under which the same things are denoted Morality may be defin'd to be the Practice of all those things which Natural Reason free from Passion and Prejudice approves as just and fitting to be done Monroe says that believing according to the Light of Nature is Morality but he minds not what he says venting what comes uppermost so that in this Particular it is his chance to be wrong as when he calumniates 't is his choice That which is usually call'd the Law of Nature is nothing else but Convenientia cum naturâ rationali an Agreement with Rational Nature or Natural Reason Morality is the actual Observance of that Law the Practice of all those Vertues that are agreeable to Natural Reason Natural Reason hath been ingeniously compar'd to the changeable Lustre of a Dove's Neck which appears of other Colours to me than it does to him who stands not in the same Light that I do but Natural Reason free from Passions and Prejudices is the proper Judg of every thing which can be made the Duty of a Man Christianity which is now the only true reveal'd Religion is a perfect System of all the Laws of Nature of all those Vertues which Natural Reason free from Passions and Prejudices approves and all those Laws all those Vertues by the general Consent of Men fall under the Name of Morality The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a moral Gospel his Errand into the World was to re-establish the despised Authority of moral Goodness to teach Men to set aside their vicious Prejudices and impartially consider the Reasonableness of moral Goodness In short the reveal'd Religion of Christ is the old moral Religion which careless Neglects hasty Passions and evil Examples had almost banish'd out of the World But now it will be ask'd why it 's call'd Reveal'd Religion that 's the next thing I have to show And here let it be consider'd that tho there is not a vertuous Precept in the whole Gospel which was never heard of in the World before yet Christ gave the whole a new Sanction and a more awful Authority he establish'd all the Instances of good Morality upon stronger Foundations The Mosaical Religion the Morality whereof was encumbred and darkened with a heavy Burden of numerous strange Rites and Ceremonies did exhibit only Temporal Promises and Threats to perswade the Jews to Obedience Or if there were any thing beyond this Life promis'd or threatned 't was in such obscure Expressions that 't was uncertain and not to be made out but by labour'd Reasonings and long Deductions The wiser Heathens who discours'd reasonably and liv'd well enforc'd their wise Discourses and good Examples with but faint and doubtful Probabilities of a Life to come wherein successful Wickedness should be punish'd and injur'd Vertue rewarded and when they could not demonstrate their Argument were fain to be content with this harmless Speculation that Vertue was Reward enough to it self and a good Man happy even when he was grievously tormented Our blessed Lord and Master Jesus Christ was the most consummate Doctor the most authoritative Lawgiver that the World ever knew It was He that brought Life and Immortality to light which were descri'd before by waving Flashes by sudden glances of Rays faint and weak He reviv'd languishing Morality by the Revelation of a Resurrection and a Judgment to come and God gave Testimony to the Revelation of his Son by Signs and Wonders supernatural and uncontestable The Reason of Man could not have attain'd to the certain knowledg of these things if God had not made them known by the Ministry of his Son In short the Precepts of the Christian Religion are Moral Precepts and obvious to Natural Reason but the Sanction and Enforcement of them by future Retributions that 's Divine reveal'd from Heaven and confirm'd by Miracles Having given this account of the nature of Morality and shown what that is which gives it the Name of revealed Religion I hope I may have leave to guess why the Libeller undervalues Morality and extols the Discipline as he words it of Reveal'd Religion perhaps the cause may be this Morality is a dry lean business a crafty Priest can make no Earnings of it there 's more by half to be got by Discipline Discipline Discipline manag'd by others by the Administrators of Religion by Priests O 't is a fine thing for not only may the Laity obtain Salvation by submitting to it but they may be made to be sav'd whether they will or no tho not for nothing neither What a sad thing is it that this Discipline should be relax'd now how will the Gentlemen answer it to God and their Country who have laid open the Inclosures of the Corporation I know not said an Orator of no mean Craft in my hearing which is worse that the People go astray or that they may do it This Age is as unhappy by not being kept under Discipline as the Ages before Moses for they living before reveal'd Religion and nothing being Religion but reveal'd could have no Religion at all and the present Age tho living under reveal'd Religion yet not under Discipline had even as good live under no