odious counfels,-became the executioners of their fubjects who adopted religious fyftems different from thofe of their rulers, or perfevered in ancient fyftems, from which their fovereigns had receded.

Had those horrors been confined to one fect of Chriftians only, infidels would not have been fo fuccessful in their attacks on the fyftem at large; though religion difclaims the odious imputation. But all fects execrated and attempted to extirpate one another. Europe became. one wild altar, on which every religious fect offered up human victims to its creed.

The minifters of a religion that had triumphed over the Cæfars, not by refiftance, but by fuffering, became the apologifts of calamities that fwept from the face of the earth, or oppress to this very day, God's noblest images→ upright, virtuous, and dauntless men. Like the warrior in the fcriptures, they stept into the fanctuary, to grafp the barbarian's fword wrapt up in the ephod. The code of temporal laws, teeming with fanctions against robbers and murderers, was fwelled, to the furprise and deftruction of mankind, with additional decrees against heretics and papifts. The inoffenfive citizen who from an apprehenfion of offending the Deity, by acting against his confcience,

was

was confined in the fame dungeon, or doomed to the fagot or axe, with the parricide who laid afide every restraint of moral obligation: and the fcriptures were adduced in juftification of the fanguinary confufion. The wreath and the rod have been held forth, not to crown the worthy, and punifh the pernicious, but to fcourge to conformity, candid and iteady virtue. The priest gave the fanction of heaven to the bloody mandates of the civil magiftrate: and the civil magiftrate unsheathed the fword to vindicate the caule of the God of Heaven, who referves to himself the punishment of man's confcience. No perfon has a greater refpect for the clerical order, of every denomination, than I have. I am of the number, and feel my felf wounded through their fides, when the Deist and Free-thinker, who hold them all in equal contempt, contend" that in all ages, and in "all countries, the clergy are the main props "of perfecution. That had they been as foli"citous to heal, and conciliate men's hearts,

as they have been to inflame and divide them, "the world would by this time bear a different afpect. That they should have left the laity "in peaceable poffeffion of good neighbourແ hood, mutual charity, and friendly confi"dence. That inftead of inforcing the great "principles of religion, the very basis whereof ❝is charity, peace, and love, they are ever and "always

46

always the oppreffors of those who differ from "them in opinion; and the active and impel

ling spring that gives force and elasticity, to "the deftructive weapons of the civil power." In corroboration of the charge, the free-thinker will unfold the page of history, and open those enormous volumes, made up of religious declamations. He will prove from both, that if << popes and their apologifts, have fcattered the "fire-brand, their spiritual brethren have faith

66

fully copied their example, in fucceeding "times, wherever their power and influence "prevailed."

"Though the Proteftant divines," fays Hume," had ventured to renounce opinions, "deemed certain for fo many ages, they re

66

garded in their turn, the new fyftem fo cer

tain, that they could bear no contradiction "with regard to it: and they were ready to “burn in the fame flames, from which they "themselves had fo narrowly escaped, every

66

one that had the affurance to oppose them."* Hence the fcaffolds reeking in Holland with the blood of many illuftrious men, who, after oppofing Philip the Second's efforts to intro duce conformity by fire and fword, fell themfelves by the hand of the executioner, for de nying Gomar's predeftination. Hence Hecatombs

* Hume's Hift. of England, Vol. 4. p. 161.

tombs of victims offered up on the gloomy altar of the Scotch league and covenant, and peopling the region of the dead, for differing in opinion. "Out of every contested verse," fays the fatirical Voltaire," there iffued a fury, "armed with a quibble and a poniard, who infpired mankind at once with folly and cru « elty.”

The fame demon that poured the poisonous cup over the kingdoms, and provinces of Europe, took his flight over the Atlantic, and fpread his baneful influence amongst colonists who had themfelves fled from the fcourge. Their new built cities, like fo many Jerufalems, were purified from Idolatry. There no Popish prieft dared to bend his knee to " his idols, or 66 transfer to stock or ftone, the worship due to "the God of Ifrael." There the Quaker-woman's filent groans were raifed on the high key of loud fhrieks, when the Lord's deputy ordered her profane breafts to be whipt off by the gofpel fcourge, that whipped the profaners out of the temple. There the Quaker was feen, fufpended by the neck on high, for daring to pollute the facred ftreets with his profane feet, moved by Baal's Spirit. The holy city,* thus purged from the Jebuseans, and Pheriseans, was fplit foon after into two factions. The two fa

mous

See the hiftory of Maffachufets bay, or Bofton.

covenants, the covenant of grace, and the covenant of works, foon divided the spiritual militants. The jarring of divinity caufed fuch diffentions, that in the prefence of fixty thousand favages, headed by their warriors, giving the fignal for fcaling the walls, to bury the contending parties under their ruins, grace would not permit works to lend the least affiftance for repelling the common foe. It became victorious over the Indians and Chriftians. It drove the first from its walls, and banished the latter from the city into favannahs and deferts, to procure themselves fubfiftence by the works of their hands.

In a word, perfecution on the score of con science, has thinned the world of fifty millions of human beings, by fire and fword. Thoufands, who have efcaped the fword and fagot, have perished, and are daily perishing with hunger and want, for their mode of worship. The London riots, occafioned by a pretext of religion, have added about four hundred more, deluded by religious frenzy, to the enormous number. And though they fuffered as plun derers and incendiaries, yet religious intole rance in their leaders, occafioned the deluded people's deftruction.

The hiftory of the calamities, occafioned by the gospel of peace, could be concluded with