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But after the right of the magiflrate to tllabhih a parti- 

 cular rtligion has been, upon this principle, admitted ; a 

 doubt arilfs, whtther the religion he ought to eltablifh be 

 that which he hirr.ftlf profciics, or that which he obferves 

 to prevail amongft ih» majority of the people. Alluming 

 it to be an equal chance, which of the two rehgious, that 

 of the magiftrate or that of the people, contains more of 

 truth, it becomes a confideration of fome importance, to 

 which arrangement we may attach the greater efficacy ; that 

 of an order of men appointed to teach the people their own 

 religion, or to convert them to another ; arid as in our 

 author's opinion the advantage lies on the fide of the 

 former fcheme, it becomes the duty of the magiftrate, in 

 the choice of the religion which he cltablifhes, to confult 

 the faith of the nation rather tlian liis own. For our 

 author's reafoning on other topics connected with a na- 

 tional eftablKhment of religion, we refer to the articles 

 SuBscruPTioN, Test, and Toleration. He clofes the 

 difcuflion of the general fubjeft with the following lum- 

 mary of his argument : the refult of our examination of 

 thole geneijal tendencies, by which every interference of 

 civil government in matters of religion ought to be tried, 

 is this : " That a comprehenfive national religion, guarded 

 by a few articles of peace, and conformity, together with 

 a legal provifion for tlie clergy of that religion ; and with 

 a complete toleration of all diffenters from the eilabliflied 

 church, without any other limitation or exception, than 

 what aril'es from the conjunftion of dangerous pohtical 

 difpofitions with certain religious tenets, appears to be, not 

 only the moft juil and liberal, but the wifeft and fafeft 

 fyftem, which a ftate can adopt : inafmuch as it unites 

 the feveral perfeftions, which a religious conftitution ought 

 to aim at — liberty of confcience, with means of inftruc- 

 tion ; the progrefs of truth, with t}ie peace of fociety ; 

 the right of private judgment, with the care of the public 

 fafety." Paley's Principles of Moral and Political Philo- 

 fophy, vol. ii. ch. lO. 



In moft countries where religion is eftablifhed, it is that 

 of the majority of the people ; and on this principle the 

 writers in defence of ecclefiaftical eftabhihments vindicate 

 them. But in a part of the united kingdom of Great 

 Britain, -viz. in Ireland, we have a remarkable exception 

 to this rule. There the eftablilhed religion is not that of 

 the majority, but of a fmall minority of the people. Ever 

 fince the reformation the members of the church of Eng- 

 land have kept pofleffion of the tithes of the whole ifland, 

 where they have long defpaired of bringing the people over 

 to that religion for which they pay fo dear. 



In conneftion with the national eltablifhment of religion 

 we fhall here remark, that in this country the care which 

 government takes of religion extends itfelf to the bufinefs 

 of education, confining the univerfities, which are fupported 

 by the national funds, to the education of the members of 

 the church of England, and rigoroufly excluding all fefta- 

 ries, either by requiring fubfcription to the thirty-nine 

 articles at the time of matriculation, or of taking certain 

 degrees, or obliging the ftudents to attend the fervice of 

 the eftablifhed church, and to declare that they are Bona 

 fide members of it. 



Among the oft'ences againft religion enumerated by judge 

 Blackftone, and punifhable by the laws of England, are 

 apnjlacy and herefy, which fee refpeftively ; and alfo thofe 

 which affcft the eftabliflied church. Thefe latter are either 

 pofitive or negative ; pofitive by revihng its ordinances, or 

 negative, by non-conformity to its worfhip. See Reviling, 

 .Tcc. Common Prayer, Non-cokfoumists, Dissenters, 



Papists, and Popery. See alfo Blasphemy, Phofane- 

 NESS, Conjuration and Witciickapt, Religious Im- 

 posTons, Sunday, Falfe Puopiiecies, Dkunkenness, 

 Lrwdnkss, and Simony. 



Religion, again, is applied to a military order, con- 

 ililing of knights who live under fome certain rule, &c. 



In this fcnfe we fay, the religion of Malta, &c. See 

 Malta. 



Religion is fometimes alfo ufed for a convent. Thus, 

 we fay, there are religions of men, /. c. monks ; religions 

 of women, i. e. nuns. 



Religion, The, ufed abfolutely, denotes the Reformed in 

 France. Thus, they fay, d'Ablancourt and Dacier were 

 of the religion. See Huguenots. 



RELIGIOUS, in a general fcnfe, fomething that relates 

 to religion. 



We fay, a religious life, religious fociety, &c. Churches 

 and church-yards are religious places. A religious war is 

 alfo called a croifade; which fee. 



Religious is more particularly ufed for a perfon engaged 

 by folemn vows to the monaftic life ; or a perfon fhut up 

 in a monaflery, to lead a life of devotion and aufterity, 

 under fome rule or inftitution. 



The male religious we popularly call numkt ^x^A friars ; 

 the female, nuns and canoneffes. See Canon, Monk, 

 Nun, &c. 



M. Nicole obferves, that fome domeflic chagrins, and a 

 certain pride, which leads people to abfcond when they 

 cannot make a figure to their mind, make as many reli- 

 gious as real piety. He adds, that a girl mufl often be 

 made a religious for no other reafon, but becaufe fhe can- 

 not be married anfwerable to her condition. 



Great influence, however, may be attributed to enthu- 

 fiafm and fuperffition, and to thofe miftaken notions of 

 duty and of perfeftion of charafter, which have often ori- 

 ginated in thefe fources, and which have produced effecl on 

 honeil minds of a peciiUar temperament and difpofition. 

 Whilft no kind of argument can juftify this retirement from 

 the world, and total feclufion from the occupations and 

 pleafures of focial life, it would manifeft a want of can- 

 dour as well as ignorance of human nature indifcriminately 

 to condemn all who have devoted themfelves to fuch a 

 kind of indolent and ufelefs life. 



A religious cannot make any will. By the council 

 of Trent, a religious may reclaim his vows within five 

 years. 



Anciently the religious were all laymen, and it was 

 even prohibited them to take up orders. In 1557, the 

 parliament of Paris made a difEcidty of receiving a bilhop 

 of Laon to the oath of a duke and peer, by reafon of his 

 being a religious : yet a religious, being promoted to a 

 bifltopric, is thenceforth fecularized or difpenfed from the 

 obfervation of his rule. '' 



In ancient deeds and conveyances of lands, we often find 

 the feller reftrained from giving or alienating it, "viris reli- 

 giofis, vel Judceis, to religious, or to Jews ; 'to the end 

 the land might not fall into mortmain ; which fee. 



In a memorial direfted by king John to his vifcounts, 

 they are ordered to proclaim through their refpcftive coun- 

 ties, that nobody, as they love their bodies and cattle, 

 injure the religions or clerks, either in word or deed, on 

 penalty of being hanged up on the next oak. " Nulli, ficut 

 diligunt corpora et catalla fua, malum faciant vel dicant 

 viris religiofis vel clericis. Si quem inde attingere poflimus, 

 ad proxirnam quercum eum fufpendi faciemus." 



Religious Houfes, denote houfts fet apart for religious 



purpofes. 



