to a prudent difcreet Determination, and avoid
thofe Errors which would naturally be attended
with unhappy Confequences.

But every Man has a more important Concern
in the Affairs of a Life to come; and therefore it
is a Matter of the highest Moment for every one
to understand, to reafon, and to determine juftly
about the Things of Religion: 'Tis in vain for Per-
fons in general to fay, We have no Leisure or Time;
when the daily Intervals and Vacancies from necef-
fary Labour, together with the One Day in Seven,
in the Christian World, allow a fufficient Time
for fuch Purfuits: And if Men would but apply
themselves hereto, with half as much Zeal and Di-
ligence as they do to the Trifles and Amusements of
this Life, it would turn to infinitely better Account.

But, befides the right Knowledge of thofe Princi-
ples and Duties which are of the greatest Concern-
ment, there are fome Branches of Study, which
have a most apparent Tendency to entertain as well
as to improve; and, of this Kind, fome Subjects of
Hiftory will claim the Preference; and, perhaps.
there is no Part of Hiftory better received than
the Account of great Changes and Revolutions in
States and Governments.

Of all Changes, thofe in Religion which have
been sudden and fignal, are enquired into with the
moft eager Curiofity; and, where the Salvation of
Souls has been chiefly aimed at, and the Credit,
Honour and Intereft of Churches promoted and
established, the more Pious and Judicious will find
their Satisfaction much more than compenfate the
seeming Trouble of their Search into the Reality
and Circumstances thereof.

The

The Alteration that has been made in the established Religion of this Nation for little more than the two laft Centuries, has produced fuch Effects every where, that it is no Wonder if all Perfons defire to fee a clear Account of the several Steps by which it advanced; of the Councils that directed it, and the Motives, both religious and political, that inclined Men of all Conditions to concur in it.

To lay before the Public a particular and impartial Account of the Conftitution and Doctrine of the feveral Denominations of Chriftians, is the principal Intent of this Undertaking; and, upon the most mature Enquiry I have been able to make, I find the Doctrines and Tenets of all Denominations to have varied greatly from their original Conftitution, and diftinguishing Character.

as the

This Obfervation will appear to be true, even with refpect to the Roman Catholic Church, which has been moft of all folicitous to preferve the Catholic Faith, call it, pure and uncorrupt. The wiser Part disclaim fome of their most abfurd Doctrines, and difcard and defpife many of their ridiculous Ceremonies: Some Reformation has been made in thefe Refpects by Churches of that Perfuafion in different Nations of Europe; and it is more than probable that many of the most ferious and judicious Papifts would be glad to fee a greater Reformation even in the Fundamentals of their Religion.

Picart, under the Article of adoring the Crofs, fays, "This Ceremony gives great Scandal to Heretics, who look upon this folemn Adoration on Good Friday as manifeft Idolatry-would it not be better to decline fome Ceremonies which Catholics are reduced to Shifts, Difguifes, and Evafions

to

to defend, and which are looked on as Folly to the Libertine, and a Scandal to the Proteftant ?”*

In the Church of England it is well known great Alterations have taken place fince the Reformation: At that Time the generality of the English Divines, efpecially the Majority of the Committee for Compiling the Articles of this Church, were ftrict or rigid Calvinifts, who, in Spite of all the Oppofition they met with, modelled feveral of the Articles in Favour of Calvinism, which now the greatest Part of the English Divines would fain explain contrary to their literal Senfe and Meaning; reprefent them as, at best, ambiguous and capable of a Senfe more confiftent with the general Tenour of the Scriptures, and the Reason and common Senfe of Mankind. In like Manner Athanafius's Creed was then, by Authority, inferted in the Book of Common Prayer, and, with all the incomprehenfible Mysteries and exceptionable Claufes, cordially received by fome, and imposed on others, as the true Catholic Faith; whereas now, to fay no more to explode it, the Church in general "would be glad to be well rid of it." If the Queftion were afked, What are the genuine Sentiments of the Church of England? it would be a very vague, indeterminate and falle Anfwer, to fay they are contained in the XXXIX Articles; when it is well known that the Majority of our most eminent Prelates and Divines of the established Church, have embraced and profeffed, and in their public Preaching and Writings endeavour to inculcate, Principles more confiftent with the Nature of genuine Christianity.,

The fame Obfervation is equally true, with respect to many other Denominations, namely the Kirk

Picart's Edition of the Religious Ceremonies, Vol. II. P. 25.

Kirk or Church of Scotland, the English Prefbyterians, Baptifts, Quakers, &c. as would be no difficult Matter to particularize in many Inftances, were it not unneceffary, as will evidently appear in the Course of this Work.

This may be one Reason why all the Hiftories extant, of the feveral Sectaries of Chriftians, differ fo widely from each other, and are fo very imperfect and erroneous: I wish this was the only Reason, and that there did not appear fome evident Marks of a malevolent Defign to mifreprefent Sectaries, in order to expose them to Cenfure and Contempt. This I hint with particular Regard to Rofs's View of all Religions, being, of all others, the moft fcurrilous and falfe; and to that voluminous Edition of the Religious Ceremonies of all Nations, in which the Author appears greatly mistaken in the Constitution and Principles of feveral Societies of English Proteftant Diffenters; and alfo to Boffuet's Hiftory of the Variation of Proteftant Churches in the Low Countries.

But this Crime of Mifreprefentation is not applicable only to a few Hiftories of our own or foreign Nations, and those for the most part obfolete Certain modern Writers feem to have taken a fecret Pleasure in blackening the Characters of fome Societies of Chriftians, and expofing and cenfuring fuch Doctrines or Rites as they learned not in their Infancy to believe or practife; forgetting, though afhamed to deny, the Right of private Judgment, and Liberty of Confcience; and too often ignorant of the genuine Principles of thofe Societies they cenfure, and of the Arguments upon which they are founded. Indeed I have been often furprized to find Perfons

of

of Credit, and otherwife of good Understanding, fo extremely ignorant, not only with respect to the genuine Sentiments of other Denominations of Chriftians; but in a very high Degree, of the diftinguishing Tenets or Principles of that Religion they themselves profefs; and confequently of the Arguments on which they reft. This was one Motive to the Profecution of the present Work; and another was to fupprefs Bigotry, Prejudice, and Cenforioufnefs, too apt to take Poffeffion of narrow Minds; and, in their Place, to inculcate and improve that mutual Love and Charity, even for Perfons of differing Opinions, which is fo agreeable to the Dignity and Honour of Men and of Chriftians.

I write for no Party; my Aim is to recommend a free and impartial Enquiry into the genuine Principles of Chriftianity, which is the juft Foundation of Truth and Virtue, Liberty and Charity.

That generally-received Maxim, Rome was not built in a Day, is as undoubtedly true with refpect to the Conftitution, Doctrine and Ceremonies of the Romish Church, as of its external Form and ftately Edifices; for this Reason I have judged a brief Account of the principal Revolutions and Variations in the Government, Worship, &c. of that Church for seventeen Centuries, a proper Preliminary to the History of its prefent State.

The Account I have given of the Principles, &c. of the Romish Church, I have first expreffed in the Words of Pope Pius's Creed, which was established by the Council of Trent, and has been ever fince esteemed

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