Religion The Sum and Substance of Religion consists in Discipline for says Monroe there can be no Religion without Priests and they are the Administrators of Discipline But what shall we do in this case He that tells us there can be no Religion without Priests whereby he damns the first Ages of the World confesses there never were more Priests without Religion than now so that it must go hard with this present Age. The Author of the History of Religion had more Honesty and good-Nature more Wit and good Sense than to talk at this angry decretory censorious scandalous rate he meddles not with the numbers of wicked Priests only for the Honour of Priests that are truly religious he taxes the Frauds of the crafty and why that should be imputed to him as an unpardonable Sin the Libeller will never be able to say who owns that wicked Priests are no where more severely reprehended than in Scripture That Man must have no regard to his own Credit who finds fault with the History of Religion for the Author in celebrating the Fame of the late Arch-bishop Tillotson has sufficiently publish'd to the World that he has an high Esteem and Veneration for Priests Priests that are Men of Learning and Vertue tho they follow their late thrice excellent Metropolitan at a distance and but as Ascanius follow'd Aeneas non passibus aequis The coming in of King William was a Test upon all Orders of Men and openly discover'd who had a true Zeal for the Interest of their Country and the Preservation of their Religion and who were only jealous of a private and less honourable Interest The History of Religion in like manner is a Test upon all its Readers no Man can declare his dislike of that Book but at the same time he
by an ordinary Capacity the best Preachers have ever profess'd it Now I would fain know of Mr. Att. whether their being propos'd in difficult Terms whereof we have no clear Idea be that thing which makes them plain and easy if it be then we are more beholding to the School-men and their Followers than to the first Apostles but if difficult Terms cannot make an Article of Faith plain and easy I desire to be acquainted for what end such are made use of except to puzzle Mens Understandings To see how some Teachers can vary their Notes when they treat of the Reasonableness of the Christian Religion then all the Doctrines thereof are plain and easy to be understood but when they plead in defence of Mysteries whereof we can have no clear Idea and they that plead for them have confus'd and different Idea's then they may be difficult inexplicable and never the worse The next Particular in the Character of the Scorner is said to be a strange and unreasonable Suspicion Upon this Head Mr. Att 's Discourse is loose and undetermin'd he will allow an Inquirer to be cautious but not suspicious but how these two differ where wise Caution ends and where faulty Suspicion begins as for that he begs his Reader 's Pardon Caution and Suspicion are but different words for one and the same thing A Man may be too cautious and he may also be not suspicious enough as the elegant old Man of Ascra notes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Credulity and Diffidence have both undone Men. Between foolish Suspicion that is not to be satisfied with good Reasons and easy Credulity which is satisfied without any at all there is a certain Vertue says Casaubon upon Theophrastus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without Name prudentiae velut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which flows from Wisdom by which we believe them who deserve Belief and suspect their Honesty who believe well of no body that is not of their Opinion The third Topick whence Mr. Att. draws the Character of the Scorner is false Wit which he defines to be bold jesting upon things sacred and serious Quickness of Wit he commends coldly indeed but as well as a poor Pretender could but false Wit that which exerts it self in Satyr and Drollery that he inveighs against and says it betrays a Man into a thousand Errors for one it discovers to him and I believe it and that 's the reason himself is so often and so much in the wrong He never aim'd at any Wit but this satyrical drolling false Wit and he made the greatest show of it when he took upon him to be John Dreyden's Broker and with a sorry Roman Gloss calander'd for Colleges and Schools that infamous English Libel of Absalom and Achitophel which an old canker'd Poet stuff'd with common-place Wit and mercenary dictated Scandal Now since Mr. Att. never pretended to any other Wit but this satyrical drolling false Wit and to this still continues his Pretence if his Character of the Scorner represents any Man now living it represents himself and therefore all this while what has he been doing but drawing his own Picture and like an inverted Narcissus throwing Stones at it It cannot be denied but that the eminent deceas'd Person on whom Mr. Att. reflects p. 12. excell'd in false Wit with quickness of Thought he would ridicule Religion and plead