But a teft of conformity to the established worship, was not only required of those who bore a share in the civil administration, but of those too who were chofen to prefide in their religious rites. Demofthenes hath recorded the oath which the priesteffes of Bacchus, called repaigal, took on entering into their Office. "I ob"ferve a religious chastity, and am clean and pure from all other "defilements, and from conversation with man: AND I CELEBRATE "THE THEOINEIA AND 10BACCHIA TO BACCHUS, ACCORDING TO "THE ESTABLISHED RITES, AND AT THE PROPER SEASONS

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Nor were the ROMANS lefs watchful for the fupport of the eftablished religion, as may be feen by a speech of the conful Posthumius in Livy, occafioned by fome horrid abuses committed, through the clandeftine exercise of foreign worship. "How often, fays he, in the times of our fathers and forefathers, hath this "affair been recommended to the Magiftrates; to prohibit all foreign worship; to drive the priests and facrifices from the cirque, the forum, and the city; to fearch up, and burn books "of prophecies; and to abolish all modes of facrificing, differing "from the Roman difcipline? For those fage and prudent men, “instructed in all kind of divine and human laws, rightly judged "that nothing tended so much to overthrow religion, as when men "celebrated the facred rites, not after their own, but foreign "customs +."

* Αγιςεύω, κὶ εἰμὶ καθαρά, καὶ ἁγνὴ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἐ καθαρευόνων, καὶ ἀπ' ἀνδρὸς συνεσίας, καὶ τὰ Θεοίνια, καὶ ̓Ιοβακχεῖα γεραίρω τῷ Διονύσῳ ΚΑΤΑ ΤΑ ΠΑΤΡΙΑ, καὶ ἐν τοῖς καθήκωσι χρόνοις. Orato cont. Neæram.

+ Quoties hoc patrum avorumque ætate negotium eft magiftratibus datum, ut facra externa fieri vetarent; facrificulos, vatefque foro, circo, urbe prohiberent; vaticinos libros conquirerent, comburerentque; omnem difciplinam facrificandi, præterquam more Romano, abolerent? Judicabant enim prudentiffimi viri omnis divini humanique juris, nihil æque diffolvendæ religionis effe, quam ubi non patrio, fed externo ritu facrificaretur. Hift. lib. xxxix.

But

But when I fay all regular policied states had an established religion, I mean no more than he would do, who, deducing Society from its true original, fhould, in order to perfuade men of the benefits it produceth; affirm that all nations had a civil policy. For, as this writer could not be fuppofed to mean that every one conftituted a free State, on the principles of public liberty (which yet was the only Society he propofed to prove was founded on truth, and productive of public good) because it is notorious, that the far greater part of civil policies are founded on different principles, and abused to different ends; fo neither would I be understood to mean, when I fay all nations concurred in making this UNION, that they all exactly discriminated the natures, and fairly adjusted the rights of BOTH SOCIETIES, on the principles here laid down; though an ÉSTABLISHMENT refulting from this difcrimination and adjustment, be the only one I would be supposed to recommend. On the contrary, I know this union hath been generally made on miftaken principles; or, if not fo, hath degenerated by length of time. And, as it was fufficient for that writer's purpose, that thofe Societies, good or bad, proved the fenfe, all men had of the benefits refulting from civil policy in general, though they were oft mistaken in the application; fo it is fufficient for ours, that this univerfal concurrence in the Two SOCIETIES TO UNITE, fhews the sense of mankind concerning the utility of fuch union. And laftly, as that writer's principles are not the lefs true on account of the general deviation from them in forming civil Societies; so may not ours, though fo few ftates have fuffered themselves to be directed by them in practice, nor any man, before, delivered them in speculation.

Such then is the Theory here offered to the world; of which, 'whoever would fee a full account, and the feveral parts cleared 'from objections, may confult the treatise mentioned before, intituled, The Alliance between Church and State; in which we pretend

to

425 to have discovered a plain and fimple truth, of the highest concernment to civil Society, long loft and hid under the learned obfcurity arifing from the collifion of contrary false principles.

But it is now time to proceed with our main subject. We have here given a short account of the true nature of the Alliance between Church and State; both to justify the conduct of the ancient Lawgivers in establishing religion; and to fhew the infinite fervice of this inftitution to civil Society. Another ufe of it may be the gaining an exacter knowledge of the nature of the established re ligions in the pagan world: for, having the true theory of an Estab→ lishment, it ferves as a straight line to discover all the obliquities to which it is applied.

