on us, but in order to direct our judgement? At the fame time, we may depend on it as an intuitive truth, that God will never impose any belief on us, contradictory, not only to our reason, but to our fenfes.

The following objection however will perhaps relish more with people of plain understanding. Tranfubftantiation is a very extraordinary miracle, reiterated every day and in every corner of the earth, by priests not always remarkable either for piety or for morality. Now I demand an anfwer to the following plain question: To what good end or purpose is such a profufion of miracles fubfervient? I fee none. But I discover a very bad one, if they have any influence; which is, that they accuftom the Roman Catholics to more cruelty and barbarity, than even the groffeft favages are ever guilty of: fome of these indeed devour the flesh of their enemies; but none of them the fleth of their friends, efpecially of their greatest friend. But to do justice to people of that religion, I am confident, that this fuppofed miracle has no influence whatever upon their manners: to me it

appears impoffible for any man seriously to believe, that the bread and wine used at the Lord's fupper, is actually converted into the body and blood of our Saviour. The Romish church requires the belief of transubstantiation; and a zealous Catholic, out of pure obedience, thinks he believes it. Convince once a man that falvation depends on belief, and he will believe any thing; that is, he will imagine that he believes: Credo quia impoffibile eft That

* A traveller describing the Virgin Mary's house at Loretto, has the following reflection. "When "there are so many faints endued with fuch mira"culous powers, fo many relics, and fo many im"pregnated wells, each of them able to cure the "moft dangerous diseases; one would wonder, "that phyficians could live there, or others die. "But people die here as elsewhere; and even "churchmen, who preach upon the miracles "wrought by relics, grow fick and die like other "men." It is one thing to believe: it is another thing to fancy that we believe. In the year 1666 a Jew named Sabatai Levi appeared at Smyrna, pretending to be the true Meffiah, and was acknowledged to be fo by many. The Grand Signior, for proof of his miffion, insisted for a miracle; propofing that he fhould prefent himself as a mark to be fhot at, and promifing to believe that he was the MefVOL. IV. M m fiab

.

That our first reformers, who were prone to differ from the Romish faith, fhould adopt this doctrine, fhows the fupreme influence of fuperftition. The Lutherans had not even the excufe of inattention: after ferious examination, they added one abfurdity more; teaching, that the bread and wine are converted into the body and blood of our Saviour, and yet remain bread and wine as at first; which is termed by them confubftantiation. I am persuaded, that at this time not a fingle man of them harbours fuch a thought.

Many perfons, impenetrable by a ferious argument, can difcover falfehood when put in a ridiculous light. It requires, I am fenfible, a very delicate hand to attack a grave fubject with ridicule as a teft of truth; and for that reafon, I forbear to offer any thing of my own. But I will

fiah, if he remained unwounded. Sabatai, decli ning the trial, turned Mahometan to fave his life. But obferve the blindnefs of fuperftition: tho' Sabatai was feen every day walking the ftreets of Conftantinople in the Turkish habit, many Jews infifted that the true Sabatai was taken up into heaven, léaving only behind him his fhadow; and probably they most piously fancied that they believed fo.

fet

fet before my readers fome excerpts from a book of abfolute authority with Roman Catholics. Tho' tranfubftantiation be there handled in the moft ferious manner, with all the ceremonies and punctilios that naturally flow from it, yet in my judgement it is happily contrived to give it a most ridiculous appearance. The book is the Roman Miffal, from which the following is a literal tranflation.

may

Mafs be deficient in the matter, έσ in the form, in the minifter, or in the "action. Firft, in the matter. If the "bread be not of wheat, or if there be "fo great a mixture of other grain that "it cannot be called wheat-bread, or if હૈદ any way corrupted, it does not make a "facrament. If it be made with rofewater, or any other diftilled water, it is εσ doubful whether it make a facrament or not. Tho' corruption have begun, or tho' it be leavened, it makes a facrament, but the celebrator fins grievouf

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"If the celebrator, before confecration, "obferve that the hoft is corrupted, or "is not of wheat, he inuft take another "hoft: if after confecration, he must ftill 66 take

M m 2

"take another and swallow it, after which he must also swallow the firft, or give "it to another, or preferve it in fome place with reverence. But if he have "fwallowed the first before observing its "defects, he must nevertheless swallow "alfo the perfect hoft; because the precept about the perfection of the facrament, is of greater weight than that of taking it fafting. If the confecrated “host disappear by an accident, as by wind, by a miracle, or by fome animal, another must be confecrated.

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"If the wine be quite four or putrid,

or made of unripe grapes, or be mixed "with fo much water as to spoil the wine, "it is no facrament. If the wine have

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begun to four or to be corrupted, or be

quite new, or not mixed with water, or mixed with rofe-water or other di"ftilled water, it makes a facrament, but "the celebrator fins grievously.

"If the priest, before confecration, "obferve that the materials are not proper, he must ftop, if proper materials cannot be got; but after confecration, " he must proceed, to avoid giving scan"dal. If proper materials can be pro66 cured