aOuuxtL ^y/yUDj \JcsJfr ALCIPHRON, OR THE MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. IN SEVEN DIALOGUES, CONTAINING AN APOLOGY FOR THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, AGAINST THOSE WHO ARE CALLED FREE-THINKERS. By GEORGE BERKLEY, d. d. Author of a Treatife concerning the principles of Human Knowledge, and 'various other Wort i, chief y in defence of Chrifianity, againf Athe'fs and Infidds. They have forfaken me the Fountain of living waters, and hewed them out ciftercs, broken citterns, that can hold no water. Jerem. u. 13. Sin mcrtuus, ut quidam rr.inuti Philofophi cenl'ent, nihil fcntiam, non verew ne hunc - errorem meum mortui Philofophi irrideant. Cicero. THE FIRST AMERICAN, FROM THE FOURTH LONDON ED!TI0?7, jFrom ©tank's fyttfgl For INCREASE COOKE & Co.— New-Have* V60: ■>"x*b J** ~~ *? ©©©©©©0©©2>©©©©©©©©©©©©©©0©O©©©©©©©©©©©©©© CHARACTER OF THE WORK. THE MINUTE PHILOSOPHER is an able defence of Divine Revelation. The wri- ter is the celebrated BERKLEY, Biihop of Cloyne ; univerfally confidered as one of the firft Philofophers, who have appeared in any age, or country. For the difcufiion of this fubject he was better qualified than almoft any other man, by his pre-eminent talents, both natural and acquired ; particularly by his great learning and fingular powers of reafoning. This work Is an illuftrious proof of thofc talents, and may be confidered as a ftore-houfe, whence many fucceeding writers have drawn their materials, and their arguments. The Minute Philofopher coniifls of a feries of dialogues, involving moil of the important topics in the debate between Chriftians and Infidels ; the principal arguments by which Chriftianity is defended, and the principal objections with which it has been oppoi'ed. The reafoning is clear, found, and conclufive ; and has never been anfwered. The characters of the difputants are well chofen, and ably fupported ; and their converfation is fpirited and natural. The work is of courfe highly entertain- ing, as well as convincing. In the character of Euphranor, particularly, the writer has given, perhaps, the belt example of the Socratic manner cf reafoning, which can be found. Warton obferves, that the club, compofed of Pope, Swift, BoUngbroke, &c. re- garded this work, in fpite of the prejudices of fome of them, as a maifterly performance ; not indeed, when firft prefented to them, for they did not underitaud it ; but afterwards, when thoroughly explained by its Author, who knew more of this, and moit other moral iiibjecls, than all of them united. In a word, The Minute Philofopher may be confidently recommended, as a perform- ance of the firft merit, to all, who' love to read the beft reafonings, on the moil im- portant fubje&s. TIMOTHY DWIGHT. Yale College, 1 Dec. 23, i8oz. ©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©a©©©©©©©© &^$5&ss& - —= =388 .«..< .«..<..<„<..<..<..<.<■•< •<•<••<•< •<••«■■<•■<■•« <•■<••< r >••>•■>••■>•■>•■>•>■•>•»•>••>••>• >••>■•>• >.>•>•>•■>■•>•■►•• ADVERTISEMENT- T HE Author's defign being to confider the free- thinker in the various lights of atheift, libertine, enthufi- aft, fcomer, critic, metaphyfician, fatalift, and fceptic, it muft not therefore be imagined, that every one of thefe characters agrees with every individual free-thinker, no more being implied, than that each part agrees with fome or other of the feci. There may poffibly be a reader who fhall think the character of atheift agrees with none : But though it hath been often faid, there is no fiich thing as a fpeculative atheift ; yet we muft allow, there are feveral atheifts who pretend to fpeculation. This the author knows to be true ; and is well allured, that one of the mod noted writers againft chriftianity in our times, declared he had found out a demonftration againft the being of a God. And he doubts not, whoever will be at the pains to inform himfelf, by a general conversation, as well as books, of the principles and tenets of our modern free-thinkers, will fee too much caufe to be perfuaded that nothing in the enfu- ing characters is beyond the life. As the author hath not confined himfelf to write againft books alone, fo he thinks it necefiary to make this decla- ration. It muft not therefore be thought, that authors are mifreprefented, if every notion of Akiphroh or Lyficles ADVERTISEMENT. is not found precifely in them. A gentleman, in private conference, may be fuppofed to fpeak plainer than others write, to improve on their hints, and draw conclufions from their principles. Whatever they pretend, it is the author's opinion, that all thofe who write either explicitly or by infinuation againft the dignity, freedom, and immortality of the hu- man foul, may fo far forth be juftly faid to unhinge the principles of morality, and deftroy the means of making, men reasonably virtuous. Much is to be apprehended from that quarter againft the interefts of virtue. Wheth- er the apprehenfion of a certain admired writer,* that the caufe of virtue is likely to fuffer lefs from its witty antago- nifts, than from its tender nurfes, who are apt to overlay it, and kill it with excefs of care and cherifhing, and make it a mercenary thing by talking fo much of its rewards : whether, I fay, this apprehenfion be fo well founded, the reader may determine. * Jffiy on the freedom of wit and humor ', Part II, Se<& 3. THE CONTENTS. .<„<..<..<. <©>....<<®>>..»<0>.».»» The FIRST DIALOGUE. SECT. I. Introduction. 2. Aim and Endeavors of Free-thinkers. 3. Oppofed by the Clergy. 4. Liberty of Free-thinking. 5. Farther Account of the Views of Free-thinkers. 6. The Progrefs of a Free-thinker towards Atheifm. 7. Joint Impojlurs of the Friefl and Magi/Irate. 8. The* Free-thinker's Method in making Converts and Dis- coveries. 9. The Atheifl alone Free. His Senfe of natural Good ' cr. 'a Evil. 10. Modern Free-thinkers more properly named Minute Fhilofophers. 11. Minute Philofcphcrs, what fort of Men, and bnv educated. 12. Their Numbers, Prcgrefs y and Tenets. 13. Compared with other Fhilofophers* 14. What Things and Notions to be eflcemed Natural. 15. Truth the fume, notwithflanding Diva ft iy of Opir 16. Rule and Meafure of moral Truth-. viii CONTENTS. The SECOND DIALOGUE. Seel:. I . Vulgar Error , That Vice is hurtful. 2. The Benefit of Drunkennefs, Gaming and Whoring, 3 . Prejudice againjl Vice wearing off. 4. Its Ufefulnefs illujlrated in the Injlances of Callicles and Telefilia. 5. The Reafcning of Lyficles in behalf of Vice examined. 6. Wrong to punijh Actions when the Doblrines whence they flow are tolerated. 7 . Hazardous Experiment of the Minute Philofophers . 8. Their Doctrine of Circulation and Revolution, 9. Their fenfe of a Reformation. 1 o. Riches alone not the Public Weal. 1 1 . Authority of Minute Philofophers : Their Prejudice againjl Religion. 12. Effects of Luxury : Virtue ', whether notional ? 1 3 . Pleafure of Senfe. 14. What fort of Pleafure mofl natural to Man. 15. Dignity of Human Nature. 16. Pleafure mifiaken. 17. Amufements, Mifery, and Cowardife of Minute Philo- fophers. 18. Rakes cannot reckon. 19. Abilities and Succefs of Minute Philofophers. 20. Happy Effects of the Minute Philofophy in particular Injlances* 2 1 . Their free Notions about Government. 22. England the proper Soil for Minute Philofophy. 2 3 . The Policy and Addrefs of its Profeffors. 24. Merit of Minute Philofophers towards the Public. 25. Their Notions and Character . 26. Their Tendency towards Popery and Slavery. The THIRD DIALOGUE. Seel. 1. Alciphron^ ace omit of Honor. ?. Character and Conduit of Men of Honor. CONTENTS. ix 3. Senfe of moral Beauty. 4. The Honejlum or to kalon of the Ancients. 5. Tafle for moral Beauty whether a fure Guide or Rule. 6. Minute Philofophers ravi/hed with the Abjlracl Beauty of Virtue. 7. Their Virtue alone difinterefled and heroic. 8. Beauty of fenfibk Objecls, what, and how perceived, 9. The Idea of Beauty explained by Painting and Architec- ture. 10. Beauty of the moral Syflem, wherein it confijls. 11. It fuppofeth a Providence. 12. Influence of to kalon and to prepon. 13. Enthufiafm 0/Xratylus compared with the Sentiments of Ariftotle. 14. Compared with the Stoical Principles. 15. Minute Philofophers y their Talent for Raillery and Rid- icule. 16. The Wifdom of thofe who make Virtue alone its own Reward. The FOURTH DIALOGUE. Seel. 1. Prejudices concerning a Deity. 2. Rules laid down by Alciphron to be obferved in proving a God. 3. What fort of Proof he expetls. 4. Whence we col I eel the Being of other Thinking Indi- viduals. 5. The fame Method a fortiori proves the Being of God. 6. AlciphronV fecond Thoughts on this Point. 7. Godjpeaks to Men. 8. How Dijlance is perceived by Sight. 9. The proper Objecls of Sight at no dijlance. 10. Lights, Shades, and Colours, varioufly combined form a Language. 1 1. The Signification of this Language learned by Experience. 1 2. God explaincth hitnfelfto the Eyes of Men by the arbitrary life offenfible Signs. x CONTENTS, 13. The Prejudice and two-fold Afpecl of a Minute Philo- fopher. 14. God prefentto Mankind, informs, admonifhes, and direbls them in afenfible maimer. 15. Admirable Nature and Ufe of this vifual Language, 16. Minute Philofophers content to admit a God in certain Senfes. 17. Opinion of fome, ivho hold that Knowledge and Wifdom are not properly in God. ._ 1 8. Dangerous Tendency of this Notion. 19. Its Original. 20. The Senfe of Schoolmen upon it. 21. Scholaftic Ufe of the terms Analogy and Analogical ex* plained,: Analogical Perfections of God mifunderflood. 22. God intelligent, wife, and good, in the proper Senfe of the Words. 23. Objection from moral Evil confidered. 24. Men argue from their own Dcfebls againfl a Deity* 25. Religious Worfhip reafonable and expedient. The FIFTH DIALOGUE. Seel:, ic Minute Philofophers join in the Cry, and follow the Scent of others. 2. Wor/hip prefer ibed by the Chriflian Religon fuitable to God and Man. 3. Power and Influence of the Druids. 4. Excellency and Ufefalnefs of the Chri/lian Religion, 5 . It ennobles Mankind, and makes them happy. 6. Religion neither Bigotry nor Superflition. 7. Phyficians and Phyficfor the Soul. 8. Character of the Clergy. 9. Natural Religion and Human Reafon not to be difparaged. 3 o. Tendency and Ufe of the Gentile Religion. 1 1 . Good Effects of Chrifianity 1 2. Englishmen compared with ancient Greeks and Romans. 1 3. The modern Practice of Dueling. 14. Char abler of the Old Romans, how to be formed. CONTENTS. xi 15. Genuine Fruits of the Go/pel. 1 6. Wars and Factions not an Effecl of the Chriflian Religion, 1 7. Civil Rage and Maffacrees in Greece and Rome. 18. Virtue of ancient Greeks. 1 9. Quarrels of Polemical Divines, 20. Tyranny 9 Ufurpation y Sophiftry of Ecclefiajlics, 2 1 . The Univerftties cenfured. 22. Divine Writings of a certain modern Critic, 23 . Learning the Effecl of Religion, 24. Barbarifm of the Schools, 25. Refloration of Learning and polite Arts y to whom owing, 26. Prejudice and Ingratitude of Minute Philofophers, 27. Their Pre tenf ions and Conducl incoffiflent, 28. Men and Brutes compared with refpecl to Religion. 29. Chrijlianity the only Means to eflablifh Natural- Religion* 30. Free-thinkers mi/lake their Talents ; have aflrong Ima- gination. 3 1 . Tithes and Church- Lands. 32. Men diflinguijhedfrom Human Creatures, 33. Diflribution of Mankind into Birds y Beafls y and Fifhes, 34. Plea for Reafon allowed \ but Unfair nefs taxed. 35. Freedom a Blejfingor a Curfe y as it is ufed, 3 6. Priefl craft not the reigning Evil, The SIXfH DIALOGUE. Seel;. I. Points agreed. 1, Sundry Pretences to Revelation. 3 . Uncertainty of Tradition, 4. Object and Ground of Faith. 5. Some Books difputed) others evidently fpurious. 6. Stile and Compofttion of holy Scripture. 7. Difficulties occurring therein. 8. Obfcurity not always a Defecl, 9. lnfpiration neither impojftble nor abfurd. 10. Obj eel ions from the Form and matter of Divine Revela- tion, conjidered. 11. Infidelity an Effecl of Narrow nefs and Prejudice, xii CONTENTS. 12. Articles of Christian Faith not unreafonable. 13. Guilt the natural Parent of Fear, 14. Things unknown , reduced to the Standard of what Men know. 15. Prejudices againfl the Incarnation of the Son of God. 1 6\ Ignorance of the Divine Oeconomy, a Source of Difficul- ties. 1 7. Wifdom of God, Foolifhnefs to Man. 1 8. Reafon, no blind Guide. 19. Ufefulncfs of Divine Revelation. 20. Prophefies, whence obfeure. 21. Eajlern Accounts of Time older than the Mofaic. 22. The Humour of ./Egyptians, AfTyrians, Chaldeans, and other Nations extending their Antiquity beyond Truth, ac- counted for. 23. Reafons confirming the Mofaic Account. 24. Profane Hiflorians inconfiflent, 25. Celfus, Prophyry, and Julian. 26. The teflimony of Jofephus confidered. 27. Atieflation of Jews and Gentiles to Chrijlianlty. 28. Forgeries and Herefies. 29. Judgment and Attention of Minute Philofophers. 30. Faith and Miracles. 31. Probable Arguments a fufjicient Ground of Faith. 32. The Chriflian Religion able to Jland the Teft of rational Inquiry. The SEVENTH DIALOGUE. Seel. 1 . Chriflian Faith impoffible. 2. Words flan d for Ideas. 3. No Knowledge or Faith without Ideas. 4. Grace, no Idea of it. 5. Suggefling Ideas not the only life of Words. 6. Force as difficult to form an Idea of as Grace. 7. Notwithjlanding which, ufeful Propofitions may be form" ed concerning it. 8. Belief of the Trinity and other My f cries not abfurd. CONTENTS. xlii 9. Mi/lakes about Faith an Qccafion of profane Raillery. 10. Faith its true Nature and Effecls. 1 1. Illufi rated by Science. 12. By Arithmetic in particular. 13. Sciences converfant about Signs. 1 4. The true End of Speech, Reafon, Science, and Faith. 15. Metaphyfical Obj 'eel ions areflrong againfl Human Sciences as Articles of Faith. K 16. No Religion, becaufe no Human Liberty* m 17. Farther Proof againfl Human Liberty. 18. Fatalifm a Confequence of erroneous Suppofitions. 19. Man an accountable Agent. 20. Inconfijlency, Singularity, and Credulity of Minute Phi- lofophers. 2 1 . Untroden Paths and new Light of Minute Philofophers. 22. Soph'iflry of the Minute Philofophers. 23. Minute Philofophers ambiguous, enigmatical, unfathom- able. 24. Scepticifm of the Minute Philofophers. 25. How a Sceptic ought to behave. 26. Minute Philofophers, why difficult to convince. 1*] , Thinking, not the epidemical Evil of thefe Times. 28. Infidelity, not an Effecl of Reafon or Thought, its true Motives affgned. 29. Variety of Opinions about Religion, EffeEls thereof. 30. Method for proceeding with Minute Philofophers. 31. Want of Thought and want of Education Defetls of the prefent Age. THE MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. FIRST DIALOGUE. L Introduction* II. Aim and Endeavors of Free- thinkers. III. Oppofed by the Clergy. IV. Liber- ty of Free-thinking. V. Farther Account of the Views of Free-thinkers. VI. %he Progrefs of a Free-thinker towards Atheifm. VII. - Joint Impof- ture of the Priefi and Magijirate. VIII. The Free-thinker* s Method in making Converts and D if cover ies. IX. The Atheifi alone Free. His Senfe of natural Good and EviL X . Modern Free- thinkers more properly named Minute Philofophers. XI. Minute Philofophers, what fort of Men, and how educated. XII. Their Numbers, Progrefs and Tenets. XIII. Compared with other Philofophers. XIV. What Things and Notions to be efteemed nat- ural. XV. Truth the fame, notwithstanding Di- verfity of Opinions. XVI. Rule and Meafure of moral Truths. L I X FLATTERED myfelf, Tkeagts* that before this time I might have been able to have fent you an agreeable account of the fuccefs of the affair, which brought me into this remote corner of the country. But inftead of this, I mould now give you the detail of its mifcarriage, if I did not rather choofe to entertain you with fome amu- fmg incidents, which have helped to make me eafy under a circumftance I could neither obviate nor forefee. Events 16 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. I.] are not in our power ; but it always is, to make a good ufe even of the worft. And I muft needs own, the courfe and the event of this affair gave opportunity for reflexions, that make me fome amends for a great lofs of time, pains, and expence. A life of action which takes its iflue from the counfels, paffions and views of other men, if it doth not draw a man to imitate, will at leaft teach him to ob- ferve. And a mind at liberty to reflect on its own obferv- ations, if it produce nothing ufeful to the world, feldom fails of entertainment to itfelf. For feveral months pad I have erijoyed fuch liberty and leifure in this diftant retreat, far beyond the verge of that great whirlpool of bufinefs, faction, and pleafure, which is called the world. And a retreat in itfelf agreeable, after a long fcene of trouble and difquiet, was made much more fo by the converfation and good qualities of my hoft Euphranor y who unites in his own perfon the philofopher and the farmer : two charac- ters not fo inconfiftent in nature as by cuftom they feem to be. Euphvanor, from the time he left the univerfity, hath lived in this fmall town ; where he is poffefled of a convenient houfe with a hundred acres of land adjoining to it ; which being improved by his own labor, yield him a plentiful fubfiftence. He hath a good collection, chief- ly of old books, left him by a clergyman his uncle, under whofe care he was brought up. And the bufinefs of his farm doth not hinder him from making good ufe of it. He hath read much, and thought more : his health and llrength of body enabling him the better to bear fatigue of mind. He is of opinion that he could not carry on his ftudies with more advantage in the clofet than the field, where his mind is feldom idle while he prunes the trees, follows the plough, or looks after his flocks. In the houfe of this honeft friend I became acquainted with Crito, a neighboring gentleman of diftinguifhed merit and eftate, who lives in great friendfhip with Euphranor. Laft fum- mer, Crito, whofe parilh church is in our town, dining on a Sunday at Euphranor*s t I happened to inquire after his guefls whom we had feen at church with him the Sunday [Dial I.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 17 before. They are both well, faid Crita 9 but, having once cccafionally conformed, to fee what fort of afTembly our parifh could afford, they had no farther curiofity to gratify at church, and fo chofe to flay at home. How, faid Eu- phranory are they then diffenters ? No, replied Crito, they are free-thinkers. Euphranor, who had never met with any of this fpecies or feci: of men, and but little of their writings, (hewed a great defire to know their principles or fyftem. That is more, faid Crito y than I will undertake to tell you. Their writers are of different opinions. Some go farther, and explain themfelves more freely than others. But the current general notions of the feci: are beft learned from converfation with thofe who profefs themfelves of it. Your curiofitv mav now be fatisfied, if you and Dion would fpend a week at my houfe with thefe gentlemen, who feem very ready to declare and propagate their opinions. Alciphron is above forty, and no granger either to men or books. I knew him firfl at the Temple, which upon an eftate's falling to him, he quitted, to travel through the polite parts of Europe. Since his return he hath lived in the amufements of the town, which being- grown fcale and taftelefs to his palate, have flung him into a fort of fplenetic indolence. The young gentleman, JLvfcles, is a near kinfman of mine, one of lively parts, and a general infight into letters ; who, after having paus- ed the forms of education and feen a little of the world, fell into an intimacy with men of pleafure and free-think- ers, I am afraid much to the damage of his conftitution. and his fortune. But what I mo ft regret, is the corrup- tion of his mind by a {it of pernicious principles, which, having been obferved to furvive the paflions of youth, foreflaleven the remote hopes of amendment. They are both men of fafhion, and would be agreeable enough, if they did not fancy themfelves free-thinkers. But this, to fpeak the truth, Jias given them a certain air and manner, which a little too vifibly declare they think themfelves wi- fer than the reft of the world. I mould thei C 18 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. I.] at all difpleafed if my guefts met with their match, where they leaft fufpe&ed it, in a country farmer. I (hall not, replied Euphranor y pretend to any more than barely to in- form myfelf of their principles and opinions. For this end I propofe to-morrow to fet a week's tafk to my labor- ers, and accept your invitation, if Dion thinks good. To which I gave confent. Mean while, faid Crko, I fhall pre- pare my guefts, and let them know that an honeft neigh- bor hath a mind to difcourfe with them on the fubjeft. of their free-thinking. And, if I am not miftaken, they will pleafe themfelves with the profpe£fc of leaving a convert behind them, even in a country village. Next morning Euphranor rofe early, and fpent the forenoon in ordering his affairs. After dinner we took our walk to Crito's which lay through half a dozen pleafant fields planted round with plane-trees, that are very common in this part of the country. We walked under the delicious (hade of thefe trees for about an hour before we came to Crito's houfe, which (lands in the middle of a fmall park, beauti- fied with two fine groves of oak and walnut, and a wind- ing dream of fweet and clear water. We met a fervant at the door with a fmall bafket of fruit which he was car- rying into a grove, where he faid his mailer was with the two Grangers. We found them all three fitting under a ihade. And after the ufual forms at firft meeting, Eu- phranor and I fat down by them. Our converfation began upon the beauty of this rural fcene, the fine feafon of the year, and fome late improvements which had been made in the adjacent country by new methods of agriculture. Whence Aldphron took occafion to obferve, that the mod valuable improvements came lateil. I mould have fmall temptation, faid he, to live where men have neither polifh- ed manners, nor improved minds, though the face of the country were ever fo well improved. Butlhave long obferv- ecl, that there is a gradual progrefs in human affairs. The firft care of mankind is to fupply the cravings of nature : in the next place they ftudy the conveniencies and comforts [Dial. L] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. i 9 of life. But the fubduing prejudices and acquiring true knowledge, that Herculean labor, is the lad, being what de- mands the mod perfect abilities, and to which all other advantages are preparative. Right, faid Euphranor y Alci- phron hath touched our true defect. It was always my opinion, that as foon as we had provided fubfiftence for the body, our next care fhoukl be to improve the mind. But the defire of wealth fteps between and ingroileth men's thoughts. II. Alciphron. — Thought is that which we are told didinguifTieth man from bead : and freedom of thought makes as great a difference between man and man. It is to the noble aflerters of this privilege and perfection of human kind, the free-thinkers I mean, who have fprung up and multiplied of late years, that we are indebted for all thofe important difcoveries, that ocean of light which hath broke in and made its way, in fpite of ilavery and fuperftition. Euphrano'r, who is a fmcere enemy to both, tedified a great efteem for thofe worthies who had prefer- ved their country from being ruined by them, having fpread fo much light and knowledge over the land. He added, that he liked the name and character of a free- thinker 5 but in his fenfe of the word, every honed inquirer after truth in any age or country was intitled to it. He therefore defired to know what this feet was that Alciphron had fpoken of as newly fprung up ? what were their tenets ? what were their difcoveries ? and wherein they employed themfelves, for the benefit of mankind ? Of all which, he mould think himfelf obliged, if Alciphron would inform him. That I mall, very eafily, replied Alciphron, for I profefs myfelf one of the number, and my mod intimate friends are fome of the mod confiderable among them. And perceiving that Euphranor heard -'him with refpect, he proceeded very fluently. You mud know, faid he, that the mind of man may be fitly compared to a piece of land. V so MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. I.] flubbing, ploughing, digging, and harrowing, is to the one ; that thinking, reflecting, examining, is to the other. Each hath its proper culture ; and as land that is fuffered to lie wade and wild for a long tract of time, will be over- fpread with brufh-wood, brambles, thorns, and fuch vegetables which have neither ufe nor beauty •, even fo there will not fail to fprout up in a neglected uncultivated mind, a great number of prejudices and abfurd opinions, which owe their origin partly to the foil itfelf, the paffions and imperfections of the mind of man j and partly to thofe feeds which chance to be fcattered in it by every wind of doctrine, which the cunnig of ftatefmen, the fingularity of pedants, the fuperftition of fools, or the irn- pofture of priefls, mall raife. Reprefent to yourfelf the mind of man, or human nature in general, that for fo many ages had lain obnoxious to the frauds of defigning, and the follies of weak men : How it muft be overrun with prejudices and errors : what firm and deep roots they muft have taken : and confequently how difficult a tafk it muft be to extirpate them : And* yet this work, no lefs difficult than glorious, is the employment of the modern Free-thinkers. Alciphron having faid this, made a paufe, and looked round on the company. Truly faid I, a very laudable undertaking ! We think, faid Euphranor, that it is praife-worthy to clear and fubdue the earth, to tame brute animals, to fafhion the outrides of men, pro- vide fuflenance for their bodies, and cure their maladies. But what is all this in comparifon of that moft excellent and ufeful undertaking, to free mankind from their errors, and to improve and adorn their minds ? For things of lefs merit towards the world, altars have been raifed, and temples built in ancient times. Too many in our days, replied Alciphron, are fuch focis as not to know their bed benefactors from their worft enemies : They have a blind refpeel for thofe. who inflave them -, and leok u^on their deliverers as a dangerous fort of men, that would under- mine received principles and opinions. [Dial. I.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 21 Euphranor. — It were a great pity fuch worthy ingeni- ous men mould meet with any difcouragement. For my part I mould think a man, who fpent his time in fuch a painful impartial fearch after truth, a better friend to man- kind than the greateft ftatefman or hero ; the advantage of whofe labors is confined to a little part of the world, and a ftiort fpace of time ; whereas a ray of truth may enlighten the whole world, and extend to future ages. Alc. — It will be fome time, I fear, before the common herd think as you do. But the better fort, the men of parts and polite education, pay a due regard to the patrons of light and truth. III. Euph. — The clergy, no doubt, are on all occafions ready to forward and applaud your worthy endeavors. Upon hearing this, Lyficles could hardly refrain from laughing. And Alclphron, with an air of pity, told Eu- phrancr, that he perceived he was unacquainted with the real character of thofe men : For, faid he, you mud know, that of all men living they are our greateft enemies. If it were poflible, they would extinguifh the very light of nature, turn the world into a dungeon, and keep mankind for ever in chains and darknefs. Euph. — I never imagined any thing like this of our proteftant clergy, particularly thofe of the eftablifhed church ; whom, if I may be allowed to judge by what I have feen of them and their writings, I ihould have thought lovers of learning and ufeful knowledge. Alc — Take my word for it, prieftsof all religions are the fame : wherever there are priefts, there will be prieft craft : and wherever there is priefberaft, there will be a perfec- ting fpirit, which they never fail to exert to the utmoft of their power againft all thofe who have the courage to think for themielves, and will not fubmit to be hoodwinked and manacled by their reverend leaders. Thofe great mafters of pedantry and jargon have coined feveral fyitems, which are all equally true, and of equal importance to the world. The contending feels are each alike fond cf their own, and 2Z MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. L] alike prone to difcharge their fury upon all who diffent from them. Cruelty and ambition being the darling vi- ces of priefts and churchmen all the world over, they en- deavor in all countries to get an afcendant over the reft of mankind ; and the magiftrate having a joint intereft with the prieft in fubduing, amufing, and fearing the people, too often lends a hand to the hierarchy ; who never think their authority and pofleflions fee ure, fo long as thofe who differ from them in opinion are allowed to partake even in the common rights belonging to their birth or fpecies. To reprefent the matter in a true light, figure to yourfelves a monfter or fpe&re made up of fuperftition and enthufi- afm, the joint iflue of flatecraft and prieftcraft, rattling chains in one hand, and with the other brandifhing a flaming fword over the land, and menacing definition to all whofhalldare to follow the dictates of reafon and common fenfe. Do but confider this, and then fay if there was not danger as well as difficulty in our undertaking. Yet, fuch is the gener- ous ardour that truth infpires, our free-thinkers are neither overcome by the one, nor daunted by the other. In fpite of both we have already made fo many profelytes among the better fort, and their numbers increafe fo faft, that we hope we fhall be able to carry all before us, beat down the bulwarks of tyranny, fecular or ecclefiaftical, break the fet- ters and chains of our countrymen, and reflore the origi- nal inherent rights, liberties, and prerogatives of mankind. Euphmnor heard this difcourfe with his mouth open and his eyes fixed upon Alciphron> who, having uttered it with no fmall emotion, flopt to draw breath and recover him- felf : But finding that no body made anfwer, he returned the thread of his difcourfe, and turning to Euphranor fpoke in a lower note what follows. The more innocent and honeft a man is, the more liable is he to be impofed on by the fpecious pretences of other men. You have probably met with certain writings of our divines that treat of grace, virtue, goodnefs, and fuch matters, fit to amufe and deceive a fimple honeft mind. But believe me when I tell you [Dial. I] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 23 they are all at bottom (however they may gild their defigns) united by one common principle in the fame intereft. I will not deny there may be here and there a poor half-wit- ted man that means no raifchief ; but this I will be bold to fay, that all the men of fenfe among them are true at bottom to thcfe three purfuits of ambition, avarice, and revenge. IV. While Akiphroti was fpeaking, a fervant came to tell him and Lyficles> that fome men who were going to London waited to receive their orders. Whereupon they both rofe and went towards the houfe. They were no fooner gone, but Euphranor addreiling himfelf to Crito faid, he believed that poor gentleman had been a great fufFerer for his free-thinking : for that he feemed to exprefs him- felf with the paflion and refentment natural to men who have received very bad ufage. I believe no fuch thing, anfwered Crito 9 but have often obferved thofe of his feci: run into two faults of converfation, declaiming and banter- ing, juft as the tragic or the comic humor prevails. Some- times they work themfelves into high paffions, and are frightened at ipe6tres of their own raifing. In thofe fits every country-curate pafies for an inquifitor. At other times they affect a fly facetious manner making ufe of hints and allufions, expreffing little, infinuating much, and upon the whole feeming to divert themfelves with the fub- je£r, and their adverfaries. But if you would know their opinions, you muft make them fpeak out and keep clofe to the point. Perfecution for free-thinking is a topic they are apt to enlarge on, though without any juft caufe, eve- ry one being at full liberty to think what he pleafes, there being no fuch thing in England that I know as perfecution for opinion, fentiment, or thought. But in every country, I fuppofc, fome care is taken to reftrain petulant fpeech : and, whatever men's inward thoughts may be, to difcour- age an outward contempt of what the public clleemeth facred . Whether this care in E>;gL>id hath of late been 24 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. I.] fo excefTive, as to diilrefs the fubjecls of this once free and eafy government : whether the free-thinkers can truly complain of any hafdfhip upon the fcore of confeience or opinion : you will better be able to judge, when you hear from themfelves an account of the numbers, progrefs, and notions of their feci : which I doubt not they will commu- nicate fully and freely, provided no body prefent feems fhocked or offended. For in that cafe it is pofTible good manners may put them upon fome referve. Oh ! faid Euphranor, I am never angry with any man for his opin- ion : whether he be Jew, Turk, or Idolater, he may fpeak his mind freely to me without fear of offending. I mould even be glad to hear what he hath to fay, provided he faith it in an ingenuous candid manner. Whoever digs in the mine of truth, I look on as my fellow-laborer : but if, while I am taking true pains, he diverts himfelf with teiz- ing me and flinging dull in mine eyes, I (hall foon be tired of him. V. In the mean time Aldphron and Lyficles having dif- patched what they went about, returned to us. Lyficles fat down where he had been before. But Alciphron flood over-againfl us, with his arms folded acrofs, and his head reclined on the left moulder in the poflure of a man medi- tating. We fat filent not to diilurb his thoughts ; and after two or three minutes he uttered thofe words, Oh truth ! Oh liberty ! after which he remained mufmg as before. Upon this Euphranor took the freedom to inter- rupt him. Alciphron, faid he, it is not fair to fpend your time in foliloquies. The cenverfation of learned and knowing men is rarely to be met with in this corner, and the opportunity you have put into my hands I value too much, not to make the beft ufe of it. Alc— Are you then in earned a votary of truth, and is it pollible that you mould be:u* the liberty of a fair in- quiry ? Euph. — It is what I defire of ail things, [Dial. I] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 25 Alc. — What ! upon every fubjeft ? upon the notions which you firft fucked in with your milk, and which have been ever fince nurfed by parents, paftors, tutors, religious aflemblies, books of devotion, and fuch methods of pre- poiTefiing men's minds ? Euph. — I love information upon all fubjects that come in my way, and efpecially upon thofe that are moil im- portant. Alc. — If then you are in earneft, hold fair and (land firm, while I probe your prejudices and extirpate your principles. Dum veteres avias tibi de pulmoiie revello. Having faid thus, Alciphron knit his brows and made a fhort paufe, after which he proceeded in the following manner. If we are at the pains to dive and penetrate into the bottom of things, and analyfe opinions into their firft principles, we fhall find that thofe opinions, which are thought of greateft confequence, have the flighted origi- nal, being derived either from the cafual cuftoms of the country where we live, or from early inftru£tion inftlMed into our tender minds, before we are able to difcern be- tween right and wrong, true and falfe. The vulgar (by whom I underfland all thofe who do not make a free ufe of their reafon) are apt to take thefe prejudices for things facred and unqueftionable, believing them to be imprinted on the hearts of men by God himfelf, or conveyed by rev- elation from heaven, or to carry with them fo great light and evidence as muft force an allent without any inquiry or examination. Thus the fhallow vulgar have their heads furnifhed with fundry conceits, principles, and doctrines, religious, moral, and political, all which they maintain with a zeal proportionable to their want of reafon. On the other hand, thofe who duly employ their faculties in the fearch of truth, take efpecial care to weed out of their minds and extirpate all fuch notions or prejudices as were planted in them, before they arrived at the free and intire ufe of reafon. This difficult talk hath been fuccefsfu!' D 26 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. I.] performed by our modern free-thinkers, who have not only difiecled with great fagacity the received fyftems, and tra- ced every eftabliihed prejudice to the fountain head, the true and genuine motives of aflent : But alfo, being able to embrace in one comprehenfive view the feveral parts and ages of the world, they have obferved a wonderful variety of cuftoms and rites, of inftitutions, religious and civil, of notions and opinions very unlike and even contrary one to another : A certain fign they cannot all be true. And yet they are all maintained by their feveral partizans with the fame pofitive air and warm zeal ; and if examined will be found to bottom on one and the fame foundation, the flrength of prejudice. By the help of thefe remarks and difcoveries, they have broke through the bands of popular euftom, and having freed themfelves from impofture, do now generoufly lend a hand to their fellow-fubjecl:s, to lead them into the fame paths of light and liberty. Thus, gen- tlemen, I have given you a fummary account of the views and endeavors of thofe men who are called free-thinkers. If ing as infinitely to over-balance the pleafure and profit ac- cruing from his crimes. Hence the belief of a God, the immortality of the foul, and a future ftate of rewards and punifhments, have been efteemed ufeful engines of govern- ment. And to the end that thefe notional airy doctrines Pial. L] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 29 might make a fenfible impreffion, and be retained on the minds of men, fkillful rulers have in the feveral civilized nations of the earth devifed temples, facrifices, churches, rites, ceremonies, habits, mufic, prayer, preaching, and the like fpiritual trumpery, whereby the prieft maketh temporal gains, and the magiftrate findeth his account in frightening and fubduing the people. This is the original of the combination between church and date, of religion by law eftablifhed, of rights, immunities, and incomes of priefts all over the world : There being no govern- ment but would have you fear God, that you may honor the king or civil power. And you will ever obferve that politic princes keep up a good underftanding with their clergy, to the end that they in return, by inculcating re- ligion and loyalty in the minds of the people, may ren- der them tame, timorous and flavifh. Crito and I heard this difcourfe of Alc'iphron with the ut- moft attention, though without any appearance of fur- prife, there being indeed nothing in it to us new and un- expected. But Euphranor who had never before been prefent at fuch converfation, could not help mewing fome aftonifhment \ which Lyficles obferving, afked him with a lively air, how he liked Alciphroiis lecture. It is, faid he, the firft I believe that you ever heard of the kind, and requireft a flrong ftomach to digeft it. Euph. — I will own to you, that my digeftion is none of the quickeft ; but it hath fometimes, by degrees, been able to mailer things which at firft appeared indigeftible. At prefent I admire the free fpirit and eloquence of Alciphron *, but, to fpeak the truth, I am rather aftonilhed, than con- vinced of the truth of his opinions. How, (faid he, turn- ing to Alciphron) is it then poflible you mould not believe the being of a God ? Alc — To be plain with you, I do not. VIII. But this is what I forefaw, a flood of light let in at once upon the mind being apt to dazzle and diforder* 3 <5 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. I.] rather than enlighten it. Was I not pinched in time, the regular way would be to have begun with the circumftan- tials of religion, next to have attacked the myfteries of chriftianity, after that proceeded to the practical doctrines, and in the laft place to have extirpated that which of all other religious prejudices, being the firft taught, and bafis of the reft, hath taken the deepeft root in our minds, I mean, the belief of a God. I do not wonder it flicks with you, having known feveral very ingenious men who found it difficult to free themfelves from this prejudice. , Euph. — All men have not the fame alacrity and vigor in thinking : For my own part, I find it a hard matter to keep pace with you. Alc. — To help you, I will go a little way back, and re- fume the thread of my reafoning. Firft I muft acquaint you, that having applied my mind to contemplate the idea of truth, I difcovered it to be of a ftable permanent, and uniform nature ; not various and changeable, like modes or fafhions, and things depending on fancy. In the next place, having obferved feveral fe£ts, and fubdivifions of fe&s, efpoufing very different and contrary opinions, and yet all profeffing chriftianity, I rejected thofe points where- in they differed, retaining only that which was agreed to by all, and fo became a Latitudinarian. Having after- wards, upon a more enlarged view of things, perceived that chriftians, Jews, and Mahometans had each their dif- ferent fyftems of faith, agreeing only in the belief of one God, I became a Deifi. Laftly, extending my view to all the various nations which inhabit this globe, and finding they agreed in no one point of faith, but differed one from an- other, as well as from the forementioned feels, even in the notion of a God, in which there is as great diverfity as in the methods of worfhip, I thereupon became an Atheijl ; it being my opinion, that a man of courage and fenfe mould follow. his argument wherever it leads him, and that noth- ing is more ridiculous than to be a free-thinker by halves. I approve the man who makes thorough work, and, not [Dial. I.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 31 content with lopping off the branches, extirpates the very root from which they fprung. IX. Atheifm therefore, that bugbear of women and fools, is the very top and perfection of free-thinking. It is the grand Arcanum to which a true genius naturally rif- eth, by a certain climax or gradation of thought, and with- out which he can never poffefs his foul in abfolute liberty and repofe. For your thorough conviction in this main article, do but examine the notion of a God with the fame freedom that you would other prejudices. Trace it to the fountain-head, and you {hall not find that you had it by any of your fenfes, the only true means of difcover- ing what is real and fubftantial in nature. You will find it lying amongft other old lumber in fome obfcure corner of the imagination, the proper receptacle of vifions, fancies, and prejudices of all kinds : And if you are more attached to this than the reft, it is only becaufe it is the oldefl. This is all, take my word for it, and not mine only, but that or many more the moft ingenious men of the age, who, I can affure you, think as I do on the fubje£r. of a Deity. Though fome of them hold it proper to proceed with more referve in declaring to the world their opinion in this particular, than in moft others. And it muft be owned, there are flill too many in England who retain a foolifh prejudice againft the name of Atheift. But it lefTens every day among the better fort ; and when it is quite worn out, our free-thinkers may then, (and not till then) be faid to have given the finifhing ftroke to religion ; it being evident that fo long as the exiftence of God is believed, religion muft fubfift in fome fhape or other. But the root being once plucked up, the fcions which fhot from it will of courfe wither and decay. Such are all thofe whimfical notions of confcience, duty, principle, and the like, which fill a man's head with fcruples, awe him with fears, and make him a more thorough Have than the horfe he rides. A man had better a thoufand times be hunted by bailiffs or 3* MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. I.] meflengers than haunted by thefe fpectres, which embar- afs arid embitter all his pleafures, creating the moll real and fore fervitude upon earth. But the free-thinker, with a vigorous flight of thought breaks through thofe airyfpring- es, and afTerts his original independency. Others indeed may talk, and write, and fight about liberty, and make an outward pretence to it, but the free-thinker alone is truly free. Alciphron having ended this difcourfe with an air of triumph, Euphranor fpoke to him in the following manner. You make clear work. The gentlemen of your profeiTion are, it feems, admirable weeders. You have rooted up a world of notions, I mould be glad to fee what fine things you have planted in their (lead. Alc. — Have patience, good Euphranor^ I will (hew you in the firft place, that whatever was found and good we leave untouched, and encourage it to grow in the mind of man. And fecondly, I will fhew you what ex- cellent things we have planted in it. You muft know then, that purfuing our clofe and fevere fcrutiny, we do at laft arrive at fomething folid and real, in which all mankind agree, to wit, the appetites, paflions, and fen- fes : Thefe are founded in nature, are real, have real objects, and are attended with real and fubftantial plea- fures : food, drink, fleep, - and the like animal enjoy- ments, being what all men like and love. And if we extend our view to the other kinds of animals, we mail find them all agree in this, that they have certain natural appe- tites and fenfes, in the gratifying and fatisfying of which they are conflantly employed. Now thefe real natural good things which include nothing of notion or fancy, we are fo far from deftroying, that we do all we can tp cher- ifh and improve them. According to us, every wife man looks upon himfelf, or his own bodily exiftence in this prefent world, as the centre and ultimate end of all his actions and regards. He confiders his appetites as natu- ral guides directing to his proper good, his paflions and [Dial. I] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 33 fenfcs as the natural true means of enjoying this good.-— Hence he endeavors to keep his appetites in high relifh, his paflions and fenfes ftrong and lively, and to provide the greateft quantity and variety of real objects fuited to them, which he ftudieth to enjoy by all poffible means, and in the higheft perfection imaginable. And the man who can do this without reftraint, remorfe or fear, is as happy as any other animal whatsoever, or as his nature is capable of being. Thus I have given you a fuccincl: view of the principles, difcoveries, and tenets of the felecl: fpirits o£ this enlightened age. X. Crito remarked, that Alciphron had fpoke his mind, with great clearnefs. Yes, replied Euphranor^ we are obli- ged to the gentleman, for letting us at once into the tenets of his feci:. But, if I may be allowed to fpeak my mind, Alciphron^ though in compliance with my own requeft, hath given me no fmall uneafinefs. You need, faid Alci- phroriy make no apology for fpeaking freely what you think, to one who profefleth himfelf a free-thinker. I Ihould be forry to make one, whom I meant to oblige, uneafy. Pray let me know wherein I have offended. I am half alhamed, replied Euphranor, to own that I, who am no great genius, have a weaknefs incidental to little ones. I would fay, that I have favorite opinions, which you reprefent to be errors and prejudices. For inftance, the immortality of the foul is a notion I am fond of, as what fupports the mind with a very pleafing profpccl:.— — And if it be an error, I fhould perhaps be of Tullfs mind, who, in that cafe, profefTed he fhould be forry to know the truth, acknowledging no fort of obligation to certain phi- lofophers in his days, who taught, that the foul of man was mortal. They were, it feems, predecefTors to thofe who are now called free-thinkers j which name being too general and indefinite, inafmuch as it comprehends all thofe who think for thcmfelves, whether they agree vbl E 34 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. I.] opinion with thefe gentlemen or no, it mould not feem amifs to affign them a fpecific appellation, or peculiar name, whereby to diftinguifh them from other philofo- phers, at leaft in our prefent conference. For I cannot bear to argue againfl free-thinking and free- thinkers v Alc. — In the eye of a wife man, words are of fmall moment. We do not think truth attached to a name. Euph. — If you pleafe then, io avoid confufion, let us call your feci: by the fame name that Tully (who under- ftood the force of language) beftowed upon them. Alc— With all my heart. Pray what may that name be? Eupk. — Why, he calls them Minute Philofophers. Right, faid CritOy the modern free-thinkers are the very fame with thofe Cicero called Minute Philofophers, which name ad- mirably fuits them, they being a fort of feci: which dimin- ifh all the mod valuable things, the thoughts, views, and hopes of men : all the knowledge, notions, and theories of the mind, they reduce to fenfe ; human nature they con- trad! and degrade to the narrow low ftandard of animal life, and affign us only a fmall pittance of time, inftead of immortality. Alciphrcn very gravely remarked, that the gentlemen of his feci had done no injury to man ; and that if he be a little fhort-lived, contemptible animal, it was not their faying it made him fo : And they were no more to blame for whatever defects they difcover, than a faithful glafs for making the wrinkles which it only fhews. As to what you obferve, faid he, of thofe we now call free-thinkers, having been anciently termed Minute Philofophers^ it is my opinion, this appellation might be derived from their confid- cring things minutely, and not fwallowing them in the grofs, as other men are ufed to do. Befides, we all know, the bed eyes are necefTary to difcern the minuted objects : It feems, therefore, that Minute Philofophers might have been fo called, from their diftinguilhed perfpi<- cacity. [Dial. L] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 35 Euph. — O Alciphron ! thefe Minute Philofophers (fince that is their true name) are a fort of pirates, who plunder all that come in their way. I confider myfelf as a man left ftript and defolate on a bleak beach. XL But who are the profound and learned men, that of late years have demolifhed the whole fabric, which lawgivers, philofophers, and divines, had been erecting for fo many ages ? Lyficles hearing thefe words, fmiled, and faid, he believed Euphranor had figured to himfelf philofo- phers in fquare caps and long gowns ; but, thanks to thefe happy times, the reign of pedantry was over. Our philofophers, faid he, are of a very different kind from thofe aukward ftudents, who think to come at knowledge by p. uring on dead languages, and old authors, or by fe- queftring themfelves from the cares of the world, to meditate in folitude and retirement. They are the belt bred men of the age, men who know the world, men of pleafure, men of fafliion, and fine gentlemen. Euph. — I have fome fmall notion of the people you mention, but fhould never have taken them for philofo- phers. Cri.— Nor would any one elfe till of late. The world, it feems, was long under a miftake about the way to knowledge, thinking it lay through a tedious courfe of academical education and ftudy. But among the difcov- eries of the prefent age, one of the principal is, the finding out that fuch a method doth rather retard and obftrucT:, than promote knowledge. Alc. — Academical ftudy may be comprifed in two points, reading and meditation. Their reading is chiefly employed on ancient authors in dead languages : fo that a great part of their time is fpent in learning words ; which, when they have mattered with infinite pains, what do they get by it, but old and obfolete notions, that are now quite exploded and out of ufe ? then, as to their meditations, $6 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IJ what can they poflibly be good for ? he that wants the proper materials of thought, may think and meditate for ever to no purpofe : Thofe cobwebs, fpun by fcholars, out of their own brains, being alike unferviceable, either for ufe or ornament. Proper ideas, or materials, are only to be got by frequenting good company. I know feveral gentlemen, who, fince their appearance in the world, have fpentas much time in rubbing off the ruft and pedantry of a college education, as they had done before in acquir- ing it. Lys. — I'll undertake, a lad of fourteen, bred in the mod- ern way, mall make a better figure, and be more confid- ered in any drawing room, or aflembly of polite people, than one of four and twenty, who hath lain by a long time at fchool and college. He mail fay better things, in a better manner, and be more liked by good judges. Euph. — Where doth he pick up all this improvement ? Cri. — Where our grave anceftors would never have looked for it, in a drawing room, a coffee houfe, a chocolate houfe, at the tavern, or groom porter's. In thefe, and the like fafhionable places of refort, it is the cuftom for polite perfons to fpeak freely on all fubjects, religious, moral, or political. So that a young gentleman, who frequents them, is in the way of hearing many inftru&ive lectures, feafon- ed with wit and raillery, and uttered with fpirit. Three orfourfentences, from a man of quality, fpoke with a good air, make more impreflion, and convey more knowledge, than a dozen difiertations, in a dry academical way. Euph. — There is then no method, or cpurfe of ftudies, in thofe places. Lys. — None but an eafy free converfation, which takes in every thing that offers, without any rule or defign. Euph. — I always thought that fome order was neceffa- ry to attain any ufeful degree of knowledge ; that hafte and confuflon begat a conceited ignorance •, that to make our advances fure, they mould be gradual, and thofe [[Dial. L3 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 37 points firft learned, which might caft a light on what was to follow. Alc— So long as learning was to be obtained only by that flow, formal courfe of ftudy, few of the better fort knew much of it ; but now it is grown an amufement, our young gentry and nobility imbibe it infenfibly, amidft their diverfions, and make a confiderable progrefs. Euph. — Hence probably the great number of Minute Philofophers. Cri.— - It is to this that feci; is owing for fo many ingeni- ous proficients of both fexes. You may now commonly fee (what no former age ever faw) a young lady, or a Petit Jllaitre, nonplus a divine, or an old~fafhioned gentleman, who hath read many a Greek and Latin author, and fpent much time in hard methodical ftudy. Euph. — It flrould feem then, that method, exa&nefs, and induftry are a difadvantage. Here Alciphron, turning to Lyficles, faid he could make the point very clear, if Eu- phranor had any notion of painting. Euph. — I never faw a firft-rate picture in my life, but have a tolerable collection of prints, and have feen fome good drawings. Alc — You know then the difference between the Dutch and the Italian manner. Euph. — I have fome notion of it. Alc — Suppofe now, a drawing finifhed by the nice and laborious touches of a Dutch pencil, and another off hand fcratched out in the free manner of a great Italian mafter. The Dutch piece, which hath cofl fo much pains and time, will be exact indeed, but without that force, fpirit, or grace, which appear in the other, and are the ef- fects of an eafy free pencil. Do but apply this, and the point will be clear. Euph. — Pray inform me, did thofe great Italian mailers begin and proceed in their art, without any choice of method or fubject, and always draw with the fame eafe 3 8 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. I.] and freedom ? or did they obferve fome method, begin- ning with fimple and elementary parts, an eye, a nofe, a finger, which they drew with great pains and care, often drawing the fame thing, in order to draw it correctly, and fo proceeding, with patience and induftry, till after confid- erable length of time, they arrived at the free mafterly manner you fpeak of. If this were the cafe, I leave you to make the application. Alc. — You may difpute the matter if you pleafe. But a man of parts is one thing, and a pedant another. Pains and method may do for fome fort of people. A man muft be a long time kindling wet ftraw into a vile fmoth- ering flame, but fpirits blaze out at once. Euph. — The Minute Philofophers have, it feems, bet- ter parts than other men, which qualify them for a dif- ferent education. Alc — Tell me, Euphranor, what is that gives one man a better mein than another ; more politenefs in drefs, fpeech and motion ? Nothing but frequenting good com- pany. By the fame means, men get infenfibly a delicate tafte, a refined judgment, a certain politenefs in thinking and exprefling one's felf. No wonder if you, countrymen, are ftrangers to the advantage of polite converfation, which conftantly keeps the mind awake and adtive, exer- cifing its faculties, and calling forth all its ftrength and fpirit on a thoufand different occafions and fubje&s, that never come in the way of a book-worm in a college, no more than of a ploughman. Cri. — Hence thofe lively faculties, that quicknefs of apprehenfion, that flinefs of ridicule, that egregious tal- ent of wit and humour, which diftinguifh the gentlemen of your prqfeflion. Euph —It (hould feem then, that your feci: is made up of what you call fine gentlemen. Lys.— Not altogether, for we have among us fome contemplative fpirits of a coarkr education ; who, from [Dial. I.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 39 obferving the behavior and proceedings of apprentices, watermen, porters, and affemblies of rabble in the ftreets, have arrived at a profound knowledge of human nature ; and made great difcoveries about the principles, fprings, and motives of moral actions. Thefe have demolifhed the received fyftems, and done a world of good in the city. Alc— I tell you, we have men of all forts and pro- feflions, plodding citizens, thriving ftock-jobbers, skill- ful men in bufinefs, polite courtiers, gallant men of the army ; but our chief ftrength, and flower of the flock, are thofe promifing young men, who have the advantage of a modern education. Thefe are the growing hopes of our fe6t, by whofe credit and influence, in a few years we expe£t to fee thofe great things accompliflied, that we have in view. Euph.-— I could never have imagined your feci: focon- fiderable. Alc. — There are, in England, many honeft folk as much in the dark about thefe matters as yourfelf. XII. To judge of the prevailing opinion among people of fafhion, by what a fenator faith in the houfe, a judge upon the bench, or a prieft in the pulpit, who all fpeak according to law, that is, to the reverend prejudices of our forefathers, would be wrong. You mould go into good company, and mind what men of parts and breed- ing fay, thofe who are beft heard, and moft admired, as well in public places of refort, as in private vifits. He only, who hath thefe opportunities, can know our real ftrength, our numbers, and the figure that we make. Euph.— -By your account, there muft be many Mi- nute Philofophers among the men of rank and fortune. Alc. — Take my word for it, not a few, and they do much contribute to the fpreading our notions. For he who knows the world, muft obferve, that fafhions con* 4 o MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. I.] ftantly defcend. It is therefore the right way to propa- gate an opinion from the upper end. Not to fay, that the patronage of fuch men, is an encouragement to our authors. Euph. — It feems then, you have authors among you. Lys. — That we have, feveral, and thofe very great men, who have obliged the world with many ufeful and profound discoveries. Cri. — Mofchon, for inftance, hath proved that man and beaft are really of the fame nnture : That confequent- ly a man need only indulge his fenfes and appetites, to be as happy as a brute. Gorgias hath gone further, demon- ftrating man to be a piece of clock-work, or machine ; and that thought, or reafon, are the fame thing as the im- pulfe of one ball againft another. Cimon hath made no- ble ufe of thefe difcoveries, proving as clearly as any pro- pofition in mathematics, that conscience is a whim, and morality a prejudice ; and that a man is no more account- able for his actions than a clock is for ftriking. Tryphon hath written irrefragably on the ufefulnefs of vice. Thra- fenor hath confuted the foolifh prejudice men had againft atheifm, fhewing, that a republic of atheifts might live very happily together. Demylus hath made a jeft of loy- alty, and convinced the world there is nothing in it. To him, and another philofopher, of the fame (lamp, this age is indebted for difcovering, that public fpirit is an idle enthufiafm, which feizeth only on weak minds. It would be endlefs to recount the difcoveries made by writers of this feft. Lys.— But the mafter-piece, and finiming ftroke, is a learned anecdote of our great Diagoras y containing a de- monftration againft the being of God, which it is con- ceived the public is not yet ripe for. But I am afiured by fome judicious friends, who have feen it, that it is as clear as day light, and will do a world of good, at one blow demolifhing the whole fyftemof religion. Thefe [Dial. I.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 41 difcoveries are publifhed by our philofophers, fometimes in volumes, but often in pamphlets and loofe papers, for their readier conveyance through the kingdom. And to them mult be afcribed that abfolute and independent free- dom, which groweth fo faft, to the terror of all bigots. Even the dull and ignorant begin to open their eyes, and to be influenced by the example and authority of fo many ingenious men. Euph. — It fhould feem, by this account, that your feet extend their difcoveries beyond religion ; and that loyalty to his prince, or reverence for the laws, are but mean tilings in the eye of a Minute Philofopher. Lys. — Verv mean ; we are too wife to think there is any thing facred, either in king or conftitution, or indeed in any thing elfe. A man of fenfe may, perhaps, feem to pay an occafional regard to his prince, but this is no more at bottom, than what he pays to God, when he kneels at the facrament, to qualify himfelf for an office. Fear God and honor the king, are a pair of flavifh maxims, which had for a long time crampt human nature, and awed not only weak minds, but even men of good understanding, till their eyes, as I obferved before, were opened by our philofophers. Euph. — Methinks, I can eafily comprehend, that when the fear of God is quite extinguished, the mind muft be very eafy with refpecl: to other duties, which become out- ward pretences and formalities, from the moment that they quit their hold upon the confeience : and confeience always fuppofeth the being of a God. But I ftill thought, that Englijhmeny of all denominations (how widely foever they might differ as to fome particular points) agreed in the belief of a God, and of fo much at leaft as is called natural religion. Alc. — I have already told you my own opinion of thofe matters, and what I know to be the opinion of many more. F 42 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. I.] Cri. — Probably, Euphranor, by the title of Deifts y which is fometimes given to Minute Philofophers, you have been mifled to imagine, they believe and worfhip a God, according to the light of nature : but by living among them, you may foon be convinced of the contrary. They have neither time, nor place, nor form of divine worfhip : They offer neither prayers nor praifes to God in public : and, in their private practice, fhew a con- tempt or diilike even of the duties of natural religion. For inftance, the faying grace before and after meals, is a plain point of natural worfhip, and was once univerfally pra&ifed ; but, in proportion as this fe£t prevailed, it hath been laid afide, not only by the Minute Philofophers themfelves, who would be infinitely afhamed of fuch a weaknefs, as to beg God's bleffing, or give God thanks for their daily food ; but alfo by others, who are afraid Of being thought fools by the Minute Philofophers. Euph. — Is it poflible, that men, who really believe a God, mould yet decline paying fo eafy and reafonable a duty, for fear of incurring the contempt of atheifts ? Cri. — I tell you, there are many, who believing in their hearts the truth of religion, are yet afraid, or afhamed, to own it, left they mould forfeit their reputation with thofe, who have the good luck to pafs for great wits, and men of genius. Alc. — O Euphranory we mud make allowance for Crito's prejudice : he is a worthy^gentleman, and means well. But doth it not look like prejudice, to afcribe the refpe£t, that is paid our ingenious free-thinkers, rather to good luck than to merit ? Euph. — I acknowledge their merit to be very wonder- ful, and that thofe authors muft needs be great men, who are able to prove fuch paradoxes : for example, that fo knowing a man, as a Minute Philofopher, mould be a mere machine, or at beft no better than a brute. Alc.— It is a true maxim, that a man fhould think with [Dial. I.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 43 the learned, and fpeak with the vulgar. I (houM be loth to place a gentleman of merit in fuch a light before preju- diced and ignorant men. The tenets of our philofophy have this, in common with many other truths in metaphy- fics, geometry, aftronomy, and natural philofophy, that vul- gar ears cannot bear them. All our difcoveries and no- tions are in themfelves true and certain ; but they are at prefent known only to the better fort, and would found ftrange and odd among the vulgar. But this, it is to be hoped, will wear off with time. Euph.— I do not wonder, that vulgar minds fhould be flartled at the notions of your philofophy. Cri. — Truly a very curious fort of philofophy, and much to be admired ! XIII. The profound thinkers of this way have taken a direct: contrary courfe to all the great philofophers of former ages, who made it their endeavor to raife and re- fine, human kind, and remove it as far as pofTible from the brute ; to moderate and fubdue men's appeties ; to remind them of the dignity of their nature ; to awaken and improve their fuperior faculties, and direct them to the nobleft objects ; to pofTefs men's minds with a high fenfe of divinity, of the fupreme good, and the immortality of the foul. They took great pains to ftrengthen the ob- ligations to virtue ; and upon ail thofe fubjects have wrought out noble theories, and treated with lingular force of reafon. But it feems, our Minute Philofophers act the reverfe of all other wife and thinking men ; it being their end and aim to erafe the principles of all that is great and good from the mind of man, to unhinge all order of civil life, to undermine the foundations of moral- ity, and, inflead of improving and ennobling our natures, to bring us down to the maxims and way of thinking of the moil uneducated and barbarous nations ; and even to degrade human kind to a level with the brute beads.— 44 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. I.] And all the while they would pafs upon the world for men of deep knowledge. But in efFe£t, what is all this negative krfowledge better than downright favage ig- norance ? that there is no providence, no fpirit, no fu- ture ftate, no moral duty : truly a fine fyftem for an honeft man to own, or an ingenious man to value himfelf upon ! Alciphrony who heard this difcourfe, with fome uneafi- nefs, very gravely replied, difputes are not to be decided by the weight of authority, but by the force of reafon. You may pafs, indeed, general reflections on our notions, and call them brutal, and barbarous, if you pleafe : But it is fuch brutality, and fuch barbarifm, as few could have at- tained to, if men of the greatefl genius had not broke the ice ; there being nothing more difficult than to get the better of education, and conquer old prejudices. To re- move and caft off a heap of rubbifh, that has been gather- ing upon the foul from our very infancy, requires great courage, and great ftrength of faculties. Our philofophers, therefore, do well deferve the name of Efprits forts , men of ' Jlrong heads. Free-thinkers, and fuch like appellations, betokening great force and liberty of mind. It is very poffible, the heroic labours of thefe men may be reprefent- ed (for what is not capable of mifreprefentation ?) as a piratical plundering, and ftripping the mind of its wealth and ornaments ; when it is in truth the diverting it only of its prejudices, and reducing it to its untainted original ftate of nature. Oh nature ! the genuine beauty of pure nature ! Euph. — You feem very much taken with the beauty of nature. Be pleafed to tell me, Alciphron, what thofe things are, which you efteem natural, or by what mark I may know them. XIV. Alc. — For a thing to be natural, for inftance, to the mind of man, it muii appear originally therein, it-muft be univerfally in all men, it muft be invariably the fame in all nations and ages. Thefe limitations of original, [Dial. I.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 45 univerfal, and invariable, exclude all thofe notions found in the human mind, which are the effecl: of cuftom and edu- cation. The cafe is the fame with refpecl: to all other fpecies of beings. A cat, for example, hath a natural in- clination to purfue a moufe, becaufe it agrees with the forementioned marks. But if a cat be taught to play- tricks, you will not fay thofe tricks are natural. For the fame reafon, if, upon a plumbtree, peaches and apricots are ingrafted, no body will fay they are the natural growth of the plumbtree. Euph. — but to return to Man : It feems you allow thofe things alone to be natural to him, which fliew them- felves upon his firft entrance into the world ; to wit, the fenfes, and fuch paflions and appetites as are difcovered upon the firft application of their refpe&ive objects. Alc— That is my opinion. Euph.-— Tell me, Alciphron, if from a young appletree, after a certain period of time, there mould fhooi forth leaves, blofibms, and apples *, would you deny thefe things to be natural, becaufe they did not difcover and difplay themfelves in the tender bud ? Alc— I would not. Euph. — And fuppofe, that in man, after a certain fez- fon, the appetite of luft, or the faculty of reafon, fhall moot forth, open, and difplay themfelves, as leaves and bloflbms do in a tree ; would you therefore deny them to be natural to him, becaufe they did not appear in his orig- inal infancy ? Alc. — I acknowledge I would not. Euph. — It feems, therefore, that the firft mark of a thing's being natural to the mind, was not warily laid down by you ; to wit, that it mould appear originally in it. Alc. — It feems fo. Euph. — Again, inform me, Alciphrcn, whether you do not think it natural for an orange-plant to produce orang- es ? Alc— I do. 4 6 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. I] Euph.—- But plant it in the north-end of Great-Britain > and it fhall with care produce, perhaps, a good fallad ; in the fouthern parts of the fame ifland, it may with much pains and culture thrive, and produce indifferent fruit ; but in Portugal, or Naples, it will produce much better, with little or no pains. Is this true, or not ? Alc — It is true. Euph. — The plant being the fame in all places, doth not produce the fame fruit ; fun, foil, and cultivation, making a differenee. Alc. — I grant it. Euph. — And fince the cafe is, you fay, the fame with refpecVto all fpecies , why may we not conclude, by a parity of reafon, that things may be natural to human kind, and yet neither found in all men, nor invariably the fame where they are found ? Alc — Hold, Euphranor, you muft explain yourfclf further. I fhall not be over hafty in my concefhons. Lys — You are in the right, Alciphron, to ftand upon your guard. I do not like thefe enfnaring queftions. Euph. — I defire you to make no concefhons in com- plaifance to me, but only to tell me your opinion upon each particular, that we may understand one another, know wherein we agree, and proceed jointly in finding out the truth. But (added Euphranor, turning to Crito and me) if the gentlemen are againft a free and fair en- quiry, I fhall give them no further trouble. Alc — Our opinions will ftand the teft. We fear no trial. Proceed as you pleafe. Euph. — It feems then that, from what you have granted, it fhould follow, things may be natural to men, though they do not actually fhew themfelves in all men, nor in equal perfection ; there being as great difference of cul- ture, and every other advantage, with refpecl: to human nature, as is to be found with refpe£t to the vegetable na- ture of plants ; to ufe your own fimilitude. Is it fo, or not ? Alc — It is. [Dial. I.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 47 Euph. — Anfwer me, Alciphron^ do not men, in all times and places, when they arrive at a certain age, ex- prefs their thoughts by fpeech ? Alc. — They do. Euph. — Should it not feem then, that language is na- tural ? Alc. — It mould. Euph* — And yet there is a great variety of languages. Alc. — I acknowledge there is. Euph. — From all this, will it not follow, a thing may be natural, and yet admit of variety ? Alc. — I grant it will. Euph. — Should it not feem, therefore, to follow, that a thing may be natural to mankind, though it have not thofe marks, or conditions, affigned 5 though it be not ori- ginal, univerfal, and invariable ? Alc — It mould. Euph. — And that confequently religious worfhip, and civil government, may be natural to man, notwithftand- ing they admit of fundry forms, and a different degrees of perfection ? Alc — It feems fo. Euph. — You have granted already, that reafon is na- tural to"mankind. Alc — I have. Euph. — Whatever, therefore, is agreeable to reafon, is agreeable to the nature of man. Alc — It is. Euph. — Will it not follow, from hence, that truth and virtue arc natural to man ? Alc — Whatever is reasonable, I admit to be natural. Euph. — And as thofe fruits, which grow from the moft generous and mature flock, in the choiceft foil, and with the bed culture, are moft efteemed ; even fo ought we not to think, thofe fublime truths which are the fruits of mature thought, and have been rationally deduced by men 4 3 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. I/J of the beft and mod improved understandings, to be the choiceft productions of the rational nature of man ? And if fo, being in fa£t reafonable, natural, and true, they ought not to be efteemed unnatural whims, errors of edu- cation, and groundlefs prejudices, becaufe they are raifed and forwarded, by manuring and cultivating our tender minds ; becaufe they take early root, and fprout forth betimes, by the care and diligence of our inftru£tors. Alc — Agreed, provided ftiil they may be rationally deduced. But to take this for granted, of what men vul- garly call the truths of morality and religion, would be begging the queftion. Euph. — You are in the right ; I do not, therefore, take for granted, that they are rationally deduced : I only fup- pofe that, if they are, they muft be allowed natural to man, or in other words, agreeable to, and growing from, the mod excellent and peculiar part of human nature. Alc. — I have nothing to object to this. Euph. — What (hall we think then of your former affer- tions ? That nothing is natural to man, but what may be found in all men, in all nations and ages of the world : That to obtain a genuine view of human nature, we muft extirpate all the effects of education and inftruction, and regard only the fenfes, appetites, and paffions, which are to be found originally in all mankind : that, therefore, the notion of a God can have no foundation in nature, as not being originally in the mind, nor the fame in all men. Be pleafed to reconcile thefe things with your late conceffions, which the force of truth feems to have extorted from you. XV. Alc. — Tell me, Euphranor 9 whether truth be not one and the fame uniform invariable thing : And, if fo, whether the many different and inconfiftent notions, which men entertain of God and duty, be not a plain proof, there is no truth in them. Euph That truth is conftant and uniform I freely [Dial. I.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 49 own, and that confequently opinions repugnant to each other cannot be true : But I think it will not hence fol- low, they are all alike falfe. If among various opinions about the fame thing, one be grounded on clear and evi- dent reafons ; that is to be thought true, and others only fo far as they confift with it. Reafon is the fame, and, rightly applied, will lead to the fame conclusions, in all times and places. Socrates, two thoufand years ago, feems to have reafoned himfelf into the fame notion of a God, which is entertained by the Philofophers of our days, if you will allow that name to any, who are not of your feci:. And the remark of Confucius, that a man mould guard in his youth againft luft, in manhood againft faction, and in old age againft covetoufnefs, is as current morality in Eu- rope as in China, Alc. — But Hill it would be a fatisfa&ion, if all men thought the fame way, difference of opinions implying un- certainty. Euph. — Tell me, Alciphron, what you take to be the caufe of a lunar eclipfe. Alc. — The fhadow of the earth interpofing between the fun and moon. Euph. — Are you allured of this ? Alc — Undoubtedly. Euph.— Are all mankind agreed in this truth ? Alc. — By no means. Ignorant and barbarous people aflign different ridiculous caufes of this appearance. Euph. — It feems then, there are different opinions about the nature of an eclipfe. Alc— There are. Euph. — And neverthelefs one of thefe opinions is true. Alc — It is. Euph. — Diverfity, therefore, of opinions about a thing, doth not hinder, but that thing may be, and one of the opinions concerning it may be true. Alc— This I acknowledge. G 5 o MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. I.] Euph. — It fhould feem, therefore, that your argument againft the belief of a God, from the variety of opinions about his nature, is not conclufive. Nor do I fee, how you can conclude againft the truth of any moral or religious tenet, from the various opinions of men upon the fame fubject. Might not a man as well argue, that no hiftori- cal account of a matter of fa£t, can be true, when different relations are given of it ? or may we not as well infer, thatbecaufe the feveral fe£ts of Philofophy maintain differ- ent opinions, none of them can be in the right, not even the Minute Philofophers themfelves ? During this converfation Lyficles feemed uneafy, like one, that wifhed in his heart there was no God. Alciphron^ faid he, methinks you fit by very tamely, while Euphranor faps the foundation of our tenets. Be of good courage, replied A/ciphron, a fkilful gamefler has been known to ruin his adverfary, by yielding him fome advantage at firft. I am glad, faid he, turning to Euphranor ■, that you are drawn in to argue and make your appeals to reafon. For my part, wherever reafon leads, I fhall not be afraid to follow. Know then, Euphranor^ that I freely give up what you now contend for. I do not value the fuccefs of a few crude notions, thrown out in a loofe difcourfe, any more than the Turks do the lofs of that vile infantry, which they place in the front of their aranes, for no other end but to wafte the powder, and blunt the fwords of their enemies. Be allured, I have in referve a body of other- guefs arguments, which I am ready to produce. I will undertake to prove. Euph. — O Alciphron ! I do not doubt your faculty of proving. But before I put you to the trouble of any far- ther proofs, I fliould be glad to know, whether the notions of your Minute Philofophy are worth proving. I mean, whether they are of ufe and fervice to mankind ? XVI. Alc. — As to that, give me leave to tell you> a [Dial. IJ MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 5 i thing may be ufeful to one man's views, and not to anoth- er's : But truth is truth, whether ufeful or not, and mult not be meafured by the convenience of this or that man, or party of men. Euph. — But is not the general good of mankind to be regarded as a rule or meafure of moral truths, of all fuch truths as direct or influence the moral actions of men ? Alc. — That point is not clear to me. I know, indeed, that legillators, and divines, and politicians, have always alledged, that it is neceflary, to the well-being of mankind, that they mould be kept in awe by the flavifh notions of religion and morality.* But granting all this, how will it prove thefe notions to be true ? convenience is one thing, and truth is' another. A genuine Philofopher, therefore, will overlook all advantages, and confider only truth itfelf, as fuch. Euph. — Tell me, Alciphron> is your genuine Philofopher a wife man, or a fool ? Alc. — Without queftion, the wifeft of men. Euph. — Which is to be thought the wife man, he who a&s with defign, or he who a£ts at random ? Alc— He who a£ts with defign. Euph. — Whoever ads with defign, acts for fome end. Doth he not ? Alc. — He doth. Euph. — And a wife man for a good end ? Alc. — True. Euph. — And he fheweth his wifdom, in making choice of fit means to obtain his end. Alc. — I acknowledge it. Euph. — By how much, therefore, the end propofed is more excellent, and by how much fitter the means em- ployed are to obtain it, fo much the wifer is the agent to be efteemed. Alc — This feems to be true. * The moral virtues are the political offspring, which flattery begot up- on pride. Fable of the Bees, part the firft p. 37. 52 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. I.] Euph. — -Can a rational agent propofe a more excellent end than happinefs ? Alc. — He cannot. Euph. — Of good things, the greater good is moil ex- cellent* Alc. — Doubtlefs. Euph. — Is not the general happinefs of mankind a greater good, than the private happinefs of one man, or of fome certain men ? Alc — It is. Euph. — Is it not, therefore, the moil excellent end ? Alc-— It feems fo. Euph. — Are not then thofe who purfue this end, by the properefl methods, to be thought the wifeft men ? Alc. — I grant they are. Euph. — Which is a wife man governed by, wife or foolifh notions. Alc. — -By wife, doubtlefs. Euph. — It feems then to follow, that he, who promotes the general well-being of mankind, by the proper neceffa- ry means, is truly wife, and acts upon wife grounds. Alc. — It mould feem fo. Euph. — And is not folly of an oppofite nature to wif- dom ? Alc. — It is. Euph.