reported by some of their own Authors to the eternal Infamy of that Nation visibly punish'd ever since for such unparallel'd Cruelties that the Indians were us'd to say They desir'd not to go to Heaven if the Spaniards were to be met with there I am then much mistaken if a meer Zeal upon the account of Religion among Popish Princes particularly be not one of the Vulgar Errors especially when I consider that at the very same time Lewis the Great was persecuting the Hugonots in France he help'd the Protestants in Hungary with considerable Sums against the Emperour doing likewise his utmost Endeavours to engage the Turk in a War against him wherein he succeeded at last as an Instrument in the hand of God to the ruine in all appearance of the Turkish Empire and of his own perhaps at last when his measure is once filled up The English Protestants I confess have not murdered the poor Indians after the Example of the Spaniards as being more inclin'd to mercy by their principles than the Papists but yet to tell the truth of the matter they commit daily a Crime in the West Indies somewhat a-kin to Murder by slighting or hindering as I am inform'd the Conversion of the Negroes or their Indian Slaves least to their loss they should enjoy the Priviledges of Christian Liberty which I conceive to be a very shameful if not a sinful neglect in such as profess the Christian Religion For though no Force is to be us'd but that of Argument to bring men over to our perswasion yet since no Religion can promote true Holiness so much as ours we ought to use our endeavours to set our stragling Neighbours in that way which we think so safe and secure for our selves But yet if it happen that our Reasons how strong soever prevail not to their Conviction as appearing weak to them we are to leave them to God and their own Conscience because it shall not be said to 'em at the last day Go into Eternal Fire for doing against our Judgment but for doing against their own since that and nothing else can be imputed either to them or to us as a sin ARTICLE XLVIII 1. The Sabbath day profan'd 2. And by whom 3. Womens Design in dressing themselves upon the Sabbath day Whether we are to keep holy the Sabbath day that is Saturday which God himself seems to have pitch'd upon or the Sunday chosen by the Church I shall not debate since the common practice of the Christian World from the very Primitive Times silences me upon the matter But the thing that I shall enquire into here is why most people especially Women go to the place of Prayer the Church upon a Sunday as if they went to a Play or to a solemn meeting upon some profane or indifferent account Yea 't is observable That most of them rise early in the morning upon Sundays that they may have time enough to set themselves out to the best advantage in their richest Apparel and if Spanish Wool Spanish Papers and Washes of all sorts are made use of by them at any time 't is particularly then when they are to make their appearance in the Church or Congregation I am then of Opinion that it would look more Primitive if the Ladies came to Church adorn'd like Women professing Godliness in a comely and modest Dress for I take it to be a great profanaion of the Sabbath day though little reflected on and likewise of the very House of God the Church to make such a Figure in it as may either occasion an inward Consent to sin in the weak beholders or withdraw the attention they ought to give to the Preacher This practice of wearing costly Apparel on the Sabbath day though contrary to the Primitive Times is still continued upon the account of a prevailing Interest which is in short this That as not a few shew themselves in all their Glory in the Church upon a secret Design of ensnaring some of their Admirers for their own private ends so others do it upon a more honest account That spreading their Nets after such an inviting way they may catch at last good and rich Husbands ARTICLE XLIX 1. The Cheats of Vulgar Chymists 2. The Three best Catholick Remedies 3. Method of little use against Chronical Distempers I always look'd upon Chymistry as a most necessary and useful Study though I have but very little Veneration for the common Chymists and such among them as have neither the Skill nor the Honesty of the deservedly Famous Robert Boyle of whose Chymical Preparations I can say upon my own Experience That they are the best that ever I tried in any other part of Europe But the Fault I find with the generality of the lower Tribe of Chymists is this That they all pretend to Panacea's to Catholick or Universal Remedies