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 LIBRARY 
 
 ] 
 
 
 OF THE 
 
 
 
 Theological Seminary, 
 
 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
 
 
 f,'!:.<''. CiV'sion..'^^,Vyj'^C__^_ 
 
 . Shch Seclion. o»-^c»*^60 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 Hook, No, ..'» 
 
 
 
 
A N 
 
 1 N Q^ tJ I R Y 
 
 I N T O T HE 
 
 C A U S E *S 
 
 O F THE 
 
 INFIDELITY and SGEP.TICISM 
 OF THE T i ME S: 
 
 WITH 
 
 OCCASIONAL OBSERVATIONS 
 
 ON 
 
 The Writings of FIerbert, Shaftesbury, Bolimg- 
 BROKE, Hume, Gibbon, Toulmin, &c. &c. 
 
 By JOHN O G I L V I E, D.' D. 
 
 There Jliall come in the laji days scoffers. 2 Pet. iii. 8. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for Richardson and Urquhart, Front of the 
 
 Exchange ; and W. Gordon, W.-. Creeck, 
 
 and J. Dickson, Edinburgh, 
 
 M,DCC,LXXXin. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 
 X HAT the opinions of Deifts and Sceptics 
 have fpread more univerfally during a part 
 of the lad century, and in the prefent, than 
 at any former aera fince the refurre(flion of 
 letters, is a truth to which the friends and 
 the enemies of religion will give their fufFrage 
 without hefitation. It is equally true, that, 
 in the difcuflion of the important quefiions 
 refpedling the authority and the principles 
 of our religion, many excellent works have 
 been produced, which do honour to the abi- 
 lities, to the learning, and to the intentions 
 of its advocates. The fubje(5l, by means of 
 thefe, has been accurately examined, and 
 placed in lights that are at the fanie time di- 
 verfified and comprehenlive. Let us, how- 
 ever, acknowledge, that difquifition of this 
 nature, addrefled to rational, intelligent and 
 difpaflionate readers, is circumfcribed as to 
 its influence, by motives of powerful efficacy 
 and operation. For it is not with him who 
 examines a tenet of religicni, as it is with hiih 
 who inveftigates a propofition of philofophy. 
 Reafbn, which, in the latter cafe, judges ac- 
 cording to the nature and force of evidence, is 
 a 2 obflructed 
 
/ 
 
 [ iv ] 
 
 obflru^led in the former inftance by the in- 
 fluence of pafTion, pr^poiTelTion and prejudice* 
 Thefe will ever interfere in the determination 
 of queflions tending to regulate the a^dlions 
 of men, or to prefcribe their gratification. 
 And the effedl ariling from them will be pro- 
 portioned to the force with which they acV, 
 co-operating with the circumftances in which 
 individuals may be placedr 
 
 It is by the prevalence of thofe principles 
 that the explanation of Chriftian dodtrines 
 and inflitutions, contained in the writings of 
 the ableft interpreters, and the arguments 
 brought from other fources, to eftablilh the 
 truth of our religion, have been prevented 
 from operating with their full effedl upon 
 the minds of young and inexperienced readers. 
 Biaffed by motives of which they do not per- 
 ceive the energy, they are partial to reprefen- 
 tations that tend to juftify their prejudices or 
 their a6lions. Hence their inqtiiries, if they 
 make any iniquiry, are carried on fuperfi- 
 cially. And while they hear the friends of 
 religion with feeming approbation, a fecret 
 but ftrong prepoffefiion takes place in behalf 
 of their opponents. 
 
 Of 
 
 "^ 
 
[ V ] 
 
 Of thefe obfervations the confequence ap- 
 pears to be, that the caufe of Chrillianity* 
 may be ferved efTentially by him who lliall 
 point out the fecret motives whereby miany 
 perfons are induced to rejecfl it, and who de- 
 termines their efFedl. For he who fees the 
 concealed reafons of his choice laid open, will 
 no longer be a ftranger to their influence. As 
 foon, likewife, as this purpofe is acGomplilh- 
 ed, pleas that are favourable to religion will 
 be reviewed with attention, and will produce 
 their proper and natural confequence. 
 
 " But in what mannei' are the prejudice* 
 of which you fpeak acquired, and by what 
 charaders may they be known ? Do the Ad- 
 vocates of infidelity, as you call it, employ 
 any artifices to fix prepofTeffions of the kind 
 you mention? And can you render it evident 
 that they take advantage of certain weak- 
 neffes and natural propenfions, in order to 
 accomplilh purpofes prejudicial to revealed 
 religion, inilead of carrying on an appeal 
 to the powers of reafon and underftanding ? 
 If thefe queflions fhall be anfwered to oui' 
 fatlsfacftion, we will take up the matter upon 
 that ground whereof reafon appears to deter- 
 mine 
 
[ vi ] 
 
 mine the boundaries; and being guarded 
 againft tlie arts by which we have been faf- 
 cinated, we will weigh with impartiality the 
 arguments on both fides of the queflion." 
 
 This, my young friends, is the point to' 
 •which I propofe to conduct your refearch in 
 the following Inquiry. To the queftions, 
 therefore, above mentioned, you may con- 
 fider it as forming a reply. My great 
 purpofe is to convince you, by comparing 
 with each other the theories which tliey who 
 would fiibvert Chriflianity attempt to fub- 
 ftitute in place of its dodlrines, that you will 
 find no firm footing in any other track, fhould 
 you be induced to quit the plain and open 
 path of revelation. With the great end of 
 doing juftice to the excellence of this religion, 
 I have fhunned no objeds that were prefent- 
 ed in tlie courfe of my refearch. I have com- 
 pared its tenets withthofe of F*agan philofophy, 
 and have placed the coudud of its Authof 
 in oppofition to that of an eminent ancient 
 philofopher, in circumftances precifely fimilar. 
 By the former comparifon, the confiftent re- 
 * prefentation of its teachers is rendered pecu- 
 liarly 
 
[ vii ] 
 
 liarly confplcuous. By the latter, honour is 
 refledled upon the chara<5ler of its Author. 
 
 Afcending in order to difcover thecaufes 
 of infideUty to motives, concerning the effi- 
 cacy of which, every reader is quahfied to 
 judge. I appeal in thefe pages to the fenfes 
 and feelings of men, as powers by whofe de- 
 ciiion I am willing to abide. And that their 
 dictates may make a more permanent im- 
 preflion upon the heart, I have availed my- 
 felf in a work, where the fliffnefs of cloie 
 philofophical difcuflion is purpofely avoided 
 as much as pofhble, of the methods of ex- 
 poftulation, and of appeal. 
 
 Among all the fpecies of difquifition, the 
 polemical is perhaps the mofh unpleafant to 
 a man endowed with any portion of fenfibi- 
 lity. It is to be regretted, that the various 
 hypothefes which men have framed in the 
 great fields of religion and of morals, render 
 this difquifition unavoidable in many in- 
 flances, by him who occupies a department 
 in either. I refledl with pleafure, that the 
 tafk of controverting the opinions of former 
 writers, falls incidentally into the prefent at- 
 tempt, 
 
, [ vili ] 
 
 tempt, of which it is by no means the prin- 
 cipal objedl. The authors upon whofe fen- 
 timents I have been obHged to animadvert, 
 are quaUfied to do much injury to the caufe 
 which they condemn, by the high eftima- 
 tion in which they are held. The opinions 
 likewife which they appear to adopt, are fo 
 fpecious and feemingly rational, as to be em- 
 braced by young readers in particular, with- 
 out heiitation or fufpenfe. Of fuch opinions, 
 when placed immediately in my view, I 
 have endeavoured to dete<51: and to expofe 
 the fallacy. It is not neceifary to fay much 
 in this place concerning the manner of ani- 
 madverfion. The reader will judge for him- 
 felf, what objecfis this animadverfion re- 
 fpccfbs, and with what propriety it may be 
 applied. 
 
 The fubjecl of the following Inquiry, is 
 among the few points of real importance 
 which have efcaped examination in any re- 
 gular and conneded detail. Attempts have 
 indeed been made to eflimate the manners of 
 the times, of which the religious principle 
 muft ever contribute in a great meafure to 
 fix the charadler. But no performance, ei- 
 ther in our own or in any foreign language, 
 
 refpeding 
 
refpedling the caufes, which, by iiltroducing 
 univerfal fcepticifm, threaten to fubvert the, 
 influence of this great principle in the pre-» 
 fent age, has fallen into my hands, or has 
 come to my knowledge. At the fame time, 
 every lover of mankind, who attends with 
 deep concern to the alarming progrefs of 
 opinions that have this tendency, will wiih 
 fuccefs to an attempt of which the parpofe 
 is to obftrudl their efficacy. On thefe ac- 
 counts, the good natured reader will per- 
 haps be inclined to overlook omiflions, 
 which, in the examination of fubjedis more 
 tiniverfally canvalTed and underftood, might 
 expofe the author to juft reprehenfion. 
 
 Such is the work liow offered to the pub- 
 ^c, and fuch are the motived of the Mfriten 
 Without urging fo hackneyed a plea for its 
 publication as the requefl of friendsj he may 
 be permitted to obferve, that among thofe 
 who have perufed the prefent attempt j not 
 without approbation, as being adapted to the 
 end with which it was undertaken, he may 
 number men in whofe candid impartiality, 
 as well as difcernment, he has reafon to place 
 the jufteft confidence. To thefe, likewife, 
 
 b he 
 
[ ^ ] 
 
 he may add the fentiments of fome men of 
 diftinguifhed eminence in the republic of 
 letters, whofe favourable opinion both of the 
 plan and execution of tliis Inquiry, as he has 
 not the honour of being perfonally known to 
 them, cannot be impreffed by the partiality of 
 friendftiip. His beft acknowledgments are 
 due to both for advices of which he has en- 
 deavoured to avail himfelf in conducting it, 
 and for obfervations which have contribu- 
 ted eiTentially to its improvement. 
 
 Confcious of the redlitude of his intention, 
 he befpeaks the attention of his young rea- 
 ders in particular, to a fubjetfl wherein ma- 
 ny of them are deeply interefted. Their ap- 
 probation, and that of the public in general, 
 will give him pleafure, principally as being 
 an evidence that the work may be beneficial 
 to the caufes of religion. To their cenfiire 
 {if it {hall be general) he will fubmic with 
 filent and with refpedful deference. The 
 fatisfadtion, however, of refleding upon ha- 
 ving attempted to promote the beft interefts 
 of men, and to enlarge their happinefs ; this 
 fatisfadion, of which the friend of mankind 
 can alone be fufeeptible, is independent of 
 
 eitlier. 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 SECTION I. Page i 
 
 Obfervattons on the univerfality of the reUgioia 
 principle. — Knmneration of cattfcs that objirii£t 
 its infuencs. — Of ma?i in his natural and civi- 
 lized fate. — Method of treating thefubjed, 
 
 S E C T I O N IL i6 
 
 if 
 General influence of the defire of fmgularity. — 
 
 Marks, by which this pafjion is diftinguifoed 
 from the love of fame. — Its effects on religion 
 during thefrf and middle ages of the church. 
 — Origin of Dcifn. — 'Theories of the mcfl emi- 
 nent advocates of infdelity. — Prcfent fate of 
 religion. — Obje£iion to Chrifianity^ as afcheme 
 adapted 'wholly to vulgar comprehenfion^ urged 
 by Celfus and Shaftefbury^ introduceth^ in 
 
 SECTION III. 78 
 
 A view of our religion^ as thefubjedf of fcietitifi- 
 cal inquiry. — Caufes 'which rendered Deifn co- 
 eval with the period of the refurreSlion of let- 
 ters, — Comparifon of Chriftian with Pagan 
 b 2 morality^. 
 
xii CONTENT S, 
 
 moral'ity^ — and of the condu5f of y^fus^ with 
 the practice of an ancient phdfpber^ and wdh 
 the arts of the great Impoflor of modern times ^ 
 — General vieis) of the Chrijlian fcheme^ as aC" 
 commodated to the purpofes of the legifator and 
 of the philofopher. — EffeSi of this religion^ as 
 more or lefs univerfally knoizm on the manners 
 of the people^ in the four principal kingdoms of 
 Europe, 
 
 SECTION IV. 141 
 
 Qsneral remarks on the imitative propenfty. — 
 Paucity of original charaSlers. — Obfervations 
 on that mode of it which regards manners and 
 deportment. — Its extenfive infuence as a caift 
 
 ofirfdelity. 
 
 S E C T I O N V. 152 
 
 Enumeration of circumflances that are favourable 
 to him 'wha attacks Chrijiianity. — Dangerous 
 effeBs of early prepoffejfiony — and of pretenfions 
 to free and enlarged fentiment. — Artful conduti 
 of Dei/lie a I writers in conciliMing favour. — 
 Plaujible declamation. — Way of ridictde.— Ex- 
 amples of both. — Views ofthefamefubjedf tit- 
 
 texly 
 
CONTENT S. xlii 
 
 ' terly in conjiftent. — Examination of the fcheme 
 of Mr Gibbon^ and of Sbaftejbury; — their er- 
 rors^ and mutual repugnan(:e, 
 
 S E C T I O N VI. 204 
 
 the charge df credulity, a fit is enforced by De^ 
 ifical writers, a capital caufe of the infidelity of 
 the times. — View of the principles from which 
 this charge derives its e^cacy. — Bad effeSls of 
 narraiv ^eal in the conduSl of education. — ■ 
 Manner in which Dei/lical writers e? force this 
 charge. — Of Celfus, Voltaire, Hume^ Shaftef 
 bury, Bolingbroke. 
 
 SECTION VII. 240 
 
 ^efion introduced refpeEling the nature of Chri" 
 Jiian FAITH. — Difference of this principle 
 from Affent. — Faith founded wholly on rati- 
 onal examination. — Illuflration of this principle 
 from particular induBion. — In ivhatfenfe my" 
 flerious do6lrines are objcEts of faith. — Of the 
 proof w>hich they feem to demand; — applied to 
 the dodlrine of refurredlion. — Requfitions necef 
 fary to efablijh rational belief. — The feElion is 
 concluded with an inquiry into the nature of 
 
 religious 
 
m C O N T E N T S. 
 
 nligwus and of philofophical evidence^ and a 
 comparJfon of their force, 
 
 SECTION VIIL 263 
 
 Ridicule on the clerical cbaraBer produ&ive of 
 the worfi confequmces, — General infuence of 
 prepoffefjion upon principle, — Marnier s of the 
 man of the world ^ — oppofed to thofe which are 
 formed in retirement-, — imaginary conne&ion 
 betwixt thefe and abfurd or pernicious tenets. — • 
 Application of thefe remarks to the clerical cha- 
 raEler, — Circumflances which give occafion to 
 ridicule^ — and to abufe, — Bad effedi of both on 
 the young and unexperienced. — Ridicule of 
 Shaft fbury on the mi?ii/lers of religion \ — of 
 Voltaire on the clergy of France and Great Bri- 
 tain. — Confutation of Bolingbroke s falfe qffir- 
 viations on this fubjeB^ — and of the more dan- 
 gerous difquifttion of Hume. — Ultimate tendency 
 of all to promote the caufe of infidelity. — Caution 
 to young readers. 
 
 SECTION IX. 327 
 
 EJfedi offcepticalfluBuation upon aBiofi. — Catifes 
 that produce it, — Inexplicable hypothefes framed 
 
 in 
 
CONTENTS. xr 
 
 in confequence of attempts to invejligate JuhjeEls 
 above comprehenjion, — Eff^B of multiplied di' 
 JiinSiions and fubtleties^ — in natural — and in 
 moral philofophy. — Second caufe. All points 
 whatever rendered fubjeBs of difputation, — 
 Platonic do Brine. — State of ancient Greece. — ■ 
 CharaBer of the Sophifts. — Means by which 
 they introduced univerfal fcepticifm, — BoBrine 
 
 of Protagoras. — Obfervation of Seneca. 
 
 'Third caufe. Influence of example co-operating 
 with the paffions to counter aB the confequences 
 of education. — Difficulty of eraftng good prin^ 
 ciples. — EjfeB of paflion^ and of example^ in 
 producing fcepticifni. — Addrefs of a young per^ 
 fan to a fceptical philofopherm 
 
 S E C T I O N X. 377 
 
 Of the influence of aBion upon principle. — Addrefs 
 to profefled libertines. — Principles confrmed to 
 bad aBionSy when aBions cannot be conformed 
 to principle. — Obfervations on the ?nofl proper 
 method of detcBing^ — and of correBing this 
 evil. — The furefl barrier againfl the effieB of 
 bad praBice is to be laid in the conduB of edu- 
 cation. — Method of eflablifloing early prepoffef 
 fions in behalf of Chriflianity^fo as to repel the 
 
 effeBs 
 
xvi CONTENTS? 
 
 eff'eBs offalfe eloquence^ and of example.— AiU 
 fwer to an objeSlion refpe^ing the impropriety 
 of ejiahlijhing prepojfejjions. — Proper method of 
 procedure in direBing the opinio?is and forming 
 the minds of youth* Conclufion, 
 
 Recapitulation, and Address to Deifti- 
 cal and Sceptical Writers. 42 1 
 
 Comparifon of the conduEl of Cicero with that of 
 Shaftefbury and Bolingbroke in a frikittg in- 
 
 Jlance. — EJfeB of bad principles operating from 
 the higher to the lower orders of men, — Paf 
 
 fage from Mr Gibbon s hi/iory applied as an 
 illuf ration. — Confequences of the progrefs of in" 
 fidelity and fcepticifm — Dijfolute manners — ;/^- 
 tiofial decay. 
 
 INQUIRY 
 
A N 
 
 I N Q, u I R y 
 
 INTO THE 
 
 C A USES 
 
 X) F THE 
 
 INFIDELITY and SCEPTICISM 
 
 OF THE TIMES. 
 
 SECTION L 
 
 General Remarks on the Retigiotis Pr'mciple, 
 
 THERE is not perhaps any general 
 truth which the hiftory of all nations 
 placeth in a clearer light, and eftab- 
 lifheth by more convincing evidence, than 
 that v^rhich refpeds religious fentiment, as 
 being congenial to the nature of man, and 
 A charaderillical 
 
g General Remarks on 
 
 charadleriflical of the fpecies. Contemplate 
 in the niuTor of hlflorical narration that im-. 
 menfe theatre, upon which fo many new and 
 diverfiiied feenes are fuccellively prefented as 
 fubjcffls pf oblei^ation. You behold as ob- 
 je(?ts placed at the extreme pohits of diftance, 
 the philofopher of Athens recoimnending to 
 his difciples tlie pra^licc of virtue as being 
 felf-fufficient to the purpofe qf happlnefs ; 
 and the favage of India ferocious and brutal, 
 unfiifceptible, it would feem, of other unpref^ 
 lions than thofe that arife from fenfual gra- 
 tification. Betwixt thefe the difparity is fo, 
 great, that we cannot without difficulty con- 
 lider them as beings to whom a common de-, 
 {ignation may Vv4th juftice be appropriated. 
 What then are the general marks and figna- 
 tures of mental refemblance wherein we re- 
 cognize the nature of which both participate? 
 Let us view them with this purpofe when 
 employed in the celebration of any rite that 
 is exprefTive of dependence upon the Sovereign 
 of the univcrfe. Let us hear the language of 
 the -heart when in circumflances of diftrely 
 it recurs to the fountr^in of life and of happi-. 
 nefs. ,Let us reflecl upon, the defire and ex- 
 pcdl^tion of immortality, as being charac- 
 
 teriflical 
 
tai RitiGibtJs Principles j\ 
 
 teriflical of Man in all ages and fituation^ ^'» 
 It is by thofe gentrai features of the mmd 
 Conflitiiting the religious principle, more than 
 by any conformation of corporeal members^ 
 that points of fimilarity are made known 
 which indicate the fame order of beings* 
 
 * Is this affirmation true ? fome readers will be ready 
 to afk. Can a propofition be faid to be eftablifhed by 
 tmiverfal cbnfent, which hath been called in queftlon, and 
 feven rejected by many among the wiffe and the learned 
 in the moft enlightened ages ? We do not difpute the 
 truth of this remark. But the opinions of a few philofo- 
 phers concerning this important fubjeft^ are of no con- 
 fequence whenoppofed to the general vbice of mankind^ 
 to prove that the belief of itnmprtality has not been uni- 
 verfal. For yve might fay, with the fame proprietj^, that 
 men are not in general agreed, that matter is a fq lid ex- 
 tended fubftance, becaufe fome philofdphers deny that 
 thefe properties belong to it, of that univerfal confent 
 does not eftablilh the evidence of fehfe, becaufe they havd 
 likewife attempted to inva^lidate ir, as that tJieir nptions 
 are of weight in the prefent inliance. In faft, the tefii- 
 mony of a Carribbean favags to the truth of this dodlrine 
 is of more efficacy to eftablilh ir as a natural and general 
 fentimfentj than the exceptions of all thephilofophers that 
 ever exifted are to prove the contrary. , For the aflent 
 of the former is the voice of nature, unbiafied by preju- 
 dice, paffion, or example ; whereas thcfe may cbnc?5r in 
 iuggefting the arguments of the latter ; nor'tati himfelf 
 determine the degree of their influence. 
 
 A 2 ^ Thi^ 
 
4 General Remarks ON 
 
 This univerfal fentiment may therefore Bb 
 regarded as that point in which the paflions 
 of men, confidered as radii diverging upon 
 all fides in various and in oppofite directions, 
 are found at laft to be concentrated. 
 
 It is not our prefent bufinefs to inveftigate 
 the caufes at any length to which the preva- 
 lence of this principle ought to be afcribed. 
 In general, we may remark, that a confciouf- 
 nefs of frailty and of dependence is one of 
 the firft fenfations of which the mind be- 
 comes fufceptible, as fbon as it acquires any 
 knowledge of itfelf, and of furrounding ob- 
 je<5ls« From- this confcioufnefs we may rea- 
 dily fuppofe, that many religious duties, and 
 a(5ls tliat indicate awe, veneration, and grati- 
 tude, are derived. The duty of prayer, the 
 rite of oblation, and the-adl of thankfgiving, 
 have their original in coiTunon in a general 
 ienfe of dependence, and tend to conciliate 
 the favour of that Being, to whom they ulti- 
 mately refer. Without enlarging en this fub- 
 je(5l^ we may obferve, that he whom expe- 
 rience renders feniible of certain dangerous 
 propeniities which he cannot eradicate, and 
 whofe views are ever gloomy and contra(5ted 
 
 wheu 
 
THE UeLIGIOUS PRINCIPLE. -^ 
 
 when they are not carried forward into im^ 
 mortahty, mufl feel the force of the religious 
 principle, while he confiders the Deity either 
 ^ a Creator or Governor, arid while he ad^ 
 drefleth Him in theie charadlers. The mean 
 likewife whereby the effedl of this great prin- , 
 ciple fhall be weakened or fiibvef ted, will, at 
 the fame time, impair or 6verturn his happi^ 
 nefs in life. 
 
 But is this principle, upon the whole, be^ 
 neficial or baneful to the human race ? Have 
 not wars, devaluations, maifacres arifen froni 
 it ? Are not illiberal prejudices, falfe and nar- 
 row conceptions, intolerant zCal, hatred, per- 
 fecution, and madnefs, to be traced up iii 
 many inftances to this, as being the fourcc 
 wherein they originate ? Let us grant that 
 thefe eV'ils have arifen from this principle, 
 feen in falfe and in terrifying lights ; what u 
 the confequence ? Enquire, my young friend^ 
 before you form any final eftimate, not what 
 are the occjdional effects of a fentiment fo 
 univerfal ; but, what is its natural purp»ft, 
 where the mind is difpoled to feel its energy, 
 and to carry its rules into pradlice. In th(i 
 f<)rmer cafe of occafionaT effedls, yoiTwill findy 
 
 that 
 
6 General Remarks ON 
 
 that the evils which we have enumerated, far 
 from indicating any tendency in this difpofi- 
 tion to render mankind unhappy, are wholly 
 to be afcribed to the violent palTions and ob- 
 flinate prejudices of individuals. Of thefe, 
 as influencing the actions of men, hifhory ex- 
 hibits the moft ftriking examples in all ages. 
 And he who contemplates their effedl in lefs 
 interefting fituations, and when they are im-i 
 pelled by weaker motives, will ceafe to won- 
 der at that which they have produced when 
 llimulated by the powerful inducements, and 
 by the great objects of religion. In the lat- 
 ter inftance, on the other hand, the natural 
 tendency of this principle, the mind, wijth- 
 out entering into any tedious, or difficult pro- 
 cefs refpedling the purpofe or aim of this fen- 
 timent, may acquire fatisfaclion concerning 
 this matter by a few iimple and eafy qu^-; 
 ftions. The fir ft of thefe will relate to the 
 perfe6;ions of the iiipreme Mind, and to thc^ 
 various charadters in which he is reprefented^ 
 The fecond will refpedi the relations where- 
 in .men ftand to each other as* members of 
 fociety ; and the tendency of this principle 
 to promote union, love, and mutual forbear- 
 ance. The lall will probably regard its pur- 
 pofe 
 
THE Religious Principle. y 
 
 pofe to promote the private happinefs of the 
 individual. 
 
 When thpfe general inquiries are refolved 
 in a fatisfa6lory manner, all that can be faid 
 againft a difpoficion of which the end is ap- 
 parently {q excellent, mufl fall to the ground. 
 That the bcfh and happieft inftitutions may 
 be perverted to bad purpofes by the paffions 
 and prejudices of men, is no doubt equally 
 true, as it is that tools framed by the ablefl 
 artificer for a certain end, may in unfkilful 
 hands become the inflruments of much mif- 
 chief and diforder. But in both cafes the ap- 
 titude to a firfl and ultimate defign remains 
 unquefbicned. And from this defign, the 
 intention of the Author, or conftrucftor in 
 the firfl inflance, is rendered indubitably 
 confpicuous. 
 
 No man perhaps ever meant ferioufly to 
 debafe the great and original aims of the or- 
 dinances and do(5lrines of religion, or to call 
 in queftion its utility. For, to acquire jufl 
 notions concerning the perfccflions of God, 
 and the various branches of duty arifing from 
 the knowledge of this Being, and of ourfelves, 
 
 is 
 
S jGeneral Remarks on 
 
 is without doubt to gain knowledge from 
 which the greateft and moil beneficial pur- 
 pofes may refult. And the tendency of the 
 religious fentiment as it has been explained, 
 to prompt us to obtain this knowledge in it$ 
 utmoft extent, requires not deduction to be 
 rendered evident. 
 
 Two queflions appear to arife from this view 
 of the fubjedl, of which the folution is attend- 
 ed with fome difficulty. If it is the immedi- 
 ate deiign of rehgion to promote thehappinefs 
 of mankind, we may naturally afk, whence it 
 has happened, that men have endeavoured in 
 any age of the world to fubvert or even to 
 weaken its influence ? They who have exami- 
 ned this matter particularly, will be dill more 
 folicitous to learn, why the attempts that have 
 been made with this intention charadlerizc 
 ibciety only in its civilized ftate, and haVe 
 been carried into execution particularly by 
 men of fuperior knowledge and penetration ? 
 Of thofe queflions we may obferve, that tlie 
 lafl refpedls a hiflorical fad, the evidence of 
 which will be produced in another part of 
 this inquiry. AfTuming it at prefent as a 
 truth, we are led to remark, that attempts pf 
 
 this 
 
THE Religious Principle; 9 
 
 this kind originating only in civilized focle-j. 
 ty, feem to indicate caufes peculidr to that 
 ftate, and exifting in no other, as being thoft 
 to which fuch attempts are ultiniatfely to be: 
 afcribed. It is by no means our intention 
 to affirm, that there is any ftate wherein ei- 
 ther giiilt or ignoranc^e might not fliggeft a 
 wifh unfavourable to the religious principle. 
 The favage, at the time when he cdniiders 
 an unhappy event as an indication of the an- 
 ger of his gt)ds, would no doubt gladly em- 
 brace ally mean by which his tetror might 
 be removed or alleviated. But this ihiferable 
 wretch is Unhappily ignorant of the fublime 
 fcience of nietaphyiic ; a fcience whereby. he 
 inight be taught to difprove his owii exlft- 
 ence, as well as to deny that of his Maker. 
 Without therefore knov^ing that lie is a ma- 
 chine conftructed for certain ptirpofes, or for 
 iio purpofe, whbfe exiftenc^e will terminate 
 with the pulfation of his heart, he is con- 
 demned to adopt a religious fyftem that re- 
 prefents him to be accountable, dependent^ 
 and immortal. ' 
 
 Leaving therefore thefe barbarians to the 
 guidance of nature, let us contemplate focie- 
 
 B ties 
 
lo General Remarks on 
 
 ties in which artificial manners and opinions 
 infinitely diverfified are fuppofed to indicate 
 an advanced ftate of civilization. A little 
 refledlion will convince us, that there are, 
 here two clafTes of men, who, although they 
 agree in the general purpofe of exterminating 
 religion, yet purfue this end from motives 
 of a very different kind, of which the efficacy 
 is proportionally varied. Thefe are the ori- 
 ginal authors of plans framed with the pur- 
 pofe above mentioned, and who endeavour, 
 by expedients which we Ihall afterwards enu- 
 merate, to render tliem as acceptable as pof- 
 fible ; — and thofe who, without any proper 
 examination of circumftances, readily fub- 
 fcribe to their opinions. Our examination, 
 of the former will lead us to confider, what 
 influence the love of Angularity and an ill- 
 diredled ambition exerts in the fphere of reli- 
 gion. Our obfervations, in the fame maurr 
 ner, upon the condudl of the latter clafs, will 
 difplay the powerful effefts refpedling the 
 choice or rejedlion of principle, that arife 
 from pafiion, from example, and from the 
 defire of imitation. 
 
 It 
 
THE Religious Principle. ?i 
 
 It is no doubt a delicate as it is an ardu^ 
 ous attempt to trace up many a(5lions, which 
 we contemplate with a mixture of curioiity 
 and of aftonifhment, to their caufes exiftivig 
 in the mind. In fome cafes this talk is pec a-* 
 liarly difficult. For when a refolution has 
 been formed according to the bias of inclina- 
 tion, prejudice is ready either to conceal the 
 real motive of our choice, or to diveft it fo 
 eifedlually of whatever is difagreeable, as that 
 it is rendered upon the whole an apparent 
 obje<5l of approbation. 
 
 Among thofe who are dupes of this felf- 
 impofition, charity will teach us to include 
 many profeffed advocates of infidelity, as well 
 as their difciples. For the honour of human 
 nature, let it not be faid, that men of the firft 
 clafs are wantonly doing mifchief, and have 
 no other purpofe in view, while they attack 
 the religion of their country, than that of 
 railing a monumental trophy to their own va- 
 nity from its ruins. Let us rather believe, 
 that, contemplating the whole matter through 
 the medium of prejudice, they appear to 
 themfelves to be men of enlarged and noble 
 fentiments, whofe plans will be productive 
 
 B 2 of 
 
I? Ge^teral Remarks qn 
 
 pf univerfal emolument. Their fellow men, 
 who are Chriftians, they conlider as being the 
 flaves of fuperflition. And it is, in their efti- 
 piation, a defign equally glorious, to emanci^ 
 pate them from the power of this intelledlual 
 tyrant, as it is to reftore civil liberty to thofe 
 who have been deprived of it ; by the death 
 pr overthrow of their oppreiTor. 
 
 Men who have viewed Chriftianity and its 
 followers in this falfe point of light, will no 
 longer be infenfible to the fecret motives of 
 their oppoiition, if thefe fhall be placed clear- 
 ly before them. Should an impartial inquiry 
 therefore difcover to them, that, when adua^ 
 ted in appearance by the love of truth, they 
 have in reality been impelled by the defire of 
 Angularity, their eyes may be opened to the 
 nature and to the dangerous confequences of 
 their enterprife. A man of probity, although 
 he may not be convinced of the truth of our 
 religion, will yet ceafe to perfuade others ot 
 its falfehood, when he becomes fenfible that 
 the belief of it is productive of efftntial emo- 
 lument to mankind. By whatever fenfation 
 of pleafure likewife the remembrance of cer- 
 tain fuecefsful efforts to obftrud its influx 
 
 encc 
 
THE Religious Principle. 13 
 
 cnce may have been accompanied, nothing 
 will arife from it that; is adequate to the pain- 
 ful recolledlion of prejudicial purpofes eifec- 
 tuated from motives of contradled and felfifh 
 gratification. • 
 
 . But it is not to caufes by which men have 
 been induced to oppofe the evidence of reh- 
 gion that our inquiry is wholly to be confi- 
 ned. Among the many difciples whom they 
 have gained over to their party, are we to 
 believe that the greater number have exami- 
 ned the arguments of thofe authors, fo as 
 tliat they can affign a reafon for their difbelief 
 of Chriftiauity ? Whatever may be tlie cafe of 
 a few individuals, we hope to convince ma- 
 ny readers, in the courfe of this inquiry, that 
 they have decided concerning this important 
 queflion without any proper examination of 
 principles. We propofe to iliew them, that 
 their decifion has been powerfully influen- 
 ced, if it has not been dictated, by motives 
 apparently fo remote from this fubjedl, as 
 hitherto to have efcaped obfervation. 
 
 . As inducements of the prefent kind ope^ 
 rate mofl efFeclually upcwi the young and in-» 
 
 experienced, 
 
J4 General Remarks on 
 
 experienced, it is to them that the following 
 remarks, refpedling their nature and confe- 
 quences, are principally addreffed. He who 
 has fludied the writings of our modern Scep- 
 tics and Deifls, mufh have obferved, that the 
 ivay of reafufiing is but one method employ- 
 ed by them, to render their opinions univer- 
 fally prevalent, and that by no means a prin- 
 cipal one. Their purpofes at all times have 
 been, to bring the paffions of men to adl in 
 their behalf, and to captivate imagination. 
 The means employed with this end are va- 
 rious, appropriated, and interefting. At the 
 fame time, the efFe(5l is greater in the event, 
 as the operation of caufes that lead to it is 
 mtore concealed. He therefore will do no 
 unacceptable office to fociety, who fhall coun- 
 tera(5l the latent influence of thofe caufes, by 
 placing them in a juft point of view ; and 
 who Ihall endeavour likewife to diveft of its 
 efficacy the fpecious reprefentation by which 
 they are enforced. 
 
 Among the many caufes to which we may 
 afcribe the infidelity of the prefent age, the 
 following appear to me to be thofe that prin- 
 cipally conduce to this purpofe. 
 
 I. The 
 
THE Religious Principle. 15 
 
 1. The love of fingularity, or an inordi- 
 nate defire to extradl novelty from every fub^ 
 jedl, and, in particular, from points that have 
 been formerly CanvalTed. 
 
 2. A propeniity to reje(5l whatever bears the 
 ftamp of vulgarity, and to conform our prin- 
 ciples, in the fame manner as our dreis, to 
 the prevailing tafte and fafhion of the times. 
 
 3. A defire of imitating the manners of 
 men whom we have been taught to efteein 
 very highly, and of appearing to adopt tiieir 
 opinions. 
 
 4. Our natural inclination to reject thofe te- 
 nets as being falfe to which our actions artf 
 irreconcileable, and to adopt the contrary. 
 
 5. Certain charges of a very dangerous ten- 
 dency, refpeding eitlier the general fchem^ 
 of Chriftianity, or its peculiar doclrincs ; the 
 nature of its evidence, or the character of its 
 teachers ; of which the eflPedl is heightened 
 in the writings of its adverfaries, by all the 
 arts of plaufiblc rcafoning, iiiQnuation, ridi- 
 cule, and abufe. 
 
 Frona^ 
 
 >Y- 
 
l6 Of the Love 
 
 From thefe general efEcients, Handing de- 
 tached from each other, various incidental to^ 
 pics arife, from an examination of which, the 
 principal points will derive benefit. Thefe 
 therefore we Ihall difcufs, as they fall into 
 the fubjedl:, feparately, with fome attention. 
 After having inveftigated in this order the! 
 fources of infidelity, we propofe to appro- 
 priate a fe<^ion to the caufes that are produc- 
 tive immediately of fceptical flu(5luation. Con- 
 cerning the parts thus enumerated we may 
 remark in general, that, while each flands fa 
 diflincfl from the other as to form a com- 
 pleat obje6l, when contemplated apart; yet 
 all eoalefc€ to the accomplilhment of a gene- 
 ral purpofe. 
 
 SECT. 11. 
 
 Of the Love of Singularity, * 
 
 I Am aware that fome lively readers may 
 urge a very plaufible objedion againft the 
 love of fingularity, as being a caufe of mo- 
 dern infidelity. They may tell me, that I 
 difcover little knowledge of mankind by un- 
 dertaking to prove this propofition. Such 
 knowledge, they may obferve, wovild con- 
 vince 
 
bF Singularity. i^ 
 
 Vince me, thlt the love of fingularlty is fa- 
 vourable to the caufe of Chriftianity, inftead 
 of being prejudicial to it, in polite fociety. 
 For, in the fafliionable world, the defender 
 of Chriftian, or indeed of any religious doc* 
 trines, would be deemed to haV^e followed a 
 fingular courfe ; while he by whom both are 
 reprobated^ would join his voice to that of 
 the multitude, Thanks, methinks I hear 
 them fay, to thofe illuftrious friends of reli^ 
 gious liberty^ Tindal, ColHns, Chubb, Wool- 
 fton^ Mandeville, and to their fuccefTors in 
 the fame glorious line ! Thanks to thofe phi- 
 lanthropifls, who, by fliutting up for ever 
 the temple of immortality, have relieved their 
 followers from many a fuperftitious obfer- 
 'vance ! Thanks to thofe fathers of a nume- 
 rous offspring, we can reply to the quellion, 
 .*' What is thy name ? Our name is Legion/ ; 
 " for we are many *»" 
 
 I acknowledge it, gentlemen. I have the ho~ 
 hour (for I am fo unfafliionable as to think it 
 ia.n honour) to find, that, in this acknowledg- 
 ment, I am partly fupported by the autliority 
 
 * Mark V. 9. 
 
 C of 
 
i8 Of the Love 
 
 of an Apoflle^in. the words which I have placed 
 as a motto upon the title page. Yet I mufl ftill 
 confider the love of fingularity as a caufe of 
 infidelity in the prefent as well as in pail ages. 
 Permit me to lay before you my reafons for 
 having adopted this opinion. 
 
 The term fingular, or fingularity, is not al- 
 ways ufed, when applied to theoretical fub- 
 ]e(fLS, to denote the tenets which the few em- 
 brace ifi oppofition to the many. It will bear 
 an application like wife to any body of men, 
 "whofe religious notions, as being profeffedly 
 different from thofe of the community to 
 whofe civil ordinances they are fubjedled, are 
 deemed to be peculiar. No matter whether they 
 who apparently adhere to the eflablifhed reli- 
 gion, are or are not fincere in their profefTion. 
 Their external obedience to its rites and infti- 
 "tutions is a fuflicient indication of their belief. 
 The prefent is exatflly a cafe of this kind. 
 A large proportion of mankind has been 
 known for many ages by the appellation Chri- 
 ftian ; an epithet ufed to fpecify thofe who 
 embrace that religion which was publifhed 
 and propagated by Chrifl and his Apoflles. 
 Thiarehgion, which, whatever may have been 
 
 the 
 
OF Singularity. i^ 
 
 the dogmas of particular fecfls, yet compre- 
 hended all thefe through a fucceffion of cen- 
 turies, time hath now confecrated as an objeCl 
 of veneration. The circumflances therefore of 
 an eflablifhment, and of the refpedl exacted 
 by tlie laws of Chriftian nations to the public 
 inflitutions of our religion, the concourfe 
 brought together at its feflivals, and the 
 feeming devotion as well as the number of its 
 votaries, are altogether fuch evidences of the 
 faith and pradlice of men in general, that ideas 
 highly pleaflng to human vanity are fuggefled 
 to thofe who avowedly rejedl it as being an 
 impolition. By a condudl fo contrary to that 
 of the multitude, they flatter themfelves with 
 the thought of difcovering a daring fpirit, 
 and finguiar penetration. Such indeed is the 
 influence of the deflre to tread in unbeaten 
 paths, that I am apt to think (excufe me, 
 gentlemen), that in a certain cafe it may be 
 rendered as favourable to the caufe of Chriili- 
 anity as it is at prefent to the pleas of its ad- 
 verfaries". For fliould tlie religion of nature be 
 fubfl:ituted with every external advantage in 
 place of the ordinances of the gofpel, this de- 
 fire would render thefe ordinances as much 
 apparent objeds of rational approbation, as 
 C 2 ■ it 
 
to Of the Love 
 
 it reprefents them in the prefent inflanee tq 
 be the contrary. 
 
 But upon what proof, it is afked, do you 
 found your afTertion refpecfting the powerful 
 efficacy of the love of fmgularity ? This que- 
 flion arifeth naturally from tlie preceding ob-* 
 fervations ; and demands a diilindl and expli- 
 cit reply. In anfwer to it, after having ex- 
 plained the nature and general tendency of 
 this principle, I propofe to confider what has 
 been its more immediate influence upon reli- 
 gion from the earlieft ages. An account of 
 the various means by which a defire fo uni- 
 verfal hath operated upon the pradlice of 
 mankind, is at the fame time a pleafing and 
 a curious inquiry. Such an inquiry feems to 
 require that a hiftorical detail of effecfls deri- 
 ved from this caufe only, ihould be placed be-. 
 fore the mind. By means of this detail, cir- 
 cumftances may be pointed out as being de- 
 rived from this paffion, which have efcaped 
 the attention even of him whom it hath moll 
 powerfully influenced. From a view likewife 
 of progrefTive confequences derived from one 
 fource, and exhibited in fucceffion, the con- 
 
 cluiion 
 
OF Singularity. 2i 
 
 clufion naturally fuggefled will be tendered 
 obvious and convincing. ■ 
 
 Man, in lys civilized ftate, occupies two 
 capital departments, of wkich one is appro- 
 priated to fpeculative, and the other to ad:ive 
 employment. To the former are referred the 
 obje(?ts of fcientiiiGal refearch : to the latter is 
 afcribed whatever- hiftory exhibits as iiluilri- 
 ous in example. The operation- of the love of 
 fingularity may be traced equally in both. 
 Among thofe fpeculative inquirers who are 
 adluated by this principle, I rank, without 
 exception, all the inventors and maintainers 
 of paradoxical theories and hypothefes, or of 
 fyflems that contradidl the fenfes and expe- 
 rience of mankind. Among thofe, upon the 
 other hand, whofe pra6lice it has influenced, 
 ,1 confider ail, without exception, as being 
 comprehended, from him who fet iire to the 
 temple of Ephefus, to the man who fet out 
 on an aereal tour, \yith wings provided for the 
 purpofe, from the . pinnacle of St Sophia at 
 Conflandnople ; who have wifhed to be dif- 
 tinguifhed from all other men by new, afto- 
 |i;fliing, and unexampled adlions, 
 
 Biit 
 
21 Of the Love 
 
 But before we proceed any farther in this 
 track, another principle of adlion, feemingly 
 aUied to the prefent, but widely different in 
 reality, challenges particular attention. The 
 intelligent reader will have perceived that this 
 principle is the love of fame ; a paffion which 
 ever takes deepeft root in the nobleft and mofl 
 exalted minds. It is the province of the hifco- 
 rian,or biographer, to relate the actions which 
 thefe caufes have produced upon the theatre 
 of life. Our bufinefs at prefent is to obferve, 
 diat, in all cafes whatever, an obvious differ- 
 ence takes place betwixt the love of fingula- 
 rity, and the delire of glory properly fo cal- 
 led. For, granting the ultimate end of both 
 paflions to be the fame, we fhall find, upon 
 refle(5lion, that the means which they employ 
 as conducing to its attainment, are effenti ally 
 diftindl. Thus, to excite admiration by gi^eat 
 a^iions, or by important difcoveries, is the 
 purpofe of the defire of glory when juflly re- 
 gulated. But novelty is the great objecfl of 
 him who is adtuated by the love of fingula- 
 rit}^ And in purfuits diftinguifhed by this 
 chai-adler, propriety and intrinfic excellence 
 are often overlooked. In the fphere of fcien- 
 tyfical inveftigation, fuch a man will appear 
 
 to 
 
OF Singularity. 23 
 
 to be in fearch of fomething which, if it fiiail 
 not be confirmed by juft, may yet be render- 
 ed acceptable by plaufible reprcfentation. 
 And his intention in this manner is often 
 carried fuccefsfnlly into execution. While 
 we afcribe therefore to the former principle 
 works, as well as ufeful and ingenious arts, 
 that are held in nniverial eftimation ; the con- 
 ceits of the witling, the chimeras of the fpe- 
 cious but fanciful theorifl, the dreams of the 
 fedlarian, and the fubtleties of the fophifl, 
 are to be derived from the laft. 
 
 From this enumeration of efFc6ls arifing 
 from the love of fingularity, it appears that, 
 although frequently produ6live of unimpor- 
 tant confeqiTcnces, this paflion is not always 
 accompanied by thofe which are pernicious. 
 Where the mind is iacapablc to form any 
 comprehenfive fcheme in confequence of its 
 debility, or where the fubjedls of its refearch 
 mini iter only to curioiity, the defnx above 
 mentioned will never.be ofFeniive, and may 
 fometimes be pleafing. Bad confequenccs 
 arife from it, only, when a certain union and 
 propenfion of intellecftual powers qualify their 
 polTeflbr to carry it with too much efficacy 
 
 into 
 
24 Of the Love 
 
 into fubjecls of univerfal importance. Ever/ 
 reader is acquainted with charadlers of the 
 firfl kind, which are too inofFenfive to demand 
 animadverlion. But our remarks on thofe of 
 the latter clafs require to be exempUfied. 
 
 An attentive obfervation of men will en- 
 able us to difcover two clafTes upon whom 
 the deiire of treading in unbeaten paths hath 
 ever exerted remarkable influence. The firft 
 is of thofe whofe reafoning powers, although 
 great and compreheniive, are yet employed 
 to illuflrate and to fupport theories that are 
 derived from imagination. The fecond con- 
 lifts of men who pofleffing likewife a cordi- 
 derable ihare of botli faculties, but not that 
 proportion of the latter which rifeth to the 
 fublime of fentiment or of defcription, are 
 yet qualified to firike out new and unfre- 
 quented paths on the field of {peculation. 
 Thefe, by applying their talents to fubjec5ls 
 w^herein the attention that cannot be fixed 
 bv greatnefs is attracted by novelty, are led 
 to frame paradoxical hypothefes, and to lofe 
 themfelves in abftradled and" unintelligible 
 refinements. From the firft arrangement of 
 faculties are derived the theories of Burnet, 
 
 Malbranche, 
 
bi^ Singularity. ^| 
 
 Maibrailche, Fenelon, and other authors of 
 Imqueflioned ingenuit)'-. The plans of thofe 
 performances, without being accommodated 
 to the teft of pliilofophical inveftigation, yet 
 exhibit evidences of elegant deligrl, and of 
 mafterly execution. From the latter, we may 
 confider a.s being derived, all thofe metaphyii-*- 
 cal fiibtleties which are fo necelTary in order 
 to render us perfectly well iacquainted with 
 the nature of things, and by rrieans of 
 which, the fphere of rational inquiry hath 
 been extended in the prefent happy and moft 
 enlightened age, to the unfpeakable enter- 
 tainment and emolument of mankind. It is 
 to men .endowed with this juft proportion^ 
 this perfect union of intellecflual powers^ 
 that we are indebted for the difcovery of the 
 materia fubtilis, the fine elementary particles 
 of which thought is compounded. Tlie hu- 
 man head is confider ed by thofe great philo- 
 fophers as a glafs hive, whereof the tranfpa-' 
 rency remains unfiiUied to their eyes, only 
 by the employments of the bufy inhabitants* 
 In the joinings therefore, and vibrations of 
 tliefe intelligent atoms, they bbferve thofe 
 pure and intellecflual ideas to originate, 
 ©f which tlae contemplation is inexpreilibly 
 
 D grateful 
 
^6 Of the Love 
 
 grateful to men who poffefs certain happy 
 and finely attenuated organs. 
 
 Of thofe philofophers beheld. with admira- 
 tion by congenial fpirits, a man of common 
 thought may venture to form a different judg- 
 eienL Incapable of entering into their fub- 
 lime and abflracfted fpeculations, he will per- 
 haps think, that acute metaphyfical talents, 
 applied to perplex and to darken truths which 
 they ought to elucidate, will be adequate to 
 all the above mentioned important purpofes. 
 He in the mean time who is pofTelTed of them, 
 muft find a confolation in the novelty of 
 his difcoveries, or in fome other circumftance, 
 to balance the pain of refleifting upon their 
 detrimental effedls. But, 
 
 Impavidmn feriefit ruin a:. HOR. 
 
 Our philofbpher intent upon accomplifhing" 
 his own purpofe, will not permit its confe- 
 quences to difcompofe his ferenity. 
 
 Thus much we have obfervef^ refpedling' 
 the influence of the defire of Angularity, and 
 its general mode of operation. Our fubjedt 
 
 requires^ 
 
OF SiNGULARltY. ^7 
 
 requires in what follows, that we fliould 
 confider this paffion more particularly, as ha- 
 ving been prejudicial, in all ages of the 
 church, to the interefb of religion. 
 
 Among the various fedls which arofe du- 
 ring the firft ages of tlie church, and which 
 increafed through fucceeding centuries, an 
 attentive obferver will remark, that there was 
 not one, v/hofe founder called in queftion 
 the general evidence of revealed religion, or 
 who denied the commifTion of its authoi\ 
 The heretics of thofe days perverted indeed 
 the meaning of the facrcd text, or availed 
 themfelves of various readings, when thefe 
 were accommodated to their purpofe. Upon, 
 fome occafions, they wrefted the natural 
 conflruc^ion of a fentence, or objected to a 
 very obnoxious paragraph as being interpola- 
 ted. But chara(5terifed as they are by a 
 Itrange mixture of folly and of extravagance, 
 they do not appear to have called in queftion 
 the necelTity of rtvelation, nor to have doubt- 
 ed concerning the authority of that whicljx is 
 called Chriftian. On the contrary, their tenets 
 wqre founded in pafTages of holy writ, of 
 which the divine original was univerfalty 
 
 D 2 acknowledc:ed. 
 
^S Of the Love 
 
 acknowledged. It is indeed true, that th^ 
 patrons of the old religion perfevered, as 
 might have been expe(51:ed, for fome ages in 
 oppoling Chriftianity. But this oppofition 
 Jiad its origin in that fteadinefs wherewith 
 the mind adheres to the firft principles which 
 are imprefled upon it. And of tliofe it was 
 not without much difficulty, and after niany 
 tinfuccefsful efforts to fupport them, brought; 
 at laft to acknowledge the fallacy. The ad-r 
 vocates of Paganifm were not therefore in ge^ 
 ral men who had revolted from Chriftianity; 
 and who, like our modern freethinkers, had 
 fet up a new religion in oppoiition to it. 
 They defended inftitutions, which the vul- 
 gar of all nations contemplated as facred; 
 and a religion recornpiended by fuch circum- 
 ftiances of external fplendour and decoration, 
 which have in all ages attraded the attention 
 and admiration of mankind *, 
 
 * Tn the work of an ingenious and learned writer of 
 the prefent age, ' Gibbons's Fiflory of the Decline and 
 « Fall of the Roman Empire," an luifavonrable and par- 
 tial reprefentation is given of the flate of the world at the 
 time when the Chriftian religion was introduced. The 
 reader will not he difpleafed if upon the prefent occafion 
 %e examine his account of this matter particularly, with 
 
OT Singularity. 29 
 
 But what it is afked, became during ail 
 this time, of the defire of lingularity? And 
 
 . whence 
 
 a purpofe of pointing out liis inconfiQencies, and of 
 fupplying his defers. In order to account for the rapid 
 progrefs of our religion, this author defcrilBes the incre- 
 duhty and fcepticifm of the Pagan world, ashavinn- been 
 univerfal at tlie time when it was introduced. ** The 
 *' falhionof iacredalityhad, he tells us, been communica- 
 *' ted from the philofophcr to the man of plcafure or 
 *' bufinefs, from the noble to the plebeian, and from the 
 *' malter to the menial flave who waited at his table 
 " and who eagerly liftened to the freedom of his con- 
 ** verfauon,&c. Even the people, when they difcovered 
 *' that their Deities were rejefted by thole vvhofe rank 
 *' and u!iderftanding they were accuftomed to reverence 
 *' were filled with doul/tf and apprehenfions." — " Their 
 '* (the people's) love of the marvellous and fupernatu- 
 ^' ral, their curiofity with regard to future events, and 
 " their ftrong propenfity to extend their hopes and fears 
 *' beyond the limits of the vifible world, were tJie caufes 
 " which favoured the eftablifhaient of polvtheifm. Some 
 '* Deities of a more recent and fafliionable cafl, minhc 
 ** foon have occupied the deferted temples of Jupiter 
 *' and Apollo, if in the decifve moment the ^ iidom of 
 ^' Providence had not interpofed a genuine revelation 
 *' fitted to infpire the mod rational efleem and convic'lion 
 " whillt at the fame time it was adorned with all that 
 " couldattratft the curiofity, the wonder, and the venera- 
 " tion of the people." From the whole our author 
 concludes, that thofe who are inclined to purfue this re. 
 fledion, inftead of viewing with aftouill^iment the rapid 
 
 progrefs 
 
3G> Of the Love 
 
 whence Vfas it that this pafTion, if its influ^ 
 ence on condu6l can be traced^ did not 
 
 prompt 
 
 progrefs of Chriftianity, will perhaps, be furprifed that 
 its fiiccefs wds not Jlill more rapid, ^ndftUlmore univerful. 
 Gihbons's Hiflory, vol. i. p 6o'. 602. It is clear from 
 the concluding fentenct- of thi& quotation, that Mr G. con- 
 Jiders his account of the ftate of the world at the time 
 when Chrillianiiy was introduced, as being even more 
 than adequate alone, to the effeCl which is faid to have 
 arilen from it. Without iniifting upon the obvious fuper- 
 fluiry of his other caiifes upon .this fuppoTuion ; and on the 
 unnecefi'ary trouble which this gentleman has given both 
 to himfelf and his readers according to his own account in 
 his fubfequent detail; 1 Ihall confine myfelf to the ground 
 which he hath here marked out, by making fome obfer- 
 vatiotis upon the exceptionable nature of his affertions^ 
 
 Ithadbeen well if our author, who is fo liberal of au- 
 thorities upon every other occafion, had favoured us with 
 Jbme in the prefent inftance. Without fuch authorities, 
 certain incredulous readers will be apt to confider the 
 whole ftory of men of pleafure or bufmefs catching the 
 fafhion of incredulity from philofophers ; of menial (laves 
 imbibing unfavourable notions of the eftablifhed religion, 
 (jwll at this critical inftant!) from the converfation of 
 their mafters at dinner ; of the deferted temples of Jupi- 
 ter and Apollo ; and of a revelation flafiiing upon the 
 aftoniihed world at this decifive moment ; — as the work 
 !&f a warm imagination. Let us however take the mat- 
 ter as this author hath ftated it. His account not only ap- 
 pears to be unfupported by evidence; but even to contra- 
 
 did!: 
 
OF Singularity. 31 
 
 pi'ompt fome daring fpirit to follow the 
 fame courfe refpeding religion in thofe ages,- 
 
 which 
 
 didt the teflimony of hifiorians, whofe works are quorecl 
 in his performance with high and jult approbation. Hi<; 
 account is unfnpported by proof. For granting the iruiii 
 of all his affirmations concerning the incredulity and fcep- 
 ticifm of nobles and philofophers in the age of Auguftus, 
 it will not, 1 apprehend, follow, that thofe men eitlier had 
 rendered their tiotions univerfal, or that they were able 
 to do fo. Attention to the known fads of hiftory 
 will convince iis, that incredulity and fuperftition, confi- 
 ^ered as charaderifing different clafles of men at the fame 
 period, are by no means incompatible. It will even dif- 
 (fover to us an age wherein both predominated, whiclt 
 was as much enlightened as that of Augullus. I refer to' 
 the sra at which ISocrates fiourithed, as being an age 
 dlftinguilhed at the fame time by freedom of fentiment, 
 incredulity, fcepticifm, and fuperftition. It is well knowii' 
 that in the fchools of philofophers the various fubjeds of 
 religion and morals were treated with a cpmpafs and en- 
 ergy at tlus time which hath never been furpaffod at any 
 period wliatever. The great do6lrine of immortality wns- 
 then hkewife evinced by probable arguments to the en- 
 Hffhtened and penetrating few. Poetic fables were di- 
 ftinguiihcd fi'om the truths of pliilofophy. And n.en who' 
 chofe to reafon fophiflically, had an opportunity of carrj- 
 ing fcepticiftii into all the branches of fcicuce. I need not: 
 however remark to any intelligent reader, that thofe in- 
 quiries, far from fprcading from the nobl6 to the plebeian, 
 cxercifed only the philofophers and their difciples. ' he 
 death of ScKratcS; and the recal of Alcibiadcs from the 
 
 Sicilian 
 
32 Of the Love 
 
 which hath been purfued with fo much fuc- 
 cefs at a later period ? To thefe qtieflions I 
 
 anfwer, 
 
 Sicilian expedition, to anfwer the charge of having defa- 
 ced theftatues of Mercury, are inconteftible proofs among 
 many fimilarcircumftances of the fuperftition that at this 
 time charailerifed the Athenians. If this then was the 
 cafe in the age of Socrates at Athens, it remains to be 
 proved, that various opinions, U'hich may fubfift vi^ithout 
 fubvertingeach other, produced effects fo fatal to the an- 
 cient, and fo favourable, as a Deilt would term it, to the 
 new fuperftition, in the age of Auguftus, at Rome. But 
 ;he fafts which this author himfelf mentions from the beft 
 authority, prove that this fuperftition prevailed as much 
 during the latter age, as in the former. For, if the 
 temples of ancient Deities were dcferted at the time: 
 tvhenChriftianity was introduced, whence arofe that ftre- 
 nuons oppofition which was made ^i fo deajive a momefit to 
 its eftabUlhment, an oppofition carried on by men who 
 aopear to have flood up m defence of rites which they 
 defpifed, and of temples which they had abandoned ? 
 V/hence is it that Pliny, Tacitus, Suetonius, and other ref- 
 peftable authors reprefent, as quoted by Mr G. the per- 
 fecuting fpirit of thofe fceptics, and infidels, who accord- 
 hig to this hypothefis muft have butchered their fellow 
 men for refufiug to embrace principles which they ihem- 
 lelves at tlie fame inftant renounced and reprobated ? If 
 in (liort the reign of Pagan fuperftition terminated fo 
 nearly in the days of Anguftu?, whence is it that we find 
 the defertcd temples reoccupiod according to our author's 
 account of the matter, and the Roman Senate confulting 
 -the SvbJIlins books, iu order to. " gratify the fnperflition 
 
 <■' of 
 
bF SiNGULARlTYi 3 j 
 
 aniWer^ that the paffion itfelf operated at 
 that time with all its ufual energy* It re- 
 ceived 
 
 of tremhling mortals," in the days of Aureliari ? Sed 
 vol. I. p. 361. Hence, we may afk, is it, that even in the 
 reign of Theodofius, when Chriftianity had been during 
 fucceiTive ages the eftablilhed rehgion of the Empire, we 
 find the fucceflion of thofe men who had deferted the 
 temples of Jupiter and Apollo, fending " four refpedable 
 deputations to the Imperial Court, to reprefent the grie- 
 vances of the priefthood and the fenate, and to folicit the 
 reltoration of the altar of viftory ?" Gihbons's Hift; 
 vol. 3. p. 73, Granting the account of the extindidn 
 of fuperllition to be jult in the former inftance ; why has 
 not this writer afcertained the period of her refurreiliou, 
 and pointed out the means whereby her former influence 
 appears to have been regained in the latter ? From th.is 
 alTemblage of circumftances, and from many others which 
 an attentive reader will remark, it is obvious, that our 
 author's attempt to account for the rapid progrefs of 
 Chriftianitv from the ftate of Pagan fuperftition at the 
 time of its introdu(?tion, is abfurd and inconfalent. 
 
 Bur thefe, although capital, are liy no means the fold 
 errors of which the preceding reprefentation exhibit; 
 evidences, in his account of the caufes of polythcifn), 
 he hath omitted the principal efficiehts of its fuccefs and 
 feftablilLment. This conduct is more extraordinary, ?.?, 
 the omitted cauies happen to be thofe that are leali fa- 
 vourable to his own fide of the queflion. Not to Isold 
 the reader in fufpcnle, a little refleclion and knowlrdgc 
 of this fubjeft will render it evident, that the religiotes 
 
 E fyfteiu 
 
34 Of the Love 
 
 ceived only from certain circumflances a pe- 
 culiar diredlion. There never perhaps were 
 
 more 
 
 fyftem of the Greeks and Romans became prevalent in 
 confequence of the multitude of its Divinities, the fplen- 
 dour and decorations of their temples, and the affedionate 
 ren-ard of a people to men who had been their firft lead- 
 ers and initruiftors. By means of the firft expedient^ 
 Deities were appropriated to the occafions of their wor- 
 ihippers. By the fecond, thefe Deities were placed in a 
 manner before their eyes, as being perfonally prefent. 
 By the lafl expedient, the fpecSator was taught to view 
 them as beings who regarded their circumitances, and 
 were difpofed to anfwer their requefts. It was not to 
 <i that love of the marvellous and fupernatural" by 
 which the vulgar is diftinguiflied, that the firft of thofe 
 caufes owed its efficacy, which had in fa 61: its origin in 
 the wants, the weaknefs, and the follies of mankind. 
 By thefe, men were led to fly to the flirines of tutelary 
 Divinities, and were prejudiced in favour of a religion 
 whereby they were accommodated to particular fituations. 
 A polythcift who found every part of nature peopled 
 with ethereal beings, from the throne of Jove, to the 
 croves, the fountains, the walks, and even the hearth 
 which he frequented, became highly partial to a religion 
 which came home to his hopes, his willies, and his employ- 
 ments. Ke confidered ihefe Beings as perfonally prefent, 
 Mvhile he gazed upon flatues of them exquifitely propor- 
 tioned, and animated by the art of the fculptor. When 
 he obferved in the farrie manner the honours paid at pu- 
 blic feftivals to the Gods, or heard in private life of for- 
 tunate occurrences; afcribed to their interpofition and fa- 
 
 ' vour., 
 
OF Singularity. 35, 
 
 more bufy and daring innovations ia any 
 age whatever, than in thofe that preceded 
 
 the 
 
 vour, his prepoflefTion in their behalf was improved into 
 confidence, and his refpe£t into fubmiiTive and profound 
 
 veneration. A man of Mr G 's acknowledged 
 
 good fenfe and fagacity cannot be unacquainted with the 
 effetfl which circumftances iuch as thefe have ever pro- 
 duced upon the human mind, and will ever produce. 
 He mud know likewife, as will immediately appear, that 
 the Chriftian religion, far from offering external objeds 
 of adequate eMicacy to the contemplation of man, holds up 
 to him one felf-exiiient, invilible, incompreheniible Being, 
 who demands no facriiicc, can be reprefented by no 
 injage, refides in no temple of human architedlure, and 
 accepts of no oblation but that of the heart, " 1 he pure 
 *' and fnblime idea, fays our author, which they (the 
 ** Chriftians) entertained of the Supreme Being efcaped 
 *' the grofs conceptions of the Pagan multitude, who were 
 " at a lofs to difcover a fpiriiual and folitary God, that 
 ** was neither reprefented under any corporeal figure 
 *' or vifible fymbol, nor was adored with the accullomed 
 '^ pomp of libations and fcltivals, of altars and facnfices." 
 P. 541. 616. What! Is this religion without Gods, 
 altars, libations, temples, iiatues, fymbols, feilivals, or i'a.- 
 crifices, that revelation which you pompuoufly defcribe, 
 as " being adorned with all that could attraft the curio- 
 *' fity, the wonder, the veneration of the people?'' 
 /*. 602. Is this the idea which the Pagan multitude 
 framed of the objeft for whom they deferted the temples 
 of their ancient Deities, and abandoned all the rites of 
 their religion? You fay, Sir, that " they icerc r.t a lofs to 
 E 2 ** difcover 
 
3^ 
 
 Of the Love 
 
 the eflablijQiment of Chriflianity, and follow^ 
 ed after it. But the love of fingularity in 
 
 one 
 
 ^' difcQver the folitar\^ God'* of the Chriftians. Is it then 
 the pleafure which the Pagan multitude received from 
 contemplating what they could not contemplate, and from 
 conceiving what " efcaped their conception," that the 
 Chriftian religion is indebted principally for its progrefs ? 
 I will not infult my readers underftandiug by commenting 
 upon thefe abfurdities. The work of this author contains 
 niany others that are equally ftriking, of which fome ex- 
 amples will afterwards be produced. At prefent I ihall 
 leave him v.'heu I have obferved, that, by omitting to 
 mention caufes that contributed largely to the eftablilh- 
 inent of polytheifm, although not to the progrefs of 
 Chriftianity, this gentleman hath failed effentially in doing 
 Jufrice to his fubjedt. 
 
 Let us then compenfate for this omifTion in the prefent 
 cafe, by placing both fides of the queftion before the 
 reader, ^^t he may ji'dge for himfelf. Polytheifm be- 
 came the eftabliihed religion of many nations, i . by being 
 accommodated to the vi/ants and weaknefs of men to ■w^hofe 
 filuations its Divinities preliding over every part of nature 
 were happily and fcafonably adapted. 2. 1 o their love of 
 fenfible reprefentation, gratified by magnificent temples, 
 by fplendour of decoration, by the pomp of feftivals, 
 and the folemnity of facrifice. 3. We may fafely afcribe 
 its favourable reception among men in early ages to the 
 high efllmation in which they held their fir(i leaders and 
 inftruc^ors, whofe Apotheofis in the judgment of a whole 
 people commenced at the hour of their diflblution. That 
 
 the 
 
OF'SlNGULARITY. 37 
 
 one clafs of men, and that of novelty In ano- 
 ther, were amply indulged in thofe days, by 
 
 the 
 
 the Chriftian religion received benefit from none of 
 thofe caufes is a truth that cannot be called in queftion. 
 Even of thofe which our author enumerates, we may re- 
 mark, tliat they were far more beneficial to polythcifin 
 than to ChrilHanity. An inhabitant of Rome has *< his love 
 ♦* of the marvellous and fupernatural" more highly gra- 
 tified by the auguries of an arufpex at which he inigiit 
 ha>v^ been prefent, than by the relation of miracles v/hich 
 he muft have received from teftimony. " His curiofity in 
 '* the fame manner with regard to future events" recei- 
 ved high gratification from the nature of thofe incidents to 
 which the oracular refponfes were fuppofed to refer. The 
 fate of a war or of a battle, the means of reconciling an 
 offended Deity ; whatever in ihort refpeded the pro* 
 fperity, hopes, defires, employments, and final cataftrophe 
 of an individual, were circumliances that engaged him in 
 an inquiry the moll deeply intercfting. On the other, 
 liandjthe attention of the Chriitian was drawn to the fall 
 of empires, the fate of monarchs, to the appearance of a 
 Mefliah, the rejection of the Jews ; and finally to the 
 univerfal prevalence of the religion of Jefus. Of thefe 
 ohjefts we may remark, that althcngh fiihlime and mag^ 
 nificent, they muft have been lefs intercfting to private 
 perfons than the former for reafons of which the influence 
 is llrong and univerfal. 
 
 That a religion therefore comparatively inadequate " to 
 <* attraft the curiofity, the wonder, the veneration of the 
 *' people j" containing likewife commands to which the 
 
 paflions 
 
38 Of the Lov£ 
 
 the various theories and modes of explana- 
 tion to which the do6lrines, precepts, and pe- 
 cuUar tenets of the Chriftian faith naturally 
 gave occaiian. 
 
 Ambition infligated her votary to become 
 the founder of a fe(5l by v^hich his name 
 might be perpetuated. He willied to aftonifh 
 the world by publifhing fome new and fin- 
 
 pafiTions of men are naturally repugnant; promulgated by 
 a mean man, born in the obfcure corner of a defpicable 
 province, propagated after his death by a few filhermen, 
 tvho were loft in the boundlefs extent of the Roman 
 world, over which they wandered without influence, 
 learning, riches, or authority : That a religion thus pub- 
 liihed, fupported, and conftituted, fiiould yet have fub- 
 verted, in the ccurfe of a few generations, the eftabliflied 
 rites, ceremonies, and worJhip of fo many nations : 1 hat, 
 overcoming every obftruftion arifing from the learning, 
 the opulence, and the power of its adverfaries, it fhould 
 have rifen from the Hamlet of Bethlehem to the throne ©f 
 the Caefars; covering" the whole earth" in itsprogrefs : 
 Dan. ii. 35. Thefe are circumftances which Chriftians do 
 not think themfelves juftly chargeable with credulity, in 
 afcribing to the interpofition of an extraordinary Provi- 
 dence. They judge that Providence may have favoured 
 this religion, becaufe its moral inftitutions are beneficial 
 to fociety. And in the prefent inftance, they afcribe its 
 progrefs to extraordinary Providence ; becaule in tracing 
 it, we contemplate an cbjed:, an nikU eji JimUc ant fecun- 
 dum, 
 
 gular 
 
OF Singularity. 39 
 
 gnlar difcovery. This difcovery or tenet it 
 was neceflary to found upon the facred text, 
 as being the ftandard of truth which was re- 
 ferred to by all parties. It is indeed true, 
 tliat tradition, which foon began to acquire 
 authority, may be viewed as a caule of he- 
 refy fomewhat different from the former* 
 But let us remember, that this tradition was 
 traced up to the facred writers, from whofe 
 fuppofed infpiration all its efficacy and im- 
 portance was derived *. Stimulated there- 
 fore by paffions which he was unable to fup- 
 prefs, the lover of fingular opinions endea^ 
 voured to render theie prevalent in the firft 
 inflance, by impreffing upon the minds of 
 men a high idea of his own learning, fanifli- 
 ty, and abilities. Having obtained this ca- 
 pital point without much difficulty in thofe 
 days, he was enabled either to faliify tradi- 
 tionary evidence without the danger of de-^ 
 te(5tion, or to flipport his notions by ftrained 
 explanations of the facred text, atnong men 
 who were prepared to receive rhem with im- 
 plicit fubmiffion. 
 
 * We refer the reader for information on this fubjeir, 
 in all its extent, to Banage's Hijioire des jui/s, torn. 9. 
 I'fv. 9. and Fra. Paolo's Ulcr. del ConciL7'r:d<:ntn. L. 1. 
 
 65. 
 
 To 
 
40 Of the Love 
 
 To thefe caufes it is no difficult mattef to 
 trace up the tenets of many fecflarians in the 
 firft and middle ages of the Chriflian church* 
 We Ihall fee afterwards that fome of their 
 principles cannot be deduced from other ori- 
 ginals than thofe that are here pointed out* 
 But thofe men, who fet out with a defign of 
 impoiing upon othersj became the dupes of 
 their own artifices, by impofing at laft upon 
 themfelves. They who are befl acquainted 
 with human nature are perhaps moflfenfible 
 of the approach that is made towards the be- 
 lief of any principle, by him wdio begins with 
 wifhing to find it true. The truth of this 
 remark, when applied to theological fubjedls, 
 will be rendered fufiiciently evident, when 
 points that are connedled with it fall to be 
 inveftigated. At prefent it is proper to ob- 
 ferve, that the fteadinefs wherewith fome an- 
 cient heretics adhered to their tenets, feems 
 to indicate, tliat wrong meafures had been 
 taken with the purpofe of convincing them 
 of their errors *. Inilead of being humbled 
 
 * It is well known, that Marcion in particular became 
 a heretic, in confequence of his father's rigour and refent- 
 jpent, which he found it impolhble to efface. For his 
 principles^ ytv Juft'.n. Jpol. 2d, and Dial, centra Marchtu 
 
 by 
 
OF Singularity. ^i 
 
 by perfecuti'on, they were flattered by it with 
 the idea of having their names tranfmitted 
 with honour to pofterity as the founders of 
 certain reUgious orders or fe6ls. With this 
 end, they were induced firfb to promulgate 
 dodrines, and at lafl to believe in them, 
 which, although publilhed on account of 
 their novelty, they had I'eceived originally 
 with fbme heiitation. In this cafe^ reafon 
 a(5led in a fubordinate fphere under pafTions 
 that were inflamed by fuffering j and ima- 
 gination dwelling upon its own evanefcenii 
 obje(5ls, conceived them at lafl to be realities. 
 The truth is, that the art of extirpating he- 
 refy by toleration, and of defeating the pur- 
 pofe of the fchifmatic by contemptuous in- 
 difference, this art, fo neceffary, and fo effec- 
 tual in a well ordered fociety, was not un- 
 derflood in thofe ages *. Be this however as 
 
 it 
 
 * This obrervatioh will rieed no comifient to thofe who 
 are converfant in ecclefiaftical hiftory. The lives of the 
 f>riinitiv& fathers nfc-fent to us few other ohjefis, during 
 d fuccefTibn of ages, than thofe tlut are attendant opoii 
 the rife and the fd ppreHlon of heterodox opinions. A- 
 rnong them w*^ find the 7,calous TertuUian ftigmatized a^ 
 a heretick, after having wrote againft thofe men with 
 much animolity ; and (higen difplaying his ^.eal for the? 
 <»rthodo», by whom he was afterwards treated with 
 F, much 
 
 1 
 
42 Of the Love 
 
 it may, the defire of advancing fingular opi- 
 nions, and of fupporting thefe by explana- 
 tions of the facred text, may be fafely men- 
 tioned as the fources of many herelies in the 
 fir ft ages of the church. 
 
 Is this an uncharitable or an nnfupported 
 affirmation ? Let us bring it to the teft. A- 
 mong thofe fathers of the church who fuc- 
 ceeded its fir ft authors, we meet with na 
 name more illuftrious than that of the cele- 
 brated Origen. It is almoft needlefs to fay, 
 that the genius, knowledge, ftrength of rea- 
 fon, and indefatigable diligence whereby this 
 man was charadlerifed, place him altogether 
 in the higheft rank of eminence^ 
 
 But furely we muft not confidcr all the 
 
 much feverity. It is faid that the former was compelled 
 to embrace the herefy of Montanus. 1 he fufFerings of t]ie 
 latter are well knowrr. A great part of thehfe of Atha- 
 nafiiis, who was himfelf profcribed, banilhed, and perfe- 
 cuted, was coiifumed in difputes with Aritts, and with 
 his followers, as that of Chryfoflom was in his contelt 
 with Severianus and Theophilas. Vid. Nicephor. lib. ^. 
 c. 12. Eiifeb. Ecclef. HiJL lib. 2. c ic^. PamphiL Apol, 
 ap. Phot. Cod. u8. Soci-at. SchollJ}. lib, i. c. 8. Id. lib. 
 6. c. 1 1, dr<r. 
 
 theories 
 
OF Singularity. 4^ 
 
 tlieorles that we meet with in the writings of 
 Origcn, as truths either confirmed by the 
 fame rational evidence, or as having impref^ 
 fed fimilar conviclion upon the tliought of 
 the author. The fohd arguments employed 
 in defence of the Chriftian religion "by its 
 great advocate will ever be diftinguiihed by 
 thofe criterions from the chimeras of the 
 fame author, which have their origin in ima-» 
 gination. Thofe are clear indications of a mind 
 fatisfied with the choice of a religion, and 
 able to give " a reafon of the faith that is in 
 " ic" Thefe, on the contrary, are illufions 
 arifmg frorti the love of fmgularity, and 
 from the deiire of framing new and extraor- 
 dinary fchemes. To fuch caufes v/e may 
 aicribe with propriety the following dogmas 
 among many others which are to be found 
 in the commentaries of our author : That the 
 -world is a rational animal, capable of know^ 
 ing good and evil, and of receiving reward 
 or punilliment ; thatj as other worlcts have 
 preceded the prefent, others will like wife be 
 framed after it ; that our fouls have finned 
 in a ftate of pre-exiftence ; that the deftiny 
 of nations is written in the flars j and other 
 F 2 reveries 
 
44 Of the Love 
 
 reveries equally abfurd with thefe, although 
 perhaps of a more pernieious tendency *. 
 