— —Might it not, therefore, be inferred, that thofe men are foolifh, who go about to unhinge fuch principles, as have a neceflary connexion with the geheral good of mankind ? Alc — Perhaps this might be granted : but, at the fame time, I muft obferve, that it is in my power to de- ny it. Euph.— How ! you will not furely deny the conclu- fidri, when you admit the premifes. Alc — I would fain know upon what terms we ar- gue i whether, in this progrefs of queftion and anfwer, [Dial. I.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 53 if a man makes a flip, it be utterly irretrievable ? For, if you are on the catch, to lay hold of every advantage, without allowing for furprife or inattention, I mud tell you, this is not the way to convince my judgment. Euph. O Alciphron ! I aim not at triumph, but at truth. You are therefore at full liberty to unravel all, that hath been faid, and to recover, or correct, any flip, you have made. But then, you muft diftin&ly point it out, otherwife it will be impoflible ever to arrive at any conclufion. Alc. — I agree with you, upon thefe terms, jointly to proceed in fearch of truth, for to that I am (incerely de- voted. In the progrefs of our prefent inquiry, I was, it feems, guilty of an oversight, in acknowledging the gene- ral happinefs of mankind to be a greater good than the particular happinefs of one man. For in fact, the indi- vidual happinefs of every man alone conftitutes his own entire good. The happinefs of other men making no part of mine, is not, with refpecl: to me, a good ; I mean a true natural good. It cannot therefore be a reafonable end, to be propofed by me, in truth and nature (for I do not fpeak of political pretences) fmce no wife man will purfue an end which doth not concern him. This is the voice of nature. Oh nature ! thou art the fountain, ori- ginal, and pattern of all that is good and wife. Euph. — You would like then to follow nature, and propofe her as a guide and pattern for your imitation. Alc- — Of all things. Euph. — Whence do you gather this refpect for na- ture ? Alc. — From the excellency of her productions. Euph. — In a vegetable, for inftance, you fay there is ufe and excellency, becaufe the feveral parts of it are fo connected, and fitted to each other, as to protect and nourifli the whole, make the individual grow, and propa- gate the kind ; and becaufe, in its fruits, or qualities, it is 54 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. I.] adapted to pleafe the fenfe, or contribute to the benefit of man. Alc- — Even fo. Euph. — In like manner, do you not infer the excel- lency of animal bodies, from obferving the frame and fitnefs of their feveral parts, by which they mutually confpire to the well-being of each other, as well as of the whole ? Do you not alfo obferve a natural union, and confent, between animals of the fame kind, and that even different kinds of animals have certain qualities, and in- itin&s, whereby they contribute to the exercife, nourifh- ment, and delight of each other ? Even the inanimate, unorganized elements, feem to have an excellence rela- tive to each other. Where was the excellency of water, if it did not caufe herbs and vegetables to fpring from the earth, and put forth flowers and fruits ? And what would become of the beauty of the earth, if it was not warmed by the fun, moiftened by water, and fanned by air ? Throughout the whole fyftem of the vifible and na- tural world, do you not perceive a mutual connexion and correfpondence of parts ? And is it not from hence, that you frame an idea of the perfection and order, and beau- ty of nature ? Alc. — All this I grant. Euph. — And have not the floics heretofore faid (who were no more bigots than you are) and did you not your- felf fay, this pattern of order was worthy the imitation of rational agents ? Alc. — I do not deny this to be true. Euph. — Ought we not therefore to infer the fame union, order, and regularity, in the moral world, that we perceive to be in the natural ? Alc — We ought. Euph. — Should it not therefore feem to follow, that reafonable creatures were, as the philosophical emperor * * M. Antonin. 1. 4, [Dial. L] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 55 obferves, made one for another ; and confequently, that man ought not to confider himfelf as an independent in- dividual, whofe happinefs is not connected with that of other men ; but rather as the part of a whole, to the common good of which he ought to confpire, and order his ways and actions fuitably, if he would live according to nature ? Alc.« — Suppofing this to be true, what then ? Euph. — Will it not follow, that a wife man mould confider, and purfue his private good, with regard to, and in conjunction with, that of other men ? in granting of which, you thought yourfelf guilty of an overfight j though, indeed, the fympathy of pain and pleafure, and the mutual affections, by which mankind are knit toge- ther, have been always allowed a plain proof of this point : And though it was the conftant doctrine of thofe, who were efteemed the wifeft, and moft thinking men among the ancients, as the platonifts, peripatetics, and ft'oics ; to fay nothing of chriftians, whom you pronounce to be an unthinking, prejudiced fort of people. Alc — I fhali not difpute this point with you. Euph. — Since, therefore, we are fo far agreed, mould it not feem to follow, from the premifes , that the belief of a God, of a future ftate, and of moral duties, are the only wife, right, and genuine principles of human con- duel:, in cafe they have a necerTary connexion with the well-being of mankind ? This conclusion you have been led to by your own conceffions, and by the analogy of nature. Alc. — I have been drawn into it, ftep by ftep, through feveral preliminaries, which I cannot well call to mind ; but one thing I obferve, that you build on the neceffary connexion, thofe principles have with the well-being of mankind ; which is a point neither proved nor granted. Lys. — This I take to be a grand fundamental prejudice, as I doubt not, if I had time I could make appear. But S 6 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. I.] it is now late, and we will, if you think fit, defer this fubje£t till to-morrow. Upon which motion of Lyfi- clesy we put an end to our converfation for that even- ing. THE SECOND DIALOGUE. I. Vulgar Error , That Vice is hurtful. II. The Benefit of DrunkennefS) Gaming, and Whoring. III. Prejudice againjl Vice wearing off. IV. Its Uftfulnefs illujlrated in the Infiances o/" Callicles and Telefiila. V. The Re a- foning c/*Lyficles in behalf of Vice examined. VI. Wrong to punijh Aclions ivhen the DoBrines, whence they flow, are tolerated. VII. Hazardous Experiment of the Minute Philofophers. VIII. Their Doclrine of Circulation and Revolution. IX. Their Senfe of a Reformation. X. Rich- es alone not the Public Weal. XI. Authority of Minute Philofophers : their Prejudice againjl Religion. XII. Ef- fecls of Luxury : Virtue, whether notional P XIII. Pleaf- ure of Senfe. XIV. What fort of Pleafure mofl natural to Man. XV. Dignity of Human Nature. XVI. Pleaf- ure miflaken. XVII. Amufements, Mifery, and Cow- ardife of Minute Philofophers. XVIII. Rakes cannot reckon. XIX. Abilities and Succefs of Minute Philofophers. XX. Happy Effecls of the Minute Philofophy in particular Infiances. XX L Their free Notions about Government. XXII. England the proper Soil for Minute Philofophy. XXIII. The Policy and Addrefs of its Proffors. XXIV. Merit of Minute Philcjlphers towards the Public. XXV. Their Notions and Character. XXVI. Their Tendency towards Popery and Slavery. L NT JL ^| EXT morning Alciphron and Lyfcles faid, the weather was fo fine, they had a mind to fpend the day abroad, and take a cold dinner under a fhade, in fome pleafant part of the country. Whereupon, after break- fad, we went down to a beach, about half a mile off; where we walked on the fmooth fand, with the ocean on H 58 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. II] one hand, and on the other wild broken rocks, intermix- ed with fhady trees and fprings of water, till the fun be- gan to be uneafy. We then withdrew into a hollow glade, between two rocks, where we had no fooner feat- ed ourfclves, but Lyficles, addreffing himfelf to Euphra- nor, faid, I am now ready to perform what I undertook laffc evening, which was to fhew, there is nothing in that necefiary connexion, which fome men imagine, be- tween .thofe principles, you contend for, and the public good. I freely own, that if this queftion was to be de- cided by the authority of legiflators, or philofophers, it muft go againfc us. For thofe men generally take it for granted, that vice is pernicious to the public ; and that men cannot be kept from vice, but by the fear of God, and the fenfe of a future ftate ; whence they are induced to think, the belief of fuch things necefiary to the well- being of human kind. This falfe notion hath prevailed for many ages in the world, and done an infinite deal of mifchief, being, in truth, the caufe of religious eftablifh- ments, and gaining the protection and encourageme-nt of laws and magiftrates to the clergy and their fuperflitions. Even fome of the wifeft among -the ancients, who agreed with our feci: in denying a Providence, and the immor- tality of the foul, had neverthelefs the weaknefs to lie under the common prejudice, that vice was hurtful to foeieties of men. But England hath, of late, produced great philofophers, who have undeceived the world, and proved to a demonftration, that private vices are public benefits. This difcovery was refenfed to our times, and our feci: hath the glory of it. Cri. — It is poffible fome men, of fine underftandmg, might, in former ages, have had a glimpfe of this impor- tant truth : But, it may be prefumed, they lived in igno- rant times, and bigoted countries, which were not ripe for fuch a difcovery. Lys. — Men of narrow capacities and fhort fight, being able to fee no further than one link in a chain of confe- [Dial. II.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 59 quences, are {hocked at fmall evils, which attend upon vice. But thofe, who can enlarge their view, and look through a long feries of events, may behold happineis re- falting from vice, and good fpringing out of evil, in a thoufand inftances. To prove my point, I fhall not trou- ble you with authorities, or far-fetched arguments, but bring you to plain matter of fact. Do but take a view of each particular vice, and trace it through its effe&s and confequences, and then you will clearly perceive the advantage it brings to the public. II. Drunkennefs, for inftance, is by your fober mor- alifts thought a pernicious vice ; but it is for want of confidering the good effects that flow from it. Tor, ia the flrlt place, it increafes the malt tax, a principal branch of his majeily's revenue, and thereby promotes the fafety, ftrength, and glory of the nation. Secondly, it employs a great numberof hands, the brewer, the maltfter, the plough- man, the dealer in hops, the fmith, the carpenter, the bralier, the joiner, with all other artificers, hecefTary to fupply thofe enumerated, with their refpecfive inftru- ments and utenfils. All which advantages are procured from drunkennefs, in the vulgar way, by ftrong beer. — This point is fo clear, it will admit of no difpute. But while you are forced to allow thus much, I forefee you are ready to object againft drunkennefs, occafioned by wine and fpir,its, as exporting wealth into foreign coun- tries. But do you not reflect on the number of hands, which even this fets on work at home : The diftillers, the vintners, the merchants, the failors, the fhipwrights, with all thofe who are employed towards victualing and fitting out fhips, which, upon a nice computation, will be found to include an incredible variety of trades and callings. Then for freighting our fhips, to anfwer thefe foreign importations, all our manufactures throughout the kingdom are employed, the fpinners, the weavers, <5o MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. II.] the dyers, the wool-combers, the carriers, the packers : And the fame may be faid of many other manufactures, as well as the woollen. And if it be further confidered, how many men are enriched by all the forementioned ways of trade and bufinefs, and the expenfes of thefe men, and their families, in all the feveral articles of con- venient and fafhionable living, whereby all forts of trades and callings, not only at home, but throughout all parts, wherever our commerce reaches, are kept in employment ; you will be amazed at the wonderfully extended fcene of benefits which arife from the fmgle vice of drunkennefs, fo much run down and declaimed againft by all grave re- formers. With as much judgment, your half-wiued folk are accuftomed to cenfure gaming. And indeed (fuch is the ignorance and folly of mankind) a gamefter and a drunkard are thought no better than public nuifances, when, in truth, they do, each in their way, greatly con- duce to the public benefit. If you look only on the fur- face and firft appearance of things, you will no doubt think playing at cards a very idle and fruitlefs occupation. But dive deeper, and you mail perceive this idle amufe- ment employs the card-maker, and he fets the paper-mills at work, by which the poor rag-man is fupported ; not to mention the builders, and workers in wood and iron, that are employed in erecting and furnifhing thofe mills. Look ftill deeper, and you fhall find that candles and chair- hire, employ the induftrious and the poor, who, by thefe means, come to be relieved by (harpers and gentlemen, who would not give one penny in charity. But you will fay, that many gentlemen and ladies are ruined by play, without confidering, that what one man lofes, another gets, and that confequently as many are made as ruined : Mcney changeth hands, and in this circulation, the life of bufinefs and commerce confifts. When money is fpent, it is all one to the public who fpends it. Suppofe a fool of quality becomes the dupe of a man of mean birth and [Dial. II] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 61 circumftance, who has more wit. In this cafe, what harm doth the public fuftain ? Poverty is relieved, inge- nuity is rewarded, the money flays at home, and has a lively circulation, the ingenious (harper being enabled to fet up an equipage, and fpend handfomely, which can- not be done without employing a world of people. But you will perhaps object, that a man reduced by play may be put upon defperate courfes, hurtful to the public. Suppofe the word, and that he turns highwayman, fuch a man hath a ihort life, and a merry. While he lives, he fpends, and, for one that he robs, makes twenty the better for his expenfe. And when his time is come, a poor family may be relieved by fifty or a hundred pounds fet upon his head. A vulgar eye looks on many a man as an idle or mifchievous fellow, whom a true philofo- pher, viewing in another light, confiders as a man of pleafant occupation, who diverts himfelf, and benefits the public : And that with fo much eafe, that he employs a multitude of men, and fets an infinite maehine in motion, without knowing the good he does, or even intending to do any ; which is peculiar to that gentleman-like way of doing good by vice. I was confidering play, and that infenfibly led me to the advantages, which attend robbing on the highway. Oh the beautiful and never enough ad- mired connexion of vices ! It would take too much time to fliew how they all hang together, and what an infinite deal of good takes its rife from every one of them. One word for a favorite vice, and I fliall leave you to make out the reil yourfelf, by applying the fame way of reafoning to all other vices. A poor girl, who might not have the fpending of half a crown a week, in what you call an hon- ed way, no fooner halt the good fortune to be a kept miftrefs, but (he employs milliners, laundreffes, tire- women, mercers, and a number of other trades, to the benefit of her country. It would be endlefs to trace and purfue every particular vice through its confequences and 6z MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. II j effects, and fhew the vaft advantage they all are of to the public. The true fprings that actuate the great machine of commerce, and make a flourifhing ftate, have been hi- therto little underftood. Your moralifts and divines have, for fo many ages, been corrupting the genuine fenfe of mankind, and filling their heads with fuch abfurd princi- ples, that it is in the power of few men to contemplate real life with an unprejudiced eye. And fewer ftill have fufficient parts and fagacity to purfue a long train of con- fequences, relations and dependences ; which mud be done, in order to form a juft and intire notion of the pub- lic weal. But, as I faid before, our fe£t hath produced men capable of thefe difcoveries, who have difplayed them in a full light, and made them public for the benefit of their country. III., Oh ! Said Euphranor, who heard this difcourfe with great attention, you Ly fides are the very man I want- ed, eloquent and ingenious, knowing in the principles of your feci:, and willing to impart them. Pray tell me, do thefe principles find an eafy admiflion in the world ? Lys. — They do among ingenious men, and people of faihion, though you will fometimes meet with ftrong prejudices againft them in the middle fort, an effecT; of ordinary talents and mean breeding. Euph. — I mould wonder if men were not fhocked at notions of fuch a furprifing nature, fo contrary to all laws, education and religion. Lys. — They would be fhocked much more, if it had not been for the fkilful addrefs of our Philofophers ; who, confidering that moft men are influenced by names, rather than things, have introduced a certain polite way of fpeak- ing, which leffens much of the abhorrence and prejudice againft vice. Euph. — Explain me this. Lys.— Thus, in our dialect, a vicious man, is a man of [Dial. II.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 6 3 pleafure : A fharper is one that plays the whole game : A lady is faid to have an affair : A gentleman to be gal- lant : A rogue in bufinefs, to be one that knows the world. By this means, we have no fuch things as fots, debauchees, whores or rogues, in the beau monde, who may enjoy their vices without incurring difagreeable appella- tions. Euph. — Vice then is, it feems, a fine thing with an ug- ly name. Lys. — Be afiured it is. Euph. — It fhould feem then, that Plato's fearing left youth might be corrupted, by thofe fables which repre- sented the gods vicious, was an effecT: of his weakness and ignorance. Lys. — It was, take my word for it. Euph. — And yet Plato had kept good company, and liv- ed in a court. And Cicero, who knew the world well, had a profound efteem for him. Cri. — I tell you, Euphranor, that Plato and Tully might, perhaps, make a figure in Athens, or Rome : But were they to revive here in our days, they would pafs but for under- bred pedants, there being at moft coffee-houfes in London f feveral able men, who could convince them they knew nothing in, what they are valued fo much for, morals and politics. Lys. — How many long-headed men do I know, both in the court-end and the city, with five times Plato's fenfe, who care not one ftraw what notion their fohs have of God or virtue ! IV. Cri. — I can illuftrate this do&rine of Lyficles, by examples, that will make you perceive its force. Cleophon, a Minute Philofopher, took ftri who drinks mod, a fick man or a healthy ? Lys.— A healthy ? Euph. — And which is healthieft, a fober man or a drunkard ? Lys. — A fober man. Euph. — A fober man therefore, in health, may drink more than a drunkard when he is fick. Lys. — He may. Euph. — What think you, will a man confume more meat and drink in a long life or a fhort one ? Lys. — In a long. Euph. — A fober healthy man, therefore, in a long life, may circulate more money, by eating and drinking, than a glutton or drunkard, in a fhort one. Lys. — What then ? Euph. — Why then, it mould feem, that he may be I 66 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. II.] more beneficial to the public, even in this way of eating and drinking. Lys.- — I fhall never own that temperance is the way to promote drinking. Euph. — But you will own that ficknefs leflens, and death puts an end to all drinking. The fame argument will hold, for aught I can fee, with refpect to all other vices that impair men's health, and fhorten their lives. And, if we admit this, it will not be fo clear a point, that vice hath merit towards the public. Lys. — But admitting that fome artificers, or traders, might be as well encouraged by the fober men as the vi- cious ; what (hall we fay of thofe, who fubfift altogether by vice and vanity ? Euph.— If fuch there are, may they not be otherwife employed without lofs to the public ? Tell me, LyJicleS) is there any thing in the nature of vice, as fuch, that renders it a public bleffing, or is it only the confumption it occa- fions ? Lys. — I have already (hewn how it benefits the nation, by the confumption of its manufactures. Euph. — And you have granted, that a long and healthy life confumes more than a fhort and fickly one ; and you will not deny, that many confume more than one. Upon the whole then, compute and fay, which is moft likely to promote the induftry of his countrymen, a virtuous marri- ed man, with a healthy numerous offspring, and who feeds and clothes the orphans in his neighborhood, or a fafhion- able rake about town. I would fain know, whether money fpent innocently, doth not circulate as well as that fpent upon vice. And if fo, whether, by your own rule, it doth not benefit the public as much ? Lys. — What I have proved, I proved plainly, and there is no need of more words about it. Euph. — You feem to me, to have proved nothing, un- lefs you can make it out, that it is impoffible to fpend a [Dial. II.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 67 fortune innocently. I fhould think the public weal of a nation confifts in the number and good condition of its inhabitants : Have you any thing to object to this ? Lys. — I think not. Euph. — To this end which would moft conduce, the employing men in open air, and manly exercife, or in fe- dentary bufinefs within doors ? Lys.-— The former, I fuppofe. Euph. — Should it not feem therefore, that building, gardening, and agriculture, would employ men more ufe- fully to the public, than if tailors, barbers, perfumers, diftillers, and fuch arts were multiplied. Lys. — All this I grant ; but it makes againft you. For what moves men to build and plant but vanity, and what is vanity but vice ? Euph. — But if a man mould do thofe things for his convenience or pleafure, and in proportion to his fortune, without a foolifh oflentation or overrating them beyond their due value, they would not then be the effect of vice ; and how do you know but this may be the cafe ? Cri.— One thing I know, that the readieft way to quicken that fort of induftry, and employ carpenters, ma- fons, fmiths, and all fuch trades, would be to put in prac- tice the happy hint of a celebrated Minute Philofopher ; who, by profound thinking, has difcovered, that burning the city of London would be no fuch bad action, as filly prejudiced people might poflibly imagine ; inafmuch as it would produce a quick circulation of property, transferring it from the rich to the poor, and employing a great num- ber of artificers of all kinds. This, at leaft, cannot be deni- ed, that it hath opened a new way of thinking to our incen- diaries, of which the public hath of late begun to reap the benefit. Euph. — I cannot fufficiently admire this ingenious thought. 6S MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. II.] VI. But methinks it would be dangerous to make fuch notions public. Cri. — Dangerous ! to whom ? Euph. — In the firft place, to the publifher. Cri. — That is a miftake ; for fuch notions have been publiflied and met with due applaufe, in this moft wife and happy age of free- thinking, free-fpeaking, free-writing, and free-acting. Euph. — How ! may a man then publifh and practife fuch things with impunity ? Cri. — To fpeak the truth, I am rot fo clear as to the practical part. An unlucky accident now and then befals an ingenious man. The Minute Philofopher, Magirus, being defirous to benefit the public, by circulating an eftate pof- fefTed by a near relation, who had not the heart to fpend it, foon convinced himfelf, upon thefe principles, that it would be a very worthy action to difpatch out of the way fuch a ufelefs fellow, to whom he was next heir. But for this laudable attempt, Ke had the misfortune to be hanged by an under-bred judge and jury. Could any thing be more unjuft ? Euph. — Why unjuft ? Cri. — Is it not unjuft to punifh actions, when the prin- ciples, from which they directly follow, are tolerated and applauded by the public ? can any thing be more inconfift- ent, than to condemn in practice, what is approved in fpec- ulation ? truth is one and the fame j it being impoffible a thing fhould be practically wrong, and fpeculatively right. Thus much is certain, Magirus was perfect mafter of all this theory, and argued moft acutely about it with a friend of mine, a little before he did the fact, for* which he died. Lys. — The beft on't is, the world every day grows wi- fer ; though it muft be owned, the writers of our feet have not yet fhaken off all refpect for human laws, whatever they may do as to divine. It feems they venture no fur- ther, than to recommend an inward principle of vice, ope- rating under an outward reftraint of human laws. [Dial. II] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 6> Cri. — That writer, who confiders man only as an in- ftrument of paflion, who abfolves him from all ties of con- science and religion, and leaves him no law to refpe& or to fear, but the law of the land, is to be fure a public bene- fit. You miflake, Euphranor, if you think the Minute Philofophers idle theorilts : They are men of practical views. Euph. — As much as I love liberty, I mould be afraid to live among fuch people : it would be, as Seneca fome- where exprefleth it, in libertate bcllis ac tyrannis f&viore. Lys. — What do you mean by quoting Plato and Seneca ? Can you imagine a free-thinker is to be influenced by the authority of fuch old-fafhioned writers ? Euph. — You, Lyficles, and your friend, have quoted to me ingenious moderns, profound fine gentlemen, with new names of authors in the Minute Philofophy, to whofe merits I am a perfect ftranger. Suffer me, in my turn, to cite fuch authorities as I know, and have pafTed for many ages upon the world. VII. But, authority apart, what do you fay to expe- rience ? My obfervation can reach as far as a private fam- ily : and fome wife men have thought, a family may be confidered as a fmall kingdom, or a kingdom as a great family. Do you admit this to be true ? Lys. — If I fay yes, you will make an inference ; and if I fay no, you will demand a reafon. The bed way is, to fay nothing at all. There is, I fee, no end of anfwer- ing. Euph. — If you give up the point you undertook to prove, there is an end at once : But if you hope to con- vince me, you mull anfwer my qucftions, and allow me the liberty to argue and infer. Lys. — Well, fuppofe I admit that a kingdom may be confidered as a great family. Eufii.— I (hall alk you then, whether ever you knew 70 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. II.] private families thrive by thofe vices you think fo benefi- cial to the public ? Lys. — Suppofe I have not ? Euph. — Might not a man, therefore, by a parity of reafon, fufpe£t, their being of that benefit to the public ? Lys.—- Fear not, the next age will thrive and flourifh. Euph. — Pray tell me, Lyjicks, Suppofe you faw a fruit of a new untried kind ; would you recommend it to your own family to make a full meal of ? Lys. — I would not. Euph. — Why then would you try, upon your own country, thefe maxims, which were never admitted in any other ? Lys. — The experiment mull begin fomewhere; and we are refolved our own country fhall have the honor and advantage of it# Euph. — O Lyficles ! hath not Old England fubfifted for many ages without the help of your notions ? Lys. — -She has. Euph. — And made fome figure ? Lys. — I grant it. Euph. — Why then mould you make her run the rifk of a new experiment, when it is certain (he may do with- out it ? Lys. — But we would make her do better. We would produce a change in her, that never was feen in any nation. Euph. — Salluft obferves, that a little before the down- fall of the Roman greatnefs, avarice (the effecl: of luxury) had erafed the good old principles of probity and juftice, had produced a contempt for religion, and made every thing venal : while ambition bred diflimulation, and cauf- ed men to unite in clubs and parties, not from honorable motives, but narrow and iriterefted views. The fame hiftorian obferves, of that ingenious free-thinker, Catiline^ that he made it his bufinefs to infinuate himfelf into the acquaintance of young men, whofe minds, unimproved [Dial. II.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 7 r by years and experience, were more eafily feduced. I know not how it happens, but thefe paffages have occur- red to my thoughts more than once during this converfa- tion. Lys. — Sallujl was a fententious pedant. Euph. — But confult any hiftorian : look into any wri- ter. See, for inftance, what Xenophon and Livy fay of Sparta and Rome y and then tell me, if vice be not the like- lieft way to ruin and enflave a people. Lys. — When a point is clear by its own evidence, I never think it worth while to confult old authors about it. Cri. — It requires much thought and delicate obferva- tion, to go to the bottom of things. But one who hath come at truth with difficulty, can impart it with eafe. I will therefore, Euphranor., explain to you in three words (what none of your old writers ever dreamed of) the true caufe of ruin to thofe ftates. You muil know, that vice and virtue, being oppofite and contradictory princi- ples, both working at once in a Hate, will produce con- trary effects, which interline difcord mull needs tend to the diffolution and ruin of the whole. But it is the de- Ggn of our Minute Philofophers, by making men wicked upon principle, a thing unknown to the ancients, fo to weaken and deftroy the force of virtue, that its effedh (hall not be felt in the public. In which cafe, vice be- ing uncontrouled, without let or impediment of princi- ple, pure and genuine, without allay of virtue, the na- tion muft doubtlefs be very flourifhing and triumphant. Euph. — Truly, a noble fcheme ! Cri. — And in a fair way to take effect. For our young proficients in the Minute Philofophy, having, by a rare felicity of education, no tincture of bigotry or prejudice, do far outgo the old ftanders and profeffors of the feci; ; who, though men of admirable parts ; yet, having had the misfortune to be imbued in their childhood withfome religious notions, could never after get entirely rid of 72 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. II.] them ; but dill retain fome (mail grains of confcience and fuperftition, which are a check upon the nobleft genius. In proof of this, I remember that the famous Minute Philofopher, old Demodicm y came one day from converfa- tion upon bufinefs with Timander, a young gentleman of the fame fe£t, full of aftonifhment. I am furprifed, faid he, to fee fo young, and withal fo complete a villain, and, fuch was the force of prejudice, fpoke of Timander y with abhorrence, not confidering that he was only the more egregious and profound philofopher of the two. VIII. Euph.— Though much may be hoped from the unprejudiced education of young gentlemen, yet, it feems, we are not to expecl: a fettled and entire happinefs, before vice reigns pure and unmixed : Till then, much is to be feared from the dangerous ftruggle between vice and vir- tue, which may perchance overturn and diflblve this go- vernment, as it hath done others. Lys. — No matter for that, if a better comes in its place. We have cleared the land of all prejudices towards go- vernment or conftitution, and made them fly like other phantafms before the light of reafon and good fenfe. Men, who think deeply, cannot fee any reafon, why power ihould not change hands,^ as well as property : or, why the fafhion of a government fhould not be changed as eafily as that of a garment. The perpetual circulating and revolving of wealth and power, no matter through what or whofe hands, is that which keeps up life and fpirit in a Hate. Thofe who are even fiighrly read in our philofophy, know that, of all prejudices, the filliefl is an attachment to forms. Cri. — To fay no more upon fo clear a point, the over- turning a government may be juftified upon the fame prin- ciples as die burning a town, would produce parallel effe£ts, and equally contribute to the public good. In both cafes, the natural fprings of action are forcibly exerted j And in [Dial. II.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 73 this general induftry, what one lofes another gets, a quick circulation of wealth and power making the fum total to flourifh. Euph. — And do the Minute Philofophers publifti thefe things to the world ? Lys. — It mult be confefled, our writers proceed in poli- tics with greater caution, than they think neceffary, with regard to religion. Cri. — But thofe things plainly follow from their prin- ciples, and are to be admitted for the genuine doctrine of the feci:, exprefled, perhaps, with more freedom and perfpicuity, than might be thought prudent by thofe, who would manage the public, or not offend weak breth- ren. Euph. — And pray, is there not need of caution, a rebel, or incendiary, being characters, that many men have a prejudice againft ? Lys. — Weak people, of all ranks, have a world of ab- furd prejudices. Euph, — But the better fort, fuch as ftatefmen and le- giflators ; do you think, they have not the fame indifpo- fition towards admitting your principles ? Lys. — Perhaps they may ; but the reafon is plain. Cri. — This puts me in mind of that ingenious Philofo- pher, the gamefter, Glaucus y who ufed to fay, that ftatef- men and lawgivers may keep a ftir about right and wrong, juft and unjuft, but that, in truth, property, of every kind, had fo often patted from the right owners, by fraud and violence, that it was now to be confidered as lying on the common, and, with equal right, belonged to every one that could feize it. Euph. — What are we to think then of laws and regu- lations, relating to right and wrong, crimes and duties ? Lys. — They ferve to bind weak minds, and keep the vulgar in awe : But no fconer doth a true genius arife, but he breaks his way to greatnefs, through all the tram- K 74 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. II.] mels of duty, confidence, religion, law ; to all which he fiieweth himfelf infinitely fuperior. IX. Euph.— You are, it feems, for bringing about a thorough reformation. Lys. — As to what is commonly called the reformation, I could never fee how, or wherein the world was the bet- ter for it. It is much the fame as popery, with this differ- ence, that it is the more prude-like and difagreeable thing of the two. A noted writer of ours makes it too great a compliment, when he computes the benefit of hooped- petticoats to be nearly equal to that of reformation. Tho- rough reformation is thorough liberty. Leave nature at full freedom to work her own way, and all will be well. This is what we aim at, and nothing fliort of this can come up to our principles. Crito, who is a zealous proteftant, hearing thefe words, could not refrain. The worft effecl: of the reformation, faid he, was the refcuing wicked men from a darknefs which kept them in awe. This, as it hath proved, was holding out light to robbers and mur- derers. Light, in itfelf, is good, and the fame light which fhews a man the folly of fuperftition, might fhew him the truth of religion, and the madnefs of atheifm. But to make ufe of light, only to fee the evils on one fide, and never to fee, but to run blindly upon the worfe extreme ; tKis is to make the bed of things produce evil, in the fame fenfe that you prove the worft of things to produce good, to wit, accidentally or indirectly : And by the fame meth- od of arguing, you may prove, that even difeafes are ufe- ful : but whatever benefit feems to accrue to the public, either from difeafe of mind or body, is not their genuine offspring, and may be obtained without them. Lxficles was a little difconcerted by the affirmative air of Crito ; but after a fliort paufe, replied brifkly, that to contemplate the public good was not every one's talent. True, faid EuphranoT) I queftion whether every one can frame a no- [Dial.IL] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 75 tion of the public good, much lefs judge of the means to promote it. X. But you, Lyftcles, who are mailer of this fubje who was himfelf a courtier, and knew them well. " Virtue, faith he, * and good fenfe, are not the property of high birth, or a great eftate. Nor, if they, who poflefs thefe advantages, wanting a tafte for rational pleafures, betake themfelves to thofe of fenfe -, ought we, therefore, to efteem them eligible, any more than we mould the toys and paftimes of children, becaufe they feem fo to them ?" And indeed, one may be allow- ed to queftion, whether the trueft eftimate of things was to be expected from a mind intoxicated with luxury, and dazzled with the fplendor of high living. Cumjlupet infants acies fulgoribus, & cum Acclinis falfis animus melior a recufat. HoR. Crito, upon this, obferved, that he knew an Englijh no- bleman, who, in the prime of life, profefleth a liberal art, and is the firft man of his profeflion in the world : and that he was very fure, he had more pleafure from the exercife of that elegant art, than from any fenfual enjoy- ment within the power of one of the largeft fortunes, and moft bountiful fpirits in Great-Britain, XVI. Lys. — But why need we have recourfe to the judgment of other men in fo plain a cafe ? I appeal to your own breaft : confult that, and then fay, if fenfual pleafure be not the chief good of man. Euph. — I, for my part, have often thought thofe plea- fures, which are higheft in the efteem of fenfualifts, fo far from being the chiefeft good, that it feemed doubtful, upon the whole, whether they were any good at all, any * Ethic, ad Nicom. 1. 10, c, 6. [Dial. II.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 87 more than the mere removal of pain. Are not our wants and appetites uneafy ? Lys. — They are. Euph. — Doth not fenfual pleafure conlift in fatisfying them ? Lys. — It doth. Euph. — But the cravings are tedious, the fatisfa&ion momentary. Is it not fo ? Lys. — It is, but what then ? Euph. — Why then, it mould feem, that fenfual pleafure is but a fhort deliverance from long pain. A long avenue of uneafinefs leads to a point of pleafure, which ends in difguft or remorfe. Cri. — And he who purfues this ignis fatuus imagines himfelf a Philofopher and free-thinker. Lys. — Pedants are governed by words and notions, while the wifer men of pleafure follow fa&, nature, and fenfe. Cri. — But what if notional pleafures mould, in fact, prove the moll real and lading ? Pure pleafures of reafon and imagination neither hurt the health, nor wafte the fortune, nor gall the confcience. By them, the mind is long entertained without loathing or fatiety. On the other hand, a notion, (which, with you, it feems, paffeth for nothing) often embitters the moll lively fenfual plea- fures, which, at bottom, will be found alfo to depend upon notion, more than perhaps you imagine : it being a vul- gar remark, that thofe things are more enjoyed by hope and foretafte of the foul, than by poffeflion. Thus much is yielded, that actual enjoyment is very ihort, and the alternative of appetite and difguft long, as well as uneafy. So that, upon the whole, it mould feem thofe gentlemen, who are called men of pleafure, from their eager purfuit of it, do in reality, with great expenfe of fortune, eafe, and health, purchafe pain. Lys. — You may fpin out plaufible arguments, but will, 88 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. II.] after all, find it a difficult matter to convince me, that fo many ingenious men mould not be able to diftinguifh be- tween things fo directly oppofite as pain and pleafure. How is it poffible to account for this ? Cri. — I believe a reafon may be afhgned for it, but to men of pleafure no truth is fo palitable as a fable. Jove once upon a time having ordered, that pleafure and pain mould be mixed, in equal proportions, in every dofe of hu- man life, upon a complaint that fome men endeavored to feparate whathehad joined, and taking more than their (hare of the fweet, would leave all the four for others, comman- ded Mercury to put a flop to this evil, by fixing on each delinquent a pair of invifible fpe&acles, which fhould change the appearance of things, making pain look like pleafure, and pleafure like pain, labour like recreation, and recreation like labour. From that time, the men of plea- fure are eternally miftaking and repenting. Lys. — If your doctrine takes place, I would fain know what can be the advantage of a great fortune, which all mankind fo eagerly purfue ? Cri. — "It is a common faying with Eucrates, that a great fortune is an edged tool, which a hundred may come at, for o?ie who knows how to ufe it, fo much eafier is the art of get- ting, than that of fpending. What its advantage is, I will not fay, but I will venture to declare what it is not, I am fure that where abundance excludes want, and enjoyment prevents appetite, there is not the quickeft fenfe of thofe pleafures we have been fpeaking of : in which the footman hath often a greater (hare than his lord, who cannot enlarge his ftomach in proportion to his eftate. XVII. Reafonabie and well-educated men, of all ranks, have, I believe, pretty much the fame amufements, not- withftanding the difference of their fortunes : but thofe who are particularly diftinguifhed, as men of pleafure, feem to poffefs it in a very fmall degree. [Dial. II.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 89 Euph. — I have heard, that among perfons of that char- acter, a game of cards is efteemed a chief diverfion. Lys. — Without cards, there could be no living for peo- ple of fafhion. It is the moft delightful way of palling an evening, when gentlemen and ladies are got together, who would otherwife he at a lofs what to fay or do with them- felves. But a pack of cards is fo engaging, that it doth not only employ them, when they are met, but ferves to draw them together. Quadrille gives them pleafure in profpeclr, during the dull hours of the day, they reflect on it with delight, and it furnifhes difcourfe when it is over. Cri. — One would be apt to fufpett, thofe people of con- dition pafs their time but heavily, and are but little the better for their fortunes, whofe chief amufement is a thing in the power of every footman, who is as well qual- ified to receive pleafure from cards as a peer. I can eafi- ly conceive that, when people of a certain turn are got together, they fhould prefer doing any thing to the ennui of their own converfation : but it is not eafy to conceive, that there is any great pleafure in this. What a card- table can afford, requires neither parts nor fortune to judge of. Lys. — Play is a ferious amufement, that comes to the relief of a man of pleafure, after the more lively and af- fecting enjoyments of fenfe. It kills time beyond any thing ; and is a moft admirable anodyne to divert or pre- vent thought, which might, otherwife, prey upon the mind. Cri. — I readily comprehend, that no man upon earth ought to prize anodynes for the fpleen, more than a man of fafhion and pleafure. An ancient fagc, fpeaking of one of that character, faith, he is made wretched by dis- appointments and appetites, lupcitai apotunchanon y kai epi- thumon. And if this was true of the Greehs y who lived in the fun, and had no fuch fpirit, I am apt to think it is dill more fo of our modern Englifh, Something there is M 9 o MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. II.] in our climate and complexion, that makes idlenefs no where fo much its own punifhment as in England, where an uneducated fine gentleman pays for his momentary pleafures, with long and cruel intervals of fpleen ; for re- lief of which, he is driven into fenfual exceflfes, that pro- duce a proportionable depreflion of fpirits, which, as it createth a greater want of pleafures, fo it leflens the abili- ty to enjoy them. There is a caft of thought, in the complexion of an E??gliJJjman i which renders him the moft unfuccefsful rake in the world. He is (as Ariftotle exprefieth it) at variance with himfelf. He is neither brute enough to enjoy his appetites, nor man enough to govern them. He knows and feels, that what he purfues is not his true good ; his reflexion ferving only to fhew him that mifery, which his habitual floth and indolence will not fuffer him to remedy. At length, being grown odious to himfelf, and abhorring his own company, he runs into every idle afiembly, not from the hopes of plea- fure, but merely to refpite the pain of his own mind. — Liflilefs and uneafy at the prefent, he hath no delight in reflecting on what is pad, or in the profpecl; of any thing to come. This man of pleafure, when after a wretched fcene of vanity and woe, his animal nature is worn to the (lumps, wifhes and dreads death, by turns, and is lick of living, without having ever tried or known the true life of man. Euph. — It is well this fort of life, which is of fo little benefit to the owner, conduceth fo much to that of the public. But pray tell me, do thefe gentlemen fet up for Minute Philofophers ? Cri. — That feci:, you mull know, contains two forts of philofophers, the wet and the dry. Thofe I have been describing, are of the former kind. They differ rather in practice than in theory. As an older, graver, or duller man, from one that is younger, and more capable or fond cf pleafure. The dry philofopher pafleth his time but [Dial. II] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 9 i drily. He has the honor of pimping for the vices of more fprightly men, who, in return, offer feme fmall incenfe to his vanity. Upon this encouragement, and to make his own mind eafy, when it is paft being pleafed, he employs himfelf in jullifying thofe excefles he cannot partake in. But to return to your queftion, thofe mifer- ^ble folk are mighty men for the Minute Philofophy. Euph. — What hinders them, then, from-putting an end to their lives ? Cri. — Their not being perfuaded of the truth of what they profefs. Some, indeed, in a fit of defpair, do now and then lay violent hands on themfelves. And, as the Minute Philofophy prevails, we daily fee more examples of fuicide. But they bear no proportion to thofe, who would put an end to their lives, if they durft. My friend, Clinias, who had been one of them, and a philofopher of rank, let me into the fecret hiftory of their doubts and fears, and irrefolute refolutions, of making away with themfelves ; which lad, he aflures me, is a frequent to- pic with men of pleafure, when they have drunk them- felves into a little fpirit. It was by virtue of this mechan- ical valour, the renowned philofopher, Hermocrates, fhot himfelf through the head. The fame thing hath been pra&ifed by feveral others, to the great relief of their friends. Splenetic, worried, and frightened out of their wits, they run upon their doom with the fame courage as a bird runs into the mouth of a rattle-fnake ; not bc- caufe they are bold to die, but becaufe they are afraid to live. Clinias endeavored to fortify his irreligion, by the difcourfe and opinion of other Minute Philofophers, who were mutually ftrengthened in their own unbelief by his. After this manner, authority working in a circle, they endeavored to atheize one another. But though he pre- tended, even to a demonftration, againft the being of a God, yet he could not inwardly conquer his own belief. He fell fick, and acknowledged this truth ; is now a fo- 92 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IL] ber man, and a chriftian j owns he was never fo happy as fince he became fuch, nor fo wretched as while he was a Minute Philofopher. And he, who has tried both con- ditions, may be allowed a proper judge of both. Lys. — Truly, a fine account of the brighteft and bra- ve ft men of the age ! Cri. — Bright and brave are fine attributes. But our curate is of opinion, that all your free-thinking rakes are either fools or cowards. Thus he argues ; if fuch a man doth not fee his true intereft, he wants fenfe ; if he doth, but dare not purfue it, he wants courage. In this man- ner, from the defetl: of fenfe and courage, he deduceth, that whole fpecies of men, who are fo apt to value them- felves upon both thofe qualities. Lys. — As for their courage, they are at all times ready to give proof of it : and, for their underftanding, thanks to nature, it is of a fize not to be meafured by country parfons. XVIII. Euph. — But Socrates, who was no country par- fon, fufpe&ed your men of pleafure were fuch, through ig- norance. Lys. — Ignorance ! of what ? Euph.— Of the art of computing. It was his opinion, that rakes cannot reckon.* And that, for want of this fkill, they make wrong judgments about pleafure, on the right choice of which their happinefs depends. Lys,— I do not understand you. Euph. — Do you grant that fenfe perceiveth only fenfi- ble things ? Lys. — I do. Euph. — Senfe perceiveth only things prefent. Lys.—- This too I grant. Euph. — Future pleafures, therefore, and pleafures of the underftanding, are not to be judged of by fenfe. Lys. — They are not. * Plato in Pretag, CDial.IL] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. $3 Euph. — Thofe, therefore," who judge of pleafures by fenfe, may find themfelves miftaken at the foot of the ac- count. f Cum lapidofa ohiragra Contudit articulos veteris ramalia figi, Turn crajfos transijfe dies lucemque pah/jlrem 9 Et fibi jam ftri vitam ingemuere reliclam. To make a right computation, mould you not confider all the faculties, and all the kinds of pleafure, taking into your account the future, as well as the prefent, and rating them all according to their true value ? Cri. — The Epicureans themfelves allowed, that plea- fure, which procures a greater pain, or hinders a greater pleafure, mould be regarded as a pain •, and, that pain, which procures a greater pleafure, or prevents a greater pain, is to be accounted a pleafure. In order, therefore, to make a true eftimate of pleafure, the great fpring of action, and that from whence the conduct of life takes its bias, we ought to compute intellectual pleafures and future plea- fures, as well as prefent and fenfible : We ought to make allowance in the valuation of each particular pleafure, for all the pains and evils, for all the difguft, remorfe, and ftiame that attend it : We ought to regard both kind and quantity, the fincerity, the intenfenefs,' and the duration of pleafures. Let a free-thinker but bethink himfelf, how little of human pleafure confifts in actual fenfation, and how much in profpedt. ! let him then compare the prof- peel: of a virtuous believer with that of an unbelieving- rake. Euph.- — And all thefe points duly confidered, will not Socrates feem to have had reafcn of his fide, when he thought ignorance made rakes, and particularly their being ignorant of what he calls the (Science of more ; • reat- f Peifius, Sat. 5. 94 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. II.] er and fmaller, equality and comparifon, that is to fay, of the art of computing ? Lys. — All this difcourfe feems notional. For real abili- ties of every kind, it is well known we have the brighteft men of the age among us. But all thofe, who know the world, do calculate, that what you call a good chriftian, who hath neither a large confcience nor unprejudiced mind, mull be unfit for the affairs of it. Thus you fee, while you compute yourfelves out of pleafure, others compute you out of bufinefs. What then are you good for, with all your computation ? Euph. — I have all imaginable refpe£t for the abilities of free-thinkers. My only fear was, their parts might be too lively for fuch flow talents as forecaft and computation, the gifts of ordinary men. XIX. Cri. — I cannot make the fame compliment that Euphranor does. For though I {hall not pretend to char- acterize the whole feci:, yet thus much I may truly affirm v That thofe, who have fallen in my way, have been moftly raw men of pleafure, old fharpers in bufinefs, or a third fort of lazy fciolifts, who are neither men of bufinefs, nor men of fpeculation, but fet up for judges, or critics, in all kinds, without having made a progrefs in any. Thefe, among men of the world, pafs for profound theorifts, and, among fpeculative men, would feem to know the world : a conceited race, equally ufelefs to the affairs and ftudies of mankind ! Such as thefe, for the mod part, feem to be fe£taries of the Minute Philofophy. I will not deny that, now and then, you may meet a man of eafy manners, that, without thofe faults and affectations, is carried into the party by the mere ftream of education, fafhion, or compa- ny ; all which do, in this age, prejudice men againft reli- gion, even thofe who mechanically rail at prejudice. I rcuft not forget, that the Minute Philofophers have alfo a flrong party among the beaux and fine ladies •, and, as af- fectations out of character are often the ftrongeft, there is [Dial. II.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 95 nothing (o dogmatical and inconvincible as one of tliefe fine things, when it fets up for free-thinking. But, be thefe profeffbrs of the feci: never fo dogmatical, their au- thority mull needs be fmall with men of fenfe. Who would choofe, for his guide, in the fearch of truth, one whole thoughts and time are taken up with drefs, vifits, and diverfions ? Or whofe education hath been behind a counter, or in an office ? Or whole fpeculations have been employed on the forms of bufinefs, who is only well read in the ways and commerce of mankind, in ftock-jobbing, purloining, fupplanting, bribing ! Or would any man in his fenfes give a fig for meditations and difcoveries, made over a bottle ? And yet it is certain, that inftead of thought, books, and ftudy, moft free-thinkers are the profelytes of a drinking club. Their principles are often fettled, and decifions on the deepeft points made, when they are not fit to make a bargain. Lys. — You forget our writers, Crito. They make a world of profelytes. Cri. — So would worfe writers in fuch a caufe. Alas ! how few read ! and of thefe, how few are able to judge ! how many wiffi your notions true ! How many had rather be diverted than inftru&ed ! how many are convinced by a title ! I may allow your reafons to be effectual, without allowing them to be good. Arguments, in themfelves of fmall weight, have great efFe£t, when they are recommend- ed by a miftaken intereft, when they are pleaded for by paflion, when they are countenanced by the humor of the age : and, above all, with fome fort of men, when they are againft law, government, and eftablifhed opinions : things which, as a wife or good man would not depart fnem with- out clear evidence, a weak or a bad man, will afreet to dis- parage on the flighteft grounds. Lys. — And yet the arguments of our Philofophers alarm. Cri. — The force of their reafoning is not what alarms : 96 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. EL] their contempt of laws and government is alarming : their application to the young and ignorant is dangerous. Euph. — But without difputing or difparaging their tal- ent at ratiocination, it feems very poflible their fuccefs might not be owing to that alone. May it not, in fome meafure, be afcribed to the defects of others, as well as to their own perfections ? My friend, Eucrate, ufed to fay, that the church would thrive and flourifli beyond all oppo- fition, if fome certain perfons minded piety more than politics, pra£Ucs than polemics, fundamentals than con- ie&aries, fubftance than circumflance, things than notions, and notions than words. Lys. — Whatever may be the caufe, the effe&s are too plain to be denied. And when a confidering man obferves that our notions do, in this moft learned and knowing age, fpread and multiply, in oppolition to eftablifhed laws, and every day gain ground againft a body fo numerous, fo learned, fo well fupported, protected, encouraged, for the fervice and defence of religion : I fay, when a man ob- ferves and considers all this, he will be apt to afcribe it to the force of truth, and the merits of our caufe ; which, had it been fupported with the revenues and eftablifhments of the church and univerlities, you may guefs what a figure it would make, by the figure that i'c makes without them. Euph. — It is much to be pitied, that the learned profef- fors of your feci: do not' meet with the encouragement they deferve. Lys.— -All in due time. People begin to open their eyes. It is not impoffible t'hofe revenues that, in ignorant times, were applied to a wrong ufe, may, in a more enlight- ened age, be applied to a better. Cri. — But why profefTors and encouragement for what needs no teaching ? An acquaintance of mine has a moft ingenious footman, that can neither write nor read, who learned your whole fyftem in half an hour : He knows when and how to nod, fhake his head, frrule, and give a [Dial. II.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 97 hint, as well as the ableft fceptic, and is, in fa£t, a very Minute Philofopher. Lys.— Pardon me, it takes time to unlearn religious pre- judices, and requires a ftrong head. Cri. — I do not know how it might have been, once up- on a time. But in the prefent laudable education, I know feveral, who have been imbued with no religious notions at all ; and others, who have had them fo very flight, that they rubbed off without the leaft pains. XX. Panope> young and beautiful, under the care of her aunt, an admirer of the Minute Philofophy, was kept from learning the principles of religion, that fhe might not be accuftomed to believe without a reafon, nor aflent to what me did not comprehend. Panope was not, indeed, prejudiced with religious notions, but got a notion of intri- guing, and a notion of play, which ruined her reputation by fourteen, and her fortune by four and twenty. I have often reflected on the different fate of two brothers in my neighborhood. Ckon, the elder, being defigned an accom- plifhed gentleman, was fent to town, had the firfl part of his education in a great fchool : What religion he learned there, was foon unlearned in a certain celebrated fociety, which, till we have a better, may pafs for a nurfery of Mi- nute Philosophers. Cleon dreffed well, could cheat at cards, had a nice palate, underftood the myftery of the die, was a mighty man in the Minute Philofophy. And hav- ing mined a few years, in thefe accomplifhments, he died before thirty, childlefs and rotten, expreffmg the utmofl indignation that he could not outlive that old dog, his father \ who, having a great notion of polite manners, and knowledge of the v/orld, had purchafed them to his favor- ite fon, with much exoenfe, but had been more frugal in the education of Charephony the younger fon ; who was brought up at a country-fchool, and entered a commoner in the univerfity, where he qualified himfelf for a parfon- N 9 8 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IL] age in his father's gift, which he is now poflefled of, to- gether with the eftate of the family, and a numerous off» fpring.. Lys. — A pack of unpolifhed cubs, I warrant. Cri. — Lefs polifhed, perhaps, but more found, more honeft, and likely to be more ufeful, than many who pafs for fine gentlemen. Crates^ a worthy juftice of the peace, in this county, having had a fon mifcarry at London^ by the converfation of a Minute Philofopher, ufed to fay, with a great air of complaint, if a man fpoils my corn, or hurts my cattle, I have a remedy againft him ; but if he fpoils my children, I have none. Lys. — I warrant you, he was for penal methods : He would have had a law to perfecute tender confciences. Cri. — The tender confcience of a Minute Philofopher ! He, who tutored the fon of Crates , foon after did juftice on himfelf. For he taught Lycidas, a modeft young man, the principles of his feci:. Lycidas, in return, debauched his daughter, an only child : Upon which, Chanmdes, (that was the Minute Philofopher's name) hanged himfelf. Old Bubalion > in the city, is carking, and ftarving, and cheating, that his fon may drink and game, keep miftrefT- es, hounds, and horfes, and die in a jail. Bubalion ^ never- thelefs, thinks himfelf wife, and paffeth for one that minds the main chance. He is a Minute Philofopher, which learning he acquired behind the counter, from the works of Prodicus and Tryphon. This fame Bubalion was one night at fupper, talking againft the immortality of the foul, with two or three grave citizens, one of whom, the next day, declared himfelf bankrupt, with five thoufand pound of Bubalion 's in his hands j and the night following, he re- ceived a note from a fervant, who had, during his lecture, waited at table, demanding the fum of fifty guineas to be laid under a (lone, and concluding with molt terrible threats and imprecations. Lys. — Not to repeat what hath been already demon- [Dial. II.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 99 ftrated, that the public is, at bottom, no fufferer by fuch accidents, which, in truth, are inconvenient only to private perfons, who, in their turn, too, may reap the benefit of them : I fay, not to repeat all that hath been demonstra- ted on that head, I (hall only afk you, whether there would not be rakes and rogues, although we did not make them ? Believe me, the world always was, and always will be the fame, as long as men are men. Cri. — I deny that the world is always the fame. Hu- man nature, to ukAlciphrcn's comparifon, is like land, better or worfe, as it is improved, and according to the feeds or principles fown in it. Though no body held your tenets, I grant there might be bad men by the force of corrupt appetites, and irregular paflions. But where men, to the force of appetite and paflion, add that of opinion, and are wicked from principle, there will be more men wicked, and thofe more incurably and outrageoufly fo. The er- ror of a lively rake lies in his paflions, and may be reform- ed : But the dry rogue, who fets up for judgment, is in- corrigible. It is an obfervation of Ariflotles> that there are two forts of debauchees, the akrates and the ako/aJIos> of which the one is fo againft his judgment, the other with it : And that there may be hopes of the former, but none of the latter. And, in facl:, I have always obferved, that a rake, who was a Minute Philofopher, when grown old, becomes a (harper in bufinefs. Lys.— I could name you feveral fuch, who have grown mod noted patriots. Cri. — Patriots ! fuch patriots as Catiline and Marc Antony. Lys.— And what then ? Thofe famous Romans were brave, though unfuccefsful. They wanted neither fenfe nor courage ; and if their fchemes had taken effecl, the brifker part of their countrymen had been much the better for them. too MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. II.] XXI. The wheels of government go on, though wound Up by different hands : if not in the fame form, yet in fome other, perhaps a better. There is an endlefs varie- ty in things : weak men, indeed, are prejudiced towards rates and fy ft ems in life and government ; and think if thefe are gone, all is gone : But a man of a great foul, and free fpirit, delights in the noble experiment of blowing up fyftems, and diflolving governments, to mould them anew, upon other principles, and in another fhape. Take my word for it, there is a piailic nature in things, that feeks its own end. Pull a ftate to pieces, jumble, confound, and make together the particles of human fociety, and then let them ftand a while, and you fhall foon fee them fettle, of themfelves, in fome convenient order, where heavy heads are lowed, and men of genius uppermoft. Euph. — Lyficles fpeaks his mind freely. Lys. — Where was the advantage of free-thinking, if it were not attended with free-fpeaking, or of free-fpeaking, if it did not produce free-a£ting ? we are for thorough, independent, original freedom. Inward freedom, with- out outward, is good for nothing, but to fet a man's judg- ment at variance with his practice. Cri.— — This free way of Lyficles may feem new to you : it is not fo to me. As the Minute Philofophers lay it down for a maxim, that there is nothing facred, of any kind, nothing but what may be made a jeft of, exploded, and changed, like the fafhion of their clothes : fo nothing is more frequent, than for them to utter their fchemes and principles, not only in felecl: companies, but even in public. In a certain part of the world, where ingenious men are wont to retail their fpeculations, I remember to have feen a Valetudinarian) in a long wig and a cloke, fitting at the upper end of a table, with half a dozen difciples about him. After he had talked upon religion, in a manner, and with an air, that would make one think atheifm eftab- lifhed by law, and religion only tolerated; he entered upon [-Dial. II.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. iot civil government ; and obferved to his audience, that the natural world was in a perpetual circulation. Animals, faid he, which draw their fuftenance from the earth, mix with that fame earth, and, in their turn, become food for vegetables, which again nourifh the animal kind : The va- pors that afcend from this globe, defcend back upon it in fhowers : The elements alternately prey upon each other : That which one part of nature iofeth, another gains ; the fum total remaining always the fame, being neither bigger nor leiTer, better nor worfe, for all thefe interline changes. Even fo, faid this learned profeflbr, the revolutions in the civil world, are no detriment to human kind : one part whereof rifes as the other falls, and wins by another's lofs. A man, therefore, who thinks deeply, and hath an eye on the whole fyltem, is no more a bigot to government than to religion. He knows how to fuit himfelf to occafions, and make the beft of every event : For the reft, he looks on all tranflations of power and property from one hand to another, with a philofophic indifference. Our lecturer concluded his difcourfe with a molt ingenious analyfis of all political and moral virtues, into their firft principles and caufes, fhewing them to be mere fafhions, tricks of ftate, and illusions on the vulgar. Lys. — We have been often told of the good effects of religion and learning, churches and univerfities : But I dare affirm, than a dozen or two ingenious men, of our feci:, have done more towards advancing real knowledge, by extemporaneous le£tures, in the compafs of a few years, than ail the ecclefiaftics put together, for as many centuries. Euph. — And the nation, no doubt, thrives accord- ingly. But, it feems, Crito, you have heard them dif- courfe. Cri. — Upon hearing this, and other lectures of the fame tendency, methought it was needlefs to eftablim profefTors for the Minute Philofophy in either univerfity, K52 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. II.] while there are fo many fpontaneous lecturers in every corner of the ftreets, ready to open men's eyes, and rub off their prejudices about religion, loyalty, and public fpirit. Lys.— If wiftiing was to any purpofe, I could wifh for a telefcope, that might draw into my view things future in time, as well as diftant in place. Oh ! that I could but look into the next age, and behold what it is that we are preparing to be, the glorious harveft of our prin- ciples ; the fpreading of which hath produced a vifible tendency in the nation towards fomething great and new. Cri. — One thing, I dare fay, you would expect to fee, be the changes and agitations of the public what they will, that is, every free-thinker upon his legs. You are all fons of nature, who cheerfully follow the fortunes of the common mafs. Lys. — And it muft be owned we have a maxim, that each fpould take care of one. Cri. — Alas, Lyjicles, you wrong your own character. You would fain pafs upon the world, and upon yourfelves, for interefted, cunning men : But can any thing be more difmterefted, than to facrifice all regards to the abftracl:- ed fpeculation of truth ? Or can any thing be more void of all cunning, than to publifh your difcoveries to the world, teach others to play the whole game, and arm mankind againft yourfelves. XXII. If a man may venture to fugged fo mean a thought, as the love of their country, to fouls fired with the love of truth, and the love of liberty, and grafping the whole extent of nature, I would humbly propofe it to you, gentlemen, to obferve the caution praftifed by all other difcoverers, projectors, and makers of experi- ments, who never hazard all on the firft trial. Would it not be prudent to try the fuccefs of your principles, on a fmall model, in fome remote corner ? For inftance, fet [Dial. II.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 103 up a colony of atheifts in Alonomotapa, and fee how it profpers, before you proceed any further at home : Half a dozen fhipload of Minute Philofophers might eafily be fpared upon fo good a defign. In the mean time, you, gentlemen, who have found out, that there is nothing to be hoped or feared in another life ; that confcience is a bugbear ; that the bands of government, and the cement of human fociety, are rotten things, to be diflblved, and crumbled into nothing, by the argumentation of every Minute Philofopher ; be fo good as to keep thefe fublime difcoveries to yourfelves : Suffer us, our wives, our chil- dren, our fervants, and our neighbors, to continue in the belief, and way of thinking, eftablifhed by the laws of our country. In good earneft, I wifti you would go try your experiments among the Hottentots or Turks, Lys. — The Hottentots we think well of, believing them to be an unprejudiced people *, but it is to be feared their diet and cultoms wpuld not agree with our philofophers. As for the Turks, they are bigots, who have a notion of God, and a refpedl for Jefus Chrift. I queftion whether it might be fafe to venture among them. Cri. — Make your experiment then in fome other part of Chfijiendom. Ly s. — We hold all other chriftian nations to be much under the power of prejudice : even our neighbors, the Dutch, are too much prejudiced in favor of their religion, by law eftabliflied, for a prudent man to attempt innova- tions under their government. Upon the whole, it feems we can execute our fchemes no where, with fo much fe- curity, and fuch profpeel: of fuccefs, as at home. Not to fay, that we have already made a good progrefs. Oh ! that we could but once fee a parliament of true, fbnch, libortine free-thinkers ! Cri. — God forbid ! I mould be forry to have fuch men for my fervants, not to fay, for my mailers. Lys.— In that we differ. io 4 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER [Dial. II.] XXIII. But you will agree with me, that the right way to come at this was, to begin with extirpating the prejudices of particular perfons. We have carried on this work, for many years, with much art and induftry, and, at firft, with fecrecy, working like moles under ground, concealing our progrefs from the public, and our ultimate views from many, even of our own profe- lytes, blowing the coals between polemical divines, lay- ing hold on, and improving every incident, which the pailions or folly of churchmen afforded, to the advantage of our feci:. As our principles obtained, we flill pro- ceeded to further inferences'; and, as our numbers mul- tiplied, we gradually difclofed ourfelves and our opinions. Where we are now, I need not fay. We have flubbed, and weeded, and cleared human nature to that degree, that, in a little time, leaving it alone without any labor- ing or teaching, you fhall fee natural and juft ideas fprout forth of themfelves. Cri. — But I have heard a man, who had lived long, and obferved much, remark, that the worft and moll: unwholfome weed, was* this fame Minute Philofophy. We have had, faid he, divers epidemical diftempers in the ftate, but this hath produced, of all others, the moft deftru£Hve plague. Enthufiafm had its day, its effects were violent, and foon over : this infects more quietly, but fpreads widely. The former bred a fever in the ftate ; this breads a confumption, and final decay. A rebellion, or an invafion, alarms, and puts the public upon its de- fence ; but a corruption of principles, works its ruin more flowly perhaps, but more furely. This may be il- luftrated by a fable, I fomewhere met with in the writings of a Sivifs philofopher, fetting forth the original of bran- dy and gunpowder. The government of the north being once upon a time vacant, the prince of the power of the air convened a council in hell ; wherein, upon competi- tion between two demons of rank, it was determined they [Dial. II.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 105 (hould both make trial of their abilities, and he ihould iucceed, who did moft mifchief. One made his appear- ance in the (hape of gunpowder, the other in that of bran- dy : The former was a declared enemy, and roared with a terrible noife, which made folks afraid, and put them on their guard : the other pafled as a friend and phyfician through the world, difguifed himfelf with fweets, and perfumes, and drugs, made his way into the ladies' cabi- nets, and the apothecaries' fhops, and, under the notion of helping digeftion, comforting the fpirits, and cheering the heart, produced direcl: contrary effects ; and, having infenfibly thrown great numbers of human kind into a fatal decay, was found to people hell and the grave fo fail:, as to merit the government, which he dill pofTefies. XXIV. L.Ys.-~Thofe who pleafe may amufe them- felves with fables and allegories. This is plain Englifo — Liberty is a good thing, and we are the iupport of liberty. Cri.— To me it feems, that liberty and virtue were made for each other. If any man wifii to en Have his country, nothing is a fitter preparative than vice ; and nothing leads to vice fo furely as irreligion. For my part, I cannot comprehend, or find out, after having coniidered it in all lights, how this crying down religion, mould be the effect of honeft views towards a juft and legal liberty. Some feem to prcpofe an indulgence in vice : others may have in profpecl: the advantages which needy and ambi- tious men are ufed to make in the ruin of a ftate : One may indulge a pert petulant fpirit : Another hopes to be eiteemcd among libertines, when he wants wit to pleafe, or abilities to be ufeful. But, be men's views what they will, let us examine what good your principles have done : Who has been the better for the inftru&ions of thefe Mi- nute Philofophers ? Let us compare what we are in refpe6t of learning, loyalty, honefly, wealth, power, and public fpirit, with what we have been. Free-thinking, (as it is O io6 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. II.] called) hath wonderfully grown of late years. Let us fee what hath grown up with it, or what effects it hath produ- ced . To make a catalogue of ills is difagreeable : And the only bleffing it can pretend to, is luxury : That fame bleffing, which revenged the world upon old Rome : That fame luxury, whichmakes a nation, like a difeafed pamper- ed body, look full and fat, with one foot in the grave. Lys. — You miftake the matter. There are no people who think and argue better about the public good of a itate, than our feci: ; who have alfo invented many things tending to that end, which we cannot, as yet, conveniently put in practice. Cri. — But one point there is, from which it mufl be owned, the public hath already received fome advantage, which is the effecl: of your principles, flowing from them, and fpreading as they do : I mean that old Roman practice of felf-murder, which at once puts an end to all diftrefs, ridding the world and themfelves of the miferable. Lys.— You were pleafed before to make reflexions on this cuftom, and laugh at the irrefolution of our free-think- ers ; but I can aver, for matter of fa£t, that they have often recommended it by their example, as well as argu- ments ; and that it is folely owing to them, that a prac- tice, fo ufeful and magnanimous, hath been taken out of the hands of lunatics, and reftored to that credit among men of fenfe, which it anciently had. In whatever light you may consider it, this is, in fa£t, a folid benefit. But the beft effecl of our principles is, that light and truth fo vifibly fpread abroad in the world. From how many pre- judices, errors, perplexities, and contradictions, have we freed the minds of our fellow-fubjecls ? how many hard words, and intricate abfurd notions, had pofTefled the minds of men, before our Philofophers appeared in the world ? but now, even women and children have right and found notions of things. "What fay you to this, Crito ? Cri. — I fay, with refpecl to thefe great advantages of [Dial. II.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 107 deftroying men and notions, that I queftion, whether the public gains as much by the latter, as it lofethby the for- mer. For my own part, I had rather my wife and children all believed what they had no notion of, and daily pronoun- ced words without a meaning, than that any one of them fhould cut his throat, or- leap out of a window. Errors and nonfenfe, as fuch, are of fmall concern in the eye of the public, which confidereth not the metaphyfical truth of notions, fo much as the tendency they have to produce good or evil. Truth itfelf is valued by the public, as it hath an influence, and is felt in the courfe of life. You may confute a whole fhelf of fchoolmen, and difcover ma- ny fpeculative truths, without any great merit towards your country. But, if I am not miftaken, the Minute Philofophers are not the men to whom we are mod be- holden for difcoveries of that kind. This, I fay, mult be allowed ; fuppofing, what I by no means grant, your notions to be true. For, to fay plainly what I think, the tendency of your opinions is fo bad, that no good man can endure them, and your arguments for them fo weak, that no wife man will admit them. Lys. — Has it not been proved as clear as the meridian fun, that the politer fort of men lead much happier lives, and fwim in plcafures, fmce the fpreading of our princi- ples ? But, not to repeat or infill further on what has been fo amply deduced, I ihall only add, that the advan- tages flowing from them, extend to the tendered age, and the fofter fex. Our principles deliver children from ter- rors by night, and the ladies from fplenetic hours by day. Cri. — Inftead of thofe old fafhioned things, prayers and the bible, the grateful amufements of drams, dice, and billet-doux have fucceeded. The fair fex have now no- thing to do but drefs and paint, drink and game, adorn and divert themfelves, and enter into all the fweet fociety of life. But I thought, Lyftcles, the argument from pleafure had been exhaufted : however, fmce you have not done io8 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dufc II] with that point, let us once more, by Euphmnor's rule, call up the account of pleafure and pain, as credit and debt, under diftincT: articles. We will fet down in the life of your fine lady, rich clothes, dice, cordials, fcandal, late hours, againfl vapours, diftafte, remorfe, lofles at play, and the terrible diftrefs of ill fpent age, increafing every day: fuppofe no cruel accident of jealoufy, no madnefs or infamy of love ; yet at the foot of the account, you fhall find that empty, giddy, gaudy, fluttering thing, not half fo happy as a butterfly, or a grafhopper, on a fummer's day. And for a rake, or man of pleafure, the reckoning will be much the fame, if you place liftleflhefs, ignorance, rotten- nefs, loathing, craving, quarrelling, and fuch qualities, or aecomplifhments, over-againft his little circle of fleeting amufements ; long woe againfl momentary pleafure : And, if it be confidered, that when fenfe and appetite go off, though he feek refuge from his confcience in the Minute Philofophy, yet in this you will find, if you fift him to the bottom, that he affedls much, believes little, knows no- thing. Upon which Lyficles, turning to me, obferved, that Crits might difpute againfl fa£t if he pleafed, but that every one mud fee the nation was the merrier for their principles. True, anfwered Crito> we are a merry nation indeed : young men laugh at the old ; children defpife their parents ; and fubje&s make a jefl of the government : happy effects of the Minute Philofophy ! XXV. Lys.> — Infer what effects you pleafe, that will not make our principles lefs true. Cri.