IT being a Matter of such mighty Conse­quence to the People of GOD in the several Ages of the Church plainly to dis­cover Anti-christ, that so ‘they might not touch the unclean thing,’ but be separate; 'Tis not to be wonder'd at, that the HOLY GHOST in giving the Character of Mystical Babylon, the Mother of Harlots, &c. should descend to such Particulars as we meet with in this, and the preceding Chap­ter. For here we find the Apostate Church described from her Posture, Sitting, v. 3. I saw a Woman Sit, &c. thus old Babylond Sat as a Queen: Her Garb & Attire, v. 4. she was arrayed with Purple, and deckt with Gold, and pre­cious Stones, &c. Notice is also taken of her Complexion, and Condition; She was Scarlet Coloured, and drunk with [Page 2]blood; the blood of Saints & Martyrs, as it follows in the 6. v. And the better to find this strange Woman, her Residence, or Place of Abode, is pointed out; the great City which Reigned over the Kings of the Earth, viz. ROME; which was famous for its seven Mountains, and therefore called Civitas Septicollis. Virgil speaking of Rome says, Septem quae una sibi muro circumdedit Arces: And the Ancient Romans had a Feast called Festum Septimontium. And be­cause great Cities are very much known and distinguished by the Staple, or principal Wares they deal in; we have an Account of the Trade drove to, and from this Mystical Babylon, by her Merchants and Chapmen; and the very Commodities, as well those Imported as Exported, are here Enumerated. The Invoice, which indeed is very particu­lar, begins at the 12th. verse, with Gold & Silver, and ends in the 13th verse, with the Slaves and Souls of Men, as our English Bible reads it. The Margin indeed has it Bodies; The words in the Original, are [...]; the true Meaning of which, I shall now inquire into: And there being the least difficulty with the word Souls, I shall begin with that, tho' the other stands first in the Text.

It must be acknowledged, that in Scripture, as well as in other Writings, the word Soul, is often taken figuratively for the whole Person: yet on the other hand, the sacred Historians, and other Writers use the word [...], and scarce any other, when they speak of departed Spirits, or the Soul after it's Separation from the Body; as might be proved from innumerable Instances, were there occasion. Homer the [Page 3]Fountain of the Greek Language, for the most part, if not always, uses the word [...], for the Ghosts or departed Spi­rits of the Graecian Heroes ^* But I need not labour this; our Protestant Expositors being generally agreed, That by the word [...] in this place, we are to understand Souls departed.

I proceed therefore to Explain the word [...]. Our famous Mr. Brightman reads it Bodies: The French Bible renders the word Esclaves: Junius and Tremellius translate it Mancipia; and so do's the Vulgar Latin Bible, with many of the Criticks. It is probable, that which occasioned our Translators, together with Ju­nius and Tremellius, and the Latin, and French Bibles, to render the word [...], Slaves, or Mancipia, is a passage in the Description which the Prophet Ezekiel, Chap. xxvii. gives of the rich Trade and Supply of Tyre, verse 13. Ja­van, Tubal, and Meshec, they were thy Merchants; they traded the Persons of Men, as our Bible reads it, and so does the French. The Latin has it Mancipia; Junius and Tremellius, Hominibus: But the general Opinion of Ex­positors, is that the Prophet Ezekiel intends Servants, or Slaves that were sold at Tyre: And without doubt the Allegorical description of Mystical Babylon in this Chapter, is taken from that Prophecy in Ezekiel. But then as Mr. [Page 4] Brightman upon the Place observes, these words in the Revelations have a far other Meaning than those in Ezekiel: and upon the last words in the verse, viz. and Souls of Men says, ‘THE HOLY GHOST seems to have changed the Construction of the words of set purpose, that He might note out the Difference between this Commodity, and all the other, especially those of the Bodies; for these words and Souls, are not put in the Genitive Case, as it is clear in the Greek text, but in the Accusative, as we have trans­lated it in the Latin; whereby it is signified that there is a diverse, and distinct Consideration made in the Place, of Souls and Bodies.’ Thus that Learned Man.

This remarkable Distinction makes it the more strange, that such of our Protestant Expositors, as understand by the word [...]. Spirits or separate Souls, should render the preceding word [...] Slaves: For Slavery is Conditio Personae, and takes in the whole Man, to wit, Soul and Body, Conjunctim; whereas in the text they are plainly Enumerated as two distinct Species of Merchandize.

Besides, I doubt upon Examination, even the Protestants will be found as much concerned in the Merchandize of Slaves, as those of the Romish Religion, and so it can't be a Characteristic of the Apostate Church, which (as has been noted) is the great Design of the Context.

I have already observed, That Mr. Brightman reads the word [...], in this place, Bodies: but then he applies it to the Switzers, who are a Corpulent People, and furnish the Pope with his standing Guards.

[Page 5] Some Learned Men have thought, that the wretched Sub­jection and Vassalage of the Princes and People in Europe, to the Church of Rome, especially in the Ages preceding the Reformation, when the Popes treated them like Slaves, is here intended.

Others again are of Opinion, That by the word [...], we may very well understand, the Merchandize made by the Romish Church of the Bodies of Men while alive, in those Rigorous and unnatural Chastisings of the Body, by Shirts of Mail, Haircloth, Whippings, and other Bodily Penances: which, tho' enjoyned & practised under pretence of spiritual Mortification, and for the good of the Soul; yet upon oc­casion may be dispensed with, and are commuted into Money, or some other Emolument to the Church, and so turned into Merchandize. But Veritas rei, & veritas loci, are two different things. The Question is not what the word [...], in general signifies, or how it may be rendred in other Places; but what the Meaning of it is in this Invoice of the Merchandize of Mystical Babylon.

And with Reverence to our English Translators, and the other Venerable Authors before-mentioned, I am of Opinion, That by the word [...], in the Text, we ought to understand the DEAD BODIES of Men: To support which, besides what has been already mentioned tending that way, I would offer the following Considerations.

1. First, It is well known, That the Romish Church for several Ages, has made Merchandize as well of the [Page 6] Dead Bodies, as the separate Souls of Men: (as is proved in the following Essay.) Now if we are to suppose the HOLY GHOST in this Place, (as our Protestant Expo­sitors grant) Designs by the word [...], the Merchandize which the Church of Rome makes of separate Souls; cer­tainly it is as reasonable to think, That by the word [...], He should point out another Branch of their vile Trade, viz. that of the Dead Bodies of Men.

2. Secondly, The manifest Distinction in the Original, and so between the two Species of Merchandize observed by Mr. Brightman, will be most effectually preserved by this Interpretation of the word [...]: for the Soul and Body are never so much Contradistinguished, as after they are separated. And therefore Death is defined to be [...], Separatio Animae et Corporis.