 Some admirers of the zeal and the genius, 
 of Origen will be ready perhaps to cenfure 
 this impeachment of him, upon account of 
 its feeming fe verity. But, with all my ve-' 
 neration for the name of this great man, I 
 cannot fuppofe that drained and extravagant 
 conceptions which have no relation to the 
 happinefs of mankind, were thrown out by 
 him with any other purpofe than that of 
 evincing his inventive talents and fuperior 
 difcernment. At any rate, the proof that 
 thefe difcoveries are authorifed by the facred 
 text, cannot be equal to the evidence by 
 which the truth of revelation is afcertained, 
 Their general purpofe, likewife, and tenden- 
 cy are widely diiferent. We may on this 
 account fafely pronounce, that the condudl 
 of the writer cannot in both cafes have been 
 diredled by the fame motive, a defire to pro- 
 mote the trueft interefts of mankind. What 
 
 * To the author of fuch tenets, furely ^ve may affirm 
 that the ridicule of Shaftelhury would be applied v ith 
 more propriety, than the fire and brimftone of Bellar- 
 mine and Baronius. See the- article Origen in the DiBion, 
 liifior. 
 
 we 
 
OF Singularity. 4^ 
 
 we fuppofe, therefore, in the advocate of 
 Chriitianity to originate in the love of truth, 
 \yc afcribe in the fanciful theorift to the de- 
 fire of fingularity. ^ 
 
 It is not necelTary upon the prefent occa- 
 iion to enter into a detail of the principles of 
 the Gnofticks '*, and of the later Platoniils, 
 in order to illuflrate this obfervation. The hi-" 
 ftory of the dark ages offers to our view ma- 
 ny heretics, who attempted to juftify their 
 abfurd tenets by mifinterpreting pafTages of 
 the facred writings. It even placeth before 
 us difciples of thofe herefiarchs ftill more ex- 
 travagant than their mafters, who endeavour- 
 ed to propagate their abfurdities by violence 
 imd maiTacre, while they called themfelves 
 the followers of .*' the Prince of peace.'* I 
 might appeal to the conducfl of fome feda-. 
 
 * In the work of Irenaens contra Herefes, the reader 
 will find fome account of the herefies of the Gnofticks, 
 which in that author's opinion are fnfficiently confuted 
 by being enumerated. But a far more fatisfaLlory and 
 entertaining iiiftory of thofe celebrated heretics, is con- 
 tained in the work of the learned, the copious, the elo- 
 quent Molheirn ; a work in which the reader of tafte 
 Avill remark, of what graces the moft unpromifing fub- 
 jecl becomes fufceptible when it is treated by a rnan of 
 genius, 
 
 rians 
 
46 Of the Love 
 
 rians of the lafl and of the prefent century, 
 as decilive evidence to the prefent purpofe. 
 For men will be exhibited in this progreffive 
 detail, who, animated by the love of Angu- 
 larity, have attempted to ere6t fpiritual mo- 
 nopolies, by producing the fcriptures as their 
 charter. But an examination thus conduct- 
 ed would lead me too far from my fubjecl. 
 
 The effedls of this powerful principle, ei- 
 ther when it is confidered as affedling gene- 
 ral characters, or as being rendered confpi- 
 cuous in tenets of religion, have now been 
 pointed out at confiderable length. Strong- 
 and difcriminating however as thefe are, we 
 cannot fail to remark, that the principle itfelf 
 operated within a very contra6led fphere in 
 thofe ages, in w^hich invefligation determined 
 certain flandards of faith ; certain fixed and 
 permanent rules that were repulfive of its 
 exertions. In the profecution of our fubjetft, 
 we mufl coniider this leading pailicn as en- 
 larging its range, and as dire<5led in the pur- 
 fuit of new objecfts by-circumftances of which 
 we Ihall point out the efficacy. The effecfls 
 that have arifen from this caufe in later ages 
 will be beft accounted for, when we have 
 
 viewed 
 
OF Singularity. 4^ 
 
 Viewed the nature of the fubje6ls that have 
 been in vefti gated in thofe ages, and the 
 fources of their diverfity. To thefe the pre- 
 fent inquiry calls our attention. 
 
 At the time when Chriftianity, riling upon 
 the ruins of Paganifm, was gradually fpread- 
 ing over the nations, the mind was naturally 
 employed in religious queftions, of which we 
 have feen that the difcuflion is at all times 
 congenial to its ficultics. Men were there- 
 fore bufied in determining the mofl effential 
 among the many tenets and dodlrines of re- 
 vealed religion. At this period, the interell: 
 of fociety required, that whatever refpecfled 
 the government and oeconomy of the Chri-^ 
 flian church fliould be regulated by a plan 
 accommodated to the circumllanccs of its- 
 members. We mull remember, that the arts 
 fo highly valued, and fo ailiduoully culti- 
 vated in the glorious ages of Greece and 
 Rome, had at this time funk in the general 
 wreck of Roman greatnefs, now verging to 
 inevitable ruin. Amidfi: the devaftxitions of 
 northern barbarians who overfpread tlic em- 
 pire, the tree of fcience, whofe fruits are ma- 
 tured by fedulous cultivation, was torn for-* 
 
 ciblv 
 
4^ Of the LoVe 
 
 cibly from its place, and withered on tkd 
 field where it had been reared with attention* 
 A few remnants of this beautiful plant were 
 indeed preferved in the repofitories of the in- 
 genious. But even there, thefe exhibited an 
 imperfe(51: reprefentation of its original attrac- 
 tions. Let us add to all this, that the little 
 learning of thofe miferable times was confi- 
 ned to the clerical order, and that real know- 
 ledge even among them was the portion of a 
 very few. The people in general ignorant 
 and fuperftitious, at tlie fame time were rea- 
 dy to adopt any tenet of a fpiritual fuperior 
 who was fuppofed to poiTefs profound erudi- 
 tion, and who commanded reverence by a 
 dignified deportment. It mufl be acknow- 
 ledged that in thofe days fuperflition and 
 enthufiafm, the daughters, as they may be 
 called, of ignorance, poiTeiTed the moil exten- 
 five and abfblute authority. In fucceeding 
 periods, reafon circumfcribed at once tlieir 
 power and their dominion. 
 
 Let us now lay thefe fadls together, cha- 
 radleriftical as they certainly are of the dark 
 and middle ages of the church. Do they not 
 point out to us the courfe which he who was 
 
 ambitious 
 
OF Singularity* 49 
 
 ambitious of gaining reputation and influ- 
 ence would follow, as nioft effectual to the 
 accomplifhment of his purpofes ? Do they 
 not make it probable, that fuch a man, ta- 
 king advantage of this ftate of things, would 
 endeavour to render new and plaufible theo- 
 ries the objecfts of univerfal belief ? The ig- 
 norance and blind veneration of the multi- 
 tude he would confider as means of carrying 
 his defign fuccefsfully into execution. The 
 co-operation therefore of thofe caufcs, at the 
 fame time that it produced men who wiflied 
 to be diftinguiflied by novel opinions, dire6l- 
 ed their fpeculations to the line of religious 
 inquiry. Hence are derived the many mud- 
 dy currents professedly drawn from the pure 
 fountain of infpiration, that contaminate the 
 ground over which they are fpread. Hence 
 almoft every portion of the facred text gave 
 rife to notions infinitely multiplied, of which 
 the recital renders the ecclefiaflical hiftory of 
 thofe ages a monumental record of the follies 
 of mankind. Hence, in fliort, it is, that in 
 charadlers of acknowledged excellence, we 
 meet with qualities that are irreconcileable. 
 For even good men, when viewed in different 
 lights, feem to have been influenced by mo- 
 
 G tives 
 
^■(y Of the Love 
 
 rives in lefs elTendal matters, which in thofe 
 of more importance they were careful to re- 
 prefs. 
 
 As we approach in our inquiry towards- 
 modern times, we obferve the face of things 
 to afTume a new and more promifing appear- 
 ance. The mind, deprefTed during the de- 
 chne of fciente, appears to have been reani- 
 mated at the period of her refurredlion. A- 
 bout this time, the intelledlual powers awa^ 
 king from their lethargy, began to contem- 
 plate new and diverfified fubje6ls of inquiry. 
 And men impatient of having feen fo long 
 with the eyes of others, tried now to look 
 abroad, and to enjoy profpedls of their own. 
 In this {late of things, it is obvious that the 
 love of fingularity was no longer gratified by 
 wrefling the natural import of the facred 
 text, or by conferring imaginary importance 
 upon fome frivolous di{lin(5tion. Fatigued^^ 
 with fo long an attention to objects that were 
 no longer recommended by novelty, the mind 
 engaged in refearches that promifedmore va- 
 riety. Its thoughts in the mean time conti- 
 nued to be attraded to the grert objedls of 
 religion* 
 
 Betwixt 
 
•OF Singularity. 51 
 
 Betwixt that zealous and obflinate adhe- 
 rence to unimportant points, that may pro- 
 perly be denominated enthufiaftic, and that 
 rejedion of a whole fcheme without exami- 
 nation, which is equally irrational ; betAvixt 
 thofe, which may be denominated the two 
 extremities of the fcale of error, many gra- 
 dations are interpofed. And on fome of 
 thefe the deviation from truth is fo flight 
 as not without difficulty to be dete(5led. In 
 the prefent cafe, we have feen that the inter- 
 mediate fleps had been preoccupied at the 
 period to which we have now brought our 
 inquiry. The lovers of fingularity, there- 
 fore, were compelled to feize the extreme 
 points of diftance, at w^hich both were ren- 
 dered peculiarly confpicuous by being placed 
 in oppoiitioii. 
 
 Such then was the {late of things when 
 two claiTes of men filled up the vacant fpaces 
 on the fcale above mentioned. Of thofe, the 
 leaders of one party continued to impofe up- 
 on the weak and credulous, by maintaining 
 pretenlions to fuperior fandlity, by an attach- 
 ment to certain rigid precepts, and eveii up- 
 on fome occafions by aflertions of being un- 
 G 2 der 
 
52 Of the Love 
 
 der the influence of hifplration. By blending 
 together with pecuUar abfurdity frivolous 
 ceremonies and devotional exercifes, enthufi- 
 afdc reveries and inflexible perfeverance, the 
 errors, in fliort, of a bewildered imagination, 
 and that Uxiiformity of conduct which be- 
 fpeaks a regulated underflianding * ; by pre- 
 senting this farrago of incongruous circum- 
 flances to the mind, they at the fame time 
 highly gratified its love of novelty, and 
 
 * William Penn refufing from religious motives to 
 wear buttons on his coat, or to take off his hat to his fa- 
 ther ; theeing and ihouing the Sovereigns of England 
 and of Germany ; and facrificing to childifh gefticulations, 
 whatever might have been the object of his rational pur- 
 fuit, is a wild enthufialt, or to fpeak more properl}', an 
 extravagant madman, whom we contemplate with a mix- 
 ture of pity and of contempt. But what ihall we fay 
 concerning this man, when we view him as the founder 
 and legiflator of a flourilhing colony, which he eftablilh- 
 ed among feJnlh and bigoted neighbours, upon the noble 
 principle of univerfai toleration : Kow refpeclable a 
 place does he occupy in our efteem, When we confider 
 him as the author cf laws framed for the benefit of 
 mankind, and carried into execution with inflexible per- 
 feverance. This union cf abfurdity and of confiftence, 
 althou'Th it has often characlerifed men when placed in 
 certain pircumftances, yet never perhaps was confpicuous 
 In the fame degree as it was in this perfonage, and as it 
 continues to be among his followers. 
 
 wound 
 
OF Singularity. ^^ 
 
 wound up its paffions in the caufe of religion 
 to the utmofl height of rapturous expedla- 
 tion. Viiions, and extafies, the incoherent 
 ejaculations of a convulfed difciple, deemed 
 to be infpired and prophetic efFufions ; pre- 
 tenfions to miraculous powers ; frantic ge- 
 flures, fudden and violent emotions; — the 
 fcenes and expreffions upon which ignorance 
 gazes with ftupid aftonifliment, fafcinated 
 for a time the fenfes of the multitude, and 
 gained profelytes to doctrines thus ftrangely 
 recommended. 
 
 But while thofe zealots were figuring at the 
 fummit of the fcale, a revolution of a very dif- 
 ferent kind was taking place at its oppofite ex- 
 tremity. To this revolution the perfons above 
 mentioned contributed principally, although 
 not indeed with intention. For as foon as their 
 efforts ceafed to raife admiration, they be- 
 came the fubjecfls of derifion and contempt. 
 We may obferve with truth, that this will 
 ever be the cafe with high pretenfions of 
 what nature foever that are not fupported by 
 correfponding actions. In the prefent cafe, 
 it had been well if the contempt which thofe 
 men drew upon themfelves, and upon their 
 
 notions, 
 
54 'Of the Love 
 
 notions, had terminated at either objecfl, or 
 at both taken together. The paflion which 
 thefe originally excited was artfully dire(5led 
 to take a more extenfive range, and to include 
 the profefTors of a religion, of which it was 
 laid that the dodlrines had given occafion to 
 fo many various and contradictory theories. 
 
 A new order of men therefore arofe, who, 
 deriving emolument from the prefent Hate 
 of things, followed a courfe which, however 
 iingular and extraordinary, the preceding 
 events feemed to juflify. Thefe votaries of 
 reafon, as they called themfelves, fetting out 
 with high afTumptions, and with claims that 
 draw univerfal attention, called men from 
 wrangling with one another about the doc- 
 trines of Chriftianity, to examine the evi- 
 dences of its divinity. That an inquiry thus 
 dire(fled, promifed ample gratification to the 
 love oifingidar argument, is a truth that can- 
 not be called in queftion. At the fame time, 
 as men were in general perfuaded of the au- 
 thority of our religion, and of its excellence, 
 it became neceffary to combat their fuppofed 
 prejudices, in the firfl inflance with wary 
 circumfpedion. An attempt to gain too 
 
 much 
 
OF Singularity. ^^ 
 
 tHtich at once would have terminated in ex- 
 citing the indignation of men, inftead of 
 eftabhfhing rational convidlion. Objeclions 
 therefore were to be iniinuated rather than 
 formally propofed. And mankind were to 
 be prepared for receiving new dodlrines, by 
 being artfully prevented from difcerning all 
 their confequences. 
 
 Attentive to thefe coniiderations, the firfl 
 adverfaries of our religion, acknowledging 
 the poflibility of a revelation, and even its 
 expedience, objedt to the Chriftian difpenfa- 
 tion only on account of its particularity *. 
 They appear even to be folicitous of recon- 
 ciling their own notions to Chriftian laws 
 and inftitutions, and of ingrafting fcions of 
 a foreign growth into a^o<:;^ fo vigorous, and 
 
 * By this term, in Lord Herbert^s eftimation, v.as 
 nnderftood a religion not promulgated univerfally, but 
 confined within the pale of a fociety or country : Thus,, 
 fpeaking of his univerfal church, he fays, " Qu2£ igitur 
 ** particulari cuicunque ecclefiae attexuntur encomia 
 " HUIC conveniunt ; a, qua, qux maxime recefTeric 
 ** maxime errori obnoxiam cfle fupra docuimus.'* De 
 Veritate, p. 222. 
 
 of 
 
^6 Of the Love 
 
 of fo long duration f . We fhall endeavoui* 
 to fliow, by following the advocates of infi- 
 delity in their courfe, that their progrefs to- 
 wards their prefent flate of total inanity has 
 been the refultof flowand of fucceflive efforts. 
 Among their firft leaders, Lord Herbert is 
 often the advocate of Chriftianity ; and even 
 Hobbes is not always explicit or confident in 
 his declarations againll it J. We know like- 
 wife that the licentious principles of the lat- 
 ter, far from being accommodated to the times 
 in which he lived, excited horror and general 
 
 f The conceUion of Mr Blount refpeding the necef- 
 fity of ingrafting Deifm upon Chriftianity, is taken no- 
 tice of by Leland, as being clear to this purpofe. Lord 
 Herbert's repeated attempts in his two works, entitled, 
 De Ver'itate, and Rcligio Laid, to reconcile his five arti- 
 cles to the dodrines of our religion, and even to fhow 
 that its ultimate purpofe was to comprehend them, 
 cannot efcape obfervation. 
 
 $ As this celebrated writer fpeaks, upon fome occa- 
 fions, concerning fcripture as being the voice of infpira- 
 tion, fo his pradlice was fo much conformed to his pro- 
 feflion in this inftance, that, having been taken ill at 
 Paris, he received the facrament according to the forms 
 of the church of England, in the view of approaching 
 death. See Hobbes de Che,, cap. 1'fecl, 33. and Hobbes 
 Vit.p.^g. 
 
 indignation. 
 
OF Singularity* 57 
 
 indignation f. Of their fuccefTors, fome at- 
 tempted to overthrow the Chriftian difpenfa- 
 tion, by reprefenting the abfohite perfe(Sl:ion 
 of natural reUgion *. Others, as Blount, Col- 
 lins, and Morgan, endeavoured to gain the 
 fame purpofe by attacking particular parts 
 of the Chriftian fcheme, by explaining away 
 the literal fenfe and meaning of certain paf- 
 fages ; or by placing one portion of the facred 
 canon in oppofition to the other ||. A third 
 clafs, wherein we meet with the names of 
 Shaftsbury and of Bolingbroke, advancing 
 farther in their progrefs, expunge from their 
 creed the do6lrine of future exiftence, and 
 annihilate among them all the moral per- 
 fedlions of the Deity §. 
 
 •j- Of this, the complaints made in parliament againft 
 our author's writings, and the terror wherein he I'pent 
 the lafl: part of his life, his general dread of alTaliins, (Sec. 
 are ftriking examples* 
 
 * Of this fcheme, Tindal and Bolingbroke are the pa- 
 trons. Chriji. as old as the creat. paJJ\ and Bdingbroke^- 
 works, vol. 5. paj~k 
 
 II See Blount's account of a Deijl^s religion, Co!!, 
 grounds and reafons , ^c. Morg. Moral'Phllofcph. pajf, 
 
 § It is remarkable that although the noble authors 
 mentioned in the text, agree in exploding the doflrine 
 
 H of 
 
58 Of the Lotf 
 
 Thus far the adverfariesof our religion Had' 
 carried their inquiries in the beginning of 
 the prefent century. And it will be acknow- 
 ledged that the love of Angularity,, whether 
 we confider it as having ad:ed a principal- 
 or a fubordinate part in the accompliihment 
 of thofe important difcoveries,^ might have 
 received from them very high gratification. 
 One happy confequence in the mean time 
 arofe from this condudl; for by means of it 
 not only was an examination carried into the 
 collateral proof of prophecy and miracles of 
 which the nature and efficacy were afcertain- 
 ed ; but the fcrutiny was extended to the 
 dodtrines and precepts of Chriilianity ; to its^ 
 laws and inftitutions. An enquiry of this 
 kind founded upon rational and moderate 
 principles, correfponds to the fpirit of this 
 
 religion, 
 
 of immortality as inadmHTible, yet they differ widely in- 
 their notions of the moral attributes of the Supreme In- 
 telligent?. For, while the former magnifies the good- 
 fjefs of God, at the expence of his juftice'; the latter dii 
 vefts him of both perfedions. CompsTe S/yaft/h. kft. on- 
 Enthuf. ivith Bol'mghroke, vol. 5. />. 3 1 1". Thus • thofe 
 authors entertaining incompatible notions of the Deity 
 and of his government, agree only in depriving their 
 fellow men of the only fure refuge to which human mi- 
 fery can have recourfe. Such is the emoluiBeut of their 
 philcfophy to mankind. 
 
O F Si NX5UL A Rl ^ Y. 59 
 
 Tcligion, and is produd:ive of falutary efFecls. 
 Natural religion in the prefent inflance gained 
 by the invefligation above mentioned, by 
 means of which its truths were better under- 
 ilood at this period than at any preceding 
 sera. To the fame caufe likew^ife it is owing, 
 that the excellence and comprehenlive nature 
 -of Chriflian morality are afcertained beyond 
 queftion. 
 
 But the flrengtli of the adverfaries of 
 ■Chriftianity exerted in this formidable attack 
 was at laft exhaufted. For the fubjedl canvaf- 
 ifed upon all fides, afforded no longer. any thing 
 new to gratify the defire of fucceeding inno- 
 vators. What v/as to be done in this cafe ? 
 "To have flopped fhort in this noble career, 
 -would have argued a pniillanimity, of which 
 we cannot accufe thofe daring ^adventurers. 
 A road therefore having been paved with in- 
 finite labour over the chaos of vulgar notions 
 and prejudices to the regions of light, the fuc^ 
 •cefTors of thofe who framed it have nowpulhed 
 their refearch to the ntmoft pofTible length. 
 In the prefent age therefore of difco very, our 
 philofophical travellers, ambitious of imita- 
 ting the adlivity of circumnavigators, and of 
 H 2 furpafTm^ 
 
6o Of the Lov£ 
 
 furpaffing their intelligence, have penetrated 
 in their own eftimation to the utmofl limit 
 of thofe regions. And it is butjuflice to ac- 
 knowledge that they are abundantly com- 
 municative of their information. 
 
 Peradventure,my young reader, thou may'ft 
 be felicitous to know, of what nature their 
 difcoveries are; and what intelligence they 
 have brought from this terra incognita ? This 
 requilition, it muft be confefTed, is natural 
 and proper. At the fame time, the many 
 liaw objecfls which in the writings of thofe 
 authors are held up to be contemplated, ren- 
 der it diihcult to malce a fatisfaclory reply. 
 From my deiire however to gratify thy de- 
 mand in the prefent cafe, I have extracfled 
 from their works fome among the many 
 tenets which they fubftitute in place of the 
 great doctrines of the Chriflian religion^ 
 And that the fummarymaybe as compleatas 
 poffible, I iliall arrange thefe under the heads 
 of difcoveries relating to the exiflence, nature, 
 and attributes of God, and the producflion 
 and government of the univerfe, and finally, 
 to the extent and efiicacy of moral obliga- 
 tion, 
 
 A 
 
OF Singularity. 6t 
 
 A limple man will find it fomewhat difficult 
 to make the opinions of our modern apoftles, 
 that refpedl the Supreme Mind, cohere toge- 
 ther in fuch a manner as to form any pro- 
 portioned whole. For, while one of them en- 
 tertains no doubt concerning the exiflenceof 
 this being *, another will acquaint you, that 
 he has met with nothing in his travels, but 
 " a blind nature impregnated with a great 
 ** vivifying principle, and pouring forth 
 " from her lap without difcernment or pa- 
 " rental care her maimed and abortive off- 
 " fpring J." While the former addrefTeth a 
 prayer to *' the parent of nature'* with fome 
 apparent reverence :j:, the latter affures us 
 that " while we argue from the courfe of 
 " nature, and infer a particular intelligent 
 " caufe, we embrace a principle which is 
 " bothuncertainandufelefs §." Another great 
 injfbructor of mankind will deny that there 
 is any uncertainty refpedling this matter. 
 " Nature, he will tell you, is invariably the 
 
 * Bolh/gbroke's worls, vol. "},. p, 353. 354« 
 \ Hume's Dial, en Natur. Rei.p. 220. 
 
 X Bolingbroke^ s Let. on H'ljl. i^fc.p. 48 1. 
 
 J Htime^s Philofoph. EJf. p. 224. 
 
 *' fame. 
 
6± Of the Love 
 
 " fame If." And " the order, and beautiful 
 *' difpofition of things," far from arguing 
 agamfl the eternity of the world, are on the 
 contrary the ftrongeft confirmation of fiich a 
 dodrine *." 
 
 Frona 
 
 ^ ToultnhPs Aiitiq- et Duraf. of the world, a fine. 
 
 "* You fee a houfe beautifully conftru(^ed, and con- 
 tarniog many fplendid and elegant apartments. You 
 fimply alk, " Who was the architect?'' — Architeft ! 
 replies our philofopher. Mark the ftrcngth and folidity 
 <of the walls, the grandeur and magnificence of the 
 pillars, the elegant turn of the colonades, and the ex- 
 tent and beauty of the piazzas. ^' From all this I 
 ■** muft conclude, that the contriver has been a man of 
 '* genius." No, fays our author, you mufl: conclude 
 from all this, that no ftich contriver ever exifted. I am 
 intimately acquainted with the nature of thofe fofiils, 
 Sec. of which the parts, ** although Jeeming/y inani- 
 *' mate are perpetually in aflion." Take my word for 
 it, therefore, that thefe walls, colonades, piazzas, pil- 
 lars, with all that elegant and ornamental drapery, have 
 been determined by an eternal impulfe, to aflume their 
 prefent form, a fituation, in which, likewife, they will 
 •eontinue immutably fixed to all eternity. And thofe 
 marks of defign that, in the vulgar eftimation, are indi- 
 cations of an arclaited: and of an original, are " the 
 " ftrongeft confirmations" in the judgment of a philofo- 
 pher, of a theory that excludes both one and other. 
 Such are the arms wherewith Dr G. H. 1 oulmin af« 
 faults his Maker ! His battle, however, is not a dan- 
 gerous 
 
OF Singular itY^ 63 
 
 ^rom thefe quotations it appears, that 
 our autliors are embarraffed in their notions 
 refpedting the exiftence of a Deity r Arid it 
 is no eafy matter to reconcile their theories 
 tvith each other. But let us afk thofe of 
 them who acknowledge that there is fuch a 
 Being, what ideas they have framed concern- 
 ing his nature and perfedlions? Here, my 
 young reader, thou wilt be informed, that, 
 according to their beft judgment, GOD is a 
 goodf, and that HE is not a good Being J j 
 that the frame of nature is beavitiful || ; yet 
 that all its fprings and principles are coarfe, 
 unfinijQied, and inaccurate §. Nay, what is 
 furely a lingular difcovery, thou wilt be 
 taught ta believe, that though the " mixed 
 " phenomena of nature" muft be afcribed ta 
 
 gerons one. His performance, in my opinion, de- 
 mands no particular anfwer, although it is not deltitute 
 of rhetorical merit. By making men begin to look 
 about them, it will moft probably ferve the caufe whicli 
 the author fo eanieftly wilhes to overthrow. Toulmiu's 
 jAntiq. ilfc. tibi ftipra. 
 
 f Shnftef. hit. on Enthuf. ubi fitpra. 
 if Bolmgbroke's ivorks, vol. 5. />. 368^, 
 j] Touhnin. Ant'iq. p. 198. 
 § Hume's Dial, p, 215. 2 1 5. 
 
 caufes- 
 
64 Of TtiE Love 
 
 caufes that have both goodnefs and malicd, 
 yet that thofe fame caufes of goodnefs and 
 mahce poffefs neither one nor other ofthefe 
 qiiahties *. 
 
 Come 
 
 * This feeming riddle demands explanation. Take 
 the hypothefis of a celebrated author in his own words. 
 *' There may four hypothefes be framed concerning the 
 firft caufes of the univerfe : That they are endowed 
 ■with perfeft goodnefs ; that they have perfedl malice ; 
 that they are oppofite, and have both goodnefs and ma» 
 lice ; that they have neither goodnefs nor malice. Mixed 
 phenomena can never prove the two former unmixed 
 principles. And the uniformity and fteadinefs of gene- 
 ral laws feem to oppofe the third. The fourth, there- 
 fore, feems to be by far the moft probable." Dial, on 
 Nat. Re/ig. p. 221. 222. Now let us place thofe four 
 hypothefes together. Mark, reader, the confequence ! 
 The phenomena of the univerfe cannot prove perfect 
 goodnefs or perfect malice, becaufe they are mixed, or 
 are expreflive of both. Goodnefs and malice muft there- 
 fore pertain, in fome degi'ee, to the caufes that produ- 
 ced the univerfe ; becaufe, no being or power can con- 
 fer quaUties of which himfelf is not poflefled. But, in 
 the prefent inftance, according to our author, an oppofi. 
 tion would arife from two beings endowed with thofe 
 qualities, of which we difcover no traces in the univerfe, 
 For the general laws by which it is governed are fteady 
 and uniform. Upon the whole, therefore, the moft 
 probable hypothefis, in our author's opinion, is the .fol- 
 lowing : That goodnefs and malice are characteriftical of 
 
 beings 
 
OF Singularity* 65 
 
 Gdme we now in our inqviiry to the ac- 
 count that is given by our modern theorifts 
 of the birth and generation of things* You 
 have heard moll pf obably^ my young friend, 
 the beautiful allegory of the mmidane egg^ 
 from which, Dame Nature transforming her- 
 felf into a hen, is faid to have hatched the 
 god Phanes. Our felf-taughtphilofophers> not 
 perhaps quite fo ingenious in their profefFioii 
 as Orpheus, will tell you, that the world is not 
 an t^^>, but an immenfe cabbage, impregnat- 
 ed with the feeds of other cabbages or vege- 
 tables, which it throws out on all fides, be- 
 flowing in this manner order and organiza- 
 tion without being fenfible of it *. Accord** 
 ing to others it is an animal polTefTed of vi- 
 vifying power, with other difcoveries of the 
 fame kind that are equally edifying and de« 
 
 beings who yet have neithet goodnefs nbr malice 5 and 
 confequently, that the caufes of the univerfe hdve ren-- 
 dered its phenotnena exprefrve of quaUties, which thofe 
 caufes conferred without pofTefring ; and yet muft have 
 pofTeflcd in order to confer. A definition of the term 
 abfurdity cannot be better exemplified thari by the pre- 
 sent fpeciinen. Philo, the author's fceptical dialogift, 
 is the fpeaker upon this occaliou. But, as liis opinions 
 '«re not impugned or confuted by Cleanthes, they ap-. 
 pear to be thofe of the author* 
 
 * Dial. p. 132. 
 
 I kdabl-. 
 
tS Of tHE Love 
 
 ledlable. One of thofe gentlemen concludes 
 with apparent tiaith from the phenomena of 
 the imiverfe, and from certain hiflorical fadis^ 
 that the world muft have been framed at no 
 remote cEraf. Another from fadls to which. 
 he gives implicit faith, throws back its origin 
 to a more diflant period*. And a third, ak 
 "vve have already feen, difproving the theories 
 of his predecelTors, and exalting this vege- 
 table to a felf-exifting Divinity, finds it to be 
 at the fame time immutable and eternal :]:. 
 
 Nor are the difcoveries that have been pro- 
 duced in the fcience of morals by the lovers 
 offingular argument, inferior to thofe that 
 have been recited, refpe(fting the univerfe 
 and its creator. For in their writings we 
 learn with certainty, that the well knownj al- 
 though obfolete phrafeology, right and wrong, 
 juflice, and injuflice, by which women and 
 children have been frightened in all ages, 
 are like the oaths of a foldier, mere exple- 
 
 f Sonne ingenious remarks on this fubjeft occur ia 
 the Dialogues on Natural Religimi. 
 
 * See Voltaire's obfervatiotjs en the traditions n?id man* 
 fters of the Chinefe, in his Hijloire Aucien, et Mod. 
 
 \ Toulmin's Antiq^. paJJ'^^ 
 
 tives^ 
 
OF Singularity. ^ 
 
 tives, that have no importance or fignifica- 
 tionf. By thofe minifters the Supreme 
 Being condefcends to acquaint his creatures, 
 that ^11 the bonds of truft and of focial inter- 
 -courfe are broken down, and that the pradlice 
 of vice, inftead of being prohibited, as detri- 
 mental to fociety, ought to be encouraged as 
 being beneficial '^ From their difcoveries, 
 therefore, it is unqueftionably evident, that 
 ^very man may purfiie that' courfe in hfe 
 ^hich feemeth beft to himfelf, without ap- 
 prehenfion of future punifhment, if he can 
 be fcreened from it at prefent J, 
 
 To fum up all, our philofophical adven- 
 turers have difcovered, that the foul of man 
 is mortal, and dies with his body §j that 
 
 f Hiime^s EJjays on the principles of Morals. Hobbes dc 
 
 Cive, oc. ■ 
 
 * Fable of the Bees, 
 
 :{: Shaftelbury, in his letter on enthufiafm, obviou^'y 
 magnifies the goodnefs of God -with this pnrpofe. It 
 is malice, he tells us, and not goodnefs of which we 
 ought to be afraid. Mr Brown juftly obferves of this 
 fentiment that it tends to unhinge fociety to the utmoft 
 of his power. -Ejay on the Chara^erifiicks,p. 247. 
 
 § BoUngbrohe^s worh, vol. 3. p. 1522. 53^. S57' 
 Hobbes L eviath .p. 72. 
 
 I 2 man 
 
65 Of the Love 
 
 man in fa(5l has no foul, but is a machine 
 conlifling of certain wheels, puUies, pivots, 
 &c. and conftrudled not w^ithout fome inge^ 
 nuity by that illuftrious artifan CHANCE f; 
 
 that 
 
 f Dial, l^c, p. 220, 229. 230. I wifli not to niifre- 
 prefent the opinions of the celebrated writer, to whofe 
 laft work 1 have referred fo often. Let me obferve, 
 therefore, that Philo exprelTeth, in very ftrong terms, 
 his belief of a Deity, fuch as he reprefcnts hitn. He 
 even thanks this Being, or Mind, or Thought, that 
 atheifts are very rare. And, notwithftanding his love of 
 lingular argusnent, he profefleth to pay to Him profound 
 adoration. P. 232. But, as Philo's declarations upon 
 this fubje(5l are contradictory, I conftruct his notions 
 niort: favourably, when I confider him as excluding 3 
 Deity from the univerfe. For, horrible as is the idej 
 of *' a blind nature pouring forth her maimed and abor- 
 f' tive offspring without care or difcernment j" jt is 
 much better than that of an Omnipotent Tyrant, having 
 neither wifdom, jnftice, goodnefs, nor any perfeftion 
 that is the obje£l of approbation, far lefs of afFedion or 
 of gratitude. Judge, reader, in this inftance for your. 
 felf. Would it not pleafe you much better to think 
 that this world was formed by a fortuitous concourfe of 
 atoms, that it is an egg, a vegetable, an animal, or 
 what you will ; rather than to view it as framed by an 
 intelligent Mind to be an immenfe Lazar houfe, crouded 
 with the viftims of difeafe, and echoing to the groans 
 of the miferable ? When you contemplate this MIND 
 9S ;he caufe of an elFecT: fo " full pf vice, and mifery, and 
 
 <' diforder/* 
 
ofISingularity. 69 
 
 that body has neither figure, extenfion, nor 
 
 folidity; 
 
 " dlforder," does any confolation that is adequate 
 to the horror of this idea, arife from' viewing Him as 
 being perfe<?Hy indifferent to all the mifery of whlth 
 Pimlelf is the ant|n>r ? And are you edified by being 
 tol^ that He hath implanted feelings in the hearts of his 
 creatures, of which He is not fulceptible ? Such is the 
 Deity to whom oyr author pays " the nioft profound 
 *' adoration." P. 199. 228. He'fe, according to this 
 writer's reprefentation, a malevolent principle without 
 raalevolerce : At one time, " an inaccurate and clumfy 
 " artificer, whofe work is fo lame as to involve indivi. 
 *' duals in rui.j and mifery :" At another, the author of 
 '* fuch fcenes of art and wifdom, fsuch exquifite artifi- 
 " ces repented with wonderful variety, and with exaft 
 " propriety, as to challenge all our admiratirm and a(lo- 
 " niihment." A Mind, in fliort. He is, endowed with 
 contradiftory qualities, who is, at the fame time, profufe 
 and parlimonious ; and whofe creatures are hollile, odi- 
 ous, contemptible, and admirable. Compare p. 200- 
 
 221. 215 — 230. 232 — 219. 209. 219 — 230, and judge 
 ■whetherhe who looks up to fuch a Being can fericufly wor- 
 fliip Him with " profound adoration." I repeat, there- 
 fore, that I conflrucl his contradictory atTertions mod fa- 
 vourably when I confider " a blind nature" as the ob, 
 ject of his belief, rather than fuch a caufe of all thinirs 
 as being entitled to his homage. To this idol, however 
 of his worfhip, like Nebuchadnezzar's image with his legs 
 of iron, and his feet of clay, does our author devoutly 
 give thanks " that Atheifts are rarely to be met with.** 
 7 o whom, Sir, let me afk, are your thanks addreffed 
 
 upon 
 
*jo Of the Love 
 
 folidky X ; that fpirit, on the contrary, ha« 
 
 figure and extenfionf; and, finally, that 
 
 "^ there 
 
 "upon this occafion? Are they offered to that Intelhgence 
 "who ** involves individuals in ruin and miferj' ?" Are, 
 the}' dne to the " coarfe Artificer, the Author of phyfi- 
 " cal and moral evil, &c. &c. &c?" With much more 
 reafon may you thank Him for having fo framed His 
 work, as that His miferable creatures by denying His 
 exiftence, may tunifrom objects that cannot be viewed 
 with other feelings than thofe of horror and deteftation. 
 
 I cannot difmifs the prefent fhocking compound of ab- 
 furdity and of blafphemy without doing juftice to my 
 fentiments of its author. The warmeft admirers of Mr 
 Hume cannot think more highly than 1 do of his writings, 
 as models of correct and clalfical compofition. His ta- 
 lents were undoubtedly of the firft rate. And that they 
 have failed to guard him from the charges of inconfift- 
 ence and of abfurdity, we mull afcribe to his carrying 
 the love of paradox, and of fingular argument into the 
 dangerous fphere of religion. Dedicat. of his Dtjfert. 
 p. 6. Dial. 228. Men of free principles, but of inferi- 
 or abilities may be benefited by purfuing this dbferva . 
 tion. 
 
 X In all your various fenfes (of the term matter), you 
 have been iliowed, fays Philonous, either to mean nothing 
 at all, or, if any thing, an abfurdity. Berkley's Dial, 
 p. 100. 
 
 f Our conception of fpirit, faith Mr Hobbes in his 
 treatife entitled Human Nature, confifts of figure with- 
 out 
 
OF SiNGULARltV. yt 
 
 there are neither body nor fpirit in the uni- 
 verfe f. ^ 
 
 Thus, reader, I am enabled, by having the 
 happinefs to Uve in an age of lingular religi- 
 ofus proficiency, to trace the love of iingulari- 
 ty in an hiftorical detail fupported by tlie 
 beft authorities, to its ne plus ultra of exer- 
 tion and of influence. A full view has been 
 exhibited of thofe important difcoveries, 
 which certain philofophical machines have 
 made in their journies to the invifible regi- 
 ons. Thefe you may compare at your lei- 
 furewith the tenets and doctrines of Chrifti- 
 anity, fo as to judge concerning their compa- 
 rative importance and verifimilitude. It 
 muft be acknowledged indeed, that a certain 
 noble confufion, a feeming inconfiflency, 
 charac^erife the former difcoveries, to which 
 the latter, although pubhfhed by various au- 
 thors, and at diftant periods, bear no refem- 
 blance. But let us refiedl upon the rmfcy 
 
 falfe 
 
 out colour ; and in figure is underftood dinienfion ; and 
 confequently, to conceive a fpirit is to conceive fomethiug 
 that hath dimenfion. Chap. ii. 
 
 f Verily, (faith Martinus Scriblerns commentating 
 upon the precedent quotations), the conduct of the coiir- 
 
 panJoit? 
 
7^ Of the Love 
 
 falfe and contradidlory accounts refpedmg 
 this material world, v^hich the renowned 
 Ferdinand Mende Pento, and Captain Le- 
 muel Gulliver, and ***, and ******, and 
 other travellers of approved experience, have 
 retailed in their narrations, voyages, jour- 
 nals, and adventures. We fhall ceafe to won- 
 der, after this review, at the incongruous re- 
 lations of thofe daring fpirits who in queft 
 of truth have plunged into the unfathomed 
 and infinite abyfs. In the prefent ftate of 
 things, therefore, you will do well, my young 
 reader, to embrace the principles of Chrifli- 
 anity as they are detailed in fcripture. Your 
 £nal affent to the tenets of its adverfaries 
 you may fiifpend, although prejudiced in 
 their favour, in hope that the genius of in- 
 fidelity will raife up fome new and creative 
 
 mind to bring order out of confulion. 
 
 ■?• 
 
 From the preceding detail of circumftan- 
 
 panions of my youthful days grieveth me much upon the 
 prefent occafion . For, betwixt mine ancient and mofl wor- 
 thy friends Berkeleius and Hobbefius, of whom the for* 
 mer diflertateth concerning immaterial matter, and *the 
 latter, of material fpirit ; it feemeth unto me that both 
 matter and fpirit are expelled from the univerfe. 
 
 ces 
 
OF SlNGtJLARIT'Y* ^^ 
 
 CCS, an objeclion to the truth of oUr reUglon 
 may be urged with much plaufibiUty, which 
 it is necefTary to obviate^ In the eftimation 
 of a Deifl, it will be regarded as a very un- 
 favourable phenomenon, that men became 
 fceptics and infidels according to our own ac- 
 count, almofl as foon as they became civilized 
 and fociable. And he v^^ill pronounce concern* 
 ing a religion that was embraced only du-^ 
 ring the dark ages, and was rejedled at the 
 reanimation of fcience, as of a fcheme adap-^ 
 ted to the reign of credulity and of igno* 
 ranee, of which knowledge mufh ever be fub- 
 verfive. This objedlion to the Chriftian plan 
 is by no means a new one* " In my zeal for 
 " Chriftianity, fays one of her true friends^ 
 " I will add this farther to what I have faid. 
 *' The refurredlion of letters was a fatal peri-. 
 ** od : The Chrillianfyftem has been attack- 
 ** ed, and wounded too very feverely lince 
 " that time." Again, " Chriftianity has been 
 " in decay ever fince the refurrection of 
 *' letters '^." To the fame purpofe an author 
 of the prefent age, upon fome of whofe 
 principles we have animadverted, informs 
 
 * Bolinghroke's Left. WJ^. Lett, 5. 
 
 K US, 
 
yj| Of the Love 
 
 us, that " the ftudy of philofophy, when 
 ** introduced among the Chriilians, was not 
 " always produ(5tive of the mofl falutary 
 *' efFe(5ls : Knowledge was as often the parent 
 *' of herefy as of devotion *.'* 
 
 Nor are the advocates of Deifm who 
 fpeak of our religion as injured by fcientifi- 
 jcal inquiry, lefs folicitous to reprefent its 
 triumphs as having been gained in all ages 
 over the mob of mankind ; and its fpirit 
 and inflitutions as accommodated only to 
 
 * Cnbboft's Hifl, of the Decline, l^c. vol. i. p. 614. 
 Thefe affirmations do not jeem to be well founded. It 
 is one thing to fay that men of knowledge have propa* 
 gated herelies, and quite another to affirm that their 
 knowledge has been the parent of herefy. We have 
 proved in the prefent feclion, that it is not to fcience or 
 to the ftudy of phiiofophy that we are to afcribe the he- 
 
 refies of the Chriftian church. According to Mr G 's 
 
 own account fupported by the beft authorities, the greatefl' 
 herefies originated during the dark ages, and were not in- 
 vented by philofophers. T he moft celebrated hereticks 
 perhaps have appeared- in modern times ; but not furely 
 when the ftudy of philofophy was firft introduced among 
 Chriftians. And, although it is true that thofe men- 
 were culpable who employed their knowledge of religi* 
 ous principles to propagate heretical do(5irines, yet the 
 eaufe of this conduct muft be fought for, not in their 
 knowledge^ but in their prejudices and paffions. 
 
OF Singularity. 75 
 
 the vulgar. The adverfaries of Chriflianity, 
 from Celius to the author laft qaoted, 
 avail themfelves of plaufible declamation on 
 this fubjed. Origen mentions and refutes 
 the charge of its ancient enemy. " No 
 *' Chriftians, fays he, are to be found among 
 *' men of knowledge or of underftanding. 
 ^' The doctrines of their religion are adapted 
 ^' to the capacities of girls and boys, of beg-i 
 *' gars and children, of Haves and fools. 
 " And among them only have its teachers 
 " made converts '^\" In the fpirit of this 
 ancient adverfary, an ingenious moderft 
 fpeaks of our religion as being adapted to 
 *' the very meaneft capacities f ." Its defcrip- 
 tions according to this v/riter are childiili: 
 its authors betray ignorance of the celeilial 
 phenomena ; even its moral fyllem is defec- 
 tive ; and the objects "which it offers to a 
 man of fcience muft excite his contempt. 
 
 By thofe aflertions, and by this reprefenta- 
 ticn, the Chrifllan religion is injured very 
 •eflentialiy in the opinion of perfons who are 
 entering into the world. Captivated by pre- 
 
 * OPirEN p. 127' 141. 
 ■ t Ckaraa. SoIlLp. J./'^. l.Mifccl. z.fccl. 3. i^fc. 
 
 "^' " K 2 tenfions 
 
y6 Of the Love 
 
 tenfions to learning and elegance, they im- 
 bibe the fpirit of modern philofophers, and 
 liften with pleafure to their declamations. 
 By means of thefe, they acquire prejudices 
 of the worft kind againft a religion that was 
 received dviring ages of ignorance ; that fled 
 at the approach of fcience, and of which the 
 dodlrines, precepts, language, are baits calcu- 
 lated to decov the mere vul2:ar. The tenden- 
 cy of this obje(5lion is obvious. The anfwer 
 to it introduceth the fecond caufe to which 
 w^e afcribed modern infidelity : " A propen- 
 " iity to reje6l whatever bears the ftamp of 
 " vulgarity, and to conform our principles 
 '* to the prevailing tafle and fafliion of the 
 *' times." 
 
 Let us then fuppofe that a man of fcience 
 imprefied by this account, although not con- 
 vinced by it, Ihall fit down with a feriou's 
 purpofe of comparing the moral precepts of 
 our religion with thofe of Pagan phiiofophy, 
 and of judging from fuch a view concerning 
 their real nature, importance, and tenden- 
 cy. Solicitous to invefligate fo momentuous 
 a. fubjedl on all fides, let us fuppofe, that he 
 iball compare the characters and motives of 
 
 the 
 
OF Singularity. 77 
 
 the teachers of Chriftianity, with thofe of 
 the moft eminent ancient philofopheffe. And 
 let us judge, that he fliall fum up his inquiry 
 into the end of this religion, with an exa- 
 mination of its efFed:s. It is worth while to 
 confider, what will be the confequence of 
 fuch a trial in the prefent cafe, as it may 
 tend to obviate plaulible and popular objec- 
 tions. To this purpofe we mean to appro- 
 priate the following fedion. Let us jiiii re- 
 mark, before we enter into the fubjedl, that 
 it is unnecefTary and would be improper, 
 upon the prefent occafion, to fele(5l examples 
 of fublime beauties in the facred writings 
 that may be faid to bear the (lamp of divini- 
 ty. The readers are not many who are ca- 
 pable of difcerning thofe beauties fo as tO' 
 feel the force of an argument derived from 
 them. And to the fev/ who are thus qualifi- 
 ed, the works of fome maftcrly writers ren- 
 der fuch a feleclion unneceffary * in the pre- 
 fent inftance. The moral precepts and doc- 
 
 * The noble performance of Dr Lowth De Sacra Poejt 
 Hebrieorum, and the late tranflation of Jfaiah by this 
 admirable writer, are works on this fubjecl, with which 
 no reader of tade is unacquainted. 
 
 trine* 
 
yS Of Christianity as the subject 
 
 trines of our religion, oppofed to thofe of 
 Pagan philofophy, form objecfls of which 
 every intelligent reader is qualified to judge 
 and to decide. Yet no work has fallen into 
 my hands wherein a regular examination has 
 been carried into this fnbjecfl:. By follov^ing 
 out the prefent line of inquiry, therefore, I 
 ihall endeavour to prove, that Chriflianity, 
 far from owing any part of its influence to 
 fbperftition and ignorance, has on the con- 
 trary contributed principally to enlighten, as 
 well as to civilize mankind. By tracing 
 likewife the relation that fubfifls betwixt re- 
 ligion and fcience properly fo called, I fhall 
 attempt to evince, that the influence of the 
 latter is mofl univerfal, where the principles 
 of the former are bed underflood, 
 
 SECT. III. 
 
 Of Chrijlianity as tJ^efubjeSl of fckntijical inquiry, 
 
 THE queflions to the folution of which we 
 propofe to appropriate the prefent fecflion, 
 are thefe that follow. By what means did 
 it happen that doubts refpecfling the authority 
 and the evidence of Chriflianity were coeval 
 
 with 
 
OF SCIEUTIFICAL INQUIRY. 79 
 
 with the period at which men emerged from 
 ignorance? and is not a fadl thus attefted, 
 highly unfavourable to this religion, as im- 
 plying that it mull: be injured by fcientiiical 
 refearch ? 
 
 The firft queftion naturally fuggefls an in-» 
 quiry to be carried into the genius and fpirit 
 of Chriflianity. For, upon hearing it pro- 
 pofed, a man of refledlion will afk, whether 
 the authors of this inftitution fubmit their 
 tenets and principles to free difquiiition; 
 or are folicitous to reprefs invefbigation, :ind 
 to fhroud themfelves in darknefs. Our firfl 
 view of this fubjedl muft convince us, that 
 the queftion muft be determined in favour 
 of our religion and of its authors. For, in- 
 ilead of repelling this fpirit of difquiiition, it 
 will appear that thefe men encourage it both 
 by precept and by example. Of one of thofe 
 teachers it is faid, " that he was himfelf learn- 
 " ed in all the wifdom of Egypt *." Another 
 who was eminent in knowledge, not onlv 
 fpeaks of learning in general as a valuable ac- 
 quifition f , but even quotes the fentiment of a 
 
 * Afts vii. 22. 
 f Afls xxii. 3. 
 
 . . heathen 
 
8o Of Christianity as the Subject 
 
 heathen poet, when occailon calls for it, with 
 approbation {. A third, ftill more explicit 
 upon this fubjecfl than the former, exhorts us, 
 by examining the evidence of revelation, 
 '* to be able to give a reafon of tlie hope that 
 " is in us *." And, to fum up all, the author 
 of this religion commands his followers, in 
 a rational fpirit of liberty, to " fearch the 
 " fcriptures," which contain the proofs of 
 immortality, and the teilimony that eflab- 
 Hfheth his mifhon and character j*. 
 
 Two reafons may be offered for which the 
 prefumption arifing from thofe declarations 
 is favourable to the Chriftian caufe. The 
 firft is, that fuch profeflions indicate integri- 
 ty in their authors, and their firm belief of 
 the dodlrines which they taught to mankind. 
 The fecond is, that this condudl is oppofite 
 to that which impoftors have purfued in all 
 ages, and which indeed tlieir fchemes moft 
 obvioufly fuggefl. Granting therefore that 
 thofe authors have deceived the world, we 
 mufl acknovvdedge that the courfe which 
 
 :f A£ls xvii. 22. 
 * I Pet. iii. 15, 
 t John V, 39. 
 
 they 
 
OF SGiENTiri(?AL Inquiry. 8i 
 
 they have taken is fingular, and by no liiean^i 
 confiftent with political pracSlice. Thefe points 
 require to be more particularly difcuffedi 
 
 In all cafes -wl^hatever, men are prepofTefTed 
 in behalf of thofe, who laying afide all referve^ 
 and making no conditions of a fufpicious na-^ 
 ture with the World, fiibmit their claims oi* 
 principles to the examinatidn of mankind. 
 Every doubt of unfair and difingenuous prac- 
 tice is removed by the apparent candour and 
 fincerity which this procedure befpeaksi 
 But this is not its fole efFedt. Other and mor6 
 important advantages arife from. it. Of 
 doubtful matters our judgment is often regu- 
 lated by the fentiments of thofe men who are 
 high in our efteem. And when they main-^ 
 tain any dodlririe without hefitcltidn, We are 
 difpofed to judge favourably o{ the nlotivesi 
 by which they are deterrriined. On the 
 other hand, apparent diflrufl and timidity in 
 fuch men, excite fimilar fenlatidhs in thofe 
 who view them as patterns of imitation. But 
 he who betrays thole paiiions without having 
 gained the efteem that Coiinteracfts their in- 
 fluence, will be confidcted as a man who has 
 no fixed principles ; or as an impoftor who is 
 ,L follcitous 
 
82 Of Christianity as the subject 
 
 folicitous to efcape examination. They there- 
 fore who favour the authors of our reUgion 
 find their confidence heightened by the in- 
 genuous fimpUcity of their declarations, and 
 by their encouragement of learning and of 
 candid inquiry. And imbibing fome portion 
 of their fpirit, they think of tenets without 
 reflraint or uncertainty, of whofe truth the 
 original authors appear invariably to be con- 
 vinced. I do not fay that prejudices formed 
 from this propenfity are always juft and well 
 grounded. I mention them only as being 
 cuftomary and natural. 
 
 Let us remark, however, that the friends 
 of truth are the only perfons to whom this 
 candid proceeding can be beneficial. Mean 
 fubterfuges are the arts to which impoflors 
 have ever had recourfe in propagating their 
 fyflems. And eonfidering fcience which en- 
 liglitens the underftanding as their worfl ene- 
 my, they are anxioully folicitous to reprefs 
 her exertions and to difcourage her refearch. 
 Evidences by which this fa(5l is confirmed 
 beyond queftion will be produced in the fub- 
 fequent part, of this feftion. 
 
 Thefe 
 
OF SCIENTIFICAL INQUIRY. 83 
 
 Thefe obfervations will afiifl us in determi- 
 ning the different qualities by which the man 
 •of the world, the philofopher, and the author 
 of a new religious fyflem ought to be diflin- 
 guifhed. To the firfl an apparetit diffidence 
 and caution carried into his whole conducfl 
 will be hurtful rather than beneficial. 
 For diffidence is often, although unjuft- 
 iy, fuppofed to indicat-e fmall intelle(5liial 
 merit, which the world rates according 
 to the eflimation of the owner. On the 
 other hand we judge apparent referve and 
 caution to proceed from univerfal diflruft, 
 and from intentions which a man is afraid, 
 or is afliamed to communicate. With a phi- 
 lofophical inquirer the cafe is different. A 
 performance wherein fuch a man either com»i 
 ments upon an original, or is employed in' 
 fome abilradled difquifidon, ought to bear, 
 marks of that cautious diffidence which con- 
 ciliates affedlion- and regard. But in the lafl; 
 cafe neither of thofe qualities ought to cha-^ 
 ra^lerife the author of a religious fyflemij 
 who if he fpeaks from affarance, mufl fpeakj 
 without diffidence, and to whom cautious re-] 
 ferve is unneceffary, becaufe it is fuppofedj 
 that he a(5ls from infpiration. From a teach- 
 er thus dignified men have reafon to ex-^ 
 L 2 pe6l. 
 
S4 Of Christianity as the Subject 
 
 ped, that the dodrines which he promuU 
 gates for univerfal emokimeiit, {hall be fub- 
 mitted to viniyerfai cognifance and examina- 
 tion. He therefore who, while he recommends 
 the attainment of knowledge, calls upon thofe 
 who have acquired it to inquire into the na-? 
 ture of his pretenfions, and to examine their 
 evidence, muft be confidered as ading from 
 convi6lion, that they will bear the flridlefl 
 fcruciny without being injured. On the other 
 hand, we cannot judge favourably of a fcheme 
 whereof the principles are partially commu-. 
 nicated. And whether we view the author 
 of thofe principles as being cautious, diffident, 
 or dihngenuous, his condud: muif flill be 
 the objed of cenfure, Thefe reip.arks deman4 
 to be exemplified, 
 
 It was a well-known maxim of Pythagoras, 
 that the great rules of his ph. ofophy were to 
 be preferved by his difciples from the know-* 
 ledge of the vulgar *. By rules or principles 
 to be concealed, we are by no meatus to uut 
 derfland the whole fcheme of this great phi^ 
 lofopher ; fqv of lome parts pf it we have 
 
 cs/; fy.-,} y.iTciMsvM, Vicje Seld. de Diis Syrlis. 
 
 many 
 
OF SCIENTIFICAL INQUIRY. 8^ 
 
 many excellent and comprehenfive fpeci- 
 inens f . The maxim above mentioned there- 
 fore molt probably refpected certain tenets 
 that were known only to the followers of Py- 
 thagoras, and that chara^lerifed no other fcO:: 
 This inference may be drawn from the terms 
 in which the command is expreifed. For it 
 is from the aTraiSivToi, a.nd ccy-vy^roi, the unlearn- 
 ed, and uninitiated, that thefe principles were 
 to be concealed. 
 
 Let me fuppofe that you, my young reader, 
 had lived in the age of Pythagoras, and that 
 you had taken the liberty to inquire into the 
 motives of his condudl. You would have 
 alked him, in this cafe, for what reafon he 
 chofe to render his difcoveries ufelefs to a 
 great part of mankind by this rigid prohibi- 
 tion ? and why he wiihed to avail himfelf of 
 enigmatical ainbiguity in explaining his prin- 
 ciples, rather than to ufe the common vehicle 
 of language ? To thefe quefdons our philofo- 
 pher would have replied, that to his own 
 
 f Vide AlOr. AAEPT. nYOAF. />. 578. 579. «/; PIjUo- 
 
 Jlrati Vit.Apol. Tyan Lib. i.c.i. Lib. 3. c. 6. Lib. 6. c. 6. 
 
 pajf. See likewife the trcatiles entitled ITTGAroP. An05- 
 
 riAS. in a valuable colledion of ancient fragments en- 
 
 li tied Ofufcuh Mitl olog icrt, Efhica, et Phyfra, Cantab .1671. 
 
 followers 
 
$6 Of Christianity as the Subject 
 
 followers he communicated his opinions in 
 limple and plain words ; that to ftrangers and 
 uninitiated perfons he made ufe of enigmas, 
 and of fymbolical reprefentations *. And 
 with refpecfl to the vulgar, he would have 
 told you, that the doctrines of his fublime 
 philofophy exceeded their compreheniion. 
 
 Let me fuppofe, that to all this you had 
 made the following anfwer. " Thefe prin- 
 ciples, permit me to fay, appear to be narrow 
 and illiberal. Your philofophy is of little ufe, 
 if it has not taught yovi, that to promote the 
 happinefs of mankind ought to be the ulti- 
 mate aim of your labours. And men, as be- 
 ing the common offspring of one parent, 
 have a common right to be made acquainted 
 with difcoveries in which all are interefted. 
 You, Sir, are worfhipped by your own dif- 
 ciples f ; and you are held in too much re- 
 
 * This is 3 known diftinction of the Pythagorean phi- 
 lofophers. 
 
 f Illud quoque inter Pythagora: laudes numerant : 
 quicquid ab eo juflum prolatumque efTet, id tanquam le- 
 gem ab ejus difcipulis obfervari confuevilTe ; quod ia 
 cunftis ita eum colerint, ac fi ex Jove gnntiis- orivfque fit, 
 PhiloJJi'at. Vit. Appolhi, c. I. p. 2. 
 
 verence 
 
OF SCIENTIFICAL INQUIRY. 87 
 
 verence to dread perfecution or calumny 
 from the promulgation of your opinions. 
 With your philofophy, if it fliail be rendered 
 univerfally intelligible, your fame at the fame 
 time muft fpread univerfally. Prompted then, 
 by fo many reafons to follow this courfe, by 
 what motive have you been induced to reject: 
 it ? By a fecret apprehenfion, without doubt, 
 that your philofophy is not calculated to beat" 
 a clofe examination. Like the monarchs of 
 the eaft, you have therefore kept within the 
 narrow precindls of your retirement, afraid 
 that what the few adored as the dictates of a 
 Divinity, the many would have difcovered to 
 be the dreams of a mortal." 
 
 To this cool fpeech our philofopher would 
 have been fomewhat puzzled to have framed 
 an anfwer. Mark then the difference betwixt 
 the dmid diffidence of Pythagoras, and the 
 explicit fnicerity, the candid declarations of 
 Chrift, and of his Apoftles ! Let us obiervc 
 likewife the circumllances in which fucli op- 
 pofite modes of conduct were adopted. The' 
 philofopher, in a fituation ptrfedlly fccure^ ob- 
 llrudls the progrefs of fcience, by concealing 
 fome efTential principles of his philofophy 
 
 from: 
 
-88 Of Christianity as the Subject 
 
 from mankind. On the contrary, the Anthor 
 of our rehgion, and his followers, although 
 furrounded by adverfaries, and expofed to 
 perfecution, yet made known their do6trines 
 to all men without referve or abatement. In- 
 ftead of obftrudling knowledge, we have feen 
 that they encouraged the acquifition of it 
 both by precept and example. Finally; con- 
 fident of the goodnefs of their caufe, they ap- 
 pealed to reafon improved by the clofeft phi-^ 
 lofophical invefligation, as the judge of its 
 evidence. 
 
 They who follow out this tradl of obfer- 
 vation, will refied, that the hieroglyphical 
 learning of Egypt favoured the concealment 
 of principles, to which clofe inquiry might 
 have been prejudicial. And although the pre- 
 fent mode of inllrudlion was not invented 
 with this purpofe, it was yet moil probably 
 preferved with tliis view, after the invention 
 of alphabetical characters. The myftery of 
 oracular imnolition w^ill likewife be confider- 
 ed by fuch men as having conduced power- 
 fully to the fame end. For although artfully 
 veiled from the cognifance of men, yet this 
 mean was employed during many ages with 
 
 fucceis 
 
OF SciENTtFICAt iNQtJIRy* 89 
 
 fuGcefs to influence their actions. They will 
 compare, in the lad plage, with the examples 
 above mentioned^ the condudl of the Moham- 
 medan impoftor, among whofe followers the 
 fpirit of rational inquiry hath been reprefled 
 in all ages. And from thofe inftances, colla- 
 ted with each other, they will mark the dif- 
 ference betwixt a pradlice that appears to 
 have been dictated by diftruft of certain doc- 
 trines, and that which arifeth from convic- 
 tion of their falfehood. In the firft cafe, they 
 will obferve, that the track of diffidence and 
 of fufpicion becomes perceptible as a path 
 that deviates from the line of redlitude. In 
 the other examples, they will trace the pro- 
 grefs of the fhade wherein this path is invol- 
 ved ; and will remark, that, to thofe who go 
 forward, it becomes familiar at the time that 
 it increafeth in obfcurity, and that they are 
 at lall compelled to take refuge in the total 
 and impenetrable darknefs that overfpreads 
 its extremity. 
 
 We have already obferved, that the Author 
 of our religion, fliunning this darknefs, in- 
 cites all men to examine the nature of his 
 dod:rines, and the authority of his milTion. 
 
 M Let 
 
90 Of Christianity AS THE Subject 
 
 Let "US farther reflecfl, that his apoilles did not 
 themfelves embrace his dodlrines without 
 evidence*, and that their example is recorded 
 as a pattern of our imitation f. Let us re- 
 member concerning all taken together, that,, 
 far from concealing any Chriflian tenet, they 
 publilhed the truths that were moil obnoxi- 
 ous, and that are lead intelligible, with the 
 fame freedom as thofe that are cleareft, and 
 mod obviouily beneficial. From the fadls 
 thus placed together, it appears to follow in- 
 eonteflably, that the firft Chrifhian teachers 
 "were convinced of the truths which they 
 made known to men ; and that their condu(5l, 
 regulated by this convidlion, was oppolite ta 
 that by which impoflure in all its forms hath 
 ever been charadlerifed. 
 
 As therefore enlarged inquiry correfponds 
 to the fpirit of our religion, and to the prac- 
 tice of its authors, we cannot wonder, that 
 the mind, when it was emancipated from fu- 
 
 * See particularly the acccunt of the memorable con- 
 verfation at Emaus. Luke xxiv. 25. to 33. and 
 John XX. 27. 
 
 f I- Cor. i. 23. 
 
 perftitioua 
 
OF SciENTiFicAL Inquiry. 91 
 
 perflitious reftraint, pufhed its refearches 
 farther than it had originally propoled. Some 
 account of this condu6l is made in the pre- 
 ceding fecftion, in which the influence of ont 
 -cauie hath been traced at fome length. In 
 fadl, it is not more (Irange that men began 
 to examine the evidence of revelation in an 
 enlightened age, than it is that they acquiel- 
 ced in this proof implicitly during a darker 
 period. At the time of the reanimation of 
 fcience, an inquiry of the prefent kind came 
 naturally to be carried on. A few of the cir- 
 cumftances that conduced to this end, it may 
 be proper to enumerate. 
 
 When we contemplate the laws and infti- 
 tutions of Chriftianity, one of the firil objed:s 
 that fixeth our attention is the feverity of its 
 moral precepts, which enjoin men to refift 
 even the beginnings of evil. Prohibitions 
 that oppofe the indulgence of natural pro- 
 peniions, may be. reverenced, from our dread 
 of the authority that enjoins their obfervance. 
 But while we yield to thefe a reludtant obe- 
 dience, we confider them as laws that con- 
 tract our fphere of enjoyment. A fecret pre- 
 poiTeiTion is therefore eftabliihed againfk th(^. 
 M 2 fcheme 
 
92 Of Christianity AS THE Subject 
 
 fcheme or fyilem of which thofe prohibitions 
 make a part, which in fa6l is the defire of a 
 mind that finds itfelf reflrained, to be relea- 
 fed from bondage. From a fenfation of this 
 kind, even the beft men are by no means ex- 
 empted at all times. For creatures in whofe 
 charadlers reafon and pafhon meet together, 
 muft find that their adlions as well as their 
 fentiments are often influenced by the latter. 
 It is therefore obvious, that a religion, by the 
 laws of which thofe a(5lions and fentiments 
 are condemned, muft be fo far unacceptable, 
 as it oppofeth a principle of powerful and 
 univerfal efficacy. 
 
 It will not be denied, that the commands 
 relating to the fuppreflion of refentment, the 
 forgivenefs of injuries, the refilling tempta- 
 tion, the fubduing fenfuality, the fubmitting 
 to perfecution, and many others that might 
 be mentioned, excite dread and reludlance. 
 Nor can we refufe, that thofe commands are 
 more ftrongly and more particularly enforced 
 in the facred writings than in any other work 
 with which we are acquainted. They, there- 
 fore, who fubmitted to certain reflridions 
 merely from the belief that they w^ere enjoin- 
 ed 
 
OF SciENTiFicAL Inquiry. 93 
 
 ed by divine authority, were difpofed to liflen 
 to men who profejGTed to releafe them from 
 this embarraffment, with that partiahty 
 wherewith he who pleads in behalf of a ru- 
 ling paflion will always be regarded. 
 
 Prompted then by the love of fingularity, 
 and encouraged by the hope of gaining fa- 
 vourable attention, the adverfaries of Chrifti- 
 anity began to confider by what means a re- 
 ligion fo ill adapted to popular prejudices 
 might be overthrown. In an age when phi- 
 lofophical difquifition came into fome repute, 
 the objedlions that were urged with thispur- 
 pofe were of two kinds. The firft refpedled 
 real events and circumftances, which the 
 manner of relating, as well as their own na- 
 ture, were fuppofed to render doubtful. And 
 thofe of the fecond kind were founded upon 
 paJJages, of which the import was rendered 
 ambiguous . or contradictory, by methods 
 which fliall be mentioned. Of the former 
 kind were the events related in the prophe- 
 tical language of the Old Te (lament, which 
 language, however explicit when divefled of 
 its metaphorical veil, is yet rendered by this 
 very circumftance peculiarly fufceptible of 
 
 mifconftrucSion. 
 
54 Of Christianity AS THE Subject 
 
 mifconftrudlion. Of the fame nature are the 
 iTiiracIes recorded in the New Teilament. He 
 who wifhed to be thought incredulous re- 
 fpe<5ling the wonderful and allonifhing, af- 
 fecfled to explode thefe, from plaufible and 
 popular motives. He confidered them as 
 deviations from the ufual courfe of nature, 
 which were faid to have been wrou2;ht in a 
 remote corner of the world, and were afcri- 
 bed to a man who was diftinguifhed by no 
 pre-eminence of birth, nor by any advantage 
 of education. Exceptions arifing from thofe 
 fad:s were propofed with much readinefs, 
 and were enforced by every arc of fubtile 
 and plaufible reprefentation. 
 
 The do(5lrines, precepts, maxims, and points 
 of faith, that are contained in the facred wri- 
 tings, gave rife to obje6lions of the lafl kind. 
 The pafTages from which thefe are drawn, 
 fuppofed to have been mutilated and pervert- 
 ed by individuals, were found to admit of 
 very unfavourable expoiitions. And of this 
 fuppofition ironical and farcaflic commenta- 
 tors failed not to take advantage. Such ex- 
 pofitions were therefore framed, fometimes 
 by detaching fome paifages from their natu- 
 ral 
 
ofScientificalInquirt. 95 
 
 ral connexion, and at others by holding up 
 as objeds of ridicule, tenets that had former- 
 ly been mifreprefented. Upon fome occa- 
 fions, it was perceived that this purpofe 
 might be gained by adhering to the literal 
 meaning where the fenfe was couched in me- 
 taphor. And, finally, the lovers of novelty 
 difcovered, that portions of fcripture thus 
 mifreprefented might be contrafted fo as to 
 be rendered apparently contradidlory and ab- 
 furd. Let us lay thofe circumflances toge- 
 ther, and confider them as having co-opera- 
 ted, at the time of the refurre61:ion of letters, 
 with the great principle of the love of fingu- 
 larity. Upon this review, inftead of viewing 
 the courfe which men followed at that period 
 as unfavourable to our religion, we ihould 
 have wondered with more reafon, if among 
 the multitude of philofophical adventurers^ 
 no individual had been found who was da- 
 ring enough to ftrike into fa inviting a path. 
 
 Add to all this, that men wxre difguflcd, 
 •when they began to think for themfelvcs, 
 with the fpiritual defpotifm which the church 
 of Rome had exercifed for fo many agei> 
 over the Chriftian world. They who, exclu- 
 ded 
 
^6 Of CHRisTiANrTY AS THE Subject 
 
 ded from accefs to die originals, were ac* 
 cuftomed to receive as infallible truths the 
 expofitions of men, as foon as they regained 
 their privilege, vrere ready to abufe the liber- 
 ty that had been fo long with-held from 
 them. I do not helitate to affirm, that the 
 power which that church arrogated and ex- 
 ercifed, and the principles which its mem- 
 bers profeffed to teach as points of faith by 
 divine commijfwf?^ eftabliilied prejudices of a 
 very permanent nature in the minds of ma- 
 ny perfons againft the fuppofed author of 
 thofe principles, and the power with which 
 he was inveiled. Every man knows, that, 
 in cafes of this kind, to be undeceived even 
 in fome material points, is not to gain com- 
 plete fatisfadlion. When parties of oppofite 
 perfuafions profefs to derive their principles 
 from the fame general ftandard, mifchief 
 mufl always be the confequence, whatever 
 iide truth may take in the conceft. For he 
 who cannot decide from accurate inveftiga- 
 tion, will be led in the lad refort to queflion 
 the authenticity of originals, to which both 
 make tlieir reference. 
 
 \ An intelligent reader, it is prefumed, will 
 
 iind 
 
Of Sci^Nf ItlGAL iNQttlkV. ^7 
 
 find an adequate reply in the preceding ob- 
 fervations to the firfl queflion : Whence it 
 was that nien began to 6bje(5l to the general 
 evidence of revelation, foon after they had 
 emerged frorn the dark ages ? It remains that 
 we fhould inquire whether this fa6l is not 
 unfavourable to Chriftianify, from the fufpi- 
 cion which it fuggefls that this religion is 
 Unfit to beat* a. fcientifical f efearch. 
 
 Two methods of treating this qtleftion 
 may be propofed ; the dire(5l, as we may term 
 it, and the circumflantial or comparative. 
 The diredl method of proof is, to evince the 
 truth that our religiori is fitted to bear fuch 
 an examination by an adliial ahalyfis of its 
 forms and principles, which are confidered 
 as being adapted to enlighten the underfland- 
 ing, to enlarge the knowledge, and to Corred: 
 or improve the manners of men. The proof, 
 on the other hand, that is obtained by com- 
 paring the (late of things under the Chriflian 
 difpenfation with the fituation of the world 
 in the ages that preceded it, is of the laft kind. 
 And although this method may not be fo im- 
 mediately concluiive as the former, yet equal 
 iatisfadion liiav arife from it upon refiedioii. 
 
 N I 
 
98 Gf Christianity as The Subi'ect 
 
 I have adopted both methods of proof in the? 
 following obfervations, that the reader's view 
 of it may be rendered more comprehenfive. 
 
 Circumflances refpedVIng thje fpirit and 
 tendency of our reUgion have been brought 
 together in. the prefent fecflion, which lead us 
 to infer, that a fcientifical inquiry muft be 
 favourable to both, inflead of being prejudi- 
 cial. We have feen, that, as it is not the in- 
 tereft of impoftors tp encourage rational dif- 
 quiiition, it hath never been their practice tO' 
 call this fpirit into exercife. We havepoint-r 
 cd out the fignatures whereby an author*a 
 diflruft of the truth of certain tenets, or his 
 difbelief of thefe, may be difcovered ^ the 
 former, by inducing him to contra<5l the 
 fphere of inveftigation ; and the latter, to 
 repel at all times the fpirit of inquiry.. And 
 from comparing both with the tendency of 
 our religion, and with the conduct of its au- 
 thors, we have drawn conclufions which the 
 premifes appear to juftify. 
 
 An examination of the fubjedls that have- 
 been treated by thofe men, will indeed con- 
 vince any rational inquirer, that their pur- 
 
 po£b 
 
t)? SCIENTIFFCAL iNQpIRY. 99 
 
 55ofe muft have been to render the influence 
 ofjfcience univerfal. In proof of this remark, 
 the many objedts are offered to view that re- 
 ilat€ to natural and civil hiflor j ; to philofo- 
 phy in its mod extenlive ienfe ; to poetry, 
 eloquence, morals ; wherewith it is acknow- 
 ledged that thofe facred volumes are replete. 
 We iliall endeavour to prove, that topics ib 
 various and interefling are treated with the 
 general end of promoting the- Welfare and 
 'general happinefs of mankind. 
 
 From this account it dbvioufly follows, that 
 the firft objedts to which a man of fcience will 
 give attention in examining the Chriftian. 
 icheme, muft be favourable to the plan itfelf, 
 and to the chara(5ler of its authors. To the 
 former this .muft happen, from the variety 
 and important nature of its fubjedis ; and to 
 the latter, from the apparent <:andour and 
 lincerity with -which they deliver their fenti- 
 ments. Thofe capital circumftances, there- 
 fore, fupporc and ftrengthen each other j and 
 the evidence arifing from both acquires force, 
 as we have feen, from comparifon. 
 
 But wliat has been the efFedl of this reli- 
 N 2 gion 
 
too Of Christianity AS THJE Subject 
 
 gion upon the opinioiis, manners, and cha^- 
 ra(5lers of mankind ? By what means has it 
 enlarged their knowledge, and in what re- 
 fpedl has it contributed to promote civiliza- 
 tion ? Known facls we acknowledge to be 
 decifive proofs in all cafes in which tliey are 
 urged with propriety. Speculative reafoning, 
 on the contrary, lofes its plaufibility, as well 
 as its force, when it is unfupported by expe- 
 rience, A large compafs appears to be pre- 
 fcribed by thofe inquiries, which it is not our 
 prefent purpofe to go over particularly. A 
 full reply would lead us to compare the no- 
 tions of the Jewifli people, refpe61:ing the na-^ 
 ture and perfecflions of the Deity, with thofe 
 which the mod polifhed ancient nations gain- 
 ed on thofe fubjedls from the writings of 
 their poets and philofophers. But the exa- 
 mination of this copious theme, whatever 
 benefit Chriftianity might receive from it, 
 would open a detail of too complicated a na- 
 ture to be carried on particula^rly in this 
 feclion. 
 