— Their truth is not what I am now confidering. The point at prefent is the ufefulnefs of your principles : And, to decide this point, we need only take a fhort view of them, fairiy propofed, and laid together : that there is no God or providence ; that man is as the beafts •that perifh \ that his happiaefs, as their's, confifts in obey- [Dial.IL] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 109 ing animal inftin&s, appetites, and paflions ; that all flings of conscience, andfenfe of guilt, are prejudices and errors of education ; that religion is a (late trick ; that vice is beneficial to the public ; that the foul of man is corporeal, and diflblveth like a flame or vapour ; that man is a ma- chine, actuated according to the laws of motion ; that confequently he is no agent or fubjecl: of guilt ; that a wife man will make his own particular individual intereft, in this prefent life, the rule and meafure of all his actions : thefe, and fuch opinions, are, it feems, the tenets of a Mi- nute Philofopher, who is himfelf, according to his own principles, an organ played on by fenfible objects, a ball bandied about by appetites and paflions : fo fubtle is he, as to be able to maintain all this by artful reafonings ; fo fharp-fighted and penetrating to the very bottom of things, as to find out, that the moll interefted occult cunning is the only true wifdom. To compleat his character, this curious piece of clock-work, having no principle of action within itfelf, and denying that it hath, or can have any one free thought or motion, fets up for the patron of liber- ty, and earneftly contends, for free-thinking. Crito had no fooner made an end, but Lyficles addrefT- ed himfelf to Euphranor and me : Crito, faid he, has tak- en a world of pains, but convinced me only of one fingle point, to wit, that I mult defpair of convincing him. Ne- ver did I, in the whole courfe of my life, meet with a man fo deeply iminerfed in prejudice ; let who will pull him out for me. But I entertain better hopes of you. I can anfwer, faid I, for myfelf, that my eyes and ears are al- ways open to conviction : I am attentive to all that pafles, and, upon the whole, fliall form, whether right or wrong, a very impartial judgment. Crito, faid Euphranor, is a more entcrprifing man than I, thus to rate and lecture a philofopher. For my part, I always find it eafier to learn than to teach. I fliall therefore beg your afnitance to rid me of fome fcruples about the tendency of your no MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. II.] opinions, which I find myfelf unable to mailer, though ever fo willing. This done, though we mould not tread exactly in the fame fteps, nor perhaps go the fame road ; yet we fhall not run, in all points, diametrically oppofite one to another. XXVI. Tell me now, Lyjcks, you who are a minute obferver of things, whether a fhade be more agreeable at morning or evening, or noon-day. Lys. — Doubtlefs at noon-day. Euph. — And what difpofeth men to reft ? Lys. — Exercife. Euph. — When do men make the greateft fires ? Lys. — In the coldeft weather. Euph. — And what creates a love for iced liquors ? Lys. — Exceffive heat. Euph. — What if you raife a pendulum to a great height on one fide ? Lys. — It will, when left to itfelf, afcend fo much the higher on the other. Euph. — It mould feem, therefore, that darknefs en- fues from light, reft from motion, heat from cold, and, in general, that one extreme is the confequence of ano- ther. Lys. — It fhould feem fo. Euph. — And doth not this obfervation hold in the civil, as well as the natural world ? Doth not power produce licence, and licence power ? Do not whigs make tories, and tories whigs ? Bigots make atheifts, and atheifts big- ots ? Lys. — Granting this to be true. Euph. — Will it not hence follow, that as we abhor flavifh principles, we fhould avoid running into licentious ones ? I am, and always was, a fincere lover of liberty, legal Englijh liberty •, which I efteem a chief blefling, or- nament, and comfort of life, and the great prerogative of [Dial. II.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. in an Englifiman. But is it not to be feared, that, upon the nation's running into a licentioufnefs, which hath never been endured in any civilized country, men, feel- ing the intolerable evHs of one extreme, may naturally fall into the other ? You muft allow, the bulk of man- kind are not philofophers, like you and Alciphron, Lys. — This I readily acknowledge. Euph. — I have another fcruple about the tendency of your opinions. Suppofe you mould prevail, and deftroy the proteftant church and clergy ; how could you come at the popifh ? I am credibly informed, there are a great number of emiflaries of the church of Rome difguifed, in England : Who can tell what harveft a clergy fo numer- ous, fo fubtle, and fo well furnifhed with arguments to work on vulgar and uneducated minds, may be able to make in a country defpoiled of all religion, and feeling the want of it ? Who can tell whether the fpirit of free-think- ing, ending with the oppofition, and the vanity with the diltin&ion, when the whole nation are alike infidels, who can tell, I fay, whether, in fuch a juncture, the men of genius themfelves may not affect a new diilincl:ion, and be the firfl converts to popery ? Lys. — And fuppofe they fhould. Between friends it would be no great matter. Thefe are Our maxims : In the firft place, we hold it would be beft to have no reli- gion at all. Secondly, we hold that all religions are indif- ferent. If, therefore, upon trial, we find the country cannot do without a religion, why not popery as well as another ? I know feveral ingenious men of our feci:, who, if we had a popifh prince on the throne, would turn pa- pifts to-morrow. This is a paradox, but I fhall explain it. A prince whom we compliment with our religion, to be fure, mud be grateful. Eupk.* — I underfland you. But what becomes of free-thinking all the while ? Lys. — Oh ! we fhould have more than ever of that, ii2 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. II.] for we fhould keep it all to ourfelvcs. As for the aniufe- ment of retailing it, the want of this would be largely compenfated by folid advantages of another kind. Euph. — It feems then, by. this account, the tendency, you obferved in the nation towards fomething great and new, proves a tendency towards popery and flavery. Lys.— -Miftake us not, good Euphranor. The thing iirfi: in our intention is confummate liberty : But if this will not do, and there mult, after all, be fuch things to- lerated as religion and government, we are wifely willing to make the beft of both. Cri, — This puts me in mind of a thought I have of- ten had, that Minute Philofophers are dupes of the jefuits. The two mod avowed, profefTed, bufy propagators of in- fidelity, in all companies, and upon all occafions, that I ever met with, were both bigoted papifts ; and being both men of confiderable eftates, fuffered confiderably on that fcore ; which it is wonderful their thinking dif- ciples mould never reflecl: on. Hegemon, a moft diftin- guiihed writer among the Minute Philofophers, and hero of ih.Q feci:, I am well allured, was once a papift, and ne- ver heard that he profeffed any other religion. I know that many of the church of Rome abroad, are pleafed with the growth of infidelity among us, as hoping it may make way for them. The emiifaries of Rome are known to have perfenated feveral other fetta, which, from time to time, have fprung up among us ; and why not this of the Minute Philofophers, of all others, the beft calculated to tuin both church and ftate ? I myfelf have known a jefuit abroad talk among Englijb gentlemen like a free-thinker. I am credibly informed, that jefuits, known to be fuch by the Minute Philofophers at home, are admitted into their clubs : and I have obferved them to approve, and fpeak better of the jefuits, than of any other clergy what- foever. Thofe who are not acquainted with the fubtle fpirit, the refined politics, and wonderful economy of [Dial. II.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 113 that renowned fociety, need only read the account given of them by the jefuit, Inchofer, in his book De Monar- chia Solip forum •, and thofe who are, will not be furpriled that they fhould be able to make dupes of our Minute Philofophers. Dupes, I lay, for I can never think they lufpecl: that they are only tools to ferve the ends of cun- ninger men than themfelves. They feem to me drunk and giddy with a falfe notion of liberty, and fpurred on, by this principle, to make mad experiments on their coun- try, they agree only in pulling down all that ftands in their way •, without any concerted fcheme, and without caring, or knowing, what to ere£r. in its (lead. To hear them, as I have often done, defcant on the moral virtues, refolve them into mame, then laugh at fhame as a weak- nefs, admire the unconfined lives of favages, defpife all order and decency of education j one would think the in- tention of thefe philofophers was, when they had pruned and weeded the notions of their fellow-fubje£ts, and di- verted them of their prejudices, to {trip them of their clothes, and fill the country with naked followers of na- ture, enjoying all the privileges of brutality. Here Crito made a paufe, and fixed his eyes on Alci- phrcn, who during this whole converfation had fat thought- ful and attentive, without faying a word ; and with an air, one while diflatisfied at what Lyficles advanced, another, ferene and pleafed, feeming to approve fome better thought of his own. But the day being now far fpent, Alclphron propofed to adjourn the argument till the following ; when, faid he, I {hall fet matters on a new foundation, and in fo full and clear a light, as, I doubt not, will give intire fatisfaction. So we changed the difcourfe, and, af- ter a repaft upon cold provifions, took a walk on the ftrand, and in the cool of the evening returned to Crlto's. P THE THIRD DIALOGUE. J. Alciphron's Account of Honor. II. Character and Con- duel of Men of Honor. III. Senfe of moral Beauty. IV. The Honejlum or to kalon of the Ancients. V. Ta/le for moral Beauty whether a fure Guide or Rule. VI. Minute Philofophers ravi/hed with the Abflracl Beauty of Virtue. VII. Their Virtue alone difinterejled and heroic. VIII. Beauty offenfible Objecls, what, and how perceived. IX. The Idea of Beauty explained by Painting and Archi- tecture. X. Beauty of the moral Svjlem, wherein it con- fijls. XI. It Juppofeth a Providence. XII. Influence of to kalon and to prepon. XIII. Enthufwfm of Cratylus compared with the fentiments of Ariftotle. XIV. Com* pared with the Stoical Principles. XV. Minute Philofo- phers, their Talent for Railery and Ridicule. XVI. The Wifdom of thofe who make Virtue alone its own Reward. HE following day, as we fat round the tea-table, in a fummer parlour, which looks into the garden, Alciphron, after the firft difh, turned down his cup, and, reclining back in his chair, proceeded as follows. Above all the fe£b up- on earth, it is the peculiar privilege of ours, not to be tied down by any principles. While other philofophers pro- fefs a fervile adherence to certain tenets, ours affert a no- ble freedom, differing not only one from another, but very often the fame man from himfelf. Which method of proceeding, befide other advantages, hath this annexed to it, that we are, of all men, the hardeft to confute. You may, perhaps, confute a particular tenet, but then this aftedts only him who maintains it, and fo long only as he maintains it. Some of our feci; dogmatize more than 1x6 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. III.] others, and in fome, more than other points. The doctrine of the ufefulnefs of vice is a point wherein we are not all agreed. Some of us are great admirers of virtue. With others, the points of vice and virtue are problematical. For my own part, though I think the doctrine maintained yefterday, by Lyficles, an ingenious fpeculation ; yet, upon the whole, there are divers reafons which incline me to de- part from it, and rather to efpoufe the virtuous fide of the queftion ; with the fmalleft, perhaps, but the moft contem- plative and laudable part of our feet. It feemeth, I fay, after a nice inquiry, and balancing on both fides, that we ought to prefer virtue to vice ; and thatTuch preference would contribute both to the public weal, and the reputa- tion of our philofophers. You are to know then, we have among us feveral that, without one grain of religion, are men of the niceft honor, and, therefore, men of virtue, be- caufe men of honor. Honor is a noble unpojluted fource of virtue, without the leaft mixture of fear, intereft or fu- perflition. It hath all the advantages, without the evils, which attend religion. It is the mark of a great and fine' foul, and is to be found among perfons of rank and breed- ing. It affecls the court, the fenate, and the camp, and, in general, every rendezvous of people of fafhion. Euph. — You fay then, that honor is the fource of vir- tue. Alc. — I do. Euph. — Can a thing be the fource of itfelf ? Alc. — It cannot. Euph. — The fource, therefore, is diftinguifhed from that of which it is the fource. Alc. — Doubtlefs. Euph. — Honor then is one thing, and virtue another. Alc.-— I grant it. Virtuous actions are the effe&, and honor is the fource or caufe of that efTecl:. Euph. — Tell me. Is honor the will, producing thofe actions, or the final caufe for which they are produced, or [Dial. III.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 117 right reafon, which is their rule and limit, or the object about which they are converfant ? or do you by the word Honor, underftand a faculty, or appetite ? all which are fuppofed, in one fenfe or other, to be the fource of human adtions. Alc. — Nothing of all this. Euph.— - Be pleafed then to give me fome notion or definition of it. Alciphron> having mufed a while, anfwer- ed, that he defined honor to be a principle of virtuous ac- tions. To which Ruphranor replied *, if I underftand it rightly, the word principle is varioufly taken. Sometimes, by principles, we mean the parts of which a whole is com- pofed, and into which it may be refolved. Thus the ele- ments are faid to be principles of compound bodies. And thus words, fyliables, and letters are the principles of fpeech. Sometimes, by principle, we mean a fmall par- ticular feed, the growth or gradual unfolding of which doth produce an organized body, animal or vegetable, in its proper fize and fhape. Principles, at other times, are fuppofed to be certain fundamental theorems in arts and fciences, in religion and politics. Let me know in which of thefe fenfes, or whether it be in fome other fenfe, that you underftand the word, when you fay, honor is a princi- ple of virtue-. To this Alciphron replied, that, for his part, he meant it in none of thofe fenfes, but defined honor to be a certain ardor of enthufiafm that glowed in the bread of a gallant man. Upon this, Ruphranor obfervcd, it was always admitted to put the definition in place of the thing defined. Is this allowed, faid he, or not ? Alc. — It is. Euph. — May we not, therefore, fay, that a man of hon- or is a warm man, or an enthufiaft ? Alciphron hearing this, declared, that fuch exac~tnefs was to no purpofe, that pe- dants, indeed, may difpute and define, but could never reach that high fenfe of honor, which diftinguiflicd the fine gen- tleman, and was a thing rather to be felt than explained. n8 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER [Dial. III.] II. Crito, perceiving that Alciphron could not bear being preffed any farther on that article, and willing to give fome fatisfa&ion to Euphranor, faid, That of himfelf, in- deed, he mould not undertake to explain fo nice a point ; but he would retail to them part of a converfation he once heard between Nicander, a Minute Philofopher, and Me- necles, a chriftian, upon the fame fubje£t, which was, for fubftance, as follows : M. From what principle are you, gentlemen, virtuous ? N. From honor. We are men of honor. M. May not a man of honor debauch another's wife, or get drunk, or fell a vote, or refufe to pay his debts, without leflening or tainting his honor ? N. He may have the vices and faults of a gentleman : but is obliged to pay debts of honor, that is, all fuch as are contracted by play. M. Is your man of honor always ready to refent af- fronts, and engage in duels ? N. He is ready to demand and give a gentleman's fatis- fa£tion, upon all proper occafions. M. It fhould feem, by this account, that to ruin tradef- men, break faith to one's own wife, corrupt another man's, take bribes, cheat the public, cut a man's throat for a word, are all points confident with your principles of honor. N. It cannot be denied that we are men of gallantry, men of fire, men who know the world, and all that. M. It feems, therefore, that honor among infidels, is like honefty among pirates : fomething confined to them- felves, and which the fraternity may perhaps find their account in, but every one elfe fhould be on his guard againft. By this dialogue, continued Crito, a man, who lives out of the grand mondc, may be enabled to form fome notion of what the world calls honor, and men of honor. Euph.< — I muft in treat you not to put me off with iV7- cander\ opinion, whom, I know nothing of \ but rather [Dial. III.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. n 9 give me your own judgment, drawn from your own ob- servation upon men of honor. Cm. — If I mull pronounce, I can very fincerely affure you that, by all I have heard or feen, I could never find, that honor, confidered as a principle diftincl: from con- fcience, religion, reafon and virtue, was more than an empty name. And I do verily believe, that thofe who build upon that notion have lefs virtue than other men ; and that what they have, or feem to have, is owing to faihion (being of the reputable kind) if not to a confcience early imbued with religious principles, and afterwards re- taining a tincture from them, without knowing it. Thefe two principles feem to account for all that looks like vir- tue in thofe gentlemen. Your men of faihion, in whom animal life abounds, a fort of bullies in morality, who difdain to have it thought they are afraid of confcience ; thefe defcant much upon honor, and affecl: to be called men of honor, rather than confcientious or honeft men. But, by all that I could ever obferve, this fpecious cha- racter, where there is nothing of confcience or religion underneath, to give it life and fubflance, is no better than a meteor or painted cloud. Euph. — I had a confufed notion, that honor was fome- thing nearly connected with truth : and that men of hon- or were the greateft enemies to all hypocrify, fallacy, and difguife. Cri. — So far from that, an infidel, who fets up for the nicefl: honor, mail, without the leaft grain of faith or re- ligion, pretend himfelf a chriflian, take any teft, join in any acl: of worfliip, kneel, pray, receive the facrament, to ferve an intereft. The fame perfon, without any im- peachment of his honor, (hall mod folemnly declare and promife, in the face of God and the world, that he will love his wife, and, forfaking all others, keep only to her, when at the fame time it is certain, he intends never to perform one tittle of his vow •, and convinceth the whole i2o MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. HI.] world of this as foon as he gets her in his power, and her fortune, for the fake of which this man of untainted hon- or makes no fcruple to cheat and lie. Euph. — We had a notion, here in the country, that it was of all things mod odious, and a matter of much rifk and peril, to give the lie to a man of honor. Cri. — It is very true. He abhors to take the lie, but not to tell it. III. Alciphron, having heard all this with great compo- fure of mind and countenance, fpake as follows. The word free-thinker, as it comprehends men of very different forts and fentiments, cannot, in a Uriel: fenfe, be faid to conftitute one particular feci:, holding a certain fyftem of pofitive and diflincl: opinions. Though it muft be own- ed, we do all agree in certain points of unbelief, or nega- tive principles, which agreement, in fome fenfe, unites us under the common idea of one feet. But then thofe nega- tive principles, as they happen to take root in men of differ- ent age, temper, and education, do produce various ten- dencies, opinions, and characters, widely differing one- from another. You are not to think that our greateft ftrength lies in our greateft number, libertines, and mere men of honor. No, we have among us philofophers of a very different character, men of curious contemplation, not governed by fuch grofs things as fenfe and cuftom, but of an abftracted virtue and fublime morals ; and the lefs religious, the more virtuous. For virtue of the high and difinterefted kind, no man is fo well qualified as an infidel, it being a mean and felfifh thing to be virtuous through fear or hope. The notion of a providence, and future ftate of rewards and punifhments, may indeed tempt or fcare men of abjeel: fpirit into practices contrary to the natural bent of their fouls, but will never produce a true and genuine virtue. To go to the bottom of things, to analyfe virtue into its firit principles, and fix a fcheme of morals on its true bans, you muft understand, that there is an idea of [Dial. III.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. W beauty natural to the mind of man. This all men defire, this they are pleafed and delighted with, for its own fake, purely from an inftincl: of nature. A man needs no ar- guments to make him difcern and approve what is beau- tiful : it ftrikes at firft fight, and attracts without a rea- fon. And as this beauty is found in the friape and form of corporeal things ; fo alfo is there analogous to it, a beauty of another kind, an order, a fymmetry, and come- linefs, in the moral world. And, as the eye perceiveth the one, fo the mind doth, by a certain interior fenfe, perceive the other ; which fenfe, talent, or faculty, is ever quickeft and pureft in the nobleft minds. Thus, as by fight, I difcern the beauty of a plant, or an animal, even fo the mind apprehends the moral excellence, the beauty and decorum of juftice and temperance. And, as we readily pronounce a drefs becoming, or an attitude grace- ful, we can, with the fame free untutored judgment, at once declare, whether this or that conduct:, or action, be comely and beautiful. To rclim .this kind of beauty, there muft be a delicate and fine tafte : But where there is this natural tafte, nothing further is wanting, cither as a principle to convince, or as a motive to induce men to the love of virtue. And more or lefs there is of this tafte or fenfe, in every creature that hath reafon. All ration- al beings are by nature facial. They are drawn one to- wards another, by natural affections. They unite and in- corporate into families, clubs, parties, and common- wealths, by mutual fympathy. As by means of the fen- fitive foul, our feveral diftinct. parts and members do con- fent towards the animal functions, and are connected in one whole ; even fo, the feveral parts of theie rational fyftems, or bodies politic, by virtue of this moral or in- terior fenfe, are held together, have • a fellow-feeling, do fuccour and protect each other, and jointly cooperate to- wards the fame end. Hence that joy in fociety, that pro- t»enfion towards doing good to our kind, that gratulatioa i22 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. III.] and delight in beholding the virtuous deeds of other men, or in reflecting on our own. By contemplation of the fitnefs and order of the parts of a moral fyftem, regular- ly operating, and knit together by benevolent affe&ions, the mind of man attaineth to the higheft notion of beau- ty, excellence, and perfection. Seized and wrapt with this fublime idea, our philofophers do infinitely defpife and pity whoever fhall propofe or accept any other mo- tive to virtue. Intereft is a mean ungenerous thing, def- troying the merit of virtue : and falfhood, of every kind, is inconfiftent with the genuine fpirit of philofophy. Cri. — The love, therefore, that you bear to moral beauty, and your pafHon for abflra&ed truth, will not fuf- fer you to think with patience of thofe fnpidulent imposi- tions upon mankind, Providence, the immortality of the foul, and a future retribution of rewards and punifh- meiits ; which, under the notion of promoting, do, it feems, deftroy all true virtue, and, at the fame time, con- tradict and difparage your noble theories, manifeftly tending to the perturbation and difquiet of men's minds, and filling them with fruitlefs hopes, and vain terrors. Alc. — Men's flrft thoughts, and natural notions, are the beft in moral matters. And there is no need that mankind mould be preached, or reafoned, or frightened into virtue, a thing fo natural and congenial to every hu- man foul. Now if this be the cafe, as it certainly is, it follows, that all the ends of fociety are fecured without religion, and that an infidel bids fair to be the mofl vir- tuous man, in a true, fublime, and heroic fenie. IV. Euph. — O Alciphron i while you talk, I feel an affection in my foul, like the trembling of one lute upon (Inking the unilon firings of another. Doubtlefs, there is a beauty of the mind, a charm in virtue, a fymmetry and proportion in the moral world. This moral beauty was known to the ancients by the name of homfium^ or to ka- [Dial. III.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 123 Jon. And, in order to know its force and influence, it may not be amifs to inquire, what it was underitood to be, and what light it was placed in, by thofe who firfl con- fidered it, and gave it a name. To kalon> according to Ariflotle, is the epoineton, or laudable : according to Plato, it is the ediiy or ophetimon, pleafant, or profitable, which is meant with refpedv. to a reafonable mind, and its true intereft. Now I would fain know, whether a mind, which confiders an action as laudable, be not carried be- yond the bare action itfelf, to regard the opinion of others concerning it ? Alc. — It is. Euph. — And whether this be a fufficient ground or principle of virtue, for a man to act upon, when he thinks himfelf removed from the eye and obfervation of every other intelligent being r Alc. — It feems not. Euph. — Again, I afk whether a man, who doth a thing pleafant or profitable as fuch, muft not be fuppo- fed to forbear doing it, or even to do the contrary, upon the profpect of greater pleafure or profit ? Alc-*— He muft. Euph. — Doth it not follow from hence, that the beau- ty of virtue, or to kalon, in either Artjlotles or Plato's fenfe, is not a fufficient principle, or ground, to engage fenfual and worldly-minded men in the practice of it ? Alc— What then ? Euph. — Why, then it will follow, that hope of re- ward, and fear of punifhment, are highly expedient to caft the balance of pleafant and profitable on the fide of virtue, and thereby very much conduce to the benefit of human fociety. Alciphron, upon this, appealed : Gen- tlemen, faid he, you are witnefies of this unfair proceed- ing of Euphranor, who argues againft us, from explica- tions given by Plato and Ari/Iotle, of the beauty of virtue, which are things we have nothing to fay to \ the philo- h 4 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. HI.] fophers of our feci: abftra&ing from all praife, pleafure, and intereft, -when they are enamoured and tranfport- ed with that fublime idea. I beg pardon, replied Eu- phranor, for fuppofing the Minute Philofophers, of Our days, think like thofe ancient fages. But you muft tell me, Alciphrotiy fince you do not think fit to adopt the fenfe of Plato or Arificile, what fenfe is it in which you underftand ihe beauty of virtue ? Define it, explain it, make me to underftand your meaning, that fo we may argue about the fame thing, without which we can never come to a conclufion. V. Alc. — Some things are better underftood by de- finitions and defcriptions ; but I have always obferved, that thofe, who would define, explain, and difpute about this point, make the lead of it. Moral beauty is of fo peculiar and abftra£ted a nature, fomething fo fubtile, fine, and fugacious, that it will not bear being handled and infpe&ed, like every grofs and common fubjecl:. You will, therefore, pardon me, if I (land upon my philofophic liberty ; and choofe rather to intrench myfelf, within the general and indefinite fenfe, rather than, by entering into a precife and particular explication of this beauty, per- chance lofe fight of it •, or give you fome hold whereon to cavil, and infer, and raife doubts, queries, and difficulties, about a point as clear as the fun, when nobody reafons upon it. Euph. — How fay you, A/ciphron, is that notion clear- eft when it is not confidered ? Alc. — I fay, it is rather to be felt than underftood, a certain je ne Jcai quoi. An object, not of the difcurfive faculty, but of a peculiar fenfe, which is properly called the moral fenfe, being adapted to the perception of moral beauty, as the eye to colours, or the ear to founds. Euph. — That men have certain inftint~tive fenfations, or paflions, from nature, which make them amiable and [Dial. III.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 125 ufeful to each other, I am clearly convinced. Such are fellow-feeling with the diftreffed, a tendernefs for our offspring, an affection towards our friends, our neighbors, and our country, an indignation againft things bafe, cru- el, or unjuft. Thefe paflions are implanted in the human foul, with feveral other fears and appetites, averfions and defires, fome of which are ftrongeft and uppermoft in one mind, others in another. Should it not, therefore, feem a very uncertain guide in morals, for a man to follow his paffion or inward feeling ? And would not this rule infal- libly lead different men different ways, according to the prevalency of this or that appetite, or paffion ? Alc. — I do not deny it. Euph. — And will it not follow from hence, that duty and virtue are in a fairer way of being pra&ifed, if men are led by reafon and judgment ; balancing low and fen- fual pleafures with thofe of a higher kind, comparing pre- fent loffes with future gains, and the uneafinefs and dif- guft of every vice, with the delightful practice of the oppofite virtue, and the pleafing reflexions and hopes which attend it ? Or, can there be a ftronger motive to virtue, than the fhewing that, confidered in all lights, it is every man's true intereft ? VI. Alc. — I tell you, Euphranor, we contemn the vir- tue of that man, who computes and deliberates, and muft have a reafon for being virtuous. The refined moralifts of our feci: are ravifhed and tranfported with the abftraft beauty of virtue. They difdain all forenfical motives to it ; and love virtue only for virtue's fake. Oh rapture ! Oh enthufiafm! Oh the quinteflence of beauty ! Methinks I could dwell for ever on this contemplation. But rather than entertain myfelf, I muft endeavor to convince you. Make an experiment on the firft man you meet. Propofe a villainous or unjuft action. Take his firft fenfe of the matter, and you (hall find he detefts it. He may indeed 126 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. III.] be afterwards mifled by arguments, or overpowered by temptation ; but his original, unpremeditated, and genu- ine thoughts, are juft and orthodox. How can we account for this, but by a moral fenfe, which, left to itfelf, hath as quick and true a perception of the beauty and deformity of human actions, as the eye hath of colors. Euph. — May not this be fufficiently accounted for, by conscience, affection, paffion, education, reafon, cuftom, religion, which principles and habits, for aught I know, may be what you metaphorically call a moral fenfe ? Alc — What I call a moral fenfe, is ftri&ly, properly, and truly fuch, and, in kind, different from all thofe things you enumerate. It is what all men have, though all may not obferve it. Upon this, Euphranor fmiled, and faid, Alciphron has made difcoveries where I leaft expected it. For, faid he, in regard to every other point, I mould hope to learn from him j but for the knowledge of myfelf, or the faculties and powers of my own mind, I mould have looked at home. And there I might have looked long enough, without finding this new talent, which even now, after being tutored, I cannot comprehend. For Alciphron, I mult needs fay, is too fublime and enigmatical upon a point, which, of all others, ought to be moft clearly under- ftood. I have often heard that your deepeft adepts and oldeft profeflbrs in fcience are the obfcureft. Lyftdes is young, and fpeaks plain. Would he but favor us with his fenfe of this point, it might, perhaps, prove more upon a level with my apprehenfion. VII. Lyftdes fhook his head, and in a grave and earneft manner addrefled the company. Gentlemen, faid he, Alciphron ftands upon his own legs. I have no part in thefe refined notions he is at prefent engaged to defend. If I muft fubdue my pafiions, abftracl:, contemplate, be en- amoured of virtue ; in a word, if I muft be an enthufiaft, I owe fo much deference to the laws of my country, as [Dial. III.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 127 to choofe being an enthufiaft in their way. Befides, it is better being fo for fome end, than for none. This doc- trine hath all the folid inconveniencies, without the amu- fing hopes and profpecls of the chriftian. Alc. — I never counted on Lyficles for my fecond in this point ; which, after all, doth not need his afliftance or explication. All fubjeds ought not to be treated in the fame manner. The way of definition and divificn is dry and pedantic. Befides, the fubjecl; is fometimes too ob- fcure, fometimes too fimple, for this method. One while we know too little of a point, another too much, to make it plainer by difcourfe. Cri. — To hear Alciphron talk, puts me in mind of that ingenious Greek, who having wrapt a man's brother up in a cloak, afked him whether he knew that perfon ? being ready, either by keeping on, or pulling off the cloak, to confute his anfwer, whatever it fhould be. For my part, I believe, if matters were fairly ftated, that rational fatif- fa&ion, that peace of mind, that inward comfort, and con- fcientious joy, which a good chriftian finds in good actions, would not be found to fall fhort of all the ecftafy, rapture, and enthufiafm fuppofed to bk the effecl: of that high and undefcribed principle. In earned, can any ecftafy be higher, any rapture more affecting, than that which fprings from the love of God and man, from a confeience void of offence, and an inward difcharge of duty, with the fe- cret delight, truft, and hope that attend it ? Alc. — O Euphratwr, we votaries of truth do not envy, but pity, the groundlefs joys and miftaken hopes of a chriftian. And, as for confeience and rational pleafure, how can we allow a confeience, without allowing a vindic- tive Providence ? or how can we fuppofe, the charm of virtue confifts in any pleafure, or benefit attending virtuous actions,* without giving great advantages to the chriftian * There can never be lefs felf-enjoyment than in thefe fuppofed wife characters, thefe felfifh computers of happinels and private good. Charac- terises, Vol. 3. p. 301. xa8 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial, in.] religion, which, it feems, excites its believers to virtue by the higheft interefts and pleafures in reversion. Alas ! mould we grant this, there would be a door opened to all thofe rufty declaimers upon the neceffity and ufefulnefs of the great points of faith, the immortality of the foul, a fu- ture ftate, rewards and punifhments, and the like exploded conceits ; which, according to our fyftem and principles, may perhaps produce a low, popular, interefted kind of virtue, but mull abfoluteiy deitroy and extinguifh it in the fublime and heroic fenfe. VIII. Euph. 1 — What you now fay is very intelligible : I wim I underftood your main principle as well. Alc. — And are you then in earned at a lofs ? Is it pof- fible you mould have no notion of beauty, or that, having it, you fhould not know it to be amiable, amiable I fay, in itfelf, and for itfelf ? Euph. — Pray tell me, Alciphron> are all mankind agreed, in the notion of a beauteous face ? Alc. — Beauty in human kind feems to be of a more mixt and various nature : forafmuch as the paflions, fenti- ments, and qualities of the foul being feen through! and blending with the features, work differently on differ- ent minds, as the fympathy is more or lefs. But, with regard to other things, is there no fteady principle of beau- ty ? Is there upon earth, a human mind, without the idea of order, harmony, and proportion ? Euph. — O Alciphron^ it is my weaknefs, that I am apt to be loft in abftracHons and generalities, but a particular thing is better fuited to my faculties. I find it cafy to confider and keep in view the objects of fenfe ; let us therefore try to difcover what their beauty is, or wherein it confifts j and fo, by the help of thefe fenfible things, as a fcale or ladder, afcend to moral and intellectual beauty. Be pleafed then to inform me, what it is we call beauty in the objects of fenfe ? [Dial. III.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. I2 j Alc — Every one knows beauty is that which pleafes. Eupk. — There is then beauty in the fmeli of a rofe, or the tafte of an apple. Alc. — By no means. Beauty is, to fpeak properly, perceived only by the eye. Euph. — It cannot, therefore, be defined, in general, that which pieafeth. Alc — I grant it cannot. Euph. — How then fhall we limit or define it ? Aid- phroriy after a fhort paufe, faid, that beauty confided in a certain fymmetry, or proportion, pleafing to the eye. Euph. — Is this proportion one and the fame in all things, or is it different in different kinds of things ? Alc — Different, doubtlefs. The proportions of an ox would not be beautiful in an horfe. And we obferve, alfo in things inanimate, that the beauty of a table, a chair, a door, confilts in different proportions. Euph. — Doth not this proportion imply the relation of one thing to another ? Alc — It doth. Euph. — And are not thefe relations founded in fize and fhape ? Alc — They are. Euph. — And, to make the proportions juft, muft not thefe mutual relations of fize and fhape, in the parts, be fuch, as fhall make the whole complete and perfect in its kind ? Alc — -I grant they muft. Euph. — Is not a thing faid to be perfect in its kind, when it anfwers the end for which it was made ? Alc — It is. Euph. — The parts, therefore, in true proportions, muft be fo related, and adjufted to one another, as that they may beft confpire to the ufe and operation of the whole. Alc — It feems fo. R i 3 o MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. III.] Euph. — But the comparing parts one with another, the confidering them as belonging to one whole, and the re- fering this whole to its ufe and end, mould feem the work of reafon : mould it not ? Alc — It mould. Euph. — Proportions, therefore, are not, ftriclly fpeak- ing, perceived by the fenfe of fight, but only by reafon, through the medium of fight. Alc. — This I grant. Euph.-— Confequently beauty, in your fenfe of it, is an obje£t, not of the eye, but of the mind. Alc. — It is. Euph. — The eye, therefore, alone, cannot fee that a chair is handfome, or a door well proportioned. Alc — It feems to follow *, but I am not clear as to this point. Euph.— -Let us fee, if there be any difficulty in it. — Could the chair you fit on, think you, be reckoned well proportioned, or handfome, if it had not fuch a height, breadth, widenefs, and was not {o far reclined, as to af- ford a convenient feat ? Alc. — It could not. Euph. — The beauty, therefore, or fymmetry of a chair, cannot be apprehended, but by knowing its ufe, and comparing its figure with that ufe, which cannot be done by the eye alone, but is the effecl: of judgment. It is, therefore, one thing to fee an object, and another to difcern its beauty. Alc. — I admit this to be true. IX. Euph. — The architects judge a door to be of a beautiful proportion, when its height is double of the breadth. But if you mould invert a well proportioned door, making its breadth become the height, and its height the breadth, the figure would ftill be the fame, but with- out that beauty in one fituation, which it had in another. [Dial. III.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 131 What can be the caufe of this, but that in the foremention- ed fuppofkron, the door would not yield a convenient en- trance to creatures of a human figure ? But, if in any- other part of the univerfe, there mould be fuppofed ra- tional animals of an inverted ftature, they muft be fuppo- fed to invert the rule for proportion of doors : and to them that would appear beautiful, which, to us, was difagreeable. Alc- — Againft this, I have no objection. Euro. — Tell me, Alciphron, is there not fomething truly decent and beautiful in drefs ? Alc. — Doubtlefs, there is. Euph. — Are any likelier to give us an idea of this beauty in drefs, than painters and fculptors, whofe pro- per bufinefs and ftudy it is, to aim at graceful represent- ations ? Alc. — I believe not. Euph. — Let us then examine the draperies of the great mailers m thefe arts : How, for inftance, they ufe to clothe a matron, or a man of rank. Call an eye on thofe figures (faid he, pointing to fome prints after Ra- phael and Guidoy that hung upon the wall) what appear- ance, do you think, an Englijh courtier, or magillrate, with his Gothic, fuccin£l, plaited garment, and his full- bottomed wig ; or one of our ladies in her unnatural drefs, pinched, and ftiffened, and enlarged with hoops, and whale-bone, and buckram, mull make ; among thole fi- gures fo decently clad in draperies, that fall into fuch a variety of natural, eafy, and ample folds \ that cover the body without incumbering it, and adorn without altering the fhape ? Alc. — Truly, I think they mull make a very ridicu- lous appearance. Euph. — And what do you think this proceeds from ? Whence is it, that the eaflern nations, the Greeks and the Romans, naturally run into the moll becoming drefles ; i 3 2 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. III.] while our Gothic gentry, after fo many centuries racking their inventions, mending, and altering, and improving, and whirling about in perpetual rotation of faftiions, have never yet had the |uck to (tumble on any that was not ab- furd and ridiculous ? Is it not from hence, that inflead of confulting ufe, reafon, and convenience, they abandon themfelves to fancy, the unnatural parent of monfters ? Whereas the ancients, confidering the ufe and end of drefs, made it fubfervient to the freedom, eafe, and conve- nience of the body, and, having no notion of mending or changing the natural ihape, they aimed only at fhewing it with decency and advantage. And, if this be fo, are we not to conclude, that the beauty of drefs depends on its fubferviency to certain ends and ufes ? Alc. — This appears to be true. Euph. This fubordinate, relative nature of beauty, perhaps will be yet plainer, if we examine the refpective beauties of a hoife and a pillar. VirgW$ defcription of the former is, — — llli ardna cervix, Argutumque caput, brevis alvus, obefaque terga, Luxuriatque toris animofum pectus. Now I would fain know, whether the perfections and ufe s of a horfe may not be reduced to thefe three points, courage, ffcrength, and fpeed ? and whether each of the beauties enumerated, doth not occafion, or betoken, one of thefe perfections ? After the fame manner, if we in- quire into the parts and proportions of a beautiful pillar, we mail perhaps find them anfwer to this fame idea. Thofe who have confidered the theory of architecture, tell us, * the proportions of the three Grecian Orders were taken from the human body, as the moft beautiful and perfect * See the learned patri?rch of Aquileia's Commentary on Vitruvius, I 4- 1 1. [Dial. III.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 133 production of nature. Hence were derived thofe grace- ful ideas of columns, which had a character of ftrength without clumfinefs, or of delicacy without weaknefs. — Thofe beautiful proportions were, I fay, taken originally from nature, which, in her creatures, as hath been already obferved, referreth them tofome end, ufe, or defign. The Gonfiezza alfo, or fwelling, and the diminution of a pillar, is it not in fuch proportion, as to make it appear ltrong and light at the fame time ? In the fame manner, muft not the whole entablature, with its projections, be fo pro- portioned, as to feem great, but not heavy, light, but not little : inafmuch as a deviation into either extreme would thwart that reafon and ufe of things, wherein their beauty is founded, and to which it is fubordinate ? The entabla- ture, and all its parts and ornaments, architrave, freeze, cornice, triglyphs, metopes, modiglions, and the reft, have each an ufe, or appearance of ufe, in giving firmnefs and union to the building, in protecting it from the weather, and calling off the rain, in reprefenting the ends of beams with their intervals, the production of rafters, and fo forth. And, if we confider the graceful angels in frontispieces, the fpaces between the columns, or the ornaments of their capitals ; mail we not find, that their beauty rifeth from the appearance of ufe, or the imitation of natural things, whofe beauty is originally founded on the fame principle ? which is, indeed, the grand diftinclion between Grecian and Gothic architecture ; the latter being fantaftical, and, for the mod part, founded neither in nature, nor in rea- fon, in neceffity nor ufe, the appearance of which, ac- counts for all the beauty, grace and ornament, of the other. Cri. — What Euphra7ior\\i\S\ faid, confirms the opinion, I always entertained, that the rules of architecture were founded, (as all other arts which flourifhed among the Greeks) in truth, and nature, and good fenfe. But the ancients, who, from a thorough confideration of the i 3 4 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. III.] grounds and principles of art, formed their idea of beauty, did not always confine themfelves ftri£tly to the fame rules and proportions : But, whenever the particular diftance, polition, elevation, or dimenfion of the fabric, or its parts, feemed to require it, made no fcruple to depart from them, without deferting the original principles of beauty, which governed whatever deviations they made. This latitude, or licence, might not, perhaps, be fafely trufted with moll ' modern architects, who, in their bold fallies, feem to acl: without aim Or defign ; and to be governed by no idea, no reafon, or principle of art, but pure caprice, joined with a thorough contempt of that noble fimplicity of the an- cients, without which there can be no unity, gracefulnefs, or grandeur in their works ; which, of confequence, mull ferve only to disfigure and dilhonor the nation, being fo many monuments to future ages of the opulence and ill tafte of the prefent ; which, it is to be feared, would fuc- ceed as wretchedly, and make as mad work in other affairs, were men to follow, inftead of rules, precepts, and mod- els, their own tafte and firft thoughts of beauty. Alc. — I mould now, methinks, be glad to fee a little more diftin&Iy, the ufe and . tendency of this digreflion upon architecture. Euph.—- Was not beauty the very thing we inquired after ? Alc. — It was. Euph. — What think you, Alciphron, can the appearance of a thing pleafe at this time, and in this place, which pleafed two thoufand years ago, and two thoufand miles off, without fome real principle of beauty ? Alc. — It cannot. Euph. — And is not this the cafe with refpecl: to a jufl piece of architecture ? Alc — No body denies it. Euph. — Architecture, the noble offspring of judgment and fancy, was gradually formed in the molt polite and [Dial. HI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. i 35 knowing countries of Afta> Egypt, Greece and Italy. It was cherifhed and edeemed by the moft flourifhing dates, and mod renowned princes, who, with vad expenfe, improved and brought it to perfection. It feems, above all other arts, peculiarly converfant about order, proportion, and fymmetry. May it not, therefore, be fuppofed, on all ac- counts, mod likely to help us to fome rational notion of theyV nefcai quoi in beauty ? And, in effect, have we not learned from this digreffion, that, as there is no beauty without proportion, fo proportions are to be edeemed juft and true, only as they are relative to fome certain ufe or end, their aptitude and fubordination to which end is, at bottom, that which makes them pleafe and charm ? Alc — I admit all this to be true. X. Euph. — According to this doctrine, I would fain know what beauty can be found in a moral fydem, form- ed, connecled, and governed by chance, fate, or any other blind unthinking principle ? forafmuchas, without thought, there can be no end or defign ; and, without an end, there can be no ufe ; and, without ufe, there is no aptitude or fit- nefs of proportion, from whence beauty fprings. Alc. — May we not fuppofe a certain vital principle of beauty, order, and harmony, diffufed throughout the world, without fuppofing a Providence, infpecting, punifhing, and rewarding the moral actions of men ? without fuppofmg the immortality of the foul, or a life to come ; in a word, without admitting any part of what is commonly called faith, worfhip, and religion ? Cri. — Either you fuppofe this principle intelligent, or not intelligent : If the latter, it is all one with chance, or fate, which was jud now agreed againd : If the former, let me intreat Alciphron to explain to me, wherein confids the beauty of a moral fydem, with a Supreme Intelligence at the head of it, which neither protects the innocent, pun- iflies the wicked, nor rewards the virtuous ? To fuppofe, i 3 6 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. III.] indeed, a Society of rational agents, acting under the eye of Providence, concurring in one dtfign to promote the com- mon benefit of the whole, and conforming their actions to the eftabliihed laws and order of the Divine Paternal Wif- doin : Wherein each particular agent fhall not . confider himfelf apart, but as the member of a great city, whofe author and founder is God : In which the civil laws are no other, than the rules of virtue, and the duties of reli- gion : And where every one's true interefl is combined with his duty : to fuppofe this, would be delightful : On this fuppofition, a man need be no ftoic or knight-errant, to account for his virtue. In fuch a fyftem, vice is mad- nef&, cunning is folly, wifdom and virtue are the fame thing, where, notwithstanding all the crooked paths and by-roads, the wayward appetites and inclinations of men, Sovereign reafon is fure to reform whatever feems amifs, to reduce that which is devious, make ftraight that which is crooked, and, in the laft act, wind up the whole plot, according to the exacted rules of wifdom and juftice* In fuch a fyftem, or fociety, governed by the wifeft precepts, enforced by the higheft rewards and difcouragements, it is delightful to confider, how T the regulation of laws, the dis- tribution of good and evil, the aim of moral agents, do all confpire, in due Subordination, to promote the noble ft end, to wit, the complete happinefs, or well-being, of the whole. In contemplating the beauty of fuch a moral fyf- tem, we may cry out, with the pfalmift, Very excellent things are fpohen of thee, though City of God. XL In a fyftem of fpirits, Subordinate to the will, and under the direction, of the Father of fpirits, governing them by laws, and conducting them by methods, Suitable to wife and good ends, there will.be great beauty. But in an in- coherent fortuitous fyftem, governed by chance, or in a blind fyftem, govetned by fate, or in any fyftem where Providence doth not prefide, how can beauty be, which can- [Dial. III.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 137 not be without order, which cannot be without defign ? when a man is confcious that his will is inwardly conform- ed to the divine will, producing order and harmony in the univerfe, and conducting the whole by the jufteft methods to the beft end : This gives a beautiful idea. But on the other hand, a confcioufnefs of virtue overlooked, neglected, diftrefied by men, and not regarded or rewarded by God, ill-ufed in this world, without hope or profpecl: of being better ufed in another, I would fain know, where is the pleafure of this reflexion, whej-e is the beauty of this fcene ? or, how could any man, in his fenfes, think the fpreading fuch notions the way to fpread or propagate virtue in the world ? Is it not, I befeech you, an ugly fyftem, in which you can fuppofe no law, and prove no duty, wherein men thrive by wickednefs, and fuffer by virtue ? Would it not be a difagreeable fight to fee an honeft man peeled by (harp- ers, to fee virtuous men injured and defpifed, while vice triumphed ? An enthufiaft may entertain himfelf with vifions, and fine talk, about fuch a fyftem ; but when it comes to be confidered by men of cool heads, and clofe reafon, I believe they will find no beauty nor perfection in it ; nor will it appear, that fuch a moral fyftem can poflibly come from the fame hand, or be of a piece with the natural, throughout which there fhines fo much order, harmony, and proportion. Alc. — Your difcourfe ferves to confirm me in my opin- ion. You may remember, I declared, that touching this beauty of morality in the high fenfe, a man's firft thoughts arc beft ; and that, if we pretend to examine, and infpe£t, and reafon, we are in danger to lofe fight of it.* That, in fact, there is fuch a thing cannot be doubted, when we confider that, in thefe days, fome of our philosophers have a high fenfe of virtue, without the lead notion of religion, * Men's firft thoughts on moral matters are generally better than th«ir fecond : their natural notions better than thofe refined by ftudv Chara&criftics, Vol. 1. p. 13. s i 3 8 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. III.] a clear proof of the ufefulnefs and efficacy of our prin- ciples ! XII. Cri. — Not to difpute the virtue of Minute Philo- sophers, we may venture to call its caufe in queftion, and make a doubt, whether it be an inexplicable enthufiaftic notion of moral beauty, or rather, as to me it feems, what was already affigned by Euphranor > complexion, cuftom, and religious education ? but, allowing what beauty you pleafe, to virtue in an irreligious fyftem, it cannot be lefs in a religious, unlefs you will fuppofe that her charms dimin- ifti, as her dowry increafeth. The truth is, a believer hath all the motives from the beauty of virtue, in any fenfe whatfoever, that an unbeliever can poffibly have, befides other motives, which an unbeliever hath not. Hence it is plain, that thofe of your fe&, who have moral virtue, owe it not to their peculiar tenets, which ferve only to leflen the motives to virtue. Thofe, therefore, who are good, are lefs good, and thofe who are bad, are more bad, than they would have been, were they believers. Euph. — To me it feems, thofe heroic infidel inamora- tos of abftra&ed beauty, are much to be pitied, and much to be admired. Lyficlesy hearing this, faid, with fome im- patience, gentlemen, you mail have my whole thoughts upon this point, plain and frank. All that is faid about a moral fenfe, or moral beauty, in any fignification, either of Alciphron or Euphranor^ or any other, I take to be at bot- tom mere bubble and pretence. The kalon and the prepon, the beautiful and the decent, are things outward, relative, and fuperficial, which have no eflfecl; in the dark, but are fpecious topics to difcourfe and expatiate upon, as fome formal pretenders of our feci:, though in other points very orthodox* are ufed to do. But mould one of them get into power, you would find him no fuch fool as Euphranor imagines. He would foon fhew he had found out, that the love of one's country is a prejudice : That mankind are [Dial. HI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. i 39 rogues and hypocrites, and that it were folly to facrifice one's felf for the fake of fuch : That all regards center in this life, and that, as this life is to every man his own life, it clearly follows that charity begins at home. Benevo- lence to mankind is perhaps pretended, but benevolence to himfelf is praclifed by the wife. The livelier fort of our philofophers do not fcruple to own thefe maxims ; and as for the graver, if they are true to their principles, one may guefs what they muft think at bottom. Cri.—- Whatever may be the effecl: of pure theory upon certain felecl: fpirits, of a peculiar make, or in fome other parts of the world ; I do verily think that, in this country, of ours, reafon, religion, law, are all together little enough to fubdue the outward to the inward man ; and that it muft argue a wrong head, and weak judgment, to fuppofe, that, without them, men would be enamoured of the golden mean. To which my countrymen, perhaps, are lefs incli- ned thanf others, there being in the make of an Englifh mind a certain gloom and eagernefs, which carries to the fad extreme ; religion to fanaticifm ; free-thinking to atheifm ; liberty to rebellion : Nor fhould we venture to be govern- ed by tafte, even in matters of lefs confequence. The beautiful in drefs, furniture, and building, is, as Euphranor hath obferved, fomething real and well grounded : And yet our Englijh do not find it out ©f themfelves. What wretched work do they and other northern people make, when they follow their own tafte of beauty, in any of thefe particulars, inftead of acquiring the true, which is to be got from ancient models and the principles of art, as in the cafe of virtue, from great models and meditation, fo far as natural means can go ? But in no cafe is it to be hoped, that to kalon will be the leading idea of the many, who have quick fenfes, ftrong paflions, and grofs intellects. XIII. Alc. — The fewer they are, the more ought we to efteem, and admire fuch philofophers, whofe fouls arc touched, and tranfported, with this fublime idea. i 4 o MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial, in.] Cri.— -But then one might expect, from fuch philofo- phers, fo much good fenfe, and philanthrophy, as to keep their tenets to themfelves, and confider their weak breth- ren, who are more ftrongly afFe£ted by certain fenfes and no- tions of another kind, than that of the beauty of pure dif- interefled virtue. Craiylus, a man prejudiced againft the chriftian religion, of a crazy conftitution, of a rank above mod men's ambition, and a fortune equal to his rank, had little capacity for fenfual vices, or temptation to diihoneft ones. Cratylus having talked himfelf, or imagined that he had talked himfelf, into a ftoical enthufiafm about the beauty of virtue, did, under the pretence of making men heroically virtuous, endeavor to deftroy the means of ma- king them reafonably and humanly fo. A clear inftance, that neither birth, nor books, norconverfation, can introduce a knowledge of the world into a conceited mind, which will ever be its own object, and contemplate mankind in its own mirror ! <- Alc. — Cratylus was a lover of liberty, and of his coun- try, and had a mind to make men incorrupt and virtuous, upon the pureft and molt difinterefted principles. Cri.— It is true, the main fcope of all his writings (as he himfelf tells us) was to aflert the reality of a beauty and charm in moral, as well as in natural fubjec~ts : to demonftrate a tafte, which he thinks more effectual than principle : to recommend morals on the fame foot with manners ; and fo to advance philofophy on the very foun- dation of what is called agreeable and polite. As for re- ligious qualms, the belief of a future ftate of rewards and punifhments, and fuch matters, this great man (ticks not to declare, that the liberal, polifhed, and refined part of mankind, muft needs confider them only as children's tales, and amufements of the vulgar. For the fake, therefore, of the better fort, he hath, in great goodnefs and wif- dom, thought of fomething elfe, to wit, a tafte or relifh : this, he azures us, is, at la®, what will influence : fince, [Dial. HI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. i 4 r according to him, whoever has any impreffion of gentili- ty (as he calls it) or politenefs, is fo acquainted with the decorum and grace of things, as to be really tranfported with the comtemplation thereof.* His conduct feems jufl: as wife, as if a monarch fhould give out, that there was neither jail nor executioner in his kingdom, to enforce the laws, but that it would be beautiful to obferve them, and that, in fo doing, men would tafte the pure delight which refults from order and decorum. Alc. — After all, is it not true, that certain ancient philofophers, of great note, held the fame opinion with Cratylusy declaring that he did not come up to the charac- ter, or deferve the title of a good man, who pra£tifed virtue for the fake of any thing but its own beauty ? Cri. — I believe, indeed, that fome of the ancients faid fuch things as gave occafion for this opinion. Arif- totle\ diftinguimeth between two characters of a good man, the one he calleth agathos, or fimply good, the other kalos kagathos, from whence the compound term kalokaga- thiciy which cannot, perhaps, be rendered by any one word in our language. But his fenfe is plainly this : agathos he defineth to be, that man to whom the good things of nature are good : For, according to him, thofe things, which are vulgarly efteemed the greateft goods, as riches, honors, power, and bodily perfections, are indeed good by nature; but they happen, neverthelefs, to be hurtful and bad to fome perfons, Upon the account of evil habits : inafmuch as neither a fool, nor an unjufl man, nor an intemperate, can be at all the better for the ufe of them, any more than a fick man for ufmg the nou- rifliment proper for thofe who are in health. But kales hagathos is that man, in whom are to be found all things worthy, and decent, and laudable, purely as fuch, and * See Chara&eriflics, Vol. III. Mifcel- 5. cap. 3. and Mifcel- 3. cap a- f Ethic ad Eudemum, lib, 7. cap. ult. x 4 2 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. III.] for their own fake, and who pra&ifeth virtue from no other motive but the fole love of her own innate beauty. That philofopher obferves, likewife, that there is a cer- tain political habit, fuch as the Spartans, and others had, who thought virtue was to be valued and pradUfed on ac- count of the natural advantages that attend it. For which reafon, he adds, they are indeed good men, but they have not the halohagathia, or fupreme confummate virtue. From hence it is plain that, according to Arijlotle, a man may be a good man, without believing virtue its own re- ward, or being only moved to virtue by the fenfe of moral beauty. It is alfo plain, that he diftinguifheth the politi- cal virtue of nations, which the public is every where concerned to maintain, from this fublime and fpeculative kind. It might alfo be obferved, that this exalted idea did confift with fuppofing a Providence, which infpec~ts and rewards the virtues of the beft men. For, faith he in another place, # if the gods have any care of human affairs, as it appears they have, it mould feem reafonable to fuppofe, that they are moil delighted with the mod ex- cellent nature, and mod approaching their own, which is the mind, and that they will reward thofe who chiefly love and cultivate what is moft dear to them. The fame philofopher obferves, f that the bulk of mankind are not naturally difpofed to be awed by (hame, but by fear : nor to abftain from vicious practices, on account of their de- formity, but only of the punifhment which attends them. And again, % he tells us, that youth, being of itfelf averfe from abftinence and fobriety, mould be under the reftraint of laws, regulating their education and employ- ment, and that the fame difcipline mould be continued even after they became men. For which, faith he, we want laws, and, in one word, for the whole ordering of life : inafmuch as the generality of mankind obey rather * Ad Nicom. 1. 10. c. 8- f Ibid. c. 9. £ Ibid. [Dial. III.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 143 force than reafon, and arc influenced rather by penalties, than the beauty of virtue ; Zemiais e to kalo. From all which it is very plain, what Arijlotle would have thought of thofe, who fhould go about to lefTen or deftroy the hopes and fears of mankind, in order to make them virtuous on this fole principle of the beauty of virtue. XIV. Alc. — But, whatever the Stagirite and his peri- patetics might think, is it not certain the ftoics maintain- ed this doctrine in its higheft fenfe, aflerting the beauty of virtue to be all-fufficient j that virtue was her own re- ward •, that this alone could make a man happy, in fpite of all thofe things which are vulgarly efteemed the greateft. woes and miferies of human life ? And all this they held at the fame time that they believed the foul of man to be of a corporeal nature, and in death difTipated like a flame or vapour. Cri. — It mult be owned, the ftoics fomctimes talk,, as if they believed the mortality of the foul. Seneca, in a letter of his to Luci/ius, {peaks much like a Minute Philofopher, in this particular. But in feveral other places, he declares himfelf of a clear contrary opinion, affirming, that the fouls of men, after death, mount aloft into the heavens, look down upon earth, entertain themfelves with the theory of celeftial bodies, the courfe of nature, and the converfation of wife and excellent men, who having lived in diftant ages and countries upon earth, make one fociety in the other world. It muft alfo be acknowledged, that Marcus A?i- toninus fometimes fpeaks of the foul, as perifhing, or dif- folving into its elementary parts : But it is to be noted, that he diftinguifheth three principles in the compofition of human nature, the foma, pfuche, nous, * body, foul, mind, or, as he otherwife exprefieth himfelf, far kid, pneumatiotiy and egemonihn, flefh fpirit, and governing principle. What he calls the pfuche, or foul, containing * L. 3. c. 16. i 4 4 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial, m.] the brutal part of our nature, is indeed reprefented as a compound diflbluble, and actually diflblved by death : But the nous, or to egemonikon, the mind, or ruling princi- ple, he held to be of a pure celeftial nature, theou apospaf- ma % a particle of God, which he fends back intire to the ftars and the Divinity. Befides, among all his magnificent leflbns, and fplendid fentiments, upon the force and beauty of virtue, he is pofitive as to the being of God, and that not merely as a plaftic nature, or foul of the world, but in the ftricl: fenfe of a Providence, in fpe&ing and taking care of human affairs. * The ftoics, therefore, though their (tile was high, and often above truth and nature, yet it cannot be faid, that they fo refolved every motive to a virtuous life into the fole beauty of virtue, as to endeavor to deftroy the belief of the immortality of the foul, and a diftributive Providence. After all, allowing the difinterefted ftoics (therein not un- like our modern quietifts) to have made virtue its own fole reward, in the moll rigid and abfolute fenfe, yet what is this to thofe who are no ftoics ? If we adopt the whole principles of that feci:, admitting their notions of good and evil, their celebrated apathy, and, in one word, fetting up for complete ftoics, we may poflibly maintain this doctrine with a better grace : at lead, it will be of a piece, and con- fident with the whole. But he who (hall borrow this fplendid patch from the ftoics, and hope to make a figure by inferting it in a piece of modern compofition, feafoned with the wit and notions of thefe times, will indeed make a figure, but perhaps it may not be, in the eyes of a wife man, the figure he intended. XV. Though it muft be owned, the prefent age is very indulgent to every thing that aims at profane raillery ; which is alone fufficient to recommend any fantaftical com- pofition to the public. You may behold the tinfel of a * Marc, Antonin. !, ». §. II. [Dial. III.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 145 modern author pafs upon this knowing and learned age for good writing •, afTe&ed ftrains for wit ; pedantry for politenefs ; obfcurities for depths *, ramhjmgs for nights ; the moft aukward imitation for original humor ; an,d all this upon the fole merit of a little artful profanenefs. Alc. — Every one is not alike pleated with writings of humor, nor alike capable of them. It is the fine irony of an author of quality, ' That certain reverend authors, 'who can condefcend to lay-wit, are nicely qualified to hit f the air of breeding and gentility, and that they will in * time, no doubt, refine their manner to the edification of * the polite world ; who have been fo long feduced, by ' the way of raillery, and wit.' The truth is, the various tafte of readers, requireth various kinds of writers. Our feci hath provided for this, with great judgment. To profelyte the graver fort, we have certain profound men at reafon and argument. For the coffee-houfes, and popu- lace, we have declaimers of a copious vein. Of fuch a writer, it is no reproach to fay, jiuit lutukntus ,« he is the fitter for his readers. Then, for men of rank and polite- nefs, we have the fined, and wittieft Railleurs in the world, whofe ridicule, is the lure teft of truth. . Euph. — Tell me, AiciphroTi, are thofe ingenious Rail* teursy men of knowledge ? Alc. — Very knowing. Euph. — Do they know, for inflance, the Copernfcan fyftem, or the circulation of the blood ? Alc. — One would think vou judged of our feci, by your country neighbors : There is nobody in town, but knows all thofe points. Euph. — You believe then, antipodes, mountains in the moon, and the motion of the earth. Alc— We do. Euph. — Suppofe, five or fix cent , a man had stained thefe notions . efpr'Us oi Englifj court y how do you think they would have been received ? i 4 6 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. III.] Alc. — With great ridicule. Euph. — And now it would be ridiculous to ridicule them. Alc. — It would. Euph. — But truth was the fame, then and now. Alc— It was. Euph. — It mould feem, therefore, that ridicule is no fuch fovereign touchftone, and teft of truth, as you gentle- men imagine. Alc. — One thing we know : Our raillery and farcafms gall the black tribe, and that is our comfort. Cri. — There is another thing, it might be worth your while to know : That men, in a laughing fit, may applaud a ridicule, which mall appear contemptible when they come to themfelves : Witnefs the ridicule of Socrates by the comic poet, the humour and reception it met with, no more proving that, than the fame will your's, to be juft, when calmly conlidered by men of fenfe. Alc — After all, thus much is certain, our ingenious men make converts by deriding the principles of religion. And, take my word, it is the raoft iiiccefsful and pleafing method of conviction. Thefe authors laugh men out of their religion, as Horace did out of their vices : Admifli circum prxcordia ludunt. But a bigot cannot relifti or find out their wit. XVI. Cri. Wit without wifdom, if there be fuch a thing, is hardly worth finding. And, as for the wifdom of thefe men, it is of a kind fo peculiar, one may well fuf- pe£t it. Cicero was a man of fenfe, and no bigot, never- thelefs he makes Scipw own himfelf much more vigilant and vigorous in the race of virtue, from fuppofmg heaven the prize.* And he introduceth Cato declaring, he would never have undergone thofe virtuous toils for the fervice of the public, if he had thought his being was to end with this life.f * Somn. Scipionis. f De Sene&ute. [Dial. III.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 147 Alc— — I acknowledge Cato, Scipio, and Cicero, were very well for their times : But you mult pardon me, if I do not think they arrived at the high confummate virtue of our modern free-thinkers. Euph. — It mould feem then, that virtue flourifheth more than ever among us. Alc. — It mould. Euph. — And this abundant virtue is owing to the method taken by your profound writers to recommend it. Alc — This I grant. Euph. — But you have acknowledged, that the enthufi- aflic lovers of virtue are not the many of your feet, but only a few fele£t fpirits. To which Alclphrcn making no anfwer, Crito addrefled himfelf to Euphranor : To make, faid he, a true eftimate of the worth and growth of modern virtue, you are not to count the virtuous men, but rather to confider the quality of their virtue. Now you rauft know, the virtue of thefe refined theorifts is fomething fo pure and genuine, that a very little goes far, and, is in truth, invaluable. To which that reafonable, interested virtue, of the old EngUJh, or Spartan kind, can bear no proportion. Euph. — Tell me, Alciphron, are there not difeafes of the foul, as well as of the body ? Alc — Without doubt. Euph. — And are not thofe difeafes, vicious habits ? Alc — They are. Euph. — And, as bodily diflempers are cured by phyfic, thofe of the mind are cured by philofophy : are they not ? Alc— -I acknowledge it. Euph. — It feems, therefore, that philofophy is a medi- cine for the foul of man. Alc — It is. Euph. — How fhall we be able to judge of medicines, or know which to prefer ? Is it not from the effects wrought by them ? Alc — Doubtlefs. MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. III.] Euph.— - Where an epidemical diftemper rages, fuppofe a new phyfician mould condemn the known eftablifhed practice, and recommend another method of cure : would you not, in proportion as the bills of mortality increafed* be tempted to fufpecT this new method, notwithstanding all the plaufible difcourfe of its abettors ? Alc. — This ferves only to amufe and lead us from the 'on. Cm.— It puts me in mind of my friend, Lnmprccles^ who needed but one argument againft infidels. I obferv- ed, faid he, that, as infidelity grew, there grew corruption of every kind, and new vices. This fimple obfervation, on matter of fa£t, v/as fufficient to make him, notwith- standing the remonftrance of feveral ingenious men, imbue and feafon the minds of his children betimes with the principles of religion. The new theories, which our acute moderns have endeavored to fubftitute in place of religion, have had their fullcourfe in theprefent age, and produced their e£Fec?c on the minds and manners of men. That men are men, is a fure maxim : But it is as fure, that Engujlmien are not the fame men they were : whether better or worfe, more or lefs virtuous, I need not fay. Every one may fee and judge. Though, indeed, after Arijlides had been banifned, and Socrates put to death at Athens^ a man, without being a conjurer, migltt guefs what the beauty of. virtue could do in England. But there is now neither room nor occafion for gueffing. We have our own experience to open our eyes 5 which yet if we continue to keep fhut, till the remains of religious educa- tion are quite worn off from the minds of men ; it is to ared we fhall then open them wide, not to avoid, but to behold and lament our ruin. Alc. — Be the confequences what they will, I can never bring myfelf to be of a mind with thole, who meafure truth by convenience. Truth is the only that I adore. Wherever truth leads- I fhall follow. [Dial, in.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 149 Euph. — You have then a paffion for truth ? Alc. — Undoubtedly. Euph.— For all truths ? Alc. — For all. Euph. — To know, or to publifh them ? Alc— Both. Eupk. — What ! would you undeceive a child that was taking plryfic ? would you officioufly fet an enemy right, that was making a wrong attack ? would you help an en- raged man to his fword ? Alc. — In fiich cafes, common fenfe directs one how to behave. Euph. — Common fenfe, it feems then, muft be confut- ed, whether a truth be falutary, or hurtful, fit to be declar- ed, or concealed. Alc. — How ! you would have me conceal, and ftifie the truth, and keep it to myfeif ? Is this what you aim at ? Euph. — I only make a plain inference from what you grant. As for myfeif, I do not believe your opinions true. And, although you do t you mould not, therefore, if you would appear confident with yourfelf, think it ne- ceflary, or wife, to publifn hurtful truths. "What fervice can it do mankind, to 'leflen the motives to virtue, or what damage to increafe them ? Alc. — None in the world. But I muft needs fay, I cannot reconcile the received notions of a God, and Providence, to my underftanding, and my nature abhors the bafcnefs of conniving at a falfhood. Euph. — Shall we,- therefore, appeal to truth, and exam- ine the reafons, by which you are withheld from believing thefe points ? Alc. — With all my heart, but enough for the prefent. We will make this the fubjecl: of our next, conference. THE FOURTH DIALOGUE. I. Prejudices concerning a Deity. II. Rules laid down by Alciphron, to be obferved in proving a God. III. What fort of Proof he expetls. IV. Whence we collecl the Be- ing of other Thinking Individuals. V. The fame Method a fortiori proves the being of a God. VI. AlciphronV fecond Thoughts on this Point. VII. God /peaks to Men. VIII. How Diflance is perceived by Sight. IX. The pro- per Objetls of Sight at no diflance. X. Lights, Shades, and Colours, varioufy combined, form a Language. XI. The Signification of this Language learned by Experience. XII. God explaineth himfelf to the eyes of Men by the ar- bitrary Ufe of fenfble Signs. XIII. The Prejudice and Hue fold AfpeEl of a Minute Philofopher. XIV. Godpre- fent to Mankind, informs, admoni/hes, and direcls them in a fenfble manner. XV. Admirable Nature and Ufe of this vifual Language. XVI. Minute Philofopher s content to admit a God in certain Senfes. XVII. Opinion offome, who hold that Knowledge and Wifdom are not pro- perly in God. XVIII. Dangerous Tendency of this No- tion. XIX. Its Original. XX. The Senfe of Schoolmen upon it. XXI. Scholafic Ufe of the Terms, Analogy and. Analogical, explained : Analogical Perfections of God mif- underfood. XXII. God intelligent, wife and good, in the proper Senfe of the Words. XXIII. ObjeBion from moral Evil confidered. XXIV. Men argue from their own Defects againfl a Deity. XXV. Religious Wafhip reafonable and expedient. [Dial. IV.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 151 L E |ARLY the next morning, as I looked out of my window, I faw Alciphron walking in the garden, with all the figns of a man in deep thought. Upon which I went down to him. Alciphron , faid I, this early and profound meditation puts me in no fmall fright. How fo ! Becaufe I mould be forry to be convinced there was no God. The thought of anarchy in nature is to me more (hocking than in civil life : inafmuch as natural con- cerns are more important than civil, and the bafis of all others. I grant, replied Alciphron, that fome inconveni- ence may poflibly follow from difproving a God : but, as to what you fay of fright and mocking, all that is nothing but prejudice, mere prejudice. Men frame an idea, or chimera, in their own minds, and then fall down and worfhip it. Notions govern mankind : but, of all notions, that of God's governing the world, hath taken the deep- eft root, and fpread the farthefl : It is therefore, in phi- lofophy, an heroical atchievment to difpoflefs this imagi- nary monarch of his government, and banifh all thofe fears and fpe&res, which the light ©f reafon alone can difpel ; Non radii foils, non lucida tela diet Difcutiunt, fed nature f pedes raticque. * My part, faid I, {hall be to ftandby, as I have hither- to done, and takes notes of all that pafleth during this memorable event : while a Minute Philofopher, not fix foot high, attempts to dethrone the Monarch of the univerfe. Alas ! replied Alciphron, arguments are not to be mea- fured by feet and inches. One man may fee more than a million : and a fhort argument, managed by a free- thinker, may be fufficient to overthrow the moil gigantic chimera. As we were engaged in this difcourfe, Crito * Lucretius. i$z MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IV] and Euphranor joined us. I find you have been before- hand with us to-day, faid Crito to Alciphron, and taken the advantage of folitude and early hours, while Euphra- nor and I v/ere afleep in our beds. We may, therefore, expe£t to fee atheifm placed in its beft light, and fup- ported by the ftrongeft arguments. II. Alc — The being of a God is a fubjecT: upon which there has been a world of common-place, which it is need- lefs to repeat. Give me leave, therefore, to lay down certain rules and limitations, in order to fhorten our prefent con- ference. For, as the end of debating is to perfuade, all thofe things which are foreign to this end, fhould be left out of our debate. Firft then, let me tell you, I am not to be perfuaded by metaphyseal arguments •, fuch, for inftance, as are drawn from the idea of an all-perfecl; Being, or the abfurdity of an infinite progreflion of cauf- es. This fort of arguments I have always found dry and jejune : and, as they are not fuited to my way of think- ing, they may, perhaps, puzzle, but never will convince me. Secondly, I am not to be perfuaded by the autho- rity either of paft or prefent ages, of mankind in general, or of particular wife men : all which paffeth for little or nothing with a man of found argument and free thought. Thirdly, all proofs drawn from utility, or convenience, are foreign to the purpofe. They may prove, indeed, the ufefulnefs of the notion, but not the exiftenee of' the thing. Whatever legiflators or ftatefmen may think, truth and convenience are very different things to the rig- orous eyes of a philofophcr. And now, that I may not feem partial, I will limit myfelf, alfo, not to object, in the firft place, from any thing that may feem irregular, or unaccountable in the works' of nature, againft a caufe of infinite power and wifdom : becaufe I already, know the anfwer vou would make, to wit, that no one can . judge of the fymmetry and ufe of the parts of an in- [Dial. IV.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 153 finite machine, which are all relative to each other, and to the whole, without being able to comprehend the en- tire machine, or the whole univerfe. And, in the fecond place, I (hall engage myfelf not to obje£t againft the jus- tice, and providence of a Supreme Being, from the evil that befalls good men, and the profperity which is often the portion of wicked men in this life : becaufe I know that, inftead of admitting this to be an objection againft a Deity, you would make it an argument for a future ftate ; in which there fhall be fuch a retribution of rewards and punifhments, as may vindicate the divine attributes, and fet all things right in the end. Now thefe anfwers, though they mould be admitted for good ones, are, in truth, no proofs of the being of a God, but only folutions of cer- tain difficulties which might be objected, fuppofing it al- ready proved by proper arguments. Thus much I thought fit to premife, in order to fave time and trouble both to you, and myfelf. Cri. — I think that, as the proper end of our confer- ence ought to be fuppofed the difcovery and defence of truth, fo truth may be juftified, not only by perfuading its adverfaries, but, where that cannot be done, by mewing them to be unreafonable. Arguments, therefore, which carry light, have their effec~t, even againft an opponent who fhuts his eyes, becaufe they (hew him to be obftinate and prejudiced. Befides, this diftin£tion between argu- ments that puzzle, and that convince, is leaft of all, ob- ferved by Minute Philofophers, and need not, therefore^ be obferved by others, in their favor. But, perhaps, Euphranor may be willing to encounter you on your own terms, in which cafe I have nothing farther to fay. III. Euph. — Alciphron a&s like a fkilful general, who is bent upon gaining the advantage of the ground, and alluring the enemy out of their trenches. We, who be- lieve a God, are intrenched within tradition, cuftom, au- U i 5 4 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IV.] thority and law. And neverthelefs, inftead of attempting to force us, he propofes that we fhould voluntarily, aban- don thefe intrenchments, and make the attack : when we may ae~l on the defenfive with much fecurity and eafe, leaving him the trouble to difpoflefs us, of what we need not refign. Thofe reafons (continued he, addreffing him- felf to Alciphron) which you have muttered up in this morning's meditation, if they do not weaken, muft eftab- lifh our belief of a God : For the utmoft is to be expected from fo great a matter in his profeffion, when he fets his ftrength to a point. Alc. — I hold the confufed notion of a Deity, or fome invifible power, to be, of all prejudices, the molt uncon- querable. When half a dozen ingenious men are got to- gether over a glafs of wine, by a chearful fire, in a room well-lighted ; we banilh with eafe all the fpe&res of fancy, or education, and are very clear in our decifions. But as I was taking a folitary walk before it was broad day-light, in yonder grove, methought the point was not quite fo clear : nor could I readily recollect the force of thofe ar- guments, which ufed to appear fo conclufive at other times. I had, I know not, what awe upon my mind, and feemed haunted by a fort of panic, which I cannot otherwife ac- count for, than by fuppofing it the effe£t of prejudice : For you muft know, that I, like the reft of the world, was once upon a time, catechifed, and tutored into the belief of a God, or Spirit. There is no furer mark of prejudice, than the believing a thing without reafon. What neceffity then can there be that I mould fet myfelf the difficult talk of proving a negative, when it is fufficient to obferve, that there is no proof of the affirmative, and that the admit- ting it without proof is unreafonable ? prove, therefore, your opinion, or, if you cannot, you may indeed remain in porTeffion of it, but you will only be poffefled of a pre- judice. Euph.