3. Thirdly, And to mention no more, the word [...] is so render'd, not only by the Greek Authors and Lexicons, but also by the Translators of the Bible in many other Places. 'Tis likewise very observable, That the only words us'd in the Septuagint and New Testament, for Servants and Bondmen, are [...] and [...]: And among the Ancient Grecians [...] was the Name of a Slave, or the worst sort of Servants. Scapula, after he has render'd [...] Corpus, especially Corpus hominis, takes notice that Plutarch, when speaking of burning the Dead Bodies, expresses it in the Greek, by [...] And in another Place describ­ing the manner of Crucifying among the Romans, says, [Page 7] [...] And Homer before-mentioned, uses the word [...] for the dead Body in the xxiv. of his Odysses. One of the Grecian Heroes in Hades is represented as bewailing, That in such a Battle he, and others were slain, but their Bodies lay neglected; Corpora neglecta jacent; in the Greek it is [...] &c. ^† The Septuagint in that remarkable passage of the young Prophet who was slain by a Lyon for his Disobedi­ence, and his Carcase (or dead Body) cast in the way renders it [...] seven times running, I. King. xiii. 14. and following verses^* As to the New Testament; the word [...], very frequently stands for the dead Body, and accor­dingly is so rendred. To instance in a few Places, Mat. xiv. 12. His Disciples came and took up the Body, i. e. of John; [...] Mat. xxvii. 52. Many Bodies of Saints which slept; [...] Verse 58. He went to Pilate & begg'd the Body of JESUS; [...] Luke xxiv. 3. And they entred in, and found not the Body of the LORD JESUS; [...] Acts ix. 40. And Peter turning him to the Body of Tabitha, who was dead; [...] And to mention no more, I. Cor. xv. 44. It is sown a natural Body; [...]

[Page 8] Having thus stated the Meaning of the word [...] I proceed to make good the Charge exhibited against the Church of Rome, viz. making Merchandize of the Bodies and Souls of Men. I begin with the BODIES.

Now the Trade or Merchandize carried on by the Church of Rome with the Dead Bodies of Men, may be Compre­hended under these two general Heads.

• 1. Mortuaries and Rights of Burial.
• 2. Relicks and Pilgrimages.

First. MORTUARIES. Our English Law Books tell us, That the second best Beast (if the Defunct left Cattle) was claimed for the Mortuary; if not, then a certain Sum of Money. And Mr. Selden in his Treaties of Tithes, says, ‘The Antient Custom, according to the Church Canon, was to bring the Mortuary along with the Corps, when it came to be buried, and to offer it to the Church as a Satisfaction for the supposed Negligence the Defunct had been Guilty of, in not paying of his Personal Tithes; and from thence it was called a Corse Present;’ [...]; a Ransom for the Body.

This is certain, That upon Notice of the Death of any One, the Parish Priest, Curate, or some spiritual Person came and demanded a certain Sum of Money, by the Name of a Mortuary: and so Exorbitant at length these Ecclesiastics grew, as to insist upon a Ninth, and sometimes even for a Third part of the dead Mans Goods. This is taken Notice [Page 9]of in the Statute of the 26th of Henry the VIII. So that at length the Parliament were obliged first to restrain, and at last to abolish this ill Custom. Our Historians further tell us, That unless the Mortuary was paid or secured to be paid by the Heir or Executor, the deceased could not have Christian Buryal. And Dr. Eurnet (afterwards Bishop of Salisbury) in his History of the Reformation ^† Lib. I. gives us a terrible Instance of their Cruelty in this very thing. One RICHARD HUN, a Merchant in London, was sued by his Parish Priest for a Mortuary in the Court of the Popes Legate: and because He brought a Praemunire against the Priest in the Temporal Court, for bringing the Kings Subjects before a Foreign and Illegal Court, he was Imprisoned in the Bishops Court for Heresy; and be­cause they could not find Matter sufficient to put him to death by Law, he was Murthered in Prison.

Rites of BURIAL — Many and Superstitious are the Ceremonies and Orders of the Romish Church touching Burial, and of all which they take care to make their Market. By some of their Canons, not only Heathens and Jews, but also Hereticks (under which term they al­ways comprehend Protestants, and their Favourers) they that don't confess their Sins once a Year, and all Excommu­nicated persons, &c. are excluded from Ecclesiastical Burial. [Page 10]A flagrant Instance of this we have in our own History in the Reign of King John. The Kingdom of ENGLAND, for six Years and three Months, was under an Interdict from the Pope, during all which time (enarrare Indignamur) all that died were buried like Dogs in ditches and holes; only such as had purchased a License from the Pope. Among other Bulls of the Romish Church D. A. Gavin in his Master-Key to Popery, Vol. I. Reckons the Bull of the Dead so call'd, Bullo Defunctorum. No Body can be bu­ried either within or without the Church except they have this Bull on their Breast, in token of their being Christians. The price of this Bull is two Reals of Plate: this goes to the Treasure of the Church, and must needs amount to a prodigious Sum every Year.

They have also taken Care to Appoint the Times, and Places for Burial—. TIMES,— not upon Festival days, unless necessity require it, and then after Vespers are cele­brated —. PLACES,—some of the Antient Canons re­strain Burials in Churches, and all absolutely forbid burying any Bodies whatsoever near the Altar. But as sacred as the Canons or Rules above-mentioned seem to be, they have been frequently bought off, and are yet dispensed with, when ever the Pope pleases.

2. Secondly, The Superstitious use of RELICKS and the PILGRIMAGES Consequent there-upon.

This being one of the most profitable Branches of Trade carried on at Mystical Babylon; I shall be the larger upon it.

[Page 11] That the Church of Rome not only carries on this un­lawful Trade, but openly Justifies and Avows it, in De­fiance of the Word of GOD, and the Canons of several Ecclesiatical Councils to the contrary, is notorious and cannot be denied. Bellarmine, one of their great Champions says in express words, ‘That the Relicks of the Saints, viz. the Bones, Ashes, &c. are to be Adored: altho, not with the same kird of Worship, as the Spirits of Saints; yet with more than Humane or Civil Wor­ship, viz. with Religious Supplication, Rites, Circum­gestation, Thurification, &c.’ Petrie's Century's p. 45. And Father Alezander, in his System of Divinity, accor­ding to the Council of Trent, under the Title Relicks, lays it down as a Thesis, that the honouring of Relicks is not Repugnant to the first Commandment.

It is true they Endeavour to avoid the charge of Idolatry by Alledging, That in the Honour they pay to the Relicks of Martyrs and Saints, they don't Adore them, but GOD whose saints they are.

The Council of Trent stteles the matter thus; ‘The Relicks of Saints, that is, their Bodies and Bones and Sepulchres where they are buried, are to be Adored and Reverenced, tho' with less Honour some-what, than the Saints themselves.’ That filthy Lucre was at the bot­tom of all this, was long since observed and lamented by Mantuan, who is celebrated by Bellarmine for a Learned and Godly Poet.

