Religion.
KIng James said to the Fly, Have I Three Kingdoms, and thou must needs fly into my Eye? Is there not enough to meddle with upon the Stage, or in Love, or at the Table, but Reli∣gion?
Religion amongst Men appears to me like the Learning they got at School. Some Men forget all they learned, others spend upon the Stock, and some improve it. So some Men forget all the Religion that was taught them when they were Young, others spend upon that Stock, and some improve it.
Religion is like the Fashion, one Man wears his Doublet slash’d, another, lac’d, another plain; but every Man has a Doublet: So every Man has his Religi∣on. We differ about Trimming.
Men say they are of the same Reli∣on for Quietness sake; but if the Matter were well examin’d you would scarce find Three any where of the same Re∣ligion in all Points.
Every Religion is a getting Religi∣on; for though I my self get nothing, I am subordinate to those that do. So you may find a Lawyer in the Temple that gets little for the present, but he is fitting himself to be in time one of those great Ones that do get.
Alteration of Religion is dangerous, because we know not where it will stay; ’tis like a Milstone that lies upon the top of a pair of Stairs; ’tis hard to remove it, but if once it be thrust off the first Stair, it never stays till it comes to the bottom.
Question. Whether is the Church or the Scripture Judge of Religion? Answ. In truth neither, but the State. I am trou∣bled with a Boil; I call a Company of Chirurgeons about me; one prescribes one thing, another another; I single out something I like, and ask you that stand by, and are no Chirurgeon, what you think of it. You like it too; you and I are Judges of the Plaster, and we bid them prepare it, and there’s an end. Thus ’tis in Religion; the Protestants say they will be judged by the Scriptures; the Papists say so too; but that cannot speak. A Judge is no Judge, except he can both speak and command Execution; but the truth is they never intend to agree. No doubt the Pope where he is Supream, is to be Judg; if he say we in England ought to be subject to him, then he must draw his Sword and make it good.
By the Law was the Manual received into the Church before the Reformation; not by the Civil Law, that had nothing to do in it; nor by the Canon Law, for that Manual that was here, was not in France, nor in Spain; but by Custom, which is the Common Law of England; and Custom is but the Elder Brother to a Parliament: and so it will fall out to be nothing that the Papists say: Ours is a Parliamentary Religion, by reason the Service-Book was Established by Act of Parliament, and never any Service-Book was so before. That will be nothing that the Pope sent the Manual; ’twas ours, because the State received it. The State still makes the Religion, and re∣ceives into it what will best agree with it. Why are the Venetians Roman Ca∣tholicks? because the State likes the Religion: All the World knows they care not Three-pence for the Pope. The Council of Trent is not at this day ad∣mitted in France.
Papist. Where was your Religion before Luther, an Hundred years ago? Protestant. Where was America an Hun∣dred or Sixscore Years ago? our Religi∣on was where the rest of the Christian Church was Papist. Our Religion con∣tinued ever since the Apostles, and there∣fore ’tis better. Protestant. So did ours. That there was an Interruption of it, will fall out to be nothing, no more than if another Earl should tell me of the Earl of Kent; saying, He is a bet∣ter Earl than he, because there was one or two of the Family of Kent did not take the Title upon them; yet all that while they were really Earls; and afterwards a great Prince declar’d them to be Earls of Kent, as he that made the other Family an Earl.
Disputes in Religion will never be ended, because there wants a Measure by which the Business would be decided: The Puretan would be judged by the Word of God: If he would speak clear∣ly, he means himself, but he is asham’d to say so; and he would have me be∣lieve him before a whole Church, that has read the Word of God as well as he. One says one thing, and another a∣nother; and there is, I say, no Measure to end the Controversie. ’Tis just as if Two Men were at Bowls, and both judg’d by the Eye; One says ’tis his Cast, the o∣ther says ’tis my Cast• and having no Mea∣sure, the Difference is Eternal. Ben John∣son Satyrically express’d the vain Disputes of Divines, by Inigo Lanthorne, disputing with his Puppet in a Bartholomew Fair. It is so; It is not so: It is so; It is not so, crying thus one to another a quarter of an Hour together.
In Matters of Religion to be rul’d by one that writes against his Adversary, and throws all the Dirt he can in his Face, is, as if in point of good Manners a Man should be govern’d by one whom he sees at Cuffs with another, and there∣upon thinks himself bound to give the next Man he meets a Box on the Ear.
’Tis to no purpose to labour to reconcile Religions, when the Interest of Princes will not suffer it. ’Tis well if they could be reconciled so far, that they should not cut one anothers Throats.
There’s all the Reason in the World, Divines should not be suffer’d to go a Hair beyond their Bounds, for fear of breeding Confusion, since there now be so many Religions on Foot. The Matter was not so narrowly to be look’d after when there was but one Religion in Christendom; the rest would cry him down for an Heretick, and there was no Body to side with him.
We look after Religion as the Butcher did after his Knife, when he had it in his Mouth.
Religion is made a Juggler’s Pa∣per; now ’tis a Horse, now ’tis a Lan∣thorn, now ’tis a Boar, now ’tis a Man. To serve Ends Religion is turn’d into all Shapes.
Pretending Religion and the Law of God, is to set all things loose. When a Man has no mind to do something he ought to do by his Contract with Man, then he gets a Text and interprets it as he pleases, and so thinks to get loose.
Some Mens pretending Religion, is like the roaring Boys way of chal∣lenges, [Their Reputation is dear, it does not stand with the Honour of a Gentle∣man,] when, God knows, they have neither Honour nor Reputation about them.
They talk much of settling Reli∣gion: Religion is well enough settled al∣ready, if we would let it alone: Me∣thinks we might look after, &c.
If Men would say they took Arms for any thing but Religion, they might be beaten out of it by Reason; out of that they never can, for they will not believe you what ever you say.
The very Arcanum of pretending Religion in all Wars, is, That something may be found out in which all Men may have Interest. In this the Groom has as much Interest as the Lord. Were it for Land, one has One Thousand Acres, and the other but one; he would not ven∣ture so far, as he that has a Thousand. But Religion is equal to both. Had all Men Land alike, by a Lex Agraria, then all Men would say they fought for Land.