It is indeed confessed, that our churches are not so adorned as they ought sometimes: but that is no fault of our church, but of the iniquity of the times, and of those dissensions which they raise among us; but generally they are decently grave, and as well fitted to assist a devout mind without distraction, as can be. We love to have our churches neat and handsome, to shew we do not grudge whatever may be required to make them, in some measure, fit places for Divine worship: but we see not any necessity of having them so splendidly rich and fine: we think it would rather divert men's minds from the business of the place, than assist them in the duties of it.

In short, in no part of charity can they pretend to exceed us, considering our circumstances, unless it be in that of prayer for the dead, when they hire so many masses to be said for them; but we think not this so much charity to the person deceased, as to the priest; for he doubtless receives most benefit from it.

Thirdly, And whatever they pretend, the great number of saints canonized and commemorated among them is neither a sign of the good state and condition of their church, nor is their keeping so many holydays in remembrance of them any instance of true devotion.

As for many of the saints which they commemorate, we own as well as they, and can pretend as good a right in them as they can, because we own and will submit to whatever can be urged from them; such are the blessed Virgin, the apostles, and the evangelists; and after them also the bishops, martyrs, and confessors in the primitive church: but we confess that we have not the same esteem of many whom they commemorate as saints, and utterly disallow of their canonizing or sainting of them: for many of them (I believe) never had any being, but in the fancy of these saint-makers, who yet are commemorated and prayed to as well as any others. Such are St. Longinus, under which name they have made a man of the spear which pierced our Saviour's blessed body; St. Almachius, on Jan. 1, which only comes from the corruption of Almanack; St. Amphibalus, who was only St. Alban's cloke; St. Ursula, and her 11,000 virgins, of whom no footsteps can be found in true history. Many of them, I fear, had been better that they

had never been, as being notoriously vicious and scandalous in their lives. And others, though more innocent, yet, if we believe what is written in their lives, were so prodigiously ridiculous, that a wise and religious man would be ashamed of such company. To hear men in an ecstasy of devotion to talk nonsense, or to preach to birds and beasts, to run naked, to wander voluntarily in deserts, &c., is more likely, with sober men, to bring their persons and actions into contempt and scorn, than to affect them with any quick sense of religion; at best, it will excite men only to that ecstatical and enthusiastical kind of devotion which was in vogue among the heathens, whose priests were besides themselves when they spake in the name of their gods, and their most celebrated exercises of religion were such kind of irrational actions; but there is nothing of this at all countenanced under Christianity: for the gospel would make us wise as well as devout; and it is not required that we put off the man, but the old man and its vices, when we become Christians.

And though we are sensible of many among us that have been very exemplary for virtue and piety, and have no reason to doubt of their salvation, but have as full assurance of it, at least, as they have of their saints; yet we are very shy of canonizing or sainting of them, because we know not men's hearts, nor dare we to presume to dispose so absolutely of heaven as the pope doth. We thank God for those that have lived and died well among us, and exhort our people to imitate all the good which shewed itself in them; but we know not to what purpose canonization is. If it be only to recommend their virtues to example, the canonization of them will signify no more than the bare history of their good lives, faithfully recorded, would do; but if it be in order to praying to them, we utterly condemn it. And it is too plain that this is the end of their being canonized; for from that time solemn prayer and invocation is allowed and offered up to them. And this I believe hath been an occasion of their falling from the truth of Christian doctrine as well as practice: for they taking such a man to be a saint, think themselves obliged to follow and vindicate whatever he either did or said as holy and true, not considering that the best of mere men have been guilty of mistakes

and imperfections; and then much more may we suspect the judgment and understanding, the virtue and piety of many of those that fill up the bigger part of the Romish calendar.

And for the same reason we think there is not much religion or devotion expressed in the keeping up the memory of such saints, by so many holydays observed among them.

If they commend their holydays for the opportunities afforded in them of serving God in public, we have such conveniences in many places every day.

If they commend them as days set apart to rest and idleness, we are not altogether of their mind; for we think we have as many as our poor can well spare, and are sure that they have more holydays than their poor can afford to observe: so that their holydays are no advantage to any. The rich need them not; because if they have abilities, they may be idle and luxurious every day: but they are a great evil and burden to the poor, when they are forced to lose so many days from their work, by which they should maintain themselves and their families. And though the popes, by reason of this cry of the poor, have been prevailed with to cut off many of those days of idleness, yet still, in most places, the number of them is intolerable.