— O Alciphron I to content you, we muft prove, [Dial. IV.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. i 55 it feems, and we muft prove upon your own terms. But, in the firft place, let us fee what fort of proof you expect. Alc. — Perhaps I may not expect it, but I will tell you what fort of proof I would have : And that is, in fhort, fuch proof, as every man of fenfe requires of a matter of fa£t, or the exiftence of aciy other particular thing. For inftance, fhould a man afk^why I believe there is a king of Great Britain P I might anfwer, becaufe I had feen him : Or a king of Spain P becaufe I had feen thofe who faw him. But as for this king of kings, I neither faw him myfelf, nor any one elfe, that ever did fee him. Surely if there be fuch a thing as God, it is very ftrange that he fhould leave himfelf without a witnefs ; that men fhould ftill difpute his being ; and that there fhould be no one evident, fenfible, plain proof of it, without recourfe to phi- lofophy or metaphyfics. A matter of fact is not to be proved by notions, but by fa£ts. This is clear and full to the point. You fee what I would be at. Upon thefe principles I defy fuperftition. Euph.— You believe then, as far as you can fee. Alc. — That is my rule of faith. Euph. — How ! will you not believe the exiftence of things which you hear, unlefs you alfo fee them ? Alc — I will not fay fo neither. When I infilled on feeing, I would be underftood to mean perceiving in gener- al. Outward objects make very different impreflions up- on the animal fpirits, all which are comprifed under the common name of fenfe. And whatever we can perceive by any fenfe we may be fure of. IV. Euph. — What ! do you believe then there are fuch things as animal fpirits ? Alc- — Doubtlefs. Euph. — By what fenfe, do you perceive them ? Alc. — I do not perceive immediately by any of my fen- fes. I am neverthelefs perfuaded of their exiftence, be- i$6 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IV.] caufe I can collect it from their effects and operations. They are the meffengers, which, running to and fro in the nerves, preferve a communication between the foul and outward objects. Euph.— You admit then, the being of a foul. Alc. — Provided I do not admit an immaterial fubftance, I fee no inconvenience in admitting there may be fuch a thing as a foul. And this may be no more than a thin fine texture of fubtile parts, or fpirits, refiding in the brain. Euph. — I do not afk about its nature. I only aik whether you admit that there is a principle of thought and action, and whether it be perceivable by fenfe. Alc. — I grant that there is fuch a principle, and that it is not the object of fenfe itfelf, but inferred from appear- ances which are perceived by fenfe. . Euph. — If I underftand you rightly, from animal func- tions and motions, you infer the exiftence of animal fpirits ; and from reafonable acts you infer the exiftence of a rea- sonable foul. Is it not fo ? Alc — It is. Euph. — It fhould feem therefore, that the being of things, imperceptible to fenfe, may be collected from ef- fects and figns, or fenfible tokens. Alc. — It may. Euph. — Tell me, Alciphron, is not the foul that which makes the principal diftinctio.n between a real perfon and a fhadow, a living man and a carcafs ? Alc. — -I grant it is. Euph. — I cannot, therefore, know that you, for inftance, are a diftinct thinking individual, or a living real man, by furer, or other figns, than thofe from which it can be infer- red that you have a foul. Alc — You cannot. Euph. — Pray tell me, are not all acts, immediately and properly perceived by fer.fe, reducible to motion ? Alc — Thev are. [Dial. IV.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. i 57 Euph. — Prom motions therefore, you infer a mover, or caufe : And from reafonable motions (or fuch as appear calculated for a reafonable end) a rational caufe, foul, or fpirit. Alc. — Even fo. V. Euph. The foul of man actuates but a fmall body, an infignificant particle, in refpe£r. of the great mafies of nature, the elements, and heavenly bodies, and the fyf- tem of the world. And the wifdom that appears in thofe motions, which are the effetl: of human reafon, is incom- parably lefs than that which difcovers itfelf, in the ftruc- ture and ufe of organized natural bodies, animal or veget- able. A man, with his hand, can make no machine fo admirable as the hand itfelf : Nor can any of thofe mo- tions, by which we trace out human reafon, approach the fkill and contrivance of thofe wonderful motions of the heart, and brain, and other vital parts, which do not depend on the will of man. Alc. — AIL this is true. Euph. — Doth it not follow then, that from natural motions, independent of man's will, may be inferred both power and wifdom, incomparably greater than that of the human foul ? Alc. — It fhould feem fo. Euph. — Further, is there not, in natural productions and effects, a vifible unity of council and defign ? Are not the rules affixed and immoveable ? Do not the fame laws of motion obtain throughout ? The fame in China and here, the fame two thouftind years ago, and at this day ? Alc — All this I do not deny. Euph. — Is there not alfo a connexion, or relation, be- tween animals and vegetables ; between both and the elements ; between the elements and heavenly bodies ; fo that, from their mutual refpe&s, influences, fubordina- 158 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IV.] tions, and ufes, they may be colle&ed to be parts of one whole, confpiring to one and the fame end, and fulfilling the fame defign ? Alc. — Suppofing all this to be true. Euph. — Will it not then follow, that this vaftly great or infinite power and wifdom, muft be fuppofed in one and the fame agent, fpirit or mind ; and that we have, at leaft, as clear, full, and immediate certainty of the being of this infinitely wife and powerful , Spirit, as of any one human foul whatfoever, befides our own ? Alc. — Let me confider : I fufpect we proceed too haftily. What ! Do you pretend you can have the fame affurance of the being of God, that you can have of mine, whom you actually fee (land before you, and talk to you ? Euph. — The very fame, if not greater. Alc — How do you make this appear ? Euph. — By the perfon Alciphron y is meant an indivi- dual thinking thing, and not the hair, fkin, or vifible fur- face, or any part of the outward form, colour, or ihape of Alciphron. Alc — This I grant. Euph. — And in granting this, you grant that, irua ftric~t. fenfe, I do not fee Alciphron> i. e. that individual thinking thing, but only fuch vifible figns and tokens, as fuggeft and infer the being of that invifible thinking prin- ciple, or foul. Even fo, in the felf fame manner, it feems tome, that though I cannot, with eyes of flefh, behold the invifible God ; yet I do, in the ftri&eft fenfe, behold and perceive, by all my fenfes, fuch figns and tokens, fuch effe&s and operations, as fuggeft, indicate, and demon* ftrate an invifible God, as certainly, and with the fame evidence, at leaft, as any other figns, perceived by fenfe, do fugged to me the exiftence of your foul, fpirit, or thinking principle j which I am convinced of only by a few figns or effects, and the motions of one fmali organ- ized body : Whereas I do, at all times, and in all places, [Dial. IV.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. i S9 perceive fenfible figns, which evince the being of God. The point, therefore, doubted or denied by you at the beginning, now feems manifeftly to follow from the pre- mifes. Throughout this whole enquiry, have we not confidered every ftep with care, and made not the leaft advance without clear evidence ? You and I examined and affented fingly to each foregoing propofition : What {hall we do then with the conclufion ? For my part, if you do not help me out, I find myfelf under an abfolute necefiity of admitting it for true. You muft, therefore, be content, henceforward to bear the blame, if I live and die in the belief of a God. VI. Alc. — It muft be confeft, I do not readily find an anfwer. There feems to be fome foundation for what you fay. But, on the other hand, if the point was fo clear as you pretend, I cannot conceive how fo many fa- gacious men, of our fe£l, mould be fo much in the dark, as not to know or believe one fyllable of it. Euph. — Ozilciphron> it is not our prefent bufinefs to account for the overfights, or vindicate the honor of thofe great men, the free-thinkers, when their very exiftencc is in danger of being called in queftion. Alc. — How fo ? Euph. — Be pleafed to recollect the conceflions you have made, and then fhe\tf me, if the arguments for a Deity be not conclufive, by what better arguments you can prove the exiftence of that thinking thing, which in ftri&nefs conflitutes the free-thinker. As foon as Euphraner had uttered thefe words, Alci- phron ftopt fhort, and flood in a pofture of meditation, while the reft of us continued our walk, and took two or three turns, after which he joined us again with a fmiling countenance, like one who had made fome difcovery. I have found, faid he, what may clear up the point in dif- pute, and give Euphranor entire fatisfaftion ; I would fay i6o MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IV.] an argument, which will prove the exiftence of a free- thinker, the like whereof cannot be applied to prove the exiftence of a God. You muft know then, that your notion of our perceiving the exiftence of God, as certain- ly and immediately as we do that of a human perfon, I could by no means digeft, though I muft own it puzzled me, till I had confidered the matter. At firft methought, a particular ftru&ure, ihape, or motion, was the mod certain proof of a thinking, reafonable foul. But a little attention fatisfied me, that thefe things have no necefiary connexion with reafon, knowledge, and wifdom. And that, allowing them to be certain proofs of a living foul, they cannot be fo of a thinking and reafonable one. Up- on fecond thoughts, therefore, and a minute examina- tion of this point, I have found, that nothing fo much convinces me of the exiftence of another perfon as his fpeaking to me. It is my hearing you talk, that, in Uriel: arid philofophical truth, is to me the beft argument for your being. And this is a peculiar argument, inappli- cable to your purpofe : For you will not, I fuppofe, pre- tend that God fpeaks to man in the fame clear and fenfi- ble manner, as one man doth to another. VII. Euph. — How ! is then the impreffion of found fo much more evident than that of other fenfes ? Or, if it be, is the voice of man louder than that of thunder ? Alc. — Alas ! You miftake the point. What I mean is not the found of fpeech, merely as fuch, but the arbi- trary ufe of fenfible figns, which have no fimilitude or ne- cefTary connexion with the things fignified j fo as by the oppofite management of them, to fuggeft and exhibit to my mind an endlefs variety of things, differing in nature, time, and place j thereby informing me, entertaining me, and directing me how to a£t, not only with regard to things near and prefent, but alfo, with regard to things [Dial. IV.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 161 diftant and future. No matter whether thefe figns arc pronounced or written, whether tVy enter by the eye or the ear : They have the fame ufe, and are equally proofs of an intelligent, thinking, defigning caufe. Euph. — But what if it mould appear that God really fpeaks to man ; mould this content you ? Alc.— I am for admitting no inward fpeech, no holy inftin&s, or fuggeftions of light or fpirit. All that, you muft know, pafTeth with men of fenfe for nothing. If you do not make it plain to me, that God fpeaks to men, by outward fenfible figns, of fuch fort, and in fuch man- ner, as I have defined, you do nothing. Euph. — But if it fhall appear plainly, that God fpeaks to men by the intervention and ufe of arbitrary, outward, fenfible figns, having no refemblance or neceflary connex- ion with the things they (land for and fuggeft : If it fhall appear, that by innumerable combinations of thefe figns, an endlefs variety of things is difcovered, and made known to us ; and that we are thereby i n fir u died, or informed, in their different natures ; that we are taught and admon- ifhed what to fhun, and what to purfue ; and are directed how to regulate our motions, and how to acl: with refpedt to things diftant from us, as well in time as place ; will this content you ? Alc. — It is the very thing I would have you make out ; for therein confifts the force, and ufe, and nature of lan- guage. VIII. Euph. — Look, A!ciphron> do you not fee the caf- tie upon yonder hill ? Alc. — I do. Euph. — Is it not at a great diftance from you ? Alc. — It is. Euph. — Tell me, Jlciphroiiy is not diftance. 3 line turn- ed end-wife to the eye ? Alc. — Doubtlefs. W i6z MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IV.] EupH. — And can a line, in that fituation, project more than one tingle point on the bottom of the eye ? Alc. — It cannot. Euph. — Therefore the appearance of a long and of a fhort diftance, is of the fame magnitude, or rather of no magnitude at all, being, in all cafes, one fingle point. Alc. — It feems fo. Euph. — Should it not follow, from hence, that diftance is not immediately perceived by the eye ? Alc — It fhould. Euph.— Muft it not then be perceived by the media- don of fome other thing ? Alc. — It muft. Euph.— To difcoverwhat this is, let us examine what alteration there may be in the appearance of the fame ob- ject, placed at different diftances from the eye. Now I find, by experience, that, when an object is removed ftill farther and farther off, in a direct line from the eye, its viiible appearance ftill grows lefier and fainter : And this change of appearance, being proportional and univerfal, feems to me to be, that by which we apprehend the various degrees of diftance. Alc. — I have nothing to object to this. Euph. — But littlenefs or faintnefs, in their own nature, feem to have no necefTary connexion with greater length of diftance. Alc — I admit this to be true. Euph. — Will it not follow then, that they could never fuggeft it but from experience ? Alc — It will. Euph. — That is to fay, we perceive diftance, not im- mediately, but by mediation of a fign, which hath no like- nefs to it, or necefTary connexion with it, but only fuggefts it from repeated experience, as words do things. Alc — Hold, Euphranor : Now I think of it, the wri- ters in optics tell us of an angle made by the two optic ax- [Dial. IV.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. j6 ? cs, where they meet in the vifible point or object ; which angle, the obtufer it is, the nearer it fhews the object to be, and by how much the acuter, by fo much the farther oft -, and this from a neceffary demonflrable connexion. Euph. — The mind then finds out the diflance of things by geometry. Alc It doth. Euph. — Should it not follow, therefore, that nobody could fee, but thofe who had learned geometry, and knew fomething of lines and angles ? Alc. — There is a fort of natural geometry, which is got without learning. Euph.— —Pray inform me, Alclphron^ in order to frame a proof of any kind, or deduce one point from another, is it not necefiary, that I perceive the connexion of the terms in the premifes, and the connexion of the premifes with the conclufion : And, in general, to know one thing by means of another, muft I not firft know that other thing ? when I perceive your meaning by your v.*ords, muft I not firfl perceive the words themfelves ? and mud I not know the premifes, before I infer the conclufion ? Alc — All this is true. Euph. — Whoever, therefore, collects a nearer diflance from a wider angle, or a farther diflance from an acuter angle, muft firfl perceive the angles themfelves. And he who doth not perceive thofe angles, can infer nothing from them. Is it fo or not ? Alc — It is as you fay. Euph. — Afk now the firfl man you meet, whether he perceives or knows any thing of thofe optic angles ? or whether he ever thinks about them, or makes any inferen- ces from them, either by natural or artificial geometry ? What anfwer do you think he would make ? Alc — To fpeak the truth, I believe his anfwer would that! he knew nothing of thofe matters. &*4 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial; IV.] Euph. — It cannot therefore be, that men judge of dis- tance by angles : Nor consequently can there be any force in the argument you drew from thence, to prove that dif- tance is perceived by means of fomething which hath a r.ecefTary connexion with it. Alc. — I agree with you. IX. Euph. — To me it feems, that a man may know whether he perceives a thing or no : and if he perceives it, whether it be immediately, or mediately : and if mediate- ly, whether by means of fomething like, or unlike, necef- farily, or arbitrarily connected with it. Alc. — It feems fo. Euph.-— And is it not certain, that diftance is perceived only by experience, if it be neither perceived immediately by itfelf, nor by means of any image, nor of 2ny lines and angles, which are like it, or have a necefiary connexion with it ? Alc. — It is. Euph. — Doth it not feem to follow, from what hath been' faid and allowed by you, that before all experience a man would not imagine, the things he faw were at any diflance from him ? Alc— —How ! let me fee. Euph. — The littlenefs or faintnefs of appearance, or any other idea or fenfation, not necelTarily connected with, or rcfembling diflance, can no more fuggeft different de- • grees of diftance, or any diflance at all, to the mind, which hath not experienced a connexion of the things fignifying and fignified, than words can fuggeft notions before a man hath learned the language. Alc. — I allow this to be true. Euph.— Will it not thence follow, that a man born blind, and made to fee, would, upon firfl: receiving his fight, take the things he faw, not to be at any diftance from him. but in his eve, or rather in his mind ? [Dial. IV.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. i6 s Alc. — I mud own it fcem fo : And yet, on the other hand, I can hardly perfuade myfelf, that, if I were in fuch a ft ate, I mould think thofe objects, which I now fee at fo great a diftance, to be at no diftance at all. Euph. — It feems then, that you now think the objects of fight are at a diftance from you. Alc. — Doubtlefs I do. Can any one queftion but yon- der caftle is at a great diftance ? Euph. — Tell me, Alciphron, can you difcern the doors, windows, and battlements of that fame caftle ? Alc. — I cannot. At this diftance it feems only' a fmall round tower. Euph. — But I, who have been at it, know that it is no fmall round tower, but a large fquare building, with battlements and turrets, which it feems you do not fee. Alc — What will you infer from thence ? Euph. — I would infer, that the very object, which you ftri&ly and properly perceive by fight, is not that thing which is feveral miles diftant. Alc— Why fo ? Euph. — Becaufe a little round objetl is one thing, and a great fquare object is another. , Is it not ? Alc — I cannot deny it. Euph. — Tell me, is not the vifible appearance alone the proper objeel: of fight ? Alc — It is. What think you now (faid Euphranor, pointing towards the heavens) of the vifible appearance cf yonder planet ? Is it not a round luminous flat, not big- ger than a fixpence ? Alc — What then ? Euph. — Tell me then, what you think of the planet itfelf. Do you not conceive it to be a vaft opaque globe, with feveral unequal rifings and vallies ? Alc — I do. Euph. — How can you, therefore conclude, that the proper objeel: of your fight exifts at a diftance ? i66 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IV.] Alc. — I confefs I know not. Euph. — For your farther conviction, do but confider that crimfon cloud. Think you, that if you were in the very place where it is, you would perceive any thing like what you now fee ? Alc. — By no means. I mould perceive only a dark milt. Euph. — Is it not plain, therefore, that neither the caftle, the planet, nor the cloud, which you fee here, are thofe real ones, which you fuppofe exift at a diftance ? X. Alc. — "What am I to think then ? Do we fee any thing at all, or is it altogether fancy and illufion ? Euph.— Upon the whole, it feems the proper objects of fight are light and colours, with their feveral (hades and degrees ; all which, being infinitely diverfified and combined, form a language wonderfully adapted to fug- geft and exhibit to us the diftances, figures, fituations, dimenfions, and various qualities of tangible objects : not by fimilitude, . nor yet by inference of neceiTary connexion, but by the arbitrary impofition of Providence : juft as words fuggeft the things fignified by them. Alc. — How ! Do we not, ftrictly fpeaking, perceive by fight fuch things as trees, houfes, men, rivers, and the like ? Euph. — We do, indeed, perceive or apprehend thofe things by the faculty of fight. But will it follow from thence, that they are the proper and immediate objects of fight, any more than that all thofe things are the proper and immediate objects of hearing, which are fignified by the help of words, or founds ? Alc — You would have us think then, that light, {hades, and colours, varioufly combined, anfwer to the feveral articulations of found in language ; and that, by means thereof, all forts of objects are fuggefted to the mind through the eye, in the fame manner as they are fuggefted, by words or founds, through the ear : that is, [Dial. IV.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 167 neither from neceflary deduction to the judgment, nor from fimilitude to the fancy, but purely and folely from experience, cuftom, and habit. Euph. — I would not have you think any thing, more than the nature of things obligeth you to think, nor fub- mit in the leaft to my judgment, but only to the force of truth -, which is an impofition that I fuppofe the freeft thinkers will not pretend to be exempt from. Alc. — You have led me, it feems, ftep by ftep, till I am got I know not where. But I fhall try to get out again, if not by the way I came, yet by fome other of my own finding. Here Alciphrcn> having made a (hort paufe, proceeded as follows : XI. Anfwer me, Euphranor, mould it not follow, from thefe principles, that a man, born blind, and made to fee, would at firft fight not only not perceive their dif- tance, but alfo not fo much as know the very things themfelves which he faw, for inftance, men or trees ? which furely to fupport mult be abfurd. Euph. — I grant, in confequence of thofe principles, which both you and I have admitted, that fuch a one would never think of men, trees, or any other objects that he had been accuftomed to perceive by touch, upon having his mind filled with new fenfations of light and colours, whofe various combinations he doth not yet un- derftand, or know the meaning of ; no more than a Chi- Hefe t upon firft hearing the words man and tree, would think of the things fignified by them. In both cafes, there mull be time and experience, by repeated a£ts, to acquire a habit of knowing the connexion between the figns and things fignified j that is to fay, of underftanding the lan- ge, whether of the eyes or of the ears. And I con- ceive no abfurdity in this. Alc. — I fee, therefore, in ftri£t philofophical truth, that rock only in the fame fenfe that I may be faid to hear it, when the word reck is pronounced. 1 63 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IV.] Eu?H. — In the very fame. Alc. — How comes it to pafs then, that every one (hall fay he fees, for inftance, a rock, or a houfe, when thofe things are before his eyes ; but no body will fay, he hears a rock, or a houfe, but only the words or founds them- felves, by which thofe things are faid to be fignified or fuggefted, but not heard ? Befides, if yifion be only a language, fpeaking to the eyes, it may be afked, When did men learn this language ? To acquire the knowledge of fo many figns, as go to the making up a language, is a work of fome difficulty. But will any man fay, he hath fpent time, or been at pains, to learn this language of vifion ? Euph. — No wonder, we cannot affign a time beyond our remoteft memory. If we have been all pra&ifing this language, ever fince our firft entrance into the world ; if the Author of nature conftantly fpeaks to the eyes of all mankind, even in their earlieft infancy, whenever the eyes are open in the light, whether alone or in company ; It doth not feem to me at all ftrange, that men mould not be aware they had ever learned a language, begun fo ear- ly, and pra£Ufed fo conftantly, as this of vifion. And, if we alfo confider, that it is the fame throughout the whole world, and not, like other languages, differing in different places j it will not feem unaccountable, that men fhould miftake the connexion between the proper objects of fight, and the things fignified by them, to be founded in neceffary relation, or likenefs : Or, that they mould even take them for the fame things. Hence it feems eafy to conceive, why men, who do not think, fhould con- found, in this language of vifion, the figns with the things fignified, othsrwife than they are wont to do, in the vari- ous particular lauguages, formed by the feveral nations of men. XII. It may be alfo worth while to obferve, that figns being little confidered in themfelves, or for their own fake, [Dial. IVJ MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. i6 9 but only in their relative capacity, and for the fake of thofe things whereof they are figns, it comes topafs, that the mind often overlooks them, fo as to carry its attention immediately on to the things fignified. Thus, for exam- ple, in reading, we run over the characters with the flight- eft regard, and pafs on to the meaning. Hence it is fre- quent for men to fay, they fee words, and notions, and things, in reading a book : whereas, in ftrictnefs, they fee only the characters, which fuggeft words, notions, and things. And, by parity of reafon, may we not fuppofe, that men, not refting in, but overlooking the immediate and proper objects of fight, as in their own nature of fmali moment, carry their attention onward to the very thing fignified, and talk as if they faw the fecondary objects ? which, in truth and ftri£tnefs, are not feen, but only fug- gefted and apprehended by means of the proper objects of fight, which alone are feen. Alc. — To fpeak my mind freely, this differtation grows tedious, and runs into points too dry and minute for a gentleman's attention. I thought, faid Crito, we had been told, the Minute Philofophers loved to confider things clofely and minutely. Alc— That is true, but in fo polite an age, who would be a mere philofopher ? There is a certain fcholaftic accu- racy, which ill fuits the freedom and eafe of a well-bred man. But, to cut fhort this chicane, I propound it fairly to your own confidence, whether you really think that God himfelf fpeaks every day, and in every place, to the eyes of all men ? Euph. — That is really, and in truth, my opinion : and it mould be yours too, if you are confident with yourfelf, and abide by your own definition of language. Since you cannot deny, that the great mover and author of nature conftantly explaineth himfelf to the eyes of men, by the fenfible intervention of arbitrary figns, which have no fimil- itude, or connexion, with the things fignified ; fo as by X i 7 o MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IV.] compounding and difpofing them, to fuggeft and exhibit an endlefs variety of obje&s, differing in nature, time, and place, thereby informing and directing men how to act with refpecl: to things diftant and future, as well as near and prefent. In confequence, I fay, of your own fenti- ments and conceflions, you have as much reafon to think, the Univerfal Agent, or God, fpeaks to your eyes, as you can have for thinking any particular perfon fpeaks to your ears. Alc. — I cannot help thinking, that fome fallacy runs throughout this whole ratiocination, though perhaps I may not readily point it out. It feems to me, that every other fenfe may as well be deemed a language as that of vilion. Smells and tafte, for inftance, are figns that inform us of other qualities, to which they have neither likenefs nor neceffary connexion. Euph. — That they are figns is certain, as alfo that lan- guage, and all other figns, agree in the general nature of fign, or fo far forth as figns. But it is as certain that all figns are not language ; not even all fignificant founds, fuch as the natural cries of animals, or the inarticulate founds and interjections of men. It is the articulation, combination, variety, copioufnefs, extenfive and general ufe, and eafy application of figns (all which are commonly found in vifion) that conftitute the true nature of language. Other fenfes mayindeed furnifh figns ; and yet thofe figns have no more right than inarticulate founds to be thought a language. Alc- — Hold ! let me fee ! In language, the figns are arbitrary, are they not ?* Eupk* — They are. Alc — And confequently, they do not always fuggeft real matters of fa 61. Whereas, this natural language, as you call it, or thefe vifible figns, do always fuggeft things in the fame uniform way, and have the fame conftant reg- ular connexion with matters of fact : whence it mould [Dial. IV.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 171 feern, the connexion was neceflary, and therefore, accord- ing to the definition premifed, it can be no language. How do you folve this objection ? Euph. — You may folve it yourfelf, by the help of a picture, or looking-glafs. Alc. — You are in the right. I fee there is nothing in it. I know not what elfe to fay to this opinion more, than that it is fo odd and contrary to my way of thinking, that I (hall never affent to it. XIII. Euph. — Be pleafed to recollecl: your own lec- tures upon prejudice, and apply them in the prefent cafe. Perhaps they may help you to follow where reafon leads, and to fufpe£t notions which are ftrongly riveted, without having been ever examined. Alc. — I difdain the fufpicion of prejudice. And I do not fpeak only for myfelf. I know a club of mod ingen- ious men, the freed from prejudice of any men alive, who abhor the notion of a God, and I doubt not, would be very able to untie this knot. Upon which words of Alciphron, I, who had a£ted the part of an indifferent ftan- der-by , obferved to him, that it miibecame his character, and repeated profeflions, to own an attachment to the judgment, or build upon the prefumed abilities of other men, how ingenious foever : and that this proceeding might encourage his adverfaries to have recourfe to author- ity, in which, perhaps, they would find their account more than he. Oh ! faid CritOy I have often obferved the conduct of Minute Philofophers. "When one of them has got a ring of difciples round him, his method is to exclaim againft prejudice, and recommend thinking and reafoning, giving to underffcand that himfelf is a man of deep refearches and clofe argument, one who examines impartially, and corv cludes warily. The fame man, in other company, if he chance • 172 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IV.] to' be pre fled with reafon, fhall laugh at logic, and afiume the lazy fupine airs of a fine gentleman, a wit, a railleur, to avoid the drincfs of a regular and exa£t inquiry. This double face of the Minute Philofopher is of no fmall ufe to propagate and maintain his notions. Though to me it feems a plain cafe, that if a fine gentleman will fhake off authority, and appeal from religion to reafon, unto reafon he mud go : And if he cannot go without leading-firings, furely he had better be led by the authority of the public, than by that of any knot of Minute Philosophers. Alc. — Gentlemen, this difcourfe is very irkfome and needlefs. For my part, I am a friend to enquiry. I am willing reafon mould have its full and free fcope. I build on no man's authority. I have no intereft in denying a God. Any man may believe, or not believe, a God, as he pleafes, for me. But after all, Euphranor mult allow me to flare a little at his conclufions. Euph. — The conclufions are yours as much as mine, for you were led to them by your own conceflions. XIV. — You, it feems, flare to find, that God is not far from every one of us ; and that in him we live and move and have our being. You, who, in the beginning of this morning's conference, thought it ftrange, that God fhould leave himfelf without a witnefs, do now think it ftrange the witnefs fhould be fo full and clear ? Alc- — I muft own I do. I was aware, indeed, of a certain metaphyficai hypothefis, of our feeing all things in God, by the union of the human foul with intelligible fub- llance of the Deity, which neither I, nor any one elfe could make fenfe of. But I never imagined it could be pretend- ed, that we faw God with our flefhly eyes, as plain as we fee any human perfon whatfoever, and that he daily fpeaks to our fenfes in a manifeft and clear diaJeel:. Cri. — As for that metaphyficai hypothefis, I can make no more of it than you. But I think it plain, this optic [Dial. IV.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 173 language hath a neceffary connexion with knowledge, wif- dom, and goodnefs. It is equivalent to a conftant creation, betokening an immediate act of power and providence. It cannot be accounted for by mechanical principles, by at- oms, attractions, or effluvia. The inftantaneous produc- tion and reproduction of fo many figns combined, diflblved, tranfpofed, diverfified, and adapted to fuch an endlefs va- riety of purpofes, ever fhiftvng with the occafions, and fuit- ed to them, being utterly inexplicable and unaccountable by the laws of motion, by chance, by fate, or the like blind principles, doth fet forth and teftify the immediate opera- tion of a Spirit or thinking Being : and not merely of - a Spirit, which every motion or gravitation may pofEbly in- fer, but of one wife, good, and provident Spirit, who di- rects, and rules, and governs the world. Some philofo- phers, being convinced of the wifdom and power of the Creator, from the make and contrivance of organized bo- dies, and orderly fyftem of the world, did neverthelefs im- agine, that he left this fyftem, with all its parts and con- tents, well adjufted and put in motion, as an artift leaves a clock, to go thenceforward, of itfelf, for a certain period. But this vifual language proves, not a Creator merely, but a provident Governor, actually and intimately prefent, and attentive to all our interefts and motions, who watches over our conduct, and takes care of our minuteft actions and defigns, throughout the whole courfe of our lives, in- forming, admonifhing, and directing inceflantly, in a mod evident and fenfible manner. This is truly wonderful. Euph. — And is it not fo, that men mould be encompaf- fed by fuch a wonder, without reflecting on it ? XV. Something there is of divine and admirable in this language, addrefied to our eyes, that may well awa- ken the mind, and deferves its utmoft attention : it is learned with fo little pains ; it expretleth the differences i 7 4 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IV.] of things fo clearly and aptly ; it inftru&s with fuch fa- cility and difpatch, by one glance of the eye conveying a greater variety of advices, and a more diftin£t knowledge of things, than could be got by a difcourfe of feveral hours. And, while it informs, it amufes and entertains the mind, with fuch fingular pleafure and delight. It is of fuch ex- cellent ufe, in giving a liability and permanency to hu- man difcourfe, in recording founds, and bellowing life on dead languages, enabling us to converfe with men of remote ages and countries. And it anfwers fo appofite to the ufes and neceffities of mankind, informing us more diftinctly of thofe objects, whofe riearnefs and magni- tude qualify them to be of greateft detriment or benefit to our bodies, and lefs exactly, in proportion as their littlenefs, or diflance, make them of lefs concern to us. Alc. — And yet thefe ftrange things affect men but little. Euph. — But they are not ftrange, they are familiar, and that makes them to be overlooked. Things which rarely happen flrike j whereas frequency leffens the ad- miration of things, though in themfelves ever fo admira- ble. Hence a common man, who is not ufed to think and make reflexions, would probably be more convinced of the being of a God, by one fingle fentence heard once in his life from the fky, than by all the experience he has had of. this vifual language, contrived with fuch exqui- fite (kill, fo conftantly addreffed to his eyes, and fo plain- ly declaring the neamefs, wifdom, and providence of Him with whom we have to do. Alc. — After all, I cannot fatisfy myfelf, how men fliould be fo little furprifed, or amazed, about this vifive faculty, if it was really of a nature fo furprifing and ama- zing. Euph. — But let us fuppofe a nation of men blind from their infancy, among whom a ftranger arrives, the only [Dial. IV.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 175 man who can fee in all the country : Let us fuppofe this ftranger travelling with fome of the natives, and that one while he foretells to them, that, in cafe they walk ftrait forward, in half an hour they fhall meet men, or cattle, or come to a houfe ; that, if they turn to the right, and proceed, they fhall, in a few minutes, be in danger of falling down a precipice *, that, fhaping their courfe to the left, they 'will, in fuch a time, arrive at a river, a wood, or a mountain. What think you ? Muft they not be infinitely furprifed, that one, who had never been in their country before, fhould know it fo much better than themfelves ? And would not thofe predictions feem to them as unaccountable and incredible, as prophefy to a Minute Philofopher ? A lc. — I cannot deny it. Euph. — But it feems to require intenfe thought, to be able to unravel a prejudice that has been fo long forming, to get over the vulgar error of ideas common to both fenfes, and fo to diftinguifh between the objects of fight and touch, which have grown (if I may fo fay) blended together in our fancy, as to be able to fuppofe ourfelves exactly in the flate, that one of thofe men would be in, if he were made to fee. And yet this I believe is poffi- ble, and might feem worth the pains of a little thinking, efpecially to thofe men whofe proper employment and profefiion it is to think, and unravel prejudices, and con- fute miftakes. I frankly own I cannot find my way out of this maze, and fhould gladly be fet right by thofe who fee better than myfelf. Cri. — The purfuing this fubjecT: in their own thoughts would poflibly open a new fcene to thofe fpeculative gen- tlemen of the Minute Philofophy. It puts me in mind of a pafiage in the Pfalmift, where he reprefents God to be covered with light, as with a garment, and would, me- thinks, be no ill comment on that ancient notion of fome iy6 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IVj eaftern fages, That God had light for his body, and truth for his foul. This converfation lafted till a fervant came to tell us the tea was ready : upon which we walked in, and found Lyficles at the tea-table. XVI. As foon as we fat down, I am glad, faid Alci- phrotiy that I have here found my fecond, a frefh man, to maintain our common caufe, which, I doubt, Lyficles will think hath fuffered by his abfence. Lys.-~ Why fo ? Alc. — I have been drawn into fome concefiions you won't like, Lys. — Let me know what they are. Alc. — Why, that there is fuch a thing as a God, and that his exiftence is very certain. Lys. — Blefs me ! How came you to entertain fo wild a notion ? Alc — You know we profefs to follow reafon wherev- er it leads. And, in ihort, I have been reafoned into it. Lys. — Reafoned ! You mould fay, amufed with words, bewildered with fophiftry. Euph. — Have you a mind to hear the fame reafoning that led Alciphron and me, ftep by ftep, that we may ex- amine whether it be fophiflry or no ? Lys — As to that, I am very eafy. I guefs all that can be faid on that head. It fhall be my bufinefs to help my friend out, whatever arguments drew him in. Euph. — Will you admit the premifes, and deny the conclufions ? Lys. What if I admit the conclufion ? Euph.— -How ! will you grant there is a God ? Lys. — Perhaps I may. Euph. — Then we are agreed. Lys. — Perhaps not. {put. IV.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 177 Euph. — O Lyftcles ! you are a fubtle adverfary. I know not what you would be at. Lys. — You muft know then, that, at bottom, the be- ing of God is a point, in itfelf, of fmall confequence, and a man may make this conceflion without yielding much. The great point is, what fenfe the word God is to be ta- ken in. The very Epicureans allowed the being of gods, but then they were indolent gods, unconcerned with hu- man affairs. Hobbes allowed a corporeal god ; and Spino* fa held the univerfe to be god. And yet nobody doubts they were ftanch free-thinkers. I could wifh, indeed, the word god were quite omitted, becaufe, in molt minds, it is coupled with a fort of fuperftitious awe, the very root of all religion. I (hall not, neverthelefs, be much difturbed, though the name be retained, and the being of God allowed in any fenfe, but in that of a Mind, which knows all things, and beholds human actions, like fome judge, or magiftrate, with infinite obfervation and intelli- gence. The belief of a God, in this fenfe, fills a man's mind with fcruples, lays him under conftraints, and im- bitters his very being : But, in another fenfe, it may be attended with no great ill confequence. This, I know, was the opinion of our great Diagoras, who told me he would never have been at the pains to find out a demon- stration that there was no God, if the received notion of God had been the fame with that of fome fathers and fchoolmen. Euph. — Pray what was that ? XVII. Lys. — You muft know, Diagoras, a man of much reading and inquiry, had difcovered, that once upon a time the mod profound and fpeculative divines, finding it impoflible to reconcile the attributes of God, taken in the common fenfe, or in any known fenfe, with human reafon, and the appearances of things, taught, that the Y i 7 8 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IV.] words knowledge, wifdom, goodnefs, and fuch like, when fpoken of the Deity, muft be under flood in a quite differ- ent fenfe from what they fignify in the vulgar acceptation, or from any thing that we can form a notion of, or con- ceive. Hence, whatever objections might be made againfl the attributes of God, they eafily folved, by denying thofe attributes belonged to God, in this or that, or any known particular fenfe or notion ; which was the fame thing as to deny they belonged to him at all. And thus denying the attributes of God, they, in effe£t., denied his being, though perhaps they were not aware of it. Suppofe, for inftance, a man fhould object that future contingencies were inconfiftent with the fore-knowledge of God, becaufe it is repugnant, that certain knowledge mould be of an un- certain thing : it was a ready and eafy anfwer to fay, that this may be true, with refpeft to knowledge, taken in the common fenfe, or in any fenfe that we can pofhbly form any notion of : but that there would not appear the fame inconfiftency, between the contingent nature of things, and divine fore knowledge, taken to fignify fomewhat that we know nothing of, which, in God, fupplies the place of what we underftand by knowledge ; from which it differs not in quantity or degree of perfection, but altogether, and in kind, as light doth from found ; and even more, fmce thefe agree in that they are both fenfations : whereas knowledge in God hath no fort of refemblance, or agree- ment, with any notion that man can frame of knowledge. The like may be faid of all the other attributes, which in- deed may, by this means, be equally reconciled with every thing, or with nothing. But all men, who think, muft needs fee, this is cutting knots, and not untying them. For how are things reconciled with the divine attributes, when thefe attributes themfelves are, in every intelligible fenfe, denied } and confequently the very notion of God taken away, and nothing left but the name, without any [Dial. IV.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 179 meaning annexed to it ? In fhort, the belief that there is an unknown fubje£fc of attributes, abfolutely unknown, is a very innocent doctrine : which the acute Diagoras well faw, and was, therefore, wonderfully delighted with this fyftem. •XVIII. For, faid he, if this could once make its way, and obtain in the world, there would be au end of ail nat- ural or rational religion, which is the bafis both of the Jew- ifh and the chriftian : for he who comes to God, or enters himfeif in the church of God, mull firft believe that there is a God, in fome intelligible fenfe : and not only that there is fomething in general without any proper notion, though never fo inadequate, of any of its qualities or attri- butes : for this may be fate, or chaos, or piaftic nature, cr any thing elfe, as well as God. Nor will it avail to fay, there is fomething in this unknown Being analogous to knowledge and goodnefs : that is to fay, which produceth thofe effe&s, which we could not conceive to be produced by men in any degree, without knowledge and goodnefs. For this is, in fa£fc, to give up the point in difpute between theifts and atheifts, the queftion having always been, not whether there was a principle (which point was allowed by all philofophers, as well before as fince Anaxagoras) but whether this principle was a nous, a thinking, intelligent Being : that is to fay, whether that order, and beauty, and ufe, vifible in natural effects, could be produced by any thing but a mind or intelligence, in the proper fenfe of the word ? and whether there mud not be true, real, and proper knowledge in the firft caufe ? we will therefore ac- knowledge, that all thofe natural effects, which are vulgarly afcribed to knowledge and wifdom, proceed from a Being, in which there is, properly fpeaking, no knowledge, or wifdom at all, but only fomething elfe, which, in reality, U the caufe of thofe things which men, for want of know- i8o MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IV.] ing better, afcribe to what they call knowledge, and wif- dom, and underftanding. You wonder, perhaps, to hear a man of pleafure, who diverts himfelf as I do, philofophize at this rate. But you fhould confider, that much is to be got by converfing with ingenious men, which is a fhort way to knowledge, that faves a man the drudgery of read- ing and thinking. And now we have granted to you tnat there is a God in this indifinite fenfe, I would fain fee what ufe you can make of this concefhon. You cannot argue from unknown attributes, or which is the fame thing, from attributes in an unknown fenfe. You cannot prove, that God is to be loved for his goodnefs, or feared for his juftice, or refpe&ed for his knowledge : all which confe- quences, we own, would follow from thofe attributes ad- mitted in an intelligible fenfe. But we deny, that thofe, or any other confequences, can be drawn from attributes admitted in no particular fenfe, or in a fenfe which none of us underftand. Since, therefore, nothing can be inferred from fuch an account of God, about confcience, or wor- ship, or religion, you may even make the beft of it : and, not to be lingular, we will ufe the name too, and fo at once there is an end of atheifm. Euph.— - This account of a Deity is new to me. I do not like it, and therefore Ihall leave it to be maintained by thofe who do. XIX. Cri.— It is not new to me. I remember, not long fince, to have heard a Minute Philofopher triumph Upon this very point ; which put me on enquring what foundation there was for it, in the fathers, or fchoolmen. And, for ought that I can find, it owes it original to thofe writings, which have been publifhed under the name of Dionyfius the Arecpagite. The author of which, it muft be owned, hath written upon the Divine Attributes in a very lingular ftile. In his treat ife of the Celeftial Hierar- chy, * he faith, that God is feme thing above all eflence * De Kierarch CeeleiL c. a. [Dial. IV.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. . .;gi and life, uper pafan oufian kai zocn : and again, in his trea- tife of the Divine Names, f that he is above all wifdom, and underftanding, uper pafan fophian kaifune/in, ineffable and innominable, arretos kai dnonumos; the wifdom of God he terms an unreafonable, unintelligent, and foolifh wifdom ; ton a/ogon kai anoun kai mor an fophian. But the reafon he gives, for expreffing himfelf in this ftrange manner, is, that the Divine Wifdom is the caufe of -all reafon, wifdom, and underftanding, and therein are con- tained the treafures of all wifdom and knowledge. He calls God uperfophos and uperzos : As if wifdom and life were words not worthy to exprefs the Divine Perfections : And he adds, that the attributes, unintelligent and unper- ceiving, mud be afcribed to the Divinity, not lot elleipfin by way of defect, but kath uperochen, by way of eminen- cy : which he explains, by our giving the name of dark- nefs to light inacceflible. And, notwithftanding the harfhnefs of his exprefhons in fome places, he affirms, over and over, in others, that God knows all things; not that he is beholden to the creatures for his knowledge, but by knowing himfelf, from whom they all derive their being, and in whom they are contained as in their caufe. It was late before thefe writings appear to have been known in the world : And, although they obtained credit, during the age of the fchoolmen, yet fince critical learn- ing hath been cultivated, they have loft that credit, and are at this day given up for fpurious, as containing feve- ral evident marks of a much later date than the age of Di- onyfius. Upon the whole, although this method of grow- ing in expreffion, and dwindling in notion, of clearing up doubts by nonfenfe, and avoiding difficulties by running into affected contradictions, may perhaps proceed from a well- meant zeal ; yet it appears not to be according to know- ledge, and, inftead of reconciling atheifts to truth, hath, f De Norn. Div. c. 7. iS* MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IV.] I doubt, a tendency to confirm them in their own per- fuafion. It mould feem, therefore, very weak and rafli in a chriftian to adopt this harm language of an apocry- phal writer, preferably to that of the holy fcriptures. I re- member, indeed, to have read of a certain philofopher, who lived fome centuries ago, that ufed to fay, if thefe fuppo- fed works of Dionyfms had been known to the primitive fathers, they would have furnifhed them admirable wea- pons againft the heretics, and would have faved a world of pains. But the event, fince this difcovery, hath by no means confirmed this opinion. It mull be owned, the celebrated Picus of Mirandula, among his nine hundred conclufions (which that prince, being very young, propo- fed to maintain by public difputation at Rome) hath this for one •, to wit, that it is more impoper to fay of God, he is an intellect, or intelligent Being, than to fay of a reafonable foul, that it is an angel : which doctrine, it feems, was not relifhed. And Picus y when he comes to defend it, fupports himfelf altogether by the example and authority of Dionyjius, and in effect explains it away into a mere verbal defence, affirming, that neither Diony- fius> nor himfelf, ever meant to deprive God of know- ledge, or to deny that he knows all things : But that, as reafon is of kind peculiar to man, fo, by intellection, he underftands a kind of manner of knowing peculiar to an- gels : And that the knowledge, which is in God, is more above the intellection of angels, than angel is above man. He adds that, as his tenet confifts with admitting the mod perfect knowledge in God, fo he would by no means be underftood to exclude from the Deity intellection itfelf, taken in the common or general fenfe, but only that peculiar fort of intellection proper to angels, which he thinks ought not to be attributed to God, any more than human reafon. * Picus, therefore, though he fpeaks * Pic. Mirand, in Apolog. p. 155- Ed. Baf. [Dial. IV.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 183 as the apocryphnl Dionyftus> yet, when he explains him- felf, it is evident he fpeaks like other men. And although the foremen tioned books of the Celeftial Hierarchy, and of the Divine Names, being attributed to a faint and martyr of the apoftolical age, were refpected by the fchoolmen \ yet it is certain they rejected, or foftened, his harfli ex- preffions, and explained away, or reduced, his doctrine to the received notions taken from Holy Scripture, and the light of nature. XX. Thomas Aquinas expreffeth his fenfe of this point in the following manner. All perfections, faith he, deri- ved from God to the creatures, are in a certain higher fenfe, or (as the fchoolmen term it) eminently in God. Whene- ver, therefore, a name, borrowed from any perfection in the creature, is attributed to God, we muft exclude from its fignification every thing that belongs to the imperfect man- ner, wherein that attribute is found in the creature. Whence he concludes, that knowledge in God is not an habit, but a pure act.* And again, the fame doctor ob- ferves, that our intellect gets its notions of all forts of per- fections from the creatures, and that as it apprehends thofe perfections, fo it fignifies them by names. Therefore, faith he, in attributing thefe names to God, we are to confider two things j firft, the perfections themfelves, as goodnefs, life, and the like, which are properly in God ; and, fecond- ly, the manner which is peculiar to the creature, and can- not, ftrictly and properly fpcaking, be faid to agree to the Creator.f And although Suarez, with other fchoolmen, teacheth, that the mind of man conceiveth knowledge and will to be in God, as faculties or operations, by analogy on- ly to created beings •, yet he gives it plainly as his opinion, that, when knowledge is faid not to be properly in God, it mad be underftood in a fenfe including imperfection, fuch * Sum. Theolog. p. i. Quaeft. 14. Art. I. f Ibid. Quxft. 13. Art. 3. i8 4 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IV.] as difcurfive knowledge, or the like imperfect kind, found in the creatures : and that, none of thofe imperfections in" the knowledge of men or angels, belonging to knowledge as fuch, it will not thence follow, that knowledge, in its proper fenfe, may not be attributed to God : And of knowl- edge, taken in general, for the clear evident underftanding of all truth, he exprefsly affirms, that it is in God, and that this was never denied by any philofopher, who believed a God.* It was indeed a current opinion in the fchools, that even being itfelf mould be attributed analogically to God arid the creatures. That is, they held that God, the fupreme, independent, felf-originate caufe and fource of all beings, muft not be fupofed to exift in the fame fenfe with created beings, not that he exifts lefs truly or properly than they, but only becaufe he exifts in a more eminent and perfedt manner. XXI. But to prevent any man's being led, by miftak- ing the fcholaftic ufe of the terms analogy and analogical^ into an opinion that we cannot frame, in any degree, a true and proper notion of attributes, applied by analogy, or, in the fchool phrafe, predicated analogically, it may not be amifs to inquire into the true fenfe and meaning of thofe words. Every one knows, that analogy is a Greek word, ufed by mathematicians, to fignify a fimilitude of proportions. For inftance, when we obferve that two is to fix, as three is to nine, this fimilitude, or equality of proportion, is termed analogy. And although propor- tion ftricUy fignifies the habitude, or relation, of one quantity to another, yet in a loofer and tranflated fenfe, it hath been applied to figriify every other habitude : And confequently the term, analogy, comes to fignify all fimi- litude of relations, ©r habitudes whatfoever. Hence, the Schoolmen telf us, there is analogy between intellect and * Suarez Difp. Me'taph. Tom. 2. Difp. 30.' Se<5t 15. [Dial. IV.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. ig 5 fight: forafmuch as intellect is to the mind, what fight is to the body ? and that he who governs the ftate, is analo- gous to him who (tears- a (hip. Hence a prince is analo- gically (tiled a pilot, being to the flate as a pilot is to his vefiel.* For the farther clearing of this point, it is to be obferved, that a two-fold analogy is diftinguifhed by the fchoolmen, metaphorical and proper. Of the firft kind there are frequent inftances in holy fcripture, attributing human parts and paflions to God. When he is reprefent- ed as having a finger, an eye, or an ear : when he is faid to repent, to be angry, or grieved : every cne fees the an- alogy is merely metaphorical. Becaufe thofe parts and paflions, taken in the proper (ignification, mult in every degree necefTarily, and from the formal nature of the thing, include imperfection. When, therefore, it is faid, the fin- ger of God appears in this or that event, men of common fenfe mean no more, but that it is as truly afcribed to God, as the works wrought by human fingers are to man : and fo of the reft. But the cafe is different, when wifdom and knowledge are attributed to God. Paflions and fenfes, as fuch, imply defect : but in knowledge Amply, or as fuch, there is no defeat. Knowledge, therefore, in the proper formal meaning of the word, may be attributed to God proportionably, that is, preferving a proportion to the infinite nature of God. We may fay, therefore, that as God is infinitely above man, fo is the knowledge of God infinitely above the knowledge of man, and this iswhat Caje- tan calls Analogia proprie faEla. And after this fame analogy, we rnuft underitand all thofe attributes to belong to the Deity, which, inthemfelvesfimply, and as fuch, denote perfection. We may, therefore, confidently with what hath been premi- fed, affirm, that all forts of perfection, which we can con- ceive in a finite fpirit, are in God, but without any of that allay which is found in the creatures. This doctrine, • Vide Cajetau. dc Nona. Analog, c. 3. z i86 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IV.] therefore, of analogical perfections in God, or our know- ing God by analogy, feems very much mifunderftood, and mifapplied, by thofe who would infer from thence, that we cannot frame any direct or proper notion, though never fo inadequate, of knowledge or wifdom, as there are in the Deity ; or underfland any more of them, than one born blind can of light and colours. XXII. And now, gentlemen, it may be expected I mould afk your pardon, for having dwelt fo long on a point of metaphyfics, and introduced fuch unpoliflied and unfaftiionable writers, as the fchoolmen^ into good compa- ny : but as Lyficles gave the occafion, I leave him to an- fwer for it. , Lys.— I never dreamed of this dry diflertation. Buf^ if I have been the occafion of difcufling thefe fcholaftic points, by my unlucky mentioning the fchoolmen, it was my firft fault of the kind, and I promife it (hall be the laft. The meddling with crabbed authors of any fort, is none of my tafte. I grant, one meets, now and then, with a good notion in what we call dry writers, fuch an one, for exam- ple, as this I was {peaking of, which I muft own (truck my fancy. But then, for thefe, we have fuch as Prodicus, or Diagorasy who look into obfolete books, and fave the reft of us that trouble. Cri. — So you pin your faith upon them. Lys. — It is only for fome odd opinions, and matters of fa£t, and critical points. Befides, we know the men to whom we give credit : they are judicious and honeft, and have no end to ferve but truth. And I am confident fome author or other has maintained the forementioned notion in the fame fenfe as Diagoras related it* Cri. — That may be. But it never was a received no- tion, and never will, fo long as men believe a God : the fame arguments that prove a firft caufe, proving an intelli- [Dial. IV.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. i« 7 gent caufe : intelligent, I fay, in the proper fenfe : wife and good, in the true and formal acceptation of the words. Otherwife it is evident, that every fyllogifm brought to prove thofe attributes, or (which is the fame thing) to prove the Being of a God, will be found to confift of four terms, and confequently can conclude nothing. But, for your part, Alciphron, you have been fully convinced, that God is a thinking intelligent Being, in the fame fenfe with other fpirits, though not in the fame imperfect manner or degree. XXIII. Alc — And yet I am not without my fcruples : for, with knowledge you infer wifdom, and with wifdom goodnefs. Though I cannot fee that it is either wife, or good, to enact fuch laws as can never be obeyed. Cm. — Doth any one find fault with the exa&nefs of geometrical rules, becaufe no one in practice can attain to it ? the perfection of a rule is ufeful, even though it is not reached. Many may approach what all may fall fhort of. Alc— But how is it poflible to conceive God fo good, and man fo wicked ? It may, perhaps, with fome colour be alledged, that a little foft (hadowing of evils fets off the bright and luminous parts of the creation, and fo contri- butes to the beauty of the whole piece i but, for blots fo large and fo black, it is impoffible to account by that prin- ciple. That there mould be fo much vice, and fo little virtue upon earth, and that the laws of God's kingdom (hould be fo ill obferved by his fubje&s, is what can never be reconciled with that furpafTmg wifdom and goodnefs of the Supreme Monarch. Euph. — Tell me, Alciphron y would you argue that a flate was ill adminftred, or judge of the manners of its citizens, by the difordcrs committed in the goal or dun- geon ? Alc— I would not. iS8 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IVJ Eupk. — And, for ought we know, this fpot with the few finners on it, bears no greater proportion to the univerfe of intelligences, than a dungeon doth to a kingdom. It feems, we are led not only by revelation, but by common fenfe, obferving and inferring from the analogy of vifible tilings, to conclude there are innumerable orders of intelli- gent beings, more happy and more perfect than man : whofe life is but a fpan, and whofe place, this earthly globe, is but a point, in refpect of the whole fyftem of God's Creation. We are dazzled indeed with the glory and grandeur of things here below, becaufe we know no better. But I am apt to think, if we knew what it was to be an angel for one hour, we mould return to this world, though it were to fit on the brighteft throne in it, with vaftly more loathing and reluctance, than we would now defcend into a loathfome dungeon or fepulchre. XXIV. Cri. — To me it feems natural, that fuch a weak, paffionate, and fhort-fight creature as man, mould be ever liable to fcrupies of one kind or other. But, as this fame creature is apt to be over-pofitive in judging, and over-hafty in concluding, it falls out, that thefe difficulties and fcrupies about God's conduct are made objections to his Being. And fo men come to argue from their own defects, againft the divine perfections. And, as the views and humours of men are different, and often oppofite, you may fometimes fee them deduce the fame atheiftical con- clufion from contrary premifes. I knew an inftance of this in two Minute Phiicfophersof my acquaintance, who ufed to argue each from his own temper againft a Provi- dence. One of them, a man of a choleric and vindictive fpirit, faid he cGuld not believe a Providence : .becruife London w&s not f wallowed up or confumed by fire- from heaven : the flreets being, as he faid, full of people, who fhew no other belief or worfhip of God, but perpetually [Dial. IV.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. ** 9 praying that he would damn, rot, fink, and confound them. The other, being of an indolent and eafy temper, concluded there could be no fuch thing as a Providence : for that a Being of consummate wifdom muil needs employ himfelf better, than in minding the prayers, and actions, and little interefts of mankind. Alc — After all, if God have no paflions, how can it be true that vengeance is his ? or how can he be faid to be jealous of his glory ? Cri. — We believe that God executes vengeance with- out revenge, and is jealous without weaknefs, juft as the mind of man fees without eyes, and apprehends without hands. XXV. Alc. — To put a period to this difcourfe, we will grant, there is a God in this difpaffionate fenfe : but what then ? What hath this to do with religion or divine worfhip ? To what purpofe are all thefe prayers and prai- fes, and thankfgivings, and finging of pfalms, which the foolifh vulgar call ferving God ? What fenfe, or ufe, or end is there in all thefe things ? Cri. — We worfhip God, we praife and pray to him, not becaufe we think that he is proud of our worfhip, or fond of our praife or prayers, and affected with them as mankind are : or that all our fervice can contribute in the leaft degree to his happinefs or good : but becaufe it is good for us, to be fo difpofed towards God : becaufe it is juft and right, and fuitable to the nature of things, and becoming the relation we ftand in to our Supreme Lord and Governor. Alc. — If it be good for us to worfhip God, it mould feem that the chriftian religion, which pretends to teach men the knowledge and worfhip of God, was of fome ufe and benefit to mankind. ' Cri, — Doubtlefs. ioe> MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. IV.] Alc. — If this can be made appear, I fliall own myfelf very much miftaken. Cri.— It is now near dinner-time. Wherefore, if you pleafe, we will put an end to this converfation for the pre- fent, and to-morrow morning refume our fubje&s >C»<>C>c:<>':::><:'<>c>":>::>::>o<>o<:^ >o< THE FIFTH DIALOGUE. I. Minute Philofophers join in the Cry, and follow the Scent of others. II. Worjhip prefcribed by the Chriflian Religi- on fuitable to God and Man. III. Power and Influence of the Druids. IV. Excellency and Ufefulnefs of the Chriflian Religion. V. It ennobles Mankind, and makes them happy. VI. Religion neither Bigotry nor Superfli- tion. VII. Phyficians and Phyfic for the Soul. VIII. Characler of the Clergy. IX. Natural Religion and Hu- man Reafon not to be difparaged. X. Tendency and Ufe of the Gentile Religion. XL Good Effecls of Chrifliani- ty, XII. Englifhmen compared with ancient Greeks and Romans. XIII. The modem Practice of Duelling. XIV. Characler of the old Romans, how to be formed. XV. Genuine Fruits of the Gofpel. XVI. Wars and Factions not an effect of the Chriflian Religion. XVII. Civil Rage and Maffacres in Greece and Rome. XVIII. Virtue of ancient Greeks. XIX. Quarrels of Polemical Divines. XX. Tyranny, Ufur potion, Sophiflry of Ec- cleflaflics. XXI. The Univerflties cenfured. XXII. Di- vine Writings of a certain modern Critic. XXIII. Learn- ing the Effect of Religion. XXIV. Barbarifm of the Schools. XXV. Refloration of Learning and polite Arts, to whom owing. XXVI. Prejudice and Ingratitude of Minute Philofophers. XXVII. Their Pretenflons and Conduit inconflflent. XXVIII. Men and Brutes compar- ed with refpect to Religion. XXIX. Chriflianity the only Means to eflablijh Natural Religion. XXX. Free-think- ers miflake their Talents ; have a flrong Imagination. XXXI. Tithes and Church-lands. XXXII. Men diflin- gui/hedfrom Human Creatures. XXXIII. Diflribution [Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 193 of Mankind into Birds, Beajls, and FiJJjes. XXXIV. Plea for Reafon allowed, but Unfair nefs Taxed. XXXV. Freedom a Bleffing or Curfe, as it is ufed* XXXVI. Priejlcraft not the reigning EviL l W> E amufed ourfelves next day, every one to his fancy, till nine of the clock, when word was brought that the tea-table was (et in the library : which is a gallery on the ground floor, with an arched door at one end, opening into a walk of limes ; where, as foon as we had drank tea, we were tempted by fine weather to take a walk, which led us to a fmall mount, of eafy afcent, on the top whereof we found a feat under a fpreading tree. Here we had a profpe£t, on one hand, of a narrow bay, or creek, of the fea, inclofed on either fide by a coaft beautified with rocks and woods, and green banks and farm-houfes. At the end of the bay was a fmall town, placed upon the flope of a hill, which, from the advantage of its fituation, made a confiderable figure. Several fifh- ing boats and lighters, gliding up and down on a furface as fmooth and bright as glafs, enlivened the profpe6t. On the other hand, we looked down on green paftures, flocks, and herds, balking beneath in fun-mine, while we, in our fuperior fituation, enjoyed the frefhnefs of air and fhade. Here we felt that fort of joyful inftincl:, which a rural fcene and fine weather infpire ; and propofed no fmall pleafure, in refuming and continuing our conference, without interruption, till dinner : But we had hardly feated. ourfelves, and looked about us, when we faw a fox run by the foot of our mount into an adjacent thicket. A few minutes after, we heard a confufed noife of the opening of hounds, the winding of horns, and the roar ing of country fquires, While our attention was fuf- pended by this event, a fervant came running out of A .1 i 9 4 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] breath, and told Crito, that his neighbor, Ctefippus, a fquirc of note, was fallen from his horfe attempting to leap over a hedge, and brought into the hall, where he lay for dead. Upon which we all rofe, and walked haf- tily to the houfe,' where we found Ctefippus juft come to himfelf,. in the midft of half a dozen fun-burnt fquires, in frocks and fhort wigs, and jockey-boots. Being afked how he did, he anfwered, it was only a broken rib.—. With fome difficulty Crito perfuaded him to lie on a bed till the chirurgeon came. Thefe fox-hunters having been up early at their fport, were eager for dinner, which was accordingly haftened. They paifed the afternoon in a loud ruftic mirth, gave proof of their religion and loyalty by the healths they drank, talked of hounds and horfes, and elections, and country affairs, till the chirurgeon, who had been employed about Ctefippus , defired he might be put into Crito 's coach, and fent home, having refufed to ftay all night. Our guefts being gone, we repofed ourfelves after the fatigue of this tumultuous vifit, and next morning aflembled again at tht feat of the mount. Now Lyfcles, being a nice man, and a bel efprit, had an infinite contempt for the rough manners and converfation of fox-hunters, and could not reflecl: with patience that he had loft, as he called it, fo many hours in their com- pany. I flattered myfelf, faid he, that there had been none of this fpecies remaining among us •, Strange that men mould be diverted with fuch uncouth noife and hurry, or find pleafure in the fociety of dogs and horfes ! How much more elegant are the diverfions of the town ! There leems, replied Euphranor, to be fome refemblance between fox-hunters and free-thinkers ; the former exerting their animal faculties in purfuit of game, as you gentlemen em- ploy your intellectuals in the purfuit of truth. The kind of amufement is the fame, although the object be dif- erent. [Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. i 9S Lts.-^I had rather be compared' to any brute upon earth than a rational brute. Cri. — You would then have been lefs difpleafed with my friend Pythocles, whom I have heard compare the com- mon fort of Minute Philosophers, not to the hunters, but the hounds. For, faid he, you fhall often fee among the dogs a loud babler, with a badnofe, lead the unfkilful part of the pack ; who join all in his cry, without following any fcent of their own, any more than the herd of free- thinkers follow their own reafon. II. But Pythocles was a blunt man, and mufl never have known fuch reafoners among them, as you gentlemen, who can fit fo long at an argument, difpute every inch of ground, and yet know when to make a reafonable con- ceiTion. Lys.— I do not know how it came to pafs, but methinks Alciphron makes conceflions, for himfelf and me too. For my own part, I am not altogether of fuch a yielding tem- per : But yet I do not care to be fingular neither. Cri. — Truly, Alciphron, when I confider where we are got, and how far we are agreed, I conceive it probable we may agree altogether in the end. You have granted that a life of virtue is upon all accounts eligible, as moft con- ducive both to the general and particular good of mankind : And you allow, that the beauty of virtue alone is not a fuf- ficient motive with mankind to the practice of it This led you to acknowledge, that the belief of a God would be very ufeful in the world : And that, confequently, you ihould be difpofed to admit any reafonable proof of his being : Which point hath been proved, and you have ad- mitted the proof. If then we admit a Divinity, why not divine worfliip ? and if worfliip, why not religion to teach this worfliip ? and if a religion, why not the chriftian, if a better cannot be afligned, and if it be already eftablilhed "i 9 6 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V> j by the laws of our country, and Landed down to us from our Fore-fathers ? fhall we believe a God, and not pray to him for future benefits, nor thank him for the paft ? nei- ther truft in his protection, nor love his goodnefs, nor praife his wifdom, nor adore his power ? And if thefe things are to be done, can we do them in a way more fuitable to the dignity of God or man, than is prefcribed by the chriftian religion ? Alc. — I am not perhaps altogether fure that religion mud be absolutely bad for the public : But I cannot bear to fee policy and religion walk hand in hand : I do not like to fee human rights attached to the divine : I am for no Pontifex Maximus, fuch as in ancient or in modern Rome : No high pried, as in Judea : No royal prieft, as in Egypt and Sparta : No fuch things as the Dairos of Japan or Lamas of Tar tar y. III. I knew a little witty gentleman of our feci, who was a great admirer of the ancient Druids. He had a moral antipathy to the prefent eftablifhed religion, but ufed to fay, he fhould like well to fee the Druids and their religion reftored, as it anciently flourifhed in Gaul and Britain ; for it would be right enough that there mould be a number of contemplative men fet apart to preferve a knowledge of arts and fciences, to educate youth, and teach men the immortality of the foul, and the moral vir- tues. Such, faid he, were the Druids of old, and I fhould be glad to fee them once more eftablifhed among us. Cri.~ -How would you like, Alciphron, that priefts (hould have power to decide all controverfies, adjudge property, diftribute rewards and punifhments ; that all who did not acquiefce in their decrees fhould be excommu- nicated, held in abhorrence, excluded from all honours and privileges, and deprived of the common benefit of the laws; and that, now and then, a number of l^y-men [Dial. VJ MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. i 97 fhould be crammed together in a wicker-idol, and burnt for an offering to their Pagan Gods ? How fhould you like living under fuch priefts and fuch a religion ? Alc. — Not at all. Such a fituation would by no means agree with free-thinkers. Cri. — And yet fuch were the Druids, and fuch their religion, if we may truft Cafars account of them.* Lys. — I am now convinced more than ever, that there ought to be no fuch thing as an eftablifhed religion of any kind. Certainly all the nations of the world have been hitherto out of their wits. Even the Athenians themfelves, the wifeft and freed people upon earth, had, I know not what, foolifh attachment to their eftablifhed church. They offered, it feems, a talent as a reward to whoever fhould kill Diagoras, the Melian, a free-thinker of thofe times, who derided their myfteries : And Protagoras, ano- ther of the fame turn, narrowly efcaped being put to death, for having wrote fomething that feemed to contradict their received notions of the Gods. Such was the treat- ment our generous feci: met with at Athens. And I make no doubt, but thefe Druids would have facrificed many a holocauft of free-thinkers. I would not give a fingle far- thing to exchange one religion for another. Away with all together, root and branch, or you had as good do no- thing. No Druids or priefts, of any fort, for me : I fee no occafion for any of them. IV. Euph. — What Lyficles faith, puts me in mind of the clofe of our laft conference, wherein it was agreed in the following, to refume the point we were then entered upon : to wit, the ufe or benefit of the chriftian religion, which Alciphron expected Crito fhould make appear. Cri. — I am the readier to undertake this point, becaufe I conceive it to be no difficult one, and that one great mark * Dc Bello Gallico, 1. 6. i 9 8 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V ] of the truth of chriftianity is, in my mind, its tendency to do good, which feems the north-ftar to conduct our judg- ment in moral matters, and in all things of a pra£Hc na- ture ; moral or practical truths being ever connected with univerfal benefit. But to judge rightly of this matter, we mould endeavour to ac"fc like Lyficles upon another occafion, taking into our view the fum of things, and considering principles as branched forth into confequences to the ut- moft extent we are able. We are not fo much to regard the humour, or caprice, or imaginary diftreffes, of a few ' idle men, whofe conceit may be offended, though their confcience cannot be wounded ; but fairly to confider the true intereft of individuals, as well as of human fociety. Now, the chriftian religion, confidered as a fountain of light, and joy, and peace, as a fource of faith, and hope, and char- ity, (and that it is fo, will be evident to whoever takes his notion of it from the gofpel) muft needs be a principle of happinefs and virtue. And he who fees not, that the de- ftroying the principles of good actions muft deftroy good a£lions, fees nothing : And he who, feeing this, (hall yet perfift to do it, if he be not wicked, who is ? V. To me it feems, the man can fee neither deep nor far, who is not fenfible of his own mifery, (infulnefs and dependence ; who doth not perceive, that this prefent world is not defigned or adapted to make rational fouls happy ; who would not be glad of getting into a better ft ate ; and who would not be overjoyed to find that the road leading thither, was the love of God and man, the pra&ifing every virtue, the living reafonably while we are here upon earth, proportioning our efteem to the value of things, and fo ufing this world as not to abufe it. For this is what chriftianity requires. It neither injoins the naftinefs of the cynic, nor the infenfibility of the ftoic Can there be a higher ambition than to overcome the world, [Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. i 99 or a wifer, than to fubdue ourfelves, or a more comfort- able doctrine, than the remiffion of fins, or a more joy- ful profpecl:, than that of having our bafe natures renew- ed and aflimilated to the Deity, our being made fellow- citizens with angels and fons of God ? Did ever Pytha- goreans, or Platoniflsy or Stoics, even in idea or in wifh, propofe to the" mind of man purer means, or a nobler end ? How great a fhare of our happinefs depends upon hope ! How totally is this extinguiflied by the Minute > Philofophy ! On the other hand, how is it cherifhed and raifed by the gofpel ! Let any man, who thinks in ear- neft, but confider thefe things, and then fay, which he thinks deferveth beft of mankind, he who recommends, or he who runs down chriftianity ? Which he thinks like- lier to lead a happy life, to be a hopeful fon, an honeft dealer, a worthy patriot, he who fincerely believes the gofpel, or he who believes not one tittle of it ? He who aims at being a child of God, or he who is contented to be thought, and to be, one of Epicurus's hogs ? And, in fact, do but fcan the characters, and obferve the beha- vior of the common fort of men on both fides ; obferve, and fay which live moft agreeably to the dictates of rea- fon ? How things fliould be, the reafon is plain ; how they are, I appeal to fa£t. VI. Alc — It is wonderful to obferve how things change appearance, as they are viewed in different lights, or by different eyes. The picture, Crito, that I form of religion is very unlike yours, when I confider how it un- mans the foul, filling it with abfurd reveries, and flavifh fears : how it extinguishes the gentle pafiions, infpiring a ipirit of malice, and rage, and perfecution : When I behold bitter retentments and unholy wrath in thofe very men, who preach up meeknefs and charity to others. Cri. — It is very poffibie, that gentlemen of your feci: may think religion a (iibjed beneath their attention \ but too MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] yet it feems that whoever fets up for oppofing any doc- trine, fhould know what it is he difputes againft. Know then, that religion is the virtuous mean between incredu- lity and fuperftition. We do not, therefore, contend for fuperftitious follies, or for the rage of bigots. What we plead for is, religion againft profanenefs, law againft confufiort, virtue againft vice, the hope of a chriftian againft the defpondency of an atheift. I will not juftify bitter refentments and unholy wrath in any man, much lefs in a chriftian, and leaft of all in a clergyman. But if Tallies of human paffion mould fometimes appear even in the beft, it will not furprife any one who reflects on the farcafms and ill manners with which they are treated by the Minute Philofophers. For, as Cicero fomewhere ob- ferves, Habet quendam aculeuirr contumelia, quern pati pru- denies ac viri boni difficillinie pojfunt. But although you might fometimes obferve particular perfons, profeffing themfelves chriftians, run into faulty extremes of any kind, through paffion and infirmity, while infidels of a more calm and difpaflionate temper fhall perhaps behave better; — -yet thefe natural tendencies, on either fide, prove nothing, either in favor of infidel principles, or againft chriftian. If a believer doth evil, it is owing to the man, not to his belief. And if an infidel doth good, it is owing to the man, and not to his infidelity. VII. Lys. — To cut this matter fhort, I (hall borrow an allufion to phyfic, which one of you made ufe of againft our feci:. It will not be denied that the clergy pafs for phyficians of the foul, and that religion is a fort of medicine which they deal in and adminifter. If then fouls, in great numbers, are difeafed and loft, how can we think the phyfician fkilful, or his phyfic good I It is a common complaint, that vice increafes, and men grow- daily more and more wicked. If a fhepherd's flock be [Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 201 difeafed or unfound, who is to blame but the fhepherd, for neglecting, or not knowing how to cure them ? A fig, therefore, for fuch ftiepherds, fuch phyfic, and fuch phyficians, who, like other mountebanks, with great gravity and elaborate harangues, put off their pills to the people, who are never the better for them. Euph.