fedung Spirits, and Doctrines of Devils, the Damons and Ghots worshipped by the Heathens, Speaking Lyes in Hypocrify, about their Apparitions, the Miracles done by them, their Reliques, and the Sign of the Crofs, having Confciences feared with a bot Iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from Meat, &c*. From the Cataphrygians, thefe Principles and Practices were propagated down to pofterity. For though fome ftop was put to the Cataphrygian Chriftianity, by provincial Councils, till the fourth Century; yet the Roman Emperors then turning Chriftians, and great Multitudes of Heathens coming over in outward Profeffion, thefe found the Cataphrygian Christianity more fuitable to their old Principles, of placing Religion in outward Forms and Ceremonies, Holy-days, and Doctrines of Ghosts, than in the Religion of the fincere Chriftians: wherefore they readily fided with the Cataphrygian Christians, and established that Christianity before the End of the fourth Century. By this means, thofe of Understanding, after they had been perfecuted by the Heathen Emperors, in the three first Centuries, and were holpen with a little help by the Converfion of Conftantine the Great, and his Sons, to the Chriftian Religion, fell under new Perfecutions, to purge them from the Diffemblers, and to make them white, even to the time of the End.

Chap. xiv. Of the Mahuzzims, bonoured by the King, who does according to his Will. As God is called the Rock of his People, fo the falfe Gods are called the Rock of thofe that truit in them. In the fame fenfe the Gods of the King, who fhall do according to his Will, Ii 2

are

* 1 Tim. iv. 1, 2, 3.

are called Mabuzzims, Munitions, Fortreffes, Protectors, Guardians, or Defenders. In his Eftate, fays Daniel, fhall he honour Mabuz zims, even with a God whom his Fathers knew not, fhall he honour them, with Gold and Silver, and with precious Stones, and things of Value. Thus fhall he do in the moft Strongholds or Temples; and he fhall cause them to rule over many, and divide the Land among them for a Poffeffion. Our Author fhews by what Degrees this is come to pafs. His firft Obfervation deferves a particular Notice; therefore we will tranfcribe it at length. "Gregory Nffen tells us, fays he, that after the Perfecution of the Emperor Decius, Gregory, Bishop of Neocæfarea in Pontus, inftituted among all People, as an addition or corollary of Devotion towards God, that Festival Days and Affemblies fhould be celebrated to them, who had contended for the Faith, that is, to the Martyrs; and he adds this "reafon for the Inftitution: When he ob"ferved, fays Nyffen, that the fimple and un

i

fkilful Multitude, by reafon of corporeal "Delights, remained in the Error of Idols; that the principal thing might be corrected among them, namely, that inftead of their vain Worship, thy might turn their Eyes "upon God; he permitted that at the Memory of the holy Martyrs they might make વર merry, and delight themfelves, and be dif folved into Joy. The Heathens were de lighted with the Festivals of their Gods, and unwilling to part with thofe D lights; and therefore Gregory, to facilitate their Converfion, inftituted annual Festivals to Saints and Martyrs. Hence it came to pass, that for "exploding

66

"exploding the Festivals of the Heathens, the ઠંડ principal Festivals of the Chriftians fucceeded

in their room: as the keeping of Christmas "with Joy and Feafting, and Playing and Sports,, in the room of the Bacchanalia, and Saturnalia; the celebrating of May-day with Flowers, in the room of the Floralia; and "the keeping of Feftivals to the Virgin Mary, ἐσ John the Baptift, and divers of the Apostles, "in the room of the Solemnities at the entrance "of the Sun into the Signs of the Zodiac in "the old Julian Calendar. In the fame Per"fecution of Decius, Cyprian ordered the Paf

fions of the Martyrs in Africa to be regi"ftred, in order to celebrate their Memories annually with Oblations and Sacrifices: and "Felix, Bishop of Rome, a little after, as Pla

tina relates, confulting the Glory of the "Martyrs, ordained that Sacrifices fhould be "celebrated annually in their Names. By the

Pleasure of thefe Feftivals, the Chriftians in"creafed much in Number, and decreafed as "much in Virtue, until they were purged and "made white by the Perfecution of Diocleftan: "This was the firft Step made in the Christian "Religion towards the Veneration of the Marσε tyrs: and though it did not yet amount to "an unlawful Worship; yet it difpofed the "Chriftians towards fuch a further Veneration "of the Dead, as in a fhort time ended in the "Invocation of Saints."

THUS far our Author, and here we beg leave to fay, that his Obfervation feems to weaken very much the Argument that is alledged for the Truth of Chriftianity, from the manner in which it was propagated and esta blished in the World. It is generally fuppofed

3

113

that

1

that the Gospel was established, not only without any human Policy, but against all the Craft and Power of the Heathen Emperors and Priefts. But if it be true, as Sir Ifaac Newton afferts, that the Feftivals to Saints and Martyrs were inftituted to, facilitate the Converfion of the Heathens, if thofe Feftivals were eftablifhed instead of the Heather Solemnities; 'tis no great wonder that the Heathens at laft became Chriftians, fince, with regard to the outward Worship, there's a very little difference between the Religion they renounced, and that which they embraced. If any other Perfon, befides Sir Ifaac, had offer'd fo free an Obfervation, he would no doubt have foon been branded with the name of an Infidel or an Atheift; and the fecular Power would foon have been called upon to punish his Infolence and Impiety.

OUR Author next fhews how Daniel's Prophecy was farther accomplished, and the Chriftian Religion further corrupted, by the Practice of Praying at the Sepulchres of Martyrs, by a certain fort of Sanctity attributed to the dead Bodies of Saints and Martyrs, by the Festivals kept at their Sepulchres, by the Sacrifices offered to God in their Names; by the attribu ting to their dead Bodies, Bones, and other Reliques, a power of working Miracles by means of feparate Souls, who were fupposed to know what we do or fay, and to be able to do us good or hurt, and to work thofe Miracles. This, fays our Author, was the very Notion the Heathens had of the feparate Souls of their antient Kings and Heroes, whom they wor fhipped, under the Names of Saturn, Rhea, Jupiter, &c. This, with the great noife the

Chriftians

Chriftians of Syria and Egypt made about the Miracles done by the Reliques of the Chriftian Saints and Martyrs, was what introduced at laft the Invocation of Saints, for whom they erected fo many Altars, that they filled the Fields and Highways with them, as our Author thews at large in the remaining part of this Chapter.

A

THE fecond part of this Work contains the Author's Obfervations on the Apocalypfe of St. John. The first Chapter is an Introduction concerning the time when the Apocalypfe was written. Our Author maintains, that fobiz wrote this Book before the Destruction of Jerufalem, during the Reign of Nero, or even before that time; and he alledges feveral Authorities and Arguments to fupport his Opinion. The Authorities are thofe of Eufebius in his Evangelical Demonftrations; of Tertulliant, and of Pfeudo-Prochorus, who all conjoin the Banifhment of John into Patmos, with the Deaths of Peter and Paul: This is alfo fupported by the firft Author, whoever he was, of that very ancient Fable, that John was put by Nero into a Veffel of hot Oil, and coming out unhurt, was banifhed by him into Patmos. Though this Story be no more than a Fiction, yet it was founded on a Tradition of the firft Churches, that John was banifhed into Patmos in the Days of Nero. Epiphanius represents the Golpel of John as written in the time of Domitian, and the Apocalypfe even before that of Nero. Arethas affirms the Apocalypfe was 114 written

Lib. III.

+Vide Pamelium, in Notis ad Tertull. De Prafcriptionis bus, n. 215. Hieron. Lib. 1. contra Jovian. c. 1'4.