Minutius Felix[30] seems to be a true modern latitudinarian,
freethinking Christian; for he is against altars, churches, public
preaching, and public assemblies; and likewise against priests; for, he
says, there were several great flourishing empires before there were any
orders of priests in the world.

[Footnote 30: Marcus Minutius Felix is said to have been born in Africa.
He flourished in the third century, and wrote a defence of Christianity,
in dialogue form, entitled, "Octavius." The work has been translated
into English by Lord Hailes. [T.S.]]

Synesius,[31] who had too much learning and too little zeal for a saint,
was for some time a great freethinker; he could not believe the
resurrection till he was made a bishop, and then pretended to be
convinced by a lying miracle.

[Footnote 31: Synesius of Cyrene, born 379, is the Platonic philosopher
who became Bishop of Ptolemais. [T.S.]]

To come to our own country: My Lord Bacon was a great freethinker, when
he tells us, that whatever has the least relation to religion, is
particularly liable to suspicion; by which he seems to suspect all the
facts whereon most of the superstitions (that is to say, what the
priests call the religions) of the world are grounded. He also
prefers atheism before superstition.

Mr. Hobbes was a person of great learning, virtue, and freethinking,
except in the high church politics.

But Archbishop Tillotson is the person whom all English freethinkers own
as their head; and his virtue is indisputable for this manifest reason;
that Dr. Hickes, a priest, calls him an atheist; says, he caused several
to turn atheists, and to ridicule the priesthood and religion. These
must be allowed to be noble effects of freethinking. This great prelate
assures us, that all the duties of the Christian religion, with respect
to God, are no other but what natural light prompts men to, except the
two sacraments, and praying to God in the name and mediation of Christ.
As a priest and prelate, he was obliged to say something of
Christianity; but pray observe, sir, how he brings himself off. He
justly affirms that even these things are of less moment than natural
duties; and because mothers' nursing their children is a natural duty,
it is of more moment than the two sacraments, or than praying to God in
the name and by the mediation of Christ. This freethinking archbishop
could not allow a miracle sufficient to give credit to a prophet who
taught anyth