[Page 12] Venalia nobis, Templa, Sacerdotes, Altaria Sacra, Coronae, Ignis, Thura, Preces: Caelum est venale, Deusque.

And Cornelius Agrippa, a Member of the Romish Church; a Doctor of Law, Counsellor and Historiographer to the Emperor Charles the V. (in the XVI. Century) an unexceptionable Witness, is yet more express in the point, in his Treatise de Vanit. Human. Scient. His words transla­ted, are these, ‘Covetous Priests and greedy Men seeking matter of their Avarice, not by Wood & Stones only, but by the Bones of the Dead also, and Relicks of Mar­tyrs have found means of Covetousness: they open the Graves of the Confessors, they take out the Reliques of Saints, and do Sell a Touch, or Kiss of them.’ And Dr. John Edwards, in his Introduction to the Rise & Progress of Popery, says, ‘The Priests greatest Profits arise from the Dead: These bring in more gain than the Living.’ An Ingenious Traveller, to the same purpose observes, that in Italy the Dead Maintain the Living. The vast Prosit arising to the several Popish Churches and Fraternities by these Relicks, have frequently occasioned long and sharp Quarrels and Law-suits between the Merchants of these Wares, as well for the Property as the Possession of them These Contentions have been so fierce, and the Parties con­cerned so Obstinate in their several claims, and often of the self same Reliques, that they have not only Mangled, but at length made Monsters of these [...]; some of their Saints having two Heads, others three Arms, and the like: [Page 13]much of the same Nature with their vile abuse of the Cross, concerning which Erasmus the Harbinges of the Reformation, say; ‘That if all the Fragments of Wood shown for the true Cross of CHRIST were gathered together, they would load a Ship.’ Thus Mad are they upon their Idols.

It is a sorrowful thing, and even a Reproach to Christia­nity, to find by Ecclesiastical History, the Primitive Fathers, many of them at least, advancing so much towards this Su­perstition, by their Exoessive Veneration for the Memory and Sepulthres of Martyrs and Saints, their too great Cre­dulity of what was reported of Miracles being wrought and Visions seen at their Graws: Even St. Austin himself has these words, ‘Who dare deny that GOD, by sacred Ashes, Bones, and other Relicks of the Saints, works the same sort of Miracles, as were performed by Pauls Hand­kerchief, Elishas dead Body, &c.’ And Jerom, in the Opinion of Erasmus, was very abusive to Vigilantius for opposing the Honour paid to the Relicks of the Saints. The Cloud indeed was then no bigger then a Mans hand, but in a few Ages it covered the Heavens with blakness. One of the first Steps to this Superstition, was the Conse­crating the Places where the Martyrs, or any eminent Saints were buried, calling them Altars. At these Altars, the Christians kept their Vigils; thither in the day time, especially on set days, they would repair to offer their Sa­crifices, as they called them; that is Prayers, making Vows, Oblations, and even Celebrating the Sacraments: But this [Page 14]piece of Devotion being found chargeable & troublesome especially for those who lived at a distance; they proceeded, to translate the Bodies of Martyrs & Saints, at least such as they called so, to their Temples, or built Churches for them. The Emperor Constantine, in his devout Zeal, began this Practice: for Jerom tells us, that he transported the Bodies of Andrew, Luke and Timothy to Constantinople: And the Empress Constantia, as Agrippa before-named tells us, sent to Gregory the 1st. for the Head of St. Paul, or some part of his Body, to be Interred at St. Pauls Church in Constan­tinople. And the common People following these Examples, would not suffer the Bones of the Primitive Saints to rest in their Graves, but took them up, and carried them from Place to Place: and when they built & dedicated a Church to any of the Apostles, primitive Bishops, or other Mar­tyrs, if it were possible they would get either the entire Body, or at least some Member to be there Interr'd with great solemnity, whatever it cost them: for the Original Owners & Possessors at length grew so Cunning, as to set a good Price upon these [...]: in particular, as Ecclesiasti­cal History Informs us, St. Austins Body when translated from Hippo to Sardinia, was purchased at a hundred Talents of Silver, and a Talent of Gold, which makes 40375 Pounds Sterling Money^*.

[Page 15] This brought on those Superstitious PILGRIMAGES to Jerusalem, Rome, Constantinople, and other Holy Places, as they called them. Dr. Burnet in his History before­mentioned tells us, ‘That there were believed to be a hun­dred thousand Pilgrims at one time on a Jubilce at the Tomb of Thomas Becket in Canterbury.’

The 5th Council of Carthage, Canon the 4th. appointed expresly, ‘That no Altar should be built, withous the Relicks of some Martyr.’ And the Council of Trent, did in express terms decree, ‘Such Pilgrimages to the Sepulchers, and in Memory of Saints, to ask and obtain their Help, are Godly and Religious, and to be much used of Christians:’ and no wonder since it brought in so much Gain to the Crafts-men, for they took care to manage these Pilgrimages to great Advantage many ways, to mention but three.

First, the Offerings made to the Shrine, and in Honour of the [...] of the Place were very Valuable. The Author but now named, in the same Book, acquaints us, That the Annual Oblations at Beckets Tomb amounted to near a thousand Pounds Sterling; and that King Lewis the se­venth of France came over in Pilgrimage to it, and offered a Stone reckoned to be the richest in Europe: So that this Shrine grew to be of inestimable value; for when it came to be broken by Henry the VIII. the Gold of it was so heavy that it filled two Chests, which took eight Men a piece to carry them out of the Church.

[Page 16] Secondly, There being as has been observed upon these Solemnities, a great Concourse of People, (supposed to come from a principle of Devotion) the Priests had a fine Oppor­tunity to put off their Purgatory Masses, and other Popish Wares, and even sorced the deluded Votaries to buy them.

Thirdly, And to mention no more; upon these Occasi­ons also these Sharpers would ask Alms for the Poor, and then take it for themselves, under the Notion of their own Vow of perpetual Poverty. For these Reasons this Supersti­tion became such a Noli me tangere, that Persons have been griev'ously persecuted, and even to death, for only declaring against this Folly.

Mr. Fox in his Martyrology gives many instances of this kind. One William Sweeting put to death, for saying to his Wise, That it would be better for her to tarry at home, and attend upon her Business, than to go upon Pilgrimages. Isabel Merwyn was also put to death for saying, She would go no more upon Pilgrimages while she lived, for all Saints (says she) are in Heaven: with many others, as I find'em cited by Willet in his Synopsis Papismi.

I my self being at Coruns in Spain in the year 1697. sam more than an hundred Men and Women passing thro' that City on a Pilgrimage, to the Shrine of some noted Romish Saint, at two or three hundred Miles distance from their own Habitation.

