NUMBER LII.

Wednesday, January 4. 1721.

An Analogy between ancient Heathenifi and modern Priestcraft.

S Extremes meet in a Point, and Corruption in Terreftrial Bodies is the next State from Perfection; fo all the Commands and Denunciations of Heaven have not been able to keep the Chriftian Priesthood, in moft Countries, from running headlong into the Superftitions and Follies of the Gentile Idolaters. By a ftrange fort of Fatality, they have jumped in the fame Thoughts, and played over and over again, the fame Tricks; infomuch, that if we but make small Allowances for the conftant Alterations of Time, and fuch as muft neceffarily refult from different Languages and Fashions, the present Romish Churches

might be easily mistaken for Heathen Temples, and the Services performed in them for Pagan Worship.

THE Devil, as fubtle and cunning as he is reprefented to be, with all the Affiftance of corrupt Priests, has not been able to find out a new Device, but has ever danced the Hay, and made his Rounds within the fame Circle. The fame Arts and Stratagems have been always made use of to feduce and delude Mankind; the fame Advantages taken of their Weakneffes and Paffions, and in all Times equally applied to deftroy true Religion, advance the Priesthood, and make the honest and induftrious, but unthinking, Part of the World, the Prey and Property of Hypocrites and Impoftors.

THE All-powerful, All-wife, and All-merciful God himself, is too often reprefented like the Heathen Deities, to be revengeful, cruel, capricious, impotent, vain, fond of Commendation, and Flattery; and, in effect, fubject to all the other Paffions and Imperfections of the weakest Men: His Being, which is boundless as Extension, and which the whole World cannot contain, is pretended to be confined to fingle Structures, and narrow Edifices built with Hands; nay, to Parts of thofe Edifices; where he is fuppofed to be pleafed and gratified, like frail Mortals, with coftly Furniture, gilded Roofs, engraven and polished Marble, fine Carving,

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and

and other curious, though baubling Workmanfhip of Mechanicks and Artificers.

I confess I am not wife enough to find out any effential Difference between the present and the old Roman Worship: They both dedicate their Temples to dead Men and Women, whom the Papifts call Saints, and the Pagans called DemiGods and Goddeffes: The Pagan Forms of Hocus Pocus, which they called Confecrations, were intended to conjure and call down their Deities to inhabit perfonally their Temples, their Images and Idols: The Popish Priests confecrate their Churches for the fame Purpose, namely, to obtain the more immediate Prefence of the Deity: Like the old Romans too, they erect Altars in their Temples, where they worfhip Saints with Supplications, Tears, Grimaces, antick and diftorted Faces and Geftures, Mufick, and Ceremonies, and tender Offerings and Oblations to them; and, like the others, often make Proceffions, Cavalcades, and Shews in their Honour; and fometimes go in Pilgrimages to them, to obtain their Favour.

THE Popish Priests have prophaned the plain and fimple Direction of our Saviour to his Difciples, for commemorating the Benefits which we have received by his Death, by turning it into an old Roman Sacrifice: Amongst them, the Pipers and Harpers were the Fore-Runners of the Shew; and before the modern Sacrifice, the Organs strike up a Tune: There the Priests went up to the Altar in a white Garment

free

free from Spots, (being an Emblem of Innocence;) in new Rome, the Priest wears a white Surplice: The Heathen Prieft turned about to the Eaft, being the Region of the Rifing Sun, and bowed; the Popish Prieft does the fame: The Horns of the Beaft facrificed were marked with Gold, and his Blood received in Golden and Silver Veffels; here the pretended Christian Sacrifice of the real Body and Blood of Chrift, is poured into the fame coftly Cups, or laid upon as rich Plates and Dishes: The old Roman Altar was raised, by feveral Steps, above the Floor of their Temples; fo is the prefent. The Prieft, amongst them, made a crooked Line with his Knife from the Head to the Tail of the Victim; the Popish Priest plays Tricks of Legerdemain with his Fingers over the Elements: Laftly, When the Beaft was confecrated and killed, the Heathen Priests regaled themselves upon what was left, after their Gods were ferved; the Romish Priests make it prophane for any Layman to drink of the confecrated Wine, or for any one even to eat the Bread but the Communicants.

THE old Romans had different Orders of Priefts, with different and diftinct Offices and Revenues; the High-Prieft, the Luperci, the Augurs, the Harufpices, the Pontifices, the Flamines, Salii, Feciales, the Duumviri, Decemviri, Quindecimviri, the Keepers of the Sybilline Books, the Corybantes, &c. The present Romans (befides the feveral forts which are in Use and Fashion amongst us) have a Pope, Cardinals,

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dinals, Dominicans, Francifcans, Jefuits, Carmelites, Benedictines, Carthufians, Capuchins, Ciftercians, Obfervantines, Auguftines, Servites, &c. In imitation also of the Vestal Virgins, in old Rome, they have founded several Orders of Nuns, who take a Vow of Chastity, for the Breach of which they are immured, as the others were buried alive: And as they had a Right to deliver from the hands of Justice, any Malefactors whom they cafually met in their Walks; fo the prefent Romish Priests claim and exercise an equal Right to protect all Criminals who can fly to them for Protection, which is borrowed from that of the old Roman Afylums.

THE old Romans had their Dies faftos & nefaftos, their Fafts and Feasts, their Sacrificia, their Epula's, their Feria's, in Honour of their Gods and Demi-Gods; the present Romans also make distinctions of Days a great part of their Religion; they too have their Dies faftos & nefaftos, their ftated Fasts and Feafts in Honour of their Saints, or to commemorate and condole paft Misfortunes, or rejoice over fignal Succeffes; and fome of their Feafts, and particularly their Carnivals, exceed in Lewdnefs and Prodigality the Bacchanalia of the Antients.

THE Heathens had their Deos Tutelares, to whom the Defence of certain Countries were committed; and their Deos Præfides, who had the Safe-guard of particular Cities: the Papifts