ON MATTERS OP BELIEF* 55 



theurgical fuperftition, to fincerity of heart ; love to- 

 wards God and man, and the practice of all the moral 

 virtues. 



If we may be allowed to judge of the plan of provi- 

 dence by what happened in the fequel, fo great a work 

 as the deftruction of the kingdom of the daemons and 

 their prieffs, that is, in other words, the dominion of 

 fuperftition, idolatry, and magic, over the human 

 mind , is not the work of a few years, nay, not even 

 of a few centuries. At leaft the univerfal hiftory of 

 the feventeen hundred years that are elapfed, whereof 

 the greateft part of the authorities lie open before us, 

 •evinces that this great undertaking was indeed begun, 

 but foon checked by thofe very perfons who called 

 themfelves by the name of Chrift, and by a continued 

 combination of detrimental contrary effects, has hi- 

 therto been effected in but a very imperfect manner. 



Excepting the times in which we live, there is 

 fcarcely a period to be met with in all hiftory, where 

 at the fame time, and partly in the fame countries, to- 

 gether with a tolerably high degree of illumination, 

 cultivation, and refinement on one fide, there fubfifted 

 on the other more darknefs of intellect, more weak- 

 nefs, credulity, and difpolition to all kinds of fanati- 

 cifm, more propeniity to private religious connections, 

 myfteries, and orders, more faith in incredible things, 

 a ftronger paffion for magical fciences and operations, 

 even amongft the fuperior claffes of men, in fhort, 

 where it was more eafy for every fpecies of religious 

 impoftors*, conjurors, and miracle-mongers, to carry 



* By religious impollors I iraderftand fuch as make religion to 

 ferve as a cloak and an inftrument to their impoftures. 



E 4 m 



