one privileged altar, i. e. any body that says five times Pater Noster, &c., and five times, Ave Maria, with Gloria Patria, &c., takes a soul out of purgatory, and this at any time and in any day of the year, and not only in Spain, by the virtue of the bull, but in France, Germany, Italy, and in all the Roman Catholic countries where they have no bull of Crusade. From this, I say, that if there is a purgatory, it must be an empty place, or that it is impossible to find there any soul at all, and that the Roman Catholics take every year more souls out of it. than can go into it; which I shall endeavor to prove by evident arguments, grounded on their principles and belief.

For, first of all, there is in the bull nine days in the year in which every living person takes a soul out of purgatory, and by this undeniable truth among themselves, it appears that every living person, man, woman, or child, from seven years of age and upwards, takes every year nine souls out of purgatory.

Secondly. Every body knows the Roman Catholic's opinion, that nobody can be saved out of their communion; and by this infallible (as they belieye) principle, they do not allow any place in purgatory to the souls of protestants, and other people of other professions; and so only Roman Catholic souls are the proprietors of that place of torment.

Thirdly. It is undeniable, by the Romans, that ever since the place of purgatory was built up by the popes and councils, the Roman catholics have enjoyed the granting of a privileged altar in every church, that, by their prayers, the souls of their parents or friends may be relieved and delivered out of that place.

Fourthly. That to this granting, the popes have been so generous, that they have granted, in such days, special privileges to some churches, for all those that should visit them, to take souls out of purgatory.

Fifthly. That all the prayers said before such altars for such a soul in purgatory, if the soul is out of it when the person says the prayers, those prayers go to the treasure of the church; and by this opinion, undeniable by them, the treasury of the church is well stocked with prayers, and when the pope has a mind to grant, at once, a million of prayers, he may take a million of souls out of purgatory.

These five principles and observations are incontestable by any of the Roman catholics. Now let us compute the number of Roman catholics that are alive, and the number of the dead every year. I say, compu'e, that is, suppose a certain

number of the living and of the dead every year. And I begin with the kingdom of Spain, and its dominions, as the only partakers of the privileges granted in the bull of Crusade.

First. Let us suppose, that in the whole dominions of Spain, there are about six millions of living persons; I speak of the Roman catholics: and that three millions of those catholics die every year; and that all their souls go to purgatory; for though the supposition is disadvantageous to my purpose, I will allow them more than they can expect. In the first place, by reasonable computation, half of the living persons do not die every year: but I suppose this, to make my argument so much the stronger. Secondly. In their opinion, very many of the souls of those that die, go to heaven, and some to hell, which is contrary to the bull. By this computation, the three millions of people that remain alive, by the bull, take out of purgatory, seven and twenty millions of souls that very year. For there are nine days, in the bull fixed, on which every living person takes one soul out of purgatory; if then, only three millions of people die annually, how can the three remaining alive take out twenty-seven millions, it being impossible that there should be more than three millions of souls in purgatory that year. And besides this plain demonstration, and besides the nine days appointed in the bull, according to their belief, and every day in the year, and, toties quoties, they pray at a privileged altar, they take out of purgatory that soul for which they pray, or if that soul is not in purgatory, any other which they have a mind for, or else the prayer goes to the treasure of the church: and so, by this addition, we may say, that if, out of three millions of living persons, only half a million of people pray every day; this half million take out of purgatory, yearly, one hundred and eighty-two millions and a half of souls. If they scruple this number, let them fix any other living persons, and then multiply nine times more the number of souls delivered out of purgatory every year, by virtue of the nine days mentioned in the bull; or by the privileged altars, multiply one to three hundred sixty-five souls delivered out of the flames every year, by every living person, as I shall demonstrate more plainly hereafter.

As for France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and other Roman catholic countries, as I said before, they have their privileged altars to take a soul out of purgatory, toties quoties, a Roman says so many pater nosters, and ave marias before them. And so use the same multiplication to convince them, that there cannot be so many souls in purgatory as they deliver out of

it every year, or that purgatory of course, must be an empty place, &c.

If they answer to this strong reason, that we must suppose for certain, that the souls of many millions of people, for many years past, are in purgatory, and that there is stock enough taken out of it every year, if there were ten times more living persons than there are now in the Roman Catholic countries; I say, that the supposition has no room at all, and that it is impossible; for let us begin at the time when purgatory was first found out by the pope, and let us suppose, gratis, that there is such a place, which we deny.

The first year that that imaginary place was settled among the Romans, the very same year the privileged altars were in fashion. The people that were left alive that year took out all the souls of the persons dead the same year, and more too, for as the new privilege was granted them, every body was more charitable in taking the souls of his relations and friends out of sufferings at so cheap a rate as five pater nosters, &c The next year the same, and so on, year by year, till this present time, so that it is impossible to believe that there are a greater number of souls than of persons dead.