There is scarce a Church of any note or figure in all the Romish Countries, but pretends to have, and at proper seasons [Page 17]to expose the Relicks of some Saint; and the Council of Milan prescribe certain Rites to be observed in showing those Relicks, in order to excite the Faithful to the Vene­ration of them.

We have already noted, that the pretence of Miracles wrought, and Visions seen at the Sepulchres of the Saints, was one thing that gave rise to this Superstition, and was alledged by, the Romish Church in their Justification: But least these forged Miracles, or lying Wonders should Multiply too much, the Council of Milan Enact, ‘That there be no new Miracles Published or Admitted, no new Relicks received, without the Knowledge & Appro­bation of the Bishop; And the Council of Lateran says, It must be with the Authority and Approbation of the Roman Pontiff.’ That these Relicks, or the most of them were Counterfeit and Forged, is most certain, and numbers of them have been derected and found to be the vilest of Impostures. This is a Fact so Notorious, that many learned well disposed Men of their own Church, have been ashamed of it: And therefore Pope Innocent the third, Decrees, That ‘Prelates should not suffer those who come to their Churches to Worship, to be deceived with false and feigned Relicks, as the Custom has been in divers Places for Lucre sake.’ But alas! this Decree signified little; for Dr. Burnet in his Travels tells us, That the Popes of the two last Centuries have Sprung such a Mine of Re­licks in the CATAGOMBS of Rome, as will supply that Church with an inexhaustible [...] of Bones.

[Page 18] And Mr. Monroe, who likewise was at Rome, and view­ed those Mortuary Caves, acquaints us, That some Authors especially the Advocates for Relicks, will have them made by the Primitive Christians; adding, That in the times of Persecution they lived, held their Assemblies, and laid up the Bodies of Martyrs and Confessors in them. This, says the same Author, is the Account that prevails at Rome, and consequent to it there are Men kept constantly at work in them.

As soon as those Labourers discover a Repository, with any of the Marks of a Saint about it, Intimation is given to the Cardinal Treasurer, who immediately sends Men of Probity and Reputation to the Place. Where they find a Palm Painted or Engraven, or the Cypher X. p. which is commonly read, Pro Christo, or a small round Projection in the side of the Gallery a little below the Repository; what is within it, is carried to the Palace (there to be disposed of for the best advantage:) Many of these Projections we have seen open with pieces of the Vials in them: the Glass indeed was tinctured, and 'tis pretended that in these Vials was conserved the Blood of the Martyrs, which was thus laid up nigh their Bodies towards their Heads, to distinguish them from those of the others that were not called to the Honour of laying down their Lives for the Faith of the Gospel. But this Opinion is learnedly and effectually re­futed as well by Dr. Burnet in his Travels before-mention'd, as Mr. Monroe, by Arguments and Authorities, too long to be inserted in this Essay.

[Page 19] And senior Bencini, a learned Bibliothecary at Rome, acknowledge to Mr. Monroe, that the so famed Cypher X. p. pretended & insisted upon to be the Marks of a Martyr, was in use among the Ancients long before Christianity began.

As to the Inscriptions of some Names at large, and Painting found in some of the Repositories, a learned An­tiquary confessed to Dr. Burnet, That the Names were Modern, and the highest Antiquity that could be ascribed to the Painting was 600 Years: So that both these learned Travellers agree, That there is no proof, either of the Christians building these Catacombs, or of the Martyrs or Confessors being buried there; and that if they were, it is impossible to know and distinguish their Bones from others: And there-upon conclude, that these Catacombs, were first the burying Places of the Antient Romans, tho' afterwards some Christian Bodies might be also there laid up^† So that in all Probability the Bones even of the Roman Slaves, or at least those of the meaner Sort, are now set in Silver and Gold, with a great deal of other costly Garniture, and sent over the World, to seed a Super­stition that is as Blind as it proves Expensive.

It is very natural to suppose, That even among these Superstitious Worshippers themselves, some would be under a Concern least they should be mistaken in the Object' of [Page 20]their Devotion: But for the Ease of such scrupulous Con­sciences, the Council of Milan declares, That ‘he is guilty of no Sin that Worships the Relick of one Saint for another’: And to compleat the Matter they say, ‘Tho' the Relicks Worshipped should appear to be no Saint at all, yet the Worshipper is innocent.’ Thus at length was this Myste­ry of Iniquity finished. And thus Vile has Rome Papal, that Mother of Harlots, made her self with the Dead Bodies of Men; and her stately Temples, or Edifices, which ought to be Houses of Prayer for the Reception and Enter­tainment of true and spiritual Worshippers, are like to Painted Sepulchres, full of dead Mens Bones, and all Un­cleanness, Mat. xxiii. 27.

I now proceed to the second part of the Indictment, viz.

The Merchandize made by this Idolatrous Church of SOULS separate from the Body, [...].

This I shall comprehend under three heads, viz.

• 1. Canonization.
• 2. Vows. And
• 3. Masses for Souls in Purgatory.

1. First. CANONIZATION. The Canonizing of Saints is defined by Bellarmine, as he is quoted by Mr. Willet, to be ‘The public determination and sentence of the Church, whereby Men that are Dead are judged to be Saints, and worthy of Honour and Worship; as to [Page 21]be Pray'd unto, Temples and Altars to be set up in their Names, Holy days to be appointed for them, and their Reliques to be Adored": And the same Bellarmine says, That it appertains only to the Pope to Canonize a Saint for the whole Church; and that none ought to be ac­knowledged for Saints, but they that are so Canonized by him; and that herein the Pope is of so Infallible a Judgment that he cannot Err in Canonizing of Saints, because that ordinarily none are Canonized which have not been known to work Miracles.’ The same Bellar­mine acquaints us, That Leo III. was the first Pope that Canonized a Saint. This blasphemous Power, notwith­standing what Bellarmine pretends, was so abused at length, that some of the Vilest of Men were set up for Saints, and Worshipped accordingly. Even Thomas Becket before-named, was Canonized by Pope Alexander, under a pretence that some Miracles were wrought by him; and the Name of the Cathedral Church at Canterbury, was alter'd from Christ's Church to St. Thomas Becket's: And yet at the same time, the Sorbonists ^‖ maintained in their Public Disputes, He was justly Condemned for Rebellion: and therefore his Shrine was put down in the Reign of Henry VIII. and his Bones burnt by order of the Lord Cromwell. Agrippa before-named says, ‘There are many that held heretical Opinions who were counted in the Canon of Saints.’ Bonnaventure, who was guilty of Blasphemy [Page 22]in Ascribing the work of Salvation to the Virgin Mary, as may be seen in his Ladies Psalter, is one of the Popish Saints. This with much more to the same purpose may be seen at large in the Synopsis Papismi, before-mentioned.

