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the year 325, a motion was (2) made to restrain the clergy from all conjugal fociety with their wives: but it was ftrongly oppofed by Paphnutius, a famous Egyptian bishop, who yet himfelf was never married; and to him the whole council agreed, and left every man to his liberty as before. But the monks had not yet prevailed; the monks foon after overfpread the eastern church, and the weftern too: and as the monks were the firft who brought fingle life into repute; fo they were the first also who revived and promoted the worfhip of demons. It is a thing univerfally known, that one of the primary and moft effential laws and conftitutions of all monks, whether folitary or affociated, whether living in deferts or in convents, is the profeffion of fingle life, to abftain from marriage themfelves, and to difcourage it all they can in others. It is equally certain, that the monks had the principal fhare in promoting and propagating the worthip of the dead; and either out of credulity, or for worse reasons, recommended it to the people with all the pomp and power of their eloquence in their homilies and orations. Read only fome of the most celebrated fathers; read the (3) orations of Bafil on the martyr Mamas, and on the forty martyrs; read the orations of Ephraim Syrus on the death of Bafil, and on the forty martyrs, and on the praises of the holy martyrs; read the orations of Gregory Nazianzen on Athanafius, and on Bafil, and on Cyprian; read the orations of Gregory Nyffen on Ephraim Syrus, and on the martyr Theodorus, and on Meletius bishop of Antioch; read the fixty fixth, and other hor of Chryfoftom; read his oration on the martyrs of Egypt, and other orations : and you will be greatly aftonifhed to find, how full they are of this fort of fuperftition, what powers and miracles are afcribed to the faints, what prayers and praises are offered up to them. All these were monks, and most

(2) Socratis Hift. Ecclef. Lib. 1. Cap. 11. Sozomen. Lib. 1. Cap. 23. S. Bainag. ibid. p. 707. Bingham's Antiquities, B. 4. Ch. 5. Sect. 7.

(3) The reader may fee fome extracts out of all these in Sir Ifaac Newton's obfervations on Daniel, Chap.

14.

of

em bishops too, in the fourth century: and the futious worship which thefe monks begun, the fucng monks completed, till at length the very relics mages of the dead were worshipped as much as the themfelves. The monks then were the principal oters of the worship of the dead in former times: vho are the great patrons and advocates of the fame ip now? Are not their legitimate fucceffors and ndents, the monks and priefts and bishops of the ch of Rome? and do not they alfo profefs and renend single life, as well as the worthip of faints and s? As long ago as the year 386, pope (4) Siricius a council of eighty bishops of Rome, and forbad clergy to cohabit with their wives. This decree confirmed by pope (5) Innocent at the beginning e fifth century; and the celibacy of the clergy was decreed by (6) Gregory the feventh in the eleventh ry; and this hath been the univerfal law and pracof the church ever fince. Thus hath the worship of ens and the prohibition of marriage conftantly gone in hand together and as they who maintain the maintain the other; fo it is no lefs remarkable, that who difclaim the one, difclaim alfo the other, and the liberty which nature, or (to fpeak more prothe author of nature hath indulged to all man

Our maker bids increafe: Who bids abftain,
But our destroyer, foe to Gou and man?

MILTON.

I. The laft note and character of these men is com"ing to abstain from m. which God hath created to ceived with thanksgiving of them which believe and the truth: where in the original the word commandnot expreffed but understood, with an elleipfis that mentators (7) have obferved to be fometimes ufed

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by the best claffic authors. The fame lying hypocrites, who thould promote the worthip of demons, fhould not only prohibit lawful marriage, but likewife impofe unneceffary abftinence from meats: and these two, as indeed it is fit they fhould, ufually go together, as conftituent parts of the fame hypocrify. As we learn from (8) Irenæus, the ancient heretics called Continents, who taught that matrimony was not to be contracted, reprobating the primitive work of God, and tacitly accufing him who made man and woman for the procreation of human kind, introduced abftinence alfo from animal food, fhowing themfelves ungrateful to God who created all things. It is as much the law and conftitution of all monks to abftain from meats as from marriage. Some never eat any flefh, others only of certain kinds and on certain days. Frequent fafts are the rule, the boaft of their order; and their carnal humility is their fpiritual pride. So lived the monks of the ancient church; fo live, with less strictness perhaps but with greater oftentation, the monks and friers of the church of Rome: and thefe have been the principal propagators and defenders of the worthip of the dead, both in former and in later times. The worship of the dead is indeed fo monftrofly abfurd as well as impious, that there was hardly any poffibility of its ever fucceeding and prevailing in the world, but by hypocrify and lies: but that thefe particular forts of hypocrify, celibacy under pretence of chastity, and abftinence under pretence of devotion, fhould be employed for this purpose, the Spirit of God alone could forefee and foretel. There is no neceffary connexion between the worthip of the dead, and forbidding to marry and commanding to abftain from meats: and yet it is certain, that the great advocates of this worthip have, by their pretended purity and mortification, pro

