninus, and printed at Lyons in the
year 1527 or 15<2S, before Robert Stephens had
printed any Bible, on his own account, at least, is
divided, the verses being numbered in the margin,
and distinguished in the text, by paragraphical
marks, both in the Old and New TesUment, and
in the Apocrypha. The New Testament is indeed
made into fewer divisions. St. Matthew's gospel,
in this edition, is divided into 5/6 verses (die first
chapter containing 49, each of the present genealo-
gical verses making 3) while the present divison
amounts to 1071. The gospel of St. Mark is aa
257 to 678. In the Old Testament the difference
is small; in Genesis only 22 verses. Father Calroet
notes this Bible, but not the division of verses. In
the title page the date i» 1528, but the imprint at
the end is, " Veteria ac novi iuslrumenli nova trans'
/alio per Reverendum sacra Theolo. dodo. Sancteni'
Paguiniim Lucen. nuper edita, explicit. Impressa
ed antem Lugduni per Antonium du Ri/. calcogra-
phum dUigentissirnuHi impemis Francisci T-nrchi, et
Dominicj Bertiduium Lncensium, et lacobi de Gi-
uiitis bihliopolee civis Florenlini. Ainio Domini
1527, Die vero xxix Januarii." Is there not
then reason to conclude, that Robert Stephens had
seen this Bible, foresaw the inility of verses, imi-
tated, and improved thereon ? 'llic great advaiituge
of such a division is allov.ed by all to whom the ud&
of -a concordance is known.
Punctuation of the Bible, -
The punctuation of the Bible is a modern inven-
tion. In the ancient manuscripts no marks are
found, except a point and a blank space. T!ie
comma was invented in the eighth century ; the
semicolon in the iunth ; the other slops were intro-
dii'-ed afterwards. The spirits and the accent-* .ire
iioi ejirlier, in the opinion of most writers, than
the seventh century i.
«50
OF THE BIBLE.
Concordance to the Btbk.
The first Englisli concordance that we read of is
Jhat of Marbeck, printed in the year 1 jjO, by Ri-
chard Grafton, compiled, as it seeine, from the
great Bible, i. e. archbishop Craiinier's Bible.
John Marbeck was an organist iii Wind.sor clioir,
end nuich befriended by bishop Gardiner. He sv.is
Eccused and condemned on tli« statute of the Six
Articles, but pardoned.
Another edition of the Geneva Testament was
printed in !.3(3(), in which year the whole Bible was
clso printed at Geneva by iio^land Harle, cr Hall,
in quarto. 'J'he persons who translated tiie Gei.ev'a
Bible, are supposed to have been Coverdale, Good-
man, Gilby, Whittiiighani, Samson, and Coie ; to
which some add' Knox, Bodleigh, and Pullain. —
The principal were, Coverdale, Whittinghani, and
Gilby, who did not return to England till the whole
was finished in IjSO.
Christopher Goodman was born in Cheshire, and
after a gran)niatlcal education sent to Brazen-^i ose-
Coliege at Oxford. In li44 he took his Master of
Arts degree, and in 1347 he was chosen one of the
senior students of Christ-church, and professor of
divinity, (wliether of the Margaret lectures or of
those founded by Henry Vlll. does not appear) but
quitted his prefermeut, and went abroad on Mary's
coming to the crown, first to Francfoit ; but after-
viardshe removed to Geneva, with Whitlingham
and other dissentients, on account of some ecclesi-
astical disputes, where he abode till the reign of
queen Elizabelh, when he returned to England, aud
died at Chester in the year lG02.
Anthony Gilby was likewise a refugee.
Singing Psalms.
William Whittingham was a Chcehire man, and
educated at the same college with Christoplnr
Goodman; in 1545 he was -elected fellow of Ail
Souls, and two years .after a senior student of
Christ-church. lie went abroad at the death of
Edward VI. and returning in the reign of queeii
Elizabeth, he was made dean of Dunholme, (,Dur-
li.^m) in 1563. He was one of those who assisted
. with Sternhold and Hopkins in translating the
Psaluw into metre, and his are distinguished by tlie
initiiils VV. W. Thomas Norton, of Sharpenhaule,
Gr Sharpenhoe in Bedfordshire, was another of the
iraiislalors.
The first edition of Steruhold's Psalms was pro-
bably in 1552. But before this ihe Psalms in me-
tre were printed 1549, said to be translated by John
Ke(per; and another version by Robert Crowley,
ihe same year.
Thomas Samjpsou born about the year 1517, was
educat-ed at O.sford; and renouncing poperv, he
•♦■as ordained by Dr. Ridley, bishop of London. —
In 1551, he w.m collated by ihe archbishop of
Canterbury, to the living of All Hallo\<s, Bicad-
Street, which he resigned in 1553, being, it is snid,
promoted to the deanery of Chichester. In the
rtign of queen Mary, being married, (his wife wa«
the niece of Hugh Latimer) he left the kingdom,
and reiired to Geneva; but on the accession of
queen Elizabeth, rettirning to England, in 15fil, he
was promoted to the deanery of Christ church,
Oxford, of which dignity he was deprived in 1564,
for not wearing the habits then enjoined. The
queen offeieri him the bishopric of Norwich, whicii
he reiused, for no other reason but his averseness
from the ceremonies and habits of tiie church.
Thomas Cole was, during the reign of queen
Mary, a refugee at Geneva; but returning into
England in the ntxt reign, he vias collated to the
arclidccconry of Essex, in January 1559, by Grin-
dal, bishop of London, and had the rectory of
lligh-Ongar in Essex given him.
That which was done in tl>e Geneva Bible was
as follows :—
" 1. Because some translations read after one
sort, and some after another, they noted in tba
margin the diversities of speech, and reading, espe-
cially according to the Hebrew.
" 2. Where the Hebrew speech seemed hardly ta
agree with ours, they noted in the margiii, usin-j-
that which was more iuteHigible.
■'•' 3. Though many of the Hebrew names were
altered from the old text, and restored to (he true
wiiting, and tirst original, yet in the usual names,
litile was changed, for fear of troubling the simple
readers.
" 4. Whereas the necessity of the sentence re-
quired any thing to be added, whelher verb, or
other word, they put it in the text with another kind
ot letter, that it might easily be discerned from the
common letter of the text.
" 5. As touching ihe division of the verses, thcv
fc>llo\\ed the Hebrew examples, adding the niiiiiber
to eat t> vcise.
" 6 The principal matters were noted ; and the
arguments, both for each bock, and for each chap-
ter.
" 7. They set over the head of every page, some
notable word, or sentence, for the help of «iejnory.
" 8. They set brief amiolaticns upon all the hiud
places, as well for the understanding of obscure
words, ns for declaration of the text. And fmr th:?
purpose they diligently read the best en: :meiitaries ;
and had much conference wish godly iiid learned
brethren. \
" 9- They set forth with figures certain jilaces in
the books of Moses, of the Kin^s, auei Ezekiel;
OF THE BIBLE.
851
which seemed so dark, that t)j' no other description
tlicy could be made easy to the reader.
" 10. They addud certain maps of coiinography,
of divers places and coiuilcies, partly described, and
partly by occasion touched, both in the Old and
New Testament.
"II. They adjoined two profitable tables: the
one of interpretations of Hebrew names, and the
other containing all the chief and principal matters
of the whole Bible.
But in the year 1565 the Bible was preparing for
a second impression. As tiiis Bible had been set
fbith before by a joint company of men," (tiie name
of one whereof, and wc tliink the chief undertaker,
was John Bodleigh) so about the beginning of
March they had finished a careful review 'and cor-
rection of this translation, in order to tiie reprinting
it. Bodleigh had applied himself to the queen's
secretary Cecyl, for the renewing of his privilege,
with longer term of years than was at first granted
them, for the new printing of this Bible, that had
been by him and his associates before pnblisiied. —
But the secretary suspended giving his furtherance,
until he had heard the advice of the arciibishop and
bishop of London. \Vliereupon Bodleigh repaired
unto them, and signified the charge he and the rest
Irad been at, by the last impression, and by the late
review, desiring their letter to the secretary. They
secretary, I suppose, might make some scruple at
the encouragement of this new impression ; because
the bishops had intended themselves speedily to pub-
lish a fair and accurate English tianslalion. But
both the archbishop and bishop willingly gave their
letters to the secretary in Bodleigh's behalf : writing
to him, that they thought so well of the first impres-
■■fon, and the review of those who had since travailed
'herein, that they wished it would please liitn to be
i means, that twelve years longer term might be by
cpecial privilege granted to him in consideration of
the charges by him and his associates in the first im-
prcg.sion, and the review silhence sustained. And
that lhou!;h one other special Bible for the churches
wjre meant by them to be set forth, as convenient
fmc and leisure hereafter might permit ; yet should it
;)0!h:ng hinder, but rather do much good, to have
n\v<r?.ily of tiaii;slalions and readings. And that if
J.^e license hereafter to be made went sin>ply forth,
■Aithout proviso of their oversight, as they thought
it might so pass well enough, yet l.hey told ilie sccrt-
!ary, they would take such order v.ilh the parly, in
%fri'.ing [under his hand] that no impression should
pass but by their direction, consent, and advice. —
This was V, rit irorn Lambeth, signed by the arehbi-
ttiop, and bishop of London, March 9. Sln/pe.
'Ihe reign "ii <jueen Mary was too unfavourable
for any translation of the scriptures to be printed in
Liiglaiid ; and except the (ieueva Teslanient before
.>7 10
mentioned, we meet with nothing but a quarto primer,
Latin and English, after the use of Saruni, with the
epistles and gospels in English, printed by John
Kingston and Henry Sutton, 1557.
In the first parliament of queen Elizabeth, held
January 1558, an act passed for restoring to the
crown the ancient jurisdiction over the state ecclesi-
astical and spiritual ; and another for the uniformity
of common prayer, and ser\4ce in the church, 8cc.
The queen also appointed a royal visitation, and gave
her injunctions, as well to the clergy as laity, by
which it was ordered, as in the reign of Edward V'l.
that they should, at the charge of the parish, wilhia
three months, provide one book of the whole Bible
of the largest volume in English , and within twelve
months the Paraphrase of Erasmus.
The following year the liturgy was reviewed, and
altered in some passages ; and being presented to
parliament, was by them received and established. — i
■The persons employed were, according to Fuller,
Master Whitehead, once chaplain to queen Ann
Boleyn ; Parker, archbishop of Canterbury; Griii-
dal, bi'ihop of London ; Cox, bishop of Ely ; Pil-
kington, bishop of Durham; Dr. May, dean of St.
Paul's; and Sir Thomas Smith, principal'secretary
of state. And soon after a design was formed to
make a new translation of the scriptures, under the
direction of archbishop Parker ; which, however,
was not printed before the year 1568, when it first
appeared in folio : this is called The Bishops'
Bible.
The work was divided into several parcels, and
assigned to men of learning and character, picked
out for the purpose. Most of the divisions are
marked with great initial letters, signifying either the
titles or names of tlie persons employed. AVilliani
Ally, bishop of Exeter, had ihe Pentateuch for his
proportion, and at the end there stands the rapilal
letters W. E. Joshua, Judges, Ilutlj, and the two
books of Samuel, were given to Richard Davies,
preferred to the see of St. David's, when Young was
translated to York: it is marked !'. M. The four
books of Kings, and Chronicles, were ,3.-signcd to
Edwin Sandys, then bishop of Worcesfer., 'I'he
books of V./.xi, Nelien>i:ih, Jislhcr, and .(oh, vera
done by one whose name js marked A. P. C which
probably might stand for Andrew Per«i>n, one of the
archbishop's chaplains, and prebendary of Canter-
bniy. The book of Ps-.ilms is "iigncd with T. B.
wlieiher this was Thomas Bentham, bishop of Co-
ventry, or 'I'homas Beacon, prebendary of Canter-
bury, is souH'^hat uncertain, but most probably the
latter. 'I'he Pioveibs were translated by one who
subseril)fs .\. P. C. the C standi at some distance,
probubly to distinguish the pcfstjii from the former
A. P. C. Ecclcsiastcs, and boiomoii's Song, are^
mr.ikid with A. P. C for Andreas Pcriie Elicn»is.—
9;.e
OF THE BIBLE.
Esaiah, Jeremy, and Lainentations, were done by
Robert Horn, bishop of Winchester, as maybe con-
jectured from the letters R. W. Ezekiel and Daniel,
were translated by T. C. L. which is supposed to
Sand for Beutham, bishop of Litchfield. Hosea,
oel, and so forward through all the minor prophets,
is signed E. L. and was done by Edmund Grindal,
bishop of London. The Apocrypha, as it is said,
Vv/as translated by Parkhurst, bishop of Norwich ;
the capitals subjoined are T. N. Bishop Burnet
relates. Barlow, bishop of Chichester, began with
Esdras, and translated to the book of Wisdom. The
four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the
epistle to the Romans, were given to Cox, bishop of
Ely ; the capitals are R. E. for Ricardus Eliensis. —
The first epistle to the Corinthians is subscribed G.
Q. which probably inay stand for Gabriel Goodman,
then dean of Westminster. The remainder of the
Nevv Testament has no capitals subjoined. Arch-
bishop Parker had the main direction of this affair,
revievved the performance, and, it may be, gave the
finishing hand. He employed several critics in the
Hebrew and Greek languages to review the old trans-
lation, and compare it with the original. One Law-
lence, an eminent Grecian, was made use of to ex-
amine the version of the New Testament. He seems
to have been well qualified for this undertaking,
managed with great exactness, and made several ani-
rnadversicns upoa the performances of Beza and
Erasmus in this way.
The bishop of Worcester, who was well skilled in
ttie oriental languages, when he had finished his part,
sent it to the aichbishop, with his letter, dated Wor-
cester, February 6, 1565.
My duty remembered : according to your Grace's
letter of instruction, I have perused the book you
sent me, and with good diligence : having also, in
conference with some other, considered of the same,
in such sort, I trust, as your Grace will not mislike
of. I have sent up with it my clerk, whose hand 1
used in wrilinp; forth corrections and marginal liotes.
When it shall please your Grace to set over the book
to be viewed by some one of your chaplains, my
said clerk shall attend a day or two, to make it plain
iniio him how uiy notes are to be placed. In mine
opinion, voiir Grace shall do well to make the whole
Bible to be diligently surveyed by some well learned,
before it be put to print; and also to have skilful
■and diligent correctors at the printing of it. That
it may be done in such perfection, that the adversaries
can have no occasion to quarrel with it. Which
thing will require a time; sed mt lilo, si sat bene. —
The setters forth of this our common translation fol-
lowed !vliinsier too much, who doubtless was a very
negligtiii man in his doings, and often swerved very
much from the Hebrew. Thus, trusting that your
Grace will take ^ good part my trifles, wherein
wanted no good will, I commend the same to the
grace of Almighty God. From my house at Wor-
cester. Your Grace's in Christ at commandmeut.
EDW. WIGORN.
And in another letter the same pious bishop puts
the archbishop in mind of this great work to pro-
ceed earnestly forward in it : —
Your Grace (said he) should much benefit the
church in hastening forward the Bible, which you
have in hand : those that we have, be not onl} false
printed, but also give great oft'ence to many by rea-
son of the depravity in reading."
To Guest, bishop of Rochester, the archbishop
sent the book of Psalms to revise ; and he sent it
back again with his notes and advertisements, as the
bishop of Worcester had done. In his letter to the
archbishop, he said,
" He had not altered the translation, but where it
gave occasion of an error. As at the first Psalm, at
the beginning, I turn the preJerperfect tense into the
present tense, because the sense is too harsh in the
preterperfect tense. Where, in the New Testament,
one piece of a psalm is reported, 1 translate it in
the Psalms according to the translation thereof in the
New Testament, for the avoiding of the offence that
may rise to the people upon divers translations. —
Where two great letters be joined together, or where
one great letter is twice put, it signifieth that both
the sentences of the words be expounded together."
To Parkhurst, bishop of Norwich, the archbishop
sent another part of the Bible, to make his notes
and advertisements upon, who wrote back to the
archbishop, " That he woidd travail therein with
such diligence and expedition as he might."
Davies, bishop of St. David's, had another por-
tion, and he wrote to the archbishop, " That he was
in hand with that part of the Bible he sent him." —
And again, not long after the year 15t)6, he wrote
the archbishop, " That he would finish it with as-
much speed as he could ; and that he bestowed for
his performance of the same all such time as he could
spare."
This bishop was now very busy in translating the
Bible into Welch, together with William Salisbury,
bishop of Man, a man very learned in the British
antiquities.
This business in correcting the former translation
of the Bible went forward the next year 15G6.
Cox, bishop of Ely, who seems to have had an-
other part of the holy scripture committed to him,
in a letter dated May 3, liG6, had these words con-
cerning this noble work : " I trust your Grace is well
forward with the Bible by this time. I perceive the
greatest burden will lie upon your neck, touching
care and travail. I would wish that such usual
words as we English people be acquainted with,
might still remain in their form and sound, so far as
OF THE BIBLE.
853
the Hebrew will well bear ; inkl>orn terms to be
avoided. The translation of the verbs iii the Psalms
to be used uniformly in one tmae, &c. And if ye
translate boiiilns, or misericordia, to use U likewise in
all places of the Psalms, &c. God send this good
travail a blessed success."
We shall hear more of the archbishop Parker's
care and pains in this translation, under the years
lo(iS, 1 j69, and lo72, when it SL^enis first to Lave
been printed in the largest folio, accordin;; to Dr.
Fulk, in his Defence of the English Translation
against Gregory Martin, where he speaks of the
Bible revised by divers bishops to be first printed
in the large volumes, and a'.uhorised for the
ch-urches."
Matthew Parker was born at Norwich in the
year 1504, and was sent by his mother (his father
dying when he was but twelve years old) to the
University of Cambridge. He was first a Bible
clerk in Corpns-Christi-CoUege, and afterwards a
fellow. His iirst preferment was the deanery of
Stoke, which he obtained by the favour of queen
Ann Boleyn to whom he was chaplain. At her
death king Henry VHI. appointed him chajilaiii to
himself, in which capacity he also served his sou
Edward VI. By tlie former he was promoted to a
prebend of Ely, and the mastership of Corpus-
Christi, (by the election of the fellows, at the
command of the king.) Edward VI. gave him the
deanery of Lincoln, with the prebend of Coldiug-
ham ; which preferments he enjoyed till the reign of
queen Mary, in which, for being married, he was
deprived, and lived poorly during her reign. On
the accession of queen Elizabeth, the see of Can-
terbury being vacant by the death of Cardinal Pole,
he was thought the properest man for that high
place and preferment, and const-crated December
17, 155Q, and held the same 15 years and o months,
dying May 17, 1575, in the seventy-second year of
his age.
A translation of the New Testament by Laurence
Tonison, who was uudei-sccretary to Sir Francis
Waisingham, was printed in 1576. This was after-
wards reprinted frequently in the Geneva Bible,
instead of the former translation.
These labours of the Protestants had their effect
on the Catholics ; who, as they would not use the
versions of those whom lliey thought heretics, yet
were ashamed of having no version of Scripture for
ut,e, set themselves to translate, so far as they
lawfully might.
iu the year 15S2, was printed the New Testa-
ment, translated by the English college at Rheimes;
aud twenty-seven years after, in IfiOQ, appeared the
first volume, and in 1610, the second volume of I
the Old restameut and Apocrypha, printed at
Qtoway, apd thence called the Doway Bible. BotU
these have been reprinted several times ; but an
edition in five volumes 12mo, 1750, is much im-
proved in point of language, especially from the
Di/W.iy, which is in many instances very obscure.
The translators were, William Allen, Henry Hol-
land, Gregory Martin, and Richard Bristol. The
notes by Dr. Worthington. Le Long says, the
New Testament was principally translated by Wni.
llaynold, or Reynolds.
Dr. William Allen was born in Lancashire, and
educated at Oriel College Oxford. In the reign
of queen Mary, he was pnnci|i'il of St. Mary-Hall, ''
and canon of York ; but on the accession of queen
Elizabeth, he went to Lovam, was made canon of
Cambray and Rheimes, and in 15S7 he was pro-
moted by pope Pius V. to be cardinal priest of St.
Martin's, and archbishop of Mechlin : he died at
Rome in 1594, and was buried in the English
school.
Gregory Martin was born at Macfield near Win-
chelsea in Sussex, and educated at St. John's Col-
lege, O.xford, as one of the original scholars placed
there by the founder Sir Thomas While in 1557,
where he took the degree of Master of Arts, in
1564. Quitting Oxford, he was taken into the
family of tlie duke of Norfolk as tutor to his son.
Being a papist, he went to Doway; where apply-
ing himself to the study of divinity, he was made
licentiate in that faculty in 1575, and not long after
going to Rheimes, he was chosen divinity professor
to that university; and died in 1592.
Henry Holland was a Worcestershire man, and
fellow of St. John's in Oxford ; from whence he
went to Doway, where he took the degree of Bu-^
chelor of Divinity, and the order of priesthood. —
He was living in iGl I.
Richard Bristol, or Bristow, was born in the
city of Worcester, commenced Master of Arts at
Oxford in 15(i2, was afterwards fellow of Exeter,
and in 1569 he left the coHege and the kingdom. -
Going to Lovain, he abjured the ProtesUtnt reli-
gion, and became acquainted w ith Dr. Allen ; who
made him " tire first moderator or prelect of the
divinity study," at Doway, and afterwards commit-
ted to his care his new seminary at Rheimes, wliere
he lived two years, aud then coming to England for
his health, died in 1582.
Thomas Worthington, a native of Lancashire,
and well-descended, after taking the degree of Ba-
chelor of Arts at Oxford about 1570, went to the
college of Doway, and some years after v\ as trans-
lated thence to Rheimes : a little before tlie intended
Spanish invasion, he came over to England, was
taken up for a spy, and committed prisoner to the
tower, yet escaped with his life. Returning to
Doway, he reviewed aud published the English
tianslotiou of the Old Testament. above-mentioned,
854
OF THE BIBLE.
M'hich had been made at Rbeimes sorae )'ear.s before.
He comiJieiiced D. D. at Triers, and was made pre-
sident of the Engiisli college at Rheimes. He was
alive in I6II.
At a convocation Iti the ^xsr l603, soon after the
accession of James I. complaints were made that
iiiany and great faults existed in tlie translation
aiJlhorisod to be read; and Fuller says, one of the
best things produced by the Hamptoii-couit confer-
ejice was a resolution to his Majesty for a new
translation of the Bible ; and to this purpose the
king writes thus to the archbishops and bishops : —
" Kiglit trusty and well-beloved, we greet you well.
Whereas we have appointed certain learned men, to
theiuinihcr of four and iifty, for the translation of
the Bibl.?, and that in this number divers 6f them
have eitherno ecclesiastical preferment at all, or else
so very small, that the same is far unmeet for men
of their defence. And yet we of ourself in any con-
veniojU time cannot well remedy it. Therefore we
do hereby require you, That presently you write in
our name, as well ta the archbishop of York, as to
the lest of the bishops of the province of Canter-
bury, signifying unto them, that we do well and
straightly charge every one of them, as also the other
bishops of the province of York, as they tender our
good favour towards them, that (all excuses set apart)
when any prebend or parsonage being rated in our
book of taxations, the prebend to twenty pounds at
the least, and the parsonage to the like sum and up-
M'ards, shall next upon any occasion happen to be
void, and to be either of their patronage or gift, or
the like parsonages so void to be of the patronage
and gift of any person whatsoever, they do make stay
thereof, and admit none unto it, until certifying us
of the avoidance of it, and of the name of the pa-
tron (if it be not of their own gift), that we may
commend for the same some such of the learned men
as we shall think tit to be preferred to it ; not doubt-
ing of the bishops' rea.'.ncss to satisfy us herein,
or that any of the laity, when we shall in time
siiove them to so good and religious an act, will
be imwilling to give us the like due contentment
and satisfaction : we ourself having taken the same
order for such prebends and benefices as shall be
void in our gift, what we WTite to you of other, you
must apply to yourselves, as also not forget to move
the said archbishop, and all the bishops, with their
deans and chapters of botli provinces, as touching
iliv other point to be imparted by you unto them.
" Furthermore, we require you to move all our
bishops to inform tl'.emselves-of all such learned men
wiihln their several dioceses, as having especial skill
in the Hebrew and Greek tongues, have taken pains
on their' private studies of the tcriplures, for the
xiearing of any obscurities, ^'iiher in die Hebjevv or
III the Greek, or toucUtiigany diilicuities or icistak-
ings in the former Engiisli translations, which we
have now commanded to be tlioroughly viewed and
amended ; and thereupon to write unto them, ear-
nestly charging them, and signifying ofcr pleasure
therein, that they send such their observations, either
to Mr. Fivelie, our Hebrew reader in Cambridge;
or to Dr. [larding, our Hebrew reader in Oxford ; or
to Dr. Andrews, dean of Westminster; to be im-
parted to the rest of their several companies, that ;tO'
our said inteiided translation may have the help an t
furtherance of all our principal learned men withi.i
this our kingdom. Given under our signet, at cur
palace of Westminster, the two and tweirtieth day of
July, in the second year of our reign of Engiund,
France, and Ireland; and of Scotland the thuty-
seventh."
This letter being written about three years before,
it is probable seven of the persons nominated for this
performance died in the interval, or thv.t so many
might have been employed in revising the translation j
for Fuller's list of the translators amounts but to
forty-seven. This number, ranged under six divisions,
entered upon the work this spring. The names of
the persons, the places where they met, together witii
the portions of scripture assigned each connpauy, are
as follow : —
JVestmimter 10. The Pentateuch, the history frora
Joshua to the first book of the Chronicles exclu-
sively.— Dr. Andrews, fellow and master of Pem-
broke-hall, in Cambridge, then dean of Westminster,
afterwards bishop of Winchester. Dr. Overall, fel-
low of Trinity-college, master of Katherine-hall, in
Cambridge, then dean of St. Paul's, after bishop of
Norwich. Dr. Saravia, prebendary of Canterbury.
Dr. Clarke, fellow of Christ's-coUege in Cambridge,
vicar of Mynstre and Monckton in Thanet, and one
of the six preachers in Canterbury. Dr. Laitield,
fellow of Trinity in Cambridge, and parson of Cle-
ment Danes: being skilled in architecture, his jndg- '
ment was much relied on for the description of the
tabernacle and temple. Dr. Leigh, archdeacon of
Middlesex, parson of All-Hallows, Batking. Mas-
ter Bingley, Mr. King, Mr. Tonipson, Mr. Bedwcli,
of Cambridge, and vicat of Tottenham nigh London.
Cami ridge 8. From the nr^t of the Ciironicles, •
with the rest of the history and the Hagiographia,
viz. Job. Psalms, Proverbs, Canticles, Ec< lesiastes. '
— Mr. Lively. Mr. Richardson, fellow of F^mauuel, •
after D.D. master first of Peter-house, then of Tii-
nity-coiIc.;e. Mr. C'l.idderton, after D. ]). fello^v
first of Christ-cidlege, then master of Emanuel.-^
Dilliugh.:n), fellow of Christ-college, beneficed at
in Bedfordshire, N\ here he died. Mr. Andrev%s',
after D. D. brother to the bi.«hop of Winciie.^ter, aud
master of JesuS'Coihge. Mr. Hanison, ibe Ifev.
vice-n)aster of 'iViniiy-collcge. Mr. Spalding, fellow
' of St. Johu's, in. Cambridge, and Hebrew prolJt!>sor"
OF THE BIBL!-.
Si'i
(herein. Mr. Bing, fellow of Peter-house, in Cam-
britigc, and Hebrew prolessor tlierein.
Oxford 7. Tl^p fr^ur *;reater Prophets, with the
Lainer.tatiouS) a id the twelve lesser Prophets. — Dr.
Harding, president of Magdalen-coUege. Dr. Rey-
nolds, president of Corpus Chrisli-coUcge. Dr.
Holland, rector of Ei^eter-coHege, r.nd king's pro-
fessor. Dr. Kilby, rector of Lincoln-college, and
rei'iiis professor. Mr. Smith, after D.D. and bishop
of Gloccster; he made the liaraed and religious pre-
face to the translation. Mr. Brett, beneficed at
Quainton in Buckinghamshire. Mr. Fairclowe.
Cambridge. The Prayer of Manasseh, antt the
rest of the Apocrypha. — Dr. Duport, prebendary of
Elv, and master of Jesus-college. Dr. Brainthwaite,
first fellow of Emanuel, then master of Gonvil, and
Caius-college. D. Kadclyffe, one of the senior fel-
lows of Trinity-college. Mr. Ward, of Emanuel,
after D. D. master of Sidney-college, and Margaret
professor. Mr. Downes, foUov.' of St. John's-col-
icge, and Greek professor. Mr. Boyse, fellow of
St. John's-coUege, prebendary of Ely, parson of Box-
worth, in Cambricigeshire. Mr, Ward, of King's-
collegc, after D.D. prebendary of Chichester, rector
of Bishop's Waltham in Hampshire.
Oxford. The four Gospels, Acts of the Apostles,
and xVpocalypse. — Dr. Ravis, dean of Christ-church,
afterwards bishop of London. Dr. Abbot, master
of University-college, afterwards archbishop of Can-
terbury. Dr. Eetles, [instead of Dr. Eedes, Mr.
Lewis has James Montague, bishop of Bath and
Wells]. Mr. Thompson, Mr. Savill, Dr. Penn,
Dr. Ravens, Mr. Harmer.
l\ estmiiister. The epistles of St. Paul, and the
other canonical epistles.— Dr. Barlowe, of Trinity-
hall, in Cambridge, dean of Chester, afterwards bi-
shop of Lincoln. Dr. Hutchinson, Dr. Spencer,
Mr. Fouton, Mr. Rabbet, Mr. Sanderson, Mr.
Dakins.
And tliat they might proceed to the best advantage
in their method and management, the king suggested
the instructions following: —
1. The Bible read in the church, commonly called
the Bishops' Bible, was to receive as few alterations
as might be ; and to pan throughout, unless tiie
original called plainly for an amendment.
3. The names of the prophets and the inspired
writers, with the other names in the text, to be kept
as near as may be, as they stand recommended at
present by customary use.
3. Tiie old ecclesiastical words to be retained. —
\ For instance, the word church not to be translated
congregation, &c.
4. When any word has several significations, that
whicii has been communly used by the most cele-
brated fathers snould be preferred; provided it be
agreeable to the context, and tlie analogy o/ faith.
5'' 10
5. As to the chapters, they weic to continue in
their present division, and not be altered without
apparent necessity.
6. The margin not to be charged viith anynoici,
excepting for the explanation of the Hebrew oi
Greek words, whitii cannot be turned without somt
circumlocution, and therelore not so proper to be
inserted in the text.
7. The margin to be furnished with such citatious
as serve for a relcrcnce of one place of scripture to
another.
8. Every member of each division to take the .
chapters assigned for the whole company ; and aitef
h.aviiig gone ihrougli the version or corrections, ail
thejdivisions was to meet, examine their respective
performances, and come to a resolution which parts
of them should stand.
9. When any division had fniished a book in this
manner, they were to transmit it to the rest to be
farther considered.
10. If any of the respective division's shall doubt
or dissent upon the review of the book iransmittedj
they were to mark the places, and send back the rea-
sons of their disagreement : if they happen to ditler ,
about the amendments, the dispute was to be referred
to a general committee, consisting of the best dis-
tinguished persons drawn out of each division. — ■
However, this decision was not to be made till they
had gone through the work.
11. When anyplace is remarkably obscure, letters
were to be directed by authority to the most learned
persons in the Universities, or country, for their
judgment upon the text.
I'J. The directors in each company were to be the
deans of Westminster and Chester, and the king's
professors in Hebrew and Greek in eacii University.
13. The translations of Tyndal, Matthew, Cover-
dale, Whitchurch, and Geneva, to be used when
they came closer to the original than the Bishops'
Bible.
Lastly, Three or four of the most eminent divines
in each of the Universities, though not of the num-
ber of the translators, were to be assigned by the
vice-chancellor, to consult svith other heads of houses
for reviewing the whole translation.
A copy of these instructions being sent, as has
been said, to !Mr. Lively at Cambride, and, it is ta
be suppoiied, other copies of them to Dr. Harding,
the king's reader of Hebrew at Oxford, and Dr. An-
drews, dean of Westminster; it seems as if (some
other doubts arising concerning them) application
was made by the vice-chancellor to the bishop of
London, for the resolution of them, 'i'o which his
lordsliip replied, "That to be sure, if he had not
signified so much unto iWem already, it was his Ma«
jcstv's pleasure, that besides the leanied persons em-
ployed with them for the Hebrew and Greek, thera
/
S56
OF THE BIBLE,
should be ihree or four of the most eminent and
grave divines of (heir University, assigned by the vice-
chancellor upon conference with the rest of the
heads, to be overseers of the translations, as well
Hebrew as Greek, for the better observation of the
rules appointed by his Highness, and especially con-
cerning the third and fourth rule: and that when they
had agreed upon the persons for this purpose, he
prayed them to send him word thereof."
This letter is inscribed, ' To the right worshipful
Dr. Cowell, vice-chancellor,' and dated at Fulham,
the 30th of August l604; and to it is added, by way
of postscript, " That at the very writing thereof, a
learned epistle was delivered unto him of Mr.Brough-
ton, which though it was of an old date, yet he
thought good to send it unto them, that Mr. Lively
and the rest might have the perusal of it, if they had
not before seen it.' Tiiis letter seems to be that be-
fore mentioned, to the learned nobility of England,
touching translating the Bible, or else that to king
James, written on occasion of this translation being
ordered by him, as is before-mentioned.
The bishop of London, at the same time that h£
wrote to the vice-chancellor, 8vC. at Cambridge, sent
letters to the several bishops, with copies of the
Icing's letter before-mentioned; A copy of one of
these to the bishop of Norwich, which immediately
follows (he king's letter, runs thus :
" Your lordship maie see how carefull his Ma-
jestic is for the provideing of lyvings for theis learned
men. I doubt not therefore but your lordship will
Lave iha't due regarde of his Majestie's request herein
as is fitt and meete, and that yow will take sutche
order with your cliancellor, register, and sutcjie your
lordship's otlicers who shall have intelligence of the
premisses, as also with the deane and chapter of your
cathedralle church, whom his Majestie likewise re-
quirelh to be putL in mynde of his pleasure therein,
not forgettinge the latter parte of his Majestie's let-
ter towchinge the iiiforniinge of yourselfe of the
fittest linguist within your dioces for to performe and
speedily to returne that which his Majestie is so care-
fuUe to have faithfully performed. I could tvish
your lordship would for my discharge returne me in
some few lynes thetymeof the receipteof theis let-
ters, that I may discharge that dutie which his Ma-
jestie by theis his letters hath layed upon me. And
soe I bidd your lordship right hartely fareviiell. From
Fulham, this 31st of July, l604. Your lordship's
loving friend and brother,
"RICHARD LONDON.
" Delibat. apiid Ludham, 16 Augusli 1604.
" His Majestie's meaning is, that twoe lys<ngs
should be stayed, one of your owne, and one of a
lay patron's,"
In his Majesty's letter was £ clause, that R. L. and
the archbishops of both provinces, should not forget
to move the deans and chapters as touching the other
points to be imparted otherwise by them unto the
said deans, 8cc. This in another letter to the bishop
of Norwich, wrote at the same time with the other,
his lordship tells him is referred to his relation. —
And this he said it was,
" There are manie, as your lordship perceyvetii,,
who are to be employed in this translatinge of the
Bible, and sundry of them must of necessitie have
their chardges borne, which his Majestie was very
ready of his most princely disposition to have borne,
but some of my lords, as things now goe, did howlde
it inconvenient. Whereuppon it was left to me to
move all my brethren, the bishops, and likewise every
severall deane and chapter, to contribute toward this
worke. According therefore to my dutie, I hartely
pray your lordship not onely to thinke yourselfe what
is meete for yow to give for this purpose, but like-
wise to acquaint your deane and chapter not oncly
with the said clause of his Majestie's letter, but
likewise with the meaninge of it, that they may agree
upon sutche a somme as they meane to contribute.
I doe not thhike, that a thousand marks will finishe
the work to be employed as is aforesayd ; whereof
your lordship with your deane and chapter having
due consideracion, I nmst require you in his Ma-
jestie's name, accordinge to his good pleasure in that
behalfe, that assoon as possibly you can, yow send me
word what shall be expected from you and your said
deane and chapter. For I am to acquaint his Ma-
jestie with every man's liberality' tpvvards this most
godly worke. And thus not doubtinge of your espe-
ciall care for the accomplishment of the premesses,
and desyringe your lordship to note the date to me of
your receipt of this letier, I commit your lordship
unto the tuicion of Almightie God. F"rom Fulham
this 3 1st of July, 1604.
" Delibat. apud Ludham, 16 Jugiisti 1604."
What success these last letters met with does not
appear; but ic seems as if they had but a very cold
reception. The two Universities, we have seen,
were betore ordered to entertain in their colleges
such as came out of the country thither on this oc-
ciision, without any charge unto them, &c. Accord-
ingly, the writer of John Bois's life in MS. who was
rector of Boxworth near Cambridge, tells us, that
part of the Apocrypha w as allotted to him, and that
all the tiii'e he was about his own part, his diet was
given him at St. John's, where he abode all the week
till Saturday night, and then went home to discharge
his cure, and returned thence on Monday moruing ;
and that when he had finished his own part, at the
earnest request of him to whom it was assigned, he
undertook a second, and then was in common at an-
other college. As for those who were appointed to
meet at Westminster, they seem, for the most part,
to be very well provided for. What then was to be
OF THE BIBLE.
357
dons with the thousand marks which were to be rais-
ed, by way of contribution, on the bishoji.-:, and deans,
and chapters.'