surprizingly for Vice but then he openly and bitterly repented which is more than I ever heard that Mr. Att. has done for his vile Journey-work under a hungry rhiming Sinner As for Miracles I see nothing in the History of Religion but that Sir R. firmly believes all which are recorded in the Bible tho I am indeed apt to suspect he may imagine for I will not tell a Lie for him that the counterfeit Miracles of juggling Priests first tempted cautious and suspicious bad Men to call in question the truth of the Miracles of Jesus Christ. Just so it is the Impudence Pride and Lordly ill Nature of such Priests as Att. that makes the Worthy and Reverend Clergy of the Church of England had in no greater Veneration If Mr. Att. had censur'd old Hobbs for teaching that Right is founded in Power or that the Command of the Civil Magistrate makes the Scripture a Law to us God forbid that I should speak a word in his Vindication But the Accusation preferr'd against him p. 13. is so shamefully false that I much wonder if this notorious Slanderer can henceforth ever hope the least Credit should be given to what he affirms or denies of any Man whatsoever The Accusation is this The great Leader of the Libertines of this Age thought he had said something very prejudicial to the Divinity of Christ when he had translated after an absurd manner the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and blasphemously told us that that was as much as to say the Verb of God But the words of Hobbs in the 36 th Chapter of his Leviathan are these Our Saviour is called the Word not because he was the Promise but the Thing promised they that taking occasion from this place do commonly call him the Verb of God do but render the Text more obscure they might as well term him the Noun of God for as by Noun so also by Verb we understand but a part of Speech a Voice a Sound that neither affirms nor denies nor commands nor promises nor is any Substance Corporeal or Spiritual and therefore it cannot be said to be either God or Man whereas our Saviour is both In this place Hobbs reproves those that called Christ the Verb of God and Att. says that Hobbs speaks against the Divinity of Christ whereas Hobbs openly professes that our Saviour is both God and Man The Jesuits have not with greater Impudence belied Luther and Calvin With the same hardness of Brow and spirit of Falshood he affirms that Hobbs pretended to give a mighty Blow to the Doctrine of Grace by saying that Infusion and Inspiration signified in plain English inpouring and inblowing whereas all I meet with in Chap. 34. is that Inspiration taken properly signifies blowing into a Man inblowing is Att 's term some thin and subtile Air c. but the word is used in Scripture metaphorically only as where it is said God inspir'd into Man the Breath of Life no more is meant than that God gave unto him Vital Motion and where it is said All Scripture is given by Inspiration from God it signifies that God inclin'd the Spirit or Mind of the Writers to write that which should be useful to such and such good purposes I have taken Pains to vindicate Hobbs who has Faults enough to answer for without being unjustly charg'd from these particular unjust Charges that the Reader may understand how convenient it is to imitate the noble Beraeans and examine carefully whether all those things are true which are sometimes told them è Cathedrâ In the fourth place Mr. Att. ascribes the
describ'd in the New Testament and as far as it is there describ'd it may be understood and as far as it is understood it is no Mystery the Methods of fitting us for Heaven are also describ'd in the New Testament fully describ'd and may be perfectly understood by any Person of ordinary Capacity that honestly applies his Mind to the Consideration of the same and if he pursues the Methods there set down they will certainly convey him to Heaven for Heaven is plainly promis'd to so doing 3. Tho the Author of the History of Religion thought it a matter of Astonishment that the Humour and Affectation of Mystery should continue when Religion and Faith were by our Saviour's coming alter'd from their former Darkness yet to me the Reason is obvious and manifest Crafty Priests pretend that Heaven and the way to it is very mysterious that so honest and plain People may be mov'd to take them for their Guides Indeed a Man would be glad of a good Guide when the way that leads to the place where his Interest lies is very mysterious dark and hard to be found but how should a Priest know it better than another Man whose natural Endowments and industrious Improvements are as great as his perhaps greater so it often happens I am sure 't were a hard case that a Man of Honour and Honesty Experience and Learning should be led by the Nose by a Priest who confesses that Himself understands but little of the Doctrine which he preaches It was a just Complaint which Cario mov'd against Chremylus in Aristophanes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. in English thus it founds He has his Eyes