612 The Ground of badMens Vol. Il. And this bath been a very common pra&ice of theFa&ors for the Church of Rome in this Age; when they cannot gain men dire&ly to their Religion, they fetch a ftrange compafs, and try to make them Infidels, or Scepticks, as to all Religion ; and then they doubt not to bring them about at laft to the outward profefEon of their Religion, which will ferve their turn well enough : for when men are once unhing'd from the principles of all Religion, 'tis no hard matter for their own eafe and intereft to perfuade them to an outward complyance with that Religion which is coining in fafhion, and will bring them fome advantage. And this is not an un- charitable fufpicion, butcertain in fa& and experience ; that this impious method of feveral of the Priefts of the Church of Rome , bath been one of the principal fources of the Infidelity and Scepticifm of this age. II. This is a great vindication of our Religion, that it can bear the light; and is ready to fubmit it felf to any impartial tryal and examination : we are not afraid to expofe our Religion to thepublickview ofthe world, and fo appeal to the judgment of Mankind for the truth and reafonablenefs of it : Truth loves to come abroad; and be feen, being confident of her own native beauty and charms, of her own force and power to gain upon the minds of men : and on the contrary, it doth juftly draw a great fufpicion upon any Religion, if it declines the light ; and nothing can render it more fufpe&ed, than for the teachers of it to make it their great care to keeppeople in the dark about it ; or if they chance to peep into it, and to efpy the defects of it, to awe therm by the extremity of danger and fuffering, from declaring againít thofe errors and corruptions which they have difcovered in it. I do not know two worfe figns of the falfhood and corruption of anyChurch or Religion, than Ignorance and an Inquifition : thefe two are fhrewder marks of a falfe Church, than all the fifteen marks which Bellarmine bath muttered up are , to prove the Church of Rome to be the only true Chriftian Church. Methinks their Church and oursdiffer like Egypt and Gofhen, in the time of the plague of darknefs,; only in this they differ from Egypt, that God fent the plague among them, but the Church of Rome affects it, and brings it upon themfelves; a darknefs fo grofs that it may be felt ; and to make it more thick and palpable, they impofe upon men the belief of dire&Nonfenfe, under the grave venerable pretence of Ñlyflery, as in their Do&rine of Tranfi:b/lantiátion: and the great defign of the Inquifition, is to awe men from reading the Scriptures, and from fearching into, and examining the Grounds of their Religion, becaufe they think they will not bear the Teft. This is the condemnation of that Church, that when light is come into the world, they love darknefs rather than light, becaufe their Dodrines and their deeds are evil. III. And 12/ì!y, This gives us the plain reafon why fotne in the world are fo careful to fupprefs and conceal theTruth, and to lock up the knowledge of it from the people in an unknown tongue, and do fo jealoufly guard all the avenueswhere- by light and knowledge fhould enter into them, is becaufe their Do&rines and De= figns, and deeds are evil, and they are afraid they fhould he difcovered to be fo. This is the true reafon why they love darknefs rather than light ; for the Church of Rome are wife enough in their generation, to underftand that nothing but the dark- nefs of their Shops, canhinder people from difcerning the falfenefs of their Wares; they have feveral things to put off to the people, which cannot bear the tryal of a clear and full light. What elfe makes them conceal the word of God from men ? that great light whichGod hath fet up in theWorld, to be a Lamp to ourfeet, and a Lanthorn to ourfeps ; it is not to keep out Herefie, but Light and Truth : when they cannot be ignorant that God has fet up this Candle on purpofe to enlighten the world, why do they put it under a bufhel ? but that they are guilty to themfelves, that feveral of their Do&rines and Pra&ices will be difcovered and reproved by it. What makes them inthe face ofthe world to conceal from the people the fecond Commandment in their ordinaryCatechifms andManuals, but left the people thould Come to underítand that God hath exprefly forbidden the Worfhip of images ? We do not conceal thofeTexts, feedingfheep, and uponthis Rock will Ibuild my Church ; for fear the people fhould difcern the Pope's fupremacy- and-infallibility in them, but are content to run the hazardof it, and let them find them there if they can. And
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