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where he is supposed to be pleased and gratified, like frail Mortals, with coftly Furniture, gilded Roofs, engraven and polifhed Marble, fine Carving, and other curious, though baubling Workmanship of Mechanics and Artificers.

I CONFESS I am not wife enough to find out any effential Difference between the prefent and the old Roman Worship: They both dedicate their Temples to dead Men and Women, whom the Papifts call Saints, and the Pagans called Demi-Gods and Goddeffes: The Pagan Forms of Hocus Pocus, which they called Confecrations, were intended to conjure and call down their Deities to inhabit perfonally their Temples, their Images, and Idols: The Popish Priests confecrate their Churches for the fame Purpose, namely, to obtain the more immediate Presence of the Deity: Like the old Romans too, they erect Altars in their Temples, where they worship Saints with Supplications, Tears, Grimaces, antic and diftorted Faces and Gestures, Music, and Ceremonies, and tender Offerings and Oblations to them; and, like the others, often make Proceffions, Cavalcades, and Shews in their Honour; and sometimes go in Pilgrimages to them, to obtain their Favour.

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THE Popish Priests have profaned the plain and fimple Direction of our Saviour to his Difciples, for commemorating the Benefits which we have received by his Death, by turning it into an old Roman Sacrifice: Amongst them, the Pipers and Harpers were the Fore-runners of the Shew; and before the modern Sacrifice, the Organs ftrike up a Tune: There the Priests went up to the Altar in a white Garment free from Spots (being an Emblem of Innocence); in new Rome, the Prieft wears a white Surplice: The Heathen Prieft turned about to the Eaft, being the Region of the rifing Sun, and bowed; the Popish Priest does the fame: The Horns of the Beast sacrificed were marked with Gold, and his Blood received in Golden and Silver Veffels; here the pretended Christian Sacrifice of the real Body and Blood of Chrift is poured into the fame cofly Cups, or laid upon as rich Plates and Dishes. The old Roman Altar was raised by several Steps above the Floor of their Temples; fo is the present: The Prieft, amongst them, made a crooked Line with his Knife from the Head to the Tail of the Victim; the Popish Priest plays Tricks of Legerdemain with his Fingers over the Elements: Laftly, when the Beaft was confecrated and killed, the Heathen Priests regaled themselves

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upon what was left, after their Gods were served; the Romish Priests make it profane for any Layman to drink of the confecrated Wine, or for any one even to eat the Bread but the Communicants.

THE old Romans had different Orders of Priests, with different and distinct Offices and Revenues; the High-Prieft, the Luperci, the Augurs, the Harufpices, the Pontifices, the Flamines, Salii, Feciales, the Duumviri, Decemviri, Quindecimviri, the Keepers of the Sibylline Books, the Corybantes, &c. The prefent Romans (befides the several Sorts which are in Use and Fashion amongst us) have a Pope, Cardinals, Dominicans, Franciscans, Jefuits, Carmelites, Benedictines, Carthufians, Capuchins, Ciftercians, Obfervantines, Auguf tines, Servites, &c. In Imitation alfo of the Vestal Virgins, in old Rome, they have founded feveral Orders of Nuns, who take a Vow of Chastity, for the Breach of which they are immured, as the others were buried alive: And as they had a Right to deliver from the Hands of Justice any Malefactors, whom they cafually met in their Walks; fo the present Romish Priests claim and exercise an equal Right to protect all Criminals who can fly to them for

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Protection, which is borrowed from that of the old Roman Afylums.

THE old Romans had their Dies faftos & nefaftos, their Fasts and Feasts, their Sacrificia, their Epula's, their Feria's, in Honour of their Gods and Demi-Gods; the present Romans alfo make Distinctions of Days a great Part of their Religion; they too have their Dies faftos

nefaftos, their stated Fafts and Feafts in Honour of their Saints, or to commemorate and condole paft Misfortunes, or rejoice over fignal Succeffes; and fome of their Feasts, and particularly their Carnivals, exceed in Lewdnefs and Prodigality the Bacchanalia of the Antients.

THE Heathens had their Deos tutelares, to whom the Defence of certain Countries was committed; and their Deos Præfides, who had the Safe-guard of particular Cities: The Papists have Saints who fupply the fame Offices. Artificers and Profeffions have also their particular Saints, who prefide over them; Scholars have their Saint Nicolas, and Saint Gregory; Painters, Saint Luke; as Soldiers and Lovers had formerly their Mars and Venus: Difeafes too have their Saints to cure them; as the Pox, Saint Roque; the Falling-Evil, Saint Cormelius; the Tooth-ach, Saint Apollin: And

even Beasts and Cattle have theirs; Saint Loy is the Horse-leech, and Saint Antony the Swineherd.

As the Heathen Priefts would fuffer none to come into their Sanctuaries but themselves; neither will the Popish Priests permit any Layman to come within the Rails of the Altar, and profane with unhallowed Feet that holy Place. As the Antients obliged all, who were initiated into their Mysteries, to confess, under the most severe Denunciations, all the Secrets of their past Lives; by which means they were so much in their Power, that they never afterwards durft blab out what they saw, nor give the leaft Oppofition to their Designs; so the Romish Priests trust their Mysteries only to the vere adepti, (their trufty Affociates) and have made the fame Ufe of Confeffion (the Lofs of which is forely lamented by others): For they oblige, upon the Penalty of Damnation, all their Votaries to confefs not only their private Sins, but fecret Thoughts, as well as every thing else they know of other Peoples, which may any way regard the Interests of their Order; and fo have Poffeffion and fast Hold of all Families, and become acquainted with all the Defigns, which may ever thwart their Pride; and confequently have fecured their own Domination,

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