Page:Terræ-filius- or, the Secret History of the University of Oxford.djvu/44

8 tender regard for mankind, condemns his own body for what he thinks wrong in them, or diputes any doctrine which has been current amongt them, he is told, That, uppoing this hopeful point could be made out, yet it became not a clergyman to be concern'd in uch dirty work, but that he ought to leave it to the Laity, who are always ready enough upon uch occaions.

And we may contantly oberve, as Sofia ays in my motto, that thee communicative men, who cannot keep counel, but are always divulging the truth, meet with the wort ort of treatment, and are look'd upon as fale brethren, and fale ons of that church, in which they have the honour to erve: I have before my eyes o many intances of this, epecially amongt the wiet and worthiest of men, that were I to enumerate them, I hould be at a los where to begin.

This has not only a direct tendency to atheim, but is the very eence of atheim itelf: it uppoes, indeed, that ome ytem of theology is neceary for the good of civil ociety; but it uppoes alo that a fale one will erve the turn; nay, it uppoes farther, and evidently implies, that a fale one will erve the turn better than a true one; and why may not one fale one, if well contriv'd, do as well as another?

By this artifice every tage-hypocrite, and old libertine in authority impoes upon mankind what ridiculous doctrines, and wicked practices he pleaes: it is, ays he, a in to pry into either, or dicover them to others, if you cannot help dicovering them your elf.

Thus have ill-minded priets in all ages wrapt up the amiable truths of religion in a cloud of hard names, and cooked them up, like French ragouts, with o many different ingredients, that no body knows what to make of then; though all