Fourthly, As for images, I should have thought it more proper to range them among the hinderances of devotion, did I not see the men of Rome to plead earnestly for them, as helps and assistances, and to blame us for not using them, and paying no respect to them.

I confess myself not acute enough to discern how they can any ways advance devotion: for their paying such honour and respect to them, as they do own and acknowledge, must needs be a great distraction, it diverting the mind, and making men spend their religious reverence on that which is exposed to their view but their paying such worship to them as they do pay, but are ashamed to own, is flatly destructive to all true devotion.

They indeed plead the ignorance of the people for the necessity of images, and call them the books of the unlearned: but they must first suppose their people insufferably ignorant to need such helps as these are. And to give the priests their due, if any ignorance would suffice to justify such a practice,

they take care to keep their people in ignorance sufficient: and then if they are so ignorant that they cannot worship God without an image, the church cannot be secure, but these so silly people may worship the image for God or Christ, or at least as having some extraordinary virtue in it, and so make an idol of it; especially when they see the eyes and hands of the image to move, and see miracles wrought by the touch of it, as is frequently pretended and believed to be done: so that either there is no need of images, or great danger in the use of them.

I confess I am not of Mr. Baxter's mind, who thinks that they may be properly or safely used to excite devotion; at least I must confess myself of a different temper from him. Methinks I represent God in greater majesty to myself, when I consider him in his works of creation and providence, than to see him pictured, as in the clouds, though with thunder in his hand. And my Saviour appears more lovely to my mind. and thoughts, when I consider him as coming into the world, and dying for us, than when I see him pictured and carved on a crucifix: for it is more useful to see him with the eye of faith than of sense; and it is not the proportion of his body represented to my eyes, but the dignity of his nature, the love that he bore me, and the passions of his soul for me, that I admire most, and which no pencil can draw.

Besides, a picture or image tells me nothing but what I knew before; and it is by what I knew before that I can make sense or any devout use of this picture; for else I might take it for another profane and idle story. And I would fain know, whether the reading considerately the 26th and 27th chapters of St. Matthew, will not affect any pious heart much more than the seeing and contemplating a picture. Certainly, if this will affect the sense and bodily passions, the other will more work on our reason, and that will be to better purpose. Nay, the seeing of any picture often will naturally make it familiar, and not at all affecting to us.

5. And if the severity of the monks to their bodies is not any great sign of devotion, much less can the austerities used by the common people turn to any great commendation of the church. It is true, they are forced to keep fasts, but it would make a man laugh to read how their casuists have defined con

cerning the modus, the measure and end of fasting. Escobar hath resolved it, that " no drink breaks a fast, be it wine or chocolate; and because it is not wholesome to drink without eating, you may eat two ounces of bread; for that is but a quarter of a meal: and if a man should chance to break his vow of fasting thus, he is not bound to fast another day for it, unless on a new obligation: and if all this be too hard, you may be dispensed with for your whole life, and that whether there be any just cause for it or no. Nay, servants, though they eat never so gluttonously of the scraps, they break no fast." Indeed there need be no rules set down concerning the poor people's observing fasting days; they are kept low enough without them: and as for the rich, their fasting is mock-fasting, to fast to luxury with wine, and fish, and sweetmeats. Is not this great self-denial? If any therefore are still truly mortified, when they can thus help it, I must rather commend their own piety and devout temper, than the rules and orders of their church, which give so much liberty, that a man must have a very crossgrained appetite, or be in the highest degree sensual, not to be willing to comply with it. We find then no fault with fasting being enjoined, and at set seasons; for we ourselves commend and practise it but let it not be to play tricks, but for true and real mortification, and for the proper ends of mortification, to humble the body to the soul, and to bring the mind to a better temper: and to these ends is fasting commanded by our church; but not as if we looked on this or that kind of meat to be unholy, or designed to purchase heaven by our abstinence, as the church of Rome doth.

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6. And as for their pilgrimages, and worship of relics, they must needs have less pretence to religion: for their fasts, and other austerities, somewhat resemble true Christian duties; but these have no show that way. If pilgrimage be enjoined for penance, then there is no thanks due to the person performing it.

If it be voluntary, there is no true devotion in it for the worth of it must consist in some of these reasons; viz. either, first, that God is more present, or, secondly, more propitious, in one public place of worship than another; both which are contrary either to the nature of God or his declaration in scripture, when he says, In every place a pure offering shall be offered