of these memorials. If this is your lordship's meaning, I humbly apprehend it should have been differently expreffed; and fome inftance. given of a religious fyftem with an equal number and variety of rites which are void of fuperftition; but fuch an inftance, I believe, would be hard to find ; and after all I am afraid that when we want to illuftrate any thing of this kind, we muft ftill bring our examples from Roman-catholick countries *.

And therefore, to do as much justice to this plea as may be, let us afk, how comes it that thefe memorials are fo numerous and frequent in Roman-catholick countries? The plain reafon. of which appears to be the frequent and numerous (warms of ecclefiafticks in thefe countries, who would have nothing to do if they were not thus employed, and (what would be worse to them than that) who would have no pretence to amals and appropriate to themfelves thofe fumptuous palaces and large poffeffions they enjoy,

*One inftance of this we have indeed in our own country exhibited in Deacon's catechisms; but this performance having in it "rather more foppery and fuperftition, than is to be found in the top ritual," will not help in the prefent exigency. They who defire to fee an abridgement of this work, may find a very useful one in Dr. Mi d'eton's preface to his Remarks on tavo Pamphlets, &c.

if they could not perfuade the people that their function was neceffary to keep up the fenfe of religion in their minds by this variety in the form and face of it.

I lay no ftrefs here, my lord, upon the fuperftitious nature of the rites which these men perform. Some of their ufages may be as innocent and as edifying as fome of ours; and whether they are or no, they have that reputation, and must have it among those who would edify by them.

What I infift upon is, that thefe memorials could not be fo frequently occurring in fime infance or other, without a fuitable number of men who have nothing elfe to do but to ply the people with them; and who are accordingly fet free for this purpose not only from familycares, but from all public charges befides.

Now the account we have of thefe men, even from ferious, well difpofed and fenfible perfons in these very countries, is, that a large majority of them are idle and ufelefs drones, and too often worfe; that they are many of them intolerable incumbrances on the liberty and industry of much better men than themselves; that they occafion great inconveniencies and diforders in private families, even by the influence of these

memorials;

memorials; and that, upon the whole, the edification of their miniftry is in no reasonable proportion to the scandal of their lives.

Perhaps, my lord, it might be poffible to devife a ritual as full of memorials and circumftantials as the Roman, and which might have nothing of what your lordship may call fuperftition in it: But if still we must have a proportionable number of men to discharge the offices prefcribed in it, how fhall we avoid thefe grievances, occafioned, as it fhould feem, by a multitude of fuch men? The ecclefiafticks of the: popish church are certainly bound to good behaviour by as ftrict and folemn daths, profeffions, fubfcriptions, vows, and rules of their feveral orders, as it is poffible to lay upon human agents. And yet, all it feems, without the de-fired effect..

Upon the whole, my lord, the more I confider these instances, the lefs am I able to conceive for what purpose your lordship referred to them, or what practical use (consistent with our chrif-> tian profeffion) we can make of them.

The externals of paganifm have no better name given them in the New Teftament than abominable idolatries; and from these what yourlordship calls the memorials of popery, have, the

very most of them, been derived by very com petent judges, and in a very legitimate pedi gree. These then are equally ufelefs to us: Were they ever fo full of edification, the very caft and temper of chriftianity prohibits the adoption of them; they are the traditions and commandments of men; and what can we contrive that will be equivalent to them in number and frequency, which will not be liable to the fame objection?

The Turkish washings and other circumftantials partake more of the Jewish formality: But this, your lordship knows, is gone, never to be recalled by chriftians. Their prayers in public places, and where most people are paffing, have a cenfure from our bleffed Lord, which will for ever discredit the like practice among his disciples.

If your lordship only meant in general to fuggeft that our religion fhould have a great and confpicuous part as well as theirs, we must call for your lordship's authority for this, not from the third or fourth centuries, but from the Scriptures. If this was required of chrif. tians, it is ftrange that our Lord fhould promife his efpecial prefence where only Two or THREE were gathered together in his name. If this was to be ordered by councils, fathers, and

and bishops in ages pofterior to the apostles, why fhould our Lord lay all the stress on worfhipping God in spirit and in truth, i. e. acccrding to the word of God? John xvii. 17. Or why should he direct his hearers to go and learn the meaning of thofe words of God in the prophet, I will have mercy and not facrifice? Mat. ix. 13.

Again, if a great and confpicuous part in rell gion was necessary, why did not the apoftles take the appointment of it upon themselves, or rather why did they fay fo many things to difcourage fuch appointment? To what purpose was Stephen's obfervation that the most High dwell th not in temples made with hands * ? why fhould St. Paul add to this obfervation, that God is not worshipped or ministered to with mens hands, as though he needed any thing? Why fhould he obferve that the kingdom of God is not meat and drink ‡, i. e. is of a different nature from that kingdom which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers walkings and CARNAL ORDIA NANCES IMPOSED until the time of REFORMATIONS? Why fhould thefe men fay all this, if after this time of reformation, other magnificent temples, other confpicuous ordinances, other

Acts vii. 48. Chap. xvii. 25. Rom. xiv. 17. § Heb. ix. 10r E 6

fump.