as Potable Gold Miraculous Liquors Powders and Elixirs of all kinds and Names in order to get great Rates for what cost them but little or nothing their Pains excepted For when the pretended Secret is discover'd 't is sometimes found not to be so much as Distill'd Calcin'd or Chymically prepar'd As it happen'd to Talbot's Famous Febrifuge thought at first in France some Extraordinary and Excellent Chymical Preparation Whereas it was known at last by what the French King 's first Physician publish'd of it in a French Treatise to be nothing else but the Jesuits Powder sometimes taken in Substance sometimes in a Tincture with several harmless Additions to hide it the better from the Eyes of the Curious yet if all the Chymical Remedies and pretended Panacea's were as powerful against most Distempers as the Peruvian Bark if skilfully handled is against Agues and intermitting Fevers I should neither think the Praises commonly given them for Interest 's sake by designing men too great nor their Price whatever it were unreasonable But daily Experience teacheth us That generally the common pretended Panacea's are either meer harmless things whether simple or compounded or at the best but ordinary Remedies under the disguise of a Vehicle of a peculiar Preparation or Mixture Though I grant indeed That there are some Excellent and scarce ever failing Remedies against some particular Distempers such I reckon to be the Powder made of the Peruvian Bark against Agues Opium for allaying of Pain the Solution of Seed-Pearl by a Menstruum neither Vrinous Acid nor Alcolisate against Consumptions and inward Decays against Heats Morphew Wrinkles of the Face c. if outwardly applied Yet I do affirm That because of the almost infinite Variety both of Mens Tempers and Distempers we must confess and upon daily Experience too That there is no Panacea or Universal Remedy of all the Infirmities incident to Humane Bodies yet stumbled upon and that whoever pretends to such a rare piece of Knowledge designs in all likelihood to put a Cheat upon Mankind for Interest 's sake I should nevertheless be misunderstood if I were thought not to put a greater value in some Cases upon a good Remedy than upon the most rational Method without such a help For though Method in acute Distempers be absolutely necessary nevertheless against confirm'd and Chronical Infirmities 't is of little or no use without a good Tool So that all the Aphorisms either of Hypocrate or others will avail but little to the ablest Physician call'd to cure an old and inveterate Disease without the Knowledge of a good Specifick or of a Medicine known by Experience to be prevalent in such Cases if skilfully prepar'd and judiciously prescrib'd FINIS My Lord Stares his new principles * A Discourse of Wit Mat. 23. 13.
61 ARTICLE XXII 1. The chief Reason why Protestants turn Papists 2. The strongest Popish Arguments from Interest 3. The Conversion of Learned Roman Catholicks to Protestancy undoubtedly sincere and why p. 65 ARTICLE XXIII 1. The mean and irregular Conduct of some Persons of Quality 2. The Design of their Intimacy with some Men. 3. The Ingratitude of Tradesmen p. 69 ARTICLE XXIV 1. The Jealousie of Men of the same Employment instanc'd in Courtiers 2. The unhappy condition of Kings 3. Interest prevailing every where p. 73 ARTICLE XXV 1. The true Cause of the Popish Fury against Protestants 2. A short account of the Popish Hierarchy 3. Why the Council of Trent oppos'd a thorough Reformation p. 77 ARTICLE XXVI 1. That few act upon the account of meer Honour 2. The Fate of ingenious Men. 3. The Rich seemingly admired p. 84 ARTICLE XXVII 1. Why Men change often their Opinions 2. Some of the Dragoon'd Papists real Converts why and how 3. What had been the Event of the late King 's successful Attempts p. 88 ARTICLE XXVIII 1. The Necessity and Conditions of a Married Life 2. It s Compleat Happiness 3. The French Marquess his Interested Marriage p. 93 ARTICLE XXIX 1. The Being of God known by its self as a Self-evident Principle 2. Several Demonstrations of the Existence of God 3. Why some Men endeavour to deny this important Truth p. 95 ARTICLE XXX 1. The Justice of God asserted 2. What the Desire of Eternal Happiness implies 3. Why some Men deny a future World's Existence p. 103 ARTICLE XXXI 1. Pretences of such as admit of no Free Will 2. The Consistency of God's Foreknowledge of and Soveraignty over Mens Actions with the Freedom of Humane Will 3. Why so many follow the Predestinarian Principle p. 106 ARTICLE XXXII 1. The Impression of the foregoing Arguments upon Mens