 I propofe, therefore, as a direct anfwer to 
 the preceding queftions, to prove the follow- 
 ing propofitions. ijl^ That the Chriflian re- 
 
OF SclENTIFICAL InQITIRY. lOt 
 
 Hgion is fitted more aptly than any other 
 fcheme to perfedl the characflers of men ; be- 
 caiife, to the advantage of containing the 
 moft complete moral fyftem, it fuperadds 
 that of exhibiting, in the condu<fl of its au- 
 thor, a perfecfl model of imitation, ^dly^ That 
 the bounds of knowledge have been greatly 
 enlarged by this religion ; becaufe truths of 
 which philofophers failed to afcertain the rea- 
 lity, are determined by its teachers without 
 cmbarraffment or ambiguity. 3^/v, I Ihall en- 
 deavour to evince, that the mild and tempe- 
 rate fpirit of this religion hath contribvited 
 effedlually to civilize and polifh the manners 
 of mankind. And, 4/^/y, That a free exami- 
 nation of Chriftian do6lrines and inllitutions 
 hath ferved to re6lify prejudices of the worft 
 tendency, and to fubflitute in place of nar- 
 row and illiberal notions, enlarged views of 
 the divine government and perfedlions. Let 
 us confider thefe points fucceffively as they 
 fall to be inveftigated. 
 
 The general divifion of duties into the 
 three clafTes of thofe which we owe to God 
 as our common Parent, to our fellow-crea- 
 tures as members of fociety, and to ourfelves 
 
 as 
 
102 Of Christianity as the Subject 
 
 as individuals, is a well-known diflincfbioik 
 I do not deny that many excellent rules re- 
 ipedling the regulation of pradlice in thofe 
 <:apital departments are contained in the wri- 
 tings of ancient moralifts. But that the fcrip- 
 tures contain rules on thefe fiibjedls, and ex- 
 Iiibit views of them, of more excellence than 
 the former, will appear from a few obferva- 
 tions on each clafs confidered feparately. 
 
 It cannot be denied that the great dodlrine 
 of the unity of God is a fundamental tenet 
 ■of the Chriftian religion, which the f^cred 
 writers agree unalterably in maintaining. 
 And we may remark, as one of the ftrongeft 
 proofs of its divine original, that, at the time 
 when polytheifm was the eftabhfhed religion 
 of more powerful and polifhed nations, this 
 truth was inculcated only by the Lawgiver 
 of the Jews. " Know, faid he, O Ifrael, that 
 « the Lord thy God is One GOD*." Re- 
 fledlion will convince us, that the duties 
 which we owe to the Supreme Being acquire 
 force and propriety from the fublime idea of 
 liim that is here exhibited. We contemplate 
 
 * Deut. vi. 4. 
 
 this 
 
OF SciENTJFICAL INQUIRY. I05 
 
 tills Being with peculiar reverence, when he 
 is held forth as one fimple and iiniverfal in- 
 telligence, to whom his creatures have re- 
 courfe as to their common Father. The. du- 
 ties of filial love and gratitude flow naturally 
 from this account of their author, to whom 
 they are pai<i without hefitation or conftrainr* 
 On the other hand, it is obvious that we 
 cannot fubdivide this great idea, and diihpate 
 thefe afFedlions among inferior divinities, 
 witliout diminifliing their force in a great 
 meafure, if we do not render them terms 
 without fignificance. For to deities of whom 
 each claims a fhare of our homage and 
 thankfulnefs, we will offer thofe oblations 
 fefs cordially and fincerely, as we conceive 
 limits to be configned to their power or their 
 beneficence : Whereas thefe concentrate with^ 
 out referve, according to the firfl hypothefis,: 
 in one complete and undivided original. 
 
 It is not my purpofe to repeat in the pre- 
 fent work the fentiments of authors wha 
 have written formerly on this important fub- 
 je(fl. Concerning the fecond clafs of du^ 
 ties, therefore, I fhail only obferve, that 
 the facred w^riters are more explicit and 
 
 more 
 
t64 Of CHRisTiA:^[ity as the subject 
 
 jiiore particular than thofe above mentioned, 
 tipon every branch of duty that is connecSl- 
 ed with fufFering. This circurtiftance does 
 honour to the docftrines of our religion, and 
 renders its moral fyftem apparently more 
 complete, and indeed ufeful, than any that 
 is contained in the writings of philofophers. 
 Sufferings, in the prefent ftate of thiiigs, fill 
 up a large proportion even of the happieft 
 life. Of this truth the authors of our reli- 
 gion were rendered fenfible by experience. 
 And forefeeing the flate of the church in fu- 
 ture ages, at the time when they were at- 
 tentive to the general circumftances of man- 
 kind, they lay down rules that are accom- 
 modated equally to all fituations. Hence 
 arifeth the peculiar propriety wherewith 
 they expatiate on the virtues which perfecu- 
 tion calls into exercife. Hence is derived 
 the precept of returning biefTmg for curfes** 
 Hence the command enjoining Chriftians to 
 pardon f, and even to lov^ their enemies if 5 
 to do good offices to their perfecutors § ; to 
 
 * Matt. V. 44. Luke vi. 28. 
 
 f Matt. vi. 12. Luke xi. 4. 
 ■^ Luke vi. 27. 35. 
 § Ibid. Matt. vi. 44, 
 
bF SciENTltlCAL tNQUIRY. lo£ 
 
 Hy from violence inftead of refifting it*j 
 and in general to fufFer with meeknefs, pa- 
 tience, and fubmiflion. It is obvious, that, 
 fetting afide the facred character of Chrifl 
 and of his Apoftles, their injuncflions acquire 
 force and energy from the circumflances in 
 which they v^ere placed. When both there- 
 fore are taken under coniideration, we ceafe 
 to wonder at the mild and benevolent fpi- 
 rit by which thefe rules appear to have been 
 didlated, as well as at the particularity with 
 which they ar6 applied. 
 
 Our obfervations on this fubje6l may bd 
 extended with propriety to the more private 
 duties that refpecfl the individual. The body 
 of man, when it is confidered as framed of 
 movements that are infinitely complicated, 
 and as animated by the breath of this Di- 
 vine Effence, acquires importance from our 
 conception of its Archite6l, As a fandluary 
 therefore confecrated by this inhabitant, vvd 
 are required to preferve it from pollution* 
 
 But it is not merely in the comprehenfivd 
 nature of its morality, nor in the motives to 
 
 * Matt. X. 23. 
 
 O virtuous^ 
 
io6 Of Christianity as the Subject 
 
 virtuous pradlice, that a fcientifical inquiry 
 will difplay the excellence of our religion. 
 It exhibits likewife, in the example of its 
 authors, a pattern framed according ta 
 thofe maxims, and conformed to them in 
 every circumftance. It is well known that 
 this was by no means the cafe of ancient 
 moralifts. Hiftory offers Socrates indeed to 
 our view as a lingular inftance of a man 
 from whofe mind the fludy of philofophy 
 had eradicated propenfities to vice. Bur 
 among the Greeks, the licentious indulgence 
 of the followers of Epicurus, among Roman 
 philofophers, the lives of Sallufb and of Se- 
 neca, not to mention others, debafe this re- 
 fpedlable deiignation. Of the latter particu- 
 larly, a(5lions that are difcordant to every mo- 
 ral precept, will ever be confidered as indica- 
 tions of the inadequate influence of his phi- 
 lofophy. We fliall fee immediately that 
 this oppolition of principle and pradlice, il- 
 luftrated by fo many examples, arofe from- 
 the different opinions which thofe philofo- 
 phers entertained concerning the chief good 
 of man, or what ought principally to gain 
 his attention. In the mean time a difcern- 
 ing reader will readily remark^ that what- 
 ever 
 
OF SCIENTIFICAL INQUIRE. I07 
 
 ever virtues are recommended by the Author 
 of the Chriftian law, are Hkewife exempli- 
 fied in their pradlice*. The life of Jefus 
 himfelf is a perfe6l pattern of all the excel- 
 lencies that can adorn or exalt human na- 
 ture, brought as it were into one view, and 
 fet before us as the model of our imitation. 
 
 It was obferved, that this religion, to the 
 precepts of which the lives of its teachers are 
 fo happily conformed, has contributed to ex- 
 tend the bounds of knowledge by the impor- 
 tance and variety of its difcoveries. The 
 prefent fubjedH: leads us to examine the 
 truth of this propofition, which may be con- 
 firmed by very fatisfying evidence. The 
 firft Chriftian teachers have efFedluated the 
 purpofe above mentioned, by the two fol- 
 lowing methods. i. They afcertain with 
 precifion, and with perfect uniformity, the 
 nature of the chief good, concerning which 
 philofophers wrangled to no purpofe. 2. 
 They reveal to mankind truths as being ab- 
 folutely certain, of which fome had formerly 
 been unknown, and of others, a few only 
 had framed fome imperfedl conception. 
 
 * See the i ith chap, of the Epift. to the liehrewspaf. 
 
 O 2 The 
 
io8 Of Christianity AS THE Subject 
 
 The philofophers of antiquity exhibit an 
 aftonifliing proof of the weaknefs and infuf- 
 ficiency of reafon, in their various and con- 
 tradictory theories refpedling the chief good 
 of man, or the objed: that conflitutes his 
 happinefs. Let me fuppofe, that you, my 
 young reader, had hved among thofe fages ; 
 and, fohcitous to have this point determined, 
 that you had addrefTed yourfelf to the fatlier 
 of the Stoical tribe in thefe terms : 
 
 " I am going, Sir, to launch out into the 
 " world of which I am yet ignorant. I wifh 
 *' to purfue fome fixed purpofe with fteadi- 
 " nefs, and not to be deluded by evanefcent 
 *' objedls. I have a high opinion of your 
 " abilities, experience, and knowledge. What 
 *-' is the chief good of man f — Zeno,rifingfrom 
 his temperate meal of dried figs*, would 
 have replied with much folemnity in word* 
 pf the following import : 
 
 " Young man, know that the to kaaon is 
 ** a term of comprehenfive fignification. It 
 " relates to adlion as well as to external ele->- 
 ** gance,and is'conflituted by that felf-created 
 
 ''^ AAEP. ZHNriN. 
 
 " excellence 
 
OF ScientificalInqiiiry. 109 
 
 '* excellence which confers dignity and im- 
 ** portance upon all other objedls, but which 
 *' borrows thofe qualities from none*. In 
 ** the perfe(5lion, therefore, of whatever is' 
 *' i-'.{l and honourable, you will find the 
 ''* chief good of which you are in fearch f .'* 
 
 DiiTatisfied with this general and loofe de- 
 finition, you have recourfe to Epicurus, whofe 
 account of the matter is indeed more appro- 
 priated and particular. He replies to your 
 queftion, by introducing you to the Powers 
 of fenfvial gratification, with whom you find 
 him to be furrounded. "It is among thofecom- 
 " panions," he will fay, pointing to Ceres, 
 Venus, Bacchus, and Pomona, " my young 
 " friend, that you will find the chief good 
 " which you defire to poffefs. It confifts in 
 *' the indulgence of fenfe, and of imagina- 
 *' tion. You will be a fool, if you lliaii fcek 
 
 * E(p 0, zravTa. ret iv to Crj Tr^UTTOUiyy. Kx^iiKcvra;!: olyol- 
 <po[>a.v Kcc/A^ayii auro hi »k ycAy. StoS. apud Lipfmin Oper, 
 torn. 4 p. 473. 
 
 ■j- Ee TO )iaYovi Kiyii Ettikovjio^ K^nn^ia rut; axjjfie/a^' n- 
 yiLt ra.q airrhmnQ axi TTfohy^ui:, kcci rx ttu^h. O; Ji Ettikov- 
 fuoi Kcti roLi; (pxYTCt^iKXi iTTiQoKxi T>;f (f{xroiH7Ui. AAEPT. 
 EniKOTP . 
 
 « for 
 
no Of Christianity as the Subject 
 
 *' for it any where elfe." From this fociety 
 Hieronymus will draw you afide, and will for- 
 bid you to credit either of thofe gentlemen. 
 *' Of all evils,'* he will fay to you, " whether 
 " mental or corporeal, PAIN is the moil in- 
 " fupportable. And you will therefore find 
 " the greatefl good to confift in an exemption 
 " from this greateft of evils." To fum up 
 all, Carneades will explode all thofe hypo- 
 tliefes. " To turn the gifts of nature," he 
 will fay, " to the beft account, and to enjoy 
 " to the utmoft the advantages derived from 
 " them, is to be happy. This docftrine," he 
 will add, " I am ready to maintain againil 
 " Zeno and all his followers *." 
 
 Unable to make a choice among fb many 
 various and contradictory theories, you turn 
 from thofe profeifed maflers of reafon, to the 
 
 * Cicero comprehends the various theories of thofe 
 philofophers in one pafTage. '' Sunt autem hae de fini- 
 *' bus, ut opinor, retentae defenfae fententiae : Prirnum 
 '* fimplice quatuor : Nihil bonuni, nifi honeftum, ut 
 *' Stoici ; nihil bonum, nifi voluptatem, ut Epicurus ; 
 " nihil bonum, nifi vacuitatem doloris, ut Hieronymus ; 
 " nihil bonum, nifi naturae primis bonis aut omnibus, 
 *' aut maximis frui, ut Carneades contra Stoicos difTere- 
 *' bat." Tufcular. ^ejl. Lib. 5. 
 
 authors 
 
OF SciENTIFICAL iNCtyiHY. Hi 
 
 authors who, although lefs affuming than the 
 former, are more confident in their account 
 of this matter. Among thefe we mull ob- 
 ferve, that a hght is reflecfled upon all fides 
 from two important principles which are 
 eftablilhed as the foundation of our religion. 
 The firfl is, that there is in man an intelli- 
 gent fpirit, which, although affociated with 
 matter, is diflindl from it, and independent. 
 The fecond principle is, that this fpirit will 
 fubfift through eternity, being naturally in- 
 frangible and immortal. To thefe propofi- 
 tions, when we add that refpedling the re- 
 ward and punifhment which in this Hate will 
 follow the performance of good or of bad ac- 
 tions, the queftion concerning the chief good 
 will appear at once to be determined. For it. 
 will be concluded, that he whofe hope of re- 
 ward in that (late is well founded, hath ob- 
 tained this good, by having aniwered the 
 end of his creation, of which others are in 
 queft to no purpofe. 
 
 It is in reafoning from thofe fundamental 
 principles that the facred writers are confi- 
 flent and uniform in their declarations upon 
 this fubje<5l. In the addrefs of Jefus to Mar- 
 tha 
 
112 Of Christianity ASTHESuBjEcf 
 
 tha and Mary, we find him reprefenting the 
 care of the foul as " the one thing needful *," 
 To the fame purpofe, he commands his fol- 
 lowers firfl to feek the kingdom of God, as 
 an acquiiition in which all others are inclu- 
 ded j*. Look into the writings of his apoflles. 
 *' Seek," fays oneof them,"thofe things which 
 " are above J." " GodUnefs," fays another, 
 " is profitable to all things, having the pro- 
 *' mife both of the life that now is, and of 
 " that which is to come §." " Mofes," fays 
 a third, exemplifying the general principle, 
 " chofe to fuffer afflidlion with the people of 
 " God, &c. becaufe he had refpedl unto the 
 " recompence of reward ||." 
 
 From thofe obfervations it mud be obvi- 
 ous, that the queftion relating to the chief 
 good is infeparably conneded with the belief 
 of future exiftence. And the authors of our 
 religion have taken the only fure method to 
 determine this point effeaually, by having 
 obferved this connection, and deduced the 
 former doclrine as a corollary from the lat- 
 ter. The confiilency therefore of thofe wri^ 
 
 * Luke X. 42. t ^'^att. vi. 33. t Colof. iii. i. 
 § 1 Tim. iv. 8. !1 Heb. xi. 25. 26. 
 
 I terSj 
 
6t SciENTIFICALlNQltiltY. 113 
 
 ters, in their representation of the objedl that 
 Conduceth principally to happinefs, is occa- 
 fioned by their adherence to the dodtrine of 
 immortality, which they inculcate at all times 
 without difagreement or referve. 
 
 Here then two important queftions are re- 
 folved in a fatisfa(5lory manner to the Chri- 
 ftian, by which his knowledge is rendered 
 Comprehenfive. And he who is not adluated 
 by invincible prepofTeflion, muil acknow- 
 ledge that their unanimous and fteady adhe- 
 rence to the fame principles, oppofed to the 
 contradidlory theories of Pagan philofophers, 
 eftablifheth a rational prepofleflion in their 
 behalf. 
 
 That Chriflian inflitutions have tended as 
 much to civilize, as they have done to in- 
 ftru(5l and to reform mankind, is a truth 
 which fome remarks on their nature and ef- 
 feds will render obvious. A full examina- 
 tion of this fubjedl would lead us to enume- 
 rate the confequences of which the laws and 
 ordinances of our religion have been produc- 
 tive in fociety. At prefent we may obferve, 
 in general, that the pacific fpirit of the gofpel, 
 
 P and 
 
114 Of Christianity as the Subject 
 
 and the pradilce of that benevolence which 
 it reconimends and exemphfies, co-operate 
 with its pecuUar rites and ceremonies, to iin- 
 prove the manners of men, as much as to di- 
 re(5l and to regulate their a(5lions, I pafs 
 over the precepts enjoining us to be meek, 
 fubmiffive, temperate, difpaflionate, forgi- 
 ving. Of thefe the tendency is obvious j ^s is 
 the eiFe(5l of that brotherly love which was 
 propagated by the author of our religioii 
 with fo much attention, and is emphatically 
 denominated " the bond of perfe^nefs." We 
 cannot however avoid, "upon the prefent oc- 
 eafion, to mark the deiign of the f^crairiental 
 rite of the fupper ; a rite that was inftitute4 
 with the noble purpofe of rendering the yir^^ 
 tues of its Author the objetls of remem- 
 brance, and of imitation. By fitting down 
 at one table, and by partaking of the fame 
 elements, we are taught to exprefs our good 
 will to each other. Our recolledlion of the 
 example of Jefus, in this folemn a<5lion, is ^n 
 incentive to the acquirement of excellencies 
 by which the heart is purified. And by re- 
 fledlions whereof the fcene reprefented by thq 
 facred elements is naturally produ(5live, we 
 are prompted to exercife the duty of forgive- 
 ne£s. 
 
 But 
 
OF SciENTiFiCAL Inquiry. tij 
 
 But with whatever efficacy thefe rules may 
 have operated to the emolument of fociety , they 
 are far from being the only expedients which 
 the Author of our religion employed towards 
 the accompliihment of this falutary purpofe. 
 Among the charaders that have dillinguilh- 
 ed fociety in its moil enlightened ftate, the 
 principle of univerfal toleration hath ever 
 been deemed one of the mofl eminent. The 
 fpirits of men, in all ages, have been apt to 
 rankle with peculiar animoiity againll each 
 other, when irritated by the oppofition of re- 
 ligious fentiment. And from the coUifion oi 
 difcordant opinions on thefe fubje^ts, fparks 
 have been emitted, from which have arifen 
 the moft dangerous and deftrudive confla- 
 grations. The hill ory of mankind will ren- 
 der it obvious, that the defire of perfecuting 
 each other on account of an unavoidable dif- 
 ference of judgment in points of faith or of 
 do(5irine, contrary as it is to the firfl di(5bitc 
 of fober reafon, yet of all others is the moft 
 difficult to be fubdued. In nations the moft 
 civilized, and at times when the arts which 
 foften the hearts, and which polifti the man- 
 ners of men, were fuccefsfully cultivated, we 
 have fcQii this fatal defire breaking forth with 
 P 2 violence. 
 
ii6 Of Christianity AS THE Subject 
 
 violence. And, in the purfuit of an unjufti- 
 fiable end, we have obferved it overleaping 
 the barriers which realon and religion had 
 planted to obftrudl its career *. 
 
 • 
 
 * Is it necefTary, reader, to recal to your memory up- 
 on this occafion the recent ftory of John Calas? You 
 are not furely to be informed, that this man was made 
 the martyr of his religious principles , not by a bigotted 
 multitude, in an age of ignorance, or in an ilhterate na- 
 tion ; but, in the eighteenth century, by the arret of a 
 council, of which the members received their commiflion 
 from a people, who, in their own eftimation, are pat- 
 terns of the arts by which human nature is adorned, 
 and of the virtues by which it is dignified. I fay, that 
 this unhappy man was made the martyr of his religious 
 principles. Of the alledged caufe for which he fufFered, 
 the murder of his fon, M. de Voltaire has proved by 
 inconteftible evidence that he was innocent. Need we 
 mention his fon Peter Calas, who was compelled by the 
 threatning of being like wife broken upon the wheel, to 
 abjure the Calviniil faith, and to profefs himfelf a mem- 
 ber of the church of Rome ? The fuft'erings of this family 
 in general perfecuted, tortured, branded with infamy, 
 driven from their habitations, and reduced to extreme 
 indigence, are not mentioned merely as being evidences 
 of the bigotry that prevails in a nation, which, in other 
 i-efpefts, is juftly entitled to efteem. Ihefe circumftan- 
 ces are only enumerated as being indications of the ex- 
 treme difficulty with which a perfecuting fpirit is repref . 
 fed even in the belt informed age, and among men who 
 have been improved by education. 
 
 It 
 
OF SciENTiFicAL Inquiry. 117 
 
 It is well known, that the toleration of re- 
 ligious fedls, of whatever denomination, is 
 pra6lifed from political views among the 
 moft enlightened people of modern Europe. 
 By them it is adopted as a mean to promote 
 population, to extend commerce, and to en- 
 courage the cultivation of arts by which na- 
 tions are benefited and adorned. It is like- 
 wife an advantage, to participate of which 
 every peaceable member of the community 
 hath a natural and unalienable right. This 
 right, however, it hath been found no eafy 
 matter to afcertain during any age of the 
 world. An univerfal acknowledgment of its 
 validity, and a correfponding pra6lice, v/e are 
 apt to regard in any people as the fureft tefts 
 of their progrefs in civilization. 
 
 From this view of things, when we come 
 to confider the circumflances in which the 
 Author of our religion was placed, and the 
 tenets that were inculcated by him in thofe 
 circvimftances, a light is thrown upon his 
 character, of which even his adverfaries mud 
 feel the efficacy. 
 
 It is well known, that, by whatever degree 
 
 of 
 
ii8 Of Christianity as the Subject 
 
 of theological knowledge the Jewifh people 
 were diftinguilhed above other nations, they 
 were yet deficient in the arts of civil govern- 
 ment. And in general they were wanting in 
 thofe acquirements that are derived from in- 
 tercourfe, and from experience. Defedls of 
 the latter kind were no doubt occafioned, in 
 part, by the religious fyftem of thofe people, 
 fo different from that of all other countries, 
 and in part by that pride and contempt 
 wherewith they beheld the reft of mankind. 
 Paflions of which the gratification is fo con- 
 ti*ary to the fpirit of their religion, became 
 gradually prevalent by indulgence. And by 
 appearing confpicuouily in their condu6l at 
 all times, fignatures fo remarkable came at 
 laft to be regarded as the moft ftriking li- 
 neaments of their national characfter. 
 
 Of the pafTions above mentioned, the ene- 
 mies of their religion became of all others 
 moft avowedly the objedls. Amongft them 
 like wife, thofe feds were peculiarly hated and 
 reprobated, whofe forms and inftitutions dif- 
 fering from their own in fome circumftances, 
 made the neareft approximation to thefe in 
 Others. Hence it happened, that, while a 
 
 fpiric 
 
OF SCIENTIFICAL INQUIRY. U9 
 
 fpirit of intolerant zeal animated the Jews 
 againft other nations, it was peculiarly di-* 
 recced againft the little territory of Samaria, 
 with whofe inhabitants it was deemed infa- 
 mous to hold correfpondence. 
 
 At the time when Jefus was born this fpiric 
 appears to have been at its height. Even the 
 difciples themfelves feem in fome inftances 
 to have been influenced by it, as we ihall 
 f^e immediately. To the prevalence of a 
 zeal at the fame time fo pernicious, and fo 
 univerfal, Ha alone oppofed dotflrines that 
 are calculated to fubvert its dominion ; and 
 confirmed thofe docflrines by his example* 
 With this noble purpofe, among a people 
 ^61:uated by the unrelenting fpirit of perfecu- 
 tion, he proclaimed himfelf to be *' tlie friend 
 *' of publicans and finners *." And that he 
 might exemplify this declaration, he conver- 
 fed familiarly with the" woman of Samaria J.'* 
 With the fame view he emitted the parable 
 of the Pharifee and the Publican f ; prohibit 
 
 * Matt. xi. 19. Luke v'ii. 34. 
 % John iv. 7, to ^^J, 
 f Luke xviii, 10. 
 
 ted 
 
I2oOf Christianity as the subject 
 
 ted the life of the fword in rehgious con- 
 tefts Xf ^^^ left peace as his laft legacy to 
 his followers ||. 
 
 But the moft fignal inftance wherein this 
 divine teacher difplayed the true nature of 
 his religion, was in the rebuke which he gave 
 his difciples, who appear to have participa- 
 ted of the character and principles of the 
 times. The inhabitants of a Samaritan vil- 
 lage had refufed his requell: to be received in- 
 to one of their houfes, " becaufe his face was 
 " as though he would go to Jerufalem." 
 His followers were juflly incenfed againfl 
 thofe infidels. But in their demand of ven- 
 geance to be taken upon them, they betrayed 
 the predominancy of that fpirit in themfelves, 
 which they cenfured fo warmly in their ene- 
 mies. " Wilt thou, faid they, command fire 
 " to come down from heaven, ^and confume 
 " them, as Elias did ?" It ought to be remem- 
 bered, that at this time Jefus was placed in 
 circumftances the moft forlorn and deilitute. 
 For, referring to his own fituation, in a fub- 
 
 $ Matt. xxvi. 52. 
 fl John xiv. 27. 
 
 fequent 
 
01? SCIENTIFIGAL INQUIRY. 121 
 
 fequent verfe, that of the foxes, and the hirda 
 of heaven, he declares " that the fon of man. 
 " had not where to lay his head." But atteh^ 
 tive only to the end of his miflion, " he 
 " turned, it is faid, and rebuked them, and 
 " faid, ye know not what manner of fpirit 
 " ye are of. For the fon of man is not come 
 " to deftroy men's lives, but to fave them *.'* 
 This declaration would be injured by any 
 comment. , - 
 
 From the whole it appears to be incon- 
 teftably evident, that the author of our re- 
 ligion, born and educated among a people to 
 whom all others were the objedls of contempt 
 and abhorrence ; without vifible means of 
 acquiring liberal fentiment, . adopted a prin- 
 ciple that befpeaks him to have pofTeiTed this 
 quality. UnbiafTed by the prejudices, and 
 uninfluenced by the pafTions of his country- 
 men, we have proved, that he taught and 
 pradlifed a virtue in oppofition to both, which 
 nations the moll highly poliilied are mod am- 
 bitious to imitate. Amidll the night that 
 furroimded him, the mild and- tolerating 
 
 *^ Luke Ix. 56. 
 
r2'2 Of CHRISTtANITY AS THE SUBJECT 
 
 fpirit ot his religion fhiiies forth with diftin- 
 guiflied eittinence, Uke the placid fplendour 
 of the ftar of evening, by which the hemif- 
 phere is at the fame time adorned and irradi- 
 ated. They therefore who fhall not be con- 
 vinced from our reprefentation, that this 
 teacher came from God on the moft impor- 
 tant errand, will at leaft be ready upon having' 
 Gonfidered it attentively, to adopt the excla- 
 mation of his own afkmifhed although in- 
 credulous fellow-citizens. — '^ Whence had 
 " this man his wifdom * r 
 
 Our laft obfervationvon the prefent fubjedl 
 was, that Chriftianity has contributed princi- 
 pally to ftibftitute enlarged views of the per- 
 fe(5lions of God, and of the order and oecono- 
 iny of his government, in place of narrow 
 and illiberal prejudices and opinions^ 
 
 I do not think that it is neceflary in proof 
 of this remark, to- view the facred writings 
 as fources whence philofophy at an early pe* 
 rior? colkdied the materials of her moft pro* 
 fov.nd difquifitions. Let us not grope in the 
 
 * Matt. xv. 54^ 
 
 dark 
 
OT SciENTiFicAL Inquiry. 123 
 
 t!iark for ambiguous evidence, when the hi- 
 ftory of later ages exhibits that which is clear, 
 explicit, and appropriated. On this head I 
 fliall endeavour to prove and to illuftrate the 
 truth of the two following obfervations. The 
 firft rerpe(5ls the rapid proficiency which men'' 
 made in all the departments of fcience, as 
 foon as the fcriptures were fubmitted to gene- 
 ral examination. The fecond is, that to the 
 examination above mentioned, this profi- 
 ciency ought in a great meafure to be afcfi- 
 bed. As the beft evidence of this fa(5l, I 
 fhall compare in certain ftriking circum- 
 fiances the prefent ftate of nations in which 
 the facred volumes are read and examined 
 univerfally, with that of countries wherein, 
 the common ufe of them is prohibited. 
 
 We remarked in a preceding fecllon, that 
 natural religion has received much benefit 
 from the free inquiries that have been carried 
 into the proof of Chriflianity, and into its 
 various inftitutions. Of fuch inquiries con- 
 dudled with candour and impartiality, the 
 eife(5l is, to produce as clear ideas of the di- 
 yine perfe(5lions from the comparifons of fa- 
 
 Qj. cred 
 
124 ^^ Christianity as the Subject 
 
 cred and. of profane explanation, as the liii- 
 laian mind can acquire. The fentiments of 
 pjiilofophers on thefe fubjedts we regard as 
 the judgment of able and experienced inqui- 
 rers, .The thoughts of the facred writers are 
 propofed to us, as thofe of men who are 
 vefted with a divine commiilion. By com- 
 paring therefore the ideas of the latter on 
 this point with thofe of the former, and try- 
 ing both at the fame time by the flandard of 
 reafon, our knowledge of God as he is rela^ 
 ted to his creatures becomes clearer and 
 rpqreparticvilar than by any other method. 
 "We cannot likewife obtain a furer teft by 
 which to eftimate the juftice of pretenfions 
 to infpiration, than tliat which a comparifon 
 of the difcoveries made by unenlightened 
 reafon, with thofe of an underftanding that 
 is divinely illuminate4^ will naturally fug- 
 geft. 
 
 No member of the reformed churches 
 tieeds be acquainted, that the fcriptures were 
 tranflated into the vernacular languages of 
 various kingdoms^, in confequence of the en- 
 franchifement of thofe kingdoms from Papal 
 dependence. And fcarcely an individual 
 
 will 
 
OF SciENTiFic-AL Inquiry. ' 125 
 
 Will receive new information from hearing, 
 that the bible which he can read at his lei- 
 fvu'e, is concealed from the vulgar of Popifh 
 countries, by being publilhed in a language 
 that is intelligible only to the learned. What 
 is the effecSl of this enfranchifement, and of 
 thofe books being made univerfally known: 
 The truths of natural religion are, as we 
 have already fcen^ . more generally under- 
 flood. The dodlrines of immortality, and 
 of future retribvitipn, no longer received as 
 Chriftian tenets, merely from the affirmation 
 of a bigoted and dehgning priefthood, are 
 found to be fundamental principles of this 
 religion. By thefe, all its precepts are en- 
 forced, and it is required that our belief of 
 their reality fliould regulate our condu(5l. 
 
 Since the a^ra of the reformation, it is well 
 known, that true fcience, as well as the ele- 
 gant and ornamental arts, have been cultiva- 
 ted w4th greater fuccefs. than during many 
 preceding ages. Without entering into a de- 
 tail on this fubje6l,. we need only to recolle(5l 
 the illuftrious names to whom we are in- 
 debted in late ages for fcientifical difcoveries ; 
 and to compare the manners of modern na* 
 
 tions 
 
126 Of CHRl:sTrANiTy AS THE Subject 
 
 tions with the rude cuftoms of their ancef- 
 tors at former periods ; to be fatisfied con- 
 cerning the rapid proficiency of the latter. 
 The fcience of morals, improved by the lu- 
 cubrations of a Bacon and of a Hutchifon^ 
 the department of criticifm occupied by a 
 Scaliger, and a Lipfius, and a Beza, not to 
 mention later authors of diftinguilhed emi- 
 nence : The fublime of poetry carried to its 
 "utmoft height in the divine work of Milton j 
 compofition appearing almoft with faultlefs 
 excellence in the elegant writings of an Ad- 
 difon, and a Hurd, a Sourin, a Fordyce, and 
 a Blair rivalling the orators of Rome and of 
 Athens, offer to view the productions of 
 ilourifhing and of civilized nations. 
 
 But are the improvements that have been 
 made in late ages, in the extenfive depart- 
 ments above mentioned, to be alcribed to the 
 influence of the facred writings fubmitted 
 to free examination ? I do not affirm this 
 propofition in all its extent. It is indeed dif- 
 ficult to eftablifh a criterion by which we 
 can judge properly of this matter. The fol- 
 lowing reafons however will perhaps render 
 it probable, that the effect of thofe writings 
 
 has 
 
OF SciENTiFicAL Inquire. 127 
 
 Las been much more confiderable than ma- 
 ny readers may have believed. We may re-' 
 mark, ifl. That many marks of embarralT- 
 nvent and of ambiguity characSlerife the re* 
 fearches of unfupported reafan, fo far as 
 thefe regard either rehgion or morals. And, 
 2d, Attention to thefa(5ls of hrftory will con- 
 rince us, that where the knowledge of thi& 
 religion is moft univerfal, the national cha- 
 radler is moft commonly expreflive of its 
 prevalence and efFeds. 
 
 To what hath been already faid on the 
 cmbarraiTment of reafon in her refearches, 
 let u« here add the words of an author, who 
 had furely no view to favour revelation. Af- 
 ter having expatiated with much propriet}' 
 on the feeble light that philofophy threw on 
 the do6lrine of immortality, h^ proceeds in 
 the following words. " We are fufficient- 
 " ly acquainted with the entinent perfons 
 " who flourifhed in the age of Cicero, and 
 " of the firft Cefars; with their a<fl:ions, 
 *' their charadlers, and their motives, to be 
 ** afTured that their condudl in this life was 
 ** never regulated by any ferious convicliou 
 *' of the rewards and puniihments of a fu- 
 
 *^ ture- 
 
128 Of Christianity as the Subject 
 
 " ture (late. At the bar, and in the fenate orf 
 
 " Rome, the ableft orators were not appre*- 
 
 " henfive of giving offence to their hearers, 
 
 " by expoling that dodlrine as an idle and 
 
 *' extravagant opinion, which was rejected 
 
 *' with contempt: by every man of a hberal 
 
 " education and underflanding *." Of mo^ 
 
 dern 
 
 f GibboTi^s H'lfi. vol. I. p. c^^"^. 11/is doflrine of 
 immortality is fo eiTential a tenet of the Chrlftian religion, 
 that the omiflion of it, in an attempt to account for theL 
 progrefs of Chriftianity by natural means, would have 
 been unpardonable. From this author's reflexions on 
 the imperfefl knowledge of Pagans on this fubje<St, 
 we expeft to be informed in his tranfition to that of 
 Chriftiaus of the manner in which this important doc- 
 trine is explained and informed in the New Teftament. 
 Some account at leaft we hope to meet with of the ex- 
 plicit and confiftent Idnguage of fcripture upon this fub- 
 jeiEt, in oppotition to the ambiguous and variable decla- 
 rations of philofophy. But no fuch matter. Mr G 
 
 occupies very different ground. In his zeal for the caufcf 
 of which he is an advocate, he lofeth fight of the ob- 
 jects above mentioned. And he prejfelh into his argu- 
 ment prophecies that are fuppofed to relate to the end 
 of the world, to the millennium, to the conflcgration of 
 Rome ; and certaiu horrible denunciations of eternal 
 i^amnation to all Pagans, as events which were infallibly 
 to take place before the end of one century. " Ihe 
 ** carelefs polytheilt, fays he, aifailed by nev.- ;ind unex- 
 ''' pe^ed terrors, againft which neither his priefts nor 
 
 «' philofopliers 
 
bF SClfiJttiFlCAL iNQUiRY. i2^ 
 
 d^rn philofophers and orators, this difbelief* 
 of immortality cannot in general be affirmed- 
 
 with 
 
 " philofo{)hefS could afford him any certain ^rbteflion^ 
 *' was very frequently terrified and fubdtied by the me- 
 " nace of eternal tortures; His fears might affift thd 
 " progrefs of his faith," &c. pi 565. 567. Such is this 
 author's account of the fcripture dudrine of immortality 
 confidered as a caufe df the propagation of our religion^ 
 Let us pafs over every other eircumftance, and confine 
 ourfelves to the view of this- fame caufe as being ade- 
 quate to the effedt that is here akribed to it. In wy 
 opinion Mt* G — — -^ hath made rather an unfortunate 
 choice in the prefent inftance. For, granting all that hel 
 hath faid concerning the accomplilhnient of thefe predic- 
 tions to be true, I undertake to prove, that the pro* 
 grefs of Chrirtianity muft have been powerfully obftruc* 
 ted by what our author denominates a mean of its pro-* 
 pagation. From his own conceffions like wife, how in- 
 eonfiftent foever, I ihall evince, that neither in one cafe 
 nor other was the operation of this caUfe univerfal. 
 
 In proof of the former proportion we need only to 
 tefledl, that the prophefies relating to the end of the 
 world would have been mere temporary expedients fof 
 |he purpofe of propagating the Chriftian faith, which 
 muft have proved deftruclive to it at the end of one ge- 
 ineration. For at this period, the inciigna;ion excited iri 
 all orders o^ men by the apparent falfehood of thofc 
 prophefies, would have been proportioned to the faith" 
 that had been placed in their accomplilhnient. Let us 
 grant, therefore, that the terror of an eternal punifij- 
 inent to commence fo foon had driven a timorous flocfe 
 
 R to 
 
ijo Of Christianity as the Subject 
 
 with flri(5t truth. Among them there axe 
 many wha adhere to this docflrine at the 
 
 time 
 
 to take fl^ker within the fold of Chriftianity. Yet fnre- 
 ly thefe would have reoccupied their ancient paftures, as 
 foon as they difcovered this to be a falfe abrm. To 
 have raifed, therefore, fuch an apprehenfion without 
 caufe, would have been to adopt a temporary expedient 
 for filling the fold at the hazard of feeing it finally defo- 
 lated. It is therefore evident tfiat fo far as credit was 
 given to this interpretation of the prophecies, the caufe 
 of religion muft have been injured by it eflentially, in- 
 ftead of being promoted. I fay, that this caufe was in- 
 jured by the explanation above mentioned fo far as it 
 gained belief. Luckily, however, by our author's own 
 account of the matter, neither the good nor bad effect 
 of fuch explanation could have been univerfal. P'or, 
 with a fimilar inconfiftency to that which was formerly 
 mentioned, he fays in another place, that, " as the pro- 
 ** phecies of the conflagration provoked thofe Pagans 
 " whom they did not convert, they were mentioned 
 *' with caution and referve ; and the montanifts were 
 " cenfured for difclofing too freely the dangerous SE- 
 « CRET." Indeed! The SECRET muft no doubt 
 have been a dangerous one if it produced all the confe- 
 quences which this Gentleman afcribes to it. But yoi5 
 will find, my young reader, fome difficulty in believing 
 that the Pagan nations were converted by a mean that" 
 was profefledly made a fecret. Of this new inftrument 
 of converfion provided at the fame time with a repelling 
 and with an attra<5live quahty, we may jironounce, thac 
 the influence muft have been much circumfcribed fronr 
 
 the 
 
': OF SciENTiPicAL Inquiry." 131 
 
 time when they profefs to rejedi Chriflianity. 
 And there is not a national affembly in any 
 part of the ' Chriftian world in which men 
 would be permitted to treat this tenet with 
 contempt. 
 
 To what caufe ought this difference be- 
 twixt Pagan and Chrifbian orators and phi* 
 lofophers to be afcribed ? Try this matter by 
 what ftandard you will, you muft refolve it 
 finally into the fuperior influence of Chrifti- 
 
 the referve and caution with which it was applied. 
 While we attribute therefore to this author the honour 
 of "naving invented fo ufeful an implement, m'c cannot 
 vindicate, him from the charge of inconfiftency for iuppo- 
 fing tiiat permanent effects uf any kind can arife from a 
 caufe endowetl with repugnant and contradictory powers. 
 And, in the prefent inftance, the charge acquires force 
 from his affirmation, that the rapid and public advance- 
 ment of Chriftianity was brought about by a mean of 
 which the tendency was to provoke and to terrify, and 
 whereof the knowledge was imparted only to a few. 
 At any rate, he who Ihall believe in the efficacy of this 
 expedient to propagate a religron, ought not to bring 
 the charge of credulity againft Chriltians' who believe 
 in miracles. For certainly, he would perform the 
 greatell of all miracles who ihould convert multitudes 
 by arguments with which they were not made acquain* 
 ted. 
 
 R 2 an 
 
152 Of Christianity AS THE Subject 
 
 ^n principles, to Pagan philofophy. You 
 jnuft acknowledge that thofe have produced 
 an efFe6l, to the accomplifhment of which, 
 this in the higheft flate of improvement has 
 been found ineifec]:uaL 
 
 Our remarks on this fubjecfl will be enfor^ 
 ced, when we inquire what have been the 
 effe6ls of this religion, refpe(5ling the cha- 
 radler and manners of nations in which it is 
 eflabliihed. An examination of this point 
 will dilcover, to an attentive obferver, that 
 thofe principles, and that condudl which be-- 
 fpeak advanced civilization, chara6lerife the 
 nations of modern Europe more or lefs parti-, 
 cularly, according to the information which 
 their inhabitants have acquired of the doc-' 
 trines of revelation. 
 
 Let us, with this objed: in view, compare 
 fome principal European nations with each 
 Other. And the reader will derive pi^rticti-r 
 lar effedts from that caufe which he may 
 judge to be moft adeqtiate and appropriated. 
 We iJ^all feledl with this purpofe from the 
 monarchies of Europe, thofe of Spain, Por- 
 tugal, France, and Great Britain, as being 
 
 nations 
 
OF SCIENTIFICAL INQUIRY. 1^'^ 
 
 nations whofe characfler has ever been im- 
 prelTed by the influence of rehgion. It is 
 well known, that, in the two former king- 
 doms, the monarchs and the priefthood have 
 watched over the people during many agess 
 with a jealous attention : Of their folicitudes 
 the effedl has been, that the religious know- 
 ledge of the people is confined within the li- 
 mits which their governors have prefcribed 
 to it. Not only are the inhabitants of this 
 extenfive continent barred from accefs to the 
 facred volumes ; but by the eftablifhment of 
 the tribunal of inquifltion, they have been, 
 deprived of the means of information. What 
 has been the eftedl of this condudl upon the 
 national character of thefe people, and upon 
 their pradlice at all times ? — Let the fields of 
 Peru, defolated by the rage of the barbarous 
 Pizzarro ; let the cities of Flanders laid wafte 
 by the butcheries of Alva ; let the cruelties 
 that were pradlifed at Goa by the Portu- 
 guefe ; in fhort, let the tranfadlions at an 
 fiuto defi fuggeft the reply to this queflion. 
 
 From the religious principles of thofe na- 
 tions, when we come to confider the Hate of 
 ihe arts and fciences which men are at liber- 
 ty 
 
134 Of Christianity AS THE Subject 
 
 ty to cultivate, they who maintain that theic 
 are wholly independent of the former, will 
 find nothing that may juflify their opinion. 
 It is invidious and difagreeable to carry on a 
 comparifon of this kind, thofe cafes only ex- 
 cepted in which the fubjed: renders it necef* 
 -fary. At prefent, we mufl obferve, that, 
 with the freedom of inquiry into points of 
 religion, the inhabitants of this region ap- 
 pear to have loft the power of condu6:ing 
 fcientifical refearch. From the indolence of 
 an ill-informed priefthood, who read the fa^^ 
 cred writings without underftanding, on one 
 hand ; and from the grofs ignorance of the 
 multitude, who are ready to fwallow any ab- 
 furdity, upon the other ; from thefe caufes 
 have arifen that ftagnation of intelledl, that 
 torpid ftate of tranquil and inanimated lan- 
 guor, by which they have been diftinguifhed 
 for fo many ages. Genius, like a plant that 
 is preferved with difficulty in an uncultiva- 
 ted foil, languifheth in the gloom of Sala- 
 men and Goimbra. Throwing out likewife, 
 in a fituation fo unfavourable, wild and lu- 
 xuriant fhoots, inftead of healthy and vigo- 
 rous produdions, after a few ineffedlual ef- 
 forts to preferve exiflence, fhe fuiks unobfer- 
 
 ved into oblivion. 
 
 la 
 
. OF SciENTIFICAL iNQUIRr. Ij^ 
 
 In France, we muft no doubt acknowledge 
 that the conftitution of the Galhcan church, 
 founded upon Uberal principles, and releafed 
 from Papal fubje6:ion, is more favourable 
 than thofe above mentioned to the propaga- 
 tion of fcience. An eulogy upon the acquired 
 knowledge of this people in every elegant 
 and ornamental art, in every happy and at- 
 tra(5live accompliihment, would be fuper- 
 fluous and unnecefTary. It ought, however, 
 to be remarked, that to the ignorance of ge- 
 nuine Chriftianity that obtains in general 
 among the middle and lower orders of men 
 in this kingdom, and which the tendency of 
 the eftablifhed religion is to maintain, certain 
 intolerant and many fuperflitious pradlice^ 
 are to be afcribed. Even the greateil cha- 
 racters have been flained by praclices of the 
 prefent kind. And it is not eafy to deduce 
 this mode of condudl from any other cauie 
 than that to which we have afcribed it. The 
 revocation of the edidl of Nantz was the deed 
 of the moft auguft monarch of his age, who 
 was however as much diftinguifhed by hi$ 
 bigotry, as by his external fplendour and mu- 
 nificence. On the other hand, the perfeeu- 
 tion of tlie family of Galas in the prefent age 
 
 was 
 
ij6 Of Christianity as the subject 
 
 was the adl of the fupreme court of the pro- 
 vince of Languedoc. The members of this 
 court were undoubtedly men of fome rank 
 in that country. To what caufes can we im- 
 pute the adlions above mentioned in both 
 inftances, but to an education ill-condu(5led, 
 and to an incapacity of thofe who violated 
 the laws of our religion, to judge for them- 
 felves concerning their nature and defign ? 
 
 Caft your eyes now, reader, upon thofe 
 European nations in which the diftinguifliing 
 do6lrines of Scripture are generally known, 
 as thefe books are tranilated into the verna- 
 cular languages. Among them I feledl Great 
 Britain particularly, becaufe it is not more 
 the land of civil, than it is of religious liber- 
 ty. At the fame time, when we view it as 
 a monarchy, of which the parts are more 
 clofely cemented than thofe of a republic 
 confining of diftincfl and independent pro- 
 vinces, the efFe(5l of this liberty is peculiarly 
 confpicuous. Every reader muft know, that 
 perfecution and intolerant zeal have ever pre- 
 vailed in thofe kingdoms with the eftablifli-* 
 ment of Popery. The reformed churches, 
 on the contrary, have adopted an oppofite 
 
 condudl 
 
- Ot SciENTiFicALiNqyiRV* 13^ 
 
 condu6l, as being conformed to the fpirit of 
 the gofpel. The fadls that confirm this ob- 
 fervation are fo well known, as to render an 
 enlargement unneceiTary* He who would 
 have any particular event brought to his re- 
 membrance, may refled: upon the trjinfac^. 
 tions that were immediately fubfequent to 
 the bm'ning of London, and upon thofe that 
 followed after the information of Oates and 
 Bedloe. The fpirit of retaliation was fub- 
 dued at this time, as it had beeii at formet* 
 periods j as being contrary to that of Chrifti-i 
 anity. A few leaders of the party were the 
 only facrifices which popular frenzy excited 
 to the height by every fuccefsful expedient, 
 received or demanded. But of the commo- 
 tions to which lefs powerful caufes gave rifd 
 on the continent of Europe, and among peo- 
 ple who were in general unacquainted w'ith 
 the fpirit of our religion, commotions -whicl;*. 
 depopulated kingdoms, the hiflory of this 
 monarchy, from the age of its reformation, 
 exhibits no inftance. 
 
 The queftion now recurs. To what caufe 
 (^ught we to afcribe effedls that have here 
 been placed together in one point of view ? 
 
 S Judge, 
 
13^ Of Christy anitt as the Subject 
 
 Judge, reader, for yourfelf in this matter. I. 
 have entered into this detail to prove, that 
 the influence of Chriftian principles as well; 
 upon the condu(5l of men as upon the pro*) 
 grefs of fcience, has been much more confix 
 derable than we are apt at firft view to con- 
 ceive. It is not however my prefent pur*-, 
 pofe to decide pcfitively on the fubjecft. Some 
 inconteflible fac^s I have endeavoured to 
 place before you. Let thofe who have lei- 
 fure and ability to enter into the inferences 
 that arife from our review, judge concerning 
 it from examination. 
 
 We have now taken a large compafs iu 
 anfwering the queftions that were propofed 
 in the beginning of this fecflion. Let lis 
 paufe a little before we bring it to a conclu- 
 fion, and examine the objedls that have fuc- 
 ceflively been prefented. Among young pert 
 fons who wiih to gain knowledge, Chriftia- 
 nity is not injured by any expedient more 
 effecflually, than by being reprefented as a 
 religion unfit to bear inveftigation, and ad- 
 apted to vulgar underftandings only. It is 
 with this purpofe, as we fliall fee afterwards, 
 that the advocates of infidelity oppofe the 
 
 FAITH 
 
OF SciENTIFICAt I-N-QUIRY. 139 
 
 FAITH of the Chriftian to the rational evi- 
 -dence of the philofopher. It is likewife with 
 this view, that the refurrecflion of letters is 
 mentioned as having been fatal to the intereft 
 of this reUgion. For men who were attach •» 
 cd to it during the reign of fnperftition and 
 ignorance, are faid by its adverfaries to have 
 become feniible of their error, as foon as they 
 were able to think and adl with impartiality* 
 
 In order to take oiF the force of this plan- 
 iible reprefentation, I have examined it in its 
 utmoft extent. The laft part of this objedlion 
 refpe<fts the time when Deifm is faid to have 
 originated with the fpirit of free and rational 
 difauifition. In anfwer to this, I have fhown 
 that the facred writers, following an oppoiite 
 courfe to that which impoftors have ever 
 pm-fued, give fcope to this difquifition in its 
 greateft latitude. At the time above men- 
 tioned, certain peculiar circumftances led to 
 an inquiry into the general evidence of reve- 
 lation. Thefe circumftances I have endea- 
 voured to bring together, and to place in a 
 point of view which accounts moft naturally 
 for the efFedl which they are faid to have 
 produced. 
 
 S 2 But 
 
14© Of Christianity as the Subject 
 
 But it is to the former part of the objec- 
 tion, refpe(5ling the tendency of Chriftian 
 doctrines and inftitutions, that an anfwer is 
 particularly neceiTary. For Chriflianity, as 
 being the religion of the vulgar, is placed 
 furely in the moft unfavourable light. And 
 what opinion foever ph'ilofophers may enter- 
 tain concerning it, yet pretenders to this de- 
 fignation, who are more numerous than the 
 former, will rejedl a religion thus marked, 
 without hefitation. 
 
 With the purpofe of removing this caufe 
 of modern infidelity, I have fele6led the ge^ 
 neral obje6ls upon which an intelligent in- 
 quirer into this fubjedl will place his atten- 
 tion principally. Having thus paved the 
 way to the principal point, I have attempted 
 to evince the univerfality, as well as the im- 
 portant nature, of effedls that have arifen from 
 Chriflianity, by the two following methods. 
 The firfl is, a comparifon of fome efTential 
 parts of the Chriftian fcheme with the plans 
 and opinions of Pagan philofophers on the 
 fame fubjedls. The reader will decide with- 
 out difficulty concerning points, of which 
 evidence is brought from writers on both 
 
 fides, 
 
OF SCIENTIFICAL INQUIRY. I4I 
 
 fides, and is placed before him with impar- 
 tiality. In following out the laft method of 
 proof, I have confidered Chriftianity as a 
 mean employed to enlighten the underfland- 
 ing, to regulate the condudl, and to improve 
 the manners of mankind. If it has been 
 proved that men have derived eflential emor- 
 lument from this religion in thofe capital cir- 
 cumftances, its excellence and utility mull 
 be evident beyond queftion. In this cafe, it 
 will be clear, that Chriftianity muft receive 
 benefit from an inquiry conducfled upon fci- 
 entifical principles, and that the influence of 
 true fcience is moft general and confpicuous 
 in thofe regions in which Chriftian dodlrines 
 and inftitutions are beft underftood. 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 General Remarks on the imitative Propenfiiy. 
 
 MANY fubjeds of importance, you, my 
 young readers, have examined with 
 little advantage, from the neglect of juft and 
 comprehenfive arrangement in their treat- 
 ment and apphcation. Loofe obfervations, 
 
 although 
 
143 Of THE Love 
 
 although conceived and exprefled with ma- 
 ilery, while they iniprefs memory in fome 
 inftances, yet fail at laft of producing that 
 permanent convidlion of which arguments 
 or remarks following each other in a regular 
 icries, and tending to illuftrate a general pro- 
 portion, are finally produdlive. I throw out 
 thefe thoughts in the prefent cafe, as an apo- 
 logy to thofe of my readers who love the 
 diiliabille of compoiition, fpirited fallies, and 
 fpecious declamation, for endeavouring to 
 treat the fubjedl with a precifion which it 
 feems to demand. 
 
 Of the caufes of modern infidelity, the love 
 of imitation is one, of the moft general effi- 
 cacy. That its influence in accomplifhing 
 this end may be afcertained more accurately, 
 I fliall make fome remarks on the power and 
 univerfality of this great principle, confidered 
 as a rule of adion. From this examination, 
 the manner in which it operates to the pre- 
 judice of revealed religion will be more 
 clearly comprehended. 
 
 • You view the imitative propenfity as a rule 
 ofadfion. Whence, it will be aiked, is derived 
 
 its 
 
OF Imitation*. 143 
 
 its efFe6l ? I anfwer, from the paucity of ori- 
 ginal characters, and from the flriking fig- 
 narures or impreflions by which thofe cha* 
 radlers are difcriminated. Nature appears to. 
 have been pecuUarly fparing in her diftribii- 
 tion of quaUties that diftinguifh the maker 
 or inventor in every profeilion from the imi- 
 tator of his excellence. There is in every 
 mind an early bias or propenfion towards 
 certain manners and modes of deportment,- 
 on account of attradlions that are often imi'- 
 ginary, and which cannot fully be defcribed. 
 They, to whom thefe manners are nattiral, 
 become patterns of imitation. And the infe^ 
 rior order of men contemplate them with the 
 fame attention which a painter employs in 
 copying an original. Neither is this deiire to 
 imitate confined wholly to the above men- 
 tioned circumftances. Obferve mankind at- 
 tentively. You will difcover that this uniyer- 
 ial law pervades every department of life, 
 and that it diftinguilhpth men from each 
 other, as being divided inta the claffes that 
 have been enumerated. Confider the fubjecls 
 of fpeculation. The philofopher, the hifto- 
 rian,the poet, the orator, will all mention with 
 reverence die great maflecs of their feveral 
 
 profeflion^y 
 
144 ^^ "^^^ Love 
 
 profefllons, whatever they may fay of one 
 another. The works of thofe men they will 
 acknowledge to be the flandards of excel- 
 lence, and their charadleriftical quahties ar- 
 chetypes to be admired and imitated. Exa- 
 mine, on the other hand, the acflions of men, 
 either as hiflory or as experience reprefents 
 them. Is it not a truth univerfally known, that 
 the few who were able to think and to ad; 
 for themfelves, have in all ages been leaders 
 of the many ? In the fenate, the field, and 
 even in the more ordinary occupations of life, 
 the defire of the latter to be afTimilated to the 
 former hath produced effecfls which the moft 
 carelefs inquirer cannot fail to have re- 
 marked. 
 
 We muft not conceive, that he who ftands 
 loweft in this great fcale, afcending from thef 
 mieaneft to the' moft exalted minds, feledls 
 always the moft faultlefs model in his own 
 particular line, as that by which he is to 
 frame his chara6ter. He makes choiee per- 
 haps at firft of a copy which it is leaft diffi- 
 cult to imitate. Or, having placed his thoughts 
 fteadily upon one objeft, he Aides infenfibly 
 into imitation, without perceiving what he i^ 
 
 about* 
 
OF Imitation. 14^ 
 
 about. We err ift judging, tliat^ when one 
 man appears to imitate the addrefsj the fenti- 
 ments, or the adlions of another, he falls into 
 this pra(flice always 'with difigrh The native 
 pride of the human heart prevents the man 
 even from feeling the motive^ by which he is 
 influenced at thofe times. "I do not," he 
 will fay, " ^dopt the opinions, gf , fuch a perj 
 " fon, becaufe thefe ^xq his opinions, but b^r- 
 " caufe they are confbnant to the dictates of 
 " my reafon." 
 
 In this manner a fpecies of felf-impofitioil 
 is carried on, of which the man is not feniiblei 
 Habit in the mean time ingrafts certain nTiqdes 
 upon his chara(5ler4 He iucceeds in acqviiring 
 fimilarity of mannerSj and , of- principles, ,t<^ 
 him whom hd wiflieth to refemble. But^ fail- 
 ing to eilablifh at the fame time a correfpoixdf 
 ing limilitude of underftandingj: he ._ copies, 
 along with fome expreflive features ; ot liLs 
 original^ its imperfedlions and blemilhes. 
 And he becomes lingular ly an objed: of ri4i- 
 cvilej by having thefe, without the^ fiXjCet- 
 lencies by which they ire compenfatsd- in 
 the firft inftance, fuperadded to his own. : 
 
 T Our 
 
X/^6 Ov THE Love 
 
 Our remarks on this fubjedl ought not ft» 
 be confidered as refpedling thofe men only 
 who are inferior to others in mental or in 
 external endowments. Its power and efficaey 
 are in fadl fo great, as that they have over- 
 come the efforts even of the mo ft difcerning 
 and intelligent. Let tv/o meri be engaged in 
 difcnffing a queftion, with which a third, 
 who is a hearer, is not thoroughly acquaint- 
 ed. This man, how penetrating foever, will 
 find it difficult to preferve his judgment un- 
 biaffed by his efteem of one of the parties. 
 Setting afide the fpecious colouring which a 
 man of fuperior talents may throw over falfe 
 or exceptionable tenets, we conceive a favour- 
 able prepofTeffion of thefe that is irrational, 
 in confequence of having aldopted a general 
 opinion that may be well founded. We frame 
 therefore a wrong judgment, without percci^ 
 ving our miftake, by indulging a partiality 
 wherein reafon has not been confulted. Cei*- 
 tain adventitious circumftarfces, of which we 
 do not perceive the effedls, concur in prevent- 
 ing us from judging equitably in fuch cir- 
 eumftances. Of this kind are, a certain con- 
 fident mode of affirmation, the readinefs and 
 elocution of the fpeaker, liis apparent know- 
 
 ledge 
 
OF Imitation 147 
 
 ledge of his fubjecl, and other incidental ad- 
 vantages that produce the dehre of imita- 
 tion. 
 
 Are thefe the fole caufes that produce 
 this defire? By no means. The fubjecft: of 
 debate enters Hkewife into your coniideration 
 at fome thxies ; and contributes powerfully, 
 although not always from juft principles to 
 excite this propenlion. Let us fuppofe, that 
 two men whom you efteem equally, are en- 
 gaged in difputation. You become then par- 
 ticularly attentive to the point of controver- 
 fy. Confcfs now, my young readers : Are 
 3^ou not partial towards him of the two 
 whofe fentiments are apparently enlarged, 
 and whofe defcriptions are fplendid and de- 
 corated? And are you not ready to receive 
 both as being well founded, without enter- 
 ing into too nice an examination of evidence? 
 From a partiality thus acquired, the Hep is 
 eafy to imitation. So foon as attachment is 
 added to efteem, he in whom both concen- 
 trate, is the model to which you wilh to be 
 conformed. In this cafe, your love of imi- 
 tation takes a direction which various mo- 
 tives concur in prefcribing to it, and your 
 T 2 eflimation 
 
148 Of the Love 
 
 ^ftimation of a cliara(5ler is heightened by 
 circumftances which ought to have produced 
 ^n oppofite eiFedl. 
 
 Our obfervations on the great principle 
 of imitation have not regarded it according 
 to the AriftoteUan theory, as the parent of 
 ^rts that derive from it the defignation hnita-^ 
 five *. We have conlidered it as a leading 
 motive by which condudl is influenced. 
 And we now proceed in following out thefe 
 remarks, to view this propeniity when im^ 
 properly directed, as having been employed 
 fuccefsfully to promote the caufe of infideli- 
 ty. In this point of view, we muft confider 
 the fubjecfl as being of peculiar and principal 
 importance. For, with whatever feeming 
 indifference the mind may contemplate the 
 objedls which our religion holds up to it, 
 yet thefe cannot be of real inefficacy in its 
 eftimation. The exiflence and perfe(51:ions of a 
 Being," under whom we feel ourfelves to be de- 
 pendent, our horror of annihilation, which is 
 not removed by the difquiiition of philofot- 
 phy ; our anxious and rational curiofity to 
 
 t APISTOT. UoiY.Tty., K. /. 
 
 be 
 
OF Imitation. 149 
 
 be acquainted with the rewards of virtuous 
 condudl ; its nature, excellence, extent, and 
 duration ; thofe are fubje6ts of which each 
 comes home " to mens bufinefs and bofoms." 
 
 JEoue paiiperihus prodeji, Innipletihus aqiie ; 
 JEque^ negleSlum^ pueris ftmhufque nocebit. 
 
 That the judgment of men fhould be war- 
 ped and mifled in its eftimation of fuch evi- 
 dence, by circumftances which are in them- 
 felves frivolous, is a fadt that does no honour 
 to the human intelle(5l. Our prefent bufinefs 
 however is to confirm it by enumerating 
 effedls, which our remarks on the love of 
 imitation will evince to be derived from this 
 original. 
 
 It is obvious from what hath been faid on 
 this fubjecl, that the propenfity to copy the 
 manners of men whom w^e efleem, and the 
 defire of adopting their opinions, are effedls 
 that in many inftances have the fame com- 
 mon origin. Keeping this point therefore in 
 view, in the application of our theory to re- 
 ligious queftions, we will be enabled to dif- 
 cern the m^ans by which this powerful pro- 
 penfity 
 
j^o Of the Love 
 
 penfity is rendered prejudicial, and the tx" 
 tent of its efficacy. For, it muft be evident, 
 that the fame fpecious arts by which the opi- 
 nions of men are influenced, and their con- 
 duct direded in other cafes, will be fuccefs- 
 ful likewife in the prefent. We have proved, 
 by an appeal to fenfe, that in common cafes 
 young perfons particularly, are prepoiFefTed in 
 favour of him whofe views are feemingly 
 enlarged, and whofe promifes or defcriptions 
 are fpecious and attradiive. When from 
 fuch cafes, tlierefore, we come to conhder 
 laws or rules of condu(5l, it is plain, that he 
 will be favovired moft highly, by whofe 
 Scheme paflion and appetite are laid under 
 the feweft reftraints. An unlimited indul- 
 gence of fenfual gratification, opens fo fair a 
 profpedl of prefent happinefs to the eye of 
 inexperience, that nothing but the approba- 
 tion of reafon is wanting, that it may be car- 
 ried effedlually into execution. 
 
 In oppofition to the moral precepts of the 
 gofpel, it will be acknowledged, that its ad- 
 verfaries had here an opportunity of incul- 
 cating principles of which the effedl is uni- 
 verfal. In what manner then have they 
 
 availed 
 
OF Imitation. 151 
 
 availed themfelves of thofe advantages, fo as; 
 to render the imitative propeniity unfavour- 
 able to the religious principle in general, and 
 more immediately to the tenets of Qiriftia- 
 nity ? The caufes that contribute to this end, 
 are principally the following, i. The enlar- 
 ged and eafy notions which certain philofo- 
 phers entertain of important fiibjedls, oppo- 
 fed to the feemingly narrow, gloomy, and 
 fiiperflitious views and practices of their ad- 
 verfaries. 2. Their profefTed contempt of 
 credulity, and their boaft of bringing every 
 proportion to the teft of philofophical evi- 
 dence. 3. Their occupations in life which 
 denominate them men of the world who 
 think for themfelves, contrafted with the cir- 
 cumftances and views of their profeffional 
 antagonifts. 4. Certain bold affirmations of 
 being in the right, which impofe upon tliofc 
 men whom inattention, prejudice, or weak- 
 nefs, diiqualify to enter much into the quef- 
 tion. By the concurrence of thofe caufes, 
 the freethinkers of the prefent, and of for- 
 mer ages, have gained an eftimation to which 
 the prevalence of their opinions is in a* great 
 meafure owing. 
 
 The 
 
152 Of Pretensions 
 
 The plaufible reprefentations, appeals, pro* 
 mlfes, and fpiriced defcriptions by which this 
 purpofe is gained, he fcattered through the 
 volumes of fceptical and deiftical authors. 
 And the influence of thefe is more dangerous 
 as it is more imperceptilply iniinuated. The 
 caufe of our religion may therefore receive 
 benefit from an attempt, if it fhall be pro- 
 perly carried on, to place thofe means of ob*- 
 flrucling its eificacy in the open light, and 
 to efface the colours with which they are 
 embellifhed. With this end in view, and 
 with a purpofe of expofing to my young 
 readers the futility of pleas that are artfully 
 recommended to their attention, I throw to- 
 gether the following obfervations on the 
 important fubje6ls that have been enu- 
 merated. 
 
 SECT. V. 
 
 Oppofitton of Natural and of Revealed Reltgioii, Of 
 p7'etenfotis to free and enlarged Sentiments. 
 
 THEY who have fludied the human 
 heart with attention, cannot fail to 
 have remarked that flrong and natural pre- 
 pofrefTion which it receives in behalf of what- 
 ever 
 
tb Fkee Sentiment* J53 
 
 evep is apjiarently candid, honed, and liberaL 
 This noble principle, when properly regu-^ 
 lated, is produ6live of the beft, and when 
 mifapplied, of the worft and mod dangerous 
 effecfls* In the former cafe it demands high 
 approbation, as the parent of iincerity, gene- 
 rofity, and freedoni. In the latter inftance* 
 on the contrary, this prepolTeffion gives occa- 
 iion to a bias of the worft tendency againft 
 inftitutions which are of general emolument* 
 Of this prejudice, eftabliflied modes of wor- 
 Ihip, and principles of belief are fometimes 
 rendered the objedls. This happens when 
 the modes and principles above mentioned 
 are reprefented as tending to circumfcribe 
 exertions that ought to be unlimited, and to re* 
 pel by fear our natural defire of inveftigating 
 truth. From the confideration of fuch fixed 
 laws and requifitions as reftraints upon the 
 natural rights of mankind, our predilection 
 of whatever is bold and arduous appears to 
 be derived. He who attacks the religious 
 tenets of a community is deemed to be the 
 advocate of freedom. And in this characEler 
 \ve are difpofed to regard him with a favour- 
 able partiality at his firft fetting out, 
 
 U It 
 
15-4 ^F Pretensions 
 
 It cmght to be obferved, that although thi» 
 par tiaUty extends to all attempts that are da- 
 ring and difficult, yet its operation is pecu- 
 liarly confpicuous in the fphere of religion. 
 Two caufes may be afligned as having produ- 
 ced this phenomenon. The fir ft is, that wee onii- 
 der him who ftems the tide of popular opinion 
 on fubjedls of a high and dangerous namre, 
 which at the fame time are generally known, 
 and are univerfally interefting, as fuper ad- 
 ding to an ingenuity that claims our elteem, 
 and fortitude, that excites admiration. The 
 fecond reafon is, that from the convi(5lion 
 which we fuppofe this man to have, that the 
 promulgation of his dodlrine, if falfe, muft 
 be prejudicial to fociety, as well as ofFenfive to 
 its fupreme legiflator, we are induced to 
 judge favourably concerning his ultimate 
 purpose. For we conclude, with fome ap- 
 pearance of reafon, that he whom fuch for- 
 midable motives have not deterred from ta- 
 king the field, muft be deeply fenfible of the 
 flrength of his caufe. And from this per- 
 luafion we transfer to his arguments fome 
 part of the prepofTefTion that is impreffed up- 
 on our minds in behalf of his iincerity. 
 
 To 
 
TO Free Sentiment. i^$ 
 
 To thefe coniiderations we may fubjoin 
 nnother, that in the prefenc inilance is equal- 
 ly efficacious ; I mean, the nature of thoie 
 laws or inftitutions of which it is propofed 
 to weaken or to fubvert the authority. So 
 powerful a principle is the love of freedom 
 in its moil general acceptation, that we re- 
 coil at the injundlion of giving ftridl obe- 
 dience to cei^ain precepts, even at the time 
 when we acknowledge their propriety. The 
 miind rejects fo naturally the idea of com- 
 mand. Every man knows, that his alTent to 
 the excellence of a general law is feldom fo 
 well founded, as to reconcile him in particu- 
 lar cafes to the power by which it is carried 
 into execution. Neither does our difcon- 
 tent upon thefe occafions, always arife from 
 motives of perfonal intereft. It is excited 
 wholly by the authoritative mandate that en- 
 joins implicit and unconditional obedience. 
 
 If this then is the cafe refpe(5ling rules 
 which we approve, what fhall we fay of pre- 
 cepts againll which, enforced as they are by 
 awful fandions, and diredled to be ftridlly 
 •carried into execution, the pafTions of human 
 nature powerfully and unanimoufly reclaim ? 
 U 2 When 
 
J56 Of Pretensions 
 
 When an artful adverfary, taking advantage 
 of the zealous labour of fome well meaning ■ 
 expolitor, in whofe comment the yoke of re-!- 
 ftricflion is rendered infupportable, expofeth 
 its paflive bearers to ridicule, and placing in 
 oppofition a plan that is apparently noble, en- 
 larged, beneficent : When he employs at one 
 time every plauiible art to render the latter 
 an object of rational approbation, and the 
 former, of averfion and contempt ; it is eafy 
 to fee that he muft conciliate efteem by thefe 
 means, and eflablifh prepoffeflion. The ap^ 
 plication of thefe remarks to the prefent fub- 
 je6l is obvious. We fliall evince, in the fub^ 
 fequent part of this fecflion, that the advo- 
 cates of infidelity employ all tl>efe arts to ac-. 
 complifh their purpofe, 
 
 Chriftianity, when it is viewed in fome 
 lights, prefents an object of equal importance 
 to^the man who would work upon the prin- 
 ciple of imitation, as to him who is actuated 
 by the love of fingularity. The man of am^ 
 biti'on triumphs in idea over the multitude 
 of inferior beings, who are unable by any 
 ftrenuous effort to fhake off the fetters of fu-f 
 perflition, He enjoys likewife a high gratis 
 
 fication 
 
TO Free Sentiment. 157. 
 
 fication in the thought of puHing down the 
 rehgion of fo many powerful and opulent 
 kingdoms. The advocate of free opinions, 
 armed with the profeffion of ^.fTerting the na- 
 tural rights of mankind, holds himfelf up as 
 a pattern of imitation, on account of a noble 
 expanfion of thought, an exemption from vul- 
 gar prejudices and errors. He iubflitutes 
 therefore unbounded liberty in place of modes 
 and ceremonies, and of pofitive inflitutions. 
 In the fame manner, he who wifheth to fee 
 an example of tlie bold and arduous, can ef- 
 fe(5luate his end by no method more proper- 
 ly, than by fubverting a religion which is 
 faid to bear the fignatures of divinity. And 
 all will receive encouragement from the fa- 
 vourable notion which we conceive of the 
 iincerity of men who engage in fuch an en- 
 terprife. It is obvious from this application 
 of Chriftian principles to our remarks on the 
 circumflances that are favourable to an ad- 
 verfary, that thefe correfpond perfedlly to 
 ^ach other. He therefore who takes the fide 
 of infidelity in the contefl, pofTeiTeth power- 
 ful means to afcertain the fuccefs of his at- 
 terapt. 
 
 It 
 
Ij8 Of Pretensions 
 
 It is now time to coniider the purpofe to 
 which our modern freethinkers have apphed 
 motives of flich powerful and of fuch dange- 
 rous efficacy as thofe that have been enume- 
 rated. < 
 
 You will obferve, my young reader, from 
 perufing the mofl approved performances of 
 thofe writers, that they take two methods to 
 recommend themfelves as the patrons of free 
 and of enlarged inquiry. And of thefe each 
 is artfully calculated to produce the intended 
 effedl. The firft confifts of bold and plau^ 
 lible declamation on the excellence of their 
 own fcheme, placed in the moft favourable 
 light by an oppoiition to others of which the 
 worll fide is exhibited. The fecond, by which 
 their purpofe is more immediately accom- 
 plifhed, lies in the dextrous application of the 
 *way of raillery or of ridicule to certain obfo- 
 lete and unfafhionable dodlrines. By the ufe 
 of this mean, they conceive, that, in the ba- 
 lance of public eflimation, they transfer into 
 their own fcale the weight which is taken 
 from that of their opponents. Some illuftra- 
 tions of both kinds, drawn from their wri- 
 tings, will exemplify our obfervations. 
 
 One 
 
TO Free SENxiMEkr. 159 
 
 One prad:ice of the firft kind, in the ufe of 
 which deiftical writers concur unanimoully, 
 is, to extol the religion of nature, and to op- 
 pofe its eafy, chearful, and animating fpirit 
 to thole precepts of Chriftianity that may be 
 rendered the mod gloomy and terrifying. 
 This law of nature, in the judgment of one 
 of their moft celebrated cafuifts, is happily 
 dated in the middle, betwixt the comfortiefs 
 profpe(5l of the Atheift, the perpetual anxiety 
 of the fuperftitious, the wild perturbation of 
 the enthufiaft, and pernicious fury of the bi- 
 got *. He propofeth, by the falutary appli- 
 cation of this law, to deliver mankind from 
 the ^^ panic fears f" that diflradl the Chri- 
 ftian in his meditation. There is indeed no 
 end to this author's encomium on his law of 
 nature, and on himfelf for having difcovcred 
 its wonderful efficacy. " It is," he will tell 
 you, " abfolutely perfect, incapable of addi- 
 *' tion or diminution J." It comprehends 
 every thing that tends to the honour of God, 
 or the good of mankind ||. With {o many 
 other advantages, it pofTefleth that like wile 
 
 ♦ ChriJ}. as old as the Great, p. j6. 
 
 fid. p. 12s. JP. 3- il^. 70. 
 
 of 
 
i6o Of Pret£nsion3 
 
 of being levelled to the meaneft capacities* 
 No well meaning Gentile could be ignorant 
 of it, nor is any great fhare of wifdom ne* 
 ceflary to know it §. 
 
 Your expedlation is raifed by this magni^ 
 
 ficent apparatus, to be informed what this 
 
 law or religion of nature is, and by what 
 
 means you may adl according to its di<5late9. 
 
