JB/006/121/001

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27 Decr 1812
Church or

III
Ch. Ceremonies

2

19
In the Greek church
ceremonies are every
thing. Any good works
or evil ones abstained
from, have not religion
among their causes.
No application of religion
to the conduct
of human life.
No sermon — No prayer
save empty forms to
which the priests tongue
alone is applied, &
no one's mind. p.8

20
Romanice — little less
ceremonies than Græcé
— Discourses in vernacular
language; none
but not unexampled.
No intelligible prayers,
sermons though not
by regulation rendered
inapplicable to morals
are generally occupied
in magnification of
saints. p.8

21
Anglice, the remnants
of the garb of the Whore
of Babylon (meaning
by Whore, Pope, by
Babylon Rome) have
been preserved from
the fire of reform.
The feet, the knees, the
rump, by turns support
the puppet manufactories
of sin, moved
by rubric instead
of wine. Infants by
crosses, & engagements
never kept, liberated
from guilt they never
shared. Repasts at
a table called an altar
causing any number
of misdeeds, never to
have been committed.
The Almighty still
eaten & drunken in
one sense, though not
in another.

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22
Scoticé the church
is stripped of all
this decency. But
like Eve, though naked
not ashamed, practising
no ceremonies,
exhibiting no fruits
but moral ones. p.9.

23
Leaving to Rome, the
glory of comprehending
incomprehensibles,
leaving to omniscience
the knowledge of himself,
will she (for so
in religious eloquence
an assembly of men is
called) shine forth
in naked purity.
p.10.

24
Among the early
Reformers, great
debates about the lawfulness
of ceremonies.
p.11.

25.
Lawfulness when it
had any meaning,
meant usefulness or
innoxiousness, unlawfulness,
mischievousness.
The conscience
in those days, morbidly
sensible. p.11.

26.
By the disapprovers
of idolatry, (who saw,
though disguised & obscured)
their mischief
the wickedness, i.e. mischievousness
of idolatry
was magnified,
& sinfulness was ascribed
to ceremonies on
account of their connection
with this abomination.
p.11

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1
Between faith & ceremonies
is one great difference.
Faith is liable
to abuse — ceremonies
are all abuse.

In the case of faith, the
danger is lest by ascribing
to belief in
some set of propositions,
not influencing
moral conduct, an independent
stock of
merit, a man may
be led to neglect morality.
But faith must
be much perverted, unless
along with immaterial
or mischievous points there
be some useful to society,
viz. belief in duty
of good works as flowing
from good will
to men, in which is
included, belief in existence
of religious
sanction as applied
to these duties. p.

But on the supposition
that belief in these
practically beneficial
points of faith is sincere
a habit of doing good
& eschewing evil must
in some degree be proportioned
to the intensity
of the persuasion
and whether justification
be ascribed to
good works or faith, so
as good works are not
deficient, it is not of
much importance.
p.

It is only by such wasteful
application of this
precious ointment to the
prejudice of morals &
faith itself, that mischief
is done. Quære whether
such waste has been exemplified?

Among the Methodists,
faith is highest, among
them, abstinence from evil
works is at its highest
pitch (it not being possible
to make good works manifest
but in proportion to opulence &c. p

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But as to ceremonies,
Whatever attention
is bestowed on them
is at the expense of
sense and morals.
Attribute merit to
any gesticulation,
there is no end to the
stock of spurious
merits. Admit the
duty or meritoriousness
of a single ceremony
& the perfection
of life here below
is manifested, & happiness
hereafter secured
by a life past at the
bottom of caves or the
tops of pillars.

Identifier: | JB/006/121/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 6.
Date_1	1812-12-27	Marginal Summary Numbering	19-26, 1
Box	006	Main Headings	church of englandism
Folio number	121	Info in main headings field	church
Image	001	Titles
Category	marginal summary sheet	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	e2
Penner	walter coulson	Watermarks	john dickinson & c<…> 1809
Marginals		Paper Producer	a. levy
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year	1809
Notes public		ID Number	2854
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