Nor is this Trade of making of Saints yet given over: No Century passes, but several new Saints are added to the Popish Calender. And it is not to be supposed, that the Roman Pontiff will make so valuable a Present as that of a new Saint, to any of the Churches or Religious Orders for nothing: This like the ancient Freedom among the Romans, must be purchased with a great Sum. At the same time, the Popes Brokers don't stick at the Price; since they are sure of making their Money again of the Shrine, with great Advantage; for as Dr. Edwards in his Treatise of the Idolatry of the Church of Rome observes, ‘a new Saint at first, and so for a considerable time, gets the better of all the rest.’ D. A. Gavin before-mention'd says, The Sum settled by the Pope for the making a Saint is One hundred thousand Crowns.

2. Secondly. A second Branch of the Merchandize made by the Church of Rome of the Souls of Men, is the making and paying of VOWS to Saints, or such as are Canoniz'd by the Pope.

Having hinted at something of this Superstition already under the head of Relicks and Pilgrimages, I shall say the less here; not but that it very well deserves to be Insisted on, and Exposed.

[Page 23] This piece of Idolatry is a Branch of that Adoration, which the Church of Rome say is due to Saints in these words, ‘VOWS may be made to Saints properly as unto GOD, tho' not altogether in the same manner.’ And they are encouraged to that Degree, that contrary to all Laws Divine and Humane; Husbands are deprived of the Power of hindering their Wives from making them.

The Matter of these Vows is Various according to the Humour or Condition of the Persons that make them. One will Vow to go a Pilgrimage to some Saint, or Holy Place: Another to enter into such a Religious Society, or do such a piece of Service, for the Honour of the Church: Others again, to Offer a Sum of Money, or such a particular Present to this or that Saint, Image, Society, or Pious use.

And as the Making these Vows, is very much recom­mended by the Doctors of the Romish Church; so the Per­formance of them as rigidly Insisted on by the Confessors, who to that end, diligently enquire, among other things, of the Persons that come to be Confessed, What Vows they are under, and how they have been complied with; and those of them that are not Originally for Money, may be changed into a pecuniary Mulct, and so made Merchandize.

But we shall see a much greater Abomination than this, in the Chambers of the Romish Imagery.

[Page 24] 3. Thirdly. I proceed therefore to the third and last Branch of the Merchandize made of Souls departed by the Church of Rome, which I proposed to speak to, viz. the Redeeming Souls out of PURGATORY by the help of MASSES, Prayers and Indulgencies.

This is generally reckoned to be the deepest Corruption, and the most profitable Invention that ever that Church was guilty of; and so peculiar to Rome Papal, That Mr. Willet observes, No other Church in Christendom, even the most Erronious has ever taken it up; And the Pro­phet's Charge against Idolatrous Israel may be here fitly apply'd, They have separated themselves to that Shame ^*.

The Popes PURGATORY, for so it may properly be called, is Defined by the Romish Church, to be ‘a certain Infernal Place in the Earth called Purgatory, in the which, as in a Prison house, those who were not fully purged in this Life, are fully cleansed and purg'd by fire, before they can be received into Heaven.’

It is not to be wondred at, that this Monstre stuck so long in the Birth: for tho' it was in a sort Conceived by the Monks between the Fourth and Sixth Centuries, and in the following Ages, formed and fashioned by the Bishops and Popes of Rome; yet it was not perfectly Delivered till the Year 1439; and then this Damnable Doctrine was made an Article of Faith by the Council of Florence, and He was Cursed to Hell, that did not believe it.

[Page 25] In the next Century the Council of Trent Established it yet further. The Words of the 19th Article of the Trent Creed, ‘I do Stedfastly Believe that there is a Pur­gatory, and that the Souls therein detained are help'd by the Prayers of the Faithful.’

The third Canon of the Council of Trent, Anathema­tizes all those who say, the Sacrifice of the Mass profits only him that takes it, and that it ought not to be offered for the Satisfaction of the Sins of the living & the dead. Bellarmine indeed tells us, That this Doctrine must be understood only of Venial Sins, and not such as are Mortal, for the latter he grants send Men to Hell directly.

One great Point yet remain'd; and that was to make this wonderful Power of delivering Souls out of Purgatory, a Prerogative or Peculiar to the See of Rome, and fix it in the Pope, that so the Profits might all centre with Him. Thereupon the Canonists and great Doctors of that Church declare, ‘That Bishops and other Inseriour Priests cannot apply Indulgences to the Dead; it belongs only to the Pope.’ Among others Johannes Angelus affirms, "The Souls in Purgatory are under the Popes Jurisdiction"; and Father Alexander, in his 5th Tome, Title Indulgences, says, Non Vivis Solum sed etiam defunctis prosunt Indul­gentioe e SUMMO PONTIFICE, pro illorum leva­mine concessoe illisque speciatim applicatoe.

[Page 26] Thus the Romish Church at length Established the Doctrine of Purgatory in all the several Articles of it. Having done this; The next thing was to set up a Trade upon this Foundation, and to make Merchandize of it, for that was the Main thing designed all along. Here-upon the Bishops, Priests and Religious of all Orders, were set to work, to draw in the Superstitious People to Purchase these Masses, Prayers, &c. at such Rates, as they were pleased to set upon them, in order to redeem the Souls of their Ancestors, Children, and other Friends, out of Purgatory. This work was soon accomplished, and the great Point quickly gained, thro' the Craft and Delusion of the Popes Agents: for the World in those Ages, as 'twas Prophecied, Wondered after the Beast, and being given up, Sacro-sancta Dei Ira, to strong Delusions, they believed Lies. The Merchants and Chapmen of Rome, like Locusts Swarmed all over the Christian World, and with the greatest Impu­dence, tho' under the Cloak of Piety and Compassion to Souls, bartered away these Commodities, for that which was much better, Money, Lands, or any thing else of value they could get.

This wretched Trade was carried on with so much Fraud and Wickedness, for so many Ages, that 'tis impossible, as Bishop Burnet observes, to read the Account of it, without both Amazement & Indignation. And yet out of this very Eater at length there came forth Meat; for the Infamous Sale of Indulgences from Pope Leo the X in Saxony, was [Page 27]the very thing, which first disgusted LUTHER against the Church of Rome, and happily engaged him in the GLO­RIOUS REFORMATION.

Our English Histories and Law-Books furnish us with very Authentick Proofs and Instances of the indefatigable Pains, insatiable Avarice, and vile Frauds of these Purga­tory Merchants. How they would Sollicit, and even sometimes Force Men and Women living or dying to de­vote or give away such a part of their Estates for this Pious of Redeeming Souls out of Purgatory ^† This at length as an Ingenious Man observes, inspired them with that In­human Cruelty and Barbarity as made them desire the Death of all Men. This Remark confirms that Latin Verse quoted by the Famous John Huss, in one of his Sermons, speaking of the Avarice of the Priests, and the gain they make of Purgatory Masses, ‘De Morbo Medicus Gaudet, de Morte Sacerdos.’