However this be, ahnost three years it seems w'cre
spent in this service, the entering on wliich was, per-
haps, somewhat delayed by Mr. Edward Lively 's
death. At the end thereof, the writer of Mr. Bois's
life tells us, the whole w ork being tinislied, and three
copies of the whole Bible sent to London, viz. one
from Cambridge, a second from Oxford, and a third
from Westminster ; a new choice w as to be made of
tW'O out of each company, six in all, to review the
whole work, and polish it, and extract one out of all
the three copies, to be connnitted to the press. For
the dispatch of this business, Mr. Andrew Downes,
fellow of St. John's-college, and the king's Greek
professor at Cambridge, and the aforesaid Mr. John
Bois, were sent for up to London out of the Cam-
bridge company ; where, meeting their four iellow-
labourers, they went daily to Stationers '-hall, and in
three quarters of a year fulfilled tlieir task. All
which time they received thirty pounds each of them
by the week from tlie company of stationers, though
before they had nothing ; which seems a confirmation
of what was before observed, that the proposal of
raising one thousand marks on the bishops, tivc. was
rejected by them. Last of all, Bilson, bishop of
Winchester, and Dr. Myles Smith, who from the
very beginning had been very active in this afl'air,
again reviewed the whole work, and prefixed argu-
ments to the several books; and Dr. Smith, who for
his indefatigable pains taken in this work, was soon
after the printing of it deservedly made bishop of
Gloucester, was ordered to w rite a preface to it, the
savns which is now printed in the folio editions of
this Bible; the first of which was at London, A.D.
1611.
Much the same accoiuit of the manner of makir»g
and finishiiig this translation was given afterwards by
the English divines at Dort, in a paper which they
delivered to the Synod, Nov. 20, 1G18, only with
this difierence, that in this paper the translators are
said to be divided into six companies, consisting of
seven or eight each, or about forty-eight in all; and
that out of these, twelve select men met together to
review and correct the whole work.
This translation was first printed in the year l6ll,
(so says Fuller, but Dr. Durcll says 1()I2) on a black
type. The title-page to the Old Testament is a
copper-plate, with an emblematical border, engraved
by Boel. The title of the New Testament is in a
border cut in wood, with the heads of the twelve
apostles, tents of the tribes, &c. It has been a mat-
ter of doubt, and an object of no small inquiry, to
ascertain the exact date of this edition. The scarcity
of title-pages began the doubts, which were still
etrengthetitd by the total want of th« folio dated
1612, and the date lfi1.'5 freqtrcntly found to the
letter-press title of theOld Testament, vviih a wooden
border, in the same Bible where the date to the New
Testament is l6l 1.
V\'e can only aeccinit for this by supposing, what
is very reasonable, that the copper-plate was soon
worn out, and absolutely unfit to afford half the
number necessary to supply the churches throughout
the kingdom. As many therefore as could be, w ere
wrought off and published, probably enough to sup-
ply the sale till the year l6l.'3, when a new title-page
is placed to this very impression, and likewise to an-
other folio printed on a black type of a different
size. But the title-page of the New Testament be-
ing letter-press, and the border engraved on wood,
would serve for as numerous an impression as the
rest of the Bible, and consequently the whole num-
ber was w rought off at once to serve for the w hole
edition. But a new title-page being absolutely ne-
cessary to the old, was probably dated, according to
the time of printing, in U')13. The engraved titles
are scarce; we have heard of four, namely, at the
British Museum, at the Bodleian, in the possession
of the Rev. Mr. Harper at the British Museum, and
in the possession of Mr. Denyer. The first is much
damaged, the date of the last seems to have suffered
some kind of erasement, but the other two are per-
fectly fair, and beautiful engravings.
In I6l2, a quarto edition was printed on Roman
type, with an engraved title copied from the folio by
Jasper Isac.
At the beginning of the present century, we read
in Le Long an account related, seemingly v^iih good
credit, that Athias, the celebrated Jew printer at
Amsterdam, printed an edition of the English Bible,
(probable the Old Testament only, and for the use
of the Jews), during the whole impression of which
he did not, for the sheets in succession, distribute the
types, but kept the whale forms standing; and that
of this impression Atliias himself boasted he had
sold more than a million of copies.
We have now seen what difticulties the translation
of the Bible had to struggle with, before it could be
accomplished: the perseverance of its friends is en-
titled to our most grateful acknowledgments.
Marginal References.
In the year 1664, John Capne published a Bible '
of the present translation in octavo, with many mar-
ginal references. Mr. Blayney examined these for
his edition of the Oxford Bible in 1769. John
Canne was a leader of the English Brownists, at
Amsterdam, by whom he was chosen pa?tor at the
death of Dr. Ainsworth.
In 1677, a Bible was printed by Hayes, at Cam-
bridge; with many references added to the first
853
OF THE BIBLE.
edition ; and in IHTS, a 'Bih^e a]sr> vize printed at
Cambridge with still more rpferpncrs, £!ie labour cf
J)r. Scattergood, rector of Wil'.vick and Eivertoa in
Northamptonshire, and one of the con-.pilers of the
Critki Sacri-. Probably the former of 1677, might
likewise have been by his care. According to Le
Long, this Bible was reprinted at London in octavo,
1679; -at Oxford in folio, 1680; at Oxford in folio
and quarto, with "UsLer's chrorjology, 1682 ; at Lon-
don in octavo, 3683 ; at Cairsbridge in quarto, l683 ;
at Oxfsrd ill folio, 1684; at London in 12mo. 1684;
at Oxford 168G ; at Oxford in folio, 1638 ;. and
at London in IStno. 1717; but as to the Oxford edi-
tion of l6£0, there is certainly a mistake, unless
there be two folio editions of that year, for the copies
in the Biitibh Museum and the Bodleian libraries,
most certainly do not contain Dr.5cattergood's mar-
ginal references.
In the year 1699, a new edition of the Royal
Bible in quarto was printed at London, with a great
addition of parallel texts, and a new chronological
index, by Dr. Tcnison, archbishop of Canterbury,
and Dr. Lloyd, bishop of Worcester, w hich has been
many tittles reprinted in folio and quarto.
It is not to be understood that archbishop Tenison
and bishop Lloyd were at all concerned in the print-
ing or editing of this Bible, further than sending to
the printers the additional parallels and new tables,
liaviiig CO superintendance of the press : and this is
but justice to their memory to declare; for the first
edition was so full of typographical errors, that a
complaint was exhibited against the printers by the
4clergy of the lower house of convocation.
The gradual increase of paralbh from the first
edition, by different ^edilu.s, zcHi appear ^nvm the
following scale : —
Old Tost. Apoc. N.Tcst. Total.
First edition, 1611 — — 6f>S3 885 1527 CIWO
Hayes's edition, 1677 — — 14620 1409 93S7 2539.5
Dr. Scattergood, 1683 — — 20557 1117 11371 33145
Bp.Teiiison and Uojd, 1704 «;l«2 14-19 1"717 39188
Mr. Biavi^ey, 1769 — — 43Slft 1773 19893 64983
Bishop Wilson — — — r^igo 1772 19993 66955
Mr. Purver's translation of the Bible was pub-
lished in 1764, in two volunisc folio.
Anthony Purver wao ov.e of the people called
Quakers, and born at Up-Uusborne, near Andover
in Hampshirt, of very poor parents. He was ap-
prentice to a sliocniaker in the same place, and fol-
lowed that business for some years; while he was
^pprentictj joumeyinr.n, and master, it wac his con-
■ttar.t custom to study the Latin, Greek, and Oriental
languages; bat he never took inucli pains in his
English, coiirining his reading in that language chiefly
io old authors. He kept a school some time in his
native place, and about tl:e ye?.r 1740 went snr! set-
tled, as a Gehooi.-naster, at Frenchay near Bristol, and
continued there, and at Fish-ponds in Stapleton, for
about twenty years, when he s^moved to Andover,
where he died about the yeas 1777j or 1773.
The object of his insatiable pursuit after the dead
languages, was a desire of understanding the scrip-
tures in the original; and after he was tolerably versed
in the Hebrew, he formed a resolution of translating
the v.hole Bibl;\ which, as it scfinis, was at first in-
tended to have been printed in occasional numbers :
for in the year 1746, that eminent physician the late
Dr. Fothergili, wrote a letter to the Gentleman's
Magazine, in which he strongly recomaieuds him as
the author of a work then publishing, which was to
be continued in numljers if it met with encourage- ,
ment ; being a translation of the scriptures, under
the title of " Optis sacra in Biblia elaboratum." — .
Dr. Fotliergill in his letter, after speaking in high
terms of his learning, says, " As to his personal
character, he is a man of great simplicity of man.
ners, regular conduct, and a modest reserve ; he is
steadily attentive to truth, hates falsehood, and has
an unconquerable aversion to vice : and to frown
the portrait, he is not only greatly benevolent to
mankind, but has a lively sense of the divine attri-
butes, and a profound reverence of, and submission
to, the Supreme Being." Mr. Purver is not named:
but that it is applicable to him, we are obliged to
Mr Joseph Fry of Bristol, as well as for other cir-
cumstances relating to this extraordinary man.
Tlve mode of publication in numbers seems to
have been unsHCcessful, and in all probability soon
droppjsd; yet it did not prevent his going on with
his tr^lllation which, after tiiirty years, he finislied,
but was miable to publish it, nor could he meet with
a 'booksi;ller who would run the hazard of assisting
hiai : at length Dr. Fothergili stood his fnend, gave
him a thousand pounds for the copy, and published
it atliig own expence.
Mr. Purver afterwai<da revised tlie vvliole, and
made considerable alterations and cajrrectioKs for a
second edition, which, however, has not yet taken
place ; but the MS. remains in the possession of
his grandson John Purver Bell.
Thns bave we endeavoured to set before the
reader such a history of the Bible as may answer
most of the principal questions usually asked on the
subject. — The length of this article must be justified
by its importance. There are many collateral in-
quiries which might be entered into, but what we
have already given we. conceive sufficient.
APPENDIX,
CONTAINING
A Geographical Account of the various PartSy
THE
RELIGION OF WHOSE INHABITANTS ARE MENTIONED
3in tl)ifi eaiorft*
[The figures refer to the page where each place is inserted ia the work.]
(Page 29.) Egypt, situate in the N. E. part of
Africa, bctw-cen 29 and 38 degrees of E. long, and
between '21 and 31 degrees of N. lat. bounded by
the Levant, or Mediterranean sea, on the N. by the
Red sea, and the Isthmus of Suez, which divides it
from Arabia, on the E. by Abyssinia, or Ethiopia
Superior, on the S. and by the desarts of Barca and
Nubia, on the W. being 6OO miles in length, from
N. to S. and from 100 to 200 in breadth, from E. to
W. ; the river Nile, which rises in Abyssinia, running
the whole length of it, from S. to N. and overflowing
it annuclly, beginning to rise in the months of May
or June, and is at tlie height usually in September,
from which time the waters decrease till May or
June again. There being no other water in the
country (or not more than two springs), they were
under a necessity of building tlioir towns on the
banks of the Nile, on some eminences, natural or
artificial; so that on the overflow ing of the river,
they look like so many islands, which have no other
communication but by boats. The Lower Egypt is
contained in a triangular island, made by the Levant,
and the two chief branches of the Nile, which, divid-
ing five miles below (3airo, one branch takes it
course to the N. \V. and falls into the Levant at Ro-
setta, and the other N. E. falling into the sea at
Damietta, an ancient Pelusium ; these mouths being
about 100 miles asunder. This part of the country
called the Delta, or Lower Egypt, having the greatest
advantage by the overflowing of the Nile, is much
the most fruitful, but not the most healthful ; the
mud which covers it, after the flood is gone, sending
up an unwholesome vapour. The mountains and
sands which inclose Egypt on the E. and W. would
lender the valley between excessive hot, if it were
not for this annual flood ; nor would the soil product
much without it, for the country is naturally barren,
where the waters do not reach, and they have seldom
any rain, unless in the Lower Egypt, though travellers
relate, that they have sometimes seen heavy showers
even in Upper Egypt. They have canals cut quite
through Upper Egypt, to distribute the water to their
fields and gardens, and preserve it in the dry season ;
and these they fill with great ceremony annually,
when the river rises to a certain height ; and by these
means Egypt is rendered the most fruitful country of
Africa, supplying Constantinople^ and other towns
in European Turkey, with corn, as it did Rome and
Italy of old. They only harrow their grain into the
mud, on the retiring of the waters, and in ^Lirch
follow'ing, usually have a plentiful harvest. As to
their rice fields, they supply them with water from
their canals and reservoirs constantly, this grain
usually growing in water. Those lands that are not
sown, yield good crops of grass for their cattle.
No place in the world, says Mr. Sandys, is better
furnished with grain, flesh, fish, sugar, fruits, melond,
roots, and other garden stuff, than the Lower Egypt;
oranges, lemons, figs, dates, almonds, cassia, and
plantains, abound here, and they have some grapes,
but not proper for wine; which defect is, in some
measure, supplied with palm-wine. The country is
excessive hot for two or three months before the
flood rises, and the musketoes, or gnats, will not suf-
fer people to sleep in the night. The sands also are
extremely troublesome, insinuating themselves into
the closets, chests, and cabinets, and even into the
bed-clothes, making them as hot as if they had been
warmed with coals ; and these sands are probably
the occasion of sore eyes, with which the uatives ar«
57
10 I
860
APPENDIX.
A
almost univeroally afflicted in summer. Fevers and
fiiues are frequent in autumn, and the swelling of
llie scrotum; but the greatest misfortune is the
plague, which visits them at least once in seven years;
but \\!ien the Nile begins to overflow, it is said the
plagua and all other diseases are abated. It must
not be forgotten, also, that the hot winds are very
troublesiume in April and May, aud occasion their
sore eyc3, as well as the sands.
Amonj the curiosities of Egypt, the pyramids are
the most o jnsiderabie ; they are Iniilt of stone, but by
w hom, or s^hcn, no one knows ; the base of the largest
taking up tci; acres of ground, and running up to 700
feet perpenchcular height ; eye witnesses frequently
differ 100 fett as to their height, and indeed the
sands are drivvn up so high on the sides, that it is
impracticable to take the height exactly. The
mummy-pits are another curiosity, which, with the
pyramids, are on the W. side of the river, opposite
.to Cairo : in these pits have been thousands of em-
balmed bodies interred, vvhicii Iiave continued three
or 4000 years at least : the coffins are set upright, in
niches in ilie walls, and never laid at length. Egypt
is generally held to be subject to the Grand Seignior,
and so it is in pait, but his authority is extremely
Jimiled by the Egyptian princes, who are all of them
absolute in their respective territories, and assemble
at Cairo, in a kind of parliament, or great council,
vliich submits to the Gtand Seignior's Bassa, or
viceroy, no farther than they sec fit, and sometimes
they depose him, and demand another of the Grand
Seignior, who is more acceptable to them ; however,
they suflfer the Grand Seignior to collect a reveime
in tlieir several districts, but by no means equal to
wUal the country is able to pay; and, if more is de-
manded, or any innovations attempted, it endangers
a revolt. They come to Cairo w ith such bodies of
troops as protect them against the arbitrary adminis-
tration of the Bassa, and the only way he has to
manage them, is by dividing them into parties, and
siding with that party which is most devoted to tlie
Grand Seignior. These Egyptian princes are not
natives of the country, neither are they ever succeeded
by their children in their respective governments, but
by some slave, whom they appoint their successor,
and tiiese aje usually slaves purchased in Georgia or
Circassia. 'J'liis is their constitution, as was tliat of
the ancient Mamalukes; no man could be sovereign
Mho;had not been a slave, and purchased in some
ft)reign country; but out of these we must exccjt
some C!iieks, or Arab chiefs, who are proprietors of
\iH"ges, or small districts in the country ; these are
succeeded by their children, on jjayiiig a tine, or
small reiit, to the government. The religion of the
governors of the country is ]Mahomet;in ; but the
Cojihiis, die posterity of tlie ancient Egyptians, the
Greeks and Latin?, arc Christians, but of ditfeient
sects ; and there is a great number of Jews at Cairo,
and in the great towns where any thing is to ba
got-
(p. 33.) T\ RE, a seaport of Syria, in that part
formerly called Phoenicia, once a place of exceedingly
great trade. It is also famous for a shelfish, which
dies a fine purple, thence called the Tyriau die. — •
Tyre was destroyed by Alexander the Great, in the
year 332 B. C. and- (in exact conformity to the pro-
phecies in the Old Testament) is now nothing but a
heap of ruins. It has two harbours, one exceedingly
good, the other choaked up by the ruins of the city.
It is 60 miles N. \V. of Damascus. Long. 35 20,
E. lat. 33 0 N.
(p. 37.) ASSYRIA anciently comprehended those
provinces of Turkey and Persia, which are now called
Curdistan, Diarbec, and Irac-Arabic ; being bound-
ed by Armenia on the N. Media and Persia on the
E. Arabia on the S. and the river Euphrates, which
divides it from Syria and Asia Minor, on the \V. —
This was one of the first empires we have any
knowledge of, and continued upwards of 1200 years ;
Nimrod wag supposed to be the first sovereigi;, and
Sardanapalus the last, who had many more king-
doms and provinces under their dominion, than those
already enumerated.
(p. 40.) BABYLON, once the capital of ths
Babylonish empire, has now no remains of it left,
but is supposed to have lain in 44 deg. of E. long,
and 32 deg. of N. lat. on the river Euphrates, but
not on the present channel ; and hereabout is sup-
posed to have been the seat of paradise.
(p. 43.) PERSIA, or ELAM ; an ancient king-
dom in Middle Asia, .on the south of Media, and
south-east of Assyria and Chaldea. The Persians
were anciently called Elamites, and sprung from
Elam the eldest son of Shem, and their original
residence was called Elymais. Cliedorlaomer, one
of their first kings, was a noted conqueror. About
the time of Jehoshapbat, one Memnon the son of
Aurora, seems to have been their king. The Assy-
rians extended their conquest over the Persians ;
but under Achmeitides, they revolted about the
same time with the Medes. The governmenUconti-
nned in his family till the Chaldeans ravaged their
country. After this, the country wag in a wretched
condition, till Cvrus appeared on the stage. He
connected it with the kingdom of Media, and sub-
dued the kingdoms of Assyria, Egypt, and Lybia ;
and by his great wisdom, settled the empire on so
very solid a foundation, that notwithstanding the
follv of many of his successors, it ccintinucd about
208 years. His son Cambyxes during the seven
yenrs of his reign, was famous for :dmost nothing,
besides mad murders, and the furious ravage of
Egypt. Darius liystaspes soon killed the pretended
Smerdis, and reiguKii 36 years. lie totk uud dc-
APPENDIX.
set
Alolishcd part of the walls of Rabylon, but supplied
the iiihabilauts who survived his cruelties, with
50,000 viomeii, instead of thiir wives, wiiich them-
selves had murdered during the siege. To revenue
the Scjthiau invasion of Upper Asia about I'iO
jcars before, he invaded Scytliia. He conquered
Tlir;»ce in Europe, and part of East India; reduecd
the rebellious lonians in Asia; but his expedition
into Greece cost him the ruin of a great part of his
army. Xerxes bin sou having fallen heir to the
kingdom, and excessive wealth of his covetous fa-
thtr, reduced the rebellious Egyptians; stirred up
tlie Carthaginians to attack the Greeks in Sicily,
wliile himstlf with an army of about 5,SS3,(X)0
persons, but not half of them warriors, invaded
Greece. These were mostly cut off by the Greeks
at Thermopyhe, Platea, Salaniis, and Mycale. —
After 12 years, he was succeeded by Artaxerxcs
Longimanus his son, who sent Ezra and Nehemiah
to promote the welfare of the Jews. He reduced
t!;c liuyptians to a still more grievous servitude.
After a reign of 4 1 years, he was succeeded by
Xerxes liii son. He after one year, was murdered
by Sogdianus Iiis bastard brother ; and he, in ano-
ther seven niontiis, by Darius Nothus, or Ochus,
auothtr bastard brother. After a reign of 18 years,
he was succeeded by his son Arlaxerxes Mnemon.
His defeating of his brother Cyrus, liis victory over
the Lacedemonians, his difficult reduction of Cy-
prus, aud his strugles with the Egyptians, are the
most noted events of his long reign of about 45
J ears. Artaxerxes Ochus his son, after murdering
hi? two elder brethren, succeeded him. After a
cruel reign of '23 years, in which he ravaged Egypt,
Plicenicia, and part of Judea, he, and soon after.
Arses Ills son, were murdered by Bagoas an eunuch;
a\id Darius Cadomannus, a very distant relation,
was placed on the tlirone, in whose time tlie Per-
*ian empire was quite overturned by Alexander and
the Gretks. From A. M. ."67 J to 3754, Persia
was wholly under the dominion of the Greeks; and
Elymais, and other of the western jnirts, were so
I >iig afterwards ; but the Parlhians gradually ren-
jjered themselves masters of the whole of it. About
A. M. 4'-:3fi, or A. D. '23'2, Artaxerxes, a noble
prince of the Persians, siezed the kingdom. Twen-
ty-eight kiu'zs of his family reigned in succession
above 4(X) years. Some of them were noted perse-
cutor-j of the (.'liri'>tians. Many of them had \io-
lent ytriiggles of war with the Uoman empeior.".
Hitherto a kind of Deism had been the established
religi'iuof P rsia. They had neither temples, nor
»l;itntes, nor altars, nor did they believe there was
ntod for any, as God was every where. 'J'iiey sa-
eiifii'id to the elements and heavenly liiminaricy, as
sviiibiils of hun. Ihty Karncd nut a little of iUo-
iaiiy from l!i« A«<!yrittOS and Clialdeaus; but Zuio-
aster or Zerdnsh, a crafty ft How, perhaps ait apos-
tate Jis<iple of the propliet lizekiel, about the lime
of Darius Hystaspcs, mightily reformed their reli-
gious system. His scheme continued as lonp; as
their kingdom : nay, these who call themselves
Persees, and pretend to be the true Persijiis, «till
retain it. Tliey hold one eternal God, ard a good
and evil principle under him : liglit they reckon the
symbol of the good, and darkness of the bad one.
They maintain that the world was created in sis
days, and one man and one woman made for the
j)arents of mankind ; and that the good pi iiici|)le
of light witiidrawing himself, the cluld of darkness
will, at the last day, produce a dissolution of na-
ture.
About A. D. 634, the Saracens spread themsrlvi-t
into Persia, and established tlieir Mahonetan delu-
sion : but for the most part, the Persians liavc bceu
t)f the sect of Ali, the son-in-law of Mahomet ;
and are heartily despised by the Tuiks, and other of
the sect of Omar. After the Saracen Calipha had
governed Persia by their sultans about 4'iO year*,
the Turks, who for some ages before had poured
themselves into it while it was under the govrrnment
of the Buides, siezed the sovereignly, A. D. 1055.
Tangrolipix, and his Seljukian successors, ruled it
till about A. D. 1260, when Halou, the son of
Jenghizkan the famed Tartar, wrested it from tliem.
After he, and eight of his descendants, had swayed
the sceptre, Tamerlane, another Tartarian prince
siezed it, about A. D. 1400, and left it to Mirza
his son. Contention raged in his family till they
were all driven from the throne, and Usunicassan,
the Turkman king of Armenia siezed on it, A. D.
1472. His male line quickly failed ; but Ishniail,
his grandson by his daughter, whom he had married
to Shiek Eidar the famed pn-aeiier, after his father
had been murdered, struggled into the thnuie, A. D.
14<,)!^ The sovereignly continued in his j'aniily for
eleven generations. Some of his successors were
absolute infernals in cruelty and murder. Husseyu,
the last, and one of the best of ihem, was wickedly
dethroned in 1725, aud afterwards murdered by
the wretch Myr-weis. Not long after liis death,
the famous Kuli-kau mounted the throne, subdued
the Moguls, chastised the Tin Is, and attempted to
change the religion of his country into a conformity
with that of other Mahomet«ns ; but be A\as mur-
dered. With terrible struggling, Keiinikhan, we
hear, got himself enthroned about 1763, at'ler the
country had <dmos£ 40 years been a shocking scene
of treachery and nnirder. Millions had perished in
ways the most wretched. At pi cent, the Persiau
emjiire is very large, bounded with the Tuikisli on
the west, with the Russian on the north, ami with
tiiat of the M'lgul on the south, and with Tuitiuy
on the east. ^\ e know of U\v Christian? io it
86a
APPENDIX.
except the ArmiHians, who have 15 or 1 6 churches
at Zuipha, the famed suburb of Isaphanthe capital;
and some others on the south and west of the Cas-
pian sea, who scarce deserve the name.
(p- 4£).) CANAAN was the name of the coun-
try where Canaan and his posterity dwelt. It is
ebout 200, or rather l60 miles iu length, from Dan
on the north, to Beersheba on the south ; and from
east to Avest, about eighty ; and so comprehended,
in all, about 9,231,000 acres of ground; of which
each of the 601,730 Hebrew wairiors, who con-
?|uered it, might have about 12 acres allotted him
or his share. It lies iu the 3'2, 33, and 34th deg.
of N. lat. and in the 36th and 37lh of E. long,
from London. It has the Mediterranean Sea on
the west ; Lebanon and Syria on the north ; Arabia
the Desart, and the land of the Ammonites, Moa-
bites, and Midianiles, on the east; the land of
Edoni, and wilderness of Paran, on the south ; and
Egypt on the south-west. No more than this was
wont to be called Canaan; and this only was pro-
mised to the Hebrews in possession ; but if we tuke
in the whole extent of territory promised to them
in dominion, from the river Euphrates on the north-
east, to the river Nile on the south-west ; it com-
prehended all these countries which David reduced,
Syria, Amnion, Moab, Edoni, &c.; and in this
sense, it may be readily granted to the learned Dr.
Shaw, that its south borders were the gulfs of the
Red Sea; and that it comprehended the land of
Goshen in Egypt. Whatever the land of Canaan,
properly so called, be now, when it lies under a
curse, and lies almost wholly uncultivated, it was
anciently a most beautiful and fertile country.
The Jordan running southward through it, and
forming the lakes of Merom and Tiberias ; and a
■multitude of brooks and rivulets crossing the coun-
try on both sides the Jordan; and a multitude of
▼alleys and hills, pleasantly diversified the form
thereof. The rich pastures produced prodigious
cjuantities of milk and honey. The arable grounds,
■which, according to Hecatcus, (but we suppose his
account too low), amounted to about 3,000,000 of
acres, produced the richest crops. The mines of
the mountains produced plenty of iron and brass.
When God, by seasonable warmth and rains, con-
curred with the laborious improvers of this soil, it
is abundantly credible, how it supported the nume-
rous niillious that dwelt therein.
(p. 46.) SYRIA, or SURISTAN, a part of Asi-
atic Turkey, is bounded by Natolia and Turcoma-
nia, on the N. by Diarbec, or Mesopotamia, on the
E. by Arabia, and Palesli?ie on the S. and by the Levant
Sea on the VV. The Turks divide Syria into 3 beg-
Icrbeglies, or viceroy alties, viz. Those of I.Aleppo;
2. TripoH ; and 3. Damascus, or Scham ; the seats
«» the respective viceroys. That of Aleppo takes
in the N. part of Syria, Tripoli the middle, and
Damascus the S. of Syria. This country produces
corn, wine, oil, oranges, leiiions, pomegranates,
pease, beans, and all kinds of pulse and garden-stuff,
and has a good trade in silks, can)b!ets, and Turkey
leather, and they export vast quantities of salt, with
which the surface of the earth, as well as the lakes,
is covered, in some places. Damascus is the capital
city.
(p. 46.) ARABIA, a country of Asia, having
Turkey on the N. Persia and the gulph of Persia on
the E. the Indian oceau on the S. and the Red sea
.and Isthmus of the Suez on the W. a country of
very great extent, divided amongst many Arabian
princes and states, most of them living in tents, and
wandering from place to place to find pasture arid-
water for their cattle, most of the country being a
barren desart, without water or vegetables, iu many
places. The impostor INIahomet was a native of this
country, and made the Arabs his first proselytes ;
who, within 40 years after his death, subdued great
part of Asia, Africa, and Europe, and established
their religion wherever they came. Arabia is situated
between 3o and GO degrees of E. long, and between
1 1 and 30 deg. of N. lat. the three grand divisions
whereof are, 1. Arabia Feli.x. 2. Arabia Deserta,
and 3. Arabia Petrea.
(p. 52.) ETHIOPIA SUPERIOR, a country
of Africa, comprehending the greatest part of it, viz.
Abyssinia, Nubia, and Abe.x, as it did in its most
flourishing state ; is bounded by Egypt and the de-
sart of Barca on the N. by the Red sea and the In-
dian ocean on the E. by Anian and the unknown
parts of Africa on the S. and by another desart and
unknown countries on the W. Abyssinia Proper
has now little communication with the rest of the
world, tlT€ Turks having possessed themselves of
Abe.\, which runs along the western coast of the
Red sea. The river Nile rises from a lake almost
in the middle of Abyssinia, and being swelled by the
rains, which annually fall at a certain season between
the tropics, overflows Egypt, and all the lower
grounds which border on the river, which is the case
of all rivers that rise within the tropics, though the
ancients were at so great a loss for the occasion of
this periodical flood ; and w hat increases the flood
still more, are the torrents that fall from the numer-
ous hills with which this country is encunibered,
though they have this achantage from their hills, tliat
they can remove thither in the hot season, and enjoy
a cooler air than they do in Egypt, which lies several
degrees N. of Abyssinia. Their valleys are also
rendered fruitful by the annual rains and the numer-
ous rivulets, producing plenty of corn, rice, wine,
flax, sugar, and fruits j»roper for the climate ; and
gold is in plenty iicre; but the Turks have shut up
all the avenuts. to the country, that no other people
APPENDIX.
863
can tiiiffic with lliem iFor it at tliis day. Their cattle
are camels, horses, oxet),- sheep, and iisses, with
which tlicv iihoimd. As to tlie persons of the Elhi-
opiaiis, or Ab}s^iiiians, they are perfectly black, but
their fcadiros more apjreoable than their soatlurn
neighbours, having neither Ihit noses, nor thick lips,
like other CaftVcs. The sovereign of this country
was once absolute, but at present the great men set
lip for princes in their respective governments, and
tlie king can transact nothing without them of any
consequence. It was the kirg of this country that
the Ein'opeans used to style Prester John. The
P.irUuuese, it is said, when they first discovered this
country, seeing a cross always carried before him,
styled him priest, or Presbyter Maximus. He took
upon him the supreme ecclesiastical, as well as civil
powers ; others say, the Turks gave him the name of
Prestor Cham, or Cam, i. e.- king of slaves, because
they purchased most of their negro slaves in this
country. The government appears now to be a
rejuiblic, or rather a mixed monarchy, in which the
priiiee's power is extremely limitod by the great men.
As to the common people, it is not very material
whether the power be lodged in the king or lords,
for they are all slaves either to one or the other. —
This is the country from whence it is supposed the
queen of Sht ha came to hear the wisdom of Solo-
mon, and from whence the Eunurii, the prime minis-
ter of queen Candace came, who was converted to
Christianity, and baptized by St. Philip.
(p. 56.) GEORGIA, a country of Asia, called
by the Persians Guigistan, and by the Turks Gurthi.
It is one of the seven Caucasian nations, in the coun-
tries between the Black Sea and the Caspian, and
coniprehtnds the ancient Iberia and Colchis. It is
bounded on the N. by Circassia, on the E. by Dag-
bestan and Schirvan, on the S. by Armenia, and on
the W. by the Cuban, or new Russian government
of Caucasus. It is divided into nine provinces. —
Of these, five form the kingdom of Georgia ; and
four the kingdom or principality of Imeretia. This
country is extremely beautiful. The hills are covered
>vith forests of oak, ash, beech, chesnuts, walnuts,
and elms, encircled with vines, growing perfectly
•wild, but producing vast quantities of grapes. I'rom
these is annually made as much wine as is necessary
for their yearly consumption ; the remainder are left
to rot on the vines. Cotton grows spontaneously,
as well as the finest European fruit trees. Rice,
■wheat, millet, hemp, and fiax, ^re raised on tlie plains,
almost without culture. The valleys afford the tiilcst
pasturage ; the rivtrs are full of fish ; the mountains
abound in minerals, and the climate is delicious: so
that nature appears to have lavished on this favoured
country every production that can contribute to the
happiness of its inhabitants. On the other hand,
it labours uuder great disadvantages from the want
57 10
of navigable rivers, the incursions of predatory na-
tions, &c. 'Jhe iwhabilants are ClirislJans of the
Greek communiini, and appear to have received their
present name from their aitachment to St. G( orge,
the tutelary saint of these countries. Tefllis is the
capital.
(p. 56.) CIRCASSIA is situated between 40 and
50 degrees of E. Ion. and between 45 and 50 degrees
of N. hit. bounded by Russia on the N. by Aslracan
and the Caspian sea on the E. by Georgia and Da— •
gislan on the S. and by the river Don and the Pulus
Meotis on the W . The Circassian Tartars are a
kind of republic, but sometimes put themselves un-
der the protection of Persia, and somelimcs of
Russia, orthe'Tuiks. They live in tents most com-
monly, rambling from place to place with their flocks
and herds. Their country is now most taken notice
,of for its beautiful children, from whence, and the
neighbouring country of Georgia, the seraglios of
Turkey and Persia are usually supplied with boys
and young virgins.
(p. 59.) ISlOCiULAS, Countrv of the, or WES-
TERN CHINESE TAR.TARY, is bounded on
the N. by Siberia, on the E. by Eastern Tartarv, on
the S. by the \\'all and the Leao-tong, and on the
VV. by Independent Tartary. The ISlogul Tartars
have neither towns, villages, nor houses : they form
themselves only into wandering herds, and live under
tents, which tlieV transport from one place to an--
other, according as the temperature of the different
seasons, or the wants of their flocks require : they
pass the summer on the banks of their rivers, and
the winter at the foot of soma mountain, or hill,
which shelters them from the cutting north wind. —
They are naturally clownish, and dirty in their dress,
as well as in their tents, where they live amid tlie
dung of their flocks, which, when dried, they use
for fuel instead of wood. Enemies to labour, they
choose rather te be satisfied w ilh the food w ilh w hich
their flocks supply them, than take the trouble of
cultivating the earth: it even appears that thev neg-
lect agriculture from pride. During the summer,
they live only on milk, which they get from their
flocks, using without distinction that of the cow,
mare, ewe, goat, and camel. Their ordinary drink
is warm water, in which a little coarse tea has been
infused; with this they mix cream, milk, or butter,
according to their circumstances. They have also a
'method of making a kind of spirituous liquor of sour
milk, especially of that of the mare. The Moguls
are free, open, and sincere. They pride themselves
chiefly on their dexterity in handling the bow and
arrow, mounting on horseback, and hunting wild
beasts. Polygamy is permitted among them, but
they generally have but one wife. They burn the
bodies of their dead, and transport the ashes to emi-
nences, where they inter them, and cover the grave
K
864
APPENDIX.
•with a heap of stones, over wlilcli tliey plant a great
Jiiunber of small standards. They are unacquainted
with the use of money, and trade only by baiter.
Although the Moguls might appropriate to them-
selves the spoils of a great number of animals, the
skins which they use for clothing are generally those
of their sheep. Tiiey wear th« wool inmost, and
tlie skin on the outside. All the Moguls are governed
by kans, or particular princes, independent of each
other, but all subject to tiie emperor of China, whom
tliey consider as the grand kam of the Tartars. —
When the Mantchews subdued Cliina, they conferred
on the most powerful of the Mogul princes the titles
of vang, peile, pcize, and cong, w inch answer to our
titles of king, duke, count, and marquis; each of
them had a revenue assigned him, but far inferior to
the appointments of the Mantchew lords at Pc-kin;
the emperor settled the Innits of their respective
territories, and appointed tliem laws, according to
whicii they are at present governed. All the Mogul
nations under the Chinese government, may be divi-
ded into four principal tribes, which are the Moguls,
properly so called, tlie Kilkas, tlie Orlous, and the
Tartars of Kokouor.
(p. 67.) CHINA, including Chinesian Tartary, is
situated between 9j and 135 degrees of E. Ion. and
between 21 and 3j degrees of N. lat. being bounded
by Russian Tartary on the N. by the Pacific ocean
on the E. and S. and by Tonquin, Tibet, and the
territories of Russia on the VV. from which it is sepa-
rated by the river Argun, being about 2000 miles in
length from N. to S. and 1500 in breadth from E. to
\V. It is usually divided into 16 provinces, which
will be described in their alphabetical order, as occur.
In these provinces it is computed there are 155 ca-
pital cities, 1312 of the second rank, 2357 fortified
towns, and upwards of ton millions of families,
which may amount to fifty millions of people; and
some have computed thein at tifty-eight nnllions. —
There are several very large rivers, and where these
are wanting, the whole country is cut through
with navigable canals ; and a brisk trade is driven
04i from oiie end of the kingdom to the other. —
There is a long wall of sloiie, 1500 miles in
len'Tth, which the Chinese built to defend them-
selves against the incursions of tlie Tartars ; but
the Tartars, notwithstanding, made a conquest of
their country, about 1 60 years since; avid they are
now cfoverued by Tartar princes, who permit ihera
however to retain their own laws, obliging them
only to cut off their hair. The chief produce of
this country is silk, tea, china, japan-ware, and
cold-dust, of which every raaratime people of Eur
rope, almost, import a great deal, sending them
ftilver in return. Th« Europeans complain of them
as very tricking unfair dealers, and that their custom-
house officers take ajl opportunities of extorting
money from foreigners. Their writing and paint-
ing is a sort of short-hand, every character express-
ing a word, and sometimes a sentence. They have
not the use of letters. The emperor is an absolute
prince, but all his laws and acts must be passed by
a certain great council of his nobility, before they
are of any force ; however he does not want means
to oblige them to yield their assent to what he pro-
poses, any more than the sovereigns in this part of
the world. The government requires a profound
submission of children to their parents; they even
make statues and images to represent their ancestors
and worship them in their houses; and mutual
civility among all men is enjoined by law, which
seems to have made them a nation of hypocrites,
having very little regard to the solemn professions
they make of tlieir friendship. The revenues of
the crown are computed at 21,000,0001. sterling,
Mhicli is not difhcnlt to know, because an account
of every man's family, estate, and substance, is
taken every year and enrolled. Their forces are
said to consist of 5,000,000 of men in time of
peace ; a militia that art very seldom raised, having
few enemies since the union of Tartary with China.
