ing the terms of communion, fo as to take in all forts of diffenters, who are now fhut out of the pale, upon account of a few ceremonies, which all fides confefs to be things indifferent: that this alone will effectually answer the great ends of a scheme for comprehenfion, by opening a large noble gate, The at which all bodies may enter; whereas the chaffer-i ing with diffenters, and dodging about this or the e other ceremony, is but like opening a few wickets, co and leaving them at jar, by which no more than h one can get in at a time, and that, not without e ftooping, and fideling, and squeezing his body,

the

To all this I anfwer, that there is one darling in- x clination of mankind, which usually affects to be a la retainer to religion, though she be neither its pa- to rent, its godmother, or its friend; I mean the fpi- le rit of oppofition, that lived long before christianity, and can eafily fubfift without it. Let us, for inftance, examine wherein the oppofition of fectaries be among us confifts; we fhall find christianity to have e no fhare in it at all. Does the gospel any where prescribe a ftarched fqueezed countenance, a ftill formal gait, a fingularity of manners and habit, or r any affected modes of fpeech, different from the wi reasonable part of mankind? Yet, if christianity me did not lend its name to ftand in the gap, and to employ or divert these humours, they must of neceffity be spent in contraventions to the laws of the land, and disturbance of the publick peace. There is a portion of enthusiasm afligned to every nation, which, if it has not proper objects to work on, will burst out, and fet all in a flame. If the quiet

of

rep

be

of a state can be bought, by only flinging men a few ceremonies to devour, it is a purchase no wife man would refufe. Let the maftiffs amuse themfelves about a fheep's fkin ftuffed with hay, provided it will keep them from worrying the flock. The inftitution of convents abroad, feems, in one point, a ftrain of great wisdom; there being few irregularities in human paffions, that may not have recourse to vent themselves in fome of those orders, which are fo many retreats for the fpeculative, the melancholy, the proud, the filent, the politick, and the morofe, to spend themselves, and evaporate the noxious particles; for each of whom, we in this ifland, are forced to provide a several fect of religion, to keep them quiet; and whenever christianity shall be abolished, the legislature must find some other expedient to employ and entertain them. For what imports it how large a gate you open, if there will be always left a number, who place a pride and a merit in refusing to enter ?

Having thus confidered the most important objections against christianity, and the chief advantages proposed by the abolishing thereof; I fhall now with equal deference and fubmiffion to wifer judgements, as before, proceed to mention a few inconveniencies that may happen, if the gospel should be repealed, which perhaps the projectors may not have fufficiently confidered.

And first, I am very fenfible how much the gentlemen of wit and pleasure are apt to murmur, and be choaked at the fight of fo many daggled-tail parfons, who happen to fall in their way, and offend

their eyes; but at the fame time, these wife reformers do not confider, what an advantage and felicity it is, for great wits to be always provided with objects of fcorn and contempt, in order to exercife and improve their talents, and divert their spleen from falling on each other, or on themselves; efpecially when all this may be done, without the leaft imaginable danger to their perfons.

And to urge another argument of a parallel nature: if christianity were once abolished, how could the free-thinkers, the strong reafoners, and the men of profouhd learning, be able to find another fubject, fo calculated in all points, whereon to difplay their abilities? what wonderful productions of wit fhould we be deprived of, from thofe, whofe genius, by continual practice, has been wholly turned upon raillery and invectives against religion, and would therefore never be able to shine or distinguish themfelves, upon any other fubject? we are daily complaining of the great decline of wit among us, and would we take away the greateft, perhaps the only topick we have left? who would ever have fufpected Afgil for a wit, or Toland for a philofopher, if the inexhaustible stock of christianity had not been at hand, to provide them with materials? what other fubject through all art or nature, could have produced Tindal for a profound author, or furnished him with readers? it is the wife choice of the fubject, that alone adorns and distinguishes the writer. For, had a hundred such pens as these been employed on the fide of religion, they would have immediately funk into filence and oblivion.

Nor

Nor do I think it wholly groundless, or my fears altogether imaginary, that the abolishing christianity may perhaps bring the church into danger, or at leaft put the senate to the trouble of another fecuring vote. I defire I may not be mistaken; I am far from prefuming to affirm, or think, that the church is in danger at prefent, or as things now stand; but we know not how foon it may be fo, when the christian religion is repealed. As plaufible as this project seems, there may be a dangerous defign lurking under it. Nothing can be more notorious, than that the atheists, deifts, focinians, antitrinitarians, and other fub-divifions of free-thinkers, are perfons of little zeal for the present ecclefiaftical establishment: their declared opinion is for repealing the facramental teft; they are very indifferent with regard to ceremonies; nor do they hold the jus divinum of epifcopacy: therefore this may be intended as one politick step towards altering the conftitution of the church established, and setting up prefbytery in the ftead, which I leave to be farther confidered by those at the helm.

In the last place, I think nothing can be more plain, than that by this expedient, we shall run into the evil we chiefly pretend to avoid: and that the abolishment of the chriftian religion, will be the readieft course we can take to introduce popery. And I am the more inclined to this opinion, because we know it has been the conftant practice of the jefuits, to fend over emiffaries, with inftructions to personate themselves members of the feveral prevailing fects among us. So it is recorded, that they have at

fundry

fundry times appeared in the disguise of prefbyterians, anabaptists, independents, and quakers, according as any of these were most in credit; fo, fince the fashion has been taken up of exploding reli- t gion, the popish miffionaries have not been wanting to mix with the free-thinkers; among whom Toland, the great oracle of the anti-chriftians, is an Irish priest, the fson of an Irish priest; and the most learned and ingenious author of a book, called the rights of the christian church, was in a proper junct ture reconciled to the Romish faith, whofe true fon, as appears by a hundred paffages in his treatife, hea ftill continues. Perhaps I could add some others to the number; but the fact is beyond difpute, and the reasoning they proceed by is right: for, fuppofing christianity to be extinguished, the people will never be at ease till they find out fome other method of worship; which will as infallibly produce fuperftition, as fuperftition will end in popery.

And therefore, if notwithstanding all I have said, it still be thought neceffary to have a bill brought in for repealing chriftianity, I would humbly offer an amendment, that instead of the word christianity, may be put religion in general; which, I conceive, will much better anfwer all the good ends pro

pofed by the projectors of it. For, as long as we leave in being a God and his providence, with all the neceffary confequences, which curious and inquifitive men will be apt to draw from such premises, we do not strike at the root of the evil, though we should ever fo effectually annihilate the present scheme of the gospel: for, of what use is freedom

of