evident Principles and Duties of Christianity, and even the Refult of Reason, Justice, and Humanity, yet are never mentioned by the Mouth of Orthodoxy, but as Terms of Contempt or Reproach: Infomuch that a pious Indulgence to Men of a different Communion, the most honeft, virtuous, inoffenfive Men; and an Indulgence for the invincible, and perhaps rational Perfuafions of the Mind, is the common Topic of Satire, and either ridiculed or reviled; whilft Men of the fame Side may go what Lengths they will in Violence and Villainy, without Anger or Rebuke: And while one Man fhall have his House burned, his Brains beat out, and his Family ruined, for having a scrupulous Conscience, which is much more offenfive than none at all; another Man fhall break all the Ten Commandments with Reputation.

HATRED, and Bitterness of Spirit, are the firft Leffons which the unhappy People are taught by fuch Men; and the Gospel must be laid afide, and Good-nature be extinguished, before modern Orthodoxy can be fwallowed, or modern Zeal infused. Some of them may probably have learned to repeat the Catechifin by Rote, and even to have practifed profound Refpect and Submiffion to their Spiritual Superiors; but for the great and indifpenfable Du A 6

ties

ties of Religion, how can it be expected, that they fhould mind them, while they daily fee their Teachers exprefs a much more warm Concern for their own Dignities and Revenues, than for the Honour and Intereft of pure unmixed Religion, which was ever highest when Ecclefiaftical Power, and Ecclefiaftical Excife, were lowest ?

WHEN a Congregation fees the Doctor much warmer against Diffenters, than against Sin, and not half fo zealous for the abfolute Neceffity of a virtuous and fober Life, as for the abfolute Neceffity of a rigid Conformity; what can they conclude, but either that he derides them, or that a ftupid Compliance with him, and a raging Refentment against Non-, conformists, are the great Duties of Churchmen? Add to this, that if his Life be vicious, fuch a Conclufion is ftill the more natural to vulgar Understandings. When they see ChurchPower fo violently contented for, and GospelHoliness fo little regarded, or fo easily dispensed with; what can their ftupid Understandings infer, but that a blind Submiffion to the Ecclefiaftics is beyond all evangelical Grace, and every moral Virtue? They find by daily Experience, that they may commit Drunkennefs or Whoredom with Impunity, or at fmall Expence; but if they do not give the Doctor

what

what he calls his Due, even to the last Sheaf of Corn, or the laft Pound of Wool, they are exposed in the Pulpit, harassed in the Bishops-Court, and probably, at laft, furrendered to Satan and Damnation.

BESIDES, they oftener hear Texts quoted, in fome Pulpits, to abuse Separatifts, than to recommend Godliness and Virtue; and fee the Mode of performing a Duty more vehemently urged, than the Duty itself: Thus Kneeling at the Lord's Supper is made by many of equal Importance with the Sacrament itself; and the Cross in Baptifm must no more be parted with, than the Ordinance of Baptism.

IT is therefore no Wonder, that the Affections and Antipathies of the common People have neither proper Causes, nor proper Objects; and that they neither love the Gospel as fuch, nor hate Sin as fuch; but form their Faith and Devotion upon the Word and Behaviour of their Priests, who have the keeping of their Religion, their Zeal, and their Paffions. And what hopeful Use they make of this terrible Dominion, we all know: For indeed the Chriftian Religion is not fo much as known to the High-Church Vulgar, nor fuffer'd to be known; and as little do they feel, or are fuffered to feel, the tender Impulfes of Good-nature and Humanity; but poffefs an Implacableness of Spi

rit,

rit, as oppofite to the Spirit of Chrift, as was the Spirit of Mahomet to that of Moses.

G.

強

NUMBER XXXIV.

Wednesday, September 7. 1720.

Of FASTING. Part 2.

N my 27th Paper, I have made a Differtation upon Fafting: In this I fhall continue it.

MONSIEUR de Fontenelle, in his Hiftory of Oracles, tells us, from Philoftratus, that the Oracle of Amphiaraus in Attica delivered its Answers in Dreams; and that those who confulted it, muft firft faft well in order to dream well: But when Fafting failed to produce a Frenfy of Brain, and by it the Meaning of the God, who had no other way of ascending into the Head, but upon the Fumes arifing from empty Bowels; then the

Priest helped his Mafter to bring forth a Dream, by wrapping up the devout Querift in the Skins of Victims, which being rubbed and impregnated with intoxicating Drugs, disposed him to dream most divinely, and filled his Noddle with very hopeful Prophecy. This fatisfied the believing Querist, saved the Credit of the God, and brought pretty Offerings to his Vicar.

SUCH Ufe did the Pagan Priests make of the Duty of Fasting; and that the Romish Priests have perverted it to as wicked and deceitful Purposes, I have fhewn in another Paper. It is agreeable to their Cunning, and their Avarice, to make the People poor and mad ; and it must be owned a pretty priestly Art, that of driving Men out of their Eftates, and their Understandings, with their own Confent; and leading them into a Belief, that Starving is a Duty, and Lunacy is Grace.

By the Law of Nature, we are not obliged to fast at all, unless in the way of Phyfic, when we are ill, through an Over-fulness of the Veffels, or any other Disorder, which may be removed or leffened by Abftinence. In this Cafe, we ought to faft for our Health-fake; and whatever is neceffary for Self-relief, or Self-preservation, becomes alfo a Duty, and a Piece of Natural Religion, when it does not