Peiin is ihc capital of the whole empire.
(p. 77.) GOLCON DA, a country of the De-
can of Hindostan, between the lov\er parts of the
rivers Kistna and Godavery, and the principal part
of Dowlatabad. It was formerly called Tellingana,
or Tilling, and is subject to the Nizam of the De^
can. It is roost remarkable for its diamond mines,
the most considerable in the world. Hydrabad is
the capital.
(p. 77.) BISNAGER, E. Ion. 78. 0. lat. 13. 20.
the cap. of the pr. of Bisn;igar, in the hiiher penin-
sula of India, sit. 254 m. N. W. of Madras, or
Fort St. George, and 240 w. S. E. of Goa, sub. to
the Mogul.
(p. 77.) DECAN, a pr. of the Hither Peninsula
of India, in Asia, is bounded by the pr. of Cambaya
Guzurat on the N. by Golconda, and Berar on the
E. by Visapour on the S. and by the Indian Ocean
on the \V. The chief inland town Aurengabad,
and upon the coast the town of Bombay. The
principal trade consists in cotton and silk.
(p.. 81.) AVA, a country of Asia, on the Bay of
Bengal, extending from the S. extremity of Aracan
to Capfi Negraias, divided from Pegu on the E. by
the river Ava. The kingdom of Burmah has been
erroneously called Ava, from its capital so named.
(p. 81.) ARACAN, or RECCAN, a country of
Asia, bounded on the N. by Roshaan, on the E. by
Burinah, on the S. by the river Ava, and on the VV.
by the Gulf of Bengal. It is a fertile, but not po-
pulous country, governed b-y 12 princes, subject to
the chief king; who resides in his capital. They
have only two seasons ; th£ Eiviuy lieasun, which
APPENDIX.
865
contimics from April to October, and tlic fair sea-
son, which includes all the rest of the year, and is
called tiie summer. The inhabitants are idolaters,
and ilie wonu n tolerably fair ; but the longest ears
are reckoned the most beautiful, and in these they
wear many rings. There are such numbers of ele-
phants, bufl'aloes, and tigers, that but few places
are inhabited, on account of the ravages made by
these animals.
(p. 84.) PHGU Kingdom, is sit. on the S. E.
side of the B ly of Bengal, in the E. Indies, in Asia,
bounded by the kingdom of Ava on the N. by the
mountains, which separate it from Laos on the E.
by the kingdom of Siam, and the Bay of Bengal, ou
the S. and by another part of tiie Bay of Bengal ou
the W. This country, like others between the tro-
pics, is flooded when the sun is vertical, but the
mud and slime, which the waters leave when they
retire, render the low lands fruitful, as the Nile does
those of ligypt. As to the higher grounds, they
are parched up soon after the rains are over ; and it
they sow wheat on them, (as they sometimes do)
they are forced to water them by little channels,
which convey the water to them, from their cisterns
and reservoirs. But they sow much more rice than
wheat, which is more suitable to the flooded soil.
They have not many of the European fruits, unless
figs, oranges, lemons, citrons, and pomegranates:
But they have bananos, goyvas, durions, mangoes,
tamarinds, annanas or piue-apples, cocoa-nuts, and
other tropical fruits ; they have also pepper, and su-
gar-canes, and great variety of melons, cucumbers,
roots, and other garden-stuft', which is their princi-
pal food. Their hills are covered with wood, and
they have a great deal of good timber ; but their
bamboes, a kind of hollow cane, which grows to
the bigness of a foot diameter, is of the greatest use ;
this tliey bend and form while it is young, making it
fit for whatever they design it, and particulary to
hang their palanquins upon : These are couches ou
which ihty lie when they travel, carried upon men's
shoulders. They have few horses or sheep, but
plough with oxen and buft'aloes, and carry burdens
upon them, as well as camels ; nor does any place
abound more in elephants than this and the adjacent
countries ; they compute the strength of their
afoiies by the number and size of their elephants.
The English from Fort St. George traffic jjretty
Tuuch with this country ; and, besides furs and skins,
import from tlience rubies, sapphires, and other
precious stones. The houses here are built fre-
oneiitly on pillars, by the river side ; and, in the
time of the rains, they have no coiumunicatiou
•with <iue another but by boats, in the tlat country.
According to late accounts, the king of Ava is now
master of Pegu. Tlie government is arbitrary ;
jet it is siiid, he seldom abuses his power. There
is one thing that sctms peculiar to the people on
the E. side of the Bay of Bengal, they are so lar
from resenting a foreigner's being free with their
women, that they will otler their daughters to them
for temporary wives while they reinain in the coun-
try. They are of a copper colour, though the
women are whiter than the men. Their priests are
called Talapoins, and tiiey worship idols ; yet they
inculcate charity as the higiiest virtue ; are strict ob-
servers of morality, and hold that religion to be
best, which teaches men to do most good.
(p. 8S.) SIAM, a kingdom of Asia, bounded on
tlie N. E. by that of Laos, on the E. by Gambodii,
on the S. by a gulf of the same name, and on the
\V. by the Bay of Bengal. It is 5J0 miles in lengtli,
and 2.)0 in breadth, though in some places, not
above .50. It is (hvided into higher and lower, and
some French authors have extolled it as tlie finest
and richest country in the world ; but the inhabit-
ants both men and women, go almost naked; the
better sort indeed, wear rich garments. The king
shows himself but once a year to the common peo-
ple. He is proprietor of all the lands in the coun-
try, and keeps a numerous army, among which are
\0'M elephants. It is a flat country, which, iu the
rainy season is overflowed; for which reason most
of the houses arc built on pillars, and they have no
communication for some months but by boats.—
They are Pagans, but have some ideas of integrity
and benevolence. There are mines of gold, silver,
tin, and copper, and they have plenty of pepper,
aloes, benjamin, and musk. The woods abound
with elephants, rhinoceroses, leopards, and tigers ;
beside w hich there are large crocodiles, and serpenta
20 feet long.
(p. 95.) TONQUIN, a kingdom of Asia,
bounded on the N. by China, on the E. by China
and the Bay of Tonquin, on the S. by Cocliiii-
China, and the W. by Laos. It is 12i 0 miles in
length, and 500 in breadth, and is one of tlie iinest
and most considerable kingdoms of the east, ou
account of its population and commerce. The
country is thick set with villages, and the natives are
of a middling stature, with a lawny complexion.
Their faces are oval and flattish ; their noaes and lijjs
well proportioned. Their hair is black, long, lank,
and coarse ; and they let it hang down their slioul-
ders. They dye their teeth black. They are dex-
terous, active, and ingenious iu mechanic arts. —
They weave a multitude of fine silks, and make
curious lacker works, which are exported to other
countries. They are so addicted to gaming, that
wheu every tiling else is lost, they will stake their
wives and children. '1 heir houses aie small and
low, and the walls either of mud, or hurdles daubed
over with clay. They have only a ground floor,
with two or three pitftitioiif, and each room Las a
8G5
APPENmK.
square bole to let In ilie light. The villages consist
ot' SO or 40 houses, surrounded by trees, and in
some places are banks to kef p the water from over-
flowing thoir gardens. In the rainy season they
cannot pass from one iiotise to another, without
wading through the water. The language is spoken
very much in the throat, and some of the W'Ords are
pronounced through the teeth : it has a great resem-
blance to the Cliinese. They have schools of
learning, and their characters are the same, or like
those of -China ; and like them, they write with a
hair pencil. Their commodities are gold, musk,
silks, calicoes, drugs of many sorts, woods for
dying, lackered ware, earthern ware, salt, &c. —
The lackered ware is not inferior to that of Japan,
\\hich is accounted the best in the world. With all
their nierchandiso one w ou!d ejjpect the people to
be very rich ; but they are "in general, very poor,
the thief trade being carried on by the Chinese,
English, and Dutch. The kingdom is an absolute
monarchv. Tong-tou is the capital.
(p. 99.) COCHIN-CHINA, a kingdom of
Asia, bounded on the E. by the Eastern ocean, on
the N. by Tonquin, on the W. by Cambodia, and on
the S. by Ciampa. It abounds in gold, raw silk,
and drug.s. Their towns have gates at the end of
each street, which are shut every night. If any-fire
break out in a ward, all the iuhabitants are destroyed,
e.xcept the women and children.
(p. 99.) CAMBODIA, E. Ion. 04. 15. lat. Q. 40.
the capital of a kingdom of the same name, in India
beyond the Ganges^in Asia situate near the western
shore of the river Mecon (by some said to be the
largest in the world), about 150 miles N. of the
mouth of that river. Cambodia kingdom extends
iVom the 9th to the 15th degree of N. lat. being
bounded by the kingdom of Laos on the N. Cochin
China and Chianipa on the E. the Indian ocean on
the S. and the bay of Siam on the W. A country
;(niiually overflowed in the rainy season, viz. between
June and October, as most countries are which lie
within the tropic of Cancer, and north of the equa-
tor, producing rice, and such fruits as are usually
found between the tropics.
(p. 102.) PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, islands in
the Indian ocean, discoverred by Magellan, in 1521.
The principal islands are, Manilla, or Luconia;
Mindanao; Samar, or Tandago, sometimes called
Philippina ; Masbate; Mindoro ; Luban; Paragoia,
or Paragon ; Panay ; Leyta ; Bohol ; Sibu, Cibau,
or Zebu ; Negro's island ; St. John's; Xolo; and
Abyo. They are chiefly subject to the Spaniards.
Lon. from 113 13 to 120 50 E. lat. from 6 30 to
18 15 N.
(p. 105.) MOLUCCAS, or SPICE ISLANDS,^
a cluster of small islands in the eastern ocean, the
largest not more than 30 miles ia circumference. —
The principal are, Ternato, Tydnre, Macliian, Mo-
tyr, and Bachian. I'hey lie between Gilolo to tlie
E. and Celebes to the W. They are most remark-
able for spices, especially cloves, and are subject
to. the English. Lon. from 125 to 130 E. lat. frora
2 0 N. to 1 50 S.
(p. 108.) CEYLON i.sland, situated between 7S
and 82 degrees of E. lon. and between (j and 10 N.
lat. being 250 miles long, 195 broad, .situate in the
Indian sea near the S. E. coast of the coiitinent of
the Hither India. The Dutch are possessed of ail •
the sea coast, and have shut up the king in the middle ■
of the island, who resides "at the capital city of
Candy, while the Dutch monopolize all the cinnanioa
which this island only produces, and suntr no ether
nation to trade with the natives, or get any cinrr-.nnon
but what they purchase of them. 'I'hey pretended
to assist the king of Ceylon against the Portuguese,
who had several towns and fortresses on the coast;
and when they had driven the Portuguese out, usurped
the don)inion of the country, and in 1765, they at-
tacked the city of (Canada also, and have established
a governor there of their own. 'I'he island is full of
woods, which abound in wild beasts and very dan-
gerous serpents, some of whom are so large that
they will kill a tygcr, and swallow him whole after-
wards, having lirst broken all his bones, by twisting
themselvei* round him. The most extraordinary
vegetable production is the tree called the I'allipot,
one of whose leaves will cover ten men, and keep
them from the rain ; they are very light, and travellers
carry them from place to place, and use them as
tents.
(p. 115.) JAPAN, a large empire in the most
eastern part of Asia. It is composed of several
islands, the principal of which is Niphon. It was
discovered, in 1542, by the Portuguese, who were
cast on shore by a tempest. This empire is the
richest in the world for gold. The inhabitants are
naturally ingenious, and have a happy memory ; but
their manners are diametrically opposite to those of
the Europeans. The sciences are highly esteemed
among them, and they have several schools at differ-
ent places, in which are taught arithmetic, rhetoric,
poetry, history, and astronomy. Some of their
schools at Meaco have each above 3000 scholais. —
They treat the w omen with great severity, and punish
adultery with death. They formerly carried on a »
trade with the neighbouring countries ; but now all
counnunication is forbidden, except with the Chinese
and Dutch. Their emperor is called Dairo; and in
the minority of one of them, in 1 150, when they had
civil wars, one of the competitors for the C£own
assumed the ecclesiastical governrhent, retaining the
same title ; while the other, who ruled in civil affairs,
was called Cuba : and things have remained on the
same footing to this day. The Dairo is the chief
APPENDIX.
aw
finpcror, -ant! cciifer-f t!ic dignity upon tlie oilier,
as if lie were liiii vassal. The. religion is paganism;
but there aie two difi'erent seels. There was oiico
a great luiiivbcr of Christians in dilTorent parts of
llie empire; but, in JiilSB, tliejr were all extirpated.
The palace of the cinperf>r is at Jedo, in the island
of Iviphon, and it is the capital of the whole. The
merchandise wliith the En;j,!ish carry to Japan, are
spices, sn-jar, silks, linen and woollen cloth, elephants'
teeth, and haberdashery wares, for which they re-
ceive gold, silver, cabinets, and other japanned and
lackered wares.
(p. UJl.) COIJEA, an island or peninsula on the
N. E. of China, between Q'J and 109 degrees of E.
Ion. and between ."(i and 4() degrees of N. lat.
bounded by Tartary on the N. by the Indian ocean,
which separates it from Japan, on the E. by the
Kang sea, and bay of Nankin on the S. and by the
province of Leatong on the ^V. said to have good
mines of gold and silver; subject to China.
(p. I'24T) JESSO, or Yedso.'E. Ion. 1-iO, N. lat.
40, a country of Asia, which lies north of Japan,
and is conjectured to extend N. E. to the American
continent; but we have little knowledge either of
the country, or of the people who inhabit it.
(p. I7C.) HOME, a famous city, formerly three
times as large as it is at present, but still one of the
largest cities of Europe. It contains 170,000 in-
habitants, which, though greatly inferior to what it
could boast in the days of its ancient power, is more
than it has been able to number at some former
periods since the fail of the empire; there being
ceason to think, that, at particular times since, it has
been reduced below 40,0(X). 'I'he numbeis have
gradually increased during the present century. —
Home exhibiis a straujie mixture of magnificent and
interesting, and of common and beggarly objects. —
The toruier consists of palaces, churches, fountains,
and tiie remsius of antiquity. The latter compre-
hend all the rest of ihe city. The church of St.
Peter, in (he opinion of many, surpasses, in size aiid
magnilictnce, the finest monuments of ancient ar-
chitecture. Its length is 730 feet, the breadth ,V20;
and the height from the pavement to the top of the
cross, which crowns the cupola, 450. A complete
description of this church, and of its statutes, basso-
rtlievos, columns, and other ornaments, would fill
volumes. The Pantheon is the most perfect of the
Roman temples which now r«main. From its cir-
cular form, it has obtained the name of tlie Rotundo.
There are no windows, the central opening in ll-.e
dome admittmg suiiicieney of light. The lain which
falls lhroii:;h this aperture, immediately drills through
■]noU.s which perforate a large piece of porphyry^that
forms the centre of the pavement. Beinc; converted
i ito a Chrislian tem]ile, the Pantheon, originally
erected to the honour of all the gods, is now dedi-
5b 10
catcd to the Virgin, ami to all the martyrs .iiid saint».
As the Pantheon is the nu^st entire, the Amphi-
theatre of Vespasian is the most slnpendnus monu-
ment of antiquity in Uome. One-half of the ex-
ternal circuit remains, fioin which a ])retty exact
idea may be formed of the original striiclure: by a
computation of Mr. Byres, it could Contain 8.5,WO
spectators. But the antiquities of Uome arc too
numerous to be minutely described; wc shall, there-
fore, pass over the ancient forum, now a cow-
market; the beautiful column of Trajan, ICO ftet
high, £-;c. The pope has three superb palaces, of
which the principal is the Vatican. The liljiary of
this palace is the largest and most conipitte in thii
world. In Home the connoisseur will n.e.twitli
innumerable paintings by the greatest musters, and
with the chief-de'-anivres of sculpture, &c. The
castle of St. Angelo serves only to keep the city in
awe. Rome is seated on the Tiber, which rt.ii*
through a part of it; and it is (iOO miles S.E. of
Paris, 410 S.S.W. of Vienna, and 7S0 S.E. of Loi.-
don. J^ong. 1'2 ,")j E. lat. 41 54 N.
(p. 400.)^ TARTARY, a country of Asia, wh;c!i
taken in its utmost limits, reaches from the Eastern
ocean to the Caspian, and from Coira, Cbina,
Thibet, Hindostan, and Persia, to Russia and Siberia.
It lies between 53 and 1.15 E. long, and betwe4n 3.S
and 55 N. lat. being 3(j00 miles in length, and 9()0
in breadth ; but in the narrowest part not above
330 broad. It may be considered under two grand
divisions, namely. Eastern and Western Tartaiy. — •
The greatest part of the former either belongs to
the emperor of Chir.*, is tributary to him, or is un-
der his pr9tection ; and a very considerable part of
Western Tartary has been conquered by the Russians.
'I'hese vast countries include ail the niiildle jtart of
Asia, and are inhabited by Tartars of tiiflereiit deno-
minations and manners.
(p. 410.) LAPLAND, a country of Europe,
bounded on the N.by the North sea and the Frozen
ocean, on tlie E. by the White sea, ou ll;e S. by
Sweden and the gulf of Bothnia, and on the W. by
Norway. It is situate between 69 and 75 of N.
lat. Swedish Lapland occupies the south division,
which is the largest; Russian Lapland is situate in
the cast 'part ; and Dauisli Lapland, which is the-
smallest, extends the whole length of the Severnoi,
a chain of lofty mountains, on their norllierii side.
The Laplanders are of a middling stature. I'hey
have generaHy a tluttish face, fallen cheeks, dark grey
eyes, thin beard, brown hair, qre stout, straight, and
of a yellowish compdexion, occasioned by the wea-
ther, the smcike of their habitations, and their habi-
tual tillhincss. Their manner of life renders ihcni
hardy, agile, and supple, but, at the sanie lime, in-
clined to indolence. They are so proud of iluir
country and tonslilulion, that, \\l,eu jeiuovtd frcui
I.
«\)8
APPENDIX.
lli'e place of their nativity, they usually die of the
nostalgia, or longing to return. Their women are
sliort, often well made, complaisant, chaste, and
extremely nervoHs ; which is also observable some-
times among tlie men. The men are divided into
Fishers and Mountaineers. The former make then-
habitations in the neighbourhood of some lake,
whence they draw their subsistence. The others
seek their support on the mountains, possessing
herds of reindeer, which they use accordmg to the
season ; but they go generally on foot. The
Fishers, who are also called Laplanders of the
■woods (because in sunmier they dwell upon the
borders of the lakes, and in winter in the forests)
live by fishing and hunting, and clroose their situa-
tion irom its convenience for either. All the Swe-
dish and Norwegian, as well as the greatest num-
ber of the Russian Laplanders, bear the name of
Christians ; but their religion is full of superstition,
i compound of Christian and Pagan ceremonies.
(p. 427.) GUINEA Coast, in Africa, issituate
between 15 E. and 15. W. long, and bet\yeen 4
and 10 degrees of N. lat. bounded by Nigritia, or
Negroeland, on the N. by unknown lands, on the
E. by Congo and the Atlantic Ocean on the S. and
by the same ocean on the VV. comprehending, J,
The Grain Coast, from its producing chiefly Gui-
nea-grain, Q, The Ivory Coast, from the plenty of
elephants' teeth found there ; 3, The Gold Coast,
from its furnishing most gold ; 4, The Slave Coast,
so designated from the quantity of slaves that used
formerly to be purchased from thence ; which, pre-
vious to the abolation of that hifernal traffic by the
British government, are said to have amounted to
nearly 40,000 annually in English vessels. Every
one of these divisions produces some of the above-
said articles. The English, Dutch, Portuguese,
and other European nations, previous to this war,
had numerous forts and factories on this coast ; but
they are now chielly occupied by the English. —
There is abundance of little princes and states in
the inland country, who are usually at war, and who
sold their prisoners to the Europeans for slaves.
The African traders do not only visit this coast,
Vvhich is properly called Guinea, but all the W.
coast of Africa, from Cape Verd at the mouth of
the river Nigre, in 15 degrees N. lat. to Cape
Negro, in 18 degrees S. lat. where they meet with
the same merchandize they do in Proper Guinea.
(p. 433.) BENIN, a kingdom of Africa, bounded
On. the W. by Dahomy and the Atlantic; on the N.
by Biafara ; on the E. by parts unknown ; and on
the S. by Loaiigo. It begins in 1 S. lat. and ex-
tends to about 9 N. lat. The women use great art
in dressing their hair, in a variety of forms. The
People are skilful in making various sorts of dies,
and they manufacture and export cotton cloths. —
They eat the ftesh of dogs and cats in preference 'th
that of any other aniinal. Though jealous of each
other, they are not so of the Europeans, thinking
it impossible that the taste of the women can be so
depraved as to grant any liberties to a white maii.
Their religion is paganism. Their king is absolute,
and has a great number of petty princes under hiiri.
(p. 439) CONGO, a country of Africa, be-
tween tlie equinoctial line and 18 degrees of S. lat.
containing the countries of Loango, Angola, and
Bengucla. It was discovered by the Portuguese in
1481, and is bounded on the N. by Benin, by the
inland part of Africa on the E. by Matamon on the
S. and by the Atlantic on the W. It is sometimes
called Lower Guinea ; and the Portuguese have a
great many settlements on the coast, as well as in
the inland country. .The inhabitants go almost
naked, worshipping the sun, moon, and stars, be-
side animals of different kinds; but the Portuguese
have made many converts. Congo, properly so
called, extends 150 miles along the coast, and 37C
inland. From March to September is called the
winter season, when it rains almost every day ; and
the summer is from October to March, when the
weather is serene. The inhabitants are skilful in
weaving cotton cloth, and trade in ivory, cassia,
and tamarinds. The river Zaire is full of croccH-
diles and river-horses. The principal to\\ii is S,
Salvador.
(p. 439.) ANGOLA, a "kingdom of Africa,
bounded on the N. by Congo Proper, on the E.
by Malemby, on the S. by Benguela, on the ^V^ by
the Atlantic. The country is divided among some
petty princes, and the Portuguese have several set-
tlements on the coast ; the English and Dutch also
traffic with the natives.
(p. 452.) CAFFKARIA, (South) a country of
Africa, lying to the S. of the tropic of Capricorn,
and extending along the Indian Ocean to the month
of the Great Fish River, in lat. 30 30 S. By this
river it is divided from the country of the Hotten-
tots. Its other boundaries cannot, at present, be
ascertained, it having never been visited by any
European, before the voyage which lieutenant Pat-
terson made in these parts in 1779- The Caffres
are tall and well proportioned ; and, in general,
evince sireat courace in attackinj; lions and other
beasts of prey. Their colour is a jet black ; their
teeth white as ivory. They are so fond of dogs,
that if one particularly pleases them, they will give
two bullocks in exchange for it; and their whole
exercise through the day is hunting, fighting, or
dancing. They have great pride in their cattle; and
cut their horns in such a way as to be able to turn
them into any sliape they please ; when they wish
their cattle to return, they go a little way from the
house and blow a whistle, which is made of ivory
APPENT>IX.
8(59
ol-ftone, and in tills manner biirtg tliom all liome,
without any difticulty. 'Jiie women niakic a cmioUs
kind of baskets, of a texture so compact as to con-
tain milk. Industry is the loading trait in the cha-
racter of the C itlres, who are distinguished from
their neiglibours to the S. by their fondness for
agriculiure. They arc governed by an liercditary
king, whose power is very limited, receiving no
tax, and having no troops at his command; but
beriig |)erinilted to take as ninny wives as he pleases,
it is necessary that lie siioutd have a larger portion
of land to rullivate, and a greater number of cat-
tle to tend and feed. His cabin his neither higher,
nor better decorated than the rest; and his whole
family live around him, composing a group of
about \5 huts. The distance of the different hordes
make it necessary that they should liave inferior
chiefs', who are appointed bv tl.e king.
(p. 461.) MONOMOTAPA, a kingdom of
Africa, bounded on the N. by Monomugi, on the E.
by Sofala, on the S. by Caffraria, and on the W. by
unknown regions. I'he air is temperate, and the
soil fertile in rice and sugar-canes, which last grow
without cultivation. There are a great many os-
triches and elephants, with several mines of gold
and silver. It lies cm the E. coast of Africa,
between 14 and 2j S. lat. Its capital is of the
same name.
(p. 466.) SOFALA, a kingdom on the E. coast
of Africa, extending S. of Zanguebar, from the
river Cuama to the river Del Espirito Santo ; that
Is, from 17 to 25 S. lat. It contains mines of gold,
and is tributary to flie Portuguese.
(p. 469.) SOCOTORA, an island of Asia, be-
t\^een Arabia Felix and Africa, 30 miles in length,
and 22 in breadth. It is noted for its fine aloes.
(p. 472.) MADAGASCAR, the largest of the
African islands, lies between 44 and 51 degrees E.
Ion. and 12 and 25 S. lat. It is 40 leagues E. of
the continent of Africa, from which it is separated
by the straits of Mosnmbique. It extends flOO
miles from N. to S. and is from 200 to 300 broad.
The natives are commonly tall, well made, of an
olive complexion, and some of them jiretly black.
Their hair is not woolly, like that of the negroes of
Guinea; but it is always black, and for the most
part curls naturally : their nose is small, though not
riat, and they have not thick lips. There are a great
many petty kings, whose riches consistii in cattle
and slaves, and they are always at war with each
Other. They have neither temples nor priests. —
They have no rules relating to marriage ; for the
men an<l women cohabit for some time, and then
leave each other as freely. Here is a great number
of locusts, crocodiles, cameleons, and other ani-
mals common to Africa. They have com and
£rai>es, and several sons of excellent honey ; as
also minerals and precious stones. The French
have attempted to settle here, but have always beea
expelled. There are only some parts on the coast
yet known.
(p. 4S3.) FLORIDA, a country of N.America,
bounded on the N. by Georgia, on the E. by the
Atlantic, on the S. by the Gulf of Mexico, and on
the \V. by the Mississippi. It is 6(XJ miles long,
and 130 broad, lying between 25 and 31 degrees N.
lat. and 82 and 92 W. long. It is divided into E.
and VV. Florida; St. 'Augustine, the capital of the
former, and Pensacola of the latter. In some parts,
two cro|)s of Indian corn are amuially produced:
the banks of the rivers are well adapted to the cul-
ture of rice and corn ; the interior country abound*
with wo<)d of almost every kind; the intervals be-
tween the billy parts produce spontaneously the
fruits common to Georgia and the Carol mas ; and
the whole country is valuable, in a particular man-
ner, for the extensive rangers for cattle. Florida
was discovered bv Sebastian Cabot, in 14!)7. Hav-
ing often changed masters, belonging alternately to
the French and Spaniards, it was ceded by the
latter to the English in 1763; but in 17B1, it was
ta4cen by the Spaniards, and ceded to them in 1783;
and under whose dominion they have uninterruptedly
continued, till the recent troubles that have over-
whelmed the mother-coiuitry ,• when, the revolution-
ary principles of the inhabitants of the United
States, having been disseminated among the people,
a majority of them have solicited to be admitted
into the Union, and there is little doubt, but it will
soon be carried into effect.
(p. 489.) HUDSON'S BAY, a bay of Ni Ame-
rica, lying between 51 and 69 N.lat. and disco-
vered, in 16 10, by captain Henry Hudson, in en-
deavouring to find a N. W. passage into the Pacitic
Ocean. Repeated attempts have been since made
to find that passage, but hitherto without effect.
The entrance of the bay, from the ocean, after
leaving to the N. Cape Farewell and Davis' Straits,
is between Resolution isles on the N. and Button's
isles on the Labrador coast to the S. forming the
K. extremity of the strait, distinguished by the
name of its great discoverer. Thrs bay commu-
nicates on the N. by two straits, with BafKu's
bay ; on the E. side it is bordered by Labrador, oil
the S. by Canada, on the S. W. by New South
Wales, and on the \V. by New North Wales. lu
1670 a charter was granted to a company, which
does not consist of above tt?i persons, for the exclu-
sive trade to this bay. This company possess three
forts on the S. coast of James's Bay, by vhich the
southern termination of Hudson's Bay is distin-
guishtd. These factories are called Rupert, Moose,
and Albany, and they lie from .'iO. 60. to 52. 0. N.
lat. On the W. side of Hudson's Bay, considerably
87«
JiPPENDIX.
up Hayes' river, is a factory' called Flaniborough. —
Beyond this is York Foit, on Nelson's river, in Ion.
y'2. 30. VV. lat. 57.25. N. but -.he most northern
settieiiient is Prince of Wales's Fort, at the mouth
ct" Churcliill river, in Ion. 94. 7. W. lat. 58. 48. N.
Ill 178'2, these lactorits were destroyed by a French
squadron under the command of M.de la Peyrouse,
but tlie damage has been since repaired, and the
commerce is again in a flourishing sitnaiion.
(p.491.)CARiBBEE ISLANDS [Westlndies],
the name given to a number of islands m the Atlantic
oce^n, which exter.d across the entrance of the gulf
of Mexico, from the north west extremity of the
Bahama islands, oil" the coast of Florida, in lat. 27.
45. N. in a sotilh easterly direction to Tobago, 120
miles from the coast of Terra Firma, in lat. 1 1. 30:
N. They live between 5!) and 86 ~\V. long. Cuba
being the niost western, and Barbadocs the most
eastern of these islands. When Columbus disco-
vered them in 1492, he considered them as part of
those vast regions in Asip, comprehended under the
general name of India, to reach which, by a westerly
coast across the Atlantic, had been the object of his
voyage; and this opinion was so general, that Ferdi-
nand ajid Isabella, king and queen of Castile, in
their ratification of an agreement, granted to Colum-
bus upon his return, gave them the name of The
Indies. Even after the error which gave rise to this
opinion was detected, and the true position of the
New World was ascertained, the name remained,
and the appellation of the West Indies is given by
all Europeans to these islands, and that of Indians
to the inhabitants, not only of the islands, but of
fclie continent of America. They are like\\ise called
the Caribbee Islands, from the aborigines of the
country ; and the sea in whicli they lie, is sometimes
called, by modern geographers, the Archipelago of
tile Caiibbees. By the I'rencli they are called the
Antilles; and nautical men distinguish them, from
the difl'erent courses taken by ships, into the Lee-
Vvard and W nidward Islands. The name of tlie
iCaiibbecs should properly be confined to the
EUjaller islanils, lying between Porto Bico and To-
bago. These were inhabited by the Caribbees, a
iieice race of men, nowise resembling their timid
neighbours iu the larger islands. Columbus was a
witr.jss to their intrepid valour. The same character
they have niaintained hivariably in all subsequent
contests with the Europeans. The British islands
are, Jamaica, Trinidad, Barhadoes, St. Christopher,
Antigua, Nevis, ISiontserat, Barbuda, Angutlla, Do-
minica, St. Vincent, Grenada, and the Grenadines,
'i'obago, Marlinico, Guadaloupe, St. Eucia, Marie-
galante, Curacoaj St. Eustalia, the Virgin Islands,
and the Bahama islands. Ihe Spraiish Islands are,
4Jubi:, Forto Itio.., and Margarita.
(p. 498.) BRASIL, a conntry of Soirtli Amerk:»y
which gives the title of prince to the. heir apparent
of the crown of Portugal. It lies between the
equinoctial line and the tropic of Capricorn. Tlie
air, though within the torrid zone, is tcr.iperate and
wholesome. Tiie soil is fertile, and more suaar
comes thence, than from all other parts of the world.
It produces tobacco, Indian corn, several sorts of
fruits, and medicinal drugs. Ihe wood brought
from Brasil, and hence so called, is of great use in
dying red ; and within the country there is gold, and
several sorts of prrcious stones. The catlie, carried
over from Eurojie, increase prodigiously. They
have several animals not known in ESiirope; among
the rest a beautiful bird, called Colibri, whose body
is not much larger than that of a May-bug. The
Portuguese chicHy inhabit the coast, for they have
not penetrated far into the country. Brusil is divided
into fifteen governments, which are governed by the
Prince Regent of Portugal, v.ho, in 1808, fled hither
for security against the tyranny of Bonaparte, who
threatened the house of Braganza with destiuction.
Since his arrival, this colony has been greatly im-
proved in its. trade and population.
(p. 501.) PEKU, a large country of South Ame-
rica, bounded on the N. by Popayan, on the W. by
the Pacific ocean, on the S. by Chili, and on the E.
by tiie Andes. It is 1300 miles in length, from N.
to S. and 125 in breadth, between the Andes and the
ocean, but in other places it is much broader. Whew
the Spaniards landed in this country in 1530, they
foimd it go\erntd by sovereigns called Incas, who
were revered by their subjects as divinities ; and the
inhabitants were found to be much more polished
than the natives of other parts of America, tliose of
Mexico excepted. These were soon subdued by a
few Spaniaids, under the command of Francis Pi-
zarro. Peru is now divided into the three audiences
.of Quito, Lima, or Los Reyes, and Los Charcos;
tlic whole under the government of a viceroy, whose
authority once extended over all South America jjos-
sessed by the Spaniard; but as some of these coun-
tries in this vast jurisdiction are above 2000 miles
distant from the supreme seat of justice at Lima, the
ir.habitants were subject to the greatest inconveni-
ences ; to remedy which two new viceroyalties have
been established, l^lie first is fssed at Santa Fe de
Bogota, the capital of the new kingiii.nn of Granada,
an£l extends over the whole of Terra Firm.'!, and the
audience of Quito. In the jurisdiction of the se-
cond, establislied in 1776, are tiie provinces of Rio-
dc-!a-Plata, Buenos Ajres, Paraguay, Tucunian,
Potosi, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and the towns of
jNleudoza and St, Juan. Peru has been long cele-
brated for its mines of gold and silver, all the quick-
s.lvcr used in the refn. lug of which is extracted frojm
APPENDIX.
8tl
the fnmriHS mine of Guancabelica. Quinquina, or
Jesuits B n "i, the virtues of which are so well known,
is fount) only in this country.
Tlie lierrist beasts of prey in Peru are the Puma
and Jaquar, inaccurately called lions and tigers by
the Europeans, but posiessinc; neither llic undaunted
courage of the former, nor the ravenous cruelty of
the latter : they are hardly formidable to man, and
often turn their backs on the least appearance of
.resistance. A quadruped, callid the lama, peculiar
to this country, was tamed to domestic purposes by
-the ancient Peruvians. In form it bears some re-
^eendjlance to a deer, and some to a camel, and is of
a size somewhat larger than a sheep. Its wool fur-
nished the Peruv inns with clothing, its flesh «illi
ifood. It was even employed as a beast of burden,
and carried a moderate load with much patience and
docility; but it was never used for draught. Among
the birds, the most remarkable is the condor, which
is entitled tc pre-eminence over the <iying tribe, in
bulk, strength, and courage. The river Gnyaquil
abounds nitii alligators, and the neighbouring coun-
try swarms almost as much with suukes and vipers,
•as that round Porto Bello does with toads. Not-
withstanding the vast numbers of the original natives
that perished from variwis causes, since the conquest
of the country by the Spaniards, their numbers are
atill very great ; and several districts, particularly in
the audience of Quito, are occupied almost entirely
by Indians. Lima is the capital.
(p. 514.) CANADA, a large country of North
America, bounded on the N. by New Britain, on the
E. by the gulf of St. Lawrence, on the S. by Nova
Scotia and the United States, and on the W. by un-
known lands. It lies between (il -Mid 81 degrees W.
long, and 4.5 and j'2 N. lat. and was disco\ered by
the Cabots, fitl>er and son, in 1497. The winter
continues for six months very severe. The land that
is cleared is fertile, and the whe;'t sowed in May is
reaped at the cnl o'' .August. Of all their anuiial.'j,
the beaver is the most useful and curious. Canada
turpentine is greatly esteemed for its balsamic quali-
ties, and for its use in di.sorders of ihe breasr and
sto{nach. Canada was c>:iiqnered by the F.iv^lisli in
1739, and eontirmed to them bv the i'reiich at th(
peace of 17(>3. In 1774, this country was f Tmed
into a province, called Quebec, tiom the name ot
the capital; a government was ii>stituted conforma-
bly to the French laws of Canada, and the,Konian
Catholic religion was established. In 179', it was
divided into two provinces, imnielv, Upper Can:i.Hi
and Lower Canada, of "liie!i la'.ter province Quebec
is the chief town; and a constitution, in imitation
of that of England, was given to each of these
provinces.
(p. 51S.) CALIFOUXI A, a peninsula of North
Aiiiericii, in the North Pacific ocean, separ.ited from
58 10
the west coast of America by the Vermillion sea, or
gulf of California, extending S. E. from hit. 32 N.
to Cape St. Lucar, in lat. US N. It was discovered
by Cortes, in 15.')f), and is said to have been visited
by Sir Francis Dr.ike in 1,J7H, and to have roceivcd
from him the name of New Albion. This laltcf
name, however, belongs to no part of the peninsuln,
but to a country farther north between o7 and 4,>
N. latitude; the harbour of Sir Francis Drake being
situate in about 1 10 '23 W. long, and 3S 23 N. lat.
During a long period, California continued to be so
little frequented, that even its form was unknown ;
and in most charts it was represented as an island.
