CHAP. III _Of the present state of Religion in the world_.
I doubt, indeed, there is much more devotion than religion in the world,more adoration than supplication, and more hypocrisy than sincerity; andit is very melancholy to consider, what numbers of people there arefurnished with the powers of reason and gifts of nature, and yetabandoned to the grossest ignorance and depravity. But it would beuncharitable for us to imagine (as some Papists, abounding with too muchill nature, the only scandal to religion, do) that they will certainlybe in a state of damnation after this life; for how can we think itconsistent with the mercy and goodness of an infinite Being, to damnthose creatures, when he has not furnished them with the light of thegospel? or how can such proud, conceited and cruel bigots, prescriberules to the justice and mercy of God?
We are told by some people, that the great image which KingNebuchadnezzar set up to be adored by his people held the representationof the sun in it's right hand, as the principal object of adoration. Butto wave this discourse of Heathens, how many self-contradictingprinciples are there held among Christians? and how do we doom oneanother to the devil, while all profess to worship the same Deity, andto expect the same salvation.
When I was at Portugal, there was held at that time the court of justiceof the Inquisition. All the criminals were carried in procession to thegreat church, where eight of them were habited in gowns and caps ofcanvass, whereon the torments of hell were displayed, and they werecondemned and burnt for crimes against the Catholic faith andblessed Virgin.
I am sorry to make any reflection upon Christians; but indeed, in Italythe Roman religion seems the most cruel and mercenary upon earth; and avery judicious person, who travelled through Italy from Turkey, tells,_That there is only the face and outward pomp of religion there; thatthe church protects murderers and assassins; and then delivers the civilmagistrate over to Satan for doing justice; interdicts whole kingdoms,and shuts up the churches for want of paying a few ecclesiastical dues,and so puts a stop to religion for want of their money; that the courtof Inquisition burnt two men for speaking dishonourably of the BlessedVirgin; and the missionaries of China tolerated the worshipping thedevil by their new converts: that Italy was the theatre, where religionwas the grand opera: and that the Popish clergy were no other thanstage players_.
As to religion in Poland, they deny Christ to be the Messiah, or thatthe Messiah has come in the flesh. And as to their Protestants, they arethe followers of Laelius Socinus, who denied our Saviour's divinity; andhave no concern about the divine inspiration of the Holy Ghost.
In Muscovy their churches are built of wood, and, indeed, they have butwooden priests, though of the Greek church; they pray as much to St.Nicholas, as the Papists do to the Virgin Mary, for protection in alltheir difficulties or afflictions.
As to Lutherans, they only differ from the Romans in believingconsubstantiation, instead of transubstantiation; but like them, theyare much pleased with the external gallantry and pomp, more than thetrue and real practice of it.
In France I found a world of priests, the streets every where crowdedwith them, and the churches full of women: but surely never was a nationso full of blind guides, so ignorant of religion, and even as void ofmorals, as those people who confess their sins to them.
Does it not seem strange, that, while all men own the Divine Being,there should be so many different opinions as to the manner of payinghim obedience in the Christian church? I know not what reason to assignfor this, except it be their different capacities and faculties.
And, indeed, upon this account, we have perceived, in all Christiancountries, what mortal feuds have been about religion; what wars andbloodshed have molested Europe, till the general pacification of theGerman troubles at the treaty of Westphalia: and since those times, whatpersecution in the same country among the churches of the Lutherans; andshould I take a prospect at home, what unhappy divisions are betweenChristians in this kingdom, about Episcopacy and Presbytery; the churchof England and the Dissenters opposing one another like St. Paul and St.Peter, even to the face; that is, they carry on the dispute to theutmost extremity.
It might be a question, why there are such differences in religiouspoints, and why these breaches should be more hot and irreconcileable?All the answer I can give to this, is, that we inquire more concerningthe truth of religion, than any other nation in the world; and theanxious concern we have about it, makes us jealous of every opinion, andtenacious of our own; and this is not because we are more furious andrash than other people; but the truth is, we are more concerned aboutthem, and being sensible that the scripture is the great rule of faith,the standard for life and doctrine, we have recourse to it ourselves,without submitting to any pretended infallible judge upon earth.
