PREFACE. XV 



cular causes, an antipathy to alteration exists in 

 every society, of which we were thus admo 

 nished centuries ago by the learned and pious 

 Hooker. &quot; If it be demanded by what means it 

 should come to pass that so many thousands of men 

 have been ignorant of principal moral duties, not 

 imagining the breach of them to be sin. If it be de 

 manded why the idolater is not ashamed to speak 

 unto that which hath no life ; to call on him that 

 is weak for health : to pray for life unto him which 

 is dead ? Be it remembered that Lewd and wicked 

 custom, beginning, perhaps, at the first, amongst 

 few, afterwards spreading unto greater multitudes, 

 and so continuing from time to time, may be offeree 

 even in plain things to smother the light of natural 

 understanding, because men will not bend their wits 

 to examine, whether things, wherewith they have 

 been accustomed, be good or evil ; and thus, by pro 

 cess of time, wicked custom prevails and is kept as a 

 law. The authority of rulers, the ambition of crafts 

 men, and such like means thrusting forward the ig 

 norant and increasing their superstition.&quot; 



The advantage of this antipathy to alteration is 

 its preventing the hasty admission of error: the 

 evil is its retarding the progress of good. The re 

 sistance of error should be, but never is, the limit 

 of its influence. (a) To the advice of the prophet, 

 &quot; State super vias antiquas et videte quasnam sit via 



(a) See note I at the end, p. [xvi.j 