— Nothing feems more reafonable than this re- mark, that men fhould judge of a phyfician and his phy- fic, by its effects on the fick. But pray, Lyftcles> would you judge of a phyfician, by thofe fick who take his phy- fic and follow his prefcriptions, or by thofe who do not I Lys. — Doubtlefs by thofe who do. Euph. — What fhall we fay then, if great numbers re- fufe to take the phyfic, or, inftead of it, take poifon of a direct contrary nature, prescribed by others, who make it their bufinefs to difcredit the phyfician and his medi- cines, to hinder men from ufing them, and to deftroy their effect by drugs of their own ? Shall the phyfician be blamed for the mifcarriage of thofe people ? Lys. — By no means. ,... Euph. — By a parity of reafon, fhould it not follow, that the tendency of religious doctrines ought to be judg- ed of by the effects which they produce, not upon all who hear them, but upon thofe only who receive or be- lieve them ? Lys. — It feems fo. Euph. — Therefore, to proceed fairly, fhall we not judge of the effects of religion by the religious, of faith by the believers, of chriflianity by chriftians ? VIII. Lys. — But I doubt thefe fincere believers are very few. Euph.— But will it not fuffice to juftify our principles, if, in proportion to the numbers which receive them, and the degree of faith with which they are received, they B h 1*2 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] produce good effects ? Perhaps the number of believers, are not fo few as you imagine ; and if they were, whofe fault is that fo much as of thofe who make it their pro- feffed endeavor to leiTen that number ? And who are thofe but the Minute Philofophers ? Lys. — I tell you, it is owing to the clergy themfelves, to the wickednefs and corruption of clergymen. Eupk.— And who denies that there may be Minute Philofophers even among the clergy ? Cm. — In fo numerous a body, it is to be prefumcd there are men of all forts. But notwithftanding the cru- el reproaches cafl upon that order by their enemies, an equal obferver of men and things will, if I miftake not, be inclined to think thofe reproaches owing as much to other faults, as thofe of the clergy : Efpecially if he con- fiders the declamatory manner of thofe who cenfure them. Euph. — My knowledge of the world, is too narrow for me to pretend to judge of the virtue, and merit, and liber- al attainments of men, in the feveral profefiions. Befides, I fhotuld not care for the odious work of comparison : But I may venture to fay, the clergy of this country where I Jive, are by no means a difgrace to it : On the contrary, the people feem much the better for their example and doctrine. But fuppofing the clergy to be (what all men certainly are) finners, and faulty ; fuppofing you might fpy out here and there among them even great crimes and vices : what can you conclude againft the profeffion itfelf from its unworthy profeflbrs, any more than from the pride, pedantry, and bad lives of fome philofophers againft philofophy, or of lawyers againft law ? IX. Cri.-— It is certainly right to judge of principles from their effe&s, but then we muft know them to be effe£ts of thofe principles. It is the very method I have obferved, with refpecl: to religion and the Minute Philofo- [Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 203 phy. And I can honeftly aver, that I never knew any man, or family, grow worfe in proportion as they grew reli- gious : JSut I have often obferved, that Minute Philofophy is the worft thing which can get into a family, the readied way to impoverim, divide, and difgrace it. Alc. — By the fame method of tracing caufes from their effects, I have made it my obfervation, that the love of truth, virtue, and the happinefs of mankind are fpe- cious pretexts, but not the inward principles that fet di- vines at work : Elfe why mould they affecl to abufe hu- man reafon, to difparage natural religion, to traduce the philofophers, as they univerfally do ? Cri. — Not fo univerfally perhaps as you imagine. A chriftian, indeed, is for confining reafon within its due bounds : And fo is every reafonable man. If we are for- bid meddling with unprofitable queftions, vain philofophy, and fcience, falfly fo called, it cannot be thence inferred, that all inquiries into profitable queftions, ufeful philofo- phy, and true fcience, are unlawful. A Minute Philofo- pher may indeed impute, and perhaps a weak brother may imagine, thofe inferences, but men of fenfe will never make them. God is the common Father of lights : And all knowledge, really fuch, whether natural or revealed, is derived from the fame fource of light and truth. To amafs together authorities upon fo plain a point, would be needlefs. It mud be owned, fome men's attributing too much to human reafon, hath, as is natural, made others attribute too little to it. But thus much is generally ac- knowledged, that there is a natural religion, which may be difcovered and proved by the light of reafon, to thofe who are capable of fuch proofs. But it muft be withal acknowledged, that precepts and oracles from Heaven arc- incomparably better fuited to popular improvement, and the good of fociety, than the reafonings of philofophers : And accordingly we do not find, that natural or rational 2o 4 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] religion, as fuch, ever became the popular national reli- gion of any country. X. Alc— It cannot be denied, that in all heathen coun- tries, there have been received, under the colour of reli- gion, a world of fables and fuperftitious rites. But I queftion whether they were fo abfurd, and of fo bad influ- ence, as is vulgarly reprefented, fince their refpe&ive le- giflatofs and magiftrates mu ft, without doubt, have thought them ufeful. Cri. — It were needlefs to inquire into all the rites and notions of the Gentile world. This hath been largely done when it was thought necefTary. And whoever thinks it worth while, may be eafily fatisfied about them. But as to the tendency and ufefulnefs of the heathen religion in general, I beg leave to mention a remark of St. Auguf- tine'sy* who obferves that the heathens, in their religion, had no aflemblies for preaching, wherein the people were to be inftru&ed what duties or virtues the Gods required, no place or means to be taught what Perfius f exhorts them to learn. Difciteque 6 miferi, & caufas cognofcite rerum, ^uid fumusy & quidnam viBuri gignimur.—* Alc— This is the true fpirit of the party, never to al- low a grain of ufe or goodnefs to any thing out of their own pale : But we have had learned men, who have done juftice to the religion of the Gentiles. Ce-I. — We do not deny, but there was fomething ufeful in the eld religions of Rome and Greece, and fome other pagan countries. On the contrary, we freely own they produced fome good effects on the people : But then thefe good effects were owing to the truths contained in thofe .•DeCWiweDdl 4 . J Sat. .j [Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. io 5 falfe religions : The truer, therefore, the more ufeful. I believe you will find it a hard matter to produce any ufe- ful truth, any moral precept, any falutary principle, or notion, in any Gentile fyftem, either of religion or philo- fophy, which is not comprehended in the chriftian, and either enforced by ftronger motives, or fupported by bet- ter authority, or carried to a higher point of perfe&ion. XL Alc. — Confequently you would have us think ourfelves a finer people than the ancient Greeks or Romans. Cri. — If by finer, you mean better, perhaps we are : And if we are not, it is not owing to the chriftian religion, but to the want of it. Alc. — You fay perhaps we are. I do not pique my- felf on my reading : But mould be very ignorant to be ca- pable of being impofed on in fo plain a point. What ! compare Cicero or Brutus to an EngliJJj patriot, or Seneca to one of our parfons ! Then that invincible conflancy and vigour of mind, that difinterefted and noble virtue, that adorable public fpirit you fo much admire, are things in them fo well known, and fo different from our man- ners, that I know not how to excufe your perhaps. Eu- phranor 9 indeed, who pafTeth his life in this obfcure cor- ner, may poffibly miflake the characters of our times : But you, who know the worlds how could you be guilty of fuch a miflake ? Cri. — O Alciphron ! I would by no means detract from the noble virtue of ancient heroes : But I obferve thofe great men were not the Minute Philofophers of their times : ' And that the beft principles upon which they a£t- cd, are common to them with chriftians, of whom it would be no difficult matter to aflign, if not in our own times, yet within the compafs of our own hiflory, many inftances, in every kind of worth and virtue, public or private, equal to the mofl celebrated of the ancients. Though perhaps their (lory might not have been fo well io6 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] told, fet off with fuch fine lights and colourings of ftilc, or fo vulgarly known and confidered by every fchool-bdy. But though it fhould be granted, that here and there a Greek or Roman genius, bred up under ftri£t laws, and fevere difcipline, animated to public virtue by ftatues, crowns, triumphal arches, and fuch rewards and monu- ments of great actions, might attain to a character and fame beyond other men ; yet this will prove only, that they had more fpirit, and lived under a civil polity more wifely ordered, in certain points, than ours : Which advan- tages of nature and civil inftitution will be no argument for their religion, or againft ours. On the contrary, it feems an invincible proof of the power and excellency of the chriftian religion, that, without the help of thofe ci- vil inftitutions and incentives to glory, it mould be able to infpire a phlegmatic people with the nobleft fentiments, and foften the rugged manners of northern boors into gentlenefs and humanity : And that thefe good qualities fhould become national, and rife and fall in proportion to the purity of our religion, as it approaches to, or recedes" from the plan laid down in the gofpel. XII. To make a right judgment of the effe&s of the chriftian religion, let us take a furvey of the prevailing notions and manners of this very country where we live, and compare them with thofe of our heathen predeceffors. Alc. — I have heard much of the glorious light of the gofpel, and mould be glad to fee fome effects of it in my own dear country, which, by the by, is one of the moft corrupt and profligate upon earth, notwithftanding the boafled purity of our religion. But it would look mean and diffident, to affect a comparifon with the barbarous heathen, from whence we drew our original; If you would do honor to your religion, dare to make it with- the moft renowned heathens of antiquity. CDul. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. zoj Cri. — It is a common prejudice, to defpife the pre- fent, and over-rate remote times,and things. Something of this feems to enter into the judgments men make of the Greeks and Romans. For though it muft be allowed, thofe nations produced fome noble fpirits, and great pat- terns of virtue : yet, upon the whole, it feems to me, they were much inferior, in point of real virtue and good mo- rals, even to this corrupt and profligate nation, as you are now pleafed to call it, in difhonor to our religion ; however you may think fit to chara&erife it, when you would do honor to the Minute Philofophy. This, I think, will be plain to any one, , who (hall turn off his eyes from a few mining characters, to view the general manners and cuftoms of thofe people. Their infolent treatment of captives, even of the higheft rank and fofter fex, their unnatural expofing of their own children, their bloody gladiatorian fpe&acles, compared with the common no- tions of Etfghjhmetiy are to me a plain proof, that our minds are much foftened by chriftianity. Could any thing be more unjuft, than the condemning a young lady to the moft infamous punifhment, and death, for the guilt of her father, or a whole family of flaves, perhaps fome hundreds, for a crime committed by one ? Or more abominable than the bacchanals and unbridled lufts of every kind ? which, notwithstanding all that has been done by Minute Philofophers to debauch the nation, and their fuccefsful attempts on fome part of it, have not yet been matched among us, at leaft not in every circum- ftance of impudence and afFrontery. While the Romans were poor, they were temperate ; but, as they grew rich, they became luxurious to a degree that is hardly believed or conceived by us. It cannot be benied, the old Roman ipirit was a great one. But it is as certain, there have been numberlefs examples of the moft refolute and clear courage in Britons, and, in general, from a religious caufe. 2o8 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] Upon the whole, it feems an inftance of the greateft blindnefs and ingratitude, that we do not fee and own the exceeding great benefits of chriftianity, which, to omit higher confiderations, hath fo vifibly foftened^ polifh- ed, and embellifhed our manners. XIII. Alc— O CritOy we are alarmed at cruelty in a foreign fhape, but overlook it in a familiar one. Elfe how is it poflible that you mould not fee the inhumanity of that barbarous cuftom of duelling, a thing avowed and tolerated, and even reputable among us ? Or that, fee- ing this, you mould fuppofe cur Englijhmen of a more gentle difpofition than the old Romans, who were alto- gether ft rangers to it ? Cri.-— I will by no means make an apology for every Goth that walks the ftreets, with a determined purpofe to murder any man who fhall but fpit in his face, or give him the lie. Nor do I think the chriftian religion in the leaft anfwerable, for a practice fo directly oppofite to its precepts, and which obtains only among the idle part of the nation, your men of fafhion ; who, inftead of law, reafon, and religion, are governed by fafhion. Be plea- fed to confider, that what may be, and truly is, a moft fcandalous reproach to a chriftian country, may be none at all to the chriftian religion : For the pagan encouraged men in feveral vices, but the chriftian in none. Alc— -Give me leave to obferve, that what you now fay is foreign to the purpofe. For the queftion, at pre- fent, is not concerning the refpeftive tendencies of the pagan and the chriftian religions, but concerning our man- ners, as actually compared with thofe of ancient heath- ens, who, I aver, had no fuch barbarous cuftom as duel- ing. Cri.— And I aver that, bad as this is, they had a worfe; and that was poifoning. By which we haveirea- [Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 209 fon to think there were many more lives destroyed, than by this Gothic crime of duelling : inafmuch. as it extended to all ages, fexes, and characters, and as its effe&s were more fecret and unavoidable : and as it had more tempt- ations, intereft as well as paffion, to recommend it to wicked men. And for the fact, not to wafte time, I re- fer you to the Roman authors themfelves. Lys. — It is very true, duelling is not fo general a nufance as poifoning, nor of fo bafe a nature. This crime, if it be a crime, is in a fair way to keep its ground, in fpite of the law and the gofpel. The clergy never preach againft it, becaufe themfelves never fuffer by it ; and the man of honor mult never appear againft the means of vindicating honor. Cri. — Though it be remarked by fome of your fe£r, that the clergy are not ufed to preach againft duelling, yet I neither think the remark itfelf juft, nor the reafon affigned for it. In effect, one half of their fermons, all that is faid of charity, brotherly love, forbearance, meek- nefs, and forgiving injuries, is directly againft this wick- ed cuftom ; by which the clergy themfelves are fo far from never fuffering, that perhaps they will be found, all things confidered, to fuffer oftner than other men. Lys. — How do you make this appear ? ' Cri. — An obferver of mankind may remark two kinds of bully, the fighting and the tame, both public nufances : the former (who is the more dangerous animal, but by much the lefs common of the two) employs himfelf whol- ly and folely againft the laity, while the tame fpecies exert their talents upon the clergy. The qualities conftituent of this tame bully, are natural rudenefs, joined with a de- licate fenfe of danger. For, you muft know, the force of inbred infolence, and ill manners, is not diminished, though it acquire a new determination, from the fafhion- abie cuftom of calling men to account for their behavior. *io MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] Hence you may often fee one of thefe tame bullies ready to burft with pride and ill humour, which he dares not vent, till a parfon has come in the way to his relief. And the man of raillery, who would as foon bite off his tongue, as break a jeft on the profeflion of arms, in the prefence of a military man, (hall inftantly brighten up, and af- fume a familiar air with religion and the church before eccleliaftics. Dor con y who paffeth for a poltron and ftu- pid in all other company, and really is fo, when he is got among clergymen, effecls a quite oppofite character. And many Dor cons there are, which owe their wit and courage to this paffive order. XIV. Alc. — But to return to the point in hand, can you deny, the old Romans were as famous for juftice and integrity, as men in thefe days for the contrary qualities ? Cri. — The character of the Romans is not to be taken from the fentiments of Tully or Gate's actions, or a fhin- ing paflage, here and there, in their hiftory, but from the prevailing tenor of their lives and notions. Now if they and our modern Britons are weighed in this fame equal balance, you will, if I miftake not, appear to have been prejudiced in favor of the old Romans againft your own country : Probably becaufe it profeffeth chriftianity. Whatever inftances of fraud or injuftice may be feen in chriftians, carry their own cenfure with them, in the care that is taken to conceal them, and the fliame that attends their difcovery. There is, even at this day, a fort of modefty in all our public councils and deliberations. And I believe, the boldefl of our Minute Philofophers would hardly undertake in a popular afTembly, to propofe any thing parallel to the rape of the Sabines, the moft un- juft ufage of Lucius Tarquinius Cot/atinus, or the ungrate- ful treatment of Camillus, which, as a learned father ob- ferves, were inftances of iniquity agreed to by the public [Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 211 body of the Romans. And if Rome, in her early days, were capable of fuch flagrant injuftice, it is molt certain {he did not mend her manners, as me grew great in wealth and empire, having produced monfters in every kind of wickednefs, as far exceeding other men, as they furpaf- fed them in power. I freely acknowledge, the chriftian religion hath not had the fame influence upon the nation, that it would, in cafe it had been always profefTed in its pu- rity, and cordially believed by all men. But I will ven- ture to fay, that if you take the Roman hiftory from one end to the other, and impartially compare it with our own, you will neither find them fo good, nor your countrymen fo bad as you imagine. On the contrary, an indifferent eye may, I verily think, perceive a vein of charity and juftice, the effecT: of christian principles, run through the latter -, which, though not equally difcernible in all parts, yet difclofeth itfelf fufficiently to make a wide difference upon the whole, in fpite of the general appetites and paflions of human nature, as well as of the particular hardnefs and roughnefs of the block, out of which we were hewn. And it is obfervable (what the Roman authors themfelves often fuggeft) that, even their virtues and magnanimous actions rofe and fell with a fenfe of Providence and a fu- ture ftate, and a philofophy the nearefl to the chriflian religion. XV. Crito having fpoke thus, paufed. But Alciphron addrefling himfelf ' to Euphranor and me, faid, it is natural for men, according to their feveral educations and preju- dices, to form contrary judgments upon the fame things, which they view in very different lights. Crito 9 for in- fiance, imagines that none but falutary efFe£b proceed from religion : On the other hand, if you appeal to the general experience and obfervation of other men, you 212 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] fhall find it grown into a proverb, that religion is the root of evil. Tantum Religio potuit fuadere malorum. And this, not only among Epicureans > or other ancient heathens, but among moderns fpeaking of the chriftian religion. Now methinks it is unreafonable to oppofe againft the general concurring opinion of the world, the obfervation of a particular perfon, or particular fet of zealots, whofe prejudice flicks clofe to them, and ever mixeth with their judgment ; and who read, colleft, and obferve with an eye not to difcover the truth, but to de- fend their prejudice. Cri. — Though I cannot think with Alciphron, yet . I muft own I admire his addrefs and dexterity in argument. Popular and general opinion is by him reprefented, on certain occafions, to be a fure mark of error. But when it ferves his ends that it fhould feem otherwife, he can as eafily make it a character of truth. But it will by no means follow, that a profane proverb, ufed by the friends and admired authors of a Minute Philofopher, muft there- fore be a received opinion, much lefs a truth grounded on the experience and obfervation of mankind. Sadnefs may fpring from guilt or fuperftition, and rage from big- otry : But darknefs might as well be fuppofed the natural efFe£r, of funfhine, as fullen and furious paffions to pro- ceed from the glad tidings and divine precepts of the gof- pel. What is the fum and fubftance, fcope and end, of Chrift's religion, but the love of God and man ? To which all other points and duties (whether pofitive or moral) are relative and fubordinate, as parts or means, as figns, principles, motives, or effects. Now I would fain know, how it is poffible for evil or wickednefs, c£ any kind, to fpring from fuch a fcurce. I will not pretend, there are [Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 213 no evil qualities in chriftians, nor good in Minute Pliilo- phers. But this I affirm, that whatever evil is in us, our principles certainly lead to good : And whatever good there may be in you, it is moil certain your principles lead to evil. XVI. Alc. — It muft be owned, there is a fair outfide, and many plaufible things may be faid, for the chriftian religion, taken fimply as it lies in the gofpel. But it is the obfervation of one of our great writers, that the firft chriftian preachers very cunningly began with the faireft face and the beft moral doctrines in the world. It was all love, charity, meeknefs, patience and fo forth. But when by this means they had drawn over the world and got power, they foon changed their appearance, and (hewed cruelty, ambition, avarice, and every bad quality. Cri.— That is to fay, fome men very cunningly preach- ed and underwent a world of hardlhips, and laid down their lives to propagate the beft principles, and the beft morals, to the end that others, fome centuries after, might reap the benefit of bad ones. Whoever may be cunning, there is not much cunning in the maker of this obferv- ation. Alc— And yet ever fince this religion hath appeared in the world, we have had eternal feuds, factions, mafTa- cres, and wars, the very reverfe of that hymn with which it is introduced in the gofpel : Glory be to God en highy on Earthy Peace, Good-iuill towards Men. Cri. — This I will not deny. I will even own, that the gofpel, and the chriftian religion, have been often the pretexts for thefe evils : but it will not thence follow they were the caufe. On the contrary, it is plain, they could not be the real proper caufe of thefe evils ; becaufe a re- bellious, proud, revengeful, quarrelfome fpirit is diredUy oppofite to the whole tenor, and moft exprefs precepts of 2i 4 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] chriftianity : A point fo clear, that I (hall not prove it. And fecondly, becaufe all thofe evils you mention were as frequent, nay, much more frequent, before the chriftian religion was known in the world. They are the common product of the paflions and vices of mankind, which are fometimes covered with the malk of religion by wicked men, having the form of godlinefs, without the power of it. This truth feems fo plain, that I am furprifed how any man of fenfe, knowledge, and candour can make a doubt of it. XVII. Take but a view of heathen Rome ; what a fcene is there of faction, and fury, and civil rage ? Let any man confider the perpetual feuds, between the Pa- tricians and Plebeians, the bloody and inhuman factions of Marius and Sylla, Cinna and Oclavius, and the vaft hav- ock of mankind, during the two famous triumvirates. — To be fhort, let any man of common candor, and com- mon fenfe, but caft an eye, from one end to the other of the Roman ftory, and behold that long fcene of feditions, murders, maflacres, proscriptions, and defolations, of every kind, enhanced by every cruel circumftance of rage, rapine, and revenge •, and then fay, whether thofe evils were introduced into the world with the chriftian reli- gion, or whether they are not lefs frequent now than be- fore ? Alc— The ancient Romans, it muft be owned, had a high and fierce fpirit, which produced eager contentions, and very bloody cataftrophes. The Greeks, on the other hand, were a polite and gentle fort of men, foftened by arts and philofophy. It is impoffible to think of the little Hates and cities of Greece, without wifhing to have lived in thofe times, without admiring their policy, and envy- ing their happinefs. Cri.— Men are apt to confider the dark fides of what they poffefs, and the bright ones of things out of their [Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. *i; reach. A fine climate, elegant tafte, polite amufements, love of liberty, and a mod ingenious inventive fpirit for arts and fciences, were indifputable prerogatives of an- cient Greece. But, as for peace and quietnefs, gentle- nefs and humanity, I think we have plainly the advant- age : For thofe envied cities, compofed of gentle Greeks, were not without their factions, which perfecuted each other with fuch treachery, rage, and malice, that, in re* fpect of them, our factious folk are mere lambs. To be convinced of this truth, you need only look into Thucy- dides \ * where you will find thofe cities, in general, in- volved in fuch bitter factions, as for fellow citizens, with- out the formalities of war, to murder one another, even in their fenate houfes and their temples ; no regard being had to merit, rank, obligation, or nearnefs of blood. And if human nature boiled up to fo vehement a pitch in the politeft people, what wonder that favage na- tions mould fcalp, roft, torture, and deftroy each other, as they are known to do ? It is therefore plain, that, without religion, there would not be wanting pretexts for quarrels and debates ; all which can very eafily be ac- counted for by the natural infirmities and corruption of men. It would not perhaps be fo eafy to account for the blindnefs of thofe, who impute the moft hellifh effects to the moft divine principle, if they could be fuppofed in earneft, and to have confidered the point. One may daily fee ignorant and prejudiced men, make the moft abfurd blunders : But that free-thinkers, divers to the bottom of things, fair inquirers, and openers of eyes, mould be capable of fuch a grofs miftake, is what one would not expect. XVIII. Alc — The reft of mankind we could more eafily give up : but as for the Greeks, men of the moft refined genius exprefs an high efteem of them : not only * Thucyd. 1. 3. ii6 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] on account of thofe qualities which you think fit to al- low them, but alfo for their virtues. Cri. — I (hall not take upon me to fay how far fome men may be prejudiced againft their country, or whether others may not be prejudiced in favor of it. But, upon the fulleft and mo ft equal obfervation that I am able to make, it is my opinion, that, if by virtue is meant truth, juftice, gratitude, there is incomparably more virtue, at this day, in England, than at any time could be found in ancient Greece. Thus much will be allowed, that we know few countries, if any, where men of eminent worth, and famous for deferving well of the public, met with harder fate, and were more ungratefully treated, than in the mod polite and learned of the Grecian Hates. Though Socrates, it mult be owned, would not allow, that thofe ftatefmen, by adorning the city, augmenting the fleet, or extending the commerce of Athens, deferved well of their country •, or could with juftice complain of the ungrate- ful returns made by their fellow citizens, whom, while they were in power, they had taken no care to make bet- ter men, by improving and cultivating their minds with the principles of virtue, which, if they had done, they needed not to have feared their ingratitude. If I were to declare my opinion, what gave the chief advantage to Greeks and Romans, and other nations, which have made the greateft figure in the world, I mould be apt to think it was a peculiar reverence for their refpe£Uve laws and inftitutions, which infpired them with fteadinefs and courage, and that hearty generous love of their country ; by which they did not merely underftand, a certain lan- guage or tribe of men, much lefs a particular fpot of earth, but included a certain fyftem of manners, cuftoms, notions, rites, and laws, civil and religious. Alc — Oh ! I perceive your drift, you would have us reverence the laws and relieious inftitutions of our coun- [Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 217 try. But herein we beg to be excufed, if we do not think fit to imitate the Greeks, or to be governed by any autho- rity whatfoever. Cri. — So far from it. If mahomctanifm were aftab- liftied by authority, I make no doubt, thofe very free- thinkers, who at prefent applaud Turkifli maxims and manners, to that degree, you would think them ready to turn Turks, would then be the firft to exclaim againft them. Alc. — But to return : As for wars and factions, I grant they ever were, and ever will be, in the world, upon fome pretext or other, as long as men are men. XIX. But there is a fort of war and warriors peculiar to chriftendom, which the heathens had no notion of : I mean difputes in theology and polemical divines, which the world hath been wonderfully peftered with : Thefe teachers cf peace, meeknefs, concord, and what not ! If you take their word for it ; but if you call an eye upon their practice, »you 'find them to have been in all ages the moil contentious, quarrelfome, difagreeing crew' that ever appeared upon earth. To obferve the fkill and fophiftry, the zeal and eagernefs, with which thofe barbarians, the fchool-divines, fplit hairs, and con- teft about chimeras, gives me more indignation, as being more abfurd, and a greater fcandal to human reafon, than all the ambitious intrigues, cabals, and politics of the court of Rome. Cri. — If divines are quarrelfome, that is not fo far forth as divine, but as undivine and unchriftian. Juftice is a good thing ; and the art of healing is excellent •, ne- verthetefs, in the adminiftring of juftice, or phyfic, men may be wronged or poifoned. But as wrong cannot be juftice, or the effecl: of juftice, fo poifon cannot be med- icine, or the effecl: of medicine ; fo neither can pride or ftrife be religion, or the effecl: of religion. Having pre- mifed this, I acknowledge, you may often lee hot-headed D d 5u8 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] bigots engage themfelves in religious as well as civil par- ties, without being of credit or fervice to either. And as for the fchoolmen in particular, I do not in the leaft, think the chriftian religion concerned in the defence of them, their genets, or their method of handling them : But, whatever futility there may be in their notions, or inelegancy in their language, in pure juftice to truth one muft own, they neither banter, nor rail, nor declaim in their writings, and are fo far from (hewing fury or paf- fion, that perhaps an impartial judge will think, the Minute Philofophers are by no means to be compared with them, for keeping clofe to the point, or for temper and good manners. But after all, if men are puzzled, wran- gle, talk nonfenfe, and quarrel about religion; fo they do about law, phyfic, politics, and every thing elfe of moment. I afk, whether in thefe profeffions, or in any other, where men have refined and abftra£ted, they do not run into difputes, chicane, nonfenfe, and contradic- tions, as well as in divinity ? And yet this doth not hinder but there may be many excellent rules, and jufl notions, and ufeful truths, in all thofe profeffions. In all difputes human paflions too often mix themfelves, in proportion as the fubjecl: is conceived to be more or lefs important. But we ought not to confound the caufe of man with the caufe of God, or make human follies an objection to divine truths. It is eafy to diftinguifh what looks like wifdom from above, and what proceeds from the paflion and weaknefs of men. This is. fo clear a point, that one would be tempted to think, the not doing it was an effect, not of ignorance, but of fomething worfe. XX. The conduct we obje&to Minute Philofophers, is a natural confequence of their principles. Whatsoever they can reproach us with, is an effecl:, not of our princi- ples, but of human paflion and frailty. [Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 219 Alc. — This is admirable. So we muft no longer ob- ject to chriftians the abfurd contentions of councils, the cruelty of inquifitions, the ambition and ufurpations of churchmen. Cri. — You may object them to chriftians, but not to chriftianity. If the Divine Author of our religion, and his difciples, have fowed a good feed ; and together with this good feed, the enemies of his gofpel (among whom are to be reckoned the Minute Philofophers of all ages) have fowed bad feeds, whence fpring tares and thiftles 5 is it not evident, thefe bad weeds cannot be imputed to the good feed, or to thofe who fowed it ? Whatever you do or can object againft ecclefiaflical tyranny, ufurpation, or fophiftry, may, without any blemifh or difadvantage to religion, be acknowledged by all true chriftians : Provi- ded ftill, that you impute thofe wicked effects to their true caufe, not blaming any principles or perfons for them, but thofe that really produce or juftify them. Certainly, as the interefts of chriftianity are not to be fupported by unchriftian methods, whenever thefe are made ufe of, it muft be fuppofed there is fome other latent principle which fets them at work. If the very court of Rome hath been known, from motives of policy, to oppofe fettling the inquifition in a kingdom, where the fecular power hath endeavored to introduce it in fpite of that court : # We may well fuppofe, that elfewhere factions of ftate, and political views of princes, hath given birth to tranfactions feemingly religious, wherein, atbottom, neither religion, nor church, nor churchmen, were at all considered. As no man of common fenfe an#honefty will engage in a general defence of ecclefiaftics, fo I think no man of common candour can condemn them in general. Would you think it reafon- able to blame all ftatefmen, or lawyers, or foldiers, for the Paolo iftoria dell* Inquifizionc. p. 4V 22© MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] faults committed by thofe of their profeflion, though in other times, or in other countries, and influenced by oth- er maxims and other difcipline ? And if not, why do you rneafure with one rule to the clergy, and another to the laity ? Surely the beft reafon that can be given for this is prejudice. Should any man rake together all the mifchiefs that have been committed in all ages and nations, by fol- diers and lawyers, you would, I fuppofe, conclude from thence, not that the ft ate mould be deprived of thofe ufe- ful profeffions, but only that their exorbitances mould be guarded againft and puniftied. If you took the fame equi- table courfe with the clergy, there would indeed be lefs to be faid againft you : But then you would have much lefs to fay. This* plain obvious confideration, if every one who read confidered, would lerTen the credit of your declaimers. Alc. — But when all is faid that can be faid, it muft move a man's indignation to fee reafonable creatures, un- der the notion of ftudy and learning, employed in read- ing and writing fo many voluminous traces de land caprind. Cri.-— I (hall not undertake the vindication of theolog- ical writings, a general defence being as needlefs as a general charge is groundlefs. Only let them fpeak for themfelves : And let no man condemn them upon the word of a Minute Philofopher. But we will imagine the very worft, and fuppofe that a wrangling pedant in di- vinity difputes, and ruminates, and writes, upon a refined point, as ufelefs and unintelligible as you pleafe. Sup- pofe this fame perfon bred a layman, might he not have employed himfelf in tricking bargains, vexatious law-fuits, factions, feditions, and fuch like amufements, with much more prejudice to the public ? Suffer then curious wits to fpin cobwebs : Where is the hurt ? Alc. — The mifchief is, what men want in light they commonly make up in heat : Zeal, and ill-nature, being [Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 221 weapons coiiftantly exerted by the partifans, as well as champions, on either fide : And thofe perhaps not mean pedants or book-worms. You fhall often fee even the learned and eminent divine, lay himfelf out in explaining things inexplicable, or contend for a barren point of the- ory, as if his life, liberty or fortune were at flake. Cri. — No doubt all points in 'divinity are not of equal moment. Some may be too fine fpun, and others have more ftrefs laid on them than they deferve. Be the fub- je£t what it will, you fhall often obferve that a point by being controverted, fingled out, examined, and nearly infpe£ted, groweth confiderable to the fame eye, that, perhaps, would have overlooked it in a large and compre- henfive view. Nor is it an uncommon thing, to behold ignorance and zeal, united in men, who are born with a fpirit of party, though the church, or religion, have in truth but fmall fhare in it. Nothing is eafier than to make a Caricatura fas the painters call it) of any profef- flon upon earth : But, at bottom, there will be found no- thing fo ftrange in all this charge upon the clergy, as the partiality of thofe who cenfure them, in fuppofing the common defects of mankind peculiar to their order, or the effecl: of religious principles. Alc— Other folks may difpute or fquabble as they pleafe, and nobody mind them ; but it feems thefe ven- erable fquabbles of the clergy pafs for learning, and inter- eft mankind. To ufe the words of the moft ingenious chara&erizer of our times, " A ring is made, and read- ers gather in abundance. Every one takes party, and en- courages his own fide. This fhall be my champion ! This man for my money ! Well hit on our fide ! Again a good flroke ! There he was even with him ! Have at him the next bout ! Excellent fport !".* * Chara&eriftics, Vol. III. c. 3. 222 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] Cri. — Methinks I trace the man of quality and breed- ing in this delicate fatise, which fo politely ridicules thofe arguments, anfwers, defences, and replications, which the prefs groans under. ■ Alc- — -To the infinite wafte of time and paper, and all the while nobody is one whit the wifer. And who indeed can be the wifer for reading books upon fubje&s quite out of the way, incomprehenfible, and molt wretch- edly written ? What man of fenfe or breeding would not abhor the infection of prolix pulpit eloquence, or of that dry, formal, pedantic, (tiff, and clumfy ftile, which fmells of the lamp and college ? XXI. They who have the weaknefs to reverence the univerfities as feats of learning, rauft needs think this a ftrange reproach ; but it is a veryjuft one. For the mod ingenious men are now agreed, that they are only nurfe- ries of prejudice, corruption, barbarifm, and pedantry. Lys. — For my part, I find no fault with univerfities. — All I know is, that I had the fpending three hundred pounds a year in one of them, and think it the chearful- efl time of my life. As for their books and ftile, I had not leifure to mind them. Cri.' — Whoever hath a mind to weed, will never want work ; and he that fhall pick out bad books on every fub- jecl:, will foon fill his library. I do not know what theo- logical writings Alciphron and his friends may be conver- fant in ; but I will venture to fay, one may find among our Englijh divines, many writers, who, for compafs of learning, weight of matter, flrength of argument, and purity of ftile, are not inferior to any in our language. — It is not my defign to apologize for the univerfities : what- ever is amifs in them (and what is there perfect among men ?) I heartily wifh amended. But I dare affirm, be- caufe I know it to be true, that any impartial obferver, [Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 223 although they fhould not come up to what in theory he might wifli or imagine, will neverthelefs find them much, fuperior to thofe that, in facl:, are to he found in other countries, and far beyond the mean picture that is drawn of them by Minute Philofophers. It is natural for thofe. to rail moft at places of education, who have profited leaft by them. Weak and fond parents will alfo readily im- pute to a wrong caufe, thofe corruptions themfelves have occafioned, by allowing their children more money than .they knew how to fpend innocently. And too often a gentleman, who has been idle at the college, and kept idle company, will judge of a whole univerfity from his own cabal. Alc — Crito miftakes the point. I vouch the authori- ty, not of a dunce, or a rake, or abfurd parent, but of the moft confummate critic this age has produced. This great man chara&erizeth men of the church and uni- verfities with the fined touches, and moft mafterly pen- cil. What do you think he calls them ? Euph. — What ? Alc. — Why, the black tribe, magicians, formalifts, pedants, bearded boys ; and, having fufficiently derided and exploded them, and their mean ungenteel learning, he fets moft admirable models of his own for good writ- ing : And it muft be acknowledged, they are the fineft things in our language •, as I could eafily convince you, for I am never without fomething of that noble writer about me. Euph. — Is he then a noble writer ? Alc — I tell you he is a nobleman. Euph. — But a noble man who writes, is one thing, and a noble writer is another. Alc. — Both characters are coincident, as you may fee. XXII. Upon which Alciphron pulled a treatife out of his pocket, intitled A Soliloquy > or Advice to an Author, — 224 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VJ Would you behold, faid he, looking round upon the company, a noble fpecimen of fine writing : do but dip into this book, which Crito opening, read verbatim as 'fol- lows. * * Where then are the Pleafures which ambition promifes^ * And love affords ? How's the gay world enjoy' dP * Or are thofe to be efeem'd no pleafures y * Which are lojl by dullnefs and inaElion ? * But indolence is the highejl pleafure. * To live and not to feel ! To feel no trouble, ' What good then ? Life itfelf. And is f This properly to live P Is Jleeping life 2 * Is this what I Jhouldfludy to prolong P * Here the f Fantaflic tribe itfelffeems fcandaliz'd. * A civil war begins : The major part * Of the capricious dames do range themfelves ( On reafon's fde, f And declare againfl the languid firen. * Ambition blujhes at the offer' dfweet. 1 Conceit and vanity take fuperior airs* * Ev'n luxury herfelf in her polite * And elegant humour , reproves th' apoflate * Sifter. € And marks her as an alien to true pleafure. * Away thou € Drowfy phantom ! Haunt me no more^for I 6 Have learn' d, from better than thy fifter hood, ' That life and happinefs confift in aclion c And employment. ( But here a bufy form f elicits us f c Aclive y indujlriousy watchful ', anddefpifing * Pains and labor. She wears the fericus Part 3. Se&. %, £Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 225 * Countenance of virtue, but with features c Of anxiety and difquiet. 6 What is'tfhe mutters P What looks Jhe on with 6 Such admiration and aflonifoment P * Bags ! Coffers ! Heaps of fhinitig metal ! What I € For thefervice of luxury P For her ? * Thefe preparations P Art thou then her friend t * Grave Fancy J Is it for her thou ioil'Jl P * No, but for provifion againjl "want. * But luxury apart ! tell me now, * Hajl thou not already a competence P * *Tis good to be fecure again/} the fear ' Offarving. Is there then no death but this P * No other paffage out of life P Are other doors € Secur'd, if this be bar'd P Say avarice ! € 'Thou emptiejl of phantoms, is it not vile * Cowardife thou fervfl P What further have I then * To do with thee (thou doubly vile dependent) * When once I have difmifidthy patronefs, ' And defpifed her threats ? € Thus I contend with fancy and opinion. 9 Euphranor, having heard thus far, cried out, What I will you never have done with your poetry ? another time may ferve : But why mould we break off our con- ference to read a play ? You are miftaken, it is no play nor poetry, replied Alciphron, but a famous modern cri- tic moralizing in profe. You muft know this great man hath (to ufe his own words) revealed a grand arcanum to the world, having inftru&ed mankind in what he calls Mirrour-writing, felf-difcourfing pratlice, and author-prac- tice, and (hewed, " That by virtue of an intimate recefs, we may difcover a certain duplicity of foul, and divide owxfelf into two parties, or (as he varies the phrafe) prac- tically form the dual number." In confequence whereof E e 226 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] he hath found out that a man may argue with himfelf : And not only with himfelf, but alfo with notions, fenti- ments, and vices, which, by a marvellous profopopceia, he converts into fo many ladies : And fo converted, he con- futes and confounds them in a divine ftrain. Can any thing be finer, bolder, or more fublime ? Euph. — It is very wonderful. I thought indeed you had been reading a piece of a tragedy. Is this he who defpifeth our univerfities, and fets up for reforming the ftile and tafte of the age ? Alc— - The very fame. This is the admired critic of our times. Nothing can ftand the teft of his correct judgment, which is equally fevere to poets and parfons. " The Britijh mufes, (faith this great man) lifp as in their * cradles : And their Hammering tongues, which nothing " but youth and rawnefs can excufe, have hitherto fpoken « in wretched pun and quibble. Our dramatic Shake/pear, ial. V.] was the caufe of thofe feminaries, as it is that they arc the caufe or fource of all the learning and tafte which is to be found, even in thofe very men who are the declared enemies of our religion and public foundations. Every one, who knows any thing, knows we are indebted for our learning to the Greek and Latin tongues. This thofe fevere cenfors will readily grant. Perhaps they may not be fo ready to grant, what all men mud fee, that we are indebted for thofe tongues to our religion. What elfe could have made foreign and dead languages in fuch re- queft among us ? What could have kept in being and handed them down to our times, through fo many dark ages, in which the world was wafted and disfigured by wars and violence V What, but a regard to the holy fcrip- tures, and theological writings of the fathers and doc- tors of the church ? And, in fa£t, do we not find that the learning of thofe times was folely in the hands of ecclefi- aftics ; that they alone lighted the lamp in fucceflion one from another, and tranfmitted it down to after-ages ; and that ancient books were collecled and preferved in their colleges and feminaries, when all love and remembrance of polite arts and ftudies was extinguifhed among the lai- ty, whofe ambition intirely turned to arms ? XXIV. Aix.-^-There is, I mu ft needs fay, one fort of learning undoubtedly of chriftian original, and peculiar to the univerfities ; where our youth fpend feveral years in acquiring that myfterious jargon of fcholafticifm, than which there could never have been contrived a more ef- fectual method, to perplex and confound human under- Handing. It is true, gentlemen are untaught by the world what they have been taught at the college : but then their time is doubly loft. ■Cri. — But what if this fcholaftic learning was not of chriftian, but of mahometan original, being derived from [Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. .529 the Arabs P And what if this grievance of gentlemen's fpending feveral years in learning and unlearning this jar- gon, be all grimace, and a fpecimen only of the truth and candour of certain Minute Philofophers, who raife great invectives from flight occafions, and judge too of ten with- out inquiring. Surely it would be no fuch deplorable lofs of time, if a young gentleman fpent a few months upon that fo much defpifed and decried art of logic, a furfeit of which is by no means the prevailing nufance of this age. It is one thing to wafte one's time in learning and unlearning the barbarous terms, wiredrawn diflinftions, and prolix fophiflry of the fchoolmen ; and another to attain fome exactnefs in defigning and arguing : Things perhaps not altogether beneath the dignity even of a Mi- nute Philofopher. There was indeed a time, when logic was confidered as its own object : And that art of rea- foning, inftead of being transferred to things, turned alto- gether upon words and abftra£tions : Which produced a fort of leprofy in all parts of knowledge, corrupting and converting them into hollow verbal difputations in a mod Impure dialed!:. But thofe times are paffed : And that which had been cultivated as the principal learning for fome ages, is now confidered in another light : And by no means makes that figure in the univerfities, or bears that part in the ftudies of young gentlemen educated there, which is pretended by thofe admirable reformers of reli- gion and learning, the Minute Philofophers. XXV. But who are they that encouraged and produ- ced the restoration of arts and polite learning ? "What fhare had the Minute Philofophers in this affair ? Matthias CorvinuSy king of Hungary, Alphonfus ■, king of Naples, Cofmus de Medicis, Picus, of Mirandula, and other princes and great men, famous for learning themfelves, and for encouraging it in others, with a munificent liberality, 2 3 o MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] were neither Turks nor Gentiles, nor Minute Philofo- phers. Who was it that tranfplanted and revived the Greek language and authors, and with them all polite arts and literature in the weft ? Was it not chiefly BeJ/arion, a cardinal, Marcus Mufurus, an archbifhop, Theodore Gaza, a private clergyman ? Has there been a greater and more renowned patron, and reftorer of elegant ftudies in every kind, fince the days of Augnjlus C/zfar, than Leo t the tenth pope of Rome ? Did any writers approach the purity of the ClaJJlcs nearer than the cardinals, Bembus and Sadoletus, or than the bifhops, Jovius and Vida P not to mention an endlefs number of ingenious ecclefiafties, who flourifhed on the other fide of the Alp's, in the gold- en age (as the Italians call it) of Leo the tenth, and wrote, both in their own language and the Latin, after the bed models of antiquity. It is true, this firft recovery of learning preceded the Reformation, and light- ed the way to it : but the religious controverfies, which enfued, did wonderfully propagate and improve it in all parts of Chriftendom. And furely the Church of Eng- land is, at leaft, as well calculated for the encourage- ment of learning, as that of Rome. Experience confirms this obfervation ; and I believe the Minute Philofophers will not be fo partial to Rome as to deny it. Alc— It is impoffible your account of learning beyond the Alps fhould be true. The noble critic in my hands, having complimented the French) to whom he allows fome good authors, afferts of other foreigners, particularly the Italians, " That they may be reckoned no better than the corrupters of true learning and erudition." Cri. — With fome forts of critics, dogmatical cenfures and conclufions are not always the refult of perfect know- ledge, or exacl: inquiry : And if the harrange upon tafte, truth of art, a juft piece, grace of ftile, attic elegance, and fuch topics, they are to be underftood only as thofe [Dm, VJ MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 231 that would fain talk themfelves into reputation for cour- To hear ^Thrafymackiis fpeak of refentment, duels, tad points of honor, one would think him ready to burft with valour. Lys. — Whatever merit this writer may have as a demolim- er, I always thought he had a very little as a builder. It is natural for carelefs writers to run into faults they never think of : But for an exa£t and fevere critic to {hoot his bolt at random, is unpardonable. If he, who pro- feffes, at every turn, an high efteem for polite writing, fhould yet defpife thofe who molt excel in it, one would be tempted to fufpecl: his tafte. But if the very man, who, of all men, talk moll about art and tafte, and critical fkill, and would be thought to have moll confidered thofe points, mould often deviate from his own rules, into the falfe fublime, or the mauvaife plafanterie ; what reafonable man would follow the tafte and judgment of fuch a guide, or be feduced to climb the fteep afcent, or tread in the rugged paths of virtue, on his recommenda- tion ? XXVI. Alc — But to return, methinks Crito makes no compliment to the genius of his country, in fuppoling that EngliJImien might not have wrought out of themfelves, all art and fcience, and good tafte ; without being behold- en to church, or universities, or ancient languages. Cri. — What might have been, is only conjecture.— What has been, it is not difficult to know. That there is a vein in Britain> of as rich an ore as ever was in any country, I will not deny ; but it lies deep, and will coil pains to come at : and extraordinary pains require an ex- traordinary motive. As for what lies next the furface, it feems but indifferent, being neither fo good, nor in fuch plenty* as io fome other countries. It was the compar- ifon of an ingenious Florentine^ that the celebrated poems a 3 2 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] of Tajfo and Ariofto are like two gardens, the one of cucum- bers, the other of melons. In the one you mail find few- bad, but the beft are not a very good fruit ; in the other much the greater part are good for nothing, but thofe that are good are excellent. Perhaps the fame comparison may hold good between the Englijh and fome of their neighbors. Alc. — But fuppofe we fhould grant, that the chriftian religion and its feminaries might have been of ufe, in pre- ferving or retrieving polite arts and letters \ what then ? Will you make this an argument of its truth ? Cri. — I will make it an argument of prejudice and in- gratitude in thofe Minute Philofophers, who object, dark- nefs, ignorance, and rudenefs, as an effecl: of that very thing, which, above all others, hath enlightened and ci- vilized, and embellifhed their country : which is as truly indebted to it for arts and fciences (which nothing but re- ligion was ever known to have planted in fuch a latitude) as for that general fenfe of virtue and humanity, and the belief of a Providence and future ftate, which all the ar- gumentation of Minute Philofophers hath not yet been able to abolifh. XXVII. Alc. — It is ftrange you mould flill perfift to argue, as if all the gentlemen of our feci: were enemies to virtue, and downrigh atheifts : Though I have aflured you of the contrary, and that we have among us feveral, ^ who profefs themfelves in the interefts of virtue and natu- ral religion, and have alfo declared, that I rnyfelf do now argue upon that foot. Cri. — How can you pretend to be in the interefl of natural religion, and yet be profeifed enemies of the chrif- ftian, the only eftablifhed religion which includes what ever is excellent in the natural, and which is the only means of making thofe precepts, duties, and notions, fo [Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 233 called, become reverenced throughout the world ? Would not he be thought weak or infincere, who fhould go about to perfuade people, that he was much in the inter- efts of an earthly monarch ; that he loved and admired his government ; when at the fame time he (hewed him- felf on all occafions, a moft bitter enemy of thofe very perfons, and methods, which, above all others, contribu- ted moft to his fervice, and to make his dignity known and revered, his laws obferved, or his dominion extended? And is not this what Minute Philofophers do, while they fet up for advocates of God and religion, and yet do all they can to difcredit chriftians and their worfhip ? It muft be owned, indeed, that you argue againft chriftianity, as the caufe of evil and wickednefs in the world : But with fuch arguments, and in fuch a manner, as might equally prove the fame thing of civil government, of meat and drink, of every faculty and profefllon, of learning, of eloquence, and even of human reafon itfelf. After all, even thofe of your feci: who allow themfelves to be called deifts, if their notions are thoroughly examined, will, I fear, be found to include little of religion in them. As for the Providence of God, watching over the conduct of human agents, and difpenfing bleflings or chaftifements, the immortality of the foul, a final judgment, and future ftate of rewards and punifhments ; how few, if any, of your free-thinkers have made it their endeavor to polTefs men's minds with a ferious fenfe of thofe great points of natural religion ! How many, on the contrary, endeavor to render the belief of them doubtful or ridiculous ! It muft be owned, there may be found men, that, without any regard to thefe points, make fome pretence to reli- gion : But who can think them in earned ? You {hall fometimes fee, the very ringleaders of vice and profane- ncfs write like men, that would be thought to have virtue and piety at heart. This may perhaps prove them incon- F f 234 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] fiftent writers, but can never prove them to be innocent. When a man's declared principles and peculiar tenets are utterly fubverfive of thofe things f whatever fuch a one faith of virtue, piety, and religion, will be underftood as mere discretion and compliance with common forms. Lys. — To fpeak the truth, I, for my part, had never any liking to religion of any kind, either revealed or un- rcvealed : And I dare venture to fay the fame for thofe gentlemen of our -feci: that I am acquainted with, having never obferved them guilty of fo much meannefs, as even to mention the name of , - Cri.— But I would fain know, how they can be charg- ed as an expenfe, either upon the nation, or private men. Where nothing is exported, the nation lofeth nothing : and it is all one to the public, whether money circulates at home through the hands of a vicar or a fquire. Then as for private men, who, for want of thought, are full of complaint about the payment of tithes ; can any man juftly complain of it as a tax, that he pays what never belonged to him ? The tenent rents his farm with this condition, and pays his landlord proportionably lefs, than if his farm had been exempt from it : So he lofeth no- thing ; it being all one to him whether he pays his paf- tor or his landlord. The landlord cannot complain that he has not what he hath no right to, either by grant, pur- chafe, or inheritance. This is the cafe of tithes : and as for the church-lands, he furely can be no free-thinker, nor any thinker at all, who doth not fee that no man, whether noble, gentle, or plebeian, hath any fort cf right or claim to them, which he may not, with equal juftice, pretend to all the lands in the kingdom. Lys. — At prefent indeed we have no right, and that is our complaint. a 4 a MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] Cri. — You would have then what you have no right to. Lys. — Not fo neither : what we would have is, firft a right conveyed by law, and, in the next place, the lands by virtue of fuch right. Cri. — In order to this, it might be expedient, in the firft place, to get on ac~t parted for excommunicating from all civil rights every man that is a chriftian, a fcholar, and wears a black coat, as guilty of three capital offences againft the public weal of this realm. Lys. — To deal frankly, I think it would be an excel- lent good a&. Cri. — It would provide at once for feveral deferving men, rare artificers in wit, and argument, and ridicule ! who have, too many of them, but fmall fortunes, with a great arrear of merit towards their country, which they have fo long enlightened and adorned gratis. Euph. — Pray tell me, Lyjicks, are not the clergy le- gally poflefled of their lands and emoluments ? Lys. — Nobody denies it. Euph. — Have they not been poflefled of them from time immemorial ? Lys. — This too I grant. Euph. — They claim then by law and ancient prescrip- tion. , Lys. — They do. Euph. — Have the oldeft families of the nobility a bet- ter title ? Lys. — I believe not. It grieves me to fee many over- grown eftates in the hands of ancient families, on account of no other merit, but what they brought with them into the world. Euph. — May you not then as well take their lands too, and bellow them on the Minute Philofophers, as perfons of more merit ? [Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 241 Lys. — So much the better. This enlarges our view, and opens a new fcene : It is very delightful, in the con- templation of truth, to behold how one theory grows out of another. Alc. — Old Patus ufed to fay, that if the clergy were deprived of their hire, we fhould lofe the moll popular argument againft them. Lys. — But fo long as men live by religion, there will never be wanting teachers and writers in defence of it. Cri. — And how can you be fure they would be want- ing, though they did not live by it, iince it is well known chriftianity had its defenders, even when men died by it ? Lys. — -One thing I know, — there is a rare nurfery of young plants growing up, who have been carefully guard- ed againft every air of prejudice, and fprinkled with the dew of our choicefi principles : mean while, wifhes are wearifome : and, to our infinite regret, nothing can be done, fo long as there remains any prejudice in favor of old cuftoms, and laws, and national constitutions, which, at bottom, ,we very well know, and can demonftrate, to be only words and notions. XXXII. But I can never hope, Crito, to make ycu think my fchemes reafonable. We reafon each right up- on his own principles, and fhall never agree till we quit our principles, which cannot be done by reafoning. We all talk of juft, and right, and wrong, and public good, and all thofe things. The names may be the fame, but the notions and conclufions very different, perhaps dia- metrically oppofite : and yet each may admit of clear proofs, and be inferred by the fame way of reafoning. For inftance, the gentlemen of the club which I frequent, define man to be a fociable animal : confequently we ex- clude, from this difinition all thofe human creatures, of whom it may be faid, we had rather have their room Gg 2 4 a MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] than their company. And fuch, though wearing the fhape of man, are to be efteemed in all account of reafon, not as men, but only as human creatures. Hence it plainly follows, that men of pleafure, men of humour, and men of wit, are alone properly and truly to be con- sidered as men. Whatever, therefore, conduceth to the emolument of fuch, is for the good of mankind, and confequently very juft and lawful, although feeming to be attended with lofs or damage to other creatures : inafmuch as no real injury can be done in life or property to thofe, who know not how to enjoy them. This we hold for clear and well connected reafoning. But others may view things in another light, aflign different definitions, draw other inferences, and perhaps confider, what we fuppofe the top and flower of the creation, only as a wart or excrefcence of human nature. From all which there mull enfue a very different fyftem of morals, politics, rights, and notions. Cri. — If you have a mind to argue, we will argue : If you have more mind to jeft, we will laugh with you. Lys. — — Ridentem dicere verum £hiidvetat ? This partition of our kind into men and human creatures, puts me in mind of another notion broached by one of our club, whom we ufed to call the Pythagorean. XXXIII. He made a threefold partition of the human fpecies, into birds, beafts, and limes, being of opinion that the road of life lies upwards, in a perpetual afcent through the fcale of being : In fuch fort, that the fouls of infects, after death, make their fecond appearance in the fhape of perfect animals, birds, beafts, or fifties ; which, upon their death, are preferred into human bodies) and, [Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 243 in the next (cage, Into beings of a higher and more perfect kind. This man we considered at firft as a fort of here- tic; becaufe his fcherne feemed not to confift with our fundamental tenet, the mortality of the foul : But he juf- tified the notion to be innocent, in af much as it included nothing of reward or punifhment, and was not proved by any argument, which fuppofed or implied either incorpo- real fpirit, or Providence, being only inferred, by way of analogy, from what he had obferved in human affairs, the court, the church, and .the army; wherein the ten- dency is always upwards from lower pods to higher. Ac- cording to this fyftem, the fifhes are thofe men who fwim in pleafure, fuch as petit s maitres, bons vivans, and honed fellows. The beafts are dry, drudging, covetous, rapacious folk, and all thofe adi£ted to care and bufmefs like oxen, and other dry land animals, which fpend their lives in labor and fatigue. The birds are airy, notional men, enthufiafts, projectors, poets, philofophers, and i'uch like. In each fpecies every individual retaining a tincture of his former ftate, which conftitutes what is called genius. If you afk me which fpecies of mankind I like beft, I anfwer, the flying fifh : that is, a man of animal enjoyment, with a mixture of whim. Thus you fee we have our creeds and our fyftems, as well as graver folks : with this difference, that they are not ftrait-laced, but fit eafy, to be flipped ofT or on, as humour or occafion ferves. And now I can, with the greateft equinimity imaginable, hear my opinions argued againft, or confuted. XXXIV. Alc. — It were to be wimed all men were of that mind. But you (hall find a fort of men, whom I need not name, that cannot bear with the leaft temper, to have their opinions examined, or their faults cenfured. — They are againft reafon, becaufe reafon is againft them. Tor our pnrts, we are all for liberty of confcien.ce. If 244 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] our tenets are abfurd, we allow them to be freely argued and infpecfced : and, by a parity of reafon, we might hope to be allowed the fame privilege, with refpeft to the opi- nions of other men. Cri.— - O Alclphron ! "Wares that will not bear the light are juftly to be fufpecled. Whatever, therefore, moves you to make this complaint, take my word, I never will : But as hitherto I have allowed your reafon its full fcope, fo for the future I always fhall. And, though I cannot approve of railing or declaiming, not even in my- felf, whenever you have fhewed me the way to it : yet this I will anfwer for, that you fhall ever be allowed to reafon as clofely and as itrenuoufly as you can. But, for the love of truth, be candid, and do not fpend your itrength, and our time, in points of no fignificancy, or foreign to the purpofe, or agreed between us. We al- low that tyranny and flavery are bad things : but why iliould we apprehend them from the clergy at this time ? Rites and ceremonies, we own, are not points of chief moment in religion : but why fhould we ridicule things, in their own nature, at leaft indifferent, and which bear the ftamp of fupreme authority ? That men, in divinity, as well as other fubje£ts, are perplexed with ufelefs dis- putes, and are like to be fo as long as the world lafts, I freely acknowledge : But why mufl all the human weak- nefs and miftakes of clergymen be imputed to wicked de- igns ? Why indifcriminately abufe their character and tenets ? Is this like candor, love of truth, free-thinking? It is granted there may be found, now and then, fpleen and ill-breeding in the clergy : But are not the fame faults incident to Englijh laymen, of a retired education and country life ? I grant there is infinite futility in the fchoolmen : But I deny that a volume of that doth fo much mifchief, as a page of Minute Philofophy. That weak or wicked men fhould, by favor of the world, creep [Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 24c into power and high flations in the church, is nothing wonderful : and that, in fuch ftations, they mould behave like themfelves, is natural to fuppofe. But all the while it is evident, that not the gofpel, but the world ; not the fpirit, but the flefti ; not God, but the devil, puts them up- on their unworthy achievements. We make no difficulty to grant, that nothing is more infamous than vice and ig- norance in a clergyman ; nothing more bafe than a hypo- crite, more frivolous than a pedant, more cruel than an inquintor. But it muft alfo be granted by you, gentle- men, that nothing is more ridiculous and abfurd, than for pedantic, ignorant and corrupt men, to call the firft ftone, at every fhadow of their own defects and vices in other men. XXXV. Alc— When I confider the deteftable flate of flavery and fuperftition, I feel my heart dilate and expand itfelf to grafp that ineftimable blefling of independent liberty. This is the facred and high prerogative, the very life and health of our Englijb conftitution. You muft not, therefore, think it flrange, if with a vigilant and curi- ous eye, we guard it againft the minuteft appearance of evil. You muft even fuffer us to cut round about, and very deep, and make ufe of the magnifying glafs, the bet- ter to view and extirpate every the leaft fpeck, which fhall difcover itfelf in what we are careful and jealous to preferve, as the apple of our eye. Cri. — As for unbounded liberty, I leave it to favages, among whom alone I believe it is to be found : But, for the reafonable legal liberty of our conftitution, I moft heartily and fincerely wifh it may for ever fubfift and flourilh among us. You and all other Rnglifimen cannot be too vigilant, or too earned, to preferve this goodly frame, or to curb and difappoint the wicked ambition of whoever, layman or ecclefiaftic, fhall attempt to change our free and gentle government into a flavifh or 246 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] fevere one. But what pretext can this afford for your attempts againft religion, or indeed, how can it be con- fident with them ? Is not the proteftant religion a main part of our legal conftitution ? I remember to have heard a foreigner remark, that we of this ifland were very good proteftants, but no chriftians. But whatever Minute Phi- lofophers may wifh, or foreigners fay, it is certain our laws fpeak a different language. Alc. — This puts me in mind of the wife reafoning of a certain fage magistrate, who, being preffed by the raillery and arguments of an ingenious man, had nothing to fay for his religion, but that ten millions of people, inhabiting the fame ifland, might, whether right or wrong, if they thought good, eftablifh laws for the worfliipping of God in their temples, and appealing to him in their courts of juftice. And that in cafe ten thoufand ingenious men fhould publicly deride and trample on thofe laws, it might be juft and lawful for the faid ten millions to expel the faid ten thoufand ingenious men out of their faid ifland. Euph.— And pray, what anfwer would you make to this remark of the fage magiftrate ? Alc. — The anfwer is plain. By the law of nature, which is fuperior to all pofitive inftitutions, wit and knowl- edge have a right to command folly and ignorance. I fay, ingenious men have, by natural right, a dominion over fools. Euph, — What dominion over the laws and people of Great Britain, Minute Philofophers may be in titled to by nature, I (hall not difpute, but leave to be confidered by the public. Alc — This doftrine, it muft be owned, was never thoroughly underftood before our own times. In the lafl age, Hobbes and his followers, though other wife very great men, declared for the religion of the magiftrate j Probably becaufe they were afraid of the magiftrate : But times are changed, and the magiftrate may now be afraid cf us. [Dial. V.] MINUT&- PHILOSOPHER. 247 Cri. — I allow the magiftrate may well be afraid of you in one fenfe, I mean afraid to truft you. This brings to my thoughts a paffage on the trial of Leander for a capital offence. That gentleman having picked out and excluded from his jury, by peremptory " exception, all but fome men of fafhion and pleafure, humbly moved, when Dorcon was going to kifs the book, that he might be required to declare upon honour, whether he believed either God or gof- pel. Dorcon, rather than hazard his reputation as a man of honour and free-thinker, openly avowed, that he believed in neither. Upon which, the court declared him unfit to ferve on a jury. By the fame reafon, fo many were fet afide, as made it neceffary to put off the trial. We are very eafy, replied Alciphron, about being trufted to ferve on juries, if we can be admitted to ferve in lucrative employments. Cri. — But what if the government mould injoin, that every one, before he is fworn into office, fhould make the fame declaration which Dorcon was required to make ? Alc. — God forbid ! I hope there is no fuch defign on foot. Cri. — Whatever defigns may be on foot, thus much is certain ; the chriftian reformed religion is a principal part and corner-ftone of our free conftitution ; and I ver- ily think, the only thing that makes us deferving of free- dom, or capable of enjoying it. Freedom is either a bleffing or a cure, as men ufe it. And to me it feems, that if our religion were once deftroyed from among us, and thofe notions, which pafs for prejudices of a chriftian education, erafed from the minds of Britons, thebeft thing that could befal us would be the lofs of our freedom. — Surely a people wherein there is fuch reftlefs am- bition, fuch high fpirits, fuch animofity of faction, fo great imerefts in conteft, fuch unbounded licence of fpeech and prefs, amidft fo much wealth and°luxury, nothing but thofe veteres avia, which you pretend to extirpate, could have hitherto kept from ruin. a 4 8 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.] XXXVI. Under the chriftian religion this nation hath been greatly improved. From a fort of favages we have grown civil, polite, and learned. We have made a de- cent and noble figure, both at home and abroad. And, as our religion decreafeth, I am afraid we (hall be found to have declined. Why then mould we perfift in the dan- gerous experiment ? Alc— One would think, Crito, you had forgot the many calamities occafioned by churchmen and religion. Cri. — And one would think, you had forgot what was anfwered this very day to that objection. But not to repeat eternally the fame things, I (hall obferve in the firft place, that if we reflect on the pafl ftate of chriftendom, and of our own country in particular, with our feuds and factions fubfifting, while we were all of the fame religion, for in- ftance, that of the white and red rofes, fo violent and bloody, and of fuch long continuance ; we can have no aflurance that thofe ill humors, which have fince ftiewn themfelves under the mafk of religion, would not have broke out with fome other pretext, if this had been want- ing. I obferve in the fecond place, that it will not fol- low, from any obfervations you can make on our hiftory, that the evils, accidentally occafioned by religion, bear any proportion either to the good effects it hath really pro- duced, or the evils it hath prevented. Laftly, I obferve, that the beft things may, by accident, be the occafion of evil ; which accidental effect is not, to fpeak properly and truly, produced by the good thing itfelf, but by fome evil thing, which, being neither part, property, nor effect of it, happens to be joined with it. But I mould be afham- ed to infifl; and enlarge on fo plain a point. Certainly whatever evils this nation might have formerly fuftained from fuperftition, no man of common fenfe will fay, the evils felt, or apprehended at prefent, are from that quarter. Pr left craft is not the reigning diftemper at this day. And [Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 249 it will be owned, that a wife man, who takes upon him to be vigilant for the public weal, mould touch proper things at proper times, and not prefcribe for a furfeit when the diftemper is a confumption. Alc. — I think we have fufficiently difcufied the fub- je£r. of this day's conference. And now, let Lv fides take it as he will, I muft, in regard to my own character, as a fair impartial adverfary, acknowledge there is fomething in what Crito hath faid, upon the ufefulnefs of the chrif- tian religion. I will even own to you that fome of our feet are for allowing it a toleration. I remember, at a meeting of feveral ingenious men, after much debate we came fucceffively to divers refolutions. The firft was, that no religion ought to be tolerated in the ftate : But this, on more mature thought, was judged impracticable. The fecond was, that all religions fhould be tolerated, but none countepanced except atheifm : But it was apprehend- ed, that this might breed contentions among the lower fort of people. We came, therefore, to conclude, in the third place, that fome religion or other fhould be eftab- Hfhed for the ufe of the vulgar. And after a long difpute what this religion fhould be, Lyfis, a brifk young man, perceiving no figns of agreement, propofed, that the prefent religion might be tolerated, till a better was found. But allowing it to be expedient, I can never think it true, fo long as there lie unanfwerable objections againft it s which, if you pleafe, I fhall take the liberty to propofe at our next meeting. To which we all agreed. H h ;">i;]!*'<'. .'.■■'.','.'.■•■'.'. '.'<•■'.'. *><:; ',>■'.', '.'■■■■'■'..'■*•■'.'. '.■■ :'.;!>::t.; t *£!*. ! *::..; : <..i f flaring full at Crito> that all this hangs by tradition ? And tradition, take my word for it, gives but a weak hold : It is a chain, whereof the firft links may be flronger than fteel, [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 255 and yet the laft weak as wax, and brittle as glafs. Ima- gine a picture copied fucceffively by an hundred painters, one from another ; how like muft the laft copy be to the original ! How lively and diftin£r. will an image be, af- ter an hundred reflexions between two parallel mirrours ! Thus like, and thus lively, do I think a faint vaniftiing tradition, at the end of fixteen or feventeen hundred years. Some men have a* falfe heart, others a wrong head : and where both are true, the memory may be treacherous. Hence there is ftill fomething added, fome- thing omitted, and fomething varied from the truth : And the fum of many fuch additions, deductions and al- terations, accumulated for feveral ages, doth, at the foot of the account, make quite another thing. Cri. — Ancient fafts we may know by tradition, oral or written : And this latter we may divide into two kinds, private and public, as writings are kept in the hands of particular men, or recorded in public archives. Now all thefe three forts of tradition, for ought I can fee, concur to atteft the genuine antiquity of the gofpels. And they arc ftrengthened by collateral evidence from rites inftitu- ted, feftivals obferved, and monuments erected by anci- ent chriftians, fuch as churches, baptifteries, and fepul- chres. Now, allowing your objection holds againft oral tradition, fingly taken, yet I can think it no fuch difficult thing to tranfcribe faithfully. And things once commit- ted to writing, are fecure from flips of memory, and may with common care be preferved intire fo long as the manu- fcriptlafts : And this, experience fhews, may be above a thoufand years. The Alexandrine manufcript is allowed to be above twelve hundred yeras old : and it is highly probable there were then extant copies four hundred years old. A tradition, therefore, of above fixteen hundred year*, need have only two or three links in its chain.