There is another question, pertinent to the former, and that is, _Whatremedy can we apply to this malady_? And to this I must negativelyanswer, _Not to be less religious, that we may differ the less_. This isstriking at the very root of all religious differences; for, certainly,were they to be carried on with a peaceable spirit, willing to beinformed, our variety of opinions would not have the name ofdifferences; nor should we separate in communion of charity though wedid not agree in several articles of religion.
Nor is there a less useful question to start, namely, _Where will ourunhappy religious differences end?_ To which, I hope, I may answer, _InHeaven_; there we shall unchristian and unbrotherly differences willfind a period; there we shall embrace many a sinner, that here we thinkit a dishonour to converse with; & perceive many a heart we have brokenhere with censures, reproachings, & revilings, made whole again by thebalm of the same Redeemer's blood. Here we shall perceive there havebeen other flocks than those of our fold; that those we haveexcommunicated have been taken into that superior communion; and, in aword, that those contradicting notions and principles which we thoughtinconsistent with true religion, we shall then find reconcileable tothemselves, to one another, and to the fountain of truth. If any man askme, Why our differences cannot be ended on earth? I answer, _Were we allthoroughly convinced, that then they would be reconciled, we would putan end to them before; but this is impossible to be done: for as men'scertain convictions of truth are not equal to one another, or the weightor significancy of such veracity: so neither can a general effect ofthis affair be expected on this side of time_.
Before I conclude this chapter, I shall beg leave to discourse a littleof the wonderful excellency of negative religion and negative virtue.The latter sets out, like the Pharisee, with, _God, I thank thee;_ it isa piece of religious pageantry, the hypocrite's hope: and, in a word, itis positive vice: for it is either a mask to deceive others, or a mistto deceive ourselves. A man that is clothed with negatives, thus argues:_ I am not such a drunkard as my landlord, such a thief as my tenant,such a rakish fellow, or a highwayman; No! I live a sober, regular,retired life: I am a good man, I go to church; God, I thank thee._ Now,through a mans boasts of his virtue in contradiction to the vicesmentioned, yet a person had better have them altogether than the manhimself; or he is so full of himself, so persuaded that he is good andreligious enough already, that he has no thoughts of any thing, exceptit be to pull of his hat to God Almighty now and then, and thank himthat he has no occasion for him; and has the vanity to think that hisneighbours must imagine well of him too.
The negative man, though he is no drunkard is yet intoxicated with thepride of his own worth; a good neighbour and peace-maker in otherfamilies, but a tyrant in his own; appears in church for a show, butnever falls upon his knees in his closet; does all his alms before men,to be seen of them; eager in the duties of the second table, butregardless of the first; appears religious, to be taken notice of bymen, but without intercourse or communication between God and his ownsoul: Pray, what is this man? or what comfort is there of the life helives? he is insensible of faith, repentance, and a Christian mortifiedlife: in a word, he is a perfectly a stranger to the essential partof religion.
Let us for a while enter into the privat
e and retired part of hisconversation: What notions has he of his mispent hours, and of theprogress of time to the great centre and gulph of life, eternity? Doeshe know how to put a right value on time, or esteem the life-blood ofhis soul, as it really is, and act in all the moments of it, as one thatmust account for them? if then you can form an equality between what hecan do and what he shall receive; less can be founded upon his negativevirtue, or what he has forborne to do: And if neither his negative norpositive piety can be equal to the reward, and to the eternity thatreward is to last for, what then is to become of the Pharisee, when heis to be judged by the sincerity of his repentance, and rewarded,according to the infinite grace of God, with a state of blessedness toan endless eternity?
When the negative man converses with the invisible world, he is filledwith as much horror and dread as Felix, when St Paul reasoned to him oftemperance, righteousness, and of judgment to come; for Felix, though agreat philosopher, of great power and reverence, was a negative man, andhe was made sensible by the Apostle, that, as a life of virtue andtemperance was its own reward, by giving a healthy body, a clear head,and a composed life, so eternal happiness must proceed from anotherspring; namely, the infinite unbounded grace of a provoked God, whohaving erected a righteous tribunal, Jesus Christ would separate such asby faith and repentance he had brought home and united to himself by thegrace of adoption, and on the foot of his having laid down his life as aransom for them, had appointed them to salvation, when all thephilosophy, temperance, and righteousness in the world besides had beenineffectual. And this, I say, it was, that made Felix, this negativeman tremble.