Thouch the climate of this country, if we may judge
from its situation, must be very desirable, the Spani-
ards have made small progress in peopling it. — To-
wariij the close of the last century, the Jesuits, who
had great mertt in exploring this neglected province,
and civilizing its rude inhabitants, imperceptibly ac-
quired a dominion over il, as complete as that which
they possessed in their missions in Paraguay ; and
they laboured to govern the natives bv the same
policy. In order to prevent the court of Spain from
conceiving any jealousy of their designs, they seem
studiously to have depreciated the country, by repre-
senting the climate as so disagreeable and unwhole-
some, and the soil so barren, that nothing but a
zealous desire of converting tire natives could have
induced them to settle there. Several public-spirited
citizens endeavoured to undeceive their sovereigns,
and to give them a better view of California, but in
vain. At last, on the expulsion of the Jesuits from
the Spanish dominions, the court of Madrid appoint-
ed Don Joseph Galvez to visit this peninsula. His
account of the country was favourable; he found
the pearl fishery on its coasts to be valuable, and he
discovered mines of gold of a very promising ap-
pearance. At present, however, California (the
natural history of which is very little known) still
remains among the most desolate and useless districts
of the Spanish empire.
(p. 519.) VIUGINTA, one of the United States
of North America, boundiHl on the S. by North
Carolina, on the \V. by the Mississippi, on the N. by
Pennsylvania and the Ohio, and on the E. by the
.Atlantic. It is 758 miles in length, and 224 in
breadth. I'he principal rivers are, James, York,
Kappahannoc, and Potomac. The soil and climate
are various. The principal produce is tobacco,
wheat, and Indian corn ; but the culture of tobacco
has considerably declined in favour of that of wheat.
Virginia is divided into 74 counties, and the capital
town is Richmond.
(p. 522.) HISPANIOL.A (or St. Domingo), one
•■^f the richest islands in the West Indit-s, 400 miles
in leii'j:th, and 75 in breadth ; is now s<i'lcly possessed
by the revoUod negroes,- who style it Hayli, from its
$72
APPEXDIX.
original. It \ras discovered by Ci;Iunibii3 in 1492.
'I'lie Spanish name of it is iiispaniola, originally
given to it by (Joiiimbus. The western part of it
belongs to the French, and the east to the Spaniards.
Since the revolution in France, the French part of
this fine island has been subject to the most dreadful
calamities, as well from an insurrection of the ne-
groes, as from a civil war between the patriots and
S the royalists. The latter called in the assistaiice of
the Euglisli, who landed in September, 179^, and
provisionally took possession of Jeremie and Cape
St. Nicholas Mole. Several other places submitted
soon after ; but some of them have been retaken by
the republicans, who seemed, at the comn)encement
of J 7y.:>, to be gaining the ascendency. This island
lies between Jamaica to the VV. and Porto Rico to
the E.
(p. 524.) MEXICO (Old or New Spain), an ex-
tensive country in North America, bounded on the
N. by New Mexico, and on the S.E. by the Isthmus
of Daricn, where its breadth is not more than fiO
miles ; its western coast being washed by the Pacific
ocean and the gulf of California, and its eastern by
the gulf Mexico and the Caribbean sea. It lies
between 83 and 110 degrees W. long, and extends
from 7 30 to 30 40 N. lat. being 2000 miles long,
and, in its widest part to the north, above 600 broad.
Although Mexico is within the torrid zone, the cli-
mate is temperate and healthy. No country abounds
more with grain, fruits, roots, and vegetables; many
of them peculiar to the country, or, at least, to Ame-
rica. It is celebrated for its mines of gold and
silver, and has quarries of jasper, porphyry, and ex-
quisite mai ble. Cochineal is almost peculiar to this
country, its indigo and cocoa are superior to any in
America; and its logwood lias been long an im-
portant article of conmierce. Among the quadru-
peds are the puma and jaquar, bears, elks, wolves,
deer, 8cc. The puma and jaquar have been inaccu-
ralelv denominated by Europeans, lions and tigers;
but they possess neither the undaunted courage of
the former, nor the ravenous cruelty of the latter.
The domestic animals of Europe, particularly
horned cattle, have multiplied here almost with in-
credible rapidity. Numbers of these having been
suffered to run «ild, now range over the vast plains,
in herds of from 30 to 40,000 ; they are killed
merely for the sake of their hides, and the slaughter
at certain seasons is so great, that the stench of the
carcases which are left in the fields, would infect
the air, if large packs of wild dogs, and vast fiocks
©f gallinazos, or American vultures, the most vora-
cious of birds, did not instantly devour them : these
hides are annually exported, in vast quantities, to
Europe. New Spain is divided into the three audi-
ences of Guadalajara, Mexico, and Guatimala, sub-
divided into provinces, the principal of which, iu
each audience, being Guadaiajara Proper, Mexico
Proper, and Guatimala Proper. 'Fhe whole coun-
try IS governed by a viceroy, the extent of whose
jurisdiction, however, has been wisely circumscribed,
in the course of this century, by the erection of tl-.e
four remote provinces ot Sonora, Cnialoa, California,
and New Navaire, into a separate government.
(p. 527.) DAUIEN, (or Terra Firma Proper), a
province of Terra Firma, in South America. It lies
along the coast of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans,
and is particularly distinguished by the name of the
Isthmus of Darien, and, by some writers, the Isth-
mus of Panama. It extends, in the form of a
crescent, round the bay of Panama, being bounded
on the N. by the gulf of Mexico, on the E. by the
river and gulf of Darien, on the S. by Popayan and
the Pacific ocean, and on the. \V. by the same ocean
audVeragua. It is not above fiO miles broad ; but
this Isthmus, which binds together the continents of
North and South America, is strengthened by a
ciiain of lofty mountains, stietciiing through its w hole
extent, which renders it a barrier of solidity sufiicient
to resist the impulses of two opposite oceans. The
mountains are covered with forests almost inacces-
sible. The valleys in this moist climate, where it
rains during two-thirds of the year, are marshy, and
so often overflowed, that the inhabitants, in many
places, build their houses upon trees, to be elevaicd
from the damp soil, and the odious reptiles engen-
dered in the putrid waters. The principal towns
are Panama and Porto Bello.
(p. 529.) ANDALUSIA, a province of New
Spain, 250 miles in length, and 150 in breadth. —
It is bounded on the S. by Granada, on the W. by
Algarva and the Atlantic, on the N. by Estramadura,
and on the E. by Mnrcia. Tiie Guadalquiver runs
through its whole length, and it is the finest country
in Spain. The capital is Seville.
(p. 558.) ENGLAND, a kingdom of Great
Britain, bounded on the N.by Scotland, on the N.E.
and E. by the German ocean, on the S. by the
English Channel, and on the W. by St. George's
Channel, the principality of Wales, and the Irish
Sea. It lies between two degrees E. and 7 W. long,
and between 49 and 'j6 N. lat. It is of a triangular
form. The longest day in the northern parts con-
tains 17 hours SO minutes; and the shortest in the
souihern near eight hours.
'Fhe situation, by the sea washing it on three sides,
renders' England liable to a great uncertainty of
weather, so that the inhabitants on part of the sea
coasts are often visited by agues and fevers. On the
other hand, it prevents the extremes of heat and
cold, to which other places, lying in the same degree
of latitude, are subject ; .aiid it is, on that account,
friendly to the longevity of the inhabitants in general,
especially those who live on a dry soil. To this
APPENDIX.
87S
situation likewise we are to ascribe that perpetual
vprriiire lor wliieli England is resinirl.ablo, ocrasioiu-d
bj ritiebliiiig showers, and tliewarni vapours of the
sea.
Whaii tlie Ikoniaiis provinciated England, they
diviilid it into,
1. Briiaimia Prima, which contained the southern
parts ot" llie kingdom.
'2. r>ritainua Sccundn, containing the western parts,
coni|)rclieiiding W'aies. And,
3. Maxima Caisaiiensis, which reached from tlie
Trent as far northward as the wall of Severus, be-
tween Newcastle and Carlisle, and sometimes as far
as that of Adrian in Scotland, between the Forth
and Clyde.
To tliese divisions some add the Flavia Ca'sariensis,
uhich ihcy suppose to contain the midland counties.
\\'lun the Sa.xons invaded England about the year
4J0, and when they were established in the year
582, their chief leaders appropriated to themselves,
after the manner of the other northern conquerors,
the countries which each had been the most instru-
mental in conquering ; and the whole formed a hep-
tarciiy, or political republic, consisting of seven
kingdoms. iJut in lime of war, a chief was chosen
out of the seven kingdoms; for which reason we
call it a political republic, its constitution greatly
resembling that of ancient Creece.
Besides the j'i counties into which England and
Wales are divided, there are counties corporate, con-
sisting of certain district, to which the liberties and
jurisdictions peculiar to a county have been granted
by royal charter. Thus the city of London is a
county distinct from Middlesex ; the cities of York,
("hester, Bristol, Exeter, Norwich, Worcester, and
the towns of Kingston upon Hull and Newcastle
uponTyne, are counties of themselves, distinct fiom
those in which they lie. The same may be said of
Berwick upon Tweed, which lies in Scotland, and
hath within its jurisdiction a small territory of two
miles, on the north side of the river.
The industry of the English is such, as to supply
the absence of those favours which nature has so
lavishly bestowed upon some foreign climates, and
in many respects even to exceed tlieni. No nation
in the world can equal the cultivated parts of Eng-
land in beautiful scenes. The variety of high-lands
and low-lands, the former generally swelling, and
both of them forming prospects equal to the most
luxurian^ imagination, the corn and meadow ground,
the intermixtures of inclosures and plantations, the
noble seats, comfortable houses, cheerful villages,
and well-stocked farms, often rising in the neigh-
bourhood of populous towns and cities, decorated
with the most vivid colours of nature, are inexpres-
aible. The uvosl barren spotb are not without their
verdure ; but nothing ran giv^ ua a higher idea of
the ]"-nglish industry, than observing, that sonic of
the pleasantest counties in the kingdom art naturally
the most barri'u, but rendered fruitful by labour.
Lpon the whole, it may be safely afliimed, that no
country in Europe equals England in the beauty of
its prospects, or the opulence of its inhabitants.
'J'hough England is full of delightful rising
grounds, and the most enclr.mting slopes, yet it
contains few niountains. 'J'he most noted are the
Peak in Derbyshire, the Pdidle in Lancashire, the
Wolds in Yorkshire, the Chevi.)t hills on the bor-
ders of Scotland, the Chiltem in Bucks, Malvera
in VV'orcestershire, Cotswould in Gloucestershire,
the Wrekin in Shropshire ; with those of Plinlim-
mon and Snowdon in ^Vales. In general, however,
Wales and the liorthern parts may be termed mouu-
taneous.
The vegetable and animal productions are subjects
so copious, and such improvements have been
made in gardening and agriculture, ever since the
best printed accounts we have had of both, that
much must be left to the reader's own observation
and experience. Excellent institutions for the im-
provements of agriculture are now common in Eng-
land ; and their membeiis are so public-spirited as to
print periodical accounts of their itiscoveries and ex-
periments, which serve to shew that agriculture and
gardening may be carried to a much higher state of
perfection than they are in at present. Honey and
saffron arc natives of England. It is almost need-
less to mention to the most uninformed reader, in
what plenty the most excellent fruits, apples, pears,
plums, cherries, peaches, apricots, nectarines, cur-
rants, gooseberries, raspberries, and other liortulant
productions, grow here; and what quantities of ci-
der, perry, metheglin, and the like liquors, are
made in some counties. The cider of Devon and
Herefordshire, when kept, and made of proper ap-
ples, and in a particular mnnuer, is often preferred
by judicious palates, to French white wine. It is
not enough to mention those improvements, did we
not observe the natives of England have made the
different fruits of the world their own, sometimes
by simple culture, but often by hot-beds, and other
means of forcing nature. The English pine-apples
are delicious, and now plentiful. The same may
be said of other natives of the East and West In
dies, Persia, and Turkey. The English grapes are
pleasing to the taste, but their flavour is not
exalted enough for making of wine; and indeed
wet weather injures the flavour of all the other fine
fruits raised here. Uur kitchen gardens abound
with all sorts of greens, roots, and sallads in perfec-
tion ; such as artichokes, asparagus, caulillowers,
cabbages, coleworts, brocoli, peas, beans, kidney-
874
APPENDIX.
beans, spinnage, beets, lettuce, celery, endive, tun-
•nips, carrots, potatoes, musliroonis, leeks, onions,
and shallots.
Wood for dying is cultivated in Bucks and Bed-
fordshire, as hemp and flax are in other counties.
In nothing, however, have the English been more
successful than in the cultivation of the clover, cin-
quefoil, trefoil, saintfoil, lucern, and other nielio-
ratiug grasses for the soil. It belongs to a botanist
to recount the various kinds of nsetul and salutary
herbs, sbrnbs, and roots, that grow in different
parts of England. The soil of Kent, Essex, Surrey,
and Hampshire, is most favourable to the difficult
and tender culture of hops, which are now become
■a very considerable article of trade.
The exemption of the English constitution from
the despotic powers exercised in foreign nations,
not excepting republics, is one great reason why it
is very difficult to ascertain the immber of inhabi-
tants in England ; and yet it is certain that this
might occasionally be done, by parliament, without
any violation of public liberty, and probably soon
will take place. W ith regard to political calcula-
tions, they must be very fallible, when applied to
England. The prodigious inlkix of foreigners who
settle in the nation, the emigrations of inhabitants
to America and the islands, their return from thence,
and the great number of hands employed m ship-
ping, are all of them matters that render any calcu-
lation extremely precarious. Upon the whole, we
are apt to think, that England is more populous
than the estimators of her inhabitants are wilhng to
allow. The war with Fiance and Spain before the
last, annually employed aboirt 200,000 Englishmen,
exclusive of Scots and Irish, by sea and land ; and
its progress carried oft' by various nuans, very near
that number. The decay of population svas indeed
sensibly felt, biit not so mucli as it was during the
^vars of queen Anne's reign, though not half of the
numbers v\ ere then employed in the sea and land
service.
At the same time, we are not of opinion that Eng-
land is at present naiurally more populace than she
■was in the reisn of Charles I. thcnigh she is acci-
dentally so. The Englikji of former agt s were
strangers to the excessive use of spnituous liquors,
and other modes of living that are destructive of
propagation. X)n the other hand, the vast quanti-
ties of cultivated lands in England, since those
times, it might reasonably be presumed, would be
favourable to mankind ; but this advantage is pro-
bably more than couutcrbalancid by the prevailing
;practice of engrossing farms, which is certainly un-
ifavourable to population ; and, independent of this,
iiipon an average, peiha|)s a married coujiie has not
«t!ch a numerous prQgeny now as formerly. We
Mill take the liberty to make another observation.
which falls within the cognizance of almost every
man, and that is, the incredible increase of foreign
names upon our parish books, and public lists,
compared to what they were even in the reign of
George I.
After what has been premised, it would be pre-
sumptuous to pretend to ascertain the number of
inhabitants of England and Wales ; but, in our
own private opinion, there cannot be fewer than
7,000,000.
The antiquities of England are either British,
Roman, Saxon, Danish, or Anglo-Jsormanic ; but
these, excepting the Roman, throw no great light
upon ancient history.
The Roman antiquities in England consist chiefly
of altars and monumental inscriptions, which in-
struct us us to the legionary stations of the Romans
in Britain, and the names of some of their com-
manders. The Roman military ways give us the
highest idea of the civil as well as niiiitary policy of
those conquerors. Their vestiges are numerous ;
one is mentioned by Leiand, as beginning at Dover>
and passing through Kent to Loinion, and from
thence to St. Albaii's, Dunstable, Stafford, Tow-
cester, Litileburn, St. Gilbert's Hill near Shrews-
bury, then by Stratton, and so through the middle
of "vV ales to Cardigan. The great Via Militaris,
called Herman-Street, passed from London through
Lincoln, where a branch of il, from Pontefract to
Doiicaster, scrikes out to the westward, passing
through Tadcaster to York, and from thence to
Aidby, where it again joined Herman-Street. — •
There wouid, however, be no end of dt scribing the
vestiges of the Roman roads in Engkuid, many of
which serve as foundations to our present highways.
The great earl of Arundel, the celebrated English
antiquanan, had formed a noble plan for describing
those which pass Sussex and Surrey towards Lon-
don ; but the civil war breaking out, put an end to
the undertaking. The remains of many RomaQ
camps are discernible all over England ; one particu-
lar very little defaced, near Dorchester in Dorset-
shire, where also is a Roman aniplutheatie. i heir
situations are generally so well chosen, and tlieir
fortifications appear to have been so coiiipltte, that
there is some reason to believe, that they were .he
constant habitations of the Roman soldiers in Eiiff-
... ^
land; though it is certain, from the baths and tesse-
lattd pavements, that have been found in dilferent
pans, that their chief officers or magistrates liVed iii
towns or villas. Roman walls have Lkewise btea
found in England, and perhaps, upon the bciders
of Wales, many of their forliticatioiis and casLies.
are blended witii those of a later dale ; and it is dif-
ficult for the most exjiert architect to prouomtce that
some halls and courts are nut entirely Roman. —
The private cabinets of noblemen and genllvmen.
APPENDIX.
S7.>
as well as tlic public repositories, contain a vast
number of Roman arms, coins, fibula;, trinkets,
and the like, which have been found in England ;
but the nuist amazing monument of the Roman
power in England, is the pra^tenture, or wall of
Sovcnis, coninionly called the Picts wall, running
through Xorthumbcrland and Cumbeilaud ; begin-
ning at Tinmonth, and ending at Snlway Erith,
being about eighty miles in length. The wall at
first consisted only of stakes and turf, wiili a dilch;
but Sevcrus built it with stone forts, and turrets at
proper distances, so that each might have a speedy
connnunication with the other, and it vv'as attonded
all along by a deep ditch or vallum to the north, aiiil
a military highway to the south. .
The Saxon antiquities in England consist chiefly
in ecclesiastical edifices, and places of strength. —
At VVincliestor is shewn the round table of king
Arthur, with the names of his knights. The anti-
quity of this table has been disputed by Camden,
and later writers, perha|>s with reason : but if it be
not liiitish, it certainly is Saxon. The cathedral
ol Winchester served as the burying-place of seve-
ral Saxon kings, whose bones were collected by
bishop Eox, in six large wooden chests. Many
nionumenls of Saxon antiquity present themselves
all over the kingdom, though they arc often not to
be discerned from the Nornianic; and the Rritish
Museum contains several striking original specimens
of their learning. Many Saxon charters, signed by
the king anil his nobles, with a plain cross instead
of their names, are still to be met with. The writ-
ing is neat and legible, and was always performed
by a clergyman, who affixed the name and quality
of every donor, or witness, to his respective cross.
The Danish erections in England are hardly dis-
cernible from the Saxon. The form of their camps
is round, and they are generally built on eminences,
but their forts are square.
All England is full of Anglo-Normanic monu-
ments, which we chuse to call so, because, though
the princes n.nder whom they «ere raised were of
jVorman original, yet the expeuce was defrayed by
J'.nglishmen, with English mar.ey. York-minster,
end West-niinster-hall and abbey are perhaps the
finest specimens to be found in Europe, of that
Gothic numiier which prevailed in buildnnr, before
tlie recovery of the Greek and Roman architecture.
All the cathedrals and old churches in the kingdom,
are more or Ic'is in the same taste, if we except St.
Paul's, in short, those erections are so common,
that they scarcely deserve the nanu.' of curiosities.
It is uiieeitain, \\lictl;er the arii(ici;i! excavations,
found in some parts of Enj;land, are Kritish, Saxon,
or Norman, 'fhat under the old castle of Ryegale
in Surrey is very remarkable, and seems to have been
ilesigned for stcreting the cattle and efiijcts of the
68 10
natives in time of war and invasPon. It contains an-
oblong square hall, round which runs a bench, cut
out of the same rock, for sitting upon ; and tradi-
tion says, that it was the room in which the baron?
of England met tiuring the wars with king John. — ■'-
The rock itself is soil and very practicable ; but it
is hard to say where the cxcavatimi, whicli is con-
tinued in a square passage, about six feet higli, and
four wide, terminates, because the work is fallen iit
in some places.
Derbyshire is celebrated for many natural curi-
osities. The Mam 'I'or, or Mother Tower, is said
to be continually mouldering away, but never dimi-
nishes. 1'he Elden Hole, about tour miles from the
same place: this is a chasm iu the side of a moun-
tain, near seven yards w ide, anil fourteen long, dimi-
nishing in extent within the rock, but of what depth
is not known. A plummet once drew 884 yards of
line after it, whereof the last eighty were wet, with-
out finding a bottom. The entrance of Poole's-
Hole, near Buxton, for several paces is very low,
but soon opens into a very lofty vault, like the inside
of a Gothic cathedral. The height is certainly very
great, yet much short of what some have as.serted,
who reckon it a quarter of a mile perpendicular,
though in length it exceeds that dimension ; a current
of water, which runs along the middle, adds, by its
sounding stream, re-echoed on all sides, very «:ucli
to the astonishment of all who visit this vast con-
cave. The drops of water which hang from the
roof, and on the sides, have an amusing etl'ect ; for
they not only reflect numberless rays from the can-
dles carried by the guides, but, as they are of a
petrifying quality, they harden in several places inta
various forms, which, with the help of a strong ima-
gination, may pass for lions, fop.ts, organts, and the
like. 'I'he entrance into that natural woudt r at Castle-
ton, which is from its hideousuess named the Devil's
Aisc, is wide at first, and upwards of liiirty feet peri
endicular. Several cottagers dw ell under it, w ho scent
ill a great measure to subsist by guiding strangers into
the cavern, which is crossed by four streams of water,
and then is thought impassible. The vault, in sev^-ral
places, makes a noble ;ippearance, and is particularly
beauiifal, by being chequered with various coloured
stones.
l^ondon is the metropolis of the British empire,
and appears to have been founded betw een the reigns
of Julius Ciesar and Nero, but by whom is uncer-
tain; for we are told by Tacitus, that it was a place
of great trade in Nero's time, and soon after became
the capital of the island. It was first walled about
with hewn stones, and British bricks, bv Coustaii-
tiiie the' Great, and the walls formed au oblong
square, in Gonipass about three miles, with several
principal gates. '^Ihc same emperor made it a bi-
shop's see, for it appears that the bithops of LouJu*
.-^v
876
APPENDIX.
and York, and another English bishop, Were at the
council of Aries, in the year 314: he also settled a
mint in it, as is plain from some of his coins.
London, in ils large sense, including Westminster,
Southwaik, and pai t of Middlesex, is a city of a
very surprising extent, of prodigious wealth, and of
the most extensive trade. This city, when consi-
dered with all its advantages, is now what ancient
Rome once was ; the seat of liberty, the encourager
of arts, and the admiration of the whole world. —
London is the centre of trade ; it has an intimate
connection with all ilie counties in the kingdom ; it
is the grand mart of the nation, to which all parts
send their commodities, from whence they are again
seat back to every town of the nation, and to every
pait of the world. From hence innumerable car-
riages by land and water are constantly employed ;
and from hence arises the circulation in the national
body, which renders every part healthful, vigorous,
and in a prosperous condition ; a circiiialiou that is
equally benelicial to the head and most distant nieui-
bers. Merchants are here as rich as noblemen ;
witness the iTicredible loans to government ; and there
is no place in the world where the shops of trades-
men make such a noble and elegant appearance, or
are better stocked.
It is situated on the banks of the Thames, a river
which, though not the largest, is the richest and most
commodious for commerce of any in the world. —
It being continually tilled with fleets, sailing to or
from the most distant climates; and its banks ex-
tend from London-bridge to Blackwall, almost one
continued great magazine of nnval stores, contaiuinj^
three large wet docks, 6'i dry docks, and 3,'3 yards toi
the building of ships for the use of the merchants
beside the places allotted for the building of boats
and lighters ; and the king's yards down the river for
the biulding of men of v\ar. As this city is about
sixty miles distant from the sea, it enjoys, by means
ot tliis be-cfutilul river, all the benefits ot navigation,
vithnut the danger of being surpiistd by turtign
fleets, or ot being annoyed by the moist vapours of
the sea. It rises legularly from the water side, and
extending itself on both sides along its banks, reathes
a prodigious length from east to v\est in a kind of
aniphiilieatre towards the north, and is continued lor
near 20 miles on all sides, in a succession of mag-
nilicent villas, and populous villages, the country
seats of gentlemen and tradesmen ; v hither tlie latter
retire for the benefit of fresh air, and to relax their
minds from the huiiy of business. 'Ilie regard paid
by the legislature to the property of the subject, has
hitherto prevented any bounds being fixed for its
extension.
The irregular form of this city makes it difficult
to ascertain its extent. However, its length from
cast to west is generally allowed to be above seven
miles, frotii Hyde-park corner to Poplar; and it»
breadth in some places three, in others two, and ia
others again not much above half a mile. Hence
the circumference of the whole is almost eighteea
miles; or, according to a modern measurement, the
extent of continued buildings, is 35 miles two fur-
longs, and 39 roods. But it is much easier to form
an idea of the large extent of a city so irregulirlj
built, by the nuuiber of the people, who are com-
puted to be near a million ! and from the nuuiber of
edifices devoted to the strvice of religion.
Of these, beside St. Paul's cathediai, and the col-
legiate church at Westminster, here are 1()'2 parish
churches, and 09 chapels of the established religion ;
21 French jirotestant ch.ipels; 1) chapels belonging
to the Germans, Dutch, Danes, &c. 2fi independent
meetings; 34 presbytenaii meetings; 20 baptist
meetings ; 19 popish chapels, and meeting houses
for the use of foieign ambassadors, and people of
various sects; and three Jewish .synagogues. So
that there are 30o places devoted to religious wor-
ship, in the compass of this vast pile of buildings,
without reckoning the 21 out-parishes usually inciii-
dea in the bills of mortality, and a great number of
methodist tabernacle.
There are also in and near this city 100 alms-
Iniuses, aboui 20 hospitals and inlirinaries, three col-
leges, 10 public prisons, 15 flesh-markets, one
market for live cattle, two other markets more jiar-
ticularly for herbs, and 23 other markets for corn,
coals, hay, &c. 15 inns of court, 27 public squares,
besides those within single builtlings, as the Temploy
Sic. three bridges, 49 halls for companies, eight pub-
lic schools, called free schools, and 131 charity-
schools, which provide education for 5034 poor
children, 207 inns, 447 taverns, 551 coffee-houses,
5973 ale-liouses, 1200 hackney-coaches, 4(30 ditto
chairs, 70!)>> streets, lanes, courts, and alleys, and
150,000 dwelling houses, containing, as has been
already observed, about 1,000,000 inhabitants.
London-bridge was (irst built of stone in the reigri
of Henry II. about the year 11(13, by a tax laid
upon wool, which in course of time gave rise to the
notion that it was built upon wool packs; from that
time it has undergone many alterations and improve-
ments, particularly since the year 1756, when the
houses were taken down, and the whole rendered
more convenient and beautiful. The passage tor
carriages is 3 1 feet broail, and seven feet on each
side tor foot passengers. It crosses the Thames
where it is 915 feet broad, and has at present 19
arches, of about 20 feet wide each, but the centre
one is considerably larger.
Westminster-bridge is reckoned oi\e of the most
coinple.e and elegant structures of the kind known
in the world. It is built entirely of stone, and ex-
teuded aver the river at a place where it is 1,223
APPENDIX.
B7t
feet broad ; whicli is above 300 feet broader than at
LoiiHini-biiuge. On each side is a line balustrade
of stone, Willi places of shelter from the rain. 'i"he
vidth of the bridge is 45 feel, having on each side a
fine fool-way for passengers. It consists of 14 piers,
and 13 large, and two small arches, all seniieiicular,
thai in the centre being 7(> feet wide, and the rest
drcieasing four feel each from the other ; so that the
two least arches of llie 13 great oiks are ea<:h .Yl
feet. It is cuiiij)uted that the value of 40,(X)))1. in
stone and other muleiials, is always under water. —
This tnagnificenl strucUiie was begmi in 1738, and
finished 1750, at the esptnce of 38y,OOOl. defrayed
by the parliament.
lilackfriars-bridge falls nothing short of that of
W(stminsier, either in inagniticence or workman-
ship; but lire situation of the ground on the two
shores obliged the architect to employ elliptical
arches ; which, however, have a very tine effect, and
many persons even prefer it to W'esiiiiinsler-bridge.
Tliis budge was begun in 170(>, and linished in 1770,
at the expcnce of 15'i,S40l. to be discharged by a
toll upon the passengers. It is situated aini.isl at
an iquai distance bttwetn those of \\ istmiiislcr and
London ; c<iiiinuinds a view on the I lianies trou;
the lattei t j W luiehall, and discovers the majesty of
St. Paul's in a very striking manner.
The cathedral of St. Paul's i.s the most capacious,
magnihcent, and regular prottstant church in the
world. The- Kngth within is50<) feet, and the height,
from the marble pavement to the cioss, on the top
of the cupola, is 340. It is built of Portland stone,
according to the Greek and Roman orders, in the
form of a cross, after the model of St. Peter's, at
Konic, to which it in some respects is superior. St.
Paul's church is the principal work of Sir Christo-
pher Wren, and undoiibtediy the c)nly work of the
same magiiilude that ever was completed by one
man. He lived to a great age, and tinished the
building in 37 years alter he liini.si If laid the first
sione. It takes up six acres ot ground, though the
whole length of this church measures no more than
the width of St. Peter's. The ex pence of rebuilding
it, after the tire of London, was defrayed by a duty
on coals, and is computed at a million sterling.
Westminster Abbey, <ir ihe ccdlegiale church of
Westminster, is a venerable pile of liiiildiiig, in the
Gothic taste. It was first built by Edwaid ihe C'on-
fessor; king Henry HI. rebuilt it from the ground,
and Henry V H. added a tine chapel to the east end
of it. 'I'liis is the repository of the deceased Briiish
kings and nobility ; and here are also monuments
erected to the memory of many great and lilustric.us
personages, cominandeis by sea aiul Luui, philoso-
pl.trs, potts, &.C. In ihe reign of (pieen Anne,
4(J()0l. a year out of the coal duty was granted by
parltauieut for keepiug it ill repairs.
Westminster-IIall, though on the outside it make.*
a mean, and no very advantageous appearance, is a
noble Gothic building, and is said to be the largest
room in the world, whose roof is not supported with
pillars, it being 230 feet long, and 70 broad. The
roof is the finest of its kind that can be seen. Here
are held the coronation feasts of our kings and
queens ; also the courts of chancery, king's-bench,
and common-pleas, and above stairs that of the ex-
chequer.
That beautiful column called the Monument,
erected at the charge of the city, to perpetuate the
memory of its being destroyed by tire, is justly worthy
of notice This column, which is of the Doric
order, exceeds all the obelisks and jiillars of the
ancients, it being '202 feet high, with a staircase in
the middle to ascend to the balcony, which is about
30 feet short of the top, from whence there are
o.her steps, made for persons to look out at the top
o< all, which is fashioned like an urn, with a Haine
issuing from it. On the base of the nioiiument,
next the street, the destruction of tl e city, and the
relief given to the sufferers by Charles 11. and his
brother, is emblematically represented in has relief,
'i'he north and south sides of the base have a Latin
inscription, the one describing its dreadful desolation,
and the other its splendid resurrection; and on the
e:ist side is an inscription, shewing when the pillar
was begun and tinished. The charge of erecting
this monument, which was begun by Sir Christopher
Wren in I(J71, and tinished by him lu 1677, amount-
ed to upwards of 1.5,>>00l.
The Koyal Exchange is a large and noble build-
ing, and is said to have cost above 80,0(X)1.
'i'he lerrace in the Adelphi is a very fine piece of
architecture, and has laid open one of the finest
prospects in the v\ orld.
This great and popidons city is happily supplied
with abundance of fresh water, Irom the Thames,
and the I\ew -River; whicli is not only of incoii-
ccivuble service to every family, but by means of
fire-plugs every where dispersed; the keys of wliich
are deposited with the parish ofhcers, the city is in
a great measure secured from the spr<ading of tire,
for these plugs are no sooner opened than there are
vast quantities of water to supply the engines.
With regard to the commerce of England, the
exports have been computed at seven inillKins ster-
ling, and its inipoits at live, of which above one
million is re-exported; so that, if this edlcnlution be
true, England gains, annually, three millions sterling
in trade; but this is a point upon wliich the most
experienced merchanls and ablest calciilatois tinier.
Yet our foreign trade does not amount lo one-
sixth i)ait of the inland ; the annu;:l produce of the
natural produiMs and maiuil'actures ol England
ainountiug to above forty-two millions. The gold
S78
APPENDIX.
and silver of England is received from Portugal,
Spain, Jamaica, tiie American colonies, and Africa,
but great part of this gold and silver we again ex-
port to Holland and the East Indies; and it is sup-
posed that two-thirds of all the foreign traffic -of
Eiiglai'.d is carried on in the port of London.
We shall conthide this account of our trade with
the following comparative view of shipping, which,
till a better tabic can be formed, may have its uses.
If the shipping of Europe may be divided into
twenty |j;irts, then
Creat Britain, &c. is computed to have - 6
The United Provinces - - - - G
Denmark, Sweden, and Russia - - 2
The trading cities of Germany, aud the Austrian
Netherlands. . - . - - 1
France -------2
Spain and Portugal ----- 2
Italy, and the rest, of Europe - - - 1
Our bounds will not aflford looixi to enter into a
particular detail of the places where those English
manufactures, which are mentioned in the above
account are fabricated.
Tacitus, in describing such a constitution as that
of England, seems to think, that however beautiful
it may rise in theory, it may be found impracticable
in the execution. Experience has proved tliis mis-
take; for by contrivances unknown to anliquity, the
English constitution has existed for above 300 years.
It must at the same time be admitted, that it has
received, during that time, many amendments, and
some interruptions ; but its principles are the same
with those described by the above-mentioned histo-
rian, as belonging to the Germans, and tlie other
nortliern ancestors of the English nation, and which
are very improperly blended under the name of
Oothic. On the first invasion of England by the
Saxons, who came from Germany and the neigh-
bouring countries, their ]a«s aud manners were pretty
much the same as those mentioned by Tacitus. —
The people bad a leader in time of war. The con-
*(uered lands, in proportion to the merits of his fol-
lowers, antl their ability to serve him, were distri-
buted among them ; and the whole was considered
as the common property which they were to tyiite
in defending against all invaders. Fresh adventurers
coming ovei-, under separate leaders, tlie old inha-
bitants were driven into Wales ; and those leaders,
at last, assumed tiie titles of kings, over the several
districts they h^d conquered, 'i his change of ap-
pellation made ihem more respectable among the
I3ritons, and their neighbours the Scots and Picts,
but did not increase their power, the operations of
which continued to be confined to military affairs.
Ajl civil inatters were proposed iu a general as-
sembly of. the chief officers and the people, till, by
degrees, sheriffs and other civil officers were ap-
pointed. To Alfred we owe that master-piece of
judicial policy, the subdivision of England into wa-
pentakes and hundreds, and the subdivision of
hundreds into tithings, names that still subsist in
England ; and overseers were chosen to direct them
for the good of the whole. The sheriff was the
judge of all civil and criminal matters w ithin the
county, and to him, after the introduction of Chris-
tianity, wias added the bishops. In process of time,
as business nmliiplied, itinerant and other judges
were appointed; but by the earliest records, it ap-
pears that all civil matters were decided by 10 or IG
men, living in the neighbourhood of the place where
the dispute lay ; and here we have the original of
English juries. It is certain that they were in use
among the earliest Saxon colonies, their institution
being ascribed by bishop Nicholson to Woden him-
self, their great legislator and captain. Hence we
find traces of juries in the laws of ail those nations
>Aliich adopted the feudal system, as in Germany,
France, and Italy ; who had all of them a tribunal
composed of 10 good men and true, equals or pcer.i
of tlie party litigant. In England we find actual
mention made of them so early as the laws of king
Ethelred, and tluit not as a new invention.
Before the introduction of Christianity, we kno'T
not \>hethcr the Saxons admitted of juries in crimi-
nal matters ; but we are certain that there was no
action so criniiiiul as not to be compensated for bj
money. A mulct was in)posed iu proportion to the
guilt, even if it was murder of the king, upon the
malefactor, aud by paying it he purchased his par-
don. Those barbarous usages seem to have cea.sed
soon after the Saxons were converted to Christian-
ity ; and cases of felony and murder were then tried
even in the king's court, by a jury.
Royally, among the Saxons, was not, slrictlj
speaking, hereditary, though in fact, it came to be
lendeied so through the affection which the people
bore tor the blood of their kings, and for preserving
the regularity of government. Even estates and
honours wcro not btrictly hereditary till they were
made so by William the Norman.
In many respects, the first princes of the Norman
line afterwards did all they could to eiiace from the
minds of the people the remembrance of the Saxon
constitution ; but the attempt was to no purpose.
The nobility, as well as the people, had their com-
plaints against the crown, atid, after n;iicli war and
bloodshed, the famous charter of English liberties,
so well known by the name of IMagna Charta, was
forcibly (iu a manner) obtained from king John, and
confirmed by his son Henry HI. who succeeded to
the crown in lOG. It does not appear, that till
this reign, aud after p. great deal of blood hud been
APPENDIX.
8:»
spilt, tlic camifions of England were represented in
parliament, or the great council of the nation ; so
entirely had the barons engrossed to themselves the
disposal of property.
The precise year when the house of commons
was founded is not known ; but we are certain there
was one in the reign :>f Henry III. thoiitih v\e sliall
not enter into any dispute about tiicir specific pow-
ers. We therefore now proceed to describe the
CONSTITUTION as it stands at present.
In all states there is an absolute supreme power,
to which the right of legislation beiungs; and which
by the singular constitution of these Ikingdoins, is
here vested in the king, lords and commons.
'I'hc supreme executive power of Great Britain
and Ireland is vested by our constitution in a single
person, king or queen ; for it is indifferent to which
sex the crown descends : iTie person entitled to it,
vhetlier male or female, is immediately entrusted
with all the ensigns, rights, and prerogatives of so-
venign power.