 To the firft queflion our author will anfwer, 
 
 that this law is " the fenfe and practice of 
 
 " thofe duties which refult from the know- 
 
 ** ledge we, by our reafon, have of God, and 
 
 " his perfecftions, and of ourfelves and our 
 
 " own imperfections, and of the relations we 
 
 " (land in to him and to our fellow crea- 
 
 " tures*." To the fecond queflion he will 
 
 anfwer, " That whatever circumftances men 
 
 " are placed in by the univerfal caufe, it is 
 
 " his eternal and immutable will, by placing 
 
 " them in thefe circumftances, that they may 
 
 " a6l as thefe require f." 
 
 This 
 
 § Chrift. as old as the Creat. p. 295- 398. 
 
 * Id. p. 14. 
 
 f Patet, quos Supremum Numen ngnofcit, cuhum 
 ejus jubet, vitas fanftitatem prarcipit, penitentiam fcele^ 
 
to Free Sentiment. i6j 
 
 ^his author's high panegyric on the law 
 bv reUgion of nature is of the fame kind with 
 the eulogy which a writer j who on many ac- 
 counts is juftly refpedlable, beftows on cer- 
 tain notitlae communes^ common fignatures, or 
 indications that are imprefTed upon all minds 
 indifcriminately. By thefe a Catholic and 
 univerfal church is conflituted according 
 to his eftimation. " God (fays he) has 
 *' imprelTed Upon the minds of men in all 
 " ages the knowledge of his exiflence, and 
 *' of his unity; a belief that He ought 
 " to be worfhipped ; the principle which pre- 
 *' fcribes holinefs of life; a convi(ftion of the 
 *' neceffity and efficacy of repentance; and, 
 " finally, the perfuafion that there is a fu- 
 " ture ftate of reward and of punifhment." 
 It is by an intuitive perception of thofe te- 
 nets that the noble author fuppofeth a chufch 
 to be framed, that confifts not of any iingle 
 fociety) but of the whole human race. " In 
 
 rum irldicit, et pfoemium vel pcpnam port banc vitam de- 
 nnnciar, efle a Deo profeftas, et in nobis defcriptas no- 
 titias conirmines : quse vero plures Deos configit, &c. 
 neqne notirias coinnnlnes, neque veritates llabendas efie. 
 Herbert de Veritdte, p. 220. 221. 
 
 % " tliis 
 
i62 Of Pretensioits 
 
 *' this truly Catholic, this truly univerfal 
 ** church (fays he) all fpace and all number 
 " are comprehended. By the knowledge of 
 ** thefe felf-evident truths it is that we ac- 
 " quire jufi: notions of the providence of 
 *' God, and of the wifdom of nature. By 
 *' them alone we are taught to invoke the 
 " common Father of his creatures as the firft 
 *' and beft of beings. To this great affembly, 
 *' therefore, comprehending members thus 
 ^' indiffolutely united, all the encomiums are 
 " due that have been appropriated to any 
 *-'' particular church. And we have fhown 
 " that the laft mentioned muft be fubjecfl to- 
 " errors proportionally, as it recedes from 
 *' maxims thus charadleriftical and univer- 
 
 We might add the fufFrage of many au- 
 
 * Ecclefia fola catholica, fola fjco\/oitit<: eft notitiarum 
 communium dodrinaj omne fpatiuin, omnem numerum 
 complens : haec fola^ eniin providentiam divinam univer- 
 falem, five naturse fapientiam pandit. Haec fcla ratio- 
 neni unde Pater communis invocatur D. O. M. exponit». 
 Oua? igirur particulari unicuique ecclefiae attexuntur en- 
 comia ; huic couveniunt, a qua quae maxime receflerit 
 niaxime errori obnoxium efle. fupra docuimus, Hobb. de 
 VentaUfj^. Z22.. 
 
 thora 
 
T O pR EE Se NT I M El^ T. 1 63 
 
 tliors to a fcheme of religion, that is feeming- 
 ly fo fublime and <:ompreh€nfive. But as I 
 wilh not to fatigue the reader with many 
 paffages of one import, I fliall Jay before 
 him the plan of conduct which thofe 
 gentlemen recommend as the mod rational 
 and confonant to their principles. 
 
 Of the authors who have been mentioned 
 upon tlie prefent occalion, we have already 
 feen that the former emancipates his pupils 
 at once from every ilavifh and fuperilitious 
 reftraint, by declaring that " th^ immutable 
 " will of God permits every man to ad: as 
 " circumflances require." By this notable 
 rule the man himfelf is conftituted the judge 
 of what circumflances may require from 
 him. But his paflions, it naay be faid, will 
 tempt him in certain circumflances to form 
 a wrong judgment. No matter. He mufl 
 follow it without hefitation. His pafTions 
 indicate the will of the Deity : Is it then pro- 
 per to indulge lujl in all circumflances ? And 
 does the law of nature authorife fuch indul- 
 gence? — "Certainly, my good friends," our 
 author will reply, " that warm defire which 
 ** is implanted in human nature cannot be 
 X 2 *' criminal 
 
1^4 Of Pretensions 
 
 *' criminal when purfued after flich a man- 
 *' ner as tends moft to promote the happinefs 
 " of the perfons, and to propagate and pre-- 
 " ferve the fpecies*." The principles of Lord 
 Herbert lead him to defend the fame enlarged 
 plan of a6lion, although he expreiTeth him- 
 felf on the fubjedl with more modefty. " Id 
 " folummodo contendo, ut mitiore fententia 
 ^' de lis flatuamus, qui corporea, brutali, et 
 " tantum non neceflaria propenfione in pec-^ 
 *' cata prolabuntur.'* Thus it appears that 
 inceft, fodomy, and murder, which have 
 been condemned as atrocious violations of 
 the law of nature, are rendered conformable 
 to the unalterable rule of right by certain 
 circumftances, and are juflified by " the im-* 
 *' mutable will of the Deity!" 
 
 But to all this an inexperienced reader 
 will perhaps object, that he has a certain 
 troublefome confcioufnefs, a fenfe of good 
 and evil implanted in his mind, of which it 
 is fometimes difficult to fupprefs the difap- 
 probation. This effort a formidable cham-r 
 pion of the fame caufe w^ill enable him to 
 
 ♦ C})njl, l^c.p. 345. 
 
 accomplifli 
 
TO Free Sentiment. 165 
 
 accomplifh with facility. He will afTure him 
 that there is no Inch thing as " moral fenfe 
 or inftincl endowed with the property of 
 diftinguiihing good from evil. Such a 
 fenfe," he will fay, " may be acquired by 
 long habit, and by true philofophical devo- 
 tion; but it is whimfical to afRime it to 
 be natural*." The fparkle of internal per- 
 ception trampled thus rudely under foot, is 
 extinguifhed in a moment. 
 
 From this account of the tenets that are 
 inculcated by the friends of religious free- 
 dom, when we pafs to their explanation of the 
 do6lrines and inftitutions of Chriftianity, 
 the contraft is calculated to make a deep and 
 permanent imprelTion upon minds that are 
 unprovided of the means of refiftance. It 
 is on this copious fubjedl that they employ 
 every art by which the Chriflian fcheme 
 may be rendered as completely hateful and 
 ridiculous as their own is reprefented to be 
 captivating and attradlive. A few lines of 
 both pidlures, as (landing in oppofition to 
 
 * Bolwgbr. vol. 5. p. 479. 
 
 each 
 
t66 Of Pretensions 
 
 each other, I fliall here feledl for the reader'^ 
 examination. 
 
 Chriftianity then, as bppofed to the law of 
 nature, muft be feen at firfl with fome dis- 
 advantage when it is confidered as particular, 
 i. e. as being limited in its extent and influ- 
 ence. Accordingly in the pafTage which has 
 been quoted, and in many others, which 
 might be drawn from the writings of Lord 
 Herbert, this objection is enforced as deci- 
 live*. Natural religion offers to our view, 
 according to the judgment of one of thofe 
 authors, a Deity who is all goodnefs and be- 
 neficence, and of whom we can at no time 
 be afraid f. Chriftianity, on the contrary, 
 arms this Being with terrifying attributes, 
 and defcribes him as incenfed againft many 
 of his creatures J, upon whom he threatens 
 to infli6l fevere and unnecelTary punifhment. 
 The inchanted caftle, the burning lake, the 
 fleepy cliff, are objeds of this religion which 
 
 * See his Religio Laid pnj[jtm. 
 
 f Shaftejhury' s Lett, on Enthtis. 
 
 %■ Chrijl. as old as the Great, p. 205. 250. 255. 
 
 the 
 
TO Free Sentiment. 167 
 
 the light of well-informed reafon difcovers to 
 be imaginary*. 
 
 The kw of nature thus eafy, free, and libe- 
 ral in its principles, gives at the fame time an 
 unbounded licence to adlion. The world, 
 according to its fpirit, is an immenfe com- 
 mon along which the happy inhabitants may 
 roam without reftraint, indulging fenfual 
 gratification, and acting upon every occafion 
 as the circumflances in which they ai'e placed 
 feem co require. The Chriftian law, on the 
 other hand, clogged with pofitive inftitu- 
 tions, enforced by arbitrary commands f^ 
 confining of unconnected preceptsf , and en- 
 joining implicit and unconditional acquief- 
 cence ||, involves its votaries in endlefs 
 doubts and fears §, and is the parent of per- 
 fecution, fuperftition, and difcord 4^. 
 
 * Bol'mg. Lett, on Hiji. p. 346. 
 f Chriji. as old as the Great, p. 125. 
 X Bolinghrohe^s works, vol. 4. p. 297. 
 II CharaH. vol. 3./. 231. ^ 
 
 § Chri/l. as old as the Great, p. 125. 
 4. Id. ibid. 
 
 Of 
 
j6S Of Pretensions 
 
 Of reprefentations thus foothlng to the 
 paflions of men upon one fide, and mortify- 
 ing to felf-love and vanity on the other, the 
 efFedl mud correfpond to the energy and pro- 
 priety. This efFe<ft is rendered complete, 
 when forms of the latter kind that are exhi- 
 bited in defcription receive their lafl heigh- 
 tening from the pencil of Ridicule. Atten- 
 tive therefore to a matter of fo much import- 
 ance, the votaries of this new divinity em- 
 ploy her influence, to the infinite entertain- 
 ment of their humble imitators, in exciting 
 the fneer of contempt, when they cannot 
 raife the frown of abhorrence. If indeed we 
 will take thofe gentlemens word for it, the 
 doctrines of Chriftianity have occafioned in- 
 numerable maladies, for which Nature, in 
 the fuperabundance of her compailion to 
 mankind, has entrufted them with the only 
 infallible panacea. 
 
 Sunt certa p'lacida^ qua te 
 
 *Ter pure ledlo poterunt rccreare libello. 
 
 It may be entertaining to remark on the 
 manner in which this fovereign fpecific is 
 applied as a remedy. 
 
 You 
 
■fb Free SsNTiMENt; 16^ 
 
 You have been guilty of onCj or of miny 
 bad adlions, by refledling iipon which yoii 
 are rendered unhappy^ Convinced that youi^' 
 Gondu(5l merits chaftifement from the ju- 
 ftice of the Supreme Legiflator, you with to 
 know by what means its demand will be fa- 
 tisfied. You have recourfe, I will fuppofe^ 
 to the facred writings in the firft inftanccw 
 There, reformation and repentance are the 
 means, and happinefs both in a prefent and 
 future ftate is the confequence attendant on 
 their application. You view the perfedtions; 
 of God as difplayed in thofe books. But 
 from attributes which co-operate to accom- 
 pliih one purpofe without coincidence or in- 
 confiftency, the mind draws no other confo-- 
 lation than tliat of which the means above 
 mentioned are produdlive* 
 
 Mark now the fovereigrl efficacy of the 
 new catholicon in this fituation You apply 
 for counfel to one of the moft eminent pro- 
 fbfTors of our intellecflual empiricifm. 
 " What ! my young friend^ (fays he) are yoii 
 *' really frightened by the bugbears \vhich 
 " a fevv'- canting zealots have conjured Up, oi^ 
 *' future reward and puniihment? Believe me, 
 Y *' all 
 
lyo Of Pretensions 
 
 " all religionifts are narrow fpirited wretchesy 
 " and are rendered miferable by this filly 
 " perfuafion. Hear the polite, the re- 
 *' fined, the liberal ! We have agreed to a 
 *' man in confidering thofe pious narrations 
 " as children's tales, and the amufement of 
 " the mere vulgar *." But this, my Lord, is 
 a dodbrine clearly inculcated by the authors 
 of the facred volumes. It is by their au- 
 thority that I am induced to believe it. 
 " All good (he replies), but whence is it 
 " that the facetious entertaining pleafant 
 " compofitions of thofe merry gentlemen 
 " fpread this gloom over your countenance? 
 " To me there is fomething fa peculiarly 
 " chearful in the flyle, parables, exhortations, 
 *' images, comparifons of the author of thofe 
 " writings, that it is impofTible not to be 
 *' moved in a pleafant manner at their re- 
 " citalf." I underdand this pleafantry, my 
 Lord, but the religion of nature feems ta 
 countenance this dodlrine. What ought I to 
 think concerning religion in general ? " Vive 
 " /a bagatelle ! Laugh, my friend, and be 
 
 • CharaEler. AlJfccl. 3, ch. 1, 
 
 " chearful 
 
TO Free Sentiment. tyi; 
 
 " chearful. I knew a club of merry gentle- 
 " men who in a travelling expedition, meet- 
 " ing with forry roads and worfe fare, laughed 
 " themfelves into a belief that both roads, 
 " accommodations, and cookery were per- 
 *' feebly good. But you muft by no means 
 " infer maiicioufly from this ftory of my 
 *' travelling friends, that I mean to reprefent 
 " it as an eafy matter for people, to perfuade 
 " themfelves into what opinion or belief 
 " they pleafe. If you Ihall delire however to 
 *' imitate my conduct, you will always put 
 " yourfelf in good humour when you think 
 " on the fubje(51: of religion*.*' 
 
 From the judgment of our. noble author 
 thus explicitly delivered, you appeal to the 
 deciiion of another apoflle of paradoxical 
 memory. After having heard your account 
 of the matter with great attention, this phi- 
 lofopher " lays the ax at once to the root of 
 " the tree." He not only removes your ap- 
 prehenfion of future punifliment, but he in- 
 forms you, that, be the matter as it may, you 
 cannot have done any thing that defervcs 
 
 * Charaacv, Mifcd. vol. i. /.. 28. 
 
 y 2 chaflifemenc 
 
?73 Of Pretensions 
 
 cliaftifement. " You miftake," fays he, *' my 
 *' friend, the nature of virtue, which confifts 
 '* altogether in the ufefulnefs or agreeablenefs 
 *' of quaUties to the perfon himfelf poifeffed 
 " of them, or to others who have any inter- 
 " Gourfe with him *. I have difrobed the 
 '' goddefs of the difmal drefs with which 
 ^' mapiy divines and fome philofophers have 
 *' covered her. She talks not of ufelefs aufte- 
 *' rities and rigours, fuffering and felf de- 
 *' nial f. Believe me, you have been milled 
 " in your notions of right and wrong by fpe- 
 " cious impoflors, who render themfelves the 
 *' idols of an ignorant mob by promoting 
 " pious frauds, and implicit faith, and the 
 '* Lord knows what J. You have fallen into 
 " certain errors. Be it fo. Virtue adopts fome 
 •• errors, becaufe they are falutary ||. Take 
 
 " therefore 
 
 * Hume's Efays, vol. 3. />. 188. 
 
 f Id. p. 190. 
 
 t Fol. i.p. -ijy. Isfi-. 
 
 II Vol. 2' p' 190* ^^T author ought here to have 
 pftablifhpd a criterion by which we may ciiftingnilh the 
 adopted children of virtue from her genuine oiFspring. 
 For, among thofe fame excellent errors which this Di- 
 vinity dignifies by her patronage in his eftimation, every 
 
 nian. 
 
TO Free Sentiment. 17; 
 
 ** therefore what courfe you pleafe in life. 
 " But be careful at all times, and in every 
 " circumfhance, to defpife and to hate the 
 " minifters of religion." 
 
 A third advocate of the fame caufe, exalt- 
 ed to an eminence raifed upon the broad 
 foundation of the eternal reafon, and moral 
 fitnefs of things, looking down with compaf- 
 fion upon thofe who occupy an inferior fta- 
 tion, addreffeth to you the following^ exhor- 
 tation, 
 
 " My dear friends," fays he, " who live 
 *' under the unfupportable bondage of fiiper- 
 " flition, I pity you with all my heart. You 
 " hate, and damn, and perfecute one another 
 " about a few filly obfervances. And you are 
 " fo abfurd as to believe that God has given 
 " his creatures arbitrary; commands. Yoti are 
 *' the dupes of deiigning men, who deprive 
 " you of your natural rights and freedom. 
 
 man, without fuch a criterion, will be ready to rank his 
 own. Now, as all errors are not equally falutary, cer- 
 tain improprieties may arife from this conduft. It is to 
 
 be hoped that they who are verfant in Mr H 's 
 
 philofophy, and who adopt his principles, will fupply 
 -^this defeft. 
 
 "My 
 
174 Of Pretensions 
 
 *' My purpofe is to reftore you to both. Go- 
 " verned by no fervile motives, I will deliver 
 " you from the endlefs quarrels and fatal di- 
 *' vilions in w^hich you have been involved 
 " during many ages. And, in place of , the 
 ** hope and fear of future reward and punifli- 
 " ment, I will eftablifh as the rule of your 
 *' condu6l the great charter of nature^ the ari- 
 " ginal obligation of the moral fitnefs of 
 *' things. I will make your duty delightful, 
 *' by fhowing that it is indiffolubly conneci-^ 
 *' ed with your trueft intereft. You hav-e 
 " been long held in bondage by the forms 
 " and ceremonies of an external revelation, 
 *' which I have proved to be unneceffary. 
 " Shake o£F therefore reftraints which mar at 
 " the time when they circumfcribe your gra- 
 " tifications. In one word : Ye are the chil- 
 *' dren of nature ; enjoy your privileges ; 
 « BE FREE*." 
 
 From the fpecimens that have been addu- 
 ced of defcription, of ridicule, and of decla- 
 matory profeffion, the reader will obferve 
 fome part of the means which the adverfaries 
 
 ' * Chrijl. as old as the Creaf, p. 125. 34. 363. 
 
 of 
 
TO Free Sentiment. 17^ 
 
 of our religion employ to conciliate Iiis re- 
 gard, and to influence his love of imitation. 
 Their effed will be moil clearly difcerned, 
 when they are placed before him in one point 
 of view, and are compared with the theory 
 which they have been brought to illuib"atc. 
 
 The mind, as at all times, Co more particu- 
 larly in early life, is apt to be biaffed in be- 
 half of whatever is feemingly noble, liberal, 
 beneficent. Every fhreuuous, manly, and 
 daring effort, is at this feafon the peculiar 
 objedl. of its admiration. And this falls out^ 
 not merely becaufe the effort itfelf io an indi- 
 cation of fortitude, but, where religion is con- 
 cerned, becaufe every attempt oi this kind 
 impreifeth a favourable idea of the author's 
 fmcerity. The paiBons at tlie fame time re- 
 quire gratification, and do not permit that 
 an inquiry fhould be carried niinutely into 
 the nature of their demands. The advocates 
 of natural religion, taking advantage of thefe 
 eircumftances, excite the admiration, conci- 
 liate the favour, and intereft die paiiions of 
 inexperienced readers, by means which have 
 been enumerated. They profefs to fet the 
 mind at liberty from the yoke of authority 
 
 and- 
 
1^6 Of Pretensions 
 
 and of arbitrary commands, by which its} 
 fphere of enjoyment is circnmfcribed, and its 
 exertions are fnbje6ted to controul. "With, 
 this purpofe, they call the powers of ridicule 
 to their affiftance. And they captivate ima- 
 gination as efFecflually by the grotefque forms 
 under which they reprefent the opinions of 
 their adverfaries, as by that alTemblage of 
 beautiful colours which they throw upoii 
 their own. 
 
 It is my purpofe, in this work, to guard 
 my young readers againft a prepoffeiTion 
 which fo many motives concur in eftablifh^ 
 ing, and which co-operates with their efleem 
 of the perfons who adopt thefe fentiments, 
 and with their love of imitation. Your fu- 
 fpicion, therefore, my young friend, when lb 
 many fpecious lures are hung out to miflead 
 your judgment, ought to begin at yourfelf, 
 inftead of refpecling the religion of Jefus, or 
 its advocates. A prejudice of the prefent, as 
 of every kind, \vill gather (Irength from in- 
 dulgence. But this is fo far more dangerous 
 rhan any other prepofTefllon, as the moft 
 powerful principles of a^lion, the paflions 
 and the appetites of human nature, will de- 
 rive 
 
-to Free SEi^TIME:^ff^ I'ff 
 
 rive unbounded gratification from its preva*^ 
 lence. Every argument in favour of revela- 
 tion will be feen through a falfe mediumj 
 when you are prejudiced againft the prin- 
 ciples which it is brought to eftablifh; On 
 the contrary^ plaufible declamation Tvill be 
 magnified into evidence, when you are pre- 
 pofTefTed in behalf of the do(ftrine to Which 
 it relates. In both cafes, therefore, it is inoft 
 probable that TRUTH will be overlooked. 
 
 bo you require then that I fliould lay afide 
 prepoffeflion altogether^ when I examine reli- 
 gious evidence ? This, yOU will fay, is impof- 
 fible even in conlmon cafes. For the mind 
 takes an involuntary bias froiii incidental cir- 
 cumftances, of which the relation to the prin- 
 cipal point is remote and precarious. On a 
 fubjedl, therefore, fo deeply and fo iiniver- 
 fally interefling as that of religion, it is lefs 
 able to refill their influence. In the prefdnt 
 inftance, I make no fiich requifition iri its 
 full import. I mean hot wholly to fubvert 
 the caufe, but to Cxpofe its word arid moil 
 dangerous effeclsi When ^vefy pliiulible ar- 
 tifice is employed to heighten prejDofleflion 
 on one fide, and to.ftrengthen averfion on the 
 ' Z other* 
 
iy$ Of Pretensions 
 
 other, he who lays open thefe artifices with 
 impartiaUty, although he cannot corredl the 
 prediledtion, may prevent it from influen- 
 cing the decifion of underftanding. Unmo- 
 ved by affirmation, and fufpicious of plaufi- 
 bility, a man will judge coolly of the. queftion 
 that is placed before him. Whereas, with a 
 flrong partiality to either fide, artfully and 
 imperceptibly augmented, his ultimate deci- 
 fion will mofl probably be falfe, and cannot 
 certainly at any rate be founded o^n jufl rea- 
 foning. 
 
 At the time when I endeavour to guard 
 my young readers againfl prepofTeffion, it 
 may be proper to evince, that the fhewy re- 
 prefentation of which fo many fpecimens 
 have been exhibited, is unfiipported by ar- 
 gument. He who examines this fubjecl with 
 attention, will find a powerful evidence of 
 the divine authority of our religion, in con- 
 fidering the inconfiflent fchemes which they 
 who rejed: Chriftianity have fubftituted in 
 its place. The prefent cafe offers a new proof 
 of this truth, which may be added to thofe 
 that have already been produced. Certain 
 plain quellions refpeding natural religioa 
 
 T^dll 
 
TO Free Sentiment. <\y^ 
 
 Will occur to every reader as proper to be ex- 
 plained, in the folution of which its panegy- 
 rifts ought to be agreed. They will enquire. 
 What is the religion of nature ? In what prin- 
 ciples is this religion founded ? By what laws 
 is it regulated ? What are the bounds by 
 which it is terminated ? and what duties does 
 it prefcribe ? 
 
 Thefe queilions are furely fuggefted by the 
 fubjedl, and ought to be determined with 
 precifion, if any points whatever deferve to 
 be treated in this manner. But we.fhall find 
 from examination, that the friends of the 
 law of nature have never yet agreed in their 
 opinions upon any of thofe topics. Far lefs, 
 therefore, are they prepared to give a confill- 
 ent and rational account of the whole mat- 
 ter. 
 
 The notitt<:^ communes of the eminent author 
 above mentioned are in truth fb far from be« 
 ing univerfal chara(5teri{lics, that fome of 
 them are reprobated even by his immediate 
 fuccefTors in the fame department. His doc- 
 trine of immortality, imprefFed upon every 
 mind, comes out to be " like children's tales, 
 Z 2 " the 
 
|8o Of Pretensions 
 
 ^' the amufement of the mere vulgar *.'* His 
 idea of punifhment is inconfiftent with our 
 notion of the goodnefs of the Deity f . His 
 maxira, that pardon will be the elFed: of re- 
 pentance, is wholly irreconcileable to the 
 more enlarged plans of his fuccelTors. Of 
 them, fome attempt to deftroy the diflin6lion ^ 
 of gobd and evil altogether, by making both 
 to depend upon the authority of civil laws J : 
 others deny the exiftence of a moral fenfe, by 
 means of which this di{lin6lion is percei* 
 ved § : while a third clafs, bolder than either 
 of the former, endeavour to annihilate thofe 
 perfe(5lions of the divine Mind from the con- 
 templation of which the penitent finner de- 
 rives all his confidence, fatisfadlion, ancj 
 hope II . 
 
 AVhat then is natural religion? — A reli^ 
 gion including whatever relates to the reafon 
 
 * CharaBer. Mi feci. 3, ch. 2.' 
 
 •)- Shaftef. Let. en Enthiif. 
 
 % Hohhes de C'lve^ cap. 6. i^c. 
 
 § Boling. vol, 5./>. 479. 
 
 II Id. vol. 5. p. 311. pa. 359. Dial, on Nat, Rel. 
 
TO Free Sentiment. i8i 
 
 and nature of things *. — Upon what prin- 
 ciples is this reUgion founded ? Upon eternal 
 obligation, and moral 6tnefs ; or upon the 
 dread of inviiible powers feigned or ima» 
 gined, as the confequence of certain tales 
 publifhed to the world f ; or finally, upon cir- 
 cumftances, the recolledlion of which never 
 fails to put a man of wit and fine tafte into 
 good humour f . By what laws is this religion 
 regulated ? By the fituation in which a man 
 is placed § ; or by our reafon coHe(5ting the 
 will of God from the fund of our natures 
 phyiical and moral. ||. Is it univerfal or par- 
 ticular? Are its laws written on the hearts of 
 all men, or are they locally and imperfe(5liy 
 communicated? — Either one or other is the 
 cafe according to the authors whom you con- 
 fult. Afk one of thofe gentlemen. The law 
 of nature, he will tell you, is abfolutely per- 
 fe(5l, incapable of addition or diminution If. 
 No fuch matter, another will reply. The beft 
 
 * Tindal ubifup. 
 
 t Hobbes. 
 
 % Chara5l. vol, l./>. 28, 
 
 § lind. 
 
 \\ BoUng. vol. 5./'. 100. 
 
 %TirtdaJ. Chrijl.p. 3. 
 
 fyftems 
 
lS2 Of Pretensions 
 
 fyftems of Pagan morality were intermixed 
 and blended with fo much fuperflition, and 
 ib many grofs abfurdities as quit^ eluded and 
 defeated the main defign of them *. A third 
 will afiirm, that this reafon of which you arc 
 fo vain, far from pointing out your duty, 
 cannot afcertain the exiftence of the being 
 by whom this duty is faid to be prefcribed f . 
 And to fum up all, a fourth will rell yoir, 
 that the mind is not endowed with any fenfe 
 by which you can diftinguifh good from evil, 
 or evil from good J. 
 
 Amidft this chaos of flu6luating opinions, 
 are you not, my yovmg reader, like Noah's 
 dove before the waters vx^ere abated, unable 
 to " find a place on which to reft the fole of 
 " your foot?" The beautiful profpedls which 
 feemed to look gay and fmiling at a diftance, 
 vanifh like the colours of the rainbow when 
 you approach towards them. The church, 
 compofed of all nations united by certain uni- 
 verfal iignatures ; this church diffolves at the 
 
 * Mf)r. Philof. view of the Deijl. Writ. vol. I. p. 202. 
 f Hobbes, Hume, Totdmin Philof. Eff. />. 224. -D^'^^- 
 9n Nat. Rel. pajf. 
 
 $ Bdifigbrokey vol. 5. /». 86. 
 
 inftant 
 
TO Free Sentiment. 183 
 
 inftant when you arrive at its precincfts. And 
 you perceive that its members have departedy 
 
 efcorted by B y's matter, T I's moral 
 
 fitners and eternal obligation; B e's idea 
 
 of a patriot King, xh^fpiriis of Hobbes *, the 
 quiddities of Aquinas, and the vibrations o^ 
 
 H ly; with the purpofe of occupying 
 
 certain vacant tenements in the ifland of 
 Utopia. 
 
 The theory of a writer of the prefcnt age 
 (lands fo immediately in oppofition to that 
 which we have endeavoured to explain and 
 to illuflrate in the prefent feclion, that I can- 
 not pafs it over injufliceto the fubjed: with- 
 out animadverfion. The fourth caufe ta 
 which the celebrated author of the Hiflory 
 of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Em- 
 pire afcribes the progrefs of Chriicianit}'^, 
 " the pure and aiijiere morals of Chriflians," 
 is that which I propofe to examine upon the 
 prefent occafion. For if it lliail be found 
 true, that the advancement of our religion 
 was forwarded by this caufe operating either 
 on the defire of imitation, or on any other de- 
 fire, the received opinions of mankind in all 
 
 * Vide flip :■ a f /». 52. iV. 
 
 • ■ ^ former 
 
184 Of Pretensions 
 
 former ages, as well as obfervations that are 
 founded upon thofe opinions, muft fall to the 
 ground. Before the prefent happy period^ 
 men have endeavoured to recommend them- 
 felves to the young, and the diffipated, by 
 manners remote from aufterity, and by prin- 
 ciples adapted to their practice* Even the 
 pleas of our author's fellow-labourers in the 
 vineyard of infidelity are deprived of all their 
 efficacy by the prefent hypotheiis. And to 
 thofe gentlemen's acknovs^ledged want of 
 aujlere and rigid morals^ we mufl attribute 
 the final difappointment of their efforts to 
 efface the fabric of revelation. With all my 
 heart, ye illuflrious advocates of religious 
 freedom, who, emancipated from the bond- 
 age of fuperflition, have indulged a manly 
 licence in pradice as well as in opinion! Ye 
 fons of nature, who vindicating the rights 
 of your Parent, would deflroy the foe by 
 whom you deem that her privileges are in- 
 vaded ! Know, that you muft reform your lives ^ 
 if you would fucceed in your attempt. You 
 muft fubftitute, in order to fpread your opi- 
 nions univerfally, fevere reftraint in place of 
 licentious freedom ; and the practice of men 
 naftlc aufterities in fuccefHon to the blandiih- 
 
 Jiients 
 
TO Freu Sentiment. 185 
 
 ments of voluptuous fenfation. Thus will 
 you prove, by becoming the objedls of gene- 
 ral imitation, a theory to be well founded 
 which we fhall now endeavour to Ihow, that: 
 experience and argument will be inefFe(flual 
 to eftablifh. 
 
 With this purpofe, let us bring the novel 
 hypothefis of our author to the teft. The ad- 
 vocate oi pure morality cannot be unaccept- 
 able to the friends of a religion, whofe authors 
 at the fame time taught and exemplified the 
 pureft moral fyftem. If it fhall appear that 
 he has erred in his notions of the nature and 
 effedls of this morality, it will be necefTar;^ 
 to detedl and to redlify his mifapprehen- 
 iion. 
 
 It is a known truth that the primitive 
 Chriftians, conlidered in general, were the 
 moft pious and virtuous body of men that ever 
 appeared in the world. " One of the topics, 
 " fays the learned and judicious Leland, on 
 " which the ancient Chriftian writers con- 
 *' flantly infift in their writings againfl: the 
 " heathens, and in their apologies, is the 
 A a " mighty 
 
rS6 Of Pretensfons 
 
 " mighty change that was wrought in the 
 " hves and manners of thofe who embraced 
 " Chriftianity *." On this fiibjedl it is lefs 
 neceflary to be particular, becaufe our author 
 himfelf is profufe of teftimonies, among 
 which that of PHny is one of the moft re- 
 markable. We acknowledge farther, with 
 Mr G. that this purity of manners in the 
 profefTors of a new religion is one of the 
 bed charadVers by which it can be recom- 
 mended ; and may be juftly ailigned as a^ 
 caufe of its progrefs. Had this gentleman 
 therefore a<ihered ftric^tly ta the prefent view 
 of his fubjecl, every friend of religion would 
 have concurred in his fentiments. But to- 
 the term pure this writer hath tacked an epi- 
 thet of inaufpicious import, for fuch with- 
 out doubt is the phrafe aujlere in its prefent 
 connecflion. And as a proof that this term- 
 has been appHed with mature deliberation^, 
 we iliall fee immediately, that our author's- 
 examples relate wholly to the pradlice of,au- 
 llerities as having forwarded the propagation 
 of our religion. 
 
 Two queflions will occur as neceflary to- 
 
 * Vieiu of the Dciji, Writ, vol. 2. c*:/, 
 
 be 
 
TO Free Sentiment. 187 
 
 ^e refolved from this ftate of the matter. By 
 what tefts are we to juclge that the firfl 
 Chriftians pradlifed this rigid morahty ? and 
 granting them to have pradtifed it, in what 
 manner did this prad;ice contribute to the 
 advancement of their rehgion ? Let us hear 
 Mr G, in anfwer to both queflions. 
 
 Among Chriftians of the firft ages he in- 
 forms us, that " a firft marriage was de- 
 clared unanimoujly -to be adequate to all the 
 purpofes of. nature and of fociety. The 
 pra(5lice of fecond nuptials was branded, he 
 tells us, with tlie name of legal adultery. 
 Defire among the firft Chriftians was im- 
 puted as a crime, and marriage was tole- 
 rated as a defedl, A ftate of celibacy was 
 the neareft approach to the divine perfec- 
 tion." Again. '" Their, the Chriftians, 
 gloomy looks, and mijlere afpe<fl, their ab- 
 horrence of the common buftnefs and plea- 
 fures of life, and their frequent predi(5lions 
 of impending calamities, infpired the Pa- 
 gans with the apprehenfion of fome danger 
 which would arife from the new fedl, the 
 more alarming as it was the more obfcure.'* 
 Our author completes his horrible pidlure of 
 A a 2 Chriftiaa 
 
i88 Of Pretensions 
 
 Chriflian auflerity, by which the Pagan mul- 
 titudes were fo irrefiftibly captivated, by ad- 
 ding as the lad heightening of his pencil, that 
 the virtue of the primitive Chriftians, like 
 that of the firft Romans, was very frequently 
 guarded by poverty and ignorance *." 
 
 It is not our bufinefs at prefent to inquire 
 whether the zeal of this writer has not promp- 
 ted him to give an expreflion rather too ftrong 
 and too auftere to fome features of his por- 
 trait. Let us contemplate the whole piece 
 as it is placed before us. The reader has 
 already anticipated the conclufion. He pro- 
 nounces, that the continued interpoiition of 
 extraordinary providence was exerted in efta- 
 blifliing a church framed by thefe laws, and 
 compofed of thefe members. And he judges, 
 that a miracle muft have been wrought to 
 bring an individual to join himfelf to fo 
 rigid and fo deteftable a community. Such 
 I will venture to fay is the decilion which an 
 impartial reader will pronounce a prlmo facie ^ 
 from Mr G's account of this matter. But is 
 there a man who can believe, that gloomy 
 
 * G'ihhns, vol. j. p. 577. 578. 629. ^ 
 
 looks, 
 
TO Free Sentiment. 189 
 
 looks, and declared abhorrence of bufinefs and 
 of pleafure, predi(5lions of impending cala- 
 mities, prohibition of natural and of rational 
 indulgence, poverty, ignorance ; and in one 
 word, inftitutions of which the tendency is 
 to depopulate the world, were employed as 
 means of immediate efhcacy to render the 
 religion of Jefus univerfal? And fhall we 
 fay that thefe circumfhances tend to promote 
 the fcheme on which they are attendant? 
 Every principle of human nature is fubver- 
 ted by this hypothelis, which mufl be raifed 
 upon the ruin of whatever hath been efleem- 
 ed fair, and beautiful, and attracflive ? 
 
 But, granting the cafe to have been as Mr 
 
 G reprefents it, the reader's attention 
 
 will be called to the fecond queflion. By 
 what means, he will afli, did the pra(5lice of 
 thofe aufterities advance Chriflianity in the 
 cftimation of our author ? The lofs of all the 
 enjoyments that render life comfortable was 
 compenfated, in his opinion, by the fingle 
 acquifition of fpiritual pride. " Even the 
 " Pagan multitudes," he tells us, " were in- 
 " clined to eflimate the merit of the facrifice 
 " by its apparent difficulty*." As this gentle- 
 
 * Gibbons, vol. i.p. ^j(^. 
 
 man 
 
190 Of Pretensions 
 
 man feems to be ferioufly of this judgment,, 
 and as his work, which has great hiftorical 
 merit, (lands high in the pubhc eftimation, I 
 Ihall lay the matter fully before the reader, 
 and ihall leave him to judge for himfelf. 
 
 Hiflory, that mirror in which the foibles 
 and weaknefles, as well as the virtues of men, 
 are clearly refledled, exhibits, no doubt, ex- 
 amples of religious extravagancies that have 
 impofed for a feafon upon ignorant and fu- 
 perflitious multitudes. An uninformed mind 
 is apt to think that the favour of an offended 
 Deity may be conciliated by the pradlice of 
 certain aufterities, without conlidering how 
 gi^eatly this idea tends to depreciate the di- 
 vine nature and perfecflions. A principle of 
 this kind, therefore, being once eflablifhed, 
 it is obvious that he who perfeveres moft 
 fleadily in the exercife of religious difcipline, 
 and who overcomes the temptations by which 
 his courfe might be obflru6led, is moft im- 
 mediately the objec^l of vulgar admiration. 
 Magnanimity and fortitude, virtues that 
 powerfully excite the defire of imitation, are 
 afcribed to the rigid difciplinarian. And 
 while fome are captivated by the refpedful 
 
 attention 
 
TO Free Sentiment. 191: 
 
 attention wherewith thofe virtues are con- 
 templated, and others by the fnppoled im- 
 portance of the caufe in which they are dii- 
 played, many may be induced to imitate his 
 example. It is in this procefs of obfervation 
 that we {hall find the true caufe of an ac- 
 knowledged fa(5l, Thar perfecution, contrary 
 to the views of its abettors, has contributed 
 in all ages to increafe the fe6l or party tvhich 
 it has been employed to exterminate. Our 
 admiration of the intrepidity and perfeve- 
 ranee of the fufFerers is ready to miflead rea- 
 fon in the examination of their principles. 
 The mind is difpofed to judge favourably 
 concerning thefe, in the prefent calc, from, 
 the apparent greatnefs of their efFe6ls. 
 
 While we make thefe acknowledgements 
 in favour of religious aufterities in generaly 
 it is proper that the limits ihould be afcer- 
 tained, within which their influence is cir- 
 cumfcribed. On this fnbjed I fhall endea- 
 vour to prove the truth of the two following 
 obfervations. The firft is, that, whatever ef- 
 fect we may afcribe to the practice of auftere 
 morals, their influence mufl: be confined ta 
 the fe6ts or parties of an ejiahlifhed religioua 
 
 community.' 
 
192 Of Pretensions 
 
 community. To an unformed and infant {o-- 
 ciety fuch pradlice muft prove deftrudlive. 
 The fecond remark is, that, even among thefe 
 fecfls, the effedl of thofe auflerities, though 
 fometimes violent, has never been permanent 
 or univerfal. 
 
 Our firfb obfervation, which refpedts the 
 pra(5lice of certain auflerities, as having infla- 
 ence only under an eftablifhment, may be 
 confirmed without much difficulty. Among 
 the parties which fpring up under fixed ec- 
 clefiaftical government, and where the ten- 
 dency of moral precepts is generally under- 
 ftood, he who lliall profefTedly adhere to the 
 letter of certain rules, will be judged at word 
 to have erred upon the right fide, by attempt- 
 ing to be ri-ghteous in the extreme. The faith 
 of more rational members of the fame com- 
 munity will not be fhaken by this condud: 
 of one or of many individuals ; and their 
 fentiments of the nature and tendency of 
 general laws and inftitutions will remain un- 
 alterable. The reafon is obvious. " We are 
 ." acquainted," they will fay, " with the prin- 
 ," ciples of this religion. We are fatisfied that 
 " it enjoins the pradice of no auflerities that 
 
 *' are 
 
TO Free Sentiment. ipj 
 
 " iare inconfiftent with innocent gratifi(^ation* 
 *' The befl regulations may be abuled or 
 " perverted by the patrons of fingular opi* 
 " nions. But our own judgment of this 
 " matter, and our condudl as regulated by 
 " it, are invariably the fame.'* 
 
 After this manner will men reafon who 
 adhere to do(5lrines which they have received 
 upon examination. But refpe61:ing the intro- 
 du(5lion of a new religion, the matter is 
 wholly different. No man will pretend to fay 
 that practices which in an eftabliihed church 
 are overlooked, or are tolerated as necelTary 
 evils, can be the natural means of procuring 
 members to an infant fociety. On the con- 
 trary, we muft be convinced that fuch prac- 
 tices will tend immediately and infallibly to 
 fubvert it. Men require to be flattered and 
 foothed into acquiefcence with tenets which 
 oppofe their ancient prejudicetJ and notions, 
 how irrational foever thefe may be. He 
 therefore who ihould attempt to fubflitute in 
 theirplace rigorous injundlions, and toimprefs 
 convidlion by authority, would very effec- 
 tually defeat the purpofe which he might de- 
 lire to accomphlli. And if we Ihoiild either 
 B b treat 
 
194 Op Pretensions- 
 
 treat the dodlrines of fucli a man with con- 
 tempt, or fhonld rejecfl his plan with indig- 
 nation, he muft confider both as confequences 
 arifing naturally from; his mode of introduc- 
 tion. 
 
 If the preceding obfervations are well- 
 founded, the abfurdity of our author's no- 
 tions in the prefent inflance muft be incon- 
 teftably evident. For, according to his hypo- 
 thefis, we muft believe, that, by the authori- 
 tative command of a few obfcure wanderers, 
 multitudes were induced to renounce all the 
 rites, forms, and ceremonies of a religion, con- 
 fecrated by general ufe, and rendered vene- 
 rable by a fuccellion of ages. We muft be- 
 lieve, that thofe men renouncing riches, plea- 
 fur e, bufinefs, whatever in ftiort renders life- 
 or even exiftence comfortable, embraced 
 contempt, indigence, perfecution, hatred, re- 
 proach; their former principles and belief 
 being wholly eradicated by the contempla- 
 tion of certain enjoyments to be obtained in 
 another ftate, with the nature of which they 
 were wholly unacquainted. In one word, 
 we muft believe, either that human nature 
 in the firft ages of Chriftianity was radically 
 
 and 
 
TO Free Sentiment. 195 
 
 and eiTentially different from human nature 
 at any former or fncceeding period, or that 
 
 the fcheme of Mr G , founded in the 
 
 faith of this imaginary oppofition, and deri- 
 ving all its authority from xhisfaith^ is utterly 
 incredible and abfurd. 
 
 It is only neceifary to obferve farther on 
 this fubjedl, that the prefent occafion of- 
 fers to us a ftriking example of the contra- 
 di(5lory theories of deiftical writers, of which 
 we have already brought fome remarkable 
 proofs. With this view we may remark, 
 that the polite and witty author of the Cha- 
 radleriftics entertains notions on this fubjedl 
 that are oppoiit^ in every circumftance to the 
 gloomy ideas of our author. " Whatever 
 ■*' ambitious fpirit," fays the noble author, 
 *' may infpire a religious founder, whatever 
 " favage zeal or perfecuting principle may 
 *' lie in referve, ready to difcloi'e itfelf when 
 *' authority and power is once obtained, the 
 "w/%^ y2-^/?^ of do£lrine however fails not to 
 *' prefent us with the agreeable views oi joy^ 
 ** love^ meeknefs^ gentlenefs^ and rno deration^'* 
 Why this, my Lord ? " Becaufe," he replies, 
 ** the affecSlion and love which procures a 
 B b 2 " true 
 
19^ Of Prete?^sions 
 
 " true adherence to the new reUgious foun- 
 " dation, muft depend either on a real or 
 " counterfeit goodnefs in the founder '■•." 
 
 Here then two zealous advocates of the 
 fame caufe, propofe to efFecluate one pur- 
 pofe by means betwixt which there is invin- 
 cible repugnance. They differ toto ccslo in 
 their account of the fame fa(5l ; and of 
 their hypothefes one muft certainly be falfe. 
 Thus far indeed the noble author feems to 
 be in the right, that the founder of a new 
 religion ought, in ordinary cafes, to prefent 
 the fair and attradlive fide of his fcheme to 
 mankind at his firft fetting out ; becaufe he 
 will find it neceifary to fix their attention by 
 fuperadding the charm of pleafure to the al- 
 lurement of novelty. COMMON SENSE 
 will fuggefl both to this founder, and to his 
 fuccefTors, the impropriety of preaching the 
 do(!yl:rines of penance and mortification in the 
 firft inftance. Such dotftrines, it will inform 
 him, will tend to frighten and repel the mul- 
 titude in thefc cafis^ vv^ho will not enter im- 
 mediately into the fpiritual enjoyments by 
 •^vhich thofe known evils are compenfated, 
 
 * Mifcel 
 
 To 
 
TO Free Sentiment. 197 
 
 To this SENSE therefore the fcheme of Mr 
 G- — , who afligns the above mentioned kno'w?t 
 evils as caufes of the propagation of Chrillia- 
 nity, appears to be repugnant. But while 
 we find this writer's conckifion to be inade- 
 quate, let us acknowledge that many of the 
 fa6ls which he relates are inconteftable. It 
 has been proved in a former fe(5lion, that the 
 moral precepts of the gofpel tended to fix a 
 prepoiTeflion that was unfavourable to its in- 
 fluence. And it is true, that Chriftians of the 
 firfl ages, by following the latter of thofe 
 precepts, adopted cuftoms, which temperate 
 thought, and the principles of their religion 
 properly under flood, would have taught 
 them to reje(5l. The firft fcene of dodlrine, 
 therefore, did not prefent agreeable views of 
 joy, moderation, and meeknefs, according to 
 the noble author's account of the matter. 
 On the contrary, it opened with a difplay of 
 objedls that are the moft unfavourable to 
 fenfual gratification, and with views which 
 pleafure is averfe to contemplate. 
 
 From thefe obfervations, it is therefore fuf- 
 ficiently obvious, that the fchemes above 
 mentioned, although oppofite to each other, 
 
 are 
 
igS Of Pretensions 
 
 are equally diiTatisfadlory : The latter, be- 
 canfe it contains a falfe reprefentation of 
 fadls : And the former, becaufe, admitting 
 the fa(5ls to be well founded, the efFec^ls af- 
 cribed to them are abfurd and incredible *. 
 
 Our fecond obfervation on the practice of 
 aufterities was, that not only is their effica- 
 cy confined to the fedls of an eflabliflied re- 
 ligion ; but that even within this circum- 
 fcribed fphere, their effedls, although fome- 
 times ftriking and ftrongly marked, have 
 never been permanent or univerfal. Some 
 
 * Some readers may objed to our remarks on the 
 
 "oppofite fchemes of Lord S and Mr G , 
 
 that there is no real contradiftion betwixt thefe, becaufe 
 the former fpeaks of the Author of our religion, and 
 the latter of his fucceflbrs. But this objeftion will va- 
 nifh when we refledt that by the words " firft fcene" 
 the noble writer clearly underflands all that pafled, or 
 that ought to have paflfed before " authority and power 
 
 '< was obtained.'^ Mr G pretends likewife to 
 
 fpecify the means by which thefe great purpofes were 
 accomplillied. It is therefore obvious, that the joy,mo- 
 (Jeration, and nreeknefs of the one confidered as means 
 of acquiring power and authority, fland direftly in op- 
 pofition to the gloomy looks, contracted views, and 
 auftere deportment by which the fame ends were effeftu- 
 ated according to the other- 
 
 r^marjcs 
 
TO Free Sentiment. igg 
 
 remarks on this fubjedt Ihall conclude the 
 fedlion. 
 
 The caufes have been enumerated at length 
 which contribute to render auftere morals,, 
 upon fome occafions, objedls of imitation. 
 On this fubje(5l, hiftory confirms a truth 
 which refledlion fuggefls to us. This truth 
 is, that tlie extreme which excites admiratiort 
 and aftonifliment by its novelty, hath never 
 produced lafling efledls in any age ; and that 
 no efFedt of extenfive influence can arife from 
 it. Without fearching for proofs of thi& 
 fadl in the records of antiquity, we find it 
 confirmed by abundant evidence in the hi- 
 ftory of this nation during the laft century, 
 and even at the beginning of the prefent.. 
 It is well known, that the moft flagrant ex- 
 amples of enthufiafl:ic aufterity that were 
 ever exhibited on the theatre of the world,, 
 characflerife the times of the commonwealth 
 of England, and of thofe perhaps that imme- 
 diately preceded it. It is as much an ufelefs 
 as it would be an endlefs tafli, to enumerate 
 particular examples to this purpofe. They 
 form too material apart of the character of the 
 times, to be omitted in the work of any hiftori- 
 
 an. 
 
200 Of Pretensions 
 
 an. We fee miferable enthuliafts denying tliem- 
 felves thenecefTaries of life, as well as renoun- 
 cing the pleafures of fociecy. Sometimes we fee 
 thofe men indulging their reveries in unfre- 
 quented deferts ; and fometimes we obferve 
 them breaking forcibly into churches, be- 
 lieving that they were divinely commiflioned 
 to difturb in their official exercifes the mini- 
 fters of religion. A military apoftle enters 
 on the fcene at one time, making war, at the 
 head of his regiment, from religious motives, 
 upon the bears by whofe gambols the citizens 
 of London were diverted. On another occa- 
 fion, our attention is drawn to preachers of 
 the gofpel, imitating the manners, imagi- 
 ning that they had caught the fpirit of the 
 warriors and prophets of the Old Teftament. 
 Thefe are a few among many obje(fls 
 which thofe wretched times prefent to be con- 
 templated. 
 
 But what was the end of all this extrava- 
 gance ? It was the frolic of a day ; too vari* 
 ousand flriking indeed to be pafTed over with- 
 out attention, but too violent to be accompa- 
 nied by any permanent efFedls. The devour- 
 ing gulph of time, fv/allowed up one fe<5l af- 
 ter. 
 
1*0 Free Sentim£i^t. loi 
 
 ter another, which fhootlng fucceffively 
 acrofs the hemifphere, funk at once into ob- 
 livion. Among all thofe enthufiafts, the 
 people denominated quakers are the only 
 fecflarians who have remained to the prefent 
 times. But they fubfift, by having drop- 
 ped the wilder peculiarities which originally 
 diflinguiftied their founders ; and by the 
 mild and pacific genius of their religious in- 
 ftitution. Their fe6l like wife circumfcribed 
 within narrow limits, has never comprehend- 
 ed " the multitude." And we have not at 
 prefent the lead reafon to believe that it v/ill 
 ever become formidable from its numbers. 
 
 What conclufion refuks from thefe obfer- 
 vations ? This furely we may infer, that if 
 a(5lions feemingly conformed to the princi- 
 ples of an eftablilheu religion, fliiled to im- 
 prefs the Chr'ijilan multitudes^ and to produce 
 Heady imitation, there is much lefs reafon 
 to believe, that the Pagan multitudes could 
 have been induced to facrifice all the plea- 
 fures of life, to the pra<5lice of fimilar aufte- 
 rities, in imitation of men whom they had 
 been taught to hate and deipife, and in com- 
 plaifance to a religion known only by the ri" 
 
 C c gour 
 
2cy2 Of Pretensions 
 
 gour of its laws, the feverity of its difciplinej 
 and the gloomy predidlions and forbidding 
 manners of its founders. 
 
 Upon the whole, I have endeavoured, in 
 my remarks on the fcheme of Mr G. and on 
 the prefent fubjedl in general, to prove the 
 following propofitions : i . That he who pro'- 
 mulgates a new infEitution to mankind, will 
 find his intereft in rendering the firfl view 
 of it as agreeable and pleafing as pofTible: 2, 
 That rigid injun(5lions, and auflere pradlice, 
 although tolerated in a fixed, muft be fub- 
 verfive of an infant fociety : 3. That the in^ 
 fpired author of the Chriftian religion, pub- 
 liftied unpopular dodlrines to the world ; and 
 that the firft Chriftians heightened every 
 difagreeable circumftance, by a condudl the 
 moft difficult to be imitated. From the 
 proof of thefe fatls, we have gained fiiffici- 
 ent evidence to eflablifh the following con- 
 clurion : That the auftere morals of the firft 
 Gbriftian teachers, formed an obftrudlion to 
 the progrefs of their religion, which the im- 
 mediate interpofition of its firft and great, 
 cau{e, was alone adequate to remove. It is 
 therefore obvious,, that this autlior's attempt 
 
 ta 
 
TO Free Sentiment. 203 
 
 to account for the propagation of Chrifliani-^ 
 ty by a natural caufe in the prefent inllance, 
 produceth a ftrong argument, that no natu- 
 ral caufe was equal to the produdlion of this 
 great effecfl ; and that fupernatm^al energy 
 was acflually employed with this purpofe. 
 His arguments therefore in this cafe, as in a 
 former one, tend to eftablilh the truth which 
 they are brought to invalidate, and to fub- 
 vert the proportion which they are adduced 
 to confirm. 
 
 I fliall conclude this fedlion by obferving, 
 that my remarks on the new Ibheme of Mr 
 G. oppofed to that of Lord Shaftelbury, and 
 in general, on the incompatible theories of 
 Deirtical writers in fubjed:s of religion and 
 of philofophy, have one fixed purpole in view- 
 This purpofe is to evince, that whatever are 
 the pretenfions of thefe men, and wnatever 
 fiiccefs has attended on their attempcs to ren- 
 der a bad caufe agreeable, yet that their plans, 
 when clofely invefligated, will be iound ef- 
 fentially defecflive. In the purluit of one 
 end, and even in the invelligation ot one 
 facfl, I have endeavoured in the prelent lec- 
 tion to prove, that thofe are not more incon- 
 
 C c z filtent 
 
204 Of the Charge 
 
 fiftent with truth, than irreconcilable with 
 each other. 
 
 SECT. VI. 
 
 Of the Charge of Credulity. 
 
 OF means by which the patrons of infi- 
 delity render themlelves patterns of 
 imitation, contempt of credulity and of cre- 
 dulous men is one of the moil eifedlual. At- 
 tention to the nature of this charge will dif. 
 cover the caufe of its efficacy in the prefent 
 inftance. Novel and fingular opinions are 
 calculated principally to imprefs the young 
 and inconfiderate among mankind. At a 
 time when the general fubjec5ts of invefliga- 
 tion are deemed to be exhaufted, the mind, 
 fatigued with the famenefs of its purfuits and 
 of its inquiries, finds in novelty fomething 
 that relieves its laflitude, and that excites its 
 adlivity. Prcpoffeffed therefore in favour of 
 objects which fparkle before the eye of ima- 
 gination, readers of this clafs are induced, 
 without difficulty, to receive them as reali- 
 ties. Their propenfity xo follow this courfe 
 is no doubt increafed by difcovering, that 
 thefe objedls are connedled with genera,! and 
 with licentious indulgejice. 
 
 But 
 
OF Credulity. 205 
 
 But with the charge which we propofe to 
 coniider in the prefent fecflion, the cafe is 
 widely different. The effecl of this impeach- 
 ment is by no means to be traced only a- 
 anong the frivolous and the diffipated. They 
 of the more rational and intelligent clafs of 
 men, whofe minds are inacceffible to other 
 attacks, yet fubmlt with impatience to the 
 imputation of credulity. This epithet, and 
 that of folly, are of the fame import in the 
 general eftimation. And it is no doubt true, 
 that he to whom the former defignation is 
 applied with propriety is in many inftances 
 charadlerifed by the latter. 
 
 Apprifed of all the advantages which they 
 derive from this plea, the adverfaries of our 
 religion urge it, as I fhall endeavour to e- 
 vince, with greater energy, and have recourfe 
 to it more frequently than to any other, in 
 order completely to effeminate their defign. 
 On this fubjed; the following queflions occur 
 to be examined ; a fatisfaclHiory difcuflion of 
 which will diveft the prefent caufe of infide- 
 delity at leaft of fome part of its energy. 
 What, it will be inquired, is the nature of 
 this charge, and from what caufes is derived 
 
 its 
 
2©6 Of the Charge 
 
 its efficacy ? By what arguments is a plea of 
 luch powerful efficacy againfl Chriftians en- 
 forced by the adverfaries of their religion ? 
 And what idea ought we to form of that 
 FAITH which they ftigmatize by fo obno- 
 xious an appellation ? — In reply to thefe in- 
 quiries, we offer the following obfervations. 
 
 By the term credulity I underfland a gene- 
 ral and undiftinguifhing faith, extended, not 
 merely to common, but more particularly to 
 marvellous and extraordinary do6lrines or 
 occurrences, without any proper examination 
 of evidence, as being either defe<5live or com- 
 plete. It is a circumftance fomewhat extra- 
 ordinary, that though men are in general 
 agreed in one explanation of this epithet, yet 
 no term whatever is more grofsly mifapplied 
 in particular inftances. And there is not at 
 the fame time any phrafe of which the mif- 
 appiication is produ(5live of more dangerous 
 effedls. Let us try an example. 
 
 You have been often told, that one of your 
 friends, of whom you think favourably, is a 
 man of eafy faith in ftories of a certain kind, 
 althovigh poiTefTed otherwife of good fenfe, 
 
 and 
 
OF Credulity. Sdy 
 
 and of many valuable qualities. You have 
 a good opinion of your friend's underftand- 
 ing ; and you cannot be perfuaded that a 
 charge, of which the proof fliould abate your 
 opinion of his charadler, is well founded, un- 
 til you are convinced by experiment. You 
 contrive with this purpofe to have him pre- 
 fent with another friend, who values himfelf 
 "Upon being lefs fufceptible of convi(5tion, but 
 whofe judgment you hold upon the whole in; 
 no very high eftimation. While you are 
 converflng with both, and are endeavouring 
 to find out the real character of the former, 
 a third perfon enters, who,, widiout any 
 knowledge of your intention, relates a very 
 extraordinary event. He informs you, that 
 a great army, commanded by an experienced 
 general, and met in the open plain, had beeii: 
 routed by an inconliderable party, with- 
 whom they encountered accidentally. Yoit 
 are all interefted in the truth of this ftory ; 
 and you wifh to know the evidence whereby 
 it is fupported. Your friend produceth a 
 ktter from a man who was adlually prefent 
 in the battle, and who was himfelf involved 
 in the general rout. He fays, that the army 
 was thrown into confufion, not by the fkilf 
 
 or 
 
4o8 Of the Charge 
 
 or by the efforts of the enemy ; but they 
 confidered this detached troop as the fore- 
 runners offerees equal, if not fuperior to their 
 own, who might have hirked among the con- 
 tiguous eminences, and whofe attack they 
 were not prepared to refill. You are all fa- 
 tisfied, that the writer of the letter is a man 
 of honour and of veracity. What judgment 
 do you form of his evidence ? 
 
 He who is difhcult of belief pronounceth 
 the llory at once to be incredible. " I am 
 " acquainted," fays he, " with the com- 
 " mander of this army, and / am certain that 
 " he would never be unprovided of means 
 " to defend himfelf againft any fudden at- 
 " tack. Befides," he will add, " the difpro- 
 " portion of numbers betwixt the victorious 
 " and the vanquillied troops is fo great, 
 ** where no fecond army was really in fight, 
 " that I cannot believe the affair to have 
 ** been as this man reprefents it." You men- 
 tion the known character of your informer, 
 and the circumftance of his having been pre- 
 fent in the acSlion. But he over-rules thefe 
 obje6lions, by faying, " that the man may 
 " have had fome purpofe in view, for which 
 
 " he 
 
t)t CftEDUti-rYi 209 
 
 **■ he cannot account*'* He adds, perliaps, 
 " that having deferted his poft with a few 
 ** others in a panic, the narrator may have 
 ** framed this ftory afterwards to keep him- 
 " felf in countenance." But he poiitively a- 
 vows his difbelief of the report. 
 
 He, on the other hand, who is not fb con- 
 fident of his own judgment as the former, 
 reafons in this manner. " As I am fatisfied 
 *' concerning the honour and veracity of th^ 
 " author of this letter, I do not queflion thei 
 " truth of his information. I fee nothing 
 that is really incredible in the ftory of a 
 great army being routed by a fmall body 
 of men, even without the fufpicion which 
 *' the appearance of thefe is faid to have rai- 
 *' fed in the prefent inftance. Hiftory offers 
 " to our view many examples of armies, a- 
 *' mongft whom a panic, excited by fome 
 *' trifling and unaccountable incident, hath 
 *' fpread almoft in the moment of vidlory, 
 *' and hath occafioned inftant and unavoid- 
 " able confufion. In the cafe before us, the 
 " effedl is afcribed to a caufc that appears to 
 " be rational and adequate. > • The country 
 '* in which the engagement took place is 
 D d " mountainous. 
 
 «( 
 
 (( 
 
fit 
 
 210 Of the Charge 
 
 " mountainous. An army marches through 
 " it unfufpicious of danger. A party of the 
 *' enemy appear unexpedledly. They who 
 compofe it fall upon this formidable body 
 ^' in defpair, being determined to fell their 
 ^ lives as dearly as poflible. Thefe, on the 
 '* contrary, aftoniiQied at the boldnefs of their 
 ^' enemies, expect every moment to fee the 
 " hoft to w^hich they belong defcending frorri 
 '' the furrounding hills, or perhaps ftarting 
 " up from their lurking places in the vallies^ 
 " Fear magnifies every obje<5t. They arc 
 *" terrified, fall into confufion, and are over- 
 " thrown. You have this information frorfi 
 " a man who was prefent in the atflion. Why 
 " fliould we reje(5t a plain ftory thus (imply 
 " related and flrongly authenticated, becaufe 
 *' the event is fomewhat uncommon ? And 
 " what purpofe is gained by flaining the cha- 
 " raster of a worthy man that hath till now 
 *' been irreproachable ? I am forry," he 
 might add, " for the event n But I cannot 
 "doubt concerning its certainty,'* 
 
 Permit me now, my young readers, to in- 
 quire which of thofe men you confider in 
 this reprefentation as having aded from the 
 
 moil 
 
Of Cridulity. 2H 
 
 mod rational principles ? Your decision, I 
 will fuppofe, is favourable to him who gave 
 credit to fo well authenticated a relation. 
 But let us admit, that the event juftifies the 
 increduUty of the latter. It appears fron^ 
 the full detail of this tranfadion, that a pa- 
 nic had feized the troops at tlie firft onfet, 
 who had fled in the utmofl confufion. It 
 i& likcwife known, that the author of this in- 
 telligence had failed to difcovcr his ufual 
 covirage and refolutibn in the prefent in- 
 flance, and had been carried along with the 
 torrent. But it turns out, that the com- 
 mander in chief had rallied fome part of his 
 forces in their retreat ; and having remark- 
 ed that the conquering party was vmfupport- 
 ed, had led thofe forces back to the charge. 
 It is difcovered, that thefe, animated by 
 fhame and by indignation, had reftored the 
 day ; and that, in the end, they had beea 
 completely vidlorious. 
 
 The judgment of an intelligent man would, 
 it ia acknowledged, remain unbiafled by this 
 information, and he would acquit him who 
 gave credit to the firft relation, of having ex- 
 J^ibited any proof of credulity. He would 
 D d 2 obferve, 
 
2i2- Of the Charge 
 
 obferve, that the faith of this man was foun- 
 ded upon evidence apparently inconteftable. 
 For although the author of the information 
 deviated at this time from his ufual line of 
 condud^, yet the probability arifing from the 
 general tenor of his actions, was certainly 
 favourable to his adherence. We cannot 
 judge that any particular acflion of which we 
 have not been eye-witnelTes, is confonant to 
 charadler, by another rule than that which 
 is drawn from the courfe of general conducfl. 
 A judgment thus formed ought not there- 
 fore to be affeded by an event which could 
 not be forefeen. 
 
 We have faid, that an intelligent man will 
 decide from thefe principles. But is it from 
 fuch reafons that the far greater number, 
 who, without inveftigating caufes, fix their 
 eye upon the event, will form their efti- 
 mate ? By no means. What the former de- 
 nominates a happy conje6lure, the latter will 
 dignify with the title of fuperior fagacity. 
 The belief, in the fame manner, that is fup- 
 ported by rational evidence in the opinion of 
 a real judge, will by thefe be afcribed to 
 credulity and folly. Hence it often happens, 
 
 that 
 
'OF Credulity. 313 
 
 that he who is juflified by the difcerning 
 few, finks as much as his adverfary rifes in 
 the public eftimation ; their characters be- 
 ing eftimated by a criterion, which, iiowever 
 improper or inadequate, is yet indifcrimi- 
 nately appUed to both. 
 
 Let us reverfe the hypothecs, and fuppofe 
 that the incredulous man is clearly convic- 
 ted of having carried his unbelief to the ex- 
 treme, he will not fuffer in the general opi- 
 nion in the fame manner as the other. If 
 the flightefb caufe of his error can be afTign- 
 ed, it will be palliated by the defignation of 
 a miftake on the beft fide ; and the known 
 maxim, " Hiimaniim ejl errare^"* will be ufed 
 in his vindication. 
 
 It is therefore obvious, that although men 
 are agreed in the general acceptation of the 
 term credulity, yet tliere are few epithets of 
 which, in particular cafes, it is more difficult 
 to afcertain the fignification. The reafon ap- 
 pears to be, that it is no eafy matter to fix 
 upon that point or medium of proof, efpe- 
 cially in extraordinary cafes, with which the 
 mind is fatisfied, as being full and appropri- 
 ated. 
 
^14 Of the Charge 
 
 ^ted. And even when fuch proof is gained, 
 the prejudices and paflions of men prevent 
 that it fiiould have the proper effedl. Thus 
 it happens, that, from the apprehenfion of 
 being deemed credulous, men are fliy of pro- 
 feffing in public their belief of certain fadts 
 or propolitions, the tiTith of which they do 
 not really call in queftion. But this is not 
 the fole effeSi arifing from the circumflance 
 above mentioned. For objed:ions of no real 
 efficacy acquire force and validity from this 
 apprehenfion : And, in one cafe, thefe feem 
 to impair a degree of evidence, which, in 
 another, would be confidered as decifive. Pre- 
 judice upon thefe occalions prefents the ob- 
 je6l which the mind contemplates, in points 
 of view that are the mofl unfavourable. Paf- 
 fion likewife takes that fide in the general 
 decifion which may mioft readily conciliate 
 popular efleem. 
 
 Thus far we have endeavoured to explain 
 the nature of credulity, and to point out its 
 efFedts. But we cannot enter fully into thi$ 
 fubjedV, without inveftigating the caufes from 
 which our averfion to this imputation ulti- 
 mately pFoceeds. Of this univerfal reluc- 
 tance, 
 
OF Credulity. S15 
 
 tance, the two following caufes may be af^ 
 ligned as being produ(5live for the inoft part. 
 The firft is, that defire which many perfona 
 have to be confidered as philolbphers, who 
 are fuperior to the prejudices and prepoffeC- 
 fions of the vulgar. The fecond will be 
 found in the injudicious management of pro-' 
 feffed inflru(5lors in the earliefl fealbn of life* 
 On each of thofe points the prefent fubje6t 
 requires that we fhould make fome obfer- 
 vations. 
 
 Men of the world, as they are called, dif- 
 claim in general the appellation of philt>fb- 
 pher, as an unpopular naiixe in certain fb* 
 cieties, and of inaufpicious import. At thie 
 fame time we may remark, that fo fkr ss 
 thofe men can gain the reputation of perfbns 
 who think for themfelves by an imitation of 
 philofophers, fo far the purpofes of philo*- 
 fophy fall within their plan; and the attam- 
 ment of thefe becomes eligible. Hence it 
 happens, that men who have neither ability 
 nor inclination to weigh evidence on both 
 fides of a queftion, yet profefs to be incredu^- 
 . lous in points which the lower order of 
 men believe to be true, becaufe this deelara- 
 
 tioa 
 
ai6 Of THE Charge 
 
 tion gratifies their vanity by raifing tliem to 
 a certain imaginary eminence. Their efleem 
 of the philofophical character betrays them 
 into the only imitation of it that is in their 
 power, that of appearing to be emancipated 
 from vulgar prepofleflion. In the mean 
 time, from their incapacity to judge concern- 
 ing the nature of different fubjecls, and the 
 proof of truths either moral or hiftorical, they 
 fall into a general profeflion of incredulity as 
 that wrhereby they may be denominated men 
 of fagacity and of difcernment. 
 
 By following out this obfervation we fhall 
 be enabled to difcover the real charadler of 
 many men to whofe procedure common prin- 
 ciples are inapplicable. You mention a plain 
 fa(5l, or lay down a fimple propoiition. In a 
 company coniifting of feveral perfons, one 
 man calls either or both in queftion. You 
 eftablifli the truth of what you have advan- 
 ced by irrefragable arguments which carry 
 conviction to every odier mind. This man 
 adheres however to his opinion, and tells you 
 that in fome cafes he cannot give credit to 
 any other teflimony than that of his own 
 
 fenfes. 
 
OF CftfiOULlTY. 217 
 
 fenfeis *. Or fhoiild you appeal to thefe, he 
 ftill efcapes from your hold, by faying that 
 they are fallacious, and that they ought not 
 to be truftedf . You flare and are filent. 
 
 r'ls it from an examination of the evidence 
 produced by you, of which he can therefore 
 point out the defedl, that your adverfary con- 
 tinues to be thus obftinate? No. But this pro- 
 pofition or fa6l is believed in common with 
 many others by men whom he regards as 
 credulous and filly people. In the writings 
 likewife of certain philofophers, the notable 
 maxims abovementioned are fet up as gene- 
 ral teftis, or axioms, to which their followers 
 may'have recourfe in all cafes of difficulty. 
 He'afTumes therefore, in idea, a fimilarity of 
 
 * Such, in the judgement of the judkions Leland, is. 
 the argument by which a late celebrated author endea- 
 vours to difprove the exiftence of a Deity. Fiew of the 
 Dc'ijl. Writ. vol. ^. p. 29. This propofition is direclly 
 laid down and maintained, as the fame able cafuift ob- 
 ferves, by the author of Chriflianity not founded on ar- 
 gument. Vol. 1./). 421. "' 
 
 f The reader will find abundant evidence of tbe 
 truth of this remark irt the writinjjs of the whole tribe 
 "bf inKdel writers. " 
 
 E e character 
 
2t8 Of the Charge 
 
 char adler with the philofopher whofe principles 
 he appears to adopt upon this occalion. Wheft 
 to this efFecfl of the love of imitation you fu^ 
 peradd the pleafurearifingto him fromrefledl- 
 ing thathepaffeth for a man of profound faga- 
 city, who knows much more than he chufeth: 
 to exprefs, and who is an enemy to the com- 
 mon dodlrine of Faith ^ i. Ci of credulity ; yoir 
 account for his obflinacy and xiniverfal dis- 
 belief. 
 
 Thefe remarks on the nature and caufes of 
 incredulity we do not mention as being com- 
 prehenfive of the fubjeifl. In order to account 
 fully for this principle, we muft afcribe the 
 greateft part of its influence to the injudici- 
 ous management of thofe who are profeiTed 
 inftrudlors in the early feafon of life. On 
 this branch of our fubjed:, as being of prin- 
 cipal importance, it is neceflary diat we en- 
 ter with particularity. 
 
 We may obferve- with truth of mankind 
 in general, that their religious fentiments 
 are regulated ma great meafure, during the- 
 whole courfe of their lives, by the firft no- 
 tjions-.of this great fubjedl which are impref^ 
 
 fed 
 
OF CrEDU LI TY. Q4 f 
 
 fed tipon their minds. From this truth it 
 follows obvioufly, that certain qualities in 
 the mind of him who is entrufled with the 
 important <:harge of education, will produce 
 either the beft or the -word effedls upon thofe 
 whom he is employed to inftru'61. Confe- 
 quences of the laft kind arife moft <:om- 
 monly from that enthufiaftic ardooir in a tu- 
 tor which is known by the deiignation 
 Zeal, of which we fhall therefore endeavour, 
 fo far as the prefent point is concerned, to 
 difplay the operation. 
 
 By the term Zeal is mc^ commonly uti- 
 •derftood a pafTionate attachment to tenets or 
 to doctrines of any kind, which temperate 
 reafon rejecSts as exceeding the medium of 
 truth. Two ingredients appear from our 
 account of this principle to conilitute it par- 
 ticularly. Thofe are violent paffions, and a 
 weak or mifguided underftanding. The ve- 
 hemence of the former is indicated by the 
 extreme to which the mind is precipitated 
 luider their direction; and the comparative 
 debility of the latter, by its implicit fubmif^ 
 iion to dictates which it cannot juftify nor 
 defend. Of this ardour, to whatever objecft 
 E e 2 it 
 
220 Of THE Charge 
 
 may be diredled, we muft acknowledge that 
 the influence is always pernicious. Experi- 
 ence however has pointed out at all times the 
 fphere of religious inquiry, as being that 
 wherein its effects are mod confpicuous, and 
 flrongly marked. We fhall endeavour to 
 evince, that, *in the prefent fphere, he who 
 is zealouily attached to the tenets of any fedl 
 or party whatever, will be rendered by his 
 attachment, the promoter of that incredulity 
 which it is his ultimate and earneft purpofe 
 to difcourage and to fupprefs. Our obferva- 
 tions on this head will introduce remarks on 
 that plan of religious inftru6lion by which 
 effedls that are fo detrimental may be pre-^ 
 vented from influencing coijdud:. 
 
 Of Zealots there are two clalTes, of whom 
 the members adopt maxims that are diame- 
 trically oppofite. The lirft confifts of men 
 whofe religious fchemes are illiberal, and 
 whofe principles are intolerant. To the laft, 
 on the contrary, they belong who glory in 
 being releafed from the reflraint of principles 
 altogether, and who endeavour with their 
 utmoft power to exterminate its influence 
 aniverfally. Our prefen,t purpofe is to ihow, 
 
 that 
 
OF Credulity. 221 
 
 tliat when men of either clafs are the direc- 
 tors of education, although they proceed in 
 paths that are apparently oppofite,yet that the 
 points in which thefe terminate are nearly 
 the fame. 
 