Vnderstandings 2. The Liberty of Adam and of his Posterity 3. The Benefit of the pretended want of Free Will p. 112 ARTICLE XXXIII 1. The Return of New Converts to Rome again 2. And why 3. The Power of Interest p. 116 ARTICLE XXXIV 1. That most Men act contrary to their profess'd Principles 2. The best Popish Argument 3. If it be lawful to use Violence in order to force Men to consider of our Reasons in matters of Religion p. 119 ARTICLE XXXV 1. The Jesuits zealous Defenders of the See of Rome 2. And of such Princes as can best protect them 3. The Remissness of their Morals whence p. 124 ARTICLE XXXVI 1. The Jesuits Politicks 2. Their Specious Pretences to Godliness 3. The Qualifications required in such as they admit into their Order p. 130 ARTICLE XXXVII 1. The Aim of the Romish Zealots 2. The pretended Zeal of Popish Princes 3. The French King 's real Design in Dragooning his Subjects p. 135 ARTICLE XXXVIII 1. Why the Papists keep the People in Ignorance 2. The Silence of the Scripture about the Fundamental Principles of Popery 3. Why the Church of Rome allows not of the Common Vse of Scripture p. 141 ARTICLE XXXIX 1. Men generally more concern'd for their own Reputation than for the Honour of God 2. A Young Lady severely used by her own Mother and upon what account 3. The late Prince of Conde's Reflection against the French Bishops p. 146 ARTICLE XL. 1. Interest the frequent Cause of Ingratitude 2. King Charles the Second's Behaviour towards his best Friends 3. Lewis the XIV highly oblig'd by the French Hugenots p. 150 ARTICLE XLI 1. That Riches change Mens Tempers 2. And why 3. What the Papists us'd to say of the New Converts in the late Reign p. 155 ARTICLE XLII 1. No true Image of God and why 2. God Visible in the Works of the Creation 3. Why so seldom minded by Mankind p. 160 ARTICLE XLIII 1. The chief Remedy against Burning 2. The Vows of perpetual Chastity sinful 3. Why impos'd by the Church of Rome p. 165 ARTICLE XLIV 1. Grains of Allowance for lewd Women in Rome and upon what account 2. The Courtisans banish'd Rome and called home again 3. A considerable Abuse suffered in Amsterdam and why p. 169 ARTICLE XLV 1. The Abuse of Godliness 2. Good Advice against the treacherous Designs of the deceitful 3. The Seven Woes of the Gospel pronounc'd against Hypocrites p. 174 ARTICLE XLVI 1. Lewd Women 2. Quack-Physicians 3. Judiciary Astrologers p. 179 ARTICLE XLVII 1. Crimes occasion'd by Covetousness 2. Spanish Cruelty 3. English Negligence p. 182 ARTICLE XLVIII 1. The Sabbath day profan'd 2. And by whom 3. Womens Design in dressing themselves upon the Sabbath day p. 185 ARTICLE XLIX 1. The Cheats of Vulgar Chymists 2. The Three best Catholick Remedies 3. Method of little use against Chronical Distempers p. 188 A MORAL DISCOURSE OF THE POWER OF INTEREST ARTICLE I. 1. That there is something in the Political World answerable to what we call Primum Mobile in the Heavens 2. That every thing actually mov'd owes its motion to some forreign impression 3. Several obvious demonstrations of this Truth I Know not if what Astronomers say be a real Truth or a meer groundless supposition That a Superiour Heaven they call Primum Mobile turneth round the world with it self by its rapid motion all th' other inferiour Orbs but sure I am there is some such thing as a Primum Mobile here below that over-ruleth the very Microcosm it self that untoward and unweildy Animal call'd Man This I fancy you will easily agree to if you do but allow with the generality of Philosophers nothing to be put in motion but by some other thing of a distinct nature from it self for though this receiv'd principle be ingeniously contradicted by a late Author I am still inclin'd to believe it no untruth by an infinite number of obvious and unanswerable instances clearing all our doubts about this old Maxim quicquid movetur ab alio movetur that every thing actually moved owes its motion to some forreign impression Thus when a Stone falls downwards I conceive it to be press'd towards the Earth by the weight of the Atmosphere or as others will tell you more obscurely by the magnetical attraction of the Center of the Universe When the same heavy body is toss'd upwards it is natural to us to think with the Aristotelians of an impress'd Quality or of a certain Impulse help'd forward by the liquid ambient till the greater pressure of the incumbent air return it home again to the Earth from whence it came and if this be apparently true in a rectiline motion we need not scruple to judge after the same manner of a circular one or of a body turning round some Center or other for I am not as yet thoroughly reconcil'd to the Opinion of those who will have the Sun Moon and other Planets to turn round the world without the help of an Aristotelian Intelligence But we need not climb so high to make new discoveries of so probable a Truth Does a Ship sail without a
