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who thought themfelves well paid to look on and fee them feed. But in the mean Time the poor Folk were miferably befool'd, when they were made to believe, that they rendred the Deity more their Friend, or themselves the better Men by ftuffing the Prieft's Guts. For what fig nifies a fat Bullock to God Almighty? But the roguifh Priefts knew well enough what Ufe to make of it, when it ferved them thus to gormandife upon. And truly their Brethren of the holy Tribe have kept up the fame Craft and Legerdemain ever fince. It is but the fame Juggle of the defigning Priesthood that upholds all the Superftitions in the World; that maintains both the Pagods of India, the Mofques of Turky, and provides fo comfortable a Maintenance for all the fanctified Gentlemen here in Exrope. The plain Dictates of Nature are a thousand Times a better Rule of Life than the foolish Rites prefcribed by these fuperftitious Coxcombs; that rook the People of their Money by telling them ftrange Tales, and exhibiting odd Ceremonies for them to gape at. What, can't a Man live and die as becomes a good Man, without Sacrifices and Ave-Maries, and. Sacraments and Abfolutions? Can't I live as Nature directs, without being plagued and tormented by a Parcel of Creed-contriving, Sin-making Hypocrites? For my Part, I grudge thofe Harpies every Morfel of Bread they eat; and think that Cheats and Pick-pockets ought to be maintain'd at the Charge of the Nation as well as they. It vexes me to think, that the Generality of People fhould be fuch Cullies, to part fa eafily with fo confiderable a Part of their Eftates, to pay their Pricfts for Hypocrify and Lyes; and at the fame Time to adore their Holineffes for their Piety and good Service. For my Part, they fhall get as little of my Money as ever they can; and I generally tell them their own whenever I meet them. I know two or three of our Neighbours that tamely deliver up their Nofe to their Prieft's Fingers; and truly you, Credentins, fuffer them to buzze about you like fo many Flies; but you have Senfe enough to discover the Fox's Ears through the Sheep's Livery; it is only your good Nature that hinders you

from

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from doing any Thing unkind to any one; but for my Part, I make the Sparks know their Distance, I give them no Quarter when ever they fall in my Way; and that makes them as much fear'd at my Company, as the com, mon People are at their Tales.

-Cred. I perceive, Philologus, you have a little tranfported The Unrea your felf by your own Talk, and have loft your Argu- fonableness ment to rally upon the Clergy. But I muft needs tellf vilifing the Clergy you, that this Custom you have got of expofing the Profeffion and Perfons of the Clergy is one of the worst Qualities I difcern in Philologus, and is a great Blemish to thofe other Gentleman-like Accomplishments which adorn his Character. I fhall speak to that Simplicity you would have in Religion, by and by; but in the mean Time, I muft beg Leave to fpeak a Word or two upon this irreligious ill-bred Cuftom of abufing Clergymen, which has fo much obtained among the Gentlemen of this Age. Now this Piece of Ill-breeding was not of our own Growth here in England; it was brought, like the rest of our Follies, from France. Our travelling Gentry, who had spent their Time to no Purpose beyond Sea, thought they must bring home fomething remarkable; and it was generally that little Banter and Drollery, with which the French Gentlemen used to make Sport with their ignorant Friars and Curees. All the Improvement it gained in our Nation was more Malice and more Dulness; for we English are generally a grave fober Nation, and nothing looks fo awkward in us, and is fuch a Force upon our Tempers, as Drollery; fo that when once we go to imitate Fools, we generally are fuch. And indeed we have imitated the French in this, but miferably fillily; for I think there is no Comparison of our Clergy, and the Generality of their Friars, who are commonly very ignorant and filly, and often-times not only lewd themselves, but Panders to other Men's Debauchery. But generally our Clergy live Lives of Virtue and ftrict Piety, at least few of them are notoriously vitious; their Education is commonly fuch as gives them Learning, equal at least to the neghbouring Gentlemen; and confidering the remifs Education of the

