THERE is one Advantage greater than any of the foregoing, propofed by the Abolifbing of Chriftianity, that it will utterly extinguish Par ties among us, by removing thofe Factious Di ftinctions of High and Low Church, of Whig and Tory, Presbiterian and Church of England, which are now fo many mutual Clogs upon publick Pro ceedings, and are apt to prefer the gratifying themfelves or depreffing their Adverfaries, be fore the most importent Intereft of the State.

I confefs, if it were certain, that fo great an Advantage would redound to the Nation by this Expedient, I would fubmit and be filent: But, will any Man fay, that if the Words Whoring, Drink ing, Cheating, Lying, Stealing were by Act of Par liament ejected out of the English Tongue and Dictionaries, we fhould all awake next Morning Chafte and Temperate, Honeft and Juft, and Lovers of Truth. Is this a fair Confequence? Or if the Phyficians would forbid us to pronounce the Words Pex, Gout, Rheumatifm, and Stone, would that Expedient ferve like fo many Talismans to deftroy the Difeafes themselves. Are Party and Faction rooted in Mens Hearts no deeper than Phrafes borrowed from Religion or founded upon no firmer Principles? And is our Language fo poor, that we cannot find other Terms to exprefs them? Are Envy, Pride, Avarice and Ambition fuch ill Nomenclators, that they cannot furnish Appellations for their Owners? Will not Heydukes and Ma malukes, Mandarins and Patfbarus, or any other Words formed at Pleafure, ferve to diftinguifh thofe who are in the Miniftry from others, who would be in it if they could? What for in stance is eafter than to vary the Form of Speech,

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and infteed of the Word Church, make it a Queftion in Politicks, Whether the Monument be in Danger? Because Religion was nearest at hand to furnish a few convenient Phrafes, is our Invention fo barren, we can find no others? Suppofe for Argument fake, that the Tories favoured Margarita, the Whigs Mrs. Tofts, and the Trimmers Valentini, would not Margaritians, Toftians and Valentinians be very tolerable Marks of Diftinction? The Prafini and Veneti, two moft virulent Factions in Italy, began (if I remember right) by a Distinction of Colours in Ribbands, which we might do with as good a Grace about the Dignity of the Blew and the Green, and ferve as properly to divide the Court, the Parliament and the Kingdom between them, as any Terms of Art whatsoever, borrowed from Religion. And therefore I think there is little Force in this Objection against Christianity, or profpect of fo great an advantage as is propofed in the Abolishing of it.

'Tis again objected as a very abfurd ridiculous Cuftom, that a Set of Men fhould be fuffered, much less employed and hired to bawl one Day in Seven against the Lawfulness of thofe Methods moft in ufe towards the Purfuit of Greatness, Riches, and Pleafure, which are the conftant Practice of all Men alive on the other Six. But this Objection is, I think, a little unworthy fo refined an Age as ours. Let us argue this Matter calmly: I appeal to the Breaft of any polite Free-Thinker, whether in the pursuit of gratifying a predominant Paffion, he hath not always felt a wonderful Incitement, by reflecting it was a Thing forbidden: And therefore we fee, in order to cultivate this Teft, the Wisdom

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of the Nation hath taken fpecial Care, that the Ladies fhould be furnished with Prohibited Silks, and the Men with Prohibited Wine: And indeed it were to be wifh'd, that fome other Prohibitions were promoted, in order to improve the Pleasures of the Town, which for want of fuch Expedients begin already, as I am told, to flag and grow languid, giving way daily to cruel Inroads from the Spleen.

'Tis likewife propofed as a great Advantage to the Publick, that if we once difcard the Syltem of the Gofpel, all Religion will of course be banifhed for ever, and confequently along with it, thofe grievous Prejudices of Education, which under the Names of Virtue, Confcience, Honour, Juftice, and the like, are fo apt to difturb the Peace of human Minds, and the Notions whereof are fo hard to be eradicated by Right Reafon or Free-Thinking, fometimes during the whole Courfe of our Lives.

HERE first, I obferve how difficult it is to get rid of a Phrafe, which the World is once grown fond of, though the occafion that firft produced it be entirely taken away. For fome Years paft, ifa Man had but an ill favoured Nofe, the Deep-Thinkers of the Age would fome way or other contrive to impute the Caufe to the Prejudice of his Education. From this Fountain were faid to be derived all our foolish Notions of Justice, Piety, Love of our Country, all our Opinions of God or a Future State, Heaven, Hell, and the like: And there might formerly perhaps have been fome Pretence for this Charge. But fo effectual Care hath been fince taken, to remove thofe Prejudices by an entire Change in the Methods of Education,

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that with Honour I mention it to our Polite Innovators) the Young Gentlemen, who are now on the Scene, feem to have not the leaft Tincture left of those Infufions, or String of thofe Weeds, and by confequence the Reafont for Abolishing Nominal Chriftianity upon that Pretext, is wholly ceaft."

FOR the reft, it may perhaps admit a Controverly, whether the Banifhing all Notions of Religion whatsoever, would be convenient for the Vulgar. Not that I am in the leaft of Opinion with thofe, who hold Religion to have been the Invention of Politicians, to keep the lower part of the World in Awe by the fear of Invifible Powers; unless Mankind were then very dif ferent from what it is now: For I look upon the Mafs or Body of our People here in England, to be as Free-Thinkers, that is to fay, as ftanch Unbelievers, as any of the highest Rank. But I conceive fome scattered Notions about a Superior Power to be of fingular Ufe for the Common People, as furnishing excellent Materials to keep Children quiet when they grow peevish, and providing Topicks of Amusement in a tedious Winter Night.

LASTLY, 'Tis propofed as a fingular Advan tage, that the Abelifbing of Chriflianity will very much contribute to the uniting of Protef tants, by enlarging the Terms of Communion, fo as to take in all forts of Diffenters, who are now shut out of the Pale upon. Account of a few Ceremonies, which all Sides confefs to be Things indifferent: That this alone will effectually answer the great Ends of a Scheme for Comprehenfion, by opening a large noble Gate, at which all Bodies may enter; whereas the chaffer

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chaffering with Diffenters, and dodging about this or t'other Ceremony, is but like opening a few Wickets, and leaving them at Jarr, by which no more than one can get in at a time, and that not without ftooping and fideling, and fqueefing his Body.

To all this I anfwer, That there is one dar ling Inclination of Mankind, which usually af fects to be a Retainer to Religion, though the be neither its Parent, its Godmother, nor its Friend; I mean the Spirit of Oppofition, that lived long before Chriftianity, and can ea fily fubfift without it. Let us, for Inftance, examine wherein the Oppofition of Sectaries among us confifts; we fhall find Chriftianity to have no Share in it at all. Does the Gofpel any where prescribe a ftarch'd fqueez'd Countenance, a ftiff formal Gate, a Singularity of Manners and Habit, or any affected Forms and Modes of Speech different from the reasonable Part of Mankind. Yet, if Christianity did not lend its Name, to ftand in the Gap, and to employ or divert thefe Humours, they must of neceffity be fpent in Contraventions to the Laws of the Land, and Disturbance of the Publick Peace. There is a Portion of Enthufiafm affigned to every Nation, which if it hath not proper Ob jects to work on, will burft out, and fet all into a Flame. If the Quiet of a State can be bought by only flinging Men a few Ceremonies to devour, it is a Purchafe no wife Man would refufe. Let the Maftiffs amufe themselves about a Sheep-fkin ftuff'd with Hay, provided it will keep them from Worrying the Flock. The In ftitution of Convents abroad, feems in one Point a Strain of great Wisdom, there being few Ir regularities