part of man's Soul if I may so speak commonly called Conscience is incorruptible and not easily blinded either whatever may be our endeavours to stifle its remorse ARTICLE XIII 1. Why the Begging Popish Orders preach so often for Alms-giving 2. And why some others handle so seldom this Subject 3. Why few write after they are got into preferment But what is an inducement to sin and sometimes to the greatest of Crimes is often the occasion and chief cause of good and laudable actions This I say because I have observed in Popish Countries that the Preachers generally especially of the Begging Orders employ all the force of Art and Eloquence to shew the great Merit as they speak of Alms-giving My design is not to blame them for serving thus the poor but only by the way to give an account of this odd Phenomene viz. Why they insist more frequently upon this Subject than the Holland Preachers and those of some other Countries since 't is confess'd on all hands that what is given to the poor for God's sake if it be not meritorious as I believe it is not in the rigour is at least a very ready means to procure from our heavenly Father a full remission of our sins It is easie to find out the Reason of this different behaviour of the Begging Popish Tribe from other Preachers that either are richer or depend not so much upon the publick Benevolence because the first know they are to be the best sharers themselves in the Alms they exhort the people so earnestly to and if the latter are not generally so zealous upon this Subject 't is for ought I know upon this account that their Example might reasonably be expected by the people which perhaps many of 'em are not willing to give least they should have less to spend in Superfluities I must observe to you in this place a thing somewhat related to the Premises that though some teach preach and write with all imaginable zeal in defence of the Religion they profess yet if we may judge of their designs by their delicious and idle life after they have got into the long wish'd for preferment we have reason to doubt if this was not the chief thing they aim'd at ARTICLE XIV 1. The Popish Principles coin'd in the Mint of Interest 2. Purgatory how advantageous to Rome 3. A short account of the Virgin Mary of Loretto But to pursue my design somewhat more particularly I shall mind you of another self-evident Truth That the new Doctrines of the Church of Rome have been all coin'd in the Mint of Interest For 1. The Papists considering that the Belief of a Purgatory contributed more than any thing else to the increase of the Revenue of their Church agreed together in the Conventicle of Trent to make it an Article of Divine Faith That the Roman Catholicks might be oblig'd for ever to pay into the Church the Daily and Yearly Rent it produceth and that the simple Bigots might be the more encourag'd to redeem themselves out of its flames with ready Money their Doctors do generally teach That they are every whit as violent and scorching as the fire of Hell it self with the difference only in their duration which they allow to be longer or shorter according to the greater or smaller Sum given to shorten the Soul's stay in Purgatory I should wonder then if Roman Catholicks being once perswaded that there is such a place as this is and that they may suffer there the horriblest torments imaginable several hundreds of years together if they leave not to the Church a part of what they have to redeem their Souls out of such a Prison as this is supposed to be I should wonder I say if they payed not liberally in this life to ease themselves of the torments of the other which they think the very Venial as they speak and slightest sins expose them to Upon this account I was not at all amaz'd during my long Residence in and Travels through Popish Countries to see such vast Sums of Money payed daily and yearly into the Church-Exchequer and far less to hear the Priests preach to the people with so much true or counterfeited zeal the danger they were in to suffer in Purgatory a fire to which all our fiercest fires being compared are but painted ones and flames in representation only and that perhaps till the day of Judgment unless they prudently took care before their departure out of this world to lay down to them