Tlie grand fundamental maxim upon which the
right of accession to the throne of these kingdoms
depends, is, " that the crown, by common law and
constitutional custom, is hereditary, and this in a
manner peculiar to itself; but that tlie right of iiihe-
lilaiico may, from time to time, be clianged, or
limited, by act of parliament: under which limita-
tions the ciown still continues hereditary."
That the reader may enter more clearly into the
deduct;on of the following royal succession, by its
being transferred from the house of Tudor to that
of Stuart, it may be proper to inform him, that on
the death of queen Elizabeth, without issue, it be-
came necessary to recur to the other issue of her
grandfather Henry Vil. by Elizabeth of York his
queui, whose eldest daughter, Margaret, having
nia rii d James IV'. king of Scotland, king James
tbi: Sixih of Scotland, and of England tlie First,
■was the lineal disceiul.mt from that ulliance. So
that in his person, as clearly as in Henry VIII.
rentred all the cl.iiuis of the difieient competitors,
from the Norman invasion downward ; he being
jndisputaldy the lineal heir of William I. And,
what is siill more remarkable, in his person also
centred the right of the Saxon monardis, which
had been suspended from the Norman invasion till
h"is accession. For Margaret, the sister of Edgar
iVihcling, the daughter of Edwflrd the Outlaw, and
grand-daughter of king EdniuiKi Ironside, was the
person in whom the hereditary right of tiie Saxon
kings, supposing it not abolislicd by the tciquest,
resided. She married JIalcolm III. king of Scot-
land; and Henry II. by a descent from Matilda
their daughter, is generally called the restorer of
the Saxon line. But it must be rei-iiembered, that
Jklalcolu), by his Saxon queen, had sons as well as
58 10
daughters; and that the roynl family of Sco'IanJ,
from that time downwards, were' llic offspring of
Malcolm and Margaret. Of this royal family kiiij;
James 1. was the direct and lineal descendniil; ami
therefore united in his peis.ni every possible claim,
by hen'ditary right, to llie Engli'^h as well as the
Scottish throne, being the' heir both of Egbert jiui
W iiliam the Norman.
At the Kevolution in iGSS, the convention of es-
tates, or representative body of the nation, declared
that the miscoiuluct of king James II. amounted to
an abdication of the governmeui, and thul t!ie throiio
was thereby vacant.
In consequence of this vacancy, and from a re-
gard to the ancient line, the convention appointeil
the next Protestant heirs of the blood royal of khrr
Charles I. to fill the vacant throne, in the old order
of succession ; with a temporary exception of |)re-
ference to the person of king \\ iliiain HI.
On the impending failure of the Protestant Inie
of king Charles I. (^whereby the throne might again
have become vacant), the king and |)arliainent ex-
tended the settlement of the crow ii to the Pi olestant
line of king James I. viz. to the princess Sophia of
Hanover, and the heirs of her body, being Protes-
tants; and she is now the common stock from
whom the heirs of the crown must descend.
The true ground and principle, upon which the
Revolution proceeded, was entirely a new case in
politics, which had never before happened in our
history ; the abdication of the reigning monarch,
and the vacancy of the throne thereupon. It was
not a defeasance of the right of succession, and a
new limitation of the crown, by the king and both
houses of parliament; it was the act of the nation
alone, upon a conviction that there was no king in
being. For, in a full assembly of the lords imd
commons, met in convention, upon the supposition
of this vacancy, both houses came to this resolution,
"that king James II. having endeavoured to sub-
vert the constitution of the kingdom, by breaking
the original contract between king and people; and
by the advice of Jesuits, and other wicked persons,
having violated the fuiulanienlal laws, and having
drawn himself out of this kingdom, has abdicated
the government, and that the throne s thereby va-
cant." Thus ended at once, 'by this sudden and
unexpected revolulioii, the old line of succession :
wliich from the Norman' invasion had las'ed above
(iOO years, and from the union of the Saxon heptar-
chy in king Egbert, almost 900.
Though in some points the Revoliitio!! w as not so
perfect as might have been w islied, yet from thence
a new sera commenced, in which the bounds 6f pre-
rogative and liberty have been belter defined, the
principles of government more thoroughly examined
and understood, and the rights of the si:bj^ct laore
'88d'
APPENDIX.
explicitly guarded by legal provisions ; than in any
otlier period of ihc lin<;lish liistory. In particular,
it is worthy of observation, that the convention, in
this their judgment, avoic'ed with great wisdom the
extremes into which the visionary theories of some
zealous rejHiblicans would have led them. 'J'hey
held that the misconduct of king James amounted
to an endeavour to subvert the constitution, and not
to an actual subversion, or total dissolution of the
goveruiaent. 'i'hey, therefore, ver\ prudently voted
it to amount to no more than an abdication ot the
government, and a coiisequent vacancy of the
throne ; whereby the government was allowed to
subsist, though the executive magistrate was gone:
and the kingly office to remain, tliough James was
no longer king. And thus the constitution was kept
entire; which, upon every sound principle ot go-
vernment, must otherwise have fallen to pieces, had
so principal and constituent a part as the royal
authority been abolished, or even suspended.
Hence it is easy to collect, that the title to the
crown is at presenf hereditary, though not quite so
absolutely hereditary as formerly; and the common
stock or ancestor, from whom the descent must be
derived, is also difterent. Formeily the common
ytock was king Egbert; then William theConqueror;
afterward, in James I's time, the two common
stocks united, and so continued till the vacancy of
the throne in 1G88: now it is the princess Sophia,
in whom the inheritance wais vested by the new king
•and parliament. Formerly the descent was absolute,
and the crown went to the next heir, without any
vestrictiort ; but now, upon the new settlement, the
inheiilauce is conditional; being limited to such
heirs only, of the body of the princess Sophia, as
are Protestant members of the church of England,
and are married to none but Protestants.
And in this due medium consists the true constitu-
tional notion of the rigiu of succession to the impe-
rial crown of these kingdoms. The extremes be-
tween which it steers, have been thought each of
them to be destructive of those ends for which so-
cieties were formed, and are kept on foot. Where
the magistrate, upon every succession, is elected by
the people and may by the express provision of the
laws be deposed (if not puHlshed) by his subjects ;
this may suund like the periection of liberty, and
look well eiiougii when delineated on paper, but in
pracli^'e will be ever found extremely dithcuit. And
on the other hand, divine indefeasible hereditary
right, when coupled with the doctrine of unlimited
passive ob.dience, is surely of all constitutions the
niost thoroughly slavish and dreadful. But when
sucli an hereditary right as our laws have created and
vested ill the ro^al stock, is closely interwoven with
those libtrties, which are equally the luheritance of
t)^ subject, this uniuu will tiMtn a constituiion m
theory the most beaijtiful of any, in practice the
most approved, and in all probability will prove in
duration the must permanent. This constitution it
is the duty of every Briton to uuderittand, to revere,
and to defend.
The principal duties of tiie king are expressed in
his oath at the coronation, vvhi'.'i is adniiuistered by
one of the archbishops or bishops of the realm, in
the presence of all the people; who, on then- paits,
do reciprocally take the oaih o! alle^i.nice to the
crown. 'I'his coronation is conceived in the follow-
ing terms : —
" The anlibhhup, or bishop, shull saif, — ^^Vill yoii
solemnly promise and swear, to govern tiie people o^
this kingdom of Enghtud, and ihe doiiiinions there-
unto belonging, according to the statutes iu parlia-
ment agreed on, and the laws and customs of the
same ? The king or queen shall say, — I solemnly
promise so to do.
" Aixhbishop or bishop. — Will you, to the utmost
of your power, cause law and justice, in mercy, to
be executed in all your judgments i" King or queen,
—1 will.
" Archbishop or bishop. — Will you, to the utmost
of your power, maintain the laws of God, the true
j)rot'essi()n of the gospel, and the protestant reformed
religion established by the law ? And will you pre-
serve unto the bishops and clergy of this realm, and
to the churches committed to their charge, all sucli
rights and privileges as by the law do or shall apper-
tain unto them, or any of them .'' King or queen, —
x\ll this I promise to do.
" After this, the king or queen, laying his or her
hands on the holy gospels, shall say, — The things
which I have here before promised, 1 xcill perform
and keep : so help me God. And then kiss the
book."
This is the form of the coronation oath, as it is
now prescribed by our laws : and we may observe,
that in the king's part, in this original contract, are
expressed all the duties that a monarch can owe to
his people; viz. to govern according to law, to ex-
ecute judgment in mercy, and to maintain the estab-
lished religion. With respect to the hitter of these
three branches, we may further remark, that by the
act of union, 5 Anne, c. 8, two preceding statutes
are recited and coiifii nied, the one ot the parliament
of Scotland, the other of the parliament of Eng-
land ; which eniict, the former, that every king at
his succession, shall take and subscribe an oath, to
preserve the protestant religion, and presbyttiian
church government in Scotland: the latter, that, at
his coronation, he shall lake and subscribe a similar
oath, to pruseivc the setlleuieiit ot the church of
I'.uglanii \Mlhin Eiiglund, Ireland, Wales, and Ber-
wick, aiii' lie ten Hones iheieunto belonging.
The king of Great Biitiun, uotwithsiaiidiug the.
APPENDIX.
aet
Umitarion of tlie power of the crown, already men-
tioned, is the greatest moiuiich reigning over a free
people. His person is sacn-d in the eye o( the law,
which makes it high treason so nun h as to imagine
or intend liis death ; ntithei can he, in himselt, be
deemed guilty of any crime, the law taking no cog-
nizance of his actions, but only ni the persons of
ministers, if tliey infiiiig<' tlie laws of the land. As
to his powe*-, it is very great, though he has no right
to extend his prerogative beyond llie ancient limits,
or the boundaries prescribed by the coii!>tiLution ;
he can make no new laws, nor raise any in w' taxes,
nor act in opposition to anv of the laws ; but he can
make war or peace ; send and n ceive ambassadors ;
make trealie.-; of league and comincrce ; levy armies
a«d lit out Heels, for the defence of his kingdom,
the aiuioyaace ot his enemies, or the suppression ot
rebelli'iiis; grant conuiiissious to his otticers, both
by si'a and land, or revoke them at pleasure ; dispose
oi" all magazines, castles, &c.; summon the parlia-
ment to meet, and, whiii met, adjourn, prorogue, or
dissolve it at pleasure ; refuse his assent to any bill,
though it had passed both houses ; which, conse-
quently, by such a refusal, has no more force than if
it had never been moved; but this is a prerogative
that the kings of England have very seldom ventured
to exercise. He possesseth the right of oh using his
own council ; of nominating all the great officers of
state, of the household, and the church ; and, in fine,
is the fountain of honour, from whom all degrees
of nobility and knighthood are derived. Such is the
dignitv and power of a king of Great Britain.
Parliaments, or general councils, in some shape,
are, as has been before observed, of as high antiquity
as the Saxon government in this island, and coeval
uith the kingdom itself. The parliament is assem-
hled by the king's writs. Its conslilueiit parts are,
the king sitting there in his royal political capacity,
iHid tiie ihree estates of the realm ; the lords spiri-
tual, the lords temporal (who sit together with tlie
king in one house), and tlie commons, who sit by
tbtniselves in another.
The lords spiritual consist of two archbishops and
twenty-four bishops. The lords temporal consist of
ail die peers of ihe realm, the bisho|>s not being in
strictness held to be such, but merely lords of par-
liament. Son)e of the peers sit by descent, as do
all ancient peers; some by creation, as do all the
IK'W made ones: others, since the union with Scot-
laud, by election, which is the case of the 8i.\teeii
peers, who represent the bodv of the Scottish iiobi-
jity. 'I'he number of pters is indefinite, and may
be increased at will bv the power ot the crown.
Tlie comuKins consist of ail suth men of any
property in the kingdom, as have not seats in the
ht.iise ot lords, ever\ one of which has a voiei in
paihamtpt, either persoHully, or 1>\ his lepreseirta-
tive. The number of English representatives ig
51. '5, Scotch 4j, and Irish 100; in all f).)8. And
every member, thougli chosen by one partiiular dis-
trict, when elected and returned, serves for the whole
realm. For the end of his coming thither is not
particular, but general ; not merely to serve his con-
stituents, but also the commonwealth, and to advise
his majesty, as appears from the writ of summons.
These are the constituent parts of a parliament
the kin^, the lords spiritual and temporal, and the
commons: Parts, of which each is so necessary,
that the con.sent of all three is reqniied to make any
new law tlr.it should bind the subject. Whatever is
enacted for law by one, or by two only, of the three,
is no statute, and to it no regard is due, unless iu
matters relating to their own privileges.
'I'he power and jurisdiction of parliament, says-
Edward Coke, is so transcendent and absolute, that
it cannot be confined either for causes or persons,
within any bounds. It hath sovereign and uncon-
troulable authority in making, confirming, enlarging,
restraining, abrogating, repealing, reviving, and ex-
pounding of laws, concerning matters of all possible
denomination, ecclesiastical or temporal, civil, mili-
tary, maritime, or criminal; this being the place-
where that absolute despotic power, which must ia^
all governments n'side somewhere, is entrusted by>
tlie cons^itution of these kingdoms. And it' is a-
matter most essential to the liberties of the kingdom,
that such members be delegated to this important
trust, as are most eminent for their probity, their
foititude, and their know ledge ; for it was a known
a|>oplilhcgem of the great lord treasurer Burleigh,
" that England could never be ruinetl but by a par-
liament;" and as Sir Matthew Hale observes, this
being the highest and greatest court, over which
iwne other can have juriwliction in tlie kingdom, if
by any means a misgoveriiment should any way fall:
upon it, the subjects of this kingdom aee left without
all manner of legal remedy.
In order to prevent the mischiefs that might arise,
by placing this extensive authority in hands that are
either incapable, or else improper to manage it, k is
provided, ihat no one shall sit or vote in either house
of parliament, unl«S8 he be twenty-one years of age.
To prevent iimovalions in religion and government,
It i^ enacted, that no member shall vote or Mt in
either house, till he hath, in the presence of the
house, taken the oalhs of allegiance, supremacy, and
abjuration ; and subscribed and repeated the decla-
ration against traiisul>«>tantiation, the invocation of
saints, and liie sacrihce of the mass. '1 o prevent'
daiisers that may arise to the kingdom from foreiga
at.achnieiils, connexions, or dependencies, it is
enacted, that no alien born out of the doiiiinion^ of
the crown ot (inat Biitaiii, < ven though he be na-
luralued, shall be capable ol bc-int; a member of
882-
.APPENDIX.
either house of parliament. Some of the most im-
portant privileges of the memb€rs of either hou^e,
»re privileges of speech, of person, of their domes-
tics, ar.d tlreir lands and goods. As to the lirst,
•priviiege of speech, it is deci;>.rcd by the statute of
1 Will. & Muiy, St. a. c. 2. as one of the liberties
of the people, " that )he freedom of speech, and
dcbati's, aiid proceedings in parliament, ought not
to he impeached or questioned in any court or place
out of parliament." And this freedom of speech is
particularly demanded of the king in person, by the
speaker of the liouse ffi commons, at the opening
of every new parliament. So are the other privi-
leges of person, servants, lands, and goods. This
includes not only privilege from illegal violence, but
also from legal arrests, and seizures by process from
the courts of law. To assault by violence a mem-
ber of either house, or his menial servants, is a high
contempt of parliament, and there punished with
the utmost severity. Neither can any member of
either house be arrested and taken into custody, nor
served with any process of the courts of law ; nor
can his menial servants be arrested, nor can any
ntry be made on his lands, nor can his goods be
distrained or seized, without a breach in the privi-
lege of parliament.
The house of lords liave a right to be attended,
and consequently are, by tlie judges of the courts of
king's bench and common pleas, and such of the
barons of the exchequer as are of the degree of the
coif, or have been Serjeants at law ; as likewise by
the masters of the court of chancery, for their ad-
vice in point of law, and for the greater dignity of
their proceedings.
The speaker of the house of lords is generally the
lord chancellor, or lord keeper of the great seal,
which dignities are commonly vested in the same
person.
Each peer has a right, by leave of the house, as
being his own representative, when a vote passes
contrary to his sentiments, to enter his dissent on th.e
journals of the house, \\ilh the reasons of such dis-
sent, which is usually styled his protest. Upon par-
ticular occasions, however, these protests -have been
.so bold as to give offence to the majority of the
house, and have therefore been expunged fiom their
journals. But this has always been thought a vio-
lent measure, and not very consistent with the gene-
ral right of protesting.
The house of comiBons may be properly styled
the grand inquest of Great Britain impowered to
inquire .into all. national grievances, in order to see
.tliem redressed.
The peculiar laws and customs of the house of
•commons relate principally to the raising of taxes,
and the election of inenibers to serve in parliament.
\\ith regard to taxes : it is the ancient indisput-
able privilege and right of the hoiise of commons,
that ai! grants of subsidies, or pariiamentaiy aids,
do begin in their house, and nre iirst bestowed by
them ; although their grants arc not effectual to all
intents and purposes, until thv\v have the assent of
the other two branches of the legislature. The ge-
neral reason given for l!iis exclusive privilege of the
house of commons is, that the supplies are raised
upon the body of tiie people, and therefore it is pro-
per that they alone should have the right of tijxing
themselves.
The method of making laws is much the same in
both houses. In each house the act of the in;ijorily
binds the v\ hole ; and this majority is dt'clared by
votes publicly and openly given, not as at Venice,
and m-.iny other senatorial assemblies, privately or
by ballot.
From the above general view of the English con-
stitution, it appears, that no security for its perma-
nency, which the wit of man can devise, is want-
'"g- . ...
The king of England, besides his high court of
j)arliament, has subordinate officers and ministers
to assist him, and who are responsible for their
advice and conduct. They are made by the king's
nomination, without either patent or grant; and
on taking <lie necessary oaths, they become imme-
diately privy-counsellois during the life of the king'
that chooses them, but subject to removal at his
discretion.
The duty of a privy-counsellor appears from the
oath of office, which consists of seven a.'ircles : I
To advise the king according to the best of his cun-
ning and discretiim. 2. To advise for the king's
honour and good of the |«iblic, with -ut partiality,
through atfeciion, love, need, doubt, or dread. 3.
To ke<>p the king's council secret. 4. To avoid
corrupUon. 5. i o help and strengthen the execu-
tion oi «hat shall be there resolved. 6. To with-
siand all pt-rsuns who would attempt the contrary.
And lastly, in general, 7. To observe, keep, and
do ail that a good and true counsellor ought to do
to his sovereign lord.
With regard to the capital acts of government'
which were formeily entrusted with the secretaries
of state, a comittee of the privy council, commonly
called a cabinet council, are chiefly entrusted. —
This cabinet generally consists of a select nunihcr
of ministers and noblemen, according to the king's
opinion of their integrity and abilities, or attachment
to the views of the court.
It is generally agreed that the first inhabitants of
Britain were a tribe of th.e Gauls, or Celtie, that
settled on the opposite shore ; a supposition foundtd
upon the evident conformity in their language, man-
ners, government, religion, and complexion.
In their niauuer of life, as described by Cssar,
APPENDIX.
88^
and the best authors, tliey differed little from the
rude inhabitants of tlie nortlieni climates that have
been already imiitioiied ; but they certainly sowed
corn, though perhaps, they chieHy subsisted upon
animal food and nulk. Their clothing was skins,
and their fortitications beams of wood. They were
dexterous in the management of iheir chariots be-
yond credibility ; and they fought with lances, darts,
and swords. Women sometimes led their armies to
the field, and were recognized as sovereigns of their
particular districts. 'I'hey favoured a prinuigeniture
of seniority, in their succession to royalty, but set
it aside on the smallest inconveniency attending it.
They painted their bodies with wood which gave
them a bluish or greenish cast ; and they are said to
have had figures of animals, and heavenly bodies on
their skins. In their niarringes they wtre not very
delicate, for they formed tliemselves into what we
may call matrimonial clubs. Twelve or fourteen
men married as many wives, and each wife v\as in
common to them all, but her children belonged to
the original husband.
The Britons lived, during the long reign of Au-
E;ustus Cjesar, rather as the allies than the tributaries
of the Romans; but . the comniunications between
Rome and Great Britain being then extended, the
emperor Claudius Caesar, about forty-two years
after the birth of Christ, undertook an expedition
in person, in which he seems to have been success-
ful against Britain. His conquests, however, were
imperfect; Caractacus, and Boadicia, though a wo-
man, made noble stands against the Komans. The
former was taken prisoner after a desperate battle,
and carried to Rome, where his undaunted behavi-
our before Claudius gained him the admiration of
the victors; and is celebrated in the histories of the
times. Boadicia being oppressed in a manner that
disgraces the Roman name, and defeated, disdained
to survive the liberties of her country ; and Agri-
cola, general to Doniitian, after subduing South
Britain, carried his arms northwards, where his suc-
cessors had no reason to boast of their progress,
every inch of ground being bravely defended. —
During the time the Komans remained in this island,
they erected those walls so often mentioned, to
protect the Britons from the invasion of the Cale-
donians, Scots, and Ficts ; and we are told, that
the lioman language, learning and customs, became
familar to Britain.
About the year 800, most of the Anglo-Saxons,
tired out with the tyrrany of their petty kings, united
in calling to the government of the heptarchy, Eg-
bert, who was the eldest remaining branch of the
race of Cerdic, one of the Saxon chiefs, who first
arrived in Britain, On the subiuissiuu of the Nor-
thumbrians in the year 8G7 lie became king of all
England.
Egbert was succeeded by his son Ethelwolf, who
divided his power with his eldest son Athelstan. —
By this time, England had become a scene of blood
and ravages, throig'i the renewal of the Danish in-
vasions; and Ethelwolf after some time bravely
opposing them, retired in a (it of devotion to Rome,
to which he carried with hini his youiigesl son, af-
terwards the famous Alfred, the father of the Eng-
lish constitution.
Ethelred being killed, his brother Alfred mounted
the throne in 871- He was one of the greatest
princes, both in peace and war, nieniioned in his-
tory. He fought several battles with the Danes
with various success, and when defeated, he found
resources that rendered him as terrible as before.
Among the other glories of Alfred's reign, was that
of raising a maritime power in Kngland, by which
he secured her coasts from future invasions. He
rebuilt the city of London, which had been burnt
down by the Danes, and founded the University of
Oxford about the year 89' ; he divided England
into counties, hundreds, and tilhings ; or rather he
revived those divisions, and the use of juries, which
had fallen into disquietude by the ravages of the
Danes. He died in the year <J01, and his character
is so completely amiable and heroic, that he is justly
distinguished with the epithet of Great.
Alfred was succeeded by his son Edward the el-
der, under whom, thongii a brave prince, the Danes
renewed their barbarities and invasions. He died
in the year O'l'), and was succeeded by his eldest
son Athelstan. This prince was such an eucourager
of commerce as to make a law, that every merchant
who made three voyages on his own account to the
Mediterranean, should be put upon a footing with a
thane, or nobleman of the fiist rank. He caused
the sciipture to be translated into the Saxon tongue.
He was engaged in perpetual wars with his neigh-
bours, the Scots in particular, and was generally
successful, and died in 941. The reigns oi his suc-
cessors, Edmund, Edred, and Edwy, were weak
and inglorious, they being either engaged in war»
with the Danes, or disgraced liy the influence of
pritsls. Edgar, who mounted the throne 959, re-
vived the naval glory of England, and is said to have
been rowed down the river Dee by eight kings his
vassals, he silting at the helm ; but, like his prede-
cessors, he was the slave of piiests, particularly St.
Dunslan. He was succeeded in 975, by his eldest
son Edward, who was barbarously murdered by his
step- mother, whose son Ethelred mounted the
throne, in 978.
Edward, who is commonly called Ae Confessor,
59
10 p
838
APPENDIX.
now mortiited the throne, lliough Edgar Atheling,
by being descended from an elder braiicli, had tlie
lineal right, and was alive. Upon the death of the
Confessor, in the year 10f)(i, Harold, son to Good-
win, earl of Kent, mounted the throne of England.
William, duke of Normandy, though a bastard,
was then in the unrivalled possession of that great
duchy, and resolved to assert his right to the crown
of England. He collected 40,000 of the bravest
and most regular troops in Europe, and while Harold
was embarassed with fresh invasions from the
Danes, Wilhara landed in England without opposi-
tion. Harold returning from the north, encountered
William in the place where the town of Battel now
stands, which took its name from it, near Hastings
iii Sussex, and a most bloody battle was fought be-
tween the two armies ; but Harold being kdled
the crown of England devolved upon William, in
the year 10G(5.
The succession to the crown of England, was dis-
puted between the Conqueror's sons Robert and
Wiilisni, (commonly called Rufus, from his being
red haired) and was carried in favour of the latter,
but was accidentally killed as he was hunting in
New-Forest in Hampshire, in the year 1100, and
the 44th year of his age. This prince built West-
minster-hall as it now stands, and added several
works to the tower, which he surrounded with a
wall and a ditch. He was succeeded by his brother
Henry I. surnamed Beauclerc on account of his
learning. His reign in a great measure restored the
clergy to their influence in the state, and they formed
as it were, a separate body, dependent upon the
pope, which afterwards created great convulsions
in England. Henry died of a surfeit, in the seven-
ty-eighth year of his age, in 1135.
The crown of England was claimed and seized
by Stephen earl of Blois, the son of Adela, fourth
daughter to William the Conqueror. But his bro-
ther Henry, who was in fact invested with the
chief executive power, was acknowledged his suc-
cessor.
Henry distinguished his reign by the conquest of
Ireland ; and by marrying Eleanor, the divorced
queen of France, but the heiress of Guienna and
Poictou, he became almost as powerful in France as
the French king himself, and the greatest prince in
Christendom.
During the reign of Henry, corporation charters
were established all over England; by which the
power of the barons was greatly reduced. Henry,
about the year 117G, divided England into six
parts called circuits, appointing judges to go at
certain times of the year, and hold assizes, or
administer justice to the people, as is practised at
this day.
Richard I. surnamed Cceur de Lioo, from his
great courage, was the third, but eldest surviving son
of Henry H. The reign of bis brother John, who
succeeded him is infamous in the English history.
He is said to have put to death Arthur the eldest
son of his brother Geoflfry, who had the liereditary
right to the crown. Jahn, notwithstanding, in ht«
wars with the French, Scots, and Irish, gave niaajr
proofs of personal valour; but became at last s(»
apprehensive of a French invasion, that he rendered
hnnself a tributary to the pope, and laid his crown
and regalia at the foot of the legate Pandulph, who
kept them for five days.
The great barons resented his meanness, by tak-
ing arn)s ; but he repeated shameful submissions
to the pope ; and after experiencing various fortunes
of war, John was at last brought so low, that
the barons obliged him, in i2U), to sign the great
deed so well known by the name of Magna Charta.
The city of London owes some of her privileges ta
him.
England was in a deplorable situation when her
crown devolved upon Henry HI. the late king's son,
who was but nine years of age. The king was of
a soft pliable disposition, and had been persuaded
to violate the great Charter. Indeed, he seemed
always endeavouring to evade the privileges which
he had been compelled to grant and confirm. An
association of the barons was formed against him
and his government, and a civil war breaking out,
Henry seemed to be abandoned by all but his Gas-
cons and foreign mercenaries.
Edward returning to England, on the news of
his father's death, invited all who held of his crown
in capite, to his coronation dinner ^ which consisted
(that the reader may have some idea of the luxury
of the times) of 278 bacon hogs, 450 hogs, 440
oxen, 430 sheep, 22,600 hens and capons, and
13 fat goats. Alexander III. king of Scotland was
at the solemnity, and on the occasion 500 horses
were let loose, for all that could catch them to keep
them.
Edward was a brave and politic prince, and being
perfectly well acquainted with the laws, interests,
and constitution of his kingdom, his regulations, and
reformations of his laws, have justly given him the
title of the English Justinian.
His son and successor Edward IT. showed early
dispositions for encouraging favourites; but Gaves-
ton, his chief minion, a Gascon, being banished by
his father Edward, he mounted the throne with vast
advantages, both political and personal, all which
he soon foifeited by his own imprudence. He re-
called Gaveston, and loaded him with honours, and
married Isabella, daughter of the French king, who
restored to him part of the territories which Edward
1. had lost in France. The barons, however, oblig-
ed hiui ouce more to banish his favourite, and to
APPENDIX.
mi
confirm the great cliarler, wliile king Robert Bruce
recovertd all Scotland, excepting the caule of Stir-
ling; near to which, at Bainiockburn, Edward in
person received the greatest defeat ever England
suftered, l.'Jll. Gaveston being beheaded by tlic
b:iroiis, they fixed ii|}oii yoting Hugh Spencer as a
spy upon the king, but he soon became his favourite,
lie through his pride, avarice, and ambition, was
banished, togeiher with his father, whom he had pro-
cured to be earl of Winchester. The queen, a furi-
ous, ambitious woman, persuaded her husband to
recal the Spencers, while the common people, from
their hatred to the barons, joined the king's standard,
and alter defeating them, restored him to the exer-
cise of all his prerogatives. A cruel use was made
of tiiose successes, and many n.^Ie patriots, wiih
their estates, fell victims to the queen's revenge;
but at last she became enamoured of Roger Mor-
timer, who was her prisoner, and had been one of
the most active of the anti-loyalist lords. A breach
between her and the Spencers soon followed, and
going over to France with her lover, she found
means to form such a party in England, that, re-
turning with some French troops, she put the eldest
Spencer to an ignominious death, made her husband
prisoner, and forced him to abdicate his crown in
liavour of his son Edward III. then fifteen years of
Qge. Nothing now but the death of Edward II.
was wanting to complete her guilt; and he was
most barbarously murdered in Berkley castle, by
ruffians, supposed to be employed by her aud her
paramour Mortimer, in the year 13C7.
Edward III. mounted the throne in 1327. He
was then under the tuition of his mother, who coha-
bited with Mortimer; and they endeavoured to keep
possession of their power by e.xecuting many popu-
lar measures, and putting an end to all diflfi.rences
with Scotland, for which Mortimer was created
earl of March. Edward, young as he was, was
«oon sensible of their designs. He surprise<l them
in person at the head of a few chosen friends, in
the castle of Nottingham. Mortimer was put to a
public death, hanged as a traitor on the common
gallows at Tyburn, and the queen liersrlf was shut
up in confinement twenty-eight years, to her death.
It was not long before Edward found means to
quarrel w ith David king of Scotland, though he had
married his sister, and he was driven to France by
Edward Baliol, who acted as Edward'3 tributary,
king of Scotland, and general, and did the same
homage to Edward for Scotland, as his father had
done to Ed« ard I. Soon after, upon the death of
Charles the Fair, king of France, (without i^sue,)
who had succeeded by virtue of the Salic law, which
the French pretended cut ofif all female succession
to that crown, Philip of V^alois claimed it as being
the uext heir male by succession ; but he svas op-
posed by E J ward, as being tlie son of TsabelJa,
who was sister to the three last-mentioned knigs of
France, and tirst in the female succession. The
former was preferred, but the case being doubled,
Edward pursued his claim, and invaded France
with a powerful army.
On this occasion, the vast diflference between the
feudal constitutions of France, which were then m
full force, and t!ie governnunt of England, more
favourable to public liberty, appeared. The French
oflicers knew no subordination. They and their
men were undisciplined and disobedient, though far
more numerous than their enemies of the fjeld. —
'I'he English freemen on the other hand, having now
vast propeity to fight for, wliich they could call
their own, independent of a feudal law, kne'^ its
value, and had learned to defend it by providing
themselves with proper armour, and submitting Vy
military exercises, and proper subordination in the
field. The w ar, on the part of Edward, was there-
fore a continued scene of success and victory. la
1340, he took tlie title of the king of France, using
it in all public acts, and quartered the arms of
France with his own, adding this motto, Dicu Sf
Moil Droit, " God and my right."
Dr. John Wicklitfe, a secular priest, educated at
Oxford, began in the latter end of this reign to
spread the doctrines of reformation by his dis-
courses, sermons, and writings ; and he made many
discipleii of all ranks and stations. His disciples
were distinguished by the name of VVickliffites, or
Lollards.
Richard II. son of the Black Prince, was no more
than eleven years of age when he mounted the
throne. He faced the storm of the insurgents at
the head of the Londoners, while Walworth the
mayor, and Philpot an alderman, had the courage to
put Tyler, the leader of the malcontents, to death,
in the midst of his adherents. Richard carrying
over a great army to quell a rebellion in Ireland, a
strong party formed in Englarid, the natural result
of Richard's tyranny, who olTered the duke of Lan-
caster the crown. He landed from France at Ra-
venspur in Yorkshire, and was soon at the head of
flO.OiX) men, all of them English. Richard hurried
batk to England, where his troops refusing to fight,
and his subjects, whom he had affected to despise,
generally deserting him, he was made prisoner with
no niore than twenty attendants ; and being carried
to London, he was deposed in full parliament, upon
a formal charge of tyranny and nrisconduct; ant/
soou after he is supposed to have been »tar»ed to
death in prison, iu the year 13S)I).
Henry the Fourth, son of John of Gaunt duka
of Lancaster, fourth son of J'!d ward 1 1 1, being set-
tied on the throne of England, in prejudice to the
eider branches of Edward Ill's family, the gieat
S88
APPENDIX.
nobility were in liopes that this glaring defect in his
title would render him dependent upon them. At
first some conspiracies were tormed against him
among his great men, as the dukes of Surrey and
Exeter, the earls of Gloucester and Salisbury, and
the archbishop of York ; but he crushed thera by
his activity and steadiness, and laid a plan for re-
ducing their overgrown power ; but the ambition of
the duke of York at last prevailed, and after being
proclaimed protector of the kingdom, he openly
claimed the crown, and the Lancastrian party were
defeated by the earl of Warwick.
A parliament upon this being assembled, it was
enacted, that Henry should possess the throne for
life, but that the duke of Yoik should succeed him
to the exclusion of all Henry's issue. It is pretty
extraordinary, that though the duke of York and
his party openly asseited his claim to the crown,
they still professed allegiance to Henry ; but the
(Juke of York's son, afterwards Edward IV. prepared
to revenge his father's death, and obtained several
victories over the royalists. After prodigies of va-
lour had been performed on both sides, victory re-
mained with young king Edward, and Margaret and
her husband were once more obliged to fly to Scot-
land, where they met with generous protection. —
Margaret, by the concessions she made to the Scots,
soon raised a fresh army there, and in the north of
England, but met with defeat upon defeat, till at
last her husband, the unfortunate Henry, was car-
ried prisoner to London.
The duke of York, now Edward IV. being
crowned on the 29ih of June, fell in love with, and
privately married, Elizabeth, the widow of Sir
John Gray, though he had some time before sent
the earl of Warwick to demand the king of France's
sister in marriage, in which he was successful, and
nothing remained but the bringing over the princess
into England. When the secret of Edward's mar-
riage broke out, the haughty earl deeming himself
affronted, retujned to England inflamed with rage
and indignslon ; and from being Edward's best
friend, became his most formidable enemy, and
gaining over the duke of Clarence, Edward was
made prisoner, but escaping from his confinement,
the earl of Warwick, and the French king, Lewis
XI. declared for the restoration of Henry, who was
replaced on the throne, and Edward narrowly
escaped to Holland. Returning from thence, he
advanced to London under pretence of claiming his
dukedom of York ; but being received into the capi-
tal, he resumed the exercise of royal authority, made
kuig Henry once more his prisoner, and defeated
and killad Warwick in the battle of Barnet. A few
days after he defeated a fresh army of Lancastrians,
and made queen Margaret prisoner, together with
hex son priivce Edward, whom Edward's brother,
4
the duke of Gloucester, murdered In cold blood, as
he is said (but with no great show of probability)
to have done his father Henry VI. then a prisoner
in the tower of London, a few days after, in the year
1471.
Henry VHL entered with great advantages on the
exercise of royalty. Young, vigorous, and rich,
without any rival, he held the balance of power in
Europe, but was the dupe of all parties. His ava-
rice and lusts gained a complete ascendency over
him, and many acts of his reign were marked with
the grossest cruelties; particularly to his wives, from
whom, M iih the greatest facility,he obtained divorces,
and with as little difficulty brought to the scaftbld.
One great event was however, brought about in his
reign, viz. the Reformation. He died in 1547, in
the 56th year of his age, and the 38th of his reign.
Edward VI. was but nine years of age at the time
of his father's death ; and after some disputes were
over, the regency was settled in the person of his
uncle the earl of Hertford, afterwards the protec-
tor, and duke of Somerset, a declared friend and
patron of the Reformation, and a bitter enemy to
the see of Rome. He died of a deep consumption
in 1553, in the iCth year of his age, and the 7th of
his reign.
Mary being settled on the throne, recalled cardi-
nal Pole from banishment, made him instrumental
in her cruelties, and lighted up the flame of perse-
cution, in which archbishop Crannier, the bishops
Ridley, Hooper, and Latimer, and many other il-
lustrious confessors of the English reformed church,
were consumed ; not to mention a vast number of
other sacritices of both sexes, and all ranks, that
siifl'ered through every quarter of the kingdom. —
She died in 1558, in the 42d year of her life, and
6th of her reign.
Elizabeth, daughter to Henry Vlll. by Anne Bo-
leyn, mounted the throne under the most discourag-
ing circumstances, both at home and abroad. Eli-
zabeth was no more than 25 years of age at the time
of her inauguration : but iier sufiferings under her
bigoted sister, joined to the superiority of her ge-
nius, had taught her caution and policy, and she soon
conquered all difliculties. It is well known how.un-
faithful Elizabeth was to professions of friendship
to her cousin Mary, and that she detained the unhap-
py prisoner 18 years in England, then brought her
to a sham trial, pretending that Mary aimed at the
crown, and without sufficient proof of her guilt,
cut off her head; an action which greatly tarnished
the glories of her reign.