— And thefe links, notwith (landing that great length of 2$6 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VL] time, may be very found and intire. Since no reafona- ble man will deny, that an ancient manufcript may be of much the fame credit now, as when it was firft written. We have it on good authority, and it feems probable that the primitive chriftians were careful to tranfcribe copies of the gofpels and epiftles for their private ufe : and that other copies were preferved as public records, in the feve- ral churches throughout the world : and that portions thereof were conftantly read in their afiemblies. Can more be faid to prove the writings of claflic authors, or ancient records of any kind, authentic ? Alciphron y ad- dreffing his difcourfe to Euphranor, faid, it is one thing to filence an adverfary, and another to convince him. — What do you think, Euphranor r Euph. — Doubtlefs it is. Alc — But what I want is, to be convinced. Euph. — That point is not fo clear. Alc. — But if a man had ever fo much mind, he can- not be convinced by probable arguments againft demon- ftration. Euph. — I grant he cannot. IV. Alc. — Now it is as evident as demonftration can make it, that no divine faith can pombly be built upon tradition. Suppofe an honeft credulous countryman ca- techifed and le&ured every Sunday by his parifh-prieft : it is plain he believes in the parfon, and not in God. He knows nothing of revelations, and doctrines, and mira- cles, but what the prieft tells him. This he believes, and this faith is purely human. If you fay he has the liturgy and the bible for the foundation of his faith, the difficulty ftill recurs. For, as to the liturgy, he pins his faith upon the civil magiflrate, as well as the ecclefiaftic, neither of which can pretend divine infpiration. Then for the bible, he takes both that and his prayer book on [Dial. VI] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 257 truft from the printer, who, he believes, made true edi- tions from true copies. You fee then faith, but what faith ? Faith in the prieft, in the magiftrate, in the printer, editor, tranfcriber, none of which can, with any pretence, be called divine. I had the hint from Cra- tylus : it is a fhaft out of his quiver, and, believe me, a keen one. Euph. — Let me take and make trial of this fame fhaft in my hands. Suppofe then your countryman hears the magiftrate declare the law from the bench, or fuppofe he reads it in a ftatute book. What think you, is the printer, or the juftice, the true and proper objecT: of his faith and fubmiflion ? Or do you acknowledge a higher authority whereon to found thofe royal ac~ts, and in which they do really terminate ? Again, fuppofe you read a paflage in Tacitus that you believe true \ would you fay you aflented to it on the authority of the printer, or tranf- criber, rather than the hiftorian ? Alc — Perhaps I would, and perhaps I would not. I do not think myfelf obliged to anfwer thefe points. What is this but transfering the queftion from one fubjecl: to another ? That which we confidered was neither law nor profane hiftory, but religious tradition, and divine faith. I fee plainly what you aim at, but mall never take for an anfwer to one difficulty, the ftarting of another. Cri. — O Alciphron, there is no taking hold of you, who expect that others mould (as you were pleafed to exprefs it) hold fair and ftand firm, while you plucked out their prejudices : How (hall he argue with you, but from your conceffions, and how can he know what you grant, except you will be pleafed to tell him ? Euph. — But, to fave you the trouble, for once I will fuppofe an anfwer. My queftion admits but of two an- fwers : take your choice. From the one it will follow, Ii 258 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] that by a parity of reafon, we can eafily conceive, how a man may have divine faith, though he never felt infpira- tion, or faw a miracle : inafmuch as it is equally poflible for the mind, through whatever conduit, oral or fcriptu- ral, divine revelation be derived, to carry its thought and fubmiflion up to the fource, and terminate its faith, not in human, but divine authority : not in the inftrument or veffel of conveyance, but in the great origin itfelf, as its proper and true object. From the other anfwer it will follow, that you introduce a general fcepticifm into hu- man knowledge, and break down the hinges on which civil government, and all the affairs of the world, turn and depend. In a word, that you would deftroy human faith, to get rid of divine. And how this agrees with your profeffing that you want to be convinced, I leave you to confider. V. Alc. — I mould in earneft be glad to be convinced one way or other, and come to fome conclufion. But I have fo many objections in (lore, you are not to count much upon getting over one. Depend on it, you (hall find me behave like a gentleman and lover of truth. I will propofe my objections briefly and plainly, and ac- cept of reafonable anfwers as faft as you can give them. Come, Euphranor, make the mofl of your tradition : you can never make that a conftant and univerfal one, which is acknowledged to have been unknown, or at beft difput- ed in the church for feveral ages : And this is the cafe of the canon of the New Teftament. For*though we have now a canon, as they call it, fettled j yet every one muft fee and own, that tradition cannot grow ftronger by age ; and that what was uncertain in the primitive times, Can- not be undoubted in the fubfequent. What fay you to this, Euphranor f Euph. — I mould be glad to conceive your meaning clear- ly before I return an anfwer. It feems to me this objec- [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 259 tion of yours fuppofeth, that where a tradition hath been conftant and undifputed, fuch tradition may be admitted as a proof ; but that where the tradition is defective, the proof muft be fo too. Is this your meaning ? Alc. — It is. Euph. — Confequently the gofpels and epiftles of Saint Paul, which were univerfally received in the beginning, and never fince doubted of by the church, muft, not- withilanding this objection, be in reafon admitted as ge- nuine. And if thefe books contain, as they really do, all thofe points that come into controverfy between you and me, what need I difpute with you about the authority of fome other books of the New Teftament, which came later to be generally known and received in the church ? If a man affents to the undifputed books, he is no longer an infidel \ though he mould not hold the Revelations, or the epiftle of Saint James or Jude, or the latter of Saint Peter, or the two laft of Saint John, to be canonical.-— The additional authority of thefe portions of Holy Scrip- ture may have its weight, in particular controverfies be- tween chriftians, but can add nothing to arguments a- gainft an infidel, as fuch. Wherefore, though I believe a fubfequent age might clear up what was obfcure or du- bious in a foregoing, and that good reafons may be af- figned for receiving thefe books, yet thofe reafons feem now befide our purpofe. When you are a chriftian, it will be then time enough to argue this point. And you will be the nearer, being fo, if the way be fhortened by omitting it for the prefent. Alc— Not fo near neither, as you perhaps imagine : For, notwithstanding all the fair and plaufible things you may fay about tradition, when I confider the fpirit of for- gery which reigned in the primitive times, and refiecl: on the feveral gofpels, a£ts, and epiftles, attributed to the apoftles, which yet are acknowledged to be fpurious, I confefs I cannot help fufpecting the whole. 2<5o MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] Euph. — Tell me, AIciphron y do you fufpedt all P/ato's writings for Spurious, becaufe the dialogue upon death, for inftance, is allowed to be fo ? Or will you admit none of Tul/y's writings to be genuine, becaufe Sigonius impof- ed a book of his own writing for TuIIy's treatife de Confo- latione, and the impofture pafled for Some time on the world ? Alc. — Suppofe I admit for the works of Tully and. Plato thofe that commonly pafled for fuch. What then ? Euph. — Why then I would fain know, whether it be equal and impartial in a free-thinker, to meafure the cred- ibility of profane and facred books by a different rule- Let us know upon what foot we chriftians are to argue with Minute Philosophers : Whether we may be allowed the benefit of common maxims in logic and criticifm ? If we may, be pleafed to aflign a reafon why fuppofiti- tious writings, which in the ftile, and manner, and matter, bear vifible marks of impofture, and have accordingly been rejected by the church, can be made an argument againft thofe which have been univerfally received, and handed down by an unanimous conftant tradition. I know nothing truly valuable that hath not been counter- feited : Therefore this argument is univerfal : But that which concludes againft all things is to be admitted againft none. There have been in all ages, and in all great Socie- ties of men, many capricious, vain, or wicked impoftors, who, for different ends, have abufed the world by fpurious writings, and created work for critics both in profane and facred reaming. And it would feem as filly to rejecl: the true writings of profane authors for the fake of the fpu- rious, as it would feem unreasonable to fuppofe, that among the heretics and Several feels of chriftians, there fhould be none capable of the like impofture. Alc — I fee no means for judging : It is all dark and doubtful, mere guefs-rwerk, at fo great a diftance of time. [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 261 Cri. — But if I know, that a number of fit perfons met together in council, did examine and diftinguifh authen- tic writings from fpurious, relating to a point of the higheft concern, in an age near the date of thofe wri- tings ; though I at the diftance of many more centuries had no other proof; yet their deciihon may be of weight to determine my judgment. Since it is probable they might have had feveral proofs and reafons for what they did, and not at all improbable, that thofe reafons might be loft in fo long a tract of time. * VI. Alc. — But, be the tradition ever fo well attefted, and the books ever fo genuine, yet I cannot fuppofe them wrote by perfons divinely infpired, fo long as I fee in them certain characters inconfiftent with fuch a fuppofi- tion. Surely the pureft language, the molt perfect ftile, the exacted method, and, in a word, all the excellencies of good writing, might be expected in a piece compofed or dictated by the Spirit of God : But books, wherein we find the reverfe of all this, it were impious, not to reject, but to attribute to the divinity. Euph. — Say, Alciphron, are the lakes, the rivers, or the ocean bounded by ftraight lines ? Are the hills and mountains exact: cones or pyramids ? Or the ftars caft in- to regular figures ? Alc — They are not. Euph. — But in the works of infects, we may obferve figures as exact as if they were drawn by the rule and compafs. Alc. — We may. Euph. — Should it not fcem, therefore, that a regular exactnefs, or fcrupulous attention to what men call the rules of art, is not obferved in the great productions of the author of nature ? Alc. — It fnould. * Vide Can. Ix. Council. Laodicen. 262 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] Euph.— —And when a great prince declareth his will in laws and edicts to his fubje&s, is he careful about 3 s pure ftile, or elegant compofition ? Does he not leave his fecre- taries and clerks to exprefs his fenfe in their own words ? Is not the phrafe, on fuch occafions, thought proper, if it conveys as much as was intended ? And would not the divine ftrain of certain modern critics be judged affe&ed and improper for fuch ufes ? Alc— It muft be owned, laws, and edicts, and grants, for folcecifm and tautology, are very offennve to the har- monious ears of an ingenious man. Euph. — Why then mould we expect in the oracles of God an exa&nefs, that would be mifbecoming and be- neath the dignity of an earthly monarch, and which bears no proportion, or refemblance, to the magnificent works of the creation ? Alc. ; — But granting that a nice regard to particles and critical rules is a thing too little and mean to be expected in divine revelations ; and that there is more force, and fpirit, and true greatnefs, in a negligent unequal ftile, than in the well turned periods of a polite writer : Yet what is all this to the bald and flat compofitions of thofe you call the divine penmen ? I can never be perfuaded, the Supreme Being would pick out the pooreft and meaneft of fcriblers for his fecretaries. Euph. — O Alciphron^ if I durft follow my own judg- ment, I mould be apt to think there are noble beauties in the ftile of the Holy Scripture : In the narrative parts, a ftrain fo fimple and unaffected : In the devotional and prophetic, fo animated and fublime : And in the doctri- nal parts, fuch an air of dignity and authority, as feems to fpeak their original divine. But I fhall not enter into a difpute about tafte ; much lefs fet up my judgment, on fo nice a point, againft that of the wits, and men of genius, with which your feci: abounds. And I have no tempta- [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 263 tion to it, inafmuch as it feems to me, the oracles of God are not the lefs fo for being delivered in a plain drefs, rather than in the enticing words of maris wifdom, Alc— This may perhaps be an apology for fome fim- plicity and negligence in writing. VII. But what apology can be made for nonfenfe, crude nonfenfe ? Of which I could eafily affign many in- ftances, having once in my life read the fcripture thorough with that very view. Look here, faid he, opening a bi- ble, in the forty-ninth Pfalm, the author begins very mag- nificently, calling upon all the inhabitants of the earth to give ear, and alluring them his mouth fhall fpeak of wif- dom, and the meditation of his heart fhall be of under- Handing. S$uid dignum tanto feret hie promijfor hiatu P He hath no fooner done with his preface, but he puts this fenfelefs queftion. * Wherefore mould I fear in the ' days of evil ; when the wickednefs of my heels mail * compafs me about ?' The iniquity of my heels ! What nonfenfe after fuch a folemn introduction ! Euph. — For my own part, I have naturally weak eyes, and know there are many things that I cannot fee, which are neverthelefs diftinc~tly feen by others. I do not there- fore conclude a thing to be abfolutely invifible, becaufe it is fo to me. And fince it is poflible it may be with my underftanding, as it is with my eyes, I dare not pronounce a thing to be nonfenfe, becaufe I do not underftand it, Of this paffage many interpretations are given. The word rendered heels, may fignify fraud or fupplantation : By fome it is tranflated, paft wickednefs, the heel being the hinder part of the foot •, by others, iniquity in the end of my days, the heel being one extremity of the body \ 264 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] by fome, the iniquity of my enemies that may fupplant me ; by others, my own faults or iniquities, which I have pafled over as light matters, and trampled under my feet. Some render it, the iniquity of my ways : Others, my tranfgreflions, which are like flips, and Hidings of the heel. And after all, might not the expreflion, fo harfh and odd to Englijh ears, have been very natural and obvious in the Hebrew tongue, which, as every other language, had its idioms ? the force and propriety whereof may as eafily be conceived loft in a long tracl: of time, as the fig- nification of divers Hebrew words, which are not now in- telligible, though nobody doubts but they had once a meaning, as well as the other words of that language. — - Granting, therefore, that certain paflages in the Holy Scripture may not be under flood, it will not thence fol- low, that its penmen wrote nonfenfe : For I conceive non- fenfe to be one thing, and unintelligible another. Cri.— -An Englijh gentleman of my acquaintance, one day entertaining fome foreigners at his houfe, fent a fer- vant to know the occafion of a fudden tumult in the yard, who brought him word the horfes were failed to- gether by the ears : His guefts inquiring what the matter was, he trariflated it literally, Les Chevaux font tombez en- femblepar les oreilles. Which made them ft are : what ex- preffed a very plain fenfe in the original Englijh^ being incomprehenfible when rendered, word for word, into French. And I remember to have heard a man excufe the bulls of his countrymen, by fuppofing them fo many literal tranflations. Euph. — But not to grow tedious, I refer to the critics and commentators, where you will find the ufe of this remark, which clearing up feveral obfcure paflages you took for nonfenfe, may poflibly incline you to fufpecl: your own judgment of the reft. In this very pfalm you [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. tf s have pitched on, the goodfenfe and moral contained in what follows, mould, methinks, make a candid reader judge favorably of the original fenfe of the author, in that part which he could not underftand. Say, Alciphron, in read- ing the claflics, do you forthwith conclude every paflage to be nonfenfe that you cannot make fenfe of ? Alc. — By no means : Difficulties mull be fuppofed to rife from different idioms, old cuftoms, hints and illu- sions, clear in one time or place, and obfcure in archer. Euph. — And why will you not judge of fcripture by the fame rule ? Thofe fources of obfcurity you mention, are all common, both to facred and profane writings : And there is no doubt, but an exa£ter knowledge, in language, and circumftances, would, in both, caufe diffi- culties to vanifh, like (hades before the light of the fun. Jeremiah, to defcribe a furious invader, faith : Behold, he Jhall come up as a Lion from the fivelling of Jordan againjh the habitation of the Jlrong. One would be apt to think this paflage odd and improper, and that it had been more reafonable to have faid, a Lion from the mountain or the defert. But travellers, as an ingenious man obferves, who have feen the river Jordan, bounded by low lands with many reeds or thickets, affording fhelter to wild beads, (which being fuddenly diflodged by a rapid overflowing of the river, rufh into the upland country) perceive the force and propriety of the comparison •, and that the difficulty proceeds, not from nonfenfe in the writer, but from igno- rance in the reader. Alc. — Here and there a difficult paflage may be clear- ed : But there are many which no art or wit of man can account for. What fay you to thofe difcoveries, made by fome of our learned writers, of falfe citations from the Old Teftament found in the gofpel ? Euph. — That fome few paflages are cited by the writers of the New Teftament out of the Old, and by the fathers K k 266 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.} out of the New, which are not in fo many words to be found in them, is no new difcovery of Minute Philofo- phers, but was known and obferved long before by chrif- tian writers •, who have made no fcruple to grant, that fome things might have been inferted by carelefs or mifta- ken tranfcribers into the text, from the margin, others left out, and others altered ; whence fo many various readings. But thefe are things of fmall moment, and that.,, M other ancient authors have been fubjecl: to ; and upon which no point of doctrine depends, which may not be proved without them. Nay further, if it be any ad- vantage to your caufe, it hath been obferved, that the eighteenth Pfahn, as recited in the twenty-fecond chapter of the fecond book of Samuel, varies in above forty places, if you regard every little literal difference : And that a critic may now and then difcover fmall variations, is what nobody can deny. But to make the moll of thefe concef- fions, what can you infer from them, more than that the defign of the Holy Scripture was not to make us exactly knowing in circumltantials ? And that the fpirit did not dictate every particle and fyllable, or preferve them from every minute alteration by miracle ? which to believe, would look like rabbinical fuperftition. Alc. — But what marks of divinity can poffibly be in writings which do not reach the exactnefs even of human art ? Euph. — I never thought nor expected that the Holy Scripture mould fhew itfelf divine, by a circumftantial accuracy of narration, by exactnefs of method, by {tricl- ly obferving the rules of rhetoric, grammar* and criticifm, in harmonious periods, in elegant and choice expreflions, or in technical definitions and partitions. Thefe things would look too like a human compofition. Methinks there is in that fimple, unaffected, artlefs, unequal, bold, figurative flile of the Holy Scripture, a character fingu- TDial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 267 larly great and majeftic, and that looks more like divine infpiration, than any other compofition that I know. But, as I faid before, I fhall not difpute a point of criti- cifm with the gentlemen of your feet, who, it feems, are the modern ftandard for wit and tafte. Alc. — Well I (hall not inGft on frrcall flips, or the in- accuracy of citing or tranfcribing : And I freely own, that repetitions, want of method, or want of exactnefs in circumftances, are not the things that chiefly ftick with me ; no more than the plain patriarchal manners, or the peculiar ufages and cuftoms of the Jews and firft chriftians, fo different from ours ; and that to reject the fcripture on fuch accounts would be to act like thofe French wits, who cenfure Horner^ becaufe they do not find in him the ftile, notions, and manners of their own age and country. Was there nothing elfe to divide us, I fhould make no great difficulty of owning, that a popular uncorrect ftile might anfwer the general ends of revelation, as well perhaps, as a more critical and exact one. But the ob- fcurity ftill flicks with me. Methinks if the Supreme Being had fpoke to man, he would have fpoke clearly to him, and that the word of God fhould not need a com- ment. VIII. Euph. — You feem, Alciphron> to think obfcuri- ty a defeat ; but if it fhould prove to be no defect, there would then be no force in this objection. Alc. — I grant there would not. Euph. — Pray tell me, are not fpcech and ftile inftru- mental to convey thoughts and notions, to beget knowledge, opinion, and affent ? Alc. — This is true. Euph. — And is not the perfection of an inftrument to be meafured by the ufe to which it is fubfervient ? Alc. — It is. 268 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] Euph. — What, therefore, is a defect in one inftrument, may be none in another. For inftance, edged tools arc in general defigned to cut ; but the ufes of an axe and a razor being different, it is no defect in an axe, that it hath not the keen edge of a razor : Nor in the razor, that it hath not the weight or ftrength of an axe. Alc. — I acknowledge this to be true. Euph. — And may we not fay in general, that every inftrument is perfect which anfwers the purpofe or inten- tion of him who ufeth it ? Alc. — We may. Euph--— Hence it feems to follow, that no man's fpeech is defective in point of clearnefs, though it fhould not be intelligible to all men, if it be fufficiently fo to thofe, who he intended, mould underftand it : Or though it fhould not in all parts be equally clear, or convey a perfect knowl- edge, where he intended only an imperfeet hint. Alc. — It feems fo. Euph. — Ought we not, therefore, to know the intention of the fpeaker, to be able to know whether his ftile be ob- fcure through defecl or «|fen ? Alc — We ought. Euph! — But is it pofiible for man to know all the ends and purpofes of God's revelations ? Alc — It is not. Euph. — How then can you tell, but the obfcurity of fome parts of fcripture may well confift with the purpofe which you know not, and confequently be no argument againft its coming from God ? The books of Holy Scrip- ture were written in ancient languages, at diftant times, on fundry occafions, and very different fubjeclis. Is it not therefore reafonable to imagine, that fome parts or pafia- ges might have been clearly enough underftood by thofe, for whofe proper ufe they were principally defigned, and yet feem obfcure to us, who fpeak another language, and [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 269 live in other times ? Is it at all abfurd or unfuitable to the notion we have of God or man, to fuppofe that God may reveal, and yet reveal with a referve, upon certain remote and fublime fubjects, content to give us hints and glimpfes, rather than views ? May we not alfo fuppofe from the rea- fon of things, and the analogy of nature, that fome points, which might otherwife have been more clearly ex- plained, were left obfcure merely to encourage our dili- gence and modefty ? Two virtues, which, if it might not feem difrefpectful to fuch great men, I would recom- mend to the Minute Philofophers. Lyficks replied, this indeed is excellent : You expect that men of fenfe and fpirit mould in great humility put out their eyes, and blindly fwallow all the abfurdities and nonfenfe that mall be offered to them for divine revelation. Euph. — On the contrary, I would have them open their eyes, look fharply, and try the fpirit, whether it is of God : and not fupinely and ignorantly condemn in the grofs, all religions together, piety with fu perdition, truth for the fake of error, matter of fact for the fake of fic- tion : a conduct, which, at firft fight, would feem ab- furd in hiftory, phytic, or any other branch of human in- quiry ! But to compare the chriftian fyftem, or Holy Scriptures, with other pretences to divine revelation, to confider impartially the doctrines, precepts, and events therein contained ; weigh them in the balance with any other religious, natural, moral, or hiftorical accounts ; and diligently to examine all thofe proofs, internal and external, that for fo many ages have been able to influ- ence and perfuade fo many wife, learned, and inquifitive men : Perhaps they might find in it certain peculiar cha- racters, which fufHciently diftinguifh it from all other re- ligions and pretended revelations, whereon to ground a reafonable faith. In. which cafe I leave them to confider, whether it would be right to reject with peremptory fcorn, 27<5 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] a revelation fo diftinguifhed and attefted, upon account of obfcurity in fome parts of it ? and whether it would feem beneath men of their fenfe and fpirit to acknowledge, that, for ought they know, a light inadequate to things, may yet be adequate to the purpofe of Providence ? and whether it might be unbecoming their fagacity, and cri- tical fkill, to own, that literal tranflations from books in an ancient oriental tongue, wherein there are fo many peculiarities, as to the manner of writing, the figures of fpeech, and the idioms fo remote from all our modern languages, and in which we have no other coeval writ- ings extant, might well be obfcure in many places, efpe- cially fuch as treat of fubje&s fublime and difficult in their own nature, or allude to things, cuftoms, or events, very diftant from our knowledge ? And laftly, whether it might not become their character, as impartial and un- prejudiced men, to confider the bible in the fame light they would profane authors ? Men are apt to make great allowance for tranfpofitions, omiflions, and literal errors of tranfcribers, in other ancient books, and very great for the difference of (tile and manners, efpecially in eaft- ern writings, fuch as the remains of Zoroajler and Confu- cius, and why not in the prophets ? In reading Horace or Perfiusy to make out the fenfe, they will be at the pains to difcover a hidden drama, and why not in Solomon or St. Paul ? I hear there are certain ingenious men, who defpife king David's poetry, and yet profefs to ad- mire Homer and Pindar, If there be no prejudice or af- fectation in this, let them but make a literal verfion from thofe authors into Englijh profe, and they will then be better able to judge of the pfalms. Alc — You may difcourfe and expatiate ; but notwith- standing all you have faid, or mall fay, it is a clear point, that a revelation which doth not reveal, can be no better than a contradiction in terms. [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. %1 x Euph.-— Tell me, Alciphron y do you not acknowledge the light of the fun to be the mod glorious production of Providence in tl^ natural world ? Alc. — Suppoie I do. Euph. — This light, neverthelefs, which you cannot deny to be of God's making, fhines only on the furface of things, fhines not at all in the night, fhines imperfect- ly in the twilight, is often interrupted, refracted, and obfcured, reprefents diftant things, and fmall things du- bioufly, imperfectly, or not at all. Is this true or no ? Alc. — It is. Eupk. — Should it not follow, therefore, that to expect in this world a conftant uniform light from God, with- out any mixture of fhade or myftery, would be departing from the rule and analogy of the creation ? and that con- fequently it is no argument the light of revelation is not divine, becaufe it may not be fo clear and full as you ex- pect ; or becaufe it may not equally fhine at all times, or in all places. Alc — As I profefs myfelf candid and indifferent throughout this debate, I muft needs own you fay fome plaufible things, as a man of argument will never fail to do in vindication of his prejudices. IX. But, to deal plainly, I muft tell you once for all, that you may queftion and anfwer, illuftrate and enlarge forever, without being able to convince'me that the chrif- tian religion is of divine revelation. I have faid feveral things, and have many more to fay, which, believe me, have weight not only with myfelf, but with many great men, my very good friends, and will have weight, what- ever Euphranor can fay to the contrary. Euph, — O Alciphron ! I envy you thehappinefs of fuch acquaintance. But, as my lot fallen in this remote corn- er deprives me of that advantage, I am obliged to make a 7 * MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VLJ the mod of this opportunity, which you and Lyftcles have put into my hands. I confider you as two able chirurge- ons, and you were pleafed to confider me as a patient, whofe cure you have generoufly undertaken. Now a pa- tient mult have full liberty to explain his cafe, and tell all his fymptoms, the concealing of which might prevent a perfect cure. You will be pleafed, therefore, to under- ftand me, not as objecting to, or arguing againft, either your {kill or medicines, but only as fetting forth my own cafe, and the effects they have upon me. Say, Alciphron, did you not give me to underftand, that you would ex- tirpate my prejudices ? Alc. — It is true : a good phyfician eradicates every fibre of the difeafe. Come, you mall have a patient hear- ing. Euph. — Pray, was it not the opinion of Plato, that God infpired particular men, as organs or trumpets, to proclaim and found forth his oracles to the world ? * And was not the fame opinion alfo embraced by others the greateft writers of antiquity ? Cri. — Socrates feems to have thought that all true po- ets, fpoke by infpiration •, and Tul/y, that there was no extraordinary genius without it. This hath made fome of our affected free-thinkers attempt to pafs themfelves upon the world for enthufiafts. Alc — What would you infer from all this ? Euph. — I would infer, that infpiration fhould feem nothing impofTible or abfurd, but rather agreeable to the light of reafon, and the notions of mankind. And this, I fuppofe you will acknowledge, having made it an ob- jection againft a particular revelation, that there are fo many pretences to it throughout the world. Alc. — O Euphranor y he who looks into the bottom of things, and refolves them into their firft principles, is * Plato in lone. [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 273 not eafily amufed v/ith words. The word infpiration founds indeed big, but let us, if you pleafe, take an original view of the thing fignified by it. To infpire, is a word borrowed from the Latin, and, ftri£Uy taken, means no more than to breathe or blow in : nothing, therefore, can be infpired, but what can be blown or breathed, and nothing can be fo, but wind or vapour, which indeed may fill or puff up men, with fanatical and hypochondriacal ravings. This fort of hifpiration I readily admit. Euph. — What you fay is fubtle, and I know not what efFecl: it might have upon me, if your profound dif- courfe did not hinder its own operation. Alc. — How fo ? Euph. — Tell me, Alciphron, do you difcourfe, or do you not ? To me it feems that you difcourfe admirably. Alc. — Be that as it will, it is certain I difcourfe. Euph. — But when I endeavor to look into the bottom of things, behold ! a fcruple rifeth in my mind how this can be ; for to difcourfe is a word of Latin derivation, which originally fignifies to run about ; and a man cannot run about, but he muft change place, and move his legs ; fo long therefore as you fit on this bench, you cannot be faid to difcourfe. Solve me this difficulty, and then perhaps I may be able to folve yours. Alc — You are to know, that difcourfe is a word bor- rowed from fenfible things, to exprefs an invifible action of the mind, reafoning or inferring one thing from ano- ther : And, in -this tranflated fenfe, we may be faid to difcourfe, though we fit (till. Euph. — And may we not as well conceive, that the term infpiration might be borrowed from fenfible things, to denote an action of God, in an extraordinary manner, influencing, exciting, and enlightening the mind of a prophet or an apoftle ? who, in this fecondary, figura- tive, and tranflated fenfe, may truly be faid to be infpired, L 1 2 74 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] though there (hould be nothing in the cafe of that wind or vapour implied in the original fenfe of the word ? It feems to me, that we may, by looking into our own minds, plainly perceive certain inflincts, impulfes, and tendencies, which, at proper periods and occafions, fpring up unac- countably in the foul of man. We obferve very vifible figns of the fame in all other animals. And thefe things being ordinary and natural, what hinders but we may con- ceive it poflible for the human mind, upon an extraordi- nary account, to be moved in an extraordinary manner, and its faculties ftirred up and actuated by a fupernatural power ? That there are, and have been, and are likely to be wild vifions, and hypochondriacal ravings, no body can deny : But to infer from thence, that there are no true infpirations would be too like concluding, that fome men are not in their fenfes, becaufe other men are fools. And though I am no prophet, and confequently cannot pretend to a clear notion of this matter ; yet I fhall not therefore take upon me to deny, but a true prophet, or in- fpired perfon, might have had as certain means of difcern- ing between divine infpiration and hypochondriacal fancy, as you can between fleeping and waking, till you have proved the contrary. You may meet in the book of Jer- emiah with this paffage : * The prophet that hath a dream, 6 let him tell a dream : And he that hath my word, let * him fpeak my word faithfully : what is the chaff to the * wheat, faith the Lord ? Is not my word like as a fire, c faith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh the * rock in pieces ?' * You fee here a diftin&ion made be- tween wheat and chaff, true and fpurious, with the migh- ty force and power of the former. But I beg pardon for quoting Scripture to you. I make my appeal to the gen- eral fenfe of mankind, and the opinion of the wifeft * Jercm. xxiii. a 8, 39. [Dial. VL] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 275 heathens, which feems fufficient to conclude divine infpi- ration poflible, if not probable, at leaft till you prove the contrary. X. Alc. — The poffibility of infpirations and revela- tions I do not think it neceffary to deny. Make the bed you can of this conceflion. Euph. — Now what is allowed poflible we may fuppofe in fa£t Alc— -We may. Euph. — Let us then fuppofe, that God had been pleaf- ed to make a revelation to men ; and that he infpired fome as a means to inftru£t others. Having fuppofed this, can you deny, that their infpired difcourfes and revelations might have been committed to writing, or that being written, after a long tracl: of time they might become in feveral places obfcure \ that fome of them might even originally have been lefs clear than others, or that they might fufFer fome alteration by frequent tranfcribing, as other writings are known to have done ? Is it not even ve- ry probable that all thefe things would happen ? Alc. — I grant it. Euph. — And granting this, with what pretence can you reject the Holy Scripture as not being divine, upon the account of fuch figns or marks, as you acknowledge would probably attend a divine revelation tranfmitted down to us, through fo many ages ? Alc— But allowing all that in reafon you can defire, and granting that this may account for fome obfcurity, may reconcile fome fmall differences, or fatisfy us how fome difficulties might arife by inferting, omitting, or changing here and there a letter, a word, or perhaps a fentence : Yet thefe are but fmall matters, in refpe£t. of the " much more confiderable and weighty objections I could produce, againft the confeffed doctrines, or fubjecl: matter of thofe writings. Let us fee what is contained i>)6 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.3 in thefe facred books, and then judge whether it is prob- able, or poflible, fuch revelations ihould ever have been made by God ? Now I defy the wit of man to contrive any thing more extravagant, than the accounts we there find of apparitions, devils, miracles, God manifeft in the fleih, regeneration, grace, felf-denial, refurreclion of the dead, and fuch like agri /omnia : Things fo odd, unac- countable, and remote from the apprehenfion of man- kind, you may as foon wafh a blackmore white, as clear them of abfurdity. No critical fkill can juilify them, no tradition recommend them, I will not fay for divine revelations, but even for the inventions of men of fenfe. Euph. — I had always a great opinion of your fagacity, but now, Alciphron y I confider you as fomething more than man : Elfe how mould \t be poflible for you to know, what or how far it may be proper for God to reveal ? Me- thinks it may confift, with all due deference to the greateft of human understandings, to fuppofe them ignorant of many things, which are not fuited to their faculties, or lie out of their reach. Even the councils of princes lie often beyond the ken of their fubje&s, who can only know fo much as is revealed by thofe at the helm ; and are often unqualified to judge of the ufefulnefs and tendency even of that, till in due time the fcheme unfolds, and is ac- counted for by fucceeding events. That many points con- tained in Holy Scripture are remote from the common ap- prehenfions of mankind, cannot be denied. But I do not fee, that it follows from thence, they are not of divine revelation. On the contrary, fhould it not feem reafona- ble to fuppofe, that a revelation from God fhould contain fomething different in kind, or more excellent in degree, than what lay open to the common fenfe of men, or could even be difcovered by the rr>oft fagacious philofopher ? Accounts of feparate fpirits, good or bad, prophefies, miracles, and fuch things, are undoubtedly ftrange : But [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 277 I would fain fee how you can prove them impoffible or abfurd. Alc. — Some things there are fo evidently abfurd, that it would be almoft as filly to difprove them as to believe them : And I take thefe to be of that clafs. XL Euph. — But is it not poffible, fome men may fhew as much prejudice and narrownefs in rejecting all fuch accounts, as others might eafinefs and credulity in admitting them ? I never durft make my own obfervation or experience the rule and meafure of things fpiritual, fu- pernatural, or relating to another world, becaufe I mould think it a very bad one,, even for the vifible and natural things of this : It would be judging like the Siamefe, who was pofitive it did not freeze in Holland, becaufe he had never known fuch a thing as hard water, or ice, in his own country. I cannot comprehend why any one, who admits the union of the foul and body, fhould pronounce it impoffible for the human nature to be united to the di- vine, in a manner ineffable and incomprehenfible by reafon. Neither can I fee any abfurdity in admitting, that finful man may become regenerate, or a new creature, by the grace of God reclaiming him from a carnal life, to a fpiritual life of virtue and holinefs. And fince the being governed by fenfe and appetite, is contrary to the happinefs and perfection of a rational creature, I do not at all wonder that we are prefcribed felf-denial. As for the refurret~tion of the dead, I do not conceive it fo very contrary to the anal- ogy of nature, when I behold vegetables left to rot in the earth, rife up again with new life and vigor, or a worm to all appearance dead, change its nature, and that, which in ks firft being crawled on the earth, become a new fpecies, and fly abroad with wings. And indeed when I confider, that the foul and body are things fo ve- ry different and heterogeneous, I can fee no reafon to be 2 7 S MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] pofitive, that the one muft neceffarily be extinguished upon the diflblutlon of the other ; efpecially fince I find in myfelf a ftrong natural defire of immortality, and I have not obferved that natural appetites are wont to be given in vain, or merely to be fruftrated. Upon the whole, thofe points which you account extravagant and abfurd, I dare not pronounce to be fo till I fee good rea- fon for it. XII. Cri. — No, Alciphron, your pofitive airs muft not pafs for proofs ; nor will it fuffice to fay, things are con- trary to common fenfe, to make us think they are fo : By common fenfe, I fuppofe, mould be meant either the ge- neral fenfe of mankind, or the approved reafon of think- ing men. Now I believe that all thofe articles, you have, with fo much capacity and fire, at once fummed up and exploded, may be fhewn to be not difagreeable, much lefs contrary to common fenfe, in one or other of thefe acceptations. That the Gods might appear and converfe among men, and that the Divinity might inhabit human nature, were points allowed by the heathens ; and for this I appeal to their poets and philofophers, whofe tefti- monies are fo numerous and clear, that it would be an affront to repeat them to a man of any education. And though the notion of a devil may not be fo obvious, or fo fully defcribed, yet there appear plain traces of it, ei- ther from reafon or tradition. The later Platonijls, as Porphyry and lamblichus, are very clear in the point, al- lowing that evil demons delude and tempt, hurt and pof- fefs mankind. That the ancient Greeks, Chaldeans, and Egyptians, believed both good and bad angels, may be plainly colle&ed from Plato, Plutarch, and the Chaldean oracles. Origen obferves, that almoft all the Gentiles, who held the being of demons, allowed there were bad ones.* There is even fomething as early as Homer, that * Origen. 1. 7. contra Celfum. [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 279 is thought by the learned cardinal, Bejfarionfi to allude to the fall of fatan, in the account of Ate y whom the poet reprefents as caft down from heaven by Jove, and then wandering about the earth, doing mifchief to mankind. This fame Ate is faid by Hefiod, to be the daughter of difcord ; and by Euripides, in his Hippolytus, is mention- ed as a tempter to evil. And it is very remarkable, that Plutarchy in his book De vitatido are alieno y fpeaks after Empedocles, of certain demons that fell from heaven, and were banifhed by God, Daimones theelatoi kai ouranopeteis. Nor is that lefs remarkable, which is obferved by Fici- nus from Pherecydes Syrus, that there had been a down- fal of demons, who revolted from God : and that Opione* us (the old ferpent) was head of that rebellious crew.**-— Then as to the other articles, let any one confider what the Pythagoreans taught, of the purgation and lufis, or de- liverance of the foul : What moil philofophers, but efpe- cially the fates, of fubduing our paflions : What Plata and Hierocles have faid of forgiving injuries : What the acute and fagacious Arijlotle writes, in his Ethics to iV7- comachus, of the fpiritual and divine life, that life which, according to him, is too excellent to be thought human ; infomuch as man, fo far forth as man, cannot attain to it ; but only fo far forth as he hath fomething divine in him : And particularly, let him reflect on what Socrates taught, to wit, that virtue is not to be learned from men, that it is the gift of God, and that good men are not good by virtue of human care or diligence, ouh einai authropinen epimeleian e agathoi agathoi gignontai* Let any man, who really think*, but confider what other thinking men have thought, who cannot be fuppofed prejudiced in favor of revealed religion ; and he will fee caufe, if not to think f In calumniat Platonis, 1. 3. c. 7. ** Vid. Argum. in Phaedrum Platonis. * Vid, Plat, in Protag, & alibi paflim. 28o MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VL] with reverence of the chriftian doctrines of grace, felf- denial, regeneration, fan£tification, and the reft, even the moft myfterious, at leaft to judge more modeftly and warily, than he who ihall, with a confident air, pro- nounce them abfurd, and repugnant to the reafon of mankind. And in regard to a future ftate, the common fenfe of the Gentile world, modern or ancient, and the opinions of the wifeft men of antiquity, are things fo well known, that I need fay nothing about them. To me it feems, the Minute Philofophers, when they appeal to reafon and common fenfe, mean only the fenfe of their own party : A coin, how current foever among them- felves, that of other men will bring to the touchftone, and pafs for no more than it is worth. Lys. — Be thofe notions agreeable to what or whofe fenfe they may, they are not agreeable to mi A. And if I am thought ignorant for this, I pjjty thofe who think me fo. XIII. I enjoy myfelf, and follow my own courfes, without remorfe or fear : Which I mould not do, if my head were filled with enthufiafm ; whether gentile or chriftian, philofophical or revealed, it is all one to me. Let others know or believe what they can, and make the beft on't, I, for my part, am happy and fafe in my igno- rance. Cri. — Perhaps not fo fafe neither. Lys.— Why, furely you won't pretend that ignorance is criminal ? Cri. — Ignorance alone is not a crime. But that wilful ignorance, affected ignorance, ignorance from lloth, or conceited ignorance, is a fault, might eafily be proved by the teftimony of heathen writers : And it needs no proof to mew that if ignorance be our fault, we cannot be fe- cure in it as an excufe. [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 281 Lys. — Honed Crito feems to hint, that a man mould take care to inform himfelf, while alive, left his neglect be punifhed when he is dead. Nothing is fo pufillani- mous and unbecoming a gentleman as fear : Nor could you take a likelier courfe to fix and rivet a man of honor in guilt, than by attempting to frighten him out of it. This is the Hale, abfurd ftratagem of priefts, and that which makes them, and their religion, more odious and contemptible to me, than all the other articles put toge- ther. Cri. — I would fain know why it may not be reafona- ble for a man of honor, or any man who has done amifs, to fear ? Guilt is the natural parent of fear ; and nature is not ufed to make men fear, where there is no occafion. That impious and profane men fhould expect divine pun- ifhment, doth not feem fo abfurd to conceive : And that, under this expectation, they mould be uneafy, and even afraid, how confident foever it may or may not be with honor, I am fure confids with reafon. Lys. — That thing of hell and eternal punifhment is the mod abfurd, as well as the mod difagreeable thought that ever entered into the head of mortal man. Cri. — But you mud own, that it is not an abfurdity pe- culiar to chridians, fince Socrates, that great free-thinker of Athens, thought it probable there might be fuch a thing as impious men for ever punifhed in hell. * It is recorded of this fame Socrates, that he has been often known to think for four and twenty hours together, fixed in the fame podure, and wraped up in meditation. Lys. — Our modern free-thinkers are a more lively fort of men. Thofe old philosophers were mod of them whimfical. They had, in my judgment, a narrow, timor- ous way of thinking, which by no means came up to the frank humor of our times. * Vid. Platon. in GorgJa. INI m 282 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] Cri. — But I appeal to your own judgment, if a man, who knows not the nature of the foul, can be affured by the light of reafon, whether it is mortal or immortal ? An fimul inter eat nobifcum morte perempta y An tenebras orci vifat vajlafque lacunas ? Lys. — But what if I know the nature of the foul ? "What if I have been taught that whole fecret by a modern free-thinker ? A man of fcience who difcovered it not by a tirefome introverfion of his faculties, not by amufing himfelf in a labyrinth of notions, or flupidly thinking for whole days and nights together, but by looking into things, and obferving the analogy of nature. XIV. This great man is a philofopher by fire, who has made many procefies upon vegetables. It is his opinion that men and vegetables are really of the fame fpecies ; that animals are moving vegetables, and vegetables fixed animals -, that the mouths of the one, and the roots of the other, ferve to the fame ufe, differing only in pofition ; that bloffoms and flowers anfwer to the mod indecent and concealed parts in the human body ; that vegetable and animal bodies are both alike organized, and that in both there is life, or a certain motion and circulation of juices, through proper tubes or vefTels. I mall never forget this able man's unfolding the nature of the foul in the follow- ing manner. The foul, faid he, is that fpecific form, or principle, from whence proceed the diftincT: qualities or properties of things. Now, as vegetables are a more Am- ple and le£s perfect compound, and confequently more ea- fily analyfed than . animals, we will begin with the con- templation of the fouls of vegetables. Know then, that the foul of any plant, rofeniary for inftance, is neither more nor lefs than its effential oil. Upon this depends [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 283 its peculiar fragrance, tafte, and medicinal virtues, or, in other words, its life and operations. Separate or extract this elTential oil by chymic art, and you get the foul of the plant : What remains being a dead carcafs, .without any one property or virtue of the plant, which is preferv- €d entire in the oil, a drachm whereof goes further than feveral pounds of the plant. Now this fame effential oil is itfelf a compofition of fulphur and fait, or of a grofs unctuous fubftance, and a fine fubtile principle or volatile fait imprifoned therein. This volatile fait is properly the eflence of the foul of the plant, containing all its virtue, and the oil is the vehicle of this mo ft fubtile part of the foul, or that which fixes and individuates it. And as, upon feparation of this oil from the plant, the plant died, fo a fecond death, or death of the foul, enfues upon the refolution of this effential oil into its principles ; as ap- pears by leaving it expofed for fome time to the open air, fo that the volatile fait, or fpirit, may fly off; after which the oil remains dead and infipid, but without any fenfible diminution of its weight, by the lofs of that volatile ef- fence of the foul, that ethereal aura, that fpark of enti- ty, which returns and mixes with the folar light, the uni- verfal foul of the world, and only fource of life, whether vegetable, animal, or intellectual ; which differ only ac- cording to the grofsnefs or finenefs of the vehicles, and the different textures of the natural alembics, or, in other words, the organized bodies, where the abovementioned volatile effence inhabits and is elaborated, where it a£ts and is acted upon. This chymical fyftem lets you at once into the nature of the foul, and accounts for all its phaeno- mena. In that compound which is called man, the foul, or effential oil, is what commonly goes by the name of animal fpirit : For you mufl know, it is a point agreed by chymifls, that fpirits are nothing but the more fubtile oils. Now in proportion, as the effential oil of the ve- 28 4 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] getable man is more fubtile than that of other vegetables, the volatile fait that impregnates it is more at liberty to a& : Which accounts for thofe fpecific properties and ac- tions of human kind, which diftinguifh them above other creatures. Hence you may learn why, among the wife an- cients, fait was another name for wit, and, in our times, a dull man is faid to be infjpid or infulfe. Aromatic oils, matured by great length of time, turn to falts : This fhews why human kind grow wifer by age. And what I have faid of the twofold death or diflblution, firft, of the com- pound, by feparating the foul from the organical body, and fecondly, of the foul itfelf, by dividing the volatile fait from the oil, illuftrates and explains that notion of cer- tain ancient philofophers : That as the man was a com- pound of foul and body, fo the foul was compounded of the mind, or intelletl:, and its sethereal vehicle : And that the feparation of foul and body, or death of the man, is, after a long tracl: of time, fucceeded by a fecond death of the foul itfelf; to wit, the feparation or deliverance of the intellect from its vehicle, and re-union with the fun. Euph. — O Lyjicles> your ingenious friend has opened a new fcene, and explained the mod obfcure and difficult points in the clearer! and eafieft manner. Lys. — I muft own this account of things ftruck my fancy. I am no great lover of creeds or fyftems : But when a notion is reafonable, and grounded on experience, I know how to value it. Cri. — In good earneft, Lyjicles, do you believe this ac- count to be true ? Lys. — Why then, in good earneft, I do not know whether I do or no. But I can aflure you the ingenious artifl himfelf has not the leaft doubt about it. And to believe an artifl in his art, is a jufl maxim and fhort way to fcience. [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 2S5 Cri. — But what relation hath the foul of man to chy- mic art ? The fame reafon, that bids me truft a fkilful artifl in his art, inclines me to fufpe£r. him out of his art. Men are too apt to reduce unknown things to the ftandard of what they know, and bring a prejudice or tincture from things they have been converfant in, to judge there- by of things in which they have not been converfant. I have known a fiddler gravely teach, that the foul was har- mony ; a geometrician very pofitive, that the foul mud be extended ; and a phyfician, who having pickled half a do- zen embryos, and diiTeclied as many rats and frogs, grew conceited, and affirmed there was no foul at all, and that it was a vulgar error. Lys. — My notions fit eafy. I fhall not engage in pe- dantic difputes about them. They who don't like them may leave them. Euph. — This, I fuppofe, is faid much like a gentle- man. XV. But pray, Lyficles> tell me whether the clergy come within that general rule of yours : That an artift may be trufted in his art ? Lys. — By no means. Euph. — Why fo ? Lys. — Becaufe I take myfeifto know as much of thofe matters as they do. Euph. — But you allow that, in any other profefllon, one that hath fpent much time and pains, may attain more knowledge, than a man of equal or better parts, who never made it his particular bufinefs. Lys. — I do. Euph. — And neverthelefs, in things religious and di- vine, ycu think all men equally knowing. Lys. — I do not fay all men. But I think all men of fenfe competent judges. 286 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] Euph. — What ! are the divine attributes and difpenfa- tions to mankind, the true end and happinefs of rational Creatures, with the means of improving and perfecting their beings, more eafy and obvious points, than thofe which make the fubjecl: of every common profeflion ? Lys.-— Perhaps not : but one thing I know, fome things are fo manifeftly abfurd, that no authority fhall make me give into them. For inflance, if all mankind fhould pretend to perfuade me that the Son of God was born upon earth in a poor family, was fpit upon, buffeted, and crucified, lived like a beggar, and died like a thief, I fhould never believe one fyllable of it. Common fenfe fhews every one, what figure it would be decent for an earthly prince, or ambafiador, to make ; and the Son of God, upon an embafly from heaven, mud needs have made an appearance beyond all others of great eclat, and, in all refpects, the very reverfe of that which Jefiis Chrift is reported to have made, even by his own hiftorians. Euph.< — O Lyficles, though I had ever fo much mind to approve and applaud your ingenious reafoning, yet I dare not affent to this for fear of Crito. Lys. — Why fo ? Euph.— Becaufe he obferved juft now, that men judge of things they do not know, by prejudices from things they do know. And I fear he would object that you, who have been converfant in the grand monde, having your head filled with a notion of attendants, and equipages, and liveries, the familiar badges of human grandeur, are lefs able to judge of that which is truly divine : and that one who had feen lefs, and thought more, would be apt to imagine a pompous parade of worldly greatnefs, not the moft becoming the author of a fpiritual religion, that was defigned to wean men from the world, and raife thern above it. [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 287 Cri. — Do you think, Lv/icles, if a man fhould make his entrance into London, in a rich fuit of clothes, with a hundred gilt coaches, and a thoufand laced footmen, that this would be a more divine appearance, and have more of true grandeur in it, that if he had power with a word to heal all manner of difeafes, to raife the dead to life, and (till the raging of the winds and fea ? Lys. — Without all doubt it muft be very agreeable to common fenfe to fuppofe, that he could reft ore others to life, who could not fave his own. You tell us, indeed, that he rofe again from the dead : but what occafion was there for him to die, the juhVfor the unjuft, the Son of God for wicked men ? And why in that individual place ? Why at that very time above all others ? Why did he not make his appearance earlier, and preach in all parts of the world, that the benefit might have been more ex- tenfive and equal ? Account for all thefe points; and re- concile them, if you can, to the common notions and plain fenfe of mankind. Cri. — And what if thofe, as well as many other points, fhould lie out of the road that we are acquainted with ; muft we, therefore, explode them, and make it a rule to condemn every proceeding as fenfelefs, that doth not fquare with the vulgar fenfe of man ? That, indeed, which evidently contradicts fenfe and reafon, you have a right to difbelieve. And when you are unjuftly treated, you have the fame right to complain. But I think you mould diftinguifh between matter of debt and matter of favor. Thus much is obferved in all intercourfe between man and man *, wherein acts of mere benevolence are never infilled on, or examined and meafured with the fame accurate line as matters of juftice. Who but a Mi- nute Philofopher would, upon a gratuitous diftribution of favors, inquire, why at this time, and not before ? why to thefe perfons, and not to others ? Various are the 288 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] natural abilities and opportunities of human kind. How wide a difference is there in refpecl: of the law of nature, between one of our ftupid ploughmen and a Minute Phi- lofopher ! Between a Laplander and an Athenian ! That conduct, therefore, which feems to you partial or une- qual, may be found as well in the difpenfation of natural religion as of revealed, and if fo, why it fhould be made an objection againft the one more than the other, I leave you to account. For the reft, if the precepts and certain primary tenets of religion appear, in the eye of reafon, good and ufeful ; and if they are alfo found to be fo by their effects, we may, for the fake of them, admit certain other points, or doctrines, recommended with them, to have a good tendency, to be right and true ; although we cannot difcern their goodnefs or truth by the mere light of human reafon, which may well be fuppofed an inef- ficient judge of the proceedings, counfels and defigns, of Providence, and this fufficeth to make our conviction rea- fonable. XVI. It is an allowed point, that no man can judge of this or that part of a machine taken by itfelf, without knowing the whole, the mutual relation or dependence of its parts, and the end for which it was made. And, as this is a point acknowledged in corporeal and natural things, ought we not, by a parity of reafon, to fufpend our judgment concerning the moral fitnefs of a fingle un- accountable part of the divine economy, till we are more fully acquainted with the moral fyftem, or world of fpi- rits, and are let into the defigns of God's providence, and have an extenfive view of his difpenfations pari:, prefent, and future ? Alas ! Lyficles> what do you know even of yourfelf, whence you come, what you are, or whither you are going ? To me it feems, that a Minute Philofo- pher is like a conceited fpe£tator, who never looked be- [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 289 hind the fcenes, and yet would judge of the machinery ; who from a tranfient glimpfe of a part only of lome one fcene, would take upon him to cenfure the plot of a play. Lys. — As to the plot I won't fay ; but in half a fcene a man may judge of an abfurd a£tor. "With what color or pretext can you juftify the vindictive, froward, whim- fical behavior of fome infpired teachers or prophets ? Par- ticulars, that ferve neither for profit nor pleafure, I make a fhift to forget : but, in general, the truth of this charge I do very well remember. Cri. — You need be at no pains to prove a point, I {hall neither juftify nor deny. I would only beg leave to ob- ferve, that it feems a fure fign of fincerity in the facred writers, that they mould be fo far from palliating the de- feels, as to pubiifh even the criminal and abfurd actions of thofe very perfons, whom they relate to have been in- fpired. For the reft, that there have been human paf- fions, infirmities, and defects in perfons infpired by God, I freely own : nay, that very wicked men have been in- fpired, as Balaam , for inftance, and Caiaphas, cannot be denied. But what will you infer from thence ? Can you prove it impoflible that a weak or finful man fliould be- come an inftrument to the fpirit of God, for conveying his purpofe to other finners, or that divine light may not, as well as the light of the fun, fhine on afoulveflel with- out polluting its rays ? Lys.— To make fhort work, the right way would be to put out our eyes, and not judge at all. Cri. — I do not fay fo, but I think it would be right, if fome fanguine perfons, upon certain points, fufpedted their own judgment. Alc. — But the very things faid to be infpired, taken by themfclves, and in their own nature, are fometimes fo wrong, to fay no worfe, that a man may pronounce them not to be divine at firft fight •, without troubling his head N n 7 9 o MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] about the fyftem of Providence or connexion of events : As one may fay that grafs is green, without knowing or confidering how it grows, what ufes it is fubfervient to, or how it is connected with the mundane fyftem. Thus, for inftance, the fpoiling of the Egyptians, and the extirpa- tion of the Canaanites, every one, at firft glance, fees to be cruel and unjuft, and may, therefore, without deliberating, pronounce them unworthy of God. Cri. — But, Alciphron, to judge rightly of t he fe things, may it not be proper to confider, how long the Ifraelites had wrought under thofe fevere tafk-mafters of Egypt, what injuries and hardfhips they had fuftained from them, what crimes and abominations the Canaanites had been guilty of what right God hath to difpofe of the things of this world, to punifh delinquents, and to appoint both the manner and the inftruments of his juftice ? Man, who has not fuch a right over his fellow-creatures, who is himfelf a fellow-finner with them, who is liable to error as well as paffion, whofe views are imperfect, who is gov- erned more by prejudice than the truth of things, may not improbably deceive himfelf, when he fets up for a judge of the proceedings of the holy, omnifcient, impaflive Creator and Governor of all things. XVII. Alc — Believe me, Criio, men are never fo in- duftrious to deceive themfelves, as when they engage to defend their prejudices. You would fain reafon us out of all ufe of our reafon : can any thing be more irrational ? To forbid us to reafon on the divine difpenfations, is to fup- pofe they will not bear the teft of reafon ; or, in other words, that God acts without reafon, which ought not to be admitted, no, not in any fingle inftance : For if in one, why not in another ? Whoever, therefore, allows a God, muft allow that he always a&s reafonably. I will not, therefore, attribute to him actions and proceedings that [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 291 are unreafonable. He hath given me reafon to judge with- al : and I will judge by that unerring light, lighted from the univerfal lamp of nature. Cri.— O Alciphron ! as I frankly own the common re- mark to be true, that when a man is againft reafon, it is a fhrewd Cgn, reafon is againft him *, fo I ihould never go about to difluade any one, much lefs one, who fo well knew the value of it, from nfing that noble talent. On the contrary, upon all fubje&s of moment, in my opin- ion, a man ought to ufe his reafon ; but then, whether it may not be reafonable to ufe it with fome deference to fuperior reafon, it will not, perhaps, be amifs to confid- er. He, who hath an exa£t, view of the meafure, and of the thing to be meafured, if he applies the one to the other, may, I grant, meafure exactly. But he, who undertakes to meafure without knowing either, can be no more ex- a£l than he is modeft. It may not, neverthelefs, be im- poffible to find a man, who, having neither an abftra£t. idea of moral fitnefs, nor an adequate idea of the divine economy, (hall yet pretend to meafure the one by the other. Alc — It mult furely derogate from the wifdom of God, to fuppofe his conducl: cannot bear being infpe£ted ? not even by the twilight of human reafon. Euph. — You allow, then, God to be wife ? Alc — I do. Euph. — What ! infinitely wife ? Alc. — Even infinitely. Euph. — His Wifdom, then, far exceeds that of man. Alc. — Very far. Euph. — Probably more than the wifdom of man, that of a child. x\lc. — Without all queftion. Euph. — What think you, Alciphron> muft not the con- due* of a parent fecm very unaccountable to a child, when 2 9 2 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] its inclinations are thwarted, when it is put to learn the letters, when it is obliged to fwallow bitter phyfic, to part with what it likes, and to fuffer, and do, and fee many things done contrary to its own judgment, however reafonable or agreeable to that of others ? Alc. — This I grant. Euph. — -Will it not, therefore, follow from hence, by a parity of reafon, that the little child, man, when it takes upon it to judge of the fchemes of parental Providence 5 and a thing of yefterday, to criticife the economy of the Ancient of Days ; will it not follow, I fay, that fuch a judge, of fuch matters, mull be apt to make very errone- ous judgments ? efteeming thofe things in themfelves un- accountable, which he cannot account for, and conclud- ing of fome certain points, from an appearance of arbi- trary carriage, towards him, which is fuited to his infancy and ignorance, that they are in themfelves capricious or abfurd, and cannot proceed from a wife, juft, and be- nevolent God. This fingle confideration, if duly attend- ed to, and applied, would, I verily think, put an end to many conceited reafonings againft revealed religion. Alc — You would have us then conclude, that things, to our wifdom unaccountable, may neverthelefs proceed from an abyfs of wifdom, which our line cannot fathom: And that profpects viewed but in part, and by the broken tinged light of our intellects, though to us they may feem diiproportionate and monftrous, may, neverthelefs, ap- pear quite otherwifeto another eye, and in a different fit- uation : In a word, that as human wifdom is but childim folly, in refpecl: of the divine, fo the wifdom of God may ibmetimes feem foolifhnefs to man. XVIII. Euph. — I would not have you make thefe con- clusions, unlefs in reafon, you ought to make them : But if they are reafenable, why mould you net make them ? [Dial. VI] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 293 Alc. — Some things may feem reafonable at one time, and not at another : And I take this very apology you make, for credulity and fuperftition, to be one of thofe things. When I view it in its principles, it feems naturally to follow from juft concefiions : But when I con- fider its confequences, I cannot agree to it. A man had as good abdicate his nature, as difclaim the ufe of reafon. A doctrine is unaccountable, therefore it muft be divine \ Euph. — Credulity and fuperftition are qualities io dif- agreeableand degrading to human nature, (o furely an ef- fect of weaknefs, and fo frequently a caufe o£-wickednefs, that I mould be very much furprifed to find a jult courfe of reafoning lead to them. I can never think, that reafon is a blind guide to folly, or that there is any connexion between truth and falfhood, no more th.in I can think a thing's being unaccountable a proof that it is divine : Though at the fame time, I cannot help acknowledging, it follows from your own avowed principles, that a thing's being unaccountable, or incomprehenfible to our reafon, is no fure argument to conclude it is not divine ; efpecially when there are collateral proofs of its being fo. A child is influenced by the many fenfible effects it hath felt, of paternal love, and care, and fuperior wifdom, to believe and do feveral things with an implicit faith and obedience : And if we, in the fame manner, from the truth and re3- fonablenefs which we plainly fee in fo many points within our cognifance, and the advantages which we experi- ence from the feed of the gofpel (own in good ground, were difpofed to an implicit belief of certain other points, relating to fchemes we do not know, or fubjecls to which our talents are perhaps difproportionate, I am tempted to think it might become our duty, without difhonoring our reafon ; which is never fo much dishonored, as when it is foiled, and never in more danger of being foiled, than by judging where it hath neither means nor right to judge. 294 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] Lys. — I would give a good deal to fee that ingenious gamefter, G/aucus, have the handling of Euphranor one night at our club. I own he is a peg too high for me in fome of his notions : But then he is admirable at vindica- ting human reafon againft the impofitions of prieftcraft. XIX. Alc. — He would undertake to make it as clear as day light, that there was nothing worth a draw in chrif- tianity, but what every one knew, or might know, as well without as with it, before as fince Jefus Chrijl. Cri. — That great man, it feems, teacheth, that com- mon fenfe alone is the pole-ftar, by which mankind ought to freer ; and that what is called revelation muft be ridic- ulous, becaufe it is unneceffary and ufelefs, the natural talents of every man being fufficient, to make him happy, good, and wife, without any further correfpondence with heaven either for light or aid. Euph. — I have already acknowledged how fenfible I am, that my fituation in this obfcure corner of the country deprives me of many advantages, to be had from the converfation of ingenious men in town. To make my- felf fome amends, I am obliged to converfe with the dead, and my own thoughts, which laft I know are of little weight againft the authority of Glaucus, or fuch like great men in the Minute Philofophy. But what fhall we fay to Socrates, for he too was of an opinion very different from that afcribed to Glaucus ? Alc. — For the prefent, we need not infift on authorities, ancient or modern, or inquire which was the greater man Socrates or Glaucus. Though, methinks, for fo much as authority can fignify, the prefent times, gray and hoary with age and experience, have a manifeft advantage over thofe that are falfly called ancient. But not to. dwell on au- thorities, I tell you in plain Englijh, Euphranor, we do not want your revelations : And that for this plain reafon, [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 295- thofe, that are clear, every body knew before, and thofe, that are obfcure, no body is the better for. Euph. — As it is impoflible, that a man fhould believe the practical principles of the chriftian religion, and not be the better for them : So it is evident, that thofe princi- ples may be much more eafily taught as points of faith, than demonftrated or difcovered as points of fcience. This I call evident, becaufe it is plain fact. Since we daily fee, that many are inftructed in matters of faith ; that few are taught by fcientific demonftration ; and that there are ftill fewer, who can difcover truth for themfelves. Did Minute Philofophers but reflect, how rarely men are fwayed or governed by mere ratiocination, and how often by faith, in the natural, or civil concerns of the world I How little they know, and how much they believe ! How uncommon it is to meet with a man who argues juftly, who is in truth a mailer of reafon, or walks by that rule I How much better (as the world goes) men are qualified to judge of facts than of reafonings, to receive truth upon teftimony than to deduce it from principles ! How general a fpirit of truft or reliance runs through the whole fyftem of life and opinion ! And, at the fame time, how feldom the dry light of unprejudiced nature is followed or to be found ! I fay, did our thinking men but bethink themfelves of thefe things, they would perhaps find it difficult to af- fign a good reafon, why faith, which hath fo great a fhare in every thing elfe, mould yet have none in religion. But to come more clofely to your point, whether it was poffible for mankind to have known all parts of the chrif- tian religion, befides myfteries and pofitive inftitutions, is not the queftion between us ; and that they actually did not know them, is too plain to be denied. This, perhaps, was for want of making a due ufe of reafon. But, as to the ufefulnefs of revelation, it feems much the fame thing whether men could not know, or would not be at * 9 6 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] the pains to know the do&rines revealed. And as for thofe doctrines, which were too obfcure to penetrate, or too fublime to reach, by natural reafon ; how far mankind may be the better for them is more, I had almoft faid, than even you or Glaucus can tell. XX. Alc— But whatever may be pretended as to ob- fcure doctrines and difpenfations, all this hath nothing to do with prophecies ; which, being altogether relative to mankind, and the events of this world, to which our fa- culties are furely well enough proportioned, one might ex- pect fhould be very clear, and fuch as might inform in- ftead of puzzling us. Euph. — And yet it muft be allowed, thatasfome prophe- cies are clear, there are others very obfcure : but, left to myfeif, I doubt I fhould never have inferred from thence that they were not divine. In my own way of thinking, I fhould have been apt to conclude, that the prophecies, we underitand, are a proof for infpiration : But that thofe we do not underftand are no proof againft it. Inafmuch as for the latter our ignorance, or the referve of the Holy Spirit may account : but for the other, nothing, for ought that I fee, can account but infpiration. Alc. — Now I know feveral fagacious men, who con- clude very differently from you, to wit, that the one fort of prophecies are nonfenfe, and the other contrived after the events. Behold the difference between a man of free thought and one of narrow principles ! Euph. — It feems then, they reject the revelations be- eaufe they are obfcure, and Daniel's prophecies becaufe they are clear. Alc. — Either way, a man of fenfe fees caufe to fufpecl: there has been foul play. Euph. — Your men of fenfe are, it feems, hard to pleafe. [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 207 Alc— Our Philofophers are men of piercing eyes. Euph. — I fuppofe fuch men never make trancient judg- ments from trancient views, but always eftablifh fixed conclufions upon a thorough infpedfcion of things. For my own part, I dare not engage with a man, who has examined thofe points fo nicely, as it may be prefumed, you have done : But I could name fome eminent writers of our own, now living, whofe books on the fubjecl: of prophecy have given great fatisfa&ion to gentlemen, who pafs for men of fenfe and learning, here in the country. Alc. — You muft know, Euphranor> I am not at lei- fure to perufe the learned writings of divines, on a fub- jecl: which a man may fee through with half an eye. To me it is fufficient, that the point itfelf is odd and out of the road of nature. For the reft, I leave them to difpute and fettle among themfelves, where to fix the precife time when the fcepter departed from Judah : Or whether in Daniel's prophecy of the Mejfiah we mould compute by the Chaldean or the Julian year. My only conclufion concerning all fuch matters is, that I will never trouble myfelf about them. Euph. — To an extraordinary genius, who fees things with half an eye, I know not what to fay : But for the reft of mankind, one would think it mould be very ram in them to conclude, without much and exacl; inquiry, on the unfafe fide of a queftion which concerns their chief intereft. Alc. — Mark it will : A true genius in purfuit of truth, makes fwift anvances on the wings of general maxims, while little minds creep and grovel amidft mean particu- larities. I lay it down for a certain truth, that by the fallacious arts of logic and criticifm, draining and for- cing, palliating, patching and diftinguifhing, a man may juilify or make out any thing : And this remark, with O o 29.8 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] one or two about prejudice, faves me a world of trouble. . Euph. — You, Alciphrotiy who foar fublime on ftrong and free pinions, vouchfafe to lend a helping hand to thofe, whom you behold intangled in the birdlime of pre- judice. For my part, I find it very poffible to fuppofe prophecy may be divine, although there mould be fome obfcurity at this diftance, with refpetl: to dates of time, or kinds of years. You yourfelf own revelation poffible : And allowing this, I can very eafily conceive it may be odd, and out of the road of nature. I can, without amazement, meet in holy fcriptures divers prophecies, whereof I do not fee the completion, divers texts I do not underftand, divers myfteries above my comprehen- sion, and ways of God to me unaccountable. Why may not fome prophecies relate to parts of hiftory I am not well enough acquainted with, or to events not yet come to pafs ? It feems to me, that prophecies unfathomed by the hearer, or even the fpeaker himfelf, have been after- ward verified and underftood in the event : and it is one of my maxims, that, ivhat hath been, may be. Though I rub mine eyes, and do mine utmofl to extricate myfelf from prejudice, yet it (till feems very poffible to me, that, what I do not, a more acute, more attentive, or more learned man may underftand : At leaft thus much is plain : the difficulty of fome points or palTages doth not hinder the clearnefs of others : And thofe parts of fcrip- ture which we cannot interpret, we are not bound to know the fenfe of. What evil or what inconvenience, if we cannot comprehend what we are not obliged to compre- hend, or if we cannot account for thofe things, which it doth not belong to us to account for ? Scriptures not un- derftood, at one time, or by one perfon, may be under- ftood at a nother time, or by other perfons. May we not perceive, by retrofpecT: on what is paft, a certain progrefs from darker to lighter, in the feries of the divine econo- my towards man ? And may not future events clear up [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 299 fuch points, as at prefent exercife the faith of believers ? Now, I cannot help thinking (fuch is the force either of truth or prejudice) that in all this, there is nothing drain- ed or forced, or which is not reafonable and natural to fuppofe. XXI. Alc — Well Eupbranor, I will lend you a help- ing hand, fince you defire it, but think fit to alter my method : For you muft know, the main points of chrif- tian belief have been infufed fo early, and inculcated fo often, by nurfes, pedagogues, and priefts : That, be the proofs ever fo plain, it is a hard matter to convince a mind thus tin&ured and ftained, by arguing againft re- vealed religion from its internal characters. I (hall there- fore fet myfelf to confider things in another light, and ex- amine your religion by certain external characters, or cir- cumftantials, comparing the fyllem of revelation with collateral accounts of ancient heathen writers, and mew- ing how ill it conlifts with them. Know then, that the chriftian revelation fuppofing the Jenvijb, it follows that if the Jewiflj be deftroyed, the chriftian mud of courfe fall to the ground. Now, to make fhort work, I (hall at- tack this Jeivifb revelation in its head. Tell me, are we not obliged, if we believe the Mofaic account of things, to hold the world was created not quite fix thoufand years ago ? Euph. — I grant we are. Alc — What will you fay now, if other ancient re- cords carry up the hiftory of the world many thoufand years beyond this period ? What if the Egyptians and Cbinefe have accounts extending to thirty or forty thoufand years ? What if the former of thefe nations have obferv- ed twelve hundred eclipfes, during the fpace of forty-eight thoufand years, before t\\Q time of Alexander the Great ? What if the Cbinefe have alfo many obfervations antece- joo MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] dent to the Jeivijh account of the creation ? What if the Chaldeans had been obferving the ftars for above four hun- dred thoufand years ? And whatfhall we fay, if we have fucceflions of kings and their reigns, marked for feveral thoufand years before the beginning of the world, aflign- ed by Mofes ? Shall we rejeel: the accounts and records of all other nations, the mod famous, ancient, and learned in the world, and preferve a blind reverence for the legif- lator of the Jews P Euph. — And pray, if they deferve to be rejected, why mould we not reject them ? What if thofe monftrous chronologies contain nothing but names without actions and manifeft fables ? What if thofe pretended obfervations of Egyptians and Chaldeans^ were unknown or unregarded by ancient aftronomers ? What if the Jefuits have fhewn the inconfiftency of the like Chinefe pretenfions with the truth of Ephemerides ? What if the mofl ancient Chinefe obfervations allowed to be authentic, are thofe of two fixed ftars, one in the winter folftice, the other in the ver- nal equinox, in the reign of their king Tao 9 which was fince the flood ? * Alc — You mud give me leave to obferve the Romijh miffionaries are of fmall credit in this point. Euph. — But what knowledge have we, or can we have, of thofe Chinefe affairs, but by their means ? The fame perfons that tell us of thefe accounts refute them : If we reject their authority in one cafe, what right have we to build upon it in another ? Alc. — When Iconfider, that the Chinefehkvt annals of more than forty thoufand years, and that they are a learn- ed, ingenious, and acute people, very curious and addicted to arts and fciences, I profefs I cannot help paying xome Tegard to their accounts of time. * Bianchini Hiflor. Univerf. c. 17. [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 301 Euph. — Whatever advantage their fituation and polit- ical maxims may have given them, it doth not appear, they are fo learned or fo acute in point of fcience as the Euro- peans, The general character of the Chinefe, if we may believe Trigaltius and other writers, is that they are men of a trifling and credulous curiofity, addicted to fearch after the philofopher's (tone, and a medicine to make men immortal, to aftrology, fortune-teliing, and prefages of all kinds. Their ignorance in nature and mathematics is evident, from the great hand the Jefuits make of that kind of knowledge among them. But what {hall we think of thofe extraordinary annals, if the very Chinefe them- felves give no credit to them for more than three thoufand years before Jefus Chrijl ? If they do not pretend to have begun to write hiftory above four thoufand years ago ? And if the oldeft books they have now extant in an inteilw igible character, are not above two thoufand years old ? One would think a man of your fagacity, fo apt to fuf- petr, every tiling out of the common road of nature, mould not, without the cleareft proof, admit thofe annals for authentic, which record fuch ftrange things as the fun's not fetting for ten days, and gold raining three days together. Tell me, Alciphron % can you really believe thefe things, without inquiring by what means the tradi- tion was preferved, through what hands it paffed, or what reception it met with, or who firfl: committed it to wri- ting ? Alc. — To omit the Chinefe and their (lory, it will ferve my purpofe as well to build on the authority of Manetho that learned Egyptian priefl, who had fuch opportunities of fearching into the molt ancient accounts of time, and copying into his dynafties the moll venerable and authentic records infcribed on the pillars of Hermes. Euph. — Pray, Alciphron y where were thofe chronolo- gical pillars to be feen ? 