" and because thro' Sloth and blind Obedience Men exa"min'd not the Things they were taught; but like Beasts "of Burden patiently couch'd down, and indifferently un"derwent whatever their Superior, laid upon them.

"And can we, fays Dr. Burnet, think without Aftonish- Burnet's Ser m

ment, that fuch Matters, as giving the Sacrament in lea"vened or unleavened Bread; or an Explication of the Pro"ceffion of the Holy Ghoft, whether it was from the Fa"ther and the Son, or from the Father by the Son; cou'd "have rent the Greek and Latin Churches fo violently one " from another, that the Latines, rather than affift the "other, look'd on till they were destroy'd by the Ottoman "Family?"

AND other Inftances he gives of fatal Disturbances from Disputes about Trifles; as the removing the Pictures of certain Bishops out of a Church occafion'd Image-Worfhip; for those who oppos'd their Removal, went so far as to maintain, that Pictures ought not only to be fet up, but worshipp'd; which caus'd not only great Disorders in the Eaft, but made Italy to revolt at the Pope's Inftigation: This Contest too begat another, Whether the Sacrament was only the Image, or the very Subftance of Chrift?

I might add, that the Difpute between the Lutherans and ·Calvinists about the Sacrament, tho' it has created fuch fierce Animofities, is meerly verbal; fince both Sides are against any Change in the Elements, and both Sides maintain a real Presence of the Body of Christ.

I need not have gone to diftant Times and Places for Inftances, our own late Divifious and Perfecutions about fuch trifling Things, as Rites and Ceremonies, nay, Habits and Postures, wou'd in all likelyhood have ended in the utter Ruin both of Church and State, had not the blessed Revolution interpos'd. T 2

Ann. 1681.

B. I

B. I wou'd not have you treat what you call Poftures fo reverently; ought not People to kneel at their Devotions? A. THE whole Chriftian World for many Ages thought Daillee of the not; and the Anti-Nicene: Fathers, as well as the Council Fathers, 1. 2 of Nice, forbad Kneeling on all Sundays, and all other Days between Eafter and Whit-funday.

337.

IN a Word, if thofe Sentiments must be true, which tend moft to make Men love and honour God, by giving the brightest and nobleft. Ideas of his Wifdom and Goodness TP and which free him from the Imputation of Change and Inconftancy, and from impofing from Time to Time arbitrary Commands; and from Partiality and Refpect of Perfons; what I have laid down must be true; and the contrary, not only falfe, but impious: But however, fince this is a Point of the utmost Confequence, I fhall proceed to other Arguments, and fhew how inconfiftent it is with the Good of Mankind, to fuppofe any merely pofitive Things to be Part of the Ingredients which conftitute True Religion.

С НА Р.

CHA P. XI.

The fuppofing Things meerly pofitive to be made the Ingredients of Religion, is inconfiftent with the Good of Mankind as well as the Honour of God..

T

HE Happiness of human Society, and of every particular Member confifting in the due Obfervation and Practice of Morality; whatever diverts, or difcourages That, must be highly injurious: Now 'tis certain, that the Mind may be over-loaded as well as the Body; and the more it is taken up with the Obfervation of Things, which are not of a moral Nature, the lefs it will be able to attend to thofe that are; which requiring the Application of the whole Man, can never be rightly perform'd, while the Mind, by laying Strefs on other Things, is diverted from attending on them; especially, if it be confider'd, that Superftition, if once fuffer'd to mix with Religion, will always be gaining Ground: If Reafon is to be heard, no unneceffary Things will be admitted; but if it be not, where shall we stop? If People are once brought to believe fuch Things are good for any Thing, they will be apt to believe they are good for all Things; at leaft, Pretences will never be wanting for a thoufand Things of this

Nature;

Nature; and there's nothing of this Kind that Men will not come into, if they are made to believe they carry any Merit with them: These they will be punctual in obferving, in Hopes to atone for indulging themselves in their darling Vices; which they, not knowing how to leave, and yet willing to fecure their future Happiness, hope by the Help of fuch Expedients, to compound with Heaven; and then vainly imagine, they cannot have too many Things of this Nature; or fhew too great a Zeal for the Practice of them, when affur'd by their Priefts (who, as they fondly imagine, know the whole Counfel of God) that they are acceptable to the Deity; and tend to make him propitious to the religious Obfervers of them.

THE Banditti, and Bravoes moft religiously obferve the Orders of their Church, about not eating Flesh, &c. and Instances of this Nature might be produc'd from the most immoral in all Churches; who, not fatisfy'd with practifing fuch Things themfelves, think it highly meritorious to compel others to do the fame. And, indeed, the Subftance of Religion has been destroy'd in most Places to make Room for Superftition, Immorality, and Perfecution; which laft, when Men want Reason to fupport their Opinions, always fupplies its Place. And are there not even now, Numbers in the best reform'd Churches, of the fame Chrift. Life Sentiments with thofe Dr. Scot complains of? "Who, he says, c. 6. p. 376." perfuade themselves, that God is wonderfully concern'd "about small Things, about trifling Opinions and indiffe

Vol. 1. P. 2

rent Actions, and the Rites and Modes, and Appendages "of Religion; and under this Perfuafion they hope to atone "for all the Immoralities of their Lives, by the Forms and "Outsides of Religion; by uncommanded Severities, and "affected Singularities; by contending for Opinions, and

ftick

ftickling for Parties; and being pragmatically zealous a"bout the Borders and Fringes of Religion. And,

P. 108.

I'm afraid 'tis but too true, as is obferv'd in the Letters concerning Inspiration; that "Men have thought it an Ho-Eng Tranfl. "nour to be stil'd that which they call zealous Orthodox, "to be firmly link'd to a certain Party, to load Others with "Calumnies, and to damn by an abfolute Authority the "reft of Mankind; but have taken no Care to demon"strate the Sincerity and Fervour of their Piety, by an ex"act Observation of the Gospel Morals; which has come "to pass by Reason that Orthodoxy agrees very well with our Paffions; whereas the fevere Morals of the Gospel are incompatible with our Way of Living. And One wou'd be apt to think, that Zeal for fpeculative Opinions, and Zeal for Morality were scarce confiftent, fhou'd he form his Judgment from what he fees most practis'd. Moral Chrift. Life "Goodness, fays Dr. Scot, is the great Stamp and Imprefs "that renders Men current in the Efteem of God; where"as on the contrary, the common Brand by which Hypo"crites and falfe Pretenders to Religion are ftigmatiz'd, is " their being zealous for the Pofitives, and cold and indif"ferent as to the Morals of Religion.

P. 2 Vol. 1.

C. 1. p. 53.

Virtue & Me

AND, in general, we find mere moral Principles of fuching, concern. "Weight, that in our Dealings with Men, we are seldom rit. Treat. 4. fatisfy'd by the fulleft Affurance giv'n us of their Zeal in "Religion, till we hear fomething further of their Charac

"

ter. If we are told a Man is religious, we ftill ask What "are his Morals? But if we hear at firft that he has ho"neft moral Principles, and is a Man of natural Justice, "and good Temper, we feldom think of the other Quef tion,,Whether he be religious and devout?

1. p. 6.

Ir