nual parliaments being wholly laid aside,
and elections growing chargeable, since gentlemen found that their
country seats brought them in less than a seat in the House, the voters,
that is to say, the bulk of the common people have been universally
seduced into bribery, perjury, drunkenness, malice, and slanders.

Not to be further tedious, or rather invidious, these are a few among
other causes which have contributed to the ruin of our morals, and
consequently to the contempt of religion: For imagine to yourself, if
you please, a landed youth, whom his mother would never suffer to look
into a book for fear of spoiling his eyes, got into parliament, and
observing all enemies to the clergy heard with the utmost applause, what
notions he must imbibe; how readily he will join in the cry; what an
esteem he will conceive of himself; and what a contempt he must
entertain, not only for his vicar at home, but for the whole order.

I therefore again conclude, that the trade of infidelity hath been taken
up only for an expedient to keep in countenance that universal
corruption of morals, which many other causes first contributed to
introduce and to cultivate. And thus, Mr. Hobbes' saying upon reason may
be much more properly applied to religion: that, "if religion will be
against a man, a man will be against religion." Though after all, I have
heard a profligate offer much stronger arguments against paying his
debts, than ever he was known to do against Christianity; indeed the
reason was, because in that juncture he happened to be closer pressed by
the bailiff than the parson.

Ignorance may perhaps be the mother of superstition; but experience hath
not proved it to be so of devotion: for Christianity always made the
most easy and quickest progress in civilized countries. I mention this
because it is affirmed that the clergy are in most credit where
ignorance prevails (and surely this kingdom would be called the paradise
of clergymen if that opinion were true) for which they instance England
in the times of Popery. But whoever knows anything of three or four
centuries before the Reformation, will find the little learning then
stirring was more equally divided between the English clergy and laity
than it is at present. There were several famous lawyers in that period,
whose writings are still in the highest repute, and some historians and
poets who were not of the Church.[12] Whereas now-a-days our education
is so corrupted, t