Another circumftance enflames religious hatred; which is, that neighbours are either intimate friends or bitter enemies. This holds with a flight variation in fects of the fame religion: however minute their differences be, they cannot be intimate friends, and therefore are bitter enemies: the nearer they approach to unifon, if not entirely concordant, the greater in proportion is their mutual hatred. Such hatred fubduing the meek fpirit of Chriftianity, is an additional caufe for perfecution. Blind zeal for what is believed to be the only true religion, never difcovers error nor innocence in those who differ, but perverfenefs and criminal obftinacy. Two religions totally different, like two countries in oppofite parts of the globe, produce no mutual enmity. At the fiege of Conftantinople by the Turks, ann. 1453, the Emperor, in order to procure affistance from the Princes of the Latin church, ordered mafs to be celebrated in one of his churches ac-. cording to the form used in Rome. The people with great indignation protested, that they would rather fee the Turks in their churches, than the hat of a cardinal. The history of the Waldenfes, though well known, cannot be too often repeated. In the twelfth century, a merchant of Lyons, named Peter Valdo, diffatisfied with the pomp and ceremonies of the Romish church, ill fuited, in his opinion, to the humility of a Chriftian, retired to a defert in the high country of Provence, with feveral poor people his difciples. There he became their fpiritual guide, inftructing them in certain doctrines, the fame that were afterward adopted by the Proteftants. Their inceffant labour fubdued the barren foil, and prepared it for grain as well as for pafture. The rent which in time they were enabled to pay for land, that afforded none origi nally, endeared them to their landlords. In 250 years, they multiplied to the number of 18,000, occupying thirty villages, befide hamlets, the work of their own hands, Priests they had none, nor any disputes about religion neither had they occafion for a court of justice, as brotherly love did not fuffer them to go to law: they worshipped God in their own plain way, and their inno cence was fecured by inceffant labour. They had long : enjoyed the fweets of peace and mutual affection, when the reformers of Germany and Geneva fent ministers among them, which unhappily laid them open to religious hatred, the most unrelenting of all furies. In the year 1540, the parliament of Provence condemned nineteen of them to be burnt for herefy, their trees to be rooted up, and their houfes to be razed to the ground. The Waldenies, terrified at this fentence, applied in a body to Cardinal Sadolet, bifhop of Carpentras; who received them kindly, and obtained from Francis I. of France, a pardon for the perfons under fentence of death, on condition of abjuring herefy. The matter lay over five years, when the parliament, irritated at them for perfevering in their tenets, prevailed on the King to withdraw his pardon. The fentence was executed with great rigour; and the parliament, laying hold of that opportunity, broke through every reftraint of law, and commenced a violent perfecution against the whole nation. The foldiers began with mailacring old men, women, and children, all having fled who were able to fly; and proceeded to burn their houses, barns, and corn. There remained in the town of Cabriere fixty men and thirty women, who having furrendered upon promise of life, were butchered each of them without mercy. Some women who had taken refuge in a church, were dragged out, and burnt alive. Twenty-two villages were reduced to afhes; and that populous and flourishing diftrict, became once more a defert. To conceive this horrid fcene in all its deformity, the people perfecuted ought to be compared with the clergy their perfecutors; for the civil magiftrate was the hand only that executed their vengeance on the one fide, an induftrious people, pure in their morais, and no efs pure in their religion: on the other, proud pampered priests, a bandoned without fhame to every wickednels, impure in their morals, and ftill more impure in their religion-the world never furnished fuch another contraft. Had the fcene been reverfed, to make these wretches fuffer perfecu tion from the Waldenfes but that people were too up". right and too religious for being perfecutors. The man ners of the Chriftian clergy in general, before the Refor mation, enlivens the contraft. The doctrine promulgated during the dark times of Chriftianity, That God is a mercenary being; and that every perfon, however wicked, may obtain pardon of his fins by money, made riches flow into the hands of ecclefiaftics in a plentiful stream. And riches had the fame effect upon the Chriftian clergy that they have upon all men, which is, to produce pride, fenfuality, and profligacy: thefe again produced diffipation of money, which prompted avarice, and every invention for recruiting exhaufted treafures *. Even as early as the eighth century, the Chriftian clergy, tempted by opulence, abandoned themselves to pleasure, without moderation; and far exceeded the laity in luxury, gluttony, and luft. When fuch were the paitors, what must have been the flock! Rejoice, O Scotland, over the poverty and tem→ perance of thy paftors. During that period, the clergy/ could read, and, like parrots, they could mumble prayers