 In the firfl cafe zeal will prompt its votary 
 to tindlure the mind which he propofeth to 
 inftrudl with thefe narrow views, and with 
 thofe abfm'd prejudices, which predominate 
 in his own. With this end he will chalk out 
 to his pupil a particular line of enquiry to 
 which he will prefcribe an inflexible adhe- 
 rence. He will attempt likewife to imprefs 
 certain notions upon his memory, which a 
 young man of difcernment will receive per- 
 haps at firfl as the befl that are offered, not 
 without fome hefitation. But let us mark 
 the confequence of this procedure. The two 
 extremes of bigotted attachment to certain 
 opinions of a fubjedl, and an abfolute rejec- 
 tion of it, run more readily into each other 
 than we may be apt at firfl view to conceive. 
 Releafed from a flate of intelle(5lual fubjec- 
 tion, the man difcovei's at the fame time 
 that his firfl notions have been built upon a 
 falfe foundation, and that theories of uni- 
 
 verfal 
 
222 Of the Chauge 
 
 verfal repute have been induflrioufly with- 
 lield from him. It is obvious, that a preju- 
 dice in favour of the latter muft be the con- 
 iequence of this dete<5lion. For he will judge 
 that thefe muft have been concealed from a 
 well-grounded apprehenfion of their effecfls. 
 ^^' If, he will fay very juftly, the hypothefis of 
 thofe authors are abfurd as well as impious, 
 why have I not been permitted to examine 
 thefe as well as others of an oppofite tendency 
 which have readily been put into my hands ? 
 I have been taught principles of which I be- 
 gin t?o call in queftion the ftability. Let mc 
 try whether the truth of which I am in 
 fearch may not be found in the examination 
 of theories that are framed by men of libe- 
 ral fentiment by their own profeflion, and 
 of great ability in the general eftimation." 
 
 After this manner a young man of fome 
 refledlion will reafon with himfelf on this 
 lubje6l. And from reafoning thus he will 
 proceed to perufe the writings of thofe au- 
 thors with the hope of being benefited by 
 his refearch. Rejedling, therefore, his fir ft 
 opinions as incompetent, and unacquainted 
 with intermediate fchemes, which from the 
 
 fame 
 
OF Credulity. 523 
 
 fame general dodrines are rendered more 
 Gonfonant to truth and nature, oui' inexpe- 
 rienced inquirer falls into an approbation of 
 plans that have a more promifing afpedt. 
 He remarks that the charge of credulity is 
 in many cafes urged with truth againft thofe 
 who have been the firft patterns of his imi- 
 tation. He therefore ftiakes off this eredlili- 
 ty, and refblves not to embrace any tenet 
 that is not confonant to his ideas of fitnefs, 
 and of propriety. He detedls that zeal in 
 others which has not been " according ta 
 *' knowledge." Far, however, from profiting 
 by this difcovery, he is carried without per- 
 ceiving it to the extreme of incredulity by 
 that paffionate ardour which i& the fubjedl of 
 his cenfure. 
 
 The mind in early youth is indeed natu- 
 rally charmed with every plan whkh gives 
 fcope to the free exerticai of its faculties. It 
 finds ibmething that is pleafing to felf-love in 
 this exaltation of reafbn, and gives a hearty 
 approbation to means by which fb defirable 
 an end is accompHflied. Diverted therefore 
 of his firft principles, and taught by experi- 
 ence to avoid the extreme of fuperftitious 
 
 credulity^ 
 
224 Of the Charge 
 
 credulity, a young man difcovers charms'' in 
 the track that opens to him, of which per- 
 haps, after all, the principal excellence is the 
 novelty. Why then, it may be ailved, does 
 not this plan ceafe to captivate when it 
 ceafeth to be. new?. I anfwer, becaufe the 
 mind receives fo deep a taint from the unli- 
 mited indulgence of paffion in early life, that 
 at a later period it is unmoved by arguments 
 of which the efFedl in other circumftances 
 mufl have been ftriking and permanent. 
 
 To our remarks on the dangerous efFedl of 
 a narrow and gloomy feheme of religious 
 principles, we need not add obfervations on 
 the effedls that mufh arife from an adherence 
 to the oppoiite extreme. Let us only remark, 
 that the principal objedl which this compari- 
 fon offers to us is, that, according to the former* 
 feheme, a man will be condudled with much 
 pain and labour to that point from which by 
 the latter he fets out in his courfe. For the man 
 who, from his difapprobation of fome reli- 
 gious principles, divefts himfelf of all, and he 
 who enters into life without the knowledge of 
 fuch principles, are, it will be acknowledged, 
 equally free from the reftraint which they 
 
 impofe 
 
:X)f CRJ^DULfTy*; ' 225 
 
 impofe upon others. And their atflions at the 
 period above mentioned may be equally ex- 
 trava^gant and licentious. 
 
 r-,h middle courfe, therefore, I am inclined 
 to think, ought to be purfued with young 
 perfonS) as that which will be found to have 
 the happieft efFecSl. This will be carried into 
 execution moft fuccefsfully by accufloming 
 the mind in early life to examine all fides of 
 the quellions that are under its review with 
 freedom and impartiality. The parent or 
 tutor, who would imprefs a good opinion of 
 our religion, may fubrnit thofe works to con- 
 fideration in the firft inilai^ce, wherein th^ 
 utility of Chriftian inflitutions, and the ob- 
 fervance of Chriftian duties, are moft ftrong- 
 ly inculcated and enforced. By this proce- 
 dure, two points of importance will be gain- 
 ed. The firft is, that the earlieft prepofTefTion 
 .which the mind receives will be favourable 
 to our religion. The laft, which is equally 
 important, is, that the arguments of free- 
 thinkers will lofe theif^ principal charm at 
 any future period, by being deprived of no- 
 velty. The man will be fatisfied, by being 
 permitted to extend his inquiries univerfai- 
 
 F f " ly,. 
 
2^6* O^ t HE Charge 
 
 ly, that neither have his infl:ru<5tors adbpr- 
 ed; tior do diey require him to believe in 
 fchemes which they are afraid of fubmitting. 
 to examination. He will bp taught to difkin- 
 guifh a faith that is founded on reafon from 
 that general aflent. without inveftigatiori 
 which is properly characflerifed by the terni 
 credulttf. Thus therefore he will be provided 
 of the means of defending himfelf on that 
 fide on which the advocates of infidelit^r 
 make their attack with the greateft profpec^ 
 of fuccefsL >* 
 
 We cannot leave thia interefting branch of 
 our fubje(5l, without making another obfer- 
 Vation, which appears naturally to arife from 
 it. The remark is, that, among the queftions: 
 that are fubmitted to the examination of a 
 young perfon, a judicious inftruc^r will not 
 introduce in the firft place points of faith, 
 modes of worihip, or in general, fpeculative 
 doctrines, to the comprehenfion of which en- 
 larged views, confiderable knowledge, and 
 powers of entering intOv an argumentative 
 procefs, are neceifary. The perfe(5lion« and 
 providence of God, and the various relations 
 in which- his- creatures fland to, him, are the 
 
 firft 
 
<01?'GRE'DULITYr* 22J' 
 
 Srfl objcdls which a contemplative min'd'wiU 
 view with fome attention. And fuch a tutoi* 
 will choofe to follow the choice of his pupil 
 in the firft inftance, rather than to prefcyib* 
 to it. There can be no danger in explaining 
 and in reconimending Chriftian dod:rines-oa 
 thofe important fubjeds, becaufe it -is- i[<-^ 
 knowledged that they are- rational. Neither 
 can ajij jufl: exception lie againii fan(5lion4 
 whether peculiar or not to^ the Chriftiafx 
 fcheme, which require the belief of thoft 
 truths, or which enjoin their obfervance. 
 The proof of thefe points will be introduced 
 in a fubfequent part of this work, whereiii 
 we will refume the fubjexfl of religious €dv^ 
 cation. . 
 
 '*r."We have ncf^'^ entered at very confidtffabfe 
 length into the nature of the charge of cre- 
 dulity, and have endeavoured to follow its 
 -effects vip to their original caufes. Let us 
 now, in the profecution of our general plan, 
 confider the ufe which our modern free- 
 thinkers make of this charge, in order to re- 
 commend themfelves and their do&ines to 
 popular efteem. 
 
 F f 2 We 
 
?lS Qfthe Char^ge 
 
 T; We. muft go back as -&- ais the days of 
 Celfus, to firid the time when this plea waj^ 
 fii ft urged to the prejudice qf the Chi'iftian 
 caufe. It is by. this fagacious, although in- 
 vet'erate adverfary,^that the ball is thrown out^ 
 .which his humble imitators of later times 
 have bandied ^ about to fuch excellent purpofe* 
 With the purpOite Qi depreciating Chriftianl^ 
 ty, he expa,tiates with much i^rt and app^irent 
 .propriety uppn the ufe that ought at all times 
 -to b^ made of rational invefligation. After 
 Uiis exordiuip, he proceeds,, to compare Ghri-r 
 dlians who he fays are a^cywc arjaTeuoi'Tic, " vin- 
 reafonably cr^dviious," tOrthe fimple arid illi^ 
 tetate vulgar, wjiom a few ;defiguing villains 
 led about at their feftivals, by pretending tc) 
 make Hecate and other demons pafs before 
 tliem*. He adds, that ionje Chriftians are 
 fuch enemies to aU inqtiiry, that they, will 
 neither give nor receive 4 reafon of the faith 
 that is in tliem. The following rule there- 
 fore among them is proverbial. " Ma^e no 
 " inquiry; but believe. F^ith will do your 
 *' bufinefs at qnce." It is likewife, he fays, 
 a common expreiTion among them, that we 
 ought " to fliun the wifdom of men, and to 
 
 % pPir. v.a,7a. KEAS. Tc^. A. p, 8. 
 
 ** imitate 
 
OF Credulity. 229 
 
 *' imitate their folly *." Again, he reproach-^ 
 eth the Chriftians by mentioning the condudt 
 of Plato. This phllofopher, he tells us, afligns 
 a reafon of his faith in a matter of which he 
 fays oTi f»iTor «K iiTTiy, that it cannot be explained. 
 He adts in this manner, according to our au- 
 thor, that he may not be thought to have 
 adopted any tenet irrationally. Origen re- 
 marks very juftly, that the ultimate purpofe 
 of tliefe obfervations is to expofe the dodlrine 
 of implicit faith. He takes off their force, 
 by faying that the apoftle Paul was of the 
 lame opinion with Celfus on this fubje(5l; for 
 that he likewife reprehends thofe who were 
 too eafy of belief. " If ye had not believed 
 " too raftily f," &c. Such is the ^all as it 
 was firfl fet in motion. Attend now to the 
 champion of the fame caufe in modern days, 
 
 qui denfis idlibus, heros 
 Creber^utraqiiemanu pidfat^verfatque, ViRG. 
 
 Among them, it is with regret that we aflign 
 the firft place to the ingenious and fpirited 
 
 * Alluding moft probably to what is faid, i. Cor. iii ig. 
 That the wifdom of this world is foolilhnefs with God. 
 
 t Id. Toy.. 5. p. 281. . . 
 
 Voltaire, 
 
t^o Of the Charge 
 
 Voltaire. His obfervation on- the credulity 
 of Chriftians, fignified under the inaufpicious 
 term FAITH, is the fame as that of his mafter 
 Celfus. He introduceth it, however^ with 
 much more addrefs, after having enumera- 
 ted fome hackneyed obje6lions to the truth 
 of Chriftianity, raifed, as he fays, by the 
 learned. 
 
 ' ..In vain, fays he, have thofe men of erudi- 
 ;tjon been wondering for fo many ages at the 
 £lence of Jofephus refpedling the birth and 
 actions of ChrifL Of one fhort paffage that 
 relates to this fubje(5l in his works the inter- 
 polation is tmiverfally acknowledged *, In 
 
 * Surely this author muft have been x'ery ill informed 
 "''Svhen he writes in this manner concerning a pafTage 
 ^vhieh is found in all the manufcripts of Jofephus with- 
 out e:«;eption. If his affirmation was founded in the 
 objeclions which Tannegui le Fevre and other authors 
 . have made to its authenticity, he ought at the fame 
 time to have acknowledged, that both Jerom and Eufe- 
 biuB among the firft Chriftian writers maintain it to be 
 genuine. To give up a paffage as being interpolated, 
 againfl the authenticity of which prefumptive evidence 
 can only be oppofed to ocular teftimony in its favour, 
 would be the height of folly. Fide Taneg. Fab. Dia* 
 trib. Flav. Jofeph. de Jef. Chrift. Tejiim. pnff. Jerom 
 de Scriptor. Eujeb. Ecclef. Hijt. Lib. I, cap. ii. 6c. 
 D.aub;iz. de Tejlim. Flav. Jofeph. he. 
 
 vain 
 
OF Credulity. 23s 
 
 Tain do thofe learned perfons objedt to the 
 prodigies of darknefs, &c. which happened at 
 the time of our Saviour's death, that they are 
 not recorded by any contemporary Roman 
 hiftorian. In vain have they found difficul-- 
 ties in the evangeUcal hiftory. And to no' 
 purpofe do they urge objedlions to the record 
 of miracles. All thefe cavils of the learned 
 are efFedually filenced by FAITH, the merit 
 of which is enhanced by thofe diihcnlties *. 
 
 What does this lively writer mean by the 
 farcaflical infinuation which concludes this 
 paragraph ? It is not furely his purpofe to 
 maintain that no advocate of our religion has 
 attempted to account for thefe formidable 
 circumftances from principles which merit 
 attention. Even upon this fuppofition. It 
 will be difficult to vindicate his condud in 
 the prefent inrfance. For, after having enu- 
 merated fo many feemingobjedions, he ought 
 in juflice to his fubjedl to haveaeknowledged, 
 that certain men had endeavoured to oSht 
 fatisfadlory folutions, by whatever contemp- 
 tuous epithet he might have chofen to ftig- 
 matife their attempt. But it is clear, that 
 
 * Dia:on. Hijlor. 
 
 thii& 
 
1232 Of the Charge 
 
 this was not his purpofe. What tlien did he 
 propofe? He meant to reprefent the reUgion 
 of Jefus as being founded upon themofl ab* 
 furd principles, by urging the charge of ere* 
 dulity againil Chriftians. And his view mud 
 have been to expofe both this religion and its 
 followers to the ridicule of young and inex- 
 perienced inquirers. 
 
 Mark, my young friends, the circumftances 
 which are brought together in order to effec- 
 tuate this end! The authors of thofe objections 
 are ks fcavantes^ the learned, the profound 
 philofophers, or, in the language of a zealous 
 member of the party, " the profane critics, 
 ** whofe examination always precedes, and 
 " fometimes checks their affent *." The ob* 
 je6tions themfelves, apparently levelled againft 
 points of the greatefl importance, have never 
 yet been obviated. But the 'Chriflian rell* 
 gion is founded on faithj i, e. on no prin- 
 ciples at all. Its difciples are credulous fools, 
 who can and will believe any proportion 
 whatever. They are fimpletons whom you 
 
 * In this deplorable ftate of infanity the reader will 
 find that Dr Clark, Mr Woolafton, and the late Pre- 
 fident Forbes lived, according to Lord Bolingbroke. 
 See his Works, vol. <j. p. 474. 523^ 
 
 may 
 
Of Credulity* 233 
 
 may perfuade that two and two make fix. 
 And at beft they are madmen quoad boc^ al- 
 though^ like other lunatics, they are able to 
 talk rationally on the common fubjecSls of 
 converfation. 
 
 Let it not be faid that we have exaggerated 
 the matter in this account of it. For, if a 
 real diftindlion can be made in any inftance 
 betwixt faith and reafon, he who believes 
 dodlrines which are wholly unfupported by 
 rational evidence, is indeed the madman of 
 Bolingbroke, who, inftead of being clafTed 
 with Locke and Woolaflon, ought to be con- 
 ligned over to a dark room and a keeper. 
 
 When we hear one of thofe authors upon 
 the charge of credulity, and upon the do(5lrine 
 of faith, we may be faid to hear the whole 
 tribe, who are in general the faithful echoes 
 of each other. It muft however be acknow- 
 ledged of our Englifli hiftorian above menr- 
 tioned, that, if either or both the former have 
 been his models in the prefent inftance, he 
 has the honour of improving upon his ori- 
 ginals, fo far as their accufation admits of irn- 
 pjovement. Speaking of myfteries which 
 furpafs the limits of under ftanding, " It is, 
 G g fayfi 
 
234 ^^ "^^^ Charc?e 
 
 fays Mr Gibbon, this deep imprefnon cff 
 Supernatural ti^iths which has been fo much 
 celebrated under the name of Faith: a ftate 
 of mind defcribed as the fureil: pledge of 
 the divine favour, and of future felicity, knd 
 recomended as the firft, and perhaps the only 
 merit of a Chriftian *.'* The obfervation of 
 the Pagan author is general and unappro- 
 -priated. The remark of the French critic h 
 Tendered more particular and more appofit^ 
 by anenunierationof i^aulible circumftanees^ 
 which however have often been tlrged iafs 
 rational obje<5lions» But this gentlemah 
 •' lays the axe at once to the root of the tree: 
 *' and by defining Faith to be the fupierria- 
 ** turalimprefTion of fupernatural truths, or 
 ** to be conftituted by a belief founded not 
 *' on argument, but an impreffion of my{le- 
 *' ries that exceed the limits o-f uiiderftand- 
 " ing,'* his charge of infanity becomes ge- 
 neral againft the whole Chriftian w6rld, of 
 which it comprehends every individual with- 
 out exception. What man of intelligence 
 therefore is there, who is not anxioufly foli- 
 citous to be releafed from a community 
 branded with fuch appellations by authors 
 
 ^ Vol. i^p. 572. 
 
 who 
 
OF Cn^nULlTY. Z25 
 
 who ftand high in his efteem! And ^hat 
 objects of inc^itation muft the fentiments 
 and the condudl of that man be, whofe mind, 
 guided by the cool di6lates of reafon, is un- 
 fufceptible of tha,t imprqffion by which pro- 
 pofitipr^s that are at the fame time irrational 
 and incomprehenfible are received as a re- 
 velation from the Deity ! 
 
 The diftin<5lion of faith from reafon, fup- 
 ported in the preceding inftainces by fimple 
 affirmation, our noble author attempts to 
 confirm beyond queftion by an induction of 
 fads. Difdaining to ufc the fhafts of ridi- 
 cule, he exhibits the whole charge in the forrn 
 of a fimple demonflration. " Natural law,'* 
 he tells us, " is founded on reafon, but 
 " Ghriftianity in faith; and faith proceeds 
 ** from GRACE ; and whether a man Ihall 
 *' have grace or not, depends not on him *." 
 What fhall we fay of a champion, who lays 
 about him with fo much vehemence, and 
 who flrikes the ball with ib vigorous an effort! 
 fhall we fay that, in the prefent inftance, 
 himjelf is the ENTELLUS, and his ftroke the 
 
 * Bol'mghroke* s nvorksj vol, 5. /, P3, 
 
 G g 2 den/us 
 
33^ Of THE Charge 
 
 denfus iBus of the divine poet above quoted? 
 Alas ! unhappy votaries of an exploded reli- 
 gion, miferable vidlims of fo powerful an ad- 
 verfary; whether will ye fly for protec- 
 tion from an enemy armed with the thunder 
 of Jupiter, who extinguifheth your fires * ; 
 ftorms your inchanted caftles* ; ftrikes your 
 defenders in his wrath with madnefs f ; and, 
 in the midft of this univerfal confufion, is 
 himfelf governed by a fpirit of docility J, 
 by the love of nature, and by the fimplicity of 
 truth §! 
 
 But let us drop the form of exclamation, 
 and adopt that of argument. Let us examine 
 the parts of his propolition, or rather the ra- 
 mifications of his genealogical tree. Thus 
 then it ftands. *' Natural, /. e. rational law 
 is founded in reafon. Ghriftian, /. e. unnatural 
 or irrational law, is founded on faith. Faith 
 is the daughter of grace, and GRACE is an 
 
 * Breaking the charm, the inchanted caftle, the 
 fleepy rock, the burning lake will difappear. Lett, on 
 Study and Retirement. 
 
 •}• Bollngbrohj vol. 5. uhifupra, 
 
 X Id, vol. 3, p. 320. 
 
 5 Id. ibid. p. 33c. 
 
 ignis 
 
OF Credulity. 237 
 
 ignis fatuus^2i'^\\\ o*th' Wifp, whom you may- 
 chafe, if you will, through a quagmire, and be 
 ibufed over head and ears for your pains. 
 
 Will it be faid that this ludicrous manner 
 is ill-adapted to fo ferious, and fo important 
 a fubje(5l? Let us obferve, in reply, that when 
 we confider the high pretenfions of our mo- 
 dern Deifts to philofophical accuracy, and in 
 particular the unnatural diftindlion which 
 they attempt to make betwixt faith and rea- 
 fon in the matters of religion, as means by 
 whofe influence an inexperienced mind is 
 tin(flured with early prejudice in behalf of 
 infidelity; we know no better method of de- 
 feating their purpofe, than that of expofing 
 fuch an attempt to the contempt and to the 
 ridicule of thofe upon whom it might other- 
 wife eftabliih a lafting and dangerous im- 
 prefTion. 
 
 After what hath been faid on the imputa^ 
 tion of credulity, as it is enforced ag^mft 
 Chriflians by their adverfaries, an enlarge- 
 ment at any length would be de^^^^d fuper- 
 fluous. The principal fecr«: of the art of 
 thofe adverfaries lies io the management 
 
 of 
 
23B Of the Charge 
 
 of tills which is t;heir great ofFenfive weapon* 
 And to point out the purpofes to which they 
 have appHed it would be to tranfcrihe a large 
 part of their writings. We fliall therefore 
 dilpatch this part of the fubje<n: in a few 
 fentences; that, in the profecution of our ge- 
 neral plan, we may conlider the foundation 
 of the charge, with a view to expofe and to 
 prevent its cffedls. 
 
 In the fpirit then of our noble author, 
 another adyocate of the fame caufe will in- 
 form you, my young reader, with much fo- 
 iemnity, and in very explicit terms, that " our 
 *' niofl holy reUgion is founded on faith ^ and 
 *' not on rcqfon *.'* A fecond cannot be re- 
 eor^ciled to Chriflianity, becaufe its difciples 
 have not been brought to give up " hiflori- 
 *' pal faith," a§ he terms it f* A third outra- 
 geous adverfary, fired with the *' dementia 
 ** quoad hoc^ to ibme purpofe, will tell you, 
 that " the gpfpels are full of GuUiverian tales 
 " that never had a being; that there is not 
 *' one word of truth in Jefus's life taken li- 
 " terally \ but that the whole is emblema- 
 
 * Hume's Effay an Miracles ^z. fine. 
 f RefurreB. con/tdered, i>. 83. 
 
 *' tical 
 
 \ 
 
OF Credulity. 239 
 
 ** tical of his influence on the foul *." The 
 queftion arifing from this reprefentation is 
 obvious. If the hiftory itfelf is of fuch a 
 nature, what are thofe who believe it? 
 
 Is it then true that the Chriftian religion 
 is founded upon a faith of the kind above 
 mentioned? Are its profeflbfs really Juih 
 credulous fools as to be impofed upon by a 
 few filly tales, calculated rather for the amufe- 
 'ment of children, than for any highly ufe- 
 ful and important purpofe ? and does the 
 impreffion of fupernatural truths upon the 
 ininds of Chriftians fuperfede the effedl of 
 rational inveftigation? It is in the examina- 
 tion of thefe queftions that the inefficacy of 
 the charge of credulity will be rendered con- 
 fpicuous. But as this examination will open 
 a fubjedl of which it is necefTary to treat at 
 fome length, we fhall appropriate the fubfe- 
 qtient fedlion to this branch of our inquiry* 
 
 * Woolajicn, 
 
 SECT, 
 
340 Comparison of Religious 
 
 SECT. VII. 
 
 Of Faith as being famdcd upon rational Evi- 
 dence, 
 
 WHAT general idea, it will be afked, do 
 you form of the ttvm. faith^ which has 
 given rife to an imputation fo detrimental 
 to the caufe of Chriftianity ? Let us remark, 
 that under this general defignation, we ufu- 
 ally, although very improperly, comprehend 
 two a<3:s of the mind which differ widely 
 from each other. One is, that general and 
 fuperficial affent which it gives to certain 
 propofitions, received as being true, without 
 much examination. The other is a belief 
 arifing from clear and fatisfadlory evidenqe, 
 and obtained either by an accurate inveftiga- 
 tion of the objed:, or by having contempla- 
 ted it as conne6led with other points or te- 
 nets, of the ufe and importance of which 
 the mind has gained the fulleft convicftion. 
 No great fhare of difcernment is requifite to 
 comprehend, that an indulgence of the for- 
 mer kind will give juft occafion to charge 
 
 with^ 
 
ANbPHitdsbpriicAtEViEifeNcE. ^4t 
 
 ^ith credulity, a man who may pofTefs th6 
 beft underllanding. For it will be faid with 
 truth, that of fuch iinderftandirig, he makes 
 in this inilance nd proper ufe. On the con- 
 trary, it is equally plain, that this charge 
 cannot be adduced with propriety in the 
 latter cafe, everl although the mail fhould 
 have formed a wrong judgment, becaufe he 
 will be able to evince, that his choice has 
 been gUided by the apparently fuperior 
 weight of argument; 
 
 It rriay perhaps be faid aftef all, that he 
 may be denominated credulous, who believes 
 in extraordinary reprefentatidns of any kind, 
 without having gaiiied fuch evidence as men 
 in general would deem to be adequate and 
 iatisfadlory; To the propriety of this obfer- 
 Vation we fhall readily fubfcribe, when the 
 previous queftion is finally fettled, viz. what 
 degree of proof in cafes of the prdfent kind, 
 mien in general will acknowledge to he ade- 
 quate and fatisfacftory; To adjuft this point 
 fexadlly^ will be found a matter of fome diffi- 
 culty. We have already feen, that philofo- 
 phers differ widely from each other^ and in- 
 deed from the whole unenlightened part of 
 H h the 
 
?42 Comparison of Religious 
 
 the fpecies, in their notions concerning th^ 
 nature of this evidence. Of thofe, one will 
 tell you that it is pofTible, and another that 
 it is impoflible to eflablilh the truth of prq^ 
 pofitions, and to afcertain the reality pf 
 events that are contrary to expei ience. With 
 refpedl to readers of another clafs, the naoi- 
 tives by which their decision is influenced 
 have been mentioned fb particularly, as rea- 
 ders an enlargement at prefent fuperfluoua. 
 We muft therefore leave this point to be de^ 
 termined by the individual according to his 
 beft judgment, and ihall proceed diredlly 
 with our lubjecfl. 
 
 It is by taking the term FAITH in tl,^ 
 firft acceptation, that the adverfaries of Chri- 
 flianity are enabled to make a nominal dif- 
 tindiion between this principle, or grace^ and 
 the proof that is conflituted by rational in- 
 quiry. But in no fenfe whatever can tliis 
 diftJn(flion be acknowledged to have propri- 
 ety. For it is not merely from the nature 
 of the proportions believed, however abfurd 
 or contradid:ory, that the imputation of cfe- 
 dulity takes its rife. It refpeds, in a princi- 
 p'l manner,^ the examination as being more 
 
 or 
 
AND Philosophical Evidence. 243 
 
 or lefs accurate, of which this belief is the 
 confequence. As juftly, therefore, as that 
 man may be charged with the dementia quoad 
 hoc^ whofe beUef of marvellous or of contra- 
 didlory theories is the refult of an imprellion 
 by which reafon is fet afide ; as juftly may 
 he be charged widi the grofTeft credulity, 
 whofe afTent to truths of the moft effential 
 importance is influenced by no rational 
 principles. Faith therefore properly iigni- 
 fies a belief or perfualion di6lated by mo-^ 
 tiv€s of powerful efficacy. And the hope of 
 the Chriftian is pronounced by one of his 
 beft guides, to be then only well founded, 
 when he can confirm it by reafon. 
 
 Let us bring thefe obfervations to the teit 
 of example. You afk a Chriftian upon what 
 foundation he builds his faith, or his con-* 
 vi6lion of the truth of his religion. He will 
 anfwer readily, that he believes this religion 
 to be of divine authority, btcaufe its doc- 
 trines and precepts are in his opinion adapt- 
 ed to promote thofe purpofes which a Being 
 of confummate wildom and benevolence 
 would propofe to accomplifli by revelation. 
 .He is fatisfied with the external evidences of 
 
 H h 2 - this 
 
244 Comparison of Religious 
 
 this revelation, becaufe he remarks, that the 
 predidions of the Old Teftament prophets 
 have been verified by correfponding events : 
 And that the miracles of the new difpenfa- 
 tion, wrought ir;i confirmation of docflrines 
 that are worthy of God, are authenticate4 
 by clear and by unexceptionable teflimony. 
 
 All good, methinks I hear an adverfary 
 reply. But you mud know that certain 
 very ftrong objed:ions have been urged 
 againft the authority and the proofs of your 
 religion. The faith of a Chriftian may be 
 denominated fo far meritoriaus^ as it eludes 
 the force of thofe objedlions ; and, as it ac- 
 knowledgeth that evidence to be fatis factory 
 in one cafe, which in another the mind would 
 rejed: as being unequal and improper. 
 This I know has often been faid. But by 
 what commiflion ? It is certainly what logi- 
 cians term tl petitio principii^ where the difpu- 
 ted point is taken for granted. You, the Chri- 
 ftian may reply, profefs to be a man of rea- 
 ion, and a philofopher. Now I will be glad 
 to know, upon what grounds you pronounce 
 fo dogmatically concerning my faith, as be- 
 ing determined in the examination of a mat- 
 ^ ter 
 
AND Philosophical Evidence. 243 
 
 ter that is highly important, and deeply in- 
 terefting by motives which I would have 
 rcjedled as frivolous, in a cafe of inferior 
 confequence, and of a lefs interefling na- 
 ture. This is an unwarranted liberty which 
 you have no right to afTume. I have confi- 
 dered your objedlions, and judge them to be 
 inefficacious. ^ And I have reafon to retort 
 your accufations of credulity, and of preju- 
 dice. 
 
 Thus far then faith and reafon co-operate 
 to the accomplifhment of a general purpofe 
 in religious inquiry; and it would appear 
 to be an unnatural, as well as an impradlicable 
 attempt to feparate either from its compani- 
 on. But the great charge againft Chriftia- 
 nity remains to be obviated. I mean, that 
 refpedling its myflerious dodlrines or tenets, 
 to the comprehenfion of which the human 
 intellect is confelfedly inadequate. Thofe 
 being revealed as points of faith, properly Co 
 called, render the imputation of credulity juft 
 and appropriated. 
 
 In anfwer to this charge that hath beeu 
 urged fo ftrenuoufly againfl the Chriflian 
 
 religion, 
 
246 Comparison of Religious 
 
 religion, it is not our prefent intention to 
 €nter into any minute inveftigation of princi- 
 ples. We {hall however make two obferva- 
 tions on this fubjecfi:, with the purpofe of re- 
 pelling an accufarion thus particularly en- 
 forced. Of thofe, the firft refpeds the 
 meaning of the term myftery or myfterious, 
 as having been mifapplied in the cafe un- 
 der our prefent confideration. Our fecond 
 remark is founded upon the evidence by 
 which the dodlrines of our religion that fall 
 within the import of this term is fupported, 
 as being full, and appropriated to the na- 
 ture of the objedls. 
 
 The term myflerious is applicable, with 
 propriety, to a doctrine or to a tranfacflion, 
 the nature of which, or the mode of opera- 
 tion, we are unable perfecflly to comprehend. 
 This defignation, on the other hand, is ap- 
 plied with impropriety to any fcheme, con- 
 taining abfurd and contradicflory principles : 
 Becaufe reafon, upon which convicftion may 
 be imprefled in behalf of credible propoii- 
 tions, mufl reject the incongruous without 
 Jiefitation. 
 
 In 
 
AND Philosophical Evidence. 247 
 
 In the firfl and proper fenfe of the epithet 
 myflerious, we acknowledge that it belgng^; 
 to certain tenets or maxims, the nature of 
 which we do not thoroughly underfland; 
 Or to acflions wherein we are unabk to trace 
 the mode of operation. But if we are to re- 
 jedl every pofition as incredible, to which 
 objedion© of this kind may be made, the 
 iphere of human invefligation will become 
 contracted indeed. Let us try an example. 
 
 Among the peculiar do(5lrines of Chriflia- 
 jiity, no fingle tenet appears to have been 
 confidered by the Pagan world as being^ 
 more abfurd than that of a refurre&io?i from 
 the dead *. Againft this tranfa6lion the obj ec- 
 tions above mentioned may be urged with 
 much force. For neither can we underlland 
 what will be the nature of thofe bodies, the 
 properties of which muft differ fo elTentially 
 from the prefent, nor have we any concep- 
 tion of the modus operandi by which fo new 
 and fo aftoniiliing a revolution will be brought 
 to take pUce. But our ignorance of thefe cir- 
 cumftances, which renders a fuperior degree 
 of evidence neceflai'y to afcertain their reality^ 
 
 cannot. 
 
9.^^ Comparison of Religioi^s 
 
 cannot furely operate againft all proof what- 
 ever. The works of nature abound witii 
 phenomena of which the nature and effecfls 
 are to us incomprehenfible. But are we there- 
 fore to deny that thefe have exiflence ? or caii 
 we credit the teflimony of fenfe with refpedl 
 to this matter in one cafe, without acknow- 
 ledging the poffible exiflence of phenomena 
 that are not more unaccountable in another? 
 
 Thus far then reafon confiders this doc- 
 trine as a poffible effedl of the caufe to which 
 it is afcribed. But you flill object, that, in this 
 myfterious and unaccountable tranfa(5lion(, 
 you can form no idea of the means employ- 
 ed to effedtuate the ultimate purpofe. This, 
 you obferve, is not the cafe with refpe(5l to 
 the external appearances of nature. Thefe 
 we refer in general to certain efliablifhed laws 
 of which the effe6l and permanency are coii- 
 firmed by experience. We acknowledge the 
 truth of this laft obfervation. But many ex- 
 amples may be adduced wherein our confef- 
 fed ignorance of means forms no obje(flioh 
 againft their end or purpofe, although this 
 purpofe fliould not be expofed to cognifance 
 of fenfe. You knov/ not in what manner 
 
 yOYHT 
 
AND Philosophical Evidence. 249 
 
 your own mind operates upon your corporeal 
 organs. Bu: do you therefore deny that there 
 is any fuch intelHgence ? You are ignorant 
 concerning the time and manner of its union, 
 with a material vehicle. But does it therefore 
 follow, that this coalefcence is impoflible ? If 
 this confequence does not take place, we 
 aflv farther^ whether the fame Being who, 
 fafhioned and who animated the human 
 frame originally, may not raife it from the 
 dull in higher perfedion, and may not pro- 
 duce an union never afterwards to be dii^ 
 folved. 
 
 From the poflible exiflencc of thefe circum- 
 ftances once afcertained, it will follow, that a 
 probability, or even that certainty with re- 
 fpedl to this docflrine may be obtained, when 
 adequate evidetice is brought to confirm its 
 truth. Implicit faith therefore is here imme- 
 diately fet afide. And the queflion to be re- 
 folved is, what proof is equal to a purpofe of 
 fo fingular a nature, and fo contrary, as a late 
 author woula fay, to experience. The natu- 
 ral reply to this demand, perhaps, is the fol- 
 lowing. The dodlrine of a general refurrec- 
 tion derives all its authority from revelation. 
 
 I i The 
 
350 Comparison of Religious 
 
 Tf'he proof, therefore, by which its truth is 
 eftabhihed, muft be drawn from the charac- 
 ter, circumftances, and actions of the perfon 
 by whom it is revealed, and above all from 
 the general defign and tendency of his other 
 religious inftitution?. What proof then do 
 you demand of thofe elTential articles ? An 
 examination of this queftion in all its extent 
 would lead us from the profelTed purpofe of 
 the prefent inquiry. We fhall therefore juft 
 remark, that the anfwer to it is to be found, 
 in the prophecies that announced the birth 
 and adlions of the Mefliah ; in the miracles 
 of which he was the author ; in his moral 
 condudV, unblemifhed in every circumilance ;, 
 and in the tenor of his inftitutions, tending 
 to promote the beft intereft of mankind. 
 Thofe four requifitions, by the concurrence 
 of which a poiTible circumftance is rendered 
 the objedl of rational belief, become the- 
 ground of a faith that is founded, not upon 
 impreflion, but upon argument. Granting 
 Chriftianity to be out of the queftion, the re- 
 quifitions above mentioned are thofe which 
 "we would wifh to meet in the author of a re-^ 
 velation from the fupreme Being. And he 
 who proves that they centered in the Author 
 
 o£ 
 
AND PniLOSOPHrCAL EviDElTCE. Sj^I 
 
 of our religion, brings an evidence of its di- 
 Tinity that is full, and adapted to the nature 
 of the iubjedl. 
 
 Thus much we thought it neceflary to ob- 
 ferve upon the firfl and proper fenfe of the 
 term my/ierioiis in its prefent application. 
 With refpcdl to the fecond meaning of this 
 epithet, by which it is fuppofed to imply 
 fomething that is obvioufly repugnant to 
 truth, and to the firfl principles of reafon, the 
 defignation above mentioned is mifapplied in 
 this fenfe. Such a do<5lrine ought not to be 
 denominated myfterious, but abfiird and 
 contradi6lory ; and againft him who fhould 
 profefs to believe it, the charge of madnefs 
 would be brought with much more propriety, 
 than the accufation of credulity. Yet he who 
 ,is converfant in the writings of deiflical au- 
 thors mufl have remarked, that thofe points, 
 in the belief of which the faith of the Chri- 
 ftian is faid to be meritorious, are generally 
 fuppofed to be of this lafl kind. And from 
 this fource is derived the ridicule which cer- 
 tain fhrewd innuendos to the prefent pur- 
 ^ofe fail not to excite. 
 
 lis T^ 
 
2^2 Comparison of Religious 
 
 To every accufation, therefore, of a belief 
 that is deterrnined by impreffion, the reply is 
 at hand. The faith of a Chriftian is fo far a 
 rational principle, as it is determined by fii- 
 perior weight of evidence, after a clofe and 
 difpaflionate examination has been carried 
 on. Even thofe parts of the general plan of 
 revelation which may mofl properly be de- 
 nominated the objecfls of a Chriflian's faith, 
 becaufe they may not lie fo level as others to 
 the line of his underftanding, he is yet in- 
 duced by proportioned evidence to think 
 worthy of credibihty. For that dodlrine 
 which, when detached from its connedlion, 
 he might rejedl as improbable ; yet, when 
 it is contemplated by him as being one part 
 of a great fyflem that is calculated in his efti^ 
 mation to promote purpofes of univerfal uti-^ 
 lity, he receives with confidence and with 
 gratitude. It forms in his judgement the 
 part of a whole, of which he acknowledgeth 
 the original to be divine. 
 
 We have entered into this fubjedl at fome 
 length ; becaufe, when the invidious, and, as 
 we have endeavoured to fhow, the ill-founded 
 diftindtion betwixt faith and reafon is remo- 
 ved. 
 
AND Philosophical Evidence. 255 
 
 ved, one of the moil powerful caufes of the 
 growth of infidelity is deprived of its effi- 
 cacy. 
 
 But, in this inquiry, let us remember that 
 we lie open, in the judgment of fome men, to 
 the accufation of having confounded religi- 
 ous with phiiofophical evidence, the diftindt 
 provinces of which it hath been found necef- 
 fary to determine with fome precifion. The 
 philofopher, it will be faid, who makes rea- 
 fon profefTedly his guide, fubmits every flep 
 of his procefs to the cognifance of this fu- 
 preme judge, which examines with clofe at- 
 tention the principles leading to his conclu- 
 fion. But with refpecfl to religious proofs the 
 matter, by your own account, is wholly dif- 
 ferent. Circum (lances are here taken i?t cu- 
 mulo ; and a proof is made out, not from an 
 enumeration of particulars leading to an ulti- 
 mate decilion, but from certain fadls whofe 
 connection with the principal point is lefs 
 difcernible, or from the general tendency of 
 a fcheme of which it is acknowledged that 
 fome parts are exceptionable. That this fub- 
 je<5l may be canvalTed in all its extent, it may 
 be proper to diflinguilh thefe two kinds of 
 
 evidence 
 
254 Comparison of Religious 
 
 evidence from each other in fuch a manner 
 as that the reader may judge concerning their 
 force and propriety from comparifon. With 
 this view, we fhall fum up our remarks on 
 faith as being founded upon reafonable mo- 
 tives, with fome obfervations on the nature 
 and upon the comparative excellence of reli- 
 gious and of philofophical probation. 
 
 Moral evidence is of three kinds, which 
 may be fpecificated by the terms direEl^ pre- 
 fumptive^ and circumJiantiaL By dire(5l proof, 
 i underftand that in which the relation of 
 every intermediate part to fome ultimate end 
 is clearly difcernible, and where the mind, 
 •without deviating from its final purpofe, goes 
 regularly forward to its accomplifliment. By 
 prefumptive, I mean to point out that fpecies 
 of evidence, which, refpeding things whofe 
 reality cannot perfecSlly be afcertained, yet 
 throws as much light upon the fubje<5l as it 
 is calculated to receive. Laftly, I make ufe 
 of the term circumflantial, to denote that evi^ 
 dence wherein the mind, being fatisfied with 
 the general tenour and tendency of a whole 
 fcheme, and with the perfons by whom it is 
 promulgated, acknov^ledgeth the truth of cer- 
 tain 
 
AND PhiLOSOPHICTAL tviDENci:. 25j^ 
 
 tain pofUble circumllances, from the connec- 
 tion in which they ftand with others, that ar^ 
 derived from the fam« original, and are en-^ 
 forced by the fame authority. 
 
 Of thefe fpecies of evidence, the firft is em- 
 ployed in the proof of every general propofi- 
 tion, of which the truth is eftabliflied by a 
 clear and accurate induction of particulars 
 leading to a general conclufion. The fecond 
 relates principally to hiftorical narration ; and 
 is then perfed, when events or tranfa(^ions^^ 
 which have been obfcured by chronological 
 miftakes, perplexed by interfering relations,, 
 or cafually invalidated during the fucceffion 
 of ages, are cleared up, and are placed in the 
 mofl favourable point of view by a judicious 
 fele(5lion and arrangement of fadls. Of the 
 lail kind is the probation of all general hypo- 
 thefes, confifting of various and apparently^ 
 diflimilar parts, to fome of which a critical 
 examination will- fugged objedtions that can 
 only be removed by an eftimate of the na- 
 ture, the excellence, and the tendency of all. 
 
 Of evidence thus branched out into dif- 
 ferent kinds, we may perhaps appropriate, 
 
 with 
 
256 Comparison of Religious 
 
 with juftice, the firft to philofophy, the fe-^ 
 cond to hiftory, and the laft to the dodrines 
 of revealed rehgion. Let us remark here, 
 that, when we mention circumftantial proof 
 as being particularly applicable to Chriflian 
 inftitutions, we mean not to exclude the di- 
 redl probation as being inadmiffible. On 
 the contrary, we have endeavoured to prove, 
 in a preceding feclion, that the truth of this 
 religion, as a revelation from God, may be 
 evinced as diredlly from an examination of 
 its general principles, as of any philofophi- 
 cal proportion whatever. It is to the com- 
 plicated parts of this great plan, as being 
 comprehended with more or lefs facility, 
 that we confider this circumftantial proof as 
 adapted. The convidlion produced by it, 
 when compleat, is likewife perhaps as fatis- 
 fadlory and permanent, as that which is 
 gained by the firft, or indeed by any method 
 whatever. 
 
 To this obfervation it will be obje(fled, 
 that external circumftances cannot confirm 
 any truth fo fully as an indu(flion of particu- 
 lars, placing it clearly before the mind, and 
 rendering it diftindlly comprehended. The 
 
 reply 
 
AND Ph1LOS6PH!CAL EVIDENCE. 2^7 
 
 i"ieply to this .obje(5lion depends upon that 
 which is given to two qiieftions that are eon- 
 nedled with the fubjec^l. The firfl refpeds 
 the proof brought to evince the truth and 
 importance of thefe external cireumftances ; 
 and the fecond, the tendency of truths fup- 
 ported by the fame authority as the former, 
 and derived from the fame original, to effec- 
 tuate purpofes of general emolument to 
 mankind* 
 
 -But we comprehend, it will be faid, ,cer-^ 
 tain moral precepts, and we are perfeclly 
 convinced of their fitnefs to produce the pro- 
 pofed effedl:. Are we therefore to adopt ma- 
 xims or dodlrines which we do not under- 
 fland, and with the fitnefs of which we are 
 not well acquainted, into our fyflem of prin- 
 ciples ? And are we to receive thefe as being 
 fupported by evidence equally fatisfacfbory as 
 that above mentioned ? Permit me in this 
 cafe to have recourfe to an illuftration. 
 
 Although unacquainted with the mecha- 
 
 nifm of a watch, you are yet fully fatisfied 
 
 that this little machine has been conftru(5led 
 
 for the purpofe of meafuring time j and you 
 
 K k admire 
 
25^ Comparison of RELiGTOTrs 
 
 admire it upon the whole as a finiihed fpe* 
 cimen of mechanical ingenuity. Upon fee- 
 ing, however, the various parts of this com-- 
 plicated producflion fcattered promifcuoully 
 upon a table, you are at a lofs to conceive- 
 the purpofes towards which fome of thefe 
 will bear application. You readily conceive 
 indeed that motion is communicated from 
 the fpring, becaufe when it is comprefTed, 
 you remark that it pofTefleth a certain elaftic^ 
 power, by which it is impelled to extend it- 
 felf on all fides. But it is Qtherwife with 
 certain little wheels and pivots, of whofe ap- 
 titude to the purpofe of meafuring time you 
 can form no diftindl idea. You are there- 
 fore in doubt whether you ought or ought 
 not to confider thefe as being parts of the 
 machine. By what authority is yout* belief 
 to be determined in this matter ? Can you: 
 have any better or more decifive teftimony 
 than the word of the maker or conftrudlor 
 of this little portable engine, granting that 
 you are convinced of his having no defign 
 to deceive you ? 
 
 Let us apply this illuftration to the pre- 
 fent fubjed. The proof that Chriftian doc- 
 trines 
 
A-ND Philosophical Evidenc:e. 259 
 
 trines and inftitutions tend in general to 
 promote the befl ends, is as diredl^and as 
 ftridly philofophical as any evidence can be. 
 When the following fimpie queftion is pro- 
 pofed to you : Whether or not is a religion 
 in which the love of God and of man are 
 enforced throughout, calculated to render 
 men happy or miferable ? you are no more 
 at a lofs to pronounce upon the tendency of 
 this religion to produce happinefs, than you 
 are to know that. a watch is conflrut2:ed for 
 the purpofe of meafuring time. Should you 
 be called upon to prove this truth by argu- 
 ment, you can refolve the propolition into 
 its conftituent parts. You can fhow in what 
 manner a fenie of obligation to the Supreme 
 Being, the practice of juflice, chai'ity, huma- 
 nity to each other ; of temperance, chaflity, 
 circumfpedlion with relpedl to individuals, 
 tend to promote the happinefs of the com- 
 munity, and of the perfons who compofe it. 
 But, in the theory of the philofopher, you 
 expe6l that this diredl method of probation 
 will be carried into every part without ex- 
 ception, unlefs where the maxims are felf- 
 evident. Let his difcoveries likewife be ne- 
 ver fo excellent, you demand that, by being 
 K k 3 levelled 
 
26o Comparison of Religious 
 
 levelled to the line of your undefflanding, 
 they fhould bear, upon every occalion, hit 
 trinflc marks of their liuman original. On 
 the other hand, in the more extenfive range 
 of Chriftian inftitutions, not only are certain 
 pofitive obfervances required, of which rea- 
 fon would not have pointed out the necelli- 
 ty, but you are like wife informed concerning 
 the refurre(flion of the dead. And you find 
 fa6ls and circumflances recorded in the fa- 
 cred writings, which cannot be fupported by 
 the dire6l evidence employed to illuftrate the 
 truth of a philofophical propofition. Thefe, 
 in the terms of our illuftration, are the wheels 
 find pivots of the little mechanical engine, 
 or, in language more adapted to the fubjecfl, 
 the obje(5ls of this great and compreheniive 
 fyflem., concerning whofe aptitude to a cer-; 
 tain purpofe you are in doubt, by what me- 
 thod is this doubt to be removed ? 
 
 Your firft queftion on this fubjec^ will 
 probably be the following. Are thofe doc- 
 trines which appear to be fuperinduced into 
 this fcheme, promulgated "by the lame au- 
 thority with the other parts of it, fo as that 
 all are rendered equally the objed:s of belief? 
 
 When 
 
AND Philosophical Evidence. 261 
 
 When this queftion is anfwered in the aiEr- 
 xnative, you next inquire, whether fuch ar- 
 bitrary precepts and points of faith are ei- 
 ther unworthy of the Supreme Being ; or, 
 whether they contain any thing which rea- 
 fon rejects as being abfurd and contradic- 
 tory ? When you are fatisfied with refpe(5l 
 to this matter hkewife, it remains only far- 
 ther, that yovi fliould carry your inquiry in- 
 to the general evidence of revelation both 
 external and internal, in order to afcertain 
 the divine original of thefe dodlrines. Your 
 faith, when thefe purpofes are accomplifhed, 
 will be as much founded upon argument as 
 that of the philofopher can be in any hypo- 
 thefis whereof the truth is illuftrated by the 
 fimplefl indudlion. In both cafes, you will 
 remark, that the proof of the principal point 
 is dired:. Only, in the fcheme of a religion 
 profeffedly communicated by infpiration, we 
 meet with ordinances and with inftitutions 
 which reafon would not have difcovered to 
 be neceffary ; and which therefore one pur- 
 pofe of this revelation mofl probably was to 
 promulgate. Our belief of them, however, 
 hjiri&ly ratio?mly as being founded upon the 
 
 general 
 
$62 Comparison of Religious 
 
 general evidence by means of which the 
 whole is acknowledged to be divine. 
 
 Thus we have endeavoured to evince the 
 futility of that diilindlion betwixt faith and 
 reafon, which our modern deifts attempt to 
 ■eftabliih, as being that feparation wherein 
 the charge of credulity may be confidered 
 as originating. And it hath been proved, 
 we hope, in a fatisfa(5lory manner, that in 
 no view whatever of the religion of Jefus, 
 can it be faid to demand a faith to which 
 the reproachful epithet meritorious can be ap- 
 plied, as indicating a triumph over the nob- 
 left of intelledlual faculties. We have ftated 
 the comparifon betwixt religious and philo- 
 ibphical evidence, that every man may judge 
 for himfclf concerning the validity of each, 
 and may be afTured, that the faith of a Chri- 
 flian, and the conviction of a philofopher, 
 are equally to be eftablilhed by rational in- 
 veftigation. 
 
 You therefore, my young readers, whom 
 cfteem of the philofophical charader has 
 mifled into an injudicious imitation, and 
 whofe infidelity has its rife in the perfuafion 
 
 that 
 
Ann Philosophical £vii>eN(Ce. iG^ 
 
 that implicit faith is required of the Chri- 
 flian, who lies open to the charge of think- 
 ing or of acting irrationally, will have peru^ 
 fed the preceding obfervations with fome 
 emolument, if they have convinced you that 
 the various do(5lrines of Chriftianity may be 
 defended upon philofophical principles, and 
 that the diftindlions by which you hav^e been 
 induced to form a contrary judgment are 
 imaginary and ufelefs. 
 
 SECT. VIIL 
 
 ()f the effedl of abufi and ridicule refpeSlmg ths 
 clerical chara&er, 
 
 "ITTE have now confidered at confiderable 
 ▼ ▼ length thofe caufes of modern infide- 
 lity which refpe(5l the Chriftian religion in 
 general, according to the reprefentation of 
 its adverfaries, or which have for their ob- 
 jects its peculiar dodlrines and its pofiiive in- 
 ftitution«. An extenfiive field, it muft be 
 acknowledged, has, in the courfe of this in- 
 quiry, been opened to our obfervation ; and 
 we have endeavoured to dived of their effi- 
 cacy, motives of powerful energy, when en- 
 forced by eloquent declamation, to imprefs 
 
 upon 
 
464 Of the Effect of RjDictTLE 
 
 upon the mind an early, laftingj aiid dange- 
 rous prepofTeflion in behalf of deiftical opi- 
 nions. 
 
 But whatever efFedl we may afcribe to thefe 
 eaufes of infidelity, they are not fingly equal 
 to the purpofe which they are employed to 
 bring about. For a little reflection will fhow 
 us, that the efficacy of pleas employed in be- 
 half of our religion by its profeilional advo- 
 cates, depends in a great degree upon our 
 judgment of their fincerityj and upon our 
 general eftimation of the characfler by which 
 they profefs to be diftinguiflied. To depre- 
 ciate therefore this charadler, and to render 
 thofe who fupport it hateful or ridiculous, is 
 to do an elTential injury to the caufe 6f reli- 
 gion itfelf. For no deep knowledge of hu- 
 man nature is required to convince us, that 
 with the major part of mankind, he who can 
 render the fihcerity of his antagonift proble- 
 matical, although by evidence merely pre- 
 fiimptive, will very efFe6lually invalidate the 
 arguments by which his caufe Ihould bef 
 fupported* 
 
 Convinced of this truth, the patrons of in*- 
 
 fidelity* 
 
bN THE Clerical Character. 265 
 
 fidelity leave no mean unattempted to injure 
 the caufe of Ghriftianity, by attacking the 
 character of its officidi defenders. We pro- 
 pofe to confirm this affirmation in the pre- 
 fent fedlion^ by placing in a proper light the 
 artful mifreprefentation employed by them 
 with this purpofe, and by explaining the 
 caufes to which \Ve may afcribe its effed:* 
 
 Two methods of powerful and univerfal 
 influence are employed by the profefTed in*, 
 flrudlors of mankind to imprefs their opi- 
 nions. One is, that of placing certain tenets 
 or characters in a ludicrous point of view, fo 
 as to excite the ihame of acknowledgment^ 
 in certain inftances, wherein it is not perhaps 
 pra(flicable to eradicate convidlion* The 
 other and more dangerous expedient is that 
 of expofing whatever is apparently exception- 
 able in either of thefe in fuch a manner, by- 
 affirmation and by fpecious a.rgument^ as 
 may render both the obje(5ts of rational dif- 
 approbation. Of thofe methods the former 
 is moft commonly ineffeclual, when unac^ 
 companied by the laft ; From both, when 
 artfully and judicioufly applied, the efFedl 
 arlfing is of the moft pernicious tendency, 
 LI And 
 
266 Of the Effect of Ridicuj-e- 
 
 And when the character of a fociety is pl^ 
 ced by fuch means in any difagreeable point 
 of view, this effed: will obtain more univer- 
 sally, as the principle upon which they ope- 
 rate is, as we ihall fee afterwards, the dtfirt 
 of imitation. 
 
 Our application of thefe remarks to the 
 prefent fubjecfl, therefore, will lead us to 
 point out the lineaments or features of the 
 minifterial charadler that admit moft eafily 
 of ludicrous mifreprefentation ; to examine 
 the parts or qualities of which a very unfa- 
 vourable view may be exhibited by plaufible 
 reafoning, affirmation, or comparifon ; to 
 Specify as nearly as pofTible the effedt of each ; 
 and to exemplify our obfervations by paffa- 
 ges fele<5led from the writings of the moft 
 celebrated advocates of infidelity, of which 
 we ihall endeavour to expofe the irony, and 
 to refute the reafoning or the affertion. 
 
 We may remark, as an obfervation fug- 
 gef:ed by the firft part of our fubjecfl, that 
 among the diverfity of human characters, 
 thofe are moft fufceptible of ironical mifre- 
 prefentation which are diftinguifhed as being 
 
 ferious, 
 
ON THE Clerical Character, q,^-] 
 
 ferious, fedate, and contemplative. They who 
 profefs to think freely upon all topics, and 
 to whofe adlions the charge of levity maybe 
 applicable as correfponding to their opi- 
 nions, are yet lefs the objedls of ridicule than 
 thpfe whofe principles and whofe condudl 
 are more exempted from cenilire. For while 
 men of the firft clafs pafs without animad- 
 verfion through life, as, gay, thoughtlefs fel- 
 lows, who give no:. real offence to fociety ; 
 the pi'ofelTion and deportment of the others 
 expofe them to obloquy and to farcaftical re- 
 mark. Religionifls of all denomina.tions are 
 comprifed in the lad order of men ; and the 
 ridicule cafl upon them is heightened in pro- 
 portion to that real or apparent difparity 
 which is fuppofcd to take place betwixt their 
 principles in any particular inflance and their 
 practice. 
 
 He who takes a general view of mankind, 
 as beings who derive pain or pleafure from 
 certain acquired qualifications, will perhaps 
 be of opinion, that the difadvantages atten- 
 dant on the acquifition of knowledge are 
 greater both in number and in degree than 
 the benefits which may be faid to arife from 
 Lis it. 
 
268 Of the Effect of Ridicule " 
 
 it. The truth of this obfervation will be 
 owned, when it is confidered, that to this 
 acquifition the qualities that conflitute the 
 Man of the World are moft commonly facri- 
 ficed. An union of both is not indeed im^ 
 poffible : But experience muft convince us, 
 that it is rarely to be xntt with. 
 
 It is true indeed, that in the pride of fci- 
 &nct men are apt to fpeak flightingly of cer- 
 tain endowments as being fuperficial embel- 
 lifhments, fubfervient to no valuable purpofe, 
 or at leaft to none by which the time and 
 Attention of their owners are compenfated. 
 But an afTertion fo ill founded will be retrac- 
 ted, when we view the charadlers in which 
 thefe qualifications are confpicuous as objects 
 of univerfal imitation, and fuch on J:he oth- 
 er hand which are deficient in them, as ex- 
 pofed to difapprobation and contempt. By 
 placing the principal ingredients of both 
 chara(5lers in oppofition to each other, the 
 preceding obfervations will moft properly be 
 illuftrated, 
 
 We generally fuppofe, that thofe perfons 
 who are diftinguifhed by their knowledge 
 
 of 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 269 
 
 of men and of things, have fiiperadded to 
 their natural talents certain accomplifliments 
 of great importance, which carl only be gain- 
 ed in a free and univerfal intercourfe with 
 mankind. From this fource is derived that 
 felf command by which a man is prefent 
 to himfelf upon every emergency, and is 
 able to think and to fpeak in the mofl: pe- 
 rilous circumftances with cool and delibe- 
 rate recollection. Hence likewife proceeds 
 that knowledge of refources when recourfe 
 to them is rendered neceffary, which men 
 even of inventive talents that have been con- 
 fined within the pale of fpecvilative invefti- 
 gation, mufl be unable to difcover. To this 
 intercourfe we muft afcribe in the fame man- 
 ner that difengaged and eafy addrcfs which 
 eftablifheth a plealing and inftantaneons pre- 
 poifefFion in behalf of him who hath acquired 
 this excellence. Laftly, when men thus ac- 
 compliflied are judged to have improved their 
 experience by folid and comprehenfive infor- 
 mation, we expe(5l from them the indications 
 of a noble expanfion of heart, of liberal and 
 benevolent fentiments ; and, in general, of 
 fuch propenfities which are mofl eflimable 
 ^d attradive. 
 
 To 
 
ayo Of thb Effect of Ridicule 
 
 To the qualifications that are thus gain- 
 ed, or at leaft that are improved to the ut- 
 mofl by the knowledge of mankind, when 
 we oppofe the deportment and difpofition 
 which ftudy and retirement tend to form, 
 and to call out into exercife, the contrail is, 
 no doubt, fo ftriking as naturally to be fer- 
 tile of ridicule. In truth, that combination 
 of pride and ignorance, of aukwardnefs 
 and prefumption, of arrogance and obftina- 
 cy, of affecflation and vanity by which the 
 merefcholar is mod commonly characflerifed, 
 forms an exhibition of which jt is hard to 
 fay whether it is more the objecft of derifion 
 or of difguft. Add to this intelledlual portrait 
 an emaciated figure, that, crawling from its 
 ftudy, or rather from its fepulchral monu- 
 ment, " ftrewed with learned dufl, walks an 
 *' objedl new beneath the fun;" and the de- 
 fcription is rendered perfecflly ludicrous. 
 Did we fay of this charadler only that it is 
 ludicrous ? There is, in fad:, no occafion for 
 the poignant irony of the fatirifl to p^ace it 
 in this point of view. It were well if the 
 " quatit populum rifu," was the fole effecft 
 produced by the view of this motely ani- 
 mal. But lefledion will ihow, that, far 
 
 from 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 271 
 
 from being fatisfied with laughing at • this' 
 ' oddity, our prejudice is carried from the 
 man him£elf to the tenets or principles which 
 he maintains, and that our folicitude to Ihua 
 the moft diftant mark of refemblance to 
 the manners, or to the fentiments of fuch a 
 man, is proportioned to our defire in the for- 
 mer inftance to become imitators of both. 
 The caufe of this condudl obvioufly is, that, 
 with the idea of a man whofe life hath paf- 
 fed in certain folitary occupations, we are apt 
 to aflbciate, although very unjuftly, that of 
 gloomy, contra(5led, and often of mifanthro- 
 pical opinions. To thefe likewife we add 
 the notion of tenets not merely deficient from 
 the want of experience, but abfurd at lead, 
 if not pernicious, and which it is at all times 
 difficult, if not impoffible to carry into prac- 
 tice. 
 
 But the mind, it will be faid, is mifled in 
 making this eflimation which is certainly er- 
 roneous. For however unfavourable the oc- 
 cupations of tlie contemplative life may be 
 to manners, and to external deportment, yet 
 reafon forbids us to form a fimilar judgment 
 with refped to their influence on theory, and 
 ''' '■ ' oil 
 
ayi Of the Effect of Ridicule 
 
 on opinion. It fays, on the contrary, that 
 he whofe attention has been invariably di*- 
 redled to one line of inquiry, muft have pro- 
 ceeded in it to greater length, and is moft 
 probably qualified to Ipeak w^ith more pro^ 
 priety concerning the objedls that occur in 
 it than thofe whofe ftudies and whofe occu- 
 pations have been more widely diifeminated. 
 Granted. But are the opinions of men in 
 general dictated by reafon on this fubjecfl? So 
 "far we will venture to affirm is this from 
 being the cafe, that no juft eftimate of the 
 motives to adlion can be formed unlefs when 
 we include in it certain external and in them- 
 felves perhaps frivolous circumitances, as 
 caufes in which condudl as well as opinion 
 is found in many inftances to originate. 
 Neither are thefe circumftances to be confi- 
 dered as operating only upon the lefs enlight^ 
 ened part of the fpecies. Attention will con- 
 vince us, that even the bed education is in- 
 fufficient to counteradl their influence. For 
 it will place before us examples of men whofe 
 cultivated underftandingsareimpreired/« r&^ 
 ality by vulgar prejudices, from the power of 
 which /;/ imoginat'ion they are wholly ex- 
 empted. 
 
 There 
 
6n the Clerical GHARAeTER. 273 
 
 There is, it mult be confelTcd, fomeching 
 irrefiflible in the popular eftinlation of Ger-» 
 tain charaders, betwixt which charadlers^ 
 and tenets, or adiions that are falfe or repre- 
 henfiblcj w6 are apt at all times to eftablifh 
 an imaginary connexion. Hence it happens 
 that our unfavourable notion of a few indi-s 
 viduals impreffeth upon the mind a corre-- 
 fponding idea of the fociety of which they 
 are menibers. Defcending in the fame man-» 
 ner from generals to particulars^ we are ready 
 at other times, from having obtained a bad 
 notion of the purpofe for which a fociety was 
 inftituted, to judge improperly concerning 
 the intentions and the motives of thofe who 
 compofe it. We make this remark at prefent^ 
 principally for the benefit of young readers^ 
 who cannot be taught too early to lay afide 
 as much as poffible every perfonal confidera- 
 tion, i. e. whatever refpedts ftation, deport^ 
 ment, occupation, when they are examine- 
 ing fubjects of acknowledged importance;^ 
 and are weighing the force of comparative 
 evidence. He indeed who is folicitous to 
 obtrude ideas of this kind upon the mind of' 
 his readers, is moil commonly fenfible of thef 
 weaknefs of his caufe, as in converfation, 
 M m that; 
 
274 Of THE Effect OF Ridicule 
 
 that man is always judged to have taken the 
 worft fide, who firll defcends to perfonal in- 
 vedlive. 
 
 It hath been already remarked, that men 
 of fedate and of contemplative dirpoiltioas, 
 not only afford fairer marks to the fhafts of 
 ridicule than thofe whofe manners and fen- 
 timents are charadlerifed by levity, but 
 that religionifts of all denominations are 
 particularly expofed to it. The real preju- 
 dice that has at all times been done to the 
 intereft of religion by an improper applica- 
 tion of this dangerous talent, is perhaps 
 much greater than at firft view we may con- 
 ceive. We laugh at the foiitary fpeculator, 
 whofe intelle(5lual web, like that of the fpider, 
 who occupies his manfion, is of too flimfy a 
 texture to be tranflated from the place of its 
 conftrudiion without being injured. Wc 
 finile in the fame manner at the gloomy re*-^ 
 ligionift, who fequefters himfelf from ibciety, 
 and who brands, by the defignation of a 
 condudl ofFenfive to the Deity, the innocent 
 gratification that conftitutes felicity. But we 
 perceive not that the fliaft of ridicule upon 
 this occafioii is tainted with poifon. Anger 
 
 and 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 275 
 
 and hatred are implanted in the heart while 
 a fmile is impreffed upon the countenance. 
 And at the time when one chara6ler is de- 
 prelTed and defaced in the eftimation of a 
 young perfon ; its oppolite placed in the 
 moil: favourable point of view, becomes an 
 objedl of approbation to which he is ambi- 
 tious of being conformed. 
 
 An application of thofe general remarks to 
 the prefent fubje6l will ferve at the fame time 
 to illuftrate their propriety, and to fliow iit 
 what manner ridicule on the clerical profef- 
 lion co-operates with other circumflances, as 
 a caufe of the infidelity of the times. Some 
 part of the feducing arts, by means of which 
 the young and the inconiiderate acquire no- 
 tions unfavourable to revealed, and friendly 
 in the fame degree to natural religion, we 
 have endeavoured, by an examination of 
 the writings of modern deifts, to deted, and 
 to exemplify. Thefe gentlemen are however 
 fufficiently aware, that while the profeffed 
 and natural advocates of our religion ftand 
 high in the public eftimation, the arguments 
 employed by them muft have a weight in 
 fome meafure proportioned to* their ftrength 
 M m 2 and 
 
276 Of the Effect of Ridicule 
 
 and propriety. We ihall fee therefore that 
 they attempt to deftroy the effe6l of thofe by 
 an unfair method, although a very effectual 
 one, that of attacking the fincerity of their 
 opponents, and the motives by which they 
 are a6luated. You v^all be iready to fay as 
 the Gonfequence of what hath been advanced 
 on this fubjedl, that he who defcends to this 
 perfonal abufe betrays his confcioufnefs of 
 the weaknefs of a caufe which he cannot 
 fupport by more honourable means. It is true 
 that he lies evidently open to this imputation. 
 But we mufl acknowledge at the fame time, 
 that this difadvantage is compenfated in the 
 prefent inftance by certain favourable acci-^ 
 dents which render his impeachment ap- 
 pa.rently jufl and reafonable. 
 
 We have explained the difadvantages arir 
 fing to the mere fcholar, from the fuppofed 
 nature of his occupations, and from the cirr 
 cumfcribed fphere of his experience. One plea 
 however of importance raay liill be urged 
 in behalf of a fociety fuppofed to be formed 
 for the mod part of fuch members. It may 
 t)e faid, feemingly a.t leaft with reafon, that 
 ^he profeffionji of men who defend a religion 
 
 to 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 277 
 
 to the principles of which their general prac- 
 tice is confidered as correfponding, are indi- 
 eacions of their real fentiments, and are there- 
 fore fincere. To take off the force of this 
 prepolTolTion, is to do an efTential injury both 
 to the caufe of Chriftianity, and to its advo-' 
 eates. Yet this point is gained with many 
 perfons, when much weight is laid upon the 
 fa6l of being paid for taking a certain fide of 
 the queftion ; a circumflance that, when en- 
 larged upon, as being a temptation to infin- 
 cerity, gives llrength to the pleas cf another 
 kind when this accufation is enforced. On 
 the contrary, our opinion of their adverfaries 
 is proportionally raifed, when we view them 
 as volunteers in the caufe, uninfluenced by 
 any motive but the love of truth, and as re- 
 ceiving no other reward than the noble one 
 that accompanies the recolledion of a good 
 adlion. 
 
 The reader has anticipated in a great mea- 
 fure the application of thefe remarks to the 
 clergy, or to thofe men, in the language of 
 a noble author, whom " the ftate has ap- 
 ^' pointed the guardians of holy writ*." Let 
 
 * Characler. vol. '^-p. 71. 
 
 U8 
 
278 Of the Effect of Ridicule 
 
 •us juft run over the principal points of co- 
 incidence. Thefe men are educated moft 
 commonly in retirement, and are converfant, 
 from the nature of their profeflion, in fludies 
 of no pleafing and attractive quality. If we 
 will take their charadler from the reprefenta- 
 tion of a celebrated writer, " they mnft not, 
 " like the reft of the world, give fcope to their 
 '' natural movements and fentiments, but 
 " muft fet a guard over their looks and words 
 " and adlions *." This pi(fi:ure, which bears 
 a general refemblance of its original, is far 
 from being inviting or acceptable to the ma- 
 jor part of mankind. It muft farther be ac- 
 knowledged, that although the clergy ought, 
 from the peculiar turn of their ftudies, to be 
 looked upon as better qualified than others 
 to explain and to defend their religious prin- 
 ciples ; yet the fadl, that they fubftft by this 
 profeflion, admits of being conftru(5led to 
 their prejudice. Hence it is that one of their 
 worft enemies reprefents them under the de- 
 fpicable form of " being hired to defend the 
 " Chriftian fyftem f." 
 
 * Hume's EJf. Mor. and Pollt. EJf, 24. 
 •j- BoHngh. vol. 3. p. 29c. 
 
 Of 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 279 
 
 Of thofe fa<!n:s, and of every other excep- 
 tionable circumftance in the profelfion, man-* 
 ners, and occupation of a clergyman, the ene- 
 mies of his religion take advantage, in order 
 to accomplifti ends that are prejudicial to 
 both. They feem to apply to Chrifliani- 
 ty, and to its minifters, the ancient fai)le of 
 Prometheus and Pandora. At the f4me time 
 that they reprefent the keepers of the celejiial 
 fire as perfons who cannot boaft of having a 
 divine commijfion^ they confider the chejl depofited 
 in their hands as being pregnant with all the 
 evils wherewith mankind have been afflicled. 
 But our fubjecl now calls upon us to attend 
 to the benefit which modern freethinlcers de- 
 rive from the points above mentioned, and 
 to the ufe that is made of them. 
 
 It will appear from examination, that thefe 
 gentlemen employ every art by which reli- 
 gion may be wounded through the {hields of 
 its defenders, from the VN^ay of wit and ridi- 
 cule to that of grofs and fcurrilous abufe. Ic 
 is principally with thofe who ufe the firft 
 kind of arms that we have to do at prefent. 
 " Their concealed method of raillery (I adopt 
 " the language of an elegant writer) fteals in- 
 
 " fenfibiy 
 
jtSo Of the Effect of Ridicule 
 
 " fenfibly upon the reader ; fills him wirfx 
 " endlefs prejudice and fufpicion; and, with- 
 " out pafling through the jij^gment, iixeth 
 *' fiich impreflions on the imagination, as rea- 
 *' fon, with all its efFecfts, will hardly be able 
 " afterwards to efface *." 
 
 Perhaps there is not in any language a 
 work wherein more flriking examples to the 
 prefent purpofe are to be met with, than in 
 the well-known performance of the late Lord 
 Shaftefbury f . I have indeed been inclined 
 to think, that, if his Lordfliip lofes fight upon 
 any occafion of the Graces, who accompany 
 him in every other walk, it is when he fpeaks 
 of the clergy, againft whom he feems to be 
 a6luated by peculiar animoiity. Yet it mufl 
 be acknowledged, that his ridicule, whether 
 pointed at the livings, at the preaching, at the 
 ofEce of clergymen, or at the great Author of 
 their religion, has actually produced the worfl 
 effe<5l upon the minds of perfons in early life. 
 For upon them a flroke of delicate raillery 
 will ever make a deeper and a more perma- 
 nent imprefTion, than arguments of any kind, 
 
 * BrQWfi's EjJ'iixs oiJ the cbji-.i^, p. 243. 
 f CLirr. fieri ft :cs. 
 
 laowever 
 
OKr THE Clerical Character. 281 
 
 however juftly fcledled, or particularly en- 
 forced. 
 
 In the following palTage, in which his Lord- 
 fhip fpeaks of the clergy as of an incorporated 
 fociety, paid for their labours by the ftate, he 
 contrives with much addrefs to make his ac- 
 count of them diredily fubfervient to his 
 purpofe of undermining tlieir religion, by 
 making a general obfervation in which both 
 are included. " If (he fays with fome appa- 
 ' rent modefty) the collateral teflimony of 
 ' fome ancient records was deftroyed, there 
 ' would be lefs argument or plea remaining 
 ' againft that natural fufpicion of thofe who 
 ' are called fceptical, that the holy records 
 ' themfelves were no other than the pure in- 
 ' yention and artificial compilement of an 
 ' interefted party, in behalf of the richejl cor" 
 ' poration and mofi profitable monopoly in the 
 world *." We have feledled this remark, 
 as it is a fpecimen of that concealed fatire by 
 which the noble author accompliflieth a de- 
 trimental end, with the purpofe of putting 
 our young readers on their guard againft the 
 effedl of this fatire in fimilar inftances. The 
 
 * Mifcd, I. ch, 2' . 
 
 N n author's 
 
<282 Of the Effect of Ridicule 
 
 author*s addrefs, in the whole paiTage, Hes in 
 his artful manner of placing together the 
 Chriftian religion as being a compilement, 
 its miniilers as tlie compilers, and their tem- 
 poral emoluments, as the motive of fufpicion, 
 not in a direct aflertion, but in a diftant and 
 envenomed infinuation. 
 
 But we Ihould depreciate the talents of 
 this ipirited writer in his mod diftinguilhed 
 ^here of excellence, were we to produce no 
 other fpecimen of his way of raillery with 
 fuch objedls in view than thofe of the kind 
 above mentioned. This fedlion would fwell 
 to a volume, were we to follow our noble 
 fportfman through all the mazes of the chafe, 
 in his favourite exercife oi parfon-hunting, ac- 
 companied, not like the redoubtable fquire of 
 currijh memory ^ by his pack of four and two- 
 legged brethren, fawning, grinning, and 
 barking in concert *, but aflbciated with the 
 laughter-loving Momus, and direcfled by the 
 flambeau of Ridicule. Thus prepared and 
 accoutered, woe to the fbns of Night and" 
 Erebus, to the myflerious race of black im- 
 poftors, who, roufed from their lurking-holes 
 
 * TtelL works, voL6. p. 228. ^c. 
 
 by 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 283 
 
 by the lliouts of this joyous company, are 
 baited without mercy for their entertainment^ 
 
 Were we difpofed, upon the prefent occa- 
 iion, to attempt an imitation of the great ori- 
 ginal which his Lordfliip hath here fet before 
 us, we fhould entertain our readers, by carry- 
 ing on our allufion to the fcene above refer- 
 red to, in the inimitable Jofeph Andrews of 
 Fielding. For it is certain, that, in this high- 
 wrought exhibition, honeft Parson Adams, 
 flarting from his fleep when the pack above 
 mentioned affaulted his otWworks'^ fcratching 
 his bald pate, ill defended from fo many ra- 
 venous enemies by his ragged and fluttering 
 handkerchief; eying the remnant of his torn 
 cafTock ; and flaring with unutterable afto- 
 niihment as he heard " the wind whijiling 
 *' through his grey Wig'^^'' now become the pro- 
 perty of Jowler J is not more calculated to ex- 
 cite rifibility, and far lefs to flir up any more 
 dangerous paffion, than the various transfor- 
 
 * The wind whiftling through his grey locks, his 
 hair floating on the wind, &c. are expreflions often 
 pifturefque and beautiful, in the fongs of OiTian, of 
 which the ludicrous application in the text is by no 
 means ufed as implying cenfure. 
 
