The history of religion written by a person of quality.

THE PREFACE.

SINCE Prefaces are so much in fashion, I pre∣sume it will not be judged improper that I set one before this History of Religion; to clear the Design of it, and prevent Misapprehensions.

Though the Title be the History of Religion, yet there is nothing contained in it of a Polemical or Controver∣sial Nature; no Dispute, or

Arguments upon any Contro∣versy; the World has been stuffed with too many (useless) Wranglings of that kind al∣ready.

The Subject of the follow∣ing Discourse, arises from Mat∣ter of Fact; How Religion has (from the beginning) been managed by Priest-craft of the Heathens, to mislead the Vulgar and Prophane (as they are pleased to term them) into a Blind Implicit Obedi∣ence, to their Inspired and Di∣vine Authority; Teaching the Belief of many Gods, or Divine Powers, and Appoint∣ing so many various Ways of Superstitious Devotions: such as the Worshipping of Idols,

of Pillars and Columns con∣secrated by them, Adoration of Sepulchres and Dead Men; all Artificially calculated and con∣trived so, as they found would most easily make Impression up∣on the Minds of Men. So al∣so the Notions they taught con∣cerning the other World, were made sutable to what is seen and familiar to us in this, that they might be more easy for Mens Digestion. By these Means the Priests made them∣selves, and their daily increa∣sing Numbers, be thought ab∣solutely useful to others. But yet to confirm, and preserve themselves in the Authority and Dominion they had gotten, they invented two great Assistances, Mystery and Persecution: by

Mystery, to prevent the Use of Understanding; and by Per∣secution, to punish any that should attempt to break out of the Brutal Pound, and use their Reason.

* 1.1Montaigne says, That Per∣secution is a Trial full of Uncertainty and Danger; for what would not a Man say, what would not a Man do, to avoid intole∣rable Torments? Etiam In∣nocentes cogit mentiri Dolor. Many Nations, less barba∣rous than the Greeks or Ro∣mans that called them so, esteemed it cruel and hor∣rible, to torment and pull Men in pieces for doubtful and questionable Faults. He

says further, That Julian, cal∣led the Apostate, had expe∣rimented by the Cruelty of some Christians, that there is no Beast in the World so much to be feared by Man, as Man.

All these Practices of the Heathens I have endeavour'd, and I believe very plainly, to make appear, that they are re∣tained and followed to this day, in what is called the Church of Rome. Where desembling Priest-craft, under pretence of humbling and guiding the Un∣derstandings of the Vulgar and Unlearned, hath usurp'd a Pow∣er over both Faith and Con∣science: they have made it a terrible Thing for Men to trust

themselves, or their own Rea∣son, in any thing relating to Religion; 'tis with them, an e∣qual Crime for the Prophane Vulgar (as the Heathens also called them) not to submit their Understandings to God, and their Priests. Not considering, that no Dictates of any Superi∣ours, or Learned Men, can en∣gage a Man's Faith, without he has reason to believe, that God had taught what they prescribe; but, then not to believe, is not opposing the Humane, but the Divine Authority. So that in truth, the Business of submit∣ting our Understandings to Hu∣mane Authority, is but a Chi∣merical Notion, and comes to nothing.

But being aware of this Reason, which is so obvious and plain, they clamour, like Demetrius and the Silver∣smiths, Great is the Church: which, if fairly examined, not any thing appears more unin∣telligible or ridiculous. I con∣fess, some of our own Learned Men (with too much Imita∣tion of the Roman Clamour) when they write with Pre∣sumption enough on some dark and difficult Points, insert a Submission to the Judgment and Correction of their Holy Mother the Church; when they themselves neither pretend to tell us, nor indeed know, when, or from whence this Infallible Judgment should come.

And until it does, they as∣sume to themselves the dicta∣ting and prescribing Power; and submit themselves to no∣things less than that Great Nothing. For if any should pretend to shew it, or expect it, from Tradition, or Fathers, or Councils, or the Popes; there is no one almost so meanly Learned, as not to know, how fallible and contra∣dictory to one another, all these have been.

The Church of Christ is, no question, in Believers: the Houshold of Nymphas was called a Church, and many o∣ther Places and Families where Believers were. Much more must the Church of Christ con∣sist

of Believers in gene∣ral: in which diffusive Ca∣pacity, she cannot judg of par∣ticular Questions and Contro∣versies, because of the Divi∣sion into Sects and Parties. The Divisions among us into contrary Parties and Opinions, make it necessary, to judg of what we may call the Church, by the Doctrine; not of the Doctrine, by the (pretended) Church.

To supply all possible De∣fects, they chiefly follow the Method and Pretence of My∣stery; as the surest Way to keep up their Authority: they frame most of their Articles upon dark Places; affecting to make Religion become an

Art, and themselves the sole Masters of it. Plutarch tells us, that Alexander the Great wrote a Letter to A∣ristotle, complaining of him, that he had set forth his Books of Select Knowledg, to instruct others as well as himself: but Aristotle an∣swer'd, that those Treatises, which were his Metaphy∣sicks, were indeed published, but so written as not to be exposed to common Capacities: so that in effect, Alexander was indeed the only Person to whom he had yet commu∣nicated them. I suppose he had the like reason, to write out of the reach of common Capacity, that the Learned now a days have for their obscure

Writings, and dark Gibberish; even to keep the (Profane) Vulgar from daring to use their own Understandings, a∣bout Matters which they see to be so perplex'd and Intri∣cate; unless they will enter into their Society, and so be∣come free of the Trade.

