felf, as an effential part of his religion, and as a powerful means, among others, when properly ufed, for fanctifying the foul; and, therefore, juftly deferving all the reverence and efteem paid to them.. To prove them guilty of fuperftition from this handle, the plain and obvious method would be to fhow, that these things were not inftituted nor commanded by Jefus Chrift; that they in no respect contribute to fanctify the fouls of those that use them properly; that they are mere human inventions, frivolous and infignificant; the fuggeftions of knavery and folly. Had he done this, he would have done fomething to the purpose, and acted consequentially to his own principles. But he was well aware how difficult a task this would be. He knew his adverfaries were too well armed for the combat, and, therefore, he wifely chofe to decline the fight, and feek for that victory in fleight and deception; which he could never have expected in the open field. For this end, he begins by giving a just description of the true nature of fuperftition, adding fuch circumstances as naturally would excite in the mind an abhorrence and detestation of it; then he cunningly makes a tranfition from its true nature, to what, with a little gilding of rhetorick, is made to bear a refemblance to the monfter; and, by this means, the name being still retained, though the thing be changed, the unattentive reader, ere he is aware, is brought in to give verdict against the Jews as guilty of all the horrors of fuperftition for their diligence in performing the exterior of their religion, though commanded by God himself; this being once gained, the parallel is very eafy, to bring in the Christian world as guilty of the fame

from a fimilar reason. This parallel, however, he does not draw immediately after his condemnation of the Jews; but having prepared his reader for it, he adds, "We fhall afterwards have occa"fion to obferve, that many, who have been

more highly favoured than even Ifrael was, " and more fully enlightened by the celestial "beams of Divine truth, have not escaped incur"ring the fame imputation." In this manner he lays the foundation of his impious doctrine, of which it was neceffary to detect the malice and weakness, that the fuperftructure which he builds upon it may be more folidly overturned; which I shall now endeavour to do, and first, by examining what he fays of felf-denials and mortification.

From what the author acknowledges, p. 53. that it is a duty of religion to fubdue fenfual defires; to bring the body into fubjection to the law of the mind; that it is even neceffary not to be votaries of pleasure, if we would be agreeable to God; and that we must avoid covetousness, and restrain all anxiety about worldly things; from thofe conceffions, I fay, it evidently follows, that fome degree of voluntary mortification is abfolutely neceffary; fince, without that, it is impoffible to comply with these duties; nay, fince it is plain, that thefe duties effentially conffift in fome degree of fuch mortification. If we confider attentively what was advanced above by the Roman Catholick from the fcripture, in vindication of what his church teaches concerning the practice of felf-denial, we will be forced to acknowledge, that the plain obvious fenfe of the fcripture greatly authorizes fuch voluntary acts of mortification. To what is there faid, I must add a little more here of the fcripture-doctrine, concerning volun

tary poverty and celibacy; which feem to be the two points of self-abnegation, at which our author has a particular averfion. With regard to the former, St Paul writing to Timothy upon this head, fays, They that will be rich fall into temptations, and a fnare, and into many foolish and hurtful lufts, which drown men in deftruction and perdition; for the love of money is the root of all evil, 1 Tim. vi. 9. I do not know if a stronger expreffion could be used to convince men of the danger of loving money, and of the defire of acquiring riches, than what the apostle here ufes; and the natural confequence of this text is, that, to lay afide all defire of becoming rich, to be perfectly content with the abfolutely neceffaries of life, is not only a moft efficacious means of avoiding that deftruction and perdition which Almighty God affures us is the confequence of the defire of riches, but also of advancing the foul in virtue and perfection, by freeing us from all thofe temp tations and fnares, and rooting out those foolish and hurtful lufts which spring from the fame corrupted fource. The apoftle, therefore, conformable to this doctrine, advifes us in the preceding verfe, that having food and raiment, therewith we fhould be content. Now, confidering the propen fity of our nature to the love and defire of riches, the attaining this very difpofition of indifference towards them, which the fcripture here lays down as fo neceflary, is a very high degree of mortification, and, doubtlefs, will require many fevere ftruggles with felf-love, many fevere voluntary felf-denials, before one can perfectly acquire it. Our bleffed Saviour, however, in the gospel, goes a ftep further upon this head, and not only reCommends poverty of Spirit, or the want of affec

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tion or defire for riches, by pronouncing a blef fing upon it, and affuring us that the kingdom of heaven will be its happy reward, Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, Matth v. 3. But, he exprefsly recommends and exhorts us to the voluntary practice of actual pos verty, as the ultimate fteps to lead us to Christianperfection, and promises eternal happiness as the reward of thofe who practise it. Let us only confider the account given us by the two Evangelifts, St Matthew and St Mark, of what paffed upon this fubject; And there came one running, and kneeled to him and afked him, Good Mafter, what fhall I do that I may inherit eternal life? Mark x. 17. And he faid unto him, If thou will enter into life keep the commandments, Matth. xix. 17. The young man faid unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: What lack I yet? (ibid.) And Jefus beholding him loved him, and faid unto him, One thing thou lackest, Mark x. If thou wilt be perfect go and fell what thou haft and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; Matth. xix. and come take up the cross and follow me, Mark x, This beautiful paffage needs no comment, it fpeaks for its own meaning in the most intelligible terms: A perfon puts the very question to the Son of God; what he had to do in order to be faved? He is immediately answered, That, to enter into life, the first step is, to keep the commandments. Supported by the testimony of a good confcience, he replies, That this he had conftantly done from his youth upwards, and demanded what more was ftill wanting? Chrift upon this beholding him, loved him; a fure fign, that what he had faid was true: and thereupon, defirous of carrying him to the fummit of perfection, he

told him, that one thing was yet wanting for that purpose, and that was, The giving all he had to the poor, and the following Jefus Christ in actual poverty, and in carrying the cross; now I demand, could our bleffed Redeemer have declared in stronger terms how excellent a means voluntary actual poverty is for leading our fouls to perfection? This young man had lived an innocent and holy life in continual obedience to the commands of God, so as even to be beloved by Jefus Chrift on that account; yet this was not enough, one thing was still wanting, and that, by the express declaration of Chrift, was the practice of voluntary poverty, in order to complete the work of his perfection; and that this, in the very literal fenfe, was our Saviour's meaning, is plain from what follows: The apostles had actually left all they had in this world to follow Chrift in poverty, and in the crofs; and St Peter, on this occafion, puts his Master in mind they had done fo, Lo! (fays he), we have left all and followed thee, Mark. x. 28. And Jefus immediately encouraged them, and all who fhould afterwards follow their example in that refpect, by the glorious promise he made, That whofoever should leave any thing in this life for his fake, fhould receive the hundred fold here, viz. in that interiour peace and content which fhould be their portion in this life, &c. and, in the world to come, life everlasting. I fhall not from thefe texts draw fuch confequences in favour of the monaftical or eremitical state of life as a Roman Catholick would probably do; every intelligent reader will easily fee what advantage he may make of the above testimonies in favour of his tenets; all that I shall contend for as the plain and obvious truth contained in the above paffages of holy scriptures, is,