 N n 2 mations 
 
2^4 
 
 Of the Effect of Ridiculb 
 
 mations that are here prefented to us ^. At 
 one time tlie vidims of our noble author's 
 
 vengeance 
 
 * In juftice to one of the beft men, as well as beft: 
 writers of his age and country, it is proper to obferve, 
 that the ADAMS of Fielding, endowed with a large 
 proportion of his author's benevolence, is invariably an 
 objedt both of efteem and of attachment. Neither of thefe 
 paffions is abated in the leaft degree by the oddities of his 
 charafter ; becaufe the author does not lofe fight in any 
 inrtance of the qualities that render it refpeftable. His 
 learning, although accompanied with perfe<5l ignorance 
 of mankind, produceth this effe«l, as being fuUied by no 
 
 • blemifhes by which difguft or averfion are excited. And the 
 philantrophy apparent in his whole conduit renders him 
 peculiarly the objed: of our affeftion. His ignorance of 
 modern manners, and charafters therefore confidered as 
 a lingle defed amidft fo many valuable and excellent 
 qualities, excites laughter unmixed with any bad paffion j 
 
 • becaufe nothing is left to the reader's imagination. 
 "I his truly original clwrader the author hath delineated 
 in another work. See PhiloJ. and Critic. Ohf. on Cowpo- 
 
 fttion, vol. I. p. ^42. ^c. But far different from the 
 pifture exhibited by our excellent author, is the repre- 
 
 fentatipn of the clerical order offered to us by Lord S ,- 
 
 and his difciples. The circumfiances of which the for* 
 
 , mer avails himfelf to inftruft his readers, by fliowing the 
 importance and neceflity of obtaining a competent know- 
 ledge of mankind, in order to render the beft charader 
 
 , completely refpeftable ; the latter employs to excite a ri- 
 dicule againfi the whole fociety, that is produdive of cop- 
 tempt and of hatred. Of the firft paffion pedantry is the 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 285 
 
 vengeance are " flaming champions engaged 
 " in combat *.*' At another period, they be- 
 come " black inchanters infnaring the fair 
 " fex f." In an inftant the fcene is Ihifted, 
 arid they re-appear in the form of " glaziers 
 *' breaking cafements, chafTeys, lanterns, and 
 *' filling the whole neighbourhood with the 
 " noife of blows and outcries, as they kick 
 " about the bloated battering foot-ball J." 
 Such, reader, are the transformations of the 
 flambeau of ridicule ! 
 
 0! /acred weapon^ ^^ftfi^ truth's defence! 
 
 and for trutUs difcovery too, our author adds. 
 Such are the forms under which the goddefs 
 of Ridicule, exalted by his Lordfhip to the 
 high office of fixing the (landard of Truth, 
 as an expreffion of gratitude for fo great an 
 obligation, chofe to difcover to him the ce- 
 leflial being of whom he was in fearch § ! 
 
 objeft ; as felf-fufficiency, pride, and intolerant princi- 
 ples are of the laft. Examples of this kind will be produ- 
 ced in the fubfequent part of the feftion. 
 
 * Mifcel. I. ch. 1. 
 f Solil. p. 2. feEl. 3. 
 X Mifcel. I. ch. 2. 
 J EJf. on Ridicule fpajp. 
 
 But 
 
28§ Of the Effect of Ridicule 
 
 But let us quit this dirty ifland for a mo»- 
 ment, and converfe a little with our witty 
 foreign author upon this interefting fubje(^. 
 This gentleman makes fhort work with cler- 
 gy of all denominations. A French prelate, 
 he will tell you, is an unprincipled debau- 
 chee, originally called an Abbe^ who is rai- 
 fed to that high ftation by female intrigue. 
 An Englilh Lord Spiritual he defcribes as an 
 Avaritious old pedant, bred i^ the gloom of 
 a college. And the clergy of England in 
 ge^ieral he paints as a race who know little of 
 the world, have much pious ambition, are 
 fcrupuloufly exadl with their tithes, and get 
 drunk with mighty little noife *. 
 
 But the higheft ftrokes of our author's vis 
 eomica are referved for his Prejhyterian parfotiy 
 to whom he tells you that the graved Eng- 
 liih clergyman is a very Jemmy in compari- 
 fon. The charaderiftics of this fingular ani- 
 
 * La mauvaife grace contraftee dans Puniverfite et 
 le peu de commerce qu'on a ici avec les femmes, font 
 cue d'ordinaire un Eveque eft force de fe contenter de 
 la fienne. Les Pretres vont quelquefois au cabaret, par. 
 ce que I'ufage le leur permet ; et s'ils s'enyverentj c'eft 
 ferieufemetit ttjansfcandak. Oeiivres de Volt. torn. 6. 
 
 mal 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 287 
 
 mal are, he fays, a broad brimmed hat, a 
 long cloak covering a fhort coat, a folemn 
 gait, and a morofe afpedl. When he atT 
 tempts to fpeak, he is known by fnufBing 
 through the nofe, and by averring that all 
 clergymen who pofTefs five or fix thoufand 
 a year maintain fcandalous correfpondence 
 with the WHORE of BABYLON * 
 
 Of the clerical order in thefe kingdoms, 
 which our author charadlerifeth with fo bold 
 a hand, we need only to obierve, that his 
 reprefentation of his own countrymen, al- 
 though juft in fome particulars, is molt pro- 
 bably exaggerated. The Englifh clergy, on 
 the contrary, form a body too refpe6lable 
 to be injured by general criticifm-fo loofe 
 and unappropriated. But it may be proper 
 to examine our author's account of the laft 
 fociety fomewhat more particularly. We 
 
 • Le dernier, (un prefbyterien d'EcolTe) affeftc une 
 demarche grave, un air fache', un vafte chapeau, un 
 long manteau pardeflus un habit court, pre'cbe du nez, 
 et donne le noin de Proftituee de Babylone a toutes les 
 eglifes, oa quelques Ecclefiaftiques font aflez h(^ureux 
 pour avoir cinquantes mille livres de rent, et ou le peu- 
 ple eft aflez bon pour le foufFrir, &c. Ocuvrcs de Volt» 
 vol. 6 .p. 1 17. 
 
 would 
 
288 Of the Effect of Ridicule 
 
 ■would obferve therefore concerning the Eu* 
 ropean Oiiran Oiitang^ whom Mr de Voltaire 
 defcribes as being a native of Scotland, that 
 this animal has difappeared of late years in 
 that country. It is indeed the opinion of 
 fome perfons w^ho wifh to be thought faga- 
 cious, that he never had exiftence, nor could 
 have had it any where, unlefs in the brain of 
 a Frenchman. This however to be fure is a 
 wicked flander. 
 
 Certain very inquifitive philofophers, ha- 
 ving determined to afcertain the exiftence of 
 this extraordinary phoenomenon, after a la- 
 borious and fruitlefs fearch of it in the coun* 
 try afligned by our author, pretend to have 
 difcovered that this fame wonderful being 
 has migrated of late from its native region. 
 And they conclude from certain ftriking 
 marks of refemblance, that it ftill exifts in 
 the lively French Ahhe^ or motley animal, 
 whom our author defcribes as an overgrown 
 baboon, known to be of the monkey kind, 
 although he has learned to fpeak by fome 
 accident, by his grimace and grinning. Thefe 
 fame philofophers affirm, with much feriouf^ 
 nefs, that the above-mentioned Ouran Ou- 
 
 tang 
 
ON THE CLfiRieAL CHARACTER; 289 
 
 tang may have exchanged, in the exhilara-^ 
 ting cHmate of France, and among its Hvely 
 inhabitants, \i\%folcmn gait for the quick dan-* 
 elngjiepy his broad brimmed hat for the etiquetti, 
 of the faJJjion^ his morofe afped for the^r/V; pe- 
 cuUar to his fpecies, and his fjiiifffi?ig through 
 the nofe for their propenfity to chattering. The 
 faid animal's talk of incontinencd in ond 
 country, may they remark, is now converted 
 into the pra&ice of it in another. And, ac- 
 cording to their theory, it is a matter of' 
 httle confequence whether the lady upon 
 this occafion fhould be the WHORE of BA- 
 BYLON, or any otlier female of limilar re- 
 putation. In this manner do thefe philofo-i 
 J)hers attempt to afcertain the exiftence of 
 this ftrange race of beings. But 
 
 — Non nojirum eji tantas cofnpo7i€re litesi 
 
 It is our purpofe only to relate their corijed-s 
 tures, and we leave the reader to judge for 
 himfelf 
 
 Our oblervatloris have thus far refpedled 
 the power and the efFe(5l of ridicule applied 
 to depreciate the clerical character, and the 
 caufes that contribute mofl: effectually to 
 render it fuccefsful. We have exemplified 
 O o biu^ 
 
290 Of the Effect of Ridicule 
 
 our remarks on this fubjecl, that our youngs 
 readers may be acquainted at one view with 
 various modes of its appUcation, and may be 
 guarded againft dire(5l or iniinuated accula- 
 tion, of which the confequence is ultimately 
 detrimental to religion. 
 
 But ridicule, whatever Lord S may 
 
 iay in behalf of it, cannot be monopolifed by 
 any party ; and, when it is unfupported by 
 ferious reprefentation, mufl fail of effecftua- 
 ring any purpofe of importance. For even 
 granting that, by means of this dangerous 
 talent, an adverfary fliould be rendered an 
 objedl of hatred, as well as of laughter, on 
 account of his profelTion, his readers, altho' 
 prejudiced againft his arguments, will not be 
 rendered altogether unfufceptible of impref- 
 iion from them. In order to obtain this 
 purpote efFcvftually, it mufl be made appa- 
 rently evident, by a charge laid dov/n, and 
 enforced by an enumeration of circumftan- 
 ces, that the members of a certain commu- 
 nity are impelled by the nature of their of- 
 fice to deceive and to impofe upon mankind. 
 With this end, it is not only necefTary that 
 tht condudl of thofe men fhould be arraign- 
 ed, 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 291 
 
 €(1, as having been culpable at all times, but 
 that an unfavourable eftimate iliould be pre- 
 fented of the characfler that is formed by their 
 occupations, of which the influence muft be 
 deterrnined. 
 
 Among the various orders of men, it will 
 be acknowledged that thofe w^ill be moft uai- 
 verfally the objecls of approbation or of cen- 
 fure, who are placed in the molt confpicuous 
 ftations, and v.^ho are concerned in tranfac- 
 tions the mod interefting and important. 
 We mufl likewife be convinced, tliat, in fuch 
 fituations, no conduct can be fo unexcep- 
 tionable or uniformly upright, as not to me- 
 rit jufl reprehenhon j far lefs can it be guar- 
 ded againft a fcrutiny carried on v/ith jealous 
 attention, and dire6led wholly to the difco- 
 very of what is either defe<5live or faulty. 
 We may remark further, that w^ith reipecfl 
 to the condudl of communities, a few fa els 
 placed in the woril light, and aggravated by 
 invidious comments, will juftify general cen- 
 fure and ftrong affirmation in the opinion of 
 men who have been taught to think of this 
 community with a violent and unfavourable 
 prepofTeiFion. The weak, who are deceived 
 O o 2 with 
 
292 Of the Effect of Ridicule 
 
 with facility, and the unintelUgent, who muft 
 decide from partial reprefentation, become 
 eafily fufceptible of this prepoflellion. And 
 errors of which the hiflory of every fociety 
 is pregnant with examples, and which are 
 amply compenfated by oppoiice virtues, in 
 fome inftances are made to form a general 
 impeachment againft a particular order, in-^ 
 (lead of being confidered in their proper 
 light, as originating ultimately in the imper- 
 fecSlion of the human mind. Of this truth 
 we fhall produce an example before we con- 
 clude the prefent fedlion. 
 
 Of all the eftabliflnnents that have been 
 formed among mankind for purpofes of pur 
 blic utility, that of ecclefiaflics has always 
 been accounted one of the mofl confiderable 
 at leaft, if not the mofl confpicuous and im- 
 portant. For, to the members of this body 
 men have at all times intrufted charges of 
 the utmofl confequence, placing confidence 
 by this conduct in their fmcerity, as well as 
 in their fuperior ability, intelligence, and 
 difcernment. Nor can it be faid, upon an 
 impartial examination, that this confidence 
 has been in general mifapplied. It is a 
 
 known 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 293 
 
 known fad, that the monuments of clafTical 
 ingenuity, which have been the admiration 
 of all ages, were prefer ved by this order of 
 men from perifliing at the time when the 
 Northern Barbarians overfpread the Roman 
 empire *. To them likewife, by univerfal 
 acknowledgment, men of almoft every na- 
 tion, and at every period, have looked up for 
 inflrucftion in the various departments of re- 
 ligion and of philofophy. In thefe compre* 
 henfive fpheres of inveftigation their coun- 
 fels have at the fame time dire<5led the re- 
 fearches of men, and have influenced their 
 opinions and their pracftice^ 
 
 From this reprefentation, the reader will 
 remark, that it mud have been impoffible 
 for men, however upright and capable, tq 
 avoid reproach in the exercife of fo many, 
 various, and complicated employments. And 
 it is not denied, that, in the difcharge of 
 thefe, unjuftifiable arts have been ufed by 
 various claiFes of this great fociety, with the 
 purpofe of heightening the belief of their 
 fandlity, of improving the opinion of their 
 
 * See above, p. 34. 
 
 knowledge. 
 
294 Of the Effect of Ridicule 
 
 knowledge, and of rendering the confidence 
 placed in their candour, capacity, and com- 
 municadons, unconditional and implicit. 
 Nor is there a community upon earth iii- 
 trufted with exteniive privileges, and poflefs- 
 ed of the means of impoiition, againft whom 
 the charge of having abufed tliofe privileges 
 in fome cafes, and of having employed thefe 
 means to promote felfifli and detrimental 
 ends, may not be brought witli propriety 
 and with truth. 
 
 It is in confequence of fo great a trufb, and 
 of fuch diverfified occupations, that impeach- 
 ments of various kinds are laid againft the 
 clerical order, whofe public condudl having 
 been expofed in this manner to general ob- 
 fervation, has been the fubjecl of fo much 
 unmerited cenfure and obloquy. The charge 
 of having uttered falfehoods, we iliall find to 
 originate in their fuppofed mifmanagement 
 of records and of traditions. The imputa- 
 tion of duplicity we may trace to their con- 
 du(5t reipecling fedls- and parties, whether 
 political or religious. The accufation of 
 pride arifeth from a deportment correfpond- 
 ing to the dignity of their olfice, and often 
 
 prefcribcd 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 295 
 
 prefcribed by the demeanour of their adver- 
 faries. Finally, the impeachment of hypo- 
 crify is urged in confequence of an imagined 
 difparity deemed to take place betwixt their 
 public profefhons and their practice. 
 
 The tendency of animadveriion thus un- 
 favourable to the miniflerial charadler, when 
 inforced by fpecious arguments, to promote 
 the caufe of infidelity, is too obvious to re- 
 quire enlargement. It is however proper for 
 the fatisfadtion of our young readers in par- 
 ticular, that we ihould exemplify our obfer- 
 vations on this fubje<5t, by giving the accu- 
 fation its full force in the words of the ad- 
 verfaries of Chriftianity, and by endeavour- 
 ing at the fame time to evince its futility. 
 
 Among thofe who arraign the public con- 
 du(5l of priefls in ail ages, with an avowed 
 purpofc of depreciating the charadler, the 
 late Lord Bolingbroke is at the fame time 
 one of the moft fevere and mod confpicuous 
 accufcrs. As our noble author ufeth lb 
 ranch freedom with this order of men, whom 
 he treats, as we fhall lee immediately, with 
 peculiar virulence and animofity, his admi- 
 rer;^ 
 
2g6 Of the Effect of Ridicule 
 
 rers cannot take offence that we prepare our 
 readers for hearing his charge, by characfler- 
 ifing the works wherein it is fo flrongly en- 
 forced. Of his Lordftiip's writings then we 
 will venture to affirm, that they are in ge- 
 neral diflinguiihed by two marks or figna- 
 tures, of which each becomes predominant 
 as occaiion requires. One is, foul language 
 and grofs abufe of the greatefl names ancient 
 and modern, who have the misfortune to in- 
 cur his difpleafure. The other charad:erifti- 
 cal mark, is that of bold aflertion, of loofe 
 fentiments, and of long declamatory difcour^ 
 fes, which are often fubflituted in place of 
 found argument and of rational inveftiga- 
 tion *. Should we be charged by any friend 
 
 of Lord B with the fault of adopting 
 
 the very pracftice that we condemn in the 
 prefent inftance, by afferting boldly, with- 
 
 * We do not fay that this is always the cafe of Lord 
 Bolingbroke. When he is not mifled by his palTions, 
 his compofition, which is in general nervous and anima- 
 ted, is dignified by a correfponding energy, and even 
 propriety of fentiment. But in the two great fields of 
 religion and of politics, he is feldom fo cool as to 
 •write with impartiality ; and his pafl^ions, when he talks 
 of miiiijier's in either department, lead him to afl'crt 
 without proof or proper examination. 
 
 cue 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 297 
 
 ont producing evidence, the reply is at hafid. 
 We accufe that man of ufing foul language 
 in the proper : fenfe of the term, who applies 
 promifcuoufly the epithets of madman, blaf- 
 phemer, audacious and vain fophift, whining 
 philofopher, patient not yet reflored to his 
 fenfes, Sift:, ^r. 'z^c, to Socrates, Plato, Ari- 
 ftotle, among the ancients ; to Dacier, Cud- 
 worth, Clark, Locke, Woolafton, among mo- 
 dern writers ; and to the clergy in all ages, 
 thefe and fo many other reproachful epi- 
 thets, as it would anfwer no good purpofe to 
 tranfcribe *i Again, the charge of ufmg de- 
 clamation, unfupported bv folid argument, 
 may be Urged with propriety againft him, 
 whbfe acCiifations either of individuals or of 
 focieties, far from being confirmed by rea- 
 i<y[i^ are maintained by ftrong and by accu- 
 mulated affirmations. This obfervation we 
 leave philofophers and politicians to eftablifh 
 in their examination of his other theories ; and 
 we proceed to exemplify it in his treatment 
 of divines, as he calls them. 
 
 ^ * BoltnghroWs kvork^, vol. 3,/). 113. 129. 392. vol. 5. 
 p. 464. vol. 2' p' 441- 353- 393- 4^4- ^S- ^<^' 
 
 P p One 
 
2gS Of the Effect of Ridicttlk 
 
 One of the moft ftriking evidences of cnir 
 noble author's antipathy at church-men is hi& 
 reprefentation of them as having been the 
 fathers of lies in all ages. This chara(5leriftic 
 of Satan, his Lordfliip has difcovered to be 
 that of the priefthood. Let us fee in what 
 manner he makes out the accufation. 
 
 ** I agree, fays he, tliat hiftory has been 
 *' purpofely and fyftematically falfified in all 
 " ages. Let me fay without offence, fince I 
 *' can fay it with truth and am abk to prove it^ 
 ** that ecclefiaftical authority has led the wa>y 
 " to this corruption in all ages and all reli- 
 ** gions. How monftruous were the abfurdi- 
 *' ties that the priefthood im^pofed on the ig- 
 " norance and fuperftition of mankind in the 
 *' Pagan world concerning the originals of 
 *' religion and governments, their inftitutions 
 " and rites, their laws and euftoms ! What 
 " opportunities had they for fuch impofi- 
 ♦* tions, while the keeping the records,, and 
 " collecting the traditions, was in fo many 
 " nations the peculiar office of this body of 
 " men ? A cuftom liable to the grofTeft 
 ** frauds, and even a temptation to them. 
 ** What numberlefs fables have been invent- 
 
 "^ ed. 
 
ON THE CLlltlCAL ChARACTET?. 29^ 
 
 " ed to raife,toembellifh, and to fupport the 
 " ftni(5lures of Judaifm and Chriftianity, ac' 
 ** cording to the intereft and tafte of the ar- 
 *' chitedts ! Among the fathers of the Chri- 
 *' ftian church, dehberate fyftematical lying 
 ** has been pradiifed and encouraged from. 
 ** age to age, *" 
 
 ] J. Such is his Lordfhip's charge againft 
 ** priefts of all religions, and in all ages :" 
 A charge calculated to produce the worfl 
 effedl upon young readers, who fit down 
 to perufe his writings with a ftrong prepof- 
 feflion in his favour as a man of genius ; and 
 who being difqualified by indolence, by inca- 
 pacity, and in fome degree by this very pre- 
 poiTeflion, to enter into the fubjedl with im- 
 partiality, conceive ageneral prejudice againft 
 men who are the objects of fo univerfal a 
 cenfure. It is therefore neceiTary in the pre- 
 fent inflance, to confider what our author 
 hath faid to fupport it. To the accufation 
 
 as it hath been flated, and to Lord B s 
 
 attack on the Chriftian priefthood, the fol- 
 lowing reply may not perhaps be impro- 
 per. 
 
 * Letter /^h on hi/iory. 
 
 P p 2 « You 
 
300 Of the Effect of Ridicule 
 
 " You fay, my Lord, that the Pagan prieft- 
 
 " hood impofed monflruous abfurdities on. 
 
 " the ignorance and fuperftition of mankind 
 
 " concerning the originals of religions, &c. 
 
 " You alTign, as the caufe of this impofition, 
 
 *' the confidence that was placed in this or- 
 
 *' der of men, who were entrufled with the 
 
 " records and traditions of fo many nations. 
 
 " But by what argument have you proved 
 
 " the firft of thefe afTertions ? By none of 
 
 " any kind. In the place of evidence, you 
 
 *'.have fubftituted a few general exclama- 
 
 *' tions. How monflruous, &c. Taking the 
 
 " matter however as you have thought pro- 
 
 '' per to reprefent it, I am at a lofs to under- 
 
 " ftand what your Lordfhip means by fay- 
 
 " ihg, that monflruous fables with refpedt 
 
 " to the originals of religions and of nations, 
 
 *' have been impofed upon mankind by the 
 
 " ancient priefthood. Every man who has 
 
 " the leail acquaintance with ancient hiflo- 
 
 " ry, knows, that whatever refpe6ts the ori- 
 
 o** gin of nations, and of the rites, &c. which 
 
 " prevailed in early ages, is involved in un- 
 
 " avoidable obfcurity. But he knows like- 
 
 " wife that this has happened, not becaufe 
 
 " the priefthood falfified records, but becaufe 
 
 " m 
 
u 
 
 C( 
 
 (( 
 
 ON. THE Clerical Characteu. 301 
 
 in thofe early ages, there were no records 
 fubfifting to be falfified. The invention 
 of letters, by means of which records are 
 framed and conveyed, was necefTarily po- 
 flerior to the formation of fociety ; in the 
 fame manner as the inftitution of the pri eft- 
 hood was fubfequent to the fyftematical 
 knowledge of religion *\ Even after focie- 
 ty was eftabliflicd in the moft ancient of 
 civilized nations, Egypt, Diodorus Siculus, 
 and many other ancient authors muft have 
 informed you, that hieroglyphical fymbols, 
 in the explanation of which a large field 
 was opened to conje(5lure, preceded the in- 
 vention of letters, for the purpofe of con- 
 veying ideas f> . If therefore knowledge 
 was fo imperfeiflly communicated among 
 a people celebrated for the moft early pro- 
 
 * By the t-ermf^i/iewaticd/, applied here to religion, I 
 underhand principles digefted and methodifed into fome 
 foi*ni.' A knowledge of truths thus regulated muft have 
 preceded the inftitution of the prietthood ; becaufe with- 
 out fuch knowledge, it would have been impodible to 
 afcertain the nature of the facerdotal office ; or to aflign 
 to individuals the departments which each was qualified 
 to occupy. 
 
 t AIOAOP. SIKEA. ^tC. yi, 
 
 . " ficiency, 
 
3^2^ Of the Effect of Ridiculb: 
 
 "■^ liciettcy, we may judge concerning the re- 
 " cords thatmufl have obtained credit among 
 " thofe whofe civilization was of a much la- 
 " ter date. 
 
 " But you obferve, my Lord, that the an- 
 *' cient priefthood were intrufted not only 
 ^' with the records of nations, but with their 
 " traditions. Of thefe we acknowledge, 
 " that the latter might have been falfified 
 ^without much difficulty. But why, let 
 1* me afk, does your Lordfhip fall thus un- 
 *' mercifully upon the poor priefls for ha- 
 ** ving wilfully impofed falfe notions con- 
 ^ cerning religion and government upon 
 *' mankind ; without having gained proper 
 ** information, or having brought adequate 
 ^evidence of their crimes. Now, my Lord, 
 *' I will undertake to prove from your own 
 *^ account of this matter, not only that you 
 " have not produced fuch evidence, but that 
 *' no fuch evidence can be produced accor- 
 " ding to your principles, by any man what- 
 '* ever. 
 
 *' With this purpofe, you will permit me 
 (^" to remark, that as it was the pecuHar office 
 
 "of 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 30^5 
 
 •* of the priefthood to preferve the records, 
 " and to coUecSl the traditions of nations ; 
 ** your Lordfhip's impeachment of them as 
 " having falfified thefe, can be derived from 
 " no other information than their own. 
 ** Now, granting that the traditions above 
 " mentioned were purpofely falfified ; it 
 " would not I apprehend follow, that they 
 ** were the authors of this impofition, unlels 
 " recourfe could be had to original records, 
 ** that we might judge from comparifon^ 
 " But the authors of thofe fables have inter- 
 ** fered with, correcSled, and even contradidled 
 *' each other in their narrations. This is 
 *' no doubt true. But furely no confequence 
 *' unfavourable to the facerdotal order, can 
 " be deduced from this fadt, whether the 
 *' members of this fbciety were or were not 
 " the authors of thofe narrations. The firft 
 " cafe will fcarcely be affirmed. For it is 
 *' well known, that all the writers from 
 " whofe works certain confufed and contra- 
 " di(flory accounts are extradled concerning 
 *' the originals of religion and of govcrn- 
 ** ment, were not priells. But fliould we grant 
 *' thecontrary, what is the confequence ? The 
 *' natural conclufion to be drawn from their 
 
 " interfering 
 
304 Of the Effect of Ridicule • 
 
 ** interfering narrations, furely is, that nb 
 ** collujQon took place betwixt perfons who 
 " differ in opinion fo far from each other j 
 " a circumftance that is incompatible with 
 " the imputation of their impofmg faifehoods 
 " and abfurdities by agreement. But if it 
 " is true, on the other hand, that thefe aii- 
 " thors had in general no concern with the 
 " priefthood ; but that they have handed 
 " down the traditions which were collected 
 " by that body of men, refpedling the origi- 
 " nals of rehgion, &c. in this cafe, it may 
 ** furely be faid with equal probability, that 
 *' the collectors of thofe traditions made the 
 *' befl ufe of the materials put into their 
 " hands, as tliat they applied them to any bad 
 " purpofe. And it is not poflible to prove 
 " the contrary, unlefs recourfe could be had 
 " to vouchers, which, according to your 
 *' Lordfhip's account of the matter, were to he 
 " found only in their pofTefTion. 
 
 " With refpe6l to the meafures adopted by 
 *' this community in later ages, to promote 
 '* what they deemed to be the caufe of religi- 
 " on, I do not fay that all thefe merit appro- 
 " bat ion. But fhould v/e grant that ibniQ 
 
 " few 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 305 
 " few individuals employed unjufliliable 
 
 cc 
 
 means with this purpofe, mull: their holy- 
 romances, as you term them-, lay the foun- 
 *' dation of a charge of fyftematical lying, 
 " deliberately pra(5tifed and carried on by 
 " churchmen from age to age ? Indeed, my 
 " Lord, this, to fay the leaft of it, is dealing 
 " out fuch meafure to others, as your Lord- 
 *' fhip would not wifh to be meted out to 
 " yourfelf. But I check myfelf, and, far 
 " from returning railing for railing, willingly 
 " quit a fubje6l on which it is not my inten- 
 " tion to be particular. It is however to the 
 " prefent purpofe to remark, that the pra(5li- 
 " ces which you cenfure by the above men- 
 " tioned reproachful epithet, chara(5lerifed 
 " not the more enlightened times, but the 
 " firft ages of the Chriftian church. It was 
 " with this period as with the times in which 
 ** the heathen priefthood are fuppofed to 
 " have faliified records. The cultivation of 
 *' fcience was obftrudled by caufcs which it 
 ** is certainly not neceffary to enumerate, 
 " when Northern Barbarians overfpread the 
 " provinces of the Roman empire. The ma- 
 " terials, therefore, from which the hiftory 
 " of thofe ages is extracted, were not falfi- 
 Qjl " fied 
 
^o6 Of the Effect of Ridicule 
 
 " fied by churchmen. Like wax flamped 
 " by the feal, they are indehbly impreffed 
 " with thtjtgnature of the times, 
 
 *' You are driven, my Lord, to the lafl fliift 
 *' of cafuifticalrefearch,when, in order to fup- 
 " port your general accufation of the prieft- 
 *' hood, you are obHged to iniinuate, that its 
 " members have induftrioufly deftroyed the 
 " works of them who have written againft 
 " the church ; whereas, whatever fhe advan- 
 " ced to juflify herfelf, is preferved in her 
 ** annals, and in the writings of her doc- 
 " tors. This is adling like the judge I have 
 " fomewhere heard of, who condemned a 
 ** poor fellow to be hanged, not upon the 
 " proof of actual guilt, but upon the bare 
 " evidence of its pollibility. By whom, let 
 " me a£k, were the works deflroyed to which 
 *' you refer ? Were not thefe publifhed to the 
 *' world as well as thofe of the champions of 
 " the church, as you call them ? Might not 
 " the abettors of the docftrines contained in' 
 " thefe writings, have preferved and have 
 " tranfmitted fome part of them to poflerity, 
 " notwithftanding the oppofition of church- 
 ^ men^ in the fame manner as the glorious 
 
 *' monuments. 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 307 
 
 *t 
 
 a 
 
 monuments of ancient genius that will 
 ever be read with admiration, were faved 
 from the rage of the Vandals and of the 
 Khalif *. It is therefore much more reafo- 
 ** nable to fuppofe, that the works above 
 " mentioned, perifhedon account of their own 
 " infignificancy, than in confequence of the 
 *' perfecution of churchmen. And at any 
 *' rate, you cannot fupport your charge of 
 *' the corruption, and of the falfification of 
 " hiftory from the evidence of writings, 
 *' with which you neither are, nor can be 
 *' acquainted. 
 
 " I need not follow your Lordfhip in the 
 
 ♦ 1 he (lory, referred to in the text, of the Khalif 
 Oman Ebn Al Khaltab is well known. When Alexan- 
 dria fell into the hands of this favage, who devoted that 
 ineftimable treafure of ancient learning, its celebrated li- 
 brary, to deftrudion ; this barbarous logician determi- 
 ned the fate of the labours of the wife, and of the vir- 
 tuous in all ages, by the following fyllogifm. *' Either/' 
 replied he to his general, ♦' thofe books of which you 
 •' fpeak, agree perfectly with the book of God, or they 
 ** contain fomething different from its tenets, and re - 
 *' pugnant to them. In the firft cafe, they are ufelefs; 
 *' becaufe the book of God is perfeft, and contains all 
 " truth. In the laft cafe they are pernicious, and 
 *' therefore ought to be deftroyed." 
 
 Qjl 2 ** proof 
 
3o8 Of the Effect of Ridicule 
 
 *' proof of your great charge into the prefent 
 " times, at any conliderable length. Every 
 " reader muft obferve, that, in order to fup- 
 " port it, you are obliged to quit the ground 
 " from which you fet out; and to retrench 
 " an accufation which had for its obje(5l the 
 " whole Chriftian priefthood, to fome prac- 
 " tices of the church of Rome. Your proce- 
 " dure in the prefent cafe is like his, who ha- 
 " ving beiieged a ftrong fortrefs, and having 
 " amufed his employers with promifes of 
 " fnccefs, fhould content himfelf at laft with 
 *' the honour of breaking the panes of a 
 " window. I am not much concerned in 
 " the defence of this church, whofe errors 
 " and abfurdities gave occafion to the de- 
 " fe6lion of fo many nations. Yet I muft 
 " remark, that your Lordfhip will not eafily 
 " make good your charge even againft this 
 " body of men, obnoxious as they are. A 
 " few legendary tales, which, according to 
 " your own account, are far from being cre- 
 " dited in general, and a few faints, of whom 
 " fome are imn'iched^ and all perhaps are tot- 
 " tering on their pedejlals^ created in the ages 
 " of credulity, and ftanding neglecfled in 
 ^* their feparate compartments as monuments 
 
 *'of 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 209 
 
 ** of that credulity, will not enable you to 
 " prove the heavy accufation of fyftema- 
 *' tical lying, eftablilhed from age to age, 
 " even in that church; and of a plan regu- 
 " larly formed and carried on to faliify hi- 
 " ftory. 
 
 " Upon the whole, therefore, my Lord, the 
 " proof of your impeachment of churchmen, 
 " whether Pagan or Chriftian, is lame and 
 " diflatisfadlory. In what manner the PER- 
 " SONAGE above mentioned * may chufe 
 " to exprefs his acknowledgments to your 
 " Lordfhip for having difencumbered his 
 " head of the cap of darknefs, or the lying cap^ 
 " which he hath carried about for fo many 
 " ages, we cannot fay. But as it does not fit 
 " the head upon which you have attempted 
 " to place it, we give it back in all humility 
 " to the owners, either to re-adorn the brows 
 " of its ancient proprietor ; or, infcribed with 
 " the motto DETUR OPTIMO, to be con- 
 " figned as occafion may offer, to fome more 
 " deferving fociety." 
 
 Thus far we have placed before the reader, 
 
 * SATAN. 
 
 and 
 
(*i 
 
 310 Of the Effect of Ridicule 
 
 •and have endeavoured to refute the charge 
 that refpedls the public condudl of the clerical 
 ^order in all ages, as this accufation is laid 
 down, and is enforced in the writings of one 
 of their moft confpicuous adverfaries. We 
 remarked, that it is not only the defign of 
 thofe adverfaries to injure the defenders of 
 Chriflianity, by expofing their condudl as a 
 fociety, but that they attempt likewife to pre- 
 fent an unfavourable eftimate of the charac- 
 ter formed by their immediate occupations, 
 ^pf which tliey endeavour to determine the 
 influence. Of this kind is the attack upon 
 the paftoral office, conlidered as influencing 
 'characSler, that is carried on by the celebrated 
 author of ElTays Moral and Political. Tliis 
 gentleman, without making ufe of ^tjhining 
 arms of the former antagonifl:, or of the more 
 ponderous weapons of the latter, is yet a more 
 dangerous enemy than either. For by en- 
 tering philofophically into the fubjedl, he en- 
 deavours to evince, by arguments a priori^ 
 that certain vices of the mofl pernicious con- 
 fequence arife immediately from the nature 
 and exercife of this employment. An un- 
 dertaking of this kind, carried fuccefsfully 
 into execution, would certainly be prejudicial 
 
 in 
 
ON THE Clerical Character, ^.iir 
 
 in a very high degree to the Chriftian re- 
 ligion, if not fubverlive of it altogether. 
 For what ideas muft we form concerning a 
 religion, the minifters of which are employ- 
 ed to recommend the pradlice of virtues 
 which they themfelves are induced by the 
 ipirit and by the tendency of their office,' 
 upon all occafions to violate ? May we not* 
 fuppofe of young perfons particularly, that' 
 they will be ready to transfer the pailions of 
 contempt and of hatred from the clergy them- 
 felves to the inftitutions of Chriftianity ; and 
 to pronounce, that thofe cannot be of divine 
 original, as the charadlers profefledly framed 
 by them, as the pattern, are fo difagreeable 
 and fo faulty? In fadl, this is a fword which, 
 the enemies of our faith brandifh with 
 much oftentation. And its edge is then only 
 thoroughly blunted when we oppofe to it a 
 practice becoming the gofpel. 
 
 The author above mentioned keeps two 
 great objedls in view in his EfTay on the Pa- 
 floral Office, as influencing charadler, the af- 
 femblage of moral and of intelledlual quali- 
 ties which this office hath a tendency to form. 
 The firfl mentioned he defcribes as confifl- 
 
 ing 
 
312 Of the Effect of Ridicule 
 
 ing of difTimulation, of ambition, irx the 
 worft fenfe of that term ; of felf-fuiEciency, 
 impatience of contradidion, pride, and aper-^ 
 fecuting fpirit. With refpedl to the lafl, he 
 acknowledges, that " in religions founded 
 " u^on fpeculative principles (are not all reli* 
 ** gions thus founded?) and where pubUc 
 *' difcourfes make a part of reUgious fervice, 
 " it may be fuppofed, that the clergy will 
 " have a confiderable fhare of the learning of 
 *' the times." But he adds to this conceA 
 lion, that it is certain their tafte in eloquence 
 will always be better than their fkill in 
 reafoning and philofophy. That he may 
 render the characfler thus delineated perfedlly 
 hateful, he placeth in oppoiition to it certain 
 qualities which belong to the foldier, and 
 which it is fuppofed that the military profef^ 
 lion calls out into exercife*. 
 
 Upon the fir ft of thofe imputations it is 
 only necelTary to remark at prefent, that 
 fhould we grant his account of the paftoral 
 office to be juft in every circumftance, yet 
 this conceflion ought not to injure the caufe 
 
 • * EJ. Mor, and Pkihf. E/J. 24. paf. 
 
 of 
 
bis THE Clerical CnARACTElii 313 
 
 of Chriftianity* For this writer does not 
 pretend to infinuate, that his defcription cor- 
 refponds either to the precepts of the Chri- 
 ftian rehgion, or to the example of its au- 
 thor. It is, however, to thofe precepts en- 
 joining, in oppofition to Mr Hume's repre-* 
 fentation, meeknefs, fincerity, humility, pa- 
 tience of contradi(ftion, gentlenefs^ peace^ 
 and univerfal toleration, that the Chriftian 
 is required to be conformed. And the ex- 
 ample in which all thefe virtues are difplay-j. 
 ed confpicuouilyj is propofed to be the mo^ 
 del of his imitation. Permit not, therefore^ 
 my young friends^ your prejudice againft 
 the paftoral office, even granting that it is 
 well founded, to carry you beyond the ob-^ 
 je6ls which it ought immediately to refpedl* 
 Endeavour to di fling iiifh upon all occaliona 
 betwixt the fpirit of the faOerdotal funCliony 
 where you may judge it to be faulty j and 
 the pattern to which the minifter of Jefus 
 eught to be conformed, as you find it de- 
 lineated in the New Teftamenti By keep- 
 ing this juft and obvious di/lindlion con~ 
 ftantly in viev»^, you will be enabled to judge! 
 concerning this matter as you ought to 
 judge. And whatever opinion you may 
 R r fornt 
 
314 Of THE Effect OF RiDiciTLE 
 
 form of individuals, your notions will not 
 be perverted into preju.dice againft their pro- 
 feffion. 
 
 Our obfervations have thus far proceeded 
 upon the fuppofition, that this author's ac- 
 count of the fpirit of the pafloral office, and 
 of its influence on moral charadler, is v^rell 
 founded. That this however is far from 
 being the cafe, is a truth of which the proof 
 may be gained without difficulty. In fad^ 
 upon the principles employed in tliis EfTay 
 to depreciate the clerical office, a man may 
 place in an unfavourable, and even in an 
 odious light, the tendency of any office or 
 profeffion whatever. With this purpofe, he 
 ■who reflects, that every caufe admits of being 
 placed in an unfavourable, as well as in an 
 attractive and agreeable point of view, may 
 chufe betwixt two courfes, either of which 
 will be effectual. He may either contem- 
 plate the extreme only to which fome indivi-* 
 duals may carry the practice of virtues ari~ 
 fing from the fpirit of their employment, and 
 ixiay charge faults that originate in the dif> 
 pofitions of private members of a fociety 
 upon the nature of a general eflablifliment. 
 
 Or 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 315 
 
 Or he may depreciate the eftabUihrnenc it- 
 felf diredly, by coraparing it to fome office 
 that is more ehgible in the popular eilima- 
 tion. By either^ or by both methods, he will 
 render the obnoxious circumftance an object 
 of averfion,or of contempt. Tiie reader may 
 judge for himfelf concerning the truth and 
 the propriety of this obfervation, by apply- 
 ing it to the commercial, military, or political 
 •departments. An enlargement upon thi^ 
 fubjecfl is happily faperfeded in the prefent 
 inftance. For the Effay above mentioned i^ 
 particularly examined, and its author's re- 
 prefentation is proved to be unjuft in every 
 circumftance refpecfling moral character by 
 Dr Gerrard, in his excellent fermon, entitled 
 *' The influence of the paftoral office on thft 
 " chara(fler examined, with a view to Mr 
 *' Hume's reprefentation"^." To this difcourfe*, 
 as containing a judicious and fatisfadlory rcr 
 futation of our author's charge, the reader 
 who may wifli to enter at length into this 
 matter is referred. 
 
 * Preached before the Synod of Aberdeen, and pub» 
 lifhed k) 1760. 
 
 R r 2 But 
 
3i6 Of the Effect of Ridicule 
 
 But with the intelle(flual qualities to which 
 the pafloral employment gives full fcope, the 
 cafe is very diiferent. The judicious author 
 above mentioned obferves very juftly upon 
 this fubjecfl, " that, if miniflers are unac^ 
 *' quainted with the rules of juft reafoning, 
 " and are only qualified for popular decla- 
 *' niation on fubjed:s taken for granted with- 
 " out inquiry, their hearers might be incli- 
 " ned to liften to thofe who tell them that 
 '' the docftrines which they teach are mere 
 " fables deftitute of evidence, though they 
 ^' are not pofTelTed of a degree of reafon fuf- 
 ^' ficient for dete6ling the fallacious argu^. 
 ^* ments produced in fupport of them ; it 
 ^' might prepare them for expeElhig nvonderful 
 *' dif cover les in the writings ofitifidels^ and pre- 
 *''' jiidice them againjl our (the clergy's) vindica- 
 ^' tions of religiojir Our readers will perr 
 ceive, that an examination of the fentiments 
 of our author on this fubjedl falls naturally 
 into the prefent inquiry. It is therefore ne- 
 ceiTary that we enter fomewhat more parti-^ 
 cularly into the queftion before us, 
 
 In reply to this gentleman's obfervation on 
 
 ^he intelleflual character that is formed in 
 
 the 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 317 
 
 the clerical department, we may remark, 
 that the parts of his propoiition do not coa- 
 iefce with each other. For his acknowledg- 
 ment that the clergy will pofTefs a confiderable 
 {hare of the learning of the times, when that 
 learning refpe(5ls the principles of religion, 
 does not appear to be very confiftent with 
 their ailedged defeat of philofophical (Ivill. I 
 fhall be glad to know by what faculty of the 
 mind an inveftigation into the principles of 
 religion is condudled, and whether tlie powers 
 of underftanding are not as much cxercifed 
 in fuch inveftigation as in any inquiry what- 
 ever ? Is not clofe reafoning and the power 
 of difcerning, and of diflinguifliing intellec- 
 tual objedls from each other, requifite to af- 
 certain the reality of thefe principles, to mark 
 out their feparate provinces with accuracy, 
 to determine the degree of their efficacy, and 
 to remove the objec5lions by means of which 
 it is attempted to fubvert their influence ? If 
 thofe queftions are anfwered in the affirma- 
 tive, it will follow, that he who is employed 
 in ftudies of this nature muft pofTcfs confi- 
 derable philofophical abilities, in order to 
 gcquire " the learning of the times ;" and 
 
 that 
 
3i8 Of the Effect of Ridicule 
 
 that thofe abilities will receive as much im* 
 provcment in the courfe of this examination, 
 as in any procefs of reafoning in which they 
 can be exerted. Oar author's dogmatical af- 
 firmation, therefore, that " the tafte of clergy- 
 ^ men in eloquence will be always better 
 " than their Ikill in reafoning and philofo- 
 " phy," like that of his fellow champion in 
 the fame caufe, {lands unfupported in this 
 formidable EfTay by any other evidence than 
 his i^e dixit. 
 
 But the laft part of Mr H 's affertion 
 
 demands more particular animadverlion. For 
 he appears by it to eftablifli a diftindlion be- 
 tween eloquence and philofophy, which is as 
 incompatible as his notable feparation of rea- 
 fon from faith. Had this author's innate at' 
 tacbment to novelty and paradox permitted 
 him, upon the prefent occafion, to recolledl 
 what he muft have read on the fubjedt of 
 eloquence in the writings of Quintilian and 
 of Cicero, he would have reflected, that phi- 
 lofophical fliill in the higheft degree is in- 
 difpenfably necefTary to the attainment of 
 excellence in the department of the orator. 
 He would have perceived, in this cafe, that 
 
 the 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 315; 
 
 the reafoning in which, according to his 
 theory, the fpirit of the paftoral office renders 
 a clergyman defe<5live, forms, in theeflimation 
 of thofe writers, the firft and principal part 
 of that eloquence in which he acknowledgeth 
 that this fpirit will render him a proficient. 
 By what means, therefore, tafle can be form- 
 ed in one province, when fkill is compara- 
 tively and neceifarily deficient in the other, 
 certain metaphyfical inquirers into the arca- 
 na of nature muft be left to determine. By 
 the term ta/ie^ I underfland, when it is applied 
 to eloquence, a power of difcerning its genu- 
 ine excellencies, fo as to be fuitably imprelied 
 by them. Now, if we are to confider clear 
 and decifive evidence as a principal excel- 
 lence, it will follow, that this perception or 
 faculty mull be adapted to comprehend it. 
 He therefore whofe reafoning powers are un- 
 equal to the purfuit of philofophical deduc- 
 tion, cannot be faid to poffefs tafle in an art 
 to the knowledge of which a power of com- 
 prehending that dedudlion is fo indiipenfably 
 requifite. 
 
 We have now endeavoured to place before 
 the reader whatever hath been urged againft 
 
 the 
 
320 Of the Effect of Ridicule ^ 
 
 the minifters of our religion by their adver- 
 faries, either in the way of raillery, or of di-* 
 re(5l and ferious accufation. In our remarks 
 on this fubjedl, we have feduloufly kept in 
 view the great end which refie6lions of this* 
 nature are calculated to accomplifli. Chrifti- 
 anity hath been attacked on all fides by its 
 enemies, and no method of prevailing againfl 
 it hath been left untried by thofe who wifli-^ 
 ed to fubvert its influence. But among its 
 many opponents, confiding of philofophers, 
 hiflorians, men of wit and humour, falfe 
 friends, difTembling advocates, and avowed 
 antagonifts, perhaps thofe of the whole tribe 
 are moll to be dreaded, who carry on their 
 attack by fap, and who endeavour to under- 
 mine the foundation of the citadel by having 
 recourfe to expedients of which the purpofe 
 is not immediately difcerned. To this end 
 no method can conduce more efFeclually, 
 where religion is concerned, than that of 
 calling in queflion the ref blution and the fin- 
 cerity of its defenders. If the minifters of 
 Jefus, like mercenaries who fight only for 
 pay, are engaged in the defence of their com- 
 mon faith, merely becaufe it contributes to 
 their private emolument; or if men can be 
 
 brought 
 
ON tiiE CIleRical Character. 321 
 
 , brought to believe that this is the cafe, whe- 
 ther true or falfe in reaUty ; the flroke that 
 is apparently aim^d at the members of a fo-^ 
 ciety, overturns in its rebound the principles 
 by which they profefs to be regulated. And 
 the greater nilmber of men, who cannot per- 
 haps enter into clofe reafoning on this fub-* 
 jedl, yet, while they are perfaaded of the 
 felfiflinefs and infincerity of the former, wilt 
 not be perfuaded that the latter have theii* 
 foundation in truths , 
 
 That you may render inefledlual this 
 oblique but dangerous alTault upon religion^ 
 you ought, my young reader, to be aw^re of 
 the intention with which the facerdotal cha-* 
 tadler is rnifreprefented by thofe who defir^ 
 to deface the pattern to which it is required 
 to be conformed. A point of cbnfiderable 
 confequence will be gained, if you k^ep tbis^ 
 as the principal end of fuch mifreprefenta- 
 tion, conftantly in fight. You will thus he 
 enabled to diflinguifli betwixt juft obferva- 
 tion, is the mean of pointing out real errors^ 
 to the end that they may be rectified, and 
 ftudied abufe, by whatever pljiufible colours 
 it may be fcreened from vulgar cognifance- 
 
 S f Yo>* 
 
322 Of the Effect of Ridicule 
 
 You will remark, that the purpofe which the 
 authors of this abufe mean to accompliih, is, 
 not to re(5lify errors, but to place them in the 
 worfl lights ; not to guard a fbciety againft; 
 faults fuppofed to arife from the fpirit of 
 their profeffion, bvit to fubvert the inftitu- 
 tion itfelf, by rendering both this inftitution, 
 and thofe who are interefted to fupport'it, 
 alternately the objedls of contempt and of ri- 
 dicule. 
 
 Clergymen are by profeflion the natural 
 defenders of religion. They ought likewife 
 to be her ablefl advocates, becaufe it is their 
 immediate bufinefs to obtain information 
 concerning her laws and ordinances. In the 
 duties of their employment every virtue may 
 be called out fucceflively into exercife. But 
 to produce at all times a certain ferious cir-r 
 cumlpedlion is its moft obvious tendency. 
 And a deviation from the eftabliflied deco- 
 rum of this virtue is more confpicuous, as its 
 prevalence is required to be more powerful 
 and univerfal. In them therefore the com- 
 mon and unavoidable failings of human na- 
 ture are not overlooked, as thefe are in others. 
 They are " cities fet on a hill," and muft be 
 
 aware. 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 325 
 
 aware, that although all the good may not be 
 their friends, yet all the bad will mod cer- 
 tainly be their enemies. He therefore who 
 remarks the corriiptions that take place in 
 this community, as in all others, and who 
 points them out in the fpirit of meeknefs, 
 who lays open the caufes of their degeneracy, 
 and, when they have, erred, who endeavours 
 to bring them back to their original llandard, 
 is the friend of truth, whofe admonitions 
 ought to be received with thankfulnefs, and 
 wiiofe rebuke fhould be regarded with fub- 
 iniiiion. But does this appellation pertain to 
 that man who fubftitutes ridicule on the per- 
 fons, character, and occupations of clergy- 
 men, in place of expoflulation, admonition, 
 and reproof? Is this noble defignation cha- 
 radleriilical of him who fcans the adlions of 
 thofe men with a jealous and penetrating 
 eye, who attempts to deduce them from the 
 moll unwarrantable motives, who ftudies to 
 darken his picfture with the deeped Ihade, 
 and to prefent a lame and diftorted carica- 
 tura, in place of a jufb and ftriking refem- 
 blance of his original ? Let the reader, who 
 may pronounce upon the truth of thefe ob- 
 fervations from the examples that have been 
 S f 2 produced 
 
5.24 Of the Effect of Ridicule 
 
 produced in this fe6lion, judge concerning 
 this matter for hirnfelf. 
 
 With the adverfaries of our religion a 
 churchman muft be in faul^:, merely becaufe 
 }ie is a churchman, let him fpeak, adl, or think 
 as he can. Does he make it his principal bufi^ 
 nefs to explain the nature and tendency of 
 vice, in order to prevent its contagion from 
 becoming univerfal ? He is then a clown, un-r 
 acquainted with the manners of a gentleman, 
 who knows nothing of any faults, but of thofe 
 which he calls fins *. Is he polite, engaging, 
 affable ? He is then oppofed to the fair and 
 courteous knight as a black and myflerious 
 enchanter f. Is he ambitious of eminence ii"i 
 his profefTion ? His ambition will be gratified 
 by promoting ignorance and fuperftition, im- 
 plicit faith, ^nd pious frauds J. Does he iur 
 dulge an innocent chearfulnefs and gaiety of 
 heart? This indulgence is contrary to the 
 fpirit of his office, which will prompt him at 
 
 * Charaa. Solil. p. i. SecI.' i. 
 
 f Soli/, p. 2. Sea. 3. 
 
 X Hume's EJf. Mor. andPolit. Ef. 24. 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 325 
 
 all times to " reprefs the gaiety of pleafure*." 
 Is he ferious upon all occaiions, without ever 
 indulging this harmlefs propenfity ? Avoid 
 then his company ; for, under the maflc of 
 devotion, he will violate every fan(5lion of 
 morality f . Has he, in ihort, all the external 
 marks of a good man, whofe looks, words, 
 and adlions are inof&nfive ? You are not, 
 however, to judge of him by any of thofe 
 rules. He is a grofs hypocrite, who, without 
 real candour and fnicerity, afTumes the fpe^ 
 cious appearance of thefe virtues, that he 
 may obtain the veneration of an ignorant 
 vulgar. 
 
 Such is the pi'flure of the mlnltlers of re- 
 ligion, divefled of a few artificial colours, 
 which the authors above mentioned hold up 
 to the contemplation of mankind, I do not 
 think fo badly of thofe men whofe names on 
 fome accounts are jullly refpedable in the 
 republic of letters, as to believe that they are 
 the enemies of priells, in their charadler of 
 public inflru6lors appointed to explain and 
 to enforce the principles of moral condndl. 
 I am convinced that they ar? ftrangers to 
 
 * Hume's EJf. Mor, and Polk, Ef 24, f ^^f^- 
 
 that 
 
^26 Of the Effect of Ridicule 
 
 that malignity wherein this hatred mnfl ori- 
 ginate. Their purpofe is to overturn the re- 
 ligion of which thefe men are the avowed 
 defenders ; and fo far as the adverfaries of 
 revelation proceed towards this end by weak-^ 
 ening the effedl of whatever the friends of 
 Chriftianity advance in its defence, fo far we 
 muft acknowledge that they adhere to their 
 intention. Their condu6l in this matter is 
 prefcribed by the great principle of which 
 we have traced fo many effects, the deiire of 
 imitation. This powerful caufe of adion 
 they bring over to their own party, by placing 
 their adverfaries in a light that renders an 
 approach to them feemingly both dangerous 
 and difagreeable. For in the fame proportion 
 as this defire is repelled from one fide, it is 
 attradled to the other ; the perfons, charac- 
 ters, and tenets of thofe who fucceed in de- 
 preciating their enemies, becoming its ob- 
 jedls. 
 
 Conlider, therefore, my young friends, 
 every injurious attack on the office of a cler- 
 gyman, by an open advocate of infidelity, as 
 a call upon you for candour and impartiality. 
 To this defpicable method of promoting a 
 
 bad 
 
ON THE Clerical Character. 327 
 
 bad caufe, a noble enemy will fcarcely ever 
 be prompted to defcend by any motive. 
 When, by taking this courfe, he depreciates 
 the dignity of his charadler, you ought to 
 view him in the light of a defperate oppo- 
 nent, driven to his laft refource, and making 
 ufe, in his extremity, of any expedient by 
 means of which the fall of a tottering edifice 
 may be fuipended for a feafon. 
 
 SECT. IX. 
 
 Caufes of Scepticijtn. 
 
 WE have now examined fome principal 
 caufes of the infidelity of the times. 
 But does the term injidel chara6lerife all thoie 
 who, living in a Chriftian country, do not ac- 
 knowledge the divine authority of this reli- 
 gion ? It is well known, that, among modern 
 theorifts, fcepticifm is become xhcfa/Jjiofiabk 
 philofophy. At a time, therefore, when its 
 prevalence is fo univerfal, an inquiry into the 
 caufes in which it originates, and an attempt 
 to guard our young readers againft the in- 
 dulgence of a difpofition that is deflrudive of 
 
 happinefs. 
 
328 Causes of Scepticism. 
 
 happiiiefs, cannot be unfeafonable, and may 
 be produ(5live, if properly executed, of the 
 happiefh efFe6ls. 
 
 But IS it of the prefent times only that 
 fcepticifm is chara(fi:eriliical ? Or is its influ- 
 ence confined within the circle prefcribed by 
 an inveftigation of the nature and principles 
 of religion ? We fhall evince, in the courfe of 
 this fedlion, that a propenfity to doubt hath 
 charadlerifed mankind in the moft enlighten- 
 ed ages of antiquity, as well as in the prefent 
 times, and that of this doubt the clearefh and 
 the moft irrefragable truths have been ren-^ 
 dered the objecfts. 
 
 From the contracted fphere within which 
 the range of the human intelledl is confined, 
 and from that eager curiofity and defire of 
 knowledge by which it is impelled to over- 
 leap the bounds alfigned to its refearch, the 
 tendency to doubt derives its origin that pro- 
 duceth fo many detrimental confequences* 
 To trace the errors, the abfurdities, and the 
 faults of mankind, up to qualities and to ac- 
 complifhments which merit general approba- 
 tion, and to confider them as originating in 
 
 the 
 
Causes QF Scepticism. J29 
 
 tlie iftifapplication and abufe of excellence, is 
 to engage in an inquiry at the fame time cu- 
 rious and inflrucPdw, It is like following 
 the wandering flrcam tl>at ftagnates on the, 
 field, and obftrudls the progrefs of the tra-- 
 yeller, up to the noble ,river from which it 
 has ghded imperceptil)ly ; a procefs by which 
 we are enabled to drain the ftagnant water 
 elFedlually, by embarring the^foijrce whence 
 it originally flowed. ' ' 
 
 'Let us then reniart, that, in a certain de- 
 gree, doubt and cautious fufpence are juftly 
 confidered" as indications of wifdom, and 
 fland in' oppbfition to the teifi&rity and pre- 
 cipitance of folly. He who helitates, and 
 who weighs a mlatter on all fides before he 
 forms a fefolutioii, and proceeds to kS: from 
 it-'^in his tranfa(5lions v^ith tnankind, will 
 mofl: probably avoid the perplei^ities into 
 which the unwary are ready to be betrayed. 
 His caution likewife, or circumfpe<^ion, as 
 it is denominated, will be his fureft guard 
 amidft the various and complicated events of 
 life: It is remarkable, that Homer, who was 
 one of the wifeft men, as well as the greateft 
 poet of his age and country, rnakek this pro- 
 T t peniity 
 
5Ja CAtJ^rs ot Sc]6l»lriersMr. 
 
 penfity to doubt, and to fpeak widi fufpiciU 
 ous warrnefs upon all occafions, the charac-* 
 teriftical quality of his UlyiTes, and the vir-' 
 tue that recommende'd him mod particularly 
 to the goddefs of Wifdom, 
 
 How prone to doubt y how cautious are the. wife t 
 
 iays his divine patronefs. And again, 
 
 I'his Jhows the friend By old experience taught. 
 And learn d in all the w'ths of human thoughts 
 
 He who reflets upon the difficulty of 
 guarding againft errors in his inveftigation 
 ®f truth refpedting either religion or philoib- 
 phy, will acknowledge, that the cautious pro- 
 cedure fo beneficial in a(5live emplayment 
 will produce hkewife the mofl falutary ef- 
 fedls in the prefent. It is fit that a creature 
 whom refledtion muft render fenfible of his 
 weaknefs upon every occafion, fhould be ti- 
 mid and diffident,, rather than forward and 
 prefumptuous, when he at firft fets out in 
 this refearch. And of him who receives te- 
 nets with implicit fubmiffion, as being well 
 founded, becaufe they are inculcated by fome 
 eminent philofopher, or have been the creed 
 of his own progenitors, it may be faid with 
 
 truth. 
 
Causes of Scepticism. 331 
 
 t-riith, either that his underftanding muft be 
 very deficient, or that it is enaployed to very 
 •little purpofe. 
 
 The precepts of ancient philofophers, en- 
 joining their difciples circurafpeiSion and 
 modefty in their inquiries, and recommend- 
 iing diffidence and doubt, as being proper to 
 accompany young perfons in their examina-* 
 tions, were therefore thus far the befl adapted 
 to their circumftances and lituations. Whence 
 then arofe that habit of calling in queftiom 
 all principles 4nd aM prqpofitions, of what- 
 ever nature, which i-s fo far from correfpond- 
 ing to the fpirit of thefe precepts? From their 
 abufe, I reply, and from a defire to avoid the 
 charge of credulity^ as being a vulgar impu- 
 tation, by flying to an extreme wherein folly 
 and ignorance difcover lingular charadlers ©f 
 wifdom and of fagacity. To doubt concern- 
 ing the truth of every propofition, of which 
 the proof is not fully laid before the mind, is 
 the part of a wife man in the true fenfe of 
 that term. J^ut is the nature and tendency 
 of this wifdom to render its poflefTor gloomy, 
 difconfolate, fufpicious ? This furely will not 
 i)e affirmed. We fhall fee afterwards, that 
 T t 2 internal 
 
332 Causes OF Scepticism. 
 
 internal inq-aietude is the efFe<5l of excefs in 
 the indulgence of a rational propenfion ; and 
 that the inquietude muft increafe propor- 
 tionally, as the fubjeds in which the tranf- 
 greilion of jufl limits is confpicuous, are more 
 interefling ^nd important. 
 
 It is juftly obferved by a modern writer of 
 eminence, that religion is the only fubjeifl in 
 which fcepticifm is da-ngerous ; becaufe it 
 ought to be grounded upon certainty^ and its 
 aim, nature, tendency, and objects, fall to the 
 ground as foon as the mind ceafeth to be 
 perfuaded of its reality *. When indeed we 
 confider the great do(5lrines which religion 
 offers to the view of mankind, and their re- 
 lation to happinefs, the flate of that man who 
 lives in perpetual fufpenfe concerning their 
 truth muft be the moft gloomy and forlorn 
 imaginable. He who either frames certain 
 principles of adlion, however irrational, to 
 himfelf, or who openly avows his difbelief 
 of commands that would contract his fphere 
 of enjoyments, will pafs away life in greater 
 tranquillity than he who flu6tuates in his 
 perfuafion of their propriety or exiftence* 
 
 ^4,^^ :^ayle Art. Pyrrh. 
 
 ^'^ For 
 
Causes of Scepticism. 33^ 
 
 For the dream of fenfuality, which in the 
 latter cafe is broken by many traces of un- 
 plealing refledlion, without being brought to 
 a period, gUdes on in the former inflance, 
 without fhade or interruption, to the end. 
 
 The fceptical philofopher, rendered thus 
 unhappy during the greater part of his hfe 
 by the fohcitude of fufpenfe, mufl feel this 
 folicitude more ftrongly as he draws near to 
 the end of it. At this important feafon, to be 
 in doubt with refpedl to the future exiftence 
 of the mind, when nothing has been done 
 during Hfe to provide for its feUcity in the 
 pojfible event of exifting, is to feel mifery from 
 which they who imagine themfelves to have 
 obtained certainty on either fide of the que- 
 ftion are neceflarily exempted. In this cafe, 
 the queftion of the dying Roman to his foul, 
 
 S^ucd nunc abihis in loca 
 Pallidula f 
 
 becomes indeed a ferious one. And the re- 
 mark of an illuflrious ancient philofopher, 
 that men ought to diftruft their own judg- 
 ment, rather than to doubt concerning prin- 
 <:iples that cannot be overthrown without 
 
 injuring 
 
334- Gatjses of Scepticisjj^ 
 
 injuring truths of the mod efTential import- 
 ance, by whatever fpecious difputant thej 
 may be impugned *, cannot be too ftrongly 
 inculcated and enforced. 
 
 That a habit of thinking, of which fo ma- 
 Tiy evils are the confequences, ihould be in- 
 <iuftriou£ly propagated by the profelled in- 
 ilrucflors of niiankind in any age, is a truth 
 :pot to be believed by a flranger to the opi- 
 nions and to the pra(5lices of men, witliout 
 irrefragable evidence. Yet we need not ob- 
 ierve to any reader, that at no time whatever 
 are principles arifing from intellectual debi^ 
 lity, and expreihve of it, more univerfally 
 diffeminated, than at the prefent enlightened 
 jera. Nor can the hiftory of former ages 
 produce greater or more numerous examples 
 of philofophers with all the powers of under- 
 Handing, and all the light of fcience, who 
 have laboured more afliduoufly to eftablifli 
 the dodlrine of univerial fufpenfe. 
 
 rijy "^vKm, ui Tur Koyuv KtySiytau, aJir uyn( Hfui' Akku Treov 
 
 jlOiKKOV OTt H/AUi UTTQ) VyiUZ ^X°^**'> ^^^ O-dflVTiOli XCCl TTfoCvjUYi' 
 
 iS-OY vyiuc iX^iy, &C. IIAATXiN. *AIA. -/.if, /n. 
 
 But 
 
Causes of Scepticism. jj^, 
 
 But fair and foftly, my good reader. You 
 muft not imagine that thofe knights of the 
 woful countenance, thofe champions of the 
 venerable anarch Chaos, who profeft to re- 
 flore her ancient empire, are always fb much 
 her advocates in reaUty as they are in appear- 
 ance. At the time when they would profef* 
 fedly introduce fcepticifm into all fubje6ls, a 
 difcerning reader will remark, that their de-*^^ 
 clarations upon certain points are fufficiently 
 explicit, and exhibit no marks of diffidence, 
 or of hefitation. Their fceptical countenance 
 IB often affumed, as being moft efFe(5lualIy 
 fubfervient to a particular purpofe. And 
 when they fpeak concerning the evidence of 
 Certain tenfcts as being unphilofophical, or of^ 
 the tenets themfelves as being myfterious, 
 the veil is too flimfy to conceal their affirma- 
 tion, that the firft is utterly inadequate, and 
 that the laft are incomprehenfiblc and ab- 
 furd *. Of this circumftance we take notice 
 
 at 
 
 • Let the reader who wonTd be fatisfied with refpeft 
 to this matter, compare thofe efiays of Mr Home in 
 which h€ is profefledly fceptical, with his eflay on mira- 
 cles, his natural hiftoiy of religion, and with his at- 
 tempt to exterminate the religious principle altogether in 
 his pofUiumous work above qvioted. From this cortipa- 
 
 riforr 
 
336 Causes of- Scepticism. 
 
 at prefent, only as being an inflaneejof 
 inconliftent reprefentation. For their pur- 
 pofe of introducing univerfal fcepticifni 
 is too apparent upon other occafioris, to '^he 
 palTed over by any reader withovit obferfi 
 vation. The efFe<5l of their attempt is Hke- 
 wife obvious in the prevalence of their opi- 
 nions among men who have not abfolute- 
 ly rejected Chriftianity as a fcheme unwor- 
 thy of the Deity. 
 
 To what caufes, it is aiked, ought this 
 fceptical llu(5luation, fo fubverlive of all con- 
 fidence, and fo inimical to happinefs, be 
 afcribed ? In reply to this queflion, let us ob- 
 ferve, that there are two claffes of men to 
 whom the ItYvn fceptical may be applied with 
 
 rifon he will perceive, that this patron of fceptical opi- 
 nions can ajfert v/ith as much boldnefs and confidence, 
 when the mode of affirmation is fubfervient to his 
 purpofe, as at other times he can expatiate upon the 
 propriety of carrying univerfal diffidence and fufpence 
 into all fubje<5ts without exception. The works of 
 Bayle, of Voltaire, and even of Rouffeau, who is per- 
 haps the leaft chargeable with this inconfiftency, exhibitj 
 evidences of it which it would be improper, and indeed 
 fuperfluous to enumerate at prefent. The reader who 
 is acquainted with their v/ritings will eafily felecl illuftra-r 
 tions for himfelf. 
 
 propriety, 
 
Causes of SeEPTieisM; 337 
 
 proj5riety, and whom, in an attempt to in- 
 vefligate the caufes of fcepticifm^ it is necei- 
 fary to diftinguifh from each othen Thefe 
 are, the original authors of thefe principles, 
 by whom they are embraced and propagated; 
 and the perfons who, by their waitings and 
 converfation, have been profelyted td their 
 opinions. Among both, the four following 
 caufes may be affigned as being adequate to 
 this efFedl. The firft is an attempt to invefti- 
 gate propoiitions, and to account for pheno- 
 mena, to the comprehenfion of which the hu- 
 man intelledl is unequal* The lecond will 
 be found in a certain prepofterous defirt' to 
 difplay ncumen and powers of ratiocination, 
 by rendering all points indifcriminately the 
 fubjedls of controverfy and of difputation* 
 The third is eonftitUted by bad example co- 
 operating with the love of pleafure to feduce 
 a mind tinctured originally with good prin-* 
 ciples, but led into error by the impetuofity of 
 paflion. The laft and perhaps the mort power- 
 ful caufe of modern fcepticifro, is the rejec- 
 tion of what is ufually denominated revealed 
 religion. Upon thofe caufes, operating to a 
 jpurpofe fo prejudicial to riiankind, it may 
 here be proper to make fome obfervations. 
 
 U n Withiri 
 
J3S Causes OF -Scepticism. 
 
 Within the firft clafs, all thofe theoi'iftsDT 
 fophifts are comprehended, who, attempting 
 *' to be wife above what is written," and to 
 carry their refearches farther into the nature 
 of things and their final caufes, than their 
 predecelFors, conceive inexplicable hypothe- 
 fes, of which they cannot difpofe the parts 
 into any confident and proportioned form. 
 Of this unhappy choice of fubjecls the con- 
 fequence is, that they who make it, being 
 •unable to determine queftions with certainty 
 that are above the human undei'ftanding, a- 
 fcribe that equivocal nature to all objedls 
 ■which they have found to be charadleriftical 
 of a few. With the limited faculties of which 
 man is poffefTed, it is obvious that he muft 
 often be bewildered in the courfe of his re- 
 searches, when carried beyond a certain 
 boundary, as much when they refpedl com- 
 mon and intelligible fubjecls, as when em-^ 
 ployed to invelligate thofe which are lefs ea« 
 lily underftood. When we fpeak concerning 
 propofitions or phenomena that are beyond 
 comprehenlion, we do not mean to include 
 within our enumeration abftracfted and theo- 
 retical points only, and doctrines upon which 
 various hypothefes may be framed with pro- 
 bability- 
 
Causes of Scepticism. 2)39^ 
 
 babilisy. In fad, the plaineft fubjecl -may 
 be rendered thus inexphcable by men, who, 
 in the courfe of their reafonnig from eila- 
 bhflicd prhiciples, puzzle themfelves and 
 their readers by mukiphed dillinciions, and 
 by fubtleties of which it is not pofiibie to pro- 
 nounce with adequate precilion and perfpi- 
 cuity. Of both kinds it may be proper to 
 produce examples. 
 
 In the fphere of natural philofophy, thofc 
 men appear to be engaged in an inquiry 
 that cannot be brought to any fatisfadory 
 conclulion ; who afcribe thought to an arrange- 
 ment and combination of material particles; 
 and who attempt to account for it by the 
 known laws and principles of motion. In this 
 cafe, the fubjecl to be invefligated is beyond 
 comprehenfion ; and no data or poflulates 
 are placed before the mind from which it 
 can form any juil and rational hypotheiis. 
 
 Philofophers, on the other hand, whofc 
 inquiries refpecl the principles of morals, 
 frame theories equally incomprehenii'ole 
 with thofe of the former, when their pur- 
 pofe is to fubvert the opinions of mankind 
 
 U u 2 on 
 
340 Causes of Scepticism, 
 
 on plain queftions, with refpe(5l to which ^ 
 rules of conduct they entertained not for-* 
 jTterly the leaft fcruple or fulpicion *. 
 
 I 
 
 * The fundamental propofition of Mandeville's well- 
 known work, that " private vices are pgblic benefits'* 
 introduceth much fophiftical reafoning of the prefent 
 kind, calculated to perplex a plain fubjeft, and to render 
 an honed unfufpicious reader fceptical concerning every 
 point on which his thoughts are employed. What thi§ 
 author meant by faying that <' the moral virtues are 
 *' the political offspring which flattery begot upon 
 '^ pride," he muft have known beft hirrifelf. When in 
 Ihort one author of diftinguiihed eminence denies the ex- 
 iftence of a moral fenfe conferred with the purpofe of 
 diftinguilhing good from evil ; when another informs us 
 that there is no moral turpitude in the praftjce of adul- 
 tery ; becaufe fidelity to the m.arriage-bed would never 
 have been thought of as a virtue, but that the long and 
 helplefs infancy of man requires the combination of pa- 
 rents for the fubfiftence of their young ; v/hen a third 
 becomes the profeffed advocate of fenfual gratification, 
 which can't, he fays, be criminal when it pleafes the in- 
 dividual, and tends to propagate the fpecies ; and, to fum 
 up all, when a fourth more daring than the others, af- 
 firms that nothing is in itfelf good or evil, but that every 
 man's fenfe of propriety or fitnefs is his rule of action, of 
 thofe alTertions, and of the argutiients brought to fup- 
 port tliem, what is the confequence ? Not furely convic- 
 tion that matters really are as they are here reprefented. 
 |leaders who cannot comprehend the reafonings of men 
 
 to 
 
Causes of Scepticism. 341 
 
 I do not here fpeak of thefe tenets as be- 
 ing prejudicial in the higheil degree to foci- 
 cty, by loofening all the bonds of confi- 
 dence and of moral obligation. Their ten- 
 dency to produce univerfal fcepticifm is the 
 point to be confidered at prefent. Men may 
 be reafoned into the belief of any propoii- 
 tion refpe6ling objedls, of which they can 
 conceive that it is poffible to prove or to il- 
 luftrate the truth. But there are certain ax- 
 ioms and pofitions of which the mind is in 
 the higheft degree tenacious as being well 
 founded. And an attempt to difprove their 
 reality, even granting it to be as fuccefsful 
 ^s any attempt of this nature can be, mull 
 produce effecls which no good member of 
 ibciety will ever wifli to take place. 
 
 to whom they lool; up with admiration, and who at the 
 i'anie time are diffidpni of their own judgment, will 
 i:harge themfelves with weakjiefs, rather than accufe the 
 author, or even cenlure his choice of" a fubjecl. Beiiig 
 latisfied, therefore, after repeated trinls, that the argu- 
 ments employed againft certaiu tenets, are ineffedual to 
 the purpofe of elFacing their influence, they fall into a 
 gloomy {late of doubt, and of anxiety v.hich ccmpre- 
 hends at laft all objetls that come to be contemplated. 
 Vide Fab. of the Bees, p. 37. Bolingbroke^s ivorks, vol. e, 
 p. 479. Hume^s Eff. vol. 3. p. 70. Hohbes de Give, 
 cap. 6. feiJ. 18. ^V. 1ml. Chf}/}. p. 335. 
 
 Among 
 
34^ Causes of Scepticism. 
 
 Among fci<3:5 or propolitions which are 
 thus eftabhilied by general confent, we may 
 reckon the behef of an eiTential diflindliou 
 fuppofed to fubfift • betwixt the properties 
 of matter and thofe of fpirit ; a behef efta^ 
 bhfhed upon fuch grounds which no reafon- 
 ing whatever can be powerful to eradicate. 
 For he who contemplates unanimated mat- 
 ter in all its forms, can judge from feeling 
 in fome meafare, that thought may be fuper- 
 added to a certain conformation of parts ; 
 but cannot be afcertained that any combi- 
 nation of folid and of extended fubftances 
 will create this faculty. You may perplex 
 and darken, and confound his ideas by teU 
 ling him that the parts of all material fub- 
 ftances are in perpetual agitation ; that from 
 a certain exquifite organization and arrange- 
 ment of parts thus agitated the faculty of 
 thinking may be derived ; and that we 
 therefore " preferve this faculty of thinking 
 
 while we are alive, in the fame manner as 
 " we do of moving, and of other corporeal 
 *' faculties *." You may inform him, with 
 one ancient philofopher, that the foul is fea- 
 
 * BoUng. works, vol, 3. /.516, ijs'c. 
 
 ted 
 
Causes of Scepticism. 343 
 
 ted in the blood * ; with another, that it 
 was generated from an infinite matter exift- 
 ing from eternity f ; with a third, that men, 
 bealls, and trees fprung up at once from 
 certain dews or drops that fell from heaven; 
 
 ■ alma llqiieiitl'ts 
 
 Humorum guttas mater cum terra receptf 
 Fceta^ park nitidas fruges, arbujlaque liSta^ 
 Et genus humaniim J. 
 
