carefully blocked up; and it is penal, fometimes capital, to gainfay and oppose what power hath decreed and established. A few ages ago, our own country was in the fame doleful condition; when nothing could be published but what fupported fuperftition and tyranny, when the Priefts had the direction of the prefs, and reftrained it to their own vile purpofes; to keep the people in ignorance and bondage. But, thanks to Heaven! our lot is fallen in happier times and the only way to preferve our liberty, is to affert it; and to oppofe all fuch principles and practices as are inconfiftent with it, or which threaten and endanger the lofs of it.

The worth of liberty is ineftimable; it comprehends all human felicity: and it is impoffible for any man to love God. or his country, who does not study to promote the principles of liberty, and to ferve its cause. Where liberty is gone, all is gone that is precious and dear to men !

For

For this reafon, it may be justly expected that all who are friends to mankind, will ever oppose priestcraft and spiritual tyranny, as these have been ever found the greatest foes to truth and the happiness of men. In the profeffors of christianity this is a most indifpenfible duty, both from a regard to men's temporal good, and from that concern which they ought to have for the honour and purity of their religion. It is certain that nothing has been a greater hindrance to the reception of this religion among men, nothing has more obftructed its progrefs in the world, than the abfurd and selfish doctrines, the fuperftitious and foolish practices, which have been blended with it and fathered upon it. To free it from thefe, would be the means of recommending it to all men and it is very probable, that when once it is feparated from all heterogeneous and foreign mixtures, its divinity will be acknowledged, and all men will readily embrace it.

When chriftianity first appeared, it was a light to the world; it comforted and made glad the heart of man: but the corruptions, inventions, and additions of after-ages, rendered it a difgrace to human reason, a burden and curse to human kind. For many centuries it was buried under fuch a mass of fuperftition, that it could not be diftinguished from the worst. fort of Paganism itself. In Christendom all was darkness, horror, and chains. Here is an everlasting reafon for oppofing all Priefts, and an unanswerable argument against all their claims of power and authority. For, from the power and pride of priests it was, that all these terrible evils arofe. Not content with being paftors and minifters according to the primitive inftitution, they fet up for Lords and Rulers: And when they were become mafters of all things, and wielded both the fpiritual and civil fword, it was death and damnation to refift them.

Does it not highly concern all chriftians, to know and confider these things? If

men

men had exercised their reason, or underftood their just rights, their christian liberty; could they poffibly have been thus blinded and enslaved? And is not this ample warning to all Proteftant States, that have in fome measure recovered their liberty, to guard against all priestly encroachments, to break every remaining yoke; and to encourage a fpirit of free enquiry in their people, as what alone can preserve and perpetuate their liberty? If neither the bitter experience of past ages, nor the dreadful condition of Popish countries at this day, can open our eyes, and teach us wifdom; we must be the blindeft, the most infenfible, the most stupid and infatuated of all people.

Of late years religious knowledge hath greatly encreased in this nation, and the nature and defign of christianity are now better understood than ever: but of what avail are all our improvements in knowledge, if we muft ftill be flaves to the laws

and cuftoms, the doctrines and practices of dark and barbarous ages? How can we blame Papifts for following Tradition, tho' contrary to the light both of reason and revelation, when we ourselves are the most proftrate worshippers of cuftom, and reverence error for antiquity's fake? Better be in ignorance, than thus hold the Truth in unrighteoufnefs, to flash in our faces and condemn us!

Whoever compares the fcriptures with the articles and canons of our national church, will fee how little we have of chriftian truth and liberty, and what remains there ftill are of popish corruption and tyranny. Can any man reconcile the right of private judgment, and the apoftolical injunction to prove all things, with the twentieth article of the church; by which the Priefts claim a power over all human understanding, and by denying us a right to think for ourselves, treat us as brute beafts?

Let