The same Philip who had been the husband of
her late sister, upon Elizabeth's accession to the
throne, offered to marry her, but she dexterously
avoided his addresses; and when Philip was no longer
to be imposed upon by Elizabeth's art$, which had
APPENDIX.
887
amused and baffled him in every quarter, it is well
knoun that lie made use of the immense sums he drew
from Peru and Mexico,in equipping the most foruiid-
ablc aimament that perhaps ever had been put to sea,
and a numerous army of veterans, under the prince of
Parma, the best captain of that age ; and that he
procured a papal bull for absolving Elizabeth's sub-
jects from their allegiance. The largeness of the
Spanish sliips proved disadvantageous to them on the
stJi wlioiethcy engaged; the lord admiral Howard,
antl the brave sea officers under him, eugagc-d, beat,
and chased the Spanish fleet for several days ; and
the seas and tempests linishcd the destruction which
the English arn)S had begun, and few of tiie Sjiauish
ships recovered tlieir ports. Next to the admiral
lord Howard of Ellingliam, Sir Francis Drake, cap-
tain Hawkins, and captain Frobisher, distinguished
themselves against this formidable invasion, in
wliich the Spaniards are said to have lost 81 ships of
war, large and small, and 13,500 men.
Elizabeth in her old age, grew distrustful, peevish,
and jealous. Though she undoubtedly loved the
earl of Essex, she leased him by her capriciousness
into the madness of taking arms, and then cut off
his head. She complained that she i'ad been betrayed
into this sanguinarj measure, and this occasioned a
sinking of her .spirits, which brought her to her
grave in 1603, the seventieth year of her age, and
forty-fifth of her reign, having previously named her
kinsman James VT. king of Scotland, and son to
Mary, for her successor.
James I. and his ministers were continually invent-
ing wavs to raise money, as by nK)nopohi.s, bene-
volences, loans, and other illegal methoils. ^Vinoiig
other expedients, he sold the titles of baron, vis-
count, and earl, at a certain price, made a number
of knights of Nova Scotia, each to pay such a sum,
and instituted a new order of knights, baioneJs,
•wl ich was to be h^'editary, for which each person
paid i:i095.
The death of the duke of Buckingham, ihe king's
favourite, who was assassinated by one Felton a
subaltern ofiicer, in iCi'JS, did not deter Chailesjroni
his arbitrary proceedings, which the English patriots
in that enlightened age justly considered as so many
acts of tyranny. He, without authority of parlia-
ment, laid arbitrary impositions upon trade, which
were refused to be paid by many of the merchants
and members of the house of commons. Some of
them were imprisoned, and the judges were checked
for admitting them to bail. '1 he house of commons
resented those proceedings by drawing up a |)rot<-st
and denying admittance to the gentleman us!i( r of
the black rod, who came to arljomn them, till it was
finished. This served only to widen the breach, mid
ihe king dissolved the parliament ; after which he
exhibited informations agaiust uiiie of the most emi-
o9 10
nent members, among whom was the great Mr.
Seidell, who was as much distinguished by his lo\c
of liberty, "as by his uncommon erudition. They
objected to the jurisdiction of the court, but their
plea was over-ruled, and they were sent to prison
during the king's pleasure.
Every thing now operated towards the destruction
of Charles. In the lourlh year of his reign, (Jhailes
had passed the petition of right into a law, which
was intended by the parliament as tlie future security
of the liberty of the subject, which established par-
ticularly, "That no man hereafter be compelled to
make or yield any gift, loan, benevolence, tax, or
such like charge, without common consent by act of
parliament ;" but he afterwards violated it in numer-
ous instances, so that an universal discontent at his
administration prevailed throughout the nation. — ■
Ciiarles was ill enough advised to go in person to
the house of commons, January 4, lG-1'2, and there
demanded that lord Kimbolton, Mr. Pym, Mr.
Hampden, Mr. Hollis, Sir Arthur Ilaselrig, and Mr.
Stroud, should be apprehended ; but they had pre-
viously made their escape. This act of Charles was
resented as high treason agaiust his people, and the
commons rejected all the oilers of satisfaction he
could make them.
Notwithstanding the many acts of tyranny and
oppression of which the king and his ministers had
been guilty, yet, when the civil war broke out,
there were great numbers who repaired to the regal
standard.
The first fatal blow the king's army recei\ed, w as
at Marsion-moor, July Cd, 1644, where, through the
imprudence of prince Rupert, the earl of Man-
chester defeated the royal army, of which 4000 were
killed, and 1500 taken prisoners. This victory was
chiefly owing to the courage and conduct of Crom-
well ; and though it might have been retrieved by
the successes of Charles in the west, yet his whole
conduct was a string of mistakes, till at la>t his
art'airs became irretrievable. The independents
seized the king's person, brought him prisoner to
Londou, carried him before a court of justice of
their own erecting, and, after an extraordinary trial,
his head was cut off, before his own palace at
V\ hitehall, on the 30th of January, l(J48-9, being
the 4':){\\ of lijs age, and the ""IMh of Ins reign.
By this lime Cromwell, who hated subordination
to a republic, had tlie address to get himself declared
commander in chief of the English army. j\pril
20, l(i5S, without any ceremony, with about .jOO
musqueteers, he dissolved the j»arliament, opprobi-
ously driving all tlie members, about a bundled, out
of their house. He next anniliilaled the coui eil of
stale, with whom the cxeeulive power was lodged,
and transferred the adininislration of government ta
about 140 persons, whom he' suiDmoiied.tg Whiter
888
APPENDIX.
hall, on the 4th of July, l6o3. He was, however,
dtdarecl lord prottclor of the commonwealth of
England, a title under which he exercised all the
power that had been formerly annexed to the regal
dignity. After a most uncomfortable usurpation of
four years, eight monllis, and tliirteeu days, lie died
on the 3d of September, iGjS, iu the GOth year of
liis age.
The fate of Richard Cromwell, who succeeded
his father Oliver as protector, sufficiently proves the
great difference there was between them, as to spirit
and parts in the affairs of government. Richard
was placed in his dignity by those who wanted to
make liini the tool of their struggle or opposition,
into obscurity. General ISJonk, a man of military
abilities, but of no principles excepting such as
served his ambition or interest, had the sagacity to
observe this ; and after temporising in various shapes,
being at the head of the army, he made the princi-
pal figure in restoring Charles II. For this he w as
created duke of Albemarle, confirmed in the com-
mand of the army, and loaded with honours and
riches.
Charles II. being restored in IG60, seemed to
wish the happiness of his people. In some things
Charles acted very despotically. It was thought,
however, that he repented of some of his arbitrary
steps, and intended to have executed some measures
for the future quiet of his reign, when he died, Feb.
6th, 1684-5, in the 65th year of his age, and 2olh
of his reign. lie had married Catharine infanta
of Portugal, by whom he received a large fortune
in ready money, besides the town and fortress of
Tangier in Africa, but he left behind him no lawful
issue.
All the opposition which, during the late reign,
liad shaken the throne, seenis to have vanished at the
accession of James II. The popular affection to-
wards him was increased by the early declaration he
made in favour of the church of England, which,
during the late reign, had formally pronounced all
resistance to the reigning king to be unlawful; but
lie made the most provoking steps to render popery
the established religion of his dominions. He sent
an embassy to Rome, and received at his court the
pope's nuncio. The encroachments he made upon
both the civil and religious liberties of the people,
are almost beyond description, and were disapproved
of by the pope himself, and all sober Roman Ca-
tholics. His sending to prison, and prosecuting for
a libel, seven bishops for presenting a petition
against reading his declaration for liberty of con-
science, and their acquittal upon a legal trial, alarmed
his best Protestant friends.
In this extremity, many great men in England and
Scotland, though they wished well to James, applied
for relief to William prince of Orange, iu Holland,
a prince of great abilities, and the inveterate enemy
of Lewis XIV'. who then threatened Europe with
chains. The prince of Orange was the nephew and
son-in-law of James, having married the princess
Mary, that king's eldest daughter ; and he at last
embarked with a fleet of 500 sail for England,
avo« iiig it to be his design to restore the churcii and
state to their true rights. Upon Ims arrival in Eng-
land, he was joined not only by the Whigs, but by
man^ whom James had considered as his best
friends ; and even his daughter the princess Anne,
and her husband, George prince of Denmark, left
him and joined the prince of Orange, who soon
discovered that he expected llie crown. James
might still have reigned, but he was surrounded with
French emissaries, and ignorant Jesuits, Mho wished
him not to reign rather than not lestoie popery. —
They secretly persuaded him to send his queen and
son, real or pretended, then but six months old, to
France, and to follow them in person, which he
did ; and thus, in IG88, ended his n-ign in England,
which event iu English history is termed the Revo-
lution.
William, notwithstanding the vast service he had
done to the nati9n, and the public benefits which
took place under'ius auspices, particularly iu the es-
tablishment of the bank of h'ngland, and the recoiu-
ing the silver money, met with so many mortifica-
tions from his parliament, that he actually resolved
upon an abdication, and had drawn up a speech for
that purpose, which he was prevailed upon to sup-
press. He long bore the aftVonts he met with ia
hopes of being supported in his war with France,
but at last, in 1697, he was forced to conclude the
peace of Ryswick with the Frtnch king, who ac-
knowledged his title to the crown of England. I3y
this time \\ illiam had lost his queen, but the govern-
ment was co4itinued in his person. After peace was
restored, the commons obliged him to disband his
army, all but an inconsiderable nunibcr, and to dis-
miss his favourite Dutch guards. Towards the end
of his reign, his fears of seeing the whole Spanish
monarchy in possession of France at the death of
the Catholic kmg Charles II. which wivs every day
expected, led him into a very impolitic measure,
which was the partition treaty with France, by
which that monarchy was to be divided between the
houses of Bourbon and Austria. This treaty was
highly resented by the parliament, and some of his
ministry were impeached for advising it. It is
thought that William saw his error when it was too
late. His ministers were acquitted from their im-
peachment, and the death of king James discovered
the insincerity of the French court, which immedi-
ately proclaimed his son king of Great Britain.
Anne, princess of Denmark, by virtue of the act
of settleineut, and being the next Protestant heir to
APPENDIX.
889
lier father James II. Succeeded king William in the
throne. Thf capital nieasuie of continuing the war
against France being fixed, the queen found no great
difficulty in forming her ministry, who were for the
most part Tories ; and t!ie earl of Godolphin, who
(though afterwards a loading Wiiig) was tlionglil all
his life to have a preiiiiection for the late king James
and his queen, was p'aced al the head of the trea-
sury. His son had married the earl of Marlborough's
eldest daughter, and the earl could trust no other
Willi that ini|)ortanl department.
In the course of the war, several glorious victories
were obtained by the eail, who was soon made duke
of MarSboroimh. Those of Blenheim and Uamiilies
gave the first effectual checks of the French power.
By that of Bieiihi im in 1704, the empire of Ger-
many was saved fioiii immediate destruction.
Conferences were opened for peace at Utrecht, in
January 171'2, to whieli tlie queen and the French
king sent plenipotentiaries ; and the allies being de-
feated at Denaiii, they grew sensible that they were
no match for the French, now that they were aban-
doned by the Litghsh. In short, the terms were
agreed upon lielv\een France and England. Upon
the quten's uertih, the succession took place in
terms of tlic act of settlement, and George 1. elec-
tor of Hanover, son of the princess bophia, grand-
daughter of James 1. was proclaimed king of Great
Britain ; his mother, who would have been next in
succession, having died but a few days before. —
He came over to England with strong pre-posses-
sions against the Tory ministry, most of whom he
displaced. This did not make any great alteration
to his prejudice in England ; but many of the Scots,
by the influence of the^-earl of Mar, and other
chiefs, were driven into rebellion in 1715, which
was happily suppressed the beginning of the next
year.
Sir Robert AValpole was considered as first mi-
nister of England when George 1. died, and some
diifeienees ha\iiig happened between him and the
prince of Wales, it was generally thought, upon the
accession of the latter to the crown, that Sir Ilobert
would be displaced. That might have been the
case, could another person have been found equally
capable as he waste manage tiie house of commons
iind to gratify that predilection for Hanover which
George II. inherited from his father. Iso minister
ever understood better the temper of the people of
England, and none perhaps, ever tried it more.
it was abou't 1763 that Mr. Pitt was placed, as
secretary of state, at the head of administration. —
He had long been known to be a boW, eloquent,
and energetic speaker, and he soon proved himself
to be as spirited a minister.
Mr. Piti introducetl into the cabinet a new system
cf operations against IVance; than which nothing
could be better <?alculated to restore tire spirits of his
countrymen, and to alarm their enemies. Far from
dreading an invasion, he planned an expedition for
carrying the arms of England into France itself;
and the descent was to be made at Rochfort, under
general \Sir John Mordaunt, who was to command
tiie land troops. Nothing could be more promising
than the dispositions for this expedition. It sailed
on the Sth of September 17.)7, and admiral Hawke
brought both the sea and land forces back on the
Oth of October, to St. Helen's, without the general
making any attempt to land on the coast of France,
He was tried and acquitted, without the public muri
muring, so great an opinion had the people of the
minister; who, to do him justice, did not suffer a
man or a ship belonging to the English army or
navy to lie idle.
The English bore the expences of the war with
cheerfulness, and applauded Mr. Pitt's administra-
tion, because their glorious successes in every part
of the globe demonstrated that he was in earnest. —
Admiral Boscawen and general Amlierst, in August
1758, reduced and demolished Louisburgh in North
America, which had been restored to the French by
the treaty of Aix-la-Ciiapelle, and was become the
scourge of the British trade, and took five or six
French ships of the line; Frontenac and Fort du
Quesne, in the same quarter, fell also into the hands
of the English ; acquisitions that far overbalanced
a check which the English received at Ticonderaso,
and the loss of above 300 of the English guards, as
they were returning under general Biigli from the
t;oast of France.
The English affairs in the East Indies this year
proved equally fortunate. Three capital expeditions
had been planned for this year in America, and all
of them proved successful. One of them was
against the Fiench islands in the West Indies, where
Guadaloupe was reduced. The second expedition
was against Quebec, the capital of Canada. The
command was given, by the minister's advice, to
general Wolfe, a young officer of a truly military
genius. Wolfe was opposed, with far superior
force, by Montcalm, the best and most successful
general the French had. Though the situation of
the country wMcli Wolfe was to attack, and the
works which the French threw up to prevent a des-
cent of the Flnglisti, were deemed impregnable, yet
Montcalm never relaxed in his vigilance. W olfe's
courage and perseverance, however, surmounting in-
credible difficulties, he gnined the heights of Abra-
ham, near Quebec, where he fought and defeated
the French army, but was himself killed, as was
Montcalm.
General Amherst, who was the first English gene-
ral in command in America, conducted the third
expcditigu. Ills orders were to reduce all Canadaj
390
APPENDIX.
and to join tlie army under general Wolfe on the
banks of the river St. Lawrence. It is to the ho-
nour of the minister, Mr. Amherst in this expedi-
tion was so well provided with every thing that could
make it successful, that there scarcely appeared any
chance for its miscarriage ; and thus the French em-
pire in North America became subject to Great
Britain.
I'he war in Germany, however, continued still as
undecisive as it was expensive, and many in England
began to consider it now as foreign to the internal
interests of Great Britain. A negociation was en-
tered upon, which proved abortive, as did many
other projects for accommodation ; but on the 'Jolh
of October, <760, George II. died suddenly (from
a rupture in the right ventricle of the heart), full of
years and glory, in the 77th year of his age, and
34th of his reign, and was succeeded by his grand-
son, now George III. eldest son to the late prince
of Wales.
King George III. ascended the throne with great
advantages. His being a native of England preju-
diced the people in his favour ; he was in the bloom
of youth, in his person tall and comely, and at the
time of his accession. Great Britain was in the
highest degree of reputation and prosperity, and the
most salutary unanimity and harmony prevailed
among the people.
The most important event to be recorded in this
reign, is one of the most disastrous kind, viz. the
■war with the American colonies. This was pro-
duced by the legislature of this country attempting
to impose takes without the consent of America,'
which was so extremely offensive to them, that they
resisted tlie king's officers in the exercise of their
duty, and at last broke out into open rebellion.
It is not consistent with the limits of this sketch,
to detail the seiges, battles, and various successes
attendant on this disastrous conflict, suffice it to say,
that after having brought into war with us France,
Spain, and Holland, America fully established her
independance, which was recognized at the peace of
1783, by Great Biilain.
The American war brought odium and disgrace
upon his majesty's ministers, the first of whom was
lord North. A coalition, however, was formed be-
tween the latter nobleman and Mr. Fox, which,
being very unpopular, was soon broken, and Mr.'
Pitt, son of the late earl Chatham, succeeded as
chancellor of the excheqiier, and iirst lord of the
treasury, which place he 'retained till his dieafflj,;
•which happened in 1S06.
The calamitous war in which we are at present
engaged with France, would of itself require a vo-
lume to detail. We must therefore pass it over in
silence, and conclude our short account with eJc^
pressing our hearty desire for the return of the bles-
sings of peace.
(p. 609.) SCOTLAND.— The Celta or Gauls
are supposed to have been the original inhabitants
of this kingdom. It is termed, by the Italians,
Scotia; by the Spaniards, Escotia ; by the French,
Escosse ; and Scotland by the Scots, Germans, and
English.
Scotland, which contains an area of S7,794 square
miles, is bounded on the south by England ; and on
the north, east, and west, by the Deucaledonian,
German, and Irish seas, or more properly, the At-
lantic ocean.
Scotland is divided into the countriee south of the
Firth of Forth, the capital of which, and of all the
kingdom, is Edinburgh ; and those to the north of
the same river, where the chief town is Aberdeen.
Eighteen counties, or shires, are allotted to the
southern division, and fifteen to the northern ; and
those counties are sub-divided into sheiiffdoms,
stewartries, and bailiwicks, according to the ancient
tenures and privileges of landholders.
In the northern parts, day-light, at midsummer,
lasts 18 hours and 5 minutes ; and tlie day and night
in winter are in the same proportion. The air of
Scot'and is more temperate than could be expected
in so northerly a climate. This arises partly from
the variety of its hills, valleys, rivers, and lakes; but
still more, as in England, from the vicinity of the
sea, which affords those warm breezes that not only
soften the natural keenness of the air, but by keep-
ing it in perpetual agitation, render it pure and
healthful, and prevent those epidemic distempers
that prevail in many other countries. In the neigh-
bourhood of some high mountains, however, which
are generally covered with snow, the air is keen
and piercing, for about nine months in the year. —
The soil in general is not so fertile as that of Enjr-
land, and in many places iitted less for agriculture
than for pasture.
The principal mountains in Scotland are tlfe Gram-
pian-hills, which run from east to west, from near
Aberdeen to Cowal in Argyleshire, almost the whole
breadth of the kingdom. Another chain of moun-
tains, called the Pentland-hills, riirts through Lothian,
and joins those of Tweedale. A third, called Lam-
mer-Muir, rises near the eastern' coast, and runs
westward through the Merse. Besides those conti-
nued chains, among which we may reckon the
Cheviot or Tiviot hills, on the borders of England,
Scotland contains many detached mountains, w/hich,
from their conical figure, sometimes go by the'Sax.ia
word Laws. Mirtiy "f them are etirpelidoiislyhig-b,
and of beautiful forms, but too nttiiierous to be
particularised here'. • itiini a ...'.•.'/.■ . .■■ v
'"The-Iargest tiver in Scodana'%'the''P\)rth,' ^*hich
APPENDIX.
8<)»
rises in Monteilh near Callendar, and discliaifjes it-
sell near Kdmbmsjli into that arm (if the Gcriii:in
sea, to which it gives the name of Frith of Forth.
Second to the Forth is the lav, which issues out of
Loch Tay, in Broadalbin, and running soulli-east,
passes the town of Perth, and falls into the sea at
Dundee. The Spcy, the 1'wecd, and the Clyde,
are the principal rivers.
The face of Scotland, even where it is most un
invitnig, presents us with the most incontrovertible
evidemes of its having formerly abouinicd with tim-
ber. Fir trees grow in great perfection all over
Scotland, and form bcantilul plantations. The Scots
oak is excellent in the IJiglilands, where some woods
reach '20 or 30 miles in length, and 4 or 5 in
breadth ; but, through the inconveniency already
mentioned, without being of nincli emolument to
the propiietors.
'I'hougli Scotland does not at present boast of its
gold mines, yet it is certain that it contains such, or
at least that Scotland formerly afforded a considerable
quantity of that metal for its coinage.
Several landlords in Scotland derive a large profit
from their lead-mines, which are said to be very
rich, and to produce large quantities of silver, but
v.'e know of no silver-mines that are worked at pre-
sent. Some copper-mines have been found near
Edinburgh ; and many parts of Scotland, in the
east, west, and northern counties, produce excel-
lent coal of various kinds, large quantities of which
are exported, to the vast emolument of the public.
Lime-stone is here in great plenty, as is free-stone ;
so that the houses of the better sort are constructed
of the most beautiful materials.
The soil in general produces wheat, rye, barley,
oats, hemp, flax, hay, and pasture. In the southern
counties the finest garden fruits, particularly apricots,
nectarines, and peaches, are said to fall little, if at
all, short of those in iMigland ; and the same may
be said of the common fruits. The u\irultivated
parts of the Highlands abound in various kinds of
salubrious and pleasant tasted berries; though it
nuist be owned, that many extensive tracts are «p-
vered witii a strong heath.
The fishes on the coast of Scotland are much the
same with those of the i-^lands au.l countries already
drscribed: but the Scots have improved in liitir
tislieri<'s as uuu:ii as they have in their manuractures
and agriculture ; for societies have been formed,
which have carried that branch of national wealth
to a perfection ihat never was before known in th,it
connti-y, and bids fair to emulate the Dutch ilnni-
solves in curing, as well as catching their tish. Their
•almons. whuh they can send more e^il), w lien pre-
pared, to tl.i Levant and souiliern markets, than the
iingliah or Irish can, a.'e of great service to the
nation, as the returns are generally made in specie,
or beneficial commodities.
This country contains few or no kinds, cither of
wild or donuslic animals, that are not coinmon with
their neighbouis. 'i'lic red deer and the roe-buck
are foinid in the Hinhlands, but their fiesh is not
comparable to Lnglisli venison. Hare, and all other
animals for game, are here plentiful ; as are the
grouse an<l heath-cock, whit h is a most delicious
bird, as likewise are the capperkaily, and the ptir-
macan, which is of the pheasant kind ; but these
birds are scarce even in the Highlands, and when
discovered, are very shy. 'Jhe numbers of black
cattle that cover the hills of Scotland towards the
Highlands, and shiep that are fed upon the beautiful
mountains of Tweedale, and othv-r paits of llie
south, are almost incredible, and formerly brought
large sums into the country ; the black cattle espe-
cially, which, when fattened on the southern pastures,
have been reckoned superior to l''riglish beef.
The population of Scotland may be estimated at
about two millions of souls, or n)orc. If wt con-
sult the most ancient and credible histories, tlie po-
pulation of Scotland, in the thirti-enth century, must
have been excessive, as it afforded so many thoa-
sands to fall by the swords of the^Englisli, without
any sensible decrease of the inhabitants.
The peasantry have their peculiarities, their ideas
are confined; but no people can form their tempers
better than they do to their stations. They are
taught from their -.ufancy to bridle their passions, to
behave submissively to their superiors, and live with-
in the bounds of the most rigid economy. Hence
they save their money and their constitutions, and
few instances of murder, perjury, robbery, and other
atrocious vices, occur at present in Scotland. They
sekiom enter singly upon any daring enterjirize; but
when they act in concert, the secrecy, sagacity, and
resolution, with which they carry on any desperate
undertaking, is not to be paralleled ; and their fide-
lity to one another, under the strongest temptations
arising from their poverty, is still more extraordinary.
The common people of Scotland retain the so-
lemn decent manner of their ancestors at burials. —
When a relation dies in town, the parish beadle is
sent round with a pa.s-.ing- bell ; but he stops at cer-
tain places, and with a slow niel.incholy tone, an-
nounces the name of the party deceased, and the
time of his interincnt, to which he invites all his
felJow-countrymen. At the hour appointed. If the
defeased was beloved in the place, vast ininibers at-
tended. The procession is sometimes preceded by
the magistrates and their officers, as the deceased is
carried in his ( ofUn, covered with a velvet pall, with
chair-poles, to the grave, where it is interred, with-
I out any oraliou or address to the pc'jple., or prayers,
59
10 R
892
APPENDIX.
or farther ceremony, than the nearest relation thank-
ing the company for their attendance. The funerals
of the nobility and gentry are performed in much
the same manner as in England, but without any
funeral service. The Highland funerals were gene-
rally preceded by bagpipes, which played certain
dirges, called coronachs, and were accompanied by
the voices of the attendants of both sexes.
Dancing is a favourite amusement in this country,
but little regard is paid to art or gracefulness : the
whole consists in agility, and in keeping time to
their own tunes, which they do with great exact-
ness. The diversion of hurling is likewise, we be-
lieve, peculiar to the Scots. It is performed upon
ice, wilh large flat stones, often from twenty to two
hundred pounds weight each, which they hurl from
a common stand to a mark at a certain distance ;
and whoever is nearest the mark is the victor. —
These two may be called the winter and summer
diversions in Scotland. The natives are expert at
all the other diversions common in England, cricket
excepted, of which they have no notion ; the
gentlemen considering it as too athletic and mecha-
nical.
The Highland plaid is composed of a woollen
stuff, sometimes veiy fine, called tartan. This con-
sists of various colours, forming stripes which cross
each other at right angles ; and the natives value
themselves upon the judicious arrangement, or what
they call setts, of those stripes aii"! colours, which,
when skilfully managed, produce a pleasing effect
to the eye. Sometimes they wear a petticoat of the
same variegated stuff, buckled round the waist, and
thty term it the pbelibeg, which seems to be of
ISliiesian extraction. Their stockings are likewise
of tartan, tied below the knee with tartan garters
forn-.ed nito tassels. The poorer people wear upon
their feet brouges made of untanned or undressed
leather; for their heads a blue flat cap is used,
called a bonnet, of a paiticular woollen manufac-
ture. From the belt of the phelibeg hung generally
their knives and a da<;ser, which thty called a dirk,
and an iron pistol, sometimes of fi[ie workmanship,
and curiously inlaid with silver. A large leathern
purse, richly adorned with silver, hanging before
them, was always part of a Highland chieftahi's
dress.
'1 he dress of the Highland women consisted of
a petticoat and jerkin, with strait sleeves, trimmed
or not trimmed, according to the quality of the
■wearer ; over this they wore a plaid, which they
either held close under iheir chuis with the hand,
or fastened with a buckle of a particular fashion.
On the head they wore a kerchief f>f tine linen of
di'iferent forms. The women's jJaid has been but
lately disused in Scotland by tlie ladies, who wore
it in a graceful manner, the drapery falling tow ard*^
the feet in large folds.
The attachment of Highlanders to this dress ren-
dered it a bone of disunion, w hich often proved dan-
gerous to the government. Many efforts had been
made by the legislature, after the rebellion in 1715,
to disarm them, and oblige them to conform to the
Low-country dresses The disarming scheme was
the most successful; for, when the rebellion in 1745
broke out, the common people had scarcely any
other arms than those which they took from the
king's troops. Their overthrow at Culloden ren-
dered it no difficult matter for the legislature to force
them into a total change of their dress. Its conve-
nience, however, for the purposes of the field, is so
great, that some of the Highland regiments still re-
tain it. Even the common people have of late
resumed it ; and for its lightness, and the freedom it
gives to the body, many of the Highland gentlemcu
wear it in the summer time.
The dress of the higher and middle ranks of the
Low-country, differ little or nothing from the
English ; but many of the peasantry still retain the
bonnet, for the cheapness and lightness of the wear.
The dress of the women of all ranks are much the
same in both kingdoms, but not so as to their neat-
ness, and the cleanliness of the female servants.
The English spoken by the Scots, notwithstand-
ing its provincial articulations, which are as frequent
there as in the more southern countries, is written in
the same manner in both kingdoms. At present
the pronunciation of a Scotchman is greatly im-
proved, and with some does not differ from the pro-
nunciation of a Londoner, more than that of a
Londoner does from an inhabitant of Somersetshire,
and some parts of Worcestershire.
Punishments are pretty much the same in Scot-
land as in England ; only that of behsading was
formerly performed by an insirumeJil called the
Maiden; the model of which, it is well known, was
brought from Halifax in England to Scotland, by
the regent earl Morton, and it was first used for the
execution of himself.
Ancient Scottish historians, with Bede, and other
writers, generally agree that Christianity was first
taught in Scotland by some of the disciples of St.
John the apostle, who fled to this northern corner to
avoid the persecution of Domitian, the Roman em-
peror; thoiii;h it was not publicly professed till the
beginning ot the third century, when a prince, whom
Scottish historians call Donald the first, his queen,
and several of his nobles, were solemnly baptised.
It was farther confirmed by emigrations from the
south of Bntiiin, during the prosecution of Aurelius
and Diocksian, when it btcame the established
religion of Scotland, under the nianagemeut of cer-
APPENDIX.
^93
tain learned and pious men, named Culdees, who
seem to have bvcn the first regular clergy in Scot-
luuii, and were governed by overseers or bishops
chosen l)v themselves, from among their own body,
and wlio had no pre-eminence of rank over the rest
of then- L>ri thron.
Thus, independent of the church of Rome, Chris-
tiani'y seems to have bien taught, planted, and
finally confirmed in Scotland as a national church,
when it riourished in its native simplicity, till the
arrival of Palladius, a priest sent by the bis-hop of
Uume in the fifth century, who found means to in-
troduce the modes and ceremonies of the Romish
church, which at length prevailed, and Scotland be-
came involved in that darkness which for ages over-
spread Europe.
it is worthy of observation, that the opposition to
popery in this island, though, it ceased in Scotland
upon ihe extinction of the Culdees, was in the same
age revived in England by John WicklilTe, a man of
pai ts and learning, who was the forerunner in the
work of Reformation to John Huss and Jerome of
Prague, as the latter were to Martin Luther and
John Calvin.
Fof learning and learned men, we may refer to
the literary history of Europe for 1400 yrars past.
The western pirts and isles of Scotland, produced
St. Patrick, the celebrated apostle of Ireland; and
many others since, whose names would make a long
article. The writings of Adamnarus, and other
authors, who lived before and at the time of the
Kornran invasiini, which are come to our hands, are
specimens of their learning. Charles the Great, or
Charlemagne, most unquestionably held a corres-
pondence with the kings of Scotland, with whom he
formid a famous league; and employed Scotchmen
in planning, settling, and ruling his tavourite univer-
sities, and other seminaries of learning in France,
Italy, and Germany. It is an undoubted trutii,
though a seeming parado.Nical fact, that Barbour, a
Scottish poet, philosopher, and historian, though
prior in time to Chaucer, having fiourished in the
year l;i(i8, wrote, according to the modern ideas, as
pure English as that bard, and his versification is
perhaps more harmoniou.?. The letters of the
Scottish kings to the neighbouring princes, are in-
comparably the finest composition of the times in
which they were written, and are free from the bar-
barisms of those sent them in answer 'J'his has
been considered as a proof that classical learning
was more cultivated at the court of Scotland than
any other in Europe.
'I'he discovery of the logarithms, a discoverv,
which, in point of ingenuity and utility, may vie with
any that has been made in modern times, is the dis-
putable right of Mapier of AJerchistone. .\iid since
his time, the mathematical sciences have been culti-
vated in Scotland with great success. Keil, in his
physico-mathematic;;! works, to the clearness of Ida
reasoning has added the coloining of a poet, which
is tiie more remarkable, not only as the subject is
little susceptible of ornament, but as he wrote in ad
ancient language. Of all writers on astronomy,
Gregory is allowed to be one of the most perfect
and elegant. Maclaurin, the companion and the
friend of Sir Isaac Newton, was endowed with all
that precision and force of mind, which rendered
him |)eculiarly fitted for bringing down the ideas of
that great man to the level of ordinary apprehensions,
and for diffusing that light through the world, which
Newton had confined within the sphere of the
learned. His Treatise on Eluxions is legarded by
the best judges in Europe as the clearest account of
the most retined and subtle speculations on which
the human mind ever exerted itself with success.
W hile Maclaurin pursued this new career, a geome-
trician no less famous distinguished himself in the
sure, but almost deserted, tract of antiquity. This
was the late ])r. Simpson, so well known over
Europe for his illustration of the ancient geometry,-
11 IS elements of Euclid, and above all his Conic
Sections are sttfticieut of themselves to establish tiie
scientific reputation of his native country.
Tins however, does not rest on the character of
a few mathematicians and astronomers; the fine arts
have been called sisters to denote their affinity.
1 here is the same connection between the sciences,
pariicularly those which depend on observation. —
Mathematics and physics, properly so called, were
in Scotland accompanied by the other branches of
study to which they are allied. In medicine, parti-
culary, the names of Pitcairn, Arbuthnot, Monro,
Smellie, Whytt, Cullen, and Gregory, hold a dis-
tinguished place.
iSor liave the Scots been unsuccessful in cultivat-
ing the Belles Lettres. Foreigners who inhabit
warmer climates, and conceive the northern nations
incapable of tenderness and feeling, are astonished
at the poetic genius and delicate sensibility of
Thompson.
But of literary pursuits, that of rendering man-
kind moievirtuousand happy, which is theproptrob-
ject of what is called morals, ought to be regarded
with peculiar honour and respect. 'J"he philosophy
ot Dr. Ilutcheson, not to mention other works more
seJjtIe and elegant, but less convincing and less in-
structive, deserves to be read by all who would
know their duty, or who would wish to practise it.
Next to Locke's essay on the human undeistandinT,
it is perhaps the best dissection of the human mind
that hath appeared in modern times ; and it is like-
wise the n>osl useful supplement to that essay.-—
894
APPENDIX.
Hume, Robertson, and Stuart, are among the many
and illustrious names of the historians of modern
times.
The universities of Scotland are four, viz. St.
Andrews, founded in 1411. Glasgow, 14j4. Aber-
deen, 1477- And Edinburgh, 15S'i.
Edmburgh, the capital of Scotland, naturally takes
the lead in this division, which the bounds of our
work obliges us to- contract. The castle, before the
use of arullery, was deemed to be imjiregiiable by
force. Jt was probably built by the Saxon king
Edwi«, whose .territory reached to Frith of Forth,
ajid who gave his name to Edinburgh, as it certainly
did not fall into the hands of the Scots till the reign
of liidulphus, who lived in the year 9,53.
In former times, the town was surrounded by
water, excepting towards the east ; so that when the
Fiend) landed in Scotland, during the regency of
Mary of Guise, they gave it the name of Lislebourg.
This situation suggested the idea of building very
lofty houses divideil into stories, each of which con-
tains a suite of rooms, generally large and commo-
dious, for the use of a family; so that the High-
street of Edinburgh, which is chieily of hew n-stone,
broad, and well paved, makes a most august
appearance, especially as it rises a full mile m a
direct line, and gradual ascent from the palace of
Ilolyrood-house on the east, and is terminated on
tiie west by the rude majesty of its castle, built upon
a lofty rock, inaccessible on all sides, except where
it joins to the city. I'he castle not only overlooks
the city, its environs, gardens, the new town, and a
fine rich neighbouring country, but commands a
most extensive prospect of the river Forth, the
shipping, the opposite coast of Fife, and even some
hills at the distance of 40 or 50 niiles, whichborder
upon the Highlands. This crowded population,
however, was so shockmgly inconvenient, that the
Eiiglish, wivi seldom went farther into the country,
returned with the deepest impression of Scottish
uastiness, which became proverbial.
Facing the castle, its we have already observed, at
a mile disla!ice,-stantls the. abbey, or rallicr palace of
Holji'ood-house. The inner quadrangle of this
.palace, .begun, by .James V. and iinished by Chailes
I. is of magnificent modern architecture, built ac-
-cordiug.to the plan, and under the direction of Sir
AVillium Bruce, a Scottish gentleman of family, and
one of the greatest architects of that age.
The chapel belonging to the palace, as it stood
w,hen repaired and ornamented by James li. is
ihoiight to have been a most elegant piece of Gothic
architecture. It had a very lofty roof, aud two
rooms of stone galleries, supp<jrted by -curious pil-
lars. It was the coiiveiitul cluiich of the old abbey.
Its inside was demolished and ritied of all its ricii
ornaments, by the fury of the mob at the Revolu-
tion, which even broke into the repositories of the
dead, and discovered a vault till that time unknown,
which contain the bodies of James V. his first
queen, and Henry Darnley. The walls and roof
of this ancient cliapel gave way and fell down on
the ed and ;3d of December, 1768, occasioned
by the enormous weight of a new stone roof, laid
over it some years before, which the wails were un-
able to support.
The hospital founded by George Herriot, gold-
smith to James VI. commonly called Heriiot's
Work, stands to the s6udi side of the castle, in a
noble situation. It is ihe tinest and most regular
specimen which Inigo Jones (who went to Scotland
as architect to queen Anne, wife of James VI.) has
left us of Gothic manner, and far exceeding any
thing of that kind to be seen in England. One
Balcanquhille, a divine, whom Herriot left his ex-
ecutor, IS said to have prevailed upon Jones to admit
some barbarous devices into the building, particu-
larly the windows, and to have insisted that the
ornaments' of each should be somewhat different
from those of the others.
Among the other public edifices of Edinburgh,
before the revolution, was the college, which claims
the privileges of an university, founded by kinw
James VI. and by him put under the direction of
the magistrates, who have the appointing of the
chancellor and vice-chancellor. Its buildings were
calculated for the sober literary manners of those
days ; but with pleasure we inform our readers, that
a .new university has been erected at Edmburgh, to
which our most gracious sovereign has been a
liberal benefactor. This edifice is a noble monu-
ment of national ta-ste and spirit. What is of far
more importance, it is supplied with excellent pro-
fessors 111 the several branches of learning; audits
schools for every part of the mcd.cal art are rec-
koned equal to any in Europe.