(8) οι καλυμενος εγκρατείς αγαμιαν εκήρυξαν αθετώντες την αρχαίαν πλασιν το Θεό, και ηρεμα κατηγορώντες τε αῤῥεν και θηλυ εις γένεσιν ανθρώπων πεποιηκο τος και των λεγομενων πας αὑτοις εμψυ• χων αποχήν εισηγήσαντο, αχαρισόντες τῳ πάντα πεποιεκοτι Θεω. Qui vocantur continentes, docuerunt non contrahendum effe matrimonium: reproban

tes fcilicet primitivum illud opificium Dei, et tacite accufantes Deum qui malculum et foeminam condidit ad propagationem generis humani. Induxerunt etiam abftinentiam ab eft eorum quæ animata appellant, ingratos fe exhibentes erga eum qui univerfa creavit Deum. Iren. apud Euseb. Ecclef. Hift. Lib. 4. Cap. 29. cured

cured the greater reverence to their perfons, and the readier reception to their doctrins. But this idle, popish, monkith abftinence is as unworthy of a Chriftian, as it is unnatural to a man. It is perverting the purpose of nature, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thankf giving by the believers and them who know the truth. The apoftle therefore approves and fanctifies the religious custom of bleffing God at our meals, as our Saviour, when he was to diftribute the loaves and the fifhes, (Matt. XIV. 19. XV. 36.) looked up to heaven, and bleffed, and brake: and what then can be faid of those, who have their tables fpread with the moft plentiful gifts of God, and yet conftantly fit down and rife up again without fuffering fo much as one thought of the giver to intrude upon them? It is but a thought; it is but a glimpfe of devotion; and can they, who refufe even that, be reputed either to believe, or to know the truth? Man is free to partake of all the good creatures of God, but thanksgiving is the neceffary condition. For, as the apoftle fubjoins in the next verfes, (ver. 4, and 5.) every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refufed, if it be received with thanksgiving; For it is fanctified by the word of God and prayer. The apoftle proceeds to say, that it is the duty of the minifters of the gofpel to prefs and inculcate these things: (ver. 6.) If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minifter of Jefus Chrift, nourished up in the words of faith, and of good doctrin, whereunto thou haft attained. All that is preached up of fuch abftinence and mortification, as well as all the legends of the faints, are no better than profane and old wives fables: Godliness is the only thing, that will truly avail us here and hereafter. (ver. 7 and 8.) But refufe profane and old wives fables, and exercife thyfelf rather unto godliness: For bodily exercife profiteth little; but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promife of the life that now is, and of that which is to come,

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XXIV.

An ANALYSIS of the

REVELATIO
Α Τ Ι Ο Ν.

IN TWO PARTS.

PART I.

T is very ufeful, as well as very curious and enter

Itaining to trace the rife and progres of religions

and governments; and in taking a furvey of all the different religions and governments of the world, there is none perhaps that will ftrike us more with wonder and aftonishment than that of Rome, how fuch a mystery of iniquity could fucceed at firft and profper fo long, and under the name of Chrift introduce Antichrift. Other herefies and fchifins have obtained place and credit among men for a time, and then have been happily expofed and fuppreffed. Arianifm once fucceeded almoft univerfally; for a while it grew and florifhed mightily, but in procefs of time it withered and faded away. But Popery hath now prevailed I know not how many centuries, and her renowned hierarchs have not, like the fathers of other fects, ftole into fecret meetings and conventicles, but have infected the very heart of the Chrif tian church, and ufurped the chief feat of the western world: have not only engaged in their caufe private perfons, and led captive filly women, but have trampled on the necks of princes and emperors themfelves, and the lords and tyrants of mankind have yet been the blind flaves and vaffals of the holy fee. Rome Chrif tian hath carried her conquefts even farther than Rome Pagan.

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