unintelligible jargon, by which he endeavours to extol the facrament of the fupper, by degrees produced the monftrous doctrine of tranfubftantiation. And that St. Auftin's abominable maxim, OF BELIEVERS HAVING A RIGHT TO EVERY THING, AND UNBELIEVERS TO NOTHING, feems to be the foundation on which the church of Rome has fince built her extenfive pretenfions to temporal authority. This faint's words are fo remarkable, both in respect to the subject above-mentioned, and the exorbitant power he afcribes to princes over the property of their people, that I cannot forbear to infert them. Writing to the Donatifts he says, Et quamvis res quæque terrena non recte à quoquam poffideri poffit, nifi vel jure divino, QUO CUNCTA JUSTORUM SUNT, vel jure bumano, QUOD IN POTESTATE REGUM EST TERRA, ideoque res veftras falfo adpelletis, quas nec jufti poffidetis, et fecundum leges regum terrenorum amittere juffi eftis; fruftraque dicatis, nos eis congregandis laboravimus, cum fcriptum legatis: LABORES IMPIORUM JUSTI EDENT, &c.

SIR Ifaac Newton, in his fourteenth chapter of Obfervations upon the prophecies of Daniel, has collected, from the works of the fathers, a number of erroneous doctrines,

fuperftitious

Q4

. Ch. x. §. 6.

C. xvi. §. 13.

"Epift. xciii.

He

fuperftitious ceremonies, and belief of falfe miracles, inculcated by thefe holy men. inftances particularly the Gregories, Nyffin and Nazianzen, Cyprian, Jerom, Bafil, Chryfoftom, and Athanafius. "The heathens," fays Sir Ifaac, "were delighted with the "feftivals of their gods, and unwilling to

part with these delights; and therefore "Gregory, to facilitate their converfion, in"stituted annual festivals to the faints and "martyrs. Hence it came to pafs, that for

exploding the feftivals of the heathens, "the principal festivals of the chriftians fuc"ceeded in their room: as the keeping of "Christmas with ivy and feasting, and play

T

ing and sports, in the room of the Baccha"nalia and Saturnalia, * * * * and the ༦ keeping of feftivals to the virgin Mary,

John the baptift, &c. By the pleasure of "these feftivals the chriftians increased much " in number, and decreased as much in virtue. Athanafius, who died in the year 373, " wrote an oration upon the reliques of the forty martyrs at Antioch; and when the miracle-working bones of John the baptift "were carried into Egypt, Athanafius hid "them in a wall of a church, that they might "be profitable to future generations." Chryfoftom in one of his fermons exhorts to faintworship: "Perhaps," fays he, " you are in

"fluenced

"fluenced with no fmall love towards these

martyrs; therefore with this ardour let us "fall down before their reliques, let us em"brace their coffins: for the coffins of the "martyrs have great power, &c." In short, our illuftrious author plainly proves, that many of the idolatrous doctrines and superftitious ceremonies now taught and practised by papifts, were invented or greatly encouraged by these fathers of the church; and also that they induftriously propagated the belief of falfe miracles, pretended to have been wrought by the reliques of the faints and martyrs ". He particularly mentions that of the oracle of Apollo Daphnæus being truck dumb, as foon as the body of the martyr St. Babylas was depofited near the temple in which this oracle was given forth; and the emperor Julian, preffing exceedingly for an anfwer from Apollo, could obtain no other, but that he was hindered from fpeaking by the bones of the martyr Babylas, which were buried there.

ST.

w Some admirers of the fathers have been much difpleased with Sir Isaac Newton for expofing their superstition, and perhaps something worse, as he has done, and have endeavoured to defend them; but to what purpose, those who have read these apologies and the works of the fathers impartially, will be beft able to judge. However, it has been said by a certain person, "that he never "read an apology for the fathers, but it increased his ❝ averfion for them."

ST. Chryfoftom, who relates this last-mêntioned miracle, fays, that Julian gave orders for removing the bones, of St. Babylas to Antioch, that they might no longer keep the oracle filent; but in the very moment when thefe precious reliques entered into the city, the statue of Apollo, and the roof of his tem→ ple, were destroyed by lightning. St. Chry foftom employs an intire homily, and a largé difcourfe which follows it, in haranguing on this fame fubject of Babylas, and upon the bleffings and daily miracles wrought by the reliques of the martyrs, to the edification of the church and the confufion of unbelievers; and fays, that these miracles demonstrated the truth of the resurrection.

THE latter part of this account is given by Dr. Middleton, from whom I fhall mention two other miracles reported by two different fathers.

GREGORY of Nyfa relates, "that his name "fake, called the wonder-worker, being upon "a journey, was forced one night to take "thelter in an heathen temple, famed for an "oracle and divination, where the dæmons ufed to appear vifibly, and offer themselves to the priests: but the holy father, by in"voking the name of Jefus, put them all to flight; and by making the fign of the cross,

purified the air, polluted by the fteam of "their facrifices. The next morning, when "the priest came to perform his usual func

tions, the devils appeared, and acquainted ་་ him, that they had been driven out the

night before by a ftranger, and had not "the power to return: nor was he able to "recall them by all the charms of his expia

J

tory facrifices. Upon this the priest pur"fued Gregory in great wrath, and overtaking him on the road, threatened him "moft terribly, for what he had done. But "Gregory, defpifing his threats, gave him to "understand, that he had a power fuperior "to that of devils, and could drive them "whitherfoever he pleafed. The prieft, "amazed at what he faid, began to beg, "that for a proof of his power he would "fetch them back again into the temple; "to which Gregory confenting, wrote only "this fhort note-Gregory to Satan,-Enter. "With this the priest was difmiffed, and laying the little billet upon the altar, brought the devils back again immediately "to their old feats "."

cr

ST. Jerom, who, as Dr. Middleton says, is of all the ancients the most esteemed for his learning and judgment, tells the following ftory: "When St. Antony, a hermit, was "travelling

Ibid. Vol. I. p. 121.