to a prudent difcreet Determination, and avoid thofe Errors which would naturally be attended But every Man has a more important Concern in the Affairs of a Life to come; and therefore it But, befides the right Knowledge of thofe Princi- Of all Changes, thofe in Religion which have been fudden and fignal, are enquired into with thé moft eager Curiofity; and, where the Salvation of Souls has been chiefly aimed at, and the Credit, Honour and Intereft of Churches promoted and eftablished, the more Pious and Judicious will find their Satisfaction much more than compenfate the The Alteration that has been made in the established Religion of this Nation for little more than the two laft Centuries, has produced fuch Effects every where, that it is no Wonder if all Perfons defire to fee a clear Account of the feveral Steps by which it advanced; of the Councils that directed it, and the Motives, both religious and political, that inclined Men of all Conditions to concur in it. To lay before the Public a particular and impartial Account of the Conftitution and Doctrine of the feveral Denominations of Chriftians, is the principal Intent of this Undertaking; and, upon the most mature Enquiry I have been able to make, I find the Doctrines and Tenets of all Denominations to have varied greatly from their original Constitution, and distinguishing Character. This Obfervation will appear to be true, even with refpect to the Roman Catholic Church, which has been most of all folicitous to preferve the Catholic Faith, as they call it, pure and uncorrupt. The wifer Part disclaim fome of their most abfurd Doctrines, and difcard and despise many of their ridiculous Ceremonies: Some Reformation has been made in these Respects by Churches of that Perfuafion in different Nations of Europe; and it is more than probable that many of the moft ferious and judicious Papifts would be glad to fee a greater Reformation even in the Fundamentals of their Religion. Picart, under the Article of adoring the Cross, fays, "This Ceremony gives.great Scandal to Heretics who look upon this folemn Adoration on Good Friday as manifeft Idolatry-would it not be better to decline fome Ceremonies which Catholics are reduced to Shifts, Difguifes, and Evafions to to defend, and which are looked on as Folly to the Libertine, and a Scandal to the Proteftant?"* In the Church of England it is well known great Alterations have taken place fince the Reformation: At that Time the generality of the English Divines, especially the Majority of the Committee for Compiling the Articles of this Church, were strict or rigid Calvinifts, who, in Spite of all the Oppofition they met with, modelled feveral of the Articles in Favour of Calvinism, which now the greatest Part of the English Divines would fain explain contrary to their literal Sense and Meaning; reprefent them as, at best, ambiguous and capable of a Sense more confiftent with the general Tenour of the Scriptures, and the Reafon and common Senfe of Mankind. In like Manner Athanafius's Creed was then, by Authority, inferted in the Book of Common Prayer, and, with all the incomprehenfible Myfteries and exceptionable Claufes, cordially received by fome, and impofed on others, as the true Catholic Faith; whereas now, to fay no more to explode it, the Church in general "would be glad to be well rid of it." If the Question were afked, What are the genuine Sentiments of the Church of England? it would be a very vague, indeterminate and falfe Anfwer, to fay they are contained in the XXXIX Articles; when it is well known that the Majority of our most eminent Prelates and Divines of the established Church, have embraced and profeffed, and in their public Preaching and Writings endeavour to inculcate, Principles more confiftent with the Nature of genuine Christianity. The fame Obfervation, is equally true, with refpect to many other Denominations, namely the Kirk Picart's Edition of the Religious Ceremonies, Vol. II. P. 25. Kirk or Church of Scotland, the English Prefbyterians, Baptifts, Quakers, &c. as would be no difficult Matter to particularize in many Instances, were it not unneceffary, as will evidently appear in the Courfe of this Work. This may be one Reason why all the Hiftories extant, of the feveral Sectaries of Chriftians, differ fo widely from each other, and are fo very imperfect and erroneous: I wish this was the only Reason, and that there did not appear some evident Marks of a malevolent Defign to mifreprefent Sectaries, in order to expose them to Cenfure and Contempt. This I hint with particular Regard to Rofs's View of all Religions, being, of all others, the most fcurrilous and falfe; and to that voluminous Edition of the Religious Ceremonies of all Nations, in which the Author appears greatly mistaken in the Constitution and Principles of feveral Societies of English Proteftant Diffenters; and alfo to Boffuet's Hiftory of the Variation of Proteftant Churches in the Low Countries. T But this Crime of Mifrépréfentation is not applicable only to a few Hiftories of our own or foreign Nations, and thofe for the most part obfolete: Certain modern Writers feem to have taken a fecret Pleasure in blackening the Characters of fome Societies of Chriftians, and expofing and cenfuring fuch Doctrines or Rites as they learned not in their Infancy to believe or practife; forgetting, though afhamed to deny, the Right of private Judgment, and Liberty of Confcience; and too often ignorant of the genuine Principles of thofe Societies they cenfure, and of the Arguments upon which they are founded. Indeed I have been often furprized to find Perfons of of Credit, and otherwife of good Understanding, fo extremely ignorant, not only with refpect to the genuine Sentiments of other Denominations of Chriftians; but in a very high Degree, of the diftinguishing Tenets or Principles of that Religion they themselves profefs; and confequently of the Arguments on which they reft. This was one Motive to the Profecution of the prefent Work; and another was to fupprefs Bigotry, Prejudice, and Cenforioufnefs, too apt to take Poffeffion of narrow Minds; and, in their Place, to inculcate and improve that mutual Love and Charity, even for Perfons of differing Opinions, which is fo agreeable to the Dignity and Honour of Men and of Chriftians. I write for no Party; my Aim is to recommend a free and impartial Enquiry into the genuine Principles of Chriftianity, which is the juft Foundation of Truth and Virtue, Liberty and Charity. That generally-received Maxim, Rome was not built in a Day, is as undoubtedly true with respect to the Conftitution, Doctrine and Ceremonies of the Romish Church, as of its external Form and ftately Edifices; for this Reafon I have judged a brief Account of the principal Revolutions and Variations in the Government, Worship, &c. of that Church for feventeen Centuries, a proper Preliminary to the History of its prefent State. The Account I have given of the Principles, &c. of the Romish Church, I have first expreffed in the Words of Pope Pius's Creed, which was established by the Council of Trent, and has been ever fince efteomed 3 |