The Parliament Square, or, as it is there called,
Close, was formerly the most ornamental part of
this city ; it is formed into a very noble quadrangle,
part of which consists in lofty bi:il(liiigs; and in the
middle is a fine tqiiestrian statue of (Jliarles H. —
The room built by Chailes I. for the parliament-
house, though not so large, is better proporiioned
than Wcstmmstei-hall; and its roof, though jexc-
cuted in the same maimer, has been by good judges
held to he superior.
This equals any thing oS the kind to be found in
England, or perhaps in any part of Europe, and was
ai first entirely founded and finislied by Jaw vers. — •
Fhe number of priiiitd books It contains are amaz-
ing ; and the collecti(jn has been made with exqui-
site taste and judgment. It contains likewise lie
APPENDIX.
8<)7
most valuable manuscript remains of tlic Scottish
history, cliartiilaries, and otlier papers of auiiqiiity,
with a series of nsedals.
'11)0 IJijiii Ciiurch of Edinburgh, called that of
St. Giles, is now divided into four churches, and a
room where the general assembly sits. It is a large
Gothic building;, and its steeple is surmounted by
arciics, foinied into an imperial crown, which has
a good ertett to the eye.
Tlie modern edifices in or near Edinburgh, such
as the exchange, public offices, its hospitals, bridges,
and the like, demonstrate the vast improvement of
the taste of tin- Scotch in their public works. Pa-
rallel to the city of I'Atinburgh, on the north, the
nobility, gentry, and otiurs, have almost completed
a new to«n, upon a plan which does houour to the
present age.
Between the old and new town lies a narrow
bottom or vail, which, agreeable to the original plan,
\\as to have been formed into a sheet of water,
bordered by a terrace walk, and the ascent towards
the new town covered with pleasLiie-gardens, shrub-
beries, 6vc. ]}ut this elegant design fell to nothing,
through the nairow ideas of the magistrates, who,
rinding greater benefits by letting the ground to in-
ferior tradesmen, upon building leases, this plot,
formed by nature as an agreeable opening to a
crowded city, became a nuisance to those gentlemen
who had been so liberal in ornamenting the build-
ings upon the summit. A decision of the house of
lords (in «liich a certain great luminary of the law,
equally distinguished for his taste and good sense,
heartily concurred), put a stop to these mean erec-
tions. At the west, or upper end of this vale, the
castle, a solid rock, not less than twenty stories high,
looks down with awful magnificence. The eastern
extremity is bounded by a striking object of art — ■
a lolty bridge, the middle arch being ninety feet
high, which joins the new buildings to the city, and
renders the descent on each side the vale (there being
no water in this place), more commodious fur car-
nages.
I'>dmburgh may be considered, notwithstanding its
castle and an open wall which eiKloses it on tiie
S(nuh side of a very modern fabric, but in the Ro-
man manner, as an open town; so that, in fact, it
would have been impracticable for its inhabitants to
have defended it against the rebels, who took pos-
session of it in 1745.
Edinburgh is governed by a )ord provost, four
bailiffs, a dean of guild, and a treasurer, annuallv
chosen from the common council. Every companv,
or incorporated trade, chooses its own deacon, and
here are fourteen : namely, surgeons, goldsmiths,
skinners, furriers, hammer-men, wrights or carpen-
t'-rs, masons, tailors, bakers, butchers, cordwaineis,
weavers, fullers, and bonnet-n)akers. The lord pro-
59
vest is colonel of the town guard, a military insti-
tution to be found in no part of his inajesty's doiiii-
nions but at I'^dinburgh ; they serve for the city
watch, and patrole the streets; are useful in sup-
pressing small commotions, and attend the execution
of sentences upon delinquents.
The revenues of the city consist cliiclly of that
tax which is now common in most of the bodies
corporate in Scotland, of two Scottish pennies,
amounting in the whole to two- thirds of a farthm^',
laid on every Scottish ])iiit of ale (containing tuo
Englij-h quarts) consumed within the precincts <it
the city. This is a most judicious impost, as it
renders the poorest people insensible of the burden.
Its product, however has been suiVu.ient to defray
the expense of supplying the city with excellent
water, bi ought in leaden pipes at the distance of
four miles; of erecting reservoirs, enlarging the har-
bour of Lcith, of completing other public woiks of
great expense and utilily.
Lcith, though near two miles distant, may be pro-
perly called the harbour of Edinburgh, being undti-
the same jurisdiction. It contains nothing remaik-
able but the remains of two citadels (if they are the
same) which were fortified and bravely defended by
the Ereiich, under Mary of Guise, against the Eng-
lish, and afterwards repaired by Cromwell. t-
About four miles from Edinburgh is Roslin,
noted for a stately Gothic chapel, containing one of
the most curious pieces of woikmaiiship in Europe,
founded in the year 1440, by William St. Clair,
prince of Orkney, and duke of Oldenburgh.
Glasgow, in the shire of Eanark, situated on a
geiilie declivity, sloping towards the river Clyde, 4-4
miles west of Edinburgh, is, for population, com-
merce, and riches, the second city of Scotland, and,
considering its size, the lirst in Great Hritain, and
perhaps in Europe, as to elegance, regnhnity, and
the beautiful materials of its buildings. The streets
cross each other at right angles, and are broad,
straight, well paved, and consequently clean. The
houses make a grand appearance, and are in general
four or five stoiies high, and many of them, towards
tlie centre of the city, are supported by arcades,
which form pia/zas, and give the whole an air of
magnificence. Some of the modern built churches
are in the finest style of architecture, and the cathe-
dral is a stupendous (Jolhic building, hardly to be
paralleled in that kind of archilccture. It contains
tiirce thiircho, one of which stands abtive another,
and is furnished wilfi a very fine spire springinsj
from a towci ; the «hole beiu;; uckoiied a iiia^teily
and matclihss fabiic. It was <ledicated to St.
Mungo, or Kenligeri), who was a bishop of Glasgow
in the 6lh century. 'J"he cathedral is upwards of
(iOO years old, and was preserved from the fury of
the rit;id refoinitrs by the resolution of the citizens.
10 s
696
APPENDIX.
The town-!)OHse is a lofty building, and has very
noble apartments for the magistrates. The univer-
sity is estceincd the most spacious and best built of
any in Scotland, and is at present in a thriving state.
In this city are several well endowed hospitals; ar.d
it is particularly well supplied with large and con-
venient inns, proper for the accommodation of
strangers of any rank. In Glasgow are seven
churches, and eight or ten meeting-houses for sec-
taries of vaiious denominations. The number of
its inhabitants have been estimated at 50,000.
j\berd<.-< u biils fair to be the third town in Scot-
land for improvement and population. It is the
capital of a shire, to •.vhich it gives its name, and
contains two to^iis, New and Old Aberdeen. The
former is tlie shire town, and evidently built for the
purpose of commerce. It is a large, well-built city,
and has a good quay, or tide-harbour; in it are
three churches, and several episcopal meeting-houses,
a considerable degree of foreign commerce, and
much shi])ping; a well frequented university, and
above ia,000 inhabitants. Old Aberdeen, near a
mile distant, though almost joined to the new, by
means of a long village, lias no dependence on the
other ; it is a moderately large market town, but has
no haven. In each of these two places there is a
well-endowed college, both together being termed the
university of Aberdeen, although quite independent
of each other.
Perth, the capital town of Perthshire, lying on
the river Tay, contains 10,000 inhabitants ; trades
to Norway and the Baltic ; is finely situated, has an
improving linen manufactory, nianufacturies of cot-
ton, print fields, paper mills, a great fishery, &,c.
and lies in the neighbourhood of one of the most
fertile spots in Great Britain, called the Carse of
Go wry.
Dundee, by the general computation, contains
lfl,000 inhabitants ; it lies near the mouth of the
river Tay ; it is a town of considerable trade, ex-
porting much linen, grain, herrings, and poultry, to
sundry foreign parts ; and has three ciuirches. —
!Montrose, Aberbrothick, and Brechin, lie in the
same county of Angus: the first has a great and
flourishing foreign trade, and the manufactures of
the other two are upon the thriving hand.
We omit a particular description of Dumfries,
Air, Greenock, Paisley, Stirling, and about 30 other
burghs and towns of very considerable trade in
Scotland.
The ancient Scots valued themselves upon trust-
ing to their own valour, and not to fortifications, for
the defence of their country. This was a maxim
more heroical perhaps than prudent, as they have
often experienced; and, indeed, at this day, their
forts would make but a sorry figure, if regularly
attacked. The castles of Edinburgh, Stirling, and
Dumbarton, formerly thoiight places of great
strength, could not hold out 49 hours, if besieged
by 6000 regular troops, with proper artillery. Fort
William, which lies to the West Highlands, is suf-
ficient to bridle the inhabitants of that neighbour-
hood; as are Fort George and Fort Augustus, in
the north and north-west ; but none of them can be
coiisideretl as defences against a foreign enemy.
The Koman and other antiquiti'es found in Scot-
land, have of themselves furnished matter for large
volumes. The stations of the Roman legions, their
castella, their pretentures or walls reaching acioss
the island, have been traced with great precision by
antiquaries and historians; so that, without some
fresh discoveries, an account of them could afford
no instruction to the learned, and but little amuse-
ment to the ignorant, becaitse at present they can be
discovered only by critical eyes. Some mention of
the chief, however, may be proper. The course of
the Koman wall (or, as it is called by the country
people, Graham's dyke, from a tradition that a Scot-
tish warrior of that name first broke over it), be-
tween the Clyde and Forth, which was first marked
out by Agricola, and completed by Antoninus Pius,
is still discernible, as are several Roman camps m
the rcighbourhood. Agricola's camp, at the bottom
of the Grampian hills, is a striking remain of Ro-
man antiquity. It is situated at Ardoch, in Perth-
shire, and is generally thought to have been the
camp occupied by Agricola, before he fought the
bloody battle so well recorded by Tacitus, with the
Caledonian king Galgacus, who was defeated.
The Roman temple, or building in the form of
the Pantheon at Rome, or of the dome of St. Paul's
at Lnndon, stood upon the banks of the river Car-
ron, in Stirlingshire, but has been lately barbarously
demolished by a neighbouring Goth, for the purpose
of mending a mill-pond. Its height was twenty-
two feet, and its external circumference at the base
was eighty-eight feet; so that, upon the whole, it
was one of the most complete Roman antiquities in
the world. It is thought to have been built by Agri-
cola, or some of his successors, as a temple to the
god Terminus, as it stood near the pretenture which
bouiioed the Roman empire in Britain to the north.
Nc.«r it was some artificial conical mounts of earth,
which still retain the name of Duni-pace, or Duni-
pacis, which serve to evidence that there was a kind
of solemn compromise between the Romans and
the Caledonians, that the former should not extend
their empire farther to the northwards.
Innumerable are the coins, urns, utensils, inscrip-
tions, and other rem.fins of the Romans, that have
been found in the different parts of Scotland ; some
of ihein to the north of the wall, where, however, it
dots not appear that they made any establishment.
By the iuscri^tioiis found near the wall, the names
APPENDIX.
899
of the legions that built it, nnd how far they carried
it on, may be learned. The remains of Iloman
highways are fi\quen't in the suuthern parts.
Danish camps and forlitications are easily dis-
cernible in several northern countries, and arc known
bv thtir square figures and diDicult situations. —
Some houses or stupendous fabrics remain in Ross-
shire, but V. helher they are Danish, Pictish, or
Scottish, dots not appear. Tiie elevations of two
of tlietii are to be seen in Gordon's Itiiierariuin
Septtntrionale. We are of opinion that they are
Norwegian or Scandinavian structures, and built
about tlie tifih ctiilury, to favour the descents of
that people upon those coasts.
The vestiges of erections by the ancient Scots
themselves are not only curious but instructive, as
they regard many important events of their history.
That people had amongst them a rude notion of
sculpture, in which they transmitted the actions of
their kings and heroes. At a place called Aber-
lemno, near Urechin, four or five ancient obelisks
are still to be seen, called the Danish stones of
Aberlemno. They are erected as commemorations
of the Scottish victories over that people; and are
adorned with bas-reliefs of men on horseback, and
many emblematical figures and hieroglyphics, not
intelligible at this day, but minutely described by
Mr. Gordon. Many other historical monuments of
the Scots may be discovered on the like occasions ;
but it nussl be acknowledged, that the obscurity of
their sculptures has encouraged a field of boundless
and frivolous conjectures, so that the interpretations
of many of them are often fanciful. It would,
however, be unpardonable, if we should neglect to
mention the stone near the town of Forress, or
Fortrose, in Murray, which far surpasses all the
others in magnificence and grandeur, " and is (says
Mr. Gordon) perhaps one of the most stately nio-
iiunients of that kind iu Europe. It rises about
23 feet in height above ground, and is, as we are
credibly informed, no less than 12 or 15 feet below,
so that the whole height is at least 35 feet, and its
breadth near 5. It is all one single and enure stone;
great variety of figures in relievo arc carved thereon,
and some of them still distinct and visible; but the
Hijury of the weather has obscured those towards
the upper part."
At Sandwick, in Ross-shire, is a very splendid
ancient obelisk, surrounded at the base with large,
well-cut flag stones, formed like steps. Both sides
of the Column are covered with v.ninus enrichments
in well-finished carved work. The one face presents
a sumptuous cross, with a figure of Sit. Andrew
on each hand, and some uncouth animals and tlow-
«iings underneath. The central division, on the re-
verse, exhibits a variety of curious figures, birds,
and animals.
The ruins of the cathedral of Elgin are very
striking; and many parts of that fine bnildinp have
still the remains of much grandeur and dignity in
them. The west door is hijjldy ornamented, there
is much elegance in the carvings, and the whole edi-
fice displays very elaborate workmanship.
Among the remains of ancient castles, may be
mentioned Kildrnmmy castle in the north of Scot-
land, which was formerly a place of great strength
and magnificence, and often used as an asvluni to
noble families in periods of civil war. Inverngiti
castle, the ancient seat of the earl-marest iiais of
Scotland, is also a large and lofty pile, situated on
a steep bank of the river, two very high towers
bound the front, and even in their decajing state,
give the castle an air of much grandeur and anti-
quity.
Near the town of Huntly are the ruins of Iluntly
castle. On the avenue that leads to it, are two
large square towers which had defended the gate-
way. The castle seems to be very old, and great
part of it is demolished ; but there is a massy build-
ing of a more moderate date, in which some of the
apartments, and in particular their curious ceilings,
are still in tolerable preservation. They are pninted
with a great variety of subjects, in small divisions,
in which are contained many emblematical figures.
Besides these remains of Roman, Pictish, Danish,
and Scottish antiquities, many Druidical monuments
and temples are discernible in the northern parts of
Scotland, as well as in the isles, where we may sup-
pose that paganism took its last refuge. They are
easily perceived by their circular forms; but though
they are equally regular, yet none of them are so
stupendous as the Driiidical erections in Souili
Britain. There is iu Perthshire a b-.irrow which
seems to be a British erection, and the mo'-t beauti-
ful of the kind perhaps in the worl.l. it exactly
resembles the figure of a ship with tiio keel upper-
most. The common people call it Turnay, which
some interpret to be terra navis, the ship of earth.
it seems to be of the most remote antiquity, and
perhaps was erected to the memory of some British
prince, who acted as auxiliary to the Roniaui ; for
it lies near Auchterarder, not many miles distant
from the great scene of Agricola's operations.
The traces of ancient volcanoes are not unfre-
queut in Scotland. The hill of Finehaven is one
instance : and the hill of Bergonium, near Dunslaf-
fage castle, is another, yielding vast quantities of
pumices or scoria of different kinds, many of which
are of the same species with those of the volcanic
Iceland.
Among other natural curiosities of this country,
mention is made of a liciip of white stones, most
of them clear like crystal, together with great plenty
of oyster and other sea-shells j they are found on
900
APPENDIX.
the top of a mountain called Skorna Lappicb, in
Koss shire, twenty miles distant from the sea. —
Slains, in Aberdeenshire, is said to be remaikable
for a petrifying cave, called the Dropping cave,
where water oozing through a spongy porous rock
at the top, doth quickly consolidate alter it drops
to the bottom. Other natural curiosities belonging
tj Scotland have their descriptions and histories ;
but they generally owe their extraordinary qualities
to the credulity of the vulgar, and vanish wlien they
are skilfully examined. Some caverns that are to
be found in Fifeshire, and are probably natural, are
of extraordinary dimensions, and have been the
sieties of inhuman cruelties.
In commerce and manufactures Scotland has, for
some years, been in an improving state. We are to
account for the long languor of the Scottish com-
merce and many other misfortunes which that coun-
try sustained, by the disgust the inhabitants con-
ceived on account of some invasions of their rights,
which they thought inconsistent with the articles of
iniion. The entails and narrow settlements of
family estates, and some remains of the feudal in-
stitutions, might contribute to the same cause.
Mr. Pelham, when at the head of the adminis-
tiation in England, after the extinction of the rebel-
lion in 1745, was the first minister who discovered
the true value of Scotland, which then became a
more considerable object of governmental inquiry
than ever. All the benefits received by that coun-
try for the relief of the people from their feudal
tyranny, were effected by that great man. The
bounties and encouragements granted to the Scots,
for the benefit of trade and manufactures, during
his administration, made them sensible of their own
iniporiance. Lord Chatham pursued Mr. Pelham's
wise pljn ; and justly boasted in parliament, that he
availed himself of the courage, good sense, and
spirit of the Scots, in carrying on the most exten-
sive war that ever Great Britain was engaged in. —
L,et me add, to the honour of the British govern-
ment, tluit the Scots have been suffered to avail
themselves of all the benefits of commerce and ma-
nufactures they can claim, either in right of their
former independency, the treaty of union, or poste-
rior acts of parliament.
This is manifest from the extensive trade they
lately carried on with the British settlements in
America and the West Indies ; and with all the na-
tions to which the Englisli themselves trade ; so thst
the increase of their shipping within these 30 years
past has been very considerable. The exports of
those ships are composed chiefly of Scottish manu-
factures, fabricated from the produce of the soil,
and die industry of its inhabitants. In exchange
for these they import tobacco, rice, cotton, sugar,
and rum, from tht; British plantations ; and iiom
other countries, their products to the immense sav-
ing of their nation. The prosperity of Glasgow
and its neighbourhood hath been greatly owing 10
the connexion and trade with Virginia and the West
Indies.
The fisheries of Scotland are not confined to their
own coast, for they have a great concern in the
whale fishery carried on upon the coast of Spitsber-
gen; and tlieir returns are valuable, as the govern-
ment allows them a bounty of 40s. for every ton of
shipping employed in that article. The late im-
provements of their fisheries, which we have already
mentioned, and which are daily increasing, open
inexhaustible funds of wealth ; their cured fish bein"
by foreigners, and the English planters in America,
preferred to those of Newfoundland.
The busses, or vessels employed in the great her-
ring fishery on the western coasts of Scotland, are
fitted out from the north-west parts of England, the
north of Ireland, as well as the numerous ports of
the Clyde, and neighbouring islands. The grand
rendezvous is at Cambletown, a commodious port
ill Argyleshire, facing the north of Ireland, where
sometimes 300 vessels have been assembled. They
clear out on the 12th of September, and must re-
turn tj their different ports by the nth of January.
They aTe also under certain regulations respecting
the number of tons, men, nets, &c. the whole beino-
judiciously calculated to promote the best of na-
tional purposes, its strength audits commerce. But
though the political existence of Great Britain de-
pends upon the number and bravery of our seamen,
this noble institution has hitherto proved ruinous to
many of those who have embarked in it^ and unless
vigorously supported, will end in smoke.
To encourage this fishery, a bounty of 50s. per
ton was granted by parliament : but whether from
the insufficiency of the fund appropriated for this
purpose, or any other cause, the bounty was with-
held from year to year, while in the mean time the
adventurers were not only sinking their fortunes,
but also borrowing to the utmost limits of their cre-
dit. 'l"he bounty has since been reduced from 50 to
30s. with the strongest assurances of its being regu-
larly paid when due. Upon the strength of these
promises they have again embarked in the fishery,
and it is to be wished, that no consideration what-
ever may tend to withdraw au inducement so requi-
site to place this fishery on a permanent footing. —
The benefits of these fisheries are perhaps equalled
by manufactures carrying on at land; particularly
that of iron at Carron, in Stirlingshire.
Their linen niaiuifactory, not« ithstanding a strong
rivalsiiip from Ireland, is in a fiourishing state. —
The thread manufacture of Scotland is equal, if
not superior^ to any in the world ; and the lace fa-
bricated from it, has been deemed worthy of royal
APPENDIX.
8;)9
v.'ear and approbation. Tt lias been said, some
years ago, Ihat the exports tVoni S<'ntlaiKl to Kiig-
laiid, and the British plantations, in linen, cambrics,
checks, Osnaburghs, inkle, and the like commodi-
ties, amounted annually to 400,0001. exclusive of
their home consumption ; and there is reason to
believe that the sum is considcrablj larger at pre-
sent. To these manufactures, that of cotton stuffs
has been added since the American war. An iin-
nieiise cajiital, and a prodigious nunibcr of hands
are now employed in this manufacture. The Scots
are likewise making very promising efforts for esta-
blishing woollen manufactures ; and their exports
of caps, stockings, mittens, and other articles of
their own wool, begin to be very considerable. —
Tlie Scots, it is true, cannot pretend to rival the
English in their finer cloths ; biit they make at
jjre.sent some liroad cloth proper for the wear of
people of fashion in an undress, and in quality and
lineiie.ss equal to what is commonly called \ orkshire
cloth.
Among the other late improvements of the Scots
■we are not to forget the vast progress they have
made in working the mines, and smelting the ore of
the country. '1 heir coal trade to England is well
known ; and of hite they have turned even their stones
ot account, by their contracts for paving the ^y■eets of
London. If the great trade in cattle which the Scots
carried on of lale with the English is now diminished,
it is owing to the best of national causes, that of an
increase of home consumption. 'I'he Scots have
lately made the most successful efforts in the cotton
trade.
'i he trade carried on by the Scots with England
is ehielly from Leith, and the eastern ports of the
jiation ; but (jilasgow was the great emporium for
the American commerce, before the commencement
of the unlr.ippy breach with the colonies. 'I'he late
junction of llie Forth to the Clyde will render
tht benelils of trade mutual to both parts of Scot-
land. In short, the more that the seas, the situa-
tion, the soil, harbours, and rivers of this coimtry
are known, the better adiiptcd it ajipears for all the
purposes of commerce, both foieign and domestic.
With regard to other maiiufaetures, not n^n-
tioned, sonie of. them are yet in their inf;mcy. 'J'he
town of Paisley ahinc eniplcns an iiicriililije num-
lier of hunds, in fabricating a paitieui.ir kii)d of
tlowered and slriped lawns, which are a reas<]iKil)le
.".nd elegant wear. Sug:ir-hou<es, glass-worivs of
every kind, dclfthmises, and papi r-uiills, are erected
ivery where. The Scots carpejing oiakes neat and
lasting furniture; aivi some e.«sa}siiave l;ei» lately
made, with no iiiconsideraliJe degree of Kue.ct ss, to
caiiv that branch of iiianiifycluit' to as ureal iieifoc- I
Hon as m ;iiiy part <i( l-.uiope. I
After all ibal has bceu said, many years will be [
00 10
required before the fraOc and improvements in
Scotland can be I)>-aught to maturity. In any event,
they never can give umbiagc to the I'-nglish, as the
interests of the two people ait, or ought to be, the
same.
Having said thus much, we cruinot avoid observ*.
iiig the jirodigioiis disadvantages under which both
the coiiiuK reial and landed interest of Scotland lies,
from her nobility and great landhoh^rs having too
fond an attachment for England, and ft reign coun-
tries, will re they spend tlielr ready moiu.y. This i$
one of the evils arising to Scotland from the union,
which removed the seat of her legislature to Eon-
don; but it is greatly augmented by the resort of
volunteer absentees to that capital. U'hile this par-
tiality subsists, the Scots will probably continue to
be distressed for a cm rcncy of specie. How far
paper can supply ihat defect, depends upon an at-
tention to the baltuice of trade ; and the evil may,
perhaps, be somewhat prevented, by money remit-
ted from England for carrying on the va-t manufac-
tures and works now set on foot in Sciiland. And
it must be confessed, that the flow of wealth and
trade from l'>ngland, as a dear country, into Scot-
land, as a cheap country ; now since obstacles have
been removed by the union, 8cc. ; seems, in a great
measure, to coinpensa'e the above disadvantages.
The gentlemen who reside in Scotland, have
wisely abandoned French claret and brandy, (ihough
too much is still made use of in that country) for
rum produced in the Briti.'^h plantations ; and their
.own malt-liquors are now come nearly to as great
pel fection as those in luigland ; and it is said that
they have exported large quantities of their ale tw
I^ondon, Dublin, and the plautalions.
In the reign of Edward II. of England, tfte value
and denominations of coins were the same in Scot-
land as in England. Towards the reign of James
II. a Scottisii .-hiliins answered to about an Enjilislt
sixpence; and about the reign of queen ftJary of
Scotlanii, it was not more tiiaii an I'^ngli-'h groat.
It ciintinued diiiinishing in this manner till after the
union of the two crowns under her son James \T.
when the vast resort of the Scots nobility and geii-
trv to the English court, occasioned such a drain of
^jH cie from Scoihuid, ihat by degrees a Scottish
shilling fell to ihc value of one-tw<lftb of an Eng-
lish shilling, and their ptiinres in proportion. A
Seottisli penny is now very r:iril\ to be found; and
lhe\' were Kucceedid bv Ixjdlcs, which was double
the value of a Scottish penny, and are still current,
but are daily wearing out. .-\ Seottif^h hallpenny
w;is< ailed a baljie; .some say, because it was first
stumped with the head of Jame.'; HE when he was
a balie or bal;v ; but p( iliajis it is «»dy the cormp-
lion of two i'leneli w(;ids, tins I'Wit:, sign;l\ing a
low piece of uiom-y. Tht same obstivaliuij Ulut
T
900
APPENDIX.
we have made of the Scottish shilling, holds of
their pounds or marks : which are no coins, but de-
nominaiioiis of sums. In all other respects, the
currency of money in Scotland and England is the
same, as very few people now reckon by the Scot-
tish computation.
The order of tlte Thistle, as the Scottish writers
assert, was instituted by their king Achaius in the
ninth century, upon his making an offensive and de-
fensive league with Charlemagne, king of France;
or, as other."} say, on account of his victory over
Athelstan, king of England, when he vowed in the
kirk of St. Andrew, that he and his posterity should
ever bear the figure of that cross in their ensigns on
which the saint suffered. It has been frequently
neglected, and as often resumed. It consists of the
sovereign, and 12 companions, who are called
Knights of the Thistle, and have on their ensign
this significant motto, " JSemo me inqmne lacesset,"
" None shall safely provoke me."
The ancient constitution and government in Scot-
land has been highly applauded, as excellently
adapted to the preservation of liberty ; and it is cer-
tain, that the power of the king was greatly limited,
and tliat tbeie wej-e many checks in the constitution
upon him, which were well calculated to prevent
his assuming or exercising a despotic authority.-
But tlie Scottish constitution of government was
too much of the aristocratic kind to afford to the
Gominou people that equal liberty which they had a
right to expect. The king's authority was suffici-
ently restrained ; but the nobles, chieftains, and
great land-holders, had it too much in their pov\er
to tyrannize over and oppress their tenants, and the
common people.
The ancient kings of Scotland, at their corona-
tion, took the following oatli, coutamiug three pro-
mises, viz.
" In tiie name of Chiist, I promise these three
things to the Christian peoj)le my subjects : 1st, that
I shall give order, and employ my force and assis-
tance that the church of God, and the Christian
people, may enjoy true peace during our time, under
our government. 2dly, 1 shall prohibit and hinder
ail persons, of whatever degree, fron) violence and
injustice. 3dly, In all judgiiipnts I shall follow the
prescriptions of justice antt mercy, to the end that
our clement and merciful God may shew mercy
unto mc, and to you."
The parliament of Scotland anciently consisted of
all who held any portion of land, however small, of
the crown by military service. 'Ihis parliament
appointed the time of its own meetings iiudailjourn-
mL'uts, and committees to superintend (he admiiiis-
tiiitiou during t!.e intervals of parhameut ; it had a
couiuiaudmg power in all matters of governnunt ;
it appropiiated the public money, ordered the keep-
ing of it, and called for the accounts ; it armed the
people, and appointed commanders; it named and
conunissioned ambassadors ; it granted and limited
pardons; it appointed judges aud courts of judica-
ture ; it named officers of state and privy-counsellors ;
it annexed and alienated the revenues of the crown,
and restrained grants by the king. The king of
Scotland had no negative voice in parliament, nor
could he declare war, make peace, or conclude any
other public business of importance, without the
advice and approbation of parliament. The prero-
gative of the king was so bounded, that he was not
intrusted with the executive part of the government.
Aud so late as the minority of James I\". who was
contemporary with, and st)n-in-law to, iienry\'il.
of Eugland, the parliament pointed out to him his
duty, as the first servant of his people ; as appears
by the act still extant. In short, the constitution
was rather aristocratical than monarchical. The
abuse of these aristocratical powers, by the chief-
tains and great land-holders, gave the king, however,
a very considerable interest among the lower ranks ;
and a prince who had sense and address to retain the
affections of his people, was generally able to hum-
ble the most overgrown of his subjects ; but when,
on the other hand, a king of Scotland, like James
III. shewed a disrespect to his parliament, the event
was commonly fatal to the crown. The kings of
Scotland, notwithstanding this paramount power in
the parliament, found means to awaken and elude its
force ; and in this they were assisted by the clergy,
whose revenues were immense, and who had very
little dependence upon the pope, and were always
jealous of the powerful nobility. This was done
by establishing a select body of members, who were
called the lords of the articles. These were chosen
out of the clergy, nobility, knights, and burgesses.
The bishops, for instance, chose eight peers, and the
peers eight bishops; and these sixteen jointly chose
eight barons, (or knights of the shire) and eight
comnnssioneis for burghs; and to all those were
added eight great nfficers of state, the chancellor
being president of the whole.
^riieir business was to prepare all questions and
bills, and other matters brought into parliament; so
that, in fact, though the king could give no negative,
yet being by his clergy, and the places he had to
bestow, always sure of the lords of articles, nothing
could come into parliament that could call for his
negative. It must be acknowledged, that this in-
stitution seems to have prevailed by stealth ; nor was
it ever brought into any regular system ; even its
modes varied, ami the greatest lawyers are ignorant
when it took ph'ce. The Scots, however, never lost
sight of their original principles ; and though Charles
I. wanted to fibrin these lords of the articles into
regular machines for his own despotic purposes, he
APPENDIX.
901
found it impracticable ; and tli'' melanclialy conse-
quences are v^ell known. At llic revolution the
Scots gave a frrsli instance how well iliey nncler-
stood the princi])lc3 of liberty, l)V oniittin;; all pe-
dantic debates about abdication, and the like terms,
and voting king James at once to have f.jrteited his
crown, which they gave to the prince and princess
of Orange.
This spirit of resistance was the more remarkable,
as the people had gmaued nnder the most insup-
portable ministerial t\ranny ever since the restorati<.in.
It is asked, Why did they submit to that tyranny?
'ilie answer is, in order to presei ve that indept-uciency
upon England, which Crosnwell and his parliament
endeavoured to destroy, by uniting them to lingland :
they therefore chose to submit to a temporary evil ;
but they took the first opportunity to get rid of their
oppressors.
Scotland, when it was a separate kingdom, cannot
be said to have any peers, in the English sense of
the word. The nobility who were dukes, marquises,
earls, and lords, were by the king made hereditary
members of parliament ; but they formed no distinct
bouse, for they sat in the same room with the com-
mons, who had the same deliberate and decisive vote
with them in all )>iiblic matters. A baron, though
not a barou of parliament, might sit upon a lord's
assize in matters of life and death ; nor was it neces-
sary for the assizers, or jury, to be unanimous in
their verdict. The feudal customs, even at the time
of the restoration, were so prevalent, and the rescue
of a great criminal, was commonly so much appre-
hended, that seldom above two days pass£.H between
the sentence and execution.
Great unci rtainty occurs in the Scottish history,
by confounding parliaments with conventions ; the
ditfereiice was, that a parliament could enact laws as
well as lay on taxes; a convention, or meeting of
the states, only met for the purposes of taxation. —
Before the union, the kings of Scotland had four
great and four lesser officers of states ; the great,
were the lord high chancellor, high treasurer, ]>rivy-
seal, and secretary : the tour lesser were, the lords
register, advocate, treasurer-deputy, and justice clei k.
Since the union, none of these continue, excepting
the lords privy-seal, register, advocate, and justice
clerk: a third secretary of state has occasionally
been nominated by the king for Scottish affairs, but
under the same deiioniination as the other two secre-
taries. The above ofhcers of state sat in the Scot-
tisli parliament by vii tiie of their offices.
The (iflicers of tlie crown wi re, the high cham-
berlain, constable, admiral, and marsh;d. 'I he oflices
of constable and marshal were hereditary. A np-
bleinan has still a pension as admii.d; and the oflice
of marshal is exercised by a kni>^ht-uiarshal.
The office of chancellor of Scotland diflfi^red little
from the same in England. The same may be said
of the lords treasurer, privy-seal, and secretary. The
lord-register was headcleik to the parliament, con-
vention, treasury, exchequer, and si ssion, and keeper
'of all pulilic records. Though this <>ffice Mas only
during the king's pleasure, yet it was very lucrative,
by dis])osiiig of his deputation, which lasted during
life. He acted as teller to the parliament; audit
was dangerous for any member to dispute his report
of the number upon division. The lord advocate's
office resembles that of the attorney-general in Eng- -
land, only his powers are far more extensive ; be-
cause, by the Scottish laws, he is the prosecutor of
all capital crimes before the justiciaiy, and likewise
concurs in all pursuits before sovereign courts, for'
breaches of the peace, and also in all matters
civil, wherein the king or his donator hath interest.
Two solicitors are named by his majesty, by way of
assistants to the lord advocate. The ofHce of justice
clerk entitles the possessor to preside in the criminal
court of justice, while the justice-general, an othce
we will describe hereafter, is absent.
The ancient constitution of Scotland admitted of
many other offices both of the crown and state ;
but they are either now extinct, or too inconsiderable
to be desciibetl here. That of a Lyou king at arms,
or the rex ftecialium, or grand herald of Scotland,
is still in being ; and it was formerly an office of
great splendor and importance, insomuch that the
science of heraldry was preserved there in greater
purity than in any other country in Europe. He
was even crowned solemnly in parliament with a
golden circle ; and his authority, which is not the
case ill England, in all armorial affairs, might be
carried into execution by the civil law.
The pi iv\ -council of Scotland, before the revo-
lution, had, or assumed, inquisitorial powers, even
that of torture ; but it is now sunk in the parliament
or privy-council of Great Britain; and the civil and
criminal causes in Scotland are chielly cognizable by
two courts of juihcatine.
The first is, that of the college of justice, which
was instituted by James V. alter the model of the
Erencli pailiament, to supply an ambulatory com-
mittee of parliament, who took to themselves the
names of the lords of council and session, which the
present members of the college of justice ^till re-
tain. 'I'liis coJrt consists of a president and 14
ordinary nienibirs, besides extra'iidiiiary oi/cs named
by the kiii;j, who may sit and vote, but have no
salaries, and are not bound to attendance, '{lis court
may be calied a slandina jury in .til matters of pro-
perty that lie before tliein. 1 heir forms of pro-
ceeding do not lie within our plaM, neither does any
inquiry how far such an iiisiitalion, in fco narrow a
90G
APPENDIX.
country as Scotland, is compatible witli llie security
ol" piivate property. Tiie civil law is their directory
ill all matters tliat come not wiihiu the ti)ui>icipai
laws of tlie kingfioni. It has been often niatter of
surprise, that the Scots were so tenacious of the
forms of the courts, and the essence of their laws,
as to reserve them by the articles of the union. This
hoviever, can be easily accounted for, because those
laws and forms were essential to the possession of
estates and lands, which in Scotland are often held
by modes incompatible with the laws of England.
We shall just add, that the lords of council and ses-
sion act likewise as a court of equity, but their de-
crees are (fortunately perhaps for the subjecl) rever-
sible by the British house of lords, to which an
ap]ieal lies.
'J'he justice court is the highest criminal tribunal
in Scotland ; but in its present form it was instituted
so late as the ycai" 1(>72, when a lord-justice-grneral,
femoveable at the king's pleasure, was appointed. —
This lucrative office still exists in the person of one
of the chief nobility; but the ordinary members of
the court are the justice-elerk and live other judges, i
who are always nominated fro(n the lords of session.
In this court the verdict of a jury condemns or ac-
quits; but, as we have already hinted, without any
necessity of being unanimous.
Besides ibese two great courts of law, the Scots,
by the articles of the union, have a court of exche-
quer. This court has the same power, authority,
privilege, and jurisdiction, over the revenue of Scot-
land, as the court of exchequer in England has over
the revenues there; and all matters and things com-
petent to the court of exchequer in England relating
thereto, are likewise competent to tlie exclieqner of
Scotland. The judges ol the exchequer in Scotland-
exercise certain powers which fonnorly belonged to
the treasury, and are still vested in that of England.