I say again, that by these principles, sure among the Romans, the catholics only of Spain, and all the dominions belonging to it, are enough to deliver out of purgatory all the souls of all the catholics dead, from the begining of the world in Christendom. If what they believe were certain, it should be certain too, that since the bull is granted to the catholic kings and their dominions, which is since the reign of king Ferdinand, the catholic, only the Spaniards have delivered out of purgatory more souls than persons have died since the universal flood: for every living person, from that time till this present day, has taken out of purgatory, every year, 365 Souls by the privileged altars, and nine more by virtue of the bull. Now I leave to the curious reader to make use of the rule of multiplication, and he will find clear demonstrations of my saying. I do not talk now of those innumerable souls that are freed from this place every day of the year by the masses, leaving this for another place.

Indeed I have searched among the sophistries of the Roman catholics, to see whether I could find some reason or answer to this: and I protest, I could not find any; for as I am sure, they will endeavor to cloud this work with groundless subterfuges and sophistries, I was willing to prevent all sorts of objections, which may be made by them. Only one answer,

which I may believe they will give me, comes now into my head, and it is this, that as the Romans cannot answer any thing contrary to my demonstration, it is to be feared that they will say, that I reason and argue as an ignorant, because I do not know that the souls in purgatory are fruitful beings, that onc produces a great many little ones every year, I say, it is to be feared, that being pressed, they must come at last to such nonsensical, fantastical, dreaming reasons, to answer to this urgent argument. So we may safely conclude, and with a Christian confidence say, that if there is such a place as purgatory, it must be an empty place, or that it is impossible to find there any souls, or that the Roman catholics take every year more souls out of it, than can go into it: all which, being against the evidence of natural reason, and computation made, it is a dream, fiction, or to say the truth, roguery, robbery, and a cheat of the pope and priests. As for the pope, (if the report in the public news be true,) I must beg leave to except for a while this present pope, who, in his behaviour, makes himself the exception of the rule. I say, for a while, for by several instances, (as I shall speak of in the third part,) many popes have had a good beginning, and a very bad end. God enlighten him with his holy spirit, that he may bring in all papist countries to our reformation. And I pray God Almighty, from the bottom of my heart, to give to all the Romans such a light as his infinite goodness has been pleased to grant me; and that all my country people, and all those that call themselves Roman catholics, would make the same use of that light which I have endeavored to make use of myself, to know the corruptions of their church, and to renounce them with as firm and hearty resolution as I have done myself: And I pray God, who is to be my judge, to continue in me the same light, and his grace, that I may live and die in the religion I have embraced, and to give me the desired comfort of my heart, which is to see many of my beloved country people come and enjoy the quietness of mind and conscience which I enjoy, as to this point of religion, and way of salva tion; and I wish I could prevail with them to read the bull, which, they believe, is the sancto sanctorum, the passport to heaven; and I am sure they would find the contrary, and see that it is only a dream, a dose of opium to lull them asleep, and keep them always ignorant. That Almighty God may grant them and me too all these things, is my constant prayer to Him.

PART III

A practical account of their Masses, Privileged Altars, Transubstantiation, and Purgatory.

comprise all the four heads in one chapter, because there is a near relation between them all, though I shall speak of them separately, and as distinct articles.

ARTICLE I.

Of their Masses.

THE Mass for priests and friars is better, and has greater power and virtue than the loadstone, for this only draws iron, but that allures and gets to them silver, gold, precious stones, and all sorts of fruits of the earth; therefore it is proper to give a description of every thing the priests make use of to render the mass the most magnificent and respectful thing in the world, in the eyes of the people.

The priest every morning, after he has examined his conscience, and confessed his sins, (which they call reconciliation,) goes to the vestry and washes his hands; afterwards, he kneels down before an image of the crucifix, which is placed on the draws, where the ornaments are kept, and says several prayers and psalms, written in a book, called preparaterium. When the priest has done, he gets up, and goes to dress himself, all the ornaments being ready upon the draws, which are like the table of an altar; then he takes the Ambito, which is like an Holland handkerchief, and kissing the middle of it, puts it round about his neck, and says a short prayer. After he takes the Alva, which is a long surplice with narrow sleeves, laced round about with fine lace, and says another prayer while he puts it on. The clerk is always behind to help him. Then he takes the Cingulum, i. e. the girdle, and says a prayer; after he takes the Stola, which is a long list of silk, with a cross in the middle, and two crosses at the ends of it, and says another prayer while he puts it on his neck, and crosses it before his breast, and ties it with the ends of the girdle. After he takes the Manipulum, i. e. a short list of the same silk, with as many crosses in it, and ties it on

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