their Ransom 2. The Romish Invocation of Saints is such another piece of interested Contrivance When a Saint is once Canoniz'd if the Priests can but impose upon the credulous multitude a Miracle done by or at his Image they have done their business effectually the Convent is on a sudden enrich'd by the daily concourse of silly people with Presents for Masses to be said in the Honour of the Saint to their intentions Pilgrims flock thither in crowds but never with empty hands lest the Priests should not make them welcome 'T is well known what infinite Riches the Chappel of the Virgin Mary of Loretto has already brought and is as yet like to bring to the Church of Rome by the gross Contrivance of a strange Fable about its Transportation to the place where 't is now suppos'd to be The Story in short according to the very Romish Authors runs thus It was first built in Nazareth carried from thence into Dalmatia by an Angel where because it stood upon a piece of litigious ground Two Brothers if I misremember not disputing whose it should be it was removed into a Wood in Italy but the peoples Devotion being disturb'd there by the Banditi it was at last transported to the place where it is now to remain till some other inconveniency happening occasion its Fourth removal ARTICLE XV. 1. The abuse of Popish Indulgences 2. The Advantage accrewing to Priests from their pretended Power over Christ's Natural Body 3. The Canonization of Saints a meer Contrivance to enrich Rome Indulgences in their first institution were nothing else but a remission of Canonical Pains that is of Pains inflicted by the Canons of the Church which no doubt had power likewise to remit them but Covetousness soon stretch'd them farther and to other ends and chiefly to the gathering of Moneys for the use of the Pope and his Cardinals who made the ignorant Mobile believe that by fasting praying in some set form and particularly by paying certain Sums appointed according to every mans ability they should not only ease the Souls of the departed of their torments but likewise deliver them out of Purgatory This abuse ingenuously acknowledg'd by some Popish Authors gave occasion to a thorow Reformation first in Germany and afterwards in most parts of Europe But nothing stirr'd up more the deluded Christian Princes to enrich the Popish Clergy than their being wrought into the belief of the Priests pretended Power over Christs Natural Body
a Self-evident Principle For if God is a necessary Being as we all conceive him to be then this very Idea implies his actual Existency or if a Being infinitely perfect be possible as all Christians say 't is then to be sure it really exists because actual Existency must of necessity be reckon'd one yea and the very Foundation of all his other Perfections This unanswerable Demonstration to a Christian Reader may be propounded thus in a few words A Being infinitely perfect implies no Contradiction therefore it actually exists the first Proposition is agreed to on all hands among Christians and cannot be denied by Atheists themselves upon any probable Grounds the Inference was proved a little before but because in answer to the first Demonstration the Atheists allow no being to be necessary I must close in with them and endeavour their Conviction by an unanswerable Demonstration though I confess it neither to be a Priori as the School-men speak or from the Cause because there can be none such God being the First Cause of all things nor a Posteriori in the Rigour or from any Production of God yet from an undeniable Falshood which must needs ensue upon our allowing with the Atheists this Principle That all things without exception are contingent and it is in short this That all possible things might become impossible if all things were contingent which no man of common Sence will grant For let us suppose what is really possible if all things are contingent that nothing actually is since a contingent Being is that which may be or not be Now in this case all possible things that is all contingent things are impossible because that is impossible which has no Cause to bring it out of the bosome of nothing But there is no Cause to bring contingent things out of the bosome of nothing if they once are not in being therefore they are then absolutely impossible That there is no Cause to bring contingent things out of the bosome of nothing if they once are not in being 't is clear from the supposition of nothing actually existing For first grant to the Atheist all things to be contingent And secondly allow this supposition not impossible