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Gentry under the late Reigns, for the moft Part fuperior. There is nothing vile and contemptible in their Profeffion, as there is in fome which tend to Vanity or Debauchery, or which do denote fome vile Servitude and Drudgery; but their Calling is high and noble, the Subject of it God, and the moft fublime and divine Truths; and the End which they drive at, is to make Men good and peaceable. Now there is nothing in all this that fhould render this Order of Men the Subject of Contempt and Drollery; and Men might, if they pleafe, with as much Advantage, make Sport with Phyficians and Lawyers, as they do with Divines. Give me Leave to fay, it is an unmerciful Piece of Barbarity to fall foul upon innocent Men, to abuse their Perfons and Profeffion, when there is no Manner of Provocation given them for it; nay, it is most pitiful Cowardice to give fuch Ufage only to thofe, who, they know, by the Character of their Profeffion, muft not revenge it, which they dare not offer to those whom they fufpect may. If fuch a Man believes the Gospel, he of fers one of the greatest Injuries to Religion, by expofing the Ministers of it, and leffening their Credit, whereby they are lefs able to reform the Lives of wicked Men; and doth withal foolishly give the Lye to his Faith, by ridiculing and affronting the Officers of that holy Inftitution, which by his Baptifm and Communion he has declared the greatest Veneration for. And truly a Man may as well pretend to bear a great Respect to the Government, when he is always expofing and traducing the King and his fubordinate Magiftrates, as to pretend an Efteem to Christianity, and to be always railing at its Ministers. This is a Practice fo fhameful among Chriftians, that would render them an Opprobry to Infidels, in feeing them fo difgracing the Difpenfers of thofe Doctrines and Myfteries they hope to be faved by. Nay, to speak more particularly, neither will the known Faults of fome, or many Clergy-men, excufe this Cuftom; because, tho fome are faulty, there are others who confcientiously perform their Duty in all Refpects; and therefore to involve all under the fame Imputation is flameful Injuftice. But

befides,

befides, the Faults of a Clergy-man are of so tender a Nature, and are of fo nigh a Concern to Chriftianity, that for the Credit of Religion all good Men will be very cautious of divulging them; and therefore where-ever we find Men forward to pick up and relate Stories of this Nature, 'tis a certain Sign they are no Friends to the eftablifhed Religion, and is ufually a Sign that they are no good Likers of the common Chriftianity. And truly, Philologus, I muft own that the Gentlemen of your Sentiments have taken very proper Methods by vilifying the Clergy to propagate your Opinions, for this one Reafon; because it may eafily be obferved, that the greatest Number of Atheists and Deifts, in this Nation, is made up of fuch, as have formerly, before they declared for Infidelity, been the greatest Railers against their Parfons. I will not determine whether this comes to pafs by the Judgment of God, or the natural Tendency of the Thing; but this is certain, as far as my Obfervation can reach, that the chiefeft of the Body of thefe Infidels is made out of the Antimonarchical and Rebellious Party of the late Reigns, and the Republicans in this; Men that are grown fowrand peevish at the Miscarriage of their Designs, and exafperated against the Clergy for their Oppofition to their Practices; and fo have refolved at laft to be revenged upon Religion in Spight to its Minifters. But I'll warrant you by that Smile, Philologus, you imagine that the Compli ance of the Clergy with the laft Reigns, and at laft with the prefent Government, is the true Reafon of the Growth of Infidelity now. I fhall leave the Gentlemen of that Order to justify their own Actions, who know their own Confcience beft. But thus much I will fay, that if the Clergy of the Church of England had not complied with the Government, we had had, by this Time, fuch a Medly and Confufion in Religion, as would have made a great many Men have naufeated all. For nothing can be fo great a Caufe of Infidelity as the unlimited Licenfe of fanatical Zeal and Enthufiafm; and for one Atheist or Deist we have now, we should have had twenty then. And it may be we had been in as bad a Condition, if the Clergy L 4 had

had not vigorously oppofed the rebellious Principles and Practices of those dangerous Phanaticks, and their Abettors, who were going to overthrow a lawful Government, and an orthodox Church. So that I am fo far from condemning the Practice of the Clergy of the Church of England in thefe laft Reigns, that I highly approve it, both as being very uniform, and of a Piece with its felf, and very confonant to Reafon and Law. For by the famẹ Reason they comply with this Government which is esta blished by Law; they refused to comply with the illegal Demands of King James, who was acting against Law; and yet to their utmost oppofed the unlawful Seditions, and at laft Rebellion of factious People, who were for advancing the Title of a lawless Heir, who had no Pretence to the Crown by any Law in the World, in Oppofition to two fucceffive Princes, who had undoubted Right to, and were in actual Poffeffion of it; and to the Injury of all the lawful Branches of it. So much I have thought fit to fay, concerning the Abufes which are frequently given to Clergy-men, by Men that have not caft off all Regard to Chriftianity, but are willing to lay hold on any Pretence to fall foul upon them, and to wreek their Spleen. But farther, as to Gentlemen of your Perfuafion, who look upon our Religion to be a Fable, and think you can have no Tie upon you from that; yet methinks Civility and common Juftice, which you pretend to be the greatest Advocates for, fhould reftrain you from abufing any one, efpecially thofe who are used to befpeak you with all Civility and Refpect. And as for their Dues which you make a Sport in defrauding them of, you know, by Law, they have as good a Title to them as you have to your Eftate; and your Copy-holders might, with the fame Juftice, detain your Quit-Rents, as you do their Tithes. And if Religion be only a politick Contrivance of State, if the Law think fit to direct it fo; the Clergy by inftructing Men to he virtuous and religious, and by that means keeping Men peaceable at Home, have as good a Plea for the Tenth of our Eftates, as the Soldiers have now for the Fifth, for fighting againft our Enemies abroad.

I beg

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