Nor were they kinder to one another; for at the Death of Clergymen, the Pope challenged for himself All their Estates that were raised out of the Revenues of the Church; [Page 28]so that a rich Clergyman cou'd no sooner fall Sick, but the Popes Collectors were gaping about him for his Goods, and set Guards presently about his House: That by this, Bishops have been Deserted upon their Death Beds, and Famished for want of Meat to Eat^*.

The first thing these Spiritual Factors laid their hands on for Returns to Rome, was the Money and Moveable Trea­sure of the Nation; but they could not stop here, they had their Eye upon the Solid Estate of the Kingdom, in order to make a Land Bank of these new Bills: This also (to the shame of our Ancestors be it spoken) was soon effected, and a great part of the Terre of England, be­stowed upon Religious Houses, or for some Pious use, as it was called, upon no other Consideration, than a certain Number of these Indulgences for the Redemption of Souls out of Purgatory. This, Bishop Burnet in his Exposition of the Articles of the Church of England No. 22, says, was express'd in the very Deeds of the Land: And he further observes, that these Endowments thro' the Profuseness the World was then wrought up to by the Subtilty and vile Practices of the Romish Clergy, increased to so vast a Degree; that if the Parliament of England had not by several Statutes of Mortmain restrained this crying Abuse, the very Constitution of the Nation might in time have been subverted, and the Temporalties wholly subjected to the Spirituality, and in time the People have been all [Page 29]Tenants or Farmers to the Clergy. For which Reason he is clear in the point; That the States and Princes of Christen­dom were at full Liberty upon the Discovery of these Im­postures, to void all the Endowments that had followed upon them, and either to apply them to better Uses, or to restore 'em to the Families from which they had been drawn, if that had been practicable, or to convert them to any other Use. Thus that Learned Man.

This Rule was notably put in Practice by our King HENRY the VIIIth, with the Advice and Assistance of those two famous Worthies, THOMAS CROMWELL Earl of Essex, and Arch Bishop CRANMER.

It must be acknowledged, that thro' the tender Mercy of GOD, when the Day spring from on high visited so many of the Nations at the Reformation, the Riches of this Merchandize we are treating of, in one Hour, as the Pro­phetical Phrase is, came to nought in the Protestant Coun­tries; so that no Man, i. e. no wise Man, no good Protestant would buy of it any more, Rev. xviii. 11. Yet alas! there are Millions that continue, and it is to be feared willingly, to be imposed on and cheated with these Wares, even to this Day: for this is an Iniquity that will not be purged from the Romish Church till She dye.

A Modern Traveller, in a Book Entituled, The Frauds of Romish Monks and Priests, Vol. I. Letter 5. informs [Page 30]us, that the Society of the Souls in Purgatory is the most general Confraternity of all their Religious Orders, as be­longing to all Churches, and to all Priests as well Secular as Regular; and that there is never a Village in Italy, how small and inconsiderable soever, which has not a Confrater­nity for the Souls in Purgatory.

Among innumerable other Frauds committed by the Priests in the Sale of these Masses to the People, recounted by this Author, I shall single out One, and so draw to a close of the Dissertation. ‘'Tis a common Practice, he says, when any one sends Money to a Convent for a Hundred Masses, they content themselves with Singing One, with the Assistance of the Deacon and Sub-Deacon: ('tis the Prior or Guardian of the College that Sings) They call this, a Mass Sung, a Solemn Mass:’ and they maintain that One of these Masses is an Equivalent to a great Number of Common ones. This Stratagem they call, making a Reduction: And tho' Pope Innocent the XI discountenanced this Practice; yet he and his Successours Indulged them in another that serves the turn as well, and that is Celebrating a Mass or two, at a Priviledged Altar, which as Infallibly delivers a Soul out of Purgatory, as a Thousand at any other: (this no Protestant will deny) But then these Privileged Altars are not obtained from the Pope, without great Sums of Money. Thus indeed the Pope has outwitted the Priests; but the Cheat is still the same to the People; for the Maxim of that Church is, Si Populus Vult decipi, decipiatar.

[Page 31] Nor is this Merchandize of the Bodies and Souls of Men carried on only among the Romish Countries in Europe; for the Merchants of Mystical Babylon are of late opening a Trade with these wretched Commodities in India, China, and other ends of the Earth^*. How far they may succeed in their Missions, and deceive the Nations we know not: but would hope better things for them, and things that accompany Salvation; since GOD has of late Years stirr'd up the Spirit of some of the Protestant Princes of Europe, particularly the late King of Denmark (to his Immortal Honour) to Establish a Protestant Mission at Tranquebar, on the Coast of Malabar in India, to bring those poor People to the Knowledge of the Truth, and the Obedience of Faith, that so they may be Saved.

And tho' the first Worthies employed in this Pious Work, the Reverend and Excellent ZIGENBALG and GRUNDLER, (Apostoli nostrorum temporum) are dead in the LORD, and rest from their Labours; yet the Great LORD of the Harvest has thruft forth other Labourers: And we understand by late Letters from thence, that the Blessed Work is carrying on with great Hopes of Success.

Having now finished the Essay I proposed, I shall dismiss it with the following REFLECTIONS.

[Page 32] And

1. First, The making Merchandize of the Souls & Bodies of Men, gives us a Specimen of the Exquisite Policy of the Church of Rome. Merchandizing has always been esteemed a Mystery that required agreat deal of Wisdom to manage it to Advantage: Accordingly we read of the Prince of Tyrus, that by Wisdom and Understanding in Traffick, he got and increased his Riches, Ezek. xxviii. 4, 5. There was scarce any Commodity then in the known World, but what the Merchants of Tyre (that great Emporium in her day) traded in, and enriched themselves by; as we find at large in the Description of the Wealth and Trade of that City, Chap. xxvii. of the same Prophet. But neither they, nor the wise Men of Antient Babylon, ever dreamt of making Merchandize of Ghosts and Dead Bodies: this was a Reserve for Mystical Babylon, and is a Master-piece of Popery.

The Princes & States of Europe, with all their Wisdom, find it difficult enough to raise and keep up their Revenues, by Taxes on the Polls and Estates of their Subjects while Living; but the Politicians of Rome ^* have found out Ways and Means for the raising incredible Sums of Money from the Dead, sufficient to maintain the Pope with his Cardinals, and other Ecclesiasticks in a Grandeur and [Page 33]Luxury, equal, if not superiour, to the Richest Court in Europe ^†. But then,

2. Secondly, What an amazing Guilt must the Apostate Church lye under on the account of this Merchandizing the Bodies and Souls of Men? If it be a great Impiety, as one observes, to abuse Dead Bodies, especially in those that Believe and look for their Resurrection; how Aggravated must this Iniquity be, when they are thus made the Instru­ments of Idolatry? An high Affront of the Divine Majesty, much of the same nature with what we find Idolatrous Israel charged in the days of Ezekiel, Chap. xliii. 7, 8. Son of Man, the Place of my Throne, and even my Holy Name have they Defiled, with the Carcasses of their Kings in their high Places.