if all things are contingent that nothing is actually in being Then to be sure there can be no cause to bring any thing out of the bosome of nothing that is to produce any thing because nothing can act unless it have an actual foundation both in Essence and Existency which is not here allowed of because we suppose nothing to exist for since the Atheist grants all things to be contingent he must of necessity confess that they may not be and in this case as I have sufficiently prov'd they are all impossible From the Premises 't is clear That unless we admit of a necessary Being that is the Cause of all things we must confess against the clearest evidence of Reason That all things possible may become impossible if all things are contingent Quod erat demonstrandum But because this Metaphysical way of reasoning is not fitted to a vulgar Capacity I shall endeavour to prove the Being of God by such an easie and obvious Argument that I am concluded by it my self to believe that there can be no such thing as a down-right Atheist in the grossest sence of this word because all Mankind being Eye-witness of the regular Natural Motions whither in the Heavens or in this Globe we dwell upon the very dullest sort cannot but know that a constant Uniformity in Motion must of necessity proceed from the over-ruling Direction of an Understanding Being since no fortuitous Motion can either be durable or regular For if the Stars for Instance mov'd in their respective Orbs by meer chance and not by certain Laws prescrib'd to 'em by the Author of Nature God himself could any man be so unreasonable as to think that their rising and their going down their monthly and yearly motions and all their other Phenomena's or appearances could prove so constantly regular as we observe them to be Would not those vast Celestial Bodies tumbling up and down those huge Orbs without the concurrence of an Understanding Being to direct them fall often foul one upon another and represent to us every Day New Objects to look at by their daily fortuitous Combinations Certainly if nothing but chance govern this World we must believe that to be most false which we know by daily Experience to be most true that a Clock or a Watch is made by the fortuitous concourse of the Spring Chain Wheels c. into that situation which is necessary to shew the Hours of the Day That Stone Timber and other Materials tumbling luckily but fortuitously together rais'd all the Cities and Stately Palaces of great Princes without any Architect or Overseer of the Work that the Body of Man so admirable for the Excellency of its Structure is not the product of Art but a meer fortuitous Coalition of Atomes But though this visible World prove to us the Being of God by as many convincing Arguments as there are Creatures in the Universe yet so irresistible is the Impression of Interest over some mens minds that if it were possible they would extinguish the in-bred Light that points out to them a Deity with the same Beams it setteth before their Eyes the Visible Works of its Almighty Power since some endeavour to impose upon themselves the belief of a fortuitous Coalition of the Atomes into such a Frame as we now observe in the World without taking notice of a Soveraign Being as the true Cause of this so orderly and so wonderful a Structure to that degree of Blindness and Impiety as to say in their Hearts There is no God Dixit impius in Corde suo non est Deus But to make use of the Scripture-phrase 't is impossible they should say so in their Understanding in intellectu because whatever they seem to say to the contrary they cannot but judge by the obvious Regularity of the Natural Motions and yearly Productions that there is a God and how merciful soever a severe punisher of Sin though they wish perhaps there were no such Being that they may never be called to an account for their daily Sins and heinous Misdemeanours for cheating other men of their Goods and Estates without the least Scruple their chief and only Design in endeavouring thus to blind themselves being no other but to heap up by unlawful means whatever may contribute to their Satisfaction in this World without any Check if it were possible of their Conscience ARTICLE XXX 1. The Justice of God asserted 2. What the Desire of Eternal Happiness implies 3. Why some Men deny a future World's Existence That a future World's Existence is denied by some who are thoroughly convinc'd of the Being of a God 't is too evident but not to every Vulgar Understanding upon what Grounds though one would think they could give no rational account why