The Church put in the True Light: 373 



apocryphal book the Money-god or Mammon him, who, not vaunt- 

 ingly in the least, but most truly, thus speaks of his own divinity in 

 the seventh canto of the " Fairy Queen" 



". God of the world and worldlings I me call 

 Great Mammon, greatest God below the sky, 

 , That of my plenty pour out unto all, 



And unto none my graces do envy : 

 Riches, renown, and principality, 

 Honour, estate, and all this world's good, 

 For which men swink and sweat incessantly, 

 From me do flow into an ample flood."* 



Yes ! Mammon ! god of churchmen ! thou art indeed great ! Thou 

 alone reignest in the hearts and souls of men ; thy worshippers are the 

 whole family of man ; the foot of a hypocrite never trod the courts of 

 thy temple. Thou hast no peculiar priesthood ; for the priests of all 

 other altars serve at thine : with their lips they honour other gods ; but 

 thee they honour with their lives, which go up before thee as a morn- 

 ing and evening sacrifice. Thou art kind and ever gracious to thy 

 servants, and never keepest them back from riches and honour : the 

 followers of other deities are poor, afflicted, and of no reputation : thine 

 are clothed in purple and lawn ; they are plump and of good estate ; 

 they sit v/ith the nobles of the land, and receive other diadems than 

 those of martyrdom, crowns of roses not of thorns. In serving them- 

 selves, most gracious Mammon ! they serve thee : thy rewards are 

 mitres and pluralities : on the prelate thou descendest in golden showers : 

 by thy grace he possesses the land in the length and breadth thereof, 

 airy! jwhen he takes his place where the princes and rulers are gathered 

 together, to thee is the glory to be ascribed. Thou smilest on the dean 

 and in the light of thy countenance he greatly prospers : thou lookest 

 on the rector and he waxes fat. Thou dost not say to the shepherd 

 " care for nothing but the flock, be with them in their goings forth and 

 their comings in, be thou empty that they may be filled ;" but this is thy 

 charge concerning them " do with them as it seemeth good in thine eyes ; 

 they are thine, given to thee for thy gain, that thou mayest profit by them, 

 not they by thee ; they are thine to feed or to devour ; tarry with them if 

 thou wilt; depart from them if thou wilt; absent or present they are thine ; 

 thine in their fleece and fatness; for thou art my faithful priestand servant; 

 thou honourest me and thou shalt have thy reward." Oh ! Mammon ! 

 God of Churchmen ! among the gods of the earth there is none like 

 unto thee ; thou are great, glorious, and good ; thou are worthy of all 

 honour and all establishment ; kings set up thy golden image, and the 



* Milton, (led into error by his veneration for the Bible,) in his account of 

 Mammon, actually goes so far as to place religion and the love of pelf in contrast. 

 Hear how he describes the golden god 



" The least erected spirit that fell 

 From heaven, for even in heaven his thoughts and looks 

 Were always downward bent, admiring more . 

 The riches of heaven's pavement, trodden gold, 

 Than aught divine or holy"" 



as if there were no divinity in riches as if gold were not < the holy of holies" 

 itself. 