 Laftly, you may, with the philofophical 
 poet above quoted, and with a celebrated 
 modern philofopher, tellhim, " that the phe- 
 *' nomena, from our birth to our death, 
 *' feem repugnant to the immateriality and 
 " immortaHty of the foul," 
 
 ^lique pariter cum corpore et una 
 Crefcerefent'imus^ pariterq. fenefc'ere mentem §. 
 
 But to all thefc hypothefes, fuch a man 
 
 * Vid. APISTOT. Tiifi -^vxr. ;S/f , a. 
 
 t Anaximander infinitatem natiira dixit cfTe e qui 
 omnia gignarentur. Acadcm. ^lej}. Lib. 2. 
 
 % Lucvet. de Rer. Natur. 
 •i Boli/jg. iibifupra, p. 557. 
 
 will 
 
344 Causes of Scepticism. 
 
 will oppofe the firft dictate of reafon on tliis 
 fubjedl which points out to him the difTcrenGC 
 betwixt a fubftance that is agitated, and one 
 that is intelligent. The fea, he will obferve, 
 and the air are perpetually in motion. But 
 does the mind perceive the leaft connedlion 
 between this motion and thought or intelli- 
 gence, fo as to fay in what manner the for- 
 mer becomes a caufe of which the latter is 
 an efFed: ? You engage, he will fay, in a re- 
 fearch to which the limited faculties of man 
 are wholly unequal. Obferve the parts of 
 which the human frame is compofed, and 
 examine them with attention. Do you 
 comprehend the manner in which the powers 
 of reafon, underflanding, and memory are 
 produced by the combination of thofe parts ? 
 Or is there any chemical procefs by means 
 of which you can difcover the natural rela- 
 tion of any material fubftance to the povsrers 
 above mentioned, or even the flighteft ti*ace 
 and ftiadow of refemblance ? With refpedt 
 to the phenomena he will remark, that they 
 are not fufficiently fteady and uniform to be 
 the foundation of any rational theory upon 
 this fubjed. He will deny that thefe take 
 place in many inftances \ becaufe the facul- 
 ties 
 
Causes of ScEPtictSM* ' 34^ 
 
 ties of the mind are often found to be tiiiim- 
 paired and even vigorous at the time wheii 
 the parts of the bod j are tending towards 
 difTolution. Belides, thofe phenomena efta- 
 blifh no other than this iimple truth at the 
 utmoft, that there is a clofe- cotinedlion be- 
 twixt the ioul of man arid his bodyi TeJ 
 urge them, therefore, as pt-oofs either that 
 the fpirit has no exiftence, or that it is diO 
 fblved with the corporeal franie, is to forma 
 concluiion which the premifTes do not juA 
 tify* 
 
 While men, however, argue thus againft 
 the fophiftical theories of falfe philofophers^ 
 oh fubjedls furpafling the cognizance of hu- 
 man intellecft, it is yet certain, that embar- 
 raffinent and perplexity are excited by peru- 
 ling them. This happens iti donfequence of 
 our ftrong and natural attachment to the 
 objedls of fenfe, to which an appeal, how- 
 ever irrational, fails not to make t power- 
 ful and permanent impreffion. Hence, not- 
 withftanding all that is urged in oppofition 
 to it, the argument againft immortality, ari- 
 ling from the repugnant phenomena, derives 
 its efficacy. Our firft, and moft immediate 
 
 X X fources 
 
34^ Cai/ses of Scepticism. 
 
 iburces of information are the fenfes, in the 
 intelligence conveyed by which we are led 
 by the conftitution of our nature to place at 
 all times an implicit confidence. He, there- 
 fore, who can render the phenomena prefen- 
 ted by them apparently favourable to his 
 view of a fubjecfl, will never fail, if not to 
 gain the general fiifFrage in his own behalf, 
 at leafl to raife fufpicions in unenlightened 
 minds concerning the reality of thofe ob- 
 je(5ls to which the former are deemed to be 
 oppofite. In this cafe it ought to be remar- 
 ked, that all men are judges of external ap- 
 pearances, while few can comprehend the ar- 
 guments by which their fallacy is detedled* 
 And the doubt refpeAing the ftrength and 
 propriety of thefe laft is increafed according 
 to the abftradled nature of the fubjedl, and 
 to the difficulties arifing from examination. 
 
 While icepticifm originates upon one 
 hand in tlii^ manner in the inveftigation 
 of points that are above underftanding,, 
 and in the fpccious application of known phe- 
 nomena; it is occafioned as certainly in other 
 cafes, by an attempt to overturn principles of 
 adlion in moral fcience, of which the behef 
 
 and 
 
Causes of Scepticism. 347 
 
 •and the imprefllon are "aniverfal. The ex- 
 iflence of a faculty or fenfe by means of 
 which we diftinguifh good from evil, our be- 
 lief that the pra(5lice of virtue mud ever be 
 beneficial to the community, as much as vici- 
 ous indulgence mud be deftr native of it; our 
 fentiment of an obligation to pracftife tempe- 
 rance, juflice, chaftity (particularly in the 
 married ftate), as being virtues which the 
 Deity beholds with approbation, are likewife 
 propofitions to which the "mind gives a full 
 and immediate afTent. But it is certain, that 
 the fadls above mentioned have been called 
 in queftion by men who never attempted to 
 difprove the truth of fuch an axiom as the 
 following. I exift, or fblidity and exten- 
 fion are efTential properties of matter, and 
 others of the fame kind. Plaulible evidence 
 is colle(^ed, and is laid down in a clear and 
 ferious manner, tending to refute thefe ma- 
 xims, and to deftroy their efFedl. Diftindlion 
 and metaphyfical fubtlety are employed to 
 render even the plained path perplexed and 
 intricate, when recourfe cannot be had to 
 more appropriated and more juftifiable expe- 
 dients*. 
 
 Of 
 
 * You demand an example, reader. Take the fol- 
 X X 2 lowing- 
 
^4^ Causes OF Scepticism. 
 
 Of thefe attempts to explode the received 
 'opinions of mankind in all ages and in every 
 
 fituation 
 
 lowing illuftration of our remark as an inftance of that 
 tafte for idle and frivolous obfervation by which the 
 •writings of modern fceptics are chardclerire.dL : A tafte, 
 that, by being carried into all fubje^Ss, tends to puzzle 
 and to miilead the reader, inftead of conveying to him 
 any folid or uC^ful information. Love and edeem, fays 
 Mr riume, are nearly the fame pafiion, and arife from 
 ■ fimilar caufes. The qualities which produce both are 
 fuch as communicate pleafure Ag^in. Good fenfe and 
 genius, he tells us, beget efteem. Wit and humour 
 excite love and affedlion . Hume's B.ff. vol. -^ p. 114. 
 In the judgment of fome readers thele will be refined 
 obfervations, and will be faid to argue ingenuity, liut 
 we p^-oduce them as evidences of the extreme difficulty 
 of rendering remarks of this kind that piiniiler only to 
 curiofiry, philofophically ju(l. Even when this is the 
 cafe, likewife, the reader may put the queltion cut bom? 
 with propriety. For the information conveyed to an 
 intelligent reader will not coiiipepfate the trouble which 
 it coft him to comprehend the author's meaning, And 
 to thofe of an ordinary cl^fs, the fubject by this fubtlety 
 of diftindlion v/ill become unintelligible. In the prefent 
 inftance we will venture to affirm, that neither of our 
 author's obfervations are well founded. Love and 
 efteem are by no means, nearly the fame paflioji ; nor 
 do they arife from caufes th^t have finiilarity. Every 
 roan muft be fenfible that they refpetH: different objefts 
 in the intercourfe of life, wherein we are compelled to 
 efteem thofe men very highly whom we cannot love, and, 
 
 vic€ 
 
Causes of Ssepticism. 349 
 
 fituation upon poinds of which feellxig and ex- 
 perience determine the reaUty, the ficcefs 
 cannot be complete. For the reader will 
 
 vice verfa, to love charatfters which we do not efteem. 
 This effect muft be traced to the di[fim'ilar caufes that 
 give rife to thtfe pafTions. Of elleem, inrelle6lual quali- 
 ties as Mr H .— obferves, or great actions are the 
 
 objefts ; whereas love is attrafted to the moral virtues 
 or to endowments which are denominated the qualities 
 of the heart. Hence, a good, although weak man is 
 the objed of our afFeclion ; whereas eminent intelledual 
 ability, or any great and fplendid qualification will com- 
 jnand efteem, even when thefe are joined with it which 
 excite deteft^tion. Our author ought therefore to have 
 faid that efteem is alHed to the palTion of admiration, ra- 
 ther than to have brought love into his family group 
 upon the prefent occalion. For the caufes that produce 
 the former are nearly the fame indeed. But the latter 
 arifing, as we have feen, from different fources, and dif. 
 tinguilhed by diftinft expreflion and lineaments, bears no 
 refemblance of either ; nor lays any claim to relation. 
 
 *' But wit, and humour, fays Mr H , excite 
 
 '« love and affeftion." What! does wit excite love ,> 
 At this rate the celebrated Dean of St Patrick's muft 
 have been the mod amiable of all men : Yov he was un- 
 doubtedly one of the moft witty. His piftures of \ ahoos 
 and of Laputians are not deftitute of the former quality. 
 But of all our author's paradoxes, that by which the 
 tendency of thefe witty allufions is pointed out to conci- 
 liate love and affedinn to their author, is perhaps the 
 moft difficult of folution. 
 
 readily 
 
55<^ Causes of Scepticism. 
 
 readily conceive, that an attempt to prove? 
 that vice, in any fenfe of the term, can be 
 beneficial to the community, and that fen- 
 fual gratification is pardonable in all cafes 
 wherein it pleafeth the individual, mufl fail 
 as much as the former of accomplifhing its 
 ultimate purpofe, and for the fame reafon. 
 But we have feen already, that fcepticifm 
 may be produced by means that cannot im- 
 prefs convidlion of any kind. The former 
 purpofe, metaphyfical fophiftry will bring 
 about without difiiculty in many cafes. It 
 ought however to be remembered, that al- 
 though we may introduce uncertainty into 
 the moral fyflem, we cannot fet bounds to it 
 when it has been brought to take place. For 
 the mind which becomes fceptical refpedling 
 thedodlrines above enumerated, will entertain 
 the fame doubt concerning all other fadls, 
 however clear and explicit, that are placed 
 before it. Univerfal fcepticifm, comprehend- 
 ing whatever is the fubjedl of examination, 
 m.uft be brought in by him who faps in 
 this manner " the broad foundations of all 
 " truft.'* And he who cannot enter into the 
 proof of paradoxical theories, nor underftand 
 djftindlions that are frivolous and inexpli- 
 cable. 
 
Causes of Scepticism. 351 
 
 cable,will contemplate the world as a cliaos in 
 which all objedls are huddled together with- 
 out regularity; or as a dream whereof all 
 the fcenes, whether pleafing or difagreeable, 
 are equally unfubflantial and ev^anefcent. 
 
 We mentioned, as a fecond caufe of fcep- 
 ticifm, a defire to difplay acumen and pow- 
 ers of ratiocination, by rendering all points 
 whatever the fubjedls of controverfy. It is 
 to this caufe that Plato, in the celebrated dia- 
 logue entitled Phedon, afcribes the pyrrho- 
 nifm of the times in which he lived. This 
 difpolition he fpeaks of as becoming preva- 
 lent among men who were unfkilled in the art 
 of jufl reafoning, and who engaged in conver- 
 fation with fophifts, whofe buiinefs was to 
 perplex and to darken all fubjedls without 
 exception. When, fays he, fuch a man de- 
 tedls, or conceives that he has detected the 
 falfehood of a propofition which he believed 
 to be true ; or when it appears to him fome- 
 times in one light, and fometimes in another 
 in the courfe of his argumental conteft j he 
 comes at laft to clafs himfelf among thofe 
 whom fcepticifm has exalted to the fummit 
 of wifdom. He believes that no certainty 
 
 can 
 
352 Causes of Scepticism*' 
 
 can be obtained either in reafbns or in things-" 
 and that it is with the univerfe as with the 
 euripus, in which all is in perpetual agita- 
 tion, nor does any fingle flate or tempera- 
 ment continue to be the fame for a mo- 
 ment*. Socrates proceeds to paint the de- 
 plorable lituation of the fceptic in the fubfe- 
 quent part of the dialogue, and to lament the 
 prevalence of that fophillical reafoning, or 
 rather wrangling, which gives rife to this 
 gloomy flate of doubt and of uncertainty. 
 Some attention to the manners and to the 
 chara6ter of the times during which this 
 great philofopher flourifhed, will fatisfy us 
 concerning the juflice and propriety of his 
 obfervation. 
 
 Greece, in the days of Plato and of Socra- 
 
 * lETrtidar rt( Trttrrivcii Koyu riy a\y:9ii hyoli, anv Tij; Tn^i 
 Tovc Koyov^ Ttycj^f, xaTrura oKtyov vvrtfov ccvra doz^n v|/ei/W *'- 
 vaiy ivioTt jutv cor, ivioTi o£ yjc (DC* Ka/ ayO/c iti^oQ y.xt inpoc. 
 Kai ju.aKi(7TU Ji? oi ynpi tovq otyTiKoyiKov^ Koya? dtxTpf^acyTic, 
 ciQ oTt TiKivruvTii oioyrai aofUTocToi yiyovivai n KXi KarctviYon- 
 KtYoi fjiOYoi OTi ovTi TQr 7rf>ayfA.UT0iv saevof ovdtv vyn^y ovdi ySe- 
 €xio)v VTi rm Koyuv. Akkol [xolytx rx oyto. aTi^vu? udTnq iv 
 Evpivra avo Koti koctu <TTf>ifi7at, ymi ^uvar «(/W er w/ew j/.iiyaLf, 
 nAATHN. 4>AIA. 
 
 tes 
 
Causes of Scepticism. ^^^ 
 
 (res, was ralfed to the fummit of glory, and 
 derived advantages from the charadleriftical 
 qualities of her various inhabitants; from 
 the intercourfe maintained betwrixt her pro- 
 vinces > conlidered as parts of a great repu- 
 blic ; from the nations afTembled at her public 
 games; and, finally, from that fpirit of liber- 
 ty, and the defire of glory which thefe games 
 were calculated to excite and to reward, fu- 
 perior to thofe that were pofTefTed by any 
 other people. Our prefent bufinefs, how- 
 ever, is not fo much to enlarge upon advan- 
 tages with which no intelligent reader is un- 
 acquainted, as to point out fome caufes 
 which obfi:rU(^ed at the fame time the pro* 
 grefs of this people in the fcience of philofo-^ 
 phy, and which rendered their knowledge 
 of divine truth obfcure, and fubiervient to 
 no valuable purpofe. 
 
 Of thofe caufes, the principal appears to 
 have been that fpirit of wrangling and of dil^ 
 putation which charadterifed men who were 
 well received in all places, and who were 
 known by the defignation of SOPHISTS*. 
 
 Thefe 
 
 ■ * Before the times of HeracUJes Ponticus, fays I.aer- 
 Y jr tiu« 
 
354 Causes of ScEPTicrsMV 
 
 Thefe men alTuming the chara<5ler of public: 
 inflrudlors, and ikilled in the art o£ wrang-^ 
 ling, and of declaiming plaulibly upon all 
 fubjedls, travelled through the Greek cities, 
 followed every where by admiring multi- 
 tudes who received their falfe do<5lrines as 
 the dictates of truth *. , From the account 
 tranfmitted to us of thofe teachers by their 
 contemporaries, and particularly by Plato,, 
 their great art feems to have lain in fafcinat- 
 ing the ears of their auditors by inchanting 
 
 tius who taught that the epithet 20*0S wife, belongs 
 to GOD only, the fcience now caMed philofophy was 
 termed 20*IA wifdom ; and thofe who profefled to 
 teach it were known by the appellation of :^O^OI- wife- 
 men. Afterwards thofe men vvhofe proficiency was 
 really mofl: confiderable were denominated *IAO504>0£ 
 or perfons who loved wifdom, and who wiflied to acquire 
 it. But the wife, the 204>OI in their own eftlmation^ 
 the profefTional teachers of the art of gaining wifdom, 
 we call, fays he, 20*I5TAI or SOPHISTS. AAEP. 
 
 * Without multiplying authorities on this bead, let 
 us remark, that Plato, the great enemy of thefe falfe 
 philofophers, has collected whatever is neceffary to be 
 known about them, in his dialogues, entitled, the So- 
 phift, Gorgias, Hippias, Euthedeme, Protagoras ; particu- 
 larly in the laft, to which we refer the reader for more 
 compleat information. 
 
 allegories,. 
 
Causes Top Sceptic ism. 355; 
 
 cJiIlegGries, and by modulated language at the 
 time when they inculcated maxims, agree- 
 able to the paffions, the prejudices, and the 
 vanity of their difciples*. To them the 
 young and the inexperienced reforted with 
 the purpofe of gaining comprehenfive know- 
 ledge. They were encouraged to propofe 
 queftions on all points without diftindlion. 
 They liftened eagerly to difputation^ upon 
 fubje6ls of which they were by no means 
 competent judges. And unable to compre- 
 hend the tedious declamations that were fub- 
 ftituted in place of conciTe and forcible argu- 
 ment by profelTed controvertifts, they learn- 
 ed the art of rendering every queflion ob" 
 icure and intricate, from men whofe buii- 
 nefs it was never to yield to an antagonift, 
 or to make an acknowledgment of being in 
 the wrong. 
 
 From this account of thofe pretended pM- 
 iofophers, it is obvious, that the iirfl leflbn 
 
 * Of this kind is the fubjet.^ of the Protagoras, that 
 virtue confifts of parts independent of each other, and 
 can be taught. His allegory of Prometheus and of Epi« 
 iTietheus ; of the formation of man, ^c. by which he 
 attempts to eftablifh his doftrine, is fpecioos, and indeed 
 ^beautiful in a high degree. 
 
 Y y 2 which. 
 
35^ Causes OF Scepticism. 
 
 which a young man was taught in tlieir 
 fchool was, that nothing is fo clear as not to 
 become, in the hands of a Ikilful difputant, 
 the fubjedl of controverfy * This, maxim 
 lavs the foundation of fcepticifm, towards 
 which it may be denominated the firft and 
 jnofl indifpenfible requifition. Afecond lefTon, 
 conne(5led with the former, and arifing from 
 it, was, that he who makes the moji minute 
 
 * This was profefledly the maxirn of the fophift Pro- 
 tagoras, who, it mtift be coiifefled, carried the matter 
 as far, if we can believe Seneca, as any of his predecef- 
 fors or fucceflbrs have ever done. ** Protagoras ait de 
 *< onini re in utraque parre difputari pofle ex aequo ; et 
 *' de hac ipfa, an omnis res in utramque partem difputa-. 
 " bilis fit V' Epijh 88. But, with fubmiffion to Pro- 
 tagoras, thefe pofitions are inconfiftent and contradiftory. 
 For, if all queitions may be rendered the fuijedls of 
 difpute without exception, there certainly can be no 
 doubt that all queftions are difputable, unlels we wiU 
 venture to fay, that he who difputes is not difputing, 
 and that a point which may be controverted with pro- 
 priety is at the fame time incontrovertible. Our author's 
 queritur, therefore, in the prefent inftance, whether 
 that propofition which may be a proper fubjeft of difpu* 
 tation,can be difputable, is truly admirable. Let the rea- 
 der obferve from this fpecimen of his principles, the wret* 
 fhed (hifrs to which men of ihrewdnefs and of fagacity 
 are compelled to betake themfelves, by the love of pa- 
 jcadoX;, and of metaphyfical diftindion. 
 
 d'lftlnElion 
 
Causes of Scepticism. 357 
 
 diflinElmis in the courfe of his conteft difplays 
 the greateft fagacity and acutenefsot intellect; 
 and that thefe quahties are more coiiipicu- 
 ous, as the fubjedl of difpute is moie clear 
 and intelligible. When thefe principles are 
 eftabliihed, TRUTH may be fkid literally to 
 be turned out of doors. For the purpofe of 
 the parties is no longer either to acquire ufe- 
 ful knowledge of any kind, or to convey it. 
 The queftion comes to be, who of the difpu- 
 tants is the moft indefatigable wrangler, and 
 who fuc:eeds beft in the noble arts of cavil- 
 ling; and, if the term may be ufed with pro- 
 priety, of creating perplexity. Of this condu<5t 
 the confequence is obvious. The young hear- 
 er, finding difficulties to f^rife upon all hands 
 which would never have occurred to him, 
 and remarking at the fame time, that the 
 parties in the cafe before us were folicitous 
 to render themfelves, and not their argu- 
 ments, the objedls of his attention, departed 
 with perplexed notions of the fubjedl of their 
 controverfy, which he had formerly under- 
 ftood. In this manner he was led to judge 
 concerning complex propofitions as of thofe 
 plain maxims which he had confidered as being 
 perfedtly in elligible. And thus he arrived 
 
 at 
 
358 Causes of Scepticism. 
 
 atlaft at that flate of total fufpenfe, of which 
 the pleafur€s are only known to certain 
 adepts in philofop'iy; and which Piato, in 
 the paflage already quoted, fb emphatically 
 delineates. 
 
 Our iliuftrations of the prefent caufe of 
 ieepticifm iiave been principally drawn from 
 ancient writers, becaufe we wilh not, with- 
 out neceffity, to confirm our remarks by 
 modern authorities, which many of our 
 readers hold perhaps in as high eftimation as 
 that wherein the hearers of Protagoras held 
 his declamations. Without having recourie 
 to thofe authorities, let us fum up our obfer- 
 vations upon the preceding caufes of fcepti- 
 cal ilu(5lation, with the fentiments of a cele- 
 brated ancient philofopher, which cannot be 
 'unacceptable to any reader. And the intel- 
 ligent may fubftitute in place of the names 
 colledled by my author, thofe of modern 
 fceptics of the laft and prefent century, of 
 whom he may deem the principles to be cha- 
 radleriflical. " Audi quantum mali facit 
 *' nimia fubtilitas, et quam infefta veritati 
 ** fit! Protagoras ait de omni re difputari 
 ** pofFe, &c. Nauiiphanes ait ex his quae 
 
 " videnmr 
 
Causes of Scepticism. 55^ 
 
 *' vldentur effe, nihil magis, efle quam noii 
 *' effe. Parmenides ait, ex his quae videiitur 
 " nihil effe in univerfum. Zeno eleatis-^ 
 *' omnia negotia de negotiis dejicit; ait nihil 
 *' effe. Circa eadem fere, pyrrhonii verfan- 
 " tur, et megarici, et eretrici, et academic! 
 *' qui novam induxenint fcientiam, nihil 
 " fcire. Haec omnia in ilium fupervaciium Jludio- 
 " rum liber alium gregem conjici. Si Protago- 
 " rae credo, nihil in rerum natura eft nifi 
 ** dubium\ fi Nanfiphani hoc unum certurQ^ 
 *' eft, nihil effe certi; fi Parmenidi, nihil eft 
 " praeter nnum; fi Zenoni, ne unum qui- 
 " dem. Quid ergo nos fiimus? Quid ifta 
 " quae nos circumftant, alunt fliftinent? 
 " Tota rerum natura UMBRA eft, aut inanisy 
 *' aut fallax." Senec, ubi fup, ' 
 
 Such then was the effecfl of metaph^'^cal 
 fubtlety carried profeffedly into all fubjecfts, 
 among men who wanted the light of revela- 
 tion. What ftiall we fay concerning thoie 
 who follow their track in modern times? 
 Whether or not thefe gentlemen have fiibfti- 
 tuted better and more pra(5licable theories in 
 place of dodlrines which they profefs to re- 
 , probate, and how far the fubtleties of mo-» 
 
 dern 
 
360 Causes of Scepticisai. 
 
 dern fceptics tend more dire(5lly than the 
 Ibpiiifms of their predeceflbrs, to promote 
 the caufe of truth, of fcience, or of virtvie, 
 the reader who may chufe to judge from, 
 comparifon will determine with greatefl ac- 
 curacy. 
 
 We fuggefted, as a powerful caufe of the 
 prevalence of fcepticifm, the influence of bad 
 example co-operating with the love of plea- 
 fure to feduce a mind originally tindlured 
 with good principles, but led into error by 
 the impetuofity of paflion. But, it will be 
 faid, is not the purpofe of education to form 
 the mind to the love and pradlice of virtue ? 
 Should this point be granted, it will follow, 
 that an education calculated to produce fuch 
 an efFedl, mufl reprefent virtue as a fubftan- 
 tial reality, producing the greatefl and mofh 
 vmiverfal emolument to mankind. And of 
 religious inftruc^ion we may pronounce in 
 the fame manner, that its objed:s are truths 
 efTentially important, worthy to be placed 
 clearly before the underftanding, and to be 
 imprefTed upon the heart. Whence then is it 
 that a man thus tutored may fall into fcepti- 
 cifm, the very evil againft which it is the ob- 
 vious 
 
Causes of Scepticism* 361 
 
 vioUS tendency of this education to guard 
 him mofb efFedlually, more readily than into a 
 general and fettled incredulity, to which there 
 are fo many powerful inducements ? Let us 
 obferve, that this danger arifeth from that 
 oppofition which he will difcovef to take 
 place betwixt the precepts of the gofpel, in- 
 joining the obfervance of certain duties, and 
 the fuggeftions of his own pafTions, prompt- 
 ing him to violate thefe fan(5lions, by comply- 
 ing with the falliions and with the pradlice 
 of the times. Defires that are unfavourable 
 to the principles of this man's education will 
 be excited by the licentious condud: of thofe 
 with whom he may afTociate. What is the 
 confequence ? He begins to wilh that he 
 could give fcope as freely as his companions. 
 to the indulgence of paiTion and of appetite ; 
 and in his procedure he is led naturally to 
 queftion the authority that oppofeth to this 
 indulgence a rigid prohibition* Doubt and 
 diffidence take place, therefore, in this man- 
 ner, of his former confidence and chearful 
 acquiefcence. A gloom is fpread over all his 
 enjoyments ; and his paffions, fhimulated by 
 the remonftrances of his companions, as well 
 as by their practice, may weaken a faith 
 Z z which 
 
3^2 Causes of Scepticism. 
 
 ■which they cannot eradicate. Of the caufes, 
 however, that give rife to this forlorn ftate- 
 of doubt and of uncertainty, we may remark, 
 tliat the prefent i« in the leafl degree produc- 
 tive of bad confequences, at leaft of fuch 
 which will be ftable and permanent. For 
 the fceptical fpirit, that is excited by paffion 
 and by example, will moft probably fubfide 
 as the influence of thofe caufes becomes 
 weaker and lefs univerfaL When the paffion 
 fliall be temperated by age, or the example 
 rendered inefficacious by experience, an im- 
 partial retrofpecfl will reflore original prepof^ 
 feffions in favour of the moral precepts of 
 Chriftianity to their former empire over the 
 mind, which will thus be recalled from the 
 labyrinth into which it has deviated. 
 
 But may not habits be acquired before the 
 commencement of this feafon, which it will 
 be difficult, if not impoffible, to fubdue at 
 the time when their efledl becomes confpicu- 
 ous ? Without doubt this may be the cafe,, 
 and frequently is fuch in the prefent in- 
 llance. At the fame time we may remark, 
 that fettled habits of any kind will be lefs 
 eharacSleriftical of the genuine fceptic, than 
 
 they 
 
Causes of Scepticism. 363 
 
 ■they will be either of him whofe life is regu- 
 lated by principle, or who has fubftituted 
 in place of it the impulfe of paflion. It was 
 formerly obierved, that the confirmed infi- 
 del, who leads a bad life, but who is perfeSlly 
 convinced that there is no ftate of future re- 
 tribution (fhould there be fuch a man), en- 
 joys a tranquillity of which he cannot be faid 
 to participate who fludluates in anxious fuf- 
 penfe and apprehenfion. Yet of the latter clafs 
 of men we muft acknowledge, that they will 
 riot plunge into the torrent of vice with fo 
 much impetuofity, nor will they perfevere in 
 their courfe with the fame (leady refohition, 
 as the former. Their acSlions varying be- 
 tween the extremes of virtue and of vice, 
 and their refolutions formed with apprehen- 
 fion, and executed with timidity, will prefent 
 the image of a mind wavering betwixt hope 
 and fear, and unable, in confequence of its 
 irrefolution, to carry plans of licentious in- 
 dulgence regularly into execution. 
 
 From this reprefentation, however, we muft 
 
 not conclude, either that thefe men will be 
 
 lefs offenfive members of fociety than the 
 
 £rft mentioned clafs, or that their adions will 
 
 Z z 2 be 
 
364 Causes of Scepticism. 
 
 be lefs detrimental. For he whofe variable 
 condudl indicates internal inquietude and ir- 
 refolution, may be impelled to greater excef^ 
 at fome times by the impulfe of paflion, than 
 that man who, by perfevering inflexibly in 
 one courfe, preferves a regular uniformity. 
 A mind of which the defires are habitually 
 gratified, will be undoubtedly more tranquil 
 than that which upon many occalions checks 
 ana controuls their impetuolity. Its paflions, 
 therefore, breaking out in all diredlions, will 
 upon the whole perhaps be productive of lefs 
 pernicious efFedls, than when they adl by fud^ 
 den and by violent irruptions. It is with thefe 
 blind guides, when they are reflrained by 
 confiderations of a doubtful nature, as with a 
 ftream repelled by a bulwark of difpropor- 
 tioned (Irength. The tide may be pent up, 
 and the paflion may be bounded for a feafon 
 by the mound oppofed to their influence. 
 But both, infliead of being diverted into a 
 new channel, will break down the barriers 
 by which they are obflirudled. And to repair 
 the breach without laying a new foundation, 
 will be to labour only to the purpofe of be-? 
 ing anew difappointed. 
 
Causes of Scepticism. 365 
 
 Our obfervations upon the influence of 
 pafTion and of example as caufes of fcepti- 
 cifm. would be Incomplete, fhould we not at- 
 tempt, before we quit this branch of our 
 fubjedl, to fugged reileclions that may coun- 
 teradl their operation. 
 
 That you may be guarded, therefore, my 
 young reader, againfl the effects of thefe 
 powerful inducements to licentious indul- 
 gence, you ought to check this difpoiition to 
 doubt concerning truths of which the evi- 
 dence was formerly fatisfadlory, at the time 
 of its commencement, by confidering at the 
 fame time the original and the tendency 
 of this new propenlion. No queftions can 
 pofTibly be of greater importance than thofe 
 refpe(5ling the principles of morals, becaufe 
 they have the mod: immediate relation to the 
 happinefs or the mifery of the individual. It 
 is therefore of the utmoft importance that 
 you fhould determine the queftion, whether 
 you are induced by rational motives to 
 doubt concerning principles which you can- 
 not abandon without facrificing the mod 
 interefting hopes, and the mod delightful en- 
 joyments; or whether you have been prompt- 
 ed, 
 
366 Causes op Scepticism. 
 
 ed, in the firft inflance, by the ftimulus of* 
 paffion, and by the power of example. When 
 you are thrown into a certain track of obferva- 
 tion, this point may be decided without diffi- 
 culty. Diflindlions of which you cannot per- 
 ceive the propriety, that are calculated to an- 
 nihilate moral virtues by rendering them mere 
 fliadows and refemblances, would not furely 
 fhake your belief of propoiitions received up- 
 on examination, was it not that prejudice and 
 paflion have paved the way to the temporary 
 fubverlion of your former opinions, and that 
 you are prepofTeflfed in behalf of principles 
 which your new guides fuggell to be bene- 
 iicial. 
 
 Q&r remarks on this fubjecl, in the prece- 
 ding part of this fe(5lion, have tended to fliow 
 the point to which thefe leaders in the laft 
 refort will condu(5l your inquiries. Let us 
 grant, that a pronenefs to hefitate, and to 
 weigh a matter or maxim upon all fides be- 
 fore pronouncing a decilion, is natural to a 
 creature endowed with fuch limited faculties 
 as thofe of man, and terminated by fuch 
 fcanty boundaries. You ought to be aware, 
 that one ftep beyond the juft medium which 
 
 is 
 
Causes of Scepticism. 367 
 
 is an objedl of approbation, will lead to tlie 
 extremes of error, temerity, and folly. You 
 are told, for inftance, that Chriftianity con- 
 tains dodtrines that are revealed to man by 
 the Supreme Being. As an evidence of this 
 affirmation, you are farther informed, that 
 the tendency of its precepts and inllitutions 
 is to render virtue amiable, as being produc- 
 tive of happinefs, and vice detefled, as the 
 fource of mifery and confufion. You require 
 that this propolition concerning the effedl of 
 Chriftian docflrines fhould be eflabliihed by 
 proof; and you examine this proof, when it 
 is placed before you, with fcrupulous atten- 
 tention and impartiality. Thus far your he- 
 fitation is rational, and your requeft is natu- 
 rally fuggefted by the occafion. But fliould 
 you proceed a ftep further in this queftion,, 
 and, inftead of expreffing doubt refpedling 
 the tendency of the laws above mentioned,, 
 fliould flucfluate in your notions of the gene- 
 fal purpofes of virtue and of vice, all argu- 
 ment and all information are at an end! 
 Your experience, and your fenfe of right and' 
 wrong, muft determine your belief of this 
 matter. Reafoning, therefore, upon the fub- 
 jedl, which is founded upon the fuppofitioix 
 
 that 
 
368 Causes of Scepticism. 
 
 that both are deficient, muft fail of impref^ 
 ling permanent convidlion upon the niind^ 
 The felt-fufficiency of virtue to all good pur- 
 pofes is the great maxim of Pagan philofophy, 
 as being unqueftionably evident ; and is fig- 
 nificantly expreffed in the well-known fen- 
 tence, apeth aytapkhs. 
 
 It lias been our purpofe to evince, in the 
 preceding fedrions of this work, that a prin- 
 cipal caufe of modern fcepticifm is the rejec- 
 tion of revealed religion. With this end, we 
 have proved, not by general obfervations only 
 refpe(51:ing the abfurd fchemes which thofe 
 who rejedl Chriftianity have fubftituted in 
 place of it, but by an actual comparifon of 
 thefe with each other, that he who renounces 
 the clear and explicit dodlrines of revelation, 
 will fearch in vain for confiilence, or for uni- 
 formity of any kind in the writings of its 
 adverfaries *. For the opinions of thefe 
 men, different and even oppolite upon points 
 of which they maintain that all mankind 
 form the fame j udgment, and their eftimates 
 of an univerfal religion, of which they are 
 fcarcely agreed in any one principle, prefent 
 
 * Videfupra, feci. 4. p. 114. to the end. . 
 
 to 
 
CAtJSEs 6f Scepticism. ' 369 
 
 to an intelligent nlind a juft view of human 
 imperfedlion, and exhibit, when taken toge-^ 
 ther, decifive evidence of the expedience and 
 necellity of revelation* 
 
 They exhibit a proof that revelation was 
 neceflary. A more powerful evidence of this 
 truth cannot indeed be adduced, than that 
 which arifeth from the incongruous fchemes 
 of the wife and the learned in all ages, who 
 have profefTed to fet it afide. To thefe gentle- 
 men, a reader of common intelligence might 
 addrefs the following expoftulation with 
 much propriety upon the prefent occafion. 
 " You maintain that a revelation of truths 
 calculated to regulate pradlice, or to extend 
 knowledge, is unnecelTary, becaufe the prijl- 
 ciples necefTary to the firft purpofe are im- 
 preiTed upon every mind by the Author of 
 nature, and reafon can difcover as much re- 
 fpedling the lad as is fit or necefTary to be 
 known. Now, if this is the cafe, no queftion 
 ought to be more eafj^ of folution than the 
 fimple one fuggefted by this affirmation: 
 "What are thefe univerfal principles ? By 
 what fatality then has it happened, that you 
 have never yet agreed in your enum(^ration 
 3 A of 
 
370 Causes OF Scepticism. 
 
 of points, at the fame time fo obvious and ib 
 elfential? When I confider the Chriftian 
 fcheme, I do not difcover any incongruity 
 refpedling the articles above mentioned, fimi- 
 lar to that of which your v^ritings offer ex- 
 amples. The authors of the facred volumes 
 agree perfecftly with each other in their ac- 
 count of the great objecfts of faith, and of the 
 general rules and principles of duty. No dif- 
 pute takes place amongfl them with refpedl 
 to the exiftence of a moral fenfe, the propri- 
 ety of a moral precept, the intrinfic excel- 
 lence and beauty of virtue, and the nature, 
 extent, and duration of its reward. The 
 great do(5lrines of future exiftence and retri- 
 bution are clearly and particularly inculcated 
 and enforced by all the authors of the New 
 Teftament without exception. They forni 
 the bafis of the Chriftian's faith, and are held 
 up as objecfts, by the contemplation of which 
 he ought at all times to be fupported and 
 animated. 
 
 " When from thefe books I turn to the 
 writings of ancient and of modern philofo- 
 phers, I find parties eftablifhed whofe tenets 
 refpeding the moft importaiit of all fubjeds, 
 
 that 
 
Causes of Scepticism. 371 
 
 that of morals, differ widely from each other. 
 I remark particularly concerning the latter 
 clafs who reje6l revelation, that they have 
 laid down no fixed plan of any kind what- 
 ever, to be adopted by their followers, in 
 place of its doctrines. On the contrary, the 
 perfecflions of the fupreme Being, and even 
 his exiftence, the principles of morals, and 
 their utility, the nature of virtue, and its ten- 
 dency to promote happinefs, and, finally, the 
 reality, the properties, and the Hate of invi- 
 fible and incorporeal beings, are points upon 
 each of which incongruous opinions are 
 maintained by different authors, concerning 
 v/hofe hypothefes I can pronounce no judg- 
 ment, but that they cannot be reconciled. 
 From my examination of thefe, therefore, 
 and from a comparifon of them with the for- 
 mer, I am led to conclude, that a revelation 
 from the Deity was neceiTary, in order to ren- 
 der our ideas juft and comprehenfive of ob- 
 jedls, to the knowledge of which the moft en- 
 Hghtened underftanding was vitterly inade- 
 quate. And from the confiflent reprefenta- 
 tion which Chriflian authors exhibit of doc- 
 trines wherein they only maintain uniformity 
 of fentiment, I form an argument favourable 
 .-^ A 2 to 
 
372 Causes of Scepticism. 
 
 to their pretenfions of publifliing a revelation 
 from God." 
 
 The proof adduced in the former part of 
 this inquiry has, we hope, given abundant 
 fatisfadlion refpecf^ing both the capital points 
 above mentioned. The confequence is ob- 
 vious. He who adheres to" the Chriftian 
 fcheme, entertains explicit ideas of the nature 
 of his duty, and of the Being who prefcribes 
 it, confirmed by the uniform fentiments of 
 all the authors who profefs to write from in- 
 fpiration. He, on the other hand, who reje(5ls 
 this religion, renouncing a theory thus il* 
 luftrated and eftablifhed by confent, muft 
 either wander in eternal uncertainty, amadfl 
 opinions and tenets infinitely multiplied ; or 
 muft adhere to the notions of one leader, con- 
 troverted and reprobated by others of the fame 
 party ; or, finally, he muft frame a new fy- 
 ftem to himfelf, of whofe perfection, in oppo- 
 fition to fo many others, he will find it difii- 
 cult to obtain a conviction. Scepticifm, 
 therefore, in the laft refort, will moft proba- 
 bly be his refuge. For no fyftem of prin- 
 ciples,' after having difmiJpTed thofe of Chrifli- 
 
 anity, 
 
Causes of Scepticism. 57^ 
 
 anlty, will come recommended by fuiEcient 
 authority to eflablifh his belief. 
 
 We have now enumerated the general 
 canfes of the prevalence of fceptical notions;- 
 and we have endeavoured to place in a juft 
 point of view, the effects refpetfling the hap- 
 pinefs of the individual, and his condu6l in 
 fociety, to which thefe notions will give oc- 
 cafion. In the prefent fedlion, as in every 
 other part of this work, the author has parti- 
 cularly kept in view the fituation of young 
 perfons entering into life, and ready to be 
 feduced from a plain path by the united in- 
 fluence of prejudice, of pafTion, and of ex- 
 ample. With the purpofe of doing fervice to 
 this clafs of readers in particular, he would 
 addrefs to them one other obfervation on the 
 caufes of fcepticifm, and on its effects. He 
 makes it with greater fatisfaclion and confi- 
 dence, becaufe it may be comprehended 
 without difficulty. It refpeds the end or 
 defign which our modern Pyrrhonifts pro- 
 pofe to accomplilli by their theories. 
 
 Methinks I hear a fagacious obferver, af- 
 ter having hftcned to all that thefe philofo- 
 
 phers 
 
574 Causes of Scepticism. 
 
 phers plead in behalf of their opinions, ap>» 
 plying to them a few queftions and remarks 
 of the following or fimilar import. " You 
 require me to doubt concerning the truth of 
 all proportions that are not eftabliihed by 
 imqneftionable evidence *. But what pro- 
 pofitions, according to your fcheme, are efta- 
 bliihed by the proof which you require ? 
 Ail reafoning muft be founded upon certain 
 pofhilates, or fixed principles, of which fenfe 
 or perception muft determine the reaUty. 
 Should your univerfal doubt comprehend 
 thofe principles, I ihall be glad to know what 
 inflrudlion you propofe to communicate. 
 For, to be fceptical without any profpedl of 
 obtaining certainty, /. e. to doubt merely for 
 the fake of doubting, is an effort of philofo- 
 phical refignation to which I find myfelf 
 unequal. You, gentlemen, are my guides and 
 my preceptors. By what light is my courfe 
 to be directed, and to what point do you 
 propofe to condudl my refearch ? Is it to the 
 knowledge of any pofitive truth, of which 
 neither fenfe nor reafon are the judges ? Or 
 muft I pais my life in the noble occupation 
 c^ purfuing dbjedls, in imitation of certain 
 
 • Hume's Sceptic. Eff, vol. 2. 
 
 ancient 
 
Causes of Scepticism. ^j^ 
 
 ancient philofophers, refpedling which I can 
 never determine the queftion ; whether they 
 are real or apparent * ? Let me eftimate my 
 profit and lofs before I launch out into this 
 fea of uncertainty, on which I am to (leer 
 my courfe withou^t the alTiftance of a pilot 
 or of a compafs. Of what companions am 
 I to be deprived, and what lofs am I to iu- 
 Itain in my voyage to the land of fliadows 
 and of appearances ? 
 
 " I have examined your various theories 
 wdth impartiality, and with difpaffionate at- 
 tention. You tell me either that I mull part 
 from my ancient friends, fenfe and r^ifbn, 
 or at lead that I miift didruft both, as being" 
 guides by whom I have been fafcinated and 
 mifled in many important circumilances. 
 My eyes and my ears, according to your no- 
 tions, bring me falfe intelligence ; and you 
 place before me a mirror in which all exter- 
 nal obje<5ls appear to be unfubflantial ima- 
 
 * OuTCi 7ruvri( nTPPflNEIGI f/^ir ayro rou AjstaxiXeu 
 UTrojiKTiKCi tji KXi'^KEHTlKOt 7rj>o<Tyiyo[>iv7CirTo, 2xt:rT«jf ^/Ao- 
 crof/x UTTO Tov 2KEnTE20AI AEI, y.at MPiAEIIOTE ETPI- 
 2KEIN. AAEPT. nYPP. 
 
 ges 
 
376 Causes of Scepticism* 
 
 ges of things that never had exiftence. A^ 
 a compenfation for the lofs of fo many four- 
 ces of fatisfa(5lion, what information do you 
 propofe to communicate? You confole me 
 amidil the excruciating tortures of the ftone 
 or rheumatifm, by acquainting me, that of 
 what \fcd^ as of what I fee or hear, nothing- 
 is rcal^ and that to complain of an apparent 
 evil is beneath the dignity of a philofopher. 
 You tell me, when I Ihow you a hurt occafi- 
 oned by having Humbled againft a pillar, 
 that my fkull has only encountered an idea. 
 You aflure me, that my foul may be materi- 
 al or immaterial, confcious or unintelligent, 
 exiftent or not exiflent, refponfible or not 
 refponlible for its adlions, for any thing that 
 you know to the contrary. In fhort you inform 
 me that I have launched upon an ocean of 
 eternal uncertainty and flucfluation, termina- 
 ted by no boundary : And that, at the time 
 when I form any pofitive conclufion concern- 
 ing the things or the ideas, the fubftances or 
 the fliadows which are pafhng before me ; 
 at that inftant I lofe all claim to the envied 
 and dignified appellation of a philofophical 
 
 fceptic." 
 
 How 
 
tiAUSES GF ScEPTICISMi ^77 
 
 Hoxv different from this fcene is that ex- 
 hibited by the precepts, principles, and ex^ 
 ample of the divine Author of our religion ! 
 A principal part of his work feems to have 
 been the defign of publifhing clear, as well as 
 falutary truths 5 to mankind. And he who 
 has perufed the gofpels with attention, can- 
 not fail to have remarked, that he fpeaks at 
 all times with a precifionj as well as with aii 
 authority, concerning the gf Cctt tenets of re-r 
 Hgion, which forbid us to believe that he 
 entertained the leaft fufpicion refpecting their 
 truth or ftability. " The words, faid he, that 
 " I fpeak, THEY are SPIRIT, and THEY 
 ** are LIFE." 
 
 S E C t* X; 
 
 Of the Effe& of ASiion upon Principki, 
 
 PHILOSOPHERS have been employed du- 
 ring rhany ages, in explaining the in- 
 fluence of principle upon adlion. We pro- 
 {)ofe in this fedlion, to invert the propofition, 
 by examining what effecSl a(5tion exerts upon 
 principle. Let us leave therefore for the 
 
 3 B pre Tent 
 
J7^ Of the Influence 
 
 prefeiit the patrons of infidelity and of fcep- 
 ticifm, and the arts by which they have 
 ever been foHcitous to render themfelves the 
 obje(5ls of general imitation. Let us liflen to 
 the voice of " the power within the mind •" 
 by coilfidering the love of pleafure carried to 
 the extreme of criminal gratification, as a 
 caufe of thofe evils, without the co-operation 
 of which the arts that have been enumera- 
 ted and exemplified in the preceding fe(5lions 
 tnuft have proved unfuccefsfuL Men who 
 have adopted loofe opinions of religious 
 truth at firfh, perhaps without much reflec- 
 tion, and whom motives of imagined inte- 
 reft have excited afterwards to perfeverance, 
 muft be convinced by recolledlion, that the 
 boundaries of right and wrong will be ad- 
 jufted improperly at a tribunal where the 
 faffions are conftituted judges. It will there- 
 fore become fuch men, in their cooler mo- 
 ments, to give the fentence of this courts to 
 which perhaps they have hitherto fub- 
 mitted implicitly, a ferious and impartial re- 
 view. 
 
 Ye votaries of pleafure, who are induced 
 by your dread of futurity, to take flicker un- 
 der 
 
OF Action upon Principle. 3*-^ 
 
 der the comfortable fliade of annihilation ! 
 Ye fons of infidelity and of fcepticifm, who 
 have ingenioufly reafoned yourfelves out of 
 all religion, becaufe you cannot find one 
 that will countenance your acTtions ! To 
 you I addrefs myfelf upon the prefent occa- 
 sion. Let me not be contemplated by you 
 as an officious and impertinent monitor, who 
 would obtrude upon you gloomy ideas in 
 the moment of extatic gratification. I am 
 ambitious of being viewed as a friend, who 
 would approach towards you during the in- 
 tervals of your enjoyment ; and, at the in- 
 ftant when you figh from fatiety, who would 
 call your attention to objedcs which novelty 
 may render acceptable. 
 
 You are returned then I will fuppofe from 
 a party of pleafure, in which, among other 
 fubje(5ls of entertainment, you have touched 
 lightly upon the religion of your countrv. 
 This religion you have difrobcd of its falfe 
 decoration, by trying it upon the touch-flone 
 of ridicule. And the folly of its prieft-ridden 
 devotees hath alternately exercifed your pity, 
 lliarpened your wit, and ineffably heightened 
 the joy of mutual congratulcition. Feeling 
 
 3 B 2 however 
 
380 Of the Influence 
 
 however tKat depreflion and laflltude by 
 which high enjoyment is naturally fucceeded, 
 or being reminded perl\aps by an inward 
 and irrefiilable monitor of mortality, you 
 are ready in the hour of vapourifli defpon- 
 dency, to adopt the language of a great matiy 
 and therefore of a perfonage worthy of imi- 
 ttation in fimilar circumflances. 
 
 " Suppofe I fhould be damned at laft, 
 *' when I have never thought a fyilable about 
 ^' the matter. I have often laughed and 
 ^' made a jefl about it, and yet it may be 
 " true for any thing which I know to the 
 " contrary. I wilh I was certainly fatisfied, 
 " after all, that when a man is dead there is 
 " an end of him ; for there are fome men of 
 " learning, as I have heard, of a different 
 " opinion. If there be no other world, why 
 • ' I fhall be in no other condition than a 
 " block or a flone. But li th^rt fiould^ — - 
 Now let me fuppofe, that inftead of imita- 
 ting the noble and truly heroic condu6l of 
 Jonathan Wild the GREAT upon this occafi- 
 pn, you fhould be difpofed to examine the 
 reafons vipon which your belief of certain 
 ponfoUtory doctrines is founded ; and that 
 
 your 
 
OF Action upon Principle. 38; 
 
 your ear fliould be open for a moment to ad- 
 monitions that are profefTedly falutary ; in 
 this cafe, I prefume to addrefs to you the fol- 
 lowing obfervations. 
 
 It is, you know, an acknowledged truth, 
 that the charadlers and manners of indivi- 
 duals, receive a peculiar impreflion from 
 thofe of the age in which they are born, and 
 of the perfons with whom they aflbciate. 
 When therefore the age wherein a young 
 man of ftrong paffions, and of adequate fen- 
 fibility, happens to live, is licentious and dif- 
 fipated ; fuch a man, enjoying independence 
 when he fets out in the world, will be ready 
 to plunge, perhaps fomewhat precipitately, 
 into a tide on which he remarks that fb 
 many of his companions are embarked, 
 You are profefled lovers of the focial circle, 
 in which you have fpcnt many a joyous 
 hour, furrounded with the children of plca- 
 fure, and intoxicated with the necftar of feli- 
 city. By having been initiated early into 
 certain myfteries, habits of indulgence have 
 been contracted, of which the principles of 
 your education do not induce you to ap- 
 prove. 
 
382 Of the Influence- 
 
 prove, and to which the voice of reafbu can- 
 not be brought to correfpond. 
 
 But it is not perhaps only in the circle of 
 your companions, that you have obferved 
 the love of pleafure and of diflipation to take 
 the lead. An examination of other focieties 
 hath convinced you, that the pradlice of your 
 own is authorifed by example. Not fatisfied 
 even with this view, you have taken a lar- 
 ger compafs of objects within your infpec- 
 tion. You have contemplated men in the 
 middle, and ftill more particularly in the 
 higher walks of life ; and the refult of your 
 inquiry hath been, that your own little com- 
 munity is ' eflabliflied by the maxims, and 
 is conformed to the manners of the times. 
 To thofe who are greateft proficients in the 
 fchool of fenfuality, you hear the flattering 
 titles of fine gentlemen, free and liberal 
 fpirits, joyous companions, men of wit and 
 of falhion, ^r. univerfally applied. On 
 the other hand, you are accuflomed to fee 
 the few, who by perfevering obftinately in an 
 oppofite courfe, circumfcribe the indulgence 
 of paffion and of appetite; either defpifed 
 as being fimpietons, expofed as zealots, or 
 
 detefted 
 
OF Action upon Principle. jS;^ 
 
 detefted as fpecious and infinuating hypo-- 
 crites. 
 
 It is needlefs to enlarge upon a known, 
 truth, which it may yet be proper to men- 
 tion upon the prefent occaiion, that the na- 
 ture of truth and of falfehood is not affedl- 
 ed by the adlions of men, of which they are 
 wholly independent. It is flill equally true, 
 that opinion refpedling thofe great objed:s 
 is imprefled by the general practice of man- 
 kind ; and that he who would regulate hiii 
 judgment of men and things by the itandard 
 of reafon, ought to fufpe6l the equity of that 
 deciiion to which his pafTions give a hafty 
 and tumvtltuous approbation. 
 
 Let me fuppofe, gentlemen, that you have 
 conhdered this matter coolly and impartial* 
 ly as I have placed it before you. Grantmg 
 that it has been juftly ftated^ fay, Whethei* 
 there is hot danger, that a young man, fli- 
 mulated at the fame time by his paffioiis^ 
 and by his companions, may be induced to 
 embrace principles that are prefcribed by his 
 adlions, and not by his underftanding, as 
 being eligible in his fituation I In other 
 
 •words. 
 
384 Of the Influence 
 
 words, inquire whether the religion, with 
 the authority and inftitutions of which you 
 are diffatisfied, would not have been the ob- 
 jedl of yoiir choice, as much as it is that of 
 your difapprobation, had thofe inftitutions 
 which form efTential parts of it been as fa- 
 vourable to the indulgence of vice, as they 
 really are to the intereft of virtue ? Prompt- 
 ed by inclination, and tainted by the conta- 
 gion of example in early life, you ftand up 
 in defence of bad acftions. Why ? Becaufe 
 you cannot refolve againft a repetition of 
 them. The procefs by which you are mifled 
 is fimple and natural. You feel that the 
 temptation gathers ftrength from your com- 
 pliance with it. You remark, that this cri- 
 minal compliance is ftricflly prohibited by 
 the Author of our religion, and by his a- 
 poftles. You have therefore liftened to the 
 reprefentations of men who tell you, that this 
 religion was not promulgated by divine au- 
 thority, and that thefe teachers of righteouf- 
 nefs were impoftors. 
 
 Is it by fuch a procefs as this that your 
 opinions have been influenced ? Surely then 
 it may be worth while to review them feri- 
 
 oufly. 
 
5f Action upon Principle. 385 
 
 bufly, that they may not become fixed prin- 
 ciples, of which habit, prejudice, and per- 
 haps pride, will afterwards prevent you from 
 calling in queftion the {lability. At the 
 time when reafon difcovers the pernicious 
 effedls of a certain mode of condlidl, does 
 flie not call upon you to re-examine the ar-* 
 guments by which you have attempted toi 
 eflabliih its redlitude ? Does not this moni- 
 tor adopt the language of the Patriarch, ap- 
 plied furely in the prefent inftance with pro- 
 priety : " Who can bring a clean thing out 
 ** of an unclean ?'* 
 
 Let us fuppofe, therefore, that the dange^ 
 rous influence of the love of pleafure in the 
 choice of principle is felt and is acknowled- 
 ged. A queftion in which young perfons 
 are deeply interefted, is. By what means may 
 this influence be moft efFecfhually counterac- 
 ted ? In anfwer to this queftion, it will be 
 proper to lay down rules by which adlion 
 ought to be regulated, becaufe the prefent 
 fubjedl leads us to confider it as the parent 
 of principle. Our remarks on this point, will 
 Introduce obfervatinns in the latter part of 
 3 C the 
 
386 Of the Influence 
 
 the fedlion on the important dodlrine of re* 
 ligious education. 
 
 With refped: to the firft point, we may ob- 
 ferve, that the fatal efFedls of the love of 
 pleafure will be combated moft faccefsfullv 
 by him, who, pafling over intermediate fteps, 
 conliders thofe to whom every licentious in- 
 dulgence is familiar. In the fame manner, 
 the influence of this pafTion on the choice of 
 principle, will be fuppreffed moft effedually 
 by thofe who examine the arguments which 
 the advocates of fenfual indulgence employ 
 in its behalf, apart from the embellifliments 
 wherewith imagination is captivated, and 
 from pleas by which the ruling paflion is 
 foothed into acquiefcence. 
 
 It is an obfervation familiar to intelligent 
 readers, that few men Ihake off every reftraint 
 of principle when they firft fet out in the 
 world. The power of education is exerted 
 for fome time with efScacy, and, in the pro- 
 grefs or vi<:e, the mind makes flow, and often 
 irriperceptible approaches towards an ulti- 
 mate end. To a youno^ perfon entering up- 
 on this career, they who have advanced only 
 
 a 
 
OF Action upon Principle. 387 
 
 3. few fteps beyond himfelf may be objects of 
 envy ; but to the laft ftage of abandoned 
 profligacy, he will look forward with horror. 
 Shocked, inflead of being convinced by rea- 
 fonings, of which it is the purpofe to juftify 
 criminal adlions of the worll kind, his refo- 
 lution againft the pradlice of fuch tranfgref- 
 iions will at firft be fincere. In this fitua- 
 tion, a young perfon will be guarded moft 
 effecflually againft vices that are the moft de- 
 ftrudlive, by looking back upon thofe which 
 he has already committed, and which habit 
 hath rendered pleaiing and attractive. To 
 the extreme, from the view of which he re- 
 coils, he will perceive that many gradations 
 will convey him imperceptibly. He will 
 remark, that paffions gratified by every fuc- 
 ceiTive deviation, will fupprefs the remon- 
 ftrances of impartial reafon. He will be 
 convinced, that, in place of the barrier op- 
 pofed by Chriftianity to the indulgence of 
 appetite, he has fubftituted no intrenchment 
 of any kind to obftrucl its efforts. Schemes 
 that are calculated to juftify all acftions indif- 
 criminately ; rules, by the obfervance of 
 which faith and mutual confidence muft be 
 -difrolved j pleas in behalf of vice and of er- 
 3 C 2 ror, 
 
Of the Influence 
 
 ror, by which internal confcioufnefs, and the 
 dread of chaftifement either here or hereaff 
 ter, are deprived of eflicacy, he will confider 
 as means which lead to difeafe, infamy, 
 fcorn, dependence, the contempt of the proud, 
 the pity of the virtuous, and thtjiill voice of 
 fecret but unceaiing reproach. 
 
 That thefe are not imaginary confequcn- 
 ces of the plans above mentioned, experience 
 will teftify even to a fuperficial obferver. 
 He therefore, who, flopping in the middle 
 of his courfe, fliall be induced to reje(5l the 
 fpecious fallacies of fophiftical reafoners from 
 a view of their confequences, will have afcer- 
 tained happinefs to himfelf by a proper ap- 
 plication of the powers of reflection. Nemo 
 repente fuit turpijjlmits ^ is a maxim founded on 
 univerfal teflimony, And it is with hira 
 who has fliaken ofl* the reftraint of firft prin- 
 ciples, as with the traveller who has wander- 
 ed from the right path in his journey. Eve- 
 ry feeming refemblance of the objedls which 
 he beholds to thofe which he willieth to con- 
 terriplate, will be improved into a perfect cor- 
 refpondence. To the point, likewife, from 
 ■^hich he deviated, while he is milled by tliis 
 
 imagine4 
 
OF Action upon Principle. 389 
 
 imagined refemblance, it will become every 
 moment more difficult to return. 
 
 We obferved, that the love of pleafiire may 
 be prevented from influencing the choice of 
 principles, by an examination of the argu- 
 ments that are employed to juflify fenfual 
 gratification, confidcred apart from the em- 
 bellifhment that captivates imagination in 
 the writings of certain philofophers, and from 
 the pleas that are addreiTed to the paflions : 
 The preceding fedlions of this work are 
 thrown together, with the general purpofe 
 of evincing the importance and the efFecl of 
 this conduct. In thefe I have endeavoured 
 to place the fpecious reafonings of thofe wri- 
 ters in the juft point of light, and to fhow, 
 by oppofing their fchemes to each other, that 
 they are inconfiftent as well as irrational. 
 
 Without help of this kind, many circum- 
 flances will render it difficult to condud: 
 fuch an examination with juit impartiality. 
 To diftinguiffi plaufible reprefentation from 
 conclufive argument, at the time when the 
 mind fuffers from the remembrance of a bad 
 acliop which it wilheth to juilify, is an ef- 
 fort 
 
390 ^F THE Influence 
 
 fort not eafily or fpeedily to be accomplifli- 
 €d. It will likewife be faid, that a young 
 man, plunged perhaps moft commonly into 
 fcenes of riot and of diffipation, is peculiarly 
 unfit to carry it properly into execution. 
 Even granting that his underftanding fhould 
 be adequate to fuch a refearch, and his at- 
 tention fixed by it, his judgment may yet be 
 warped by paiTions which come to maturity, 
 while the intelleclual powers are gaining vi- 
 gour and energy. Whatever melts and cap- 
 tivates the heart, whatever plays before and 
 dazzles imagination, whatever coincides with 
 the predominant inclination, and flatters the 
 mind in a prefent purfuit, are calculated to 
 gratify the young and inexperienced. Rea- 
 fonings, therefore, which even in a grateful 
 caufe would have failed to make a lading 
 imprefllon, as not being enforced with ener- 
 gy, muft be wholly inefficacious, when the 
 end is perceived to be difagreeable, and when 
 the means that lead to it are improperly fe- 
 ledled and applied. 
 
 Thefe objections are no doubt well found- 
 ed. At the fame time, they are by no means 
 tinanfwerable. It is true, that a young man 
 
 engaged 
 
OF Action upon Principle. 391 
 
 engaged in the bufy fcenes of life, or im- 
 merfed in its pleafures, will not be inclined 
 to inveftigate theories, or to follow out ar- 
 guments in which he does not find fornc 
 part of that pleafure of which he is in fearch. 
 While he is in fearch of pleas by which bad 
 actions may be vindicated, no performance 
 of which the tendency is oppofite can give 
 him fatisfadlion. But a young perfon, who c 
 nnderftanding is not thus proflituted, and 
 who is capable to reliih the beauties of com- 
 pofition, will find a pleafure in works that 
 are diflinguifhed by thefe beauties, which 
 may produce a very happy effedl. The u- 
 nion of the ufeful and the agreeable, is un- 
 queftionably necellary, as much in compofi- 
 tion as in converfation or in teaching, to 
 promote the great purpofe of edification. Of 
 thefe, although the latter is always accept- 
 able, even when it conveys opinions that are 
 falfe or pernicious, yet the native fimplicity 
 of the former will be ineffecflual of itfelf to 
 fix attention, or to conciliate general regard. 
 Thus it has happened, that many excellent 
 works have perifhed in confequence of a de- 
 fire attrac^-ed folely to the purpofe of utility* 
 Men of difcernmenthave, on tlie other hand, 
 
 obferved 
 
J92 Of the Influence 
 
 obferved with regret, that fuperficial as Well 
 as irreligious writings, in which fpecious de- 
 clamation fupplies the place of argument, 
 have, by this circumflance alone, been re- 
 commended to popular efteem. But difficult 
 as it may be to obtain both ends in the con- 
 dudl of a work, experience hath fhown, that 
 this purpofe is not impracticable. And we 
 may furely fay with truth, that if thofe ex- 
 cellencies characterife writings that are fa- 
 vourable to licentious practice, they ought 
 to imprefs performances more obvioufly of 
 which the purpofe is oppofite. For, as this 
 purpofe cannot be acceptable to many read- 
 ers, the afpedl of an unpromiling fubjedl, like 
 that of a forbidding countenance, iliould be 
 foftened by graces which are ever pleafing 
 and attractive. 
 
 , Our obfervations on this fubjedt are not 
 meant to imply cenfure on the writings of 
 Chriftian divines and apologifts, as being 
 deficient in thofe efFential characfters. It is 
 certain, that as much as fome performances 
 of fuch authors, of which the arguments are 
 conclufive, betray the want of this externa), 
 ornament, as much do other works on the 
 
 fam& 
 
OF AtTiDN tJPOT^ Principle, i,^^ 
 
 ikme fubjedl exhibit a ftriking combination 
 of both. 
 
 Of biir yoiiiig readers, we do not fuppofe 
 that the greater number ought to be clafTed 
 among triflers, who may be foothed by flat^ 
 tery into any belief, and who are decoyed 
 by the tinfel of fuperficial ornament. It is 
 to thofe who have intervals of refledlion, in 
 which they wifh to think for themfelves up- 
 on points of the moft efTential importance, 
 that this difcburfe is addrelTed. We have 
 evinced, in the preceding fe(5lions, by exam- 
 jxles drawn from admired performances on 
 the fide of infidelity, that plaufible theories 
 are not always fitted to (land the teft of clofe 
 examination. And we have fhowri, that the 
 fantaflic colours of ridicule are employed as 
 often to disfigure juft and beautiful objects, 
 as to diflinguilli real from feemlng excel- 
 lence. With trutb^ therefore, my young 
 friends, when it fparkles in your eye, amidfl 
 the rubbifh of unpleafing fentimencs, and of 
 •uncouth phrafeology, you ought to acl in 
 the fame manner as a flulful jeweller would 
 with a rough diamond offered to him by a 
 man of a mean and unpromifing afpc(5l^» 
 3 D Without: 
 
J94 ^P THE Influence 
 
 Without beftowing attention upon frivolous 
 and adventitious circumflances, you muft 
 confider the jevsrel apart from the drofs, and 
 value it according to its intrinfic excellence. 
 Falfe and unworthy notions of religious truth 
 may be obtruded upon your view, in the fame 
 way as a falfe diamond may be prefented and 
 accepted inflead of a true one. But habitual 
 attention will fupply the means of detedion 
 as certainly in one cafe as in the other. And 
 you will acknowledge, that the end is of im- 
 portance to j uftify the experiment. 
 
 On the prefent fabjedl it is only proper to 
 obferve farther, that the influence of adlion 
 upon principle will be difcerned and pre- 
 vented moft readily, by directing attention to 
 its earlieft influence, and to the mode in 
 which it operates. Of this influence the firfl: 
 efledl will be a deflre to hear whatever can 
 be laid in jufliification of certain acflions, and 
 a proportional diflike of the contrary. The 
 bias of inclination will be perceived in this 
 eondu(5l, which the leafl refledlion mud dif- 
 cover to be irrational. From a rejeclion of 
 certain precepts of our religion, as being im- 
 proper and rigorous, or of certain doctrines, 
 
€F Action upon Principle. 39j^ 
 
 as being above anderftanding, the ftep is 
 eafy to the reprobation of all. Whatever 
 judgment, therefore, a man may form con- 
 cerning particular points of faith, or rules of 
 condu(5l, he ought to be cautious of rejedling 
 in any inftance the former as irrational, or 
 the latter as inadequate, from the impul- 
 five force of any predominant defire. Exa- 
 mination in the former cafe ought to precede 
 reje6tion, and the firfl dictates of paffion to 
 l)e fupprefled in the latter. If a man's cir- 
 cumftances or education Ihall difqualify him 
 to enter into abftracled difquilition, his 
 faith in laws that are adapted to all fituations, 
 ought to regulate his belief of dodlrines 
 which are derived from one fource with thofe 
 laws, and are promulgated by the fame au- 
 thority. Pie, on the other hand, who cafts 
 off Chriftianity becaufe it is too perfect a 
 flandard of duty, and who deures to hear 
 only what is faid in oppolition to it, ought 
 to refle6l that his paffions prompt him to re- 
 ject the rehgion on account of the mod evi- 
 dent fignatures of its divinity. 
 
 But it is, after all, in the firfh impreffions 
 
 which are made upon the mind, that we muft 
 
 ^ 3 1^ 2 fijoA 
 
.596 Of the iNFLUENCfi 
 
 find a counterbalance to the fucceeding vioi 
 lence and precipitancy of the pafTions. That 
 we may therefore do juftice to this fubje6l in 
 'all its extent, it is proper here to refume the 
 confideration of a point that hath aheady 
 ]Deen touched upon ; the extent and efficacy 
 of rehgious education. 
 
 Reflection upon the prefent point will enr 
 able us to diflinguilh from each other three 
 orders of men, upon whofe minds the ex- 
 ample and the arguments qf our modern 
 freethinkers will produce very different efr 
 feCts. The firft clafs cpnfifts of men who 
 have been trained up in the knowledge of 
 the genuine dodlrines of Chriftianity upon 
 an enlarged plan, of which univerfal charity 
 may be denominated the foundation. The fe- 
 cond is of thofe whofe knowlMge of this re- 
 ligion hath been circumfcribed, and who, in- 
 ftead of confuting the reafoning of an adver- 
 fary, have been taught to hate him perfour 
 ally, as being heretical and impious. To the 
 third order they may be faid to belong whofe 
 ed'i cation hath been neglected, and whom 
 examples of univerfal depravity have fe- 
 duced into imitation. Of men thus circum- 
 
 ftanced, 
 
OF Action upon Principle. ^^^97 
 
 ftanced, we will venture to prononnce, that 
 Deifm will boafl; of few fincere or fteady vo- 
 taries in the firft mentioned clafs. And thoie 
 of the laft order, before habits have become 
 inciirably fixed, it will not be impraclieable 
 to reclaim. It is therefore from men of the 
 fecond rank, among whom education has not 
 been neglected, but has been conducted in- 
 judicioufly, that the worft confequences may 
 t)e apprehended. The following obferva- 
 tions will ferve to confirm the truth of this 
 remark. 
 
 The love of pleafure, in the fame manner 
 as other, propenfions, is implanted in the 
 heart for the beft purpofes ; And to fuch 
 purpofes, under proper regulations, this 
 pafTion may be rendered fubfervient. A 
 ferious attempt to repel its exertions uni- 
 verfally, mufl ever be abortive, becaufe every 
 individual is confcious of its power and effi- 
 cacy. Inftead, therefore, of eradicating this 
 principle, a judicious tutor ought to treat it 
 as an enemy whom we cannot fubdue, by 
 endeavouring to divert its force, and to 
 .employ it ufefully. This end will be ac- 
 complifhed moft fuccefsfully where religion 
 
398 Of the Influence 
 
 is concerned, by placing before the mind 
 Tuch jiifl and moderate views of Chriftian 
 do(5lrines and precepts, which may tend upon 
 the whole to captivate, rather than to alarm the 
 heart, or to reprefs its firft and moft natural 
 efFufions. A benevolent man will engage in 
 a talk of this nature with m^ich fatisfaction, 
 as being fuited to his difpofition. We have 
 already evinced, that, in the doctrines of the 
 New Teftament, he will find many that are 
 peculiarly fuited to his purpofe *. 
 
 At the time when the genuine excellence 
 of Chriftian precepts is thus difplayed, it will 
 be proper to reprefent even an approach to- 
 wards immoral practice, as being prohibited 
 by them. Upon this occalion, a young per- 
 fon ought to be miade thoroughly fenfible o£ 
 the reafonablenefs and propriety of the pre- 
 cepts, that he may difcern nothing in them 
 that breathes of compullive authority. As 
 much as the mind rejedls wdiat comes enfor- 
 ced, merely by an abfolute command, as much 
 does it yield with rcadinefs to laws of which 
 the reafon and nature are explained clearly 
 
 and 
 
OF Action upon Principle. 399 
 
 and without partiality. It ought Ukewife 
 to be obierved, that, bad as is the human 
 heart, there are certain virtues which it al- 
 ways contemplates with unfeigned approba- 
 tion. An o ig thefe, we may without o^ue- 
 ftion aiTigii the firft place to that noble ex- 
 panfion of thought in behalf of mankind in 
 general, which the facred writers dignify by 
 the appellation of Charity. They who would 
 circumfcribe this univerfal fentimi^nt within 
 narrow boundaries, ought to be viewed as 
 men whofe powers have been warped from 
 their original bias by peculiar circumftances. 
 Reafon, when we raife our though :s to the 
 common Father of his creatures, points out 
 the whole family as objedls of his paternal in- 
 dulgence. A religion, therefore, will ever be 
 introduced with advantage, of which charity 
 is fliown to be a fundamental principle. 
 
 In the condudt of education, a judicious 
 inflrucftor will judge it farther neceflary to^ 
 indulge his pupil in every innocent gratifica- 
 tion, and to forbid no enjoyment of which 
 he does not fliow that reafon, as well as 
 fcripture, points out the impropriety. This 
 procedure, by divefling religion of whatever 
 
 is 
 
4^0 Of the Influence 
 
 is auflere and forbidding, will render it art 
 objedl not only of approbation, but of choice?. 
 The duties which it prefcribes, will be per- 
 formed in this cafe, not as a talk that is 
 poftponed from indolence, begun with re- 
 luclance, and only concluded with fatisfac- 
 tion; but as rational exercifes from which 
 the man returns with the ferene confciouf- 
 nefs of mental approbation to his employ- 
 ments in life. Chriftian duties, arifing from 
 love to the univerfal Parent, will be confider- 
 ed as a fcheme of which the branches are de- 
 pendent upon a common original. And in 
 afcertaining their various purpofes and ten- 
 dency, the mind will proceed without em- 
 barralfment or conftraint. 
 
 While obedience is thus rendered pleafing 
 from the principles of our religion, its im- 
 portant difcoveries, and fublime rewards, by 
 being placed before the mind, will influence 
 fome of the moil powerful pafTions of hu- 
 man nature, curiofity, and hope. A young 
 perfon ought to be informed, that, in the fe- 
 ries of ancient teachers and philofophers, the 
 facred writers are the only inilru(5lors of 
 mankind who maintain, with uniform con- 
 
 fiftence^' 
 
bF Action upon Principle. 40I 
 
 fiflence, the dodlrines of future exifhence and 
 i'etribution. This (late, which the mind con-> 
 templates with an afixious fatisfacftion (if we 
 may thus term it)^ is brought to hght by the 
 Author of our reHgion and by his followers, as 
 whofe fcheme the belief of it forms the clear- 
 eft and moft effential articlci Taught, there- 
 fore, to look forward with confidence to fuch 
 an objecft, young perfons will receive a pre* 
 pofTefTion in behalf of the religion that holds 
 it up to obfervation, which cannot after- 
 wards be effaced. 
 ■♦ 
 
 ^ofetnel ejl imbiita^ rece?isfervabit odoreni 
 ^cfla d'lu. 
 
 Of all the tenets which the adverfiries of 
 our religion attempt to propagate, that of to- 
 tal diffolution is the leaft acceptable. And 
 the belief of it is likewife calculated to have 
 .the worft influence on pradice. In oppofi- 
 tion^ therefore, to the doubt and dcfpondency 
 which overfpread the mindj according to 
 their hypothefis, the explicit declarations of 
 fcripture upon this point are adapted to ani- 
 mate hope, and to regulate conducl by the 
 dread of punifhment and by the expcftation 
 -2 E of 
 
402 Of the Influence 
 
 of reward. Every good man will wiih to 
 encourage principles of fuch powerful and 
 univerfal efficacy, by rendering them fubfer- 
 vient to the practice of virtue. This end is 
 effectuated more immediately by the Chri- 
 ftian than by any other fcheme, on account 
 of the unanimity wherewith its authors in- 
 culcate a doclrine of which the effects are fo 
 beneficial. The reward, therefore, of virtu- 
 ous perfeverance, and the punifhment of vi- 
 cious indulgence impartially and clearly deli- 
 neated, will be a counterpoife more than ade- 
 quate to the fordid and fe'nfual gratifications 
 which philofophers have attempted to jullify 
 and to recommend. 
 