This great Abomination of the Romish Church has been matter of Scandal to the Christian Name and Religion, even among Infidels. A notable proof of this may be found in the 1st Vol. of the curious Letters before-mentio­ned, pag. 40. Father A. Arnedo, a Spanish Jesuit, in his Letter from Sinoa, dated July 1700, in the Account he gives of a Persecution raised upon the Christians in Cochin-china, takes particular notice of the Treatment the King of that Country gave their Relicks (of which some were entire Bones:) The King taking these into his hands and shewing them to those of his Country. ‘Behold [Page 34] (says he) how far these Christians carry their Impiety, so as to disturb the Bones of the Dead in their Graves, than which what can be more horrible? Nor is this all, adds he, for having reduced them to Powder, they afterwards mingle them with Potions, or else make a Paste of them, which they give to the People, and by this means En­chant them to such a degree as to run blindly after them, and embrace their Doctrine.’

And if we survey the Merchandizing of Souls, what a Mass and Complication of Wickedness do we find in it? Let it suffice here only to take notice of the Fraud and Injustice that runs thro' the whole. Hence it is that in the Prophecy of the Apostate Church, among other Crimes found at the Door of Mystical Babylon; we read of her Thests, Rev. ix. 21. [...] in the Plural Number, to signify not only the Multitude of them, but the many and various ways the Romish Church has of defrauding and cheating the Nations. This particular Charge of the HOLY GHOST, was doubtless designed to point out not only the open Violence & Robbery of the Bishops and Popes of Rome, in the Plunders and Depredations they have made on their Neighbours, both Princes and People, of their Civil Rights and Properties; but likewise their Spiritual and Religious Thests, if I may so call 'em; such as their Sacrilege and Simony, the Infamous Sale of their Pardons and Indulgences, and in an aspecial manner this Merchan­dizing the Bodies and Souls of Men: Every Penny raised [Page 35]that way, being a notorious Violation of the Eighth Command­ment, and their Temples or Churches, where this Traffick is in a great measure carried on, thereby rendred Dens of Thieves—.

3. Thirdly, How clear and evident does this Merchan­dizing the Bodies and Souls of Men, among other Proofs, make it, that the Romish Church, with the Pope at the Head of it, is That Man of Sin, that wicked one, that was to be revealed, of whom the Apostle in his Frophecy of the great Apostacy of the Christian Church gives so large and particular an Account in his ad. Epist. to the Thes. ii. Chap. — Our Protestant Divines are generally agreed, that by the Man of Sin here spoken of, we are not to understand. as the Papists would have us believe, a single Person, but a Compages of many, or a System of Men either Existing to­gether, or Succeeding one another. Now among other Signs or Indicia of this Man of Sin or Antichrist, here set down by the Apostle, we are told, That his coming should be with all Deceivableness of Unrighteousness [...], Omni Fraude Injustitiae, as one of the Criticks has it; Fraude omnis Generis, all kind of Deceit, as another. Iniquitas sed Mystica, i.e. Pietatis nomine Palliata; so the ordinary Gloss expoundeth the Place; an Iniquity indeed, but Mystical cloaked with the name of Piety. Beza has it, Omni Seductione Injustitiae, Injustice carried on with Sub­tilty; Unrighteousness covered over with Art: or as the Apostle elsewhere expresses it, the hidden things of Dishon­esty, 2 Cor. iv. 2.

[Page 36] How exactly does the Practice of the Romish Church exposed in the Essay, answer this Prophecy of the Apostle? Por tho' this Merchandizing the Bodies & Souls of Men be notoriously wicked, the Gain of it dishonest, and the Buyers cheated & abused; yet 'tis all disguised and covered over with a pretence of Piety, Religious Worship, and the saving of Souls.

1 Corollary. Hereupon we should never speak or think. of Popery without an holy Indignation and Abhorrence If he that touched a Dead Body, by the Levitical Law became unclean Seven days; how putid and loathsome must Mystical Babylon be at this day, who for so many Ages has been defiling herself (in a much worse sense) with the dead Bodies and Bones of Men? Again, If Truth and Justice in Trade give Honour and Reputation to the Mer­chant, and on the other hand Fraud and Couzenage in Dealing render Men Vile and Odious; how detestable must Popery appear in the Eyes of all Just and Good Men, and the Apostate Church be avoided as a common Cheat?

2 Corollary. With what Disdain should the Proposal of an Union between Protestants and Papists be rejected on our Part? It is indeed very strange, That ever any Pro­testants (if they may be called so,) and some of 'em Divines too, should project such an Union, and argue for it, as a thing both Possible and Lawful. Sure, if these Laodiceans had thorowly considered the Nature of that Idolatry, which [Page 37]the Romish Church stands Convicted of, and how absolute­ly inconsistent with the Fundamental Truths of the Gospel her other damnable Doctrines and Superstitions are; they had never thus fluctuated between the two Religions, or as the sacred Phrase is, Halted between two Opinions. A Communion of Light with Darkness, or a Concord between CHRIST and Belial, may as soon be ex­pected, as a Union between Protestants and Papists, so long as they adhere to their respective Principles and Wor­ship^* Very awful and decisive are those Words of the third Angel, Rev. xiv. 9. and following Verses, If any Man Worship the Beast, and his Image, and receive his Mark in his Forehead, or in his Hand, the same shall drink of the Wine of the Wrath of GOD, and the Smoak of their Torment ascendeth up for ever and ever. Upon which Place Mr. Durham, that judicious Expositor, lays down this Assertion, ‘That a Papist living and dying according to the Complex Principles of the Doctrine and Worship that is followed in Popery, cannot be Saved, nor expect Justification before GOD.’

4. Fourthly, We hence learn, what bruitish Folly and Infatuation, even Nations may be Guilty of, if GOD leave 'em to Walk in their own Ways. It is indeed a very Amazing thing, and what the Heavens may be astonished at, [Page 38]That not only the Common People of so many Polite Nations, (as France, Spain, and Italy, with a great Part of Germany, &c.) but their Princes and Nobles, their Wise Men and Scholars, their Rich and Great Men, should for so many Ages, one after another, suffer themselves to be thus grosly Gull'd and Abused, and not see thro' the Cheat to this day: or to use the Prophets Phrase (in the like case) that they should so long feed of Ashes, and not be able to deliver their Soul, or say, Is there not a lyeing, my right, hand, Isai xliv. 20. En! quo Delusio, ROMAE. Gentes perduxit miseras! But the Apostle has accounted for this very thing, in his Prophecy and Description of Anti-christ, or the Man of Sin, 2 Thes. ii. 10, 11. Because they received not the Love of the Truth, that they might be saved, and had Pleasure in Unrighteousness; for this cause GOD shall send them strong Delusions that the should believe a Lye.