The court of admiralty in Scotland was, in the
reign of diaries [I. by act of parliament, declared
to be a supreme court, in all causrs competent to its
own jurisdiction ; and llic lord high admiral is dc-
clarwi to be the king's lieutenant and justice-general
upon the seas, and in all ports, harbours, and crei ks
of the same; ami upon fiesh waters and navigable
rivers, below the first bridge, or within tiood mark;
so that nothing competent to its jurisdiction can he
meddle witii, in the first instance, but by t!;e lord
high admija! and the judges of his cnu; t. Sentences
passed in all inferior cmirts of suhniraiiy may be
broiigiit again before lliis court ; but no appeal lies
from it to the loids of the scssitm, or anyinther judi-
catory, unles-s in cases not maritime. Causes are
tried in this court by the civil law, which m such
«;ascs is likewise the common law of Scotland, as
well as by the laws of Oleron, Wisliy, and the
Hause towns, and other maiitiuie piactices and
decisions committed npon the continent. The place
of lord-admiral of Scotland is little more than no-
minal, but the salary annexed to it is reckoned worth
lOOOl. a-year; and the judge of the admiralty is
commonly a lawyer of distinction, with considerable
perquisites pertaining to his office.
The college, or faculty of acjvocates, which an-
swers to the English inns of court, may be called
the seminary of Scottish lawyers. They are within
themselves an ordeily court, and their forms require
great precision and examination to qualify its can-
didates for admission. Subordinate to them is a
body of inferior lawyers, or, as they may be called,
attorneys, who call themselves writers to the signet,
because they alone can subscribe the writs that pass
the signet; they likewise have a bye government for
their own regulation. Such are the different law-
courts that are held in the capital of Scotland ; wc
shall pass to those that are inferior.
The government of the counties in Scotland was
formerly vested in slieriffs and Stewarts, courts of
regality, baron courts, commissaries, justices of the
peace, and coroners.
Formerly sheriffdoms were generally bereditable;
but by a late act of parliament they are now all
vested '<n the crown ; it being there enacted, that all
high sheriffs, or stewards, shall, for the future, be
nominated and appointed annually by his majesty,
his heiis and successors. In regard to the sheriff-
deputies, and steward-deputies, it is enacted, that
there shall only be one in each county, or stcv^ artry,
who must be an advocate of three years standing at
least. Fc'r the space of seven years, these deputies
are to be nominated by the king, with such continu-
ance as his majesty shall think fit; after which they
are to enjoy their office for life, unless guilty of some
offence. Some other regulations have been likewise
introduced, highly for the credit of the sheriffs court.
Stev\artries were formerly part of the ancient
royal domain ; and the ste\^ards had much the same
power in them as the sheriff" had in his county.
Courts of regaliiy of old were held by virtue of a
royal jurisdiction vested in tlie lord, with particular
immunities and privileges; but these were so dan-
gerous, and so extravagant, that ail the Scottish re-
galities are now dissolved by an- act of parliament.
Baron-conrts belong to every person who holds a
barony of tiie king. In civil mutters ihey extend
to maltersnot exceeding forty shillings sterling; and
ill criminal cases, to pitty actions of assault and
haitery; but the puiiishnieut is not to exceed twenty
s^iillings sterling, or setting the delinquent in tl.e
stocks for thne hours in the day lime. 1'licse
courts, however petty, were in former days invest* d
w ith the pow er of life and death, w hich they have
now lest.
Thti courts of commissaries in Scotland answer
APPENDI^i.
f)or,
1,0 those of tVic English diocesan chancellors, the
liighcsl of which is kept at Edinbiirt;h, wherein,
before four judges, actions are pleaded concerning
matters relating to wills and testaments ; the right
of patron;ige to ecclesiastical henefices, tithes, di-
vorces, and causes of that nature; but in almost all
other parts of the kingdom there sits but one judge
on these causes.
According to the present constitution, justices of
the peace in Scotland exercise pretty much the same
power as those in England. In former times their
office, though of very old standing, was insignificant,
being cramped by the powers of the great feudal
tyrants, who obtained an act of parliament that
they were not to take cognizance of riots till fifteen
days after the fact.
The institution of coroners is as old as the reign
of Malcolm II. the great legislator of Scotland,
who lived before the Norman invasion of England.
They took cognizance of all breaches of the king's
peace ; and they were required to have clerks to
register depositions and matters of fact, as well as
verdicts of jurors ; the office, however, is at present
much disused in Scotland.
From the above short view of the Scottish laws
and institutions, it is plain that they were radically
the same with those of the English. The latter
allege, indeed, that the Scots borrowed the contents
of their Regiam Majesfatem, their oldest law-book,
from the work of Glanville, who was a judge under
Henry II. of England. The Scots, on the other
hand say, that (jJlanville's work was copied from
their Regiam Majestatem, even with the peculiar-
ities of tlie latter, which do not nov, and never
did, exist in the laws of England.
The royal burghs in Scotland form, as it were, a
commercial parliament, which meets once a-yoar at
Edinburgh, consisting of a representative from
each burgh, to consult upon the common good of
the whole. Their powtis are pretty extensive, and
before the Union they ma.dc laws relating to ship-
ping, to masters and owners of ships, to mariners,
and niercliants, by whom they were freighted : to
manufacturtrs, Sucli as plaiding, linen, and yarn;
to the curing and packing of fish, salmon, and her-
rings, and to the imparling and exporting several
commodities. The trade between Scotland and the
Netherlands is subject to their regulations: they fix
the staple port, which was formeily at Dort, and is
now at Campvere. Their conservator is indeed
nominated by the crown, but then their convention
regulates hi.s power, approves hi.'* deputies, and ap-
points his salary : so tliat, in trnlh, tlic whole staple
tiade is sul)jected to their management.
Lpon the whole, this is a very singular inititn-
lion, and sufficiently prove.* the vast attentiou which
the government of Scoiiur.d formerly paid <o trade.
GO 10
It took its present form in the reign of .lames IIF-
1487, and had excellent consequences for the bene-
fit of commerce.
Such are the laws and constitutions of Scotland;
but our bounds do not permit us to descend to fur-
ther particulars, which are various and coniplicaled.
The conformity between the practice of the civil
law of Scotland, and that of Eingland, is remarkable.
The English law reports are of the same nature
with the Scottish practice ; and their acts of sede-
runt answer to the Engiijh rules of court; the
Scottish wadsets and reversions, to the English
mortgages and defeasances : their pi indingof goods,
after letters of hcrning, is much the sameas the
English executions upon outlawries ; and an appeal
against the king's pardon, in cases of murder, by tiie
next of kin to the deceased, is admitted in Scclland
as well as in England. !Many other usages are the
same in both kingdoms. We cannot however,, dis-
miss this head without one observation, which
proves the similarity between the English and Scot-
tish constitutions, wl'.ichvve believe has been men-
tioned by no author. In old times, all the free-
holders in Scotland met together in presence of the
king, who was seated on the top of a hillock,
which in the old Scottish constituti.m is called the
Moot, or Mute-hill ; all national affairs were here
transacted ; judgments given, and differences ended.
This Moot-hill we apprehend to be of the same
nature as the Saxon Eolcmote, and to signify no
more than tlie hill of meeting.
Though the writers of ancient Scottish history
are loo fond of system and fable, yet it is ea*y to
collect, from the Roman authors, and other evi-
dences, that Scotland was formerly inhabited by
difTeient people. The Caledonians were, probably,
the first inhabitants; the Picts undoubtedly were
the Britons, who were forced northwards by the
Belgic Gauls, about fourscore years before the de-
scent of Julius Caesar ; and who settling in Scot--
land, were joined by great numbers of their country-
men, who were driven northwards by the Romans.
The Scots, most probably were a nation of adven-
turers from the ancient Scylhia, who had served in
the armies on the continent, and, as has been already
hinted, after conquering the other inhabitants, gave
their own name to the country, 'i'he tract lying
southward of the Forth appears to have been inha-
biiL'd by the Saxons, and by the Britons, who formed
the kindgdom of Alcuith, the capital of which was
Dumbarton : but all these people in process of
time were subdued bv the Scots.
Having premised thus nifcli, it is unnecessary for
us to in\esligate the constitution of Scotland I'rom
its fabulous, or even its early ages. It is sufficient
to add, to what we have already said upon that head, •
that thev seem to have been as forwaid as anv of
go*'
APPENDIX.
their southern neighbours in the arts of war and
governuient.
It does not appear that tlie Caledonian*, the an-
cient Celtic inhabuants of Scotland, were attacked
by any of the Roman generals before Agricoia, anno
7y. The name of the prince he fought with was
Galdus, by Tacitus named Galgacus ; and the his-
toryof that war is not only transmitted with great
precision, but corroborated by the remains of the
Roman encampments and forts, raised by Agricoia
in his march towards Duiikeld, the capital of the
Caledonians. The brave stand made by Galdus
aganist the great general does honour to the valour
of both people ; and the sentiments of the Caledo-
nians, concerning the freedom and independency of
this country, appeared to have warmed the noble
historian with tlie same generous passion. It is
plain, however, that Tacitus thought it for the ho-
nour of Agric(da to conceal some part of this war;
for though ijc makes his countrymen victorious, yet
lj)ey certainly returned southward, to the province
of the Horesti, which was the county of Fife, with-
out improving their advantage.
Galdus, otherwise called Corbred, was, according
to tie Seottish historians, the 21st in the lineal
descent from Fergus I. the founder of their monar-
chy ; and though this genealogy has of late been
disputed, yet nothing can be more certain, from the
Roman histories, that the Caledonians, or Scots,
were governed by a succession ef brave and wise
princes, during the abode of the Romans in Britain.
Their valiant resistance obliged Agricoia hiniself,
and after him the emperors Adrian and Severns, to
build the two famous preteutures or walls, one be-
tween the FVith of Clyde and Forth already men-
tioned, and the other between Tinmouth and the
SoKvay Frith, which is described in our account of
England, to defend the Romans from the Caledoni-
ans and Scots ; and which prove that die indepen-
dence of the latter was never subdued.
Christianity was introduced into Scotland about
the year 201 of the Christian aera, by Donald 1.
The Picts, who, as before mentioned, were the
descendants of the ancient Britons, forced north-
wards by the Romans, had at this time gained a
footing in Scotland ; and being often defeated by
the ancient inhabitants, they joined tiie Romans
against the Scots and Caledonians, who were of the
same original, and considered themselves as one
people ; so that the Scottish monarchy suffered a
short eclipse ; but it broke out with more lustre than
tver, under Fergus 11. who recovered his crown;
and his successors gave many severe overthrows to
the Romans and Britons.
When the Romans left Britain in 448, the Scots,
as appeared by Gildas, a British historian, were a
powerful nation, and iu conjunction with the Picts,
invaded the Britons; and having forced the Roman
walls, drove them to the very sea ; so diat the Bri-
tons applied to the Romans for relief; and in the
lamous letter, which they call their groans, they
tell them, that they had no choice left, but- that of
being swallowed up by the sea, or perislnng by the
swords of the barbarians ; for so all nations were
called who were not Romans, or ii.ider the Roman
protection.
Dongard was then king of Scotland ; and it ap-
pears from the oldest historians, and those that are
least favoinable to monarchy, that the succession
to the crown of Scotland still conlnmed in the family
of Fergus, but generally descended collaterally ;
till the niconveniences of that mode of succession
were so much felt, that by degrees it fell into disuse,
and It was at last settled in the descending line.
About the year 796, the Scots were governed by
Achaius, a prince so much respected, that Iiis
friendship was courted by Charlemagne. The Picts
still remained in Scotland as a separate nation, and
were powerful enough to make war upon ihe Scots
who, about the year 843, when Kenneth ?.Iac Alpiii'
was king of Scotland, iinally sulj^h'ed ihem ; but'
not in the savage manner nuntioaed by some hista-
tonans, by extermination. Fur h.- obli<;ed them to
incorporate then:selves with their conquerors, by
taking their names and adopting their laws. The
successors of Kenneth Mac Alpin maintained almost
perpetual wars with the Sax'>ns on the southward,
and the Danes and other barbarous nations towards
the east : who being masters of the sea, harassed
the Scots by powerful invasions. 'I'he Ltter, how-
ever, w ere oiore fortunate than the F^nglish ; for
while the Danes were erecting a monarchy in Eng-
land, they w ere every where overthrown in Scotland
by bloody battles, and at last driven out of the king-
dom. The Saxon and Danish monarehs who tlicn
governed England were not more successful against
the Scots, who maintained their freedom and inde-
pendency, not only against foreigners, but against
their own kings, when they thought them endan-
gered. The feudal law was introduced among them
by Malcolm 11.
Malcolm HI. commonly called Malcohii Can-
more from tw o Gaiilic words which signify a large
head, but most probably from his great capacity,
was the eighty-sixth king of Scotland, from Fergus
I. the supposed founder of the monarchy ; the forty-
seventh from its restorer, Fergus II.; and the twen-
ty-second from Kenneth HI. who conquered the
kingdom of the Picts. Every reader who is ac-
quainted with the tragedy of Macbeth, as written
by the inimitable Shakespeare, who keeps close to
the facts delivered by historians, can be no stranger
to the fate of Malcolm's father, and his own history,
previous to* his mounting the throne iu the year
APPENDIX.
f)OS
10.J7. He was a wise anJ magnanimous prince,
and in no respect inferior to his conlemporary, the
^>jrui;ui conqueror, with wlioni he was often at
war. He married Margaret, daughter to Kd\>ard,
siirnamed the Outlaw, son to Kdniund Ironside,
km;; of lini;land. By llie deatii of her brother
Edgar Atlieiing, the Saxon right to tlie crown of
E gland devolved upon the posterity of lliat prin-
ces'i, who «as one of ilie wisest and worlliiest wo-
men of the age ; and her daughter Maud was ac-
cordingly married to Henry 1. of England. Mal-
colm, alter u glorious reign, «as killed, witli his
son, treacherously, it is said, at the siege of Aln-
wick, by the besieged.
MaKoiiii HI. was gucceeditl by his brother Do-
nald \ il. and he was dethioiied by Duncan H.
whose Itijitimacy was disputed. I'hey were suc-
ceeded by Edgar, the son ol Malcolm HI. who was
a «ise and vahani prince; he was succeeded by
Ale.xander 1. and up<)a his death David 1. mounted
the throne. iSotwithstandiiig the endeavours of
some hisii;riaiis to conceal what tliey cannot deny,
(svc mean the ;;l lies of this reign) it yet appears,
th.it Cavid was one of the greatest princes of his
age, whether we regaid liim as a man, a warrior, or
a legislator. The noble acliuus he performed m the
service of his neice, the empress Maud, in her
compi.tition with king Stephen for the English
crown, give us the highest idea of his virtues, as
tliey could be the rtsult only ol duty and principle.
To him llemy H. the mightiest prmce of his age,
owed his crown; and his possessions in England,
joined to the kingdom of Sc-olland, placed David's
power nearljj on an equality with that of England,
when contined to this island. His actions and ad-
ventures, and the lesouices he always found in his
own courage, prove him to have been a hero of the
lirst rank. If he appeared to be too lavish to
chuichmen, and in his religious endowments, we
are to consider these were the only means by which
he could civilize his kingdom ; and the code ot laws
we have already mentioned to have been drawn up
by him, do his memoiy immoital honour. 'J'hey
are said to have been compiled under his inspection
by learned men, whom he assembled from all parts
of Europe 111 his magiiiticeiit abbey ot Melross. —
He was succeeded by ins grandson Malcolm IV.
and he by W liliam, surnaiued from his valour, the
Lion. \Villiam's son Ale.xander II. was succeeded
in 1249 by Alexander HI. who was a good king.
He married tirst, Margaret daughter to Henry IH.
of Englaiid, by whom he had Alexander, the prince
who married the earl of Tlanders' daughter ; David,
and ^largaret who married Haiigowan, or, as some
call him, Eric, son to Magnus iV. king of ^^orway,
who bore to him a daughter named Margaret, com-
moaly called the Maidea of Norway ; iu wbuiu
king William's whole posterity failed, and the
crown of Scotland returned to the descendants of
David earl of Huntingdon, brother to king Malcolm
IV. and king William.
V\ e have been the more particular in this driaii,
because it was productive of great events. Upon
the deatli of Alexander IH. John Baliol, who was
great-grandson to David earl of Huntingdon, by his
eldest daughter Margaret, and Robert l^ruce, ("rand-
ijither to the great king Robert Bruce) grandson to
the same earl of Huntingdon, by his youngest
daughter Isabel, became competitors for the crown
of Scotland. The laws of succession, which were
not then so well established in England as they are
at present, render the case very disagreeable. ' Both
parties were almost equally matclied in interest;
but after a confused interregnum of some years, the
great nobility agreed in referring the decision to
Edward I. of England, the most polite, ambitious
prince of his age. He accepted the office of ar-
biter; but having long had an eye to the crown of
Scotland, he revived some obsolete absurd claims
of its dependency upon that of Kngland ; and find-
ing that Baliol was disposed to hold it by that dis-
graceful tenure, Edward awarded it to him; but
afterwards dethroned him, and treated him as a
slave, without Baliol's resenting it.
After this, Edward used many endeavours to an-
nex their crown to his own, which were often de-
feated ; and though Edw aid for a short time made
himself master of Scotland, yet the Scots were
ready to revolt against him on every favourable op-
portunity. Those of them who were so zealously
attached to the independency of their own country,
as to be resolved to hazard every thing for it, were
indeed but few, compared to those in the interest of
Edward and Bjliol, which was the same; and for
some time liny were obliged to temporise. Edward
availed himselt of their weakness and his own power.
He accepted of a formal surrender of the crow n of
Baliol, to whom he allowed a pension, but detained
him ill England ; and sent every nobleman in Scot-
land, whom he in the least suspected, to diflltrent
prisons in or near London. He then forced the '
Scots to sign instruments of their subjection to him,
and most barbarously carried off or destroyed all
the monuments of their history, and the evidences
of thiir independency, and particularly the famous
fatidical or piophetic stone, which is still to be seen
in W tstmmster abbey.
These severe proceedings, while they rendered
the Scots sensible of their slavery, revived in them
the ideas of their freedom ; and l"j'.\ard finding thtir
spirits were not to be subdued, endeavoured to ca-
ress them, and affected to treat them on a f .)oling of
equality with his own subjects, by projecting an
uuioti, the chief articles of which have gince taUiv
906
APPENDIX.
place between the two kingdoms. The Scottish
patriots treated this prdject with disdain, and united
under the brave VVilhaiii Wallace, the truest hero of
his ag-e, to expel the English. Wallace performed
actions that entitled him to eternal honour, in exe-
cuting this scheme. Being however no more than
a private gentleman, and liis popularity daily in-
creasing, the Scottish nobility (among whom was
Robert Bruce, the son of the first Competitor) began
to suspect that he had an eye iipou the crown,
especially after he had defeated the earl of Surrey,
Edward's viceroy of Scotland, in the battle of Stir-
ling, and had reduced the garrisons of Berwick and
Roxburgh, and was dec'lared by the states of Scot-
land their protector. Their jualousy operated so
far, that they formed violent cabals against the brave
Wallace. Edward, upon this, o.ice more invaded
Scotland, at the head of the most numerous and best
disciplined army England had ever seen, for it con-
sisted of 80,000 foot, 3000 horsemen completely
armed, and 4000 light armed ; and was attended by
a fleet to supply it with provisions. These, besides
the troops who joined him in Scotland, formed an
irresistible body : Edward, howe\er, was obliged to
divide it, reserving the command of 40,000 of his
best troops to himself. With these he attacked the
Scottish army under Wallace at Falkirk, while their
disputes ran so high, that the brave regent was de-
serted by Gumming, the most powerful nobleman in
Scotland, and at the head of the best division of his.
countrymen. Wallace, whose troops did not ex-
ceed 30,000, being thus betrayed, was defeated v.ith
vast loss, but made an orderly retreat ; during which
he found means to have a conference with Bruce,
and to convince him of his error in joining with
Edward. Wallace still continued in arms, and per-
formed many gallant actions against the English;
but was betrayed into the hands of Edward, who
most ungenerously put him to death at London, as
a traitor; but he died himself us he M'as prerjat-'ng
to renew his invasion of Scotland with a still more
desolating spirit of ambition, after having destroyed
100,000 of her inhabitants.
Bruce died soon after the battle at Falkirk; but
not before he had inspired his son, who was a
prisoner at large about llie English court, with the
glorious resolution of vindicating his own rights,
and his country's ind; pencency. fie escaped from
London, and with his own hand killed Camming,
for his attachment to Edwa'd ; and after collecting
a few patriots, among whom were his own four
brotliers, he a.isumed tiic crown, but was defeated
by the English (who had a great army ui Scotland)
at the battle of Methven. After his defeat, he tied
with one or two friends to the Western isles and
parts of Scotland, where his fatigues and sufferings
were as inexpressible, as the courage with which he
and his few friends bore them (the lord DouglaS
especially) was incredible. Though his wife and
daughters were sent prisoners to England, where the
best of his friends and two of his brothers were put
to death, yet such was his persevering spirit, that he
recovered all Scotland excepting the castle of Stir-
ling, and improved every advantage that was given
him by the dissipated conduct of Edward IL who
raised an army more numerous and better appointed
still than that of his father, to make a total conquest
of Scotland. It is said that it consisted of I00,00()'
men ; this is supposed to be an exaggerated compu-
tation: however, it is admitted that the army of
Bruce did not exceed 30,000; but al! of them heroes,
who had been bred up in a detestation of tyranny.
Edward, who was not deficient in point of cou-
rage, led this mighty host towards Stirling, then be-
sieged by Bruce, who had chosen with the greatest
judgment a camp near Bannockburn. The chief
ofHcers under Edward were, the eails of Gloucester,
Hereford, Pembroke, and Sir Giles Agenton. Those
under Bruce were, his own brother Sir Edward,
who, next to himself, was reckoned to be the best
knight in Scotland; his nephew Randolph earl of
Murray, and the lord Walter, high-steward of Scot-
land. Edward's attack of the Scottish army was
exceeding furious, and required all the courage and
tirmness of Bruce and his friends to resist it, which
they did so effectually, that they gained one ot the
most complete victories that is recorded in history.
The great loss of the English fell uport the bravest
part of their troops, who were led on by Edward in
person against Bruce himself. The Scottish writers
make the loss of the English amount to 50,000
men. Be that as it will, there certainly never was a
more total defeat, though the conquerors lost 4000.
The flower of the English nobility were either killed
or taken prisoners. Their camp, which was im-
mensely rich, and calculated for the purpose rather
of a triumph than a compaign, fell into the hands of
tlie Scots ; and Edward himself, with a few followers,
favuiired by the goodness of Uieir horses, Vicre pur-
sued by Douglas to the gates of Ber\<ick, from
vvhence he escaped in a fishing-boat. Ihis great
decisive battle happened in the year 1314.
The remainder of Robert's reigji was a series of
the most glorious successes : and so well did his
nobility understand the principles of civil liherty,
and so unfettered were they by religions conside-
rations, that, in a letter they sent to the pope, they
acknowledged that lliey had set aside Baliol for de-
basing the crown by holding it of Eiiizhmd ; ?nd
that they would do tlie same by Robert, if he should
make the like attempt. Robert having thus delivered
Scotland, sent his brother Edward to Iieland, at
the head of an army, with Mhich he conquered the
greatest part of that kingdom, and was proclaimed
APPENDIX.
907
its king ; but bv exposing himself too much he was
killi'H. Robtrl, before his death, which liappened
ill l.)28, made an advantageous peace with Kngland,
and when he died, he was acknowledged to be iii-
di'iputably the greatest hero of his age.
Tlie glory of I he Scots niay be said to have been
in its ztiiilh under Hubert I. who was succeeded by
his son David II. He \%as a virtuous prince, but
his abilities, both in peace and war, were eclipsed
by his brother in-law and enemy Edward III. of
fingland, whose sister he married. Edward, who
M'as as keen as any of bis predecessors upon the
conquest of Scotland, espoused the cause of Baliol,
Son to Baliiil, the original competitor. His progress
was at first amazingly rapid, and he and Edward
defeated the royal party m many bloody battles ; but
Baliol was at last driven out of his usurped king-
dom by the Scottish patriots. David had the mis-
fortune to be taken pjisoner by the English at the
battle of Durham : and after continuing above
eleven years in captivity, he paid 100,000 marks for
bis r-insom, and died in peace without issue, in the
year 1371.
The crown of Scotland then devolved upon the
family of Stuart, by its head having been married to
the daughter of Robert I. The lirst king of that
name was Robert II. a wise and brave prince. He
was succeeded by his son Robert III. whose age and
intiimities disqualified him from reigning; so that
he was forced to trust the govemnieut to his brother,
the duke of Albany, an ambitious prince, who seems
to have had an eye to the crown for his own family.
Robert, upon this, attempted to send his second son
to France ; but he was most ungenerously inter-
ce|>ted by Henry IV. of England ; and, after suffer-
ing a long captivity, he was obliged to pay an exor-
bitant ransom. During the imprisonment of .lames,
ill England, the military glory of the Scots was
carried to the greatest height in France, where they
supported that totteiing monarchy against England,
and the generals obtained some of the first titles of
the kingdom.
James, the first of that name, upon his return to
Scotland, discovered great talents for government,
enacted many wise laws, and was beloved by his
people. He had receivtd an excellent education in
England during the reigns of Henry IV. and V.
where he saw the feudal system refined from many
of the imperfections which still adhered to it in his
own kingdom ; he determined therefore to abridge
the overgrown power of the nobles, and to recover
such lands as had been unjustly wrested from the
crown during his minoritv and the preceding reigns;
but the execution of these designs cost him his life,
he being murdered in his bed by some of his chief
nobility in 1437, and the 44lb year of his age.
A long minority succeeded ; but James II. would
probably have equalled the greatest of his ancestors
both in warlike and civil virtue*, had he not been
suddenly killed by the accidental bursting of a can-
non, in the thirteenth year of his age, as he was be-
sieging the castle of Roxburgh, which was defeiidect
by the English.
Suspicion, indolence, immoderate attachments toi'
females, and many of the errors of a female mind,
are visible in the conduct of James HI. and his tur-
bulent reign was closed by a rebellion of his sub-
jects, being slain in battle in 14S«, aged thirty-five.
His son, James IV. was the most accomplished
prince of the age; he \>as naturally generous and
brave; he loved magnificence, he delighted in war,
and was eager to obtain fame. He encouraged and
protected the commerce of his sniijects, so that they
greatly increased in riches ; and the court of James,
at the time of his marriage with Henry VII.'s
daughter, was splendid and respectable. Even this
alliance could not cure him of his family distemper,
a predilection for the French, in whose cause he-
rashly entered, and was killed, with the flower of his'
nobility, by the English, in the battle of Floddcn,
anno 1513, and the fortieth year of his age.
The minority of his son, James V. was long and
turbulent : and when he grew up, he married tw*
French ladies; the first being daughter to the king'
of I'Vance, and the latter of the house of Guise. He'
instituted the court of session, enacted many salutary
laws, and greatly promoted the trade of Scotland,
particularly the working of the mines. At this time
the balance of power was so equally poised betweert
the contending princes of Europe, that James's
friendship was courted by the pope, the emperor,
the king of France, and his uncle, Henry VIII. of
England, from all which he received maguificenl
presents. But James took little share in foreign
affairs; he seemed rather to imitate his jiredeccssors
in their attempts to hunible the nobility; and the
doctrines of the Reformation beginning to be pro-
pagated in Scotland, he gave way, at the insiigatiori
of the cleigv, to a religious persecution, though it
is generally believed, that, had he lived loiigtr, he
would have seized all the church revemies, in imi-
tation of Henry. However, having rather slighted
some friendly overtures made linn by the king of
England, and ihciebv given great umbrage to that
prince, a war at length broke out between them. —
A large army under the command of the duke of
Norfolk, entered Scotland, and ravaged the country
north of the Tweed. After this short expedition,
the English army retired to Berwick, Lpon this the
•king of Scotland sent l(),0O0 men to the western
borders, who entered England at Solway Fiith; and
he himself followed them at a short distance, ready
60
10 X
809
APPENDIX.
to join them upon occasion. But he soon after gave
great offence to the nobility, and the army, by im-
prudently depriving their general, lord Maxwell, of
his commission, and conferring the con.niand on
Oliver Sinclair, a private gentleman, svho was his
favourite. I'he aruiy were so much disgusted with
this alteration, that they were ready to disband,
\vi!en a small body of English horse appeared, not
exceeding five hundred. A panic seized the Scots,
who imnudiately took to flight, supposing them-
selves to be attacked by the whole body of the
English army. The English horse, seeing thein
flee with such precipitation, closely pursued them,
and slew sjreat numbers, taking prisoners seven
lords, two hundred gentlemen, and ei^ht hundred
soldiers, with twenty-four pieces of ordnance. —
This disaster so much affected king James, that it
tl-.rew him into a tit of illness, of which he soon
after died on the 14tli of December, 1 j42.
His daughter and successor, Mary, was but a few
liours old at the time of her father's death. Her
beauty, lier misconduct, and her misfortune, are
alike famous in history. It is suflicient here to say,
that during her minority, and while she was wife to
Francis II. of France, the Reformation advanced in
Scotland : that being called to the throne of her
ancestors while a widow, she married her own cou-
sin gerinan, the lord Darnley, wliose untimely death
laath given rise to so much controversy. The con-
sequence of her husband's death, and of her mar-
riage with Bothweil, who was considered as his
murderer, was an insurrection of her subjects, from
whom she fled into England, where she was unge-
nerously detained a prisoner for eighteen years ; and
afterwards, on motives of her state policy, beheaded
by queen Elizabeth, in 15S7, in the forty-sixth year
of her age.
Mary's son, James VI. of Scotland, succeeded in
right of liis blood from Henry VII. 4ipon the death
of queen Elizabeth, to the English crown, 'after
thewiug considerable abilities in the government of
Scotland. 'I'his union of the two crowns, in fact, .
destroyed the independeiicy, as it in)poverished the
people of Scotland ; for the seat of government be-
ing removed to England, their trade was checked,
their agriculture neglected, and their gentry obliged
to seek for bread in other countries. James, after
a splendid, but troublesome reign over his three
kingdoms, left them in l625, to his son, the unfor-
tunate Charles I. That prince, by his despotic princi-
ples and conduct, induced both his Scottish and Eng-
lish subjects to take up arms against him : and indeed,
it was in Scotland that the sword was first drawa
against Charles. But when the royal party was
totally defeated in England, the king put himself ir;to
the power of the Scottish army; they at fiist treated
him with respect, but aftei wards deliveretHiim up
to the English parliament, on condition of then
paying 400,000 pounds to the Scots, which was
said to be due to them for arrears. However, the
Scots afterwards made several bloody but unsuccess-
ful attempts to restore his son Charles II. That
prince was finally defeated by Cromwell, at the '
battle of Worcester, ]C51, after which, to the lime
of his restoration, the commonwealth of EnglantL
and the protector gave law to Scotland. We have,
ill another place, touched on the most material
parts of Charles's reign, and that of his deluded
brothel, James VII. of Scotland, and II. of Eng-
land, as well as of king \\illiam, wiio was so far
from being a friend to Scotland, that, relying on
his royal word to her parliament, she was brought
to the brink of ruin.
The state of parties in England at the accession
of queen Anne was such, that the Whigs once more
had recourse to the Scots, and offered tliem their
own terms, if they would agree .to the incorporate
Union as it now stands. It was long before the
Scottish parliament would listen to the proposal;
but at last, partly from convictipn, and partly
through the force of money distributed among the
needy nobility, it was agreed to; since which event
the history of Scotland becomes, in a great mea-
sure, the same w:ilh that of England.
CONTENTS.
1 JLllE Patriardial religion, and that of 136
llie ancient Jews - - 7-37
2 Of the modern Jews - - - 19 38
3 Tlic ri'ligion of the Egyptinns - 'ZQ 39
4 The religion of the CartUagenians and Tvrians 33 40
5 The religion of tlie Druids - - 3.5 41
(J The religion of the Assyrians - - 37-^2
7 The religion of the Babylonians - 40 43
8 Religion of the ancient Medes and Persians 43 44
9 Keligion of the ancient Canaaiiites, Syrians, 45
Arabians, Scc. - - 40 40
10 Religion in Ethiopia and other nations 47
adjoining - - - 52 48
1 1 Religion of the Armenians, Georgians, and 49
(Circassians - - - 56 oO
1<2 Religion of the Mogul Empire - 59 5 1
13 Religion of the Chinese - - 67 52
14 Religion of the inhabitants of Carnate, 53
Golcondo, Bisnagar, and Decan - 77 ^^4
15 Religion of tlie people of Asem, Ava, and oo
Aracan - - - 81 56
16 Religion of Pegu - - - 84 57
17 Religion of Siam - - - 88 58
IS Religion of Laos - - - 93 | 59
19 Religion of the Tonqiiinese - - 95 60
30 Religion of Cochin-China, Cambodia, &c. .09 61
21 Religion of the Phillipine Islands - 102 62
,ii2 Religion of the Molucca Islands, Sec. 105 G:}
'23 Religion of Ceylon - - - 103 64
24 Religion of Japan - - 115
25 Religion of Corea and Jesso - - 124 63
26 The Christian Religion - - 127 66
27 Account of the Heresies - - 145 67
2S The commencement and progress of Popery l66 61
29 Religious orders in the ciiurch of Rome 1 "6 09
30 Rites and ceremonies in the church of Rome 207
31 Particular ceremonies in the Vatican - 212 70
32 Ceremonies of the Mass - - 214
33 Episcoi)al Mass - - - 215 71
34 Mass celebrated by -the pope - - 217 72
35 Masses for the dead - - 219 73
Devotions paid to the cross - - SW
Other ceremonies in the church of Rome 222
Particular ceremonies in the Romish church 22S
Religious societies in the church of Rome 239
I'easts in the Romish calendar
The sacraments of the church of Rome
History of the Inquisition, &c.
History of the Waldcnses anti Albigenses
Account of the Greek churcli
Discipline of the Greek church
Worship of the Greek church
Of Greek marriages
Of extreme unction
Funeral ceremonies - - -
The church of Russia
Fimera! ceremonies of the Russians
The Greeks of St. Thomas
Of the Copti - -
Of the Maronitcs - -
Christians of St. John, Sic.
Religion of the Mahometans, &c.
Alcoran of Maliomet
Ceremonies of the Mahometans
The religion of Tarlary
Religion of Lapland - - ;
The religion of the Gaurcs
Of the religion of Africa
Of the religion of Nigeria
The religion of llie inhabitants of the coast
of Guinea - - 487
The religion of the natives of Benin, &.c. 433
The religion of Congo, Angola, &,c. 439
lieligion of the Guaguas, Sic.
The religion of Cafraria
The religion of the people of Mono Mo-
tapa - - -
The religion of the inhabitants of Agag,
Tococka, and Quileve
The religion of the natives of Sofola
The religion of the people of Cmna, &c.
'J'he rdigion of the Ethiopians and Gauls
- 245
2()9
293
•299
304
310
318
320
321
324
330
332
339
344
350
356
36.S
3S7
400
410
417
424
-425
449
452
401
463
4(jO
467
•168
yio
CONTENTS.
74 The religion of the islanders of Socotora
75 Religion of the islanders of Madagascar
76 The religion of the Canaries
77 The rehgion of tlie savage Americans
78 Religion of the Fioridans
79 Religion of the savages of Hudson's Bay
80 Religion of the Caribbee islands
81 Religion of the people who inhabit near
the river Amazon ...
82 Religion of the Brasilians - r
83 Religion of the people near the river La
Plata - - -
84 Religion of the Peruvians
85 Religion of Canada - _ -
86 Religion of California, &c.
87 Religion of the Virginians
8!^ Religion of Hispaniola . . -
89 Religion of Mexico _ . -
90 Religion of Darien . _ _ -
*>1 Religion of New Andalusia
92 Introduction to the history of the Protestant
■religion - - _ _ _
93 Religion of the Lutherans
94 The church of England
95 History of Calvinism
95* Account of the Seceders
96 The church of Scotland
97 The Biirghers - . _
98 The Anti-Rurghers - - -
919 Account of the Presbytery of Relief
100 Account of the Cameronians
101 The Glassites, or Saademanians
102 Of the Dissenters . - _
J 03 Account of the Presbyterians
104 The Armenian Presbyterians
105 The Arian Presbyterians
106 The Socinian Presbyterians
107 Account of the Independents Sec.
108 Regular Independents
109 Irregular Independents
1 10 Baptists - - - .
46!.,
111
472'
112
477
113
47s
114
483
115
489
116
491
117
lis
497
119
498
120
121
499
122
501
123
514
124
518
125
519
126
522
127
524
128
527
12y
529
' 130
t
131
531
132
543
133
558
134
600
135
643
136
60p
137
647
138
648
139
650
140
651
141
652
G5H
142
66 1
143
662
144
664
145
666
146
668
147
669
148
674
675
Calvinistical Baptists - - 67S
Arian and Sociiuan Baptists -^ 680
Sabbatarians - - - 681
Account of the Quakers - - 648
The Methodists - . - - 660
— Antimonians - - 730
— Calvinistical Methodists - 733
— Moravians - - 735
— Muggletoriians - - 765
— Mystics - - 766
— French Prophets - - 768
— Millenarians _ _ - 770
— Hutchinsonians - 773
— Quietists - - 775
— Pre-Adamites - - 777
— Labadists - - 780
— Rhynesburghers - - 783
— Polish Brethren - - 785
Of Deism - - 7g!8
The Philadelphiaus - 794
— Bohemian Brethren - 796
— Brethren of the Rosey-Cross 79?
— Anti- Trinitarians - 800
— Swedenborgians - 8Q2
— Universalisls - - 808
— Rellvan Universalisls - 809
— Johnsonians - ib.
— Southcottians - SIO
— Destructionists - 811
— Cuwherdians - 812
— Methodist New Connexion, or New
Itinerancy - 814.
— Bereans - - 8 16
Atheism and Atheists - 818
Theophilanthropists - 823
Fjithusiasts - 824
Of the Scripture and Divine Revelation 825
Christ the true Messiah - 826
Of the Bible - - 835
Appendix - - 859
Printed and Published by J. Cleave, I96, Deansgale,
Manchester, 1812.
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