 At the time when the duties and the docT 
 trinesof Chriftianity are thus placed in the beft 
 light, attention mud be paid to its external 
 evidences. In explaining the proof that ari- 
 feth from prophecy and miracles, obferva«- 
 tions muft be fiiited to the capacity of the 
 hearer, whofe memory will retain without 
 difficulty what he is enabled clearly to com- 
 prehend. The mind in early life will dwell 
 w'th pleafiire upon the magnificent prepara- 
 tion that was made for a Meffiah by the mef^ 
 
 fengei'g: 
 
OF Action upon Principle. 403 
 
 fengers who announced his approach. The 
 completion of their various predidlions re- 
 fpecfting the time and place of his appearance, 
 and the great events of his life, death, and 
 refurrection, is rendered peculiarly apparent 
 by the care of the evangelical hillorians, who 
 relate particular prophecies at the time when 
 they were accompliilied. Thefe, it may be 
 proper juft to point out to the young profi- 
 cient, who will eafily enter into the propriety 
 of application*'. 
 
 To the miracles which Jefus performed. 
 Our obfervations on the former fubjecfl may 
 be referred without difficulty. Attention to 
 the proof of thofe extraordinary events will 
 however be particularly necelTary ; becaufe 
 
 * It ought to be obferved, that this is the mode of 
 proof which Jefns himfelf appears to have adopted. 
 Before the converfation thatpaded in the way to Emails, 
 the difciples do not feein to have underftood the real 
 meaning of the prophecies. For, after having related 
 the death of their niafter, they add with apparent incre- 
 dulity, '* We trufled it had been He who fliould have 
 *' redeemed Ifrael." In order to remove this diftrnit, 
 we are told, that Jefus, '* beginning at Mofcs and all 
 *' the prophets, expounded unto them in all the fcrip- 
 *' tures the things concerning Himfelf." Luke xxiv. 
 
 v3 E 2 die 
 
404 Of the Influence 
 
 the mind, making experience the flandard of 
 its behef, is ready to rejedl as incredible 
 whatever cannot be brought to coincide with 
 it. The concife fimphcit}- of the evangehcal 
 narration, apparently fo different from the 
 ftudied ornaments of the rhetorician, or the 
 circumftantial detail of the impoflor, will im- 
 prefs a mind very ftrongly that is not void 
 of ingenuity. It will be proper therefore to 
 d^vell upon the force of this circumflance. 
 The argument ariiing from teftimony it will 
 iiot be difficult to explain and to illuftrate. 
 
 We have entered into this part of our fiib- 
 je6l at greater length, becaufe in the early 
 formation of manners and principles will be 
 found the latent caufes of future actions or 
 opinions. And it is in the condudl of edu- 
 cation that we fliall find a barrier formed, by 
 which the influence of principles that lead to 
 licentious practice may be repelled. Impref- 
 fions in behalf of revealed religion, as be- 
 ing rational, coniiflent, and worthy of the 
 Being by whom it is faid to have been pub- 
 ,li£hed, although upon fome occafions they 
 may be weakened, will not at any time be ef- 
 faced. We do not affirm that the efFed of thofe 
 
 impreffions 
 
OF Action upon Principle. 405' 
 
 impreffions will be permanent and uniform in 
 all circumftances indifcriminately. Of lively 
 paffions and keen feniibility, inconfiderate and 
 bad acSlions will ever be the confequences. The 
 mind likewife, w^hen it is thus occupied, may 
 think unfavourably of a religion to the laws 
 of which it knows that certain adlions are 
 repugnant. But this diilike will fubfide with 
 the pafTion by which it was excited, without 
 operating efFe6lually to the prejudice of ra- 
 tional approbation. He will be guarded moft 
 furely againft the arts of fophiftical philofo- 
 phers, to whom their arguments have been, 
 rendered familiar. And they, in the fame 
 manner, who have been indulged in enjoy- 
 ments which conduce to hanpinefs, will not 
 rejecft a religion by which tliofe only are pro- 
 hibited that tend to impair or to fubvert it. 
 
 To the tendency of a religious education, 
 carried on upon juft principles, and adapted 
 %o produce the mofl durable effects, our fub- 
 jecfl requires that we fliould oppofe the effedl 
 of a contra(fted and illiberal plan, according 
 to which fome of the worft paffions of hu- 
 man nature will receive gratification. In a 
 former fe6lion, we have endeavoured to fliow 
 
 by 
 
4o6 Of the Influence 
 
 by what means an education carried on by 
 narrow views, and bigoted maxims, mud lead 
 to incredulity. The leafl: refledlion muft con- 
 vince us, that, although difapprobation of 
 opinions upon any fubje6l which differ from, 
 our own notions is unavoidable, yet that per- 
 gonal hatred or animofity conceived from 
 this circumftance is equally impious and ab- 
 furd. That this difpofition is contrary to 
 that which the genius and fpirit of the gofpel 
 tends to form, we have likewife evinced at 
 confiderable length. What then will be the 
 confequence of an education thus condu6led, 
 when we confider it as a counterpoife to the 
 powerful influence of pailion and of ex- 
 ample ? The anlwer to this quellion will lead 
 to a detail that may be rendered at the fame 
 time entertaining and inftruftive. It will 
 induce us to point out the fteps, by which 
 principles and maxims, that are feemingly 
 oppofite to thofe of freethinkers, yet lead at 
 lalt to their admiilion. 
 
 He whofe mind has been tin(^ured with 
 falfe notions of religious truth, and who has 
 been taught to aim at a certain imaginary 
 perfedion, will view the condudl of men, 
 
 when 
 
OF Action UPON Principle. 407 
 
 when he launches into the world, not with- 
 out aftonifhment and horror. Upon this oc- 
 cafion, the firft refle(5lion of a benevolent 
 mind will be that which pity muft fuggefl 
 to it. For, as a confequence of the exclufioil 
 of charity from his fcheme, a young perfoix 
 will be taught to reprobate, not only the 
 crimes and vices of his fellow-creatures, buC 
 even their imperfedlions and their follies. 
 This lall: fentiment, however, he will not live 
 long in the world without being compelled 
 to corre(5l. The influence of folly is more 
 general than that of vice, and lies more open 
 to obfervation. The univerfality, therefore, 
 of certain pracSlices, and their effedl on cha- 
 racters which he holds in eftimation, will 
 redlify as a miftaken notion his indifcrimi- 
 nate cenfure of faults and follies, of vices 
 and imperfedlions. 
 
 Having thus far lifbened to the voice of 
 reafon, our inexperienced fcholar will be cal- 
 led to attend, in fucceeding circumftances, to 
 that of his paflions. Example, as well as na- 
 tural propenfity, will Simulate thofe blind 
 guides to demand immediate gratification. 
 And their impetuofity will be increafcd as 
 
 their 
 
4o8 Of the Influence 
 
 their violence hatli been longer and more 
 fuccefsfully repelled. The difcovery, however, 
 of one error in education, will not perhaps 
 produce an immediate and total change of 
 manners and opinions without recolledlion. A 
 young man, although he will be partial to 
 reafoning that coincides with his delires, yet 
 will not be fo ready to imitate the actions of 
 his companions, as he may be to fubfcribe 
 to their opinions. Of early impreilions in 
 behalf of certain do(5trines and rules of con- 
 duel, one effe(5l will be, that he who falls 
 into immoral pradlice will not plunge into it 
 with thoughtlefs precipitancy. He will be 
 fblicitous to gain pleas by which the various 
 ileps of his condudl may be vindicated. And 
 until he ihall have efbablilhed pleas or prin- 
 ciples which have this tendency, his mind, 
 during certain intervals, v/ill be the prey of 
 remorfe and compundlion. His pafTions will 
 indeed interpofe fo effedlually, in juftify-^ 
 ing bad adlions, as that very inadequate 
 reafons will by tlieir influence appear to 
 have importance. By alTigning fucli rea- 
 fons upon all occafions in defence of his- 
 condudl, he will at laft be thoroughly con- 
 vinced of their effica^cy. As he proceeds in 
 
 his 
 
bF Action upon Principle. 409 
 
 Kis courfe, new pleas will be invented to vin- 
 dicate new violations of religious and moral 
 fan6lions. In this manner^ every fiicceilive 
 deviation from the path of rectitude will ren- 
 der a return to it more difficult. And in the 
 laft inftance, the man, unable to reconcile his 
 adlions to any former principles, will endea- 
 vour to conform his principles to his ac- 
 tions. 
 
 In following out this feries of pbfervation, 
 ■we fliall difcover the caufe of a truth of 
 which men of experience have feen many ex- 
 amples. It is, that when men who have been 
 educated according to very flricl rules in 
 early life, fall afterwards into a bad courfe, 
 they become more abandoned and more pro- 
 fli^rate than thofe whofe education was either 
 negledled, or was carried on with lefs feem- 
 ing circumfpeClion. This is the -natural ef- 
 fect of an attempt to deprefs deiires too much, 
 which cannot be eradicated, and to prefcribe 
 a narrow range to paflions, of which the ten- 
 dency to expand is increafed by the efforts 
 that are made to contrail and to repel their 
 exertions. Of thefe, when they have ob- 
 tained power, the firil fuggeftion will be, 
 3 F that 
 
4IO Of the Influence 
 
 that the lofs of pad time ought to be com-> 
 penfated by as much enjoyment as can be 
 crouded into the preient. Having efcaped, 
 therefore, from his tutors, and having fhaken 
 off early habits and maxims of which he dis- 
 covers the impropriety and ineiEcacy, a young 
 perfon will find in licentious pleafure the ir- 
 reliflible attradlion of novelty. To pafTions 
 thus thoroughly awakened, and to the power- 
 ful influence of temptation, and of appetite, 
 what can the mind oppofe that is of fuperior 
 or of equal effedl ? The feeble voice of reafon 
 in the prefent inflance, which, at the time 
 when it remonftrates againfl immoral con- 
 du61:, points out the abfurd and incongruous 
 means that have been ufed with the purpofe 
 of expofing its confequences. Much reflec- 
 tion is furely not necefTary to convince us, 
 that, under the prefent circumilances, fuch a 
 remonstrance mufl be ineffectual. 
 
 It may here be proper to obferve farther, 
 that he who hats renounced original principles 
 from a convicftion of their impropriety, will 
 nioft probably perfevere in his belief of tenets 
 which he may fubftitute in their place, and 
 in the pradice which thefe tenets appear to 
 
 prefcribe 
 
OF Action upon Principle. 411 
 
 prefcrlbe or to defend. This will happen 
 moft commonly, becaufe he cannot look 
 back upon any objedl during the fir ft part of 
 his life, which he will feel either regret or 
 compundlion for having abandoned. Reli- 
 gious duties, of which the performance hath 
 been enjoined as a talk, he will exchange 
 without hefitation for more pleafing employ- 
 ments, which imagination will invent motives 
 to juftify, and which habit will render efTen- 
 tial to happinefs. We do nor however af- 
 firm, that this perfeverance will be univerfally 
 chara6teriftical of men whofe education has 
 been improperly conducted. The middle 
 courfe, which leads to truth, may be chofen 
 and followed out with lleadinefs by him 
 with whom a wrong fcheme has been pur- 
 fued during his years of inexperience. Ac- 
 quaintance with mankind will neverthe- 
 lefs evince, that young perfons, overlooking 
 this middle courfe, are apt moft commonly 
 to fly from the extreme of abftinence to that 
 of licentioufnefs ; and, inilead of redifying 
 what has been erroneous, to Ihake off the 
 fcheme of which fome errors have been de- 
 tcded, without examination. 
 
 3 F 2 V/c 
 
412 Of the Influence 
 
 We mentioned a third and numerous clafs, 
 on the prefent fubje(ft, coniifling of men 
 whofe minds have been imprefled by no reli- 
 gious principles, and who have been expofed 
 without defence to the influence of depraved 
 example. They who enter into the world in 
 this (ituation, will excite pity in a benevolent 
 heart ; and their a6lions admit of every plea 
 that can extenuate tranfgrelTion. Yet a mind 
 upon which no impreffion hath been made 
 is ftill fufceptible of inftrudlion. And if fuch 
 a mind does not think favourably of any re- 
 ligious plan, there is not at the fame time 
 any fcheme againft v»rhich it is invincibly 
 prepofTefled. There are feafons in human 
 life at which the man becomes fatigued with 
 enjoyments of one kind, of which the repeti- 
 tion produceth fatiety and difguft. During 
 thofe intervals, he who has any natural fund 
 of reflecftion will turn his thoughts with ad- 
 vantage to refearches that promife to gratify 
 curiofity. Inftru6live converfation, and the 
 perufal of performances judicioully felecled, 
 may fix attention, by opening a field of in- 
 quiry that has not been explored. In this 
 cafe, therefore, the young fcholar will bring 
 to his examination, what the friends of Chri- 
 
OF Action upon Principle. 413 
 
 ftianlty principally require, a mind unbiafTed 
 by prejudice againft our religion, and there- 
 fore open to convidiion. 
 
 But what fliall we fay of thofe, who, far 
 from having been thus defecflively educated, 
 have, on the contrary, been taught to hate 
 the minifters of religion, and to hold its in- 
 flitutions in contempt. To thofe gentlemen 
 we fhall make one obfervation, of which the 
 novelty may claim their regard. Of this na- 
 ture is an addrefs to the following purpofe. 
 
 " You have always profeffed to defpife 
 men who are bigoted to the maxims of a 
 narrow education. You reprefent thofe 
 men as devotees, who have never carried 
 their inquiries beyond the tenets of a par- 
 ticular fe(5l, and whom this abfurd attach- 
 ment hath rendered incapable of making 
 any manly and vigorous exertion. And 
 your cenfure of fuch men is unqueftion- 
 ably rational. Permit me, however, to in- 
 form you, that your reproach, in the pre- 
 fent inftance, recoils upon your own con- 
 du6l. You are yourfelf the bigot whom 
 you profefs to contemn. For you are de- 
 
 " voted 
 
414 ^P THE Influence 
 
 " voted to principles which you cannot tho- 
 " roughly have invefligated, becaufe your 
 *' views have never been carried beyond one 
 *' fide of the queflion. You are as paflionate- 
 " ly attached to libertinifm as he whom you 
 *' defpife is to do6trines which he may deno- 
 " minate orthodox. In the truell fenfe of 
 " the term, therefore, you are as much a bi- 
 " got as he is, who reprobates all without 
 ** diflincftion who are not members of his 
 own htde party." 
 
 (C 
 
 This charge may be brought againft thofe 
 men with the flridleft philofophical propriety. 
 It is founded in the known acceptation of the 
 term bigoty as being applicable to him who is 
 devoted to a certain fecfl, to whofe principles 
 his inquiries are wholly confined. In this 
 acceptation it is equally charadleriftical of 
 the zealot of any perfuafion. 
 
 We may obferve farther on the prefent 
 fubjedl, that the advocates of Chriftianity af- 
 firm nothing more in its behalf, than that its 
 dodlrines may appear to more advantage, 
 when conlidered as parts of a comprehenfive 
 fcheme, than when they are feen detached 
 
 from 
 
OF Action upon Principle. 41^ 
 
 from each other, and disfigured by all the 
 arts of ridicule, in the writings of its adver- 
 faries. The demand, therefore, of a candid 
 examination to be carried into its inilitutions 
 and evidences, cannot be cenfured as being 
 unreafonable. 
 
 Thus far we have endeavoured to lay down 
 a plan of religious education, that is accom- 
 modated to the circumftances of men of all 
 denominations, and by means of which the 
 powerful influence of licentious condu6l up- 
 on the choice of principle may be counter- 
 adled. Before we conclude this fedlion, it 
 will be proper to obviate an objection to our 
 remarks on this important fubjedl, which 
 may be urged with plauiibilitv. Our obfer- 
 vations on the dangerous eifecfl of prepofTef- 
 fion in general, will be reprefented as incon- 
 fiflent with our attempt to eftablifli prepof- 
 feffion in behalf of Chriftianity. The mind, 
 it will be faid, ought to be at freedom to 
 trame a fcheme of principles, from impartial 
 examination of the queflion before it, placed 
 in all points of view. And of this freedom, 
 prejudices in favour of any particular reli- 
 gion will be reprefented as fubverfive. 
 
 To 
 
4l6 Op tut iNFLtfENCE 
 
 To this obje6lion we may reply, in general^ 
 that prepofTeiTion in behalf of this religion is 
 fb far jullifiable, as it contains the nioft 
 powerful incitements to the love and pradlice 
 of virtue. Of propofitions, granting them to 
 be well founded, whereof the proof may pro- 
 duce bad confequences, it may be dangerous 
 to fpeak with partiality. Thefe the difcern- 
 ing mind may be left to invefligate at leifure, 
 and to frame a judgment according to cir- 
 cumflances. But it is furely otherwife with 
 maxims which have for their objedl the good 
 of fociety and of mankind. An obfervance 
 of thefe will not only be inculcated with 
 propriety, but a favourable opinion may be 
 iinprelTed of the fcheme of which thefe make 
 a part. To what has been faid on the nature 
 and tendency of the rules and precepts of our 
 religion, no addition is neceilary upon the: 
 prefent occafion. The confequence ariiing 
 from their acknowledged purpofe, therefore, 
 it is not neceiTary to deduce. 
 
 But this, although a rational, is by no 
 means the only plea that may be advanced in 
 vindication of the conduct which we have 
 recommended as mofl eligible. It is allowed 
 
 univerilillyj 
 
Of Action upon PrinOiple. 417 
 
 ■uftiverfally, that the dodrine of future re- 
 gard and punifhment, tends as immediately 
 to check the progrefs of vice, and to encou- 
 tage every virtuous exertion, as any tnean 
 of which thefe purpofes are the confequences. 
 To this end Ukewife, the general confent of 
 mankind, to the truth of the dodlrine above 
 mentioned, has ever been acknowledged to be 
 fubfervient* We have fecn, however, that 
 reafoU, which afcertains With preciiion the 
 nature of moral obligation, failed iu the at- 
 tempt to prove the certainty of future exift- 
 ence, of v/hich it only pointed out the proba^- 
 bility. On the contrary, it is clear, that, in 
 the Chriftian fcheme^ the pureft and moll 
 comprehenfive moral fyllem is guarded by 
 the awful fan<5lions of future retribution, 
 which are inculcated by various authors 
 with Heady and conliflent uniformity. From, 
 thefe fadls it will follow, that, in imprefling 
 upon the mind in early life the belief of this 
 great tenet, a favourable reprefentation muft 
 be given of the Only religion of which it 
 conftitutes a fundamental article. Chriflia- 
 nity pofTefFeth an advantage from the explicit 
 language of its authors on this fubjedt, and 
 3 G from 
 
4iS Op the Influence 
 
 from their unanimity, of which we have al- 
 ready confidered the nature and the ufe. 
 
 
 But the fand^ions concerning which you 
 fpeak, are chimeras and childrens tales." 
 
 Be it fb, my Lord S . You will ftill 
 
 acknowledge, that the mind cannot be pre- 
 poflefled too ftrongly in behalf of virtue. 
 And fo far as the chincieras above mentioned 
 contribute to render men wifer and better, 
 fo far they are, in your Lordlhip's eftimation, 
 the means of accomplifliing a moft valuable 
 purpofe. A point of very coniiderable con- 
 fequence will be gained, if the mind fhall be 
 brought to balance betwixt the truth and 
 falfehood of thofe fandlions of the Chriftiaa 
 law. For the intelledlual powers will be im- 
 proved in examining the proof of this im- 
 portant dodlrine, of which, if pra(5lice fhall 
 be regulated by the certain knowledge, it 
 muft be impreflJed by the pojible exiftence* 
 It is therefore evident, that the precepts of 
 Gur rehgion, explained and enforced with 
 their proper fandlions, muft be means of 
 principal efficacy to form that charadler 
 which the friends of mankind wifli to pre- 
 ¥ail xiniverfally.- 
 
 We 
 
OF Action upon Principle. 419 
 
 We might confirm thefe obfervations on 
 the propriety of eflablilhing a favourable 
 prepofFefTion of Chriftian inftitutions, by an 
 examination of the political tendency of fome 
 rites that peculiarly diftinguifh this religion. 
 Among thefe, we have already mentioned the 
 facrament of the Supper. To our remarks 
 on the defign and end of this ordinance in 
 the prefent point of view, it is not necefTary 
 to make any addition *. When in the fame 
 manner we confider the Sabbath, not as an 
 appointment of any religion, but as a por- 
 tion of time allotted to employments that are 
 beneficial to fociety, every man of reflecSliori 
 will confefs, that, although a good purpofe 
 may be gained by reprefenting this as a rea- 
 fonable and proper inftitution, no bad con- 
 fequence can pofifibly arife from it. By be- 
 ing accuftomed, at an early period of life, to 
 difcharge the duties of this day properly, a 
 young man may obtain the knowledge of 
 certain important truths which will never 
 afterwards be erafed from his memory. To 
 him, therefore, who may flill objedl to the 
 expediency of biafFmg the mind in favour of 
 any religious fcheme, I anfv/er, that this i& 
 
 f Sea. 3. p. 85. 
 
 2, O z by 
 
42Q Of the Influence 
 
 by no means to the prefent purpofe. The 
 queftion, as it ought to be ftated, is not, Whe- 
 ther the rules and ordinances here mention- 
 ed are parts of the Chriftian or of any other 
 rehgion ? but whether they correfpond to the 
 dictates of found reafon and underftanding ? 
 3hould this be the cafe, an education con-. 
 du6led by thofe leading principles, will be 
 advantageous to the individual, whatever 
 fcheme of principles he may afterwards em-? 
 brace. Refpe(5ling that fcheme which is cal-^ 
 led Chriftian, he will ftill be free at a matu- 
 rer age, to form fuch a judgment, by invefti-^ 
 gating its evidences, as is mod confonant iA 
 his opinion to truth and nature. 
 
 Education, as a fubjedt which of all others ia 
 the moft univerfally interefling, has employed 
 the thoughts of the m.oft eminent authors in 
 all ages. This great mean of forming manners, 
 and chara(fler, has not how'ever been contem- 
 plated by any writer, fo far as I know, in the 
 point of view in which the defign of the pre- 
 fent inquiry has offered it to. obfervation. We 
 cannot therefore fum up our remarks on the 
 caufes of infidelity more properly, than by 
 iliowing that thofe which regard the fureft 
 
 barrier 
 
OF Action upon Principle. 421 
 
 barrier that can be framed againft its preva- 
 lence, are founded in the nature and confli- 
 tution of man. 
 
 An attentive obfcrver of human nature 
 needs not to be informed, that the mind is 
 tenacious in the higheil degree of the firfl 
 ideas that are placed before it, whether of a 
 pleafing or a difagreeable nature. Thofe of 
 the former kind, contemplated with pleafure 
 in the firfl flages of lite, become powerful 
 motives of adlion in the fucceeding periods. 
 Thefe, on the other hand, of the latter clafs, 
 if the underflanding has been convinced of 
 their utility, will never lofe their influence. 
 Mark a man in the later flages of life, when 
 the powers of memory, of imagination, and 
 even of reafoning, are confiderably impaired : 
 You will obferve, that the firil fcenes where- 
 in he has been engaged, and the firfl prin- 
 ciples that have arrefled his attention, al- 
 though they are placed at the greatefl di- 
 flance, will be remembered more clearly 
 than objedls that have recently been expofed 
 p his cognifance. The caufe of this difpa- 
 rity will be found in the flates of the mind 
 compared togetlier at the periods above men- 
 tioned. 
 
/^2t Of the Influence 
 
 tioned, and in its various occupations. While 
 the faculties of the intelled are gaining vi- 
 gour, and while the man, although fufcep- 
 tible of lively impreffions, has acquired a 
 fmall Ihare of experience, the firft images 
 that are imprelTed upon his thought are com- 
 monly the moil vivid, and produce the moft 
 iafting efFedl. In middle life, vv^hen thefe 
 powers come to maturity, multiplied ideas 
 which prefs upon him on all fides, leave 
 {lighter traces, as they are perpetually vary- 
 ing, and fuch which are more eafily effaced. 
 When the bufy fcene is over, and when the 
 thoughts, inftead of being attradled to new 
 purfuits, begin to review and to eflimate for- 
 mer acquifitions, the earliefh ideas, as having 
 been deeply fixed, are the firft that fall to be 
 recognifed. And when the fenfibility of the 
 heart, as well as the powers of intelled:, are 
 impaired in the laft ftage of life, the impref^ 
 fion of prefent objects is neceffarily tranfient, 
 and that of recent tranfacftions or acquire- 
 ments is fpeedily and completely obliterated. 
 It ought, however, to be obferved, that we 
 fpeak here only concerning points of which 
 the proof has been fatisfying. Do(flrines or 
 precepts which are in themfelves difagree^ 
 
 able. 
 
OF Action upon Principle. 423 
 
 able, and which have not been properly ex- 
 plained and recommended, will be rejedled 
 more readily in confequence of that difguft 
 wherewith the recolledlion of them has ever 
 been accompanied. 
 
 From thefe remarks, the important ends 
 that may be gained by rendering Chriftiani- 
 ty an objed: of rational approbation in the 
 firft part of life, muft be fufficiently obvious. 
 
 It is much to be regretted, that, in an age 
 in which the other branches of education 
 have received improvement, equal attention 
 has not been given to that part of it which 
 is by far the mofl interefting and momen- 
 tous. He who confiders the prefent alarm- 
 ing progrefs of infidelity, and the diiTolute 
 manners of which certain popular prejudices 
 have been productive, muft conclude, that if 
 the foundation of future conducfl and prin- 
 ciples is laid in early youth, it mufl have 
 been framed, in the prefent cafe, of very 
 flight and difproportioned materials. It would 
 be no difficult matter to prove, that, to the 
 difbelief of revealed religion, and to the re- 
 jedion of its laws, many political evils may 
 
 be 
 
424 Of the Influence, ^r. 
 
 be afcribed, of which the confequences have 
 been felt, and are lamented. Manners uni- 
 verfally difTolute are confequential to the re- 
 jedlion of principle ; and, of fuch manners, 
 hiftory may be viewed as a mirror, which 
 expofeth the efFecfts. But does he, it will be 
 faid, who cafts off Chriflianity, renounce, at 
 the fame time, all religious tenets whatever ? 
 In reply to this queflion, I have endeavour* 
 ed to evince, in the preceding fedlions, that 
 he who quits the ground of revelation, will 
 find no liability or confiftency in the fchemes 
 and theories of its opponents. Atheifm and 
 fcepticifm are the two extremes to which in 
 the end he will moft probably have recourfe. 
 To the progrefs of circumftances that are fo 
 deflrucflive of happinefs, a well condudled 
 education offers the moft effectual, and per- 
 haps the only remedy. The author's remarks 
 on this fubjedl:, in various parts of the pre- 
 sent work, will be conlidered as hints and 
 fuggeftions which may be followed out with 
 advantage, rather than as parts of a metho- 
 difed plan, of which the regular profecution 
 would have been inconfiftent with the defign 
 of this inquiry. 
 
 RECAPS 
 
[ 421 ] 
 RfiCAPITULATION, 
 
 AND 
 
 Concluding address. 
 
 AFTER having taken that large com- 
 pafs which the important fubjedt of 
 this inquiry feemed to demand, it is now 
 proper to paufe before we bring it to a con- 
 cKifion, and to render the reader's view of 
 the whole work clear and comprehenlive. 
 The parts of a complicate -pUn comprefTcd 
 and placed before the mind in an arranged 
 feries, will imprefs it more powerfully, than 
 when thefe are viewed apart from each 
 other ; and will be more readily and di{Un(!:1- 
 ly underllood. 
 
 Cur obfervations on the inndelity ^nd 
 fcepticifm of the prefent age, are contained 
 under the following general heads. The firft 
 comprehends thofecaufes which an artful mif^ 
 reprefentation of the Chriftian fcheme, and of 
 its various do(5lrines, may be faid to have oc- 
 oalioned. Under the fecond head, thofe in- 
 2 H ducement^ 
 
422 Recapitulation and 
 
 ducements to the above mentioned purpofey 
 are comprifed, which have for their objecfts 
 the abufe of the minifters of our rehgion, 
 and, in general, of the paftoral office. The 
 third refpedls, as caufes of this evil, the 
 propenfities, paffions, and faculties of the 
 human mind. Of thofe, the former are 
 impelled to bad adlions by an irrefiftible 
 impulfe. The latter, on the contrary, are 
 perverted to the purpofe of inventing argu- 
 ments by which bad adtions may be appa- 
 rently juftified. 
 
 We have, therefore, brought together, 
 
 1. Caufes refpedling the dodlrines and in*- 
 Uitutions of Chriftianity. 
 
 2. Caufes refpe(5ling the clerical office and 
 chara6ler. 
 
 3. Caufes refpe(fling the paffions, propeii- 
 fities, and faculties of the mind. 
 
 Concerning the firft, we may naturally alk, 
 by what means it has happened, that pre* 
 cepts and do(5lrines, fo excellent as thofe of 
 Chriftianity, have yet given occafion to the 
 various and contradidlory theories of men 
 "^o are denominated Chriftians ? A fpecious 
 
 obie<5^ion. 
 
Concluding Address. 423 
 
 objedlion, likewife, to the truth of our reli- 
 gion, in the eftimation of young and inexpe- 
 rienced readers, is, that doubts . refpedling 
 the truth and authority of revelation, were 
 coeval with the period at which men emer- 
 ged from ignorance and error. 
 
 I have endeavoured to anfwer the firft 
 queftion, by afcribing the fchifmatical te- 
 nets of men, in the early ages of the church, 
 to caufes of powerful and of adequate effica- 
 cy. With this purpofe, I have explained 
 the manner in which drained explanatiouij 
 of the facred text contributed to promote 
 the defigns of ambitious men in thofe ages. 
 The pretenfions of fuch men to fuperior 
 knowledge and fancflity, have likewife been 
 examined, fupported by the admiration 
 of an ignorant multitude. Laflly, the flate 
 of the world at the time when thofe men li- 
 ved, and the injudicious means that were 
 employed to fupprefs their tenets, have been 
 enumerated as caufes that gave rife to oppo- 
 fite theories on the fubjedl of religion, and 
 that enfured fuccefs to their authors. In 
 later ages, I have traced the progrefs of he- 
 reiies to the period at which Deifm origina- 
 
 3 H 2 ted. 
 
424 Recapitulation and 
 
 ted, in confequence of their multiplicity and 
 of their extravagance. Upon the whole, it. 
 hath been evinced, that no pollible form of 
 words can be contrived to convey tenets 
 of various import, of w^hich the fenfe may 
 not be perverted by plaufible mifreprefenta^ 
 tion, when men are prompted to take this 
 courfe by motives that have been enumera- 
 ted. . They, therefore, whofe objedlions to 
 revealed religion are founded in its fuppofed 
 defe(5l of perfpicuity, demand a teft, to which 
 it is impoihble that any model can be per-. 
 fe<5lly conformed. 
 
 In anfwer to the fecond obje^lion, by 
 which the fuccefs of infidelity is greatly pro- 
 moted : the precepts and the conduct of 
 Chriflian teachers have been confidered as 
 tending to encourage a fpirit of free inqui-p 
 ry. This fpirit is oppafed to that of an an- 
 cient philofopher ; and, in general, to the 
 purpofe of impoftors in all ages. I have en^ 
 deavoured to place in one point of view, 
 the various motives, which, as foon as men 
 began to think for themfelves, diredled tlieir 
 inquiries to the authority of the Chriftian 
 religion. Proofs of this affirmation are 
 
 drawi^ 
 
Concluding Address. 425" 
 
 drawn from the nature of Chriflian precepts ; ] 
 from the metaphorical language of the pro- 
 phets ; from the falfe and contradiclory expla- 
 nations whereof certain pafTages were judged 
 to be fufceptible ; and, finally, from the prm- 
 ciples and pretenfions of the church of 
 Rome. Of thofe circumflances, the force 
 and the tendency have been particularly il- 
 luflrated. 
 
 Having removed obflruclions to the prin- 
 cipal point, the great queftion refpediing 
 the intrinfic excellence of the Chriflian re- 
 velation, and the purpofes to which it is 
 fubfervient, has been examined in all its ex- 
 tent. Among a certain clafs of men, infi- 
 delity is not more furely promoted by any 
 mean, than by that which reprefents Chriftla- 
 nity as being the religion of the vulgar, to 
 whofe choice and comprehenfion it is folely 
 adapted. In order to evince the futility of 
 fo popular an objecSlion, I have confidered 
 the Chriflian fcheme as the fubjecl of fcien- 
 tifical refearch. In this point of view, our 
 religion hath been confidered in the four 
 following lights. 
 
 I^ Uath been viewed, i , As containing the 
 
 moil 
 
426 Recapitulation and 
 
 mofl perfect moral fyftem, illuftrated by th6 
 moft perfedl example. 
 
 2. As having enlarged the bounds of hu- 
 man knowledge, by communications that 
 are at the fame time indifpenfably neceffary, 
 and eflentially important, 
 
 3. As a mean of principal ufe to foften 
 the ferocity of man, and to promote civiliza- 
 tion. 
 
 4. As having tended univerfally, where it 
 is befl underftood, to fubftitute, in place of 
 narrow and illiberal prejudices, enlarged 
 and rational views of the divine government, 
 providence, and perfe(5lions. 
 
 Our remarks on thefe important points, 
 if they are well founded, muft carry greater 
 convi(flion to the mind than even the exter- 
 nal evidences of our religion ; powerful as 
 thefe are, and fupported by the moft au- 
 thentic teftimony. For, objedlions may be 
 made to this teftimony, which cannot lie 
 againft fimple fadls, concerning the truth or 
 falfehood of which, the fenfe and experience 
 of every man will qualify him to judge and 
 to decide. Let us obferve in general, that 
 our comparifon of Pagan with Chriftian 
 
 morality, 
 
Concluding Address. 427 
 
 morality, and oppofition of the difcoveries 
 of philofophy to thofe of revelation, are car- 
 ried on with the purpofe of placing the lat- 
 ter in the cleareft point of view. From 
 thefe, every reader may be enabled to judge 
 concerning the fpirit of our religion, and 
 the fuperior excellence and importance of 
 its difcoveries. With the fame purpofe, I 
 have attempted to evince, that the culti- 
 vation of fcience has kept pace with the 
 knowledge of Chriftian principles, of which 
 the characters of mbdern nations exhibit a 
 confpicuous evidence. The conclufion to 
 which our remarks on the principal king- 
 doms of Europe give occafion, is fufficiently 
 obvious. And from the whole, we have 
 rendered confpicuous the tendency of reveal- 
 ed religion to accomplifh the great end$ 
 that have been enumerated, 
 
 Chriftian principles, thus reprefented in 
 their native purity and efFeds, are exhibited 
 in the fucceeding fedlions as they are muti- 
 lated, perverted, and defaced in the writings 
 of modern Deifts and Sceptics, by all the 
 arts of fophiftry, ridicule, and abufe. It 
 is to thefe points, that the fubjed of this in- 
 quiry 
 
428 R£CAI>iTULA'riON AND 
 
 quiry calls our more immediate attention. 
 For the prevalence of infidelity and of fcep- 
 ticifm oughxt principally to be afcribed to 
 the influence of thofe arts, and to their luc^ 
 cefsful application. 
 
 Of the various hypothefes which thofe 
 men have framed with the prefent view, the 
 LAW OF NATURE forms the bafis. To 
 this univerfal law, including whatever ig 
 neceflary to be known, and comprehending 
 ■ all rational beings, giving full fcope to the 
 indulgence of fenfual gratification, and pre- 
 fcribing rules that are approved of by the 
 paffions, Chriftianity is oppofed, as being a 
 religion of which the influence is contracted, 
 the precepts are rigorous, the inftitutions 
 are enforced by arbitrary commands, and 
 the do(5lrines are incredible, abfurd, or 
 perncious. Of this we have produced ma- 
 ny examples, which it would be fuperfluous 
 to repeat. 
 
 Our religion, thus di veiled of all its excel- 
 lencies, and expofed to difguft and averfion, 
 becomes more confpicuoufly the objecfl of 
 both, by being reprefented as having encou- 
 raged 
 
Concluding Address. 433 
 
 iraged the moft fhocking aufteritiesi and as 
 having gained profelyteS, of v/hofe virtue 
 jpoverty and ignorance v^ere the guardiansi 
 It is true, that the author who brings thefe 
 circumftances together, afTigns them, yXnth. 
 fingular propriety, as caufes by v\'-hich the 
 gofpel was rapidly propagated. But on this 
 theory we have animadverted in the proper 
 place. And, although few readers will com-i 
 prehend the means by which thefe pradlices 
 forwarded the prbgrefs of Chriilianity, yet 
 no reader will call in queftion their teilden-^ 
 cy to obJlruEl its propagation. What then^ 
 we may afk, is left in order to fupport a 
 fcheme thus depreciated in the eftimatioh 
 bf mankind ? Its excellent morality, we may 
 teply, and the difcoveries of high impor- 
 tance and utility which it communicates. 
 Thofe are pillars upon which the fabric of 
 revelation may be faid to be erecfled. Andj 
 by loofening thefe fupporters, effential injury 
 ihufl be done to the fiiper{lru(5liire. We have 
 feen, therefore, that the patrons of Deiilicai 
 tenets expofe the former, which contain 
 doctrines of an acknowledged unpopular 
 tendency, to ridicule. The latter, on the 
 contrarj/, they treat as chiidrens tales, h:i-d 
 ^ I indeed 
 
434 Recapitulation and 
 
 indeed to pleafe the ignorant, but, to the 
 learned, to be objedls of derifion and of con- 
 tempt. 
 
 It is by thefe practices fleadily carried 
 into execution, that prejudices are formed 
 againfl the Chriflian reUgion, of which men 
 do not attend properly to the nature and 
 efFedls. Unfavourable imprefTions of any 
 fcheme, by which the love of pleaflire is re- 
 ftrained are ealily made \ipon a heart in 
 which this pafTion predominates. We have 
 feen, that he who choofeth to depreciate cer- 
 tain tenets, either by ufing the izmy of ridi/- 
 cule, of declamation, of defcription, or of 
 argument, will fucceed without diiEculty 
 with young and inexperienced readers. The 
 paflions and prepoffeffions of thoie difciples, 
 if they have not been watched with ftricft 
 attention, will leave but little to be effedled, 
 
 A candid examination of fchemes which 
 the adverfaries of Chriftianity would fubfli- 
 tute in place of it, is the fureft mean of ob- 
 flrudling the operation of the powerful 
 prviclples above mentioned. In the courfe 
 of this examination, it hath been fhown, that 
 
 thefa 
 
Concluding Address. 435* 
 
 thefe fchemes are illufive, difTatisfadiory, 
 and inconfiftent with each other. The 
 friends of reafon, and of the reUgion of Na- 
 ture, have never yet determined the two im- 
 portant queftions refpe6ling the bounds pre- 
 fer! bed to the refearches of reafon in the 
 fphere of religion ; or the truths of which 
 the reUgion of Nature, as it is called, may 
 be faid to coniift. Of their repugnant and 
 abfurd hypothefes, on fubjedls which they 
 pronounce to be univerfally intelligible, ex- 
 amples have been brought in this inquiry, 
 of which young readers, who choofe to 
 think on this topic, mufl feel the effedl *. 
 
 That the enemies of religion have availed 
 themfelves in all ages, of defamation, and of 
 ridicule on the charadler of her minifters, 
 is a truth fupported by the cleared eviden- 
 ces. And it mufl Ukewife be acknowledged, 
 that ridicule oppoling the influence of the love 
 of imitation in one dire(5lion,mull promote its 
 effedl in a contrary one. The circumftances 
 that give occaflon to both, have been enume- 
 rated, particularly in tlie prefent inftance. 
 
 * Se^. 5. pa/. 
 
 3 I Z With 
 
4j3^ Recapitulation and 
 
 With this end, I have compared the mere 
 fcholar with the man of the world, and ha- 
 bits that are contradled in retirement with 
 manners that are formed in fociety. From 
 this comparifon it mull: be obvious, that 
 the former character may be rendered as 
 iTiuch an object of difguft and avei-fion, as 
 the latter may be of clofe and particiilar 
 imitation *. 
 
 A queflion is fuggefted by this fubjec^, re- 
 ipe(5lingthe connedlion between the influence 
 of certain manners, and the efFe6l of opini- 
 ons that are adopted by men of whom thefe 
 manners are charadleriftical. In anfwer to 
 this queftiorl, I have endeavoured to fhow by 
 "what means our judgment in the laft cafe is 
 influenced by prejudices that are gained in 
 the firfl:, and to afcertain the degree of their 
 afcendency. The remarks that have been 
 m.ade on this conne(5lion, are confirmed by 
 illuftrations of which every reader is qualifi- 
 ed to judge f. It is therefore a fa6l which 
 feems to be confonant to general experience, 
 
 * SeSI. 7. alf iifit, 
 ^ Id. 
 
Concluding Address. 437 
 
 that he who fucceeds in depreciating the 
 profellional advocates of Chriflianity, and 
 particularly in his impeachment of their fin- 
 cerity, will deftroy the efFed: of their argu- 
 ments with many readers, whofe prepoiTefii- 
 ons will be transferred to religion. 
 
 By what means, then, are efforts deriving 
 their energy from a known principle of hu- 
 man nature, and operating fo powerfully to 
 the prejudice of our religion, to be rendered 
 ineffedlual ? By expoiing without doubt the 
 various mifreprefentations of the paftoral 
 efEce and charadler in the proper light?; and 
 by vindicating both from illiberal afperfions. 
 An inexperienced reader will thus be guard"^ 
 ed againfl an attack, of which the tendency 
 is more dangerous, as its real objedl is more 
 concealed. 
 
 With this purpofe it is, that fpecimens 
 have been fucceffively exhibited on the pre- 
 fent topic, of the pointed ridicule of Voltaire, 
 the defcriptive fatire of Shaftlbury, the pom- 
 pous declamation of Eolingbroke, and the 
 philofophical difquifition of Hume ; all erti- 
 ployed upon a liibjecl fruitful of ideas to 
 
 men 
 
43^ Recapitulation and 
 
 men of talents, at the fame time eminent 
 and flrikingly difcriminated. From thefe 
 fpecimens, and the obfervations that have 
 been made upon them, young readers who 
 have become unpropitious to the caufe of re- 
 hgion, by being dilTatisfied with its advo- 
 cates, may, it is hoped, be enabled to correct 
 a prejudice fo ill founded. Jufh notions of 
 the miniflerial profeihon may be gained, by 
 viewing the caufes which expofe it peculiar- 
 ly to abufe. And the weapons employed by 
 the adverfaries of our religion, if in the pre- 
 fect cafe they fhall not recoil upon them- 
 felves, will ceafe at leaft to be offenfive to 
 its defenders. 
 
 But wdiatever efficacy we may afcribe to 
 the caufes above mentioned, as having been 
 productive of infidelity, it is to the voice with- 
 in the mind that their influence ought princi- 
 pally to be traced. In the preceding inqui- 
 ry, it was therefore neceffary to attend par- 
 ticularly to xKisJl'dl voice, as conveying dic- 
 tates of the moll effential importance. Ef- 
 fects therefore of a detrimental nature that 
 are derived from this fource, are thofe which 
 originate in the propeniities, paffions, and 
 
 faculties 
 
Concluding Address. 435 
 
 faculties of the mind. Its propenfities are 
 the defire of (ingularity, and the love of imi- 
 tation. The paillons which contribute to 
 this purpofe, are the love of pleafure, und 
 more particularly of fenfual gratification. 
 The two great powers of reafbn and of ima- 
 gination, are thofe to which, in the general 
 courfe of their conducfl, our free-thinking 
 philofophers profefs to appeal. The fecond 
 fe6lion of this work is appropriated to the 
 cfFedl of the love of fingularity, coniidered as 
 having operated to the prejudice of Chriitia- 
 nity. In this fe6lion the author hath en- 
 deavoured to place in a juft point of view, 
 one caufe by which the inventors of religi- 
 ous novelties have been induced to adopt 
 and to dilTeminate certain dangerous tenets 
 in all ages. A capital point will be gained, 
 if the reader fliall be enabled to diftinguiili, 
 from the obfervations that have been made 
 on this head, thoughts that originate in th6 
 love of truth, from theories which are deri- 
 ved from the deiire of fingularity. By loiing 
 in the laft detection fome part of his reve- 
 rence for certain authorities, fuch a reader 
 will lefs readily be the dupe of metaphyseal 
 fubtleties, and of fpecious declamation. He 
 
 who 
 
440 Recapi^tulation an!) 
 
 who is profelTediy attached to fingular argu- 
 ment *, will mofi: probably be as much ail 
 innovator in religion as in philofophy. Ill 
 tracing the progrefs of this fatal defire front 
 flight innovations on the Chriflian fcheme, 
 to an attempt to exterminate the religious 
 principle, its ultimate end will be confpicu- 
 ous. They therefore who have remarked 
 this tendency, will be guarded againft the 
 means of which fo detrimental a purpofe is 
 obvioufly the confequencci 
 • 
 
 As the love of fingularity operates with 
 fuch efficacy upon the profeiTed inflru(?!:ors 
 of mankind, the defire of imitation is a 
 caufe of infidelity not Icfs univerfal among 
 thofe who are partial to their opinions. Iii 
 order to counteradl the force of this inclina- 
 tion in the prefent cafe, I have attempted to 
 afcend to the fources from which its influ- 
 ence on condudl is derived. From this viewj 
 we have gained principles by which to efli- 
 mate the degree of its efficacy in fubverting 
 the evidences of our religion. The various 
 
 * See Htime^s DJffert. -p. 6. Ded'ic. and his Dial, 
 pi 228. 
 
 ant- 
 
Concluding Address* 441 
 
 ?irts by means of which the imitative pro- 
 pendty is rendered favourable to the caiife 
 of infideUty among the young and inconfide* 
 rate, have been expofed and exempHfied iu 
 the preceding fedlions. In fact, the tranli- 
 tion from an imitation of certain manners , 
 to the beUef of tenets which they who are 
 the objedls of imitation appear to adopt, i^ 
 more natural than we are apt to conceive at 
 firfl view. I have therefore ranged under 
 four general heads^ the means which our 
 modern freethinkers employ to render both 
 themfelves and their principles patterns to be 
 copied with attention. Of thefe, the princi-* 
 pal points are confidered apart from each 
 other *. The avithor's purpofe has been in* 
 variably to illuftrate his remarks on each 
 part by examples, without which, all exami- 
 nation of principles or of opinions mull be 
 inadequate. 
 
 The love of pleafure, and thf gratification 
 ©f fenfual appetite, are caufes of infidelitv 
 and of fcepticifm that are too confpicuous 
 
 'f Sddf. 5 6. y. are appropriated to the three firft 
 heads. Many examples nre produced of Wold afTertioiis, 
 and affirmations h3ve l>een produced in the courfe of our 
 inquiry, to which it is needlef'- to refer. 
 
 ^ K • to 
 
442 Recapitulation and 
 
 to be omitted in an eflimation of this fubject, 
 lit the fedlion therefore that is appropriated 
 to this important branch of our inquiry, I 
 have attempted to trace the efFe(5l of licenti- 
 ous condudl upon the choice of principle : 
 A detail in which young readers are parti- 
 cularly interefted. Its impreffion will no 
 doubt be more or lefs permanent, as the ima- 
 ges which it prefents correfpond to tliofe 
 of nature; and as the procefs is juflified or 
 is rejeded by experience. This part of the 
 work, therefore, is particularly addreffed to 
 young perfons who have felt the influence 
 of thofe powerful principles. And it is ob- 
 ■vioufly with the purpofe of doing them ac- 
 ceptable fervice, that obfervations liave been 
 made on the theme fo deeply and uni- 
 verfally interefting as is that af religious 
 education. 
 
 Of the intelleclual powers we may obferve, 
 that arguments are addreffed to the under- 
 ilanding of readers, as lively falKes, pointed 
 ridicule, and beautiful illuflrations, moff 
 commonly are to their imagination. As 
 fchemes that obtain approbation, muft be 
 framed to imprefs the former of thofe facul- 
 ties. 
 
€oNCLUDiNG Address-. 443 
 
 ties, their efFeds in the fame manner are 
 feldom univerfal or permanent, when no 
 addrefs is made to the latter. Senfible of 
 thefe truths, we have feen that our modern 
 philofophers appeal alternately to each of 
 them. The profeffed aim of their writings, 
 is without doubt to convince the underfland- 
 ing of their readers, without the approba- 
 tidn of which, their purpofes cannot be ac- 
 compliflied. Our defign in this work has 
 not been to enter minutely into their reafon- 
 ing on the various and complicated points of 
 this momentous controverfy. The reader 
 who would gain information of this nature, 
 mufc have recourfe to the writings of thofe 
 gentlemen, and to thofe of the apologifts and 
 defenders of Chriftianity. Specunens of fo- 
 phiftical argumentation, however, have been 
 produced from the mod confpicuous autho- 
 rities, which will qualify the readers of thefe 
 performances, to detedl falfe reafonings of a 
 fimilar kind. The remarks that have been 
 made on the fele6led paflages, will like- 
 wife perhaps contribute to facilitate fuch 
 detection. 
 
 In the preceding pages, I have endeavour- 
 3 K 2 ed 
 
444 Recapitulation AND 
 
 ed to evince, that fcepticifm originates in an 
 abnfe of the underftanding, applied to fub-' 
 jecfts whereof it is difquahfied to decide. On 
 this head it has been rendered evident, that 
 an abufe of the prefent kind muft lead to 
 univerfal doubt. This mud happen either 
 w'len reafon is employed in inveftigating 
 fiibjecfls to which it is inadequa.te, or when 
 reje'iling iimple and felf-evident propoiltiotis, 
 it v^^aftes its ftrength in the pnrfuit of whim- 
 fical theories, and of metaphyhcal diflinc-- 
 tions. This intellectual power adls then only 
 in its proper fphere. when aiTuming the 
 -t:ruth of certain poftulates ; jit invelligates 
 propofitions of which the mind has clear an4 
 explicit ideas, In our remarks on the na- 
 ture and objedls of Chriflian Faith, the read- 
 er w^ill find the method of probation fpeci-* 
 fied, that is adapted to poiitions of which 
 we cannot comprehend the nature, although 
 they contain nothing that is fubverfive of 
 
 firft principles, or contradictory to them. 
 
 « 
 
 All that part of the preceding work, where-* 
 in ludicrous images, humorous allufions, 
 comments of the farcaflical kind, fpiritcd 
 fallies, ^c. have been extracted from the 
 
 writings 
 
Concluding Address. 44^^ 
 
 writings of modern freethinkers, may be 
 denominated appeals in behalf of iniideli- 
 tv, l^c. addrefTed to imao:ination. The in- 
 fluence of thefe addrefles, operating upon 
 the defire of imitation, is perhaps more uni- 
 verfal than that of any other mean which is 
 employed with the fame purpofe. For we 
 fhrink from whatever is really an objedl of 
 ridicule, as naturally as we embrace what ap- 
 parently merits approbation. They who con- 
 {ider truths according to the hypothefis of an 
 eminent writer, as unfufceptibie of ridicule, 
 will find, that this tejl of real excellence may be 
 rendered favourable to the friends of reli- 
 gion, as well as to her adverfaries. It is in 
 proof of this affirmation, that the author has 
 attempted an application of it to Ibme very 
 lingular tenets in the preceding inquiry. He 
 Jiopes, however, that to fuch tenets only it 
 will bear application in the prefent inftance. 
 He who can fairly turn the laugh v,dien it 
 has been raifed againll him, will be pardoned 
 readily, provided he has laughed in good hu- 
 mour. And the forced mirth of an an^rv or 
 malicious adverfary will be as clearly dif- 
 cerned by a penetrating judge, in the wri- 
 tings of fuch ^. man, as in the interco.tirfe of 
 
 life 
 
44^ Recapittjlation an© 
 
 life it might be traced on his countenance. 
 Of thefe it is hoped that the preceding pages, 
 di6lated folely by the defire of promoting the 
 beft caufe in the eftimation of its author, ex- 
 hibit no evidences. 
 
 Non tali auxilio, nee dejetiforlbus iji'is^ 
 Tempiis eget. 
 
 I have now endeavoured to point out, and 
 to explain at confiderable length, the caufes 
 which appear principally to have contributed 
 to the prefent alarming progrefs of principles 
 which are fubverfive of happinefs. In the 
 conclufion of a work wherein the benefit of 
 young readers hath profefTedly been confult- 
 ed as an ultimate end, it cannot be improper 
 to addrefs a few confiderations to the authors 
 of fchemes that are calculated to juftify the 
 moft licentious indulgence. That many wri- 
 ters who have unwarily contributed to mif- 
 lead the inexperience of youth, and to pro- 
 mote depravity of manners, have been adlu- 
 ated by motives of which they did not per- 
 ceive the confequences, is a truth which can- 
 not ferioufly be called in queftion. It is well 
 known, that of freethinkers, in the word 
 fenfe of that term, many whofe principles 
 
 are 
 
Concluding Address. 447 
 
 are mod exceptionable, have exliibked the 
 mod regular and inoiFenfive examples '^'. Cha- 
 rity would lead us to judge, from comparing 
 the tenets of thefe men with their pradlice, 
 that they eflimated the influence of thofe 
 tenets upon the condudl of others, according 
 to the effedl that was produced upon their 
 own. But reflection mud convince us, that 
 this ftandard is falfe and inadequate. For 
 from the inefficacy of certain maxims to cor- 
 rupt a cool, difpailionate, or virtuous temper, 
 we cannot furely pronounce concerning their 
 general tendency and eiFedls, without viola^ 
 ting every principle of reafon and philofo- 
 phy. Experience is not neceiTary to convince 
 us, that dodlrines that are favoural'jle to im- 
 morality, will be acceptable to thofe who are 
 immoral, and will tend to juftify their perfe- 
 verance. Their tendency to produce thi« 
 end is obviotis, and indeed unqueflionable. 
 The numerous clafs of men to whom paifion 
 
 • * Lord Herbert of Chefbury, and the late Mr Hume 
 afford ftriking evidences of this truth. Ihe former ap- 
 pears to have been eq\ul]y refpe^table as a man of fci- 
 ence and of nnblcinilhed morals. And the latter (Mr 
 Hume), is faid to have poireffed the moft amiable manners 
 in private life, and to have been diftinguifhed by the 
 moil: inoffenlive deportment. 
 
 prefcribes 
 
44^ Recapitulation anO 
 
 prefcribres a mode of condudl which they ard 
 deterred from following out by fome remains 
 of early principle, will be brought, by a very 
 eafy procefs,to confide in reafonings by which 
 that condud: is vindicated. Of this truth the 
 caufe and confequences have been pointed 
 out in the preceding pages, fo as to fuperfede 
 an enlargement. 
 
 • I cannot, therefore, upon the moft attentive 
 examination, impute the attempts of thofe 
 men to exterminate religion and morality, to 
 any other caufe than that which contributes, 
 as we have feen, to afcertain their fuccefs : — - 
 I mean the influence of a predominant paf^ 
 lion. And this, I will maintain, although it 
 may feem to injure the philofophical charac- 
 ter of the authors above mentioned, is yet the 
 befl account that can be made of their pro- 
 cedure. Ambition, we know, renders the 
 machine upon which it operates, whether we 
 denominate the faid machine Hero, Statef- 
 man, Patriot, ^c, blind to the defolation and 
 miafTacres of which this fupreme paflion has 
 been the parent. And in hiflorical narration 
 we fee thofe engines carried forward in ac- 
 Compiifliing the purpofe of this coJidu&or^Yfixh 
 
 the 
 
Concluding Address. 449 
 
 the fame regard of confequences which a 
 clock would manifeft to a fcene of pillage, 
 robbery, or murder, perpetrated in prefence 
 of the aforefaid inflrument, and upon thofe 
 perhaps who put it in motion. We may ceafe, 
 therefore, to wonder at the effedls which this 
 caufe produceth in the mind of a philofophery 
 to whom its confequences, ,feen through the 
 medium of prejudice, appear to be important 
 and beneficial. 
 
 But here the queftion will occur to e\rery 
 reader. What are the confequences of which 
 a philofophical freethinker believes that the 
 promulgation of his opinions will be produc- 
 tive to fociety ? The high panegyrics into 
 which thefe gentlemen launch refpecling 
 their favourite hypothefes, and their enco- 
 mium in particular on the extent and excel- 
 lence of the law of nature, of which fo many 
 fpecimens have been produced in this work^ 
 fuggeft the anfwer to this queftion. Some 
 obfervations, therefore, on the real tendency 
 of fchemes by which revealed religion is {qx. 
 afide, and on the means that are employed 
 with this purpofe, may be of ufe, either to 
 erafe the prejudices above mentioned from 
 3 L the 
 
^^b Recapitulation an© 
 
 the mind, or to place in a proper light the 
 effedl of this condudl. 
 
 To the remarks that have already been i 
 made on the utility of Chriftian inftitutions, 
 and on the acknowledged excellence of Chri- 
 ftian morals, it is not my prefent pnrpofe to 
 fubjoin other obfervations *. Granting the 
 account that has been given of both to be 
 fatisfadlory, it may here, however, be proper 
 to mention a fev/ circumftances which natu- 
 rally arife from it. The mind of a good 
 man, although milled by a predominant paf^ 
 lion, may be impreffed by a feafonable ex- 
 poftulation, which placeth before him the 
 real tendency and effeS: of that condudl 
 -which this paflion prefcribes to him. 
 
 " If then the laws of Chriftianity, and ma- 
 " ny of its inftitutions, tend to promote vir- 
 *' tuous pra(?tice, and to advance the interefts 
 " of m.ankind, are you. Gentlemen, I would 
 • ' alk, well employed, who endeaTOur to un- 
 ^' dermine this fabric, without erecfting any 
 *' flrudlure in its place of adequate excellence 
 ** and utility ? Tliis furely may be faid with 
 
 ^ flria 
 
Concluding Address. 451' 
 
 " flridl propriety of fceptical philofopliers, of 
 
 *' whom the moderns, Hke their ancient pre- 
 
 *' deceflbrs, are employed in contemplating 
 
 " objecls of which they cannot determine the 
 
 " reality *. The confolations of religion, and 
 
 " more particularly of that religion by which 
 
 " life and immortality are brought to light, 
 
 ^' whether juftly or not, are highly valued by 
 
 '' many of your fellow men. Let us grant 
 
 " that thefe men are the flaves of fuperfli- 
 
 " tion; that all their notions are chimerical^ 
 
 " in fhort, that they are fafcinated by fpells, 
 
 " conjurations, or what you will. The ob- 
 
 " jecls of their faith, how unfubflantial fo- 
 
 ** ever, tend to render them juft, pious, 
 
 " humble, beneficent, humane. What right 
 
 " have you then to overcafl with the clouds 
 
 '' of fufpicion and of difmay, a path in which 
 
 " men have proceeded formerly, under fo 
 
 "much light, and in fuch perfect fecurity? 
 
 " Why liiould you awake them from a 
 
 "'dream wherein they enjoy fo much fatis- 
 
 " fa(5lion, and of which the efFedls are obvi- 
 
 " oufiy beneficial ? And by what arguments 
 
 * SKEHTIKH <piKcao(ptot, utto tcv SKEDTE^OAI AEI, 
 AXi MH^EnOTE EYPISKEIN. AAEPT. TTPP. 
 
 3 L 2 " caa 
 
45^ Recapitulation and 
 
 " can you reconcile this conducSl to any prin-a 
 ^' cipie of reafon or of philofophy ? 
 
 " You profefs, Gentlemen, to be admirers, 
 " of the fages of Greece and Rome. And it 
 '* is confeffed that thofe men, having efta- 
 " hhflied no fcheme of moral principles by uni-^ 
 " verfal confent *, wandered often in the laby- 
 " rinth of fceptical fludluation. Let us how-i 
 " ever compare, in a fingle inflance, the {q'H" 
 *' timents of two eminent modern philofo- 
 *' phers, upon the moffc important of all fub- 
 " jecfls, the immortality of the foul, v^th 
 ^' thofe of an illuitrious ancient. We ihall 
 " find, that what the former fet themfelves 
 " to difprove, and to expofe to ridicule, the 
 " latter indulges as an idea that is pregnant 
 ^' with the higheft confolation. We have al- 
 *' ready feen, that one author puts this doc- 
 *' trine upon a footing with *' the tales of 
 ^' children, and with the amufement of men 
 " who play at foot-ball f ." Another would 
 *' ferioufly perfuade his countrymen, who- 
 " have been bred in the belief of this doc- 
 " trine, that, " while we are alive, we pre- 
 
 * leF:- 3. itt fupra. 
 + Shafitfoury. 
 
 ferve 
 
Concluding Address. 453 
 
 ** ferve the capacity of thinking, as we do of 
 ** moving, ^c. When we are dead, all thefc 
 " faculties are dead with us *.'* On the con- 
 " trary, the Roman oratol* and philofopher 
 " entertains with tranfport the delightful 
 *' idea of immortality. This idea he wilheth 
 " to cherifh as being well founded ; and 
 *' fhould it be falfe, he delires not to be un- 
 *' deceived. Me vero deleEiat^ idque prhnum ita 
 " ejfe'y deinde^ etiamft Jionfit^ mlh'i tamen perfiia- 
 ** deri velim. How differenc was the opinion 
 •* of Cicero, on this fubjedl, from that of 
 ■' your champions Shaftefbury and Boling- 
 ** broke ! The illuflrious Roman cannot part 
 *' with a dodlrine of which his own reafon 
 *' fuggefled the probable evidence. Our mo- 
 ^' dern philofophers, on the other hand, far 
 *' from fupporting fo idle and childifh a no- 
 " tion among thofe who have been taught to 
 " receive it, employ all their powers to eradi- 
 " cate a principle that is fubveriive of en- 
 " larged fentiment, and of unlicenfed prac- 
 *'- tice. Studying perhaps to inculcate the 
 ** virtue of humility, they inform him who 
 *' is elated with an imagined pre-eminence 
 '* over other creatures, and who would regu- 
 
 * Bolitigb. vol. 3. 
 
 « late 
 
454 Recapitulation anu 
 
 ** late his condu(5l by this pre-eminence, that 
 ** the moment at which the vital organ iliall 
 *' ceafe to vibrate, will transfer this fuperiority 
 *' to the reptile that is pampered on his fpoils 1 
 
 ** But, leaving thofe who carry their love 
 " of freedom to the utmofl poffible length, 
 *' permit me to addrefs a few obfervations to 
 *' you who have cultivated the fcience of 
 *' morals profefTedly with a purpofe of con- 
 ** veying inftruclion. You intend to make 
 " men more juft, more pious, more benefi- 
 ** cent, by explaining the extent and obliga- 
 ^ tions of the law of nature, than they are 
 " rendered by the rules of Chriftianity. And 
 *' you emancipate them at the fame time 
 " from a ftate of fubjedlion. But what are 
 *' the means by which you propofe to accom- 
 *' plifh this end ? You will clear away the 
 *' rubbiih of ancient prejudices, /. e. of pre- 
 " judices in favour of revealed religion; and 
 *' you will render men diffident, circumfpecfl, 
 "and cautious in all their refearches. But 
 " here furely we ought to remark, that, if 
 *' Chriftian laws and precepts have a benefi- 
 *' cial tendency, he who fliall weaken the au- 
 ** thority by which they are enjoined, mufl 
 
 " injure 
 
Concluding Address. 4^jf 
 
 *^ injure the intereft of virtue eflentially, in- 
 '* Head of promoting it. For of laws where- 
 " of the delign is beneficial, the efFe6l will be 
 *' greater proportionally, as the belief of their 
 " authority is more eilabliihed; and vice verfay 
 " will be diminilhed. To all this the advocates 
 " of the law of nature will moft probably 
 " aiifwer, that, in place of obligation founded 
 " in a power that is chimerical, they would 
 " fubflitute that which is permanent and 
 " univerfal. Are you then certain^ that the 
 " tenets which you inculcate will have efFe(5l8 
 *' that are permanent and univerfal ? Cer- 
 *' tain ! No furely. A wife man will never 
 " pronounce with certainty of any thing *. 
 
 " From thefe obfervations it feems to fol- 
 " low, that you would render men wifer and 
 ** better by fub verting fome principles of 
 " morality, and by looi'ening the foundation 
 
 * The great dogma of ancient and modern Pyrrha- 
 nifts in all ages. Vv/^aio txto. Soku (ptxcffcfrKtui to t<;c axa- 
 txKriYixi y.sit t7ro^!l( iifoi UTayayav^uQ Aa-A.x\tcq h aCJ'iipitoc 
 fyiTiy fays Laertius in his life of Pyrrho. That the whole 
 tribe of modern fceptics, from Dcs Cartes with his uni- 
 verfal doubt, to our late ingenious countryman Mr 
 Hume, have adopted the fame maxim ; is a truth of 
 'ivhich uo man acquainted with their writings is fcepcioil. 
 
 "of 
 
45^ Recapitulation and 
 
 " of the others. And according to the wcctk* 
 " nefs of motives by which charity and be-» 
 " neficence are recommended, will men be 
 " rendered more charitable, and more bene-^ 
 " ficent. This, it muft be confefTed, is ftrange 
 " do(5irine. But to what other refuge can 
 " they betake themfelves, who, after having 
 *' expelled its ancient inhabitant (Religion) 
 " from the temple of Virtue, would intro- 
 *' duce Incredulity at one door of her facred 
 " manfion, and Scepticifm at the other 1 
 
 cc 
 
 *' I am aware, that thefe remarks may be 
 reprefented as tending to difcourage all in- 
 " quiry of what kind foever. A tenet, it will 
 " be faid, or dodlrine, that is falfe, ought 
 " fiirely to be expofed in the jull: point of 
 " view by the friends of truth. Inconve- 
 " niencies, it vv^ill no doubt be acknowledged, 
 ** may arife from this procedure in many in- 
 " fiances. But thefe muft be overlooked, as 
 " confeqiiences that are frivolous and infig- 
 " nificant, when the purpofe of detedling 
 *' falfehood is fteadily held in fight. This 
 " maxim is no doubt, in general, jufl and 
 " well founded. It does not however appear 
 " to bear application in the prefent cafe. For 
 
 "the 
 
Concluding Address. 457 
 
 ' the confequences that arife from the fimple 
 
 * detedlion of error in this matter, are of fo 
 ' dangerous a nature, that no man ought to 
 ' expofe the Ghriftian fcheme and its various 
 ' inftitutions to ridicule, who does not fub- 
 ' ftitute in its room fomething that is bettdr 
 ' accommodated to the ends to which it is 
 ' fubfervient. Recommended by the appa- 
 ' rent approbation of the majority, and cori- 
 
 * fecrated by the revohition of many ages 
 as an obje6l of the higheft veneration, the 
 Chriftian rehgion has obtained an efti- 
 bhfliment in the hearts and in the pafTions 
 of mankind. Virtuous conducfl is rendered 
 permanent by the hope of enjoying its re- 
 wards ; and vicious gratification is checked 
 and controuled, even in the mod atrocious 
 criminals, by the dread of its punifhment. 
 A Being felf-exiftent, eternal, immutable, 
 whofe power we cannot refill, and whofe 
 glance it is impoflible to evade ; this Being, 
 inflexibly jufl, and unalterably true, is, ac- 
 cording to the docflrine of this religion, the 
 rewarder of righteoufnefs, and the avenger 
 of perfidy. You cannot therefore unhinge 
 the foundations of Chriftianity, without 
 loofening at the fame time all the bonds by 
 
 3 M " which 
 
4.^8 Recapitulation and 
 
 " which men are held together in the inter- 
 " courfe of fociety. You cannot deprive this 
 ** Being (I fpeak with reverence) of thofe 
 ** perfections in the eflimation of his crea- 
 *' tures, without breaking down the barriers 
 " by which the career of the paffions is re- 
 *' pelled, without tearing from a virtuous 
 *' man in diftrefs his lall remaining confola- 
 " tion. 
 
 (( 
 
 " To all this you will perhaps reply, That 
 a confiderable part at leafl of the prefent 
 reprefentation is chimerical. At word, you 
 will obferve, that philofophical difquifi- 
 tions, calculated for the difcerning few^ 
 " are by no means adapted to vulgar under- 
 *' {landings. And of inquiries which are not 
 " univerfally underllood, the confequences 
 " cannot be univerfally detrimental. 
 
 " Reafoning of this kind is indeed fpeci- 
 ** ous. But the reader will have perufed the 
 *' preceding pages to little purpofe indeed, if 
 ** he has not been convinced that it is void 
 *' of folidity. Ffom the known operation of 
 ''^ the defire of imitation, I have attempted to 
 ** trace its exteniive induence on the charac- 
 
 " terg 
 
Concluding Address. 459 
 
 " ters of men *. Let me adopt the language 
 *' of one of your warmed advocates in an- 
 " iwer to this apology ; language which, al- 
 ** though ufed with a different purpofe, is 
 " yet ftri6tly applicable to the prefent. We 
 *' have feen then, in this detail, " the fafhion 
 " of incredulity fpreading from the philofo- 
 " pher to the man of pleafure or bufinefs ; 
 " from the noble to the plebeian ; and from 
 " the mafter to the menial flave who waits at 
 " his table, and who eagerly liflens to the 
 " freedom of liis converfation. Even the 
 *' people, when they difcern that Chrijlianity 
 " is rejedled by thofe whofe rank and under- 
 *' {landing they are accuftomed to reverence, 
 " will be filled with doubts and appreheu- 
 " fions f." Applied to the age of Auguilus, 
 " we have feen that thefe circumifances are 
 " filfe. But to the nature and condud: of 
 " man in certain inftances they bear a juft 
 " and immediate application. From the dif- 
 " cerning few, as you denominate them^ who 
 *' have been taught to reprobate the Chri- 
 " ftian religion, the contagion of example 
 *^ I'preads among men of inferior knowledge. 
 
 * ZeEl 4. 
 
 
 f See ihe note on Mr Glhlon^s Hiji. Seel. 2. 
 
 
 3 M 2 
 
 " or 
 
46p Recapitulation anb 
 
 " or of defedive underflanding. Actuated 
 " by the love of imitation, and.ftimulated by 
 " the impulfe of palTion, thefe men are indu- 
 " ced to negledl, in the firfl flage of infideli- 
 " ty, attendance on the ordinances of reli- 
 " gion ; and in the laft, to treat them with 
 " contemptuous ridicule. In this manner, the 
 " effecfl of certain principles, operating from 
 " various oaufes, and defcending through the 
 " lower orders of men by a fure but imper- 
 " ceptible procefs, becomes univerfal. 
 
 " It is indeed but too true, that the efforts 
 " which have been made, not merely to fub- 
 ■' vert the influence of Chridian laws, but to 
 *' extinguilh the religious principle altoge- 
 " ther, have been in a great mcafure fuccefs- 
 " fui. Infidelity may boaft, in the prefent 
 " age, of the number as well as of the rank 
 " of her votaries, and of their pretenfions to 
 " philofophical merit. But of this general 
 " prevalence, permit me. Gentlemen, to alk 
 " you, what are the confequences ? Has this 
 " law of Nature, on the excellence of which 
 " you have expatiated with fo miich confl- 
 ^' dence, produce:! the effe6ls which you 
 ^' afcribe to it arnong thofe who are con- 
 
 " forme4 
 
CONCLtTDING AdDRESS. ^6% 
 
 /' formed to its unerring ftandard ? Ye fcof- 
 '' fers of thefe latter days, who have fucceed- 
 ** ed in rendering religion contemptible, at 
 "kail in the eftimation of the young and 
 " unexperienced ! before you enjoy the con- 
 " quefl which you have earned, confider the 
 ** confequences of which it hath been pro- 
 " dudlive. 
 
 " Carry your view into the world. Yovi 
 ** will perceive chat the extindiiofi of the rellgl- 
 ** Gus principle is loudly proclaimed by the 
 " condu6l of its inhabitants. The diffufion 
 " of diiTolute manners, the audacity of fhame- 
 " lefs licentioufnefs, the polluted temples of 
 *' impurity, the traces of univerfal corrup- 
 •' tion, announce the diffolution of moral 
 ^' and of religious fandlions. Thefe are the 
 " blelTed effecfks of triumphant libertinifm ; 
 *' or rather the trophies in honour of THE 
 ♦' LAW OF NATURE, which afcertain the 
 " xra of its eftablilliment. Have not, permit 
 " me to afk, thefe charatflers univerfally pre- 
 *' ceded and marked the decline of empire ? 
 " Is not their language graven in indelible 
 S' fignatures, the WeNE, MENE, TEKEL 
 
 « EUPHARSIN, 
 
462 Recapitulation, Effr, 
 
 *' EUPHARSIN, that met the glance of th^ 
 " aftonifhed AfTyrian ?" 
 
 The mirror of hiflory is that in which the 
 truth of this remark will be moft clearly ma- 
 nifefted. An application of it to the prefent 
 times will be made moft fuccefsfully by thofe 
 men who have means of acquiring the moft 
 extenfive information, and to whom political 
 difquifitions are moft familiar. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 j\ Gentleman of diftingnifned cnara^.^er in 
 the republic of letters, communicated to 
 the author the following note, with permiA 
 fion to iilfert it in the p;"eceding Inquiry. 
 It came to hand too late to have its pro- 
 per place as a note fubjoined after 1. ii. 
 p. 203. The author, unwilling to deprive 
 his work of a merited ftrid.ure fo happily- 
 applied and illuftiated, and fenlibie that the 
 friends of our religion will fee with plea- 
 fure that juft indignation of which it is 
 expreilive, here infer ts it in a poitfcript. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 We are favoured with an accidental and brief notice 
 of Chrilt by Mr Gibbon at note 6j. vol. i. \y. 369. 
 <* Apolionius of Tyana was liorn about the fame timft 
 " as Jelus Chrift. His life, that of the former, is re- 
 *' lated in fo fabulous' a manner by his difciples, that 
 *' u'e arc st a lofi to difcover whether he was a fage, 
 ** an impgltor, or a fanatic. '* , 
 
 Should 
 
C 2 j 
 
 Should fome future hiftorian thus fpeak of two wri- 
 ters of the 1 8th century: <♦ The German GeiftHcher- 
 ** lichus was born about the fame time as Gibbon 
 ''the Engliihman. His hfe, that of the former^ is fo va« 
 " rioufly related by his contemporaries, that we are at a 
 ** lofs to difcover whether he was a materialift, a profef- 
 " for of philofophical theifmjOr a Socinian," How would 
 the friends and admirers of Mr Gibbon relifli the obfer- 
 vation ? Ic is probable that they would be difpleafed to 
 fee two perfomges fo different in their opinions, con- 
 neded by the (light alTociatiou of their having been born 
 about the fame tisne, the one in Germany, and the other 
 in England ; and it is polfible that they would not con- 
 fider the aukward difcriminating parenthefis as a fufSci- 
 ent extufe for having introduced him whom they love 
 and admire into fuch fufpeded company. 
 
E R R JiT A, 
 
 Page 33. line 2. note, /or Hence, r^ac? Whence. 
 
 • Ibid, L 5. for fucceflion, read fucceffbrs. P. 72. 1. 3. 
 
 ^ r^fl^ Mendez Pinto. P. 128 1. 9. note, /or informed, 
 rW enforced. P. 154. 1. 12. for And read z. P. 156. 
 1. 5. /or placing, read placeth. P. 157. 1. 10. for and, 
 read oL P. 162. 1. 8 note, /r Frobbes, read Herb. 
 P. 184.1. 15. r<?<7^ With all my heart. Ye. P. 197. 
 1. 12. for latter, read letter. P. 232. 1. 16. Tranf- 
 pofe the mark * to p. 233. 1. 5. P. 234. 1. iS. for 
 an, read on. P. 248. 1. 25. read the cognifance. 
 P. 277. 1. "i-l' for when, r^a^ whereby, P. 289. 1. 91 
 for \s, read be. P. 336. 1. 13. read to he. P. 359. 
 1. 9. read conjice. P. 395. 1. 23. for the, read this. 
 P. 401. 1. 5'/^ as read of , 
 
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