302 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] Alc. — In the Seriadical land. Euph. — And where is that country ? Alc. — I do not know. Euph. — How were thofe records preferved for fo many ages down to the time of this Hermes, who is faid to have been the firft inventor of letters ? Alc. — I do not know. Euph. — Did any other writers, before or fince Mane- tho, pretend to have feen, or tranfcribed, or known any thing about thefe pillars ? Alc. — Not that I know. Euph. — Or about the place where they are faid to have been ? Alc-— If they did, it is more than I know. Euph. — Do the Greek authors that went into Egypt, and confulted the Egyptian priefts, agree with thefe ac- counts of Manetho ? Alc. — Suppofe they do not. Euph. — Doth Diodorus, who lived fince Manetho, fol- low, cite, or fo much as mention this fame Manetho ? Alc — What will you infer from all this ? Euph. — If I did not know you and your principles, and how vigilantly you guard againft impofture, I fhould infer that you were a very credulous man. For what can we call it but credulity to believe mod incredible things on mod flender authority, fuch as fragments of an obfcure writer, difagreeing with all other hiftorians, fupported by an obfcure authority of Hermes's pillars, for which you muft take his word, and which contain things fo im- probable as fucceflions of gods and demi-gods, for ma- ny thoufand years, Vulcan alone having reigned nine thou- fand ? There is little in thefe venerable dynafties of Man- etho, befides names and numbers : And yet in that little we meet with very flrange things, that would be thought romantic in another writer : For inftance, the Nile over- [Dial. VI.] r MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 303 flowing with honey, the moon grown bigger, a fpeaking lamb, feventy kings who reigned as many days, one after another, a king a day. * If you are known, Alciphron, to give credit to thefe things, I fear you will lofe the hon- our of being thought incredulous. Alc. — And yet thefe ridiculous fragments, as you would reprefent them, have been thought worth the pains and lucubrations of very learned men. How can you ac- count for the work that the great Jofeph Scaliger and Sir John Marjham make about them ? Euph. — I do not pretend to account for it. To fee Scaliger add another Julian period to make room for fuch things as ManethJs dynafties, and Sir John Marjham take fo much learned pains to piece, patch, and mend thofe obfeure fragments, to range them in fynchronifms, and try to adjuft them with facred chronology, or make them, confident with themfelves and other accounts, is to me very ftrange and unaccountable. Why they, or Eufebius, or yourfelf, or any other learned man fhould imagine thofe things deferve any regard, I leave you to explain. XXII. Alc. — After all, it is not eafy to conceive what mould move, not only Manetho, but alfo other Egyptian priefts, long before his time, to fet up fuch great preten- ces to antiquity, all which, however differing one from another, agree in this, that they overthrow the Mofaic hif- tory. How can this be accounted for, without fome real foundation? What point of pleafure, or profit, or power, could fet men on forging fucceffions of ancient names, and periods of time for ages before the world began ? Euph.-— Pray, Alciphron, is there any thing fo ftrange or fingular in this vain humor of extending the antiquity of nations beyond the truth ? Hath it not been obferved in moft parts of the world ? Doth it not even in our own times fhew itfclf, efpecially among thofe dependent and * Seal. Can. Ifag, L a, 3 o4 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI] fubdued people, who have little elfe to boaft of. To pafs over others of our fellow-fubje&s, who, in proportion as they are below their neighbors in wealth and power, lay claim to a more remote antiquity ; are not the preten- fions of Iri/hmen, in this way, known to be very extrava- gant ? If I may truft my memory, (J Flaherty, in his Ogygia, mentions fome tranfa£Hons in Ireland before the flood. The fame humor, and from the ume caufe, ap- pears to have prevailed in Sicily 9 a country, for fome cen- turies paft, fubjecl: to the dominion of foreigners : during which time, the Sicilians have publifhed divers fabulous accounts, concerning the original and antiquity of their cities, wherein they vie with each other. It is to be prov- ed by ancient inscriptions, whofe exiftence or authority feems on a level with that of HermeSs pillars, that Paler- mo was founded in the days of the patriarch, Ifaac, by a colony of' Hebrews, Phoenicians, and Syrians, and that a grandfon of Efau had been governor of a tower fubfifting within thefe two hundred years in that city. * The anti- quity of MeJJina hath been carried ftill higher, by fome who would have us think it was enlarged b J Nimrod. f The like pretentions are made by Catania, and other towns of that ifland, who have found authors of as good credit as Manetho to fupport them. Now I mould be glad to know why the Egyptians, a fubdued people, may not probably be fappofed to have invented fabulous accounts from the fame motive, and like others valued themfelves on extravagant pretenfions to antiquity, when in all other refpe&s they were fo much inferior to their mafters ? That people had been fucceffively conquered by Ethiopians, AJfyrians, Babylonians, Perfians, and Grecians, before it appears that thofe wonderful dynafties of Manetho and the pillars of Hennes were ever heard of; as they had been * Fazelli Hift. Sicul. decad. i. 1. 8. f Rcina Notbie Iftoriche di Mcffina. [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 305 by the two ilrft of thofe nations before the time of Solon , himfelf, the earlieft Greek, that is known to have confulted the priefts of Egypt : Whofe accounts were fo extrava- gant that even the Greek hiftorians, though unacquainted with Holy Scripture, were far from giving an intire credit to them. Herodotus making a report upon their authority, faith, thofe, to whom fuch things feem credible, may make the beft of them, for himfelf declaring that it was his purpofe to write what he heard.* And both he and Dio- dorus do, on divers occafions, (hew the fame diffidence in the narratives of thofe Egyptian priefts. And as we ob- ferved of the Egyptians, it is no lefs certain that the Phoe- nicians, AJJyrians, and Chaldeans were each a conquered and reduced people, before the reft of the world appear to have any thing of their pretenfions to fo remote anti- quity. Cri. — But what occafion is there to be at any pains to account for the humor of fabulous writers ? Is it not fuf- ficient to fee that they relate abfurdities ; that they are unfupported by any foreign evidence ; that they do not appear to have been in credit, even among their own countrymen, and that they are inconfiftent one with ano- ther ? That men (hould have the vanity to impofe on the world by falfe accounts, is nothing ftrange : it is much more fo, that after what has been done towards unde- ceiving the world by fo many learned critics, there fhould be men found capable of being abufed by thofe paltry fcraps of Manetho, Berofus, Ctejias, or the like fabulous or counterfeit writers. Alc. — Give me leave to obferve, thofe learned critics may prove to be ecclefiaftics, perhaps fome of them pa- pifts. Cri. — What do you think of Sir Ifaac Newton, was he either papift or ecclefiaftic ? Perhaps you may not allow him to have been in fagacity or force of mind equal to the * Herodotus in Euterpe. p p 3 o6 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VL] great men of the Minute Philofophy : But it cannot be denied that he had read and thought much upon the fub- jecl, and that the refult of his inquiry was a perfect con- tempt of all thofe celebrated rivals to Mofes. Alc. — It hath been obferved by ingenious men, that Sir Ifaac Newton, though a layman, was deeply prejudi- ced, witnefs his great regard to the bible. Cri. — -And the fame may be faid of Mr. Locke, Mr. Boyle, Lord Bacon, and other famous laymen, who, how- ever knowing in fome points, muft neverthelefs be allow- ed not to have attained that keen difcernment, which is the peculiar diftinclion of your feci:. XXIII. But perhaps there may be other reafons be- fide prejudice, to incline a man to gives Mofes the pre- ference, on the truth of whofe hiftory the government, manners, and religion of his countrymen were founded and framed ; of whofe hiftory there are manifeft traces in the mod ancient books, and traditions of the Gentiles, particularly of the Brachmans and Perfees ; not to men- tion the general atteftation of nature, as well as antiqui- ty, to his account of a deluge ; whofe hiftory is confirm- ed by the late invention of arts and fciences, the gradual peopling of the world, the very names of ancient nations, and even by the authority and arguments of that renown- ed philofopher, Lucretius, who, on other points, is fo much admired and followed, by thofe of your feci:. Not to mention, that the continual decreafe of fluids, the finking of hills, and the retardation of planetary mo- tions, afford fo many natural proofs, which (hew this world had a beginning ; as the civil or historical proofs abovementioned, do plainly point out this beginning, to have been about the time afligned in Holy Scripture. After all which, I beg leave to add one obfervation more. To any one, who confiders that, on digging into the IDial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 307 earth, fuch quantities of fhells, and, in fome places, bones and horns of animals are found, found and entire, after having lain there in all probability fome thoufands of years, it mould feem probable, that gems, medals, and implements in metal or ftone, might have laded intire, buried under ground forty or fifty thoufand years, if the world had been fo old. How comes it then to pafs, that no remains are found, no antiquities of thofe numerous ages, preceding the fcripture accounts of time ; no frag- ments of buildings *, no public monuments ; no intaglias, cammeoes, ftatues, bafib relievos, medals, inscriptions, utenfils, or artificial works of any kind, are ever difcov- cred, which might bear teftimony to the exiftence of thofe mighty empires, thofe fucceffions of monarchs, heroes, and demi-gods, for fo many thoufand years ? Let us look forward, and fuppofe ten or twenty thoufand years to come, during which time, we will fuppofe, that plagues, famines, wars, and earthquakes lhall have made great havock in the world ; is it not highly probable, that at the end of fuch period, pillars, vafes, and ftatues now in being of granite, or porphyry, or jafper, ((tones of fuch hardnefs, as we know them to have lafted two thoufand years above ground, without any confiderable alteration) would bear record of thefe, and paft ages ? Or that fome of our current coins might then be dug up, or old walls and the foundations of buildings fhew them- felves, as well as the fhells and ftones of the primeval world, are preferved down to our times ? To me, it feems to follow, from thefe confiderations, which common fenfe and experience, make all men judges of, that we may fee good reafon to conclude, the world was created about the time recorded in the Holy Scripture. And if we admit a thing fo extraordinary as the creation of this world, it ihould feem that we admit fomething ftrange, and odd, and new to human apprehenfion, beyond any other miracle whatfoever. 3 o8 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] XXIV. Alciphron fat muling and made no anfwcr, whereupon Ly fides expreffed himfelf in the following manner. I mull own, I mould rather fuppofe with Lucretius, that the world was made by chance, and that men grew out of the earth like pompions, than pin my faith on thofe wretched fabulous fragments of oriental hiftory. And as for the learned men, who have taken pains to illuftrate and piece them together, they appear to me no better than fo many mufty pedants. An ingenious free-thinker may, perhaps, now and then make fome ufe of their lucubrations, and play one abfurdity againft ano- ther. But you are not, therefore, to think, he pays any real regard to the authority of fuch apocryphal writers, or believes one fyllable of the Chinefe, Babylonian, or Egyptian traditions. If we feem to give them a preference before the bible, it is only becaufe they are not eftabliihed by law. This is my plain fenfe of the matter, and I dare fay it is the general fenfe of our feci: ; who are too ration- al to be in earneft on fuch trifles, though they fometimes give hints of deep erudition, and put on a grave face to divert themfelves with bigots. Alc — Since Lyfdes will have it fo, I am content not to build on accounts of time, preceding the Mofaic. I muft neverthelefs beg leave to obferve, there is another point of a different nature, againft which there do not lie the fame exceptions, that deferves to be confidered, and may ferve our purpofe as well. I prefume it will be al- lowed that hiftorians, treating of times within the Mofaic account, ought by impartial men to be placed on the fame foot with Mofes. It may therefore be expected, that thole, who pretend to vindicate his writings, mould- re- concile them with parallel accounts of other authors, treat- ing of the fame times, things, and perfons. And, if we are not attached fingly to Mofes, but take our notions from other writers, and the probability of things, we [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 309 fhall fee good caufe to believe, the Jews were only a crew of leprous Egyptians, driven from their country on account of that loathfome diftemper : And that their religion, pretended to have been delivered from heaven at Mount Sinai, was in truth learned in Egypt, and brought from thence. Cri.< — Not to infill, on what cannot be denied, that an hiftorian, writing of his own times is to be believed, before others who treat of the fame fubje£t, feveral ages after, it feems to me that it is abfurd to expecl: we fiiould reconcile Mofes with profane hiftorians, till you have firft reconciled them one with another. In anfwer, therefore, to what you obferve, I defire you would confider in the firft place, that Manetho, Cheremon, and Lyfimackus had publifhed inconfiftent accounts of the Jews, and their go- ing forth from Egypt : * In the fecond place, that their language is a plain proof, they were not of Egyptian, but either of Phenician, of Syrian, or of Chaldean original : And in the third place, that it doth not feem very proba- ble to fuppofe, their religion, the bafis or fundamental principle of which was the worfhip of one only Supreme God, and the principal defign of which was to abolifh idolatry, could be derived from Egypt, the moft idolatrous of all nations. It muft be owned, the feparate fituation and inftitutions of the Jews, occafioned their being treat- ed by fome foreigners, with great ignorance and contempt of them, and their original. But Strabo, who is allowed to have been a judicious and inquifitive writer, though he was not acquainted with their true hiftory, makes more honorable mention of them. He relates that Mofes, with many other worfhippers of one infinite God, not approv- ing the image worfhip of the Egyptians and other nations, went out from Egypt and fettled in Jerufalem, where they built a temple, to one only God without images, f * JofVph. contra Apion. 1. I- f Strab. 1. 16. S io MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] XXV. Alc. — We who aflert the caufe of liberty againft religion, in thcfe later ages of the world, lie under great difadvantages, from the lofs of ancient books, which cleared up many points to the eyes of thofe great men, Celfus, Porphyry, and Julian, which at a greater diftance, and with lefs help, cannot fo eafily be made out by us : But, had we thofe records, I doubt not, we might demol- ilh the whole fyftem at once. Cri.-— And yet I make fome doubt of this ; becaufe thofe great men, as you call them, with all thofe advanta- ges could not do it. Alc — That mull needs have been owing to the dul- nefs, and ftupidity of the world, in thofe days, when the art of reafoning was not fo much known and cultiva- ted as of late : But thofe men of true genius faw through the deceit themfelves, and were very clear in their opin- ion, which convinces me, they had good reafon on their fide. Cri. — And yet that great man Celfus feems to have had very flight and inconftant notions : one while, he talks like a thorough Epicurean ,• another, he admits miracles, prophecies, and a future ftate of rewards and punifhments. What think you, Alciphron, is it not fomething capricious in fo great a man, among other advantages which he afcribes to brutes above human kind, to fuppofe they are magicians and prophets •, that they have a nearer com- merce and union with the divinity ; that they know more than men ; and that elephants, in particular, are of all others moil religious animals, and Uriel: obfervers of an oath. * Alc — A great genius will be fometimes whimfical. But what do you fay to the emperor, Julian, was not he an extraordinary man ? Cri. — He feems by his writings, to have been lively and fatirical. Further, I make no difficulty of owning • Origen, contra Celfura, L 4, [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 311 that he was a generous, temperate, gallant, and facetious emperor : But at the fame time it muft be allowed, be- caufe his own heathen panegyrift, Ammianus Marcellinus, * allows it, that he was a prating, light, vain, fuperftitious fort of man. And, therefore, his judgment, or author- ity can be but of fmall weight with thofe, who are not prejudiced in his favor. Alc — But of all the great men, who wrote v againft revealed religion, the greateft without queflion was that truly great man, Porphyry, the lofs of whofe invaluable work can never be fufficiently lamented. This profound philofopher went to the bottom and original of things. He moft learnedly confuted the fcriptures, fhewed the ab- furdity of the Mofaic accounts, undermined and expo- fed the prophecies, and ridiculed allegorical interpreta- tions, f The moderns, it muft be owned, have done great things, and fhewn themfelves able men : Yet I can- not but regret the lofs of what was done by a perfon of fuch vaft abilities, and who lived fo much nearer the foun- tain-head ; though his authority furvives his writings, and muft (till have its weight, with impartial men, in fpite of the enemies of truth. Cri. — Porphyry, I grant, was a thorough infidel, tho* he appears by no means to have been incredulous. It feems he had a great opinion of wizards and necromanc- ers, and believed the myfteries, miracles, and prophecies of Theurgifts and Egyptian priefts. He was far from be- ing an enemy to obfeure jargon, and pretended to extra- ordinary extafies. In a word, this great man appears to have been as unintelligible as a fchoolman, as fuperfti- tious as a monk, and as fanatical as any quietift or qua- ker : and, to complete his character as Minute Philofo- pher, he was under ftrong temptations to lay violent * Am, Marcellin. 1. 05. f Luc Holftenius dc vita & fcriptis Porphyrii. 3 i2 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] hands on himfelf. We may frame a notion of this patri- arch of infidelity, from his judicious way of thinking up- on other points, as well as the chriftian religion. So fa- gacious was he as to find out, that the fouls of infe&s, when feparated from their bodies, become rational : that demons of a thoufand fhapes aflift in making philtrums and charms, whofe fpiritual bodies are nourifhed and fat- tened by the fteams of libations and facrifices : That the ghofts of 'thofe, who died violent deaths, ufe to haunt and appear about their fepulchres. This fame egregious phi- lofopher advifeth a wife man not to eat flefh, left the impure foul of the brute that was put to violent death {hould en- ter, along with the flefh into thofe who eat it. He adds, as a matter of fa£t, confirmed by many experiments, that thofe who would infinuate into themfelves the fouls of fuch animals, as have the gift of foretelling things to come, need only eat a principal part, the heart, for inftance, of a ftag or a mole, and fo receive the foul of the animal, which will prophefy in them like a God.* No wonder if men, whofe minds were preoccupied by faith and tenets of fuch a peculiar kind, fhould be averfe from the recep- tion of the gofpel. Upon the whole, we defire to be ex- cufed, if we do not pay the fame deference to the judg- ment of men, that appear to us whimfical, fuperftitious, weak, and vifionary, which thofe impartial gentlemen do, who admire their talents, and are proud to tread in their footfteps. Alc. — Men fee things in different views : what one admires another contemns : it is even poffible for a preju- diced mind, whofe attention is turned towards the faults and blemifhes of things, to fancy fome fhadow of defect in thofe great lights, which in our own days have enlight- ened, and ftill continue to enlighten the world. * Vide Porphyrium de abftinentia, de facrificils, de piis, & demonlbu& [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 313 XXVI. But pray tell me, Crito, what you think of Jofephus ? He is allowed to have been a man of learning and judgment. He was himfelf an aiTerter of revealed religion. And chriftians, when his authority ferves their turn, are ufed to cite him with refpe£L Cm. — All this I acknowledge. Alc. — Mufl it not then feem very ftrange, and very fufpicious to every impartial inquirer, that this learned Jewy writing the hiftory of his own country, of that very place, and thofe very times, where and when Jefus Chrifl made his appearance, fhould yet fay nothing of the character, miracles, and doctrine of that extraordinary perfon ? Some ancient chriftians were fo fenfible of this, that, to make amends, they inferted a famous paffage in that hiftorian 5 which impofture hath been fufficiently de- tected by able critics in the laft age. Cri. — Though there are not wanting able critics on the other fide of the queftion, yet, not to enter upon the difcuflion of that celebrated paflage, I am content to give you all you can defire, and fuppofe it not genuine, but the pious fraud of fome wrong-headed chriftian, who could not brook the omiffion in Jofephus : But this will never make fuch omiffion a real objection againft chrif- tianity. Nor is there, for ought I can fee, any thing in it whereon to ground either admiration or fufpicion ; in- afrnuch as it (hould feem very natural, fuppofing the gof- pel account exactly true, for -Jofephus to have faid nothing of it ; confidering that the view of that writer was to give his country fome figure in the eye of the world, which had been greatly prejudiced againft the Jews, and knew little of their hiftory, to which end the life and death of our Saviour would not in any wife have conduced ; con- fidering that Jofephus could not have been an eye-witnefs of our Saviour or his miracles ; confidering that he was a Pharifee of quality and learning, foreign as well as 3 i4 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] Jewi/h, one of great employment in the (late, and that the gofpel was preached to the poor -, that the fir ft inftruments of fpreading it, and the firft converts to it, were mean and illiterate, that it might not feem the work of man, or be- holden to human intereft or power ; confidering the gen- eral prejudice of the Jews, who expected in the Mefftah a temporal and conquering prince ; which prejudice was as flrong, that they chofe rather to attribute our Sav- iour's miracles to the devil, than to acknowledge him to be the Chrift : Confidering alfo the hellifh diforder and confufion of the Jewijh ftate in the days of Jofephus : when men's minds were filled and aftonifhed with unpar- alleled wars, diflenfions, maffacres, and feditions of that devoted people. Laying all thefe things together, I do not think it ftrange, that fuch a man, writing with fuch a view, at fuch a time, and in fuch circumftances, mould omit to defcribe our blefled Saviour's life and death, or to mention his miracles, or to take notice of the ftate of the chriftian church, which was then as a grain of muft- ard feed, beginning to take root and germinate. And this will feem ftill lefs ftrange, if it be confidered, that the apoftles, in a few years after our Saviour's death, de- parted from Jerufa/em, fetting themfelves to convert the Gentiles, and were difperfed throughout the world ; that the converts in Jerufa/em were not only of the meaneft of the people, but alfo few •, the three thoufand added to the church in one day, upon Peter's preaching in that city, appearing to have been not inhabitants, but flrangers from all parts, affembled to celebrate the feaft of Petite- cojl ; and that all the time of Jofephus, and for feveral years after, during a fucceflion of fifteen bifhops, the chriftians at Jerufakm obferved the Mofaic law, * and were confequently, in outward appearance, one people * Sulp. Sever. Sacr. Hift. L ft. & Eufeb. Chron. lib. poller. [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 315 with the reft of the Jews, which muft have made them lefs obfervable. I would fain know what reafon we have to fuppofe, that the gofpel, which, in its firfts propaga- tion, feemed to overlook the great or confiderable men of this world, might not alfo have been overlooked by them, as a thing not fuited to their apprehenfions and way of thinking ? Befides, in thofe early times might not other learned Jews, as well as Gamaliel^ fufpend their judgment of this new way, as not knowing what to make or fay of it, being on one hand, unable to quit the notions and traditions in which they were brought up, and, on the other, not daring to refill or fpeak againfl the gofpel, left they fhould be found to fight againft God ? Surely at all events, it could never be expected, that an uncon- verted Jew fhould give the fame account of the life, mi- racles, and doctrines of Jefus Chrift, as might become a chriftian to have given : Nor, on the other hand, was it at all improbable, that a man of fenfe fhould beware to lefTen or traduce what, for ought he knew, might have been a heavenly difpenfation ; between which two courfes, the middle was to< fay nothing, but pafs it over, in a doubtful, or a refpe&ful filence. And it is obfervable, that where this hiftorian occafionally mentions Jefus Chrijl in his account of St. James's death, he doth it without any reflection, or faying, either good or bad, though at the fame time, he fhews a regard for the apoftle. It is obfervable, I fay, that fpeaking of Jefus, his expreflion is, who was called the Chrift, not who pretended to be the Chrift, or who was falfely called the Chrift, but lim- ply, tou legomenou Ckriftou. * It is evident, Jofephus knew there was fuch a man as Jefus, and that he was faid to be the Chrift, and yet he condemns neither him nor his followers ; which to me feems an argument in their favor. Certainly, if we fuppofe Jofephus to have known, f A and in all the preju- dices of that people : Many fathers, chriftian philofo- phers, and learned apologifts for the faith, who had been bred Gentiles, were without doubt imbued with prejudices of education : And if the finger of God, and force of truth converted both the one and the other from Judajfm, 3i8 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] or Gentilifm, in fpite of their prejudices, to chriflianity, is not their teftimony fo much the ftronger ? You have then the fuffrages of both Jews and Gentiles , attefting to the truth of our religion, in the earlieft ages. But to expect or defire the atteftation of Jews remaining Jews, or of Gentiles remaining Gentiles, feems unreafonable : Nor can it be imagined that the teftimony of men, who were not converted themfelves, mould be the likelieft to convert others. We have indeed, the teftimony of hea- then writers to prove, That about the time of our Saviour's birth, there was a general expectation in the eaft, of a Mejfiah, or prince, who mould found a new dominion : That there were fuch people as chriftians : That they were cruelly perfecuted, and put to death : That they were innocent and holy in life, and worftiip : And that there did really exift in that time, certain perfons, and fa&s mentioned in the New Teftament : And for other points, we have learned fathers, feveral of whom had been, as I already obferved, bred heathens, to atteft their truth. Alc — For my part, I have no great opinion of the capacity or learning of the fathers, and many learned men, efpecially of the reformed churches abroad, are of the fame mind, which faves me the trouble of looking myfelf, into their voluminous writings. Cri. — I (hall not take upon me to fay, with the Minute Philofopher, Pomponatius,* that Origen, Bafil, Augujline, and divers other fathers, were equal to Plato, Arijlotle, and the greateft of the Gentiles, in human knowledge. But, if I may be allowed to make a judgment from what I have feen of their writings, I mould think feveral of them men of great parts, eloquence, and learning, and much fuperior to thofe who feem to undervalue them. Without any affront to certain modern critics, or tranfla- tors, Erafmus may be allowed a man of fine tafte, and a * Lib. d% immorulitate animas, [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 31^ fit judge of fenfe and good writing, though his judgment in this point was very different from theirs. Some of our reformed brethren, becaufe the Romanijls attribute too much, feem to have attributed too little to them, from a very ufual, though no very judicious oppofition : Which is apt to lead men to remark defects, without making proper allowances, and to fay things which neither piety, candor, nor good fenfe require them to fay. XXVIII. Alc. — But though I fhould acknowledge, that a concurring teflimony of many learned and able men throughout the firft ages of chriftianity may have its weight, yet when I confider the great number of forgeries and herefies that fprung up in thofe times, it very much weak- ens their credit. Cri.— Pray, Alciphron> would it be allowed a good ar- gument in the mouth of a papift againft the reformation, that many abfurd feels fprung up at the fame time with it ? Are we to wonder, that when good feed is fowing, the enemy mould fow tares ? But at once to cut off fever- al objections, let us fuppofe in fact, what you do not de- ny poflible, that there is a God, a devil, and a revelation from heaven committed to writing many centuries ago. Do but take a view of human nature, and confider, what would probably follow upon fuch a fuppofition : And whether it is not very likely, there fhould be half-believers, miftaken bigots, holy frauds, ambitious, interefled, dif- puting, conceited, fchifmatical, heretical, abfurd men among the profefiors of fuch revealed religion, as well as after a courfe of ages, various readings, omiffions, tranf- pofitions, and obfeurities in the text of the facred oracles ? And if fo, I leave you to judge, whether it be reafona- ble to make thofe events an objection againft the being of a thing, which would probably and naturally follow upon the fuppofal of its being. Alc. — After all, fay what you will, this variety of opinions muft needs (hake the faith of a reafonable man. 32« MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] Where there are fo many different opinions on the fame point, it is very certain they cannot all be true, but it is certain they may all be falfe. And the means to find out the truth ! When a man of fenfe fets about this inquiry, he finds himfelf on a fudden, ftartled and amufed with hard words and knotty queftions. This makes him aban- don the purfuit, thinking the game not worth the chace. Cri. — But would not this man of fenfe do well to con- fider, it muft argue want of difcernment, to reject divine truths for the fake of human follies ? Ufe but the fame candor and impartiality in treating of religion, that you would think proper on other fubje£ts. We defire no more, and expect no lefs. In law, in phyfic, in politics, where- ever men have refined, is it not evident they have been al- ways apt to run into difputes and chicane ? But will that hinder you from admitting there are many good rules, and juft notions, and ufeful truths in all thofe profeffions. Phyficians may difpute, perhaps vainly and unintelligibly, about the animal fyftem : They may aflign different cau- fes of diftempers, fome explaining them by the elementa- ry qualities, hot and cold, moifl and dry, others by chy- mical, others by mechanical principles : Yet this doth not hinder but the bark may be good for an ague, and rhu- barb for a flux. Nor can it be inferred from the differ- ent fects, which, from time to time, have fprung up in that profeffion, the dogmatic, for inftance, empiric, me- thodic, galenic, paracelfian, or the hard words, and knotty queftions, and idle theories, which have grown from them, or been ingrafted on them, that therefore we fhould deny the circulation of the blood, or reject their excellent rules about exercife, air, and diet. Alc — It feems you would fcreen religion by the ex- ample of other profeffions, all which have produced fe&s and difputes as well as chriftianity, which according to you may in itfelf, be true and ufeful, notwithstanding [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 321 many falfe and {ruitlefs notions ingrafted on it, by the wit of man. But certainly if this had been obferved, or believed by many acute reafoners, they would never have made the multiplicity of religious opinions, and contro- verfies, an argument againft religion in general. Crt. — How fuch an obvious truth fhould efcape men of fenfe and inquiry, I leave you to account : But I can very eafily account for grofs miftakes in thofe, who pafs for free-thinkers, without ever thinking : Or, if they do think, whofe meditations are employed on other points of a very different nature, from a ferious and impartial inqui- ry about religion. XXIX. But to return : What, or where is the profef- (ion of men, who never fplit into fchifms, or never talk nonfenfe ? Is it not evident, that, out of all the kinds of knowledge, on which the human mind is employed, there grow certain excrefcences, which may be pared off like the clippings of hair, or nails in the body, and with no worfe confequence. Whatever bigots or enthufiafts, whatever notional or fcholaftic divines may fay or think, it is certain, the faith derived from Chrift, and his apof- tles, was not a piece of empty fophiflry : They did not deliver and tranfmit down to us kenen apaten gumnen gnomen to ufe the expreffion of a holy confeffor.* And to pretend to demolifh their foundation for the fake of human fuperftruc- ture, be it hay or ftubble, or what it will, is no argument of juft thought or reafon ; any more than it is of fairnefs, to fup- pofe a doubtful fenfe fixed, and argue from one fide of the queftion in difputed points. Whether, for inftance, the beginning of Gene/is is to be underftood in a literal or allegorical fenfe ? Whether the book of Job be an hiflory or a parable ? Being points difputed between chriflians, an infidel can have no right to argue from one fide of the * Socr. Hiftor. Ecclef. 1. R r 322 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] queftion in thofe, or the like cafes. This or that tenet of a feci:, this or that controverted notion is not what we contend for at prefent, but the general faith, taught by Chrift and his apoftles, and preferved by univerfal and perpetual tradition, in all the churches down to our own times. To tax or ftrike at this divine doctrine, on account of things foreign and adventitious, the fpeculations and difputes of curious men, is in my mind, an abfurdity of the fame kind, as it would be to cut down a fine tree, yielding fruit and (hade, becaufe its leaves afforded nour- ishment to caterpiliers, or becaufe fpiders may now and then weave cobwebs among the branches. Alc. — To divide and diftinguifh would take time. We have feveral gentlemen very capable of judging in the grofs, but that want attention for irkfome and dry ftudies or minute inquiries. To which, as it would be very hard to oblige men againft their will, fo it mull be a great wrong to the world, as well as themfelves, to debar them from the right of deciding according to their natural fenfe of things. Cri. — It were to- be wiflied thofe capable men would employ their judgment and attention on the fame objects. If theological inquires are unpalatable, the field of nature is wide. How many difcoveries to be made ! How ma- ny errors to be corrected in arts and fciences ! How many vices to be reformed in life and manners ! Why do men fingle out fuch points as are innocent and ufeful, when there are fo many pernicious miftakes to be amended ? Why fet themfelves to deftroy the hopes of human kind and encouragements to virtue ? Why delight to judge where they difdain to inquire 2 Why not employ their no- ble talents on the longitude or perpetual motion ? Alc. — I wonder you would not fee the difference be- tween points of curiofity and religion. Thofe employ only men of a genius or humor fuited to them : But all [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 323 mankind have a right to cenfure, and are concerned to judge of thefe, except they will blindly fubmit to be gov- erned, by the dale wifdom of their anceftors and the ef- tablifhed laws of their country. Cri. — It mould feem, if they are concerned to judge, they are not lefs concerned to examine before they judge. Alc — But after all the examination, and inquiry, that mortal man can make about revealed religion, it is im- poflible to come at any rational fure footing. Strange things are told us, and in proof thereof, it is faid, that men have laid down their lives. But it may be eafily conceived, and hath been often known, that men have died for the fake of opinions, the belief of which, wheth- er right or wrong, had once pofTefTed their minds. Cri. — I grant you may find inftances of men dying for falfe opinions which they believed. But can you aflign an inftance of a man's dying for the fake of an opinion, which he did not believe. This cafe is inconceivable : And yet this muft have been the cafe, if the witnefles of ChrifrVs miracles and refurre&ion are fuppofed impof- tors. XXX. There is, indeed, a deal of fpecious talk about faith, founded upon miracles : But when I examine this matter thoroughly, and trace chriftian faith up to its origin- al, I find it refts upon much darknefs, and fcruple, and uncertainty. Inftead of points evident or agreeable to hu- man reafon, I find a wonderful narrative of the Son of God tempted in the wildernefs by the devil, a thing ut- terly unaccountable, without any end, or ufe, or reafon whatfoever. I meet with ftrange hiftories of apparitions of angels and voices from heaven, with furprifing accounts- of demoniacs, things quite out of the road of common fenfe or obfervation, with feveral incredible feats, faid to have been done by divine power, but more probably the inventions of men : Nor the lefs likely to be fo, bccaufe 3 2 4 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] I cannot pretend to fay with what view, they were invent- ed. Defigns deeply laid are dark, and the lefs we know, the more we fufpecl : But, admitting them for true, I fhall not allow them to be miraculous, until I thoroughly know the power of what are called fecond caufes and the force of magic. Cri.— You feem, Alciphron, to analyfe not faith, but infidelity, and trace it to its principles ; which, from your own account, I collecl: to be dark and doubtful fcruples and furmifes, haftinefs in judging, and narrownefs in thinking, grounded on a fanciful notion, which over-rates the little fcantling of your own experience, and on real ignorance of the views of Providence, and of the quali- ties, operations, and mutual refpe£ts of the feveral kinds of beings, which are, or may be, for ought you know, in the univerfe. Thus obfcure, uncertain, conceited, and conjectural are the principles of infidelity. Whereas, on the other hand, the principles of faith feem to me, points plain and clear. It is a clear point, that this faith in Chrift was fpread abroad throughout the world foon after his death. It is a clear point, that this was not effected by human learning, politics, or power. It is a clear point, that in the early times of the church, there were feveral men of knowledge and integrity, who embraced this faith, not from any, but againft all temporal motives. It is a clear point, that, the nearer they were to the fountain- head, the more opportunity they had to fatisfy themfelves as to the truth of thofe fa£ts, which they believed. It is a clear point, that the lefs intereft there was to perfuade, the more need there was of evidence to convince them. It is a clear point, that they relied on the authority of thofe, who declared themfelves eye-witneiTes of the mira- cles and refurreclion of Chrift. It is a clear point, that thofe profefied eye-witnefies fuffered much for this, their atteftation, and finally feded it with their blood. It is a [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. • 325 clear point, that thefe witnefTes, weak and contemptible as they were, overcame the world, fpread more light, preached purer morals, and did more benefit to mankind, than all the philofophers and fages put together. Thefe points appear to me clear and fure, and, being allowed fuch, they are plain, juft, and reafonable motives of af- fent : They ftand upon no fallacious ground, they contain nothing beyond our fphere, neither fuppofmg more knowl- edge, nor other faculties, than we are really mafters of : And if they mould not be admitted for morally certain, as I believe they will, by fair and unprejudiced inquirers, yet the allowing them to be only probable, is fufficient to flop tlie mouth of an infidel. Thefe plain points, I fay, are the pillars of our faith, and not thofe obfeure ones, by you fuppt>fed, which are in truth, the unfound, uncertain principles of infidelity, to a rafh, prejudiced, and affum- ing fpirit. To raife an argument, or anfwer an objection, from hidden powers of nature or magic, is groping in the dark : But by the evident light of fenfe, men might be fufficiently certified of fenfible effects, and matters of fa£t, fuch as the miracles and refurre&ion of Chrift : And the teftimony of fuch men might be transmitted to after- ages, with the fame moral certainty, as other hiftorical narrations : And thofe fame miraculous fads, compared by reafon with the doctrines they were brought to prove, may afford to an unbiafled mind, flrong indications of their coming from God, or a fuperior principle, whofe good- nefs retrieved the moral world, whofe power commanded the natural, and whofe Povidence extended over both. — Give me leave to fay, that nothing dark, nothing incom- prehenfible, or myfterious, or unaccountable, is the ground or motive, the principle or foundation, the proof or rea- fon of our faith, although it may be the object of it. For it muft be owned, that, if by clear and fure princi- ples, we are rationally led to believe a point lefs clear ; wc 326 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] do not, therefore, reject fuch point, becaufe it is myfte- rious to conceive, or difficult to account for ; nor would it be right fo to do. As for Jews and Gentiles, ancient- ly attributing our Saviour's miracles to magic, this is fo far from being a proof againft them, that to me it feems, rather a proof of the facts, without difproving the caufe to which we afcribe them. As we do not pretend to know the nature and operations of demons, the hiftory, laws, and fyftem of rational beings, and the fchemes or views of Providence, fo far as to account for every action and appearance, recorded in the gofpel : So neither do you know enough of thofe things, to be able from that knowledge of yours, to object againfl accounts fo well attefted. It is an eafy matter to raife fcruples upon many authentic parts of civil hiftory, which, requir- ing a more perfect knowledge of facts, circumftances, and councils, than we can come at to explain them, muft be to us inexplicable. And this is ftill more eafy, with refpect to the hiftory of nature ; in which, if furmifes were admitted for proofs againft things odd, ftrange, and unaccountable ; if our fcanty experience were made the rule and meafure of truth, and all thofe phenomena re- jected, that we, through ignorance of the principles, and laws, and fyftem of nature, could not explain ; we mould indeed make difcoveries, but it would be only of our own blindnefs and prefumption. And why, that men are fo eafily and fo often gravelled in common points, in things natural and vifible, mould yet be fo fharp-fighted and dogmatical about the invifible world, and its myfte- ries, is to me a point utterly unaccountable by all the rules of logic and good fenfe. Upon the whole, there- fore, I cannot help thinking that there are points, fuffi- ciently plain, and clear, and full, whereon a man may ground a reafonable faith in Chrift : But that the attacks of Minute Philosophers, againft this faith, are grounded upon darknefs, ignorance and prefumption. [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 327 Alc. — I doubt I fhall (till remain in the dark, as to the proofs of the chriftian religion, and always prefume there is nothing in them. XXXI. For how is it poflible, at this remote diftance, to arrive at any knowledge, or frame any demonftration about it ? Cri. — What then ? Knowledge, I grant, in a ftri& fenfe, cannot be had without evidence, or demonftra- tion : but probable arguments are a fufficient ground of faith. Who ever fuppofed that fcientifical proofs are neceffary to make a chriftian ? Faith alone is required, and, provided that, in the main, and upon the whole, men are perfuaded, this faving faith may confift with fome degrees of obfcurity, fcruple, and error. For, al- though the light of truth be unchangeable, and the fame in its eternal fource, the father of lights : Yet, with refpect to us, it is varioufly weakened and obfcured, by palling through a long diftance, or grofs medium, where it is intercepted, diftorted, or tin&ured by the prejudi- ces and paflions of men. But, all this, notwithstanding, he that will ufe his eyes, may fee enough for the pur- pofes, either of nature or of grace ; though by a light dimmer indeed, or clearer, according to the place, or the diftance, or the hour, or the medium. And it will be fufHcient, if fuch analogy appears between the difpenfa- tions of grace and nature, as may make it probable (although much fhould be unaccountable in both) to fup- pofe them derived from the fame author, and the work- manfhip of one, and the fame hand. Alc— Thofe who faw, and touched, and handled Jefus Chrift after his refurre&ion, if there were any fuch, may be faid to have feen by a clear light : But to us, the light is very dim, and yet it is expected we (hould believe this point as well as they. For my part, I believe with 3 i8 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] Spinofiy that Chrift's death was literal, but his rcfurrec- tion allegorical. * Cri. — And for my part, I can fee nothing in this cel- ebrated infidel, that fhculd make me defert matters of fac~r, and moral evidence, to adopt his notions. Though I muft needs own, I admit an allegorical refurrre£fcion, that proves the real : to wit, a refurre&ion of ChrifVs difci- ples from weaknefs to refolution, from fear to courage, from defpair to hope : of which, for ought I can fee, no rational account can be given, but the fenfible evidence, that our Lord was truly, really, and literally rifen from the dead : But as it cannot be denied, that his difciples, who were eye-witnefTes of his miracles and refurre&ion, had flronger evidence than we can have of thefe points : So it cannot be denied, that fuch evidence was then more necefTary, to induce men to embrace a new inftitution, contrary to the whole fyftem of their education, their prejudices, their paflions, their interefts, and every hu- man motive. Though to me it feems, the moral evidence and probable arguments within our reach, are abundantly fufficient to make prudent, thinking men, adhere to the faith, handed down to us from our anceftors, eftablifhed by the laws of our country, requiring fubmiflion in points above our knowledge, and for the reft, recommending doctrines, the moft agreeable to our intcreft, and our reafon. And, however ftrong the light might have been at the fountain-head, yet its long continuance and propa- gation, by fuch unpromifing inftruments throughout the world, have been very wonderful. We may now take a more comprehenfive view of the connexion, order, and progrefs of the divine difpenfations, and by a retrofpe£fc on a long feries of part ages, perceive a unity of defign, running throughout the whole, a gradual difclofing, and fufilling the purpofes of Providence, a regular progrefs * Vid- Spinofae EpLft. ad Oldenburgium. [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 329 from types to anti-types, from things carnal to things fpiritual, from earth to heaven. We may behold Chrifi crucified, that ftumbling-block to the Jews, and fooliih- nefs to the Greeks, putting a final period to the temple worfhip of the one, and idolatry of the other, and that ftone, which was cut out of the mountain without hands, and brake in pieces all other kingdoms, become itfelf a great mountain. XXXII. If a due reflexion on thefe things be not fuf- ficient to beget a reverence for the chriftian faith in the minds of men, I fhould rather impute it to any other caufe, than a wife and cautious incredulity : "When I fee their eafinefs of faith in the common concerns of life, where there is no prejudice or appetite to bias or difturb their natural judgment : When I fee thofe very men that, in religion, will not ftir a ftep without evidence, and at every turn expect demonftration, truft their health to a phyfician, and their lives to a failor, with an implicit faith, I cannot think they deferve the honor of being thought more incredulous than other men : Or that they are more accuftomed to know, and for this reafon lefs inched to believe. On the contrary, one is tempted to fufpecl:, that ignorance hath a greater fhare than fcience in our modern infidelity : And that it proceeds more from a wrong head, or an irregular will, than from deep refearches. Lys. — We do not, it muft be owned, think that learn- ing, or deep refearches, are neceflary to pafs a right judg- ment upon things. I fometimes fufpecl: that learning is apt to produce and juftify whims, and fmcerciy believe we fhould do better without it. Our feci: are divided on this point, but much the greater part think with me. I have heard more than once, very obferving men remark, that learning was the true human means which prefervcd religion in the world : And that, if we had it in our power to prefer blockheads in the church, all would foon be right, S s 33 o MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial* VI] Cri. — Men mu(t be ftrangely in love with their opin- ions, to put out their eyes rather than part with them. But it has been often remarked by obferving men, that there are no greater bigots than infidels. Lys. — What ! A free-thinker, and a bigot, impoffible ! Cri. — Not fo impoffible neither, that an infidel mould be bigoted to his infidelity. Methinks I fee a bigot, wherever I fee a man over-bearing, and pofitive without knowing why, laying the greateft ftrefs on points of fmall- cft moment, hafty to judge of the confcience, thoughts, and inward views of other men, impatient of reafoning againft his own opinions, and choofing them with incli- nation rather than judgment, an enemy to learning, and attached to mean authorities. How far our modern infi- dels agree with this description, I leave to be confidered by thofe who really confider and think for themfelves. Lys. — We are no bigots, we are men that difcover diffi- culties in religion, that tie knots and raife fcruples, which difturb the repofe, and interrupt the golden dreams of bigots, who therefore cannot endure us. Cri.— —They who caft about for difficulties, will be fure to find, or make them upon every fubjecl: : But he that would, upon the foot of reafon, erecl: himfelf into a judge, in order to make a wife judgment on a fubjecl: of that nature, will not only confider the doubtful and difficult parts of it, but take a comprehenfive view of the whole, confider it in all its parts and relations, trace it to its original, examine its principles, effects, and tenden- cies, its proofs internal and external : he will diftinguifh between the clear points and the obfcure, the certain and uncertain, the efiential and the circumftantial, between what is genuine and what foreign. He will confider the different forts of proof, that belong to different things : where evidence is to be expected : Where probability may iuffice : And where it is reafonable to fuppofe there fhould [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 331 be doubts and fcruples. He will proportion his pains and exa&nefs to the importance of the inquiry, and check that difpofition of his mind to conclude all thofe notions, groundlefs prejudices, with which it was imbued before it knew the reafon of them. He will filence his paflions, and liften to truth. He will endeavor to untie knots as well as to tie them, and dwell rather on the light parts of things, than the obfcure. He will balance the force of his underftanding with the difficulty of the fubje£t, and to render his judgment impartial, hear evidence on all fides, and fo far as he is led by authority, choofe to follow that of the honefteft and wifeft men. Now it is my fin- cere opinion, the chriftian religion may well ftand the teft of fuch an inquiry. Lys.— — But fuch an inquiry would coft too much pains and time. We have thought of another method, the bringing religion to the teft of wit and humour : This we find a much fhorter, eafier, and more effectual way. And, as all enemies are at liberty to choofe their weapons, we make choice of thofe we are moft expert at : And we are the better pleafed with this choice, having obferved that of all things, a folid divine hates a jell. Euph. — To confider the whole of the fubjecl:, to read and think on all fides, to objecT: plainly, and anfwer di- rectly, upon the foot of dry reafon and argument, would be a very tedious and troublefome affair. Befides it is at- tacking pedants at their own weapons. How much more delicate and artful is it, to give a hint to cover one's felf, with an senigma, to drop a double entendre, to keep it in one's power to recover, and flip afide, and leave his an- tagonift beating the air ? Lys.— This hath been pra&ifed with great fuccefs, and I believe it the top method to gain profelytes, and con- found pedants. 332 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.] Cri. — I have feen feveral things written in this, way, which, I fuppofe, were copied from the behavior of a fly fort of fcorners, one may fometimes meet with. Sup- pofe a conceited man that would pafs for witty, tipping the wink upon one, thrufting out his tongue at another ; one while waggifhly fmiling, another with a grave mouth and ludicrous eyes ; often affe&ing the countenance of one who fmothered a jeft, and fometimes bursting out in a horfe-laugh : What a figure would this be, I will not fay in the fenate or council, but in a private vifit among well-bred men ? And yet this is the figure that certain great authors, who in this age, would pafs for models, and do pafs for models, make in their polite and elaborate writings on the moft weighty points. Alc. — I, who profefs myfelf an admirer, an adorer of reafon, am neverthelefs obliged to own, that in fome cafes, the fharpnefs of ridicule can do more than the ftrength of argument. But if we exert ourfelves in the ufe of mirth and humor, it is not for want of other wea- pons. It mail never be faid, that a free-thinker was afraid of reafoning. No Crito, we have reafons in ftore : The beft are yet to come : And if we can find an hour for an- other conference before we fet out to-morrow morning, I'll undertake you (hall be plied with reafons, as clear, and home, and clofe to the point as you could wifh. :>o<>0'-o< >o<><::>< THE SEVENTH DIALOGUE. I. Chriftian Faith impofftble. II. Words Jiand for Ideas. : III. No Knowledge or Faith without Ideas. IV. Grace, no Idea of it. V. Suggefling Ideas not the only life of Wards. VI. Force as difficult to form an Idea of as Grace. VII. Notwithstanding which, ufeful Proportions may be formed concerning it. VIII. Belief of the Trini- ty and other Myfleries not abfurd. IX. Mi/lakes about Faith an Occafion of profane Raillery. X. Faith, its true Nature and Efecls. XI. Illuf rated by Science. XII. By Arithmetic in particular. XIII. Sciences converfant about Signs. XIV. The true End of Speech, Reafon, Science, and Faith. XV. Metaphyseal Objections as Jlrong again/} Human Sciences as Articles of Faith. XVI. No Religion, becau/e no Human Liberty . >XVII. Farther Proof againfl Human Liberty. XVIIL Fatalifm a Con- fequence of erroneous Suppofitions . XIX. Man an ac- countable Agent. XX. Inconftflency, Singularity, and Credulity of Minute Philofophers. XXI. Untroden Paths and new Light of the Minute Philofophers. XXII. So- phiflry of the Minute Philofophers. XXIII. Minute Phi- lofophers ambiguous, enigmatical, unfathomable. XXIV. Scepticifm of the Minute Philofophers. XXV. How a. Sceptic ought to behave. XXVI. Minute Philofophers, why difficult to convince. XXVII. Thinking, not the ep- idemical Evil of thefe times. XXVIII. Infidelity, not an Effecl of Reafon or Thought, its true Motives affigned. XXIX. Variety of Opinions about Religion, Effects there- of* XXX. Method for proceeding with Minute Philofo- phers. XXXI. Want of Thought, and want of Educa- tion Defects of the prefent Age. [Dial. VII.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 335 "T, HE philofophers having refolved to fct out for London next morning, we aflembled at break of day in the library. Atciphron began witli a declaration of his fincerity, alluring us, he had very maturely and with a mod unbiased mind confidered all that had been faid, the day before. He added that, upon the whole, he could not deny feveral probable reafons were produced for em- bracing the chriftian faith. But, faid he, thofe reafons being only probable can never prevail againft abfolute cer- tainty and demonftration. If therefore, I can demon- ftrate your religion to be a thing altogether abfurd and in- confiftent, your probable arguments in its defence do, from that moment, lofe their force, and with it, all right to be anfwered or confidered. The concurring teftimony of fincere and able witneffes hath, without queftion, great weight in human affairs. I will even grant, that things odd and unaccountable to human judgment or experience, may fometimes claim our afTent on that fole motive.- — And I will alfo grant it poflible, for a tradition to be con- veyed with moral evidence through many centuries. But at the fame time, you will grant to me, that a thing de- monstrably and palpably falfe, is not to be admitted on any teftimony whatever, which at bed can never amount to demonftration. To be plain, no teftimony can make nonfenfe fenfe : No moral evidence can make contradic- tions confident. Know then, that as the ftrength of our caufe doth not depend upon, fo neither is it to be deci- ded by any critical points of hiftory, chronology, or lan- guages. You are not to wonder, if the fame fort of tradition and moral proof, which governs our afient with refpecl: to fa£ts in civil or natural hiftory is not admitted as a fuflicient voucher for metaphyfical abfurdities and ab- folute impoflibilities. Things obfcure and unaccountable in human affairs, or the operations of nature, may yet 336 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VIL] be poflible, and, if well attefted, may be aflented unto : But religious aflent, or faith, can be evidently fhewn in its own nature to be impracticable, impofiible, and abfurd. This is the primary motive to infidelity. This is our cita- del and fortrefs, which may, indeed, be graced with out- works of various erudition, but, if thofc are demolished, remains in itfelf, and of its own proper ftrength impreg- nable. Euph. — This, it muft be owned, reduceth our inquiry within a narrow compafs : Do but make out this, and I (hall have nothing more to fay. Alc. — Know then, that the fhallow mind of the vuU gar, as it dwells only on the outward furface of things, and confiders them in the grofs, may be eafily impofed on. Hence a blind reverence for religious faith and myftery. But when an acute philofopher comes to difle£t and analyfe thefe points, the import ure plainly appears : And as he has no blindnefs, fo he has no reverence for empty no- tions, or, to fpeak more properly, for mere forms of fpeech, which mean nothing, and are of no ufe to man- kind. II. Words are figns : They do or fhould ftand for ideas ; which fo far as they fuggeft they are fignificant. But words that fuggeft no ideas are infignificant. He who an- nexeth a clear idea to every word he makes ufe of, fpeaks fenfe : But where fuch ideas are wanting, the fpeaker ut- ters nonfenfe. In order, therefore, to know whether any man's fpeech be fenfelefs and infignificant, we have no- thing to do but lay afide the words and confider the ideas fuggefted by them. Men, not being able immediately to communicate their ideas one to another, are obliged to make ufe of fenfible figns, or words ; the ufe of which is to raife thofe ideas in the hearer, which are in the mind of the fpeaker : And if they fail of this end, they ferve to [Dial. VII.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 337 no purpofe. He, who really thinks hath a train of ideas fucceeding each other and connected in his mind : And when he exprefleth himfelf by difcourfe, each word fug- gefts a diftinft idea to the hearer or reader ; who by that means hath the fame train of ideas in his, which was in the mind of the fpeaker or writer. As far as this effect is produced, fo far the difcourfe is intelligible, hath fenfe and meaning. Hence it follows, that whoever can be fuppofed to underftand what he reads or hears, muft have a train of ideas raifed in his mind, correfpondent to the train of words read or heard. Thefe plain truths, to which men readily aflent in theory, are but little attended to in practice, and therefore deferve to be enlarged on, and inculcated however obvious and undeniable. Man- kind are generally averfe from thinking, though apt enough to entertain difcourfe either in themfelves or others : The effecl: whereof is, that their minds are rather ftored with names than ideas, the hulk of fcience rather than the thing. And yet thefe words without meaning do often make diftinttions of parties, the fubjecl: matter of their difputes, and the object of their zeal. This is the moft general caufe of error, which doth not influence ordina- ry minds alone, but even thofe who pafs for acute and learned philofophers, are often employed about names in- ftead of things or ideas, and are fuppofed to know when they only pronounce hard words, without a meaning. III. Though it is evident that, as knowledge is the per- ception of the connexion or difagreement between ideas, he who doth not diltinclly perceive the ideas marked by the terms, fo as to form a mental propofition anfwering to the verbal, cannot poflibly have knowledge : No more can he be faid to have opinion or faith which imply a weaker aflent, but ftill it muft be to a propofition, the terms of which, are underftood as clearly, although the agreement T t 338 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII] or difagrecment of the ideas may not be fo evident, as in the cafe of knowledge. I fay, all degrees of aflent whether founded on reafon or authority, more or lefs co- gent, are internal acts of the mind, which alike terminate in ideas as their proper object : Without which there can be really no fuch thing as knowledge, faith, or opinion. We may perhaps raife a duft and difpute about tenets purely verbal : But what is this at bottom, more than mere trifling ? All which will be eafily admitted with ref- pect to human learning and fcience ; wherein it is an al- lowed method to expofe any doctrine or tenet, by {trip- ping them of the words, and examining what ideas are underneath, or whether any ideas at all ? This is often found the fhortaft way to end difputes, which might oth- ervvife grow, and multiply without end, the litigants nei- ther underflanding one another nor themfelves. It were needlefs to illuftrate what mines by its own light, and is ad- mitted by all thinking men. My endeavor fhall be only to apply it in the prefent cafe. I fuppofe I need not be at any pains to prove, that the fame rules of reafon and good fcnk, which obtain in all other fubjects, ought to take place in religion. As for thofe, who confider faith and reafon as two diftinct provinces, and would have us think good fenfe has nothing to do where it is moll concerned, I am refoived never to argue with fuch men, but leave them in quiet pofTeiTion of their prejudices. And now, for the particular application of what I have faid, I lliall not fingle out any nice difputed points of fchool divinity, -or thofe that relate to the nature and eflence of God, which being allowed infinite you might pretend to fcreen them, under the general notion of difficulties attending the na- ture of infinity. IV. Grace is the main point in the chriftian difpenfa- is cftner mentioned or more confidered [Dial. VII.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 339 throughout the New Teftament ; wherein it is reprefent- ed as fomewhat of a very particular kind, diftin£t, from any thing revealed to the Jews, or known by the light of nature. This fame grace is fpoken of, as the gift of God, as coming by Jefus Chrifty as reigning, as abounding, as operating. Men are faid to fpeak through grace, to be- lieve through grace. Mention is made of the glory of grace, the riches of grace, the Rewards of grace. Chris- tians are faid to be heirs of grace, to receive grace, grow in grace, be ftrong in grace, to (land in grace, and to fall from grace. And laftiy, grace is faid to juftify, and to fave them. Hence chriitianity is Puled the covenant or difpenfation of grace. And it is well known, that no point hath created more controverfy in the church, than this doctrine of grace. "What difputes about its nature, extent, and effects, about univerfal, efficacious, fufEcient, preventing, irrefiflible grace, have employed the pens of proteftant as well as popim divines, of Janfemjls and Mo- lin'ijisy of Lutherans^ Calvinifls, and Arminians, as I have not the lead curiofity to know, fo I need not fay. It fuf- ficeth to obferve, that there have been, and are (till fub- fifting great contefls upon thefe points. Only one thing I fnould defire to be informed of, to wit, what is the clear and diftincl: idea marked by the word grace ? I pre- fume a man may know the bare meaning of a term, with- out going into the depth of all thofe learned inquiries. This furcly is an eafy matter, provided there is an idea an- nexed to fuch term. And if there is not, it can be nei- ther the fubject of a rational difpute, nor the object of real faith. Men may indeed impofe upon themfelves or others, and pretend to argue and believe, when at bottom there is no argument or belief, farther than mere verbal trifling. Grace taken in the vulgar fenfe, either for beau- ty, or favor, I can eafily underftand. But when it de- 3 4o MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII.) notes an active, vital, ruling principle, influencing and ope- rating on the mind of man, diftimtl from every natural power or motive, I profefs myfelf altogether unable to underftand it, or frame any diftincl: idea of it : And, therefore, I cannot aflent to any propofition concerning it, nor confequently have any faith about it : And it is a felf-evident truth, that God obligeth no man to impoffibil- ities. At the requeit of a philofophical friend, I did caft an eye on the writings he (hewed* me of fome divines, and talked with others, on this fubje£t, but after all I had read or heard, could make nothing of it, having always found,- whenever I laid afide the word grace y and looked into my own mind, a perfect vacuity or privation of all ideas. And, as I am apt to think men's minds and faculties are made much alike, I fufpecl: that other men, if they examined what they call grace, with the fame exactnefs and indifference, would agree with me, that there was nothing in it but an empty name. This is not the only inftance, where a word often heard and pronounced, is believed intelligible, for no other reafon but becaufe it is familiar. Of the fame kind are many other points reput- ed neceiTary articles of faith. That which in the prefent cafe impofeth upon mankind, I take to be partly this. Men fpeak of this holy principle, as of fomething that a&s, moves, and determines, taking their ideas from cor- poreal things, from motion, and the force or Momentum of bodies, which being of an obvious and fenfible nature they fubftitute in place of a thing fpiritual, and incompre- henfible, which is a manifeft delufion. For though, the idea of corporeal force be ever fo clear and intelligible, it will not, therefore, follow, that the idea of grace, a thing perfectly incorporeal, miift be fo too. And though, we may reafon diftin&ly, perceive,' aflent, and form opin- ions about the one, it will by no means, follow that, we can do fo of the other. Thus it comes to pafs, that a [Dial. VII.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 341 clear fenfible idea of what is real, produceth, or rather, is made a pretence for an imaginary, fpiritual faith, that terminates in no object ; a thing impoffible ! For there can be no afient, where there are no ideas : And where there is no aflent, there can be no faith : And what can- not be, that no man is obliged to. This is as clear as any thing in Euclid. V. Euph. — Be the ufe of v/ords or names, what it will, I can never think it is to do things impoffible. Let us then inquire what it is ? And fee if we can make fenfe of our daily practice. Words, it is agreed, are figns : It may not, therefore, be amifs to examine the ufe of oth- er figns, in order to know that of words. Counters, for inftance, at a card-table are ufed, not for their own fake, but only as figns fubftituted for money, as words are for ideas. Say now, Alciphron, is it neceflary every time thefe counters are ufed, throughout the whole progrefs of a game, to frame an idea of the diitinct, fum or value, that each reprefents ? Alc. — By no means : It is fufiicient, the players at firft agree on their refpedtive values, and at laft fubftitute thofe values in their ftead. Euph. — And in calling up a fum, where the figures (land for pounds, millings, and pence, do you think it necefiary, throughout the whole progrefs of the operation, in each ftep, to form ideas of pounds, millings, and pence ? Alc. — I do not, it will fuffice, if in the conclufion, thofe figures direct our actions with refpecl: to things. Euph. — From hence, it feems to follow, that words may not be infignificant, although they fhould not every time they are ufed, excite the ideas they fignify in our minds, it being fufiicient, that we have it in our power to fubftitute things or ideas for their figns when there is 342 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII.] occafion. It feems alfo to follow, that there may be another ufe of words, befides that of marking and fug- gefting diftinct ideas, to wit, the influencing our conduct and actions ; which may be done, either by forming rules for us to act by, or by railing certain paflions, difpofitions, and emotions in our minds. A difcourfe, therefore, that directs how to acl:, or excite to the doing or forbearance of an action may, it feems, be ufeful and fignificant, al- though the words whereof it is compofed, mould not bring each a diftinfr, idea into our minds. Alc. — It feems fo. Euph. — Pray tell me, Alciphron, is not an idea altogeth- er inactive ? Alc. — It is. Euph. — An agent, therefore, an active mind, or fpirit, cannot be an idea, or like an idea. Whence it mould feem to follow, that thofe words, which denote an active principle, foul, or fpirit, do not, in a ftrict, and proper fenfe, ftand for ideas : And yet they are not infignificant neither : Since I underftand what is fignified by the term /, or myfelf, or know what it means, although it be no idea, nor like an idea, but that which thinks and wills, and apprehends ideas and operates about them. Certainly it muft be allowed that we have fome notion, that we un- derftand, or know what is meant by the terms myfelf, will, memory, love, hate, and fo forth, although, to fpeak exactly, thefe words do not fuggeft fo many diftict ideas. Alc. — What would you infer from this ? Euph. — What hath been inferred already, that words may be fignificant, although they do not ftand for ideas.* The contrary whereof having been prefumed, feems to have produced the doctrine of abftract ideas. Alc — Will you not allow then, that the mind can ab- ftract ? . * See the Principles of Human Knowledge. Sect, 135. and the Intro- duction. Sect. 20. [Dial. VIL] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 343 Euph. — I do not deny it may abftracl: in a certain fenfe ; inafmuch as thofe things that can really exift, or be really perceived afunder, may be conceived afunder, or abftracled one from the other ; for inftance, a man's head from his body, colour from motion, figure from weight. But it will not thence follow, that the mind can frame, abftracl: general ideas, which appear to be impof- fible. Alc. — And yet it is a current opinion, that every fub- ftantive name marks out, and exhibits to the mind, one diftincl: idea feparate from all others. Euph. — Pray, Alciphron y is not the word number, fuch a fubftantive name ? Alc. — It is. Euph. — Do but try now, whether you can frame an idea of number, in abftract exclufive of all figns, words, and things numbered. I profefs, for my own part, I cannot. Alc. — Can it be fo hard a matter to form a fimple idea of number, the object of a mod evident demonftrable fcience ? Hold, let me fee, if I cannot abftracl: the idea of number, from the numeral names and characters, and all particular numerable things. Upon which, Alciphron paufed a while, and then faid : To confefs the truth, I do not find that I can. Euph. — But though, it feems, neither you nor I can form diftincl:, fimple ideas of number, we can neverthe- Iefs, make a very proper and fignificant ufe of numeral names. They direct us in the difpofition, and manage- ment of our affairs, and are of fuch necefTary ufe, that we (liould not know how to do without them. And yet, if other men's faculties may be judged of by mine, to attain a precife, fimple abftracl: idea of number, is as diffi- cult as to comprehend any myftery in religion. 344 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII.] " VI. But to come to your own inftance, let us examine what idea we can frame of force abftra&ed from body, motion, and outward fenfible efFe£ts. For myfelf, I do not find that I have or can have any fuch idea. Alc. — Surely every one knows what is meant by force. Euph. — And yet I queftion whether every one can form a diftin6t idea of force. Let me intreat you, Alci- phron, be not amufed by terms, lay afide the word force, and exclude every other thing from your thoughts, and then fee what precife idea you have of force. Alc— Force is that in bodies, which produceth motion and other fenfible effe&s. Euph. — It is then fomething diftindt from thofe effects. Alc. — It is. Euph. — Be pleafed now to exclude the confederation of its fubje£t and effects, and contemplate force itfelf in its own precife idea. Alc — I profefs I find it no fuch eafy matter. Euph. — Take your own advice, and fhutT your eyes to affift your meditation. Upon this, Alciphron having clof- ed his eyes, and mufed a few minutes, declared he could make nothing of it. And that, replied Euphranor, which it feems neither you nor I can»frame an idea of, by your own remark of men's minds and faculties being made much alike, we may fuppofe others have no more an idea of than we. Alc — We may. Euph. — But, notwithftanding all this, it is certain there are many fpeculations, reafonings, and difputes, refined fubtilities, and nice difiin&ions, about this fame force. And to explain its nature, and diftinguifh the fe- veral notions or kinds of it, the terms, gravity, reaclion, vis inertia, vis inftta, vis imprejfa, vis mortua, vis viva, impetus, momentum, folicitatio, conatus, and divers other fuch like expreflions, have been ufed by learned men : [Dial. VII.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 345 and no fmall controverfies have arifen about the notions or definitions of thefe terms. It has puzzled men to know whether force is fpiritual or corporeal, whether it remains after action, how it is transferred from one body to ano- ther. Strange paradoxes have been framed about its na- ture, properties, and proportions : For inftance, that contrary forces may at once fubfift in the fame quiefcent body : That the force of percuffion in a fmall particle is infinite : For which, and other curiofities of the fame fort, you may confult Borellus de vi perciffionis, the Lez- ioni Academiche of Torricelli, the exercitations of Hermanus % and other writers. It is well known to the learned world, what a controverfy hath been carried on, between mathe- maticians, particularly Monfieur Leibnitz and Monfieur Papin in the Leipfic Acta Eruditorum, about the propor- tion of forces : Whether they be each to other in a pro- portion compounded of the fimple proportion of the bo- dies and the celerities, or in one compounded of the fimple proportion of the bodies, and the duplicate proportions of the celerities ? A point, it feems, not yet agreed : As in- deed the reality of the thing itfelf is made a queftion. Leibnitz diftinguifhed between the nifus elementaris, and the impetus, which is formed by a repetition of the nifus elementarisy and feems to think they do not exift in nature, but are made only by an abftraction of the mind. The fame author, treating of original, active force, to illuftrate his fubject hath recourfe to the fubftantial forms and En- telechtia of Ariflotle. And the ingenious Torricelli faith of force and Impetus, that they are fubtile ab (tracts and fpir- itual quintefiences : And concerning the momentum and the velocity of heavy bodies falling, he faith they are tin certo che and un non Jo che, that is plain Englifh, he knows not what to make of them. Upon the whole, therefore, may we not pronounce, that excluding body, time, fpace, motion, and all its fenfible meafures, and effects, we U u 34 6 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII.] (hall find it as difficult to form an idea of force, as of grace ? Alc.