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988. We fhall next vifit the great church of St. Peter, Weftminfter-Abbey, the common fepulchre of both catholics and proteftants. Here Calvin will, as he can place himself in fpirit, meet with every idolatry, both catholic and proteftant, from the prince to the beggar, idols of angels, men, women, children, beasts, birds, reptiles, Death, old Time, fhips, anchors, cables, arms of deftruction, both great and small, and many images, or emblematical allufions, too numerous to dwell upon, or a Calvinift's ftomach to contain. Obferve the muscles of his face are contracted and drawn up to the fize and as white as an egg.

Mof. It must be the image of an egg, I mean a cow's bladder, filled with lard; your medicine operates powerfully.

Luth. From the abbey I will next efcort you through the towns and villages through England, &c. where you cannot ftep but fome of Calvin's idols forefink and imprefs their hideous forms on your mind. By thefe figures the different trades and fhop-keepers acquaint you in what line of bufinefs they are. I never was curious to take a trip either to Scotland, Geneva, Bofton in America, or any other Calviniftical jurifdiction.

Calv. I humbly pray your excuse; but neceffity perfuades me to retire; I feel a large demand which cannot be withheld: have you a privy?

Luth. Turn to your left, where you will meet with due fatisfaction; but I hope not with the difafter poor Arius experienced in Conftantinople,

tinople, where he was escorted by his friends in triumph, where he had a lift, and going into a privy, his harflet, or bowels, fell out at his fundament, where he was found a lifeless, empty trunk. He feems to be the original of the Calvinistical herefy. This was in the reign of Conftantine the Great, and was the chief cause of the council of Nice.

Mof. What charge lay against him?

Luth. Denying the divinity of our Redeemer, which is a tenet of Calvinism.

Mof. What were the number of the council? Luth. Upwards of 300 bishops and fathers of the priesthood both from the Roman and Perfian empires, in the year 300 and odd, when the Nicene creed was fet forth, and a little time after St. Athanafius's, which have ever fince with the apostles been confidered and held in equal esteem and veneration, both by catholics and proteftants, as the other fcriptures.

Mof. By what bishops and fathers was this council compofed?

Luth. Chriftians, without doubt.
Mof. What chriftians?

Luth. Roman eatholics, in communion with the Roman Pontiff, Pope Sylvefter.

Mof. You think Arius was a Calvinian proteftant and his affociates, &c.

Luth. There is not the leaft doubt, and we, with the council and church, through all ages, excommunicate and reject all heretics and difturbers of the christian peace.

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Mof. Why was Luther and the proteftants, in our days, excommunicated by the council of Trent, which still remains?

Luth. This was, and ftill is, occafioned and held up by Calvinians, Quakers, Anabaptifts, and a fpawn of many others too numerous to be recounted.

Mof. They make a handle of you and the church of England, having the power to uphold them, in their oppofition.

Luth. This we well know; but when you have made a league or communicate with villains, you will find it difficult to diffpoffefs yourself from the contract, which is our cafe. Mof. The head of poor Charles the First fpeaks to this point.

Luth. Oliver Cromwel, that prefbyterian fanatic, confirms it in the English monarchy, and we may trace them wherever their power extends?

Mof. I will now declare my most inward fentiments all I am poffeffed of has iffued from the benevolent boafts of chriftians, both catholics and proteftants, and to many of my ancestors. I fhould be the bafeft of men did I not acknowledge this truth. I have been educated, perhaps, in a more liberal school than many others, which has taught me, that gratitude to benefactors is one of the most effential duties of the human fpecies; and could I be inftrumental to the happiness of my fellowcreatures, no man would fhare more in this general bleffing than a poor despised Jew. My lot is, O my God. Mofes weeps and strikes his breaft.

Luth.

Luth. Why do you weep?

Mof. At the miferies that attend us.

Luth. From whence doth the diftreffes of the mind take its fource?

Mof. From education, pride and luft; we examine our neighbour, but will not fcrutinize ourselves.

Luth. I am a chriftian proteftant,- but why I prefer it I cannot know. In my education I am inftructed the original church founded by Jefus Chrift became an adultrefs and was caft off by Jefus Chrift; but the merits of the charge I never knew. She is charged with many idolatrous and diabolical principles, &c. themselves are in the dark, and them alfo who conjecture fuch charges. The proteftants charge them with placing the image of our Lord and his apoftles and other faints in their churches, and paying a refpect to them.

We Lutherans, church of England and other chriftians, Calvinifts excepted, have our images, pictures, and whatever may excite love and devotion to our amiable and good God and his fervants alfo; they pay no other refpect to images and pictures than to the Bible and other books of religion. We do the fame, I will grant that amongst us converfant with prefbyterians, and that never looked into our religion, nor the advantage of travelling, imbibe their diabolical tenets, ftuffed with their unnatural councils; and, though not defignedly, yet, through cuftom, fuck in the poison, and become one mafs with thofe they pity or def pife; for, were you to tell them their prinB 3 ciples

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ciples are Calvinifm, they would immediately confider it as an infult on their judgment, knowing the principles of a Calvinift or prefbyterian are oppofite to monarchy, order, and due fubordination effentially and abfolutely requifite and neceffary to a civilized state or community. Thefe fanatics make no fcruple of charging the church of England and others of the Lutheran communion with the appellation of Bastard Papist, idolatrous and heathenish conventicles, and many atrocious calumnies; and this to draw the community at large to their intereft, and place the power of the states in their hands.

Calv. I have been embowelled and tortured in a moft cruel engagement for upwards of half an hour; but am refreshed.

Mof. Rehearses to Calvin what paffed in his abfence. Luther rehearses.

Calv. You are not fo bold and rancorous as to place the Father of Spirit and the Bulwark of Reformation under the tuition of old Arius, an old condemned heretic. You may with equal propriety place him in the fchool of the Iconoclaft and other condemned heretics, which we as heartily deteft as the papist.

Luth. Calvinifm is no more than a revival of Arianifm, which does honour to your church, given her a rank of priority, up to the year 300, whofe apoftle Arius, champion in the caufe of reformation in the firft age, and establishment of popery, ftood up against their first general council of Nice. Entering his protest against the popish council and divinity of Chrift, he died a martyr

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