mix Water with the Wine, and refuse the Cup to the Laity; and ufe unleaven'd Bread. (21.) They hold Tranfubftantiation, or that the Bread and Wine, in the Eucharift, by the Confecration of the Prieft, is changed into the real Body and Blood of Chrift; which they first cause to be ador'd with many Superftitions, and then very reverently eat him. (22.) They worship the Virgin Mary, Angels, Saints, and Images of all Sorts, by Prayer, Offerings, &c. (23.) They enjoin Celibacy, or a fingle State, to their Priefts. (24.) They are forbid alfo to read the Books of Heretics. (25.) They make a Diftinction of mortal and venial Sins, to ferve the Purposes of Avarice and Ambition. (26.) They enjoin Confeffion of Sins in the Ear of a Prieft, which they call auricular Confeffion. (27.) They hold good Works meritorious, and fell Works of Supererogation very often to poor Bigots for the Expiation of their Crimes, very dearly. (28.) They enjoin the keeping the Faft of Lent with ftrict Abftinence from all Flesh; yet allow the eating Fish; fo near a-kin is their Philofophy to their Divinity. (29.) They fay Mafs for the Dead as well as the Living, to make the greatest Use (or Gain) of Godliness. (29.) They fay the Fire of Purgatory hath eight Degrees of Heat, and that of Hell but four. (30.) They make it a damnable Sin for any to doubt of their Dictates, though ever fo abfurd and ridiculous. (31.) They impose Penance for Sin, but you may often exchange the Painful for the Pecuniary; fuch is their Clemency! (32.) They profess Poverty; and have instituted an Order of Mendicant Friars; fo much do they abhor Greatness, Riches, and Honour! (33.) They count all other Religions beretical and damnable. (34.) They pretend to

Proteftants whence.

Lutherans.

have the Power of working Miracles. (35) They Canonize Perfons for Saints; but Money more than Holiness is neceffary for this. (36.) They profefs Chastity, both Men and Women; as we have very notable Inftances in the Orders of Monks and Nuns. (37.) They are very jealous in the Caufe of Religion, as many have experienced by the cruel, inhuman, and bloody Court of Inquifition. (38.) The Multitude of Ceremonies, Fafts, Festivals, Proceffions, Pilgrimages, Orders, Offices, and Innovations of all kinds are too tedious to relate, and too incredible to believe: So that if you take Popery in its native Dress and Complexion, you must be pretty wife to know whether it is in the whole moft like Chriftianity, Judaifm, Mahometanifm, or Paganism.

THESE amazing Corruptions in the Roman Church occafion'd the Separation of a large Body of People from her in the Days of King Henry the Eighth; who, from their Protesting against Popery and Romish Decrees, were call'd Proteftants: And who, fince their general Reformation, have variously fubdivided from each other, and according to their different Opinions and Practices have obtain❜d peculiar Appellations: As Lutherans, Calvinists, who follow Martin Luther and John Calvin, two of the first Reformers: Arminians and Socinians, the Followers of James Arminus, and of Socinus: The Unitarians, who Unitarians. allow but one Perfon, viz. of the Father, in the Trinitarians. Godhead; and Trinitarians, who affert three Perfons in the Godhead, as of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, according to Athanafius's Creed. But the moft fubftantial Divifions of Proteftants are the following, viz.

Calvinifts.
Arminians.

Socinians.

The Church of
England.

THE CHURCH of ENGLAND, which is establish'd by the Authority of Parliament; and is therefore the National Church in England, and

moft

moft Parts of the British King's Dominions: The Hierarchy or Government whereof is Archiepifcopal; and for the Doctrines and Practical Worship therein, they are fufficiently known. All thofe Diffenters. who do not join with this establish'd Church, are call'd Non-conformists or Diffenters. As

I. PRESBYTERIANS, who affert the Go- Presbyterians. vernment of the Church is not by Bishops, but Presbyters, or ruling Elders; and that there is no Order in the Church of divine Institution fuperior to that of a Presbyter; who therefore hath Power to ordain Minifters, which is by Fafting, Prayer, and Impofition of Hands. They have three Courts. (1.) The Minister of each Parish, with his Elders, and the Congregation. (2.) A Court of Presbytery; confifting of a great Number of Minifters and Elders, affociated for governing particular Churches. (3.) The highest Court is a Synod, which they hold may be Provincial, National, or Oecumenical; and allow of Appeals from the leffer to the greater. They Baptize by Sprinkling, as does the Church of England, and their common Worship confifts in extempore Prayer, Preaching, and finging of Pfalms.

II. INDEPENDENTS, fo call'd, becaufe Independents. they hold that every particular Congregation hath a compleat Power of Jurifdiction within itfelf, independent of any Bishop, Synod, or Council; and fo difcard all Superiority or Subordination of particular Churches to one another. In most other Respects they agree with the Presby

terians.

III. ANABAPTISTS; or (as they call them- Anabaptifts or felves) Baptifts; their main diftinguishing Prin- Baptifts.

Quakers.

ciple is Baptifm by Dipping or Plunging the Perfon wholly under Water; and reject the Method of Sprinkling, ufed by others, as an Innovation, or buman Invention, and altogether unfcriptural. For the fame Reason, they infift upon it that adult or grown Perfons, not Infants, are the proper Subjects of Baptifm; because, as the Scripture requires, they only are capable of Repentance and Faith, which are the Prerequifites thereto. For their Opinion, they alledge (1.) The Precept and Precedent of Chrift himself. (2.) And of the Apostles. (3.) The Practice of the Primitive Church for the first three Centuries. (4.) The proper Etymology of the Word Baptize, which they fay will not admit Sprinkling. (5.) The feveral Verfions of the New Testament, which all render the Word in Favour of Dipping, not of Sprinkling. (6.) From the Defign of the Ordinance, they argue Infants can't be the Subject, because not capable of answering it. (7.) The utter Silence of the Scripture about Pedobaptifm. (8.) The Words of the Rubric of the Church of England itfelf, which abfolutely enjoin Dipping, but Sprinkling only on Conditions. (9.) The Confeffions and Conceffions of feveral Bishops and learned Doctors of the Church in favour of Dipping only the Adult. To all which, and many other Arguments, the Pedobaptifts return various Answers; but whether fufficient, is not my Business here to fay. This Denomination comes near the Presbyterians in their Hierarchy; and acknowledge Hebrews vi. 1, 2. for a kind of Summary of their fundamental Doctrines and Principles.

IV. QUAKERS, fo call'd from Quivering and Quaking, and fuch like frantic and ridiculous Emotions, which they seem'd fond of formerly;

but

but now are more fober, and difown the Name of Quakers. The Tenets of this People are always variable and changing; but their two main Principles are (1.) The Light within, which they fay is fufficient to guide every Man in Matters of Religion, and is more infallible than the facred Scriptures themselves. (2.) They deny all external Ceremonies and Services, but Preaching and Praying; and even the two Sacraments, Baptifm and the Eucharist. Their other Modes are too well known to need a Defcription. They first appear'd about the Year 1650.