In my Opinion, it ought to beget Admiration, to see with what Boldness those that pre∣tend to extraordinary Share in Learning and Divinity, write upon the most hidden and never to be determined Points: with what Confidence and furious Difference some have wrote of the Trinity, asserting their O∣pinions to be plain and easy, and (almost) demonstrable;

while others, as Learned, call them ridiculous Absurdities, and Heresy. Nor has the sacred particular Providence escaped the impious Temerity of the Learned, wresting the Intention of it to their own corrupt pri∣vate Interests; making it a Sanctifier of any successful Mischief or Murder, of any Side, of contrary Parties, and to patronize Mens worst Im∣perfections. I will not inlarge into a Dispute, but (if pos∣sible) make them blush; with a Character of Divine Provi∣dence, given them by a Hea∣then Writer. The excellent Plutarch, in his Life of Pom∣pey, by occasion of some Dis∣course of that Nature, says, Providence is a Point of Di∣vinity

belonging only to God, and ought to be let alone to act after its own Method.

Nothing has given a great∣er Blemish to the Christian Re∣ligion, than the Controversial Writings of the Learned; those Disputes have ingaged Nations in more Blood and War, than the Ignorant or the Wicked could ever have occasioned or caused, either by their Mistakes or their Improbity. The tri∣vial Subjects, and the doubtful and uncertain, that have been so sharply and definitively ar∣gued and contested, shew that 'tis Private Interest and Hu∣mour that has occasion'd and maintained them; without any respect to the Service of God,

or the Christian Religion, truly and undoubtedly so called. And when they have once drove one another into extreme No∣tions in Religion, the Errors on both sides become alike. Thus the Gnosticks held, that 'twas no matter how Men lived, so they believed aright: and the Encratites, who detested this Libertinism, said on the con∣trary, that 'tis not material what Men believe, so they live well. Yet by all this, we per∣ceive that the Gospel of Christ, in despite of all these (affected and sought) Clouds and Dark∣ness, will and does triumphant∣ly extend its Light and Be∣nign Influence, to the discern∣ing and honest Part of Mankind; its Truth and Power appear the

more great and wonderful, by the Opposition of the Falseness and Weakness of Men.

I remember that Montaigne tells a Story of one,* 1.2 who went to Rome to see (as he had perswaded himself) the Sanctity of their Manners; but he found, on the contrary, a great Dis∣soluteness in the Prelates and People of that time; nothing less than Rome the Holy: but this settled him more firm∣ly in the Christian Religion; considering how great the Force and Divinity of it must be, that could maintain its Credit and Dignity amidst so much Cor∣ruption, and in so vicious hands. The Consideration of this, ought (in my Opinion) to induce those

that are Guides and Teachers, to make our Way plain and easy, to follow the clear and uncon∣tested Methods of the Gospel, to win and excite People chiefly to the Love of God, and to encourage rather than distract.

If any one will but tempe∣rately consider it, he will with Horror perceive, what Persecu∣tion and Mischiefs have been caused by the Imposing Power, assumed by too many that call themselves the Followers of Christ: What Wars and Expence of Christian Blood have been occa∣sioned by their passionate and violent Disputes, concerning dark and never to be decided Questi∣ons? Had their Teaching and Learning been applied only to

the right Use of the Gospel-Methods, the World had enjoyed an undisturbed and (truly) Christian Peace; not been in∣volved in unnatural Wars, and barbarous Persecutions.

In short, I must publish it to the World, that I like such Sermons as Dr. Tillotson's, now Arch-bishop of Canterbury: where all are taught a plain and certain Way to Salvation; and with all the Charms of a calm and blessed Temper, and of pure Reason, are excited to the uncontroverted indubitable Duties of Religion. Where all are plainly shown, that the Means to obtain the eternal Place of happy Rest, are those (and no other) which also give Peace in

this present Life: and where every one is encouraged and exhorted to learn, but withal to use his own Care and Reason in the working out his own Salvation. I will conclude this Preface therefore, with some Passages from that excellent Person, which relate to the a∣bove-mentioned Particulars.

He tells us, Serm. on Luke 9.55, 56. that our Savi∣our came to discountenance all Fierceness, and Rage, and Cruelty of Man; to restrain that furious and un∣peaceable Spirit, which is so troublesom to the World, and is the Cause of so ma∣ny Mischiefs and Disorders in it. He came to intro∣duce

a Religion which con∣sults, not only the Eternal Salvation of Mens Souls; but their temporal Peace and Security, their Comfort and Happiness in this World. For when Religion: once comes to supplant Moral Righteousness, and to teach Men the absurdest things in the World, to lie for Truth, and to kill for God's Sake; when it serves for no other Cause but to be a Bond of Conspiracy, to inflame the Tempers of Men to a greater Fierceness, and to set a keener Edg upon their Spirits, to make them ten times more the Children of Wrath and Cruelty, than they were by Nature: then

surely it loses its Nature, and ceases to be Religion; for let a Man say worse of Infidelity and Atheism if he can.

* 1.3Whatever therefore the In∣conveniences of Mens judg∣ing for themselves, may be; the Inconveniences are far less on that side, than a to∣tal and implicit Resignation to the Pretenders of being Infallible; no Man being a∣ble to know who they are. To try Doctrines, is to en∣quire into the Grounds and Reasons of them; which the better any Man understands, the more firmly he will be establish'd in the Truth, and be more resolute in the day of Trial, and the better a∣ble

to withstand the Assaults and Arts of cunning Adver∣saries: and on the contra∣ry, that Man will soon be removed from his Stedfast∣ness, who never examined the Reasons and Grounds of his Belief; when it comes to the Trial, he that has but little to say for his Belief, will probably neither do, nor suffer much for it.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Essays.
• * 1.2

  Essays.
• * 1.3

  Sermon on 1 Joh. 4.1.