bably communicated to our First Parents by Revelation, and was tranfmitted by them to their pofterity by Tradition; this may well mean, that God made them and their pofterity capable of difcovering it by their rational faculties. Such is the Author's regard to truth and fincerity; and fuch the key, which he gives us, to the real value of his Solemn Appeal to Heaven, already mentioned.

SECT. XX.

The Author's Treatment of the CLERGY, and the Falsehood of his Charge against PRIESTS in general, confidered.

N

TO Writer for the cause of Deifm or Infidelity omits to pay his compliments to the Clergy: And as our Author has at least kept pace with his Brethren in this particular, it seems absolutely neceffary to take a short notice of what he has designedly made so confpicuous a part of his work.

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He fays, "That charity should incline us to " think the best of every one, especially in religious opinions:" -And, "That we should "throw a veil over the faults of our fellowcreatures; - And "That unless we can speak " in their favour, they ought not to be the fub"ject of our conversation *." But though these are certainly the doctrines of JESUS, and he enforces them as fuch, he seems to think that the Laity are under no fort of obligation, to observe these rules in their behaviour towards the Clergy;

P. 148.

whom

whom he always affects to stile Priests, as it should seem, with the hopes of rendering themodious even by a name. He perpetually speaks of Them, as the authors of almost all the mischiefs and errors the world has ever known. Mankind, he tells us, were perfectly well acquainted with all their duties, and even disposed to fulfil them, till Priests arose, and introduced darkness, and every thing evil into Religion, for their own interest and power. When one reads fuch tragical accounts as these of the miseries which Priests have brought upon the world, it is impossible to help asking, whence they came, and what they were? Whether these same Priests were Men; or a particular species of Noxious Animals, created by some Evil Being, and fent into this goodly world to spoil it? If Priesthood had been every-where, as in fome countries it has been, hereditary; a man of our Author's extraordinary genius, and remarkable antipathy to Priests, might perhaps have adopted this opinion: But as in many countries, the Priests have been made, as in our own, out of Laymen; the supposition would be attended with some difficulties. One cannot help enquir ing likewife, whether they came into the world by degrees; or started up, like Cadmus's teeth ready armed for mischief, every-where, all at once? And if so, whether this was by chance, or by some strange concert, and how that concert was brought about? And even passing over all these difficulties; as well as how they should come to conceive the feemingly hopeless design, of changing the Noon-day of pure Morality and true Religion, into the dark mid-night of Superftition, and the worst forts of it; how they came actually to fucceed; and to fucceed every where, and even without resistance, as far as we can learn?

A

He says that Natural Religion was in every part perfectly clear and obvious, and that nothing else could be wanting: But that what Priests taught men was mysterious; that is, in his ideas, absolutely unintelligible; and, in the nature of the thing itself, impossible to be believed by any one man, or to have any good influence upon him, if believed. - Will the Author forgive us for asking, how it happened, that creatures so full of good sense and real knowledge, could come to imagine, that they believed so many things which they could not believe; and how they came to receive among them so much senseless Superftition? And fince Sacrifices, for instance, appear to him so strange and unnatural an institution; will he account for any one's proposing such a practice; or for mankind's coming into it, when proposed? These facts are really as hard to be accounted for, upon our Author's representation of things, as the very Interpolation of the New Testament.

But perhaps it will be replied, we have not histories of the earliest times fufficient to acquaint us with the manner in which this was done. Do they then acquaint us, that it was done at all? On the contrary, so far as we can learn, originally the Head of every family was the Priest of his family. And what interest could these Heads of families have in misleading their own children and servants? When many families entered into one Civil Society; which was not early everywhere; most probably the Civil Magiftrate, or acknowledged Chief of the Society, took upon Him so much of the office, as the whole Society was to join in. Particular Orders of men were not set apart for this function till afterwards, at different periods, in different places. And fo far is it from being true, that Priests were the original original introducers of Superftition; that it is felf-evident, from the very nature of the thing, that the previous establishment of Superftition must have been the cause of the first introduction of Priefts. Could a particular Order of men be instituted by the Civil Magistrate, before there was any cause for their institution? Could a number of men be fet apart in any Society to perform the ceremonies of the religious Worship of their Gods; till that Society had adopted some Gods, whom they chose to worship; and were at least determined to have a fixed Ceremonial to observe? Such a supposition would be manifestly abfurd; and not much unlike afferting, that the previous invention of human language, was the original caufe of our defire to communicate our thoughts; instead of fuppofing, that the natural defire of communicating our thoughts, was the real cause of the invention of human language.

Some Deities must have been believed in, and must have had Public, as well as Private Worship offered to them, before any distinct Order of men could have been fet apart purposely for the performance of this service. The very nature of the thing is sufficient to convince us, not only that Gods must have been worshipped, and fome Ceremonial for that worship have been made ufe of; but further, most probably, that That Ceremonial was so far increased, as to require more time for the performance of it, than the Civil Magiftrate could spare from his other avocations; before any diftinct Order of men was set apart to perform it. And accordingly, the concurrent voice of all History affures us, that the original establishment of the Religion of every Pagen Nation was the work, not of Priefts, but of the Civil Magiftrate, before Priests existed among them, Nay hiftory affures us of much more. It affures

affures us, that not only the original establishment of the Pagan Superstitions was the work of the Civil Magistrate, and not of the Priests; but that every subsequent addition to their National Su perftitions; even after an Order of men was set apart to perform the Rites attendant upon them; was always adopted by the Civil Magistracy; though they might often be proposed by the Priests, as well as often by others; and never could be introduced by the Priests, without the concurrence and authority of the Supreme Civil Power.

Such was the case in Egypt, that fruitful Mother of Superftitions; where their ridiculous Hero worship, and their still more contemptible worship of Animals, was all introduced by their Princes, and committed to the care of the Nobles; who were the Priests; but could neither be increased, nor in any particular altered, without the Supreme Civil Authority of the State. Such likewife was the cafe in Greece; whose Superftitions derived their origin from Egypt, through the hands of the Civil Magistrate; were at first established by Him; were always under the Official care and infpection of the principal Officers of the State; and could never be increased or altered by the Priests. And fuch again was the cafe in Rome : there likewise it is notorious, that both their Gods Themselves, and the Worship paid to them, were originally introduced by their Chief Magistrates instead of their Priests; and that neither any New God, norany New Worship of an Old one, could be introduced, but by the legal authority of the principal Civil Magiftrate, instead of the Priests. And from these capital instances, as well as all the lights we have of others, it is beyond question evident, that it is so far from true, that Priests have been the

Original Authors of all the wretched Superftitions,