— I do not know what to think of it. VII. Euph.— And yet, I prefume, you allow there are very evident proportions or theorems, relating to force, which contain ufeful truths : for inftance, that a body with conjunct forces, defcribes the diagonal of a paralle- logram, in the fame time that it would the fides with fep- arate. Is not this a principle of very extenfive ufe ? Doth not the doctrine of the compofition and refolution of for- ces depend upon it, and in confequence thereof, number- lefs rules and theorems, directing men how to act, and explaining Phenomena, throughout the mechanics and mathematical philofophy ? And if, by confidering this doctrine of force, men arrive at the knowledge of many inventions in mechanics, and are taught to frame engines, by means of which things difficult, and otherwife impof- fible may be performed ; and if the fame doctrine, which is fo beneficial here below, ferveth alfo as a key to discov- er the nature of the celeltial motions ; (hall we deny that it is of ufe, either in practice or fpeculation, becaufe we have no diftinct idea of force ? Or that which we admit with regard to force y upon what pretence can we deny, concerning grace ? If there are queries, difputes, per- plexities, diversity of notions and opinions about the one, fo there are about the other alfo : If we can form no pre- cife diftinct idea of the one, fo neither can we of the other. Ought we not, therefore, by a parity of reafon, to conclude, there may be poflibly divers true and ufeful propofitions concerning the one, as well as the other ? And that grace may, for ought you know, be an object: of our faith, and influence our life and actions, as a principle, deftructive of evil habits, and productive of good ones, although we cannot attain a diftinct idea of [Dial. VII.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 347 it, feparate, or abftracted from God, the Author, from man, the fubject, and from virtue and piety, its effects ? VIII. Shall we not admit the fame method of arguing, the fame rules of logic, reafon, and good fenfe to obtain in things fpiritual, and things corporeal, in faith and fci- ence ? And (hall we not ufe the fame candor, and make the fame allowances in examining the ravelations of God, and the inventions of men ? For ought I fee, that philo- fopher cannot be free from bias, and prejudice, or be faid to weigh things in an equal balance, who mall maintain the doctrine of force, and reject that of grace, who (hall admit the abftract idea of a triangle, and at the fame time ridicule the holy trinity. But, however partial or prejudiced other Minute Philosophers might be, you have laid it down for a maxim, that the fame logic, which ob- tains in other matters, muft be admitted in religion. Lys. — I think, Alciphron^ it would be more prudent to abide by the way of wit and humor, than thus to try re- ligion by the dry teft of reafon and logic. Alc— Fear not : By all the rules of right reafon, it is absolutely impoflible that any myftery, and leaft of all the trinity, mould really be the object of man's faith. Euph. — I do not wonder you thought fo, as long as you maintained that no man could affent to a propofition without perceiving or framing in his mind, diftinct ideas marked by the terms of it. But although terms are figns, yet having granted, that thofe figns may be fignificant, though they fhould not fuggeft ideas reprefented by them, provided they ferve to regulate and influence our wills, paflions, or conduct, you have confequently granted, that the mind of man may affent to propofitions containing fuch terms, when it is fo directed or affected by them, notwithftanding it mould not perceive diftinct ideas mark- ed by thofe terms. Whence it feems to follow, that a 54 8 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII.] man may believe the do&rine of the trinity, if he finds it revealed in Holy Scripture, that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft are God, and that there is but one God ? Although he doth not frame in his mind, any ab- ftract, or diftinct ideas of trinity, fubftance, or perfonal- ity, provided, that this doctrine of a Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier makes proper impreffions on his mind, producing therein, love, hope, gratitude, and obedience, and thereby becomes a lively operative principle, influ- encing his life and actions, agreeably to that notion of fa- ving faith which is required in a chriftian. This, I fay, whether right or wrong, feems to follow from your own principles, and conceffions. But, for further fatisfa&ion, it may not be amifs to inquire, whether there be any thing parrallel to this chriftian faith, in the Minute Philofophy. Suppofe a fine gentleman or lady of fafhion, who are too much employed to think for themfelves, and are only free- thinkers at fecond hand, have the advantage of being be- times initiated in the principles of your feci;, by converting with men of depth and genius, who have often declared it to be their opinion, the world is governed either by fate, or by chance, it matters not which : Will you deny it pof- lible for fuch perfons to yield their aflent to either of thefe propositions ? Alc. — I will not. Euph. — And may not fuch their aflent, be properly called faith } Alc. — It may. Euph. — And yet it is pcflible, thofe difciples of the Minute Philofophy may not dive fo deep, as to be able to frame any ahftracl:, or precife, or any determinate idea whatfoever, either of fate, or of chance. Alc. — This too, I grant. Euph. — So that according to you, this fame gentleman or lady, may be faid to believe, or have faith, where they have not ideas. [Dial. VII.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 349 Alc— They may. Euph.— And may not this faith, or perfuafion produce real effe&s, and fhew itfelf in the conduct, and tenor of their lives, freeing them from the fears of fuperfti- tion, 'and giving them a true relifh of the world, with a noble indolence, or indifference about what comes after. Alc— It may. Euph.' — And may not chriftians, with equal reafon, be allowed to believe the dignity of our Saviour, or that in him, God and man, make one perfon, and be verily perfuaded thereof, fo far as for fuch faith or belief, to be- come a real principle of life and conduct ? inafmuch as by virtue of fuch perfuafion, they fubmit to his govern- ment, believe his doctrine, and pra&ife his precepts, al- though they frame no abftracl: idea of the union between the divine and human nature ; nor may be able to clear up the notion of perfon to the contentment of a Minute Philofopher. To me, it feems evident, that if none but thofe who had nicely examined, and could themfelves ex- plain the principle of individuation in man, or untie the knots and anfwer the objections, which may be raifed even about human perfonal identity, would require of us to ex- plain the divine myfteries, we mould not be often called upon, for a clear and diftindt. idea of perfon in relation to the trinity, nor would the difficulties on that head, be of- ten objected to our faith. Alc. — Methinks, there is no fuch myflery in perfonal identity. Euph. — Pray, in what do you take it to confift ? Alc— In confcioufnefs. Euph.-— Whatever is poflible, may be fuppofed. Alc — It may. Euph. — We will fuppofe now (which is poflible in the nature of things, and reported to be facl) that a perfon, through fome violent accident or diftemper, mould fall ii>- 350 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII.] to fuch a total oblivion, as to lofe all confcioufnefs of his pad life, and former ideas. I afk, is he not ftill the fame perfon ? Alc— -He is the fame man, but not the fame perfon. Indeed, you ought not to fuppofe that a perfon lofeth its former confcioufnefs ; for this is impoffible, though a man perhaps may ; but then he becomes another perfon. In the fame perfon, it muft be owned, fome old ideas may be loft, and fome new ones got : But a total change is in- confiftent with identity of perfon. Euph.— Let us then fuppofe that a perfon hath ideas, and is confcious during a certain fpace of time, which we will divide into three equal parts, whereof the later terms are marked by the letters, A, B, C. In the firfl part of time, the perfon gets a certain number of ideas, which are retained in A : during the fecond part of time, he retains one half of his old ideas, and lofeth the other half, in place of which he acquires as many new ones : So that in B, his ideas are half old and half new. And in the third part, we fuppofe him to lofe the remainder of the ideas acquired in the firft, and to get new ones in their ftead, which are retained in C, together with thofe acquired in the fecond part of time. Is this a poffible fair fuppofition ? Alc— It is. Euph, — Upon thefe premifes, I am tempted to think, one may demenftrate, that perfonal identity doth not confift in confcioufnefs. Alc. — As how ? Euph You mall judge ; but thus it feems to me. — The perfons in A and B are the fame, being confcious of common ideas by fuppofition. The perfon in B is (for the fame reafon) one and the fame with the perfon in C. Therefore the perfon in A, is the fame with the perfon in C, by that undoubted axiom, £$ua conveniunt uni tertio con- veniunt inter fe. But the perfon in C hath no idea in [Dial. VII.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 351 common with the perfon in A. Therefore, perfonal iden- tity doth not confift in confcioufnefs. What do you think, Alcipkrotiy is not this a plain inference ? Alc. — I tell you what I think : You will never affift my faith by puzzling my knowledge. IX. Euph. — There is, if I miftake not, a practical faith, or afTent, which fheweth itfelf in the will and actions of a man, although his underftanding may not be furnifhed with thofe abftracl:, precife, diftinct, ideas, which, what- ever a philofopher may pretend, are acknowledged to be above the talents of common men ; among whom, ne- verthelefs, may be found, even according to your own conceflion, many inftances of fuch practical faith, in other matters which do not concern religion. What fhould hinder, therefore, but that doctrines relating to heavenly myfteries, might be taught in this faving fenfe to vulgar minds, which you may well think incapable of all teaching and faith in the fenfe you fuppofe. Which miftaken fenfe, faid Crito, has given occafion to much profane and mifapplied raillery. But all this may very juftly be retorted on the Minute Philofophers themfelves, who confound fcholafticifm with chriftianity, and im- pute to other men thofe perplexities, chimeras, and in- confiftent ideas, which are often the workmanfhip of their own brains, and proceed from their own wrong way of thinking. Who doth not fee that fuch an ideal abftra<£t- ed faith is never thought of by the bulk of chriftians, huf- bandmen, for inftance, artifans, or fervants ? Or what footfteps are there in the Holy Scripture to make us think, that the wiredrawing of abftracl; ideas was a talk injoined either Jews or chriftians ? Is there any thing in the law or the prophets, the evangelifts or apoftles, that looks like it ? Every' one, whofe underftanding is not pervert- ed by fcience, falfely fo called, may fee the faving faith 35a MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII.] of chriftians is quite of another kind, a vital operative principle, productive of charity and obedience. Alc— What are we to think then of the difputes and decifions of the famous council of Nice, and fo many fub- fequent councils ? What was the intention of thofe vene- rable fathers, the Homooufians and the Homoiouftans ? Why did they difturb themfelves and the world with hard words and fubtle controversies ? Cri.—— Whatever their intention was, it could not be to beget nice abftra&ed ideas of myfteries in the minds of common chriftians, this being evidently impoffible : Nor doth it appear that the bulk of chriftian men did, in thofe days, think it any part of their duty, to lay a fide the words, fhut their eyes, and frame thofe abftracl: ideas ; any more than men now do of force, time, number, or feveral other things, about which they neverthelefs believe, know, argue, and difpute. To me it feems, that what- ever was the fource of thofe controversies, and howfoever they were managed, wherein human infirmity muft be fuppofed to have had its (hare, the main end was not, on either fide, to convey precife pofitive ideas to the minds of men, by the ufe of thofe contefted terms, but rather a negative fenfe, tending to exclude polytheifm on the one hand, and fabellianifm on the other.* Alc. — But what fhall we fay to fo many learned and ingenious divines, who, from time to time, have obliged the- world with new explications of myfteries, who hav- ing themfelves profefledly labored to acquire accurate ideas, would recommend their difcoveries and fpeculations to others for articles of faith ? Cri. — To all fuch innovators in religion, I would fay with Jerome, (i Why, after fo many centuries, do you pretend to teach us what v/as untaught before ? Why ex- plain what neither Peter nor Paul thought neceflary to be * Vid. Sozomen. 1. %. c. 8. [Dial. VIL] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 353 explained ? f" And it muft be owned, that the explication of myfteries in divinity, allowing the attempt as fruitlefs as the purfuit of the philosopher's Hone in chymiftry, or the perpetual motion in mechanics, is no more than they, chargeable on the profeffion itfelf, but only on the wrong- headed profeflbrs of it. X. It feems, that whit hath been now faid, may be applied to other myfteries of our religion. Original fin, for inftance, a man may find it impofiible to form an idea of an abftract, or of the manner of its tranfmiflion, and yet the belief thereof may produce in his mind a falutary fenfe of his own unworthinefs, and the goodnefs of his Redeemer : From whence may follow good habits, and from them good actions, the genuine effects of faith : which confidered in its true light, is a thing neither repugnant nor incomprehenfible, as fome men would perfuade us, but fuit- ed even to vulgar capacities, placed in the will and affections rather than in the underftanding, and producing holy lives, rather than fubtile theories. Faith, I fay, is not an indo- lent perception, but an operative perfuafion of mind, which ever worketh fome fuitable action, difpofition, or emotion in thofe who have it : As it were eafy to prove and illuftrate by innumerable inftances taken from human affairs. And, indeed, while the chriftian religion is con- fidered as an inftitution fitted to ordinary minds, rather than' to the nicer taknt, whether improved or puzzled, of fpeculative men ; and our notions about faith are ac- cordingly taken from the commerce of the world, and practice of mankind, rather than from the peculiar fyf- tems of refiners ; it will, I think, be no difficult matter to conceive and juftify the meaning and ufe of our belief of myfteries, again ft the mod confident aflertions and ob- jections of the Minute Phil ofophers, who are eafily to be f Hieronym. ad Pammachium & Oceanum de erroribu§ Origeni* W w 354 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII.j caught in thofe very fnares, which they have fpun and fpread for others. And that humor of controverfy, the mother and nurfe of herefies, would doubtlefs very much abate, if it was confidered that things are to be rated, not by the colour, fhape, or ftamp, fo truly as by the weight. If the moment of opinions had been by fome litigious di- vines made the meafure of their zeal, it might have fpar- ed much trouble both to themfelves and others. Cer- tainly one that takes his notions of faith, opinion, and afTent from common fenfe, and common ufe, and has ma- turely weighed the nature of figns and language, will not be fo apt to controvert the wording of a my fiery, or to break the peace of the church, for the fake of retaining or rejecting a term. But, to convince you, by a plain inftance, of the efficacious neceffary ufe of faith without ideas : We will fuppofe a man of the world, a Minute Philofopher, prodigal and rapacious, one of large appe- tites and narrow circumftances, who fhall have it in his power at once to feize upon a great fortune by one villan- ous act, a fingle breach of truft, which he can commit with impunity and fecrecy : Is it not natural to fuppofe him arguing in this manner ? All mankind in their fenfes purfue their intereft. The interefts of this prefent life are either of mind, body, or fortune. If I commit this fact, my mind will be eafy (having nought to fear here or hereafter) my bodily pleafures will be multiplied, and my fortune enlarged. Suppofe now, one of your refined theorifls talks to him about the harmony of mind and af- fections, inward worth, truth of character, in one word, the beauty of virtue ; which is the only intereft he can propofe, to turn the fcale againft all other fecular interefts and fenfual pleafures •, would it not, think you, be a vain attempt ? I fay, in fuch a juncture what can the moft plaufible and refined philofophy of your feet offer, to dif- fuade fuch a man from his purpofe, more than alluring [Dial. VII.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 355 him that the abftra£ted delight of the mind, the enjoy- ments of an interior moral fenfe, the to kalon are what conftitute his true intereft ? And what efFecl: can this have on a mind callous to all thofe things, and at the fame time ftrongly afFedted with a fenfe of corporeal pleafures, and the outward intereft, ornaments, and conveniencies of life ? Whereas that very man, do but produce in him a iincere belief of a future (late, although it be a myftery, although it be what eye hath not feen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive, he fhall neverthelefs, by virtue of fuch belief, be withheld from executing his wicked project : And that for reafons which all men can comprehend, though no body can the object of them. I will allow the points infilled on by your re- fined moralifts to be as lovely and excellent as you pleafe to a reafonable, reflecting, philofophical mind. But I will venture to fay, that, as the world goes, few, very few, would be influenced by them. We fee, therefore, the neceflary ufe as well as the powerful effects of faith, even where we have not ideas. XI. Alc — It feems, Euphranor and you, would per- fuade me into an opinion, that there is nothing fo Angularly abfurd as we are apt to think, in the belief of myfteries : And that a man need not renounce his reafon to maintain his religion. But if this were true, how comes it to pafs, that, in proportion as men abound in knowledge, they dwindle in faith ? Euph. — O Alciphrorij I have learned from you, that there is nothing like going to the bottom of things, and anaiyfing them into their firft principles. I (hall there- fore make an eflay of this method, for clearing up the nature of faith : With what fuccefs I fhall leave you to determine : For I dare not pronounce myfelf on my own judgment, whether it be right or wrong : But thus k 356 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII.] fcems to me. The objections made to faith are by no means an effecT: of knowledge, but proceed rather from an ignorance of what knowledge is : Which ignorance may poflibly be found even in thofe who pafs for mailers of this or that particular branch of knowledge. Science and faith agree in this, that they both imply an affent of the mind : And, as the nature of the fir.ft is moft clear and evident, it fnould be firit confidercd in order to caft a light on the other. To trace things from their original, it feems that the human mind, naturally furnifhed with the ideas of things particular and concrete, and being de- figned, not for the bare intuition of ideas, but for action or operation about them, and purfuing her ov/n happinefs therein, ftands in need of certain general rules or theo- rems to direcl: her operations in this purfuit : The fupply- ing which want is the true, original, reafonable end of itudying the arts and fciences. Now thefe rules being general, it follows, that they are not to be obtained by the mere consideration of the original ideas, or particular things, but by the means of marks or figns, which, being fo far forth univerfal, become the immediate inftruments and materials of fcience. It is not, therefore, by mere contemplation of particular things, and much lefs of their abftracl: general ideas, that the mind makes her progrefs, but by an appofite choice and fkilful management of figns : For inftance, force and number, taken in concrete with their adjuncts, fubjecls, and figns, are what every one knows : And confidered in abftra£t, fo as making precife ideas of themfelves, they are what no body can compre- hend. That their abftracl: nature, therefore, is not the foundation of fcience, is plain : And that barely confid- ering their ideas in concrete, is not the method to advance in the refpe&ive fcience, is what every one that reflects may fee ; nothing being more evident, than that one, who can neither write nor read; in common life, underftands [Dial. VII.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 3^7 the meaning of numeral words, as well as the bed philo- fopher or mathematician. XII. But here lies the difference : the one who under- stands the notation of numbers, by means thereof is able to exprefs briefly and diftin&ly all the variety and degrees of number, and to perform with eafe and difpatch feverai arithmetical operations, by the help of general rules. Of all which operations, as the ufe in human life is very evi- dent, fo it is no lefs evident, that the performing them de- pends on the aptnefs of the notation. If we fuppofe rude mankind, without the ufe of language, it may be prefumed, they would be ignorant of arithmetic : But the ufe of names, by the repetition whereof in a certain order they might exprefs endlefs degrees of number, would be the firft ftep towards that fcience. The next ftep would be, to devife proper marks of a permanent nature, and vifible to the eye, the kind and order whereof mult be chofe with judgment, and accommodated to the names. Which marking or notation would, in propor- tion as it was apt and regular, facilitate the invention and application of general rules, to aflift the mind in reafon- ing and judging, in extending, recording, and commu- nicating its knowledge about numbers : in which theory and operations, the mind is immediately occupied about the flgns or notes, by mediation of which it is directed to a£fc about things, or number in concrete (as the logicians call it) without ever confidering the fimple, abftracl:, in- tellectual, general idea of number. The figns, indeed, do in their ufe imply relations or proportions of things : but thefe relations are not abftracl general ideas, being founded in particular things, and not making of themfelves diftincl: ideas to the mind, exclufive of the particular ideas and the figns. I imagine one need not think much to be convinced, that the fcience of arithmetic, in its rife> 353 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VIL] operations, rules and theorems, is altogether converfant about the artificial ufe of figns, names, and characters. Thefe names and characters are univerfal, inafmuch as they are figns. The names are referred to things, the characters to names, and both to operation. The names being few, and proceeding by a certain analogy, the cha- racters will be more ufeful, the fimpler they are, and the more aptly they exprefs this analogy. Hence the old notation by letters was more ufeful than words writ- ten at length : And the modern notation by figures, ex- preffing the progreffion or analogy of the names by their fimple places, is much preferable to that, for eafe and ex- pedition, as the invention of algebraical fymbols is to this for extenfive and general ufe. As arithmetic and algebra are fciences of great clearnefs, certainty, and extent, which are immediately converfant about figns, upon the fkillful ufe and management whereof they intirely depend, fo a little attention to them may poflibly help us to judge of the progrefs of the mind in other fciences ; which, though differing in nature, defign, and object, may yet agree in the general methods of proof and inquiry. XIII. — If I miftake not, all fciences, fo far as they are univerfal and demonflrable by human reafon, will be found converfant about figns as their immediate object, though thefe in the application are referred to things : The reafon whereof is not difficult to conceive. For as the mind is better acquainted with fome fort of objects, which are earlier offered to it, ftrike it more fenfibly, or are more eafily comprehended than others, it feems naturally led to fubftitute thefe objects for fuch as are more fubtile, fleeting, or difficult to conceive. Nothing, I fay, is more natural, than to make the things we know, a ftep to- wards thofe we do not know : and to explain and repre- fent things lefs familiar by others which are more fo.— - [Dial. VIL] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 359 Now, it is certain we imagine before we reflect ; and we perceive by fenfe before we imagine : and of all our fen- fes the fight is the mod clear, diftin£t, various, agreea- ble, and comprehensive. Hence it is natural to aflift in- tellect by imagination, imraagination by fenfe, and other fenfes by fight. Hence figures, metaphors, and types. We illuftrate fpiritual things by corporeal : we fubftitute founds for thoughts, and written letters for founds ; em- blems, fymbols, and hieroglyphics for things too obfcure to itrike, and too various or too fleeting to be retained. We fubftitute things imaginable for things intelligible, fenfible things for imaginable, fmaller things for thofe that are too great to comprehend eafily, and greater things for fuch as are too fmall to be difcerned diftinc"Hy, pre- fent things for abfent, permanent for perifhing, and vifi- ble for invifible. Hence the ufe of models and diagrams. Hence lines are fubflituted for time, velocity, and other things of very different natures. Hence we fpeak of fpi- rits in a figurative ftyle, exprefling the operations of the mind by allufions and terms, borrowed from fenfible things, fuch as apprehend^ conceive^ refleff> difcourfe, and fuch like : And hence thofe allegories which illuftrate things intellectual by vifions exhibited to the fancy. Plato^ for inftance, reprefents the mind prefiding in her vehicle by the driver of a winged chariot, which fometimes moults and droops and is drawn by two horfes, the one good, and of a good race, the other of a contrary kind ; fymbblically exprefling the tendency of the mind towards the divinity, as (he foars or is borne aloft by two inftincts like wings, the one in the intellect towards truth, the other in the will towards excellence, which inftin£ts moult or are weakened by fenfual inclinations : exprefling alfo her alternate elevations and depreflions, the ftruggks between reafon and appetite, like horfes that go an une- qual pace, or draw different ways, embarrafling the foul 3 6o MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII.] in her progrefs to perfection. I am inclined to think the doctrine of figns a point of great importance, and gene- ral extent, which if duly confidered, would caft no fmall light upon things, and afford a juft and genuine folution of many difficulties. XIV. Thus much, upon the whole, may be faid of all figns : That they do not always fuggeft ideas fignified to the mind : That when they fuggeft ideas, they are not general abftracl: ideas : That they have other ufes befides barely {landing for and exhibiting ideas, fuch as railing proper emotions, producing certain difpofitions or habits of mind, and directing our actions in purfuit of that happinefs, which is the ultimate end and defign, the pri- mary fpring and motive, that fets rational agents at w r ork : That figns may imply or fuggeft the relations of things ; which relations, habitudes, or proportions, as they can- not be by us underftood but by the help of figns, fo being thereby expreffed and confuted they, direct and enable us to acl: with regard to things : That the true end of fpeech, reafon, fcience, faith, affent, in all its different degrees, is not merely, or principally, or always the imparting or acquiring of ideas, but rather fome thing of an active, operative nature,, tending to a conceived good ; which may fometimes be obtained, not only although the ideas marked are not offered to the mind, but even although there fhould be no poflibility of offering or exhibiting any fuch idea to the mind : For inftance, the algebraic mark, which denotes the root of a negative fquare, hath its ufe in logiftic operations, although it be impoffible to form an idea of any fuch quantity. And what is true of alge- braic figns, is alfo true of words or language, modern al- gebra being in fa£t a more fhort, appofite, and artificial fort of language, and it being pcfiible to exprefs by words at length, though lefs conveniently, all the fteps of an al- [Dial. VII.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 361 gebraical procefs. And it muft be confefled, that even the mathematical fciences themfelves, which above all oth- ers are reckoned the mod clear and certain, if they are confidered, not as inftruments to direct our practice, but as fpeculations to employ our curiofity, will be found to fall fhort in many instances of thofe clear and diftin£t ideas, which, it feems, the Minute Philofophers of this age, whether knowingly or ignorantly, expect and iniift upon in the myfteries of religion. XV. Be the fcience or fubjecl: what it will, whenfoe- ver men quit particulars for generalities, things concrete for abftrattions, when they forfake practical views, and the ufeful purpofes of knowledge for barren fpeculation, confidering means and inftruments as ultimate ends, and loboring to obtain precife ideas, which they fuppofe indif- criminately annexed to all terms, they will be fure to em- barrafs themfelves with difficulties and difputes. Such are thofe which have fprung up in geometry about the na- ture of the angle of contact, the doctrine of proportions, of indivifibles, infinitelimals, and divers other points j notwithstanding all which, that fcience is^very rightly ef- teemed an excellent and ufeful one, and is really found to be fo in many occafions of human life 5 wherein it gov- erns and directs the actions of men, fo that by the aid or influence thereof, thofe operations become juft and accu- rate, which would otherwife be faulty and uncertain. And from a parity of reafon, we mould not conclude any other doctrines which govern, influence, or direcl: the mind of man to be, any more than that, the lefs true or excellent, becaufe they afford matter of controverfy and ufelefs fpeculation to curious and licentious wits : Partic- ularly thofe articles of our chriftian faith, which, in pro- portion as they are believed, perfuade, and, as they per- fuade, influence the lives and actions cf men. As to the X x 362 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII.] perplexity of contradictions and abftrafted notions, in all parts, whether of human fcience or divine faith, cavillers may equally object, and unwary perfons incur, while the judicious avoid it. There is no need to depart from the received rules of reafoning to juitify the belief of chrif- tians. And if any pious men think otherwife, it may be fuppofed an efFecl:, not of religion or of reafon, but only of human weaknefs. If this age be fingularly productive of infidels, I (hall not, therefore, conclude it to be more knowing, but only more prefuming, than former ages : And their conceit, I doubt, is not the efFecl: of consider- ation. -To me it feems, that the more thoroughly and extensively any man fhall confider and fcan the principles, objects, and methods of proceeding in arts and fciences, the more he will be convinced, there is no weight in thofe plaufible objections that are made againft the myfteries of faith, which it will be no difficult matter for him to main- tain or juftify in the received method of arguing, on the common principles of logic, and by numberlefs avowed parrallel cafes, throughout the feveral branches of human knowledge, in all which the fuppofition of abftracl ideas creates the fame difficulties. Alc — According to this doctrine, all points may be alike maintained. There will be nothing abfurd in pope- ry, not even tranfubftantiation. Euph. — Pardon me. This doctrine juftifies no article of faith, which is not contained in fcripture, or which is repugnant to human reafon, which implies a contradic- tion, or which leads to idolatry or wickednefs of any kind : All which is very different from our not having a diilincl or an abftracl: idea of a point. . XVI. Alc— I will allow, Euphramr> this reafoning of yours to have all the force you meant it fhould have. I freely own there may be myfteries : That we may be- [Dial. VII.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 363 lieve, where we do not under ft and : And that faith may be of ufe, although its object is not diftinctly apprehended. In a word, I grant there may be faith and myfteries in oth- er things, but not in religion : And that for this plain rea- fon : becaufe it is abfurd to fuppofe, there fhould be any fuch thing as religion : And if there be no religion, it fol- lows there cannot be religious faith or myfteries. Reli- gion, it is evident, implies the worfhip of a God, which worftiip, fuppofeth rewards and punifhments, which fuppofe merits and demerits, actions good and evil, and thefe fup- pofe human liberty, a thing impoffible : and confequently religion a thing built thereon, muft be an unreafonable ab- furd thing. There can be no rational fears where there is no guilt, nor any guilt where there is nothing done, but what unavoidably follows from the ftructure of the world and the laws of motion. Corporeal objects ftrike on the organs of fenfe, whence enfues a vibra- tion in the nerves, which being communicated to the foul, or animal fpirit in the brain or root of the nerves, produ- ceth therein that motion called volition : And this produ- ceth a new determination in the fpirits, caufing them to flow into fuch nerves as muft neceffarily by the laws of mechanifm produce fuch certain actions. This being the cafe, it follows, that thofe things, which vulgarly pafs for human actions, are to be efteemed mechanical, and that they are faifly afcribed to a free principle. There is, therefore, no foundation for praife or blame, fear or hope, reward or punifhment, nor confequently for religion, which, as I obferved before, is built upon and fuppofeth thofe things. Euph. — You imagine, Alciphron, if I rightly under- ftand you, that man is a fort of organ played on by out- ward objects, which according to the different fnape and texture of the nerves, produce different motions and effects therein. 364 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII.] Alc. — Man may, indeed, be fitly compared to an or- gan : but a puppet is the very thing. You muft know, that certain particles iffuing forth in right lines from all fen- fible objects, compofe fo many rays, or filaments, which drive, draw, and actuate every part of the foul and bo- dy of man, juft as threads or wires do the joints of that little wooden machine vulgarly called a Puppet : With this only difference, that the latter are grofs and vifible to common eyes, whereas, the former are too fine and fubtle to be difcerned by any but a fagacious free-thinker. This admirably accounts for all thofe operations, which we have been taught to afcribe to a thinking principle within us. Euph. — -This is an ingenious thought, and muft be of great ufe in freeing men from all anxiety about moral no- tions, as it transfers the principle of action from the hu- man foul to things outward and foreign. But I have my fcruples about it. For you fuppofe the mind, in a literal fenfe, to be moved, and its volitions to be mere motions. Now, if another mould affirm, as it is not impofiible fome or other may, that the foul is incorporeal, and that mo- tion is one thing, and volition another, I would fain know how you could make your point clear to fuch a one. It muft be owned very clear to thofe, who admit the foul to be corporeal, and all her a&s to be but fo many motions. Upon this fuppofition, indeed, the light wherein you place human nature is no lefs true, than it is fine and new. But let any one deny this fuppofition, which is eafily done, and the whole fuperftruc~ture falls to the ground. If we grant the abovementioned points, I will not deny a fatal necefti- ty muft enfue. But I fee no reafon for granting them. On the contrary, it feems plain, that motion and thought are two things, as really and as manifeftly diftincl: as a triangle, and a found. It feems, therefore, that in or- der to prove the neceffity of human actions, you fuppofe [Dial. VII.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 365 what wants proof as much as the very point to be proved. XVII. Alc. — But fuppofing the mind incorporeal, I {hall, neverthelefs, be able to prove my point. Not- to amufe you with far-fetched arguments, I mail only de- fire you to look into your own breaft, and obferve how things pafs there, when an object offers itfelf to the mind. Firft the underilanding confiders it : in the next place, the judgment decrees about it, as a thing to be chofen or re- jected, to be omitted or done, in this or that manner : And this decree of the judgment doth neceffarily deter- mine the will, whofe office is merely to execute what is ordained by another faculty : Confequently there is no fuch thing as freedom of the will. For that which is ne- ceffary, cannot be free. In freedom, there fhould be . an indifference to either fide of the queftion, a power to aft or not to act, without prefcription or control : and with- out this indifference and this power, it is evident, the will cannot be free. But it is no Iefs evident, that the will is not indifferent in its actions, being abfolutely determin- ed and governed by the judgment. Now whatever moves the judgment, whether the greateft prefent uneafinefs, or the greateft apparent good, or whatever elfe it be, it is all one to the point in hand. The will being ever con- cluded and controlled by the judgment, is in all cafes alike under neceffity. There is indeed, throughout the whole of human nature, nothing like a principle of free- dom, every faculty being determined in all its a£ts - by fomething foreign to it. The underftanding, for inftance, cannot alter its idea, but muft neceffarily fee it fuch as it prefents itfelf. The appetites, by a natural neceffity, are carried towards their refpec~tive objects. Reafcn cannot infer indifferently any thing from any thing, but is limitted by the nature and connexion of things, and the eternal rules of reafoning. And as this is confeffedly 3 66 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII.] the cafe of all other faculties, (o it equally holds with re- fpect to the will itfelf, as hath been already fhewn. And if we may credit the divine characlerizer of our times, this, above all others, muft be allowed the moll flavifh faculty. " Appetite (faith that noble writer) which is el- der brother to reafon, being the lad of ftronger growth, is fure on every conteft to take the advantage of drawing all to his own fide : and will, fo highly boafted, is but at beft a foot-ball, or top, between thofe youngfters who prove very unfortunately matched, till the youngeft, in- ftead of now and then a kick or lafh, bellowed to little pur- pofe, forfakes the ball or top itfelf, and begins to lay about his elder brother." Cri. — This beautiful parable, for ftile and manner, might equal thofe of a known EngUJh writer, in low life, renowned for allegory, were it not a little incorrect, ma- king the weaker lad find his account in laying about the ftronger. Alc. — This is helped by fuppofing the ftronger lad the greater coward. But, be that as it will, fo far as it re- lates to the point in hand, this is a clear ftate of the cafe. The fame point may be alfo proved from the prefcience of God. That which is certainly foreknown, will certainly be. And what is certain, is neceffary. And neceffary ac- tions cannot be the effecl: of free-will. Thus you have this fundamental point of our free-thinking philofophy demonftrated different ways. Euph. — Tell me, Alciphron, do you think it implies a contradiction, that God mould make a creature free ? Alc— -I do not. Euph. — It is then poffible there may be fuch a thing. Alc. — This I do not deny. Euph.— You can, therefore, conceive and fuppofe fuch a free agent. Alc— Admitting that I can j what then? [Dial. VII.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 36*7 Euph. — Would not fuch an one think that he acted ? Alc— He would. Euph.— And condemn himfelf for fome actions, and approve himfelf for others ? Alc— This too I grant. Euph.— Would he not think he deferved reward or punifhment ? Alc. — He would. Euph. — And are not all thefe characters actually found in man ? Alc. — They are. Euph. — Tell me now, what other character of your fuppofed free agent may not actually be found in man ? For if there is none fuch, we mult conclude, that man hath all the marks of a free agent. Alc — Let me fee ! I was certainly overfeen in grant- ing it poflible, even for Almighty Power, to make fuch a thing as a free-agent. I wonder how I came to make fuch an abfurd conceflion, after what had been, as I ob- ferved before, demonftrated fo many different ways. Euph. — Certainly whatever is poflible may be fuppof- ed : And whatever doth not imply a contradiction is pof- fible to an infinite power : Therefore if a rational agent implieth no contradiction, fuch a being may be fuppofed. Perhaps from this fuppofition I might infer man to be free : But I will not fuppofe him that free agent *, fince, it feems, you pretend to have demonftrated the contrary. O Alciphrotiy it is vulgarly obferved, that men judge of others by themfelves. But in judging of me by this rule, you may be miftaken. Many things are plain to one of your fagacity, which are not fo to me, who am often puzzled rather than enlightened by thofe very proofs, that, with you, pafs for clear and evident. And, indeed, be the inference never fo juft, yet fo long as the premifes are not clear, I cannot be thoroughly convinced. 368 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII.] You muft give me leave, therefore, to propofe fome ques- tions, the folution of which, may perhaps, fhew what at prefent I am not able to difcern. Alc— I fhall leave what hath been faid with you, to coniider and ruminate upon. It is now time to fet out on our journey : there is, therefore, no room for a long firing of queflion and anfwer. XVIII. Euph. — I fhall then only beg leave in a fumma- ry manner, to make a remark or two on what you have advanced. In the firfl place, I obferve, you take that for granted which I cannot grant, when you aflert whatever is certain, the fame to be necefTary. To me, certain and necefTary feem very different ; there being nothing in the former notion that implies conftraint, nor confequently which may not confifl with a man's being accountable for his ad\ions. If it is forefeen that fuch an action fhall be done : may it not alfo be forefeen that it fhall be an effect of human choice and liberty ? In the next place, I obferve, that you very nicely abflract and diflin- guifh the actions of the mind, judgment, and will : That you make ufe of fuch terms as power, faculty, a£l, deter- mination, indifference, freedom, neceflity, and the like, as if they flood for diflincl: abftracT; ideas : And that this fuppofition feems to infnare the mind into the fame per- plexities and errors, which, in all other inflances, are cb- ferved to attend the doctrine of abflraclion. It is felf-evi- dent, that there is fuch a thing as motion : And yet there have . been found, philofophers, who, by refined reafon- ing, would undertake to prove there was no fuch thing. Walking before them was thought the proper way to con- fute thofe ingenious men. It is no lefs evident, that man is a free agent : And though by abftra£led reafonings you fhould puzzle me, and feem to prove the contrary, yet fo long as I am confcious of my own actions, this inward evidence of plain facl, will bear me up againft all your [Dial. VII.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 369 reafonings, however fubtle and refined. The confuting plain points by obfeure ones, may perhaps convince me of the ability of your philofophers, but never of their tenets. I cannot conceive why the acute Cratylus fhould fuppofe a power of acting in the appetite and reafon, and none at all in the will. Allowing, I fay, the diftinction of three fuch beings in the mind, I do not fee how this could be true. But if I cannot abftract and diftinguifh fo many beings in the foul of man fo accurately as you do, I do not find it neceflary, Gnce it is evident to me in the grofs and concrete that I am a free agent. Nor will it avail to fay, the will is governed by the jtfdgment, or determined by the object, while, in every fudden common caufe, I cannot difcern nor abftract the decree of the judgment from the command of the will ; while I know the fenfible object to be abfolutely inert : And laftly, while I am con- fcious that I am an active being, who can and do deter- mine myfelf. If I fhould fuppofe things fpiritual to be corporeal, or refine things actual and real into general abftracted notions, or by metaphyfical ikill fplit things fimple and individual into manifold parts, I do not^know what may follow : But if I take things as they are, and afk any plain untutored man, whether he acts or is free in this or that particular action, he readily affents, and I as readily believe him from what I find within. And thus, by an induction of particulars, I may conclude man to be a free agent, although I may be puzzled to define or conceive a notion of freedom in general and abftract. And if man be free, he is plainly accountable. But if you fhall define, abftract, fuppofe, and it fhall follow that according to your definitions, abftractions, and fup- pofitions, there can be no freedom in man, and you fhall thence infer that he is not accountable, I fhall make bold to depart from your metaphyfical abftracted fenfe, and ap- peal to the common fenfe of mankind. Y y 3)o MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII.] XIX. If we confider the notions that obtain in the world, of guilt and merit, praife and blame, accountable and unaccountable, we (hall find the common queftion in order to applaud or cenfure, acquit or condemn a man, is, whether he did fuch an action ? and whether he was him- felf when he did it ? Which comes to the fame thing. It mould feem, therefore, that in the ordinary commerce of mankind, any perfon is efteemed accountable fimply as he is an agent. And though you mould tell me that man is inactive, and that the fenfible objects a£fc upon him, yet my own experience afTures me of the contrary. I know I a£t, and what I a£t, I am accountable for. And if this be true, the foundation of religion and morality remains unfhaken. Religion, I fay, is concerned no farther than that man mould be accountable : And this he is according to my fenfe, and the common fenfe of the world, if he acts : And that he doth a£t is felf-evident. The grounds, therefore, and ends of religion are fecured : whether your philofophic notion of liberty agrees with man's ac- tions or no ; And whether his actions are certain or con- tingent ; the queftion being not whether he did it with a free will, or what determined his will ; not whether it was certain or foreknown that he would do it, but only whether he did it wilfully : As what muft intitle him to the guilt or merit of it. Alc. — But ftill the queftion recurs, whether man be free ? Euph.— To determine this queftion, ought we not firft to determine what is meant by the word free ? Alc — We ought. Euph. — In my opinion, a man is faid to be free, fo far forth as he can do what he will. Is this fo, or is it not ? Alc. — It feems fo. Euph. — Man, therefore, acting according to his will, is to be accounted free. [Dial. VII.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 371 Alc. — This I admit to be true, in the vulgar fenfe. But a philofopher goes higher, and inquires whether man be free to will ? Euph. — That is, whether he can will as he wills ? I know not how philofophical it may be to afk this queftion, but it feems very idle. The notions of guilt, and merit, juftice, and reward, are in the minds of men, antecedent to all metaphyfical difquifitions : And according to thofe received natural notions, it is not doubted that man is ac- countable, that he acts, and is felt-determined. XX. But a Minute Philofopher (hall, in virtue of wrong fuppofitions, confound things moft evidently diftincl: ; bo- dy, for inftance, with fpirit, motion with volition, cer- tainty with necefiity ; and an abftra&er, or refiner, fhall fo analyfe the moft fimple inftantaneous act: of the mind, as to diftinguifh therein divers faculties and tendencies, prin- ciples and operations, caufes and effects ; and having ab- ftracted, fuppofed, and reafoned upon principles gratui- tous and obfcure, he will conclude it is no act at all, and man no agent, but a puppet, or an organ, played on by outward objects, and his will a top or a foot-ball. And this paffeth for philofophy and free-thinking. Perhaps this may be what it paffeth for, but it by no means feems a natural or juft way of thinking. To me it feems, that if we begin from things particular and concrete, and thence proceed to general notions and conclufions, there will be no difficulty in this matter. But if we begin with gen- eralities, and lay our foundation in abftracl: ideas, we mall find ourfelves intangled and loft in a labyrinth of our own making. I need not obferve, what every one muft fee, the ridicule of proving man no agent, and yet pleading for free thought and action, of fetting up at once for advo- cates of liberty and necefiity. I have haftily thrown to- gether thefe hints or remarks, on what you call a funda- 37 2 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII.j mental article of the Minute Philofopby, and your meth^ od of proving it, which feems to furntui an admirable fpe- cimen of the fophiftry of abftract ideas. If in this fum- mary way, I have been more dogmatical than became me, you mufl excufe what you occafioned, by declining a joint and leifurely examination of the truth. Alc — I think we have examined matters fufficiently. Cri. — To all you have faid againft human liberty, it is a fufneient anfwer to obferve, that your arguments proceed upon an erroneous fuppofition either of the foul's being corporeal, or of abflracl: ideas : not to mention other grofs miftakes and gratuitous principles. You might as well fuppofe, that the foul is red or blue, as that it is folid. You might as well make the will any thing eUa as motion. And whatever you infer from fuch premifes, which (to fpeak in the fofteft manner) are neither proved nor probable, 1 make no difficulty to reject. You difcinguifh in all hu- man actions between the lail decree of the judgment and the acl: of the will. You confound certainty with neceffi- ty. You inquire, and your inquiry amounts to an abfurd queftion : Whether man can will as he wills ? As evident- ly true as is this identical proposition, fo evidently falfe mud that way of thinking be, which led you to make a queftion of it. You fay, the appetites have by neceffity- of nature a tendency towards their refpe&ive objects. This we grant, and withal that appetite, if you pleafe, is not free. But you go farther, and tell us the underftand- ing cannot alter its idea, nor infer indifferently any thing from any thing. m What then ! Can we not acl; at all if we cannot alter the nature of objects, and may x we not be free in other things if we are not at liberty to make ab- furd inferences ? You take for granted, that the mind is Inactive, but that its ideas acl upon it : As if the contra- ry were not evident to every man of common fenfe, who cannot but know, that it is the mind which confiders its [Dial. VII.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 375 ideas, choofes, rejects, examines, deliberates, decrees, in one word, acts about them, and not they about it. Upon the whole, your premifes being obfcure and falfe, the fun- damental point, which you pretend to demonftrate fo many different ways, proves neither fenfe nor truth in any. And, on the other hand, there is not need of much inquiry to be convinced of two points, than which none are more evi- dent, more obvious, and more univerfally admitted by men of all forts, learned or unlearned, in all times and places, to wit, that man acts and is accountable for his actions. Whatever abftracters, refiners, or men prejudiced to a falfe hypothecs may pretend, it is, if I miftake not, evi- dent to every thinking man of common fenfe, that human minds are fo far from being engines, or foot-balls, acted up- on and bandied about by corporeal objects, without any in- ward principle of freedom or action, that the only origi- nal true notions that we have of freedom, agent* or action, are obtained by reflecting on ourfelves, and the operations of our own minds. The finguiarity and credulity of Mi- nute Philofophers, who fuller themfelves to be abufed by the paralogifms of three or four eminent patriarchs of in- fidelity in the laft age, is, I think, not to be matched ; there being no inftance of bigotted fuperftition, the ring- leaders whereof have been able to fcduce their followers, more openly and more widely from the plain dictates of nature and common fenfe. XXI. Alc. — It has been always an objection againft the difcoverers of truth, that they depart from received opinions. The character of finguiarity is a tax on {i\zc,~ king : And as fuch we mod willingly bear it, and glo- ry in it. A genuine philofopher .is never modefc in a falfe fenfe, to the preferring authority before reafon, or an old and common opinion before a true one. Which falfe mod- ?:ty> .ourages men from treading in untroden paths. 374 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII.] or ftriking out new light, is above all other qualities the greateft enemy to free-thinking. Cri. — Authority in difputable points will have its weight with a judicious mind, which yet will follow evidence wherever it leads. Without preferring, we may allow it a good fecond to reafon. Your gentlemen, therefore, of the Minute Philofophy, may fpare a world of common place upon reafon, and light, and difcoveries. We are not attached to authority againft reafon, nor afraid of untroden paths that lead to truth, and are ready to follow a nem light, when we are fure it is no ignis fatuus. Reafon may oblige a man to believe againft his inclinations : But why fhould a man quit falutary notions, for others not lefs un- reafonable than pernicious ? Your fchemes, and princi- ples, and boafted demonftrations have been at large pro- pofed and examined. You have fhifted your notions, fucceffively retreated from one fcheme to another, and in the end renounced them all. Your objections have been treated in the fame manner, and with the fame event. If we except all that relates to the errors and faults of par- ticular perfons, and difficulties which, from the nature of things, we are not obliged to explain ; it is furprifing to fee, after fuch magnificent threats, how little remains, that can amount to a pertinent objection againft the chrif- tian religion. What you have produced has been tried by the fair tefl of reafon : AncJ though you mould hope to prevail by ridicule when you cannot by reafon, yet in the upfhot I apprehend you will find it impracticable to de- ftroy all fenfe of religion. Make your countrymen ever fo vicious, ignorant, and profane, men will ftill be difpo- fed to look up to a Supreme Being. Religion, right or wrong, will fubfift in fome fhape or other, and fome worfhip there will furely be, either of God or the creature. As for your ridicule, can any thing be more ridiculous, than to fee the moft unmeaning men of the [Dial. VII.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 375 age fct up for free-thinkers, men fo ftrong in aflertion, and yet fo weak in argument, advocates for freedom intro- ducing a fatality, patriots trampling on the laws of their country, and pretenders to virtue deftroying the motives of it ? Let any impartial man but caft an eye on the opin- ions of the Minute Philofophers, and then fay if any thing can be more ridiculous, than to believe fuch things, and at the fame time laugh at credulity. XXII. Lys. — Say what you will, we have the laughers on our fide : And as for your reafoning, I take it to be an- other name for fophiftry. Cri.— And I fuppofe, by the fame rule, you take your own fophifms for arguments. To fpeak plainly, I know no fort of fophifm that is not employed by Minute Philo- fophers againft religion. They are guilty of a Petit 10 Prin- ciple in taking for granted that we believe contradictions ; of non Caufa pr& Caufa, in affirming that uncharitable feuds and difcords are the effects of chriftianity ; of Ignoratio elenchi) in expecting demonftration where we pretend on- ly to faith. If I was not afraid to offend the delicacy of polite ears, nothing were eafier than to aflign inftances of every kind of fophifm, which would fhew how fkilful your own philofophers are in the practice of that fophiftry you impute to others. Euph. — For my own part, if fophiftry be the art or faculty of deceiving other men, I muft acquit thefe gen- tlemen of it. They feem to have led me a progrefs through atheifm, libertinifm, enthufiafm, fatalifm, not to convince me of the truth of any of them, fo much as to confirm me in my own way of thinking. They have expofed their fairy ware not to cheat but divert us. As I know them to be profefTed mailers of ridicule, fo in a ferious fenfe I know not what to make of them. 376 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII.3 Alc-— You do not know what to make of us ! I mould be fony you did. He mutt be a fuperficial philofopher that is foon fathomed. XXIII. Cri. — The ambiguous character is, it feems, the fure way to fame and efteem in the learned world, as it {lands conftituted at prefent. When the ingenious read- er is at a lofs to determine whether his author be atheift or deift, or polytheift, ftoic or epicurean, fceptic or dogma- tift, infidel or enthufiaft, in jeft or in earned, he concludes him, without hefitation, to be enigmatical and profound. In fad!:, it is true of the moft admired writers of the age* that no man alive can tell what to make of them, or what they would be at. Alc. — We have among us, moles that dig deep under ground, and eagles that foar out of fight. We can a£fc all parts, and become all opinions, putting them on or off with great freedom cf wit and humor. Euph.- — It feems then, you are a pair of infcru table, un- fathomable, falhionable philofophers. Alc— It cannot be denied. Euph. — But, I remember, you fet out with an open dogmatical air, and talked cf plain principles, and evident reafoning, promifed to make things as clear as noon-day, to extirpate wrong notions, and plant right in their ftead. Soon after, you began to recede from your firft notions and adopt others ■: you advanced one while, and retreated another, yielded and retracted, faid and unfaid : And after having followed you through fo many untroden paths and intricate mazes, I find myfelf never the nearer. Alc— Did we not tell you, the gentlemen of our feci; are great proficients in raillery ? Euph. — But, methinks, it is a vain attempt, for a plain man of any fettled belief or principles to engage with fuch flippery, fugitive, changeable philofophers. It feems as if [Dial. VII.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 377 a man fhould (land ftill in the fame place, while his adver- fary choofes and changes his fituation, lias full range and liberty to traverfe the field, and attack him on all fides, and in all fhapes, from a nearer or farther diftance, on horfeback or on foot, in light or heavy armour, in clofe fight or with miffive weapons. Alc. — It muft be owned, a gentlemen hath great ad- vantage over a ftrait-laced pedant, or bigot. Euph. — But after all, what am I the better for the con- verfation of two fuch knowing gentlemen ? I hoped to have unlearned my errors, and to have learned truths from you, but, to my great difappointment, I do not find that I am either untaught or taught. Alc.—- To unteach men their prejudices, is a difficult talk : And this muft firft be done, before we can pretend to teach them the truth. Befides, we have at prefent no time to prove and argue. Euph. — But fuppofe my mind white paper, and with- out being at any pains to extirpate my opinions, or prove your own, only fay what you would write thereon, or what you would teach me in cafe I were teachable. Be for once in earned, and let me know fome one conclufion of yours before we part : Or I (hall intreat Crito to violate the laws of hofpitality, towards thofe, who have violated the laws of philofophy, by hanging out falfe lights to one benighted in ignorance and error. I appeal to you (faid he, turning to Crito) whether thefe philosophical knight-errants fhould not be confined in this caftle of yours, till they make reparation. Euphranor has reafon, faid Crito y and my fentence is that you remain here in durance, till you have done fomething towards fatisfying the engagement I am under, having promifed, he fhould know your opin» ions from yourfelves, which you alfo agreed to. Z z 378 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII.] XXIV. Alc. — Since it mud be fo, I will now reveal what I take to be the fum and fubftance, the grand arcan- um and ultimate conclufion of our feci;, and that in two words, PANTA UPOLEEPSIS. Cri.— You are then a downright fceptic. But, fceptic as you are, you own it probable there is a God, certain that the chriftian religion is ufeful, poflible it may be true, certain that if it be, the Minute Philofophers are in a bad way. This being the cafe, how can it be queilioned what courfe a wife man mould take ? "Whether the principles of chriftians or infidels are trued, may be made a queftion, but which are fafeft can be none. Certainly if you doubt of all opinions, you mud doubt of your own : And then for ought' you know, the chriftian may be true. The more doubt, the more room there is for faith, a fceptic, of all men, having the leaft right to demand evidence. But, whatever uncertainty there may be in other points, thus much is certain : Either there is, or is not a God : There is, or is not a revelation : Man either is, or is not an agent : The foul is, or is not immortal. If the negatives are not fure, the affirmatives are poflible. If the negatives are improbable, the affirmatives are probable. In propor- tion, as any of your ingenious men, finds himfelf unable to prove any one of thefe negatives, he hath grounds to fufpecl: he may be miftaken. A Minute Philofopher, therefore, that would acl: a confident part, mould have the diffidence, the modefty, and the timidity, as well as the doubts, of a fceptic ; not pretend to an ocean of light, and then lead us to an abyfs of darknefs. If I have any notion of ridicule, this is mod ridiculous. But your ridi- culing what, for ought you know, may be true, I can faid Crito, is accounted for by Arifiotle, who tells us that arguments have not an effetl: on all men, but only on them whofe minds are prepared by education and cuftom, as land is for Seed. # Make a point never fo clear, it is great odds, that a man, whofe habits and the bent of whofe mind lie a contrary way, (hall be unable to comprehend it. So weak a thing is reafon in competition with inclination. I replied, this anfwer might hold with refpect to other per- fons and other times : But when the queftion was of inquifitive men, in an age, wherein reafon was fo much cultivated, and thinking fo much in vogue, it did not feem fatisfa&ory. I have known it remarked, faid Crito, by a man of muchobfervation, that in the prefent age, thinking is more talked of, but lefs pra&ifed, than in ancient times : And that fince the revival of learning, men have read much and wrote much, but thought little : Infomuch that with us to 'think clofely and juftly, is the leaft part of a learned man, and none at all of a polite man. The free-thinkers, it muft be owned, make great pretentions to thinking, and yet they (hew but little exa&nefs in it. A lively man, and what the world calls a man of fenfe, are often deftitute of this talent j which is not a mere gift of nature, but muft be improved and perfected, by much attention and exercife on very different fubjecls : A thing of more pains and time, than the hafty men of parts in our age care to take. Such were the fentiments of a judicious friend : And, if you are not already fufficiently convinced of thefe truths, you need only caft an eye on the dark and confut- ed, but neverthelefs admired writers of this famous feci: : And then you will be able to judge, whether thofe * Ethic ad Nicom, i, 10. c, 9. [Dial. VII.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 381 who are led by men of fuch wrong heads, can have very- good ones of their own. Such, for inftance, was Spinofa, the great leader of our modern infidels, in whom are to be found many fchemes and notions, much admired and followed of late years : Such as undermining religion, under the pretence of vindicating and explaining it : The maintaining it, not neceflary to believe in Chrift according to the fiefh : The perfuading men, that miracles are to be underftood only in a fpiritual and alegorical fenfe : That vice is not fo bad a thing as we are apt to think : That men are mere machines, impelled by fatal neceffity. I have heard, faid I, Spinofa reprefented as a man of clofe argu- ment and demonftration. He did, replied Crito, demon- ftrate ; but it was after fuch a manner, as any one may demonftrate any thing- Allow a man the privilege to make his own definitions of common words, and it will be no hard matter for him to infer conclufions, which in one fenfe fhall be true, and in another falfe, at once feeming paradoxes and manifeft truifms. For example, let but Spinofa define natural right to be natural power, and he will eafily demonftrate, that whatever a man can do y he hath a right to do. * Nothing can be plainer than the folly of this proceeding ; but our pretenders to the lumen Jiccum, are fo paflionately prejudiced againft reli- gion, as to fwallow the grofieft nonfenfe and fophiftry of weak and wicked writers for demonftration. XXVII. And fo great a noife do thefe men make, with their thinking, reafoning, and demonftrating, as to prej- udice fome well-meaning perfons againft all ufe and im- provement of reafon. Hone ft Demea, having feen a neighbor of his ruined by the vices of a free-thinking fon, contracted fuch a prejudice againft thinking, that he would not fulFer his own to read Euc/id, being told it • Tradlat. Politic, c. s. 3 8a MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII.] might teach him to think ; till a friend convinced him the epidemical diftemper was not thinking, but only the want and affectation of it. I know an eminent free- thinker, who never goes to bed, without a gallon of wine in his belly, and is fure to replenifh before the fumes are off his brain, by which means he has not had one fober thought thefe feven years ; another, that would not for the world, lofe the privilege and reputation of free-think- ing, who games all night, and lies in bed all day : And as for the outfide, or appearance of thought in that mea- gre Minute Philofopher, Ibycus, it is an efFecl:, not of thinking, but of carking, cheating, and writing in an office. Strange, faid he, that fuch men fhould fet up for free-thinkers ! But it is yet more ftrange, that other men fhould be out of conceit with thinking and reafon- ing, for the fake of fuch pretenders. I anfwered, that fome good men conceived an oppofition between reafon and religion, faith and knowledge, nature and grace ; and that, confequently, the way to promote religion, was to quench the light of nature, and difcourage all rational inquiry. XXVIII. How right the intentions of thefe men may be, replied Crito, I fhall not fay ; but furely their notions are very wrong. Can any thing be more difhonorable to re- ligion, than the reprefenting it as an unreafonable, unnat- ural, ignorant inftitution ? God is the Father of all lights, whether natural or revealed. Natural concupifence is one thing, and the light of nature another. You cannot, therefore, argue from the former againfl the latter : Nei- ther can you from fcience, falfely fo called, againfl real knowledge. Whatever, therefore, is faid of the one in Holy Scripture, is not to be interpreted of the other. I infilled that human learning in the hands of divines, had from time to time created great difputes and divifions in [Dial. VIL] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 383 the church. As abftratted mfitaphyfics, replied Crito, have always had a tendency to produce difputes among chriftians, as well as other men \ fo it mould feem, that genuine truth and knowledge would allay this humor, which makes men facrifice the undifputed duties of peace and charity to difputable notions. After all, faid I, what- ever may be faid for reafon, it is plain, the fceptics and infidels of the age are not to be cured by it. I will not difpute this point, faid Crito ; in order to cure a diftem- per, you mould confider what produced it. Had men reafoned themfelves into a wrong opinion, one might hope to reafon them out of it. But this is not the cafe *, the infidelity of Minute Philofophers feeming an effe£t of very different motives from thought and reafon. Little incidents, vanity, difguft, humor, inclination, without the leaft afliftance from reafon, are often known to make infidels. Where the general tendency of a doctrine is difagreeable, the mind is prepared to relifh and improve every thing that with the leaft pretence feems to make againft it. Hence the coarfe manners of a country cu- rate, the polite manners of a chaplain, the wit of a Mi- nute Philofopher, a jeft, a fong, a tale can ferve inflead of a reafon for infidelity. Bupalus preferred a rake in the church, and then made ufe of him as an argument againft it. Vice, indolence, faction, and fafhion produce Mi- nute Philofophers, and mere petulancy, not a few.— • Who then can expect a thing fo irrational and capricious fhould yield to reafon ? It may, neverthelefs, be worth while to argue againft fuch men, and expofe their falla- cies, if not for their own fake, yet for the fake of others ; as it may lefTen their credit, and prevent the growth of their fe£t, by removing a prejudice in their favor, which fometimes inclines others as well as themfelves to think they have made a monopoly of human reafon. 384 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VII.] XXIX. The mod general pretext which looks like reafon, is taken from the variety of opinions about re- ligion. This is a reding {tone to a hzy and fuperficial mind. But one of more fpirit and a jufter way of thinking, makes it a ftep whence he looks about, and proceeds to examine, and compare the differing inftitu- tions of religion. He will obferve, which of thefe is the mod fublime and rational in its doctrines, molt ven- erable in its myderies, moil ufeful in its precepts, naoft decent in its worfhip ? Which createth the noble ft hopes, and moil worthy views ? He will confider their rife and progrefs, which oweth leaft to human arts or arms ? Which flatters the fenfes and grofs inclinations of men ? Which adorns and improves the moil excellent part of our nature ? Which hath been propagated in the mod wonderful manner ? Which hath furmounted the greated difficulties, or mewed the moft difinterefted zeal and fin- cerity in its profeflbrs ?* He will inquire, which bed accords with nature and hiftory ? He will confider, what favours of the . world, and what looks like wifdom from above ? He will be careful to feparate human allay from that which is divine ; and upon the whole, form his judgment like a reafonable free-thinker. But inftead of taking fuch a rational courfe, one of thofe hady^fceptics {hall conclude without demurring, that there is no wif- dom in politics, no honefty in dealings, no knowledge in philofophy, no truth in religion : And all by one and the fame fort of inference, from the numerous examples of folly, knavery, ignorance, and error, which are to be met with in the world. But, as thofe, who are unknow- ing in every thing elfe, imagine themfelves (harp-fighted in religion, this learned fophifm is oftened levelled againft chriftianity. [Dial. VU] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 385 XXX. In my opinion, he that would convince an infidel, who can be brought to reafon, ought in the firft: place, clearly to convince him of the being of a God, it feeming to me, that any man, who is really a theift, can- not be an enemy to the chriftian religion : And that the ignorance or difbelief of this fundamental point, is that which, at bottom, conftitutes the Minute Philofopher. I imagine they, who are acquainted with the great authors In the Minute Philofophy, need not be told of this. The being of a God is capable of clear proof, and a proper object of human reafon : whereas, the myfleries of his nature, and indeed, whatever there is of myftery in re- ligion, to endeavor to explain and prove by reafon, is a vain attempt. It is fufficient, if we can (hew there is nothing abfurd, or repugnant in our belief of thofe points, and, inftead of framing hypothefis to explain them, we ufe our reafon only for anfwering the objec- tions brought again ft them. But, on all occafions, we ought to diftinguifh the ferious, modeft, ingenuous man of fenfe, who hath fcruples about religion, and behaves like a prudent man in doubt, from the Minute Philofo- phers, thofe profane and conceited men, who mull needs profelyte others to their own doubts. When one of this {tamp prefents himfelf, we mould confider what fpecies he is of : Whether a firft or a fecond-hand philofopher, a libertine, fcorner, or fceptic ? Each chara&er requiring a peculiar treatment. Some men are too ignorant to be humble, without which, there can be no docility : But though a man muft, in fome degree, have thought, and confidered, to be capable of being convinced, yet it is poflible the moil ignorant may be laughed out of his opinions. I knew a woman of fenfe, reduce two Mi- nute Philofophers, who had been long a nuifance to the neighborhood, by taking her cue from their predominant affectations. The one fet up for the moft incredulous A a a 3 8<5 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VIL] man upon earth, the other for the mod unbounded free- dom. She obferved to the firft, that he, who had cre- dulity fufhcient to truft the moft valuable things, his life and fortune, to his apothecary and lawyer, ridiculoufly affe£ted the character of incredulous, by refufing to truft his foul, a thing in his own account but a mere tri- fle, to his parifh-prieft. The other being what you call a beau, fhe made fenfible how abfolute a flave he was in point of drefs, to him the moft important thing in the world, while he was earneftly contending for a liberty of thinking, with which he never troubled his head ; and, how much more it concerned, and became him, to aflert an independency on fafhion, and obtain fcope for his" genius, where it was beft qualified to exert itfelf. The Minute Philosophers, at firft hand, are very few, and, confidered in themfelves, of fmall confequence : But their followers, who pin their faith upon them, are numerous, and not lefs confident than credulous ; there being fome- thing in the air and manner of thefe fecond-hand philo- fophers, very apt to difconcert a man of gravity and* ar- gument, and much more difficult to be bore than the weight of their objections. XXXI. Crito having made an end, Euphranor declar* ed it to be his opinion, that it would much conduce to the public benefit, if, inftead cf difcouraging free-think- ing, there was erected in the midft of this free country, a dianoetic academy, or feminary for free-thinkers, pro- vided with retired chambers, and galleries, and fhady walks, and groves •, where, after feven years fpent in filence and meditation, a man might commence a genuine free-thinker, and from that time forward, have licence to think what he pleafed, and a badge to diftinguifh him from counterfeits. In good earneft, faid Crito y I ima- gine that thinking is the great deftderatum of the prefent [Dial. VII.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 387 age : and that the real caufe of whatever js amifs, may juftly be reckoned the general neglect of education, in thofe who need it molt, the people of fafliion. What can be expected where thofe, who have the mod influence, have the leaft fenfe, and thofe who are lure to be follow- ed, fct the word example ? Where youth fa uneducated are yet fo forward ? Where modefty is efteemed pufilla- nimity, and a deference to years, knowledge, religion, laws, want of fenfe and fpirit ? Such untimely growth of genius would not have been valued, or encouraged by the wife men of antiquity ; whofe fentiments on this point are fo ill fuited to the genius of our times, that it is to be feared, modern ears could not bear them. But, how- ever ridiculous fuch maxims might feem to our Britijh youth, who are fo capable and fo forward to try experi- ments, and mend the conftitution of their country : I believe it will be admitted by men of fenfe, that if the governing part of mankind, would in thefe days, for ex- periment's fake, confider themfelves in that old Homerical light as paftors of the people, whofe duty it was to im- prove their flock, they would foon find, that this is to be done by an education, very different from the modern, and otherguefs maxims, than thofe of the Minute Philo- fophy. If our youth were really inured to thought and reflexion, and an acquaintance with the excellent writers of antiquity, we mould fee that licentious humour, vul- garly called free-thinkings banilhed from the pre fence of gentlemen, together with ignorance and ill tafte ; which, as they are infeparable from vice, fo men follow vice for the fake of pleafure, and fly from virtue, through an ab- horrence of pain. Their minds, therefore, betimes fhould be formed and accuftomed to receive pleafure and pain from proper objects, or, which is the fame thing, to have their inclinations and averfions rightly placed. Kalos chairein e mifein. This, according to Plato and 388 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VIL] Ar'tflotky was the crthe paideia, the right education. * And thofe, who, in their own minds, their health, or their fortunes, feel the curfed effects of a wrong one, would do well to confider, they cannot better make amends for what was amifs in themfelves, than by pre- venting the fame in their pofterity. While Crito was faying this, company came in, which put an end to our converfation. * Plato in Protag. & Ariftot. ethic, ad Nicom. 1. %. c. a. & l 10. c. 9. FINIS. BOOKS, Adapted to the ufe of Gentlemen in the different profeJftons % and all claffes of Citizens, regularly imported^ publi/bed, and fold, by INCREASE COOKE b 5 Co. South corner of the Green^ New-Haven. AMONG BOOKS LATELY ARRIVED, ARE THE FOLLOWING* JP AMILY BIBLES, folio, with references, apocrypha, and plates — and almoft every edition of the Bible to be found in the Englifh language. Henry's Commentaries, or an exposition of all the books of the Old and New Teftaments, 6 Vols. 4to. Macknight on the Epiftles, v/ith notes, philofophical, critical, explanatory and practical, 3 Vols. 4to. Cruden's & Butterworth's Complete Concordances of the Holy Scriptures, 410. and 8vo. lateft editions. Owen's Expofition of the Epiftles to the Hebrews, with a full and interesting Life of the Author. 4 Vols. 8vo. Newton's Works, containing Letters, Sermons, Cardi- phonia, Mefliah, a Review of Ecc. Hiftory, Hymns, and Mifcellaneous Pieces, 9 Vols. i2mo. Doddridge's Family Expofitor, with critical notes and improvement of each fe£Hon, and the Life of the Au- thor, 6 Vols. 8vo. 's Lectures on the principal fubje£ts in Pneuma- tology, Ethics, and Divinity, with references to the mod confiderable Authors on each fubje6t, 2 Vols. 8vo. Leighton's Expofitory Works on the firft Epiftle of Peter, with other remains, 2 Vols. 8vo. More's (Hannah) Works complete in 8 Vols. 1 2mo. Guye's Practical Expofitor, with notes, 6 Vols. 8vo. Erskine's Works, confiding of Sermons and Poems, 10 Vols. 8vo. Mosheim's Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, antient and modern, with notes &c. new edi. 6. Vols. 8vo. BOOKS. Stackhouse's Hiftory of the Bible, 6 Vols. 8vo. Clarke on the Gofpels, Boudinot's Age of Revelation, Willison's Works. Sermons and Discourses— -Blair's— Sawrin's Bouda- loue's— Taylor's— Balguye's — Cooper's — Atterbury's — M'Goawn's — Boucher's-Emmon's — Clarke's— Strong's Perkin's— Backus's— Trumbull's— White's— Cole's, and various others. Willich's Domeftic Encyclopedia, 4 Vols. 8vo. Anacharsis' Travels, with one Vol. of Maps. 4 Vols. 8vo. Henry's Hiftory of Great Britain, 6 Vols. 8vo. New System of Natural Hiftory, 6 Vols. 8vo. Rollin's Antient Hiftory, 1© Vols. 121*10. Gregory's Economy of Nature, 5 Vols. 8vo. Medical Extracts, with numerous Plates, 4 Vols. 8vo. Furguson's Roman Republic. 5 Vols. 8vo. Watson's Philip 2d. and 3d. 5 Vols'. 8vo. Robison's America-^-Charles 5th,— Scotland— and India;, 11 Vols. 8vo. Chalmer's Eftimate, 1 Vol. 8vo. Adams' Philofophical Lectures, 5 Vols. 8vo. Burke's Works, 3 Vols. 8vo. Bissot's Life of Burke, 2 Vols. 8vo. Gibbon's Rife and fall of the Roman Empire. 12 Vols. 8vo. Shakespeare's Works, various editions. Heron's Journey, 2 Vols. 8vo. The Federalist, new edition, 2 Vols. 8vo. Murphy's Tacitus, 4 Vols. 8vp. Garnett's Annals of Philofophy, 8 Vols. 8vo. Curiosities of Literature, 1 Vol. 8vo. Young's Hiftory of France, 3 Vols. 8vo. Pausaneous' Hiftory of Greece, 3 Vols. 8vo. Goldsmith's Rome— -England and Greece — The Poetic Works of Pope — Milton — Young— Thompfon — Barnes Gray— Cowper — Dryden— Beatie — Bloomfield — Fal- coner — Pomphret— Blair — Jchnfon, and various others. - - U O H in / Q Deacidified using the Bookkeeper proc Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide Treatment Date: August 2004 PreservationTechnologi( A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVAT 1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive Cranberry Township, PA 16066 (724)779-2111 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 012 893 285 9 &\ M a*i» ■ l<&it BB H IBS aniB IE n l?