I fhall therefore confider the causes, which facilitated the establishment of religion in the ancient world: and likewife thofe caufes which prevented the establishment from receiving its due form.

I. Ancient pagan religion confifted in the worship of local tute, lary Deities; which, generally fpeaking, were supposed to be the authors of their civil Inftitutes. The confequence of this was, that the State, as well as particulars, was the SUBJECT of religion. So that this religion could not but be national and established; that is, protected and encouraged by the civil Power. For how could that religion, which had the national God for its object; and the State, as an artificial man, for its fubject, be other than national and eftablished ?

II. But then thefe very things, which fo much promoted an eftablished religion, prevented the union's being made upon a just and equitable footing. 1. By giving a wrong idea of civil Society 2. By not giving a right form to the religious.

1. It is nothing strange, that the ancients should have a wrong idea of civil Society; and should suppose it ordained for the cognizance of religious, as well as of civil matters, while they believed in a local tutelary Deity, by whofe direction they were formed VOL. I. Ꭸ Ꭵ Ꭵ into

into Community; and while they held that Society, as fuch, was the subject of religion, contrary to what has been shewn above, that the civil Society's offer of a voluntary alliance with the religious, proceeded from its having no power in itself to inforce the influence of religion to the service of the State.

2. If their religion conftituted a proper Society, it was yet a Society dependent on the State, and therefore not fovereign. Now it appears that no voluntary alliance can be made, but between two independent fovereign Societies. But, in reality, Pagan religion did not constitute any Society at all. For it is to be observed, that the unity of the object of faith, and conformity to a formula of dogmatic theology, as the terms of communion, are the great foundation and bond of a religious Society *. Now these things were wanting in the several national religions of Paganism: in which there was only a conformity in public Ceremonies. The national Pagan religion therefore did not properly compofe a Society; nor do we find by Antiquity, that it was ever confidered under that idea; but only as part of the State; and in that view, indeed, had its particular Societies and Companies, such as the colleges of Priests and Prophets.

These were fuch errors and defects as deftroyed much of the utility, which results from religious Eftablishments, placed upon a right bottom. But yet religious Establishments they were; and, notwithstanding all their imperfections, ferved for many good purpofes: fuch as preferving the being of Religion:-beftowing additional veneration on the person of the Magiftrate, and on the laws of the State:-giving the Magiftrate the right of applying the civil efficacy of religion :—and giving Religion a coactive power for the reformation of And thus much for ESTABLISHMENTS.

manners.

• See The Alliance between Church and State, Book I. § 5.

T

SECT. VI.

HE laft inftance to be affigned of the Magiftrate's care of religion, shall be that universal practice, in the ancient world, of religious TOLERATION; or the permitting the free exercise of all religions, how different foever from the National and Eftablished. For though the very nature and terms of an Established religion implied the Magiftrate's peculiar favour and protection; and though in fact, they had their Teft-laws for its fupport, wherever there was diversity of worship; yet it was ancient policy to allow a large and full TOLERATION. And even in the extent of this allowance they seem generally to have had juster notions than certain of our modern Advocates for religious Liberty. They had no conception that any one should be indulged in his presumption of extending it to Religious Rites and practices hurtful to Society, or dif bonourable to Humanity. There are many examples in Antiquity of this fage restriction. I fhall only mention the universal concurrence in punishing Magical Rites, by which the health and safety of particulars were fuppofed to be injurioufly affected. And Suetonius's burning the facred grove in Anglesea *, in which human facrifices were offered up by the Druids, was but the beginning of what those modern Advocates, above mentioned, would call a Perfecution against the Order itself, whose obftinate perseverance in this infernal practice could not be overcome but by their total extirpation.

Two principal causes induced the ancient Lawgivers to the fage and reasonable conduct of a large and full toleration.

*"Præfidium pofthac impofitum victis, excifique Luci, SAEVIS fuperftitionibus facri. Nam cruore captivo adolere aras, et hominum fibris confulere deos fas habebant." Tac. Ann. 1. xiv. c. 30.-Superftition amongst the Greeks and Romans had its free course. But the fava fuperftitiones, the favage and cruel Rites, injurious and difhonourable to human nature and civil Society, were rigorously forbidden.