CENTER [147] DOUBLE RULE CENTER A CENTER CATHOLIC [S]AYS his Prayers often, but never prays, and [S] wors_hips the Cros_s more than (i) Christ (i). He prefers his Church merely for the Antiquity of it, and cares not how s_ound or rotten it be, s_o it be but old. He takes a liking to it as s_ome do to old Chees_e, only for the blue Rot- tennes_s of it. If he had lived in the primitive Times he had never been a (i) Christian (i); for the Antiquity of the (i) Pagan (i) and (i) Jewish (i) Religion would have had the s_ame Power over him against the (i) Christian, (i) as the old (i) Roman (i) has agains_t the modern Reformation. The weaker Ves_s_el he is, the better and more zealous Member he always proves of his Church; for Religion, like Wine, is not s_o apt to leak in a leathern Boraccio as a great Cas_k, and is better pre- s_erved in a s_mall Bottle s_topped with a light Cork, than a ves_s_el of greater Capacity, where the Spirits being more and s*tronger are the #Center L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 148 #Center A CATHOLIC./ more apt to fret. He allows of all holy Cheats,/ and in content to be deluded in a true, ortho-/ dox, and infallible Way. He believes the (i) Pope (i)/ to be infallible, becaus_e he has deceived all the/ World, but was never deceived hims_elf, which/ was grown s_o notorious, that nothing les_s than/ an Article of Faith in the Church would make/ a Plas_ter big enough for the Sore. His Faith/ is too big for his Charity, and too unwieldy/ to work Miracles ; but is able to believe more/ than all the Saints in Heaven ever made. He/ worships Sainst in Effigie, as (i) Dutchmen (i) hand/ abs_ent Malefactors ; and has s_o weak a Me-/ mory, that he is apt to forget his Patrons,/ unles_s their Pictures prevent him. He loves/ to s_ee what he prays to, that he may not mis-/ take one Saint for another ; and his Beads and/ Crucifix are the Tools of his Devotion, with-/ out which it can do nothing. Nothing s_taggers/ his Faith of the (i) Pope's (i) Infallibility s_o much,/ as that he did not make away the Scriptures,/ when they were in his Power, rather than/ thos_e that believed in them, which he knows/ not how to unders_tand to be no Error. The/ les_s he unders_tands of his Religion, the more/ violent he is in it, which, being the perpetual/ Condition of all thos_e that are deluded, is a/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CENTER A CATHOLIC. #JUSTIFYLEFT 149 GREAT ARGUMENT THAT HE IS MISTAKEN. HIS RE- LIGION IS OF NO FORCE WITHOUT CEREMONIES, LIKE A LOADS_TONE THAT DRAWS A GREATER WEIGHT THROUGH A PIECE OF IRON, THAN WHEN IT IS NAKED OF IT S_ELF. HIS PRAYERS ARE A KIND OF CRAMBE THAT USED TO KILL SCHOOLMASTERS ; AND HE VALUES THEM BY NUMBER, NOT WEIGHT. #CENTER L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------