Corollary. How great and distinguishing then was the Mercy of GOD to those Nations of Europe, who were deliver'd from the damnable Delusions of Popery, at the time of the BLESSED REFORMATION. The ever­lasting Gospel indeed, according to the Vision of John the Divine, Rev. Chap. xiv. was then preached by One Angel after another^†, to every Nation and Kindred, and Tongue, and [Page 39]People, that dwelt on the Earth, (i. e. throughout all Christendom;) but, alas! they did not all obey the Gospel, and come out of Babylon: BRITAIN, Holland, a great part of Germany and Switzerland, with Geneva, Sweden, Denmark, and some other Countries were taken, while France, Spain, Italy, with the greatest part of Germany, and many other Nations were left to wallow in the Filth and Mire of Popery, and are perishing in Antichristian darkness even to this Day. Doubtless, there were many things in Providence that concurr'd with, and were subser­vient to this Discriminination or Severance which the Gos­pel then made among the Nations; but finally the Reason of it must be resolv'd into the good Pleasure and free Mercy of GOD. ‘How comes it, says a great Divine^*, That this Island, meaning Great Britain, glories in a Reformation, and Spain sits still in Darkness? Is it, be­cause we were better than they, or less engag'd in Anti­christian Delusions? by no means: No Nation in the World drank deeper of the Cup of Abominations than this; and therefore no other Account can or ought to be given of this Dispensation than what our Blessed Saviour renders, for the hiding the Mysteries of Salvation from some, and revealing them to others, Even so FATHER, for so it seemed good in thy sight, Mat. xi. 25, 26.’

[Page 40] 5. Fisthly, We may hence see something of the Glory of the Spirit of Prophecy, and the Divine Original of the Apocalypse, in revealing this Mystery of Iniquity (treated of in the Essay) so many hundred Years before ever it appeared. The Pre-vision and Revealing of future Events, more especially the Times and Changes that are to pass over the Church of GOD, and among the Nations, long before they come on, is a Prerogative, which the Omniscient GOD appropriates to Himself, in very awful terms, Isa, xli. 23. Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods. Chap. xlvi. 9, 10. I am GOD, there is none like me, declaring the End from the Beginning, and from antient Times the things that are not yet done— John's Banishment into Patmos, is generally placed in the XIVth. Year of the Emperor Domitian, which falls in with the Year of our Lord 96: And yet how plainly and expresly does that SPIRIT who searcheth all things, yea the deep things of GOD, shew unto his Servant John this Merchandizing the Souls and Bodies of Men, which as we have observ'd, was not fully com­pleated till the 15th Century: But a Thousand Years are as a Day with the LORD, and accordingly the Event exactly answer'd the Prophecy.

[Page 41] 6. Sixthly, This Merchandizing the Bodies & Souls of Men shows, Of what absolute Necessity it is for Churches and Christians, to make the WORD of GOD, the only Rule of Faith and Worship.

The early Degeneracy and after Apostacy of the Christian Church, has been all along matter of Wonder, and is not easily accounted for. The Primitive Fathers in the Writ­ings they have left us, complain of Pride, Covetousness and Ambition, especially in the Bishops and Pastors, as the great Cause of it: But by the best Judgment I can make from the nature of the thing it self, and the History of those times, no one thing proved of such fatal Consequence to the pure Faith and Worship of the Primitive Christians, as their swerving or declining from the SCRIPTURES, and not continuing stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine. Had the Churches been mindful of the Words spoken to them by the Holy Prophets, and of the Commandment of the Apostles, and touched every new Doctrine and Ritual, by the Law and the Testimony; they had not been so easily imposed on by those false Teachers (that arose quickly after the Death of the Apostles) Men that Cor­rupted the Word of GOD with their own Inventions and bold Additions: and great stress was laid on Traditions, pretended to be from the Apostles; so that at length the Church forsook the Guide of her Youth, and then no wonder her House inclined to Death, and her Paths to the dead. A multitude of Errors and Superstitions, one after another, (and among the rest, the Popish Relicks and [Page 42]Pilgrimages, with the cursed Doctrine of Purgatory treated of in the Essay) crept in and destroyed the Purity and Power of that Faith & Worship once delivered to the Saints.

These things were first introduced and managed more Covertly, by Men of Subtilty and Design, that walked in Craftiness and handled the Word of GOD deceitfully: But afterwards the Bishops of Rome carried the work on more openly, and with the utmost Impudence, assuming to themselves and their Councils, the sole Power of Judging what, or which was Scripture, and accordingly took upon them to alter and to amend the Scriptures; and deter­mined that the Scriptures were not sufficient without Tradition, and that Apostolical Traditions were of equal Authority with the Writings of the Apostles: And yet all this would not serve the turn, so long as the Fountain was kept open, and Christians could have recourse to the BIBLE, and thereby discern the vile Abuses put upon them. And therefore in order to compleat the Ruin of the Primitive Faith and Worship, the Romish Church at length took away the Key of Knowledge, and forbid the Common People the Reading of the Scriptures, upon this false Principle (among others) that Ignorance is the Mother of Devotion^†.

[Page 43] This great Iniquity of the Church of Rome, has been matter of Offence to some, even of their own Communion, Particularly the famous Father Quesnel, who in his ad­mirable Theses, published about twenty Years since, with great Earnestness, declares against forbidding Christians the Reading of the Holy Scriptures, especially the Gospel, or keeping it close and bound up in an unknown Tongue, as a most heinous Sin. His Phrase in English is, ‘That they who are Guilty of it, do in effect shut the Mouth of CHRIST against the People.’ But this with many other Orthodox and Pious Propositions were Con­demned at Rome, by the Bull Unigenitus, that makes such an Eclat in France, at this Day.

I shall now conclude the whole with this one Remark, That nothing Contributed more to the Blessed Reformation from Popery, than the Translating and Printing the Bible in the several Languages of the Nations^* and Restoring the free Use of the Scriptures to the People. And, as One of the Main Bulwarks of the Protestant Churches, is their Declaring the Scriptures to be not only a sufficient, but the only Rule of Faith and Worship; so we may humbly Hope, That while they walk according [Page 44]to this Rule, under the Care and Leading of the Great Shepherd, they will be kept from Falling, and preserved Blameless to the coming of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, to whom be Glory for ever, and ever, AMEN.