ON MATTERS OP BELIEF. 89 



tations, charms., and other myfterious remedies. Thus 

 the priefts became gradually foothfayers, expounders 

 of omens, phylicians, and miracle-mongers ; thus the 

 fates of whole nations, the fortunes and misfortunes of 

 families, and even the lives of men, came into their 

 hands ; thus they got pofTeffion of the two ftrongeft 

 inftincls of human nature, fear and hope ; that they 

 might rule with unlimited fway over ignorant favages 

 and credulous barbarians ; thus daemoniftery arofe from 

 religion, and magic from priefthood, and both of them, 

 under various forms, delignations, and modifications, 

 bore rule over all the earth. On the coming up of the 

 chriftian religion, and by a revolution, which feems, 

 at firft light, aftonifliing, but on clofer and freer ex- 

 amination is very comprehenfible, the polytheifin that 

 prevailed throughout the old roman empire came to an 

 end, that on the ruins of the antient religion, a new 

 fpecies of hierarchy might arifc, which though at firffe 

 promulgated and rendered amiable by the moft bene- 

 ficent views, yet, but too foon, by the facility with 

 which it learnt to captivate the hearts of men, got 

 acquainted with the natural weaknefs of mankind, and 

 the ftrength of its own refources, it was thereby 

 induced to extend fo far the authority of a certain myf- 

 terious two-fold key, and to employ it with fo little 

 decency and difcretion, that its influence and fovereignty 

 became at length more opprefilve, more pernicious, 

 more cruel and deflructive to humanity and civil fo- 

 ciety, than the manifeft daemonifm and magifm, which 

 governed in its own undifguifed and native form, had 

 £ver been. 



It 