in Latin in every other respect, they rivalled the laity in ignorance. They were indeed more cunning than the laity; and understood their interest better, if to covet riches at the expence of probity, deferve that name. Three ar ticles were established that made religion an easy fervice. First, That faith is the effence of religion, without regard to good works; and hence the neceffity of being trictly orthodox, which the church only could determine. Second, Religious worship was reduced to a number of external ceremonies and forms, which, being declared fufficient for falvation, abfolved Chriftians from every moral duty. Remark, that a prieft is always the chief person in ceremonial worship. The third article, That God is a mercenary being, is mentioned above, with its neceffary confequences. Thefe articles brought about a total neglect, both in clergy and laity, not only of morality, but of every effential religious duty. In fine, there never was a reli * In the eleventh and twelfth centuries, many of the clergy dealt in merchandife; and, being free of taxes, engroffed all. In the Netherlands particularly, there was a great cry, that monafteries were converted into shops and ware-houses, and the manfions of fecular priests into tap-houfes and inns gion that deviated more from juft principles, than that profeffed by Chriftians during the dark ages. Perfecution reached none but the fincerely pious and virtuous. What a glorious tolerating fentiment doth Arnobious (a) throw out, and what profufion of blood would have been prevented had it been adopted by all chriftians! "Da veniam, 4 Rex fumme, tuos perfequentibus famulos: et quod tuæ "benignitatis eft proprium, fugientibus ignofce tui no"minis et religionis cultum. Non eft mirum, fi ignoraris: "majoris eft admirationis, fi fciarist." The following parable against perfecation was communicated to me by Dr Franklin of Philadelphia, a man who makes a great figure in the learned world: and who would make a still greater figure for benevolence and candour, were virtue in this declining age as much regarded as knowledge. "And "it came to pafs after these things, that Abraham fat in "the door of his tent, about the going down of the fun. "And behold a man bent with age, coming from the way of the wilderness leaning on a staff. And Abra"ham arofe, and met him, and faid unto him, Turn *in, I pray thee, and wash thy feet, and tarry all night; and thou shalt arise early in the morning and go on thy way. And the man faid, Nay; for I will abide under this tree. But Abraham preffed him greatly fo he "turned, and they went into the tent and Abraham "baked unleavened bread, and they did eat. And when "Abraham faw that the man bleffed not God, he faid "unto him, Wherefore doft thou not worship the most "high God, creator of heaven and earth? And the 46 man anfwered and faid, I do not worship thy God, "neither do I call upon his name; for I have made to my. "felf a God, which abideth always in mine houfe, and " provideth me with all things. And Abraham's zeał (a) Lib. 1. Adverfus Gentes,.. "Forgive, Almighty Power, the perfecutors of thy fervants and, in the peculiar benevolence of thy nature, pardon hofe men whofe unhappiness it is to be ftrangers to thy name and worship. Ignorant as they are of thee, we cannot wonder at the impiety of their actions." 66 66 "was kindled against the man, and he arofe, and fell up " on him, and drove him forth with blows into the wil "derness. And God called unto Abraham, faying, A "braham, where is the ftranger? And Abraham anfwer"ed and faid, Lord, he would not worship thee, neither "would he call upon thy name; therefore have I driven "him out from before my face into the wilderness. And "God faid, Have I borne with him these hundred ninety "and eight years, and nourished him, and cloathed him, "notwithstanding his rebellion against me; and couldeft not thou, who art thyself a finner, bear with him one night?" The historical style of the Old Teftament is here finely imitated; and the moral muft ftrike every one who is not funk in ftupidity and fuperftition. Were it really a chapter of Genefis, one is apt to think, that perfecution could never have shown a bare face among Jews or Chriftians. But alas! that is a vain thought. Such a paffage in the Old Teftament, would avail as little against the rancorous paffions of men, as the following paffages in the New Teftament, tho' perfecution cannot be condemned in terms more explicit. "Him that is weak in the "faith, receive you, but not to doubtful difputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth, def"pife him that eateth not; and let not him that eateth not, judge him that eateth. Who art thou that judg"eft another man's fervant? to his own mafter he ftand"eth or falleth. One man efteemeth one day above ano"ther: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every 66 66 man be fully perfuaded in his own mind. But why doft "thou judge thy brother? or why doft thou fet at nought thy brother? for we fhall all ftand before the judg "ment-feat of Chrift, every one to give an account of himfelf to God. I know, that there is nothing un"clean of itself: but to him that efteemeth any thing "unclean, to him it is unclean. The kingdom of God ❝is not meat and drink, but righteoufnefs, and peace, "and joy in the Holy Ghoft. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things where |