Deed, to the apparent Ruin of his Family, he makes this godly Villain Heir of all he has, with a Right of present Poffeffion. The Lady, not knowing what was done, does, by putting her Husband under a Table, make him a Witnefs of the holy Lecher's Defigns and Importunity. He is by this convinced; but when afhamed of himself, and enraged at the Ingrate, he bids him. get out of his Houfe: No Sir, fays Tartuffe : It is your Turn to get out; the Houfe is mine, and you shall know it; I will be revenged on you on Behalf of Heaven, which you would wound through my Sides. Behold an Orthodox Pattern of the ufual Claim of Divine Right to the Wages of Villainy and Delusion!

ALL this Behaviour, and thefe Speeches, were fuch manifeft Marks of the Church, that all its genuine Sons dreaded their coming upon the Theatre. Their Rogueries are all facred, and muft not be fet to View.

MOLIERE, to take away, as much as was poffible, all reasonable Ground of Clamour from the Ecclefiaftics, had not fo much as fuggefted in the Play, that Tartuffe was a Priest; and only called his Comedy, The Impoftor, in general. Befides all this, he had dreffed up his Rogue like a Man of the World. He had not given him fo much as a flapping Bever, but a smart fecular Cock,

Cock, with a Sword, a good Head of Hair, a Cravat, and a gaudy Coat. But all this Precau tion of Moliere's availed not; Tartuffe had the Conduct, Craft, and Spirit of a Priest, though disguised like a Layman; and the Clergy found themselves whipped upon Tartuffe's Back.

EIGHT Days after Tartuffe was forbid to be acted, the Court was entertained with a very irreligious Play, called Scaramouch. After it was over, the King told a certain Prince, that he wondered why thofe People, who were so scandalized at Moliere's Comedy, did not say a Word of this. O Sir, answered the Prince, the Reafon is plain; the Play of Scaramouch only makes a Feft of God and Religion, in which these Gentlemen are no wife concerned: But Moliere bas dared to bring the Priests upon the Stage; which is not to be fuffered.

G.

NUMBER

NUMBER XL.

Wednesday, October 19. 1720.

Of PRIESTLY CRUELTY.

A

GOOD Man is diftinguished by his Humanity, as is the good God by his Mercy. Where there is no Humanity, there can be no Grace: We cannot poffefs at the fame time the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of a Brute or a Demon. Charity itself, the moft fublime Christian Grace, feems to be only Humanity guided and animated by Piety: And this is the more likely, for that it is the Business of the Christian Religion, to recover to human Nature those Virtues, which were either loft or leffened by the Fall of Adam. Had Man continued as he was made, perfect, a new Covenant, and another Inftitution, had been unneceffary.

VOL. II.

D

HU

HUMANITY then is an amiable Virtue, and the Characteristic of a Man; and of a Man civilized, gentle, benevolent; purged from all Rage, and every unfociable Paffion.

BUT the Appetites and Paffions of Men being too powerful for Reason, and the Law of Nature; Religion was inftituted to regulate and quell them. For this End, it proposes, as Sanctions and Restraints, the Favour of God to the Virtuous, and threatens his Displeasure to the Wicked, in this Life; and, in the next> still more adequate Rewards and Punishments, even those of Heaven and Hell. This is the great Design of Religion; and it effectually anfwers the fame, where its own honeft and fimple Dictates are obferved and followed; than which Dictates nothing can be more plain and reasonable; the principal Precept of the Gospel, next after our Belief in Jefus Chrift, being that of Peace and Love: A new Commandment, says our bleffed Saviour, I give unto you, that you love one another.

IN Confequence of this Doctnine, and of the Heavenly Temper which it inspired, the first Chriftians lived together in perfect Concord, Love and Charity; and yet there is no Question to be made, but they differed from each other in their Conceptions about fome Points

4

Points in Religion; as we fee the Apostles themselves alfo differed on feveral Occafions, and expreffed fome Warmth in these their Differences.

THIS fame Spirit of Charity and Love continued amongst the first Christians, till lying, crafty, and selfish Men, calling themselves Ministers, and affuming to be Teachers, filled them with the Spirit of Discord, and instructed them to hate one another. They rent them into Parties, inspired them with the Bitterness of Faction, and taught them its Watch-words, by which they were to distinguish themselves from all other Chriftians: I am of Paul, I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and the like Cant, full of Zeal, but void of Sense and Religion, had a direct and mischievous Tendency to abolish Faith in Chrift, and to place it upon Men; and, in fine, to turn Christianity into Caballing. They likewife marked out all who would not be driven nor deceived by them, with malicious and opprobrious Names, proper to expose them to Hatred and ill Usage. Heretic, Apoftate, Unbeliever, Schifmatic, and the like hard and equivocal Words, were found ftrangely effectual towards stirring up Rage, Revenge, and relentless War, against those unhappy People who were mifcalled by them; D 2

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