5% put together by Humour and Caprice. For is it not a contradiction in Practice to fcruple at Defiring the Prayers of Saints and Angels, when at the fame Time you make no Scruple to keep holy Days in Honour of them? Neither you nor we make any Difficulty to defire the Prayers of our Fellow-mortals upon Earth, who are yet fubject to many Failings; Yer no Church in the World was ever fo extravagant as to inftitute holy Days in Honour of mortal Men. Which is a convincing Proof, that inftituting holy Days in Honour of Creatures is a religious Honour or Worship of a far higher Degree than Dearing their Prayers; which is all that is meant by Praying to Saints. And therefore if there be no Superftition, or Breach of a Commandement in the one, there can be none in the other.

G. But, My Lord, what do you fay to the Text, I have quoted from the Acts to prove that the Hea thens worshipped the true God?

AL. I anfwer, it will clear itself, if it be but fet in it's own true Light: it is thus. As I passed (fays St Paul) and beheld your Devotions, I found an Altar with this Infcription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore you ignorantly worship (that is, without knowing him) him I declare unto you. Then he proceeds to explain to them the Nature and Attributes of God, and tells them amongst other Things, that he dwells not in Temples made with hands, nor is like unto Gold, or Silver, or Stone graven by Art, or Man's Device. Whence I infer that the Athenians were wholly ignorant of the fpiritual and infinitly perfect Nature of God; fince St Paul was forced to inftruct them in the very firft Rudiments, we ufually teach Children. I infer again that they worshipped meerly at Random fomething they knew not what: and therefore dedicated their Altar to the unknown God. In all

Probability they had heard the God of the Jews or Chriftians fpoken of; and as they were fond of any new Deity (provided their old ones were not preju. diced by it) they immediately erected an Altar to him. And is not this an admirable Text to fupport your Parallel! Now let us hear what you have farther to fay.

» G. My Lord, the Heathen Worship of their » leffer Gods is what is forbidden in the first Commandement, which refpects the Object of Wor»ship, that no religious Worship is to be given to any »but to the fupreme God alone. The fecond Com » mandement relates to the Manner of Worship, that is, by Images. But this your Church has hid»den from the People, and divided the 10th into "two to keep up the Number, that the People might think they ftill have the ten Commandements. And » it is thus in your very Catechifm ad parochos, But »of of this hereafter. pag. 120.

Z.

Sa

§. 10.

Of Dividing the Commandements.

R, I must take your Words in Pieces to separate Truth from Falfehood. It is true that the firft Commandement refpects the Object of Worship, and forbids the Heathen Worship of their leffer Gods, nay of their great God Jupiter alfo. 'Tis like, wife true, that it forbids religious Worship to be given to any but the fupreme God alone if by religious Worship, you mean fupreme divine Adoration, or Offering Sacrifice. But if you mean, an inferiour relative Honour, it is false what you say ; and you must grant to be fo, unless you will own the Church of England guilty of a Breach of the first Commandement, when

it

ever she keeps holy Days for Saints and Angels, which I am fure is a religious Honour, or i orship; call it by what Name you please.

But when

you tell me, that the firft Commande ment forbids religious Worship to be given to any but the fupreme God alone, I should be glad to know, whom you mean by the fupreme God. Do you mean the fupreme God of the Heathens, or the God of Chrif tians? For 'tis certain the Heathens had a God, whom they regarded as fupreme.

G. My Lord, I have already told you, that Heathens worshipped one fupreme and true God, and brought good Proofs for it, and I will prove it more fully hereafter. What need then of your Question, fince there can be but one fupreme true God.

L. Well then, Sr, I infer that Jupiter, who certainly was the Supreme God both of the Greeks and Romans, was according to you the very fame true God, whom Chriftians now adore; and fince you now tell me, that the Worship of the leffer Heathen Gods is the Thing precisely forbid in the firft Commande ment, I conclude that according to your Doctrine it is no Breach of that Commandement to Worship Jupiter. What Pity is it that have not printed you a true Proteftant Explanation of the ten Commande

ments!

But you tell me our Church has hid the fecond Commandement from the People, and divided the tenth into two to keep up the Number, and that it is thus divided in our Catechism ad Parachos. Sr, it is thus divided not only in that Catechifm, but in St Austin himself Quest. 71. in Exod, who maintains exprefly, that what you call the fecond Commandement is but a Part, or fuller Explanation of the first: and he divides the Commandements as we do. Yet I never heard Saint Auftın tax'd with hiding the Commande,

$.tē. ments from the People, or Defigning to put a Trick upon them by Making them think they had the ten Commandemens when they had but Nine. I muft therefore fuppofe the learned Fathers, who were contemporary with St Austin, or lived in the following Ages, either wanted your Wit to detect, or your Zeal to reprove fo notorious a Cheat. But finte you intend to fpeak of this hereafter, I shall wait for your Leifare to give a full Anfwer to it. In the Mean Time I defire you to remember, that the Deadly Sin of Calumny is forbid by one of the ten Commandements, and you may take my Word for it, that I will prove you guilty of this Deadly Sin, whenever you attempt to make good this Charge, viz. that we hide any of the Commandements from the People. However all Endeavours are used by the Minifters of your Church to poffefs the People with this Notion of us: and it were happy for you and many more that this Commandement, thou shall't not bear false Witneß against thy Neighbour, had never appear'd in the Tables of the Decalogue.

I shall here only ask one Question. Viz. Why your Dividing the first Commandement into two, may hot with equal Juftice be faid to have been done to keep up the Number, that the People might think they still have the ten Commandements, as our Dividing the Tenth? For the Scripture has not determined the Matter. It only tells us, that there are ten Commandements; but how many belong to the firft Table, and how many to the fecond, or whether the first or the Tenth is to be divided into two, is no where specified.

What you fay, viz. that the fecond Commandement (as you call it) relates only to the Manner of Worship by Images, is false. On the Contrary it forbids the Worship of God to be given to Images. And this is the natural Import of thefe Words, show

shall's

57 shall's not adore nor Worship them. Exod. 20. V. s. which regards the Object of Worship as well as these Words, thou shall't not have ftrange Gods before me; And furely differs very much from the falle interpretation you put upon them, viz. that they forbid the Worship of God by Images. For how can that be true, fince God himfelf commanded the Ark, and the Cherub ns to be made with Refpect to his Worship? Or did God command and forbid the felflame Thing? But it is fomewhat remarkable, that you should content yourself with barely Afferting a Thing of that Moment, and without fo much as Offering at the leaft Proof of it. The only Reafon I can give for it is, that Saying is much easier than Proving.

G.

ADVERTISEMENT.

The Gentleman's following Words appear to have no Manner of Connection with what he faid laft. But fince they immediately follow one another in his Cafe ftated, the Reader must take them as they are,

§. 11.

The Parallel continued.

He Heathens had their good and evil De- « Tmons, as their good and evil Geni. But ac- « cording to St Austin's Rule, they must be evil De- « mons who accepted the Worship of Men, which « were all the Heathen Demons --

L. Sr, I must make bold to refresh your Memory; for you have already forgot your Falfification of thofe Words of St Austin, to which you refer me. So go on.

G. Therefore the Word Damon is taken in the
II. Part.

H