in his Head and follows the Steps of a blind Man one that had Brains as well as Eyes would not do it I have known a Dog that could see lend his Eyes to the blind but this odd Master of mine santers with his Eyes open after a blind Stroler and because I am his Man I must have no more Wit than to bear him company 4. But if a Man valued his eternal Interest no more than to trust the Libeller with directing him the Methods of going to Heaven what Methods would that Master of Mystery direct him why he has set them down p. 28 29. I will put his Methods in method for him and give them mostly in his very words exactly according to his sense 1. The Man that would go to Heaven and take the Libeller for his Guide must have a great care that he avoid the Scandal of good Morality for which tho Sir R. H. has a high Esteem and cannot forbear his strain'd Encomiums on that late moral Preacher Arch-bishop Tillotson yet it will never carry a Man to Heaven any more than his own natural Strength can lift him up to the Skies for Morality is not Religion nothing is Religion but that which is reveal'd Morality is nothing but believing according to the Light of Nature the Adversaries of Priest-craft may suppose it to consist in living up to that Light tho they do not live up to it neither nor indeed is there any thing to be got by it 2. The Man that will be conducted to Heaven by the Libeller must be content to put himself under the Discipline of Religion reveal'd Religion for reveal'd Religion which is a Complex of the Methods of conveying him thither differs infinitely from moral Religion which is falsly so call'd because nothing is Religion but that which is reveal'd as was above noted for moral Religion to allow the Phrase a while teaches only to believe according to the Light of Nature at most but to practise according to that Light whereas reveal'd Religion puts Men under Discipline and that manag'd by others and those others are Priests and none but Priests for without Priests there can be no Religion and to cry out against Priests who have the Administration of Religion is the same thing as to decry Religion it self 3. The Candidate of Heaven must take notice according to the Libeller that a belief of those things which Religion teaches is sufficient to entitle a Man to a Sect to be an Epicurean or a Stoick but there goes more to make a good Christian than so What more good moral Practice no no 't is no matter for that But when a Man believes the Mysteries which Religion teaches the next thing he has to do is to enter himself into a Society or Corporation which is called the Church for Morality having no Promise entitles Men to no Privileges but what they have by Nature but unconceiveable Privileges and Promises are annex'd to the Society or Corporation of the Church 4. That the Candidate of Heaven may not mistake and enter into a wrong Society or Corporation which would be a damnable Mistake he must be sure to take notice that the right Corporation is govern'd by Episcopal Officers who have power to expel out and admit into their Society according to the Rules of their Charter and the Sentences which they pronounce they say Christ has given his infallible Promise to ratify in Heaven 5. That the Candidate of Heaven may not be tempted to dislike and scruple the Methods above-mention'd the Libeller assures him that if he does not submit to these Methods he sets himself out of all hopes of future Happiness and there 's an end of him The Sum and Substance of all in plain English comes to this A Man need never trouble himself about leading a good Life let him but believe as his Priest would have him and submit himself to the Discipline of the Spiritual Corporation and he need never fear going to Heaven So then more Athanasiano Whosoever will be saved before all things it is necessary that he makes use of the Methods above-said Father Poza a Jesuit is reported to assert that an ill Interpretation may be made of those words I believe in God the Father Almighty but I defy the wittiest Jesuit breathing to make out a good Interpretation nay to make out an Interpretation not scandalous of these the Libeller's Methods But after all one thing I will say for him viz. that I have reason to believe that the Methods which he commends to others he himself religiously follows I am almost asham'd to argue seriously against this ignorant and scandalous Libeller but that none may say he is only ridicul'd and misrepresented not answer'd and refuted I will reason with him on the chief Topick of all this wild Stuff of which he speaks in general Terms so extravagantly and falsly That chief Topick is his distinction between Morality and Reveal'd Religion by the means of which he takes occasion to blaspheme God and good Men and tempts the weaker sort of People to have low Thoughts of true Piety and Vertue and build their hopes of Happiness on their Assent to they know not what mysterious Propositions Now I will show that Morality and Reveal'd Religion are much the same that they are divers Names