By claiming to be divinely appointed for the propagation of a divinely
authenticated religion, the priesthood of all forms of worship have
ever labored to deceive and enslave the ignorant multitude; and in
support of these fallacious assumptions have resorted to all manner of
pious frauds, in reference to which we quote from both Pagan and
Christian sources with the view to showing that the moderns have
faithfully followed the ancient example. Euripedes, an Athenian writer,
who flourished about 450 years before the beginning of our era,
maintained that, "in the early state of society, some wise men insisted
on the necessity of darkening truth with falsehood and of persuading
men that there is an immortal deity who hears and sees and understands
our actions, whatever we may think of that matter ourselves." Strabo,
the famous geographer and historian of Greek extraction, who flourished
about the beginning of the Christian era, wrote that "It is not
possible for a philosopher to conduct by reasoning a multitude of women
and the low vulgar, and thus to invite them to piety, holiness and
faith; but the philosopher must make use of superstition and not omit
the invention of fables and the performance of wonders. For the
lightning and the aegis and the trident are but fables, and so all
ancient theology. But the founders of states adopted them as bugbears
to frighten the weak-minded." Varro, a learned Roman scholar, who also
flourished about the beginning of our era, wrote that "There are many
truths which it is useless for the vulgar to know, and many falsehoods
which it is fit that the people should not know are falsehoods."
So much from Pagan authorities relative to the necessity of deceiving
the ignorant masses. We will now present some Christian authorities
upon the same subject; and first from Christ himself, who in addressing
his disciples is made to say, in Mark iv, 11, 12, "Unto you it is given
to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but unto them that are
without all these things are done in parables, that seeing they may see
and not perceive; and hearing they may hear and not understand." Paul,
in his fourteen Epistles, inculcates and avows the principle of
deceiving the common people. He speaks of having been upbraided by his
own converts with being crafty and catching them with guile and of his
known and wilful lies abounding to the glory of God. See Romans iii. 7,
and II. Cor. xii. 16. If Christ and Paul were guilty of deception,
their followers had good excuse for the same course of conduct. Upon
this subject Beausobre, a very learned ecclesiastical writer, who
flourished about the beginning of the 18th century, says: "We see in
the history which I have related a sort of hypocrisy that has been,
perhaps, but too common at all times; that churchmen not only do not
say what they think, but they do say the direct contrary of what they
think. Philosophers in their cabinets; out of them they are content
with fables, though they well know that they are fables." Historie de
Manichee, vol. 2, page 568. Bishop Synesius, the distinguished author
of religious literature and Christian father of the 5th century, said:
"I shall be a philosopher only to myself, and I shall always be a
bishop to the people." Mosheim, the distinguished author of
Ecclesiastical History, Vol. I., page 120, says: "The authors who have
treated of the innocence and sanctity of the primitive Christians have
fallen into the error of supposing them to have been unspotted models
of piety and virtue, and a gross error indeed it is, as the strongest
testimonies too evidently prove." The same author, in Vol. I., page.
198, says in the fourth century "it was an almost universally adopted
maxim that it was an act of virtue to deceive and lie, when by such
means the interest of the church might be promoted." In his
Ecclesiastical History, Vol. II., page 11, he says that "as regards the
fifth century, the simplicity and ignorance of the generality in those
times furnished the most favorable occasion for the exercise of fraud;
and the impudence of impostors in contriving false miracles was
artfully proportioned to the credulity of the vulgar; while the
sagacious and the wise, who perceived these cheats, were overawed into
silence by the dangers that threatened their lives and fortunes if they
should expose the artifice." Thomas Burnet, D.D., who flourished about
the beginning of the 18th century, in his treatise entitled De Statu
Mortuorum, purposely written in Latin that it might serve for the
instruction of the clergy only, and not come to the knowledge of the
laity, because, as he says, "too much light is hurtful for weak eyes,"
not only justifies, but recommends the practice of the most consummate
hypocrisy, and that, too, on the most awful of all subjects; and would
have his, clergy seriously preach and maintain the reality and eternity
of hell torments, even though they should believe nothing of the sort
themselves. See page 304. Hugo Grotius, the eminent writer of Holland
in the 17th century, says in his 22d Epistle: "He that reads
ecclesiastical history, reads nothing but the roguery and folly of
bishops, and churchmen." In the language of Robert Taylor, from whom we
have taken most of the quotations under this heading, we assert that
"no man could quote higher authorities," to prove "the roguery and
folly of bishops and churchmen."